On-chip integrated metasystem for spin-dependent multi-channel color holography.

On-chip integrated metasurface driven by in-plane guided waves is of great interests in various light-field manipulation applications such as colorful augmented reality and holographic display. However, it remains a challenge to design colorful multichannel holography by a single on-chip metasurface. Here we present metasurfaces integrated on top of a guided-wave photonic slab that achieves multi-channel colorful holographic light display. An end-to-end scheme is used to inverse design the metasurface for projecting off-chip preset multiple patterns. Particular examples are presented for customized patterns that were encoded into the metasurface with a single-cell meta-atom, working simultaneously at RGB color channels and for several different diffractive distances, with polarization dependence. Holographic images are generated at 18 independent channels with such a single-cell metasurface. The proposed design scheme is easy to implement, and the resulting device is viable for fabrication, promising plenty of applications in nanophotonics.

METTL3 promotes the progression of osteosarcoma through the N6-methyladenosine modification of MCAM via IGF2BP1.

BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanisms of osteosarcoma (OS) are complex. In this study, we focused on the functions of melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM), methyltransferase 3 (METTL3) and insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) in OS development. METHODS: qRT-PCR assay and western blot assay were performed to determine mRNA and protein expression of MCAM, METTL3, IGF2BP1 and YY1. MTT assay and colony formation assay were conducted to assess cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis, invasion and migration were evaluated by flow cytometry analysis, transwell assay and wound-healing assay, respectively. Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation (MeRIP), dual-luciferase reporter, Co-IP, RIP and ChIP assays were performed to analyze the relationships of MCAM, METTL3, IGF2BP1 and YY1. The functions of METTL3 and MCAM in tumor growth were explored through in vivo experiments. RESULTS: MCAM was upregulated in OS, and MCAM overexpression promoted OS cell growth, invasion and migration and inhibited apoptosis. METTL3 and IGF2BP1 were demonstrated to mediate the m6A methylation of MCAM. Functionally, METTL3 or IGF2BP1 silencing inhibited OS cell progression, while MCAM overexpression ameliorated the effects. Transcription factor YY1 promoted the transcription level of METTL3 and regulated METTL3 expression in OS cells. Additionally, METTL3 deficiency suppressed tumor growth in vivo, while MCAM overexpression abated the effect. CONCLUSION: YY1/METTL3/IGF2BP1/MCAM axis aggravated OS development, which might provide novel therapy targets for OS.

Uncovering ghost introgression through genomic analysis of a distinct eastern Asian hickory species.

Ghost introgression, or the transfer of genetic material from extinct or unsampled lineages to sampled species, has attracted much attention. However, conclusive evidence for ghost introgression, especially in plant species, remains scarce. Here, we newly assembled chromosome-level genomes for both Carya sinensis and Carya cathayensis, and additionally re-sequenced the whole genomes of 43 C. sinensis individuals as well as 11 individuals representing 11 diploid hickory species. These genomic datasets were used to investigate the reticulation and bifurcation patterns within the genus Carya (Juglandaceae), with a particular focus on the beaked hickory C. sinensis. By combining the D-statistic and BPP methods, we obtained compelling evidence that supports the occurrence of ghost introgression in C. sinensis from an extinct ancestral hickory lineage. This conclusion was reinforced through the phylogenetic network analysis and a genome scan method VolcanoFinder, the latter of which can detect signatures of adaptive introgression from unknown donors. Our results not only dispel certain misconceptions about the phylogenetic history of C. sinensis but also further refine our understanding of Carya's biogeography via divergence estimates. Moreover, the successful integration of the D-statistic and BPP methods demonstrates their efficacy in facilitating a more precise identification of introgression types.

An automatic measurement method for the response of Caenorhabditis elegans to chemicals.

BACKGROUND: Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model animal. Chemotaxis assay is one of the experiments that study the effects of different chemicals on nematodes. It is mainly used to study the effects of different chemicals on the perception behavior of nematodes. By conducting this experiment, not only can the neurotoxicity of chemicals be reflected, but also the impact of chemicals on physiological functions regulated by the nervous system, such as nematode feeding behavior and basic motor ability. OBJECTIVE: The experiment of detecting the response of nematode to chemicals is also a common method of chemical toxicity testing based on nematode models. In the analysis of worm tendency behavior, manual operations are generally used. Manually processing a large number of worms under a microscope is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. The current quantitative methods for nematode chemotaxis experiments are not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also biased in experimental results due to differences in judgment standards among experimenters. The automatic and efficient quantification method for nematode chemotaxis experiments is a very important technical difficulty in the field of nematode experiments. METHODS: Here, we have designed an automatic quantification method for nematode chemotaxis experiments by incorporating image acquisition and processing techniques into the nematode experiment. RESULTS: The experimental results show that the Pearson correlation coefficient between manual and automatic counting results is 0.978. CONCLUSION: This proves the effectiveness of our method. Applying the automatic measurement method to replace manual counting by the experimenter can improve work efficiency, and reduce errors in human counting operations.

Methodological Validation of Sedimentation Velocity Analytical Ultracentrifugation Method for Adeno-Associated Virus and Collaborative Calibration of System Suitability Substance.

Currently, adeno-associated virus (AAV) is one of the primary gene delivery vectors in gene therapy, facilitating long-term in vivo gene expression. Despite being imperative, it is incredibly challenging to precisely assess AAV particle distribution according to the sedimentation coefficient and identify impurities related to capsid structures. This study performed the systematic methodological validation of quantifying the AAV empty and full capsid ratio. This includes specificity, accuracy, precision, linearity, and parameter variables involving the sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (SV-AUC) method. Specifically, SV-AUC differentiated among the empty, partial, full, and high sedimentation coefficient substance (HSCS) AAV particles while evaluating their sedimentation heterogeneity. The intermediate precision analysis of HE (high percentage of empty capsid) and HF (high percentage of full capsid) samples revealed that the specific species percentage, such as empty or full, was more significant than 50%. Moreover, the relative standard deviation (RSD) could be within 5%. Even for empty or partially less than 15%, the RSD could be within 10%. The accuracy recovery rates of empty capsid were between 103.9% and 108.7% across three different mixtures. When the measured percentage of specific species was more significant than 14%, the recovery rate was between 77.9% and 106.6%. Linearity analysis revealed an excellent linear correlation between the empty, partial, and full in the HE samples. The AAV samples with as low as 7.4 × 1011 cp/mL AAV could be accurately quantified with SV-AUC. The parameter variable analyses revealed that variations in cell alignment significantly affected the overall results. Still, the detection wavelength of 235 nm slightly influenced the empty, partial, and full percentages. Minor detection wavelength changes showed no impact on the sedimentation coefficient of these species. However, the temperature affected the measured sedimentation coefficient. These results validated the SV-AUC method to quantify AAV. This study provides solutions to AAV empty and full capsid ratio quantification challenges and the subsequent basis for calibrating the AAV empty capsid system suitability substance. Because of the AAV structure and potential variability complexity in detection, we jointly calibrated empty capsid system suitability substance with three laboratories to accurately detect the quantitative AAV empty and full capsid ratio. The empty capsid system suitability substance could be used as an external reference to measure the performance of the instrument. The results could be compared with multiple QC (quality control) laboratories based on the AAV vector and calibration accuracy. This is crucial for AUC to be used for QC release and promote gene therapy research worldwide.

Coping with alpine habitats: genomic insights into the adaptation strategies of Triplostegia glandulifera (Caprifoliaceae).

How plants find a way to thrive in alpine habitats remains largely unknown. Here we present a chromosome-level genome assembly for an alpine medicinal herb, Triplostegia glandulifera (Caprifoliaceae), and 13 transcriptomes from other species of Dipsacales. We detected a whole-genome duplication event in T. glandulifera that occurred prior to the diversification of Dipsacales. Preferential gene retention after whole-genome duplication was found to contribute to increasing cold-related genes in T. glandulifera. A series of genes putatively associated with alpine adaptation (e.g. CBFs, ERF-VIIs, and RAD51C) exhibited higher expression levels in T. glandulifera than in its low-elevation relative, Lonicera japonica. Comparative genomic analysis among five pairs of high- vs low-elevation species, including a comparison of T. glandulifera and L. japonica, indicated that the gene families related to disease resistance experienced a significantly convergent contraction in alpine plants compared with their lowland relatives. The reduction in gene repertory size was largely concentrated in clades of genes for pathogen recognition (e.g. CNLs, prRLPs, and XII RLKs), while the clades for signal transduction and development remained nearly unchanged. This finding reflects an energy-saving strategy for survival in hostile alpine areas, where there is a tradeoff with less challenge from pathogens and limited resources for growth. We also identified candidate genes for alpine adaptation (e.g. RAD1, DMC1, and MSH3) that were under convergent positive selection or that exhibited a convergent acceleration in evolutionary rate in the investigated alpine plants. Overall, our study provides novel insights into the high-elevation adaptation strategies of this and other alpine plants.

Temporin-GHaR Peptide Alleviates LPS-Induced Cognitive Impairment and Microglial Activation by Modulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Neuroinflammation is considered an important factor that leads to cognitive impairment. Microglia play a crucial role in neuroinflammation, which leads to cognitive impairment. This study aimed at determining whether temporin-GHaR peptide (GHaR) could improve cognitive function and at uncovering the underlying mechanisms. We found that GHaR treatment alleviated LPS-induced cognitive impairment and inhibited activation of microglia in LPS-induced mice. Furthermore, GHaR inhibited activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and the NF-κB signaling pathway in LPS-induced mice. In vitro, GHaR inhibited M1 polarization of BV2 cells and suppressed TNF-α and IL-6 secretion. Additionally, GHaR neuronal cell viability and apoptosis were induced by LPS-activated microglia-conditioned medium. Moreover, in LPS-induced BV2 cells, GHaR inhibited activation of ERS and the NF-κB signaling pathway. In summary, GHaR improved LPS-induced cognitive and attenuated inflammatory responses via microglial activation reversal. In conclusion, the neuroprotective effects of GHaR were mediated via the ERS signaling pathway.

Development and validation of a nonverbal consensus-based semantic memory paradigm in patients with epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Brain areas implicated in semantic memory can be damaged in patients with epilepsy (PWE). However, it is challenging to delineate semantic processing deficits from acoustic, linguistic, and other verbal aspects in current neuropsychological assessments. We developed a new Visual-based Semantic Association Task (ViSAT) to evaluate nonverbal semantic processing in PWE. METHOD: The ViSAT was adapted from similar predecessors (Pyramids & Palm Trees test, PPT; Camels & Cactus Test, CCT) comprised of 100 unique trials using real-life color pictures that avoid demographic, cultural, and other potential confounds. We obtained performance data from 23 PWE participants and 24 control participants (Control), along with crowdsourced normative data from 54 Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk) workers. RESULTS: ViSAT reached a consensus >90% in 91.3% of trials compared to 83.6% in PPT and 82.9% in CCT. A deep learning model demonstrated that visual features of the stimulus images (color, shape; i.e., non-semantic) did not influence top answer choices (p = 0.577). The PWE group had lower accuracy than the Control group (p = 0.019). PWE had longer response times than the Control group in general and this was augmented for the semantic processing (trial answer) stage (both p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated performance impairments in PWE that may reflect dysfunction of nonverbal semantic memory circuits, such as seizure onset zones overlapping with key semantic regions (e.g., anterior temporal lobe). The ViSAT paradigm avoids confounds, is repeatable/longitudinal, captures behavioral data, and is open-source, thus we propose it as a strong alternative for clinical and research assessment of nonverbal semantic memory.

Integrated transcriptomic and lipidomic analysis provides key insights into lipid content changes during pecan (Carya illinoensis) fruit development.

Pecans [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] are highly valued for their abundance of quality healthy lipids, positively impacting human health and making themselves a preferred choice for nutritionally rich foods. However, a comprehensive understanding of the high-resolution characteristics of pecan fruit lipid composition and its dynamic changes, as well as the transfer between embryo and pericarp during development, remains incomplete. In this study, through integrated multi-omics analysis, we observed significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity in lipid changes between the pericarp and embryo. It showed smaller fluctuations and more stable lipid levels in the pericarp while exhibiting a dynamic pattern of initially increasing and then decreasing lipid content in the embryo. In this study, a total of 52 differentially expressed genes were identified, related to fatty acid synthesis and metabolism pathways in the two tissues, with changes in oleic acid and linoleic acid composition being the primary features of the embryo. This research lays the foundation for further understanding the differential regulation mechanisms of lipid metabolism between embryo and pericarp. Overall, this study filled the knowledge gap regarding dynamic changes in pericarp lipid metabolites, provided crucial insights into the lipid metabolism network during pecan fruit development, and established a scientific basis for the genetic improvement of pecan crops.

Washed microbiota transplantation for Crohn's disease: A metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and metabolomic-based study.

BACKGROUND: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a promising therapeutic approach for treating Crohn's disease (CD). The new method of FMT, based on the automatic washing process, was named as washed microbiota transplantation (WMT). Most existing studies have focused on observing the clinical phenomena. However, the mechanism of action of FMT for the effective management of CD-particularly in-depth multi-omics analysis involving the metagenome, metatranscriptome, and metabolome-has not yet been reported. AIM: To assess the efficacy of WMT for CD and explore alterations in the microbiome and metabolome in response to WMT. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, open-label, single-center clinical study. Eleven CD patients underwent WMT. Their clinical responses (defined as a decrease in their CD Activity Index score of > 100 points) and their microbiome (metagenome, metatranscriptome) and metabolome profiles were evaluated three months after the procedure. RESULTS: Seven of the 11 patients (63.6%) showed an optimal clinical response three months post-WMT. Gut microbiome diversity significantly increased after WMT, consistent with improved clinical symptoms. Comparison of the metagenome and metatranscriptome analyses revealed consistent alterations in certain strains, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia intestinalis, and Escherichia coli. In addition, metabolomics analyses demonstrated that CD patients had elevated levels of various amino acids before treatment compared to the donors. However, levels of vital amino acids that may be associated with disease progression (e.g., L-glutamic acid, gamma-glutamyl-leucine, and prolyl-glutamine) were reduced after WMT. CONCLUSION: WMT demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in CD treatment, likely due to the effective reconstruction of the patient's microbiome. Multi-omics techniques can effectively help decipher the potential mechanisms of WMT in treating CD.

Melatonin improves influenza virus infection-induced acute exacerbation of COPD by suppressing macrophage M1 polarization and apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Influenza A viruses (IAV) are extremely common respiratory viruses for the acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), in which IAV infection may further evoke abnormal macrophage polarization, amplify cytokine storms. Melatonin exerts potential effects of anti-inflammation and anti-IAV infection, while its effects on IAV infection-induced AECOPD are poorly understood. METHODS: COPD mice models were established through cigarette smoke exposure for consecutive 24 weeks, evaluated by the detection of lung function. AECOPD mice models were established through the intratracheal atomization of influenza A/H3N2 stocks in COPD mice, and were injected intraperitoneally with melatonin (Mel). Then, The polarization of alveolar macrophages (AMs) was assayed by flow cytometry of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells. In vitro, the effects of melatonin on macrophage polarization were analyzed in IAV-infected Cigarette smoking extract (CSE)-stimulated Raw264.7 macrophages. Moreover, the roles of the melatonin receptors (MTs) in regulating macrophage polarization and apoptosis were determined using MTs antagonist luzindole. RESULTS: The present results demonstrated that IAV/H3N2 infection deteriorated lung function (reduced FEV20,50/FVC), exacerbated lung damages in COPD mice with higher dual polarization of AMs. Melatonin therapy improved airflow limitation and lung damages of AECOPD mice by decreasing IAV nucleoprotein (IAV-NP) protein levels and the M1 polarization of pulmonary macrophages. Furthermore, in CSE-stimulated Raw264.7 cells, IAV infection further promoted the dual polarization of macrophages accompanied with decreased MT1 expression. Melatonin decreased STAT1 phosphorylation, the levels of M1 markers and IAV-NP via MTs reflected by the addition of luzindole. Recombinant IL-1ß attenuated the inhibitory effects of melatonin on IAV infection and STAT1-driven M1 polarization, while its converting enzyme inhibitor VX765 potentiated the inhibitory effects of melatonin on them. Moreover, melatonin inhibited IAV infection-induced apoptosis by suppressing IL-1ß/STAT1 signaling via MTs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that melatonin inhibited IAV infection, improved lung function and lung damages of AECOPD via suppressing IL-1ß/STAT1-driven macrophage M1 polarization and apoptosis in a MTs-dependent manner. Melatonin may be considered as a potential therapeutic agent for influenza virus infection-induced AECOPD.

Heteroatom Substitution Strategy Modulates Thermodynamics Towards Chemically Recyclable Polyesters and Monomeric Unit Sequence by Temperature Switching.

In this paper, we proposed a heteroatom substitution strategy (HSS) in the δ-valerolactone (VL) system to modulate thermodynamics toward chemically recyclable polyesters. Three VL-based monomers containing different heteroatoms (M1 (N), M2 (S), and M3 (O)), instead of C-5 carbon, were designed and synthesized to verify our proposed HSS. All three monomers undergo organocatalytic living/controlled ROP and controllable depolymerization. Impressively, the resulting P(M1) achieved over 99 % monomer recovery under both mild solution depolymerization and high vacuum pyrolysis conditions without any side reactions, and the recycled monomers can be polymerized again forming new polymers. The systematic study of the relationship between heteroatom substitution and recyclability shows that introducing heteroatoms does change the thermodynamics of the monomers (ΔHp o, ΔSp o and Tc values), thereby adjusting the polymerizability and depolymerizability. DFT calculations found that the introduction of heteroatoms adjusts the ring strain by changing the angular strain of the monomers, and the order of their angular strain (M2>M1>M3) is consistent with the order of the experimentally obtained enthalpy change. Notably, the one-pot/one-step copolymerization of two of each of the three monomers enables the synthesis of sequence-controlled copolymers from gradient to random to block structures, by simply switching the copolymerization temperature.

Transcription factor DIVARICATA1 positively modulates seed germination in response to salinity stress.

Seed germination is a critical checkpoint for plant growth under unfavorable environmental conditions. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA) signaling pathways play important roles in modulating seed germination. However, the molecular links between salinity stress and ABA/GA signaling are not well understood. Herein, we showed that the expression of DIVARICATA1 (DIV1), which encodes a MYB-like transcription factor, was induced by GA and repressed by ABA, salinity, and osmotic stress in germinating seeds. DIV1 positively regulated seed germination in response to salinity stress by directly regulating the expression of DELAY OF GERMINATION 1-LIKE 3 (DOGL3) and GA-STIMULATED ARABIDOPSIS 4 (GASA4) and indirectly regulating the expression of several germination-associated genes. Moreover, NUCLEAR FACTOR-YC9 (NF-YC9) directly repressed the expression of DIV1 in germinating seeds in response to salinity stress. These results help reveal the function of the NF-YC9-DIV1 module and provide insights into the regulation of ABA and GA signaling in response to salinity stress during seed germination in Arabidopsis.

Fault Diagnosis of Hydraulic Components Based on Multi-Sensor Information Fusion Using Improved TSO-CNN-BiLSTM.

In order to realize the accurate and reliable fault diagnosis of hydraulic systems, a diagnostic model based on improved tuna swarm optimization (ITSO), optimized convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and bi-directional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) networks is proposed. Firstly, sensor selection is implemented using the random forest algorithm to select useful signals from six kinds of physical or virtual sensors including pressure, temperature, flow rate, vibration, motor power, and motor efficiency coefficient. After that, fused features are extracted by CNN, and then, BiLSTM is applied to learn the forward and backward information contained in the data. The ITSO algorithm is adopted to adaptively optimize the learning rate, regularization coefficient, and node number to obtain the optimal CNN-BiLSTM network. Improved Chebyshev chaotic mapping and the nonlinear reduction strategy are adopted to improve population initialization and individual position updating, further promoting the optimization effect of TSO. The experimental results show that the proposed method can automatically extract fusion features and effectively utilize multi-sensor information. The diagnostic accuracies of the plunger pump, cooler, throttle valve, and accumulator are 99.07%, 99.4%, 98.81%, and 98.51%, respectively. The diagnostic results of noisy data with 0 dB, 5 dB, and 10 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) show that the ITSO-CNN-BiLSTM model has good robustness to noise interference.

Overexpression of TaMPK3 enhances freezing tolerance by increasing the expression of ICE-CBF-COR related genes in the Arabidopsis thaliana.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play important roles in plant stress response. As a major member of the MAPK family, MPK3 has been reported to participate in the regulation of chilling stress. However, the regulatory function of wheat (Triticum aestivum ) mitogen-activated protein kinase TaMPK3 in freezing tolerance remains unknown. Dongnongdongmai No.1 (Dn1) is a winter wheat variety with strong freezing tolerance; therefore, it is important to explore the mechanisms underlying this tolerance. In this study, the expression of TaMPK3 in Dn1 was detected under low temperature and hormone treatment. Gene cloning, bioinformatics and subcellular localisation analyses of TaMPK3 in Dn1 were performed. Overexpressed TaMPK3 in Arabidopsis thaliana was obtained, and freezing tolerance phenotype observations, physiological indices and expression levels of ICE-C-repeat binding factor (CBF)-COR -related genes were determined. In addition, the interaction between TaMPK3 and TaICE41 proteins was detected. We found that TaMPK3 expression responds to low temperatures and hormones, and the TaMPK3 protein is localised in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Overexpression of TaMPK3 in Arabidopsis significantly improves freezing tolerance. TaMPK3 interacts with the TaICE41 protein. In conclusion, TaMPK3 is involved in regulating the ICE-CBF-COR cold resistance module through its interaction with TaICE41, thereby improving freezing tolerance in Dn1 wheat.

Effects of abamectin nanocapsules on bees through host physiology, immune function, and gut microbiome.

Pesticide usage is a common practice to increase crop yields. Nevertheless, the existence of pesticide residues in the surrounding environment presents a significant hazard to pollinators, specifically the potential undisclosed dangers related to emerging nanopesticides. This study examines the impact of abamectin nanocapsules (AbaNCs), created through electrostatic self-assembly, as an insecticide on honey bees. It was determined that AbaNCs upregulated detoxification genes, including CYP450, as well as antioxidant and immune genes in honey bees. Furthermore, AbaNCs affected the activity of crucial enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD). Although no apparent damage was observed in bee gut tissue, AbaNCs significantly decreased digestive enzyme activity. Microbiome sequencing revealed that AbaNCs disrupted gut microbiome, resulting in a reduction of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Additionally, these changes in the gut microbiome were associated with decreased activity of digestive enzymes, including lipase. This study enhances our understanding of the impact of nanopesticides on pollinating insects. Through the revelation of the consequences arising from the utilization of abamectin nanocapsules, we have identified potential stress factors faced by these pollinators, enabling the implementation of improved protective measures.

Response of the root anatomical structure of Carex moorcroftii to habitat drought in the Western Sichuan Plateau of China.

MAIN CONCLUSION: The anatomical structures of Carex moorcroftii roots showing stronger plasticity during drought had a lower coefficient of variation in cell size in the same habitats, while those showing weaker plasticity had a higher coefficient of variation. The complementary relationship between these factors comprises the adaptation mechanism of the C. moorcroftii root to drought. To explore the effects of habitat drought on root anatomy of hygrophytic plants, this study focused on roots of C. moorcroftii. Five sample plots were set up along a soil moisture gradient in the Western Sichuan Plateau to collect experimental materials. Paraffin sectioning was used to obtain root anatomy, and one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, and RDA ranking were applied to analyze the relationship between root anatomy and soil water content. The results showed that the root transverse section area, thickness of epidermal cells, exodermis and Casparian strips, and area of aerenchyma were significantly and positively correlated with soil moisture content (P < 0.01). The diameter of the vascular cylinder and the number and total area of vessels were significantly and negatively correlated with the soil moisture content (P < 0.01). The plasticity of the anatomical structures was strong for the diameter and area of the vascular cylinder and thickness of the Casparian strip and epidermis, while it was weak for vessel diameter and area. In addition, there was an asymmetrical relationship between the functional adaptation of root anatomical structure in different soil moisture and the variation degree of root anatomical structure in the same soil moisture. Therefore, the roots of C. moorcroftii can shorten the water transport distance from the epidermis to the vascular cylinder, increase the area of the vascular cylinder and the number of vessels, and establish a complementary relationship between the functional adaptation of root anatomical structure in different habitats and the variation degree of root anatomical structure in the same habitat to adapt to habitat drought. This study provides a scientific basis for understanding the response of plateau wetland plants to habitat changes and their ecological adaptation strategies. More scientific experimental methods should be adopted to further study the mutual coordination mechanisms of different anatomical structures during root adaptation to habitat drought for hygrophytic plants.

Successful treatment with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide in a VEXAS syndrome patient with associated myelodysplastic syndrome: a case report and systematic review.

Vacuoles, E1 syndrome, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic (VEXAS) syndrome is a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects various organ systems. It is associated with hematologic malignancies and is generally refractory to therapies. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) may be considered for selected patients. We report a case wherein systemic and hematological manifestations completely resolved in a patient with VEXAS and associated myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), following the administration of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide as part of the preparation for allo-HSCT. We conducted a systematic literature review and included 86 patients with VEXAS syndrome and associated MDS. Most cases presented with musculoskeletal involvement (71%) and anemia (72%) with lower-risk MDS. Most patients responded to corticosteroids (CS) but had a recurrence of symptoms with CS taper and were refractory to other immunosuppressive agents. Hypomethylating agents and Janus kinase inhibitors achieved a complete response in some cases. Further research is needed to develop more effective treatment strategies.

Thiosulfate/FeCl3 pre-treatment enhances short-chain fatty acid production and mitigates H2S generation during anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge: Performance, microbial community and ecological analyses.

Anaerobic fermentation (AF) has been identified as a promising method of transforming waste activated sludge (WAS) into high-value products (e.g., short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)). This study developed thiosulfate/FeCl3 pre-treatment and investigated the effects of different thiosulfate/FeCl3 ratios (S:Fe = 3:1, 3:2, 1:1, 3:4 and 3:5) on SCFA production and sulfur transformation during the AF of WAS. At a S:Fe ratio of 1:1, the maximal SCFA yield (933.3 mg COD/L) and efficient H2S removal (96.5 %) were obtained. S:Fe ratios ≤ 1:1 not only benefited hydrolysis and acidification but largely mitigated H2S generation. These results were supported by the enriched acidogens and reduced sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB). Molecular ecological network analysis further revealed that the keystone taxon (g_Saccharimonadales) was found in S:Fe = 1:1, together with reductions in associations among methanogens, acidogens and SRB. This work provides a strategy for enhancing high-value product recovery from WAS and minimising H2S emissions.