Brassinosteroids (BRs) are important plant growth hormones that regulate a wide range of plant growth and developmental processes. The BR signals are perceived by two cell surface-localized receptor ...kinases, Brassinosteroid-Insensitive1 (BRI1) and BRI1-Associated receptor Kinase (BAK1), and reach the nucleus through two master transcription factors, bri1-EMS suppressor1 (BES1) and Brassinazole-resistant1 (BZR1). The intracellular transmission of the BR signals from BRI1/BAK1 to BES1/BZR1 is inhibited by a constitutively active kinase Brassinosteroid-Insensitive2 (BIN2) that phosphorylates and negatively regulates BES1/BZR1. Since their initial discoveries, further studies have revealed a plethora of biochemical and cellular mechanisms that regulate their protein abundance, subcellular localizations, and signaling activities. In this review, we provide a critical analysis of the current literature concerning activation, inactivation, and other regulatory mechanisms of three key kinases of the BR signaling cascade, BRI1, BAK1, and BIN2, and discuss some unresolved controversies and outstanding questions that require further investigation.
Potato, a cool‐weather crop, emits volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which attract the specialist herbivore, Phthorimaea operculella, but also this herbivore's parasitic wasp, Trichogramma chilonis, ...an important biocontrol agent. What happens to this trophic system when heat stress challenges this agro‐ecosystem? We studied how high temperature (HT) pre‐treatments influence potato's VOC emissions and their subsequent effects on the preferences of insects, as evaluated in oviposition assays and Y‐tube olfactometers. HT pre‐stressed plants were less attractive to P. operculella adult moths, which were repelled by HT VOCs, but increased the recruitment of the parasitoid, T. chilonis, which were attracted. VOC emissions, including the most abundant constituent, ß‐caryophyllene, were enhanced by HT treatments; some constituents elicited stronger behavioural responses than others. Transcripts of many genes in the biosynthetic pathways of these VOCs were significantly enhanced by HT treatment, suggesting increases in de novo biosynthesis. HT increased the plant's stomatal apertures, and exogenous applications of the hormone, ABA, known to suppress stomatal apertures, reduced leaf volatile emissions and affected the HT‐altered plant attractions to both insects. From these results, we infer that HT stress affects this plant‐insect interaction through its influence on VOC emissions, potentially decreasing herbivore ovipositions while increasing ovipositions of the parasitoid.
The management of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) poses a significant challenge because of its ambiguous etiology. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine ...(TCM) combined with mammotome-assisted minimally invasive surgery (MAMIS) for the treatment of IGM. This retrospective cohort study included patients with IGM who underwent treatment at our hospital between January 2017 and June 2022. Patients treated with Shugan Sanjie decoction alone and preoperative Shugan Sanjie decoction combined with MAMIS were included in Groups A and B, respectively. We focused on the demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of the patients in the 2 groups. A total of 124 female patients with an average age of 33.9 ± 3.6 years were included in the study. The demographic and clinical characteristics of patients in Groups A (n = 55) and B (n = 69) were similar ( P > .05). However, there were significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of treatment duration, 1-year complete remission (CR), and recurrence. Group B showed shorter treatment time (11.7 ± 5.1 vs 15.3 ± 6.4 months, P = .001), higher 1-year CR (72.5% vs 45.5%, P = .002), and lower recurrence (7.2% vs 21.8%, P = .019) in comparison to Group A. Shugan Sanjie decoction promoted the shrinkage of breast lesions in patients with IGM. Combined with MAMIS, this treatment regimen shortened the treatment duration, accelerated the recovery process, and reduced the recurrence rate.
The objective of the present study was to develop a W/O/W nanoemulsion (NE) drug delivery system loaded with punicalagin (PGN) for oral delivery and evaluate its potential in antibacterial therapy. ...The W/O/W PGN-NE was prepared using a two-step process by combining ultrasonic with high-energy emulsification and subsequently characterized by its droplet size, zeta potential, and morphology. The PGN-NE was further evaluated for its pH, in vitro antibacterial activity, drug release property, and cytotoxicity. The results indicated the formation of spherical, nano-sized globules of PGN-NE had a mean particle size of 45.53 ± 2.2 nm, with a PDI value of 0.22 ± 0.028, zeta potential was −4.67 ± 0.88 mV, and pH value was 5.8. In vitro antibacterial activity studies showed a significantly higher antibacterial activity of PGN-NE in comparison to free PGN, suggesting that NE can effectively improve the antibacterial effect of natural pharmaceuticals. The drug release assay demonstrated that PGN was slowly released from the NE preparation and absorbed, helping to prolong the potency and improve the bioavailability of PGN. Cytotoxicity testing showed that PGN had reduced toxicity when encapsulated in NE. Thus, the developed NE formulation of PNG exhibited a greater potential for the slow-release effect delivery and in the treatment of microbial infections with favorable safety profile.
Graphical abstract
Micromorphology of W/O/W PGN nanoemulsion
The W/O/W PGN-NE are uniform in size and non-adhesive, with a size distribution of 28.214 to 141.772 nm and a mean size of 45.53 ± 2.2 nm, respectively, with a PDI value of 0.22 ± 0.028.
Based on a model-independent framework, we study single production of exotic vectorlike X quark with electric charge |QX|=5/3 and its subsequent decay at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We calculate ...the cross sections of signal (for different couplings and mass values) and relevant Standard Model backgrounds, and further estimate the sensitivity to the parameters (coupling strength κ and mass MX) in the channel X→tW+ using final states with same-sign dileptons (electrons or muons), one b-tagged jet and missing energy. After a rapid simulation of signal and background events, the 95% CL exclusion limits and the 5σ discovery reach in the parameter plane of κ−MX are respectively obtained at the 14 TeV LHC with an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb−1.
Although people of all ages are susceptible to the novel coronavirus infection, which is presently named "Coronavirus Disease 2019" (COVID-19), there has been relatively few cases reported among ...children. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in children and the differences from adults.
We report one pediatric case of COVID-19. A 14-month-old boy was admitted to the hospital with a symptom of fever, and was diagnosed with a mild form of COVID-19. The child's mother and grandmother also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, the lymphocyte counts were normal. The chest computed tomography (CT) revealed scattered ground glass opacities in the right lower lobe close to the pleura and resorption after the treatment. The patient continued to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the nasopharyngeal swabs and stool at 17 days after the disappearance of symptoms.
The present pediatric case of COVID-19 was acquired through household transmission, and the symptoms were mild. Lymphocyte counts did not significantly decrease. The RNA of SARS-CoV-2 in stool and nasopharyngeal swabs remained positive for an extended period of time after the disappearance of symptoms. This suggests that attention should be given to the potential contagiousness of pediatric COVID-19 cases after clinical recovery.
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•An acid-resisting chitosan fiber was prepared by ion-imprinting technique.•Pd(II) and ECH were as template and two-step crosslinking agent, respectively.•IIF showed a good adsorption ...and selectivity performance on Pd(II) solutions.•Selectivity was due to the electrostatic attraction between NH3+ and PdCl42−.•Stable sorption/desorption performance shows a potential in further application.
A novel, selective and acid-resisting chitosan fiber adsorbent was prepared by the ion-imprinting technique using Pd(II) and epichlorohydrin as the template and two-step crosslinking agent, respectively. The resulting ion-imprinted chitosan fibers (IIF) were used to selectively adsorb Pd(II) under extremely acidic synthetic metal solutions. The adsorption and selectivity performances of IIF including kinetics, isotherms, pH effects, and regeneration were investigated. Pd(II) rapidly adsorbed on the IIF within 100min, achieving the adsorption equilibrium. The isotherm results showed that the maximum Pd(II) uptake on the IIF was maintained as 324.6–326.4mgg−1 in solutions containing single and multiple metals, whereas the Pd(II) uptake on non-imprinted fibers (NIF) decreased from 313.7 to 235.3mgg−1 in solution containing multiple metals. Higher selectivity coefficients values were obtained from the adsorption on the IIF, indicating a better Pd(II) selectivity. The amine group, supposedly the predominant adsorption site for Pd(II), was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The pH value played a significant role on the mechanism of the selective adsorption in the extremely acidic conditions. Furthermore, the stabilized performance for three cycles of sorption/desorption shows a potential for further large-scale applications.
Grafting is one of the promising techniques for improving abiotic stress tolerance in horticultural crops, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms of drought on grafted grapevine are largely ...unexplored.
Herein, we investigated the phenotypic, physiologic, biochemical, and drought related genes change of self-rooted 1103P (1103 Paulsen), SM (Shine Muscat) and grafted SM/1103P (SM shoot/1103P root) under drought stress condition. The results indicated that grafted grapevine effectively alleviated drought damage in grape leaves by higher RWC, water potential and free water content. Drought stress led to the alterations of chlorophyll, carotenoid, photosynthetic parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence in grapevine leaves after drought treatment indicated grafted plants improved the photosystem response to drought stress. Moreover, grafted plants under drought stress exhibited higher levels of abscisic acid (ABA), indoleacetic acid (IAA) and soluble protein, but less contents of hydrogen peroxide (H
O
) and malondialdehyde (MDA) both in leaves and roots. Drought stress also increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD and CAT) and activated the transcript expression of VvCu/ZnSOD, VvPOD4 and VvCAT1) in both leaves and roots. Further expression analysis by real-time PCR indicated that the expression levels of ABA-dependent and ABA-independent related genes could be activated in grafted grape after drought treatment.
Taken together, our findings demonstrated that grafting onto 1103P enhanced tolerance against drought stress in grape by improving water content, photosynthesis and antioxidant defense capacity, which provided a valuable information for understanding the mechanisms of drought tolerance regulated by grafting plants.
We surveyed the Trichoderma (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) biodiversity in agricultural fields in four major agricultural provinces of East China. Trichoderma strains were identified based on molecular ...approaches and morphological characteristics. In three sampled seasons (spring, summer and autumn), 2078 strains were isolated and identified to 17 known species: T. harzianum (429 isolates), T. asperellum (425), T. hamatum (397), T. virens (340), T. koningiopsis (248), T. brevicompactum (73), T. atroviride (73), T. fertile (26), T. longibrachiatum (22), T. pleuroticola (16), T. erinaceum (16), T. oblongisporum (2), T. polysporum (2), T. spirale (2), T. capillare (2), T. velutinum (2), and T. saturnisporum (1). T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. hamatum, and T. virens were identified as the dominant species with dominance (Y) values of 0.057, 0.052, 0.048, and 0.039, respectively. The species amount, isolate numbers and the dominant species of Trichoderma varied between provinces. Zhejiang Province has shown the highest diversity, which was reflected in the highest species amount (14) and the highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index of Trichoderma haplotypes (1.46). We observed that relative frequencies of T. hamatum and T. koningiopsis under rice soil were higher than those under wheat and maize soil, indicating the preference of Trichoderma to different crops. Remarkable seasonal variation was shown, with summer exhibiting the highest biodiversity of the studied seasons. These results show that Trichoderma biodiversity in agricultural fields varies by region, crop, and season. Zhejiang Province (the southernmost province in the investigated area) had more T. hamatum than Shandong Province (the northernmost province), not only in isolate amounts but also in haplotype amounts. Furthermore, at haplotype level, only T. hamatum showed a gradient distribution from south to north in correspondence analysis among the four dominant species. The above results would contribute to the application of Trichoderma biocontrol strains.
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