Oxidative Catalytic Depolymerization of Lignin into Value-Added Monophenols by Carbon Nanotube-Supported Cu-Based Catalysts.

Lignin valorisation into chemicals and fuels is of great importance in addressing energy challenges and advancing biorefining in a sustainable manner. In this study, on the basis of the high microwave absorption performance of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a series of copper-oxide-loaded CNT catalysts (CuO/CNT) were developed to facilitate the oxidative depolymerization of lignin under microwave heating. This catalyst can promote the activation of hydrogen peroxide and air, effectively generating a range of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Through the application of electron paramagnetic resonance techniques, these ROS generated under different oxidation conditions were detected to elucidate the oxidation mechanism. The results demonstrate that the •OH and O2•- play a crucial role in the formation of aldehyde and ketone products through the cleavage of lignin Cß-O and Cα-Cß bonds. We further evaluated the catalytic performance of the CuO/CNT catalysts with three typical lignin feedstocks to determine their applicability for lignin biorefinery. The bio-enzymatic lignin produced a 13.9% monophenol yield at 200 °C for 20 min under microwave heating, which was higher than the 7% yield via hydrothermal heating conversion. The selectivity of G-/H-/S-type products was slightly affected, while lignin substrate had a noticeable effect on the selective production. Overall, this study explored the structural characteristics of CuO/CNT catalysts and their implications for lignin conversion and offered an efficient oxidation approach that holds promise for sustainable biorefining practices.

Enrichment and separation technology for evaluation of circulating tumor cells.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are tumor cells that exist in human peripheral blood, which could spread to other tissues or organs via the blood circulation system and develop into metastatic foci, leading to tumor recurrence or metastasis in postoperative patients and thereby increasing the mortality of malignant tumor patients. Evaluation of CTC levels can be used for tumor metastasis prediction, prognosis evaluation, drug exploitation, individualized treatment, liquid biopsy, etc., which exhibit outstanding clinical application prospects. In recent years, accurately capturing and analyzing CTCs has become a research hotspot in the early diagnosis and precise treatment of tumors. This review summarized various enrichment and isolation technologies for evaluating CTCs based on the design principle and discussed the challenges and perspectives in this field.

Genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms in homologous regions using multiplex kb level amplicon capture sequencing.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in homologous regions play a critical role in the field of genetics. However, genotyping these SNPs is challenging due to the presence of repetitive sequences within genome, which demand specific method. We introduce a new, mid-throughput method that simplifies SNP genotyping in homologous DNA sequences by utilizing a combination of multiplex kb level PCR (PCR size 2.5k-3.5 kb) for capturing targeted regions and multiplex nested PCR library construction for next-generation sequencing (Multi-kb level capture-seq). First of all, we randomly selected 7 SNPs in homologous regions and successfully captured 6-plex kb level amplicons (one of segments contains 2 SNPs, while the remaining segments each have only one SNP) in a single tube. And then, the amplification products were subjected to multiplex nested PCR for library construction and sequenced on Illumina platform. We tested this strategy using 600 amplicons from 100 samples and accurately genotyped 96.8% of target SNPs with a coverage depth of ≥ 15×. For the uniformity within the samples, over 66.7% (4/6) of the amplicons had a coverage depth above 0.2-fold of average sequencing depth. To validate the accuracy of this approach, we performed Ligase detection reaction PCR for genotyping the 100 samples, and found that the genotyping data was 97.71% consistent with our NGS results. In conclusion, we have developed a highly efficient and accurate method for SNP genotyping in homologous regions, which offers researchers a new strategy to explore the complex regions of genome.

BayeSMART: Bayesian clustering of multi-sample spatially resolved transcriptomics data.

The field of spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) has greatly advanced our understanding of cellular microenvironments by integrating spatial information with molecular data collected from multiple tissue sections or individuals. However, methods for multi-sample spatial clustering are lacking, and existing methods primarily rely on molecular information alone. This paper introduces BayeSMART, a Bayesian statistical method designed to identify spatial domains across multiple samples. BayeSMART leverages artificial intelligence (AI)-reconstructed single-cell level information from the paired histology images of multi-sample SRT datasets while simultaneously considering the spatial context of gene expression. The AI integration enables BayeSMART to effectively interpret the spatial domains. We conducted case studies using four datasets from various tissue types and SRT platforms, and compared BayeSMART with alternative multi-sample spatial clustering approaches and a number of state-of-the-art methods for single-sample SRT analysis, demonstrating that it surpasses existing methods in terms of clustering accuracy, interpretability, and computational efficiency. BayeSMART offers new insights into the spatial organization of cells in multi-sample SRT data.

A robust polymetallic-coated sheathless interface with high acid and alkali resistance for coupling capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry.

A robust interface for coupling capillary electrophoresis (CE) to mass spectrometry (MS) was critical to maintain high separation efficiency of CE while achieving high sensitivity of MS. Current interfaces often suffer from problems such as reproducibility and ruggedness. For this purpose, a new polymetallic-coated sheathless interface was developed for the coupling of CE with MS. The electrical contact of the interface was achieved by etching one end of the fused silica capillary into a tapered tip using hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution, and then depositing a thin layer of chromium followed by a layer of platinum on it via physical vapor deposition technique. The performance of the new sheathless interface was systematically evaluated for the effect of flow rate and electrospray ionization (ESI) voltage on MS signal intensity, as well as the sample loading volume on CE separation efficiency and repeatability by using peptide standards and tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The interface was capable of generating stable electrospray even at ultra-low flow rate of 12.2 nL/min. In addition, the acid and alkali resistance of the polymetallic-coated emitter was tested by immersing it into 1 M HCL and 1 M NaOH solution, respectively. The results showed that polymetallic coating was still intact even after continuous immersion in the alkaline solution for 8 days (192 h) and a longer period in the acidic solution, indicating its excellent chemical stability. All the experimental results indicated that the sheathless interface fabricated by the new method in this study was robust and stable, making it promising for both sensitive and robust CE-MS sample analysis.

Identification of RTP4 facilitating ovarian cancer by bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation.

Ovarian cancer (OV) is the most malignant gynecological tumor in women, with poor prognosis and high mortality rate. This study aims to identify hub genes in OV and explore the role of Receptor transporter 4 (RTP4) in OV progression. Common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened from two microarray datasets. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by STING. Kaplan-Meier plotter was used to analyze prognosis. The effect of target gene on immune infiltration was analyzed by TIMER. The proliferation, migration, and invasion of OV cells were measured by CCK-8, wound healing assay, and trans-well assay, respectively. A total of 293 common DEGs were selected from GSE12470 and GSE16709 datasets. Hub genes, EPCAM, KIFC1, RTP4, TAGLN, and ZFP36 were selected by PPI network. Kaplan-Meier plotter demonstrated that high expression of RTP4 was related to low overall survival in OV patients. The TIMER result showed that high expression of RTP4 promoted immune infiltration of CD8+ T cells, B cells, neutrophils, and dendritic cells in OV. Moreover, silencing RTP4 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OV cells. RTP4 was associated with the poor prognosis in OV. In summary, silencing RTP4 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OV cells, having the potential to be a novel therapeutic target for OV.

Rapid Real-Time PCR Based on Core-Shell Tecto-Dendrimer-Entrapped Au Nanoparticles.

Rapid real-time PCR (generally <1 h) has broad prospects. In this study, we synthesized a new type of nanomaterial core-shell tecto-dendrimer coated with Au nanoparticles (Au CSTDs) for research in this field. The experimental results showed that Au CSTDs could significantly shorten the time of real-time PCR (from 72 to 28 min) with different templates, while the detection limit reached 10 copies and the nonspecific amplification was significantly reduced. Furthermore, experimental analyses and theoretical studies using the finite element simulation method confirmed that Au CSTDs function by synergistically enhancing electrostatic adsorption and thermal conductivity. These properties play a key role in improving real-time PCR, especially in particle-particle interactions. This study contributes an advanced method to rapid real-time PCR, which is expected to remarkably improve the efficiency, lower the detection limit, and enhance the specificity of molecular detection.

Efficacy and Safety of Telitacicept in IgA Nephropathy: A Retrospective, Multicenter Study.

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy of telitacicept treatment in reducing proteinuria in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) was indicated in a phase II clinical trial with small sample size. In this study, we conducted a large multicenter retrospective study to explore the efficacy and safety of telitacicept in patients with IgAN. METHODS: This study recruited patients with IgAN from 19 sites from China who were treated with telitacicept and had been followed up at least once or with side effect reported, since April 1, 2021, to April 1, 2023. The primary outcomes of the study were the changing in proteinuria and eGFR over time. RESULTS: A cohort of 97 patients with IgAN who were treated with telitacicept were recruited, with a median follow-up duration of 3 months. The median baseline proteinuria was 2.3 [1.3, 3.9] g/day and eGFR was 45.0 [26.8, 73.7] mL/min/1.73 m2. There was a significant reduction of proteinuria at 2, 4, 6 months when compared with baseline (2.3 [1.5, 4.1] vs. 1.5 [0.8, 2.3] g/day; 2.3 [1.1, 3.7] vs. 1.1 [0.6, 1.9] g/day; 2.1 [1.0, 2.7] vs. 0.9 [0.5, 1.7] g/day, all p values <0.01). The level of eGFR were comparable between at the baseline and 2, 4, 6 months of follow-up time (41.5 [29.7, 72.0] vs. 42.5 [28.8, 73.3] mL/min/1.73 m2; 41.0 [26.8, 67.7] vs. 44.7 [31.0, 67.8] mL/min/1.73 m2; 33.7 [24.0, 58.5] vs. 32.6 [27.8, 57.5] mL/min/1.73 m2, all p values >0.26). Telitacicept was well tolerated in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that telitacicept alone or on top of steroids therapy can significantly and safely reduce proteinuria in patients with IgAN. The long-term kidney protection still needs to be confirmed in large phase III trial.

Transcription factors containing both C2H2 and homeobox domains play different roles in Verticillium dahliae.

Verticillium dahliae causes Verticillium wilt in more than 200 plant species worldwide. As a soilborne fungus, it forms melanized microsclerotia and colonizes the xylem of host plants. Our previous study revealed a subfamily of C2H2-homeobox transcription factors in V. dahliae, but their biological roles remain unknown. In this study, we systematically characterized the functions of seven C2H2-homeobox transcription factors in V. dahliae. Deletion of VdChtf3 and VdChtf6 significantly decreased the production of melanized microsclerotia, and knockout of VdChtf1 and VdChtf4 enhanced virulence. Loss of VdChtf2 and VdChtf6 increased conidium production, whereas loss of VdChtf5 and VdChtf7 did not affect growth, conidiation, microsclerotial formation, or virulence. Further research showed that VdChtf3 activated the expression of genes encoding pectic enzymes to participate in microsclerotial formation. In addition, VdChtf4 reduced the expression of VdSOD1 to disturb the scavenging of superoxide radicals but induced the expression of genes related to cell wall synthesis to maintain cell wall integrity. These findings highlight the diverse roles of different members of the C2H2-homeobox gene family in V. dahliae. IMPORTANCE: Verticillium dahliae is a soilborne fungus that causes plant wilt and can infect a variety of economic crops and woody trees. The molecular basis of microsclerotial formation and infection by this fungus remains to be further studied. In this study, we analyzed the functions of seven C2H2-homobox transcription factors. Notably, VdChtf3 and VdChtf4 exhibited the most severe defects, affecting phenotypes associated with critical developmental stages in the V. dahliae disease cycle. Our results indicate that VdChtf3 is a potential specific regulator of microsclerotial formation, modulating the expression of pectinase-encoding genes. This finding could contribute to a better understanding of microsclerotial development in V. dahliae. Moreover, VdChtf4 was associated with cell wall integrity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress resistance, and increased virulence. These discoveries shed light on the biological significance of C2H2-homeobox transcription factors in V. dahliae's adaptation to the environment and infection of host plants.

Refractory COD removal from bio-treated paper wastewater using powdered activated coke adsorption technology with ozonation regeneration: Performance and molecular insights.

The present study employed powdered activated coke (PAC) for the adsorptive removal of refractory COD from the bio-treated paper wastewater (BTPW). The adsorption reached equilibrium after 3 h, resulting in a decrease in the COD concentration from 98.9 mg L-1 in BTPW to 42.6 mg L-1 when utilizing a PAC dosage of 5 g L-1. The dominant fractions of dissolved organic matter in BTPW were hydrophilic acids (HIA), hydrophilic neutrals (HIN), and hydrophobic acids (HOA), accounting for 48.8%, 34.2%, and 17.0% of the total dissolved organic carbon, respectively. Three fractions were all predominantly composed of humic/fulvic acid-like substances, while the HOA fraction exhibited highest susceptibility to adsorption by PAC, followed by the HIA and HIN fractions. FT-ICR MS data revealed PAC preferentially adsorbed the unsaturated and oxygen-rich substances containing more carboxyl groups. Additionally, the spent PAC was regenerated through ozonation and subsequently utilized in the adsorption cycles. The regeneration was successfully conducted under an ozone concentration of 1 mg L-1 for a duration of 10 min, and the regeneration efficiency remained about 87.0% even after undergoing five-cycle of adsorption-regeneration. The findings of this study demonstrate that PAC adsorption is a viable and efficacious treatment technology for efficiently removing refractory COD from BTPW.

A High-Throughput Method for Accurate Extraction of Intact Rice Panicle Traits.

Rice panicle traits serve as critical indicators of both yield potential and germplasm resource quality. However, traditional manual measurements of these traits, which typically involve threshing, are not only laborious and time-consuming but also prone to introducing measurement errors. This study introduces a high-throughput and nondestructive method, termed extraction of panicle traits (EOPT), along with the software Panicle Analyzer, which is designed to assess unshaped intact rice panicle traits, including the panicle grain number, grain length, grain width, and panicle length. To address the challenge of grain occlusion within an intact panicle, we define a panicle morphology index to quantify the occlusion levels among the rice grains within the panicle. By calibrating the grain number obtained directly from rice panicle images based on the panicle morphology index, we substantially improve the grain number detection accuracy. For measuring grain length and width, the EOPT selects rice grains using an intersection over union threshold of 0.8 and a confidence threshold of 0.7 during the grain detection process. The mean values of these grains were calculated to represent all the panicle grain lengths and widths. In addition, EOPT extracted the main path of the skeleton of the rice panicle using the Astar algorithm to determine panicle lengths. Validation on a dataset of 1,554 panicle images demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method, achieving 93.57% accuracy in panicle grain counting with a mean absolute percentage error of 6.62%. High accuracy rates were also recorded for grain length (96.83%) and panicle length (97.13%). Moreover, the utility of EOPT was confirmed across different years and scenes, both indoors and outdoors. A genome-wide association study was conducted, leveraging the phenotypic traits obtained via EOPT and genotypic data. This study identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with grain length, width, number per panicle, and panicle length, further emphasizing the utility and potential of this method in advancing rice breeding.

SERPINH1 modulates apoptosis by inhibiting P62 ubiquitination degradation to promote bone metastasis of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most prevalent urogenital malignancies. Bone metastasis from PCa reduces patient survival rates significantly. There currently exists no effective treatment for bone metastatic PCa, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study performed transcriptomic screening on PCa bone metastasis specimens and intersection analysis in public databases and identified SERPINH1 as a potential target for treatment. SERPINH1 was found to be upregulated in PCa bone metastases and with poor prognosis, high Gleason score, and advanced metastatic status. SERPINH1 induced PCa cells' bone metastasis in vivo, promoted their proliferation, and mitigated apoptosis. Mechanistically, SERPINH1 bound to P62, reducing TRIM21-mediated K63-linked ubiquitination degradation of P62 and promoting proliferation and resistance to apoptosis of PCa. This study suggests the regulation of ubiquitination degradation of P62 by SERPINH1 that promotes PCa bone metastasis and can be considered as a potential target for treatment of bone metastatic PCa.

Alterations in brain morphology and functional connectivity mediate cognitive decline in carotid atherosclerotic stenosis.

Background: Patients with carotid atherosclerotic stenosis (CAS) often have varying degrees of cognitive decline. However, there is little evidence regarding how brain morphological and functional abnormalities impact the cognitive decline in CAS patients. This study aimed to determine how the brain morphological and functional changes affected the cognitive decline in patients with CAS. Methods: The brain morphological differences were analyzed using surface and voxel-based morphometry, and the seed-based whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities were analyzed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Further, mediation analyses were performed to determine whether and how morphological and FC changes affect cognition in CAS patients. Results: The CAS-MCI (CAS patients with mild cognitive impairment) group performed worse in working memory, verbal fluency, and executive time. Cortical thickness (CT) of the left postcentral and superiorparietal were significantly reduced in CAS-MCI patients. The gray matter volume (GMV) of the right olfactory, left temporal pole (superior temporal gyrus) (TPOsup.L), left middle temporal gyrus (MTG.L), and left insula (INS.L) were decreased in the CAS-MCI group. Besides, decreased seed-based FC between TPOsup.L and left precuneus, between MTG.L and TPOsup.L, and between INS.L and MTG.L, left middle frontal gyrus, as well as Superior frontal gyrus, were found in CAS-MCI patients. Mediation analyses demonstrated that morphological and functional abnormalities fully mediated the association between the maximum degree of carotid stenosis and cognitive function. Conclusion: Multiple brain regions have decreased GMV and CT in CAS-MCI patients, along with disrupted seed-based FC. These morphological and functional changes play a crucial role in the cognitive impairment in CAS patients.

Integrative transcriptome-proteome approach reveals key hypoxia-related features involved in the neuroprotective effects of Yang Xue oral liquid on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: This study investigates the role of hypoxia-related genes in the neuroprotective efficacy of Yang Xue oral liquid (YXKFY) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods and results: Using differential expression and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified 106 and 9 hypoxia-associated genes in AD and PD, respectively, that are implicated in the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles. An artificial intelligence-driven hypoxia signature (AIDHS), comprising 17 and 3 genes for AD and PD, was developed and validated across nine independent cohorts (n = 1713), integrating 10 machine learning algorithms and 113 algorithmic combinations. Significant associations were observed between AIDHS markers and immune cells in AD and PD, including naive CD4+ T cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. Interactions with miRNAs (hsa-miR-1, hsa-miR-124) and transcription factors (USF1) were also identified. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data highlighted distinct expression patterns of AIDHS genes in various cell types, such as high expression of TGM2 in endothelial cells, PDGFRB in endothelial and mesenchymal cells, and SYK in microglia. YXKFY treatment was shown to repair cellular damage and decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Notably, genes with previously dysfunctional expression, including FKBPL, TGM2, PPIL1, BLVRB, and PDGFRB, exhibited significant recovery after YXKFY treatment, associated with riboflavin and lysicamine. Conclusion: The above genes are suggested to be central to hypoxia and neuroinflammation responses in AD and PD, and are potential key mediators of YXKFY's neuroprotective action.

The value of treatment choice and clinical prognosis for Riolan's arch in chronic superior mesenteric artery ischaemic disease.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of treatment choice and clinical prognosis for Riolan's arch in chronic superior mesenteric artery (SMA) ischaemic disease in vascular surgery. METHODS: The clinical data of 215 patients with SMA ischaemic disease (41 cases with Riolan's arch and 174 cases without) admitted to the Department of Vascular Surgery, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University (China) from January 2019 to April 2023 were reviewed. Clinical characteristics, imaging findings, treatment, perioperative complications, and patient follow-up data were analysed to observe the impact of Riolan's arch on the prognosis of patients with SMA ischaemic disease. RESULTS: There were significant differences in body mass index (Riolan's arch group: 22.82 ± 3.28 vs 24.03 ± 4.26 in non-Riolan's arch group, P = 0.049), Takayasu's arteritis (4.9% vs 0, respectively, P = 0.036), and secondary intervention (3.3% vs 1.9%, respectively, P < 0.001) between the two groups. Propensity score matching was used to exclude the effect of baseline data on patient outcomes. There were significant differences related to therapy method (conservative treatment, Riolan's arch group: 24.1% vs 39.7% in the non-Riolan's arch group; operative treatment, Riolan's arch group: 51.7% vs 20.7% in the non-Riolan's arch group, P = 0.014), as well as in-hospital time (9.79 ± 4.20 vs 6.86 ± 4.32, respectively, P = 0.011). There was no statistically significant difference in Kaplan-Meier curves between the two groups (log-rank test P = 0.476). CONCLUSIONS: Riolan's arch plays an important compensatory role in SMA ischaemic disease, especially in chronic disease. We found significant differences in the treatment methods and length of hospital stay of Riolan's arch, which may suggest that Riolan's arch has some reference value in the choice of treatment mode.

Effects of whole life-cycle exposure to carbaryl on reproduction of female marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) and their offspring.

Carbaryl is widely used as a highly effective insecticide which harms the marine environment. This study aimed to assess the reproductive toxicity of chronic carbaryl exposure on female marine medaka and their female offspring. After a 180-day exposure from embryonic period to adulthood, females exhibited reduced attraction to males, decreased ovulation, increased gonadosomatic index and a higher proportion of mature and atretic follicles. These reproductive toxic effects of carbaryl may stem from changes in hormone levels and transcription levels of key genes along the HPG axis. Furthermore, maternal carbaryl exposure had detrimental effects on the offspring. F1 females showed the reproductive disorders similar to those observed in F0 females. The significant changes in the transcription levels of DNA methyltransferase and demethylase genes in the F0 and F1 generations of ovaries indicate changes in their DNA methylation levels. The changes in DNA methylation levels in F1 female marine medaka may lead to changes in the expression of certain reproductive key genes, such as an increase in the transcription level of cyp19a, which may be the reason for F1 reproductive toxicity. These findings indicate that maternal exposure may induce severe generational toxicity through alterations in DNA methylation levels. This study assesses the negative impacts of whole life-cycle carbaryl exposure on the reproductive and developmental processes of female marine medaka and its female offspring, while offering data to support the evaluation of the ecological risk posed by carbaryl in marine ecosystems.

High-throughput nanopore targeted sequencing for efficient drug resistance assay of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), especially multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), is one of the urgent clinical problems and public health challenges. Culture-based phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (pDST) is time-consuming, and PCR-based assays are limited to hotspot mutations. In this study, we developed and validated a convenient and efficient approach based on high-throughput nanopore sequencing technology combined with multiplex PCR, namely nanopore targeted sequencing (NTS), to simultaneously sequence 18 genes associated with antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The analytical performance of NTS was evaluated, and 99 clinical samples were collected to assess its clinical performance. The NTS results showed that MTB and its drug resistance were successfully identified in approximately 7.5 h. Furthermore, compared to the pDST and Xpert MTB/RIF assays, NTS provided much more drug resistance information, covering 14 anti-TB drugs, and it identified 20 clinical cases of drug-resistant MTB. The mutations underlying these drug-resistant cases were all verified using Sanger sequencing. Our approach for this TB drug resistance assay offers several advantages, including being culture-free, efficient, high-throughput, and highly accurate, which would be very helpful for clinical patient management and TB infection control.

Rhizobacterial Bacillus enrichment in soil enhances smoke tree resistance to Verticillium wilt.

Verticillium wilt, caused by the soilborne fungus Verticillium dahliae, poses a serious threat to the health of more than 200 plant species worldwide. Although plant rhizosphere-associated microbiota can influence plant resistance to V. dahliae, empirical evidence underlying Verticillium wilt resistance of perennial trees is scarce. In this study, we systemically investigated the effect of the soil microbiota on the resistance of smoke trees (Cotinus coggygria) to Verticillium wilt using field, greenhouse and laboratory experiments. Comparative analysis of the soil microbiota in the two stands of smoke trees suggested that Bacillus represented the most abundant and key microbial genus related to potential disease suppression. Smoke tree seedlings were inoculated with isolated Bacillus strains, which exhibited disease suppressiveness and plant growth-promoting properties. Furthermore, repletion of Bacillus agents to disease conducive soil significantly resulted in reduced incidence of smoke tree wilt and increased resistance of the soil microbiota to V. dahliae. Finally, we explored a more effective combination of Bacillus agents with the fungicide propiconazole to combat Verticillium wilt. The results establish a foundation for the development of an effective control for this disease. Overall, this work provides a direct link between Bacillus enrichment and disease resistance of smoke trees, facilitating the development of green control strategies and measurements of soil-borne diseases.

Tranexamic acid-loaded catechol-modified hyaluronic acid/carboxymethyl chitosan double cross-linked porous gel micropowders for rapid hemostasis and wound healing.

Acquiring rapid and effective hemostasis remains a critical clinical challenge. Current researches focus on concentrating blood components to speed up the hemostatic while ignore the effect of anti-fibrinolysis in promoting blood coagulation. Herein, we designed a novel tranexamic acid (TA)-loaded physicochemical double cross-linked multifunctional catechol-modified hyaluronic acid-dopamine/carboxymethyl chitosan porous gel micropowders (TA&Fe3+@HA-DA/CMCS PGMs) for rapid hemostasis and wound healing. TA&Fe3+@HA-DA/CMCS PGMs exhibited high water absorption rate (505.9 ± 62.1 %) and rapid hemostasis (79 ± 4 s) in vivo. Catechol groups, Fe3+ and the protonated amino groups of CMCS induced bacterial death. Moreover, TA&Fe3+@HA-DA/CMCS PGMs displayed sufficient adhesion to a variety of wet rat tissues. TA&Fe3+@HA-DA/CMCS PGMs on various bleeding wounds, including rat liver injury and tail severed models showed excellent hemostasis performance. The TA&Fe3+@HA-DA/CMCS PGMs could promote the healing of full-thickness skin wounds on the backs of rats. The advantages of TA&Fe3+@HA-DA/CMCS PGMs including rapid hemostasis, effective wound healing, good tissue adhesion, antibacterial properties and ease of use make it potentially valuable in clinical application.