The cereal endosperm is a major factor determining seed size and shape. However, the molecular mechanisms of endosperm development are not fully understood. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) function in ...various biological processes. Here we show a lncRNA, MISSEN, that plays an essential role in early endosperm development in rice (Oryza sativa). MISSEN is a parent-of-origin lncRNA expressed in endosperm, and negatively regulates endosperm development, leading to a prominent dent and bulge in the seed. Mechanistically, MISSEN functions through hijacking a helicase family protein (HeFP) to regulate tubulin function during endosperm nucleus division and endosperm cellularization, resulting in abnormal cytoskeletal polymerization. Finally, we revealed that the expression of MISSEN is inhibited by histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) modification after pollination. Therefore, MISSEN is the first lncRNA identified as a regulator in endosperm development, highlighting the potential applications in rice breeding.
Lockdown is an effective nonpharmaceutical intervention to reduce coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission, but it restricts daily activity. We aimed to investigate the impact of lockdown on ...pediatric body weight and body mass index (BMI).
The systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Four online databases (EMBASE, Medline, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL) were searched.
The pooled results showed that lockdown was associated with significant body weight gain (MD 2.67, 95% CI 2.12-3.23;
< 0.00001). The BMI of children with comorbidities or obesity did not change significantly. The BMI of general population was significantly higher during lockdown than before the pandemic (MD 0.94, 95% CI 0.32-1.56;
= 0.003). However, heterogeneity was high (I
= 84%). Among changes in weight classification, increases in the rates of obesity (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.37;
= 0.0002) and overweight (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.06-1.29;
= 0.001) were reported.
Our meta-analysis showed significant increases in body weight and BMI during lockdown among school-age children and adolescents. The prevalence of obesity and overweight also increased. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the burden of childhood obesity.
The development of high-performance near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes is hindered by strong non-radiative processes as governed by the energy gap law. Here, we show that exciton ...delocalization, which serves to decouple the exciton band from highly vibrational ladders in the S0 ground state, can bring substantial enhancements in the photoluminescence quantum yield of emitters, bypassing the energy gap law. Experimental proof is provided by the design and synthesis of a series of new Pt(ii) complexes with a delocalization length of 5–9 molecules that emit at 866–960 nm with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 5–12% in solid films. The corresponding near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes emit light with a 930 nm peak wavelength and a high external quantum efficiency up to 2.14% and a radiance of 41.6 W sr−1 m−2. Both theoretical and experimental results confirm the exciton–vibration decoupling strategy, which should be broadly applicable to other well-aligned molecular solids.Pt(ii) complexes allow the fabrication of efficient near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes that operate beyond the 900 nm region.
Background： Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head （NONFH） is a debilitating disease that represents a significant financial burden for both individuals and healthcare systems. Despite its ...significance, however, its prevalence in the Chinese general population remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of NONFH and its associated risk factors in the Chinese population. Methods： A nationally representative survey of 30,030 respondents was undertaken from June 2012 to August 2013. All participants underwent a questionnaire investigation, physical examination of hip, and bilateral hip joint X-ray and/or magnetic resonance imaging exalnination. Blood samples were taken after overnight fasting to test serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein （HDL） and low-density lipoprotein （LDL） levels. We then used multivariate logistic regression analysis to investigate the associations between various metabolic, demographic, and lifestyle-related variables and NONFH. Results： NONFH was diagnosed in 218 subjects （0.725%） and the estimated NONFH cases were 8.12 million among Chinesepeople aged 15 years and over. The prevalence of NONFH was significantly higher in males than in females （1.02% vs. 0.51%, x^2 = 24.997, P 〈 0.001 ）. Among NONFH patients, North residents were subjected to higher prevalence of NONFH than that of South residents （0.85% vs. 0.61%,x^2= 5.847, P = 0.016）. Our multivariate regression analysis showed that high blood levels oftriglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and non-H DL-cholesterol, male, urban residence, family history of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and glucocorticoid intake, overweight, and obesity were all significantly associated with an increased risk of NONFH. Conclusions： Our findings highlight that NONFH is a significantpublic health challenge in China and underscore the need for policy measures on the national level. Furthermore, NONFH shares a number of risk factors with atherosclerosis.
Deep learning for digital pathology is hindered by the extremely high spatial resolution of whole-slide images (WSIs). Most studies have employed patch-based methods, which often require detailed ...annotation of image patches. This typically involves laborious free-hand contouring on WSIs. To alleviate the burden of such contouring and obtain benefits from scaling up training with numerous WSIs, we develop a method for training neural networks on entire WSIs using only slide-level diagnoses. Our method leverages the unified memory mechanism to overcome the memory constraint of compute accelerators. Experiments conducted on a data set of 9662 lung cancer WSIs reveal that the proposed method achieves areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9594 and 0.9414 for adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma classification on the testing set, respectively. Furthermore, the method demonstrates higher classification performance than multiple-instance learning as well as strong localization results for small lesions through class activation mapping.
An on-field colorimetric sensing strategy employing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and a paper-based analytical platform was investigated for mercury ion (Hg2+) detection at water sources. By utilizing ...thymine–Hg2+–thymine (T–Hg2+–T) coordination chemistry, label-free detection oligonucleotide sequences were attached to unmodified gold nanoparticles to provide rapid mercury ion sensing without complicated and time-consuming thiolated or other costly labeled probe preparation processes. Not only is this strategy’s sensing mechanism specific toward Hg2+, rather than other metal ions, but also the conformational change in the detection oligonucleotide sequences introduces different degrees of AuNP aggregation that causes the color of AuNPs to exhibit a mixture variance. To eliminate the use of sophisticated equipment and minimize the power requirement for data analysis and transmission, the color variance of multiple detection results were transferred and concentrated on cellulose-based paper analytical devices, and the data were subsequently transmitted for the readout and storage of results using cloud computing via a smartphone. As a result, a detection limit of 50 nM for Hg2+ spiked pond and river water could be achieved. Furthermore, multiple tests could be performed simultaneously with a 40 min turnaround time. These results suggest that the proposed platform possesses the capability for sensitive and high-throughput on-site mercury pollution monitoring in resource-constrained settings.
Quantum‐dot‐tagged reduced graphene oxide (QD‐rGO) nanocomposites (left) internalized into targeted tumor cells display bright fluorescence from the QDs (right); by absorbing NIR radiation incident ...on the rGO and converting it into heat, they also cause simultaneous cell death and fluorescence reduction (bottom). The nanocomposite is thus capable of tumor imaging, photothermal therapy and in situ monitoring of treatment in progress.
Recently, interest in aluminium ion batteries with aluminium anodes, graphite cathodes and ionic liquid electrolytes has increased; however, much remains to be done to increase the cathode capacity ...and to understand details of the anion-graphite intercalation mechanism. Here, an aluminium ion battery cell made using pristine natural graphite flakes achieves a specific capacity of ∼110 mAh g
with Coulombic efficiency ∼98%, at a current density of 99 mA g
(0.9 C) with clear discharge voltage plateaus (2.25-2.0 V and 1.9-1.5 V). The cell has a capacity of 60 mAh g
at 6 C, over 6,000 cycles with Coulombic efficiency ∼ 99%. Raman spectroscopy shows two different intercalation processes involving chloroaluminate anions at the two discharging plateaus, while C-Cl bonding on the surface, or edges of natural graphite, is found using X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Finally, theoretical calculations are employed to investigate the intercalation behaviour of choloraluminate anions in the graphite electrode.
Prostate cancer has high metastatic potential. Men with higher urinary levels of the sleep hormone melatonin are much less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer compared with men with lower ...levels of melatonin. Melatonin has shown anticancer activity in experimental investigations. Nevertheless, the therapeutic effect of melatonin in metastatic prostate cancer has largely remained a mystery. Analyses of Gene Expression Omnibus data and human tissue samples indicated that levels of matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP‐13) expression are higher in prostate cancer patients than in healthy cancer‐free individuals. Mechanistic investigations revealed that melatonin inhibits MMP‐13 expression and the migratory and invasive capacities of prostate cancer cells via the MT1 receptor and the phospholipase C, p38, and c‐Jun signaling cascades. Importantly, tumor growth rate and metastasis to distant organs were suppressed by melatonin in an orthotopic prostate cancer model. This is the first demonstration showing that melatonin impedes metastasis of prostate cancer by suppressing MMP‐13 expression in both in vitro and in vivo models. Thus, melatonin is promising in the management of prostate cancer metastasis and deserves to undergo clinical investigations.
Melatonin acts on the MT1 receptor and inhibits phospholipase C (PLC) and p38 signal cascades, subsequently suppresses matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP‐13) expression through the c‐Jun‐dependent pathway, leading to the reduction of prostate cancer metastasis. This is the first indication that melatonin impedes metastasis via the targeting of MMP‐13 in prostate cancer cells, based on evidence from basic and clinical studies.
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