Attapulgite-enhanced ε-poly-l-lysine for heightened antibacterial efficiency against Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato.

ε-Poly-l-lysine (ε-PL) is an effective antimicrobial peptide for controlling fungal plant diseases, exhibiting significant antifungal activity and safety. Despite its known efficacy, the potential of ε-PL in combating plant bacterial diseases remains underexplored. This study evaluated the effectiveness of ε-PL and its nanomaterial derivative in managing tomato bacterial spot disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Results indicated that ε-PL substantially inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Additionally, when ε-PL was loaded onto attapulgite (encoded as ATT@PL), its antibacterial effect was significantly enhanced. Notably, the antibacterial efficiency of ATT@PL containing 18.80 µg/mL ε-PL was even close to that of 100 µg/mL pure ε-PL. Further molecular study results showed that, ATT@PL stimulated the antioxidant system and the salicylic acid signaling pathway in tomatoes, bolstering the plants disease resistance. Importantly, the nanocomposite demonstrated no negative effects on both seed germination and plant growth, indicating its safety and aligning with sustainable agricultural practices. This study not only confirmed the effectiveness of ε-PL in controlling tomato bacterial spot disease, but also introduced an innovative high antibacterial efficiency ε-PL composite with good bio-safety. This strategy we believe can also be used in improving other bio-pesticides, and has high applicability in agriculture practice.

A combined AIMD and DFT study of the low-energy radiation responses of GaN.

Although GaN is a promising candidate for semiconductor devices, degradation of GaN-based device performance may occur when the device is bombarded by high-energy charged particles during its application in aerospace, astronomy, and nuclear-related areas. It is thus of great significance to explore the influence of irradiation on the microstructure and electronic properties of GaN and to reveal the internal relationship between the damage mechanisms and physical characteristics. Using a combined density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) study, we explored the low-energy recoil events in GaN and the effects of point defects on GaN. The threshold displacement energies (Eds) significantly depend on the recoil directions and the primary knock-on atoms. Moreover, the Ed values for nitrogen atoms are smaller than those for gallium atoms, indicating that the displacement of nitrogen dominates under electron irradiation and the created defects are mainly nitrogen vacancies and interstitials. The formation energy of nitrogen vacancies and interstitials is smaller than that for gallium vacancies and interstitials, which is consistent with the AIMD results. Although the created defects improve the elastic compliance of GaN, these radiation damage states deteriorate its ability to resist external compression. Meanwhile, these point defects lead the Debye temperature to decrease and thus increase the thermal expansion coefficients of GaN. As for the electronic properties of defective GaN, the point defects have various effects, i.e., VN (N vacancy), Gaint (Ga interstitial), Nint (N interstitial), and GaN (Ga occupying the N lattice site) defects induce the metallicity, and NGa (N occupying the Ga lattice site) defects decrease the band gap. The presented results provide underlying mechanisms for defect generation in GaN, and advance the fundamental understanding of the radiation resistances of semiconductor materials.

Chiral Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Asymmetric Reaction via Vinylidene ortho-Quinone Methides.

Vinylidene ortho-quinone methides (VQMs) have been proven to be versatile and crucial intermediates in the catalytic asymmetric reaction in last decade, and thus have drawn considerable concentrations on account of the practical application in the construction of enantiomerically pure functional organic molecules. However, in comparison to the well established chiral Brønsted base-catalyzed asymmetric reaction via VQMs, chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed reaction is rarely studied and there is no systematic summary to date. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed asymmetric reaction via VQMs according to three types of reactions: a) intermolecular asymmetric nucleophilic addition to VQMs; b) intermolecular asymmetric cycloaddition of VQMs; c) intramolecular asymmetric cyclization of VQMs. Finally, we put forward the remained challenges and opportunities for potential breakthroughs in this area.

Development of high-quality artificial intelligence for computer-aided diagnosis in determining subtypes of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: There are no previous studies in which computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) diagnosed colorectal cancer (CRC) subtypes correctly. In this study, we developed an original CAD for the diagnosis of CRC subtypes. METHODS: Pretraining for the CAD based on ResNet was performed using ImageNet and five open histopathological pretraining image datasets (HiPreD) containing 3 million images. In addition, sparse attention was introduced to improve the CAD compared to other attention networks. One thousand and seventy-two histopathological images from 29 early CRC cases at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine from 2019 to 2022 were collected (857 images for training and validation, 215 images for test). All images were annotated by a qualified histopathologist for segmentation of normal mucosa, adenoma, pure well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (PWDA), and moderately/poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (MPDA). Diagnostic ability including dice sufficient coefficient (DSC) and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated. RESULTS: Our original CAD, named Colon-seg, with the pretraining of both HiPreD and ImageNET showed a better DSC (88.4%) compared to CAD without both pretraining (76.8%). Regarding the attentional mechanism, Colon-seg with sparse attention showed a better DSC (88.4%) compared to other attentional mechanisms (dual: 79.7%, ECA: 80.7%, shuffle: 84.7%, SK: 86.9%). In addition, the DSC of Colon-seg (88.4%) was better than other types of CADs (TransUNet: 84.7%, MultiResUnet: 86.1%, Unet++: 86.7%). The diagnostic accuracy of Colon-seg for each histopathological type was 94.3% for adenoma, 91.8% for PWDA, and 92.8% for MPDA. CONCLUSION: A deep learning-based CAD for CRC subtype differentiation was developed with pretraining and fine-tuning of abundant histopathological images.

An Advanced Hall Element Array-Based Device for High-Resolution Magnetic Field Mapping.

The precise mapping of magnetic fields emitted by various objects holds critical importance in the fabrication of industrial products. To meet this requirement, this study introduces an advanced magnetic detection device boasting high spatial resolution. The device's sensor, an array comprising 256 unpackaged gallium arsenide (GaAs) Hall elements arranged in a 16 × 16 matrix, spans an effective area of 19.2 mm × 19.2 mm. The design maintains a 1.2 mm separation between adjacent elements. For enhanced resolution, the probe scans the sample via a motorized rail system capable of executing specialized movement patterns. A support structure incorporated into the probe minimizes the measurement distance to below 0.5 mm, thereby amplifying the magnetic signal and mitigating errors from nonparallel probe-sample alignment. The accompanying interactive software utilizes cubic spline interpolation to transform magnetic readings into detailed two- and three-dimensional magnetic field distribution maps, signifying field strength and polarity through variations in color intensity and amplitude sign. The device's efficacy in accurately mapping surface magnetic field distributions of magnetic and magnetized materials was corroborated through tests on three distinct samples: a neodymium-iron-boron magnet, the circular magnetic array from a smartphone, and a magnetized 430 steel plate. These tests, focused on imaging quality and magnetic field characterization, underscore the device's proficiency in nondestructive magnetic field analysis.

LINC01535 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation and metastasis by regulating the miR-214-3p/VASP axis.

Background: Emerging evidence has indicated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with the development and progression of several carcinomas, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of LINC01535 in HCC is still unknown. Materials and methods: In this study, RNA-seq, CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing, Transwell and tumor xenograft assays were used to explore the function of LINC01535 in the proliferation and metastasis of HCC in vitro and in vivo. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay, bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blot analysis were used to reveal the interactions of LINC01535, miR-214-3p and VASP. Results: LINC01535 was overexpressed in HCC tissues and HCC cell lines. Gain- and loss-of-function studies revealed that LINC01535 could promote HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, upregulation of LINC01535 significantly decreased the expression of microRNA-214-3p (miR-214-3p), which was found closely associated with suppressing tumor progression. Moreover, VASP was identified as a direct downstream target gene of miR-214-3p. LINC01535 positively regulated VASP expression by sponging miR-214-3p, and VASP overexpression activated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and stimulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC. Conclusions: Our study first found that LINC01535 promoted HCC progression by regulating its downstream target, the miR-214-3p/VASP axis, via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The function and novel regulatory mechanism of LINC01535 may provide a valuable target for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC patients.

Comparison of efficacy and safety between robotic-assisted versus laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To some extent, robotic technique does offer certain benefits in rectal cancer surgery than laparoscopic one, while remains a topic of ongoing debate for rectal cancer patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). METHODS: Potential studies published until January 2024 were obtained from Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase and PubMed. Dichotomous and continuous variables were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% their confidence intervals (CIs), respectively. A random effects model was used if I2 statistic >50%, otherwise a fixed effects model. RESULTS: Eleven studies involving 1079 patients were analyzed. The robotic-assisted group had an 0.4 cm shorter distance from anal verge (95% CI: -0.680 to -0.114, P=0.006) and 1.94 times higher complete total mesorectal excision (TME) rate (OR=1.936, 95% CI: 1.061 to 3.532, P=0.031). However, the operation time in the robotic-assisted group was 54 minutes longer (95% CI: 20.489 to 87.037, P=0.002) than laparoscopic group. In addition, the robotic-assisted group had a lower open conversion rate (OR=0.324, 95% CI: 0.129 to 0.816, P=0.017) and a shorter length of hospital stay (WMD=-1.127, 95% CI: -2.071 to -0.184, P=0.019). CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted surgery offered several advantages over laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer following NCRT in terms of resection of lower tumours with improved TME completeness, lower open conversion rate and shorter hospital stay, despite longer operative time.

An approach for estimating microbial growth and chlorinated ethenes biotransformation in groundwater based on discrete observations.

The bioremediation of chlorinated ethenes (CEs) contaminated groundwater is attracting increasingly attention in practical remediation projects. However, modelling of microbial metabolic processes under the constraints of substrate and environmental factors is inadequate. This study developed a new kinetic model, which incorporated the logistic model and Dual-Monod kinetic to represent the interaction between the controlled microbial growth and the bioavailable substrates in CE-contaminated groundwater. The proposed model was based on discrete observations to simulate microbial growth under the constraints of substrate and environmental conditions, reducing the amount of observational data required for the model. Meanwhile, the proposed model introduced two new kinetic parameters, the effective specific growth rate µeff and the real self-limiting coefficient of microbial growth keff,sl, to simplified the number of independent parameters. A parameter estimation method based on the quasi-Newton's algorithm for the proposed model was also developed. The model was validated based on the hypothetical data, experimental results, and a published dataset, demonstrated the successful simulation of microbial growth and the sequential biodegradation of PCE in groundwater systems (*E < 0.3). The monitoring duration and the sampling schedule have significant impacts on estimating the biological parameters, and large errors would be induced when the data from the periods of extremely low substrate concentration or microbial growth decline were involved in parameter estimation. The research suggested that the proposed kinetic model provided a new insight to express the limitation of microbial population growth due to the available substrates and environmental factors, and is hoping to be applied in actual CE-contaminated sites.

Crosstalk between circBMI1 and miR-338-5p/ID4 inhibits AML progression.

BMI1 Polycomb Ring Finger Proto-Oncogene (BMI1) is involved in the pathogenesis of different cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the role of the circular RNA of BMI1 (circBMI1) has not been studied. Our study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of circBMI1 in AML. circBMI1 was significantly decreased in bone marrow mononuclear cells aspirated from patients with AML. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that circBMI1 could distinguish patients with AML from controls. By overexpressing and knocking down circBMI1 in HL-60 cells, we found that circBMI1 inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and increased chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity in AML. Experiments using severe combined immune-deficient mice and circBMI1 transgenic mice showed that mice with circBMI1 overexpression had lower white blood cell counts, which suggested less severe AML invasion. RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed binding sites among circBMI1, miR-338-5p, and inhibitor of DNA binding 4 (ID4). Rescue experiments proved that circBMI1 inhibited AML progression by binding to miR-338-5p, which affected the expression of ID4. By coculturing exosomes extracted from circBMI1-HL-60 and small interfering circBMI1-HL-60 cells with HL-60 cells, we found that exosomes from circBMI1-HL-60 cells showed tumor suppressive effects, namely inhibiting HL-60 proliferation, promoting apoptosis, and increasing chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity. Exosomes from small interfering circBMI1-HL-60 cells showed the opposite effects. circBMI1 may act as an exosome-dependent tumor inhibitor. circBMI1, a potential biomarker for clinical diagnosis, acts as a tumor suppressor in AML by regulating miR-338-5p/ID4 and might affect the pathogenesis of AML by exosome secretion.

DNAJ protein gene expansion mechanism in Panicoideae and PgDNAJ functional identification in pearl millet.

KEY MESSAGE: Analyze the evolutionary pattern of DNAJ protein genes in the Panicoideae, including pearl millet, to identify and characterize the biological function of PgDNAJ genes in pearl millet. Global warming has become a major factor threatening food security and human development. It is urgent to analyze the heat-tolerant mechanism of plants and cultivate crops that are adapted to high temperature conditions. The Panicoideae are the second largest subfamily of the Poaceae, widely distributed in warm temperate and tropical regions. Many of these species have been reported to have strong adaptability to high temperature stress, such as pearl millet, foxtail millet and sorghum. The evolutionary differences in DNAJ protein genes among 12 Panicoideae species and 10 other species were identified and analyzed. Among them, 79% of Panicoideae DNAJ protein genes were associated with retrotransposon insertion. Analysis of the DNAJ protein pan-gene family in six pearl millet accessions revealed that the non-core genes contained significantly more TEs than the core genes. By identifying and analyzing the distribution and types of TEs near the DNAJ protein genes, it was found that the insertion of Copia and Gypsy retrotransposons provided the source of expansion for the DNAJ protein genes in the Panicoideae. Based on the analysis of the evolutionary pattern of DNAJ protein genes in Panicoideae, the PgDNAJ was obtained from pearl millet through identification. PgDNAJ reduces the accumulation of reactive oxygen species caused by high temperature by activating ascorbate peroxidase (APX), thereby improving the heat resistance of plants. In summary, these data provide new ideas for mining potential heat-tolerant genes in Panicoideae, and help to improve the heat tolerance of other crops.

Talaesthanes A-C, three new meroterpenoids from the endophytic fungus Talaromyces primulinus H21.

Three new meroterpenoids (1-3) and ten known ones (4-13) were obtained from the endophytic fungus Talaromyces primulinus H21 isolated from the plant of Euphorbia sikkimensis. Their structures including their absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data such as HR-ESI-MS, 1D/2D NMR, and X-ray diffraction of single crystal together with comparison of experimental ECD with calculated ECD. All compounds were examined for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW264.7 cells, and compounds 3, 9, 12, and 13 exhibited certain inhibition on NO production, with IC50 values of 27.19, 41.55, 25.23, and 24.71 µM, respectively.

Cel-CS1K: A Celastrol-Chitosan Conjugate for Treating Diet-Induced Obesity.

Celastrol (Cel), extracted from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook, is a potential antiobesity drug, except for its adverse reactions in clinic. In the present study, we synthesized a promising celastrol-chitosan conjugate (Cel-CS1K) and evaluated its antiobesity effect and biological safety in diet-induced obese mice. Cel-CS1K showed higher drug loading (over 10 wt %), good solubility (18-19 mg/mL) in water, slower peak time (Tmax = 4 h), and clearance (T1/2 = 8.97 h) in rats. Cel-CS1K effectively attenuated the cytotoxicity, celastrol-induced apoptosis, and fat accumulation of hepatocytes. Cel-CS1K reduced body weight and dietary amount same as the free Cel but with lower toxicity in blood, liver, and testis. Cel-CS1K improved the glucose homeostasis, HDL-C level, insulin sensitivity, and leptin sensitivity, while it significantly reduced the gene expression levels of LDL-C, TG, and TC in obese mice. Furthermore, the adipose-related gene expression levels provided evidence in support of a role for Cel-CS1K in losing weight by the multimode regulation. Overall, Cel-CS1K provides a translatable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of diet-induced obese humans.

Tropheryma whipplei detected by metagenomic next-generation sequencing in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Whipple's disease is a chronic systemic infectious disease that mainly affects the gastrointestinal tract. In some cases, Tropheryma whipplei can cause infection at the implant site or even throughout the body. In this study, we collected alveolar lavage fluid samples from patients with Tropheryma whipplei from 2020 to 2022, and retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of Tropheryma whipplei positive patients. Patient's past history, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, chest CT findings, treatment, and prognosis were recorded. 16 BALFs (70/1725, 4.0 %) from 16 patients were positive for Tropheryma whipplei. 8 patients were male with an average age of 50 years. The main clinical symptoms of patients included fever (9/16), cough (7/16), dyspnea (7/16), and expectoration (5/16), but neurological symptoms and arthralgia were rare. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were the most common comorbidity (n=8). The main laboratory characteristics of the patient are red blood cell count, hemoglobin, total protein and albumin below normal levels (11/16), and/or creatinine above normal levels(14/16). Most chest computed tomography mainly show focal or patchy heterogeneous infection (n=5) and pleural effusion (n=8). Among the 6 samples, Tropheryma whipplei was the sole agent, and Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common detected other pathogens. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing technology has improved the detection rate and attention of Tropheryma whipplei. Further research is needed to distinguish whether Tropheryma whipplei present in respiratory samples is a pathogen or an innocent bystander.

Detailed Superiority of the CAD EYE Artificial Intelligence System over Endoscopists for Lesion Detection and Characterization Using Unique Movie Sets.

Objectives: Detailed superiority of CAD EYE (Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan), an artificial intelligence for polyp detection/diagnosis, compared to endoscopists is not well examined. We examined endoscopist's ability using movie sets of colorectal lesions which were detected and diagnosed by CAD EYE accurately. Methods: Consecutive lesions of ≤10 mm were examined live by CAD EYE from March-June 2022 in our institution. Short unique movie sets of each lesion with and without CAD EYE were recorded simultaneously using two recorders for detection under white light imaging (WLI) and linked color imaging (LCI) and diagnosis under blue laser/light imaging (BLI). Excluding inappropriate movies, 100 lesions detected and diagnosed with CAD EYE accurately were evaluated. Movies without CAD EYE were evaluated first by three trainees and three experts. Subsequently, movies with CAD EYE were examined. The rates of accurate detection and diagnosis were evaluated for both movie sets. Results: Among 100 lesions (mean size: 4.7±2.6 mm; 67 neoplastic/33 hyperplastic), mean accurate detection rates of movies without or with CAD EYE were 78.7%/96.7% under WLI (p<0.01) and 91.3%/97.3% under LCI (p<0.01) for trainees and 85.3%/99.0% under WLI (p<0.01) and 92.6%/99.3% under LCI (p<0.01) for experts. Mean accurate diagnosis rates of movies without or with CAD EYE for BLI were 85.3%/100% for trainees (p<0.01) and 92.3%/100% for experts (p<0.01), respectively. The significant risk factors of not-detected lesions for trainees were right-sided, hyperplastic, not-reddish, in the corner, halation, and inadequate bowel preparation. Conclusions: Unique movie sets with and without CAD EYE could suggest it's efficacy for lesion detection/diagnosis.

Four new species of Russula from the Xizang Autonomous Region and other provinces of China.

Russula is the largest genus in the Russulales and is widespread throughout the world. Almost all Russula species are known to be ectomycorrhizal with high ecological and edible values, and some are lethal poisonous. In this study, four new species belonging to the subgenus Russula crown clade are identified based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence from the Xizang Autonomous Region and other provinces of China. Morphologically, Russula paragraveolens (sect. Polychromae, subsect. Xerampelinae) is mainly characterised by a cherry red to blood red pileus centre, a reddish orange pileus margin; R. pseudograveolens (sect. Polychromae, subsect. Xerampelinae) is characterised by a violet brown to brownish red pileus centre, a pale red to pastel red pileus margin and short basidia; R. shigatseensis (sect. Flavisiccantes, subsect. Lepidinae) is characterised by a brownish orange to madder red pileus centre, pinkish red pileus margin, and having lateral branches or branches of hyphal terminations in pileipellis; R. yadongensis (sect. Tenellae, subsect. Laricinae) is characterised by a dark purplish red pileus centre with brownish purple tints and having isolated to clustered spines of spore ornamentations. Their distinct taxonomic status is confirmed by the positions of the four new species in both the ITS and 4-locus (nucLSU, mtSSU, rpb2, tef1) phylogenetic trees.

Perspectives on improving photosynthesis to increase crop yield.

Improving photosynthesis, the fundamental process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy, is a key area of research with great potential for enhancing sustainable agricultural productivity and addressing global food security challenges. This perspective delves into the latest advancements and approaches aimed at optimizing photosynthetic efficiency. Our discussion encompasses the entire process, beginning with light harvesting and its regulation and progressing through the bottleneck of electron transfer. We then delve into the carbon reactions of photosynthesis, focusing on strategies targeting the enzymes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. Additionally, we explore methods to increase CO2 concentration near the Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for the first step of CBB cycle, drawing inspiration from various photosynthetic organisms, and conclude this section by examining ways to enhance CO2 delivery into leaves. Moving beyond individual processes, we discuss two approaches to identifying key targets for photosynthesis improvement: systems modeling and the study of natural variation. Finally, we revisit some of the strategies mentioned above to provide a holistic view of the improvements, analyzing their impact on nitrogen use efficiency and on canopy photosynthesis.

Metabolomic screening of radioiodine refractory thyroid cancer patients and the underlying chemical mechanism of iodine resistance.

Radioiodine refractory (RAIR) patients do not benefit from iodine-131 therapy. Thus, timely identification of RAIR patients is critical for avoiding ineffective radioactive iodine therapy. In addition, determining the causes of iodine resistance will facilitate the development of novel treatment strategies. This study was comprised of 20 RAIR and 14 non-radioiodine refractory (non-RAIR) thyroid cancer patients. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify differences in the serum metabolites of RAIR and non-RAIR patients. In addition, chemical assays were performed to determine the effects of the differential metabolites on iodine uptake. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis of the differential metabolites revealed significant differences in the phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolic pathways. Notably, quinate and shikimic acid, metabolites of the tyrosine pathway, were significantly increased in the RAIR group. In contrast, the phenylalanine pathway metabolites, hippuric acid and 2-phenylacetamide, were markedly decreased in the RAIR group. Thyroid peroxidase plays an important role in catalyzing the iodination of tyrosine residues, while the ionic state of iodine promotes the iodination reaction. Quinate, shikimic acid, hippuric acid, and 2-phenylacetamide were found to be involved in the iodination of tyrosine, which is a key step in thyroid hormone synthesis. Specifically, quinate and shikimic acid were found to inhibit iodination, while hippuric acid and 2-phenylacetamide promoted iodination. Abnormalities in phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolic pathways are closely associated with iodine resistance. Tyrosine is required for thyroid hormone synthesis and could be a potential cause of iodine resistance.