The Follow-up Report of MRI After Transforaminal Endoscopic Surgery of Lumbar Disc Herniation with Spinal Stenosis

Objective: To observe the imaging changes of MRI in the responsible disc area after modifed TESSYS foraminal scopy in pa-tients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), and to explore the postoperative repair time of the responsible disc area, so as to provide imaging reference for the rehabilitation plan of the patients. Materials: To investigate the VAS score and MRI imaging of patients with lumbar disc herniation and spinal stenosis after transforaminal endoscopic surgery, which to lay the foundation for the rehabilitation plan. Methods: Ten patients with lumbar disc herniation (L4/5, L5/S1) with spinal stenosis were collected and followed up by MRI and the VAS score on 1 week, 1 month, 4 months and 6 months after transforaminal endoscopic surgery. Results: The VAS score were signifcantly lower than those before operation (P 0.05) on 1 month and 6 months after operation. The high signal could be seen around the intervertebral foramen and nerve roots on the operation site on 1 week, 1 month and 4 months after operation Which disappeared at 6 months after operation. Con-clusion: The symptoms of low back and leg pain in patients with lumbar disc herniation and spinal canal stenosis disappeared after 1 month, while the infammatory reaction symptoms of intervertebral foramen and nerve root were disappeared on 6 months

Unraveling the Complex Trait of Harvest Index with Association Mapping in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Harvest index is a measure of success in partitioning assimilated photosynthate. An improvement of harvest index means an increase in the economic portion of the plant. Our objective was to identify genetic markers associated with harvest index traits using 203 O. sativa accessions. The phenotyping for 14 traits was conducted in both temperate (Arkansas) and subtropical (Texas) climates and the genotyping used 154 SSRs and an indel marker. Heading, plant height and weight, and panicle length had negative correlations, while seed set and grain weight/panicle had positive correlations with harvest index across both locations. Subsequent genetic diversity and population structure analyses identified five groups in this collection, which corresponded to their geographic origins. Model comparisons revealed that different dimensions of principal components analysis (PCA) affected harvest index traits for mapping accuracy, and kinship did not help. In total, 36 markers in Arkansas and 28 markers in Texas were identified to be significantly associated with harvest index traits. Seven and two markers were consistently associated with two or more harvest index correlated traits in Arkansas and Texas, respectively. Additionally, four markers were constitutively identified at both locations, while 32 and 24 markers were identified specifically in Arkansas and Texas, respectively. Allelic analysis of four constitutive markers demonstrated that allele 253 bp of RM431 had significantly greater effect on decreasing plant height, and 390 bp of RM24011 had the greatest effect on decreasing panicle length across both locations. Many of these identified markers are located either nearby or flanking the regions where the QTLs for harvest index have been reported. Thus, the results from this association mapping study complement and enrich the information from linkage-based QTL studies and will be the basis for improving harvest index directly and indirectly in rice

Multidimensional Landscape of SA-AKI Revealed by Integrated Proteomics and Metabolomics Analysis

Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is a severe and life-threatening condition with high morbidity and mortality among emergency patients, and it poses a significant risk of chronic renal failure. Clinical treatments for SA-AKI remain reactive and non-specific, lacking effective diagnostic biomarkers or treatment targets. In this study, we established an SA-AKI mouse model using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and performed proteomics and metabolomics analyses. A variety of bioinformatic analyses, including gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), protein and protein interactions (PPI), and MetaboAnalyst analysis, were conducted to investigate the key molecules of SA-AKI. Integrated proteomics and metabolomics analysis revealed that sepsis led to impaired renal mitochondrial function and metabolic disorders. Immune-related pathways were found to be activated in kidneys upon septic infection. The catabolic products of polyamines accumulated in septic kidneys. Overall, our integrated analysis provides a multidimensional understanding of SA-AKI and identifies potential pathways for this condition

Light metal modification and composite preparation by a new solid-state processing process: Rotational friction extrusion

The light metal modification and composite preparation were achieved by a new solid-state processing process referred to as rotational friction extrusion (RFE) which is self-developed. The Al modified by RFE (RFEed Al) exhibited equiaxed grains with an average grain size of 17.5 μm and a high fraction of high-angle grain boundaries of 70.7%. The added reinforcement exhibited good dispersity in the fabricated Al matrix composite (AMC). The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the RFEed Al was only ∼20 MPa lower than that of the base metal, while the uniform elongation significantly increased from 2.1% of the base metal to 27%. Moreover, the AMC also displayed superior mechanical improvement, wherein the UTS and uniform elongation was 214.7 MPa and 13.5%, respectively. This new solid-state processing process is suitable for light metal modification and composite preparation

Predictive values of metabolic score for insulin resistance on risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and comparison with other insulin resistance indices among Chinese with and without diabetes mellitus: Results from the 4C cohort study

ABSTRACT Aims/Introduction To investigate the relationship between the metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS‐IR) index and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) and to compare its ability to predict MACEs with other IR indices including homeostatic model assessment for IR (HOMA‐IR) and triglyceride glucose (TyG) index‐related parameters. Materials and Methods We conducted a cohort study enrolling 7,291 participants aged ≥40 years. Binary logistic regression and restricted cubic splines were performed to determine the association between METS‐IR and MACEs, and the receiver operating curve (ROC) was utilized to compare the predictive abilities of IR indices and to determine the optimal cut‐off points. Results There were 348 (4.8%) cases of MACEs during a median follow‐up of 3.8 years. Compared with participants with a METS‐IR in the lowest quartile, the multivariate‐adjusted RRs and 95% CIs for participants with a METS‐IR in the highest quartile were 1.47 (1.05–2.77) in all participants, 1.42 (1.18–2.54) for individuals without diabetes, and 1.75 (1.11–6.46) for individuals with diabetes. Significant interactions were found between the METS‐IR and the risk of MACEs by sex in all participants and by age and sex in individuals without diabetes (all P values for interaction < 0.05). In the ROC analysis, the METS‐IR had a higher AUC value than other indices for predicting MACEs in individuals with diabetes and had a comparable or higher AUC than other indices for individuals without diabetes. Conclusions The METS‐IR can be an effective clinical indicator for identifying MACEs, as it had superior predictive power when compared with other IR indices in individuals with diabetes

Blood-Brain Barrier Permeable Chitosan Oligosaccharides Interfere with beta-Amyloid Aggregation and Alleviate beta-Amyloid Protein Mediated Neurotoxicity and Neuroinflammation in a Dose- and Degree of Polymerization-Dependent Manner

It is proven that beta-amyloid (A beta) aggregates containing cross-beta-sheet structures led to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss via multiple pathways. Therefore, reduction of A beta neurotoxicity via inhibiting aggregation of A beta or dissociating toxic A beta aggregates into nontoxic forms might be effective therapeutic methods for Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment. This study was designed to explore interference of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on beta-(1-42)-amyloid protein (A beta 42) aggregation and A beta 42-induced cytotoxicity. Here it was demonstrated that COS showed good blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration ability in vitro and in vivo. The experimental results showed that COS efficiently interfered with A beta 42 aggregation in dose- and degree of polymerization (DP)-dependent manners, and COS monomer with DP6 showed the best effect on preventing conformational transition into beta-sheet-rich structures. Based on the binding affinity analysis by microscale thermophoresis (MST), it was confirmed that COS could directly bind with A beta 42 in a DP-dependent manner. Our findings demonstrated that different performance of COS monomers with different DPs against A beta 42 assembly was, to some extent, attributable to their different binding capacities with A beta 42. As a result, COS significantly ameliorated A beta 42-induced cytotoxicity. Taken together, our studies would point towards a potential role of COS in treatment of AD

Overexpression of long non-coding RNA SOX2OT promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma growth

Abstract Background SOX2 overlapping transcript (SOX2OT) has been reported to be an important lncRNA in various cancers. SOX2 is embedded in an intron of the SOX2OT gene. But the role of SOX2OT in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the association between SOX2OT and SOX2 remain unclear. Methods Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to detect the expression of SOX2OT and SOX2 in ESCC tissues and cells. The isoforms of SOX2OT were identified by PCR and confirmed by sequencing. CCK-8 and Edu assays were performed to investigate the effects of SOX2OT on cell growth. The relationship between SOX2OT and SOX2 was explored by luciferase reporter assay. Results Both SOX2OT and SOX2 were upregulated in ESCC tissues and cells. SOX2OT expression was positively associated with SOX2 expression in ESCC tissues. NR_004053 was one of the major SOX2OT transcripts aberrantly expressed in ESCC tissues and cells. Overexpression of SOX2OT (NR_004053) promoted ESCC cell growth, antagonized the effect of DDP and increased cell proliferation ratio. Ectopic expression of SOX2 could increase the luciferase activity of SOX2OT-pGL3/Basic and SOX2OT expression, while overexpression of SOX2OT (NR_004053) had no effect on SOX2 expression. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that the major isoform of SOX2OT in ESCC, SOX2OT (NR_004053) contributes to cell growth. SOX2 promotes SOX2OT expression at transcriptional level

Rare renal proximal tubular dysfunctions in primary biliary cholangitis

AbstractIntroduction Renal involvement of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) usually presents as distal renal tubular acidosis. Proximal tubular (PT) dysfunctions in PBC were rarely reported with unclear clinicopathological characteristics and renal prognosis.Methods We identified 11 cases of PBC with PT dysfunctions (PBC-PT). Their medical document, kidney pathology, and follow-up data were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.Results The 11 PBC-PT patients were mainly middle-aged (57.8 ± 5.2 years) females (81.8%). Most of them were asymptomatic PBC (7, 63.6%) with a high prevalence of elevated serum immunoglobulin M (IgM, 81.8%) and G (IgG, 54.5%) levels. In the kidney, they had a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) level of 46.54 ± 23.03 ml/min/1.73m2, and 81.8% of them had eGFR below 60 ml/min/1.73m2. They showed different degrees of PT dysfunctions, including hyperuricosuria, hypouricemia, normoglycemic glycosuria, generalized aminoaciduria, hyperphosphaturia, and hypophosphatemia. Their kidney pathology showed tubulointerstitial nephritis with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates, brush border defects, and proximal tubulitis. After glucocorticoids treatment, the PT dysfunctions manifesting as hypophosphatemia, hypouricemia, and renal glycosuria all recovered, and the eGFR levels were improved from 43.24 ± 19.60 ml/min/1.73m2 to 55.02 ± 21.14 ml/min/1.73m2 (p = 0.028), accompanied by significant improvements of serum IgM levels (from 5.97 ± 4.55 g/L to 2.09 ± 1.48 g/L, p = 0.019).Conclusions The PT dysfunctions were rare in PBC patients, and glucocorticoids treatment could benefit the improvements of eGFR and tubular functions

Optimized Nitrogen Application Rate Significantly Increases Total Economic Value and Quality of Flue-Cured Tobacco due to the Improvement of Superior Tobacco Yield

With the improvement of irrigation and transportation infrastructures, single tobacco cultivation has been converted into tobacco–vegetable double cultivation in Yunnan Province. High residual nitrogen (N) levels in soil before tobacco transplanting induced by the excessive N input during the vegetable cultivation season resulted in a reduction of economic income and the quality of flue-cured tobacco. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to describe the optimization of N management and to provide a better understanding of the mechanism of optimal N application rate on the economic benefit and quality of tobacco. A field experiment with six N application rates (0, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 105 kg N ha−1) was carried out with a randomized block design in 2021 and 2022 in Yunnan Province. The economic value and yield, intrinsic chemical and processing quality, leaf growth rate and agronomic characters were determined