The sweet-tasting protein, brazzein, has potential as a low-calorie sugar substitute owing to its high sweetness, stability, and water solubility. In this study, a synthetic brazzein gene was expressed in the tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum. Three types of expression cassettes containing the brazzein gene were constructed to examine the expression and purification efficiency of the brazzein: pBI-BZ1 containing a signal sequence and His-tag, pBI-BZ2 containing a signal sequence, and pBI-BZ3 containing only the brazzein gene. Brazzein, whose expression was confirmed by ELISA, was purified via ammonium sulfate precipitation, heat treatment, and CM-sepharose chromatography. The purity and conformational state of the brazzein were confirmed by SDS-PAGE, HPLC, and circular dichroism. The identity of the brazzein was confirmed by N-terminal amino acid analysis, ESI-MS/MS, and sweetness analysis. We successfully generated brazzein-overexpressing tobacco plants; thus, this method could be used to produce brazzein, which can be used as an alternative to currently produced sweeteners.

In this paper, we are concerned with the multiplicity of nontrivial solutions for the following semilinear degenerate elliptic equation in $\mathbb{R}^N$ \begin{equation*} -\Delta_\lambda u + V(x) u = f(x,u) \;\text{ in } \mathbb{R}^N, N\ge 3, \end{equation*} where $V: \mathbb{R}^N\to \mathbb{R}$ is a potential function and allowed to be vanishing at infinitely, $f: \mathbb{R}^N\times \mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$ is a given function and $\Delta_\lambda$ is the strongly degenerate elliptic operator. Some results on the multiplicity of solutions are proved under suitable assumptions on the potential $V$ and the nonlinearity $f.$ The proof is based on variational methods, in particular, on the well-known mountain pass lemma of Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz. Due to the vanishing potentials and degeneracy of the operator, some new compact embedding theorems are used in the proof. Our results extend and generalize some existing results \cite{AS13, Hamdani20, Luyen19, LT18, Tang13, TU20}.

We study a spatial susceptible-infected-susceptible(SIS) model in heterogeneous environments with vary advective rate. We establish the asymptotic stability of the unique disease-free equilibrium(DFE) when R0 > 1 and the existence of the endemic equilibrium when R0 < 1. Here R0 is the basic reproduction number. We also discuss the effect of diffusion on the stability of the DFE.

Water use efficiency is an important indicator of drought tolerance of plants. The response was still unclear of water use efficiency to different grazing intensity and its adaptive mechanisms in alpine meadow. Here, we analyzed water use efficiency of plant dominant species, coexisting species and functional group level plants to grazing intensity by δ13C index in alpine meadow. Furthermore, this study revealed the driven factors of water use efficiency combined available nitrogen, soil bulk density, soil organic carbon, soil water content and evapotranspiration. Grazing increased plants δ13C by 3.37%. Moderate grazing significantly increased the δ13C of Gramineae by 4.84% (P<0.05), and increased δ13C of Cyperaceae, Leguminosae, and Forb by 3.45%, 0.81%, and 1.40% respectively. Some dominant species and coexisting species have the highest δ13C value under moderate grazing. This study indicated that moderate grazing significantly improved the water use efficiency of alpine meadows. Path analysis resulted showed that the water use efficiency was negatively correlated with evapotranspiration (P<0.05), soil water content, soil organic carbon, and soil bulk density. It was positively correlated with available nitrogen. Our study provides new insights that moderate grazing help to increase water use efficiency in alpine meadows. In addition, evapotranspiration may be the main driving factor affecting the water use efficiency of alpine meadow.

In this work, the effective ultra-deep catalytic adsorptive desulfurization (CADS) using Ti-silica gel adsorbent at low Ti loading range (< 1%) was investigated. The superior CADS capacity (37.3 mg-S/g-A) and high TOF value (432 h-1) for dibenzothiophene (DBT) were achieved at 0.6% of Ti loading with high dispersion and low Ti coordination. The catalytic oxidation of DBT conformed to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, and the corresponding rate equation was well described as rDBT=[(N^2)*k/(K*[CHP])]*[DBT], where the TiOOR is determined as the intermediate to enable the DBT oxidation to the corresponding sulfone (DBTO2). The effectiveness of CADS using Ti-SG was verified in various real low-sulfur diesels with varied sulfur concentrations and O/S ratios in the dynamic fixed-bed adsorption and multi-cycle regenerations. This work provides insights on using low-cost bifunctional catalytic adsorbents at low Ti loading for effective CADS to realize ultra-deep desulfurization of transportation fuels.

A document by Zhang Wei. Click on the document to view its contents.

Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) was mixed with cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) because of hardness, strength and transparency properties. The results of thermal analysis through TGA and DTG showed that, the thermal properties of the alloy are improved using 40% cyclic olefin copolymer. Kinetics of thermal degradation (pyrolysis) of polymers has been studied and analyzed. The computation of kinetic analysis is measured along the different methods used to study the kinetics. The activation energy (E) of degradation of studied materials was estimated using Ozawa Flynn and Wall (OFW),Starink and Kissinger’s methods, and evaluation of three kinetic parameters taken appropriate kinetic model in terms of percent change for both types of polymers have been proposed, and finally, simulated curves were compared with the experimental curves. Both mechanisms of the degradation for the COC and PMMA under nitrogen atmosphere would reflect intramolecular transfer and random scission of the main chain.

Background and Purpose: Tacrolimus (Tac) induces pancreatic β cell dysfunction, causing new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) after transplantation. Reg3g is a member of the pancreatic regenerative gene family, as reported to improve type 1 diabetes by promoting β cell regeneration. Here, we aim to investigate the role and approach of Reg3g in reversing Tac-induced β cell dysfunction and NODM in mice. Experimental Approach: Circulating REG3A (the human homolog of mouse Reg3g) concentrations of patients treated with Tac after heart transplantation(HT) were detected. The glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and mitochondrial functions, including mitochondria membrane potential (MMP), mitochondria calcium uptake, ATP production, and oxygen consumption rate (OCR), were tested in β cells. Effects of Reg3g on Tac-induced NODM in mice were studied. Key Results: Circulating REG3A levels significantly decreased in NODM patients treated with Tac compared with those without diabetes. Tac down-regulated Reg3g via inhibiting STAT3-mediated transcription activation, while Reg3g protected against Tac-induced apoptosis of β cells. Besides, Reg3g restored GSIS suppressed by Tac in β cells via improving mitochondrial function, including increased MMP, mitochondria calcium uptake, ATP production, and OCR. Mechanically, Reg3g increased accumulation of pSTAT3(Ser727) in mitochondria by activating ERK1/2-STAT3 signaling pathway, leading to restoration of Tac-caused mitochondrial impairment. Moreover, Reg3g overexpression effectively ameliorated Tac-induced NODM in mice. Conclusion and Implications: Reg3g ameliorates Tac-induced pancreatic β cell dysfunction by restoring mitochondrial function via a pSTAT3(Ser727)-dependent way. Our observations identify a novel Reg3g-involved mechanism underlying the augmented incidence of Tac-induced NODM and reveal that Reg3g ameliorates Tac-induced β cell dysfunction.

H5N6 avian influenza virus (AIV) has posed a threat to poultry and human health. Here, we isolated a new clade 2.3.2.1 H5N6 virus, not like most reported H5N6 AIVs of clade 2.3.4.4. Our analysis revealed a complex pattern of its evolution in which the virus was derived as a result of genetic reassortment among clade 2.3.2.1 and clade 2.3.4.4 H5 and H6N6 AIVs. Moreover, the results suggested that H5N6 clade 2.3.2.1 AIVs had multiple reassortment pattern. It is necessary that to strengthen continuing surveillance to prevent infection in human and poultry.

Background: Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) drastically reduces the lifespan of erythrocytes resulting in, inter alia, jaundice, hypersplenism and dependency on regular blood transfusions due to hemolysis. Splenectomy and blood transfusions do not guarantee an improvement of clinical symptoms and cause severe side effects such as iron overload and risk of infection. Procedure: Treatment with EPO was introduced two months after birth and commenced with a dosage of < 200.0 U/kg subcutaneously twice per week. Results: Hemoglobin concentration (Hb) remained stable at 8.0 g/dl at the age of 12 months and reached a peak of 11.0 g/dl at 20 moths. No further transfusions were necessary since the effect of EPO set in. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) showed a slower increase than the number of reticulocytes proving that treatment with EPO improved the maturation of reticulocytes to adult erythrocytes thereby overcoming ineffective erythropoiesis. Iron overload due to prior transfusions was reduced, hypersplenism and compromised liver function were not present at any time. The child’s health and neurological development were in line with its age always. Conclusions: Treatment with EPO overcomes ineffective erythropoiesis in patients with a measurable residual activity of PK preventing the risks and side effects of current standard treatment strategies

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a rare oncological emergency. We report a pediatric neuroblastoma complicated with DIC which required thromboelastometry-guided surgery. A 6-year-old female diagnosed with intermediate risk adrenal neuroblastoma developed tumor-related DIC after chemotherapy first cycle. She remained stable without clinical bleeding and emergent tumor resection guided by intraoperative-thromboelastometry was decided. DIC resolved early after surgery and complete remission was achieved. Treatment of the underlying condition is critical to manage DIC. Thromboelastometry can guide goal-directed therapy, including surgery in pediatric patients. However, larger studies are needed to examine its applicability in different clinical settings, such as cancer related DIC.

AIMS: The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes of tumor markers with increasing utilization area in recent years in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. METHODS: The serums of 30 newly diagnosed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients with subclinical hypothyroidism were collected before and 6 weeks after the treatment with L-T4. Thirty healthy volunteers were taken as the control group. TSH, thyroid hormones, anti-TPO, anti-T, CA 19-9 and CA 72-4 were studied in all patients. RESULTS: There was no significant differences in the levels of CA 19-9 and CA 72-4 in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients with subclinical hypothyroidism compared to the control group (p = 0.35 and p = 0.45, respectively). Significant difference was found in CA 19-9 value after the treatment with L-T4 (p = 0.04). Also a significant correlation between TSH and anti-TPO with CA 19-9 levels has been determined (p = 0.07, r = 0.484 and p = 0.001, r = 0.799, respectively). CONCLUSION: CA 72-4 studied for the first time in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, has been determined as not different from healthy controls and the levels are not changed after the treatment with L-T4. To understand the reasons of why a significant increase has been shown in CA 19-9 after treatment, we believe that there is a need for long term new studies with more patients. Key Words: Subclinical Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, CA 19-9, CA 72-4

A field experiment was conducted to phenotype the root traits and screen 35 local maize landraces of Eastern Himalayan region for waterlogging tolerance at seedling and flowering stage. Microcosm screening was done at seedling stage (6-8 leaf stage) with pots maintained with flooded water to a level of 4-5 cm above the soil surface for 15 days continuously. Artificial flooding stress to a depth of 20-25 cm above the soil surface for 10 days continuously was induced at the time of flowering in the field. This was majorly performed to trace the plasticity of root architecture through phenotyping. The evaluation and selection of different maize landraces for waterlogging stress at seedling stage was established through shovelomics with the apparent calculation of response coefficient (RC) as rightful/ surrogate indication of phenotypic plasticity and waterlogging tolerance coefficient (WTC). For assessing the field performance, each stress responsive trait viz., BW, BO, BA1, BA2, BB, CN, CA and CB were assigned scoring values from one to nine visually which ideally serve as screening measure for waterlogging tolerance. The results revealed that genotypes RCM-44-19, RCM-16-19, RCM-39-19, RCM-42-19, RCM-15-19, RCM-51-19, RCM-9-19, RCM-45-19, RCM-32-19, RCM-43-19, RCM-10-19, RCM-49-19, RCM-12-19 and RCM-26-19 were identified as WL tolerant at seedling stage and some genotypes like RCM-12-19, RCM-32-19, RCM-16-19 and RCM-23-19 showed vigorous root growth and branching after waterlogged treatment at flowering stage. The genotypes like RCM-12-19, RCM-32-19 and RCM-16-19 were designated as flooding stress tolerant at both the crop growth stages which could be of appropriate utility for the upcoming maize breeding program under excess moisture-prone environments of North East hilly regions after systematic validation through advance molecular tools.

Recurrent Vincristine-induced Fever in a Child with Wilms tumor

Hydroxychloroquine had generated a lot of promise initially in coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic following its reported in-vitro efficacy. Based on in-vitro studies and emerging clinical data its prophylactic use in healthcare workers was recommended by various healthcare bodies such as Indian Council of Medical Research. We undertook a study to check if hydroxychloroquine accorded any prophylactic advantage in healthcare workers in a departmental study under publication. The results revealed that hydroxychloroquine failed to provide any prophylactic protection. Serum levels of hydroxychloroquine were measured to cross-validate compliance of prophylactic doses. We went ahead to check correlation between time since the last dose of hydroxychloroquine and its serum levels. A poor correlation between the two was noted (r=0.08; p=0.58) which reinforces the underlying variability and unpredictability of pharmacokinetics of hydroxychloroquine.

Bullfrog is one of the most important economic aquatic animals in China. It is widely cultured in southern China, and is a key breed recommended by China's poverty alleviation industry. In recent years, a fatal bacterial disease often occurs in cultured bullfrogs. The clinical manifestations of diseased bullfrog were severe intestinal inflammation and even anal prolapse. A bacterial pathogen was isolated from the diseased bullfrog intestine. The bacterium was identified as Vibrio cholerae by morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis. In this study, V. cholerae was isolated and identified from the diseased bullfrog for the first time, which provided the basis for the diagnosis and control of the disease. At the same time, it is also reminded that V. cholerae from bullfrog may be transmitted to human through bullfrog food and aquaculture water, which is a serious threat to human beings. The whole society should pay attention to it and formulate reasonable measures to avoid disasters.

Objectives: Using transcanal endoscopic ear surgery to manage middle ear disease in children remains a controversial topic. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of transcanal endoscopic ear surgery between children and adults. Methods: This study consisted of 20 children (31 ears) and 86 adults (102 ears) with chronic otitis media who underwent transcanal endoscopic ear surgery between January 2014 and August 2016 at Taipei and Hsinchu Cathay General Hospital. Among these patients, 13 children (23 ears) and 23 adults (34 ears) had chronic otitis media with effusion, 4 children (5 ears) and 46 adults (51 ears) had chronic otitis media without cholesteatomas, and 3 children (3 ears) and 17 adults (17 ears) had cholesteatomas. The two groups were compared with respect to (1) surgical outcome, which included the rates of surgical success, hearing restoration, and postoperative complications, and (2) surgical time. Results: We observed no significant difference between pediatric and adult patients with regard to the rates of surgical success, postoperative hearing gain, and postoperative complications in all surgical procedures. As for ventilation tube insertion, the pediatric patients had shorter surgical time compared to adult patients. With respect to tympanoplasty, the pediatric group had a longer surgical time than adults did. Conclusions: Our study showed that transcanal endoscopic ear surgery can be successfully applied to manage various middle ear diseases in children.

Wheat grain protein content (GPC) is an important quality indicator. The GPC of wheat grown in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is often low. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is an effective tool for improving quantitative traits; however, except Gpc-B1, most markers have not been effectively applied in GPC improvement, although many related loci have been identified. Linkage analysis using a recombinant inbred line population from the cross of core parents of Ningmai 9 and Yangmai 158 and association mapping using the local cultivated varieties were performed and nine candidate intervals were identified. The appropriate kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers associated with GPC were successfully developed and applied in 1163 F4 breeding lines. Three markers, Kgpc-2B, Kgpc-2D, and Kgpc-4A, were validated to be significantly related to GPC by large-scale association mapping, and they were combined to achieve the highest efficiency to enhance GPC. We applied these markers in 164 F6 breeding lines and obtained 15 lines with high GPC, indicating their high selective efficiency. Further, strategies for gene exploration in the three significant intervals were proposed. These results were expected to provide a novel route for improving GPC in wheat quality breeding.

Heterophylly, the plasticity of leaf form in response to environmental conditions, occurs in aquatic and amphibious plants where it modulates water availability, gas exchange and photosynthesis to maximize plant productivity. Rorippa aquatica produces simple leaves in terrestrial conditions but dissected leaves under submerged conditions. Regulation of CIN-TCP transcription factors by miR319 controls leaf complexity in a number of species and we provide evidence that this regulatory module acts in R. aquatica heterophylly. RaTCP1 was identified as the most likely target of Raq-miR319b. Under conditions that induced increased leaf complexity, RaTCP1 expression was reduced whereas Raq-miR319b expression was increased. Overexpression of Raq-miR319 in Arabidopsis thaliana reduced TCP gene expression and increased leaf serration. Similarly, a repressive form of RaTCP1 expressed in either A. thaliana or R. aquatica resulted in more complex leaves. Our results indicate that the environmental induction of dissected leaves in R. aquatica occurs through down-regulation of RaTCP by Raq-miR319.

Alfalfa is an important legume forage grown worldwide and its productivity is affected by drought and salt stresses. In this work, three alfalfa germplasms with contrasting tolerances were used for unraveling the transcriptomic responses to drought and salt stresses. Twenty-one different RNA samples were extracted and sequenced using the PacBio and the Illumina platforms to obtain full-length transcriptomic profiles in response to germplasm, stress condition or tissue source (leaf, stem and root). A total of 1,124,275 and 91,378 unique isoforms and genes were obtained, respectively. Comparative analysis identified multiple transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation mechanism, including alternative splicing events, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), transcription factors, and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay events. This is the first report of a genome-wide profiling of non-coding RNAs in alfalfa. Finally, a weighted gene regulation network was generated allowing to identify master genes including transcription factors and other regulators such lncRNAs in regulation of plant response to drought and salt stresses. This research provides new insight to understand the molecular mechanisms by which drought and high salinity affect alfalfa growth and production and improves and refine the underestimated transcriptional landscape in M. sativa.

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare immune disease, accompanied by high mortality. Vitamin D (VD), as a marker of inflammation, plays an important role in the regulation of the immune system by binding to receptors of immune cells (T and B cells). The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression level of vitamin D in HLH and to clarify its relationship with prognosis. Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 54 adult sHLH cases from November 2015 to December 2020. Results: Among the cohort, 49 (90.7%) patients with sHLH had VD insufficiency (25-hydroxy vitamin D [25-(OH)D] <50nmol/L) and median level was 23.95 (range: 7.5-90.8) nmol/L. Classified by 30nmol/L as the threshold value, there were no significant differences on baseline characteristics between two groups, except triglycerides (TG). Level of 25-(OH)D was significantly associated with TG (r=-0.34, P=0.011) and ferritin (r=-0.26, P=0.055). Patients with lower 25-(OH)-D level acquired shorter overall survival (28 vs. 125 days P=0.041). After multivariable adjustment, 25-(OH)-D was identified as an independent factor of survival (HR 0.364;95% CI 0.183-0.724; P=0.004). A significant interaction was discovered at 25-(OH)-D with ferritin (P=0.009) through subgroup analysis. Vitamin D is more likely to predict survival in elderly, male, MHLH, EBV infection, hemoglobin<90g/L, platelet<100×109/L, fibrinogen<1.5g/L, triglyceride, ferritin >10000ug/l, sCD25>20000ng/l group. Conclusions: Patients with sHLH almost had vitamin D insufficiency and vitamin D is an important prognostic protective factor for sHLH.

In this paper, we study the fourth-order m-point boundary value problem \begin{equation*} \left \{\begin{array}{lcr} u^{(4)}(t)=f(t,u(t)),\ t\in [0,1],\\ u’(0)=u’‘(0)=u(1)=0 , u’‘(1)-\sum^{m-2}_{i=1}\alpha_i u”’(\xi_i)=0, \end{array}\right. \end{equation*} with sign-changing Green’s function. By using some fixed theorems and the properties of Green’s function, we mainly establish the existence and multiplicity of positive solution for the problems under some suitable conditions.

Aims: The study aimed to investigate COVID-19 seropositivity rate in vaccinated and non-vaccinated adult groups to see if booster live attenuated vaccinations have a protective effect against COVID-19 in an isolated cluster of adults. Methods: Our retrospective cohort study was conducted on 257 participants who were tested for COVID-19 PCR and shared the same accommodation and the same dining hall. Participants were divided according to their vaccination status into two groups. The rate of COVID-19 seropositivity, age, body mass index (BMI), active smoking, presence of comorbidity was compared between these two groups. Results: 245 of 257 people accepted to participate in the study and 36.7% (n = 90) were COVID 19 positive. All of the participants were healthy, male, young adults. The non-vaccinated cases (n=207) had higher rates of COVID-19 seropositivity than the vaccinated cases (n=38) (40.6% vs 15.8%)(Odds ratio [95%Cl]=3.6 [1.5-9.0], p=0.004), while who were similar in terms of age, comorbidities rates, active smoking status and BMI (p=0.305, p=0.594, p=0.280 and p=0.922, respectively). Conclusion: Based on these results, we cautiously predict that immunity produced by MMR vaccination boosters may make adults less susceptible to COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19; live attenuated vaccines; booster vaccination; MMR.

Introduction: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) can result in fatal outcomes if it is not timely diagnosed and sufficiently treated. Some laboratory markers were identified in previous reports for predicting the disease with low sensitivity or specificity. We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of serum albumin levels and compare them with conventional laboratory parameters. Method: Fifty patients with acute lower-extremity DVT who has no previous history of malignancy or hematologic disorder were included to the study. The demographical variables and standard biomarkers of the DVT group were compared with the normal population (n:50). Thereafter patients were divided into two groups as extensive DVT (thrombosis involves popliteal, femoral, and iliac veins together) and localized DVT (thrombosis involves popliteal vein and below) and biomarkers were compared in patient groups. Results: The demographical variables and white blood cell count (WBC) found as similar between healthy groups and DVT groups. However, mean platelet volume (MPV), D-Dimer, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR) were found markedly higher in DVT patients. Moreover, statistically incremental FAR and NLR levels were detected (p<0.05) in patients with extensive DVT (involved iliac and femoral veins). Conclusion: Serum NLR and FAR levels seem to be significant predictors for the extensive thrombotic event in patients with DVT.