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Autophagy of vessels endothelial cells is the critical pathological process in atherosclerosis (AS). Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 ( MALAT1 ) is a kind of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that regulates the autophagy of vessels endothelial cells, including microautophagy. However, the relationship between AS and MALAT1 is not completely understood, and microautophagy has been ignored. In this study, I designed the experiments to research the impact of MALAT1 in endothelial cells, which could regulate the progression of AS. In the present study, I design to establish the AS model mice with low MALAT1 level. The expression level of MALAT1 needs to be detected to verify the mouse model. Then, the intensity of microautophagy of endothelial cells of mouse model and normal mouse are detected by RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence assay, and observation directly with electron microscope. The atherosclerosis progression and plaque stability are detected by comparing the rations of macrophage/vascular smooth muscle cell and collagen/lipid. This paper only provides theoretical experiment design and possible results about how MALAT1 affects AS by regulating microautophagy of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) which needs additional research in the pathology of atherosclerosis. This paper provided the possibility that MALTA1 regulates the microautophagy in VECs and MALTA1 may be the target to cure AS.

Research on high-performance Ti alloys incorporating oxygen (O) has remained a laboratory procedure and is hindered by the unresolved issue of O segregation-driven failure. Here, we demonstrate that O can tailor a nanoscale local range order O (LRO-O) structure between the oxide and random interstitials in Ti alloy. We introduce 0.36 wt% O into metastable Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr alloy using a short-term powder metallurgy approach to produces large-scale materials. The LRO-O structure in designed alloy prevents crack initiation by promoting the active nucleation of -type dislocations and altering the slip modes during tensile and fatigue failure. The alloy has high strength (1.7 GPa), elongation (7.9%), and fatigue strength (1058.3 MPa), which outperforms many high-strength, high-O Ti alloys. Our findings provide a scalable, practical route to superior mechanical properties for Ti alloys without costly alloying elements. The authors demonstrate how interstitial oxygen can be used to tailor nanoscale structures in a Ti alloy, using a powder metallurgy technique, to prevent crack initiation and enhance strength.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignancy of the bone that mainly afflicts younger individuals. Despite existing treatment approaches, patients with metastatic or recurrent disease generally face poor prognoses. A greater understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for enhancing outcomes in OS patients. The clinical and RNA expression data of OS patients were extracted from the TARGET database. The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of 11 OS samples was retrieved from the GEO database, and analyzed using the Seurat package of R software. Copy number variation (CNV) was analyzed using the InferCNV software. The potential interactions between the different cells in the TME was analyzed with the CellChat package. A multi-algorithm-based computing framework was used to calculate the tumor-infiltrating immune cell (TIIC) scores. A prognostic model was constructed using 20 machine learning algorithms. Maftools R package was used to characterize the genomic variation landscapes in the patient groups stratified by TIIC score. The human OS cell lines MG63 and U2OS were used for the functional assays. Cell proliferation and migration were analyzed by the EdU assay and Transwell assay respectively. CLK1 protein expression was measured by immunoblotting. We observed higher CNV in the OS cells compared to endothelial cells. In addition, there was distinct transcriptional heterogeneity across the OS cells, and cluster 1 was identified as the terminal differentiation state. S100A1, TMSB4X, and SLPI were the three most significantly altered genes along with the pseudo-time trajectory. Cell communication analysis revealed an intricate network between S100A1+ tumor cells and other TME cells. Cluster 1 exhibited significantly higher aggressiveness features, which correlated with worse clinical outcomes. A prognostic model was developed based on TIIC-related genes that were screened using machine learning algorithms, and validated in multiple datasets. Higher TIIC signature score was associated with lower cytotoxic immune cell infiltration and generally inferior immune response and survival rate. Moreover, TIIC signature score was further validated in the datasets of other cancers. CLK1 was identified as a potential oncogene that promotes the proliferation and migration OS cells. A TIIC-based gene signature was developed that effectively predicted the prognosis of OS patients, and was significantly associated with immune infiltration and immune response. Moreover, CLK1 was identified as an oncogene and potential therapeutic target for OS.

The identification and visualization of functional elements within biological sequences offers visual presentation for biologists to integrate annotation, and also helps them to produce high-quality figures for publication. Although there are now some standalone tools that can perform this function, these tools generally lack flexibility and cannot meet personalized needs. Based on the advantages of R language in graphic display, we have developed an R package: BioVizSeq (CRAN: https://cran.r-project.org/package=BioVizSeq . Github: https://github.com/zhaosq2022/BioVizSeq ). It is designed for visualizing the types and distribution of elements within bio-sequences. These data could come from users or analysis programs, such as, GFF/GTF, MEME, SMART, Plantcare, PFAM, CDD and etc. BioVizSeq can be conducted locally or online, providing great convenience for researchers without coding training. Its user-friendly visualization function can simultaneously meet users’ general needs and personalized exploration.

Limiting fuel sulfur content (FSC) is a widely adopted approach for reducing ship emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM), particularly in emission control areas (ECAs), but its impact on the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is still not well understood. In this study, emissions from ships at berth in Guangzhou, southern China, were characterized before and after the implementation of the fuel switch policy (IFSP) with an FSC limit of 0.5 % in the Pearl River Delta ECA (ECA-PRD). After IFSP, the emission factors (EFs) of SO2 and PM2.5 for the coastal vessels decreased by 78 % and 56 % on average, respectively; however, the EFs of the VOCs were 1807±1746 mg kg−1, approximately 15 times that of 118±56.1 mg kg−1 before IFSP. This dramatic increase in the emissions of the VOCs might have been largely due to the replacement of high-sulfur residual fuel oil with low-sulfur diesel or heavy oils, which are typically richer in short-chain hydrocarbons. Moreover, reactive alkenes surpassed alkanes to become the dominant group among the VOCs, and low-carbon-number VOCs, such as ethylene, propene and isobutane, became the dominant species after IFSP. As a result of the largely elevated EFs of the reactive alkenes and aromatics after IFSP, the emitted VOCs per kilogram of fuel burned had nearly 29 times greater ozone formation potential (OFP) and approximately 2 times greater secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) than those before IFSP. Unlike the coastal vessels, the river vessels in the region used diesel fuels consistently and were not affected by the fuel switch policy, but the EFs of their VOCs were 90 % greater than those of the coastal vessels after IFSP, with approximately 120 % greater fuel-based OFP and 70 %–140 % greater SOAFP. The results from this study suggest that while the fuel switch policy could effectively reduce SO2 and PM emissions, and thus help control PM2.5 pollution, it will also lead to greater emissions of reactive VOCs, which may threaten ozone pollution control in harbor cities. This change for coastal or ocean-going vessels, in addition to the large amounts of reactive VOCs from the river vessels, raises regulatory concerns for ship emissions of reactive VOCs.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic compounds in the atmosphere and have adverse effects on public health, especially through the inhalation of particulate matter (PM). At present, there is limited understanding of the size distribution of particulate-bound PAHs and their health risks on a continental scale. In this study, we carried out a PM campaign from October 2012 to September 2013 at 12 sampling sites simultaneously, including urban, suburban and remote sites in different regions of China. Size-segregated PAHs and typical tracers of coal combustion (picene), biomass burning (levoglucosan) and vehicle exhaust (hopanes) were measured. The annual averages of the 24 total measured PAHs (∑24PAHs) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) carcinogenic equivalent concentration (BaPeq) ranged from 7.56 to 205 ng/m3 with a mean of 53.5 ng/m3 and from 0.21 to 22.2 ng/m3 with a mean of 5.02 ng/m3, respectively. At all the sites, ∑24PAHs and BaPeq were dominant in the ultrafine particles with aerodynamic diameter < 1.1 µm, followed by those in the size ranges of 1.1–3.3 µm and > 3.3 µm. Compared with southern China, northern China witnessed much higher ∑24PAHs (87.36 vs. 17.56 ng/m3), BaPeq (8.48 vs. 1.34 ng/m3) and PAHs' inhalation cancer risk (7.4 × 10−4 vs. 1.2 × 10−4). Nationwide increases in both PAH levels and inhalation cancer risk occurred in winter. The unfavorable meteorological conditions and enhanced emissions of coal combustion and biomass burning together led to severe PAHs' pollution and high cancer risk in the atmosphere of northern China, especially during winter. Coal combustion is the major source of BaPeq in all size particles at most sampling sites. Our results suggested that the reduction of coal and biofuel consumption in the residential sector could be crucial and effective in lowering PAH concentrations and their inhalation cancer risk in China.

Abstract Key messageWe identified genomic regions associated with six quality-related traits in wheat under two sowing conditions and analyzed the effects of multienvironment-significant SNPs on the stability of these traits.Grain quality affects the nutritional and commercial value of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and is a critical factor influencing consumer preferences for specific wheat varieties. Climate change is predicted to increase environmental stress and thereby reduce wheat quality. Here, we performed a genotyping assay involving the use of the wheat 90 K array in a genome-wide association study of six quality-related traits in 486 wheat accessions under two sowing conditions (normal and late sowing) over 4 years. We identified 64 stable quantitative trait loci (QTL), including 10 for grain protein content, 9 for wet gluten content, 4 for grain starch content, 14 for water absorption, 15 for dough stability time and 12 for grain hardness in wheat under two sowing conditions. These QTL harbored 175 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), explaining approximately 3–13% of the phenotypic variation in multiple environments. Some QTL on chromosomes 6A and 5D were associated with multiple traits simultaneously, and two (QNGPC.cau-6A, QNGH.cau-5D) harbored known genes, such as NAM-A1 for grain protein content and Pinb for grain hardness, whereas other QTL could facilitate gene discovery. Forty-three SNPs that were detected under late or both normal and late sowing conditions appear to be related to phenotypic stability. The effects of these SNP alleles were confirmed in the association population. The results of this study will be useful for further dissecting the genetic basis of quality-related traits in wheat and developing new wheat cultivars with desirable alleles to improve the stability of grain quality.

Key messageQHd.cau-7D.1 for heading date was delimited into the physical interval of approximately 17.38 Mb harboring three CONSTANS-like zinc finger genes.Spike morphological traits, plant height and heading date play important roles in yield improvement of wheat. To reveal the genetic factors that controlling spike morphological traits, plant height and heading date on the D genome, we conducted analysis of quantitative traits locus (QTL) using 198 F7:8 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between the common wheat TAA10 and resynthesized allohexaploid wheat XX329 with similar AABB genomes. A total of 23 environmentally stable QTL on the D sub-genome for spike length (SL), fertile spikelet number per spike (FSN), sterile spikelet number per spike (SSN), total spikelet number per spike (TSN), spike compactness (SC), plant height (PHT) and heading date (HD) were detected, among which eight appeared to be novel QTL. Furthermore, QHd.cau-7D.1 and QPht.cau-7D.2 shared identical confidence interval and were delimited into the physical interval of approximately 17.38 Mb with 145 annotated genes, including three CONSTANS-like zinc finger genes (TraesCS7D02G209000, TraesCS7D02G213000 and TraesCS7D02G220300). This study will help elucidate the molecular mechanism of the seven traits (SL, FSN, SSN, TSN, SC, PHT and HD) and provide a potentially valuable resource for genetic improvement.

Background β-thalassaemia major poses a substantial economic burden, especially in adults. We aimed to estimate the economic burden of adult patients with β-thalassaemia major from a societal perspective using the real-world data. According to the clinical guideline, we also estimated the annual medical costs for patients with the same body weight and calculated the lifetime medical costs over 50 years in mainland China. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. An online survey with snowball sampling covering seven provinces was conducted. We extracted patient demographics, caregiver demographics, disease and therapy information, caring burden, and costs for adult patients diagnosed with β-thalassaemia major and their primary caregivers. In the real world, we estimated the annual direct medical cost, direct nonmedical cost, and indirect cost. In addition, we calculated the annual direct medical cost and lifetime direct medical cost by weight with discounted and undiscounted rates according to the clinical guideline. Results Direct medical costs was the main driver of total cost, with blood transfusion and iron chelation therapy as the most expensive components of direct medical cost. In addition, adult patients with β-thalassaemia major weighing 56 kg were associated with an increase of $2,764 in the annual direct medical cost using the real-world data. The undiscounted and discounted (5% discount rate) total lifetime treatment costs were $518,871 and $163,441, respectively. Conclusions Patients with β-thalassaemia major often encounter a substantial economic burden in mainland China. Efforts must be made to help policymakers develop effective strategies to reduce the burden and pevalence of thalassaemia.

Nitrated aromatic compounds (NACs) are critical toxic components of PM[sub.2.5], and accurately identifying their sources is vital for effective urban air quality improvement. However, the lack of real-world emission data for construction machinery has introduced significant uncertainties into NACs source apportionment and emission inventories, particularly in urban areas where such machinery is widely used. Here, we characterized NACs, including nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) and nitrophenols (NPs), emissions from forklifts and excavators at construction sites in China. It is found that construction machinery emitted significantly higher NACs levels compared to on-road vehicles, with average NPAHs and NPs emission factors of 340.1 and 562.0 μg kg[sup.−1] fuel for forklifts and 459.0 and 1381.1 μg kg[sup.−1] fuel for excavators. Emissions during working modes were 1.1–1.6 times higher than during idling for forklifts and excavators. A key finding was the dominance of 5-nitroacenaphthene and 1-nitropyrene, which contrasts sharply with the observed emissions in other sources. We believed that combining the 5-nitroacenaphthene and 1-nitropyrene during the source apportionment using the receptor model would make it possible to separate the contributions of construction machinery. Notably, the light absorption of 45 NACs from both forklifts and excavators collectively accounted for approximately 30% of the total methanol-soluble brown carbon—a significantly higher contribution ratio compared to other emission sources. Furthermore, while construction machinery accounted for less than 5% of urban vehicle numbers, its toxic equivalent quotients can reach 4 to 6 times that of on-road vehicles with the nonnegligible potential toxicity. These results highlight the urgent need for stricter emission controls on construction machinery to reduce NACs-related adverse environmental effects in urban environments. Our findings provide valuable insights for constructing NACs emission inventories and refining NACs source apportionment methods in urban atmospheric studies.