A Wheat Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenase TaCAD12 Contributes to Host Resistance to the Sharp Eyespot Disease

peer reviewedSharp eyespot, caused mainly by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis, is a destructive disease in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In Arabidopsis, certain cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenases (CADs) have been implicated in monolignol biosynthesis and in defense response to bacterial pathogen infection. However, little is known about CADs in wheat defense responses to necrotrophic or soil-borne pathogens. In this study, we isolate a wheat CAD gene TaCAD12 in response to R. cerealis infection through microarray-based comparative transcriptomics, and study the enzyme activity and defense role of TaCAD12 in wheat. The transcriptional levels of TaCAD12 in sharp eyespot-resistant wheat lines were significantly higher compared with those in susceptible wheat lines. The sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed that TaCAD12 belongs to IV group in CAD family. The biochemical assay proved that TaCAD12 protein is an authentic CAD enzyme and possesses catalytic efficiencies toward both coniferyl aldehyde and sinapyl aldehyde. Knock-down of TaCAD12 transcript significantly repressed resistance of the gene-silenced wheat plants to sharp eyespot caused by R. cerealis, whereas TaCAD12 overexpression markedly enhanced resistance of the transgenic wheat lines to sharp eyespot. Furthermore, certain defense genes (Defensin, PR10, PR17c, and Chitinase1) and monolignol biosynthesis-related genes (TaCAD1, TaCCR, and TaCOMT1) were up-regulated in the TaCAD12-overexpressing wheat plants but down-regulated in TaCAD12-silencing plants. These results suggest that TaCAD12 positively contributes to resistance against sharp eyespot through regulation of the expression of certain defense genes and monolignol biosynthesis-related genes in wheat.Nationa l“KeySci-Tech” Projec

Characterization and determinant factors of critical illness and in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients: A retrospective cohort of 1,792 patients in Kenya

Limited data is available on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), critical illness rate, and in-hospital mortality in the African setting. This study investigates determinants of critical illness and in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients in Kenya. We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Kenya. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression were employed to determine predictor factors for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and in-hospital mortality, respectively. In addition, the Kaplan-Meier model was used to compare the survival times using log-rank tests. As a result, 346 (19.3 %) COVID-19 patients were admitted to ICU, and 271 (15.1 %) died. The majority of those admitted to the hospital were male, 1,137 (63.4 %) and asymptomatic, 1,357 (75.7 %). The most prevalent clinical features were shortness of breath, fever, and dry cough. In addition, older age, male, health status, patient on oxygen (O2), oxygen saturation levels (SPO2), headache, dry cough, comorbidities, obesity, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes, chronic lung disease (CLD), and malignancy/cancer can predicate the risk of ICU admission, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.90 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.88 – 0.92). Survival analysis indicated 271 (15.1 %) patients died and identified older age, male, headache, shortness of breath, health status, patient on oxygen, SPO2, headache, comorbidity, CVDs, diabetes, CLD, malignancy/cancer, and smoking as risk factors for mortality (AUC-ROC: 0.90, 95 % CI: 0.89 – 0.91). This is the first attempt to explore predictors for ICU admission and hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients in Kenya

MeV Astrophysical Spectroscopic Surveyor (MASS): A Compton Telescope Mission Concept

We propose a future mission concept, the MeV Astrophysical Spectroscopic Surveyor (MASS), which is a large area Compton telescope using 3D position sensitive cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors optimized for emission line detection. The payload consists of two layers of CZT detectors in a misaligned chessboard layout, with a total geometric area of 4096 cm$^2$ for on-axis observations. The detectors can be operated at room-temperature with an energy resolution of 0.6\% at 0.662 MeV. The in-orbit background is estimated with a mass model. At energies around 1 MeV, a line sensitivity of about $10^{-5}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ can be obtained with a 1 Ms observation. The main science objectives of MASS include nucleosynthesis in astrophysics and high energy astrophysics related to compact objects and transient sources. The payload CZT detectors weigh roughly 40 kg, suggesting that it can be integrated into a micro- or mini-satellite. We have constructed a pathfinder, named as MASS-Cube, to have a direct test of the technique with 4 detector units in space in the near future.Comment: accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom

Purification and Characterization of Two New Allergens from the Venom of Vespa magnifica

Due to poor diagnostic facilities and a lack of medical alertness, allergy to Vespa wasps may be underestimated. Few allergens have been identified from Vespa wasps

The wheat LLM-domain-containing transcription factor TaGATA1 positively modulates host immune response to Rhizoctonia cerealis

Wheat (Triticumaestivum) is essential for global food security. Rhizoctonia cerealis is the causal pathogen of sharp eyespot, an important disease of wheat. GATA proteins in model plants have been implicated in growth and development; however, little is known about their roles in immunity. Here, we reported a defence role of a wheat LLM-domain-containing B-GATA transcription factor, TaGATA1, against R. cerealis infection and explored the underlying mechanism. Through transcriptomic analysis, TaGATA1 was identified to be more highly expressed in resistant wheat genotypes than in susceptible wheat genotypes. TaGATA1 was located on chromosome 3B and had two homoeologous genes on chromosomes 3A and 3D. TaGATA1 was demonstrated to localize in the nucleus, possess transcriptional-activation activity, and bind to GATA-core cis-elements. TaGATA1 overexpression significantly enhanced resistance of transgenic wheat to R. cerealis, whereas silencing of TaGATA1 suppressed the resistance. RT-qPCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation-qPCR results indicated that TaGATA1 directly bound to and activated certain defence genes in host immune response to R. cerealis. Collectively, TaGATA1 positively regulates immune responses to R. cerealis through activating expression of defence genes in wheat. This study reveals a new function of plant GATAs in immunity and provides a candidate gene for improving crop resistance to R. cerealis

来源于小麦的抗病性相关蛋白TaPK-R1及其相关生物材料与应用

publication date: 2016; filing date: 2014本发明公开了来源于小麦的抗病性相关蛋白TaPK-R1及其相关生物材料与应用。TaPK-R1是如下a）或b）的蛋白质：a）由序列表中序列2所示的氨基酸序列组成的蛋白质；b）将序列表中序列2所示的氨基酸序列经过一个或几个氨基酸残基的取代和/或缺失和/或添加且与植物抗病性相关的蛋白质。实验证明TaPK-R1以及与TaPK-R1相关的生物材料可用于调控植物抗病性，特别是可用于调控小麦对纹枯病的抗性

Observation - An Favorable Option Forthoracic Dissemination Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma or Squamous Carcinoma

Background and objective Surgery was not standard-of-care of patients with advanced lung cancer. However, a serial of retrospective studies demonstrated that thoracic dissemination (M1a) patients could benefit from contraindicated surgery. After non-standard treatment, how should these patients choose following treatment approaches? Herein, we conducted this retrospective study to explore subsequent optimal treatment approaches. Methods Different therapeutic approaches were evaluated by comparing progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), time to treatment interval (TTI) using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results 141 eligible were enrolled. The median PFS of chemotherapy group, targeted therapy group and observation group were 14.7, 41.0 and 31.0 months, respectively (95%CI: 19.01-26.01; P<0.001). There was no significantly statistically difference between median PFS of targeted group and observation group (P=0.006). The median OS were 39.0, 42.6 and 38.1 months (95%CI: 32.47-45.33; P=0.478). The median PFS and OS of TTI<3 months and TTI ≥3 months were 15.2 months versus 31.0 months (95%CI: 19.01-26.06; P<0.001) and 41.7 months versus 38.7 months (95%CI: 32.47-45.33; P=0.714). Multivariate analyses revealed gender (P=0.027), lymph node status (P=0.036) and initial therapy (P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors for PFS. Conclusion Observation did not shorten survival of thoracic dissemination patients with lung adenocarcinoma or squamous carcinoma, therefore, it could be an favorable option. But prospective randomized controlled study was needed to confirm its validity

Sex-specific relationship between serum uric acid levels and the prevalence of large vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke

Purpose Previous studies have found that uric acid (UA) plays a neuroprotective role in ischemic stroke patients. However, the relationship between serum UA of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes is unclear. Methods In this retrospective study, 1318 AIS patients were enrolled. All patients underwent imaging examinations to assess the intracranial and carotid vessels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between UA levels and the prevalence of LVO. Results The 1318 enrolled AIS patients were comprised of 287 LVO and 1031 non-LVO patients. UA levels in males were higher than females (321.04 ± 91.28 vs. 274.43 ± 82.11, p < .001). The association between serum UA levels and LVO was modified by sex (p = .007). When serum UA levels were continuous, after adjusting for related risk factors, higher serum UA levels were still associated with a lower prevalence of LVO in males (odds ratio (OR) 0.997, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.994–0.999), but not in female subjects (OR 0.998, 95% CI 0.995–1.001). When serum UA levels were divided into tertiles, higher UA levels had a lower risk of LVO than the moderate (p = .006) and lower tertiles of UA levels (p = .010) in males, but not in females (p = .402 and p = .206 for moderate and low tertiles, respectively). Conclusions AIS patients with higher serum UA levels tend to be associated with a lower risk of LVO in males, but not in females

Public bicycle as a feeder mode to rail transit in China: The role of gender, age, income, trip purpose, and bicycle theft experience

A marriage between public bicycle and rail transit presents new opportunities for sustainable transportation in Chinese cities. To examine determinants of public bicycle usage for rail transit access, an intercept survey of feeder mode choice among rail transit users was conducted near rail stations in Nanjing, China. Mode choice models were estimated with five feeder mode alternatives, including car, bus, walk, private bike, and public bike. By differentiating between public and private bicycle modes in the mode choice models, the study reveals the effects of personal demographics, trip characteristics, and station environments on public bicycle usage for rail transit access. Results show that female, older, and low-income rail commuters are less likely to use public bicycle to access rail transit. Rail commuters with bicycle theft experience and making school- or work-related trips are more likely to use public bicycle to access rail transit. Land use variables are largely insignificant in this study except that density shows a positive relationship with walking to rail transit. The results on demographic differences raise equity concerns when it comes to investing in public bicycle systems. Policy implications are discussed for Chinese cities to equitably boost public bicycle integration with rail transit