GADRP: graph convolutional networks and autoencoders for cancer drug response prediction.

Drug response prediction in cancer cell lines is of great significance in personalized medicine. In this study, we propose GADRP, a cancer drug response prediction model based on graph convolutional networks (GCNs) and autoencoders (AEs). We first use a stacked deep AE to extract low-dimensional representations from cell line features, and then construct a sparse drug cell line pair (DCP) network incorporating drug, cell line, and DCP similarity information. Later, initial residual and layer attention-based GCN (ILGCN) that can alleviate over-smoothing problem is utilized to learn DCP features. And finally, fully connected network is employed to make prediction. Benchmarking results demonstrate that GADRP can significantly improve prediction performance on all metrics compared with baselines on five datasets. Particularly, experiments of predictions of unknown DCP responses, drug-cancer tissue associations， and drug-pathway associations illustrate the predictive power of GADRP. All results highlight the effectiveness of GADRP in predicting drug responses, and its potential value in guiding anti-cancer drug selection.

Fast inflows as the adjacent fuel of supermassive black hole accretion disks in quasars.

Quasars, which are exceptionally bright objects at the centres (or nuclei) of galaxies, are thought to be produced through the accretion of gas into disks surrounding supermassive black holes1-3. There is observational evidence at galactic and circumnuclear scales4 that gas flows inwards towards accretion disks around black holes, and such an inflow has been measured at the scale of the dusty torus that surrounds the central accretion disk5. At even smaller scales, inflows close to an accretion disk have been suggested to explain the results of recent modelling of the response of gaseous broad emission lines to continuum variations6,7. However, unambiguous observations of inflows that actually reach accretion disks have been elusive. Here we report the detection of redshifted broad absorption lines of hydrogen and helium atoms in a sample of quasars. The lines show broad ranges of Doppler velocities that extend continuously from zero to redshifts as high as about 5,000 kilometres per second. We interpret this as the inward motion of gases at velocities comparable to freefall speeds close to the black hole, constraining the fastest infalling gas to within 10,000 gravitational radii of the black hole (the gravitational radius being the gravitational constant multiplied by the object mass, divided by the speed of light squared). Extensive photoionization modelling yields a characteristic radial distance of the inflow of approximately 1,000 gravitational radii, possibly overlapping with the outer accretion disk.

2-Hydroxy-5-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine as a Novel Matrix for Enhanced MALDI Imaging of Tissue Metabolites.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI), which is a label-free imaging technique, determines the spatial distribution and relative abundance of versatile endogenous metabolites in tissues. Meanwhile, matrix selection is generally regarded as a pivotal step in MALDI tissue imaging. This study presents the first report of a novel MALDI matrix, 2-hydroxy-5-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine (HNTP), for the in situ detection and imaging of endogenous metabolites in rat liver and brain tissues by MALDI-MS in positive-ion mode. The HNTP matrix exhibits excellent characteristics, including strong ultraviolet absorption, µm-scale matrix crystals, high chemical stability, low background ion interference, and high metabolite ionization efficiency. Notably, the HNTP matrix also shows superior detection capabilities, successfully showing 185 detectable metabolites in rat liver tissue sections. This outperforms the commonly used matrices of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, which detect 145 and 120 metabolites from the rat liver, respectively. Furthermore, a total of 152 metabolites are effectively detected and imaged in rat brain tissue using the HNTP matrix, and the spatial distribution of these compounds clearly shows the heterogeneity of the rat brain. The results demonstrate that HNTP is a new and powerful positive-ion mode matrix to enhance the analysis of metabolites in biological tissues by MALDI-MSI.

Associations of serum uric acid variability with neuroimaging metrics and cognitive decline: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between variation in serum uric acid (SUA) levels and brain health is largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the associations of long-term variability in SUA levels with neuroimaging metrics and cognitive function. METHODS: This study recruited 1111 participants aged 25-83 years from a multicenter, community-based cohort study. The SUA concentrations were measured every two years from 2006 to 2018. We measured the intraindividual SUA variability, including the direction and magnitude of change by calculating the slope value. The associations of SUA variability with neuroimaging markers (brain macrostructural volume, microstructural integrity, white matter hyperintensity, and the presence of cerebral small vessel disease) and cognitive function were examined using generalized linear models. Mediation analyses were performed to assess whether neuroimaging markers mediate the relationship between SUA variation and cognitive function. RESULTS: Compared with the stable group, subjects with increased or decreased SUA levels were all featured by smaller brain white matter volume (beta = - 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.39 to - 0.11 and beta = - 0.15, 95% CI - 0.29 to - 0.02). Participants with progressively increased SUA exhibited widespread disrupted microstructural integrity, featured by lower global fractional anisotropy (beta = - 0.24, 95% CI - 0.38 to - 0.10), higher mean diffusivity (beta = 0.16, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.28) and radial diffusivity (beta = 0.19, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.31). Elevated SUA was also associated with cognitive decline (beta = - 0.18, 95% CI - 0.32 to - 0.04). White matter atrophy and impaired brain microstructural integrity mediated the impact of SUA increase on cognitive decline. CONCLUSIONS: It is the magnitude of SUA variation rather than the direction that plays a critical negative role in brain health, especially for participants with hyperuricemia. Smaller brain white matter volume and impaired microstructural integrity mediate the relationship between increased SUA level and cognitive function decline. Long-term stability of SUA level is recommended for maintaining brain health and preventing cognitive decline.

BMAL1 deletion protects against obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease induced by a high-fat diet.

OBJECTIVES: Obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are major health concerns. The circadian rhythm is an autonomous and intrinsic timekeeping system closely associated with energy metabolism and obesity. Thus, this study explored the role of brain and muscle aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like1 (BMAL1), a circadian clock regulator, in the development of obesity and NAFLD. METHODS: We generated BMAL1 knockout (BMAL1 KO) mice to imitate circadian rhythm disruption. The study comprised three groups from the same litter: BMAL1 KO mice fed a high-fat diet (to establish obesity and NAFLD phenotypes), wild-type mice fed normal chow, and wild-type mice fed a high-fat diet. The metabolic and NAFLD phenotypes were assessed via physiological measurements and histological examinations. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to identify and validate changes in the signaling pathways responsible for the altered NAFLD phenotypes in the wild-type and BMAL1 KO mice. RESULTS: BMAL1 depletion protected against obesity and metabolic disorders induced by a high-fat diet. BMAL1 depletion also prevented hepatic steatosis and inhibited cluster of differentiation 36 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (i.e., PPARγ) expression. CONCLUSIONS: BMAL1 plays an important role in the development of obesity and NAFLD and, thus, is a potential therapeutic target for these conditions.

Mechanisms underlying capsulotomy for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: neural correlates of negative affect processing overlap with deep brain stimulation targets.

Ablative procedures such as anterior capsulotomy are potentially effective in refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Converging evidence suggests the ventral internal capsule white matter tracts traversing the rostral cingulate and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and thalamus is the optimal target for clinical efficacy across multiple deep brain stimulation targets for OCD. Here we ask which prefrontal regions and underlying cognitive processes might be implicated in the effects of capsulotomy by using both task fMRI and neuropsychological tests assessing OCD-relevant cognitive mechanisms known to map across prefrontal regions connected to the tracts targeted in capsulotomy. We tested OCD patients at least 6 months post-capsulotomy (n = 27), OCD controls (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 34). We used a modified aversive monetary incentive delay paradigm with negative imagery and a within session extinction trial. Post-capsulotomy OCD subjects showed improved OCD symptoms, disability and quality of life with no differences in mood or anxiety or cognitive task performance on executive, inhibition, memory and learning tasks. Task fMRI revealed post-capsulotomy decreases in the nucleus accumbens during negative anticipation, and in the left rostral cingulate and left inferior frontal cortex during negative feedback. Post-capsulotomy patients showed attenuated accumbens-rostral cingulate functional connectivity. Rostral cingulate activity mediated capsulotomy improvement on obsessions. These regions overlap with optimal white matter tracts observed across multiple stimulation targets for OCD and might provide insights into further optimizing neuromodulation approaches. Our findings also suggest that aversive processing theoretical mechanisms may link ablative, stimulation and psychological interventions.

Association of sleep duration and sleep quality with gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women after treatment with assisted reproductive technology: A birth cohort study.

Maternal sleep is closely related to subsequent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in natural pregnancies. However, whether this connection exists in pregnant women conceiving with the help of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has not been confirmed. Hence, in this study, we evaluated whether early pregnancy sleep duration or sleep quality is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus in ART-pregnant women, as well as the influence of maternal age on this association. This prospective birth cohort study included 856 pregnant women who successfully conceived with the help of ART treatment. The sleep parameters of ART-pregnant women were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in early pregnancy. We explored the association between sleep and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus using an unconditional binary logistic regression model. Different models were constructed to examine the robustness of the estimation by incorporating different confounding factors. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that sleep duration of more than 10 h among ART-pregnant women was significantly associated with the risk of GDM, and the association between sleep duration and gestational diabetes mellitus varied by maternal age. We found an increased risk of subsequent gestational diabetes mellitus with increasing sleep duration only in pregnant women aged <35 years. Additionally, no statistically significant association between sleep quality and gestational diabetes mellitus was found in this study. In conclusion, excessive sleep duration (≥10 h) is associated with a high risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women who conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technology, and maternal age may modify this effect.

Causal Associations of Genetically Determined Tinnitus With Neuroimaging Traits: Evidence From a Mendelian Randomization Study.

OBJECTIVES: Potential reverse causality and unmeasured confounding factors are common biases in most neuroimaging studies on tinnitus and central correlates. The causal association of tinnitus with neuroimaging features also remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship of tinnitus with neuroplastic alterations using Mendelian randomization. DESIGN: Summary-level data from a genome-wide association study of tinnitus were derived from UK Biobank (n = 117,882). The genome-wide association study summary statistics for 4 global-brain tissue and 14 sub-brain gray matter volumetric traits were also obtained (n = up to 33,224). A bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted to explore the causal relationship between tinnitus and neuroanatomical features at global-brain and sub-brain levels. RESULTS: Genetic susceptibility to tinnitus was causally associated with increased white matter volume (odds ratio [OR] = 2.361, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.033 to 5.393) and total brain volume (OR = 2.391, 95% CI, 1.047 to 5.463) but inversely associated with cerebrospinal fluid volume (OR = 0.362, 95% CI, 0.158 to 0.826). A smaller gray matter volume in the left Heschl's gyrus and right insular cortex and larger gray matter volume in the posterior division of the left parahippocampal gyrus may lead to an increased risk for tinnitus (OR = 0.978, 95% CI, 0.961 to 0.996; OR = 0.987, 95% CI, 0.976 to 0.998; and OR = 1.015, 95% CI, 1.001 to 1.028, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic susceptibility to tinnitus was causally associated with increased white matter volume and total brain volume. Volume alteration in several cortical regions may indicate a higher tinnitus risk, and further research is recommended for causality inference at the level of sub-brain regions. Our findings provide genetic evidence for elucidating the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of tinnitus-related neuroanatomical abnormalities.

Maternal cardiovascular health in early pregnancy and the risk of congenital heart defects in offspring.

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the predominant birth defect. This study aimed to explore the association between maternal cardiovascular health (CVH) and the CHD risk in offspring. METHODS: We used the prospective data from the Fujian Birth Cohort Study, collected from March 2019 to December 2022 on pregnant women within 14 weeks of gestation. Overall maternal CVH was assessed by seven CVH metrics (including physical activity, smoking, sleep duration, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose), with each metric classified as ideal, intermediate or poor with specific points. Participants were further allocated into high, moderate and low CVH categories based on the cumulative CVH score. The association with offspring CHD was determined with log-binominal regression models. RESULTS: A total of 19810 participants aged 29.7 (SD: 3.9) years were included, with 7846 (39.6%) classified as having high CVH, 10949 (55.3%) as having moderate CVH, and 1015 (5.1%) as having low CVH. The average offspring CHD rate was 2.52%, with rates of 2.35%, 2.52% and 3.84% across the high, moderate and low CVH categories, respectively (P = 0.02). Adjusted relative risks (RRs) of having offspring CHD were 0.64 (95% CI: 0.45-0.90, P = 0.001) for high CVH and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.48-0.93, P = 0.02) for moderate CVH compared to low CVH. For individual metrics, only ideal total cholesterol was significantly associated with lower offspring CHD (RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.59-0.83, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women of high or moderate CVH categories in early pregnancy had reduced risks of CHD in offspring, compared to those of low CVH. It is important to monitor and improve CVH during pre-pregnancy counseling and early prenatal care.

LSM14B controls oocyte mRNA storage and stability to ensure female fertility.

Controlled mRNA storage and stability is essential for oocyte meiosis and early embryonic development. However, how to regulate mRNA storage and stability in mammalian oogenesis remains elusive. Here we showed that LSM14B, a component of membraneless compartments including P-body-like granules and mitochondria-associated ribonucleoprotein domain (MARDO) in germ cell, is indispensable for female fertility. To reveal loss of LSM14B disrupted primordial follicle assembly and caused mRNA reduction in non-growing oocytes, which was concomitant with the impaired assembly of P-body-like granules. 10× Genomics single-cell RNA-sequencing and immunostaining were performed. Meanwhile, we conducted RNA-seq analysis of GV-stage oocytes and found that Lsm14b deficiency not only impaired the maternal mRNA accumulation but also disrupted the translation in fully grown oocytes, which was closely associated with dissolution of MARDO components. Moreover, Lsm14b-deficient oocytes reassembled a pronucleus containing decondensed chromatin after extrusion of the first polar body, through compromising the activation of maturation promoting factor, while the defects were restored via WEE1/2 inhibitor. Together, our findings reveal that Lsm14b plays a pivotal role in mammalian oogenesis by specifically controlling of oocyte mRNA storage and stability.

Analysis of factors influencing the recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) and provide guidance for reducing the recurrence rate. METHODS: A total of 211 patients diagnosed with DFU who were hospitalized and discharged from the hospital from October 2015 to January 2020 were included as the study cohort. Participants were divided into two groups according to whether the foot ulcer recurred during the 2-year follow-up period: a recurrence group (n = 84) and a non-recurrence group (n = 127). The following data were collected and analyzed for the two groups of patients: general information, foot information, laboratory indicators, diabetes comorbidities, and complications. RESULTS: (1) The overall recurrence rate of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) within 2 years was 39.8%, indicating a high recurrence rate. (2) Significant differences were observed between the two patient groups in terms of BMI, HbA1c, TBIL, CRP, financial situation, foot deformity, first ulcer on the sole of the foot, previous amputation history, Wagner grade of the first ulcer, osteomyelitis, DFU duration (>60 days), lower limb vascular reconstruction, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) (t = 2.455; Z = -1.988, -3.731, -3.618; χ2 = 7.88, 5.004, 3.906, 17.178, 16.237, 5.007, 24.642, 4.782, 29.334, 10.253). No significant differences were found for the other indicators. (3) Logistic regression analysis revealed that TBIL (OR = 0.886, p = 0.036) was a protective factor against ulcer recurrence. In contrast, PAD, previous amputation history, DPN, and the first ulcer on the sole of the foot (OR = 3.987, 6.758, 4.681, 2.405; p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) were identified as risk factors for ulcer recurrence. CONCLUSION: Early screening and preventive education targeting high-risk factors such as DPN, PAD and the initial ulcer location on the sole of the foot are essential to mitigate the high long-term recurrence rate of DFU. Furthermore, the protective role of TBIL in preventing ulcer recurrence underscores the importance of monitoring bilirubin levels as part of a comprehensive management strategy for DFU patients.

Doxepin is more effective than zolpidem in improving executive function in patients with insomnia disorder.

BACKGROUND : Insomnia disorder is associated with an impairment in cognitive performance. Doxepin and zolpidem have been found to be effective in improving sleep. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of doxepin and zolpidem on sleep structure and executive function in patients with insomnia disorder. METHODS: Patients with primary insomnia were randomly assigned to receive doxepin 6 mg/day orally or zolpidem 5-10 mg/day orally. Polysomnography (PSG) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used at baseline and after the 8-week treatment to compare clinical efficacy in the two groups. Safety was assessed using the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS). Executive function was evaluated using the Wisconsin sorting card test (WSCT). RESULTS: Of 120 patients enrolled in the study, 60 participants were assigned to each group. A total of 109 participants (53 in the doxepin group and 56 in the zolpidem group) completed the study. After treatment, the wake after sleep onset (WASO) and total sleep time (TST) values in the doxepin group were 80.3 ± 21.4 min and 378.9 ± 21.9 min, respectively, which were significantly better than those in the zolpidem group (132.9 ± 26.5 min and 333.2 ± 24.2 min, respectively; (P < 0.05)). The sleep onset latency (SOL) value in the zolpidem group (20.3 ± 4.7 min) was significantly better than that in the doxepin group (28.2 ± 5.6 min; P < 0.05). The sleep efficiency (SE) in the doxepin group was 77.8 ± 4.2%, which was significantly better than that in the zolpidem group (68.6 ± 5.0%; P < 0.05). The PSQI score of the doxepin group was 6.1 ± 1.1, which was significantly lower than that in the zolpidem group (7.9 ± 1.9; P < 0.05). The treatment adverse events in the doxepin group was 23.3%, which was significantly higher than that in the zolpidem group (13.3%; P < 0.05). The WSCT showed a significant improvement in persistent errors (PE), random errors (RE), and categories in the two groups after 8-week treatment, and the improvement in RE and the categories was more obvious in the doxepin group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both doxepin and zolpidem were found to be effective in improving sleep quality, but the effects exhibited different patterns. Doxepin improved executive function more effectively than zolpidem in patients with insomnia disorder.

miR-306-5p is involved in chitin metabolism in Aedes albopictus pupae via linc8338-miR-306-5p-XM_019678125.2 axis.

Aedes albopictus can transmit several lethal arboviruses. This mosquito has become a sever public health threat due to its rapidly changing global distribution. Chitin, which is the major component of the cuticle and peritrophic membrane (PM), is crucial for the growth and development of insect. microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the posttranscriptional level regulation of gene expression, thereby influencing many biological processes in insects. In this study, an attempt was made to evaluate the role of miR-306-5p in regulating chitin metabolism in Ae. albopictus pupae. Overexpression of miR-306-5p resulted in a significantly reduced survival rate in pupae and an increased malformation rate in adults. Both in vivo and in vitro evidence confirmed the presence of the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory axis (linc8338-miR-306-5p-XM_019678125.2). RNAi of linc8338 and XM_019678125.2 had effects on pupae similar to those of miR-306-5p. The highest expression level of miR-306-5p was found in the midgut, and alteration in the expression of miR-306-5p, XM_019678125.2 and linc8338 induced increased transcript levels of chitin synthase 2 (AaCHS2) and decreased chitinase 10 (AaCht10); as well as increased thickness of the midgut and enlarged midgut epithelial cells. The results of this study highlight the potential of miR-306-5p as a prospective target in mosquito control and confirm that the ceRNA mechanism is involved in chitin metabolism. These findings will provide a basis for further studies to uncover the molecular mechanisms through which ncRNAs regulate chitin metabolism.

Light-driven rGO/Cu2 + 1O tubular nanomotor with active targeted drug delivery for combination treatment of cancer cells.

The unprecedented navigation ability in micro/nanoscale and tailored functionality tunes micro/nanomotors as new target drug delivery systems, open up new horizons for biomedical applications. Herein, we designed a light-driven rGO/Cu2 + 1O tubular nanomotor for active targeting of cancer cells as a drug delivery system. The propulsion performance is greatly enhanced in real cell media (5% glucose cells isotonic solution), attributing to the introduction of oxygen vacancy and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layer for separating photo-induced electron-hole pairs. The motion speed and direction can be readily modulated. Meanwhile, doxorubicin (DOX) can be loaded quickly on the rGO layer because of π-π bonding effect. The Cu2 + 1O matrix in the tiny robots not only serves as a photocatalyst to generate a chemical concentration gradient as the driving force but also acts as a nanomedicine to kill cancer cells as well. The strong propulsion of light-driven rGO/Cu2 + 1O nanomotors coupled with tiny size endow them with active transmembrane transport, assisting DOX and Cu2 + 1O breaking through the barrier of the cell membrane. Compared with non-powered nanocarrier and free DOX, light-propelled rGO/Cu2 + 1O nanomotors exhibit greater transmembrane transport efficiency and significant therapeutic efficacy. This proof-of-concept nanomotor design presents an innovative approach against tumor, enlarging the list of biomedical applications of light-driven micro/nanomotors to the superficial tissue treatment.

Dobutamine-induced alternations in cerebral blood flow of healthy adults: a 3D pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling study.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether dobutamine, commonly used clinically in echocardiography and short-term congestive heart failure treatment for promoting increased myocardial contractility, affects brain microcirculatory behavior. Cerebral microcirculation plays an important role in ensuring adequate oxygen transport. Therefore, we investigated the effects of dobutamine on cerebral hemodynamics. METHODS: Forty-eight healthy volunteers without cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease underwent MRI to obtain cerebral blood flow (CBF) maps using 3D pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling before and during the dobutamine stress test. Additionally, cerebrovascular morphology was obtained based on 3D-time-off-light (3D-TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Electrocardiogram, heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), blood pressure, and blood oxygen were simultaneously recorded before and during dobutamine injection and during recovery (not during MRI). The anatomic features of the circle of Willis and the basilar artery (BA) diameter were assessed on MRA images by two radiologists with extensive neuroimaging experience. Binary logistic regression was used to test for the independent determinants of CBF changes. RESULTS: HR, RR, systolic (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) significantly increased after dobutamine infusion. Blood oxygen levels remained similar. Compared to the CBF in the resting state, the CBF values exhibited significantly lower CBF levels in both grey matter and white matter. Furthermore, compared with the CBF in the resting state, that in the stress state was decreased in the anterior circulation, mainly in the frontal lobe (voxel level P < 0.001, pixel level P < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that body mass index (BMI; odds ratio [OR] 5.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60-21.01, P = 0.008], resting SBP (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45-0.92, P = 0.014), and BA diameter (OR 11.04, 95% CI 1.05-116.53, P = 0.046) were significantly associated with frontal lobe CBF changes. CONCLUSIONS: Dobutamine-induced stress significantly decreased CBF in the frontal lobe anterior circulation. Individuals with a high BMI and low SBP during the dobutamine stress test are more likely to have a stress-induced CBF decrease. Thus, attention should be paid to blood pressure, BMI, and cerebrovascular morphology of patients undergoing dobutamine stress echocardiography or those receiving intensive care or anesthesia.

Klebsiella pneumoniae in the intestines of Musca domestica larvae can assist the host in antagonizing the poisoning of the heavy metal copper.

BACKGROUND: Musca domestica larvae are common saprophytes in nature, promoting the material-energy cycle in the environment. However, heavy metal pollution in the environment negatively affects their function in material circulation. Our previous research found that some intestinal bacteria play an important role in the development of housefly, but the responses of microbial community to heavy metal stresses in Musca domestica is less studied. RESULTS: In this study, CuSO4, CuSO4-Klebsiella pneumoniae mixture and CuSO4-K. pneumoniae phage mixture were added to the larval diet to analyze whether K. pneumoniae can protect housefly larvae against Cu2+ injury. Our results showed that larval development was inhibited when were fed with CuSO4, the bacterial abundance of Providencia in the intestine of larvae increased. However, the inhibition effects of CuSO4 was relieved when K. pneumoniae mixed and added in larval diets, the abundance of Providencia decreased. Electron microscope results revealed that K. pneumoniae showed an obvious adsorption effect on copper ion in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results we assume that K. pneumoniae could adsorb Cu2+, reduce Cu2+ impact on gut community structure. Our study explains the role of K. pneumoniae antagonizing Cu2+, which could be applied as a probiotic to saprophytic bioantagonistic metal contamination.

CfIRF8-like interacts with the TBK1/IKKε family protein and regulates host antiviral innate immunity.

The interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family, a class of transcription factors with key functions, are important in host innate immune defense and stress response. However, further research is required to determine the functions of IRFs in invertebrates. In this study, the coding sequence of an IRF gene was obtained from the Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri) and named CfIRF8-like. The open reading frame of CfIRF8-like was 1371 bp long and encoded 456 amino acids. Protein domain prediction revealed a typical IRF domain in the N-terminus of the CfIRF8-like protein and a typical IRF3 domain in the C-terminus. Multiple sequence alignment confirmed the conservation of the amino acid sequences of these two functional protein domains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CfIRF8-like clustered with mollusk IRF8 proteins and then clustered with vertebrate IRF3, IRF4, and IRF5 subfamily proteins. Quantitative real-time PCR detected CfIRF8-like mRNA in all tested scallop tissues, with the highest expression in the gills. Simultaneously, the expression of CfIRF8-like transcripts in gills was significantly induced by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid challenge. The results of protein interaction experiments showed that CfIRF8-like could directly bind the TBK1/IKKε family protein of scallop (CfIKK2) via its N-terminal IRF domain, revealing the presence of an ancient functional TBK1/IKKε-IRF signaling axis in scallops. Finally, dual-luciferase reporter assay results showed that the overexpression of CfIRF8-like in human embryonic kidney 293T cells could specifically activate the interferon ß promoter of mammals and the interferon-stimulated response element promoter in dose-dependent manners. The findings of this preliminary analysis of the signal transduction and immune functions of scallop CfIRF8-like protein lay a foundation for an in-depth understanding of the innate immune function of invertebrate IRFs and the development of comparative immunology. The experimental results also provide theoretical support for the breeding of scallop disease-resistant strains.

The global asymptotical stability of pseudorabies model with age-structure.

In this paper, the dynamics of an infectious disease is studied by considering age-structured models; a stage structure and an age-structured epidemic model. The respective basic reproduction numbers for the proposed models are calculated, and the local analyses of the equilibria of the models are investigated by using the method of linearization. The global dynamics of the two models are analyzed by using the wave lemma and the Lyapunov function theory. This study establishes a solid theoretical framework and a rigorous mathematical formulation for the prevention and control of pseudorabies.

Integrating domain knowledge for biomedical text analysis into deep learning: A survey.

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of textual information in the biomedical field. Biomedical texts provide a basis for healthcare delivery, knowledge discovery, and decision-making. Over the same period, deep learning has achieved remarkable performance in biomedical natural language processing, however, its development has been limited by well-annotated datasets and interpretability. To solve this, researchers have considered combining domain knowledge (such as biomedical knowledge graph) with biomedical data, which has become a promising means of introducing more information into biomedical datasets and following evidence-based medicine. This paper comprehensively reviews more than 150 recent literature studies on incorporating domain knowledge into deep learning models to facilitate typical biomedical text analysis tasks, including information extraction, text classification, and text generation. We eventually discuss various challenges and future directions.

Effects of incorporating Mn into goethite on adsorption of dissolved organic matter and potentially toxic elements in soil: Isotherms, kinetics, and mechanisms.

Goethite is ubiquitous in the environment and plays key role in preserving dissolved organic matter (DOM) and deactivating potentially toxic elements (PTEs) by adsorbing DOM and PTEs. Various non-Fe metals are usually incorporated into natural goethite, substituting Fe in the goethite structure, which dramatically influence the physico-chemical properties and adsorption behavior of the goethite. In the present study, adsorption of DOM and Pb(II) on Mn-substituted goethite samples was investigated. The results displayed that the specific surface area (SSA) of mineral samples increased by 67.6% as the incorporation of Mn for Fe, from 25.71 m2 g-1 for pure goethite to 43.09 m2 g-1for Mn-goethite. Besides, the Mn substitution caused more hydroxyl groups and relatively fewer positive charges on mineral surface, and Mn in the Mn-goethite samples was predominantly present as Mn(III). The amount of DOM adsorbed to per unit mass of goethite was increased as Mn content increased, which was attributed to Mn incorporation increasing the SSA of mineral samples. However, the SSA-normalized absorption capacity for goethite to DOM was decreased by Mn because Mn substitution decreased the number of positive charges of mineral samples, which weakened the electrostatic attraction between DOM and the minerals. The amount of Pb(II) adsorbed to per unit mass of goethite was increased by Mn substitution, and the amount of Pb(II) adsorbed to per unit SSA of goethite increased as the amount of Mn substitution increased, indicating that the increased capacity for adsorbing Pb was not only caused by the SSA increasing but also by there were more surface hydroxyl groups on the Mn-goethite than pure goethite and Pb(II) preferentially adsorbed to Mn sites on the Mn-goethite. The present study results showed that Mn-goethite could be used to sequester DOM and remediate soil contaminated with PTEs because Mn-goethite has a high adsorption capacity and is environmentally benign.