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CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of Clpsk1 enhanced watermelon resistance to Fusarium oxysporum. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system has proven to be an effective genome-editing tool for crop improvement. Previous studies described that Phytosulfokine (PSK) signalling attenuates plant immune response. In this work, we employed the CRISPR/Cas9 system to knockout Clpsk1 gene, encoding the PSK precursor, to confer enhanced watermelon resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum (FON). Interactions between PSK and FON were analysed and it was found that transcript of Clpsk1 was significantly induced upon FON infection. Meanwhile, application of exogenous PSK increased the pathogen growth. Then, one sgRNA, which targeted the first exon of Clpsk1, was selected for construction of pRGEB32-CAS9-gRNA-Clpsk1 expression cassette. The construct was then transformed to watermelon through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation method. Six mutant plants were obtained and three types of mutations at the expected position were identified based on Sanger sequencing. Resistance evaluation indicated that Clpsk1 loss-of-function rendered watermelon seedlings more resistant to infection by FON. These results indicate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene modification is an effective approach for watermelon improvement.Twenty-three PeLACs have been identified in moso bamboo, overexpression of PeLAC10 increases the lignin content and confers drought and phenolic acid tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Laccases (LACs) have multifunction involved in the processes of cell elongation, lignification and stress response in plants. However, the function of laccases in bamboo remain unclear. Here, a total of 23 laccase genes (PeLAC1-PeLAC23) were identified in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis). The diverse gene structure and expression pattern of PeLACs suggested that their function should be spatiotemporal and complicated, which was supported by the expression profiles in different tissues of moso bamboo. Eighteen PeLACs were identified as the targets of ped-miR397. The putative ped-miR397-binding site in the coding region of PeLAC10 was further confirmed by RLM-5′ RACE, indicating that PeLAC10 was regulated by ped-miR397 after transcription. With the increasing shoot height, the expression abundance of PeLAC10 was up-regulated and reached the maximum in 15 cm shoots, while that of ped-miR397 was relative lower and showed the minimum in 15 cm shoots. PeLAC10 was up-regulated obviously under both ABA (100 μmol L-1) and NaCl (400 mmol L-1) treatments, and it was down-regulated under the GA3 (100 μmol L-1) treatment. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants over-expressing PeLAC10 became slightly smaller and their petioles were shorter than those of Col-0. However, they had a stronger capacity in resistance to phenolic acids and drought besides higher lignin content in stems. These results indicated that overexpression of PeLAC10 was helpful to increase the content of lignin in transgenic Arabidopsis and improve the adaptability to phenolic acid and drought stresses.The use of homeopathy is remarkably popular. Popularity, however, is not an arbiter in a scientific discourse. In fact, the assumptions underlying homeopathy violate fundamental laws of nature. Homeopathy does not have any explanatory power and fails other criteria established for a scientific approach. Two large-scale efforts have recently documented that in spite of a plethora of clinical trials there is no evidence that homeopathic remedies have any therapeutic effect, which goes beyond that of a placebo. Relaxed regulations and lack of scientific literacy and of health education allow for continuous thriving of homeopathy. While the tide may be changing on the regulatory side, health education of the general public is presumably more important to support informed decision making by patients. Otherwise, the responsible patient, who is posited to decide on the medical choices, remains a convenient legal fiction.OBJECTIVE To compare the application effects of venous indwelling needles and intravenous infusion with steel needles in pediatric outpatient care and to observe the complications of the two approaches. METHODS A total of 110 children who received intravenous infusions in our hospital from March 2018 to May 2018 were selected as study subjects. Children were assigned to an observation group (n = 55) or a control group (n = 55) based on a random number table, of which the children in the control group received intravenous infusion with the steel needles while the children in the observation group received intravenous infusion with indwelling needles. selleck compound Their mental states were rationally evaluated by the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and modified Yale preoperative anxiety score (MYPAS) in the two groups. At the same time, the total number of punctures in 3 days of infusion, complications and the parents’ satisfaction with nursing service were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The difference in STAI and MYPAS scores was statistically significant between the two groups (P  0.05) between the two groups, but the difference in the total number of punctures on the second day and the third day was statistically significant (P  less then  0.05). Besides this, the incidence of complications in the observation group was less than that in the control group, and the nursing satisfaction in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P  less then  0.05). CONCLUSION The children’s psychological impacts are relatively small when comparing the venous indwelling needle with the steel needle. Moreover, venous indwelling needles avoid repeated punctures; therefore, the parents’ satisfaction in nursing is improved, and it is worth popularizing.PURPOSE To compare the effect of the lateral meniscus (LM) complete radial tear at different tear sites on the load distribution and transmission functions. METHODS A compressive load of 300 N was applied to the intact porcine knees (n = 30) at 15°, 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120° of flexion. The LM complete radial tears were created at the middle portion (group M), the posterior portion (group P), or the posterior root (group R) (n = 10, each group), and the same loading procedure was followed. Finally, the recorded three-dimensional paths were reproduced on the LM-removed knees. The peak contact pressure (contact area) in the lateral compartment and the calculated in situ force of the LM under the principle of superposition were compared among the four groups (intact, group M, group P, and group R). RESULTS At all the flexion angles, the peak contact pressure (contact area) was significantly higher (lower) after creating the LM complete radial tear as compared to that in the intact state (p  less then  0.01). At 120° of flexion, group R represented the highest peak contact pressure (lowest contact area), followed by group P and group M (p  less then  0.