One key post-transcriptional modification mechanism that dynamically controls a number of physiological processes in plants is alternative splicing (AS). However, the functional impacts of AS on ...fruit ripening remain unclear. In this research, we used RNA-seq data from climacteric (VED, Harukei 3) and non-climacteric (PI, PS) melon cultivars to explore alternative splicing (AS) in immature and mature fruit. The results revealed dramatic changes in differential AS genes (DAG) between the young and mature fruit stages, particularly in genes involved in fruit development/ripening, carotenoid and capsaicinoid biosynthesis, and starch and sucrose metabolism. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) family proteins are known as important splicing factors in AS events. From the melon genome, a total of 17 SR members were discovered in this study. These genes could be classified into eight distinct subfamilies based on gene structure and conserved motifs. Promoter analysis detected various cis-acting regulatory elements involved in hormone pathways and fruit development. Interestingly, these SR genes exhibited specific expression patterns in reproductive organs such as flowers and ovaries. Additionally, concurrent with the increase in AS levels in ripening fruit, the transcripts of these SR genes were activated during fruit maturation in both climacteric and non-climacteric melon varieties. We also found that most SR genes were under selection during domestication. These results represent a novel finding of increased AS levels and SR gene expression during fruit ripening, indicating that alternative splicing may play a role in fruit maturation.
The recovery of upper extremity motor impairment after stroke remains a challenging task. The clinical effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which is believed to aid ...in the recovery process, is still uncertain.
A systematic search was conducted in Medline (Ovid), Cochrane and Embase electronic databases from March 28, 2014, to March 28, 2023. The inclusion criteria consisted of randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of rTMS on the recovery of upper limb motor impairment among stroke patients. Various measurements, including the Fugl Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity Scale (FMA-UE), Brunnstrom recovery stage, Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and Barthel index, were evaluated both before and after the intervention.
Nineteen articles with 865 patients were included. When considering only the rTMS parameters, both inhibitory and excitatory rTMS improved FMA-UE (MD = 1.87, 95% CI = 0.88-2.86,
< 0.001) and Barthel index (MD = 9.73, 95% CI = 4.57-14.89,
< 0.001). When considering only the severity of upper limb hemiplegia, both less severe (MD = 1.56, 95% CI = 0.64-2.49,
< 0.001) and severe (MD = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.09-3.00,
< 0.001) hemiplegia benefited from rTMS based on FMA-UE. However, when considering the rTMS parameters, severity of hemiplegia and stroke stages simultaneously, inhibitory rTMS was found to be significantly effective for less severe hemiplegia in the acute and subacute phases (MD = 4.55, 95% CI = 2.49-6.60,
< 0.001), but not in the chronic phase based on FMA-UE. For severe hemiplegia, inhibitory rTMS was not significantly effective in the acute and subacute phases, but significantly effective in the chronic phase (MD = 2.10, 95% CI = 0.75-3.45,
= 0.002) based on FMA-UE. Excitatory rTMS was found to be significantly effective for less severe hemiplegia in the acute and subacute phases (MD = 1.93, 95% CI = 0.58-3.28,
= 0.005) based on FMA-UE. The improvements in Brunnstrom recovery stage and ARAT need further research.
The effectiveness of rTMS depends on its parameters, severity of hemiplegia, and stroke stages. It is important to consider all these factors together, as any single grouping method is incomplete.
The aim of this study was to appraise the effects of motor imagery on the functional performance improvement among total knee arthroplasty patients systematically. We hypothesized a relatively ...greater recovery in the motor imagery group.
Medline (Ovid), Embase and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from inception to October 1st, 2021. We included randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of motor imagery on the functional recovery among total knee arthroplasty patients. Measurements included range of motion, strength intensity, Visual Analogue Scale, Time Up and Go Test, Oxford Knee Score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, all of which were evaluated before and after intervention. Mean differences (MD) or standard mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias.
Six studies with 168 patients were included for the meta-analysis. The SMD of strength intensity was increased (SMD = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.47-1.32, P < 0.001). The SMD of Visual Analogue Scale was reduced (SMD = - 0.91; 95% CI = - 1.29-- 0.52, P < 0.001). The SMD of Time Up and Go Test was reduced (SMD = - 0.56, 95% CI = - 0.94-- 0.19, P = 0.003). The MD of Oxford Knee Score was slightly increased (MD = 0.79-point, 95% CI = - 0.31-1.88, P = 0.159). The outcomes of range of motion, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index were described according to the original data.
Compared with control therapy, motor imagery in the intervention group achieved an effective treatment for strength enhancement, pain reduction and physical activities improvement. More large-scale, prospective researches are needed in the future.
The PROSPERO trial registration number is CRD42021250996.
Metamaterial is a kind of material/structure that is artificially designed and has exceptional electromagnetic properties and/or other physical properties, not found in nature. A class of ...electromagnetic metamaterial with only one or a few layers of periodic or aperiodic arranged cell structures in the direction of electromagnetic waves propagation can be referred to as a metasurface. Metasurface can be considered as a two-dimensional representation of metamaterial and can realize the controlling of the amplitude, phase, and polarization state/direction of the incident electromagnetic wave. According to the novel electromagnetic characteristics of metasurface and its big advantages, a series of new planar devices and systems based on metasurface can be developed. The goal of this review article is firstly to provide introductions for basic metasurface, its significance properties, and application principles. Meanwhile, the main research progresses of regular metasurfaces and the newly developed reconfigurable metasurfaces are analyzed, focusing on the types of amplitude modulation, phase modulation, polarization modulation, and multidimensional modulation. Finally, the research significances of metasurface development trend and important engineering practical applications are analyzed in the end.
To understand the current state of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in intensive care unit (ICU) of Tianjin public hospital, and to provide scientific evidence and direction for homogenized management ...and overall level improvement of RRT in Tianjin.
The questionnaires were distributed to the chief or key staff of 33 ICUs from 32 public hospitals in Tianjin by clinical quality control center for critical care medicine of Tianjin and ICU of Tianjin Third Central Hospital. The RRT data of ICUs from January 2020 to December 2021 was collected, including the type and size of ICU, the number of patients undergoing RRT, reasons for initiating RRT, the RRT modes, the anticoagulation and the complications of RRT and so on.
A total of 33 valid questionnaires were obtained, with a recovery rate of 100%. The result showed that there were 38 803 patients admitted to the selected ICUs during investigation, and 5 456 of them (14.06%) received RRT. In most ICUs, the reasons of initiating RRT were renal failure, sepsis and vol
Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in the process of several chronic diseases. It may be also associated with the incidence of sarcopenia. This study aimed to determine the association of ...PA from different components including frequency, duration, intensity, and volume with the incidence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults.
This study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 and 2015. A total of 3,760 individuals aged ≥ 40 years were involved in this study. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using muscle mass, strength and physical performance according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. PA information including frequency, duration, intensity, and volume was obtained by a self-reported questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the association between PA and the incidence of sarcopenia at 4-year follow-up.
The incidence of sarcopenia was 5.9% during the 4-year follow-up. Compared to sedentary individuals, those taking 1-2 days or more per week, or a minimum of 10 min each time on vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) had a lower incidence of sarcopenia. Adults spending 3 days or more each week, a minimum of 30 min each time, or 150 min or more per week on moderate-intensity PA (MPA) had a lower presence of sarcopenia than sedentary adults. Adults taking 3 days or more per week, at least 30 min each time, or 150 min or more each week on light-intensity PA (LPA) tended to have a lower incidence of sarcopenia than sedentary individuals. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings after removing persons with hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes.
These findings suggest that the frequency, duration, and volume of VPA or MPA are negatively associated with the presence of sarcopenia. Participation in LPA tends to have a lower incidence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults.
Eceriferum (cer) genes are a group of genes that have functions in wax biosynthesis, which play important roles in plant epidermal permeability, drought resistance, fertility, and organ fusion. In ...this study, CsCER4, an AtCER4 homologue, was cloned from cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). The full-length cDNA of CsCER4 is 1464 bp, encoding a protein with 487 amino acid residues. CsCER4 was expressed in all analysed tissues, including leaves, male flowers, female flowers, and fruit. Its expression level among fruit development increased and then decreased, and the expression was markedly different between 3413 (glossy type cucumber) and 3401 (waxy type cucumber), suggesting that CsCER4 has a role in wax biosynthesis.
was applied in peat-based soilless cultivation systems containing a mixed substrate (peat:vermiculite:perlite = 2:1:1,
/
/
) and irrigated by one-strength or four-strength Hoagland's nutrient ...solution to explore whether it can alleviate inhibition by higher-nutrient solutions (four-strength) and bring benefits to improvements of quality. The results showed that higher-nutrient solutions improved the flavor quality of cucumber fruit; especially, the contents of (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and (E)-2-Nonenal were effectively increased, which are the special flavor substances of cucumber.
K424 effectively improved growth performance, photosynthetic capacity, vitamin C content, soluble sugars, soluble protein, and total pectin in cucumber under higher nutrition solution conditions. Compared with the higher solution treatment, the bacterial diversity significantly increased, whereas the presence of fungi had no significant difference following the
K424 application. Moreover,
K424 reduced the relative abundance of
and promoted that of the
,
,
,
, and
genera. Redundancy analysis showed that
,
, and
were positively correlated with the substrate enzyme of sucrase, catalase, and urease. This study provides insight that
K424 mitigated the deleterious effects of high levels of nutrition solution on cucumber growth and quality by improving the substrate enzyme, regulating the microbial community structure, and enhancing the photosynthetic capacity.
Background
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common postoperative complication of lung cancer, but the incidence and risk stratification of postoperative VTE in stage IA non‐small‐cell lung cancer ...(NSCLC) patients remains unclear, therefore we conducted a single‐center prospective study.
Methods
A total of 314 consecutive patients hospitalized for lung cancer surgery and diagnosed with stage IA NSCLC from January 2017 to July 2021 were included. The patients were divided into the VTE group and the non‐VTE group according to whether VTE occurred after the operation. The patient's age, operation time, D‐dimer (D‐D) value, tumor pathology, and Caprini score were recorded. The different items were compared and included in logistic regression analysis to obtain independent risk factors, and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was calculated.
Results
The incidence of VTE was 7.3%. Significant differences in age, operation time, preoperative and postoperative day 1 D‐D value, neuron‐specific enolase value, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, maximum ventilation, carbon monoxide diffusion capacity, and pathological diameter were noted between the two groups. Age (95% confidence interval CI 1.056–1.216) and postoperative day 1 D‐D value (95% CI 1.125–1.767) were independent risk factors. The incidence of VTE in the low‐, medium‐, and high‐risk groups with Caprini scores was 0%, 7.3%, and 11.5%, respectively. The AUC of the Caprini score was 0.704 (p < 0.05).
Conclusions
The incidence of postoperative VTE in patients with stage IA NSCLC was 7.3%. Age and postoperative day 1 D‐D value were independent risk factors for VTE. The Caprini score has a certain value in the diagnosis of postoperative VTE of stage IA NSCLC.
The incidence of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with stage IA non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was 7.3%. Age and postoperative day 1 D‐dimer value were independent risk factors for VTE. The Caprini score has a certain value in the diagnosis of postoperative VTE of stage IA NSCLC.
Accumulated evidences show that neuroinflammation play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of depression. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptors have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammative as ...well as antidepressant effects. In the present study, the ability of NPY to modulate depressive-like behaviors induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in rats and the receptors and signaling mechanisms involved were investigated. Continuous injection LPS (i.p) for 4 days led to development of depressive-like behaviors in rats, accompanied with M1-type microglia activation and increased levels of IL-1β as well as decreased levels of NPY and Y2R expression in the mPFC selectively. Local injection of NPY into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) ameliorated the depression-like behaviors and suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway. Y2R agonist PYY (3-36) mimicked and Y2R antagonist BIIE0246 abolished the NPY effects in the mPFC. All these results suggest that NPY and Y2R in the mPFC are involved in the pathophysiology of depression and NPY plays an antidepressant role in the mPFC mainly via Y2R, which suppresses the NLRP3 signaling pathway, in LPS-induced depression model rats.
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