Deep learning enables automatic adult age estimation based on CT reconstruction images of the costal cartilage.

Objective: Adult age estimation (AAE) is a challenging task. Deep learning (DL) could be a supportive tool. This study aimed to develop DL models for AAE based on CT images and compare their performance to the manual visual scoring method.

A discussion of RNA virus taxonomy based on the 2020 International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses report.

RNA viruses have a higher mutation rate than DNA viruses; however, RNA viruses are insufficiently studied outside disease settings. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is an organization set up by virologists to standardize virus classification. To better understand ICTV taxonomy and the characteristics and rules of different RNA virus families, we analyzed the 3,529 RNA viruses included in the 2020 ICTV report using five widely used metrics: length, host, GC content, number of predicted ORFs, and sequence similarity.

Forensic age prediction and age classification for critical age thresholds via 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging of the knee in the Chinese Han population.

Objectives: To assess the performance of knee MRI for forensic age prediction and classification for 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-year thresholds.

Methods: The ossification stages of distal femoral epiphyses and proximal tibial epiphyses were assessed using an integrated staging system by Schmeling et al. and Kellinghaus et al.

Relationships between and formation dynamics of the microbiota of consumers, producers, and the environment in an abalone aquatic system.

An ecosystem is a community comprising living and nonliving components of the environment. Microbes are ubiquitous elements in each of these components. The dynamics of microbiota formation in an ecosystem is important to elucidate, because how the different components of a system exchange microbes, and how the microbes control ecological processes remain unresolved.

Structural insights into the inhibition of type VI effector Tae3 by its immunity protein Tai3.

The recently described T6SS (type VI secretion system) acts as a needle that punctures the membrane of the target cells to deliver effector proteins. Type VI amidase effectors can be classified into four divergent families (Tae1-Tae4). These effectors are secreted into the periplasmic space of neighbouring cells via the T6SS and subsequently rupture peptidoglycan.

Structure of the type VI effector-immunity complex (Tae4-Tai4) provides novel insights into the inhibition mechanism of the effector by its immunity protein.

The type VI secretion system (T6SS), a multisubunit needle-like apparatus, has recently been found to play a role in interspecies interactions. The gram-negative bacteria harboring T6SS (donor) deliver the effectors into their neighboring cells (recipient) to kill them. Meanwhile, the cognate immunity proteins were employed to protect the donor cells against the toxic effectors.

Insights into the catalytic mechanism of 16S rRNA methyltransferase RsmE (m³U1498) from crystal and solution structures.

RsmE is the founding member of a new RNA methyltransferase (MTase) family responsible for methylation of U1498 in 16S ribosomal RNA in Escherichia coli. It is well conserved across bacteria and plants and may play an important role in ribosomal intersubunit communication. The crystal structure in monomer showed that it consists of two distinct but structurally related domains: the PUA (pseudouridine synthases and archaeosine-specific transglycosylases)-like RNA recognition and binding domain and the conserved MTase domain with a deep trefoil knot.

Structural insights into the function of 23S rRNA methyltransferase RlmG (m²G1835) from Escherichia coli.

RlmG is a specific AdoMet-dependent methyltransferase (MTase) responsible for N²-methylation of G1835 in 23S rRNA of Escherichia coli. Methylation of m²G1835 specifically enhances association of ribosomal subunits and provides a significant advantage for bacteria in osmotic and oxidative stress. Here, the crystal structure of RlmG in complex with AdoMet and its structure in solution were determined.

Structural and SAXS analysis of the budding yeast SHU-complex proteins.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, four proteins, Shu1, Shu2, Psy3 and Csm2, form a stable SHU-complex both in vivo and in vitro. These proteins are involved in the early stages of the homologous recombination DNA damage repair process. In this paper, the crystal structure of the Psy3-Csm2 sub-complex is presented at 1.

Nested PCR detection of abalone shriveling syndrome-associated virus in China.

Haliotis diversicolor (small abalone) is an economic seafood found off the Southern coast of China. Since 1999, the cultured abalone yields in China have been affected severely by continual outbreaks of a fatal epidemic disease caused by abalone shriveling syndrome associated virus (AbSV), a double-stranded DNA virus. Although the pathogenicity and genome of AbSV have been ascertained, the epidemiology of AbSV infection remains to be investigated.

Quantitative PCR detection for abalone shriveling syndrome-associated virus.

Haliotis diversicolor (small abalone) is an important seafood found along the southern coast of China. Since 1999, the yields of cultured abalone in China have been severely affected by an epidemic of continuous outbreaks of a fatal disease. A novel double-stranded DNA virus, abalone shriveling syndrome-associated virus (AbSV), was proven to be one of the main causative agent.

The crystal structure of the MPN domain from the COP9 signalosome subunit CSN6.

The COP9 signalosome (CSN) is a multiprotein complex containing eight subunits and is highly conserved from fungi to human. CSN is proposed to widely participate in many physiological processes, including protein degradation, DNA damage response and signal transduction. Among those subunits, only CSN5 and CSN6 belong to JAMM family.

[Experimental research of small-incision Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty].

Objective: To investigate the surgical procedure, clinical efficacy, complications, density of endothelial cells and histological changes after Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) surgery.

Methods: It was a experimental study. Twenty four New Zealand rabbits were divided into 3 groups, 8 rabbits per group.

[Effects of abrupt salinity stress on osmoregulation of juvenile Rachycentron canadum].

Rachycentron canadum is a thriving mariculture species for offshore cage in southern Mainland and Taiwan of China, due to its rapid growth rate and high quality flesh. In this paper, the gill Na(+)-K+ ATPase (NKA) activity and iono- and osmoregulation of juvenile R. canadum were investigated in a 12 h stress of ambient salinities (0-45), and the results showed that after an abrupt transfer to the salinities of 0, 5, 15, 25, 37 (control) and 45, the death of juvenile R.