Description of a pathogenic strain of Aeromonas dhakensis isolated from Ancherythroculter nigrocauda in an inland region of China.

Aeromonas dhakensis is reported as an emerging pathogenic species within the genus Aeromonas and is widely distributed in tropical coastal areas. This study provided a detailed description and characterization of a strain of A. dhakensis (202108B1) isolated from diseased Ancherythroculter nigrocauda in an inland region of China. Biochemical tests identified the isolate at the genus level, and the further molecular analysis of concatenated housekeeping gene sequences revealed that the strain belonged to the species A. dhakensis. The isolated A. dhakensis strain was resistant to five antibiotics, namely, penicillin, ampicillin, clindamycin, cephalexin, and imipenem, while it was susceptible to or showed intermediate resistance to most of the other 15 tested antibiotics. The isolated strain of A. dhakensis caused acute hemorrhagic septicemia and tissue damage in artificially infected A. nigrocauda, with a median lethal dose of 7.76 × 104 CFU/fish. The genome size of strain 202108B1 was 5 043 286 bp, including 1 chromosome and 4 plasmids. This is the first detailed report of the occurrence of infection caused by an A. dhakensis strain causing infection in an aquaculture system in inland China, providing important epidemiological data on this potential pathogenic species.

Blueberry anthocyanins improve liver fibrosis by regulating NCOA4 ubiquitination through TRIM7 to affect ferroptosis of hepatic stellate cells.

This study aims to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of anthocyanin in improving liver fibrosis through ferroptosis, providing a basis for drug development and targeted therapy. In this study, a mouse model of liver fibrosis was established using CCl4, and the anthocyanin treatment groups were administered 100 mg/kg anthocyanin daily via gavage. Furthermore, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting (WB), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to assess liver fibrosis indicators and liver injury markers. Histopathological methods were used to confirm the morphology of liver injury in different treatment groups. The effects of anthocyanins on ferroptosis markers, NCOA4 and FTH1 expression, were examined through qRT-PCR, WB, and Co-IP. Confocal microscopy was used to validate the colocalization of ferritin and lysosomes. A differential expression model of TRIM7 was constructed to verify its impact on the progression of liver fibrosis. The present study demonstrates the hepatoprotective effects of anthocyanins in liver fibrosis, highlighting their ability to enhance hepatic stellate cell (HSC) ferroptosis and regulate ferritin autophagy. Moreover, TRIM7 is identified as a key mediator of anthocyanin-induced regulation of hepatic stellate cells activation for liver fibrosis treatment through modulation of ferroautophagy. Mechanistic investigations further reveal that TRIM7 exerts its influence on the process of ferroautophagy by controlling NCOA4 ubiquitination. Our study discovered that anthocyanins could improve liver fibrosis by regulating NCOA4 ubiquitination through TRIM7, thereby affecting hepatic stellate cells' ferroptosis levels.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This was the first study to demonstrate that anthocyanins can improve the progression of liver fibrosis by promoting hepatic stellate cell (HSC) ferroptosis. Anthocyanins could affect the content of Fe2+ by promoting ferroautophagy in HSCs, thereby promoting the level of ferroptosis. This study demonstrates for the first time that anthocyanins can inhibit the expression of TRIM7 and then affect the ubiquitination of NCOA4 to regulate the level of ferritin autophagy and ferroptosis.

Anthocyanins improve liver fibrosis in mice by regulating the autophagic flux level of hepatic stellate cells by mmu_circ_0000623.

Liver fibrosis is a key step in the progression of various chronic liver diseases to liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer, it is also an important link affecting prognosis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of anthocyanins on liver fibrosis and the molecular mechanism of mmu_circ_0000623 in anthocyanin therapy. In this study, CCL4 was used to build a mouse liver fibrosis model, and the treatment groups were treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg of anthocyanins daily by gavage. Liver fibrosis indicators, macrophage polarization markers, and liver injury markers were further detected by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), western blotting (WB), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Morphological verification of liver injury in different treatment groups was performed by histopathological method. A mouse hepatic stellate cell (HSC) model and a mouse liver fibrosis model were constructed to verify the expression of circ_0000623, miR-351-5p, and TFEB. Transfected with mRFP-GFP-LC3 to detect the autophagic flux of HSCs. We found that 100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg of anthocyanins could significantly reduce the degree of liver fibrosis in mice. In addition, anthocyanins can inhibit the proliferation, activation, and migration ability of HSCs. circ_0000623 was lowly expressed in mice with liver fibrosis, and anthocyanin treatment could promote its increased expression. Further testing found that anthocyanins could reverse the blocked autophagic flux induced by PDGF or CCL4. This effect is achieved by regulating the expression of TFEB by competitive adsorption of miR-351-5p. Anthocyanins could treat liver fibrosis by modulating circ_0000623/miR-351-5p/TFEB-mediated changes in HSC autophagic flux.

pH Effect on the Structure, Rheology, and Electrospinning of Maize Zein.

As a simple and convenient technology to fabricate micron-to-nanoscale fibers with controllable structure, electrostatic spinning has produced fiber films with many natural advantages, including a large specific surface area and high porosity. Maize zein, as a major storage protein in corn, showed high hydrophobicity and has been successfully applied as a promising carrier for encapsulation and controlled release in the pharmaceutical and food areas. Proteins exhibit different physical and chemical properties at different pH values, and it is worth investigating whether this change in physical and chemical properties affects the properties of electrospun fiber films. We studied the pH effects on zein solution rheology, fiber morphology, and film properties. Rotational rheometers were used to test the rheology of the solutions and establish a correlation between solution concentration and fiber morphology. The critical concentrations calculated by the cross-equation fitting model were 17.6%, 20.1%, 20.1%, 17.1%, and 19.5% (w/v) for pH 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. The secondary structure of zein changed with the variation in solution pH. Furthermore, we analyzed the physical properties of the zein films. The contact angles of the fiber membranes prepared with different pH spinning solutions were all above 100, while zein films formed by solvent evaporation showed hydrophilic properties. The results indicated that the rheological properties of zein solutions and the surface properties of the film were affected by the pH value. This study showed that zein solutions can be stabilized to form electrospun fibers at a variety of pH levels and offered new opportunities to further enhance the encapsulation activity of zein films for bioactive materials.

Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Pathological Features of Gliosarcoma.

Objective: To investigate the clinical, imaging, and pathological features of gliosarcoma. Methods: The clinical data of 14 patients with gliosarcoma confirmed by surgery and pathology at our hospital between 2010 and 2021 were analyzed retrospectively, and the relevant literature was reviewed. Results: In all 14 cases, the gliosarcoma was located in the supratentorial brain parenchyma and involved a single lesion. There were more male patients (64.3%) than female patients (35.7%), and 57.1% of all the patients were 40-60 years of age. The prognosis of all 14 patients was poor, and the average survival time was approximately seven months. The computed tomography findings revealed mostly mixed density lesions, and some cases were complicated with bleeding. The magnetic resonance imaging revealed irregularly shaped mass lesions of different sizes, with uneven or circular enhancement. Cystic degeneration and necrosis could be seen in all the masses, some of which showed signs of bleeding and were surrounded by different degrees of edema and space-occupying effects. The pathological examination revealed that the tumors had bidirectional differentiation of the glial and sarcoma components, while the immunohistochemistry examination revealed glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive and reticular fiber-positive staining in the sarcoma. Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of gliosarcoma are nonspecific, but imaging reveals that the condition has certain characteristics, typically consisting of a huge supratentorial mass, with an irregular heterogeneous periphery or obvious mass-like augmentation after enhancement. The final diagnosis depends on the results of a pathological examination.

Diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging ectopic posterior pituitary hyperintense signal in pituitary macroadenoma.

Objective: When the lesions in the sellar region are large, they can involve both the inside and outside the sella, which brings challenges to the differential diagnosis of pituitary macroadenoma and lesions other than macroadenoma. Therefore, this study explored the diagnostic value of an ectopic posterior pituitary hyperintense signal (EPPHS) in pituitary macroadenoma and its possible causes. Methods: The clinical and imaging data of 131 patients with sellar tumors or tumor-like lesions involving both intrasellar and extrasellar regions in the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from February 2011 to December 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The diagnostic value of EPPHS in pituitary macroadenoma was analyzed. The differences in clinical and imaging indexes between the EPPHS-positive group and the EPPHS-negative group were compared. Results: These 131 cases of sellar tumors or tumor-like lesions involving both intrasellar and extrasellar regions included 91 cases of pituitary macroadenoma and 40 cases of lesions other than macroadenoma. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis suggested that EPPHS had a diagnostic value in diagnosing pituitary macroadenoma [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.857, P = 0.0001]. Compared with the EPPHS negative group, the median prolactin level in the EPPHS positive group was significantly higher (P < 0.05). Through ROC curve analysis, prolactin value was found to be of diagnostic value for EPPHS (AUC = 0.612, P = 0.0312). Conclusion: In sellar tumors or tumor-like lesions involving both intrasellar and extrasellar regions, the appearance of EPPHS is helpful in the diagnosis of pituitary macroadenoma. The formation of EPPHS may be related to injuries to the pituitary stalk.

The effects of acidification on arsenic concentration and speciation in offshore shallow water system.

The effects of acidification on speciation and transportation of arsenic in shallow seawater system were investigated based on data from acidification simulation experiments in lab scale tanks, in which enhanced levels of pCO2 corresponding to pHT were processed. The results showed that: (1) the concentration of DIAs (Dissolved inorganic arsenic), As5+ and As3+ in the overlying water increased with experimental CO2 enrichment; (2) while the ratio of As5+/As3+ decreased; (3) acidification could cause more DIAs transport into the overlying water from sediments or suspended particulate matters, and would be favorable to the existence of As3+. Thus, DIAs is available to microorganisms and can be taken in effectively by microorganisms in the shallow water system, resulting in toxic effects of As on microorganisms and thus the inhibition of the growth of microorganisms.

Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Cerebral Paragonimiasis in Children.

Objective: To investigate the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance image (MRI) manifestations of cerebral paragonimiasis (CP) in children and to improve the understanding of the disease. Methods: The cranial CT and MRI data of 12 children with positive intradermal tests for Paragonimus-specific antigens were retrospectively analyzed. Additionally, the lesion locations, morphology, and imaging characteristics were analyzed. Results: The lesions were located in the cerebral parenchyma in 12 cases, with 10 in the supratentorial area and two in the subtentorial area, among which three cases included involvement of the meninges. The morphology of the lesions was mainly nodular and striated, with clear or indistinct borders and varying degrees of surrounding edema. The lesions showed isodense or slightly hyperdense opacities on the CT scans, heterogeneous equal or slightly decreased signal intensities on the T1-weighted images (T1WI), heterogeneous equal or slightly increased signal intensities on the T2-weighted images (T2WI), and equal or slightly increased signal intensities on the diffusion-weighted images (DWI) in MRIs. In four cases, the cyst wall showed equal T1 and short T2 signals, and in six cases, the characteristic "tunnel sign" and "worm-eaten sign" were visible. The contrast-enhanced MRI showed strip-shaped enhancement in five cases, nodular or ring-shaped enhancement in three cases, linear enhancement in two cases, and uneven enhancement in two cases. The meninges adjacent to the lesions were thickened with significant enhancement in four cases. Conclusion: CP was mostly located in the cerebral parenchyma with involvement of the adjacent meninges. CT and MRI scans had certain imaging characteristics, and the MRI may particularly be of great value for the diagnosis of CP.

Effect of the presence of various natural organic matters on anodic oxidation of electrified carbon nanotube membrane.

The widespread adoption of electrified carbon nanotube membranes (ECM) requires to better understand process effectiveness according to limiting phenomena of natural organic matters (NOMs). In this study, the influences of various NOM fractions were investigated on the oxidative degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in ECM. The results showed the decolorizing efficiencies of RhB in the presence of humic acid (HA) were still above 96%, while bovine serum albumin (BSA) reduced firstly and then increased the decolorizing efficiencies of RhB. The decolorizing efficiencies of RhB with alginate (AA) were over 98% at the first 15 min but decreased gradually to 76% after 150 min. These different performances of HA, BSA and AA were mainly due to their influences on the electrochemical reactivity characterization of ECM. ECM with the BSA depositing layer showed the highest exchange current density (j0), while the AA depositing layer restrained electron-transfer activity of ECM. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments showed that the partial electrooxidation of BSA would occur in ECM with its degradation product observed in the effluent. The variation of electrochemical reactivity characterization of ECM resulted into its electri-oxidation and electri-adsorption rates to be the largest with BSA, followed by AA and HA.

Cycloastragenol and Astragaloside IV activate telomerase and protect nucleus pulposus cells against high glucose-induced senescence and apoptosis.

In diabetes-induced intervertebral disc degeneration (Db-IVDD), senescence and apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) are major contributing factors. Telomere attrition and telomerase downregulation are some of the main reasons for senescence and eventual apoptosis. The derivatives of the Chinese herb Astragalus membranaceus, Cycloastragenol (CAG) and Astragaloside IV (AG-IV), are reportedly effective telomerase activators against telomere shortening; however, their effect in Db-IVDD have not been explored. The present study simultaneously investigated the regulation of these derivatives on senescence, apoptosis, telomeres and telomerase a model of high-glucose (HG)-induced stress using rat primary NPCs. The NPCs were stimulated with HG (50 mM) to evoke HG-induced stress, and the effects of CAG and AG-IV were observed on: i) The expression level of senescence marker p16; ii) ß-Gal staining; iii) the expression levels of apoptosis markers cleaved-caspase 3 (c-C3), BAX and Bcl-2; iv) telomerase activation with telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mRNA and protein expression, while telomere length was measured with reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Cell proliferation was determined using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Results demonstrated an upregulation in the expression levels of p16, c-C3 and BAX, and increased ß-Gal staining; while the expression level of Bcl-2 was downregulated in a concentration-dependent manner. Pre-treatment of the NPCs with CAG and AG-IV downregulated the protein expression levels of p16, c-C3 and BAX, and decreased the percentage of ß-Gal and FITC staining; while upregulating the Bcl-2 expression. These effects protected the cells from HG stress-induced senescence and apoptosis. HG also downregulated the expression profile of TERT and shortened the telomere length in a glucose concentration-dependent manner. While pretreatment with CAG and AG-IV upregulated TERT expression and ameliorated the telomere attrition. CAG and AG-IV also increased cell proliferation and improved cell morphology in HG conditions. Overall, these findings indicated that CAG and AG-IV suppressed HG stress-induced senescence and apoptosis, in addition to enhancing telomerase activation and lengthening of the Telomere. Therefore, CAG and AG-IV prolonged the replicative capability and longevity of the NPCs and they have the potential to be therapeutic agents in Db-IVDD.

The Mechanism of Creep during Crack Propagation of a Superalloy under Fatigue-Creep-Environment Interactions.

In this study, we examine the mechanism of fatigue-crack propagation in 718Plus superalloy at 704 °C under fatigue-creep-environment interactions, in this case, a new turbine disc material used in aero-engines at high temperatures. The effect of creep on the fatigue-crack propagation of the superalloy at high temperature was also researched. There was an unusual inhibitory effect on the propagation of fatigue cracks in 718Plus alloy, in which the propagation rate of fatigue cracks decreased with the increase of creep time through exploration of dwell-fatigue-crack growth (DFCG) test with different creep times. In particular, under lower stress intensity factor range (ΔK) conditions, the fatigue-crack growth rate with a 90 s hold-time was one order of magnitude lower than that with a 5 s hold-time. Conversely, the gap between the two DFCGs gradually decreased with the increase of ΔK and the creep effect became less apparent. The mechanism of crack propagation in 718Plus alloy under two creep conditions was investigated from a viewpoint of the microstructure, oxidation rate at high temperature and crack path morphology under different conditions.

Hydrogen-Assisted Crack Growth in the Heat-Affected Zone of X80 Steels during in Situ Hydrogen Charging.

Herein, the hydrogen embrittlement of a heat-affected zone (HAZ) was examined using slow strain rate tension in situ hydrogen charging. The influence of hydrogen on the crack path of the HAZ sample surfaces was determined using electron back scatter diffraction analysis. The hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of the base metal and the HAZ samples increased with increasing current density. The HAZ samples have lower resistance to hydrogen embrittlement than the base metal samples in the same current density. Brittle circumferential cracks located at the HAZ sample surfaces were perpendicular to the loading direction, and the crack propagation path indicated that five or more cracks may join together to form a longer crack. The fracture morphologies were found to be a mixture of intergranular and transgranular fractures. Hydrogen blisters were observed on the HAZ sample surfaces after conducting tensile tests at a current density of 40 mA/cm2, leading to a fracture in the elastic deformation stage.

Effect of Turning Amount on Metallurgical Qualities and Mechanical Properties of GH4169 Superalloy.

The determination of an appropriate amount of turning for superalloy ingot surfaces, in a scientific and reasonable manner, is vital to the improvement of the metallurgical quality and comprehensive performance of superalloy ingots. In the present study, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, a high-temperature testing machine, a Brinell hardness tester and the Image-Pro Plus software were used to analyze and compare the types and amounts of inclusions, the average area of the (Al,Mg)O inclusions, and the mechanical properties of points at different distances from the edge of the GH4169 superalloy vacuum arc remelting (VAR) ingot edge. The effects of the amount of turning to which the superalloy is subjected, the metallurgical qualities, and the mechanical properties were systematically studied. The results showed that the five inclusion types did not change as the sampling locations moved away from the ingot edge, but the amount of inclusions and the average area of the (Al,Mg)O inclusions first decreased and then stabilized. Similarly, the tensile strength, elongation, section shrinkage, hardness, and fatigue life first increased and then stabilized. Finally, this experiment tentatively determined that an appropriate amount of turning for a GH4169 superalloy ingot is 36-48 mm.

Intensified nitrogen transformation in intermittently aerated constructed wetlands: Removal pathways and microbial response mechanism.

Nitrogen (N) removal processing in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) with different designs often varies greatly. Here, a long term VFCWs study for domestic wastewater treatment was carried out to investigate the impact of intermittent aeration and three construction-waste media (common gravel, red brick and fly-ash brick) on N loss, N retention and microbial community. The total nitrogen (TN) removal was significantly higher in aerated VFCWs (91.31%-93.91%) compared with non-aerated VFCWs (12.22%-53.92%), with the highest removal rate in system VI filled with fly-ash brick. Nitrification/denitrification was the main N sink in aerated VFCWs accounting for 36.79%-55.44%, while media storage (8.47%-48.64%) dominated in non-aerated systems because of nitrification limitation. <16% of the TN removal was uptake by plants, and N2O emission contributed about 0.08%-0.39%. Microbial study found that functional bacteria increased with intermittently aeration. The analysis revealed the crucial influence of oxygen supply and media on N transformations in VFCWs.

Endocrine disrupting compounds reduction and water quality improvement in reclaimed municipal wastewater: A field-scale study along Jialu River in North China.

Several ecological restoration projects have been constructed along urban rivers in North China to purify reclaimed municipal wastewater and improve the water quality of urban rivers. These projects attempt to address several environmental issues, including treating water contamination that is not fully remediated through standard wastewater treatment. This study investigated the efficiency of reducing endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and estrogenic activity in reclaimed municipal wastewater along an 18.5 km field-scale ecological restoration project in Jialu River. The river only receives reclaimed municipal wastewater without natural effluent in North China. Data show that the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) of reclaimed municipal effluent improved when compared to the Chinese surface water standard, and natural estrogens, such as estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2), were effectively removed during ecological restoration purification processes. The estradiol activity based on measured EDCs concentrations (ΣEEQEDC) was less than 0.01 ng/L after the ecological purification of restoration river; however, synthetic endocrine disrupting compounds in reclaimed municipal wastewater, such as octylphenol (OP), bisphenol A (BPA), and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), were difficult to eliminate. The bioassays of MDA-kb2 cells and recombinant yeast in vitro showed no direct androgen response and estrogen effect in reclaimed municipal effluent after the purification processes. However, a chorionic long-term (21d) exposure in vivo test showed that exposure to the reclaimed municipal effluents, even after river purification, still significantly induced yolk protein vitellogenin (Vtg) in male zebrafish, leading to abnormal expression of testosterone (T) and E2. This indicates continued potent estrogenic activity to aquatic organisms, even after treatment and purification.