Electronically Temperature-Dependent Interplay between He and Trivacancy in Tungsten Plasma-Facing Materials.

Both microvoids and helium (He) impurities are widely present in tungsten (W) plasma-facing materials (PFMs), where the interaction between microvoids and He atoms has led to the intriguing development of microvoids. In this paper, we comprehensively investigated the interaction between He atoms and trivacancy (V3), a fundamental microvoid in W-PFMs, at the level of tight-binding theory. Our study showed that He atoms can catalyze the decomposition of the original V3 or facilitate its transformation into another V3 variant. We propose that a He atom near the V3 defect induces significant changes in the distribution of d-electron charges within the W atoms lining the inner wall of the V3 defect, making the W atom nearest to this He atom cationic and the other W atoms anionic. The attractive interaction between them promotes the decomposition and deformation of V3. As electronic excitation increases, the ionization of W atoms on the V3 wall gradually intensifies, thereby enhancing the cationic characteristics of the W atoms closest to the He atom. This process also prompts other W atoms to shift from anions to cations, leading to a transition in the electrostatic interactions between them from attraction to repulsion. This transformation, driven by electronic excitation, plays a significant inhibitory role in the decomposition and deformation of V3.

The interaction between apigenin and PKM2 restrains progression of colorectal cancer.

Apigenin, a flavonoid that widely existed in vegetables and fruits, possesses anticarcinogenic, low toxicity, and no mutagenic properties, suggesting that apigenin is a potential therapeutic agent for tumors. However, the underlying anti-cancer molecular target of apigenin is still unclear. Therefore, to reveal the direct target and amino acid site of apigenin against colorectal cancer is the focus of this study. In the present study, the results proved that the anti-CRC activity of apigenin was positively correlated with pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) expression, characterized by the inhibition of cell proliferation and increase of apoptotic effects induced by apigenin in LS-174T cells of knock down PKM2. Next, pull-down and MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis determined that apigenin might interact directly with PKM2 in HCT-8 cells. Further, the study confirmed that lysine residue 433 (K433) was a key amino acid site for PKM2 binding to apigenin. Apigenin restricted the glycolysis of LS-174T and HCT-8 cells by targeting the K433 site of PKM2, thereby playing an anti-CRC role in vivo and in vitro. Meanwhile, apigenin markedly attenuated tumor growth without any adverse effects. Taken together, these findings reveal that apigenin is worthy of consideration as a promising PKM2 inhibitor for the prevention of CRC.

Nuclear access of DNlg3 c-terminal fragment and its function in regulating innate immune response genes.

Neuroligins (NLGNs) are one of the autism susceptibility genes, however, the mechanism that how dysfunction of NLGNs leads to Autism remains unclear. More and more studies have shown that the transcriptome alteration may be one of the important factors to generate Autism. Therefore, we are very concerned about whether Neuroligins would affect transcriptional regulation, which may at last lead to Autism. As a single-transmembrane receptor, proteolytic cleavage is one of the most important posttranslational modifications of NLGN proteins. In this study, we demonstrated the existence of DNlg3 C-terminal fragment. Studies in the S2 cells and HEK293T cells showed the evidence for nuclear access of the DNlg3 C-terminal fragment. Then we identified the possible targets of DNlg3 C-terminal fragment after its nuclear access by RNA-seq. The bioinformatics analysis indicated the transcriptome alteration between dnlg3 null flies and wild type flies focused on genes for the innate immune responses. These results were consistent with the infection hypotheses for autism. Our study revealed the nuclear access ability of DNlg3 c-terminal fragment and its possible function in transcriptional regulation of the innate immune response genes. This work provides the new links between synaptic adhesion molecule NLGNs and immune activation, which may help us to get a deeper understanding on the relationship between NLGNs and Autism.

A prominent gene activation role for C-terminal binding protein in mediating PcG/trxG proteins through Hox gene regulation.

The evolutionarily conserved C-terminal binding protein (CtBP) has been well characterized as a transcriptional co-repressor. Herein, we report a previously unreported function for CtBP, showing that lowering CtBP dosage genetically suppresses Polycomb group (PcG) loss-of-function phenotypes while enhancing that of trithorax group (trxG) in Drosophila, suggesting that the role of CtBP in gene activation is more pronounced in fly development than previously thought. In fly cells, we show that CtBP is required for the derepression of the most direct PcG target genes, which are highly enriched by homeobox transcription factors, including Hox genes. Using ChIP and co-IP assays, we demonstrate that CtBP is directly required for the molecular switch between H3K27me3 and H3K27ac in the derepressed Hox loci. In addition, CtBP physically interacts with many proteins, such as UTX, CBP, Fs(1)h and RNA Pol II, that have activation roles, potentially assisting in their recruitment to promoters and Polycomb response elements that control Hox gene expression. Therefore, we reveal a prominent activation function for CtBP that confers a major role for the epigenetic program of fly segmentation and development.

An essential role for PTIP in mediating Hox gene regulation along PcG and trxG pathways.

During Drosophila development, Polycomb-group and Trithorax group proteins function to ensure correct maintenance of transcription patterns by epigenetically repressing or activating target gene expression. To get a deep insight into the PcG and trxG pathways, we investigated a BRCT domain-containing protein called PTIP, which was generally identified as a transcriptional coactivator and belongs to the TRR complex. At the genome scale, we sorted given PTIP-binding peaks into two groups: PTIP/TRR-cobound and PTIP/PC-cobound peaks. In particular, we found that PTIP mediates the molecular switch between H3K4me3/H3K27ac and H3K27me3 histone modifications at TRR or PC occupied regions. Thus, we suggest that PTIP is a mediator rather than a dedicated co-activator along PcG and trxG pathways. Our hypothesis is further supported by the genetic assay: PTIP interacts genetically with either PcG or TrxG in a dosage-dependent manner, suggesting that PTIP functions as a co-factor of PcG/TrxG proteins. In addition, in accordance with the analysis of ChIP-seq, these genetic interactions correlate with modified ectopic HOX protein levels in imaginal discs, which reveals an essential role for PTIP in PcG-mediated Hox gene repression. Hence, we reveal a novel role for PTIP in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression along PcG and trxG pathways.

Active-Site-Specific Structural Engineering Enabled Ultrahigh Rate Performance of the NaLi3Fe3(PO4)2(P2O7) Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Iron-based mixed-polyanionic cathode Na4Fe3(PO4)2(P2O7) (NFPP) has advantages of environmental benignity, easy synthesis, high theoretical capacity, and remarkable stability. From NFPP, a novel Li-replaced material NaLi3Fe3(PO4)2(P2O7) (NLFPP) is synthesized through active Na-site structural engineering by an electrochemical ion exchange approach. The NLFPP cathode can show high reversible capacities of 103.2 and 90.3 mA h g-1 at 0.5 and 5C, respectively. It also displays an impressive discharge capacity of 81.5 mA h g-1 at an ultrahigh rate of 30C. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrates that the formation energy of NLFPP is the lowest among NLFPP, NFPP, and NaFe3(PO4)2(P2O7), indicating that NLFPP is the easiest to form and the conversion from NFPP to NLFPP is thermodynamically favorable. The Li substitution for Na in the NFPP lattice causes an increase in the unit cell parameter c and decreases in a, b, and V, which are revealed by both DFT calculations and in situ X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis. With hard carbon (HC) as the anode, the NLFPP//HC full cell shows a high reversible capacity of 91.1 mA h g-1 at 2C and retains 82.4% after 200 cycles. The proposed active-site-specific structural tailoring via electrochemical ion exchange will give new insights into the design of high-performance cathodes for lithium-ion batteries.

Association between ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism and antiepileptic drug resistance in epilepsy: An updated meta-analysis based on 62 studies.

OBJECTIVE: Previous clinical studies and meta-analyses have shown controversial results on the association between C3435T polymorphism of the ABCB1 gene and anti-epileptic drug (AED) resistance. Based on the fact that sample size and confounding factors could contribute to the inconsistency, we performed an updated meta-analysis by including the most recent studies, and subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of confounding factors on the association. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched articles in 6 electronic databases including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of science, Cochrane Library, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) for relevant articles up to June 2020. RESULTS: The current analysis showed that the C allele of C3435T variant was a risk factor for drug resistance in the overall populations (C allele vs. T allele, OR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.25; p = 0.02) and in the Caucasians (C allele vs. T allele, OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.09 - 1.43; p = 0.002), while no association was observed in Asians and Indians. Particularly, our study reported for the first time that the 3435T allele was more common in epilepsy patients with drug resistance in the Tunisian population (C allele vs. T allele, OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.15 - 0.65; p = 0.002). In addition, our present analysis suggested an association between C3435T and AED resistance in cryptogenic, symptomatic, but not in idiopathic patients. Subgroup studies based on age and gender showed no association. CONCLUSION: AED resistance in Caucasian and Tunisian populations may benefit from ABCB1 C3435T genotyping. We recommend that more details, such as gender and etiology of epilepsy, should be taken into account to draw a reliable conclusion in future studies.

Naked cuticle inhibits wingless signaling in Drosophila wing development.

Wnt signaling is one of the major signaling pathways that regulate cell differentiation, tissue patterning and stem cell homeostasis and its dysfunction causes many human diseases, such as cancer. It is of tremendous interests to understand how Wnt signaling is regulated in a precise manner both temporally and spatially. Naked cuticle (Nkd) acts as a negative-feedback inhibitor for Wingless (Wg, a fly Wnt) signaling in Drosophila embryonic development. However, the role of Nkd remains controversial in later fly development, particularly on the canonical Wg pathway. In the present study, we show that nkd is essential for wing pattern formation, such that both gain and loss of nkd result in the disruption of Wg target expression in larvae stage and abnormal adult wing morphologies. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a thirty amino acid fragment in Nkd, identified previously in Wharton lab, is critical for the canonical Wg signaling, but is dispensable for Wg/planar cell polarity pathway. Putting aside the pleiotropic nature of nkd function, i.e. its role in the Decapentaplegic signaling, we conclude that Nkd universally inhibits the canonical Wg pathway across a life span of Drosophila development.

One-step synthesis of a carbon dot-based fluorescent probe for colorimetric and ratiometric sensing of tetracycline.

Carbon dots (CDs) with blue fluorescence were synthesized using indole-3-butyric acid and l-tryptophan using a one-step hydrothermal method. The CDs were further employed as a fluorescent sensor with high selectivity for colorimetric and ratiometric detection of tetracycline (TC) in water. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 0.33 µM for TC with R2 = 0.98387. Besides, the CDs could be applied in practical water samples and showed good recovery.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Platanthera minor.

Platanthera minor is widely distributed in East Asia. The complete circular chloroplast genome with a length of 154,430 bp possesses the typical structure, consisting of a large single copy (LSC) of 83,536 bp, a small single copy (SSC) of 17,612 bp, and two inverted repeats (IR) of 26,641 bp. The average GC content of the genome is 36.7%. The circular P. minor chloroplast genome contains 114 genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, four rRNA genes, and 30 tRNA genes. The chloroplast sequence provided a resource for analyzing genetic diversity of the Orchidaceae family.

Proteomic analysis of Camellia sinensis (L.) reveals a synergistic network in the response to drought stress and recovery.

Drought is a crucial limiting factor for tea yield and quality. To systematically characterize the molecular response of tea plants to drought stress and its capacity to recover, we used iTRAQ-based comparative proteomic approach to investigate the effects of drought on protein expression profiles in tea seedlings subjected to different drought treatments. A total of 3274 proteins were identified, of which 2169 and 2300 showed differential expressions during drought and recovery, respectively. Functional annotation showed that multiple biological processes were regulated, suggesting that tea plants probably employed multiple and synergistic resistance mechanisms in dealing with drought stress. Hierarchical clustering showed that chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins were up-regulated in DB and RE, suggesting that tea plants might regulate expression of chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins to maintain the photosystem II function during drought stress. Abundant proteins involved in sulfur-containing metabolite pathways, such as glutathione, taurine, hypotaurine, methionine, and cysteine, changed significantly during drought stress. Among them, TL29 interacted with LHCb6 to connect S-containing metabolites with chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins. This suggests that sulfur-containing compounds play important roles in the response to drought stress in tea plants. In addition, the expression of PAL was up-regulated in DA and down-regulated in DB. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase, caffeic acid O-methyltransferase, and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase also showed significant changes in expression levels, which regulated the biosynthesis of polyphenols. The results indicate that slight drought stress might promote polyphenol biosynthesis, while serious drought stress leads to inhibition. The expression of lipoxygenase and short-chain dehydrogenase increased during slight drought stress and some volatile metabolite pathways were enriched, indicating that drought stress might affect the tea aroma. The study provides valuable information that will lay the foundation for studies investigating the functions of drought response genes in tea leaves.

Myocardial protection technique for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting combined with valve surgery / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To investigate the application of myocardial protection technique in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) combined with valve surgery.Methods Forty-five patients who received CABG combined valve surgery in the cardiothoracic surgery department of our hospital from February 2015 to March 2017 were as the research object.All of the patients were treated by myocardial protection technique in off-pump CABG combined with valve surgery.The preoperative and postoperative heart function rating and color ultra results and surgical patients discharged to evaluate the method.Results There was no difference in left ventricular ejection fraction before and after surgery(P ＞ 0.05).left ventricular end diastolic diameter and left atrial end diastolic diameter at 7 days after operation was significantly lower than those before operation,the differences were significant (P ＜ 0.05).After followed up for 3 months,the level Ⅰ and level Ⅱof cardiac function increased significantly in 29 cases,heart function classification(NYHA) after 3 months was significantly better than that before the surgery,the difference was significant(P ＜ 0.05).Mediastinal infection occurred in 1 case and poor healing of wound in 1 case,healing after active treatment.Conclusion Myocardial protection technique in off-pump CABG combined with valve surgery plays an important role in the whole surgical process and ensures the operation effect.

A R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene in common wheat (namely TaMYBsm1) involved in enhancement of drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis.

We isolated the TaMYBsm1 genes, encoding R2R3-type MYB proteins in common wheat, aimed to uncover the possible molecular mechanisms related to drought response. The TaMYBsm1 genes, TaMYBsm1-A, TaMYBsm1-B and TaMYBsm1-D, were isolated and analyzed from the common wheat cultivar Shimai 15. Their expression patterns under PEG 6000 and mannitol were monitored by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and ß-glucuronidase (Gus) assay. The function of TaMYBsm1-D under drought stress in transgenic Arabidopsis plants was investigated, and the germination rate, water loss rate, as well as the proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were compared with that in wild type (WT) plants. The expression of three downstream genes (DREB2A, P5CS1 and RD29A) in TaMYBsm1-D transgenic plants was analyzed. The R2R3-MYB domains of the MYBsm1 proteins were highly conserved in plants. In addition, the TaMYBsm1 proteins were targeted to the nucleus and contained transcriptional activation domains (TADs). Gus assay and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the TaMYBsm1 genes were up-regulated when the wheat was treated by PEG and mannitol. Compared with WT plants, the germination rates were much higher, but the water loss rates were much lower in TaMYBsm1-D overexpression plants. TaMYBsm1-D transgenic plants showed distinct higher proline contents but a lower MDA content than the WT plants. The three downstream genes were highly expressed in TaMYBsm1-D transgenic plants. We concluded from these results that TaMYBsm1 genes play an important role in plant drought stress tolerance through up-regulation of DREB2A, P5CS1 and RD29A. The increase of proline content and decrease of MDA content may also be involved in the drought response.

A novel fluorescent probe based on rhodamine hydrazone derivatives bearing a thiophene group for Al³âº.

In the present work, a novel 5-methyl-thiophene-carbaldehyde-functionalized rhodamine 6G Schiff base (RA) was designed and easily prepared as an Al(3+) fluorescent and colorimetric probe, which could selectively and sensitively detect Al(3+) by showing enhanced fluorescence emission. Meanwhile distinct color variation from colorless to pink also provided 'naked eye' detection of Al(3+), due to the ring spirolactam opening of the rhodamine derivative. Other metal ions (including K(+), Mg(2+), Na(+), Ba(2+), Mn(2+), Cd(2+), Fe(2+), Ni(2+), Pb(2+), Zn(2+), Hg(2+), Co(2+), Li(+), Sr(2+) and Cu(2+)) could only induce limited interference. The detection limit of the fluorescent probe was estimated to be 4.17 × 10(-6) M, the binding constant of the RA-Al(3+) complex was 1.4 × 10(6) M(-1). Moreover, this fluorescent probe RA possessed high reversibility. As aluminum is a ubiquitous metal in nature and plays vital roles in many biological processes, this chemosensor could be explored for biological study applications.

TaUBA, a UBA domain-containing protein in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), is a negative regulator of salt and drought stress response in transgenic Arabidopsis.

KEY MESSAGE: TaUBA functions as a negative regulator of salt and drought stress response in transgenic Arabidopsis, either the UBA domain or the zinc finger domain is crucial for TaUBA's function. TaUBA (DQ211935), which is a UBA domain-containing protein in wheat, was cloned and functionally characterized. Southern blot suggested that TaUBA is a low copy gene in common wheat. qRT-PCR assay showed that the expression of TaUBA was strongly induced by salt and drought stress. When suffering from drought and salt stresses, lower proline content and much higher MDA content in the TaUBA overexpressors were observed than those of the wild-type control, suggesting TaUBA may function as a negative regulator of salt and drought stress response in plants. To study whether the UBA domain or the zinc finger domain affects the function of TaUBA, TaUBAΔUBA (deletion of UBA domain) and TaUBA-M (Cys464Gly and Cys467Gly) overexpression vectors were constructed and transformed into Arabidopsis. Upon drought and salt stresses, the TaUBAΔUBA-and TaUBA-M-overexpressed plants accumulated much more proline and lower MDA than the wild-type control, the TaUBA-overexpressors lost water more quickly than TaUBAΔUBA-and TaUBA-M-overexpressed plants as well as the wild-type control, suggesting that overexpression of TaUBAΔUBA or TaUBA-M improved the drought and salt tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants and the possibility of ubiquitination role in the regulation of osmolyte synthesis and oxidative stress responses in mediating stress tolerance. qRT-PCR assay of stress-related genes in transgenic plants upon drought and salt stresses suggested that TaUBA may function through down-regulating some stress related-transcription factors and by regulating P5CSs to cope with osmotic stress.

[Canonical correspondence analysis between phytoplankton community and environmental factors in macrophtic lakes of the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River].

The phytoplankton communities in 4 macrophtic lakes (Longgan Lake, Liangzi Lake, Futou Lake and Baoan Lake) in Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain were investigated in September 2011, and 7 phylum and 231 species of phytoplankton were detected in the waters. The results indicated that phytoplankton was mainly composed of Cyanophyta, Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta. The four lakes were mesotrophic. And the main phytoplankton was Phormidium foveolarum, Synedra ulna, Phormidium tenu and Tribonema minus. The relationships between the distribution of phytoplankton and environmental factors in each sampling site were studies by canonical correspondence analysis. The results demonstrated that pH and Total phosphorus are the key factors for the distribution of phytoplankton communities in 4 typical macrophtic lakes in Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain.

An amino-imino resonance study of 2-amino-4-methylpyridinium nitrate and 2-amino-5-methylpyridinium nitrate.

The contributions of the amino and imino resonance forms to the ground-state structures of 2-amino-4-methylpyridinium nitrate, C(6)H(9)N(2)(+)·NO(3)(-), and the previously reported 2-amino-5-methylpyridinium nitrate [Yan, Fan, Bi, Zuo & Zhang (2012). Acta Cryst. E68, o2084], were studied using a combination of IR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography and density functional theory (DFT). The results show that the structures of 2-amino-4-methylpyridine and 2-amino-5-methylpyridine obtained upon protonation are best described as existing largely in the imino resonance forms.

[Speciation and vertical distribution of heavy metals in sediments of Baiyangdian Lake].

In order to find out the heavy metal concentrations and their potential ecological risks on sediments in Baiyangdian Lake, 0-14 cm surface sediments had been collected by the no-disturbance-gravity sampler at seven representative sampling points of Baiyangdian Lake. Optimized BCR sequential extraction procedure was used to carry out the analysis of heavy metal forms in the surface sediments. The heavy metal contents of different forms and in different depths were determined. The relationship between different forms of heavy metal and total organic carbon (TOC) in the sediments was analyzed. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) was employed to evaluate the extent of heavy metal contamination. The results demonstrated that Co, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn were mainly in residual form, acid soluble form, Fe-Mn oxide and organic matter bound forms respectively. The tendency of organic bound form of heavy metals and TOC of sediments was greater than the others. The concentration of Co, Pb, Zn decreased with the increase of sediment depth, with the maximal concentration was between 0-2 cm, while the concentration of Mn was the minimal between 6-8 cm and the maximal was at 14 cm. Baiyangdian sediments were not contaminated as a whole by Co, Mn, apart from medium pollution in the entrance of the Fuhe River. The other regions were lightly polluted by Zn and Pb.

[Progresses on Neandertal genomics].

Neandertal is our closest known relative and also an archaic hominid reserving the richest fossils. Whether the Neandertals exchanged their DNA with modern human or not is a matter of debate on the modern human origin. The progresses on the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of Neandertals in recent years were reviewed in this paper. Recent study has revealed possible genetic contribution of Neandertals to the modern human to some extent, which arose the rethinking of modern human origin. The experiences gained in the research on Neandertals will benefit the study on archaic hominids, unravel the mystery of modern human origin, and enrich the relative theoretical systems in evolutionary biological field.

[A case of anesthesia for caesarean section in a late pregnant woman with recurrent femoral osteosarcoma].

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant tumor primarily originated from bone, yet puerpera with osteosarcoma is exceedingly rare. We present here a case of a 27-year-old woman who was operated for femoral osteosarcoma 2 years ago. With emergency admission to Peking University Third Hospital she was diagnosed with recurrent osteosarcoma during the second trimester of pregnancy. As pregnancy might promote tumor development, the general principle demanded timely termination of pregnancy after diagnosis, but the patient insisted on giving up all her comprehensive cancer treatment. As a result, a well made plan for the protection of mother and child was carries out to perform cesarean delivery at the end of 32 weeks of gestation under general anesthesia. The baby was delivered successfully and the mother's condition was kept stable. This case highlighted the benefits of multidisciplinary cooperation and balanced the needs of the developing fetus with those of the mother.