Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata) in the Brassicaceae family possesses many excellent agronomic traits. Here, the high-quality genome sequence of B. carinata is reported. Characterization revealed a genome anchored to 17 chromosomes with a total length of 1.087 Gb and an N50 scaffold length of 60 Mb. Repetitive sequences account for approximately 634 Mb or 58.34% of the B. carinata genome. Notably, 51.91% of 97,149 genes are confined to the terminal 20% of chromosomes as a result of the expansion of repeats in pericentromeric regions. Brassica carinata shares one whole-genome triplication event with the five other species in U’s triangle, a classic model of evolution and polyploidy in Brassica. Brassica carinata was deduced to have formed ∼0.047 Mya, which is slightly earlier than B. napus but later than B. juncea. Our analysis indicated that the relationship between the two subgenomes (BcaB and BcaC) is greater than that between other two tetraploid subgenomes (BjuB and BnaC) and their respective diploid parents. RNA-seq datasets and comparative genomic analysis were used to identify several key genes in pathways regulating disease resistance and glucosinolate metabolism. Further analyses revealed that genome triplication and tandem duplication played important roles in the expansion of those genes in Brassica species. With the genome sequencing of B. carinata completed, the genomes of all six Brassica species in U’s triangle are now resolved. The data obtained from genome sequencing, transcriptome analysis, and comparative genomic efforts in this study provide valuable insights into the genome evolution of the six Brassica species in U’s triangle.

Pathological scars, such as keloids and hypertrophic scars, readily cause physical and psychological problems. Combination 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) is presumed to enhance the treatment of pathological scars, although supportive evidence is lacking. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of TAC alone and in combination with 5-FU for the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids. Five databases (PubMed, Medline, Cochrane databases, Embase and CNKI) were searched with the limitations of human subjects and English-language text. Mean differences (MDs), odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias Tool was used to assess the risk of bias. The control group received intralesional TAC alone, and the experimental group received TAC combined with 5-FU injection. A pooled analysis of the effectiveness based on patient self-assessment after treatment showed that the experimental group achieved better results than the control group (OR = 2·92, 95% CI = 1·63-5·22, P = 0·0003). Similarly, a pooled analysis of the effectiveness based on observer assessment following treatment produced the same conclusion (OR = 4·03, 95% CI = 1·40-11·61, P = 0·010). A meta-analysis of scar height after treatment showed that the experimental group performed better than the control group (MD = -0·14, 95% CI = -0·23-0·05, P = 0·002). The erythema score of the experimental group after treatment was superior (MD = -0·20, 95% CI = -0·34-0·06, P = 0·004). The heterogeneity test showed no heterogeneity among the studies (P > 0·1, I = 0%). TAC combined with 5-FU is more suitable for the treatment and prevention of hypertrophic scars and keloids, with greater improvement in scar height and patient satisfaction as well as fewer side effects.

Cannulated screw fixation and plate fixation have similar fixation effectiveness and functional outcomes in the treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneus fractures. Due to the shorter duration of surgery and low rate of complications, cannulated screw fixation is superior to plate fixation. However, further studies are needed to evaluate cannulated screw fixation for various Sanders types of calcaneus fractures.

BackgroundOlecranon fracture (OF) is a common upper limb fracture, and the most commonly used techniques are still tension band wiring (TBW) and plate fixation (PF). The aim of the current study is to discuss whether TBW or PF technique of internal fixation is better in the treatment of OFs, using the method of meta-analysis.MethodsThe eligible studies were acquired from PubMed, CNKI, Embase, Cochrane Library, and other sources. The data were extracted by two of the coauthors independently and were analyzed by RevMan5.3. Standardized mean differences (SMDs), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias Tool and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale were used to assess risk of bias.ResultsThirteen studies including 1 RCT and 12 observational studies were assessed. Our meta-analysis results showed that both in RCT and observational studies, there were no significant differences between the two groups in disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) (SMD = 0.07, 95% CI = −0.32 to 0.46, p = 0.73), improvement rate (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.48–1.22, p = 0.26), range of motion (ROM), operation time (SMD = −0.51, 95% CI = −1.17 to 0.14, p = 0.12) and blood loss (SMD = −0.97, 95% CI = −2.06 to 0.11, p = 0.08). The overall estimate of complications indicated that the pooled OR was 2.61 (95% CI = 1.65–4.14, p < 0.0001), suggesting that the difference was statistically significant. We also compared the outcomes of patients with mayo type IIA OFs treated by TBW and PF in DASH and ROM and found no differences.ConclusionsBoth TBW and PF interventions had treatment benefit in OFs. The current study reveals that there are no significant differences in DASH, improvement rate, ROM, operation time, and blood loss between TBW and PF for OFs. Due to the less complications, we recommend the PF approach as the optical choice for OFs. More high-quality studies are required to further confirm our results.

Brain‐inspired associative memory is meaningful for pattern recognitions and image/speech processing. Here, a ferroelectric synaptic transistor network is proposed that is capable of associative learning and one‐step recalling of a whole set of data from only partial information. The competition between an external field and the internal depolarization field governs the ferroelectric creep of domain walls and offers each single ferroelectric synapse a full and subfemtojoule‐energy‐cost Hebbian synaptic plasticity, including short‐term memory (STM) to long‐term memory (LTM) transition, and remarkably both spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity (STDP) and spike‐rate‐dependent plasticity (SRDP). Assisted by the third terminal to control the ferroelectric domain dynamics, self‐adaptive coupling between neurons is realized by updating synaptic weight concurrently. Pavlov's dog experiment and multiassociative memories are demonstrated in this ferroelectric synaptic transistor network. Such ferroelectric synaptic transistor network is available for building multilayer neural networks and provides new avenues for associative‐memory information processing.