An epigenetically mediated double negative cascade from EFD to HB21 regulates anther development.

Epigenetic modifications are crucial for plant development. EFD (Exine Formation Defect) encodes a SAM-dependent methyltransferase that is essential for the pollen wall pattern formation and male fertility in Arabidopsis. In this study, we find that the expression of DRM2, a de novo DNA methyltransferase in plants, complements for the defects in efd, suggesting its potential de novo DNA methyltransferase activity. Genetic analysis indicates that EFD functions through HB21, as the knockout of HB21 fully restores fertility in efd mutants. DNA methylation and histone modification analyses reveal that EFD represses the transcription of HB21 through epigenetic mechanisms. Additionally, we demonstrate that HB21 directly represses the expression of genes crucial for pollen formation and anther dehiscence, including CalS5, RPG1/SWEET8, CYP703A2 and NST2. Collectively, our findings unveil a double negative regulatory cascade mediated by epigenetic modifications that coordinates anther development, offering insights into the epigenetic regulation of this process.

Signal on-off ratiometric electrochemical sensor coupled with a molecularly imprinted polymer for the detection of carbendazim.

A stable ratiometric electrochemical sensor is introduced for the selective detection of carbendazim (CBD). Specifically, the proposed sensor employs a Co@Mo2C bimetallic nanomaterial as the glassy carbon electrode substrate and a layer of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was in situ fabricated on glassy carbon electrode by electropolymerization, with o-aminophenol as the functional monomer and CBD acting as template. A ratiometric MIP sensor was constructed by adding ferrocene (Fc) internal reference directly to the sample solution. The bimetallic nanomaterials provide a large loading platform for the MIP layer through synergistic effects, amplifying the signal. Excellent CBD binding selectivity is achieved by the templating effect of the three-dimensional (3D) MIP layer. The internal standard is added directly to the electrolyte solution to be tested, allowing the new type of ratiometric electrochemical sensor to avoid the cumbersome steps of other methods and reducing the difficulty and human error of the experimental procedure. Combining a ratiometric strategy with a 3D MIP structure realises the dual-signal detection of CBD. The optimised sensor showed an excellent linear relationship between 0.01 and 1 000 µM, with a correlation coefficient of 0.997 and a detection limit of 3.4 nM (S/N = 3).

Clinicopathological, Radiological, and Molecular Features of Primary Lung Adenocarcinoma with Morule-Like Components.

BACKGROUND: Morule-like component (MLC) was a rare structure in primary lung adenocarcinoma. We aimed to reveal the clinicopathological, radiological, immunohistochemical, and molecular features of lung adenocarcinoma with MLCs. METHODS: Twenty lung adenocarcinomas with MLCs were collected, and computed tomographic and histological documents were reviewed. Immunohistochemistry, targeted next-generation sequencing, and Sanger sequencing for ß-catenin gene were performed. RESULTS: There were 9 lepidic adenocarcinomas, 8 acinar adenocarcinomas, 2 papillary adenocarcinomas, and 1 minimally invasive adenocarcinoma. Most patients (16/17) were shown a pure solid nodule, and 1 patient was shown a partly solid nodule on chest computed tomography (CT). Nine cases were accompanied with micropapillary components, and 3 were with cribriform components in which 2 suffered a worse prognosis. No significant association was found between the MCLs and the overall survival of lung adenocarcinoma (P = 0.109). The MLCs were often arranged in whorled or streaming patterns. The cells in MLCs showed syncytial and mild appearance. The MLCs were positive for E-cadherin, CK7, TTF-1, napsin-A, vimentin, and ß-catenin (membrane), and negative for CK5/6, p40, p63, Synaptophysin, chromogranin A, and Cdx-2. EGFR mutation, ALK-EML4 fusion, HER2 amplification, and PIK3CA mutation were detected in 16 cases, 2 cases, 1 case, and 1 case, respectively. EGFR mutation was more frequent in adenocarcinomas with MLCs than those without MLCs (P = 0.040). ß-catenin gene mutation was not detected in any patients. CONCLUSIONS: MLC is often observed in the background of acinar, lepidic, and papillary adenocarcinomas. Lung adenocarcinomas with MLCs tend to appear as a solid mass on CT and harbor EGFR gene mutations. The micropapillary components and cribriform components may cause poor prognosis of lung adenocarcinomas with MLCs. Vimentin is always positive in MLCs, and it is a useful marker for the identification of MLCs.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Galvanized-45 Steel/AZ91D Bimetallic Material by Liquid-Solid Compound Casting.

A connection between hot-dip galvanized 45 steel and AZ91D was achieved by liquid-solid compound casting to achieve one material with a better mechanical performance and a light weight. The microstructure and properties of galvanized-steel/AZ91D bimetallic materials were investigated in this study. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and an X-ray diffraction (XRD) were applied to analyze the microstructure evolution and formation mechanism of the galvanized 45 steel/AZ91D interface zone which could be divided into three layers. Among three different layers, the layer close to AZ91D was composed of α-Mg and an eutectic structure (α-Mg + MgZn). The intermediate layer was comprised of an eutectic structure (α-Mg + MgZn), and the layer adjacent to 45 steel consisted of α-Mg and FeAl3. Furthermore, galvanized-45 steel/AZ91D bimetallic material had better shear strength than the bare-45 steel/AZ91D metallic material which can indicate that owing to the formation of metallurgical bonding, the adhesive strength of galvanized-steel and AZ91D was improved to 11.81 MPa. In addition, the fact that corrosion potential increased from -1.493 V to -1.143 V and corrosion current density changed from 3.015 × 10-5 A/cm2 to 1.34 × 10-7 A/cm2 implied that the corrosion resistance of galvanized-steel/AZ91D was much better than AZ91D.

[Effects of miRNA-1,miRNA-21 in plasma on in-stent restenosis in patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus after percutaneous coronary intervention].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression differences of the plasma miRNA-1, miRNA-21 between patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and without coronary artery lesions, between patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR) and none in-stent restenosis (NISR), and to study their predictive value for ISR occurred after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with CHD and diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: The selected subjects were divided into CHD group in which patients were implemented stenting (n=187), and control group in which patients were without coronary artery lesions (n=195). According to the guidelines, the control group was divided into normal group (n=150), simple-DM group (n=45); the CHD group was divided into simple-CHD group (n=119) and CHD-DM group (n=68), the CHD group was also divided into ISR group (n=48), NISR group (n=139), and the ISR group was divided into simple-ISR group (n=26) and ISR-DM group (n=22) again. Plasma was collected from each group, and total RNA was extracted, the level of blood miRNA-1, miRNA-21 of each group was detected, and their level differences were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the level of miRNA-1 and miRNA-21 of CHD group was increased (P<0.05); compared with NISR group, the level of miRNA-1 and miRNA-21 of ISR group was increased (P<0.05). The incidence of ISR of CHD-DM group was obviously higher than that of simple-CHD group, ISR-DM group's level of miRNA-21 was higher than that of simple-ISR group (P<0.05), and there was no difference of miRNA-1 level between ISR and ISR-DM group (P<0.05). In Logistics, for CHD patents, the OR of DM, miRNA-1, miRNA-21 were 2.132, 3.066, 1.924 respectively (P<0.05); for CHD patents with ISR, the OR of DM, miRNA-21 were 2.123, 3.066 respectively (P<0.05); especially for CHD and DM patents with ISR, the OR of miRNA-21 was 9.148 (P<0.05). In ROC curve, for CHD patients with ISR, the AUC of miRNA-1, miRNA-21 were 0.854, 0.857 respectively; for CHD-DM patients with ISR, the AUC of miRNA-21 was 0.783. CONCLUSIONS: To predict the occurrence of ISR for CHD patients, the plasma miRNA-1 and miRNA-21 have a relatively high specificity and sensitivity, for CHD patients with DM, miRNA-21 may have a higher clinical value.

Outcome of cervicocranial artery dissection with different treatments: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare clinical outcomes between endovascular treatment and conservative treatment for cervicocranial artery dissection. METHODS: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies comparing endovascular treatment versus conservative treatment for cervicocranial artery dissection patients. The period searched was from November 1994 to March 2013. Fifteen observational studies involving 442 cervicocranial artery dissection patients were found. Evaluated outcomes included rate of mortality, disability, and good recovery. The rebleeding rate in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients was also recorded and compared. RESULTS: In general, patients who received endovascular treatment enjoyed a lower mortality rate than those who received conservative treatment (P = .02, odds ratio [OR]: .5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: .27-.90), especially patients having ruptured cervicocranial artery dissection (P = .002, OR: .32, 95% CI .15-.66) and dissecting aneurysms (P = .006, OR: .31, 95% CI .14-.71). Among SAH patients with a Hunt-Hess score of 3 or more, endovascular treatment decreased mortality significantly (P = .006, OR: .22, 95% CI .08-.65), whereas no significant differences between these 2 treatments occurred in patients having a Hunt-Hess score less than 3. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular treatment yields a better outcome, with greater benefit in patients with ruptured cervicocranial artery dissection, dissecting aneurysms, and a Hunt-Hess score of 3 or more. Randomized controlled trials comparing these 2 therapeutic strategies are needed.

[Characteristics and influencing factors of carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 in Shanghai, China].

Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in PM2.5 samples collected in urban (Xujiahui) and industrial (Baoshan) areas in Shanghai during 2007-2008 were analyzed with a DRI carbon analyzer using IMPROVE-TOR protocol. The results showed that the seasonal average concentrations of OC and EC were highest in the winter and lowest in the summer. The annual average concentrations of OC and EC were 8.10 and 3.91 microg x m(-3) at the urban sampling site, and 11.91 and 4.69 microg x m(-3) in the industrial area. The annual average OC/EC ratios at the two sites were 2.01 and 2.42, respectively. Strong correlations (R2 0.52-0.87) between OC and EC were found in all seasons, with the highest correlation coefficients in the winter ( R2 0.87 and 0.80) and the lowest in the spring (R2 0.52 and 0.58), indicating that the pollutant sources in spring was more complicated due to the varying wind directions. The annual average concentrations of secondary organic carbon (SOC) were 2.72 and 5.07 microg x m(-3) at the urban and industrial sites, accounting for about 30% of the total OC. The contribution of SOC to OC was the highest (about 40%) in the summer, in accordance with the high temperature and strong solar radiation in the summer. It was also found that precipitation had significant impact on the concentrations of OC and EC, especially in the winter. The average concentrations during periods without precipitation were two times higher than that during periods with precipitation in the winter, whereas no significant difference was found between the concentrations of OC and EC in the periods with and without precipitation in the summer, possibly due to the more stable atmospheric conditions during the periods with precipitation in comparison with those without precipitation. The OC/EC and SOC/OC ratios decreased significantly during precipitation.