Lsr2 acts as a cyclic di-GMP receptor that promotes keto-mycolic acid synthesis and biofilm formation in mycobacteria.

Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a second messenger that promotes biofilm formation in several bacterial species, but the mechanisms are often unclear. Here, we report that c-di-GMP promotes biofilm formation in mycobacteria in a manner dependent on the nucleoid-associated protein Lsr2. We show that c-di-GMP specifically binds to Lsr2 at a ratio of 1:1. Lsr2 upregulates the expression of HadD, a (3R)-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase, thus promoting the synthesis of keto-mycolic acid and biofilm formation. Thus, Lsr2 acts as a c-di-GMP receptor that links the second messenger's function to lipid synthesis and biofilm formation in mycobacteria.

Causal relationship between psychiatric traits and temporomandibular disorders: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVES: This study was to investigate the causal relationship between temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and psychiatric disorders by Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A two-sample bidirectional MR analysis was adopted to systematically explore the causal relationship between TMD and eight psychiatric traits, including anxiety disorder (AD), panic disorder (PD), major depressive disorder (MDD), neuroticism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BIP), and schizophrenia (SCZ). Inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger regression were used in my study. Furthermore, we also performed three sensitivity analyses to illustrate the reliability of the analysis. RESULTS: Two psychiatric traits have risk effects on TMD: PD (OR = 1.118, 95% CI: 1.047-1.194, P = 8.161 × 10-4, MDD (OR = 1.961, 95% CI: 1.450-2.653, P = 1.230 × 10-5). Despite not surpassing the strict Bonferroni correction applied (P > 0.00625), we could think that there was a suggestive causal effect of neuroticism and SCZ increasing the risk of TMD. On the reverse MR analysis, we found no significant evidence of causal effects of TMD on these psychiatric traits. Except for heterogeneity in the causal analysis for SCZ on TMD, no heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy were detected in the other analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our two-sample MR study has provided further evidence of PD and MDD being related to a higher risk of TMD. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings highlight the importance of closely monitoring mental traits during future TMD treatments to prevent an increased risk of TMD.

Transcriptome analysis reveals important regulatory genes and pathways for tuber color variation in Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit.

During the growth of Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. (P. ternata), the violet-red skin was occasionally produced spontaneously under natural cultivation. However, the specific mechanism leading to the color change is still unclear. This study performed transcriptomes in violet-red and pale-yellow skin and their peeled tubers of P. ternata, and the total flavonoids and anthocyanin contents were also determined. The results showed that the majority of genes involved in anthocyanin production were considerably increased in the violet-red skin of P. ternata tuber compared to the pale-yellow skin. Especially, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and chalcone synthase (CHS) showed a remarkable increase in gene expression levels. Notably, shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT), naringenin 3-dioxygenase (F3H), flavanone 4-reductase (DFR), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) were explicitly expressed in violet-red skin of P. ternata tuber, while undetectable in pale-yellow skin. The upregulation of these genes may explain the accumulation of anthocyanins, which forms the violet-red skin of P. ternata tuber. The transcription factors, including C2H2, bZIP, ERF, GATA, bHLH, C3H, NAC, MYB-related, and MYB families, might trigger the skin color change in P. ternata. The entire anthocyanin content in the violet-red skin of P. ternata tuber was 71.10 µg/g, and pale-yellow skin was 7.74 µg/g. According to phenotypic and transcriptome results, the elevated expression levels of genes linked to the synthesis of anthocyanins considerably contributed to the violet-red skin alterations in P. ternata tuber. This study provides a new understanding of the formation of the violet-red skin, lays a theoretical foundation for the cultivation of unique varieties of P. ternata, and provides transcriptome data for further study of the differences between different colors of P. ternata.

Humic acid coupled with coal gasification slag for enhancing the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil under alternated light/dark cycle.

In this study, the synthesis of a coal gasification slag-humic acid (SA) hybrid was purposed for the remediation of cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soil. In order to investigate the effect of SA on the Cd-contaminated soil and plant growth, a series of experiments were carried out under different illumination condition. The results showed that the SA has some the photocatalytic activity, and adding 10 wt% of SA to the soil could obviously improve the soil fertility and decrease the mobility of Cd in the soil under alternated light/dark cycle (12L/12D); the content of the residual fraction in the SA-amended soil reached 69.5%, and the Cd decreasing rates for the leaf, stem, and root of Artemisia ordosica were near 100%, 91.3%, and 75.3%, respectively. Characterizations of amendments suggested that the synergistic effect of precipitation and surface complexation played a major role in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Weight loss by lifestyle modification is the cornerstone therapy of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Intermittent fasting has shown favorable effects on body weight (BW) and relevant indicators of NAFLD in several reports. Objective: To estimate the effects of intermittent fasting on adults with NAFLD. Materials and methods: Literature searches were conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to May 10, 2021. Results: A total of six studies involving 417 patients with NAFLD were included. In the meta-analysis, there were significant differences in BW, body mass index (BMI), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) between the control and fasting group. Up to now, there is no significant difference in triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and other metabolic parameters between the two groups. Conclusions: Intermittent fasting is beneficial for weight management and liver enzyme improvement, but long-term feasibility and safety of intermittent fasting should be conducted in further studies.

Effects of Artemisia ordosica roots on the cadmium adsorption characterization on particulate organic matter and soils.

Particulate organic matter (POM) is an effective adsorbent for decreasing the contaminant of cadmium, but little is known about the relevant mechanisms under the effect of plant. In this work, POM were used to study the removal of Cd2+ in the initial concentration range of 0-4.46 mmol L-1 at pH 5.5, and the effect of Artemisia ordosica roots and pH on kinetics and equilibrium of cadmium adsorption on POM and soils were examined. The result indicated that adsorption kinetics fit well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the equilibrium data for Cd adsorption fit much well to the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity for POM at equilibrium corresponding to the monolayer coverage reached 0.287 mmol/g for Cd. The amount of Cd adsorbed in the POM and soil increased with the increase of pH from 4 to 8.5. The Artemisia ordosica roots decreased Cd adsorption in POM; instead, the adsorption capacity of soil for Cd was improved under the effect of Artemisia ordosica roots. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis indicated that the complexation of POM and Cd was mainly through sulfhydryl, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups.

Effects of humic acid-modified magnetic Fe3O4/MgAl-layered double hydroxide on the plant growth, soil enzyme activity, and metal availability.

The synthesis of a humic acid-layered double hydroxide (HA-LDH) hybrid was purposed for the remediation of contaminated soils in mining area. The hybrid was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer. In order to investigate the effect of HA-LDH on the mine soil, greenhouse experiments of Artemisia ordosica were carried out under different concentrations of amendments (0, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%). The plant growth, metal availability, and soil enzyme activities were studied to determine the effects of HA-LDH. The mine soil with 5% HA-LDH was the optimum proportion, and the growth of Artemisia ordosica was in good status. The HA-LDH and Artemisia ordosica could effectively decrease the bioavailability of heavy metals (such as Pb, Cr, Ni, Cd, Zn, and As) in the mine soil, and improve the enzyme activities of ß-glucosidase, urease, and phosphatase. The HA-LDH with magnetism could be easily separated. The characteristics and reusability of HA-LDH could be well maintained after five cycles of remediation. Consequently, the HA-LDH is promising for the remediation of contaminated soils in mining area.

Simultaneous disintegration of municipal sludge and generation of ethanol with magnetic layered double hydroxides.

In order to investigate the effect of magnetic ZnCaFe-layered double hydroxides (MLDH) on the disintegration of municipal sludge and generation of ethanol, the MLDH was synthesized for use in the treatment of municipal sludge. The results indicated that the disintegration performance of municipal sludge was obviously enhanced by the MLDH under visible light irradiation, and the MLDH could also improve saccharification and fermentation in the dark. The yields of 468.9 mg/g for reducing sugar and 136.3 mg/g for ethanol were achieved respectively when the MLDH was 0.3 mg/mL, pretreatment time was 80 min, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) time was 120 h, and enzyme loading was 60 FPU/g. The conversion yields were still higher than that of control group after 6 cycles of the MLDH. Therefore, the recyclable MLDH is promising for the treatment and energy conversion of municipal sludge.

Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Expressing Aphrocallistes vastus Lectin as a Cancer Therapeutic Agent.

Lectins display a variety of biological functions including insecticidal, antimicrobial, as well as antitumor activities. In this report, a gene encoding Aphrocallistes vastus lectin (AVL), a C-type lectin, was inserted into an oncolytic vaccinia virus vector (oncoVV) to form a recombinant virus oncoVV-AVL, which showed significant in vitro antiproliferative activity in a variety of cancer cell lines. Further investigations revealed that oncoVV-AVL replicated faster than oncoVV significantly in cancer cells. Intracellular signaling elements including NF-κB2, NIK, as well as ERK were determined to be altered by oncoVV-AVL. Virus replication upregulated by AVL was completely dependent on ERK activity. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that oncoVV-AVL elicited significant antitumor effect in colorectal cancer and liver cancer mouse models. Our study might provide insights into a novel way of the utilization of marine lectin AVL in oncolytic viral therapies.

Effects of sewage sludge modified by coal gasification slag and electron beam irradiation on the growth of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. and transfer of heavy metals.

A greenhouse experiment was performed to investigate the feasibility of sewage sludge modified by coal gasification slag pretreatment and electron beam irradiation in soil application for cultivation of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap . The results showed that modified sewage sludge had an active effect on the growth of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap . The sandy soil and modified sludge at the volume ratio of 2:1 were optimal, and the growth potential of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap . was highest. In the sandy soil, the values of bioconcentration factor of most heavy metals were below 1.0 except for Zn and Cu. The average bioconcentration factor values of heavy metals in Alhagi sparsifolia Shap . decreased in a sequence of Zn>Cu>Ni> Mn>Co>Pb>Cr>Fe>V>Cd>Mo for all treatments. Alhagi sparsifolia Shap . could decrease the eco-toxicity and bioavailability of Ni, Fe, and Mo in all mixed soil, and Alhagi sparsifolia Shap . could reduce the eco-toxicity and bioavailability of all heavy metals discussed in this study (except for Mn) in the mixed soil of SS:MSS = 2:1.

Effects of Coking Wastewater on the Growth of Five Wetland Plant Species.

In order to investigate the effect of wetland plants in the treatment of coking wastewater, Oenanthe javanica (Blume) DC (OC), Artemisia selengensis Turcz. ex Bess. (AB), Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv. (EB), Brasenia schreberi J.F.Gmel. (BG), and Lythrum salicaria L. (LL) were used to remove ammonia-nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from coking wastewater. Results showed high concentrations (> 30%, diluted by deionized water) of coking wastewater caused decreased photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and relative growth rate in all studied plants. OC, BG, and LL showed higher adaptability than AB and EB. Wastewater concentrations < 30% resulted in less affected growth of OC, BG, and LL; However, AB and EB were suppressed when coking wastewater concentrations were > 15%. High concentrations of coking wastewater generated oxidative stress which resulted in increased malondialdehyde and proline contents and inhibition of superoxide dismutase. OC, BG, and LL were considered tolerable species in purifying coking wastewater (concentrations < 30%).

Cobalt-60 gamma-ray irradiation pretreatment and sludge protein for enhancing enzymatic saccharification of hybrid poplar sawdust.

In order to improve the enzymatic saccharification of hybrid poplar sawdust, gamma irradiation pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in the presence of sludge protein were investigated. The cellulose crystallinity index were significantly decreased after irradiation pretreatment, and adding sludge protein improved enzyme activity and increased the reducing sugar yield. The conditions of irradiation pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in the presence of sludge protein were systematically examined. The maximum reducing sugar yield was 519mg/g under an irradiation dose of 300kGy, a sludge protein dosage of 2mg/mL, an enzymatic hydrolysis temperature of 45°C, an enzymatic hydrolysis time of 84h, and a 90FPU/g enzyme loading. This work indicated that the combined method of gamma irradiation pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in the presence of sludge protein was a promising potential for the saccharification of hybrid poplar sawdust.