©Relationship between endophytic fungal diversity and colonization and soil factors of cultured blueberry roots in Guizhou Province, Southwest China.

Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) inhabit plant roots and soil in ecosystems and host plants worldwide. DSE colonization is influenced by cultivars, soil factors, and specific habitat conditions. The regular diversity of DSEs in blueberries in Guizhou, China, is still unclear. In this study, four cultivars (Gardenblue, Powderblue, O'Neal, and Legacy) in three areas (Gaopo, Majiang, and Fenggang) in Guizhou were used to identify DSEs by morphological and molecular biological methods and to clarify the relationship between DSE diversity and DSE colonization and soil factors of cultivated blueberries in Guizhou. The DSEs isolated from cultivated blueberry roots in 3 areas in Guizhou Province were different, belonging to 17 genera, and the dominant genera were Penicillium, Phialocephala, and Thozetella. DSEs isolated from Majiang belonged to 12 genera and 16 species, those from Gaopo belonged to 7 genera and 15 species, and those from Fenggang belonged to 5 genera and 7 species. Among the different blueberry varieties, 11 genera were isolated from O'Neal, 12 genera were isolated from Powderblue, 11 genera were isolated from Legacy and 13 genera were isolated from Gardenblue. Coniochaeta is endemic to O'Neal, Chaetomium and Curvularia are endemic to Powderblue, and Thielavia is endemic to Legacy. Correlation analysis showed that DSE diversity was significantly correlated with DSE colonization and soil factors.

Effects of Phosphorus-dissolving Dark Septate Endophytes on the Growth of Blueberry.

Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) are widely distributed and improve plant growth. DSEs secrete large amounts of enzymes to mineralize insoluble phosphorus in soil and convert it into soluble phosphorus, promoting plant uptake of phosphorus. However, the effects of DSEs with phosphate-solubilizing ability on host plants need further study. In this study, phosphorus-dissolving DSEs were screened for growth-promoting effects. We isolated, identified and characterized three DSE species (Thozetella neonivea, Pezicula ericae and Hyaloscyphaceae sp.) showing phosphate-solubilizing ability. The impact of single, dual or triple inoculation of DSEs on blueberry plant characteristics was studied. Their effects on colonization intensity, seedling biomass, nutrients in plants and soil, and activities of plant resistance enzymes and soil enzymes were markedly upregulated relative to the control (P < 0.05). The available phosphorus and acid phosphatase levels in different combinations were significantly increased. These findings indicate that the application of the three DSEs may be valuable in facilitating the cultivation of blueberry with a higher biomass and improved plant quality.

Control Effect and Mechanism of Trichoderma asperellum TM11 against Blueberry Root Rot.

Fusarium oxysporum is the primary pathogen of blueberry root rot; furthermore, we found that Fusarium commune can also cause root rot in blueberries. Trichoderma spp. is widely used to control plant diseases. We isolated Trichoderma asperellum (TM11) from blueberry rhizosphere soil to explore its control effect and mechanism on F. oxysporum and F. commune. We found that the inhibitory effects of TM11 volatiles and broth metabolites on F. oxysporum were significant, but only F. commune volatile metabolites had a significant inhibitory effect on its growth. Twelve known antimicrobial metabolites were detected from the methanol extract of TM11 fermentation broth by HPLC-MS. TM11 lysed and coiled around the hyphae of F. oxysporum and F. commune. The pot experiment showed that TM11 had significant control effects against F. oxysporum and F. commune, and inoculation of TM11 prior to that of F. oxysporum and F. commune was more effective. The TM11, TM11 and F. oxysporum, or F. commune and distilled water treatments had different effects on the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase, and the enzyme activity levels exhibited the following order: TM11 > TM11 and F. oxysporum or F. commune > distilled water. The results showed that TM11 provided effective control of blueberry root rot.

Identification and diagnosis of mammographic malignant architectural distortion using a deep learning based mask regional convolutional neural network.

Background: Architectural distortion (AD) is a common imaging manifestation of breast cancer, but is also seen in benign lesions. This study aimed to construct deep learning models using mask regional convolutional neural network (Mask-RCNN) for AD identification in full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and evaluate the performance of models for malignant AD diagnosis. Methods: This retrospective diagnostic study was conducted at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine between January 2011 and December 2020. Patients with AD in the breast in FFDM were included. Machine learning models for AD identification were developed using the Mask RCNN method. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, their areas under the curve (AUCs), and recall/sensitivity were used to evaluate the models. Models with the highest AUCs were selected for malignant AD diagnosis. Results: A total of 349 AD patients (190 with malignant AD) were enrolled. EfficientNetV2, EfficientNetV1, ResNext, and ResNet were developed for AD identification, with AUCs of 0.89, 0.87, 0.81 and 0.79. The AUC of EfficientNetV2 was significantly higher than EfficientNetV1 (0.89 vs. 0.78, P=0.001) for malignant AD diagnosis, and the recall/sensitivity of the EfficientNetV2 model was 0.93. Conclusion: The Mask-RCNN-based EfficientNetV2 model has a good diagnostic value for malignant AD.

Effects of the dual inoculation of dark septate endophytes and Trichoderma koningiopsis on blueberry growth and rhizosphere soil microorganisms.

Blueberry is a shallow root plant in which the absorption of nutrients is inefficient, resulting in slow growth under artificial cultivation conditions. Endophytes play an important role in promoting plant growth; however, the effects of Trichoderma spp. and dark septate endophytes (DSEs) on host plant growth and soil microorganisms are still debatable. We isolated two endophytic fungal species, Trichoderma koningiopsis (TK) and a DSE (Amesia nigricolor; AN), from blueberry roots, which can solubilize insoluble phosphorus and produce amylase and cellulase to promote plant growth. We found that under dual inoculation, the colonization rate and colonization intensity of TK were higher than they were under single inoculation with TK, while the colonization rate and colonization intensity of AN were lower under dual inoculation than under single inoculation with AN. The plant nutrients, root activity, available potassium, and parts of soil phosphatase activities were highest under dual inoculation. TK inoculation resulted in the highest diversity and richness in the soil fungi and bacteria, followed by dual inoculation. The abundance of Ascomycota, Acidobacteriae, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteriota increased significantly, resulting in Trichoderma and Vicinamibacteria inoculated with TK, Chaetomium and Alicyclobacillales inoculated with AN, and Hypocreales and Burkholderiaceae with dual inoculation enriched in the soil.

The Influence of Online STEM Education Camps on Students' Self-Efficacy, Computational Thinking, and Task Value.

As a result of COVID-19, various forms of education and teaching are moving online. However, the notion of an online STEM camp is still in its beginnings, and there is little relevant research and experience in this context. At the beginning of April 2021, the research team launched an online STEM charity camp with the theme of "Shen Nong Tastes Herbs." Participants included 113 third- and fourth-grade primary school students ranging from 8 to 12 years of age from four schools in Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with weak educational capabilities. The camp lasted for 3 days and included 7 activities, while remote teaching was accomplished through Dingtalk. Pre- and post-test questionnaires and interviews were used to explore the impact of this camp on students. We found that online STEM camps could improve students' self-efficacy, computational thinking, and task value, and there is a significant improvement in the self-efficacy (p = 0.000) and task value (p = 0.001) dimensions. In addition, students with high self-efficacy had higher scores in the other two dimensions. Finally, we summarized the experiences and gains of students and teachers and proposed suggestions for developing online camps based on this experience. [Table: see text]. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10956-022-09967-y.

The Relationship of Hyperferritinemia to Metabolism and Chronic Complications in Type 2 Diabetes.

AIM: Elevated serum ferritin has been found to be closely related to type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to explore the relationship of high serum ferritin to metabolism and chronic complications in type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 330 type 2 diabetes patients who visited an endocrine clinic were included for the analysis. Serum ferritin and metabolic parameters were recorded. The prevalence of chronic diabetic complications was evaluated. Based on serum ferritin, participants were divided into hyperferritinemia and normal-ferritin groups. Metabolic parameters and prevalence of chronic diabetic complications were compared. The relationship between hyperferritinemia and chronic diabetic complications was explored with multivariate logistic regression models. Data were statistically analyzed by sex. RESULTS: Compared with the normal-ferritin group, the hyperferritinemia group showed higher levels of the serum inflammatory marker CRP and higher prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and coronary heart disease (CHD), regardless of sex (p<0.05). Moreover, male patients with hyperferritinemia had increased serum triglyceride, alanine transferase, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and uric acid and higher prevalence of microalbuminuria (p<0.01). After controlling for demographics and metabolic profiles, hyperferritinemia remained an independent risk factor of DR (male OR 3.957, 95% CI 1.559-10.041, p=0.004; female OR 2.474, 95% CI 1.127-5.430, p=0.024) and CHD (male OR 2.607, 95% CI 1.087-6.257, p=0.032; female OR 2.293, 95% CI 1.031-5.096, p=0.042). CONCLUSION: This study found that hyperferritinemia was associated with increased CRP and higher prevalence of DR and CHD in type 2 diabetes. In men, high serum ferritin was also associated with dyslipidemia, hepatic dysfunction, and microalbuminuria.

The serum levels of tumor marker CA19-9, CEA, CA72-4, and NSE in type 2 diabetes without malignancy and the relations to the metabolic control.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether there is a difference in carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.  Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 268 type 2 diabetic patients and 95 non-diabetic ones, and their serum levels of CA19-9, CEA, CA72-4, and NSE were compared in our endocrine ward at the Tianjin Fourth Central Hospital, Tianjin, Chinaduring the period from January to June 2015. The diabetic patients were divided into 4 groups based on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels to investigate the relationship between levels of tumor markers and glucose status.  Results: Diabetic patients had higher levels of tumor markers than non-diabetic subjects (CA19-9: 13.0 versus 7.25U/mL, p=0.000; CEA: 2.55 versus 2.25 ng/mL, p=0.012; CA72-4: 1.95 versus 1.50U/mL, p=0.001; NSE: 11.64 versus 10.22ng/mL, p=0.000). CA19-9 levels increased in a stepwise manner with poor diabetes status. CEA levels were increased in patients with HbA1c ≥9% and CA72-4 elevation was predominant in patients with poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥11%). NSE levels were not associated with metabolic parameters.  Conclusion: Serum levels of CA19-9, CEA, CA72-4, and NSE were elevated in type 2 diabetes; however, only CA19-9, CEA, and CA72-4 levels were associated with hyperglycemia.

[Analyses on the relative factors regarding diabetic nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the related factors regarding diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: A total number of 756 diabetic patients from 2009 to 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. Three groups were formed according to the urinary albumin excretion rates (UAER). Patients with UAER < 20 µg/min was grouped to group A, with UAER from 20 to 200 µg/min as group B, and the others with UAER ≥ 200 µg/min was grouped to group C. General characteristics and laboratory parameters were then compared and related factors of DN analyzed. RESULTS: The constituent ratio of nephropathy was 30.2% (228/756). Patient's age, duration of disease, both diastolic and systolic blood pressure of group A were significantly higher than the non-DN group (A) (P < 0.05). Patient's age, disease duration, both diastolic and systolic blood pressure of group C were (64.08 ± 11.71) years, (14.67 ± 7.34) years, (87.43 ± 14.36) mm Hg, (152.45 ± 18.48) mm Hg, respectively, with statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between group C and group B. FPG, TG, TC, HDL-C, UA, HbA1c, FINS, FCP of group B were (9.27 ± 3.06) mmol/L, (1.98 ± 0.37) mmol/L, (5.01 ± 1.08) mmol/L, (1.05 ± 0.35) mmol/L, (312.78 ± 39.83) mmol/L, (9.33 ± 1.47)%, (11.45 ± 7.83) µU/ml, (509.73 ± 132.78) pmol/L respectively, with significant difference (P < 0.05) between group B and group A. FPG, TG, HDL-C, UA, FINS, FCP of group C were (9.29 ± 3.12) mmol/L, (2.02 ± 0.36) mmol/L, (1.04 ± 0.27) mmol/L, (389.72 ± 46.32) mmol/L, (11.09 ± 8.29) µU/ml, (575.77 ± 143.29) pmol/L respectively, with significant difference (P < 0.05) between group C and group A. UA, FINS, FCP were found with significant differences (P < 0.05) between group C and group B. Data from multivariate logistic regression showed that DNs were related with disease duration, BMI, systolic blood pressure, HbAlc, FPG, UA. CONCLUSION: DN was closely related to the duration, age, blood sugar, blood lipids, blood pressure, uric acid levels of the disease.

Altered small-world efficiency of brain functional networks in acupuncture at ST36: a functional MRI study.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture in humans can produce clinical effects via the central nervous system. However, the neural substrates of acupuncture's effects remain largely unknown. RESULTS: We utilized functional MRI to investigate the topological efficiency of brain functional networks in eighteen healthy young adults who were scanned before and after acupuncture at the ST36 acupoints (ACUP) and its sham point (SHAM). Whole-brain functional networks were constructed by thresholding temporal correlations matrices of ninety brain regions, followed by a graph theory-based analysis. We showed that brain functional networks exhibited small-world attributes (high local and global efficiency) regardless of the order of acupuncture and stimulus points, a finding compatible with previous studies of brain functional networks. Furthermore, the brain networks had increased local efficiency after ACUP stimulation but there were no significant differences after SHAM, indicating a specificity of acupuncture point in coordinating local information flow over the whole brain. Moreover, significant (P<0.05, corrected by false discovery rate approach) effects of only acupuncture point were detected on nodal degree of the left hippocampus (higher nodal degree at ACUP as compared to SHAM). Using an uncorrected P<0.05, point-related effects were also observed in the anterior cingulate cortex, frontal and occipital regions while stimulation-related effects in various brain regions of frontal, parietal and occipital cortex regions. In addition, we found that several limbic and subcortical brain regions exhibited point- and stimulation-related alterations in their regional homogeneity (P<0.05, uncorrected). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that acupuncture modulates topological organization of whole-brain functional brain networks and the modulation has point specificity. These findings provide new insights into neuronal mechanism of acupuncture from the perspective of functional integration. Further studies would be interesting to apply network analysis approaches to study the effects of acupuncture treatments on brain disorders.

[Study on the effects of acupuncture at acupoint and non-acupoint on functional connectivity of different brain regions with functional magnetic resonance imaging].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the basis of distinctive function of acupoint through observing the effects of acupuncture at the areas of acupoint and non-acupoint on functional connectivity of different brain regions. METHODS: Twenty-one healthy volunteers were randomly divided into two groups: 12 cases in the acupoint group and 9 cases in the non-acupoints group. Bilateral Zusanli (ST 36) and its lateral 3-4 mm were punctured with twirling manipulation in the acupoint group and the non-acupoints group respectively. Before and after 25 minutes treatment, data of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning was taken from bilateral cingulate gyrus (seed point) to analyze the functional connectivity in both groups. RESULTS: Brain functional connectivity was demonstrated widely in both acupoint group and non-acupoint group after acupuncture. Comparing with the non-acupoint group, in the acupoint group, brain functional connectivity with posterior cingulate gyrus was found more intensively in the bilateral tonsil, right dentate nucleus, bilateral uvula, left declive and right tuber of cerebellum, as well as in the left inferior frontal gyrus, right middle temporal gyurs, bilateral paracentral lobule, left cingulate cortex, right superior temporal gyrus, right anterior cingulate gyrus etc., however, its connectivity was less in the bilateral medial frontal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus. CONCLUSION: Both acupoint and non-acupoint can evoke brain functional connectivity that is similar on the most of regions, but the intensity of this connectivity in the acupoint group is higher than that in the non-acupoint group.

[The relation between fasting plasma glucose concentrations and insulin resistance].

OBJECTIVE: To study whether insulin resistance exists in the Chinese individuals with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) defined by the modified cut-point value (5.6 mmol/L) in 2003 version of ADA criteria for impaired fasting glucose (IFG). METHODS: We selected 9 persons [aged (44 +/- 5) years, body mass index (BMI) (24.0 +/- 0.8) kg/m(2)] with normal glucose regulation [NGR, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) < 5.6 mmol/L, plasma glucose-2h (PG2h) < 7.8 mmol/L], 9 [aged (49 +/- 3) years, BMI (29.0 +/- 0.8) kg/m(2)] with isolated IFG defined by the new criteria (n-i-IFG, FPG < 5.6 mmol/L, PG2h < 7.8 mmol/L), 20 with combined impaired glucose tolerance (c-IGT) including 10 [aged (45 +/- 4) years, BMI (26.0 +/- 1.3) kg/m(2)] defined by the new criteria (n-c-IGT, FPG 5.6 - 6.0 mmol/L, PG2 h 7.8 - 11.0 mmol/L) and 10 [aged (49 +/- 3) years, BMI (27.0 +/- 1.1) kg/m(2)] defined by the old criteria (o-c-IGT, FPG 6.1 - 6.9 mmol/L, PG2h 7.8 - 11.0 mmol/L), 10 [aged (43 +/- 5) years, BMI (29.0 +/- 2.8) kg/m(2)] with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Insulin resistance of the subjects was measured by using hyperinsulin-euglycemic clamp in which the glucose infusion rate (GIR) was the major index. Beta-cell function was assessed by intravenous glucose tolerance test. The DM patients only underwent the hyperinsulin-euglycemic clamp. RESULTS: (1) The GIR of n-i-IFG group and n-c-IGT group was significantly lower than that of the NGR group [(7.2 +/- 0.8), (7.0 +/- 1.5) vs (10.3 +/- 0.9) mg.kg(-1).min(-1), P < 0.05]. The GIR of o-c-IGT group was the least [(4.8 +/- 0.4) mg.kg(-1).min(-1)], which was similar to that of the DM group [(5.6 +/- 1.0) mg.kg(-1).min(-1)], the GIR of the two groups was significantly reduced compared with the NGR goup [(4.8 +/- 0.4), (5.6 +/- 1.0) vs (10.3 +/- 0.9) mg.kg(-1).min(-1), P < 0.01]. (2) As compared with the NGR group, the fasting insulin level was increased in all the IGR groups and was decreased in the DM group. (3) The first phase of insulin secretion were similar in NGR and n-i-IFG group [(37.0 +/- 8.6) vs (31.7 +/- 9.2) mU/L, P > 0.05], and the n-i-IFG group had greater amount than the n-c-IGT group [(31.7 +/- 9.2) vs (25.9 +/- 9.8) mU/L, P > 0.05]. But it was the least in the o-c-IGT group that significantly less than the NGR group [(17.2 +/- 4.8) vs (37.0 +/- 8.6) mU/L, P < 0.05]. As compared with the NGR group, the second phase of insulin secretion was slightly increased in the n-i-IFG group [(16.6 +/- 2.9) vs (21.9 +/- 3.6) mU/L, P > 0.05], and was even greater in the n-c-IGT group [(16.6 +/- 2.9) vs (38.7 +/- 13.7) mU/L, P < 0.05]. But it was reduced in the o-c-IGT group [(20.7 +/- 2.9) mU/L]. CONCLUSIONS: (1) The IGR subjects defined by the new cut-point value already has insulin resistance. (2) Deficit in insulin secretion is worsening as the IGR deteriorates.