Alterations of resting-state network dynamics in Alzheimer's disease based on leading eigenvector dynamics analysis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a transitional stage between healthy aging and dementia. Early detection of MCI can help slow down the progression of AD. At present, there are few studies exploring the characteristics of abnormal dynamic brain activity in AD. This article uses a method called Leading Eigenvector Dynamics Analysis (LEiDA) to study resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of AD, MCI, and cognitively normal (CN) participants. By identifying repetitive states of phase coherence, inter group differences in brain dynamic activity indicators are examined. And the neurobehavioral scales were used to assess the relationship between abnormal dynamic activities and cognitive function. The results showed that in the indicators of occurrence probability and lifetime, the globally synchronized state of the patient group decreased. The activity state of the limbic regions significantly detected the difference between AD and the other two groups. Compared to CN, AD and MCI have varying degrees of increase in default and visual regions activity states. In addition, in the analysis related to the cognitive scales, it was found that individuals with poorer cognitive abilities were less active in the globally synchronized state, and more active in limbic regions activity state and visual regions activity state. Taken together, these findings reveal abnormal dynamic activity of resting-state networks in patients with AD and MCI, provide new insights into the dynamic analysis of brain networks, and contribute to a deeper understanding of abnormal spatial dynamic patterns in AD patients.

Neural Tissue-Like, not Supraphysiological, Electrical Conductivity Stimulates Neuronal Lineage Specification through Calcium Signaling and Epigenetic Modification.

Electrical conductivity is a pivotal biophysical factor for neural interfaces, though optimal values remain controversial due to challenges isolating this cue. To address this issue, conductive substrates made of carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide nanoribbons, exhibiting a spectrum of conductivities from 0.02 to 3.2 S m-1, while controlling other surface properties is designed. The focus is to ascertain whether varying conductivity in isolation has any discernable impact on neural lineage specification. Remarkably, neural-tissue-like low conductivity (0.02-0.1 S m-1) prompted neural stem/progenitor cells to exhibit a greater propensity toward neuronal lineage specification (neurons and oligodendrocytes, not astrocytes) compared to high supraphysiological conductivity (3.2 S m-1). High conductivity instigated the apoptotic process, characterized by increased apoptotic fraction and decreased neurogenic morphological features, primarily due to calcium overload. Conversely, cells exposed to physiological conductivity displayed epigenetic changes, specifically increased chromatin openness with H3acetylation (H3ac) and neurogenic-transcription-factor activation, along with a more balanced intracellular calcium response. The pharmacological inhibition of H3ac further supported the idea that such epigenetic changes might play a key role in driving neuronal specification in response to neural-tissue-like, not supraphysiological, conductive cues. These findings underscore the necessity of optimal conductivity when designing neural interfaces and scaffolds to stimulate neuronal differentiation and facilitate the repair process.

Construction of luminescent dye@MOF platforms for sensing antibiotics with enhanced selectivity and sensitivity.

The fabrication of luminescent dye@MOF composites has received extensive attentions in the development of realistic sensing applications. Herein, based on two anionic In-MOFs with different pore structure (1 and 2), the charge and size dependent ion-exchange of cationic dyes was investigated, and consequently four luminescent dye@MOF composites (DMASM@1/2 and RhB@1/2) were successfully fabricated and importantly can be regarded as ideal platforms for better understanding of the factors affecting the construction of dye@MOF composites, which may closely related to a well match between the intrinsic properties and size/charge of the fluorescent molecules and the porosity, structure character of the MOF hosts. Furthermore, these four dye@MOF composites were utilized for sensing of different kinds of antibiotics, demonstrating enhanced selectivity and sensitivity. DMASM@1/2 demonstrated excellent selectivity and sensitivity for NFT and NFZ antibiotics, while RhB@1/2 exhibited excellent selectivity and sensitivity for MDZ and DTZ antibiotics. Systematic analysis of the detection mechanism revealed that different energy transfer efficiency and interaction between MOF frameworks and different types of guest dyes led to different selectivity and detection mechanisms for antibiotics. Moreover, high selectivity and sensitivity, low LOD and extraordinary recycling capacity of four dye@MOF composites in the detection of antibiotics promote their excellent prospect in the further practical application.

Acting mechanism and clinical significance of hsa_circ_0005927 in the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer.

Background: An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that differentially expressed circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in carcinogenesis. However, the biological function and clinical significance of hsa_circ_0005927 during gastric carcinogenesis remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the acting mechanism and clinical significance of hsa_circ_0005927 in the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer (GC). Methods: Hsa_circ_0005927 was detected in GC tissues, plasma and gastric juice from patients with GC, and its correlations with clinicopathological parameters were investigated. Receiver operating characteristic curves, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and a prognostic nomogram model were generated to analyze the diagnostic and prognostic value. Real-time cell analyzer, plate colony formation, and Transwell migration and invasion assays were utilized to assess GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, respectively. Nucleoplasmic separation was applied to determine the distribution of hsa_circ_0005927 in cells. TargetScan and miRanda software were used for target microRNA (miRNA) prediction. Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed to annotate the functions of hsa_circ_0005927 in gastric carcinogenesis and metastasis from an RNomic perspective. Key target genes and immune cell infiltrations were analysed. Results: Hsa_circ_0005927 was found downregulated in high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIEN) tissues and GC tissues. Hsa_circ_0005927 levels in GC tissues were negatively correlated not only with lymphatic metastasis and distal metastasis but also with overall survival and disease-free survival. As a screening biomarker for GC, plasma hsa_circ_0005927 levels significantly increased in the early stages of GC, with a sensitivity and specificity of 52.38% and 76.19%, respectively. Hsa_circ_0005927 was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm, and structurally, it possesses multiple miRNA response elements (MREs) that interact with five miRNAs. A total of 421 downstream target genes of hsa_circ_0005927 were identified by transcriptome sequencing; and bioinformatics analysis suggested that these genes were involved mainly in the negative regulation of the T-cell apoptotic process, the interleukin-27-mediated signaling pathway, growth factor activity, guanylate cyclase activity, transcriptional misregulation in cancer, the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, and the GnRH signaling pathway during gastric carcinogenesis and metastasis. GUCY1A2 and STK32A are key target genes significantly associated with immune infiltration. Conclusion: Our study revealed that hsa_circ_0005927 is a new player related to the invasion and metastasis of GC and is a potential indicator for early GC screening.

Astragaloside IV promotes cerebral tissue restoration through activating AMPK- mediated microglia polarization in ischemic stroke rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Astragaloside IV (AS), a key active ingredient obtained from Chinese herb Astragalus mongholicus Bunge, exerts potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects for treating neurodegenerative diseases. However, mechanisms of AS on improvement of ischemic brain tissue repair remain unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This research aims at using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to noninvasively determine whether AS facilitates brain tissue repair, and investigating whether AS exerts brain remodeling through adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) metabolic signaling regulating key glycolytic enzymes and energy transporters, thereby impacting microglia polarization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ischemic stroke model in male Sprague-Dawley rats were induced through permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO). Infarct volume, the alterations of brain microstructure and nerve fibers reorganization were examined by multi-parametric MRI. The pathological damages of myelinated axons and microglia polarization surrounding infarct tissue were detected using pathological techniques. Furthermore, M1/M2 microglia polarization associated protein, glycolytic rate-limiting enzymes, energy transporters and AMPK/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) signal were examined both in ischemic stroke rats and BV2 microglia treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) + interferon-γ (IFN-γ) by western blotting. RESULTS: MRI revealed that AS obviously decreased infarct volume, relieved brain microstructure damage and improved nerve fibers reorganization in ischemic stroke rats. Histological tests supported MRI findings. Notably, AS promoted microglia M2 and reduced M1 polarization, induced the AMPK activation accompanied with decreased levels of phosphorylated mTOR and HIF-1α. Moreover, AS suppressed the expression of glycolytic rate-limiting enzymes and energy transporters in ischemic stroke rats and BV2 microglia. In contrast, these beneficial effects were greatly blocked by AMPK inhibitor compound C. CONCLUSION: Overall, these results collectively suggested that AS facilitated tissue remodeling that may be partially through modulating polarization of microglia in AMPK- dependent metabolic pathways after ischemic stroke.

A N-doped carbon substrate makes the Ru-Co alloy an efficient electrocatalyst for pH-universal seawater splitting.

Designing electrocatalysts for seawater splitting remains challenging. A Ru-Co alloy supported by an N-doped carbon substrate catalyst has been designed using etching and a low-temperature treatment method. Studies show that the superior performance of this catalyst is related to the hollow-structured N-doped carbon frame and surface reconstruction of the Ru-Co alloy.

Antiferromagnetic phase transition in a 3D fermionic Hubbard model.

The fermionic Hubbard model (FHM)1 describes a wide range of physical phenomena resulting from strong electron-electron correlations, including conjectured mechanisms for unconventional superconductivity. Resolving its low-temperature physics is, however, challenging theoretically or numerically. Ultracold fermions in optical lattices2,3 provide a clean and well-controlled platform offering a path to simulate the FHM. Doping the antiferromagnetic ground state of a FHM simulator at half-filling is expected to yield various exotic phases, including stripe order4, pseudogap5, and d-wave superfluid6, offering valuable insights into high-temperature superconductivity7-9. Although the observation of antiferromagnetic correlations over short10 and extended distances11 has been obtained, the antiferromagnetic phase has yet to be realized as it requires sufficiently low temperatures in a large and uniform quantum simulator. Here we report the observation of the antiferromagnetic phase transition in a three-dimensional fermionic Hubbard system comprising lithium-6 atoms in a uniform optical lattice with approximately 800,000 sites. When the interaction strength, temperature and doping concentration are finely tuned to approach their respective critical values, a sharp increase in the spin structure factor is observed. These observations can be well described by a power-law divergence, with a critical exponent of 1.396 from the Heisenberg universality class12. At half-filling and with optimal interaction strength, the measured spin structure factor reaches 123(8), signifying the establishment of an antiferromagnetic phase. Our results provide opportunities for exploring the low-temperature phase diagram of the FHM.

A pilot clinical risk model to predict polymyxin-induced nephrotoxicity: a real-world, retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Polymyxin-induced nephrotoxicity (PIN) is a major safety concern and challenge in clinical practice, which limits the clinical use of polymyxins. This study aims to investigate the risk factors and to develop a scoring tool for the early prediction of PIN. METHODS: Data on critically ill patients who received intravenous polymyxin B or colistin sulfate for over 24 h were collected. Logistic regression with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to identify variables that are associated with outcomes. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) classifier algorithm was used to further visualize factors with significant differences. A prediction model for PIN was developed through binary logistic regression analysis and the model was assessed by temporal validation and external validation. Finally, a risk-scoring system was developed based on the prediction model. RESULTS: Of 508 patients, 161 (31.6%) patients developed PIN. Polymyxin type, loading dose, septic shock, concomitant vasopressors and baseline blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level were identified as significant predictors of PIN. All validation exhibited great discrimination, with the AUC of 0.742 (95% CI: 0.696-0.787) for internal validation, of 0.708 (95% CI: 0.605-0.810) for temporal validation and of 0.874 (95% CI: 0.759-0.989) for external validation, respectively. A simple risk-scoring tool was developed with a total risk score ranging from -3 to 4, corresponding to a risk of PIN from 0.79% to 81.24%. CONCLUSIONS: This study established a prediction model for PIN. Before using polymyxins, the simple risk-scoring tool can effectively identify patients at risk of developing PIN within a range of 7% to 65%.

Intermittent Fasting Targets Osteocyte Neuropeptide Y to Relieve Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent progressive joint disease that still requires an optimal therapeutic approach. Intermittent fasting is an attractive dieting strategy for improving health. Here this study shows that intermittent fasting potently relieves medial meniscus (DMM)- or natural aging-induced osteoarthritic phenotypes. Osteocytes, the most abundant bone cells, secrete excess neuropeptide Y (NPY) during osteoarthritis, and this alteration can be altered by intermittent fasting. Both NPY and the NPY-abundant culture medium of osteocytes (OCY-CM) from osteoarthritic mice possess pro-inflammatory, pro-osteoclastic, and pro-neurite outgrowth effects, while OCY-CM from the intermittent fasting-treated osteoarthritic mice fails to induce significant stimulatory effects on inflammation, osteoclast formation, and neurite outgrowth. Depletion of osteocyte NPY significantly attenuates DMM-induced osteoarthritis and abolishes the benefits of intermittent fasting on osteoarthritis. This study suggests that osteocyte NPY is a key contributing factor in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and intermittent fasting represents a promising nonpharmacological antiosteoarthritis method by targeting osteocyte NPY.

Pituitary-derived small extracellular vesicles promote liver repair by its cargo miR-143-3p.

The small Extracellular vesicles (sEV) has been recognized to be significant for intercellular communication due to their ability to transfer important cellular cargoes like miRNAs through circulation. The pituitary gland has not been clearly known about the role of its secreted sEV under normal physiological conditions. And Liver disease is a global public health burden. The present study is the first to investigate the effect of pituitary sEV on the liver. Sequencing and qRT-PCR revealed miR-143-3p is one of the richest in the pituitary sEV. MiR-143 Knockout (KO) mice resulted in a remarkable decrease in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels and a significant increase in insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) levels along with a reduction in liver primary cell growth. More importantly, compared with miR-143-KO-sEV, WT-sEV possesses a more robust capacity to improve miR-143 KO mice liver repair through the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway after an acute injury caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Our results indicate that pituitary-derived sEV promotes hepatocyte proliferation and liver repair by its cargo miR-143-3p and provides new insight into the regulation mechanism of the pituitary-liver axis, and open a new window for endocrine regulation by using sEV.

Regulatory factors of Nrf2 in age-related macular degeneration pathogenesis.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complicated disease that causes irreversible visual impairment. Increasing evidences pointed retinal pigment epithelia (RPE) cells as the decisive cell involved in the progress of AMD, and the function of anti-oxidant capacity of PRE plays a fundamental physiological role. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a significant transcription factor in the cellular anti-oxidant system as it regulates the expression of multiple anti-oxidative genes. Its functions of protecting RPE cells against oxidative stress (OS) and ensuing physiological changes, including inflammation, mitochondrial damage and autophagy dysregulation, have already been elucidated. Understanding the roles of upstream regulators of Nrf2 could provide further insight to the OS-mediated AMD pathogenesis. For the first time, this review summarized the reported upstream regulators of Nrf2 in AMD pathogenesis, including proteins and miRNAs, and their underlying molecular mechanisms, which may help to find potential targets via regulating the Nrf2 pathway in the future research and further discuss the existing Nrf2 regulators proved to be beneficial in preventing AMD.

Biomechanical effects of different instrumented segments and trunk shifts on distal adjacent segments after congenital scoliosis posterior hemivertebrectomy: Preliminary results of a single case.

Objective: The present study aims to discuss the biomechanical effects of the sagittal vertical axis and different instrumented segments on distal adjacent segments after congenital scoliosis posterior hemivertebrectomy. Method: A case of congenital scoliosis caused by hemivertebra was selected for the reconstruction of the preoperative and postoperative 3D computed tomography data of the full spine. A finite element model of different fusion lengths and postoperative trunk shift (TS) values was established using the finite element method to compare the biomechanical effects of different models on the distal adjacent segment. Result: In the L1-L3 and T12-L1-L3-L4 fusion modes, the horizontal shift of the 1st vertebra below the lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) increased with the trunk shift (TS) expansion after operation, and the imbalance between the left and right vertical stress of the 1st intervertebral disc below the LIV increased. With the decrease in fused segments in cases of TS = 10 mm and TS = 5 mm, the 1st vertebra below the LIV was subjected to a greater unbalanced force in the horizontal direction, and the 1st intervertebral disc below the LIV was subjected to a smaller imbalance between the left and right vertical stress after operation. Conclusion: When treating congenital scoliosis with hemivertebrectomy and pedicle screw fixation, fused segments can be properly extended and the postoperative TS shortened with a view of reducing the imbalance between the left and right stress of the 1st intervertebral disc below the LIV as well as the horizontal shift of the 1st vertebra below the LIV.

Evaluating Large Language Models for Automated Reporting and Data Systems Categorization: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Large language models show promise for improving radiology workflows, but their performance on structured radiological tasks such as Reporting and Data Systems (RADS) categorization remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate 3 large language model chatbots-Claude-2, GPT-3.5, and GPT-4-on assigning RADS categories to radiology reports and assess the impact of different prompting strategies. METHODS: This cross-sectional study compared 3 chatbots using 30 radiology reports (10 per RADS criteria), using a 3-level prompting strategy: zero-shot, few-shot, and guideline PDF-informed prompts. The cases were grounded in Liver Imaging Reporting & Data System (LI-RADS) version 2018, Lung CT (computed tomography) Screening Reporting & Data System (Lung-RADS) version 2022, and Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting & Data System (O-RADS) magnetic resonance imaging, meticulously prepared by board-certified radiologists. Each report underwent 6 assessments. Two blinded reviewers assessed the chatbots' response at patient-level RADS categorization and overall ratings. The agreement across repetitions was assessed using Fleiss κ. RESULTS: Claude-2 achieved the highest accuracy in overall ratings with few-shot prompts and guideline PDFs (prompt-2), attaining 57% (17/30) average accuracy over 6 runs and 50% (15/30) accuracy with k-pass voting. Without prompt engineering, all chatbots performed poorly. The introduction of a structured exemplar prompt (prompt-1) increased the accuracy of overall ratings for all chatbots. Providing prompt-2 further improved Claude-2's performance, an enhancement not replicated by GPT-4. The interrun agreement was substantial for Claude-2 (k=0.66 for overall rating and k=0.69 for RADS categorization), fair for GPT-4 (k=0.39 for both), and fair for GPT-3.5 (k=0.21 for overall rating and k=0.39 for RADS categorization). All chatbots showed significantly higher accuracy with LI-RADS version 2018 than with Lung-RADS version 2022 and O-RADS (P<.05); with prompt-2, Claude-2 achieved the highest overall rating accuracy of 75% (45/60) in LI-RADS version 2018. CONCLUSIONS: When equipped with structured prompts and guideline PDFs, Claude-2 demonstrated potential in assigning RADS categories to radiology cases according to established criteria such as LI-RADS version 2018. However, the current generation of chatbots lags in accurately categorizing cases based on more recent RADS criteria.

Lithology and elevated temperature impact phoD-harboring bacteria on soil available P enhancing in subtropical forests.

Plants are generally limited by soil phosphorus (P) deficiency in forest ecosystems. Soil available P is influenced by lithology, temperature, and soil microbes. However, the interactive effects of these factors on soil P availability in subtropical forests remain unclear. To assess their impacts, we measured soil inorganic and available P fractions and the diversity, composition, and co-occurrence network of phoD-harboring bacteria in two contrasting forest soils (lithosols in karst forests and ferralsols in non-karst forests) in the subtropical regions of southwestern China across six temperature gradients. The present results showed that the complexities in composition and network and the diversity indices of phoD-harboring bacteria were higher in the karst forest soils than those in the non-karst forest soils, with marked differences in composition. In both types of forest soils, the complexities of composition and networks and the diversity indices were higher in the high-temperature regions (mean annual temperature (MAT) > 16 °C) compared to the low-temperature regions (MAT <16 °C). Soil total inorganic and available P contents were lower in the karst forest soils compared to the non-karst forest soils. Soil total available P contents were lower in the high temperature regions than those in the low temperature regions in both forest soils, whereas soil total inorganic P contents were contrary. Variance partitioning analysis showed that soil inorganic and available P fractions were predominantly explained by lithology and its interaction with soil microbes and climate. The present findings demonstrate that soil P availability in subtropical forests of southwestern China is influenced by lithology and temperature, which regulate the diversity, composition, and network connectivity of phoD-harboring bacteria. Furthermore, this study highlights the significance of controlling the composition of phoD-harboring bacteria for mitigating plant P deficiency in karst ecosystems.

Role of the transient receptor potential melastatin 4 in inhibition effect of arsenic trioxide on the tumor biological features of colorectal cancer cell.

Background: To investigate the effects of arsenic trioxide (ATO) on human colorectal cancer cells (HCT116) growth and the role of transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channel in this process. Methods: The viability of HCT116 cells was assessed using the CCK-8 assay. Western blot analysis was employed to examine the protein expression of TRPM4. The apoptosis of HCT116 cells was determined using TUNEL and Flow cytometry. Cell migration was assessed through the cell scratch recovery assay and Transwell cell migration assay. Additionally, Transwell cell invasion assay was performed to determine the invasion ability of HCT116 cells. Results: ATO suppressed the viability of HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied by a decline in cell migration and invasion, and an increase in apoptosis. 9-phenanthroline (9-Ph), a specific inhibitor of TRPM4, abrogated the ATO-induced upregulation of TRPM4 expression. Additionally, blocking TRPM4 reversed the effects of ATO on HCT116 cells proliferation, including restoration of cell viability, migration and invasion, as well as the inhibition of apoptosis. Conclusion: ATO inhibits CRC cell growth by inducing TRPM4 expression, our findings indicate that ATO is a promising therapeutic strategy and TRPM4 may be a novel target for the treatment of CRC.

Multiple plateaus of high-sideband generation from Floquet matters.

We theoretically report that high-order sideband generation (HSG) from Floquet matters driven by a strong terahertz light while engineered by weak infrared light can achieve multiple plateau HSG. The Floquet-engineering systems exhibit distinctive spectroscopic characteristics that go beyond the HSG processes in field-free band-structure systems. The spatial-temporal dynamics analyses under Floquet-Bloch and time-reversal-symmetry theories clarify the spectra and its odd-even characteristics in the HSG spectrum. Our work demonstrates the HSG of Floquet matters via Floquet engineering and indicates a promising way to extract Floquet material parameters in future experiments.

Exploring the mechanisms of glycolytic genes involvement in pulmonary arterial hypertension through integrative bioinformatics analysis.

The purpose of this study was to identify the mechanisms underlying the involvement of glycolytic genes in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This study involved downloading 3 datasets from the GEO database at the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The datasets were processed to obtain expression matrices for analysis. Genes involved in glycolysis-related pathways were obtained, and genes related to glycolysis were selected based on significant differences in expression. Gene Ontology functional annotation analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis, and GSEA enrichment analysis were performed on the DEGs. Combining LASSO regression with SVM-RFE machine learning technology, a PAH risk prediction model based on glycolysis related gene expression was constructed, and CIBERSORTx technology was used to analyse the immune cell composition of PAH patients. Gene enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs work synergistically across multiple biological pathways. A total of 6 key glycolysis-related genes were selected using LASSO regression and SVM. A bar plot was constructed to evaluate the weights of the key genes and predict the risk of PAH. The clinical application value and predictive accuracy of the model were assessed. Immunological feature analysis revealed significant correlations between key glycolysis-related genes and the abundances of different immune cell types. The glycolysis genes (ACSS2, ALAS2, ALDH3A1, ADOC3, NT5E, and TALDO1) identified in this study play important roles in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension, providing new evidence for the involvement of glycolysis in PAH.

Distinct effects of phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbes on invader Ageratina adenophora during its early life stages.

Microbes strongly affect invasive plant growth. However, how phyllosphere and rhizosphere soil microbes distinctively affect seedling mortality and growth of invaders across ontogeny under varying soil nutrient levels remains unclear. In this study, we used the invader Ageratina adenophora to evaluate these effects. We found that higher proportions of potential pathogens were detected in core microbial taxa in leaf litter than rhizosphere soil and thus leaf inoculation had more adverse effects on seed germination and seedling survival than soil inoculation. Microbial inoculation at different growth stages altered the microbial community and functions of seedlings, and earlier inoculation had a more adverse effect on seedling survival and growth. The soil nutrient level did not affect microbe-mediated seedling growth and the relative abundance of the microbial community and functions involved in seedling growth. The effects of some microbial genera on seedling survival are distinct from those on growth. Moreover, the A. adenophora seedling-killing effects of fungal strains isolated from dead seedlings by non-sterile leaf inoculation exhibited significant phylogenetic signals, by which strains of Allophoma and Alternaria generally caused high seedling mortality. Our study stresses the essential role of A. adenophora litter microbes in population establishment by regulating seedling density and growth.

Enantioselective copper-catalyzed azidation/click cascade reaction for access to chiral 1,2,3-triazoles.

Chiral 1,2,3-triazoles are highly attractive motifs in various fields. However, achieving catalytic asymmetric click reactions of azides and alkynes for chiral triazole synthesis remains a significant challenge, mainly due to the limited catalytic systems and substrate scope. Herein, we report an enantioselective azidation/click cascade reaction of N-propargyl-ß-ketoamides with a readily available and potent azido transfer reagent via copper catalysis, which affords a variety of chiral 1,2,3-triazoles with up to 99% yield and 95% ee under mild conditions. Notably, chiral 1,5-disubstituted triazoles that have not been accessed by previous asymmetric click reactions are also prepared with good functional group tolerance.

Systematic Review-Role of MRI in Cervical Cancer Staging.

A systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of MRI in the staging of cervical cancer was conducted based on the literature from the last 5 years. A literature search was performed in the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PubMed databases using the MeSH terms "cervical cancer", "MRI" and "neoplasm staging". A total of 110 studies were identified, of which 8 fit the inclusion criteria. MRI showed adequate accuracy (74-95%) and high sensitivity (92-100%) in assessing stromal invasion. The data for MRI in terms of assessing vaginal and pelvic side wall involvement were wide ranging and inconclusive. In assessing lymph node metastasis, MRI showed an adequate accuracy (73-90%), specificity (75-91%) and NPV (71-96%) but poor sensitivity (52-75%) and PPV (52-75%). MRI showed high accuracy (95%), sensitivity (78-96%), specificity (87-94%), and NPV (98-100%) but poor PPV (27-42%) in detecting bladder involvement. There was a paucity of data on the use of MRI in assessing rectal involvement in cervical cancer. Overall, the literature was heterogenous in the definitions and language used, which reduced the comparability between articles. More research is required into the diagnostic accuracy of MRI in the staging of cervical cancer and there must be increased consistency in the definitions and language used in the literature.