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ObjectiveTo study the intrinsic organization of the thalamocortical circuitry in patients with generalized epilepsy with tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) via resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) connectome analysis and to evaluate its relation to drug response.MethodsIn a prospectively followed-up sample of 41 patients and 27 healthy controls, we obtained rs-fMRI and structural MRI. After 1 year of follow-up, 27 patients were classified as seizure-free and 14 as drug-resistant. We examined connectivity within and between resting-state communities in cortical and thalamic subregions. In addition to comparing patients to controls, we examined associations with seizure control. We assessed reproducibility in an independent cohort of 21 patients.ResultsCompared to controls, patients showed a more constrained network embedding of the thalamus, while frontocentral neocortical regions expressed increased functional diversity. Findings remained significant after regressing out thalamic volume and cortical thickness, suggesting independence from structural alterations. We observed more marked network imbalances in drug-resistant compared to seizure-free patients. Findings were similar in the reproducibility dataset.ConclusionsOur findings suggest a pathoconnectomic mechanism of generalized epilepsy centered on diverging changes in cortical and thalamic connectivity. More restricted thalamic connectivity could reflect the tendency to engage in recursive thalamocortical loops, which may contribute to hyperexcitability. Conversely, increased connectional diversity of frontocentral networks may relay abnormal activity to an extended bilateral territory. Network imbalances were observed shortly after diagnosis and related to future drug response, suggesting clinical utility.

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The lobed leaf character is a unique morphologic trait in crops, featuring many potential advantages for agricultural productivity. Although the majority of watermelon varieties feature lobed leaves, the genetic factors responsible for lobed leaf formation remain elusive. The F2:3 leaf shape segregating population offers the opportunity to study the underlying mechanism of lobed leaf formation in watermelon. Genetic analysis revealed that a single dominant allele (designated ClLL1) controlled the lobed leaf trait. A large-sized F3:4 population derived from F2:3 individuals was used to map ClLL1. A total of 5,966 reliable SNPs and indels were identified genome-wide via a combination of BSA and RNA-seq. Using the validated SNP and indel markers, the location of ClLL1 was narrowed down to a 127.6-kb region between markers W08314 and W07061, containing 23 putative ORFs. Expression analysis via qRT-PCR revealed differential expression patterns (fold-changes above 2-fold or below 0.5-fold) of three ORFs (ORF3, ORF11, and ORF18) between lobed and non-lobed leaf plants. Based on gene annotation and expression analysis, ORF18 (encoding an uncharacterized protein) and ORF22 (encoding a homeobox-leucine zipper-like protein) were considered as most likely candidate genes. Furthermore, sequence analysis revealed no polymorphisms in cDNA sequences of ORF18; however, two notable deletions were identified in ORF22. This study is the first report to map a leaf shape gene in watermelon and will facilitate cloning and functional characterization of ClLL1 in future studies.

The optimal therapeutic time-window and protective mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen in hypoxic-ischemic brain damage remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the neuroprotective effects of hyperbaric oxygen. Following hypoxic-ischemic brain damage modeling in neonatal rats, hyperbaric oxygen was administered at 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours and 1 week after hypoxia, respectively, once daily for 1 week. Fourteen days after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage, cell density and apoptosis rate, number of Fas-L+, caspase-8+, and caspase-3+ neuronal cells, levels of nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase in hippocampus were examined. Morris water maze test was conducted 28 days after insult. Significant improvements were found in cell density, rate of apoptosis, oxidative stress markers, FasL, and caspases in rats treated with hyperbaric oxygen within 72 hours compared to hypoxic-ischemic injury. Similarly, time-dependent behavioral amelioration was observed in pups treated with hyperbaric oxygen. Our findings suggest that hyperbaric oxygen protects against hypoxic-ischemic brain damage by inhibiting oxidative stress and FasL-induced apoptosis, and optimal therapeutic time window is within 72 hours after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

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