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Transcription factors are extensively found in fungi and are involved in the regulation of multiple biological processes, including growth, development, conidiation, morphology, stresses tolerance, and virulence, as well as the production of secondary metabolites. Biocontrol is a complex biological process through which several biocontrol behaviors, such as the secretion of cell wall-degrading enzymes and the production of secondary metabolites, are regulated by transcription factors. To date, biocontrol-related transcription factors have been reported in several biocontrol fungi, such as Beauveria bassiana, Clonostachys rosea, Coniothyrium minitans, and different species in the genera Metarhizium, Trichoderma, and Arthrobotrys. However, comprehensive reviews summarizing and analyzing transcription factors with biocontrol potential in these fungi are scarce. This review begins by giving a basic overview of transcription factors and their functions. Then, the role of biocontrol-related transcription factors in biocontrol fungi is discussed. Lastly, possible approaches for further work on transcription factors in biocontrol fungi are suggested. This review provides a basis for further elaborating the molecular mechanisms of transcription factors in the context of biocontrol.

Background: Allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy is a potential treatment for allergic diseases. Its effective dose and underlying mechanism are still to be explored. Here, we investigated the efficacy and mechanism of sublingually administered Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) vaccine in a murine asthma model. Methods: BALB/c mice were sensitized intraperitoneally with Der f extract absorbed to alum, followed by sublingual treatment with Der f vaccine for 6 weeks. The mice were subsequently challenged intranasally with Der f extract for 1 week. We analyzed their clinical symptoms, antibody levels, cytokine levels, T-cell proliferation and the regulatory T-cell numbers. Results: Mice treated with high-dose Der f sublingual vaccine prior to challenge displayed alleviated symptoms such as airway hyperreactivity, lung inflammation and mucus production, as well as less eosinophilic cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Interestingly, reduced responses of Der-f-specific IgE and increased responses of Der-f-specific IgA and IgG1 were aroused in the high-dose Der f sublingual vaccine group. We also observed that interleukin-4 was reduced and interferon-γ and interleukin-10 were increased among splenocytes and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, which inhibited Der-f-specific T-cell proliferation of the spleen and increased CD4+CD25+Foxp3+regulatory T cells in the spleen. However, mice treated with low-dose Der f sublingual vaccine developed allergic asthma. Conclusion: Our results illustrate that high-doseDer f sublingual vaccine may play a role in immunologic protection in murine allergic asthma, possibly by inducing regulatory T cells and Th1 reaction.

Background Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects 1–2% of women worldwide and poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to its multifactorial causes. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) aims to improve outcomes by selecting euploid embryos, but its benefits in RPL patients remain uncertain. This study compared the effectiveness of PGT-A versus conventional in vitro fertilisation/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) in improving cumulative live birth rates (CLBRs) and explored the effects of maternal age and miscarriage frequency on treatment efficacy. Methods This study included RPL patients who underwent their first oocyte retrieval and at least one single-blastocyst transfer between June 2016 and June 2022. Patients were divided into an IVF/ICSI group ( n  = 156) and a PGT-A group ( n  = 198). Primary outcomes included the CLBR, live birth rate, miscarriage rate, time to live birth, and perinatal outcomes. Results After three single-blastocyst transfer cycles, no significant difference was observed in the conservative CLBR between the PGT-A and IVF/ICSI groups (Cycle 1: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49–1.23; Cycle 2: aOR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.51–1.29; Cycle 3: aOR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.60–1.53; all P  > 0.05). Similarly, the optimal CLBR after three transfer cycles showed no significant difference between the two groups ( P  > 0.05). However, the time to live birth was significantly longer in the PGT-A group than in the IVF/ICSI group (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.42–0.75, P  < 0.05). Other outcomes were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion PGT-A did not significantly improve the CLBR or shorten the time to live birth in RPL patients. Further research is needed to elucidate its role and identify potential subgroups within the RPL population that may benefit from PGT-A.

Aim： To promote the provision of reproductive health services to young people by exploring the attitudes and perceptions of university students in Shanghai, China, toward reproductive health. Methods： From July 2004 to May 2006, 5 243 students from 14 universities in Shanghai took part in our survey. Topics covered the demands of reproductive health-care services, attitudes towards and experience with sex, exposure to pornographic material, and knowledge on sexual health and sexually transmitted infections （STIs）/AIDS. Results： Of the 5 067 students who provided valid answer sheets, 50.05% were female and 49.95% were male, 14.86% were medical students, and 85.14% had non-medical backgrounds. A total of 38.4% of respondents had received reproductive health education previously. The majority of students supported school-based reproductive health education, and also acquired information about sex predominantly from books, schoolmates, and the Internet. Premarital sexual behavior was opposed by 17.7% of survey participants, and 37.5% could identify all the three types of STIs listed in the questionnaire. Although 83.7% knew how HIV is transmitted, only 55.7% knew when to use a condom and 57.8% knew that the use of condoms could reduce the risk of HIV infection. Conclusion： The reproductive health service is lagging behind current attitudes and demands of university students. Although students＇ attitudes towards sexual matters are liberal, their knowledge about reproductive health and STIs/AIDS is still limited. It is therefore necessary to provide effective and confidential reproductive health services to young people.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) attempts to address the possibility of the presence of technological civilizations beyond the Earth. Benefiting from high sensitivity, large sky coverage, an innovative feed cabin for China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), we performed the SETI first observations with FAST's newly commisioned 19-beam receiver; we report preliminary results in this paper. Using the data stream produced by the SERENDIP VI realtime multibeam SETI spectrometer installed at FAST, as well as its off-line data processing pipelines, we identify and remove four kinds of radio frequency interference(RFI): zone, broadband, multi-beam, and drifting, utilizing the Nebula SETI software pipeline combined with machine learning algorithms. After RFI mitigation, the Nebula pipeline identifies and ranks interesting narrow band candidate ET signals, scoring candidates by the number of times candidate signals have been seen at roughly the same sky position and same frequency, signal strength, proximity to a nearby star or object of interest, along with several other scoring criteria. We show four example candidates groups that demonstrate these RFI mitigation and candidate selection. This preliminary testing on FAST data helps to validate our SETI instrumentation techniques as well as our data processing pipeline.

Background：The treatment for long bone defects has been a hot topic in the field of regenerative medicine.This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of calcium sulfate （CS） combined with platelet-rich plasma （PRP） on long bone defect restoration.Methods：A radial bone defect model was constructed through an osteotomy using New Zealand rabbits.The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups （n =10 in each group）：a CS combined with PRP （CS-PRP） group,a CS group,a PRP group,and a positive （recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2） control group.PRP was prepared from autologous blood using a two-step centrifugation process.CS-PRP was obtained by mixing hemihydrate CS with PRP.Radiographs and histologic micrographs were generated.The percentage of bone regenerated bone area in each rabbit was calculated at 10 weeks.One-way analysis of variance was performed in this study.Results：The radiographs and histologic micrographs showed bone restoration in the CS-PRP and positive control groups,while nonunion was observed in the CS and PRP groups.The percentages of bone regenerated bone area in the CS-PRP （84.60 ± 2.87%） and positive control （52.21 ± 4.53%） groups were significantly greater than those in the CS group （12.34 ± 2.17%） and PRP group （16.52 ± 4.22%） （P 〈 0.001）.In addition,the bone strength of CS-PRP group （43.l 0 ± 4.10%） was significantly greater than that of the CS group （20.10 ± 3.70%） or PRP group （25.10 ± 2.10%） （P 〈 0.001）.Conclusion：CS-PRP functions as an effective treatment for long bone defects through stimulating bone regeneration and enhancing new bone strength.