Risk factors and clinical prediction models for prolonged mechanical ventilation after heart valve surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) is a common complication following cardiac surgery linked to unfavorable patient prognosis and increased mortality. This study aimed to search for the factors associated with the occurrence of PMV after valve surgery and to develop a risk prediction model. METHODS: The patient cohort was divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of PMV post-surgery. Comprehensive preoperative and intraoperative clinical data were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify risk factors contributing to the incidence of PMV. Based on the logistic regression results, a clinical nomogram was developed. RESULTS: The study included 550 patients who underwent valve surgery, among whom 62 (11.27%) developed PMV. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.082, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.042-1.125; P < 0.000), current smokers (OR = 1.953, 95% CI = 1.007-3.787; P = 0.047), left atrial internal diameter index (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.002-1.081; P = 0.041), red blood cell count (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.275-0.876; P = 0.016), and aortic clamping time (OR = 1.031, 95% CI = 1.005-1.057; P < 0.017) independently influenced the occurrence of PMV. A nomogram was constructed based on these factors. In addition, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.782 and an accuracy of 0.884. CONCLUSION: Age, current smokers, left atrial diameter index, red blood cell count, and aortic clamping time are independent risk factors for PMV in patients undergoing valve surgery. Furthermore, the nomogram based on these factors demonstrates the potential for predicting the risk of PMV in patients following valve surgery.

Chromosomal-level genome assembly of the high-quality Xian/Indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) Xiangyaxiangzhan.

The indica rice variety XYXZ carries elite traits including appearance and eating quality. Here, we report the de novo assembly of XYXZ using Illumine paired-end whole-genome shotgun sequencing and Nanopore sequencing. We annotated 39,722 protein-coding genes in the 395.04 Mb assembly. In comparison to other cultivars, XYXZ showed a larger gene size including the transcripts and introns, and more exons per gene. And hundreds of ultra-long genes were also detected. A total of 4362 complete LTRs were annotated, and among them, many were located next to or in protein-coding genes including several genes related to rice quality. We observed the different distributions of LTRs in these genes among XYXZ, Nipponbare, and R498, implying these LTRs might potentially affect expressions of the proximal genes and rice quality. Overall, This chromosome-length genome assembly of XYXZ provides a valuable resource for gene discovery, genetic variation and evolution, and the breeding of high-quality rice.

Effect of Exogenous Melatonin Application on the Grain Yield and Antioxidant Capacity in Aromatic Rice under Combined Lead-Cadmium Stress.

This study aimed to determine the mechanism of exogenous melatonin application in alleviating the combined Pb and Cd (Pb-Cd) toxicity on aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.). In this study, a pot experiment was conducted; two aromatic rice varieties, Yuxiangyouzhan and Xiangyaxiangzhan, were selected, and sprays using 50, 100, 200, and 400 µmol L-1 melatonin (denoted as S50, S100, S200, and S400) and irrigation using 100, 300, and 500 µmol L-1 melatonin (denoted as R100, R300, and R500) were also selected. The results showed that, under the S50, S100, and S200 treatments, the Pb content of aromatic rice grain decreased, and the grain yield increased significantly. Moreover, the application of exogenous melatonin significantly reduced the accumulation of H2O2 in rice leaves at maturity under Cd-Pb stress and reduced the MDA content in Xiangyaxiangzhan leaves. In addition, the microbial community structure changed significantly under S50 and R300 treatments. Some pathways, such as the synthesis of various amino acids and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, were regulated by S50 treatment. Overall, melatonin application improved aromatic rice grain yield while reducing heavy metal accumulation by regulating the antioxidant capacity and metabolites in aromatic rice plants and altering the physicochemical properties and microbial community structures of the soil.

Dynamic Changes in Vitamin E Biosynthesis during Germination in Brown Rice (Oryza sativa L.).

The present study investigated the dynamic changes in vitamin E and gene expression within its biosynthetic pathway during three germination periods of four brown rice cultivars with different seed coat colors. The results reveal that the vitamin E content increased during the germination process of all brown rice cultivars. Moreover, the content of α-tocopherol, α-tocotrienol, and ß-tocopherol significantly increased at the later stage of germination. The expression levels of DXS1 and γ-TMT genes in all cultivars were significantly increased, whilst the HGGT gene expression levels of G6 and XY cultivars increased significantly at the later stage of brown rice germination. In addition, the expression levels of MPBQ/MT2 in G1 and G6 cultivars, and TC expression levels in G2 and G6 cultivars were substantially increased at the later stage of germination. Overall, the up-regulation of MPBQ/MT2, γ-TMT, and TC genes doubled the content of α-tocopherol, α-tocotrienol, and ß-tocopherol, and the total vitamin E content of brown rice was at its highest at 96HAT. The utilization of the germination period can effectively improve the nutritional value of brown rice, which can be used for the development and utilization of brown rice for healthy rice products.

The Regulatory Mechanism of 2-Acetyl-1-Pyrroline Biosynthesis in Fragrant Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Under Different Soil Moisture Contents.

2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) is the key compound of rice aroma. However, the responses of 2-AP biosynthesis in fragrant rice under different soil moisture and the corresponding mechanism are little known. The present study evaluated the effects of different soil moisture on 2-AP biosynthesis through a pot experiment. Four soil moisture contents, that is, 50% (SM50), 40% (SM40), 30% (SM30), and 20% (SM20), were adopted, and SM50 treatment was taken as control. The pots were weighed and watered to maintain the corresponding soil moisture content. The results showed no significant difference in growth parameters (plant height, stem diameter, and plant dry weight) among all treatments. Compared with SM50, SM40, SM30, and SM20 treatments significantly (p<0.05) increased 2-AP content by 32.81, 23.18, and 53.12%, respectively. Between 20 to 90% higher proline content was observed in SM40, SM30, and SM20 treatments than in SM50. Enzymes including proline dehydrogenase, ornithine transaminase, and 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase exhibited lower activities with soil moisture declined. Higher diamine oxidase activity was observed in SM40, SM30, and SM20 treatments compared with SM50, and real-time PCR analyses showed that transcript level of DAO1 was greatly increased under low soil moisture treatments, especially in SM20 treatment. Transcript levels of PRODH, DAO2, DAO4, DAO5, OAT, P5CS1, and P5CS2 decreased or maintained in SM40, SM30, and SM20 treatments compared with SM50. We deduced that low soil moisture content enhanced 2-AP biosynthesis mainly by upregulating the expression of DAO1 to promote the conversion from putrescine to 2-AP.

Application of hydrogen-rich water modulates physio-biochemical functions and early growth of fragrant rice under Cd and Pb stress.

Application of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) could improve plant growth under stress conditions; however, its effects on early growth and related physiological functions of fragrant rice under cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) toxicity are unknown. The present study was composed of two HRW treatments, i.e., H0: without H2 and HRW: with 500ppb H2 gas, three treatments with two metals, i.e., M0: without heavy metal, Cd: 75 µmol l-1 of Cd, Pb: 750 µmol l-1 of Pb applied to two popular fragrant rice cultivars, i.e., Yuxiangyouzhan and Xiangyaxiangzhan. The growth and physio-biochemical attributes of fragrant rice at 5 and 10 days after treatment (DAT) were assessed. Results showed that HRW treatment promoted the growth of rice seedlings in terms of increased dry biomass of shoot, root, and the whole seedling at 10 DAT. Moreover, HRW also improved early growth of fragrant rice under Pb stress with substantial increase in fresh and dry weight of roots and the whole seedling at 5 and 10 DAT. Application of HRW slightly alleviated the root inhibition caused by Cd toxicity in rice seedlings at 10 DAT. In addition, antioxidant activities, i.e., catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD), were increased with HRW application at 10 DAT while decreased root Pb and Cd contents of both rice cultivars. Overall, HRW alleviated the inhibitory effects of Cd and Pb toxicity by regulating the antioxidant defense response in growing rice plants.

Selenium-silicon (Se-Si) induced modulations in physio-biochemical responses, grain yield, quality, aroma formation and lodging in fragrant rice.

Fragrant rice is a high-valued quality rice type which is gaining much popularity over the globe due to its better cooking qualities and special aromatic characteristics. Selenium (Se) and silicon (Si) could improve the growth and yield of rice; however, the combine effects of Se and Si (Se-Si treatments) on rice grain quality, aroma and lodging in fragrant rice were rarely investigated. The pot and field experiments were conducted with two fragrant rice cultivars i.e., Xiangyaxiangzhan and Yuxiangyouzhan, grown under three Se levels i.e., 0, 120, and 240 mg kg-1 of soil (for pot experiment) and 0, 300, and 600 kg ha-1 (for field experiment) regarded as LSe, MSe and HSe, respectively and two Si levels i.e., 0 and 60 mg kg-1 of soil (for pot experiment) and 0 and 150 kg ha-1 (for field experiment) regarded as -Si and +Si, respectively. Results depicted that the Se-Si treatments regulated head rice yield, grain yield and yield related traits and the HSe+Si treatment sustainably improved the grain yield and head rice yield by regulating plant growth, antioxidant response and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in fragrant rice. The Se-Si treatments also improved the grain 2AP contents owing to regulation in the proline, pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) contents. Besides, Se-Si treatments also regulated the grain quality attributes and influenced the plant Se contents. Moreover, the Si mitigated Se-induced lodging resulted from changes in the lodging parameters i.e., lodging index, fresh weight per tiller, pushing resistance force, plant height and bending moment. Overall, the Se and Si application improved the grain yield and regulated the dry weight accumulation, antioxidant attributes and quality attributes. Meanwhile, the Si application mitigated the negative effect of Se-induced lodging in fragrant rice.

Network-based methods for identifying critical pathways of complex diseases: a survey.

Biological pathways play important roles in the development of complex diseases, such as cancers, which are multifactorial complex diseases that are generally caused by mutation of multiple genes or dysregulation of pathways. It has become one of the most important issues to analyze pathways through combining multiple types of high-throughput data, such as genomics and proteomics, to understand the mechanisms of complex diseases. Currently, several network-based pathway analysis methods have been proposed. In this overview, we review seven major network-based pathway analysis methods and enumerate their benefits and limitations from an algorithmic perspective to provide a reference for the next generation of pathway analysis methods. Finally, we discuss the challenges that the next generation of methods faces.