Predicting progression of white matter hyperintensity using coronary artery calcium score based on coronary CT angiography—feasibility and accuracy

ObjectiveCoronary artery disease (CAD) usually coexists with subclinical cerebrovascular diseases given the systematic nature of atherosclerosis. In this study, our objective was to predict the progression of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and find its risk factors in CAD patients using the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score. We also investigated the relationship between the CAC score and the WMH volume in different brain regions.MethodsWe evaluated 137 CAD patients with WMH who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans from March 2018 to February 2023. Patients were categorized into progressive (n = 66) and nonprogressive groups (n = 71) by the change in WMH volume from the first to the second MRI. We collected demographic, clinical, and imaging data for analysis. Independent risk factors for WMH progression were identified using logistic regression. Three models predicting WMH progression were developed and assessed. Finally, patients were divided into groups based on their total CAC score (0 to <100, 100 to 400, and > 400) to compare their WMH changes in nine brain regions.ResultsAlcohol abuse, maximum pericoronary fat attenuation index (pFAI), CT-fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR), and CAC risk grade independently predicted WMH progression (p < 0.05). The logistic regression model with all four variables performed best (training: AUC = 0.878, 95% CI: 0.790, 0.938; validation: AUC = 0.845, 95% CI: 0.734, 0.953). An increased CAC risk grade came with significantly higher WMH volume in the total brain, corpus callosum, and frontal, parietal and occipital lobes (p < 0.05).ConclusionThis study demonstrated the application of the CCTA-derived CAC score to predict WMH progression in elderly people (≥60 years) with CAD

Effect of storage time on the silage quality and microbial community of mixed maize and faba bean in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Tibetan Plateau is facing serious shortage of forage in winter and spring season due to its special geographical location. Utilization of forages is useful to alleviate the forage shortage in winter and spring season. Consequently, the current study was aimed to evaluate the influence of storage time on the silage quality and microbial community of the maize (Zea mays L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) mixed silage at Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Maize and faba bean were ensiled with a fresh weight ratio of 7:3, followed by 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of ensiling. The results showed the pH value of mixed silage was below 4.2 at all fermentation days. The LA (lactic acid) content slightly fluctuated with the extension of fermentation time, with 33.76 g/kg DM at 90 days of ensiling. The AA (acetic acid) and NH3-N/TN (ammonium nitrogen/total nitrogen) contents increased with the extension of fermentation time and no significantly different between 90 and 120 days. The CP (crude protein) and WSC (water soluble carbohydrate) contents of mixed silage decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with ensiling time, but the WSC content remained stable at 90 days. The Proteobacteria was the predominant phyla in fresh maize and faba bean, and Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas were the predominant genera. After ensiling, Lactobacillus was the prevalent genus at all ensiling days. The relative abundance of Lactococcus increased rapidly at 90 days of ensiling until 120 days of fermentation. Overall, the storage time significant influenced the silage fermentation quality, nutrient content, and microbial environment, and it remained stable for 90 days of ensiling at Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Therefore, the recommended storage time of forage is 90 days in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and other cool areas

Townscape Character Assessment and Interpretation for the Protection of Historic Urban Landscape Values for the Public: Case Studies of Two Historic Areas in Xi’an, China

The rapid urbanisation and globalisation processes in China over the last two decades have changed the historical environment of its urban heritage. In this context, the Chinese authorities have given priority to ‘townscape character’ (Chinese: Fengmao) management to preserve the tangible and intangible aspects of urban heritage sites. Townscape character in the Chinese context includes the comprehensive visual expression of historical and cultural values in urban and rural landscapes. Townscape character is usually assessed, identified and conserved by experts based on conservation plans at multiple scales. However, the study of townscape character and its values should be more diverse and inclusive, in order to grasp the plurality of the heritage site from the perspectives of the people who use it. Over the decades, effective public participation has always been a goal of urban planning in China. There is an urgent need to find appropriate ways to listen to the voices of the public beyond the experts. This research responds to the need for including public’s opinions in urban heritage conservation, by examining the townscape character of two historic areas and the particular values they have for the public. This thesis focuses on the study of two historic areas, namely the Small Wild Goose Pagoda (SWGP) area and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (GWGP) area, in Xi’an city, China. A qualitatively dominant mixed-methods study was designed to investigate how the townscape character of historic areas in Xi’an is perceived and valued by the public. This mixed-methods research consists of five datasets: the townscape character management related policy documents, interviews with policymakers, social media data on the research sites, a questionnaire survey and a focus group with the visitors. The data are analysed according to four themes: (1) an examination of urban heritage townscape character management in China, including an analysis of how the authorised landscape values are formed, and the theories underpin them; (2) an exploration to identify the valued Historic Urban Landscape elements in the Chinese context; (3) a study of how people perceive and experience townscape; and (4) a discussion of people’s strategies for preserving townscape character in historic areas. The results of the four themes are presented from Chapter 4 to Chapter 7. The results of this research (1) present the concepts, dilemmas and policymakers’ needs for townscape character management for urban heritage sites, (2) understand the Historic Urban Landscape elements and their values to the visitors in context; (3) reveal the cultural background and contextualise people’s visual experiences in the space; and (4) provide conservation suggestions based on people’s narratives. Based on the overall research findings, this research has led to an inclusive and dynamic understanding of the way people perceive and value townscape character in historic areas in China. This research also has provided recommendations for the townscape character management of historic areas, and recommendations for the communication between experts and the public on urban heritage conservation

Energy-optimal data collection for unmanned aerial vehicle-aided industrial wireless sensor network-based agricultural monitoring system: a clustering compressed sampling approach

In this article, we propose a hierarchical data collection scheme, toward the realization of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-aided industrial wireless sensor networks. The particular application is that of agricultural monitoring. For that, we propose the use of hybrid compressed sampling through exact and greedy approaches. With the exact approach - to model the energy-optimal formulation - an improved linear programming formulation of the minimum cost flow problem was utilized. The greedy approach is based on a proposed balance factor parameter, consisting of data sparsity, and distance from cluster head to normal nodes. To improve node clustering efficiency, a hierarchical data collection scheme is implemented, by which nodes in different layers are adaptively clustered, and the UAV can be scheduled to perform energy-efficient data collection. Simulation results show that our method can effectively collect the data and plan the path for the UAV at a low energy cost

Osimertinib induces paraptosis and TRIP13 confers resistance in glioblastoma cells

Abstract The efficacy of osimertinib, a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been evaluated in glioblastoma (GBM) through preclinical and clinical trials. However, the underlying mechanism of osimertinib-induced GBM cell death and the underlying resistance mechanism to osimertinib remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Osimertinib induces paraptosis in GBM cells, as evidenced by the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles, accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins, and upregulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers like CHOP. Additionally, neither apoptosis nor autophagy was involved in the osimertinib-induced cell death. RNAseq analysis revealed ER stress was the most significantly downregulated pathway upon exposure to osimertinib. Consistently, pharmacologically targeting the PERK-eIF2α axis impaired osimertinib-induced paraptosis. Notably, we show that the expression of thyroid receptor-interacting protein 13 (TRIP13), an AAA+ATPase, alleviated osimertinib-triggered paraptosis, thus conferring resistance. Intriguingly, MK-2206, an AKT inhibitor, downregulated TRIP13 levels and synergized with Osimertinib to suppress TRIP13-induced high GBM cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Together, our findings reveal a novel mechanism of action associated with the anti-GBM effects of osimertinib involving ER stress-regulated paraptosis. Furthermore, we identify a TRIP13-driven resistance mechanism against Osimertinib in GBM and offer a combination strategy using MK-2206 to overcome such resistance

Cell Wall Matrix Polysaccharides Contribute to Salt–Alkali Tolerance in Rice

Salt–alkali stress threatens the resilience to variable environments and thus the grain yield of rice. However, how rice responds to salt–alkali stress at the molecular level is poorly understood. Here, we report isolation of a novel salt–alkali-tolerant rice (SATR) by screening more than 700 germplasm accessions. Using 93-11, a widely grown cultivar, as a control, we characterized SATR in response to strong salt–alkali stress (SSAS). SATR exhibited SSAS tolerance higher than 93-11, as indicated by a higher survival rate, associated with higher peroxidase activity and total soluble sugar content but lower malonaldehyde accumulation. A transcriptome study showed that cell wall biogenesis-related pathways were most significantly enriched in SATR relative to 93-11 upon SSAS. Furthermore, higher induction of gene expression in the cell wall matrix polysaccharide biosynthesis pathway, coupled with higher accumulations of hemicellulose and pectin as well as measurable physio-biochemical adaptive responses, may explain the strong SSAS tolerance in SATR. We mapped SSAS tolerance to five genomic regions in which 35 genes were candidates potentially governing SSAS tolerance. The 1,4-β-D-xylan synthase gene OsCSLD4 in hemicellulose biosynthesis pathway was investigated in details. The OsCSLD4 function-disrupted mutant displayed reduced SSAS tolerance, biomass and grain yield, whereas the OsCSLD4 overexpression lines exhibited increased SSAS tolerance. Collectively, this study not only reveals the potential role of cell wall matrix polysaccharides in mediating SSAS tolerance, but also highlights applicable value of OsCSLD4 and the large-scale screening system in developing SSAS-tolerant rice

<i>OsMADS1</i> Regulates Grain Quality, Gene Expressions, and Regulatory Networks of Starch and Storage Protein Metabolisms in Rice

OsMADS1 plays a vital role in regulating floret development and grain shape, but whether it regulates rice grain quality still remains largely unknown. Therefore, we used comprehensive molecular genetics, plant biotechnology, and functional omics approaches, including phenotyping, mapping-by-sequencing, target gene seed-specific RNAi, transgenic experiments, and transcriptomic profiling to answer this biological and molecular question. Here, we report the characterization of the ‘Oat-like rice’ mutant, with poor grain quality, including chalky endosperms, abnormal morphology and loose arrangement of starch granules, and lower starch content but higher protein content in grains. The poor grain quality of Oat-like rice was found to be caused by the mutated OsMADS1Olr allele through mapping-by-sequencing analysis and transgenic experiments. OsMADS1 protein is highly expressed in florets and developing seeds. Both OsMADS1-eGFP and OsMADS1Olr-eGFP fusion proteins are localized in the nucleus. Moreover, seed-specific RNAi of OsMADS1 also caused decreased grain quality in transgenic lines, such as the Oat-like rice. Further transcriptomic profiling between Oat-like rice and Nipponbare grains revealed that OsMADS1 regulates gene expressions and regulatory networks of starch and storage protein metabolisms in rice grains, hereafter regulating rice quality. In conclusion, our results not only reveal the crucial role and preliminary mechanism of OsMADS1 in regulating rice grain quality but also highlight the application potentials of OsMADS1 and the target gene seed-specific RNAi system in improving rice grain quality by molecular breeding