The Tall Fescue Turf Grass Class I Chitinase Gene \u3cem\u3eFaChit1\u3c/em\u3e Is Activated by Fungal Elicitors, Dehydration, Ethylene, and Mechanical Wounding

The cDNA, genomic DNA, and promoter sequence of FaChit1, a class I chitinase gene from Festuca arundinacea, were isolated and characterized in the present work. The deduced amino acid sequence of FaChit1 contains the chitin binding, catalytic, and proline and glycine-rich domains characteristic for most class I chitinases, but no C-terminal extension region. FaChit1 is induced effectively by fungal elicitors, dehydration, and ethylene, but only slightly by mechanical wounding. To identify potential stress-related cis-acting elements, 5′ sequences 935, 651, and 233 bp upstream of the FaChit1 start codon were fused to the GUS reporter gene and analyzed in transgenic tobacco. The results indicated that the 935 bp fragment closely mirrored endogenous gene expression and that the 651 bp fragment was sufficient to direct reporter the gene expression in response to fungal elicitors, ethylene, dehydration, or mechanical wounding due to both known and presently uncharacterized cis-acting elements

Risk assessment of complex engineering project based on fuzzy Petri net under the perspective of vulnerability

Traditional engineering risk management has been unable to adapt to the complexity and variability due to its constituent elements and dynamic nature of internal and external environments. Vulnerability, as a concept closely related to risk, has been neglected in the traditional risk management due to its hidden characteristics. This study attempts to quantify and evaluate vulnerabilities of complex engineering projects independently and explore the transmission mechanism between risk and vulnerability factors. Twenty different types of large-scale engineering projects in China were selected as case studies from the Mega Project Case Study Center (MPCSC) of Tongji University. Vulnerability and risk factors of each project were identified and analysed. A mechanism model was developed to explore the impacts of vulnerabilities and risks through ta Fuzzy Petri Net. Four main vulnerability-risk critical paths were identified through the reverse labelling method. The overall evaluation of engineering project risks considering the impacts of vulnerabilities is the highlight of this paper. This study interprets the cognition and evaluation of complex engineering risks from a new perspective, enriches the connotation of engineering risk management, and provides a reference for risk management and decisionmaking of complex engineering projects

Two case reports: EML4-ALK rearrangement large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and literature review

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK) rearrangement is present in only approximately 5% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and is scarce in LCNEC patients. The conventional first-line treatment options are chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy or chemotherapy followed by palliative radiotherapy. In this report, we present two cases of metastatic LCNEC with EML4-ALK fusion that were treated with ALK-TKI inhibitors and demonstrated a rapid therapeutic response. Both patients were nonsmoking women who declined cytotoxic chemotherapy, underwent Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), and confirmed EML4-ALK fusion. They were treated with alectinib as first-line therapy, and the tumors showed significant shrinkage after two months, achieving a PR (defined as a more than 30% decrease in the sum of maximal dimensions). The PFS was 22 months and 32 months, respectively, until the last follow-up. A systematic review of all previously reported cases of LCNEC with ALK mutations identified only 21 cases. These cases were characterized by being female (71.4%), nonsmoking (85.7%), diagnosed at a relatively young age (median age 51.1), and stage IV (89.5%), with an overall response rate (ORR) of 90.5%. PFS and OS were significantly longer than those treated with conventional chemotherapy/immunotherapy. Based on the clinical characteristics and the effective therapeutic outcomes with ALK inhibitors in LCNEC patients with ALK fusion, we recommend routine ALK IHC (economical, affordable, and convenient, but with higher false positives) as a screening method in advanced LCNEC patients, particularly nonsmoking females or those who are not candidates for or unwilling to undergo cytotoxic chemotherapy. Further molecular profiling is necessary to confirm these potential beneficiaries. We suggest TKI inhibitors as the first-line treatment for metastatic LCNEC with ALK fusion. Additional studies on larger cohorts are required to assess the prevalence of ALK gene fusions and their sensitivity to various ALK inhibitors

Dissipation Theory-Based Ecological Protection and Restoration Scheme Construction for Reclamation Projects and Adjacent Marine Ecosystems.

According to the 2017 results of the Special Inspector of Sea Reclamation, a substantial number of idle reclamation zones existed in 11 provinces (cities) along the coast of China. To improve the protection level of coastal wetlands and strictly control reclamation activities, it is necessary to carry out ecological restoration of reclamation projects and adjacent marine ecosystems. The characteristics of Guanghai Bay and its reclamation project are typical in China’s coastal areas, making it an optimal representative site for this study. The dissipative structure and entropy theory was used to analyze ecological problems and environmental threats. The analytic hierarchy process was applied to determine the order of the negative entropy flow importance. The entropy increase and decrease mechanism was used to determine an ecological protection and restoration scheme for the reclamation, including the reclamation of wetland resource restoration, shoreline landscape restoration, environmental pollution control, and marine biological resource restoration. Finally, based on system logic, a typical ecological restoration system was constructed east of Guanghai Bay, with the mangrove wetland area as the model in the north and the artificial sandbeach recreation area as the focus in the south

Energy evolution mechanism during rockburst development in structures of surrounding rocks of deep rockburst-prone roadways in coal mines

Influenced by the deep high-stress environment, geological structures, and mining disturbance in coal mines, the frequency of rockburst disasters in roadways is increasing. This research analyzed energy evolution characteristics during rockburst development in the elastic bearing zone and energy conversion in the plastic failure zone. The critical energy criteria for structural instability of roadway surrounding rocks were deduced. Numerical software was also applied to simulate the energy evolution during rockburst development in surrounding rocks of rockburst-prone roadways under conditions of different mining depths and coal pillar widths. The occurrence mechanism of rockburst deep in coal mines was analyzed from the perspective of energy in structures of deep roadway surrounding rock in coal mines. The research results show that the critical energy criteria are closely related to the elastic strain energy stored in deep roadway surrounding rocks and the energy absorbed by support systems. The impact energy in roadways is directly proportional to the square of the stress concentration factor k. Moreover, as the mining depth increases, the location of the peak point of maximum energy density gradually shifts to coal ahead of the working face. The larger the mining depth is, the more significantly the energy density is influenced by advanced abutment pressure of the working face and the wider the affected area is. With the increment of the coal pillar width, the distance from the peak point of energy density to the roadway boundary enlarges abruptly at first and then slowly, and the critical coal pillar width for gentle change in the distance is 30 m. Changes in the peak elastic energy density in coal pillars with the coal pillar width can be divided into four stages: the slow increase stage, abrupt increase stage, abrupt decrease stage, and slow decrease stage. The elastic energy density is distributed asymmetrically in deep roadway surrounding rocks in coal mines. Under the action of structures of roadway surrounding rocks, energy evolution in these structures differs greatly during rockburst development under conditions of different coal pillar widths. This research provides an important theoretical basis for the support of rockburst-prone roadways during deep coal mining

Identification of potential key genes associated with severe pneumonia using mRNA-seq

This study aimed to identify the potential key genes associated with severe pneumonia using mRNA-seq. Nine peripheral blood samples from patients with severe pneumonia alone (SP group, n=3) and severe pneumonia accompanied with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; CSP group, n=3), as well as volunteers without pneumonia (control group, n=3) underwent mRNA-seq. Based on the sequencing data, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by Limma package. Following the pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs, the genes that were differentially expressed in the SP and CSP groups were selected for pathway enrichment analysis and coexpression analysis. In addition, potential genes related to pneumonia were identified based on the information in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database. In total, 645 and 528 DEGs were identified in the SP and CSP groups, respectively, compared with the normal controls. Among these DEGs, 88 upregulated genes and 80 downregulated genes were common between the two groups. The functions of the common DEGs were similar to those of the DEGs in the SP group. In the coexpression network, the commonly downregulated genes (including ND1, ND3, ND4L, and ND6) and the commonly upregulated genes (including TSPY6P and CDY10P) exhibited a higher degree. In addition, 131 DEGs (including ND1, ND3, ND6, MIR449A and TAS2R43) were predicted to be potential pneumonia-related genes. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the common DEGs may be associated with the progression of severe pneumonia

Ku80 cooperates with CBP to promote COX-2 expression and tumor growth.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) plays an important role in lung cancer development and progression. Using streptavidin-agarose pulldown and proteomics assay, we identified and validated Ku80, a dimer of Ku participating in the repair of broken DNA double strands, as a new binding protein of the COX-2 gene promoter. Overexpression of Ku80 up-regulated COX-2 promoter activation and COX-2 expression in lung cancer cells. Silencing of Ku80 by siRNA down-regulated COX-2 expression and inhibited tumor cell growth in vitro and in a xenograft mouse model. Ku80 knockdown suppressed phosphorylation of ERK, resulting in an inactivation of the MAPK pathway. Moreover, CBP, a transcription co-activator, interacted with and acetylated Ku80 to co-regulate the activation of COX-2 promoter. Overexpression of CBP increased Ku80 acetylation, thereby promoting COX-2 expression and cell growth. Suppression of CBP by a CBP-specific inhibitor or siRNA inhibited COX-2 expression as well as tumor cell growth. Tissue microarray immunohistochemical analysis of lung adenocarcinomas revealed a strong positive correlation between levels of Ku80 and COX-2 and clinicopathologic variables. Overexpression of Ku80 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with lung cancers. We conclude that Ku80 promotes COX-2 expression and tumor growth and is a potential therapeutic target in lung cancer

Cartilage tissue healing and regeneration based on biocompatible materials: a systematic review and bibliometric analysis from 1993 to 2022

Cartilage, a type of connective tissue, plays a crucial role in supporting and cushioning the body, and damages or diseases affecting cartilage may result in pain and impaired joint function. In this regard, biocompatible materials are used in cartilage tissue healing and regeneration as scaffolds for new tissue growth, barriers to prevent infection and reduce inflammation, and deliver drugs or growth factors to the injury site. In this article, we perform a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of literature on cartilage tissue healing and regeneration based on biocompatible materials, including an overview of current research, identifying the most influential articles and authors, discussing prevailing topics and trends in this field, and summarizing future research directions