Explore the vast range of titles available.

Melatonin, a multifunctional signaling molecule, has been shown to play a significant role in response to abiotic stress. Several species have been reported to unveil melatonin’s effect on osmotic stress; however, the signal transduction mechanism of phytohormone-mediated melatonin biosynthesis in plant species remains unclear. In this study, although plants can biosynthesize melatonin, the exogenous application of melatonin to watermelon cells can improve cell growth in response to osmotic stress by regulating the antioxidant machinery of cells. Regarding the melatonin synthesis pathway, ClOMT (ClASMT and ClCOMT) is a multi-gene family, and ClSNAT has two members. Both ClOMTs and ClSNATs harbor the cis-elements in their promoter regions responding to various hormones. Among abscisic acid (ABA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and salicylic acid (SA), ABA treatment observably upregulated the expression of ClOMTs and ClSNATs, and the accumulation of melatonin with ABA treatment reached a level comparable to that with osmotic stress by mannitol treatment. Furthermore, when hormone biosynthesis inhibitors were added to cells before osmotic stress, the expression of ClOMTs and ClSNATs, as well as melatonin accumulation, were significantly suppressed with the ABA biosynthesis inhibitor. This study demonstrated the crucial role of melatonin biosynthesis in response to osmotic stress via plant hormone signal transduction. It showed that ABA signaling plays a dominant role in melatonin synthesis under osmotic stress.

Key message This study described the biosynthesis of 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde sharing with monolignol pathway and supplemented the biosynthesis of colchicine in G. superba , 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde produced in tobacco BY2 cells provided an important stepstone. The precursor, 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde (4-HDCA), participates in the biosynthesis of the carbon skeleton of colchicine, which is derived from L-phenylalanine. However, one hypothesis proposed that 4-HDCA is synthesized by sharing the early part of the monolignol pathway in G. superba . In this study, we validated this prediction and identified the enzymatic functions involved in this pathway. Gs DBR1 is a crucial enzyme to illustrate 4-HDCA diverging from monolignol pathway, we first confirmed its reductase activity on 4-coumaraldehyde, an important intermediate compound in monolignol biosynthesis. Then, the biochemical function of recombinant enzymes belonging to the other four families were verified to elucidate the entire process of 4-HDCA biosynthesis from L-phenylalanine . After reconstruction, the 4-HDCA was 78.4 ng/g with fresh weight (FW) of transgenic tobacco cells, and the yield increased to 168.22 ng/g·FW after improved treatment with methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The elucidation of 4-HDCA biosynthesis sharing the monolignol pathway supplemented the biosynthesis of colchicine in G. superba, and the production of 4-HDCA in tobacco cells provides an important step in the development of plant cell cultures as heterologous bio-factories for secondary metabolite production.

Current techniques for visualizing and quantifying cellular forces have limitations in live cell imaging, throughput, and multi-scale analysis, which impede progress in cell force research and its practical applications. We developed a photonic crystal cellular force microscopy (PCCFM) to image vertical cell forces over a wide field of view (1.3 mm ⨯ 1.0 mm, a 10 ⨯ objective image) at high speed (about 20 frames per second) without references. The photonic crystal hydrogel substrate (PCS) converts micro-nano deformations into perceivable color changes, enabling in situ visualization and quantification of tiny vertical cell forces with high throughput. It enabled long-term, cross-scale monitoring from subcellular focal adhesions to tissue-level cell sheets and aggregates. Current techniques for visualizing cell generated forces suffer from throughput limitations. Here, Gu et al. introduced photonic crystal cellular force microscopy, inspired by chameleons, enabling visualization and quantification of vertically directed cell forces, well-suited for drug screening.

The traditional geotechnical engineering deformation repair method takes a long time, has low precision and poor effect. In order to solve this problem, a method of geotechnical engineering deformation damage repair based on elastic–plastic mechanics is proposed. Firstly, the balance equation, constitutive equation and evolution equation of deformation and damage in geotechnical engineering are established; then the deformation and failure process of geotechnical engineering is deduced, and the failure value of rock mass is calculated; finally, the deformation and damage repair in geotechnical engineering is completed by using elastic–plastic mechanics method. The experimental results show that, compared with other methods, the damage value of this method is consistent with the actual damage value, and the repair accuracy is high. The calculation time is in the range of 2–4 s, and the repair efficiency is high. Moreover, this method can achieve the ideal effect of geotechnical engineering deformation repair.

Air pollution has become a serious public health problem and there is evidence that air pollution affects the incidence of allergic rhinitis. To further investigate the effect of ambient air pollutants on the severity of allergic rhinitis symptoms, a prospective follow-up study in patients with allergic rhinitis was conducted. A total of 167 allergic rhinitis patients with a mean age of 35.4 years, who were visiting the hospital, were enrolled. The daily symptom severity of allergic rhinitis and the concentrations of six air pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, CO, O3 and NO2, were collected through follow-up investigations. The impact of ambient air pollutants on symptom severity was assessed via multi-pollutant models. Among several typical ambient air pollutants, we observed correlations of allergic rhinitis symptoms with PM2.5, PM10, CO, SO2 and NO2, whereas O3 showed no such correlation. Specifically, PM2.5 and PM10 were significantly associated with sneezing and nasal blockage. NO2 was significantly correlated with symptoms of rhinorrhea, itchy nose and itchy eyes. CO was significantly linked to sneezing and nasal blockage symptoms. These air pollutants not only had a direct impact on allergic rhinitis symptoms but also exhibited a lagging effect. This study indicates that short-term exposure to air pollutants is associated with exacerbation of nasal symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis, leading to a decline in their quality of life.

α-Klotho is an anti-aging protein linked to various age-related diseases. Environmental metal exposure has been associated with oxidative stress and aging, but its effect on α-Klotho levels remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between urinary metal concentrations and serum α-Klotho levels using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2016 cycles. A total of 4071 adults aged 40 to 79 years were included in the analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders, positive associations were found between serum α-Klotho levels and barium (Ba), cesium (Cs), and molybdenum (Mo), while tungsten (W) and uranium (U) were negatively correlated with α-Klotho levels. The combined effects of multiple metals were further analyzed using the qgcomp model, which demonstrated a negative correlation between increased metal mixtures and serum α-Klotho levels. Specifically, U, total arsenic (t-As), W, cadmium (Cd), antimony (Sb), and lead (Pb) contributed to the reduction of α-Klotho levels, while Ba, Cs, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), Mo, thallium (Tl), and cobalt (Co) were positively associated with α-Klotho levels. These findings suggest that exposure to certain metals, particularly in combination, may reduce serum α-Klotho levels, potentially accelerating aging processes. Further studies should investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for these associations.

The purpose of this study was to find a cut-off value of the immunohistochemical parameter Ki67 for stage I-II endometrial cancer. The clinicopathological data of 318 patients with stages I-II endometrial cancer who received primary surgical treatment were retrospectively analyzed. A cut-off value of Ki67 for predicting recurrence of endometrial cancer was determined by using the receiver operating characteristic curve and the Youden index. The Cox regression was performed to screen factors associated with recurrence of endometrial cancer. Based on the cut-off value of Ki67, the patients were divided into two groups, and the differences of clinicopathological parameters between the two groups were compared. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the optimal cut-off value of Ki67 for predicting recurrence of patients with stages I-II endometrial cancer was 38%. The multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the histotypes ( =0.012), myometrial invasion ( =0.014), cervical stromal invasion ( =0.001), Ki67 ( =0.002), estrogen receptor (ER) ( =0.045) and P53 ( =0.032) were significant prognostic predictors for recurrence of endometrial cancer. The recurrence-free survival and the disease-specific survival of patients in the high-Ki67 group (Ki67 ≥38%) were much lower than those in the low-Ki67 group (Ki67 <38%) ( =0.000, =0.001, respectively). Among the 118 patients with early low-risk endometrial cancer who did not receive adjuvant treatment after surgery, the recurrence-free survival of patients in the high-Ki67 group was also lower than those in the low-Ki67 group ( =0.000). The Ki67 was demonstrated to be a useful prognostic factor in patients with stages I-II endometrial cancer, and the Ki67 labeling index 38.0% was optimal cut-off value for predicting recurrence.

In geotechnical engineering and geological survey, the stratum structure and its corresponding physical and mechanical properties are the most concerned. The stratum structure not only affects the safety of the project but also plays a decisive role in the construction method and construction sequence. In this paper, a new type of stratum geological interface recognition system is adopted, and an R-20 rotary drilling rig is used to conduct on-site drilling experiments for a granite site with no ventilation. The research results show that the system can monitor and record the main parameters (axial pressure, drilling rate, rotation speed, flushing fluid pressure, and torque) of the drilling rig during the drilling process. The comparative analysis of monitoring data and on-site survey results shows that different drilling parameters have different sensitivities to changes in the formation structure. According to the prediction accuracy, the ranking from high to low is drilling rate, axial pressure, torque, rotation speed, and flushing fluid pressure. In drilling engineering, by observing the change law of drilling rig parameters, not only can the position of the special rock mass interlayer be predicted, but also the stratum structure and strength can be identified, and the prediction formula is also given. Based on the established drilling specific energy formula, the energy analysis method is used to predict the formation structure and compressive strength, and the corresponding prediction formula is given. The research results show that, compared with the single drilling parameter prediction method, the rock-soil structure and strength identification method based on energy theory has higher prediction accuracy and can meet engineering needs.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological cancers worldwide and has one of the highest recurrence rates. Recently developed Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) ‐T cell therapy has shown potent clinical efficacy against hematological malignancies. However, solid tumors, including ovarian cancer, possess several mechanisms that hinder T cell activity, and metabolic alteration of cancer cells has been shown to contribute to resistance to immune cell attack against solid tumors. Here, we explore the metabolic response of ovarian cancer cells to CAR‐T cell attack using label‐free high‐content hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (h2SRS) imaging. Utilizing visible h2SRS imaging with much improved spatial resolution, we find an altered cholesterol metabolism, featured by increased storage of cholesteryl ester in lipid droplets and free cholesterol, in ovarian cancer cells that survive the CAR‐T treatment. Administration of Avasimibe, an inhibitor of cholesteryl esterification, further enhances CAR‐T cytotoxicity. Our study shows the promise of implementing metabolic modulation to facilitate CAR‐T cell treatment of solid tumors. High‐content Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) Imaging reveals that ovarian cancer cells surviving Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) ‐T cell challenge exhibit increased cholesterol esterification. Pharmacological inhibition of this pathway with Avasimibe significantly enhances CAR‐T induced killing of ovarian cancer cells by reducing cancer cell aggressiveness. This work presents a promising metabolic modulation strategy to overcome therapy resistance in solid tumors.

Copper (Cu) is one of the essential trace elements and is widespread in the environment. However, excessive exposure will induce toxicity in animals. To investigate the potential mechanisms of Cu-induced porcine spleen toxicity, sixty 30-day-old pigs were randomly divided into three groups. The control group was fed a basal diet and two treatment groups were separately fed the diet with 125 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg of Cu for 80 days. The result of immunohistochemical staining showed that the autophagy marker p62 was significantly increased under Cu exposure, and the immunofluorescence results showed the same trend as LC33-. Meanwhile, Cu intensified autophagy by increasing the expression levels of autophagy-related genes and proteins (LC3, p62, ATG5, Beclin1, and PINK1). These results suggested that long-term Cu exposure induced excessive autophagy in the porcine spleen, laying the groundwork for future studies on Cu-induced immunotoxicity in the spleen and increasing the public safety awareness of the excessive Cu-induced contamination in the environment.