Distinct roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in vernalization response, maintenance, and resetting in winter wheat.

Winter plants rely on vernalization, a crucial process for adapting to cold conditions and ensuring successful reproduction. However, understanding the role of histone modifications in guiding the vernalization process in winter wheat remains limited. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome and chromatin dynamics in the shoot apex throughout the life cycle of winter wheat in the field. Two core histone modifications, H3K27me3 and H3K36me3, exhibited opposite patterns on the key vernalization gene VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1), correlating with its induction during cold exposure. Moreover, the H3K36me3 level remained high at VRN1 after cold exposure, which may maintain its active state. Mutations in FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM (TaFIE) and SET DOMAIN GROUP 8/EARLY FLOWERING IN SHORT DAYS (TaSDG8/TaEFS), components of the writer complex for H3K27me3 and H3K36me3, respectively, affected flowering time. Intriguingly, VRN1 lost its high expression after the cold exposure memory in the absence of H3K36me3. During embryo development, VRN1 was silenced with the removal of active histone modifications in both winter and spring wheat, with selective restoration of H3K27me3 in winter wheat. The mutant of Tafie-cr-87, a component of H3K27me3 "writer" complex, did not influence the silence of VRN1 during embryo development, but rather attenuated the cold exposure requirement of winter wheat. Integrating gene expression with H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 patterns identified potential regulators of flowering. This study unveils distinct roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in controlling vernalization response, maintenance, and resetting in winter wheat.

Cerebral venous thrombosis with hyperhomocysteinemia due to loss of heterozygosity at methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) locus: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) locus has been reported in tumor tissue. But the mutation was never reported in cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) before. CASE PRESENTATION: A 14-year-old girl was admitted with an intermittent headache and nausea for 2 months. The plasma homocysteine level was 77.2 µmol/L. Lumbar puncture revealed an intracranial pressure > 330 mmH2O. Cerebral MRI and MRV revealed superior sagittal sinus thrombosis. Whole-exome sequencing revealed LOH at Chr1:11836597-11,867,232 affects exons 10-21 of C1orf167, the entire MTHFR, and exons 1-2 of the CLCN6 gene. The normal allele was the c.665 C > T/677 C > T variant in MTHFR. The patient was treated with nadroparin for 2 weeks, followed by oral rivaroxaban. Supplemental folate and vitamins B12 and B6 were prescribed. One month later, she had no headache and the intracranial pressure had decreased to 215 mmH2O. MRI showed shrinkage of the thrombosis in the superior sagittal sinus, the degree of stenosis had significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Rare LOH at the MTHFR locus should be analyzed in CVT with HHcy. With anticoagulation treatment, the prognosis was good.

Transverse myelitis associated with primary biliary cirrhosis: clinical, laboratory, and neuroradiological features.

PURPOSE: Only five patients diagnosed with transverse myelitis (TM) associated with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) have been reported in the literature to date. We report two additional patients with TM associated with PBC at our hospital and review all seven cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An association between neuromyelitis optic spectrum disease (NMOSD) and PBC is reported for the first time in one of our patients. The second patient was diagnosed with TM associated with PBC without Sjögren's syndrome (SS). A literature review was performed using the PubMed database. RESULTS: All patients diagnosed with TM associated with PBC were female with a median age of 53 years. TM was associated with SS in 71.4% of the patients. Complete TM and incomplete TM were diagnosed in 71.4% and 28.6% of the patients. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was increased in 83.3% of patients. All patients were positive for anti-mitochondrial antibodies. Other autoantibodies, including anti-nuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, anti-SSA antibody, were detected in some patients. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis was abnormal in 83.3% of patients. The spinal cord lesions involved more than three vertebral segments in 85.7% of patients. Glucocorticoids were administered in 85.7% of patients, and good responses were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The association between TM and PBC may be missed by neurologists. More attention should be paid to the association between NMOSD and PBC. Most patients show SS and may experience relapse, and there is a good rationale for early commencement of immunosuppressive therapy.

Two New Zn(II)/Cu(II) Compounds: Photoluminescent and Photocatalytic Properties, and Protective Activity on Parkinson Disease.

Two coordination polymers, that is [Zn(pdc)(im)(H2O)]n (1) and [Cu(pdc)(im)2]n·n(H2pdc) (2) (H2pdc = terephthalic acid, im = imidazole), were hydrothermally synthesized via the reactions of H2pdc and im in combination with Zn(II) or Cu(II) ions. Compound 1 shows intense blue luminescence and compound 2 shows good photocatalytic activity for the methyl violet degradation under the irradiation of ultraviolet light. In addition, the assessment of the two compounds' application values against Parkinson's disease were carried out and their specific mechanism was tested simultaneously. First of all, the real time RT-PCR was implemented and the relative expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor receptor on neurons were measured. Besides, the Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis assay was utilized for the assessment of the influence of the compounds on the dopaminergic neuron death rate. The hemolysis toxicity detection was conducted to detect the biocompatible of the compounds.

Relapses shortly after rituximab treatment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Rituximab (RTX), an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has been demonstrated to be a useful maintenance therapy for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, few patients may suffer from relapses shortly after RTX. In order to investigate the clinical features of RTX-related relapses and guide therapeutic strategy, 3 patients in our department were reported and literatures were reviewed. METHODS: We reported three NMOSD patients suffered from relapses shortly after rituximab treatment in our hospital and reviewed 13 patients reported in literatures. Their demographic characteristics, clinical features and therapeutic strategy were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Sixteen patients, including three cases reported in this study, experienced 21 attacks within 1 month after RTX infusion. All of them were women with an age at onset of 34.0 ± 15.0 years. Fourteen patients were seropositive for aquaporin-4 antibody, and one was seropositive for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody. 57.1% (12/21) of RTX-related relapses occurred after the first use of RTX. Their clinical manifestations included optic neuritis (8/21), myelitis (11/21), and the other two relapses without detailed descriptions. Also, 62.5% (10/16) of patients had a history of prior relapses within 3 months before RTX infusions, and the location of nine relapses overlapped with previous relapses. RTX was given again after the first RTX-related relapse in eight patients, three of them with low-dosage RTX stayed stable for years, and five patients with full-dosage RTX experienced another RTX-related relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Relapses may occur shortly after RTX treatment in NMOSD. RTX-related relapse did not necessarily mean that RTX was ineffective in low-dosage regimen. Timely and sufficient treatment of RTX is crucial to prevent a relapse. It may be more reasonable to monitor B cell repopulation so as to determine a re-treatment regimen. RTX-related relapse following full-dosage RTX may be a predictor for a second time RTX-related relapse and it may be reasonable to switch to other immunosuppressants in early stage.

Aseptic meningitis as an atypical manifestation of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder flare.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system characterized by aseptic meningitis is rare and can be easily confused with intracranial infection. Here, we investigated the clinical features of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients with a meningitis-like presentation. METHODS: From a total of six attacks, five patients were identified. Their demographic, clinical, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, as well as treatments and prognoses were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Five patients (two males with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein [MOG] antibody and three females with aquaporin-4 [AQP4] antibody) experienced six attacks. Average age at onset was 31.5 ± 3.5 years-old. The earliest clinical manifestations included fever (6/6), headache (5/6), and meningeal irritation (6/6) accompanied by leukocytosis and elevated protein levels (6/6) in cerebrospinal fluid. Two attacks initially manifested as meningitis alone. Meanwhile, following the onset of meningitis-like symptoms, four attacks were accompanied by transverse myelitis on the same day. One attack was associated with leptomeningeal enhancement on MRI, four attacks with spinal meninges enhancement, and one with both leptomeningeal and spinal meninges enhancement. All patients were considered to have an intracranial infection at onset and consequently treated with anti-infective drugs. As the symptoms continuously deteriorated, flare-up of NMOSD was considered a more reasonable diagnosis. Application of glucocorticoids (with or without intravenous immunoglobulin therapy) quickly relieved the symptoms. Subsequent re-examination of cerebrospinal fluid and MRI showed significant improvements. CONCLUSION: Aseptic meningitis may be an atypical phenotype of NMOSD flare that is easily confused with specific infection. Comprehensive evaluation to exclude an infective etiology and enable accurate diagnosis and timely immunotherapy are critical to prognosis.

Rare anterior funiculus lesions in subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord: a case report and literature review.

Objective: Anterior funiculus lesion is uncommon in subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord with few data available. Aim of the study was to describe a case with the rare manifestation and summarize existing literatures.Methods: We report a case of a 42-year-old woman with anterior and lateral funiculus lesions on cervicothoracic spine magnetic resonance imaging, who presented with unsteady gait, sensory level and weakness of lower limbs. Besides, we reviewed and analyzed literatures about subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord with anterior funiculus lesions published during the past two decades.Results: The diagnosis of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord was considered due to her presence of low serum vitamin B12 levels, pernicious anemia and gastric carcinoid.Conclusion: Physicians should consider subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord as a possible differential diagnosis when faced with atypical lesions distributed in the anterior funiculus.

Ultrafast nonlinear optical response in solution dispersions of black phosphorus.

We report the spatial self-phase modulation (SSPM) effect for solution dispersions of black phosphorus (BP). The experimental results suggest that this concentration-dependent coherent light diffraction is due to the ultrafast and large third-order optical nonlinearity of BP. The third-order nonlinear susceptibility of BP has been simply obtained about 10-19 m2/V2 by analyzing the experimental results. The fast relaxation time during dynamic relaxation is obtained as 0.13 ps. Our experimental results imply novel potential application of BP in ultrafast nonlinear phase modulation devices based on their nonlinear optical response.

Effectiveness and safety of immunosuppressive therapy in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of immunosuppressive therapy in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) during pregnancy. METHODS: Sixteen NMOSD patients who had at least one pregnancy after NMOSD onset were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they received immunosuppressive therapy during pregnancy. The annual relapse rate (ARR) before pregnancy (BP); during the first (DP1), second (DP2), and third trimesters (DP3); first trimester postpartum (PP1); and second trimester postpartum (PP2) were calculated. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was used to evaluate the degree of disability. Pregnancy outcomes were recorded and the children were followed up and their health condition was evaluated. RESULTS: In the group taking prednisone alone or in combination with azathioprine as immunosuppressive therapies, there was no difference among ARRs of each period (DP1, DP2, DP3, PP1, PP2) and BP. Compared with EDSS BP, EDSS increased slightly 6months postpartum with no statistical significance (p=0.102). In the group without immunosuppressive therapy, ARR increased during PP1 (p=0.014) and EDSS increased 6months postpartum as compared to BP (p=0.017). Moreover, the added EDSS value was higher in the group without immunosuppressive therapy than in the group with therapy (p=0.038). In 22 pregnancies from 16 patients, 16 pregnancies ended in live births and 6 pregnancies ended in abortions, including 2 spontaneous and 4 induced abortions. None of the children had congenital diseases or malformations. There were no records of abnormal growth among the children during 6months to 12years of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Untreated women showed a propensity for disease relapse in PP1 and increased degree of disability postpartum. Immunosuppressive therapy during pregnancy and postpartum period can reduce the risk of relapse and degree of disability. Immunosuppressive therapy with low-dose prednisone was relatively safe. However, the safety of azathioprine during pregnancy remains unclear and needs future reevaluation.

Axial MR diffusion tensor imaging and tractography in clinical diagnosed and pathology confirmed cervical spinal cord astrocytoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) features of cervical spinal cord astrocytoma. METHODS: Eleven patients with cervical spinal cord astrocytomas and 10 healthy volunteers were recruited in this study. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and axial DTI were performed on a 3.0T MRI system. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) values for the lesions were measured. DTT was performed using the principal diffusion direction method. RESULTS: ADC values of the lesions and the normal-appearing tissue around the tumour (NATAT) on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) increased. The ADC values of the lesions were higher. The FA values of the lesions and the NATAT decreased significantly, with the lesions having lower FA values. The RD value (1.36±0.49) of the tumours was significantly higher than those found in the healthy controls, but similar for the AD value (1.84±0.56). There were no differences in ADC or FA values between lesions and NATAT in McCormick Type I vs. Type II patients. Based on the DTT, 7 patients with solid mass tumours were classified as Type I. One patient with a solid mass, 2 patients with cystic degeneration inside the lesions, and 1 patient with a cyst around the mass were classified as Type II. CONCLUSIONS: FA values of the cervical spinal cord astrocytoma decreased, but the ADC values increased. DTI was sensitive for the evaluation of pathological changes that could not be visualized on T2WI. Our preliminary study indicates that DTT can be used to guide operation planning, and that axial images of DTT may be more valuable.