Research Progress and the Limiting Factors of Direct Seeding Rice in Central China

Symposium paper Part 2: Frontiers of sustainable rice production syste

Lower Global Warming Potential and Higher Yield of Wet Direct-Seeded Rice in Central China

Poster Session

The Associations of Birthweight for Gestational Age Status with Its Differential 0-2 Year Growth Trajectory and Blood Pressure at Two Years of Age in Chinese Boys and Girls

The first 1000 days of life represents a critical period for lifelong metabolic health. This study prospectively examined the contrasts between the growth trajectories of large, small, and appropriate sizes for gestational age (LGA, SGA, and AGA) term-born infants in their first two years, and their blood pressure at two years. In 2012-2013, 806 Chinese mother-newborn dyads were enrolled in the Shanghai Obesity and Allergy Birth Cohort Study. Repeated anthropometric measures were obtained at age 42 days, and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) were measured at two years of age. Linear random effect models were employed to evaluate growth trajectory differences between LGA, SGA, and AGA infants. Of the study infants, 12.4% were LGA and 4.0% SGA. Length, weight, and weight-for-length z-score (ZWFL) were all consistently higher in LGA infants and lower in SGA infants than AGA infants. SGA infants had a higher ZWFL (0.11 unit/month; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.19) and a higher BMI (0.19; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.28 kg/m2 per month) growth velocity at age 0-6 months, relative to AGA infants. SGA was associated with 6.4 (0.4-12.4) mmHg higher SBP, and LGA was associated with 2.9 (95% CI -5.2, -0.5) mmHg lower DBP at two years of age in boys, however, not in girls. In conclusion, in this prospective birth cohort with repeated anthropometric measures and BP at two years of age, LGA, SGA, and AGA term-born infants manifested differential patterns of weight growth trajectory and BP, providing new insight into developmental origins of cardiometabolic health

Maternal Pre-Pregnancy Nutritional Status and Infant Birth Weight in Relation to 0-2 Year-Growth Trajectory and Adiposity in Term Chinese Newborns with Appropriate Birth Weight-for-Gestational Age

Being born with appropriate weight-for-gestational age (AGA, ~80% of newborns) is often considered as low risk for future obesity. This study examined differential growth trajectories in the first two years by considering pre- and peri-natal factors among term-born AGA infants. We prospectively investigated 647 AGA infants and their mothers enrolled during 2012-2013 in Shanghai, China, and obtained repeated anthropometric measures at ages 42 days, 3, 6, 9, and 18 months from postnatal care records, and onsite measurements at age 1 and 2 years (skinfold thickness, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)). Birthweight was classified into sex-and gestational age-specific tertiles. Among mothers, 16.3% were overweight/obese (OWO), and 46.2% had excessive gestational weight gain (GWG). The combination of maternal prepregnancy OWO and high birthweight tertile identified a subset of AGA infants with 4.1 mm higher skinfold thickness (95% CI 2.2-5.9), 1.3 cm higher MUAC (0.8-1.7), and 0.89 units higher weight-for-length z-score (0.54, 1.24) at 2 years of age with adjustment for covariates. Excessive GWG was associated with higher child adiposity measures at 2 years of age. AGA infants manifested differential growth trajectories by the combination of maternal OWO and higher birthweight, suggesting that additional attention is needed for those "at increased risk" of OWO in early intervention

Food–energy–water nexus optimization brings substantial reduction of urban resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

Urban sustainability is a key to achieving the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). Secure and efficient provision of food, energy, and water (FEW) resources is a critical strategy for urban sustainability. While there has been extensive discussion on the positive effects of the FEW nexus on resource efficiency and climate impacts, measuring the extent to which such synergy can benefit urban sustainability remains challenging. Here, we have developed a systematic and integrated optimization framework to explore the potential of the FEW nexus in reducing urban resource demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Demonstrated using the Metropolis Beijing, we have identified that the optimized FEW nexus can reduce resource consumption and GHG emissions by 21.0 and 29.1%, respectively. These reductions come with increased costs compared to the siloed FEW management, but it still achieved a 16.8% reduction in economic cost compared to the business-as-usual scenario. These findings underscore the significant potential of FEW nexus management in enhancing urban resource efficiency and addressing climate impacts, while also identifying strategies to address trade-offs and increase synergies

Small RNA zippers lock miRNA molecules and block miRNA function in mammalian cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) loss-of-function phenotypes are mainly induced by chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides. Here we develop an alternative inhibitor for miRNAs, termed \u27small RNA zipper\u27. It is designed to connect miRNA molecules end to end, forming a DNA-RNA duplex through a complementary interaction with high affinity, high specificity and high stability. Two miRNAs, miR-221 and miR-17, are tested in human breast cancer cell lines, demonstrating the 70∼90% knockdown of miRNA levels by 30-50 nM small RNA zippers. The miR-221 zipper shows capability in rescuing the expression of target genes of miR-221 and reversing the oncogenic function of miR-221 in breast cancer cells. In addition, we demonstrate that the miR-221 zipper attenuates doxorubicin resistance with higher efficiency than anti-miR-221 in human breast cancer cells. Taken together, small RNA zippers are a miRNA inhibitor, which can be used to induce miRNA loss-of-function phenotypes and validate miRNA target genes

Maternal Prenatal Factors and Child Adiposity in Associations with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Term-Born Chinese Children at the Age of 2 Years

Early growth has long-lasting associations with adult metabolic health. However, the association of adiposity with cardiometabolic risk factors in toddlers remains poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the association of maternal prenatal factors and child adiposity with child cardiometabolic risk factors among boys and girls aged 2 years. This was a birth cohort study of 549 term-born children in Shanghai, China, with follow-up data at the age of 2-years. Child anthropometric and adiposity measurements included weight, length, and skinfold thickness (triceps, subscapular, and abdominal). Child cardiometabolic risk factors included random morning plasma glucose, serum insulin, lipids, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP). At 2 years, overweight/obesity (weight-for-length z score, ZWFL > 2) was associated with 12.6 (95%CI 7.7, 17.4) mmHg higher SBP, and 7.9 (4.1, 11.8) mmHg higher DBP in boys, with similar results observed in girls. Maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were associated with 3.0 (0.1, 5.8) higher SBP, 3.17 (0.90, 5.44) mmHg higher DBP, 0.24 (0.01,0.47) mmol/L higher plasma glucose, and 0.26 (0.01,0.51) mmol/L higher serum triglycerides after adjustment for child age, sex, and ZWFL. Maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and child overweight/obesity were associated with higher SBP and DBP at the age of 2 years

The Redox-Sensing Regulator Rex Contributes to the Virulence and Oxidative Stress Response of Streptococcus suis Serotype 2

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2) is an important zoonotic pathogen responsible for septicemia and meningitis. The redox-sensing regulator Rex has been reported to play critical roles in the metabolism regulation, oxidative stress response, and virulence of various pathogens. In this study, we identified and characterized a Rex ortholog in the SS2 virulent strain SS2-1 that is involved in bacterial pathogenicity and stress environment susceptibility. Our data show that the Rex-knockout mutant strain Δrex exhibited impaired growth in medium with hydrogen peroxide or a low pH compared with the wildtype strain SS2-1 and the complementary strain CΔrex. In addition, Δrex showed a decreased level of survival in whole blood and in RAW264.7 macrophages. Further analyses revealed that Rex deficiency significantly attenuated bacterial virulence in an animal model. A comparative proteome analysis found that the expression levels of several proteins involved in virulence and oxidative stress were significantly different in Δrex compared with SS2-1. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that recombinant Rex specifically bound to the promoters of target genes in a manner that was modulated by NADH and NAD+. Taken together, our data suggest that Rex plays critical roles in the virulence and oxidative stress response of SS2