A Critical Review of Recent Advances in Maize Stress Molecular Biology.

With the intensification of global climate change and environmental stress, research on abiotic and biotic stress resistance in maize is particularly important. High temperatures and drought, low temperatures, heavy metals, salinization, and diseases are widespread stress factors that can reduce maize yields and are a focus of maize-breeding research. Molecular biology provides new opportunities for the study of maize and other plants.

Effects of dietary selenium deficiency and supplementation on liver in grazing sheep: insights from transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis.

Background: Mineral elements play a crucial role in supporting the life activities and physiological functions of animals. However, numerous studies have revealed that in some geographical areas and certain grazing situations, grazing livestock frequently suffers from mineral element deficiencies due to the loss of mineral elements from grassland forages, such as selenium (Se). To shed fresh light on this issue, this study aims to investigate the impact of dietary Se deficiency and supplementation on the liver of grazing sheep in these challenging conditions.

Root exudation under maize/soybean intercropping system mediates the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity and improves the plant growth.

Introduction: Maize/soybean intercropping is a common cropping practice in Chinese agriculture, known to boost crop yield and enhance soil fertility. However, the role of below-ground interactions, particularly root exudates, in maintaining intercropping advantages in soybean/maize intercropping systems remains unclear.

Methods: This study aimed to investigate the differences in root exudates between intercropping and monocropping systems through two pot experiments using metabolomics methods.

Transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis reveal the dietary copper deficiency and supplementation effects of liver gene expression and metabolite change in grazing sheep.

Background: The appropriate mineral nutrients are essential for sheep growth and reproduction. However, traditional grazing sheep often experience mineral nutrient deficiencies, especially copper (Cu), due to inadequate mineral nutrients from natural pastures.

Results: The results indicated that dietary Cu deficiency and supplementation significantly reduced and elevated liver concentration of Cu, respectively (p < 0.

Effects of dietary minerals deficiency and supplementation on different parts of muscle minerals content in grazing Mongolian sheep.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of dietary deficiency and supplementation of calcium, zinc, copper, cobalt, manganese or selenium on minerals content in the longissimus dorsi (LD), biceps femoris (BF) and triceps brachii (TB) of grazing Mongolian sheep.

Methods: We randomly divided 98 sheep into 7 treatment groups and fed them specific diets for 60 days: a total mineral nutrition diet (LCG), a calcium deficiency diet (LCa), a zinc deficiency diet (LZn), a copper deficiency diet (LCu), a cobalt deficiency diet (LCo), a manganese deficiency diet (LMn) and a selenium deficiency diet (LSe). Then 7 sheep from each group were slaughtered and samples of LD, BF and TB were collected for mineral content analysis.

Effects of hay and alfalfa hay on growth performance, rumen microbiota, and untargeted metabolomics of meat in lambs.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the effects of hay and alfalfa hay as the roughage on the rumen bacterial and the meat metabolomics in lambs.

Methods: Fourteen male lambs were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments (one group was fed with concentrate and hay; another was fed with concentrate and alfalfa hay) with seven replicates per treatment. The feeding experiment lasted for 60 days.

Effects of essential mineral elements deficiency and supplementation on serum mineral elements concentration and biochemical parameters in grazing Mongolian sheep.

Traditional sheep grazing is the pillar industry and the main source of income for local herders in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. However, grazing sheep often suffer from mineral deficiency. In the present study, the feeding experiment was performed on 84 grazing Wu Ranke sheep.

Survey of understanding and awareness of fertility preservation in pediatric patients: Is conversation about fertility preservation unpleasant for pediatric patients?

Objective: To verify understanding and awareness of fertility preservation (FP) in pediatric patients undergoing FP treatments.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted before and after explanation of fertility issues and FP treatments for patients 6-17 years old who visited or were hospitalized for the purpose of ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) or oocyte cryopreservation (OC), or sperm cryopreservation between October 2018 and April 2022. This study was approved by the institutional review board at St.

Investigation of the optimal culture time for warmed bovine ovarian tissues before transplantation†.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation by vitrification is an effective technique, but there are still many unresolved issues related to the procedure. The aim of this study was to investigate the optimal culture time of postwarmed ovarian tissues and their viability before ovarian tissue transplantation. The bovine ovarian tissues were used to evaluate the effect of postwarming culture periods (0, 0.

Whole-genome resequencing reveals domestication and signatures of selection in Ujimqin, Sunit, and Wu Ranke Mongolian sheep breeds.

Objective: The current study aimed to perform whole-genome resequencing of Chinese indigenous Mongolian sheep breeds including Ujimqin, Sunit, and Wu Ranke sheep breeds (UJMQ, SNT, WRK) and deeply analyze genetic variation, population structure, domestication, and selection for domestication traits among these Mongolian sheep breeds.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from a total of 60 individuals comprising 20 WRK, 20 UJMQ, and 20 SNT. For genome sequencing, about 1.

A comparative analysis of carcass and meat traits, and rumen bacteria between Chinese Mongolian sheep and Dorper × Chinese Mongolian crossbred sheep.

Mutton is one of the most widely consumed meats globally. The Chinese Mongolian sheep (MS) breed is an indigenous breed of sheep characterised by high-quality meat and strong adaptability. Dorper × Chinese Mongolian crossbred sheep (DS) is an improved breed with a rapid growth rate and high mutton yield found in parts of China.

Structural Dynamics of Short Ligands on the Surface of ZnSe Semiconductor Nanocrystals.

ZnSe semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) with a size comparable to their Bohr radius are synthesized, and the native capping agents with long hydrocarbon tails are replaced with short thiocyanate (SCN) ligands through a ligand exchange method. The structural dynamics of SCN ligands on the surface of ZnSe NCs in solution is investigated by ultrafast infrared spectroscopy. Vibrational population relaxation of SCN ligands is accelerated due to the specific interaction with the positively charged sites on the surface of NCs.

Learning Curve of Surgeons Performing Laparoscopic Ovarian Tissue Transplantation in Women with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: A Statistical Process Control Analysis.

Study Objective: To analyze patient safety in laparoscopic ovarian tissue transplantation surgery by tracking the rate of postoperative complications and the learning curves of the surgeons by statistical process control analysis.

Design: A retrospective study.

Setting: A university-affiliated hospital.

Quantification of residual cryoprotectants and cytotoxicity in thawed bovine ovarian tissues after slow freezing or vitrification.

Study Question: How much residual cryoprotectant remains in thawed/warmed ovarian tissues after slow freezing or vitrification?

Summary Answer: After thawing/warming, at least 60 min of diffusion washing in media was necessary to significantly reduce the residual cryoprotectants in ovarian tissues frozen by slow freezing or vitrification.

What Is Known Already: Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) by slow freezing has been the conventional method; while the vitrification method has gained popularity for its practicality. The main concern about vitrification is how much potentially toxic residual cryoprotectant remains in the warmed tissues at the time of transplantation.

Establishment of a Novel Mouse Model for Atherosclerotic Vulnerable Plaque.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a group of clinical syndromes characterized by rupture or erosion of atherosclerotic unstable plaques. Effective intervention for vulnerable plaques (VP) is of great significance to reduce adverse cardiovascular events. Fbn1 mice were crossbred with LDLR mice to obtain a novel model for atherosclerotic VP.

S-Nitrosylation of Akt by organic nitrate delays revascularization and the recovery of cardiac function in mice following myocardial infarction.

The effects of long-term nitrate therapy are compromised due to protein S-Nitrosylation, which is mediated by nitric oxide (NO). This study is to determine the role of Akt S-Nitrosylation in the recovery of heart functions after ischaemia. In recombinant Akt protein and in HEK293 cells, NO donor decreased Akt activity and induced Akt S-Nitrosylation, but was abolished if Akt protein was mutated by replacing cysteine 296/344 with alanine (Akt-C296/344A).

Incidence and Predictors of Neoatherosclerosis in Patients with Early In-Stent Restenosis Determined Using Optical Coherence Tomography.

In-stent restenosis (ISR) still exists after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, even up to one year. The incidence and risk factors for neoatherosclerosis in patients with early ISR have not yet been elucidated. Here, we used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to evaluate the incidence and predictors of neoatherosclerosis in patients with early ISRs.

Self-supported fibrous porous aromatic membranes for efficient CO2/N2 separations.

In this paper, we describe a new synthesis protocol for the preparation of self-supported hollow fiber membranes composed of porous aromatic framework PAF-56P and PSF. PAF-56P was facilely prepared by the cross-coupling reaction of triangle-shaped cyanuric chloride and linear p-terophenyl monomers. The prepared PAF-56P material possesses an extended conjugated network, the structure of which is confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared characterizations, as well as a permanent porosity with a BET surface area of 553.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobium facilitate nitrogen uptake and transfer in soybean/maize intercropping system.

The tripartite symbiosis between legumes, rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi are generally considered to be beneficial for the nitrogen (N) uptake of legumes, but the facilitation of symbiosis in legume/non-legume intercropping systems is not clear. Therefore, the aims of the research are as follows: (1) to verify if the dual inoculation can facilitate the N uptake and N transfer in maize/soybean intercropping systems and (2) to calculate how much N will be transferred from soybean to maize. A pot experiment with different root separations [solid barrier, mesh (30 μm) barrier and no barrier] was conducted, and the (15)N isotopic tracing method was used to calculate how much N transferred from soybean to maize inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobium in a soybean (Glycine max L.

A systematic proteomic analysis of NaCl-stressed germinating maize seeds.

Salt (NaCl) is a common physiological stressor of plants. To better understand how germinating seeds respond to salt stress, we examined the changes that occurred in the proteome of maize seeds during NaCl-treated germination. Phenotypically, salt concentrations less than 0.

Optical coherence tomographic observations of polytetrafluoroethylene-covered sirolimus-eluting coronary arterial stent.

The aim of this study was to evaluate neointimal coverage obtained using a new method of polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stent (PCS) implantation combined with underlying longer sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation using optical coherence tomography. Nine patients were enrolled in this study, including patients with coronary artery perforations, original coronary aneurysms, and acquired coronary aneurysms after drug-eluting stent implantation. All patients were first treated with long SES implantation and then with focal PCS implantation.

Validation of a new animal model of vulnerable plaques by intravascular optical coherence tomography in vivo.

We aimed to establish a rabbit model of vulnerable plaques (VPs) with the morphology and component characteristics of human VPs and to evaluate the microstructural features of VPs in vivo using intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT). Twelve rabbits underwent endothelial denudation of the carotid artery and consumed a 1% high-cholesterol diet (HCD). They were equally divided into two groups: group A (modified needle injury) and group B (balloon injury).

Development of lipid-rich plaque inside bare metal stent: possible mechanism of late stent thrombosis? An optical coherence tomography study.

Aims: To study in-stent tissue characteristics by optical coherence tomography (OCT) at long-term follow-up in patients with previous bare metal stent implantation.

Methods And Results: Among 1636 patients who underwent bare metal stent (BMS) implantation between 1999 and 2006, 39 patients with 60 BMS who developed recurrent ischaemia underwent repeat catheterisation and OCT imaging between June 2008 and August 2009. The average time interval between initial BMS implantation and OCT imaging was 6.

Morphologic characteristics of late stent malapposition after drug-eluting stents implantation by optical coherence tomography follow-up.

Background: Late stent malapposition was frequently observed after DES implantation, which has been associated with the occurrence of late stent thrombosis due to poor neointimal coverage. This study was designed to evaluate the frequency of late stent malapposition at least 1 year after different DESs implantation by optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods: Angiographic and OCT examinations were given to 68 patients who had received total 126 various DESs implantation for at least 1 year to detect late stent malapposition.