Salinity is a major abiotic stress seriously hindering crop yield. Development and utilization of tolerant varieties is the most economical way to address soil salinity. Upland cotton is a major ...fiber crop and pioneer plant on saline soil and thus its genetic architecture underlying salt tolerance should be extensively explored.
In this study, genome-wide association analysis and RNA sequencing were employed to detect salt-tolerant qualitative-trait loci (QTLs) and candidate genes in 196 upland cotton genotypes at the germination stage. Using comprehensive evaluation values of salt tolerance in four environments, we identified 33 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 17 and 7 SNPs under at least two and four environments, respectively. The 17 stable SNPs were located within or near 98 candidate genes in 13 QTLs, including 35 genes that were functionally annotated to be involved in salt stress responses. RNA-seq analysis indicated that among the 98 candidate genes, 13 were stably differentially expressed. Furthermore, 12 of the 13 candidate genes were verified by qRT-PCR. RNA-seq analysis detected 6640, 3878, and 6462 differentially expressed genes at three sampling time points, of which 869 were shared.
These results, including the elite cotton accessions with accurate salt tolerance evaluation, the significant SNP markers, the candidate genes, and the salt-tolerant pathways, could improve our understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanisms under salt stress tolerance and genetic manipulation for cotton improvement.
The family of graphene has attracted increasing attention on account of their large specific surface area and good mechanical properties in the biomedical field. However, some characteristics like ...targeted delivery property and drug delivery capacity could not satisfy the need of a drug carrier. Herein, a graphene oxide (GO) nanocarrier was designed by modification of a folic acid (FA) derivative and a β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) derivative in order to improve two properties, respectively. In the first step, reactive or crosslinkable FA and aldehydic β-CD (β-CD-CHO) were designed and synthesized for further modification. In the second step, synthesized functional molecules were coupled onto GO sheets one by one to obtain the GO nanocarrier. IR spectra and XRD results were used to identify the chemical and structural information before and after modification for the GO nanocarrier. The final GO nanocarrier exhibited a typical thin wrinkled sheet morphology of the GO sheet without any influence by two functional molecules. Finally, in vitro evaluation was used to clarify the drug loading and controlling capacity of the nanocarrier as a drug delivery system. The results revealed that the GO nanocarrier had a better CPT loading capacity and showed better controllability for CPT release.
The 14-3-3 protein is a kind of evolutionary ubiquitous protein family highly conserved in eukaryotes. Initially, 14-3-3 proteins were reported in mammalian nervous tissues, but in the last decade, ...their role in various metabolic pathways in plants established the importance of 14-3-3 proteins. In the present study, a total of 22
genes, also called general regulatory factors (
), were identified in the peanut (
) genome, out of which 12 belonged to the ε group, whereas 10 of them belonged to the non- ε-group. Tissue-specific expression of identified
genes were studied using transcriptome analysis. The peanut
gene was cloned and transformed into
. The investigation of subcellular localization indicated that
is localized in the cytoplasm. Overexpression of the
gene in transgenic
showed that under exogenous 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) treatment, root growth inhibition in transgenic plants was enhanced. Further analysis indicated that the expression of auxin-responsive genes
,
,
, and
was upregulated and
and
were downregulated in transgenic plants, but the expression of
,
, and
showed opposite trends of change under NAA treatment. These results suggest that
may be involved in auxin signaling during seedling root development. An in-depth study of the molecular mechanism of this process remains to be further explored.
ObjectiveTo explore whether an ultrasound-guided pudendal nerve block (PNB) could decrease anaesthetic use, thereby shortening the length of the second stage of labour in women undergoing epidural ...analgesia.DesignProspective, single-centre, randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.SettingAn obstetric centre in a general hospital in China.Participants72 nulliparous women were randomised, and 71 women completed the study.InterventionAn ultrasound-guided bilateral PNB was administered to all study participants; the PNB group were given 0.25% ropivacaine 10 mL, while the control group were given 10 mL saline.Main outcome measureThe primary outcome measure was the duration of the second stage of labour. Secondary outcomes included additional bolus administration, total hourly bupivacaine consumption, difference in thickness between the contracted and relaxed rectus abdominis muscle before (DRAM1) and 30 min after (DRAM2) PNB, urge to defecate, maternal cooperation, preservation of the lower limb motor function, tightness of the perineum, and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score for pain.ResultsThe duration of the second stage of labour was shorter in the PNB group than in the control group (difference of 33.8 min (95% CI 15.6 to 52.0), p<0.001). Additional bolus administration and total hourly bupivacaine consumption were lower in the PNB group than in the control group (p<0.001). DRAM2 was greater (p<0.001), rate of parturient women with the urge to defecate was higher (p=0.014), maternal cooperation was superior (p=0.002), and lower limb motor function preservation was greater (p=0.004) in the PNB group relative to the control group. Tightness of the perineum was eliminated from the results due to the inconsistent application of the criteria by the nursing staff. There was no significant difference in NRS scores between the groups.ConclusionsNulliparous women with epidural analgesia who received an ultrasound-guided bilateral PNB may reduce their need for bupivacaine and consequently shorten the length of the second stage of labour, therein indicating that a bilateral PNB may serve as an additional effective adjunct method of labour analgesia.Trial registration numberChiCTR-IOR-16009121.
Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) have been extensively used to treat infertility. Inaccurate prediction of a couple's fertility often leads to lowered self-esteem for patients seeking ART ...treatment and causes fertility distress.
This prospective study aimed to statistically analyze patient data from a single reproductive medical center over a period of 18 months, and to establish mathematical models that might facilitate accurate prediction of successful pregnancy when ART are used.
In the present study, we analyzed clinical data prospectively collected from 760 infertile patients visiting the second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. Various advanced statistical methods, including broken-line regression, were employed to analyze the data.
Age remained the most important factor affecting the outcome of IVF/ICSI. Using the broken-line regression model, the fastest clinical pregnancy declining age was between 25 and 32. Female infertility type was found to be a key predictor for the number of good-quality embryos and successful pregnancy, along with the antral follicle count (AFC), total number of embryos, recombinant follicle stimulating hormones (rFSH) dosage, estradiol (E2) on the trigger day, and total number of oocytes retrieved. rFSH dosage was also significantly associated with the number of oocytes retrieved and the number of frozen embryos.
The fastest clinical pregnancy declining age is ranged between 25 and 32, and female infertility type is evidenced as another key predictive factor for the cumulative outcome of ART.
Background
GABPB1, the gene that encodes two isoforms of the beta subunit of GABP, has been identified as an oncogene in multiple malignant tumors. However, the role and mode of action of GABPB1 in ...malignant tumors, especially in lung cancer, are not well understood and need further research.
Methods
Our research focused on examining the biological function of GABPB1 in NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer). We analysed tumor data from public databases to assess the expression of GABPB1 in NSCLC and its correlation with patient prognosis and investigated GABPB1 expression and methylation patterns in relation to the tumor microenvironment. In parallel, experiments were conducted using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to suppress the GABPB1 gene in human lung cancer cells to evaluate the effects on cell proliferation, viability, and apoptosis.
Results
GABPB1 was widely expressed in various tissues of the human body. Compared to that in normal tissues, the expression of this gene was different in multiple tumor tissues. GABPB1 was highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and cell lines. Its expression was associated with molecular subtype and cellular signalling pathways, and a high level of GABPB1 expression was related to a poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients. The expression and methylation of GABPB1 affect the tumor microenvironment. After suppressing the expression of GABPB1 in both A549 and H1299 cells, we found a decrease in cell growth and expression, the formation of clones and an increase in the apoptosis rate.
Conclusions
Our research verified that GABPB1 promotes the tumorigenesis of NSCLC and has an inhibitory effect on tumor immunity. The specific role of GABPB1 may vary among different pathological types of NSCLC. This molecule can serve as a prognostic indicator for lung adenocarcinoma, and its methylation may represent a potential breakthrough in treatment by altering the tumor immune microenvironment in lung squamous cell carcinoma. The role and mechanism of action of GABPB1 in NSCLC should be further explored.
Hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) has been shown to improve organ tolerance to subsequent severe hypoxia or ischemia. However, its impact on intestinal ischemic injury has not been well studied. In this ...study, we evaluated the effects of HPC on intestinal ischemia in rats. Intestinal rehabilitation, levels of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) by-products, intestinal stem cells (ISCs), levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit α (HIF-1α) and its downstream genes such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (CPT1A) were assessed at distinct time intervals following intestinal ischemia with or without the interference of HIF-1α. Our data showed that HPC facilitates the restoration of the intestinal structure and enhances the FAO, by boosting intestinal stem cells. Additionally, HIF-1α, PPARα, and CPT1A mRNA and their protein levels were generally up-regulated in the small intestine of HPC rats as compared to the control group. Our vitro experiment also shows low-oxygen induces highly levels of HIF-1α and its downstream genes, with a concurrent increase in FAO products in IEC-6 cells. Furthermore, the above phenomenon could be reversed by silencing HIF-1α. In conclusion, we hypothesize that HPC can stimulate the activation of intestinal stem cells via HIF-1α/PPARα pathway-mediated FAO, thereby accelerating the healing process post ischemic intestinal injury.
The photoisomerization of azobenzene (AZO) makes it a potential type of photoswitch for the field of chemical engineering. However, the lack of stability and photobleaching characteristics of ...reversible photoisomerization have restricted further application of AZO as a photoswitch. Therefore, we have designed two polymers containing the AZO domain as macromolecular photoswitches and investigated their switching performance. The hydrophilic monomers hydroxyethyl methylacrylate (HEMA) and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) were chosen to copolymerize with the AZO monomer to form HEMA-AZO copolymer and HEMA-NVP-AZO terpolymer. The domain content was calculated by integration of the peaks in the 1H NMR spectrum. Real-time UV spectra of polymer solutions upon UV light irradiation confirmed quick and successful trans-to-cis transition for the AZO domain. In reverse, the operable and controllable recovery processes upon white light were also verified by real-time UV spectra. Furthermore, repeated irradiation by UV light and white light for 20 times was used to check their fatigue resistance and recyclability. Importantly, recovery behaviors for the two polymers could be adjusted by solvent property, environment temperature, and light intensity. Higher environment temperature or higher light intensity resulted in shortened recovery time. The influence of solvent was only slightly different for the two polymers. Nanoassemblies, which were formed by HEMA-NVP-AZO terpolymer and poly(β-cyclodextrin)/poly(α-cyclodextrin), exhibited similar controllable switching performance to the pure polymer. In brief, the effectiveness and efficiency of the polymers as photoswitches have been confirmed by results in this work.
Light-responsive materials have attracted increasing interest in recent years on account of their adjustable on-off properties upon specific light. In consideration of reversible isomerization ...transition for azobenzene (AZO), it was designed as a light-responsive domain for nanoparticles in this research. At the same time, the interaction between AZO domain and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) domain was designed as a driving force to assemble nanoparticles, which was fabricated by two polymers containing AZO domain and β-CD domain, respectively. The formed nanoparticles were confirmed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) results and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images. An obvious two-phase structure was formed in which the outer layer of nanoparticles was composed of PCD polymer, as verified by
1
HNMR spectroscopy. The efficient and effective light response of the nanoparticles, including quick responsive time, controllable and gradual recovered process and good fatigue resistance, was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The size of the nanoparticle could be adjusted by polymer ratio and light irradiation, which was ascribed to its light-response property. Nanoparticles had irreversibly pH dependent characteristics. In order to explore its application as a nanocarrier, drug loading and
in vitro
release profile in different environment were investigated through control of stimuli including light or pH value. Folic acid (FA), as a kind of target fluorescent molecule with specific protein-binding property, was functionalized onto nanoparticles for precise delivery for anticancer drugs. Preliminary
in vitro
cell culture results confirmed efficient and effective curative effect for the nanocarrier on MCF-7 cells.
Single-event upsets are studied in digital storage cells in 130nm CMOS bulk Si and PDSOI technologies. The sensitivity of SEU to different technologies and hardening approaches is explored by using ...heavy-ion radiation experiments. Error numbers in D flip-flop chains are used to determine the impact of various cell designs and PDSOI hardening technique on upset sensitivity. Various flip-flops are designed and connected as shift-register chains, and the error numbers induced by irradiation are recorded to examine the effectiveness of the PDSOI technology. It was found that PDSOI technology has better performance in terms of upset robustness versus bulk Si at the 130nm technology node. The same design structure implemented in PDSOI technology has higher SEU threshold LET and much lower saturation cross section due to its full dielectric isolation structure which does not allow the charge generated in the substrate to be collected by the electrically active junctions in the thin top region of the device and reduces the sensitive volume of p-n junctions in the transistor. As shown in the experiment result, NRH_SOI (not radiation hardening SOI) saves about 25% area while having much lower SER versus DICE_Si, which means PDSOI still has obvious advantage at reducing SEU rate, even though its necessary body contact has to consume certain extra area.
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