Parachitinimonas caeni gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of family Burkholderiaceae isolated from activated sludge collected in Shenzhen, PR China.

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic and filamentous bacterial strain, designated as DQS-5T, was isolated from the activated sludge of a municipal sewage treatment plant in Shenzhen, PR China. Optimal growth was observed at 28 °C and pH 7.5. Catalase and oxidase activities were detected. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain DQS-5T was most closely related to the genera Chitinimonas and Chitinivorax (91.0-93.4 % and 92.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively) and was close to the member of the family Burkholderiaceae. The complete genome sequence of strain DQS-5T contains 5 653 844 bp and 57.3 mol% G+C. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between the genome of strain DQS-5T and those of its close relatives were 75.9-77.2, 19.0-20.3 and 57.2-61.8 %, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis of strain DQS-5T indicated that the sole respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8, the predominant cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), and the major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, aminophospholipid and aminolipid. The phylogenetic, genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data demonstrate that strain DQS-5T represents a novel species in a novel genus within the family Burkholderiaceae, for which the name Parachitinimonas caeni gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed. Strain DQS-5T (=KCTC 92788T=CCTCC AB 2022320T) is the type and only strain of P. caeni.

A pumpless liver-on-a-chip for drug hepatotoxicity analysis.

This study presents the development and validation of an innovative microfluidic liver-on-a-chip device utilizing gravity-driven perfusion for the evaluation of drug hepatotoxicity. This research involved the construction of a hydrogel-based coculture chip that integrates liver parenchymal and stellate cells within a tri-channel configuration. The assembly and operation of the liver-on-a-chip and its accompanying custom rocker were straightforward. The cells in the chip maintained high viability and continuously synthesized liver albumin over extended culture durations. Acetaminophen (APAP), a hepatic injury-inducing drug, was utilized as a positive control in hepatic toxicity assays on the chip. The liver chip exhibited hepatotoxic responses comparable to those observed in 2D models. Furthermore, in this study we evaluated the effects of two plant-derived natural compounds, aristolochic acid I (AA) and its analog aristolactam AII (AL), in both 2D cell models and the liver-on-a-chip system. AA, known for its hepatorenal toxicity, was observed to cause hepatotoxicity in both the 2D models and on the chip. The flow cytometry and mRNA sequencing results confirmed the propensity of these compounds to induce liver cell apoptosis. Notably, AL, previously considered nontoxic, provoked a significant decrease in the hepatic functionality marker albumin exclusively in the liver chip but not in 2D models, indicating the liver chip's enhanced sensitivity to toxic substances. In summary, this pumpless liver-on-a-chip is a simple yet powerful tool for drug hepatotoxicity studies.

Denitrificimonas halotolerans sp. nov., a novel species isolated from UASB sludge treating landfill leachate.

A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobe, rod-shaped strain JX-1T was isolated from UASB sludge treating landfill leachate in Wuhan, China. The isolate is capable of growing under conditions of pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0), temperature 4-42 â„ƒ (optimum, 20-30 â„ƒ), 0-8.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 5.0%), and ammonia nitrogen concentration of 200-5000 mg/L (optimum, 500 mg/L) on LB plates. The microorganism can utilize malic acid, D-galactose, L-rhamnose, inosine, and L-glutamic acid as carbon sources, but does not reduce nitrates and nitrites. The major fatty acids are C18:1ω7c/C18:1ω6c, iso-C15:0, and anteiso-C15:0. The respiratory quinones are Q9 (91.92%) and Q8 (8.08%). Polar lipids include aminolipid, aminophospholipid, diphosphatidylglycerol, glycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, and phospholipid. Compared with other strains, strain JX-1T and Denitrificimonas caeni HY-14T have the highest values in terms of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (96.79%), average nucleotide identity (ANI; 76.06%), and average amino acid identity (AAI; 78.89%). Its digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) result is 20.3%. The genome of strain JX-1T, with a size of 2.78 Mb and 46.12 mol% G + C content, lacks genes for denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), but contains genes for ectoine synthesis as a secondary metabolite. The results of this polyphasic study allow genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of the analysed strain from the closest related species and confirm that the strain represents a novel species within the genus Denitrificimonas, for which the name Denitrificimonas halotolerans sp. nov. is proposed with JX-1T (= MCCC 1K08958T = KCTC 8395T) as the type strain.

ANATOMIC OUTCOMES OF LENS-SPARING VITRECTOMY FOR STAGE 3 OR 4 FAMILIAL EXUDATIVE VITREORETINOPATHY.

PURPOSE: To report the anatomic outcomes and retinal structure changes from lens-sparing vitrectomy (LSV) for eyes with Stage 3 or 4 familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR). METHODS: Overall, 133 consecutive eyes of 119 patients with Stage 3 (51 eyes) or 4 (82 eyes) FEVR who underwent LSV between January 2012 and May 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-nine eyes (97.0%) achieved traction relief through one LSV operation. The extent of retinal detachment improved in 98 eyes (73.7%), remained stable in 32 eyes (24.1%), and progressed in three eyes (2.3%). At long-term follow-up, 39 (29.3%) and 60 (45.1%) eyes had completely or partially reattached retina, respectively. The median change of venular angle was 3.6° (95% CI, 3.5-10.5; P < 0.001) and -9.9° (95% CI, -15.8 to -4.6; P < 0.001) for temporal and nasal vessels, respectively. The mean disk-fovea distance was 0.3 papillary diameter shorter (95% CI, -0.4 to -0.2; P < 0.001), and the mean temporal venular arcade distance was 0.02 papillary diameter larger (95% CI, -0.16 to 0.21; P = 0.361). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that LSV can relieve vitreoretinal traction and reattach the retina in late-stage FEVR eyes. Improvements in temporal and nasal venular angle and disk-fovea distance reflect positive retinal structure changes for patients.

Tessaracoccus caeni sp. nov., a novel member of Propionibacteriaceae isolated from activated sludge in Hefei, PR China.

A floc-forming bacterial strain, designated HF-7T, was isolated from the activated sludge of an industrial wastewater treatment plant in Hefei, PR China. Cells of this strain were Gram-stain-positive, catalase- and oxidase-negative, facultatively anaerobic, and rod-shaped. Growth occurred at 20-42 °C (optimum, 28 °C), at pH 5.5-10.5 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0-8.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1 %). The major fatty acid was anteiso-C15 : 0. The polar lipid profile contained phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol. The DNA G+C content was 67 mol% from whole genomic sequence analysis. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, this strain should be assigned to the genus Tessaracoccus and is closely related to Tessaracoccus arenae CAU 1319T (95.87 % similarity), Tessaracoccus lapidicaptus IPBSL-7T (95.19 %) and Tessaracoccus bendigoensis Ben 106T (94.63 %) but separated from them by large distances in different phylogenetic trees. Based on whole genome analysis, the orthologous average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values against two of the closest relatives were 75.21-76.50 % and 14.2-24.4 %, respectively. The phylogenetic, genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data demonstrated that strain HF-7T could be distinguished from its phylogenetically related species and represents a novel species within the genus Tessaracoccus, for which the name Tessaracoccus caeni sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HF-7T (=KCTC 49959T=CCTCC AB 2023019T).

Genetic characterization and pathogenicity of a novel recombinant PRRSV from lineage 1, 8 and 3 in China failed to infect MARC-145 cells.

The diversity of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in China is increasing rapidly along with mutation and recombination. Recombination could occur between inter- and intra-lineage of PRRSV, which accelerated the complexity of pathogenicity and cell tropism of the recombinant strain. In the present study, a novel PRRSV strain named HN-YL1711 was isolated from a pig farm suffering from severe respiratory difficulty in Henan province, China. The whole genomic sequence analysis indicated that the genome of HN-YL1711 was 15018 nt. It shared 86%, 87.3%, 88.1%, 91.1%, 84.2%, and 84.1% nucleotide similarities with PRRSVs VR2332, CH1a, JXA1, NADC30, QYYZ, and GM2, respectively. Based on phylogenetic analysis of Nsp2, ORF5 and complete genomes, HN-YL1711 was classified into lineage 1 of PRRSV. However, seven genomic break points were detected in recombination analysis, which indicated that the HN-YL1711 originated from multiple recombination among NADC30-like (major parent, lineage 1), JXA1-like (minor parent, lineage 8), and QYYZ-like (minor parent, lineage 3) PRRSV. Porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), 3D4/21-CD163 and MARC-145 cells were used to explore the viral adaptation of HN-YL1711. The results indicated that it could infect the PAMs but failed to infect MARC-145 cells. Challenge experiments showed that HN-YL1711 exhibits intermediate virulence in pigs, compared with HP-PRRSV JXA1 and LP-PRRSV CH1a. Taken together, our findings suggest that recombination remains an important factor in PRRSV evolution and that recombination further complicates the cell tropism and pathogenicity of PRRSV.

A randomised controlled trial on roles of prostaglandin E1 nebulization among patients undergoing one lung ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been reported to maintain adequate oxygenation among patients under 60% FiO2 one-lung ventilation (OLV). This research aimed to explore whether PGE1 is safe in pulmonary shunt and oxygenation under 40% FiO2 OLV and provide a reference concentration of PGE1. METHODS: Totally 90 esophageal cancer patients treated with thoracotomy were enrolled in this study, randomly divided into three groups (n = 30/group): Group A (60% FiO2 and 0.1 µg/kg PGE1), Group B (40% FiO2 and 0.1 µg/kg PGE1), and Group C (40% FiO2, 0.2 µg/kg PGE1). Primary outcomes were oxygenation and pulmonary shunt during OLV. Secondary outcomes included oxidative stress after OLV. RESULTS: During OLV, patients in Group C and B had lower levels of PaO2, SaO2, SpO2, MAP, and Qs/Qt than those in Group A (P < 0.05). At T2 (OLV 10 min), patients in Group C and B exhibited a lower level of PaO2/FiO2 than those in Group A, without any statistical difference at other time points. The IL-6 levels of patients in different groups were different at T8 (F = 3.431, P = 0.038), with IL-6 in Group C being lower than that in Group B and A. MDA levels among the three groups differed at T5 (F = 4.692, P = 0.012) and T7 (F = 5.906, P = 0.004), with the MDA level of Group C being lower than that of Group B and A at T5, and the MDA level of Group C and B being lower than that of Group A at T7. In terms of TNF-α level, patients in Group C had a lower level than those in Group B and A at T8 (F = 3.598, P = 0.033). Compared with patients who did not use PGE1, patients in Group C had comparable complications and lung infection scores. CONCLUSION: The concentration of FiO2 could be reduced from 60 to 40% to maintain oxygenation. 40% FiO2 + 0.2 µg/kg PGE1 is recommended as a better combination on account of its effects on the inflammatory factors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chictr.org.cn identifier: ChiCTR1800018288, 09/09/2018.

The 980 nm diode laser treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder tumor with en bloc technique: single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) is one of the most established urological procedures for the treatment of the primary non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 980 nm diode laser as a treatment for primary NMIBC. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients with NMIBC were treated by en bloc transurethral resection with 980 nm diode laser, and 76 patients were treated by plasmakinetic transurethral resection from May 2016 to July 2019 at the Department of Urology, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University. The clinical data were collected and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The bladder irrigation time was shortened in 980 nm diode laser group compared to that of plasmakinetic transurethral resection group (4.1 ± 0.6 vs 13.1 ± 3.1 h, p < 0.001). A total of 13.2% (10/76) patients experienced obturator nerve reflex, and 5.3% (4/76) experienced delayed bleeding in plasmakinetic transurethral resection group, while no obturator nerve reflex and delayed bleeding cases were observed in 980 nm diode laser group (p < 0.05). The postoperative catheterization and hospitalization time showed no significant difference between the two groups. The median follow-up time was 27 months (13-38 months). No significant difference in the recurrence rate was observed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The 980 nm diode laser is an effective and safe tool in transurethral resection of NMIBC using en bloc technique. It has less perioperative complications and shortened bladder irrigation time.

Global distribution, dissemination and overexpression of potent multidrug efflux pump RE-CmeABC in Campylobacter jejuni.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the global distribution, dissemination and overexpression of RE-CmeABC in Campylobacter jejuni. METHODS: WGS information for 433 RE-cmeABC-positive C. jejuni isolates (including 18 isolates sequenced in this study and 415 isolates from GenBank) was used for the generation of minimum-spanning trees with STs. WGS information for 95 representative RE-cmeABC-positive C. jejuni isolates was used for phylogenetic analysis. RT-PCR was conducted to evaluate the association between inverted repeat (IR) sequence diversity in the RE-CmeABC promoter region and RE-cmeABC gene expression. RESULTS: WGS analysis revealed the global distribution of RE-cmeABC among C. jejuni from more than 10 countries. MLST results indicated that various STs were involved in the dissemination of RE-cmeABC, with ST2109 being the most predominant ST. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the close relationship between RE-cmeABC-carrying C. jejuni isolates from poultry and humans. The IR polymorphism in the RE-CmeABC promoter region is associated with the overexpression of RE-cmeABC, which was demonstrated experimentally by RT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, our analysis represents the first view of the global distribution of RE-CmeABC, which is horizontally transferable and diffused regionally in a clonal manner. The close relationship of RE-cmeABC-positive C. jejuni from poultry and humans supports the potential of these isolates for zoonotic transmission. Overexpressed RE-CmeABC in C. jejuni will increase the fitness of the corresponding bacteria and be of advantage under antimicrobial selection.

Genomic characteristics and pathogenicity of a new recombinant strain of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

Recombination is an important phenomenon that accelerates evolution and enriches the genetic diversity of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Recombinant PRRSV isolates sometimes have different genetic backgrounds. In this study, we report a recombinant PRRSV (SD-YL1712) isolated from a pig farm. The genome of SD-YL1712 is 15,014 nucleotides in length, and its nucleotide and amino acid sequence conservation is higher than that of PRRSV strain JXA1 except within the NSP2 region. The NSP2 region of SDYL1712 shares the highest nucleotide (85.9%) and amino acid (84.1%) sequence identity with PRRSV strain NADC30. SD-YL1712 was found to contain a characteristic 131-amino-acid deletion in the NSP2 region. Two recombination breakpoints were detected at nt 2134 and nt 3958 within the NSP2 region, which revealed that SD-YL1712 originated from a recombination event between NADC30-like and HP-PRRSV-derived MLV-like strains. Interestingly, SD-YL1712 had an additional deletion at position 586, similar to that found in strain TJnh1501. Moreover, the pathogenicity of strain SD-YL1712 was found to be similar to that of HP-PRRSV JXA1, which was higher than that of the CH1a strain. Further analysis indicated that SD-YL1712 might be a transitional intermediate in the evolution of TJbd1401 to TJnh1501.

Synthesis and release of fatty acids under the interaction of Ulva pertusa and Heterosigma akashiwo by stable isotope analysis.

Symbiosis of marine algae is inevitable in the marine environment, and species may occur interaction on the growth. In this study, the macroalgae Ulva pertusa and marine microalgae Heterosigma akashiwo were selected as target species to study the interaction mechanism between them. After the 8 days of co-cultivation, the inhibition on growth was observed for both of U. pertusa and H. akashiwo. Eight fatty acids in U. pertusa was detected, with the significant decrease in contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) especially for C18:2, C18:3n-3 and C18:3n-6. Twelve fatty acids in H. akashiwo was detected, with the significant change for PUFAs. PUFA concentrations in the co-culture group were less than those in the mono-culture. Meanwhile the principal component analysis was conducted to insight into the interaction between U. pertusa and H. akashiwo by fatty acids content and carbon stable isotope ratio of fatty acids (δ13CFAs). Fatty acid content could not distinguish mono and co-culture. However, δ13CFAs could distinguish not only the culture time of algae, but also the living environment of algae. In addition, this study combined fatty acids content and δ13CFAs to explore the release of fatty acids by algae into the seawater. The C18:3n-3 was identified as the allelochemical released by U. pertusa to inhibit the growth of H. akashiwo. The ratio of δ13CFAs in seawater decreased. This study provides a theoretical basis for the symbiosis of marine algae, and a new method of compound-specific stable carbon isotopes was used to better explore the metabolism of fatty acids in algae.

Emergence of a Novel tet(L) Variant in Campylobacter spp. of Chicken Origin in China.

Tetracyclines are widely used in veterinary medicine and food animal production. Campylobacter members are major foodborne pathogens, and their resistance to tetracycline has been widely reported in different countries. To date, Tet(O), a ribosomal protection protein, is the only confirmed Tet resistance determinant in Campylobacter spp. Here, we reported the detection and characterization of a novel Tet resistance element in Campylobacter spp. of chicken origin. This gene is identified to be a variant of tet(L), which encodes an efflux pump for Tet resistance. The variant was detected in 14 of the 82 tetracycline-resistant Campylobacter isolates collected from chickens in Henan, China. Cloning of the tet(L) variant into tetracycline-susceptible Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 confirmed its function in conferring resistance to tetracycline and doxycycline. In addition, this tet(L) variant elevated the MIC (4-fold increase) of tigecycline in the heterologous Escherichia coli host. Sequencing analysis indicated the tet(L) variant was located within a multidrug-resistance genomic island (MDRGI) containing tet(L) variant IS1216E-ORF1-fexA-Δtnp-IS1216E-tet(O)-tnpV-repA This MDRGI is inserted into conserved gene potB on the chromosome. Multilocus sequence type (MLST) analysis revealed that both clonal expansion and horizontal transfer were involved in the dissemination of the tet(L) variant. These findings reveal the emergence of a new Tet resistance determinant in Campylobacter spp., which may facilitate their adaptation to the antimicrobial selection pressure in chickens.

Effects of prostaglandin E1 nebulization of ventilated lung under 60%O2 one lung ventilation on patients' oxygenation and oxidative stress: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: High FiO2 during one-lung ventilation (OLV) can improve oxygenation, but increase the risk of atelectasis and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to analyze whether Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) can improve oxygenation and attenuate oxidative stress during OLV under a lower FiO2. METHOD: Ninety patients selectively undergoing thoracotomy for esophageal cancer were randomly divided into three groups (n = 30/group): Group P (FiO2 = 0.6, inhaling PGE1 0.1 µg/kg), Group L (FiO2 = 0.6) and Group C (FiO2 = 1.0). The primary outcomes were oxygenation and pulmonary shunt during OLV. Secondary outcomes included haemodynamics, respiratory mechanics and oxidative stress in serum. RESULTS: Patients in Group P had significantly higher PaO2 and lower shunt fraction in 30 min of OLV compared with Group L. Compared with Group C, patients in Group P had similar levels of PaO2/FiO2 in 60 min and higher levels of PaO2/FiO2 at 2 h during OLV. The levels of PvO2 and SvO2 in Group P and Group L were significantly lower than Group C. Patients in Group P and Group L had significantly higher levels of superoxide dismutase and lower levels of malondialdehyde than Group C. No significant differences were found in SPO2, ETCO2, PaCO2, Paw, HR and MAP among the three groups. The complications in Group C were significantly higher than another two groups. CONCLUSION: PGE1 can maintain adequate oxygenation in patients with low FiO2 (0.6) during OLV. Reducing FiO2 to 0.6 during OLV can decrease the levels of oxidative stress and complications after OLV. TRIAL REGISTRATION: chictr.org.cn identifier: ChiCTR1800017100.

Knockdown of COUP-TFII inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis through upregulating BRCA1 in renal cell carcinoma cells.

COUP-TFII belongs to the nuclear receptor family, which is highly expressed in many kinds of tumors. Previous studies have shown that COUP-TFII can promote tumor progression through regulating tumor angiogenesis and cell proliferation and migration of certain cancer cells. However, the function of COUP-TFII in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is not clear. Here, we showed that clinical RCC tumor tissues showed much higher COUP-TFII expression level than adjacent normal tissues. When COUP-TFII was knocked down in RCC 769-P and 786-O cells by siRNA or shRNA-expressing lentivirus, the cell proliferation was markedly inhibited, and apoptosis increased. Moreover, the tumor growth of COUP-TFII knockdown 769-P and 786-O xenografts in nude mice was also obviously inhibited. Using qRT-PCR and Western blot, we showed that the expression of the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 was upregulated in COUP-TFII knockdown cells. Simultaneously knockdown of BRCA1 and COUP-TFII partially rescued the inhibited cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in COUP-TFII single knockdown cells. These results indicate that COUP-TFII may play an oncogenic role in RCC, and COUP-TFII may promote tumor progression through inhibiting BRCA1.

Automated update, revision, and quality control of the maize genome annotations using MAKER-P improves the B73 RefGen_v3 gene models and identifies new genes.

The large size and relative complexity of many plant genomes make creation, quality control, and dissemination of high-quality gene structure annotations challenging. In response, we have developed MAKER-P, a fast and easy-to-use genome annotation engine for plants. Here, we report the use of MAKER-P to update and revise the maize (Zea mays) B73 RefGen_v3 annotation build (5b+) in less than 3 h using the iPlant Cyberinfrastructure. MAKER-P identified and annotated 4,466 additional, well-supported protein-coding genes not present in the 5b+ annotation build, added additional untranslated regions to 1,393 5b+ gene models, identified 2,647 5b+ gene models that lack any supporting evidence (despite the use of large and diverse evidence data sets), identified 104,215 pseudogene fragments, and created an additional 2,522 noncoding gene annotations. We also describe a method for de novo training of MAKER-P for the annotation of newly sequenced grass genomes. Collectively, these results lead to the 6a maize genome annotation and demonstrate the utility of MAKER-P for rapid annotation, management, and quality control of grasses and other difficult-to-annotate plant genomes.

MAKER-P: a tool kit for the rapid creation, management, and quality control of plant genome annotations.

We have optimized and extended the widely used annotation engine MAKER in order to better support plant genome annotation efforts. New features include better parallelization for large repeat-rich plant genomes, noncoding RNA annotation capabilities, and support for pseudogene identification. We have benchmarked the resulting software tool kit, MAKER-P, using the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and maize (Zea mays) genomes. Here, we demonstrate the ability of the MAKER-P tool kit to automatically update, extend, and revise the Arabidopsis annotations in light of newly available data and to annotate pseudogenes and noncoding RNAs absent from The Arabidopsis Informatics Resource 10 build. Our results demonstrate that MAKER-P can be used to manage and improve the annotations of even Arabidopsis, perhaps the best-annotated plant genome. We have also installed and benchmarked MAKER-P on the Texas Advanced Computing Center. We show that this public resource can de novo annotate the entire Arabidopsis and maize genomes in less than 3 h and produce annotations of comparable quality to those of the current The Arabidopsis Information Resource 10 and maize V2 annotation builds.

PAX2 mediated upregulation of ESPL1 contributes to cisplatin resistance in bladder cancer through activating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Extra spindle-polar body like 1 (ESPL1) is associated with the development of a variety of cancers, including bladder cancer, and is closely related to chemoresistance. In this study, we aimed to reveal the role of ESPL1 in bladder cancer progression and cisplatin (DDP) resistance. First, ESPL1 was found to be highly expressed in tumor tissues and cells of bladder cancer, and more highly expressed in cisplatin resistant tumor tissues or cells. The binding of PAX2 in ESPL1 promoter region was predicted by Jaspar database and verified by Ch-IP analysis and the luciferase reporter gene assay. Next, cisplatin-resistant T24 cells (T24/DDP) were established and transfected with ESPL1 siRNA (si-ESPL1) or overexpression vector (pcDNA-ESPL1) or co-transfected with PAX2 siRNA (si-PAX2) or overexpression vector (pcDNA-PAX2), and then treated with DDP or AG490, an inhibitor of JAK2. The results showed that silencing ESPL1 significantly reduced T24/DDP cell viability, colony formation and invasion, enhanced sensitivity to DDP, and induced cell apoptosis. Silencing PAX2 decreased ESPL1 expression, enhanced sensitivity to DDP, and induced apoptosis of T24/DDP cells, and inhibited activation of JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Overexpressing ESPL1 reversed the effect of PAX2 silencing on T24/DDP cells, while AG490 counteracted the reversal effect of overexpressing ESPL1. Finally, a xenograft tumor model was established and found that silencing ESPL1 or DDP treatment inhibited tumor growth, while silencing ESPL1 combined with DDP treatment had the best effect. In summary, this study suggested that PAX2-mediated ESPL1 transcriptional activation enhanced cisplatin resistance in bladder cancer by activating JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Comparative analysis of microbial community under acclimation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) surfactants and degradation mechanisms of functional strains.

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is one of the most widely used anionic surfactants and a common toxic pollutant in wastewater. This study employed high throughput sequencing to explore the microbial community structure within activated sludge exposed to a high concentration of LAS. Genera such as Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Thauera and Klebsiella exhibited a significant positive correlation with LAS concentrations. Furthermore, Comamonas and Klebsiella were significantly enriched under the stress of LAS. Moreover, bacterial strains with LAS-degrading capability were isolated and characterized to elucidate the degradation pathways. The Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate L1 could effectively transform more than 60 % of 25 mg/L of LAS within 72 h. Chemical analyses revealed that L1 utilized the LAS sulfonyl group as a sulfur source to support its growth. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses suggested that strain L1 may uptake LAS through the sulfate ABC transport system and remove sulfonate with sulfate and sulfite reductases.

Edaravone dexborneol alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury through NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway.

Inflammatory injury following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) severely limits the efficacy of stroke treatment. Edaravone dexborneol (C.EDA) has been shown to reduce inflammation following a cerebral hemorrhage. However, the precise anti-inflammatory mechanism of C.EDA is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether C.EDA provides neuroprotection after I/R in rats, as well as the potential mechanisms involved. A middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (I/R) model was created using Sprague-Dawley rats. The blood flow of the central cerebral artery was monitored by a laser speckle imaging system. The neurological score was used to assess behavioral improvement. Cerebral infarction volume was measured by TTC staining. And the integrity of the blood-brain barrier was detected by Evan's blue staining. The expression of the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB)/ the NOD-like receptor protein (NLRP3) inflammasome signal pathway and microglia polarization were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. The cerebral blood flow ratio indicates that the cerebral I/R model was successfully established. After reperfusion for 72 h, the improvement of neurological scores, infarct volume reduction, and integrity of the blood-brain barrier was observed in I/R rats with C.EDA treatment. Meanwhile, the immunofluorescence result showed that the expression of iNOS, NLRP3, and NF-κB protein was decreased and the level of Arg1 was increased. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway-related protein was decreased. In conclusion, this study indicates that C.EDA alleviates I/R injury by blocking the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and regulating the polarization of M1/M2 microglia via the NF-κB signal pathway.