Comparative Mitogenomics Analysis Revealed Evolutionary Divergence among Neopestalotiopsis Species Complex (Fungi: Xylariales).

The genus Neopestalotiopsis consists of obligate parasites that cause ring spot, scab, and leaf blight diseases in higher plant species. We assembled the three complete mitogenomes for the guava fruit ring spot pathogen, Neopestalotiopsis cubana. The mitogenomes are circular, with sizes of 38,666 bp, 33,846 bp, and 32,593 bp. The comparative analyses with Pestalotiopsis fici showed that N. cubana differs greatly from it in the length of the mitogenomes and the number of introns. Moreover, they showed significant differences in the gene content and tRNAs. The two genera showed little difference in gene skewness and codon preference for core protein-coding genes (PCGs). We compared gene sequencing in the mitogenomes of the order Xylariales and found large-scale gene rearrangement events, such as gene translocations and the duplication of tRNAs. N. cubana shows a unique evolutionary position in the phylum Ascomycota constructed in phylogenetic analyses. We also found a more concentrated distribution of evolutionary pressures on the PCGs of Neopestalotiopsis in the phylum Ascomycota and that they are under little selective pressure compared to other species and are subjected to purifying selection. This study explores the evolutionary dynamics of the mitogenomes of Neopestalotiopsis and provides important support for genetic and taxonomic studies.

TYRP1 Protects Against the Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress of Retinal Ganglion Cells by Binding to PMEL.

OBJECTIVES: This research aimed to dissect the function of TYRP1 and PMEL in glaucomatous animal and cell models. METHODS: A chronic ocular hypertension (COH) rat model was induced in the right eyes of rats through the electrocoagulation of superficial iris veins. In addition, an oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-retinal ganglion cell (RGC) model was constructed through OGD. TYRP1 and PMEL expression was altered in the animal and cell models to explore their effects. RESULTS: TYRP1 and PMEL expression was poor in glaucoma patients, COH rats, and OGD-RGCs. Mechanistically, TYRP1 interacted with PMEL to upregulate PMEL in OGD-RGCs. TYRP1 overexpression enhanced viability and diminished apoptosis and oxidative stress of OGD-RGCs, which was abolished by PMEL knockdown. TYRP1 upregulation reduced intraocular pressure, RGC apoptosis, and oxidative stress in COH rats, which was reversed by PMEL knockdown. CONCLUSIONS: TYRP1 elevates PMEL expression to reduce RGC apoptosis and oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro.

How users make judgements about the quality of online health information: a cross-sectional survey study.

BACKGROUND: People increasingly use the Internet to seek health information. However, the overall quality of online health information remains low. This situation is exacerbated by the unprecedented "infodemic", which has had negative consequences for patients. Therefore, it is important to understand how users make judgements about health information by applying different judgement criteria. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine how patients apply different criteria in their judgement of the quality of online health information during the pandemic. In particular, we investigate whether there is consistency between the likelihood of using a particular judgement criterion and its perceived importance among different groups of users. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in one of the leading hospitals in a coastal province of China with a population of forty million. Combined-strategy sampling was used to balance the randomness and the practicality of the recruiting process. A total of 1063 patients were recruited for this study. Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis analyses were used to analyse the survey data. RESULTS: In general, patients make quality judgement of health information more frequently based on whether it is familiar, aesthetic, and with expertise. In comparison, they put more weights on whether health information is secure, trustworthy, and with expertise when determining its quality. Criteria that were considered more important were not always those with a higher likelihood of being used. Patients may not use particular criteria, such as familiarity, identification, and readability, more frequently than others even if they consider them to be more important than other do and vice versa. Surprisingly, patients with a primary school degree put more weight on whether health information is comprehensive than those with higher degrees do in determining its quality. However, they are less likely to use this guideline in practice. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the consistency between the likelihood of using certain quality judgement criteria and their perceived importance among patients grouped by different demographic variables and eHealth literacy levels. The findings highlight how to improve online health information services and provide fine-grained customization of information for users.

Embryonic stem cells-derived exosomes enhance retrodifferentiation of retinal Müller cells by delivering BDNF protein to activate Wnt pathway.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was intended to investigate the role of embryonic stem cell-derived exosomes (ESC-Exos) in Müller cell retrodifferentiation and their specific mechanism. METHODS: Following co-incubation of the extracted ESC-Exos and Müller cells, their effects on the retrodifferentiation and proliferation of Müller cells were measured by EdU staining, immunofluorescence, and western blot. ESCs transfected with small interfering RNA of BDNF were co-incubated with Müller cells to determine Müller cell proliferation and retrodifferentiation. ß-catenin expression in the nucleus and GSK-3ß phosphorylation were measured to determine the role of the Wnt pathway in Müller cells. The function of the retina in RCS rats was observed using flash electroretinogram. RESULTS: Co-incubation of ESCs with Müller cells or overexpression of BDNF contributed to Müller cell retrodifferentiation and proliferation, as evidenced by increased cell proliferation, fluorescence intensities of proliferation markers and retinal stem cell markers, and expression of BDNF and ß-catenin, and suppressed GSK-3ß phosphorylation. However, co-incubation with ESCs silencing BDNF or treatment with GW4869 inhibited the proliferation and retrodifferentiation of retinal Müller cells. In addition, exosome injection increased BDNF, BrdU, PH3, SOX2, and Pax6 expression, enhanced ß-catenin expression in the nucleus, diminished GSK-3ß, and improved retinal degeneration in RCS rats. CONCLUSION: ESC-Exos accelerated Müller cell retrodifferentiation and proliferation through Wnt pathway activation by delivering BDNF protein to Müller cells.

Analysis of the Taxonomy and Pathogenic Factors of Pectobacterium aroidearum L6 Using Whole-Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genomics.

Soft rot pectobacteria are devastating plant pathogens with a global distribution and a broad host range. Pectobacterium aroidearum L6, previously isolated from leaves of Syngonium podophyllum, is a pectolytic bacterial pathogen that causes typical soft rot on S. podophyllum. There is a shortage for genome data of P. aroidearum, which seriously hinders research on classification and pathogenesis of Pectobacterium. We present here the complete genome sequence of P. aroidearum L6. The L6 strain carries a single 4,995,896-bp chromosome with 53.10% G + C content and harbors 4,306 predicted protein-coding genes. We estimated in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values in combination with the whole-genome-based phylogeny from 19 Pectobacterium strains including P. aroidearum L6. The results showed that L6 and PC1 formed a population distinct from other populations of the Pectobacterium genus. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA and genome sequences showed a close evolutionary relationship among Pectobacterium species. Overall, evolutionary analysis showed that L6 was in the same branch with PC1. In comparison with 18 Pectobacterium spp. reference pathogens, strain L6 had 2,712 gene families, among which 1,632 gene families were identified as orthologous to those strains, as well as 1 putative unique gene family. We discovered 478 genes, 10.4% of the total of predicted genes, that were potentially related to pathogenesis using the Virulence Factors of Pathogenic Bacteria database. A total of 25 genes were related to toxins, 35 encoded plant cell-wall degrading enzymes, and 122 were involved in secretion systems. This study provides a foundation for a better understanding of the genomic structure of P. aroidearum and particularly offers information for the discovery of potential pathogenic factors and the development of more effective strategies against this pathogen.

How do new members affect the relationship between principal investigator's network position and academic output of granted funds?

The paper focuses on how to improve academic output of a granted fund when the adding of new members changes principal investigator's network position. This objective is refined by exploring how new members affect the relationship between principal investigator's network position and the academic output of granted funds, and whether this effect is similar in high-output and low-output collaboration networks. New members are divided into two groups, namely, international collaboration and inbound mobility. Using negative binomial regression on research funds supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the results indicate that new members indeed have moderating effects on the relationship between principal investigator's network position and the academic output of granted funds. Moreover, we find that this moderating effect in high-output collaboration networks is larger than that in low-output collaboration networks. Our findings provide practical implications for the decision makers to design funding planning and for the principal investigators to improve academic output.