Mid-term outcomes of atrioventricular valve repair in functional single ventricle patients.

Background: Surgical treatment of functional single ventricle combined with atrioventricular valve regurgitation remains a clinical challenge. The outcomes of atrioventricular valve repair in patients with single ventricle are limited.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of all 28 patients with functional single ventricle treated with single-ventricle palliation who underwent atrioventricular valve operation at the First Hospital of Tsinghua University between April 2007 and October 2022.

Rapid Responses of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Microbial Communities to Carbon and Nitrogen Addition in Sediments.

Massive labile carbon and nitrogen inputs into lakes change greenhouse gas emissions. However, the rapid driving mechanism from eutrophic and swampy lakes is not fully understood and is usually contradictory. Thus, we launched a short-term and anaerobic incubation experiment to explore the response of greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities to glucose and nitrate nitrogen (NO-N) inputs.

Rapid intracellular acidification is a plant defense response countered by the brown planthopper.

The brown planthopper (BPH) is the most destructive insect pest in rice. Through a stylet, BPH secretes a plethora of salivary proteins into rice phloem cells as a crucial step of infestation. However, how various salivary proteins function in rice cells to promote insect infestation is poorly understood.

The genomic history and global migration of a windborne pest.

Many insect pests, including the brown planthopper (BPH), undergo windborne migration that is challenging to observe and track. It remains controversial about their migration patterns and largely unknown regarding the underlying genetic basis. By analyzing 360 whole genomes from around the globe, we clarify the genetic sources of worldwide BPHs and illuminate a landscape of BPH migration showing that East Asian populations perform closed-circuit journeys between Indochina and the Far East, while populations of Malay Archipelago and South Asia undergo one-way migration to Indochina.

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for Fagus pashanica (Fagaceae) using next-generation sequencing.

Fagus pashanica is an endangered and endemic tree species in China. To understand its genetic diversity and structure for effective conservation, we used next-generation sequencing data to develop a set of microsatellite markers. Twenty-three of the 68 designed loci were successfully amplified.

Semantic visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) using deep learning for dynamic scenes.

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is a fundamental problem in robotics and computer vision. It involves the task of a robot or an autonomous system navigating an unknown environment, simultaneously creating a map of the surroundings, and accurately estimating its position within that map. While significant progress has been made in SLAM over the years, challenges still need to be addressed.

Comparing steamed and wine-stewed Rehmanniae Radix in terms of Yin-nourishing effects via metabolomics and microbiome analysis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (RRP), the processed root of Rehmannia glutinosa, has been widely used to treat Yin deficiency syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine. RRP is available in two forms: processed by steaming with water (SRR) or processed by stewing with yellow rice wine (WRR). Previous work has documented chemical differences in the secondary metabolomes and glycomes of SRR and WRR.

Molting-related proteases in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

Digestion and absorption of old cuticles during insect molting are necessary for new cuticle formation, during which complicated enzyme catalysis is essential. To date, a few carboxypeptidases, aminopeptidases and serine proteases (mostly trypsins) connected with cuticle digestion, zymogen activation and histological differentiation during the ecdysis of lepidopteran, dipteran and hymenopteran insects have been identified. However, little is known about these proteins in hemimetabolous insects.

Binding properties of odorant-binding protein 4 from bean bug Riptortus pedestris to soybean volatiles.

The bean bug Riptortus pedestris is a notorious insect pest that can damage various crops, especially soybean, in East Asia. In insects, the olfactory system plays a crucial role in host finding and feeding behaviour in which the odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are believed to be involved in initial step in this system. In this study, we produced the R.

Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated With Bone and Obesity Phenotypes in Chinese Female Nuclear Families.

Objective: The current study was conducted to determine whether peak bone mineral density (BMD) and obesity phenotypes are associated with certain gene polymorphisms found in Chinese nuclear families with female children.

Methods: A total of 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in and around the gene were identified in 1,300 subjects who were members of 390 Chinese nuclear families with female children. Then, BMD readings of the femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine as well as measurements of the total lean mass (TLM), total fat mass (TFM), and trunk fat mass were obtained dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Chitin synthase 1 and five cuticle protein genes are involved in serosal cuticle formation during early embryogenesis to enhance eggshells in Nilaparvata lugens.

Many holo- and hemimetabolous insects enhance their eggshells during embryogenesis by forming a serosal cuticle (SC). To date, scholarly understanding of the SC composition and SC-related gene functions has been limited, especially for hemimetabolous insects. In this study, we initially performed transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observation and chitin staining of the SC in Nilaparvata lugens, a hemimetabolous rice pest known as the brown planthopper (BPH).

Biallelic mutations in spermatogenesis and centriole-associated 1 like () cause acephalic spermatozoa syndrome and male infertility.

Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome is a rare type of teratozoospermia that severely impairs the reproductive ability of male patients, and genetic defects have been recognized as the main cause of acephalic spermatozoa syndrome. Spermatogenesis and centriole-associated 1 like (SPATC1L) is indispensable for maintaining the integrity of sperm head-to-tail connections in mice, but its roles in human sperm and early embryonic development remain largely unknown. Herein, we conducted whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 22 infertile men with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome.

Effects of sepsis and its treatment measures on intestinal flora structure in critical care patients.

Background: Sepsis is a common disease in intensive care units, with high morbidity and mortality. Intestinal microecology plays a vital part in the development and progression of this disease, possibly because sepsis and its treatment cause specific changes in the composition of the intestinal flora.

Aim: To investigate the characteristics of intestinal flora disturbance in sepsis patients treated with antibiotics.

Biochar-compost addition benefits Phragmites australis growth and soil property in coastal wetlands.

Salinity stress is common for plants growing in coastal wetlands. The addition of biochar in the soil may alleviate the negative effect of salinity through its unique physicochemical properties. To test this, we conducted a greenhouse experiment where the cosmopolitan wetland plant Phragmites australis was subjected to four salinity treatments (0, 5, 10 and 15‰) and three biochar treatments (no biochar addition, with biochar addition and with biochar-compost addition, both biochar and compost were made from P.

Biochar addition affects root morphology and nitrogen uptake capacity in common reed (Phragmites australis).

Nitrogen (N) is a key factor that limits plant growth in most terrestrial ecosystems, and biochar reportedly improves soil characteristics and grain yields. However, the effects of biochar on plant N uptake in wetland ecosystems and the underlying mechanisms of these effects remain unclear. Therefore, our study sought to characterise the effects of biochar addition on Phragmites australis N absorption rates at two different N deposition conditions [30 and 60 kg N hm yr; i.

Lycium barbarum Polysaccharide Antagonizes LPS-Induced Inflammation by Altering the Glycolysis and Differentiation of Macrophages by Triggering the Degradation of PKM2.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation is the leading cause of multiple organ failure in sepsis. Pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM2) is a protein kinase and transcriptional coactivator that plays an important role in glycolysis. Recent studies have confirmed that glycolysis maintains the M1 differentiation and induces immune activation in macrophages.

Biochar rhizosphere addition promoted Phragmites australis growth and changed soil properties in the Yellow River Delta.

Biochar addition can enhance plant growth and change soil physicochemical properties in saline soil. However, it is unclear whether the positioning of biochar additions (e.g.

Differences in Intestinal Metabolism of Ginseng Between Normal and Immunosuppressed Rats.

Background And Objective: Ginseng is usually consumed as a dietary supplement for health care in the normal state or prescribed as a herbal medicine in pathologic conditions. Although metabolic studies of ginseng are commonly performed on healthy organisms, the metabolic characteristics in pathologic organisms remain unexplored. This study aimed to uncover the difference in intestinal metabolism of ginseng between normal and cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed rats and further discuss the potential mechanisms involved.

Soil resource heterogeneity competitively favors an invasive clonal plant over a native one.

Soil resource heterogeneity can affect plant growth and competitive ability. However, little is known about how soil resource heterogeneity affects competitive interactions between invasive and native plants. We conducted an experiment with an invasive clonal plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and a coexisting native one Alternanthera sessilis.

Quality consistency evaluation on four origins of Cicadae Periostracum by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis.

Cicadae Periostracum, which is derived from the slough of Cicadidae insects, is a commonly used crude drug in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As specified in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Cryptotympana atrata (CA) is the only official species of this crude drug. However, the slough of other three species, i.

Egf-like gene is essential for cuticle metabolism in the brown planthopper.

Using the mass spectrometry analysis of cuticle casts of brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens) and transcriptome analysis of BPH tissues, we identified a gigantic gene (50,922 bp, 16,973 aa) tentatively called Nlegf-like. Multiple transcripts were found. Nlegf-like encodes an integral membrane protein of 16,973 amino acid residues with 260 EGF-like repeats and 16 Ca-binding EGF repeats type (cbEGFs) in the extracellular portion.

Asiatic Acid Protects Dopaminergic Neurons from Neuroinflammation by Suppressing Mitochondrial Ros Production.

This study sought to evaluate the effects of Asiatic acid in LPS-induced BV2 microglia cells and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridine (MPP)-induced SH-SY5Y cells, to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Asiatic acid in Parkinson’s disease (PD). SH-SY5Y cells were induced using MPP to establish as an model of PD, so that the effects of Asiatic acid on dopaminergic neurons could be examined. The NLRP3 inflammasome was activated in BV2 microglia cells to explore potential mechanisms for the neuroprotective effects of Asiatic acid.

An ungrouped cuticular protein is essential for normal endocuticle formation in the brown planthopper.

Using transcriptome analysis of tissues of the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, we identified a gene tentatively designated NlCP21.92 that was expressed at high levels in the integument. Spatiotemporal expression profiling with quantitative PCR and Western blotting verified its integument-specific expression and showed periodic expression during molting.