The Age-Related Growth of Mastoid Air Cells in Infancy: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the normal growth and development of mastoid pneumatization volume from 5 to 12 months for pediatric otosurgeons. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: A tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: This study evaluated age-dependent changes in mastoid air cell volume in 94 (188 ears) patients aged 5 to 12 months without a history of middle ear disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Volume reconstruction was based on high-resolution computed tomography images using a three-dimensional reconstruction that is considered normal by radiologists. One-way analysis of variance and linear regression were used to determine the relationship between the volume and age in male and female subjects. RESULTS: Forty-eight scans were from male and 46 from female patients. In the age group from 5 to 12 months, the mastoid pneumatization was independent of age ( p > 0.05). There were no significant volume differences found between the age groups. Neither male/female nor right/left significant differences were observed in relation to the algebraic data of the mastoid air cells volume ( p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on this analytic study, we are the first to use three-dimensional volume quantification based on high-resolution computed tomography in such large samples of early infancy. Because of its potential role as a susceptibility factor for otitis media and other otologic problems, it is important to describe the growth and development of mastoid pneumatization. More extensive clinical studies are needed to give a comprehensive insight into the air cell volume across age groups in different populations.

The association between high jugular bulb and mastoid pneumatization in adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the degree of high jugular bulb (HJB) and mastoid pneumatization using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Methods: Between April 2019 and June 2022, HRCT of the temporal bone was retrospectively analyzed in 1,025 patients. By excluding the other coexistent pathologies, 113 patients with HJBs were recruited for the study. The degree of the HJBs were defined as follows: Grade I, JB situated between inferior annulus of tympanic membrane and cochlear basal turn (CBT). Grade II, JB situated between CBT and lateral semicircular canal (LSC). Grade III, JB situated above LSC. The volume of mastoid pneumatization was based on HRCT images using a 3D reconstruction. Results: There were 32 male and 81 female subjects (mean age, 41.2 ± 14.0 years; age range, 18-80 years). The male group included 16 Grade I, 28 Grade II and 6 Group III HJB subjects. The female group included 38 Grade I, 62 Grade II and 31 Group III HJB cases. In the different groups of HJB, the mastoid cell volume differences were also not statistically significant (p = 0.165). In the classification, Grade II was most common (90/181, 49.7%). Conclusion: This study found no correlation between mastoid air cell volume and HJB, suggesting that HJB may not affect the mastoid air cell development and disease occurrence. These data must be considered exploratory, requiring more extensive cross-sectional studies.

Cultivating Lentinula edodes on Substrate Containing Composted Sawdust Affects the Expression of Carbohydrate and Aromatic Amino Acid Metabolism-Related Genes.

In mushroom cultivation, composting the substrate can make the nutrients more easily absorbed by hyphae due to the degradation of lignin, cellulose, and other organic matter. However, the effects of cultivating Lentinula edodes on composted substrate and the related molecular mechanisms have not been studied systemically. We applied transcriptomics, qRT-PCR, and proteomics to study L. edodes cultivated on substrates with fresh (CK) and composted (ND) sawdust, focusing on the brown film formation stage. The time of brown film formation was shorter and the mycelium growth rate and crude polysaccharide content of the brown film were higher in ND than in CK. The faster growth rate in ND may have been due to the higher nitrogen content in ND than in CK. Among the 9,455 genes annotated using transcriptomics, 96 were upregulated and 139 downregulated in ND compared with CK. Among the 2,509 proteins identified using proteomics sequencing, 74 were upregulated and 113 downregulated. In the KEGG pathway analyses, both differentially expressed genes and proteins were detected in cyanoamino acid metabolism, inositol phosphate metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, phosphatidylinositol signaling system, RNA polymerase, starch and sucrose metabolism, and tyrosine metabolism pathways. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to aromatic amino acid metabolic and biosynthetic process were upregulated in ND. Most of the DEGs annotated to carbohydrate active enzymes were downregulated in L. edodes growing on composted sawdust containing substrate, possibly due to the lower hemicellulose and cellulose contents in the composted sawdust. The results suggested that using composted substrate may decrease the cultivation time and improve the quality of L. edodes and revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms. IMPORTANCE Composted substrates are not commonly used in the cultivation of Lentinula edodes, thus the effects of cultivating L. edodes on composted substrate and the related molecular mechanisms have not been studied systemically. We studied L. edodes cultivated on substrates with fresh (CK) and composted (ND) sawdust, focusing on the brown film formation stage, and determined the composting related differences in the substrate and in the growth and gene expression of L. edodes. Cultivation on composted substrate was beneficial and showed potential for decreasing the cultivation time and improving the quality of L. edodes. Analyzing the expression levels of genes and proteins in brown film revealed gene and metabolism pathway level changes that accompanied the cultivation on composted substrate.

Changes in the taxonomic and functional structures of microbial communities during vegetable waste mixed silage fermentation.

Silage fermentation, a sustainable method of using vegetable waste resources, is a complex process driven by a variety of microorganisms. We used lettuce waste as the main raw material for silage, analyzed changes in the physicochemical characteristics and bacterial community composition of silage over a 60-day fermentation period, identified differentially abundant taxa, predicted the functional profiles of bacterial communities, and determined the associated effects on the quality of silage. The largest changes occurred during the early stages of silage fermentation. Changes in the physicochemical characteristics included a decrease in pH and an increase in the ammonia nitrogen to total nitrogen ratio and lactic acid content. The number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) increased, while molds, yeasts, and aerobic bacteria decreased. The bacterial communities and their predicted functions on day 0 were different from those on day 7 to day 60. The relative abundances of phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus increased. Nitrite and nitrate ammonification were more prevalent after day 0. The differences in the predicted functions were associated with differences in pH and amino acid, protein, carbohydrate, NH3-N, ether extract, and crude ash contents.

RNA-seq Profiling Showed Divergent Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes (CAZymes) Expression Patterns in Lentinula edodes at Brown Film Formation Stage Under Blue Light Induction.

Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom) is one of the most important edible mushrooms worldwide. The L. edodes cultivation cycle includes a unique developing stage called brown film formation that directly affects the development of primordium and the quality of fruiting body. Brown film formation is induced by light, especially blue light. To promote our understanding of the role of blue light in brown film formation mechanisms of L. edodes, we used RNA-seq and compared the transcriptomes of L. edodes grown under blue light and in dark, and validated the expression profiles using qRT-PCR. Blue light stimulated the formation of brown film and increased the content of polysaccharides in L. edodes. Blue light also promoted L. edodes to absorb more polysaccharides by enhancing the activities of enzymes. Among the 730 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 433 genes were up-regulated and 297 were down-regulated. Most of the DEGs were in the oxidoreductase activity group. Pentose and glucuronic acid conversion and starch and sucrose metabolism were the most important pathways in the formation of brown film. A total of 79 genes of DEGs were identified as genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). Fifty-one of the CAZymes genes were up-regulated, suggesting that CAZymes play important roles in brown film formation to provide sufficient nutrition for L. edodes. The results will facilitate future functional investigations of the genes involved in the developmental control of L. edodes.

Variation in denitrifying bacterial communities along a primary succession in the Hailuogou Glacier retreat area, China.

BACKGROUND: The Hailuogou Glacier is located at the Gongga Mountain on the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and has retreated continuously as a result of global warming. The retreat of the Hailuogou Glacier has left behind a primary succession along soil chronosequences. Hailuogou Glacier's retreated area provides an excellent living environment for the colonization of microbes and plants, making it an ideal model to explore plant successions, microbial communities, and the interaction of plants and microbes during the colonization process. However, to date, the density of the nitrogen cycling microbial communities remain unknown, especially for denitrifiers in the primary succession of the Hailuogou Glacier. Therefore, we investigated the structural succession and its driving factors for denitrifying bacterial communities during the four successional stages (0, 20, 40, and 60 years). METHODS: The diversity, community composition, and abundance of nosZ-denitrifiers were determined using molecular tools, including terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR). RESULTS: nosZ-denitrifiers were more abundant and diverse in soils from successional years 20-60 compared to 0-5 years, and was highest in Site3 (40 years). The denitrifying bacterial community composition was more complex in older soils (40-60 years) than in younger soils (≤20 years). The terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs) of Azospirillum (90 bp) and Rubrivivax (95 bp) were dominant in soisl during early successional stages (0-20 years) and in the mature phase (40-60 years), respectively. Specific T-RFs of Bradyrhizobium (100 bp) and Pseudomonas (275 bp) were detected only in Site3 and Site4, respectively. Moreover, the unidentified 175 bp T-RFs was detected only in Site3. Of the abiotic factors that were measured in this study, soil available phosphorus, available potassium and denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) correlated significantly with the community composition of nosZ-denitrifiers (P < 0.05 by Monte Carlo permutation test within RDA analysis).

Vesicles from the self-assembly of the ultra-small fatty acids with amino acids under aqueous conditions.

The properties of vesicles formed from the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules can mimic the functionality of the natural lipid membranes. In this study, the self-assembly process of the amphiphilic structures formed by the interaction between ultra-small fatty acids [FAs, Cn (n = 4-8)] and amino acids (AAs) to generate vesicles under aqueous conditions were investigated in detail, along with the corresponding dynamic vesiculation mechanisms. Our results showed that the molar ratio of FAs/AAs and the chain length of FAs largely affected the structural characteristics and dispersion of vesicles. The detailed information about the entire size distributions and morphology of obtained vesicles were explored by the cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-EM). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and quantum calculations suggested that the intermolecular hydrogen bond and electrostatic interactions between ultra-small molecules (FAs and AAs) during the aggregation processes were responsible for the formation of vesicles, where the hydrogen-bonding effect was dominant. Our findings shed new light on the effective and simple preparation of biological vesicles via ultra-small molecules self-assembly in aqueous solutions, which may have potential applications in vesicle physiology and drug delivery systems, and also get a mature understanding of the fundamental intermolecular interactions in life process.

miR-199a-3p enhances cisplatin sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells by targeting ITGB8.

Drug resistance remains a large obstacle for the treatment of ovarian cancer. miRNAs have been reported to be involved in cisplatin (CDDP) resistance in ovarian cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the function and mechanism of miR-199a-3p in the CDDP resistance in ovarian cancer. We found that miR-199a-3p was significantly downregulated in chemoresistant ovarian cancer tissues, as well as CDDP-resistant SKOV3/CDDP cells, compared to chemosensitive carcinomas and SKOV3 cells. Restoration of miR-199a-3p in SKOV3/CDDP cells reduced cell proliferation, G1 phase cell cycle arrest, cell invasion, and increased cell apoptosis, resulting in enhanced CDDP sensitivity, while miR-199a-3p inhibition resulted in the opposite effects. Luciferase reporter assay showed that integrin ß8 (ITGB8), one of the integrins that is involved in the regulation of cell cycle and motility, was a direct target of miR-199a-3p. Overexpression of miR-199a-3p downregulated ITGB8 expression via binding to its 3'-UTR. In addition, overexpression of ITGB8 restored CDDP resistance inhibited by miR-199a-3p. Moreover, orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse model showed that miR­199a-3p enhanced CDDP sensitivity of ovarian cancer in vivo. Therefore, our results indicate that miR-199a-3p enhances CDDP sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells through downregulating ITGB8 expression, and miR-199a-3p may serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer patients with CDDP-resistance.