The PPR-Domain Protein SOAR1 Regulates Salt Tolerance in Rice.

Previous studies in Arabidopsis reported that the PPR protein SOAR1 plays critical roles in plant response to salt stress. In this study, we reported that expression of the Arabidopsis SOAR1 (AtSOAR1) in rice significantly enhanced salt tolerance at seedling growth stage and promoted grain productivity under salt stress without affecting plant productivity under non-stressful conditions. The transgenic rice lines expressing AtSOAR1 exhibited increased ABA sensitivity in ABA-induced inhibition of seedling growth, and showed altered transcription and splicing of numerous genes associated with salt stress, which may explain salt tolerance of the transgenic plants.

A multiethnic bidirectional Mendelian randomization study negates causal effects of C-reactive protein concentrations on lung cancer.

Background: Significantly rising plasma circulating C-reaction protein (CRP) concentrations are pervasive in lung cancer (LC) development, demonstrating a bidirectional relation. However, it remains uncertain whether the causation between them exists, and the degree to which the effect varies across different ethnic ancestries remains unknown. Therefore, we attempted to investigate the causal relationship between these two phenotypes.

Earlier diagnosis improves COVID-19 prognosis: a nationwide retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Risk of adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients by stratifying by the time from symptom onset to confirmed diagnosis status is still uncertain.

Methods: We included 1,590 hospitalized COVID-19 patients confirmed by real-time RT-PCR assay or high-throughput sequencing of pharyngeal and nasal swab specimens from 575 hospitals across China between 11 December 2019 and 31 January 2020. Times from symptom onset to confirmed diagnosis, from symptom onset to first medical visit and from first medical visit to confirmed diagnosis were described and turned into binary variables by the maximally selected rank statistics method.

First-Line Treatment Options for PD-L1-Negative Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: First-line treatment strategies for programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) negative non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients include chemotherapy and combination with anti-angiogenesis drugs and/or immune checkpoint inhibitor. We conducted a Bayesian network meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of these therapeutic options.

Methods: We included phase III randomized controlled trials comparing two or more treatments in the first-line setting for NSCLC, including data in PD-L1-negative patients.

Inheritance and breeding of japonica rice with good eating quality in Jiangsu province.

In order to develop a variety of japonica rice with good eating quality suitable for planting in Jiangsu Province, the genetic basis of high quality, disease resistance and high yield japonica rice varieties in Jiangsu Province was systematically studied. The relationship among different rice qualities of cooking, nutrition, and eating was studied by association analysis. It was clear that amylose content was the key factor affecting eating quality.

Chronic Respiratory Diseases and the Outcomes of COVID-19: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study of 39,420 Cases.

Background: Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) are common among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Objectives: We sought to determine the association between CRD (including disease overlap) and the clinical outcomes of COVID-19.

Methods: Data of diagnoses, comorbidities, medications, laboratory results, and clinical outcomes were extracted from the national COVID-19 reporting system.

Risk Prediction for Locoregional Recurrence in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Mutant Stage III-pN2 Lung Adenocarcinoma after Complete Resection: A Multi-center Retrospective Study.

This study aimed to develop a predictive model based on the risk of locoregional recurrence (LRR) in epidermal growth factor receptor ()-mutant stage III-pN2 lung adenocarcinoma after complete resection. A total of 11,020 patients with lung surgery were screened to determine completely resected -mutant stage III-pN2 lung adenocarcinoma. Patients were excluded if they received preoperative therapy or postoperative radiation therapy (PORT).

Cardiovascular comorbidity and its impact on patients with COVID-19.

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Clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 treated in Hubei (epicentre) and outside Hubei (non-epicentre): a nationwide analysis of China.

Background: During the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), consistent and considerable differences in disease severity and mortality rate of patients treated in Hubei province compared to those in other parts of China have been observed. We sought to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients being treated inside and outside Hubei province, and explore the factors underlying these differences.

Methods: Collaborating with the National Health Commission, we established a retrospective cohort to study hospitalised COVID-19 cases in China.

Comorbidity and its impact on 1590 patients with COVID-19 in China: a nationwide analysis.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is evolving rapidly worldwide.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of serious adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19 by stratifying the comorbidity status.

Methods: We analysed data from 1590 laboratory confirmed hospitalised patients from 575 hospitals in 31 provinces/autonomous regions/provincial municipalities across mainland China between 11 December 2019 and 31 January 2020.

Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China.

Background: Since December 2019, when coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) emerged in Wuhan city and rapidly spread throughout China, data have been needed on the clinical characteristics of the affected patients.

Methods: We extracted data regarding 1099 patients with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 from 552 hospitals in 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in mainland China through January 29, 2020. The primary composite end point was admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), the use of mechanical ventilation, or death.

Gossypium barbadense genome sequence provides insight into the evolution of extra-long staple fiber and specialized metabolites.

Of the two cultivated species of allopolyploid cotton, Gossypium barbadense produces extra-long fibers for the production of superior textiles. We sequenced its genome (AD)2 and performed a comparative analysis. We identified three bursts of retrotransposons from 20 million years ago (Mya) and a genome-wide uneven pseudogenization peak at 11-20 Mya, which likely contributed to genomic divergences.

A Context-Aware Interactive Health Care System Based on Ontology and Fuzzy Inference.

In the present society, most families are double-income families, and as the long-term care is seriously short of manpower, it contributes to the rapid development of tele-homecare equipment, and the smart home care system gradually emerges, which assists the elderly or patients with chronic diseases in daily life. This study aims at interaction between persons under care and the system in various living spaces, as based on motion-sensing interaction, and the context-aware smart home care system is proposed. The system stores the required contexts in knowledge ontology, including the physiological information and environmental information of the person under care, as the database of decision.

Roles of immunohistochemical staining in diagnosing pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Differentiating morphologic features based on hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining is the most common method to classify pathological subtypes of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its accuracy and inter-observer reproducibility in pathological diagnosis of poorly differentiated NSCLC remained to be improved.

Materials And Methods: We attempted to explore the role of immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in diagnosing pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC) with poorly differentiated features by HE staining or with elevated serum adenocarcinoma-specific tumor markers (AD-TMs).

ABO blood group, Epstein-Barr virus infection and prognosis of patients with non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: A prior study showed blood type A/AB to be associated with an increased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) compared to subjects with blood type O. However, the relationship between ABO blood groups and prognosis of NPC patients is still questionable. In addition, whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is associated with prognosis of NPC patients with different ABO blood groups is unclear.

Sirolimus conversion in liver transplant recipients with calcineurin inhibitor-induced complications: efficacy and safety.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of conversion from calcineurin inhibitors to sirolimus among liver transplant recipients with calcineurin inhibitor-induced complications.

Materials And Methods: After receiving liver transplants, 25 patients with calcineurin inhibitor-induced complications (22 renal dysfunction and 3 new-onset diabetes mellitus) were converted from sirolimus to tacrolimus. The serum creatinine, sirolimus trough level, liver function, acute rejection episodes, and drug-related adverse effects were monitored.

A stem cell-based tool for small molecule screening in adipogenesis.

Techniques for small molecule screening are widely used in biological mechanism study and drug discovery. Here, we reported a novel adipocyte differentiation assay for small molecule selection, based on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) transduced with fluorescence reporter gene driven by adipogenic specific promoter--adipocyte Protein 2 (aP2; also namely Fatty Acid Binding Protein 4, FABP4). During normal adipogenic induction as well as adipogenic inhibition by Ly294002, we confirmed that the intensity of green fluorescence protein corresponded well to the expression level of aP2 gene.