Comparison of the efficacy and safety of ultrasonic cycloplasty vs valve implantation and anti-VEGF for the treatment of fundus disease-related neovascular glaucoma

·AIM: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of ultrasonic cycloplasty(UCP) vs Ahmed glaucoma drainage valve implantation(ADV) in addition to intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) for treatment of fundus disease-related neovascular glaucoma(NVG).·METHODS: A total of 43 patients(45 eyes) with NVG secondary to fundus diseases underwent anti-VEGF combined with UCP or ADV from August 2020 to March 2022 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. Of them, 14 patients(15 eyes) were treated with both UCP and anti-VEGF as the UCP group and 29 patients(30 eyes) treated with both ADV and anti-VEGF as the ADV group. The success of the treatment was defined as intraocular pressure(IOP) between 11-20 mm Hg with or without using IOP-lowering drugs. IOP measurement, IOP lowering drugs at baseline and follow-ups period and complications were recorded.·RESULTS: The average age was 63.03±9.95 and 52.27±12.89y in ADV and UCP groups, respectively(P=1.947). The fundus pathology included proliferative diabetic retinopathy in 42 eyes and retinal vein occlusion in 3 eyes. All eyes in both groups achieved successful treatment at 3mo. While the success rate was 90.0%(27/30) in the ADV group and 86.7%(13/15) in the UCP group at the last follow-up of 6mo(P>0.05). IOP was significantly lower with reduction of drug use than the baseline in both groups(both P<0.05). And the ADV group needed fewer anti-glaucoma drops than the UCP group from 1d to 3mo. The comfort scores of patients in the ADV group were significantly lower than those in the UCP group in the first week after the operation(P<0.05).·CONCLUSION: UCP is an alternative to the ADV with the same efficacy but non-invasive for the treatment of NVG.

Gene expression and metabolite profiles of cotton fiber during cell elongation and secondary cell wall synthesis

棉花纤维在延伸的开始以后很快伸长，最后导致大量纤维素的存款。为了在快延伸和第二等的细胞壁合成揭示棉花纤维房间的特征，上演，我们比较了 respectivetranscriptomes 和代谢物侧面。由 cDNA 数组的 transcriptomes 的比较分析识别了是在纤维开发期间调整的差别的 633 基因。用变量把纤维样品划分了成四的表示基因的 Principalcomponent 分析(PCA ) 组织，它发育阶段是诊断的。如果，类似的组织结果也被发现我们是的 usenon 极或极的代谢物为开发纤维的 PCA 的变量。植物生长素发信号，松开墙并且脂类代谢在纤维延伸期间是高度活跃的，而纤维素生合成是占优势的，许多另外的新陈代谢的小径是在第二等的细胞壁合成调整的 down，上演。抄本和代谢物侧面和酶活动在向纤维素合成表明棉花纤维开发的一个专门化过程是一致的。这些数据证明在某个阶段的那个棉花纤维房间有它棉花纤维房间的自己的唯一的特征，和发育阶段能被他们的抄本和代谢物侧面区分。在第二等的细胞壁合成阶段期间，新陈代谢的小径被流进纤维素合成。

Diterpene Synthases and Their Responsible Cyclic Natural Products

This review provides an overview of diterpene synthases which were initially identified via genetic and/or biochemical means,traversing all organisms researched to date.

Theoretical prediction of radiation-enhanced diffusion behavior in nickel under self-ion irradiation

The enhanced diffusion in materials under irradiation plays an important role in the long-term microstructural evolution. In this work, the self-ion irradiation in nickel was used as a model system to study the effect of radiation-enhanced diffusion on the implanted ion profiles. Initially, the depth profiles of vacancies and implanted ions for nickel self-ion irradiation with ion energies up to 15 MeV were computed by the high-efficiency Monte Carlo code IM3D(Irradiation of Materials in 3 D). The results are in good agreement with those predicted by SRIM(Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter).Then, diffusion coefficients as functions of temperature and damage rate were obtained, and the depth-dependent diffusion coefficients at various temperatures and damage rates were also illustrated. For this purpose, we used a temperature-dependent effective sink concentration for nickel, which was estimated from the available experimental investigations on the damage structures of irradiated nickel. At length, case studies on the time evolution of implanted ion profiles under the condition of nickel selfirradiation were performed and discussed based on Fick’s second law. The results help to understand the fundamental diffusion properties in ion irradiation, especially under higher-dose irradiation.

幽门螺旋杆菌治疗方法的最新进展

作为一种革兰阳性杆菌,幽门螺旋杆菌(H.pylori)属于微需氧菌,在人体胃黏膜中广泛定植,且与黏膜相关淋巴瘤、上皮内瘤变、肠化生、胃黏膜萎缩、消化性溃疡、慢性胃炎等疾病关系密切。在治疗H.pylori感染的过程中,以往较为经典的方法涉及“三联方案”、“伴同疗法”、“序贯疗法”等。但近几年由于抗菌药物的广泛应用以及滥用现象的增多,其耐药性有所增高,且治疗效果不断降低,所以对H.pylori感染的治疗方法最新进展进行深入探究尤为关键。本文现结合部分国外研究成果和2016年全国H.pylori感染的处理共识,详细阐述了H.pylori治疗方法最新进展。

Correction to:Theoretical prediction of radiation-enhanced diffusion behavior in nickel under self-ion irradiation

Correction to:NUCL SCI TECH(2020)31:79 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41365-020-00791-w In the original publication,there is a mistake in Eq.(9)and its explanations(Sect.2.2).The correction is as follows:Dv=αa^20m0exp(-H^m/v=kBT)(9)where a0 is the lattice constant and v0 is the attempt frequency for vacancy exchange[1,27],kB is the Boltzmann’s constant.

阿司匹林预防消化道肿瘤的研究进展

经20世纪50年代起,其中经流行病学、临床研究以及多种医学研究显示,肠溶阿司匹林在消化道肿瘤的预防中具有重要作用。长期服用肠溶阿司匹林能够有效降低相关胃癌、结肠癌等发生率,能够有效改善患者预后同时延缓病情进展。其中阿司匹林作用和服用剂量、时间以及相关肿瘤病理类型具有一定关系。

慢性萎缩性胃炎中医药研究难点及对策

慢性萎缩性胃炎由于自身患病率相对较高,常受外界因素影响,其中临床指征为胃粘膜病变,患者带有呕吐、腹痛等症状。幽门螺杆菌作为现阶段引起慢性萎缩性胃炎的关键因素,中医药物疗法凭借自身的优势已成为常用方法,对于幽门螺杆菌的清除率也有一定的提升。但是在中医药应用的过程中还存在一些问题,因此本文深刻探讨了慢性萎缩性胃炎中医药研究难点及对策。

棉花纤维发育功能基因组学研究

Cotton fibers are single-cell trichomes derived from the epidermis of cotton ovules. Analysis of transcripts in developing fiber cells may provide valuable information to understand mechanisms regulation fiber initiation and growth, as well as to cotton breeding. We have made an array of more than 5000 clones isolated from a cotton ovule ( and the fiber ) cDNA library. ……

Multiomics analyses of two Leonurus species illuminate leonurine biosynthesis and its evolution

The Lamiaceae family is renowned for its terpenoid-based medicinal components,but Leonurus,which has traditional medicinal uses,stands out for its alkaloid-rich composition.Leonurine,the principal active compound found in Leonurus,has demonstrated promising effects in reducing blood lipids and treating strokes.However,the biosynthetic pathway of leonurine remains largely unexplored.Here,we present the chromosome-level genome sequence assemblies of Leonurus japonicus,known for its high leonurine production,and Leonurus sibiricus,characterized by very limited leonurine production.By integrating genomics,RNA sequencing,metabolomics,and enzyme activity assay data,we constructed the leonurine biosynthesis pathway and identified the arginine decarboxylase(ADC),uridine diphosphate glucosyltransferase(UGT),and serine carboxypeptidase-like(SCPL)acyltransferase enzymes that catalyze key reactions in this pathway.Further analyses revealed that the UGT–SCPL gene cluster evolved by gene duplication in the ancestor of Leonurus and neofunctionalization of SCPL in L.japonicus,which contributed to the accumulation of leonurine specifically in L.japonicus.Collectively,our comprehensive study illuminates leonurine biosynthesis and its evolution in Leonurus.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals a hierarchical transcriptional regulatory network of terpenoid biosynthesis in cotton secretory glandular cells

Plants can synthesize a wide range of terpenoids in response to various environmental cues.However,the specific regulatory mechanisms governing terpenoid biosynthesis at the cellular level remain largely elusive.In this study,we employed single-cell RNA sequencing to comprehensively characterize the transcriptome profile of cotton leaves and established a hierarchical transcriptional network regulating cellspecific terpenoid production.We observed substantial expression levels of genes associated with the biosynthesis of both volatile terpenes(such asβ-caryophyllene andβ-myrcene)and non-volatile gossypol-type terpenoids in secretory glandular cells.Moreover,two novel transcription factors,namely GoHSFA4a and GoNAC42,are identified to function downstream of the Gossypium PIGMENT GLAND FORMATION genes.Both transcription factors could directly regulate the expression of terpenoid biosynthetic genes in secretory glandular cells in response to developmental and environmental stimuli.For convenient retrieval of the single-cell RNA sequencing data generated in this study,we developed a user-friendly web server.Our findings not only offer valuable insights into the precise regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis genes in cotton leaves but also provide potential targets for cotton breeding endeavors.

Scutellaria baicalensis, the golden herb from the garden of Chinese medicinal plants

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, or Chinese skullcap, has been widely used as a medicinal plant in China for thousands of years, where the preparation from its roots is called Huang-Qin. It has been applied in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, hypertension, hemorrhaging, insomnia,inflammation and respiratory infections. Flavones such as baicalin, wogonoside and their aglycones baicalein wogonin are the major bioactive compounds extracted from the root of S. baicalensis. These flavones have been reported to have various pharmacological functions, including anti-cancer,hepatoprotection, antibacterial and antiviral, antioxidant,anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects. In this review,we focus on clinical applications and the pharmacological properties of the medicinal plant and the flavones extracted from it. We also describe biotechnological and metabolic methods that have been used to elucidate the biosynthetic pathways of the bioactive compounds in Scutellaria.

The Jasmonate-Responsive AP2/ERF Transcription Factors AaERF1 and AaERF2 Positively Regulate Artemisinin Biosynthesis in Artemisia annua L.

Plants of Artemisia annua produce artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone widely used in malaria treatment. Amorpha-4,11-diene synthase （ADS）, a sesquiterpene synthase, and CYP71AV1, a P450 monooxygenase, are two key enzymes of the artemisinin biosynthesis pathway. Accumulation of artemisinin can be induced by the phytohormone jasmonate （JA）. Here, we report the characterization of two JA-responsive AP2 family transcription factors-AaERF1 and AaERF2-from A. annua L. Both genes were highly expressed in inflorescences and strongly induced by JA. Yeast one- hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assay （EMSA） showed that they were able to bind to the CRTDREHVCBF2 （CBF2） and RAVlAAT （RAA） motifs present in both ADS and CYP71AV1 promoters. Transient expression of either AaERF1 or AaERF2 in tobacco induced the promoter activities of ADS or CYP71AV1, and the transgenic A. annua plants overexpressing either transcription factor showed elevated transcript levels of both ADS and CYP71AV1, resulting in increased accumulation of artemisinin and artemisinic acid. By contrast, the contents of these two metabolites were reduced in the RNAi transgenic lines in which expression of AaERF1 or AaERF2 was suppressed. These results demonstrate that AaERF1 and AaERF2 are two positive regulators of artemisinin biosynthesis and are of great value in genetic engineering of arte- misinin production.

The Reference Genome Sequence of Scutellaria baicalensis Provides Insights into the Evolution of Wogonin Biosynthesis

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is important in Chinese traditional medicine where preparations of dried roots,"Huang Qin," are used for liver and lung complaints and as complementary cancer treatments. We report a high-quality reference genome sequence for S. baicalensis where 93% of the 408.14-Mb genome has been assembled into nine pseudochromosomes with a super-N50 of 33.2 Mb. Comparison of this sequence with those of closely related species in the order Lamiales, sesamum indicum and Salvia splendens,revealed that a specialized metabolic pathway for the synthesis of 4'-deoxyflavone bioactives evolved in the genus Scu-tellaria. We found that the gene encoding a specific cinnamate coenzyme A ligase likely obtained its newfunc- tion following recent mutations, and that four genes encoding enzymes in the 4'-deoxyflavone pathway are present as tandem repeats in the genome of S. baicalensis. Further analyses revealed that gene duplications, segmental duplication, gene amplification, and point mutations coupled to gene neo- and subfunctionaliza-tions were involved in the evolution of 4'-deoxyflavone synthesis in the genus Scutellaria. Our study not only provides significant insight into the evolution of specific flavone biosynthetic pathways in the mint family, Lamiaceae, but also will facilitate the development of tools for enhancing bioactive productivity by metabolic engineering in microbes or by molecular breeding in plants. The reference genome of S. baicalensis is also useful for improving the genome assemblies for other members of the mint family and offers an important foundation for decoding the synthetic pathways of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants.

Two CYP82D Enzymes Function as Flavone Hydroxylases in the Biosynthesis of Root-Specific 4＇-Deoxyflavones in Scutellaria baicalensis

Baicalein, wogonin, and their glycosides are major bioactive compounds found in the medicinal plant Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. These flavones can induce apoptosis in a variety of cancer cell lines but have no effect on normal cells. Furthermore, they have many additional benefits for human health, such as antioxidant, antiviral, and liver-protective properties. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of two CYP450 enzymes, SbCYP82D1.1 and SbCYP82D2, which function as the flavone 6-hydroxylase （F6H） and flavone 8-hydroxylase （F8H）, respectively, in S. baicalensis. SbCYP82D1.1 has broad substrate speci- ficity for flavones such as chrysin and apigenin and is responsible for biosynthesis of baicalein and scutel- larein in roots and aerial parts of S. baicalensis, respectively. When the expression of SbCYP82D1.1 is knocked down, baicalin and baicalein levels are reduced significantly while chrysin glycosides accumulate in hairy roots. SbCYP82D2 is an F8H with high substrate specificity, accepting only chrysin as its substrate to produce norwogonin, although minor 6-hydroxylation activity can also be detected. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that SbCYP82D2 might have evolved from SbCYP82D1.1 via gene duplication followed by neofunctionalization, whereby the ancestral F6H activity is partially retained in the derived SbCYP82D2.

Recent advances in biosynthesis of bioactive compounds in traditional Chinese medicinal plants

Plants synthesize and accumulate large amount of specialized(or secondary) metabolites also known as natural products, which provide a rich source for modern pharmacy. In China, plants have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. Recent development of molecular biology, genomics and functional genomics as well as high-throughput analytical chemical technologies has greatly promoted the research on medicinal plants. In this article, we review recent advances in the elucidation of biosynthesis of specialized metabolites in medicinal plants,including phenylpropanoids, terpenoids and alkaloids. These natural products may share a common upstream pathway to form a limited numbers of common precursors, but are characteristic in distinct modifications leading to highly variable structures. Although this review is focused on traditional Chinese medicine, other plants with a great medicinal interest or potential are also discussed. Understanding of their biosynthesis processes is critical for producing these highly value molecules at large scale and low cost in microbes and will benefit to not only human health but also plant resource conservation.

Plant Terpenoids： Biosynthesis and Ecological Functions

Among plant secondary metabolites terpenolds are a structurally most diverse group; they function as phytoalexins In plant direct defense, or as signals In Indirect defense responses which involves herbivores and their natural enemies. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the Investigation of the ecological role of plant terpenolds. The biosynthesis pathways of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes Include the synthesis of C5 precursor isopentenyl diphosphate （IPP） and Its allylic isomer dlmethylallyl dlphosphate （DMAPP）, the synthesis of the immediate diphosphate precursors, and the formation of the diverse terpenoids. Terpene synthases （TPSs） play a key role In volatile terpene synthesis. By expression of the TPS genes, significant achievements have been made on metabolic engineering to Increase terpenoid production. This review mainly summarizes the recent research progress In elucidating the ecological role of terpenoids and characterization of the enzymes Involved in the terpenold biosynthesis. Spatial and temporal regulations of terpenoids metabolism are also discussed.

Transcriptional Regulation of Plant Secondary Metabolism

Plant secondary metabolites play critical roles in plant-environment interactions. They are synthesized in different organs or tissues at particular developmental stages, and in response to various environmental stimuli, both biotic and abiotic. Accordingly, corresponding genes are regulated at the transcriptional level by multiple transcription factors. Several families of transcription factors have been identified to participate in controlling the biosynthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites. These regulators integrate internal （often developmental） and external signals, bind to corresponding cis-elements -- which are often in the promoter regions -- to activate or repress the expression of enzyme-coding genes, and some of them interact with other transcription factors to form a complex. In this review, we summarize recent research in these areas, with an emphasis on newly-identified transcription factors and their functions in metabolism regulation.

Arabidopsis Transcription Factors SPL1 and SPL12 Confer Plant Thermotolerance at Reproductive Stage

Plant reproductive organs are vulnerable to heat, but regulation of heat-shock responses in inflorescence is largely uncharacterized. Here, we report that two of the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN- LIKE （SPL） transcriptional factors in Arabidopsis, SPL1 and SPL12, act redundantly in thermotolerance at the reproductive stage. The spll-1 sp112-1 inflorescences displayed hypersensitivity to heat stress, whereas overexpression of SPL 1 or SPL 12 enhanced the thermotolerance in both Arabidopsis and tobacco. RNA sequencing revealed 1939 upregulated and 1479 downregulated genes in wild-type inflorescence upon heat stress, among which one-quarter （1,040） was misregulated in spll-1 sp112-1, indicating that SPL1 and SPL12 contribute greatly to the heat-triggered transcriptional reprogramming in inflorescence. Notably, heat stress induced a large number of abscisic acid （ABA） responsive genes, of which -39% were disturbed in heat induction in spll-1 sp112-1 inflorescence. Preapplication of ABA and overex- pression of SPL1 restored the inflorescence thermotolerance in spll-1 sp112-1 and in the ABA biosynthesis mutant aba2-1, but not in the pyl sextuple mutant defective in ABA receptors PYR 1/PYL 1/PYL2/PYL4/PYL5/ PYL8. Thus, inflorescence thermotolerance conferred by SPL1 and SPL2 involves PYL-mediated ABA signaling. The molecular network consisting of SPL1 and SPL12 illustrated here shed new light on the mechanisms of plant thermotolerance at the reproductive stage.

The miR319-Targeted GhTCP4 Promotes the Transition from Cell Elongation to Wall Thickening in Cotton Fiber

Plant cell growth involves a complex interplay among cell-wall expansion, biosynthesis, and, in specific tissues, secondary cell wall (SCW) deposition, yet the coordination of these processes remains elusive. Cotton fiber cells are developmentally synchronous, highly elongated, and contain nearly pure cellulose when mature. Here, we report that the transcription factor GhTCP4 plays an important role in balancing cotton fiber cell elongation and wall synthesis. During fiber development the expression of miR319 declines while GhTCP4 transcript levels increase, with high levels of the latter promoting SCW deposition. GhTCP4 interacts with a homeobox-containing factor, GhHOX3, and repressing its transcriptional activity. GhTCP4 and GhHOX3 function antagonistically to regulate cell elongation, thereby establishing temporal control of fiber cell transition to the SCW stage. We found that overexpression of GhTCP4A upregulated and accelerated activation of the SCW biosynthetic pathway in fiber cells, as revealed by transcriptome and promoter activity analyses, resulting in shorter fibers with varied lengths and thicker walls. In contrast, GhTCP4 downregulation led to slightly longer fibers and thinner cell walls. The GhHOX3–GhTCP4 complex may represent a general mechanism of cellular development in plants since both are conserved factors in many species, thus providing us a potential molecular tool for the design of fiber traits.