Differences in the Association Between Modifiable Lifestyle Factors and Gastric Precancerous Lesions Among Mongolians and Han Chinese.

Background: There has been a paucity of evidence examining whether preventable behavioral risk factors led to ethnic differences of gastric precancerous lesions (GPL). We aimed to investigate the ethnic disparity of associations between GPL and lifestyle factors in Mongolian and Han Chinese populations. Methods: The study included participants aged 36-75 years enrolled in the Cancer Screening Program during 2016-2017 in Hohhot and Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia. GPL was defined as the gross cascading events (i.e., gastric ulcer, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and dysplasia) that preceded gastric cancer. Results: A total of 61638 participants were included, of whom 6863(11·1%) were Mongolians. Alcohol consumption was positively associated with GPL risk in both ethnic groups, but the magnitude was greater in Mongolians (odds ratio (OR) 6·91, 95%CI 5·82-8·28) than in Han Chinese (OR 5·64, 95%CI 5·27-6·04), corresponding to a higher population attributable fraction (PAF) for Mongolians (53·18% vs 43·71%). Besides, the strength of the positive association between physical inactivity and GPL risk was greater among Mongolians (OR 2·02, 95%CI 1·70-2·41; OR 1·09, 95%CI 1·02-1·17 among Han Chinese) with a higher PAF. Smoking was strongly associated with GPL risk in both ethnic groups as well, but the association was more prominent among Han Chinese (OR 5·24 (1·70-2·41) for <10 cigarettes/d, 8·19 (7·48-8·97) for 11-20 cigarettes/d, 7·07 (6·40-7·81) for ≥21 cigarettes/d; the corresponding ORs were 2·96 (2·19-4·00), 6·22 (5·04-7·68), and 7·03 (5·45-9·08) among Mongolians). Lastly, our findings revealed that a significant correlation between insufficient fruits and vegetable consumption and GPL risk was only found among Mongolians (OR 1·27, 95%CI 1·04-1·56). Conclusions: Our result suggested that high-risk lifestyle factors should be reduced, particularly in Mongolians. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and to reduce health disparities in underserved ethnic groups.

Colossal Magnetoresistance in Ti Lightly Doped Cr2Se3 Single Crystals with a Layered Structure.

Stoichiometric Cr2Se3 single crystals are particular layer-structured antiferromagnets, which possess a noncollinear spin configuration, weak ferromagnetic moments, moderate magnetoresistance (MR ∼14.3%), and poor metallic conductivity below the antiferromagnetic phase transition. Here, we report an interesting >16 000% colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) effect in Ti (1.5 atomic percent) lightly doped Cr2Se3 single crystals. Such a CMR is approximately 1143 times larger than that of the stoichiometric Cr2Se3 crystals and is rarely observed in layered antiferromagnets and is attributed to the frustrated spin configuration. Moreover, the Ti doping not only dramatically changes the electronic conductivity of the Cr2Se3 crystal from a bad metal to a semiconductor with a gap of ∼15 meV but also induces a change in the magnetic anisotropy of the Cr2Se3 crystal from strong out-of-plane to weak in-plane. Further, magnetotransport measurements reveal that the low-field MR scales with the square of the reduced magnetization, which is a signature of CMR materials. The layered Ti:Cr2Se3 with the CMR effect could be used as two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure building blocks to provide colossal negative MR in spintronic devices.

Trends in incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer in Inner Mongolia, 2010-2015.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer is among the leading cancer types in Inner Mongolia. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and mortality rates of esophageal cancer in 2015 and the trends in these rates in the 2010-2015 period in this region. METHODS: National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCR) screening methods and criteria were used to extract data from 10 cancer registries stratified by area (urban/rural), sex, and age group. The Chinese standard population in 2000 and Segi's world population were used to calculate age-standardized rates. The annual percentage change (APC) in these rates was calculated using the Joinpoint Regression Program. RESULTS: In 2015, Inner Mongolia had 4324 new cases (4027 male vs. 297 female patients) and 3559 deaths (3300 male vs. 259 female patients) from esophageal cancer. The crude incidence, age-standardized incidence by Chinese population, age-standardized incidence by world population, and cumulative incidence were 13.45/100 000, 9.92/100 000, 10.18/100 000, and 1.30%, respectively. The corresponding figures for mortality were 11.32/100 000, 8.35/100 000, 8.53/100 000, and 1.04%. The incidence and mortality increased with age between 40 and 80 years. The rates in rural dwellers, especially men, showed negative APC (-13.25% vs. -11.08%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and mortality rates of esophageal cancer in Inner Mongolia increased between 2010 and 2015. The rates were higher in men in rural areas, middle-aged and elderly individuals. Prevention and control programs focused on these groups, in addition to early diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer, are needed to reduce these rates. KEY POINTS: Significant findings of the study: In Inner Mongolia, incidence and mortality rates of esophageal cancer were higher in urban areas than in rural areas and in men than in women between 2010 and 2015, and in middle-aged and elderly than in younger people. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Prevention and control programs, in addition to early diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer, should be tailored to specifically target men in rural areas and middle-aged and elderly individuals in order to reduce the incidence and mortality rates of this pathology.

PpGST1, an anthocyanin-related glutathione S-transferase gene, is essential for fruit coloration in peach.

Anthocyanins have crucial biological functions and affect quality of horticultural produce. Anthocyanins accumulate in ripe peach fruit; differential accumulation is observed in deep coloured cultivar 'Hujingmilu' and lightly pigmented cultivar 'Yulu'. The difference was not fully explained by accumulation of total flavonoids and expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes. Expression analysis was conducted on a glutathione S-transferase gene (PpGST1), and it was found that the expression correlated well with anthocyanin accumulation in peach fruit tissues. Functional complementation of the Arabidopsis tt19 mutant indicated that PpGST1 was responsible for transport of anthocyanins but not proanthocyanidins. PpGST1 was localized in nuclei and the tonoplast, including the sites at which anthocyanin vacuolar sequestration occurred. Transient overexpression of PpGST1 together with PpMYB10.1 in tobacco leaves and peach fruit significantly increased anthocyanin accumulation as compared with PpMYB10.1 alone. Furthermore, virus-induced gene silencing of PpGST1 in a blood-fleshed peach not only resulted in a reduction in anthocyanin accumulation but also a decline in expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes. Cis-element analysis of the PpGST1 promoter revealed the presence of four MYB binding sites (MBSs). Dual-luciferase assays indicated that PpMYB10.1 bound to the promoter and activated the transcription of PpGST1 by recognizing MBS1, the one closest to the ATG start codon, with this trans-activation being stronger against the promoter of deep coloured 'Hujingmilu' compared with lightly coloured cultivar 'Yulu'. Altogether, our data provided molecular evidence supporting coordinative regulatory roles of PpGST1 and PpMYB10.1 in anthocyanin accumulation in peach.

A high-throughput SNP discovery strategy for RNA-seq data.

BACKGROUND: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) have been applied as important molecular markers in genetics and breeding studies. The rapid advance of next generation sequencing (NGS) provides a high-throughput means of SNP discovery. However, SNP development is limited by the availability of reliable SNP discovery methods. Especially, the optimum assembler and SNP caller for accurate SNP prediction from next generation sequencing data are not known. RESULTS: Herein we performed SNP prediction based on RNA-seq data of peach and mandarin peel tissue under a comprehensive comparison of two paired-end read lengths (125 bp and 150 bp), five assemblers (Trinity, IDBA, oases, SOAPdenovo, Trans-abyss) and two SNP callers (GATK and GBS). The predicted SNPs were compared with the authentic SNPs identified via PCR amplification followed by gene cloning and sequencing procedures. A total of 40 and 240 authentic SNPs were presented in five anthocyanin biosynthesis related genes in peach and in nine carotenogenic genes in mandarin. Putative SNPs predicted from the same RNA-seq data with different strategies led to quite divergent results. The rate of false positive SNPs was significantly lower when the paired-end read length was 150 bp compared with 125 bp. Trinity was superior to the other four assemblers and GATK was substantially superior to GBS due to a low rate of missing authentic SNPs. The combination of assembler Trinity, SNP caller GATK, and the paired-end read length 150 bp had the best performance in SNP discovery with 100% accuracy both in peach and in mandarin cases. This strategy was applied to the characterization of SNPs in peach and mandarin transcriptomes. CONCLUSIONS: Through comparison of authentic SNPs obtained by PCR cloning strategy and putative SNPs predicted from different combinations of five assemblers, two SNP callers, and two paired-end read lengths, we provided a reliable and efficient strategy, Trinity-GATK with 150 bp paired-end read length, for SNP discovery from RNA-seq data. This strategy discovered SNP at 100% accuracy in peach and mandarin cases and might be applicable to a wide range of plants and other organisms.

Differential Sensitivity of Fruit Pigmentation to Ultraviolet Light between Two Peach Cultivars.

Anthocyanins provide nutritional benefits and are responsible for red coloration in many fruits. Light affects anthocyanin biosynthesis in peach (Prunus persica). However, some cultivars show differential sensitivity to light. In the present study, 'Hujingmilu (HJ),' a naturally deeply colored cultivar, and 'Yulu (YL),' showing low pigmentation, were used to study the mechanism underlying UV-light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. Both UVA and UVB induced fruit pigmentation of 'HJ,' but 'YL' was only sensitive to UVB. Transcriptomic analyses showed over 5000 genes were differentially expressed by pairwise comparisons of RNA libraries isolated from tissue of each cultivar treated with darkness, UVA and UVB. Twenty-three genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis were identified from the transcriptome data, which were coordinately up-regulated during accumulation of anthocyanins, and down-regulated in the dark. Altered expression of several light receptors, as well as CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC10 (COP10) and ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 homolog (HYH), and a specific anthocyanin transporter glutathione S-transferase (GST), in 'YL' fruit appears to be responsible for the insensitivity to UVA of this cultivar. Expression profiles of several transcription factors of the families MYB, bHLH, bZIP and NAC were highly correlated with those of the anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. The study provides a valuable overview of the underlying molecular mechanisms of UV-light induced anthocyanin response using peach cultivars with differing light sensitivities.