Evaluating the protective capacity of soil heavy metals regulation limits on human health: A critical analysis concerning risk assessment - Importance of localization.

Heavy metal pollution of agricultural soil is a major global concern, prompting the establishment of maximum allowable limits (MALs) to ensure food safety and protect human health. This study collected and compared MALs for six heavy metals (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn, and Cu) in agricultural soils from representative countries and organizations (EU and WHO/FAO). The research evaluated the critical health risks and efficacy of these MALs under the hypothetical scenario of metals concentrations reaching the maximum allowable level. Safe thresholds for heavy metals were then derived based on maximum acceptable health risk levels. The comparative analysis revealed significant variations in the specific limit values and terms of MALs across countries and organizations, even for the same metal. This suggests that there is no consensus among countries and organizations regarding the level of metal-related health risks. Furthermore, the risk analysis of metal concentrations reaching the maximum level accentuated heightened risks associated with As, suggesting that the current risk of soil As exposure was underestimated, particularly for children. However, soil Cu, Cd, and Zn limits generally resulted in low health risks, implying that the current limits may overestimate their hazard. Overall, the results highlight that the current MALs for soil heavy metals may not fully safeguard human health. There is a critical need to optimize current soil MALs based on localized risks and the actual impact of these metals on human health. It is suggested to appropriately lower the limits of metals (such as As) whose impact on health risks is underestimated, and cautiously increase the limits of metals (such as Cu, Cd, and Zn) that currently pose minor health risks. This approach aims to reduce both over and insufficient protection problems of soil heavy metal MALs, emphasizing the importance of considering the locality in setting these limits.

Mixture composition design of magnesium oxychloride cement-stabilized crushed stone materials applied as a pavement base.

Conventional binding materials, such as silicate cement and lime, present high energy consumption, pollution, and carbon emissions. Therefore, we utilize crushed stone as a stabilization material. Magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) is modified and used as an inorganic admixture owing to its eco-friendly nature and low carbon content. We analysed the control indicators of an integrated design of MOC-stabilized crushed stone by conducting unconfined compressive strength and water-resistance tests. The optimum mixing composition of the MOC-stabilized crushed stone was determined through the response surface methodology. We determined the best approach and dosage for improving the water resistance of MOC-stabilized crushed stone by comparing the effects of four modification methods: fly ash, citric acid + silica fume, phosphoric acid + waterborne polyurethane, and dihydrogen phosphate potassium salt. We also perform a comparison with 5% ordinary silicate cement-stabilized crushed stone. The results indicate that the MOC-stabilized crushed stone exhibits a rapid increase in strength in the early stage, but this rate reduces after 28 days. The mixing design employs the 4-day unconfined compressive strength and 1-day water resistance coefficient as the technical indicators. The best mixing composition includes a 4.27% MOC dosage and a molar ratio of MgO/MgCl2 of 5.85. We use 1% citric acid + 10% silica fume in equal amounts to replace the MOC dopant method for composite modification of the MOC stabilized crushed stone. Consequently, the 1-day water resistance coefficient before water immersion is significantly increased from 0.78 to 0.91 and its 4-day unconfined compressive strength is only reduced by 0.10 MPa. This significantly improves the water resistance of the MOC-stabilized crushed stone and ensures that its strength remains unaffected, which is the optimal modification method. However, this method must ensure that a small amount of citric acid and silica fume are uniformly distributed in the MOC-stabilized crushed stone, which increases the construction difficulty of the road base.

Evaluation of Carotid Stiffness in Metabolic Syndrome by Real-Time Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging and Ultrafast Pulse Wave Velocity.

OBJECTIVE: This study utilized real-time shear wave elasticity imaging (SWE) and ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) to assess carotid arterial stiffness, aiming to predict atherosclerosis risk in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS). METHODS: In this study, 181 patients with metabolic syndrome (MS group) were compared with 73 healthy adults. The MS group was divided into three groups: MS I group: CIMT was normal (CIMT < 1.0 mm, no plaque, n = 61); MS II group: CIMT thickening (1.0 mm ≤ CIMT<1.5 mm, no plaque, n = 39); MS III group: plaque group (CIMT ≥ 1.5 mm, plaque, n = 81). Concurrently, the group of 73 healthy individuals was designated as the control set (NC). Parameters assessed include carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), elastic modulus values of the carotid artery's anterior and posterior walls (Mean, Max, Min), pulse wave velocity at systole's commencement (PWV-BS), and pulse wave velocity at systole's termination (PWV-ES). Differences, distribution characteristics, and correlations across these groups were analyzed. RESULTS: A significant association was found between PWV-BS, PWV-ES, and arteriosclerosis severity, with these factors gaining importance as arteriosclerosis progressed. Notably, PWV-ES differences were significant across the four groups (p < 0.05). Both MS III and MS II groups exhibited higher PWV-ES values compared to the MS I group and controls. Statistically significant differences were observed between MS III, MS II, and MS I groups relative to the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the Mean, Max, and Min values of the anterior and posterior carotid walls in the MS III group surpassed those of the other groups. CONCLUSION: Real-time shear wave elasticity imaging and ultrafast pulse wave velocity are valuable tools for assessing atherosclerosis risk in MS patients. These non-invasive, safe, and reproducible imaging techniques can quantitatively evaluate the stiffness of the common carotid artery's wall, offering important insights into cardiovascular risk assessment.

Pyroptotic macrophages induce disruption of glutamate metabolism in periodontal ligament stem cells contributing to their compromised osteogenic potential.

Macrophage pyroptosis is of key importance to host defence against pathogen infections and may participate in the progression and recovery of periodontitis. However, the role of pyroptotic macrophages in regulating periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), the main cell source for periodontium renewal, remains unclear. First, we found that macrophage pyroptosis were enriched in gingiva tissues from periodontitis patients compared with those of healthy people through immunofluorescence. Then the effects of pyroptotic macrophages on the PDLSC osteogenic differentiation were investigated in a conditioned medium (CM)-based coculture system in vitro. CM derived from pyroptotic macrophages inhibited the osteogenic differentiation-related gene and protein levels, ALP activity and mineralized nodule formation of PDLSCs. The osteogenic inhibition of CM was alleviated when pyroptosis was inhibited by VX765. Further, untargeted metabolomics showed that glutamate limitation may be the underlying mechanism. However, exogenous glutamate supplementation aggravated the CM-inhibited osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs. Moreover, CM increased extracellular glutamate and decreased intracellular glutamate levels of PDLSCs, and enhanced the gene and protein expression levels of system xc - (a cystine/glutamate antiporter). After adding cystine to CM-based incubation, the compromised osteogenic potency of PDLSCs was rescued. Our data suggest that macrophage pyroptosis is related to the inflammatory lesions of periodontitis. Either pharmacological inhibition of macrophage pyroptosis or nutritional supplements to PDLSCs, can rescue the compromised osteogenic potency caused by pyroptotic macrophages.

Mining Semantic Correlations Between Mispredictions and Corrections for Interactive Semantic Segmentation.

Interactive semantic segmentation pursues high-quality segmentation results at the cost of a small number of user clicks. It is attracting more and more research attention for its convenience in labeling semantic pixel-level data. Existing interactive segmentation methods often pursue higher interaction efficiency by mining the latent information of user clicks or exploring efficient interaction manners. However, these works neglect to explicitly exploit the semantic correlations between user corrections and model mispredictions, thus suffering from two flaws. First, similar prediction errors frequently occur in actual use, causing users to repeatedly correct them. Second, the interaction difficulty of different semantic classes varies across images, but existing models use monotonic parameters for all images which lack semantic pertinence. Therefore, in this article, we explore the semantic correlations existing in corrections and mispredictions by proposing a simple yet effective online learning solution to the above problems, named correction-misprediction correlation mining ( CM2 ). Specifically, we leverage the correction-misprediction similarities to design a confusion memory module (CMM) for automatic correction when similar prediction errors reappear. Furthermore, we measure the semantic interaction difficulty by counting the correction-misprediction pairs and design a challenge adaptive convolutional layer (CACL), which can adaptively switch different parameters according to interaction difficulties to better segment the challenging classes. Our method requires no extra training besides the online learning process and can effectively improve interaction efficiency. Our proposed CM2 achieves state-of-the-art results on three public semantic segmentation benchmarks.

Association of maternal weight gain in early pregnancy with congenital heart disease in offspring: a China birth cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Little study has reported the association of maternal weight gain in early pregnancy with fetal congenital heart disease (CHD). We aimed to explore the potential relationship based on a China birth cohort while adjusting by multiple factors. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: China birth cohort study conducted from 2017 to 2021. PARTICIPANTS: The study finally included 114 672 singleton pregnancies in the 6-14 weeks of gestation, without missing data or outliers, loss to follow-up or abnormal conditions other than CHD. The proportion of CHD was 0.65% (749 cases). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Association between maternal pre-pregnancy weight gain and CHD in the offspring were analysed by multivariate logistic regression, with the unadjusted, minimally adjusted and maximally adjusted methods, respectively. RESULTS: The first-trimester weight gain showed similar discrimination of fetal CHD to that period of maternal body mass index (BMI) change (DeLong tests: p=0.091). Compared with weight gain in the lowest quartile (the weight gain less than 0.0 kg), the highest quartile (over 2.0 kg) was associated with a higher risk of fetal CHD in unadjusted (OR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.72), minimally adjusted (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.62) and maximally adjusted (aOR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.63) models. The association remains robust in pregnant women with morning sickness, normal pre-pregnancy BMI, moderate physical activity, college/university level, natural conception or with folic acid (FA) and/or multivitamin supplementation. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Although the association of maternal pre-pregnancy weight gain on fetal CHD is weak, the excessive weight gain may be a potential predictor of CHD in the offspring, especially in those with morning sickness and other conditions that are routine in the cohort, such as normal pre-pregnancy BMI, moderate physical activity, college/university level, natural conception or with FA and/or multivitamin supplementation.

Assessing and Comparing Potential Allergenicity of Two Partially Hydrolyzed Whey-Based Formulas for Infants: A Population-Based Study in China.

SCOPE: In cases where breast milk is unavailable or inadequate, hydrolyzed infant formula is recommended as the primary alternative. The aim of this study is to assess and compare the allergenicity of two partially hydrolyzed whey-based formulas (PHF-Ws) using serum samples from patients with cow's milk allergy (CMA). METHODS AND RESULTS: LC-MS/MS technology is used to investigate the peptide distribution in both samples. The immunoreactivity of two PHF-Ws in 27 serum samples from 50 Chinese infants (02 years) with CMA is analyzed. The results demonstrate that even with a similar a degree of hydrolysis (DH), primary protein sources, peptides with molecular weights <5 kDa, and differences in the number of residual allergenic epitopes in the hydrolyzed peptide segments can lead to varying immune responses. CONCLUSION: The two PHF-Ws have notably high intolerance rates, exceeding 10% among infants with CMA. Therefore, suggesting that PHF-Ws may not be suitable for infants and children with CMA in China.

A Long Photoperiod Promoted the Development, Reproduction, and Predation of Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) at an Average Greenhouse Temperature during the Winter.

To explore the feasibility of adjusting the photoperiod to regulate the life parameters and predation ability of Harmonia axyridis Pallas in greenhouses during the winter, life tables were constructed for H. axyridis under the three following photoperiods: 9L:15D (light/dark), 12L:12D, and 16L:8D at 15 °C, an average greenhouse temperature during the winter when aphids severely damage vegetables. The effects of photoperiods on predation by this ladybird were tested in both laboratory and greenhouse settings. The results showed that increased illumination promoted the development and reproduction of H. axyridis; under medium and long photoperiods, the pre-adult periods were 3.61 days and 4.34 days shorter than that under the short photoperiod, respectively, and the fecundity increased by 1.78 and 2.41 times. Population parameters r, λ, and R0 increased as illumination time increased, whereas T decreased. Increased illumination also increased the predation by third- and fourth-instar larvae and adults. The amounts of predation by fourth-instar larvae and adults increased by 22.16% and 75.09% under the medium photoperiod, and those under the long photoperiod increased by 71.96% and 89.64%, respectively. The numbers of Myzus persicae Sulzer predated by H. axyridis under the long photoperiod were higher than those under the short photoperiod in a greenhouse, and the predation parameters were influenced.

Phosphotungstic Acid Clusters Decorated Znln2S4 Nanoflowers as Molecular-Scale S-Scheme Heterojunctions for Simultaneous H2 Evolution and Benzyl Alcohol Upgrading.

Simultaneous utilization of photogenerated electrons and holes to achieve overall redox reactions is attractive but still far from practical application. The emerging step (S)-scheme mechanism has proven to be an ideal approach to inhibit charge recombination and supply photoinduced charges with highest redox potentials. Herein, a hierarchical phosphotungstic acid (H3PW12O40, HPW)@Znln2S4 (ZISW) heterojunction was prepared through one-pot hydrothermal method for simultaneous hydrogen (H2) evolution and benzyl alcohol upgrading. The fabricated HPW-based heterojunctions indicated much enhanced visible-light absorption, promoted photogenerated charge transfer and inhibited charge recombination, owing to hierarchical architecture based on visible-light responsive Znln2S4 microspheres, and S-scheme charge transfer pathway. The S-scheme mechanism was further verified by free-radical trapping electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra. Moreover, the wettability of composite heterojunction was improved by the modification of hydrophilic HPW, contributing to gaining active hydrogen (H+) from water sustainably. The optimal ZISW-30 heterojunction photocatalyst indicated an enhanced hydrogen evolution rate of 27.59 mmol g-1 h-1 in benzyl alcohol (10 vol. %) solution under full-spectrum irradiation, along with highest benzaldehyde production rate is 8.32 mmol g-1 h-1. This work provides a promising guideline for incorporating HPW into S-scheme heterojunctions to achieve efficient overall redox reactions.

Effects of rainfall patterns in dry and rainy seasons on the biomass, ecostoichiometric characteristics, and NSC content of Fraxinus malacophylla seedlings.

With global climate change and rising temperatures, rainfall will change. The impact of global rainfall changes on ecosystems has prompted people to delve deeper into how changes in rainfall affect plant growth; Plant biomass, nutrient element content, and non-structural carbohydrate content are very sensitive to changes in precipitation. Therefore, understanding the impact of rainfall changes on seedlings is crucial. However, it is currently unclear how the seedlings of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl in rocky desertification areas respond to changes in rainfall. In this study, the response of biomass, nutrient accumulation, and NSC content of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl seedlings to different rainfall intervals and rainfall during the dry and rainy seasons was studied. Use natural rainfall duration of 5 days (T) and extended rainfall duration of 10 days(T+) as rainfall intervals; average monthly rainfall was used as the control (W), with a corresponding 40% increase in rainfall (W+) and a 40% decrease in rainfall (W-) as rainfall treatments. The research results indicate that the biomass of roots, stems, and leaves, as well as the accumulation of C, N, and P in Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl seedlings increase with the increase of rainfall, while the soluble sugar and starch content show a pattern of first increasing and then decreasing. The biomass and nutrient accumulation of each organ showed root>leaf>stem. Except for the beginning of the dry season, prolonging the duration of rainfall in other periods inhibits the biomass accumulation of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl seedlings, and promotes the accumulation of C, N, and P nutrients and an increase in soluble sugar and starch content. There was a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) between the nutrient contents of C, N, and P in various organs, as well as between soluble sugar and starch content; And N: P>16, plant growth is limited by P element. These results indicate that changes in rainfall can affect the growth and development of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl seedlings, increasing rainfall can promote biomass and nutrient accumulation of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl seedlings, and prolonging rainfall intervals and reducing rainfall have inhibitory effects on them. The exploration of the adaptation of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl seedlings to rainfall patterns has promoted a basic understanding of the impact of rainfall changes on the growth of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl. This provides a theoretical basis for understanding how Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl can grow better under rainfall changes and for future management of Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl artificial forests in rocky desertification areas.

Chronic stress increases metastasis via neutrophil-mediated changes to the microenvironment.

Chronic stress is associated with increased risk of metastasis and poor survival in cancer patients, yet the reasons are unclear. We show that chronic stress increases lung metastasis from disseminated cancer cells 2- to 4-fold in mice. Chronic stress significantly alters the lung microenvironment, with fibronectin accumulation, reduced T cell infiltration, and increased neutrophil infiltration. Depleting neutrophils abolishes stress-induced metastasis. Chronic stress shifts normal circadian rhythm of neutrophils and causes increased neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation via glucocorticoid release. In mice with neutrophil-specific glucocorticoid receptor deletion, chronic stress fails to increase NETs and metastasis. Furthermore, digesting NETs with DNase I prevents chronic stress-induced metastasis. Together, our data show that glucocorticoids released during chronic stress cause NET formation and establish a metastasis-promoting microenvironment. Therefore, NETs could be targets for preventing metastatic recurrence in cancer patients, many of whom will experience chronic stress due to their disease.

Swieteliacates S-U, phragmalin limonoids, from the leaves of Swietenia macrophylla.

Three novel phragmalin-type limonoids, swieteliacates S-U (1-3), were isolated from Swietenia macrophylla leaves, alongside four previously identified limonoids (4-7). The structures, encompassing absolute configurations, were delineated through 1D and 2D NMR analyses, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS), and NMR and ECD calculations. Swieteliacate S (1) is a distinctive cryptate comprising a tricyclo[4.2.110,30.11,4]decane fragment and an additional five-membered oxygen ring. Compounds 3 and 5 exhibited inhibition rates of 26.08 ± 2.26% and 15.42 ± 3.66%, respectively, on triglyceride (TG) production in Hep G2 cells at 40 µM.

US of thyroid nodules: can AI-assisted diagnostic system compete with fine needle aspiration?

OBJECTIVES: Artificial intelligence (AI) systems can diagnose thyroid nodules with similar or better performance than radiologists. Little is known about how this performance compares with that achieved through fine needle aspiration (FNA). This study aims to compare the diagnostic yields of FNA cytopathology alone and combined with BRAFV600E mutation analysis and an AI diagnostic system. METHODS: The ultrasound images of 637 thyroid nodules were collected in three hospitals. The diagnostic efficacies of an AI diagnostic system, FNA-based cytopathology, and BRAFV600E mutation analysis were evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the κ coefficient with respect to the gold standard, defined by postsurgical pathology and consistent benign outcomes from two combined FNA and mutation analysis examinations performed with a half-year interval. RESULTS: The malignancy threshold for the AI system was selected according to the Youden index from a retrospective cohort of 346 nodules and then applied to a prospective cohort of 291 nodules. The combination of FNA cytopathology according to the Bethesda criteria and BRAFV600E mutation analysis showed no significant difference from the AI system in terms of accuracy for either cohort in our multicenter study. In addition, for 45 included indeterminate Bethesda category III and IV nodules, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the AI system were 84.44%, 95.45%, and 73.91%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The AI diagnostic system showed similar diagnostic performance to FNA cytopathology combined with BRAFV600E mutation analysis. Given its advantages in terms of operability, time efficiency, non-invasiveness, and the wide availability of ultrasonography, it provides a new alternative for thyroid nodule diagnosis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Thyroid ultrasonic artificial intelligence shows statistically equivalent performance for thyroid nodule diagnosis to FNA cytopathology combined with BRAFV600E mutation analysis. It can be widely applied in hospitals and clinics to assist radiologists in thyroid nodule screening and is expected to reduce the need for relatively invasive FNA biopsies. KEY POINTS: • In a retrospective cohort of 346 nodules, the evaluated artificial intelligence (AI) system did not significantly differ from fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytopathology alone and combined with gene mutation analysis in accuracy. • In a prospective multicenter cohort of 291 nodules, the accuracy of the AI diagnostic system was not significantly different from that of FNA cytopathology either alone or combined with gene mutation analysis. • For 45 indeterminate Bethesda category III and IV nodules, the AI system did not perform significantly differently from BRAFV600E mutation analysis.

Radiation injury and gut microbiota-based treatment.

The exposure to either medical sources or accidental radiation can cause varying degrees of radiation injury (RI). RI is a common disease involving multiple human body parts and organs, yet effective treatments are currently limited. Accumulating evidence suggests gut microbiota are closely associated with the development and prevention of various RI. This article summarizes 10 common types of RI and their possible mechanisms. It also highlights the changes and potential microbiota-based treatments for RI, including probiotics, metabolites, and microbiota transplantation. Additionally, a 5P-Framework is proposed to provide a comprehensive strategy for managing RI.

Regulating the Heme Active Site by Covalent Modifications: Two Case Studies of Myoglobin.

Using myoglobin (Mb) as a model protein, we herein developed a facial approach to modifying the heme active site. A cavity was first generated in the heme distal site by F46 C mutation, and the thiol group of Cys46 was then used for covalently linked to exogenous ligands, 1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol and 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione. The engineered proteins, termed F46C-triazole Mb and F46C-phenol Mb, respectively, were characterized by X-ray crystallography, spectroscopic and stopped-flow kinetic studies. The results showed that both the heme coordination state and the protein function such as H2 O2 activation and peroxidase activity could be efficiently regulated, which suggests that this approach might be generally applied to the design of functional heme proteins.

Development and testing of a questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices to prevent unplanned oral extubation.

BACKGROUND: The prevention of unplanned endotracheal extubation (UEE) is significant for the critical care of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. AIM: To develop a questionnaire to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the nurses regarding of the prevention of UEE in ICU patients with transoral endotracheal intubation (TEI) and to test the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. STUDY DESIGN: Items relevant to KAP were prepared following a literature review, and then screened using a Delphi expert consultation, pre-test, and factor analysis. The nursing staffs in four tertiary hospitals in Qinghai, Jiangsu, Gansu, and Shandong provinces were surveyed to test the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. RESULTS: The questionnaire contained 76 items, including 10, 37, and 29 in the dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and practice, respectively. The scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) of the questionnaire was 0.96. The results of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value was 0.956, indicating that the sample was adequate and suitable for factor analysis. The result of the Bartlett spherical test was significant (p < .001), indicating that the questionnaire was suitable for further EFA. A total of six common factors were extracted by EFA with a cumulative variance interpretation rate of 85.52%, indicating that the questionnaire had good structural validity. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.981 for the whole questionnaire; and was 0.966, 0.996, and 0.981 for the dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and practice, respectively. The test-retest reliability for the questionnaire was 0.843. CONCLUSIONS: The developed questionnaire has good reliability and validity and can be used as a scientific tool for the nursing leaders to prevent UEE in ICU patients with TEI. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The instrument provides a theoretical reference for establishing preventive strategies and management programs in clinical practice.

Assessment of left atrial function in patients with metabolic syndrome by four-dimensional automatic left atrial quantification.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at assessing the changes of left atrial (LA) volume and strain function in metabolic syndrome (MS) patients using four-dimensional automatic left atrial quantification (4D-LAQ) and exploring independent correlative factors for LA function. METHODS: A total of 110 MS patients and 70 normal controls were selected and assigned into the MS group and the control group, respectively. Echocardiogram parameters were routinely examined and the thickness of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) were measured with a parasternal long axis of left ventricle(LV). The LA volume and strain parameters were determined using 4D-LAQ. The independent correlation factors for LA strain parameters in MS patients were investigated through linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, LA volume parameters were increased in the MS group, LA strain parameters and LA emptying fraction (LAEF) were decreased (all P < 0.05). EAT thickness is associated with LA reservoir longitudinal strain (LASr), conduit longitudinal strain (LAScd), reservoir circumferential strain (LASr-c), and conduit circumferential strain (LAScd-c) (all P < 0.05). LA contraction longitudinal (LASct) and circumferential strain (LASct-c) were not statistically significant. Regression analysis results show that systolic blood pressure (SBP) and triglyceride (TG) are independent correlative factors. Intra-observer and inter-observer repeatability test showed that the LA parameters examined by 4D-LAQ had good agreement. CONCLUSIONS: 4D-LAQ is capable of effectively assessing the LA function in MS patients and providing a useful reference for clinical diagnosis. SBP and TG serve as the independent correlative factors for LA function.

Phosphate Transporter OsPT4, Ubiquitinated by E3 Ligase OsAIRP2, Plays a Crucial Role in Phosphorus and Nitrogen Translocation and Consumption in Germinating Seed.

Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are essential macronutrients necessary for plant growth and development. OsPT4 is a high-affinity phosphate (Pi) transporter that has a positive impact on nutrient uptake and seed development. In this study, the expression patterns of different Pi transporter genes in germinating seeds were determined, and the relative expression of OsPT4 was induced in Pi-deficient seeds and gradually increased with the passage of germination time. The analysis of P, N, Pi, and amino acid concentrations in germinating seeds of OsPT4 mutants showed that the OsPT4 mutation caused P and N retention and a continuous reduction in multiple amino acid concentrations in germinating seeds. Transcriptome analysis and qRT-PCR results also indicated that the OsPT4 mutation inhibits the expression of genes related to P and N transportation and amino acid synthesis in germinating seeds. In addition, the paraffin section and TUNEL assay of OsPT4 mutant germinating seeds suggests that OsPT4 mutation causes programmed cell death (PCD) delayed in the aleurone layer and inhibition of leaf outgrowth. Moreover, we also found that OsPT4 was ubiquitinated by OsAIRP2, which is a C3HC4-type RING E3 Ub ligase. Our studies illustrate that OsPT4 plays a crucial role in P and N collaborative translocation and consumption in germinating seeds. It also provides a theoretical basis for the molecules and physiological mechanisms of P and N cross-talk under suppressed Pi uptake conditions.