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Background Carbon nano sol (CNS) can markedly affect the plant growth and development. However, few systematic analyses have been conducted on the underlying regulatory mechanisms in plants, including tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L.). Results Integrated analyses of phenome, ionome, transcriptome, and metabolome were performed in this study to elucidate the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the CNS-promoting growth of tobacco plants. We found that 0.3% CNS, facilitating the shoot and root growth of tobacco plants, significantly increased shoot potassium concentrations. Antioxidant, metabolite, and phytohormone profiles showed that 0.3% CNS obviously reduced reactive oxygen species production and increased antioxidant enzyme activity and auxin accumulation. Comparative transcriptomics revealed that the GO and KEGG terms involving responses to oxidative stress, DNA binding, and photosynthesis were highly enriched in response to exogenous CNS application. Differential expression profiling showed that NtNPF7.3/NtNRT1.5 , potentially involved in potassium/auxin transport, was significantly upregulated under the 0.3% CNS treatment. High-resolution metabolic fingerprints showed that 141 and 163 metabolites, some of which were proposed as growth regulators, were differentially accumulated in the roots and shoots under the 0.3% CNS treatment, respectively. Conclusions Taken together, this study revealed the physiological and molecular mechanism underlying CNS-mediated growth promotion in tobacco plants, and these findings provide potential support for improving plant growth through the use of CNS.

Potassium (K+) is mainly absorbed by plants from the soil and is primarily transported within the plant through the xylem. Topping has been reported to cause efflux and loss of K+ in plants; however, its effect on the real-time flow rate and genotypes with varying K+ accumulation ability is still unknown. Therefore, we carried out a pot experiment containing sand culture using two tobacco cultivars EY1 (high K+ accumulating) and Y87 (low K+ accumulating). The results demonstrated the change of K+ flow direction from influx to efflux in the roots of both cultivars due to topping. The percentage ratio of K+ efflux to influx was estimated to be 18.8% in EY-1 and 157.0% in Y87, respectively. We noticed a decline in indole acetic acid (IAA) content due to topping, which activated the expression of K+ efflux channel gene NTORK1 and inhibited the expression of K+ influx channel genes NKT1 and NtKC1. Furthermore, K+ loss from the roots increased due to topping, which led to decreased K+ concentration in entire tobacco plant. Topping had a more serious impact on the K+ efflux rate and K+ loss in Y87. IAA application after topping, in turn, decreased the K+ loss in both the cultivars. We conclude that topping caused a decrease in IAA concentration and K+ losses in tobacco leaves, and these losses can be mitigated by the exogenous application of IAA.

Vascular calcification is a strong predictor of cardiovascular events. Essential metals play critical roles in maintaining human health. However, the association of essential metal levels with risk of aortic arch calcification (AoAC) remains unclear. We measured the plasma concentrations of nine essential metals in a cross‐sectional population and evaluated their individual and combined effects on AoAC risk using multiple statistical methods. We also explored the mediating role of fasting glucose. In the logistic regression model, higher quartiles of magnesium and copper were associated with the decreased AoAC risk, while higher quartile of manganese was associated with higher AoAC risk. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator penalized regression analysis identified magnesium, manganese, calcium, cobalt, and copper as key metals associated with AoAC risk. The weighted quantile sum regression suggested a combined effect of metal mixture. A linear and positive dose–response relationship was found between manganese and AoAC in males. Moreover, blood glucose might mediate a proportion of 9.38% of the association between manganese exposure and AoAC risk. In summary, five essential metal levels were associated with AoAC and showed combined effect. Fasting glucose might play a significant role in mediating manganese exposure‐associated AoAC risk. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between essential metal levels and aortic arch calcification (AoAC) risk in a mid‐aged and older population of Shenzhen, China. The results showed that plasma levels of five essential metals were associated with AoAC and showed combined effect. Blood glucose played a significant role in mediating Mn exposure‐associated AoAC risks.

A synthesis of titanium-containing polycarbosilane (Ti-PCS) and transformation to SiO 2 /TiO 2 hybrid ceramics are investigated. The Ti-PCS is prepared by blending polycarbosilane (PCS) and tetrabutyl titanate in xylene. The structural evolution and chemical composition change during the pyrolysis of the Ti-PCS are characterized by chemical analysis, TG-DTA, XRD, XPS and TEM. The results reveal that the polymer-to-ceramic transition of the Ti-PCS involves three steps. The final ceramics obtained at 1200 °C contain amorphous silica and rutile-TiO 2 nanocrystallites of ~10 nm.

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is spreading globally. The origin of SARS-Cov-2 and its evolutionary relationship is still ambiguous. Several reports attempted to figure out this critical issue by genome-based phylogenetic analysis, yet limited progress was obtained, principally owing to the disability of these methods to reasonably integrate phylogenetic information from all genes of SARS-CoV-2. Supertree method based on multiple trees can produce the overall reasonable phylogenetic tree. However, the supertree method has been barely used for phylogenetic analysis of viruses. Here we applied the matrix representation with parsimony (MRP) pseudo-sequence supertree analysis to study the origin and evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Compared with other phylogenetic analysis methods, the supertree method showed more resolution power for phylogenetic analysis of coronaviruses. In particular, the MRP pseudo-sequence supertree analysis firmly disputes bat coronavirus RaTG13 be the last common ancestor of SARS-CoV-2, which was implied by other phylogenetic tree analysis based on viral genome sequences. Furthermore, the discovery of evolution and mutation in SARS-CoV-2 was achieved by MRP pseudo-sequence supertree analysis. Taken together, the MRP pseudo-sequence supertree provided more information on the SARS-CoV-2 evolution inference relative to the normal phylogenetic tree based on full-length genomic sequences.

Background Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have an increasing need for personalized and Precise management as medical technology advances. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on mobile devices are being developed gradually in a variety of healthcare fields. As an AI field, knowledge graph (KG) is being developed to extract and store structured knowledge from massive data sets. It has great prospects for T2DM medical information retrieval, clinical decision-making, and individual intelligent question and answering (QA), but has yet to be thoroughly researched in T2DM intervention. Therefore, we designed an artificial intelligence-based health education accurately linking system (AI-HEALS) to evaluate if the AI-HEALS-based intervention could help patients with T2DM improve their self-management abilities and blood glucose control in primary healthcare. Methods This is a nested mixed-method study that includes a community-based cluster-randomized control trial and personal in-depth interviews. Individuals with T2DM between the ages of 18 and 75 will be recruited from 40-45 community health centers in Beijing, China. Participants will either receive standard diabetes primary care (SDPC) (control, 3 months) or SDPC plus AI-HEALS online health education program (intervention, 3 months). The AI-HEALS runs in the WeChat service platform, which includes a KBQA, a system of physiological indicators and lifestyle recording and monitoring, medication and blood glucose monitoring reminders, and automated, personalized message sending. Data on sociodemography, medical examination, blood glucose, and self-management behavior will be collected at baseline, as well as 1,3,6,12, and 18 months later. The primary outcome is to reduce HbA1c levels. Secondary outcomes include changes in self-management behavior, social cognition, psychology, T2DM skills, and health literacy. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of the AI-HEALS-based intervention will be evaluated. Discussion KBQA system is an innovative and cost-effective technology for health education and promotion for T2DM patients, but it is not yet widely used in the T2DM interventions. This trial will provide evidence on the efficacy of AI and mHealth-based personalized interventions in primary care for improving T2DM outcomes and self-management behaviors. Trial registration Biomedical Ethics Committee of Peking University: IRB00001052-22,058, 2022/06/06; Clinical Trials: ChiCTR2300068952, 02/03/2023.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important regulating factors that play a dual role in plant and human cells. As the first messenger response in organisms, ROS coordinate signals in growth, development, and metabolic activity pathways. They also can act as an alarm mechanism, triggering cellular responses to harmful stimuli. However, excess ROS cause oxidative stress-related damage and oxidize organic substances, leading to cellular malfunctions. This review summarizes the current research status and mechanisms of ROS in plant and human eukaryotic cells, highlighting the differences and similarities between the two and elucidating their interactions with other reactive substances and ROS. Based on the similar regulatory and metabolic ROS pathways in the two kingdoms, this review proposes future developments that can provide opportunities to develop novel strategies for treating human diseases or creating greater agricultural value.

Quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a crop particularly adapted to high-altitude environments characterized by significant variability in climate and soil conditions Fertilization is essential for providing nutrients and influencing soil nutrient cycling and hydrological dynamics. This study aimed to optimize fertilizer type and nitrogen (N) application rates to improve soil nutrient availability, moisture retention, and quinoa yield. We examined three fertilizer types: compound fertilizer (NPK), bio-microbial fertilizer (BM), and slow-release fertilizer (SRF), with nitrogen application rates of 90, 120, and 150 kg ha − 1 , compared to a control group (CK) with no fertilization. Our results revealed that applying 120 kg ha − 1 of nitrogen with SRF significantly reduced soil bulk density, improved water retention beyond 60 cm depth, and enhanced water use efficiency by 9.2–16.2%, alleviating water stress. In conjunction with BM, this nitrogen application increased soil organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, and the availability of phosphorus and potassium, especially during the grain-filling stage, promoting quinoa growth. Elevated nitrogen rates (120 and 150 kg ha − 1 ) with BM maximized soil urease and sucrase activities, correlating positively with key soil chemical parameters. Additionally, 120 kg ha − 1 of SRF notably boosted quinoa biomass and yield components. Economic analysis indicated that SRF at 120 kg ha − 1 nitrogen provided the highest productivity. These results highlight the importance of fertilizer type and nitrogen rates in enhancing soil nutrient status and optimizing water infiltration in high-altitude soils, offering a drought-resistant strategy for quinoa cultivation.

BRD4 assembles transcriptional machinery at gene super-enhancer regions and governs the expression of genes that are critical for cancer progression. However, it remains unclear whether BRD4-mediated gene transcription is required for tumor cells to develop drug resistance. Our data show that prolonged treatment of luminal breast cancer cells with AKT inhibitors induces FOXO3a dephosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and disrupts its association with SirT6, eventually leading to FOXO3a acetylation as well as BRD4 recognition. Acetylated FOXO3a recognizes the BD2 domain of BRD4, recruits the BRD4/RNAPII complex to the CDK6 gene promoter, and induces its transcription. Pharmacological inhibition of either BRD4/FOXO3a association or CDK6 significantly overcomes the resistance of luminal breast cancer cells to AKT inhibitors in vitro and in vivo. Our study reports the involvement of BRD4/FOXO3a/CDK6 axis in AKTi resistance and provides potential therapeutic strategies for treating resistant breast cancer. The molecular mechanism underlying the resistance of AKT inhibitors in breast cancer is still elusive. Here, the authors demonstrate that BRD4/FOXO3a axis upregulates CDK6 promoter activity to promote resistance to AKT inhibition in breast cancer cells and that blocking the action of CDK6 re-sensitizes resistant cancer cells to growth inhibition.

Adherence to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening remains suboptimal in many countries, reducing its cost-effectiveness. This study aimed to evaluate how multistage uptake rates influence the health benefit and cost-effectiveness of various CRC screening strategies in the Chinese population, incorporating both traditional and emerging screening methods. We developed a multistate Markov model (CRC-SIM) to evaluate the impact of multistep uptake on CRC screening. A hypothetical cohort of 100,000 individuals aged 40 was simulated and followed until 79 or death. Two-step screening strategies were modeled: initial screening followed by colonoscopy after a positive result. Traditional initial screening methods include: questionnaire-based risk assessment, fecal immunochemical test (FIT), and questionnaire combined with FIT; Non-invasive biomarker-based initial strategies include a hypothetical test meeting the minimum standards of China National Medical Products Administration (NMPAmin), multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) test, and blood-based strategies. All strategies were modeled as one-time screenings, with outcomes projected for CRC cases, deaths, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and lifetime costs. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated, and a cost-effectiveness heatmap was conducted to assess the impact of multistep uptake (modeled in 10% steps) on economic outcomes. All strategies reduced CRC cases, deaths and increased QALYs compared to no screening, with biomarker-based strategies outperforming the traditional methods at the same uptake level (e.g., questionnaire combined with FIT prevented 224 (95% confidence interval (CI) [157, 292]) CRC cases and 151 (95% CI [109, 195]) deaths, whereas NMPAmin prevented 312 (95% CI [257, 360]) cases and 210 (95% CI [175, 241]) deaths at 100% uptake). The cost-effectiveness heatmap indicated that each 10% increase in initial and follow-up colonoscopy uptake improved ICERs in a non-linear pattern. The questionnaire combined with FIT was the most cost-effective strategy (ICER = $2,413 per QALY gained). Non-invasive biomarker-based tests were not cost-effective compared with the combined questionnaire and FIT strategy under current assumptions of test costs and identical uptake rate. Threshold analysis showed that non-invasive biomarker-based screening would become cost-effective if test costs fell below $131.7 or colonoscopy uptake increased to at least 70% for NMPAmin and 50% for blood-based tests and mt-sDNA. Limitations include the assumption of a one-time screening scenario; future iterations of the model and merging evidence in repeated screening will address these limitations. Improving screening participation could enhance health benefits and cost-efficiency in CRC screening. Questionnaire-based risk assessment combined with FIT was a cost-effective strategy in China, whereas non-invasive biomarker-based methods require cost reduction and higher uptake to justify adoption. These findings provide evidence for policymakers to optimize CRC screening programs.