Insights into cryptic speciation of quillworts in China.

Cryptic species are commonly misidentified because of high morphological similarities to other species. One group of plants that may harbor large numbers of cryptic species is the quillworts (Isoëtes spp.), an ancient aquatic plant lineage. Although over 350 species of Isoëtes have been reported globally, only ten species have been recorded in China. The aim of this study is to better understand Isoëtes species diversity in China. For this purpose, we systematically explored the phylogeny and evolution of Isoëtes using complete chloroplast genome (plastome) data, spore morphology, chromosome number, genetic structure, and haplotypes of almost all Chinese Isoëtes populations. We identified three ploidy levels of Isoëtes in China-diploid (2n = 22), tetraploid (2n = 44), and hexaploid (2n = 66). We also found four megaspore and microspore ornamentation types in diploids, six in tetraploids, and three in hexaploids. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that I. hypsophila as the ancestral group of the genus and revealed that Isoëtes diploids, tetraploids, and hexaploids do not form monophyletic clades. Most individual species possess a single genetic structure; however, several samples have conflicting positions on the phylogenetic tree based on SNPs and the tree based on plastome data. All 36 samples shared 22 haplotypes. Divergence time analysis showed that I. hypsophila diverged in the early Eocene (∼48.05 Ma), and most other Isoëtes species diverged 3-20 Ma. Additionally, different species of Isoëtes were found to inhabit different water systems and environments along the Yangtze River. These findings provide new insights into the relationships among Isoëtes species in China, where highly similar morphologic populations may harbor many cryptic species.

Depression severity partially mediates the association between thyroid function and psychotic symptoms in first-episode, drug-naive major depressive disorder patients with comorbid anxiety at different ages of onset.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and psychotic symptoms are common in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), with a strong association with thyroid function. Age of onset contributes to the heterogeneity of MDD patients. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of psychotic symptoms in MDD patients with comorbid anxiety and to explore the relationship between thyroid function and psychotic symptoms by ages of onset. METHODS: A total of 894 first-episode, drug-naïve Chinese Han MDD patients with comorbid anxiety were recruited. Thyroid function and psychometric measures including Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were evaluated. Patients were divided into early adulthood onset (EAO, < 45 years old) and mid-adulthood onset (MAO, ≥ 45 years old) groups. RESULTS: The MAO subgroup had a higher prevalence of psychotic symptoms compared to EAO subgroup. TSH and TPOAb levels were positively correlated with psychotic symptoms severity, with a more pronounced effect in MAO subgroup. Furthermore, MDD severity partially mediated the effects of TPOAb and TSH levels on psychotic symptoms in both subgroups. LIMITATIONS: A causal relationship could not be demonstrated with this cross-sectional study, and the results should be limited to first-episode, drug-naïve MDD patients without considering more potential confounders. Moreover, the male-to-female ratio imbalance is present. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that age of onset moderated the association between thyroid function and psychotic symptom, and depression severity partially mediated the effects of thyroid function on psychotic symptoms, suggesting thyroid function may serve as a biomarker of psychotic symptoms in MDD patients with anxiety.

Halide Perovskite glues activate two-dimensional covalent organic framework crystallites for selective NO2 sensing.

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are promising for gas sensing owing to the large surface area, abundant active sites, and their semiconducting nature. However, 2D COFs are usually produced in the form of insoluble micro-crystallites. Their poor contacts between grain boundaries severely suppress the conductivity, which are too low for chemresistive gas sensing. Here, we demonstrate that halide perovskites can be employed as electric glues to bond 2D COF crystallites to improve their conductivity by two orders of magnitude, activating them to detect NO2 with high selectivity and sensitivity. Resonant microcantilever, grand canonical Monte Carlo, density functional theory and sum-frequency generation analyses prove that 2D COFs can enrich and transfer electrons to NO2 molecules, leading to increased device conductivity. This work provides a facile approach for improving the conductivity of polycrystalline 2D COF films and may expand their applications in semiconductor devices, such as sensors, resistors, memristors and field-emission transistors.

Synergistic Effect of Fe Single-Atom Catalyst for Highly Efficient Microwave-Stimulated Remediation of Chloramphenicol-Contaminated Soil.

Chloramphenicol (CAP) has long been used extensively in agriculture and is severely toxic to the biological environment. Microwave catalysis appears a promising method for soil remediation due to its fast and effective heat transfer, but it is challenging to prepare catalysts with good electromagnetic wave absorption and robust catalytic activity. In this study, atomically dispersed Fe on three-dimensional N-doped carbon supports (3D Fe-NC) is firstly used for microwave remediation of soil. Thanks to the synergistic effect of microwave "hot spots" and reactive oxygen species (•OH, •O2 - ), 3D Fe-NC can completely remove 99.9% of CAP in 5 min. The removal rate constant is nearly twice that of commercial activated carbon. Significantly, the germination rate of lettuce seeds in microwave-repaired soil contaminated by CAP reaches 70%. This work demonstrates the application of Fe single-atom catalyst in microwave remediation of contaminated soil, providing a novel insight for agricultural soil remediation.

Boosted Inner Surface Charge Transfer in Perovskite Nanodots@Mesoporous Titania Frameworks for Efficient and Selective Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Methane.

Exploring high-efficiency and stable halide perovskite-based photocatalysts for the selective reduction of CO2 to methane is a challenge because of the intrinsic photo- and chemical instability of halide perovskites. In this study, halide perovskites (Cs3 Bi2 Br9 and Cs2 AgBiBr6 ) were grown in situ in mesoporous TiO2 frameworks for an efficient CO2 reduction. Benchmarked CH4 production rates of 32.9 and 24.2 µmol g-1 h-1 with selectivities of 88.7 % and 84.2 %, were achieved, respectively, which are better than most reported halide perovskite photocatalysts. Focused ion-beam sliced-imaging techniques were used to directly image the hyperdispersed perovskite nanodots confined in mesopores with tunable sizes ranging from 3.8 to 9.9 nm. In situ X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy showed that the built-in electric field between the perovskite nanodots and mesoporous titania channels efficiently promoted photo-induced charge transfer. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the high methane selectivity was attributed to the Bi-adsorption-mediated hydrogenation of *CO to *HCO that dominates CO desorption.

Core decompression combined with autologous bone marrow stem cells versus core decompression alone for patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of core decompression plus autologous bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for the treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) remains controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the efficacy of core decompression combined with BMSCs for OFNH patients. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane library databases through October 2018 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of core decompression combined with BMSCs for OFNH patients. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS) score at 6 months, 12 months and 24 months. The pooled data were analyzed using Stata 12.0 software. RESULTS: Fourteen studies with 540 patients (core decompression + BMSCs = 275, core decompression alone = 265) were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the core decompression alone group, the core decompression + BMSCs group showed a significant decrease in the VAS score at 6 months, 12 months and 24 months, and a decrease in the number of hips undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) score and the volume of the postoperative necrotic zone. Core decompression + autologous BMSCs was associated with an increase in HHS postoperatively. No significant difference existed in adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with core decompression alone in the treatment of ONFH, the combined utilization of core decompression and autologous BMSCs has better pain relief and clinical outcomes and can delay the collapse of the femoral head more effectively.

Cardiopulmonary coupling analysis predicts early treatment response in depressed patients: A pilot study.

This pilot study evaluated the effect of anti-depression treatment on sleep quality and symptoms of depression in patients with major depressive disorder, and identified cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) indices for predicting early response. Forty-one Han Chinese patients with major depressive disorder were assessed for objective sleep quality before treatment (baseline) and at 2 weeks using CPC. Subjective sleep quality and depression levels were measured at baseline and 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, using the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-24), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Objective and subjective sleep quality, and depression symptoms, improved after treatment. Significant correlations were found between CPC variables at baseline and depression symptom improvement after 2 weeks of treatment. Total sleep time at baseline significantly correlated with somnipathy score reduction at week 2. Total in-bed time at week 2 significantly correlated with reductions in anxiety/somatic symptoms and retardation score, and total HAMD-24 score at week 4. In binary logistic regression, the total in-bed time at baseline was significantly associated with treatment response. Our findings suggest that objective sleep quality measured by CPC analysis is useful for predicting treatment response to antidepressant treatment in patients with major depressive disorder.

Astragalus polysaccharide attenuates rat experimental colitis by inducing regulatory T cells in intestinal Peyer's patches.

AIM: To explore probable mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) against experimental colitis. METHODS: Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups. Colitis was induced with 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). The rats with colitis were treated with 400 mg/kg of APS for 7 d. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by colonic weight, weight index of the colon, colonic length, and macroscopic and histological scores. The levels of regulatory T (Treg) cells in Peyer's patches were measured by flow cytometry, and cytokines in colonic tissue homogenates were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of related orphan receptor-γt (ROR-γt), IL-23 and STAT-5a was measured by Western blot. RESULTS: After 7-d treatment with APS, the weight index of the colon, colonic weight, macroscopical and histological scores were decreased, while the colonic length was increased compared with the model group. The expression of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 and ROR-γt in the colonic tissues was down-regulated, but Treg cells in Peyer's patches, TGF-ß and STAT5a in the colonic tissues were up-regulated. CONCLUSION: APS effectively ameliorates TNBS-induced experimental colitis in rats, probably through restoring the number of Treg cells, and inhibiting IL-17 levels in Peyer's patches.