Complementary Phenotyping of Maize Root System Architecture by Root Pulling Force and X-Ray Imaging.

The root system is critical for the survival of nearly all land plants and a key target for improving abiotic stress tolerance, nutrient accumulation, and yield in crop species. Although many methods of root phenotyping exist, within field studies, one of the most popular methods is the extraction and measurement of the upper portion of the root system, known as the root crown, followed by trait quantification based on manual measurements or 2D imaging. However, 2D techniques are inherently limited by the information available from single points of view. Here, we used X-ray computed tomography to generate highly accurate 3D models of maize root crowns and created computational pipelines capable of measuring 71 features from each sample. This approach improves estimates of the genetic contribution to root system architecture and is refined enough to detect various changes in global root system architecture over developmental time as well as more subtle changes in root distributions as a result of environmental differences. We demonstrate that root pulling force, a high-throughput method of root extraction that provides an estimate of root mass, is associated with multiple 3D traits from our pipeline. Our combined methodology can therefore be used to calibrate and interpret root pulling force measurements across a range of experimental contexts or scaled up as a stand-alone approach in large genetic studies of root system architecture.

Correlations of hsa_circ_0046264 expression with onset, pathological stage and chemotherapy resistance of lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations of hsa_circ_0046264 expression with the onset, pathological stage, and chemotherapy resistance of lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Firstly, gene expression profiling microarrays were applied to screen the differentially expressed circular ribonucleic acids (circRNAs) in the tumor tissues of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Secondly, quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) assay was adopted to further verify the circRNAs with significant differences. Thirdly, the correlations of hsa_circ_0046264 expression level with the clinical features of NSCLC patients were explored via statistical analysis. Fourthly, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were utilized to investigate the influence of hsa_circ_0046264 expression level on the survival of the patients. Finally, the role of hsa_circ_0046264 in the process of lung cancer was probed using in vitro experimental methods. RESULTS: It was shown in the results of gene microarray assay that hsa_circ_0046264 was the most prominently upregulated gene, and RT-qPCR assay further proved that hsa_circ_0046264 expression was upregulated remarkably in the tissues of tumor patients. Clinical analysis indicated that the expression level of hsa_circ_0046264 was notably associated with the patient's age, tumor size, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and lymph node metastasis (p<0.01). In addition, Kaplan-Meier statistical analysis manifested that the patients in hsa_circ_0046264 low-expression group had a markedly longer survival than those in hsa_circ_0046264 high-expression group. In the tumor tissues and serum of the patients, the area under ROC curve of hsa_circ_0046264 was 0.971 and 0.915, the specificity was 0.973 and 0.957, and the sensitivity was 0.951 and 0.927, while the Youden Index was 0.924 and 0.884 respectively. The results of Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay revealed that the proliferative ability of lung cancer A549 cells was significantly enhanced at 36, 48, and 72 h in hsa_circ_0046264 overexpression group. According to the results of wound-healing assay, the migratory ability of A549 cells was distinctly strengthened in hsa_circ_0046264 overexpression group compared with that in the control group (p<0.05). Moreover, the transwell assay results pointed out that the invasive ability of A549 cell lines at 48 h after overexpression of hsa_circ_0046264 was evidently stronger than that in control group (p<0.05). Under the stimulation of different doses of cisplatin, hsa_circ_0046264 overexpression group had a clearly raised survival rate of A549 cells in comparison with control group, and the differences in data were statistically significant (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Hsa_circ_0046264 may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis and a possible therapeutic target of lung cancer.

[Effects of contact lens wear on the corneal endothelium and sensitivity].

The corneal endothelium of 38 contact lens wearers (74 eyes) and 74 normal eyes for control was photographed and analyzed with specular microscopy and the graphic processing system. The central corneal sensitivity and thickness were also measured. The results showed that the frequency rate of hexagonal cells that reflected the changes in endothelial cell morphology and size, the coefficient of variation of cell area, and the ratio of largest to smallest cell areas differed significantly from those of the control eyes comparable in age and sex distribution. The central corneal sensitivity declined while the corneal thickness was not affected. The causes and clinical significance of endothelial changes were discussed.

Study in cytotoxicity of gentamycin to corneal epithelium and endothelium in tissue culture.

A study in cytotoxicity of gentamycin to tissue-cultured bovine corneal endothelial cells and rabbit corneal epithelial cells is reported. When the cultured cells reached confluence, they were exposed to tissue culture media containing gentamycin for 6 hours. We found that 0.5% gentamycin caused significant damage to corneal epithelial cells--diffuse plasmolysis, with scattered cell necrosis and 5% loss. While corneal endothelial cells were exposed to 1.6 mg/ml gentamycin, extensive cell loss (approximately 15%) was observed. The damaged cells recovered their normal morphology after 24 hours. When the concentration of gentamycin increased twice, serious damage to cells occurred. The area of cell loss reached 40%, and the recovery of cellular morphology was much slower. This study demonstrates that gentamycin potential cytotoxicity to corneal epithelium and endothelium, suggesting that gentamycin should be rationally used in the treatment of ocular diseases.