Construction of a Synthetic Microbial Community for Enzymatic Pretreatment of Wheat Straw for Biogas Production via Anaerobic Digestion.

Biological pretreatment is a viable method for enhancing biogas production from straw crops, with the improvement in lignocellulose degradation efficiency being a crucial factor in this process. Herein, a metagenomic approach was used to screen core microorganisms (Bacillus subtilis, Acinetobacter johnsonii, Trichoderma viride, and Aspergillus niger) possessing lignocellulose-degrading abilities among samples from three environments: pile retting wheat straw (WS), WS returned to soil, and forest soil. Subsequently, synthetic microbial communities were constructed for fermentation-enzyme production. The crude enzyme solution obtained was used to pretreat WS and was compared with two commercial enzymes. The synthetic microbial community enzyme-producing pretreatment (SMCEP) yielded the highest enzymatic digestion efficacy for WS, yielding cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin degradation rates of 39.85, 36.99, and 19.21%, respectively. Furthermore, pretreatment of WS with an enzyme solution, followed by anaerobic digestion achieved satisfactory results. SMCEP displayed the highest cumulative biogas production at 801.16 mL/g TS, which was 38.79% higher than that observed for WS, 22.15% higher than that of solid-state commercial enzyme pretreatment and 25.41% higher than that of liquid commercial enzyme pretreatment. These results indicate that enzyme-pretreated WS can significantly enhance biogas production. This study represents a solution to the environmental burden and energy use of crop residues.

The mask paradox between perception of discomfort and reality of physiological effects in healthy college students in China: a panel study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, masks proved to be an effective measure in preventing virus transmission. However, many people have reported discomfort and negative perceptions toward wearing masks, especially during physical activity. This study aims to evaluate the discomfort and adverse perceptions related to various mask types among young, healthy adults during light exercise, including sitting, stationary stepping, and stair climbing. The study also examines the extent to which masks influence physiological indicators of physical well-being. METHODS: The study was conducted in two stages at the campus hospital of Shantou University. In Stage 1, 20 healthy college students (10 males, 10 females) were recruited to identify the mask with the most substantial physiological and psychological impact among four types: KN95 respirators, surgical masks, cloth masks, and 3D medical masks. These specific types were chosen due to their widespread use and varying levels of filtration and breathability. In Stage 2, 14 healthy college students (7 males, 7 females) were included to examine the effects of the identified mask across various levels of physical exertion. Subjective perceptions were measured using the Mask-Related Discomfort and Perception Score (MRDPS), and physiological parameters such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, and vital capacity were recorded. RESULTS: The KN95 respirator and cloth mask were associated with the highest MRDPS, indicating significant discomfort among wearers (p < 0.05). The use of KN95 respirators had the largest impact on MRDPS during stair stepping (ß = 10.357, 95% CI [5.755, 14.959]). Physiological parameters showed minor variations across different masks, with KN95 respirators significantly associated with reduced diastolic blood pressure (ß=-7.806, 95% CI [-12.294, -3.318]) and pulse rate (ß=-10.661, 95% CI [-18.896, -2.425]) in Stage 1. However, after controlling for exercise pace in Stage 2, wearing a KN95 respirator did not significantly affect these parameters. CONCLUSIONS: KN95 respirators and cloth masks were found to cause the most discomfort during light physical activity, with males reporting higher discomfort levels than females. While these masks are associated with varying levels of perceived discomfort, their impact on physiological indicators is relatively modest. Future research should include larger and more diverse samples , continuous monitoring of physiological parameters during exercise, and exploration of the underlying mechanisms of gender differences in mask discomfort.

The promoting effect and mechanism of MAD2L2 on stemness maintenance and malignant progression in glioma.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma, the most common primary malignant tumor of the brain, is associated with poor prognosis. Glioblastoma cells exhibit high proliferative and invasive properties, and glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) have been shown to play a crucial role in the malignant behavior of glioblastoma cells. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in GSCs maintenance and malignant progression. METHODS: Bioinformatics analysis was performed based on data from public databases to explore the expression profile of Mitotic arrest deficient 2 like 2 (MAD2L2) and its potential function in glioma. The impact of MAD2L2 on glioblastoma cell behaviors was assessed through cell viability assays (CCK8), colony formation assays, 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EDU) incorporation assays, scratch assays, and transwell migration/invasion assays. The findings from in vitro experiments were further validated in vivo using xenograft tumor model. GSCs were isolated from the U87 and LN229 cell lines through flow cytometry and the stemness characteristics were verified by immunofluorescence staining. The sphere-forming ability of GSCs was examined using the stem cell sphere formation assay. Bioinformatics methods were conducted to identified the potential downstream target genes of MAD2L2, followed by in vitro experimental validation. Furthermore, potential upstream transcription factors that regulate MAD2L2 expression were confirmed through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays. RESULTS: The MAD2L2 exhibited high expression in glioblastoma samples and showed significant correlation with patient prognosis. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that silencing of MAD2L2 led to decreased proliferation, invasion, and migration capabilities of glioblastoma cells, while decreasing stemness characteristics of glioblastoma stem cells. Conversely, overexpression of MAD2L2 enhanced these malignant behaviors. Further investigation revealed that MYC proto-oncogene (c-MYC) mediated the functional role of MAD2L2 in glioblastoma, which was further validated through a rescue experiment. Moreover, using dual-luciferase reporter gene assays and ChIP assays determined that the upstream transcription factor E2F-1 regulated the expression of MAD2L2. CONCLUSION: Our study elucidated the role of MAD2L2 in maintaining glioblastoma stemness and promoting malignant behaviors through the regulation of c-MYC, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target.

Lentibacillus daqui sp. nov., isolated from high-temperature Daqu, a starter for production of Chinese Jiang-flavour Baijiu.

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming, aerobic bacterial strain, designated ZS110521T, was isolated from high-temperature Daqu, a starter for production of Chinese Jiang-flavour Baijiu and was characterised by polyphasic taxonomy. This novel isolate grew in the presence of 0-20 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 6.0-9.0 and 20-50 °C; optimum growth was observed with 8-10 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 7.0 and 37 °C. A comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence (1460 bp) of ZS110521T revealed that it displayed the highest similarity to Lentibacillus populi WD4L-1T (95.5 %), followed by Lentibacillus garicola SL-MJ1T (95.4 %) and Lentibacillus lacisalsi BH260T (95.2 %). ANI and dDDH values between ZS110521T and other strains of species of the genus Lentibacillus were less than 78 and 28 %, respectively. The predominant cellular fatty acids (> 10 %) of ZS110521T were anteiso-C17 : 0 (37.8 %), anteiso-C15 : 0 (28.1 %) and iso-C16 : 0 (15.5 %). The respiratory quinone was identified as menaquinone-7 (MK-7) and the major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The polyphasic taxonomic data and the results of chemotaxonomic analysis confirmed that ZS110521T represents a novel species, for which the name Lentibacillus daqui sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of this proposed species is ZS110521T (=CGMCC 1.19456T =JCM 35213T).

Solibacillus daqui sp. nov., isolated from high-temperature Daqu.

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming, aerobic bacterial strain, designated ZS111008T, was isolated from high-temperature Daqu, a starter for production of Chinese Jiang-flavour Baijiu, and was characterized by polyphasic taxonomy. This novel isolate grew in the presence of 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 6.0-9.0 and 25-45 °C; optimum growth was observed with 1 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 8.0 and 30 °C. A comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence (1461 bp) of strain ZS111008T showed highest similarity to Solibacillus silvestris DSM12223T (96.7%), followed by Solibacillus cecembensis PN5T (96.6%) and Solibacillus isronensis AMCK01000046 (96.5%). The DNA G+C content of strain ZS111008T was 37.21 mol%. The respiratory quinone was identified as menaquinone-7 and the major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and one unknown phospholipid. Lys was detected as the diagnostic diamino acid in the cell wall. Based on morphological characteristics, chemotaxonomic characteristics and physiological properties, strain ZS111008T represents a novel species of the genus Solibacillus, for which the name Solibacillus daqui sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain for this proposed species is ZS111008T (=CGMCC 1.19455T=JCM 35214T).

Biomechanics of open-globe injury: a review.

Open-globe injury is a common cause of blindness clinically caused by blunt trauma, sharp injury, or shock waves, characterised by rupture of the cornea or sclera and exposure of eye contents to the environment. It causes catastrophic damage to the globe, resulting in severe visual impairment and psychological trauma to the patient. Depending on the structure of the globe, the biomechanics causing ocular rupture can vary, and trauma to different parts of the globe can cause varying degrees of eye injury. The weak parts or parts of the eyeball in contact with foreign bodies rupture when biomechanics, such as external force, unit area impact energy, corneoscleral stress, and intraocular pressure exceed a certain value. Studying the biomechanics of open-globe injury and its influencing factors can provide a reference for eye-contact operations and the design of eye-protection devices. This review summarises the biomechanics of open-globe injury and the relevant factors.

Electronic nose application for detecting different odorants in source water: Possibility and scenario.

The problem of taste and odor (T&O) in drinking water is a widespread societal concern and highlights substantial challenges related to the detection and evaluation of odor in water. In this study, the portable electronic nose PEN3, which is equipped with ten different heated metal sensors, was applied to analyze its applicability, feasibility and application scenarios for the detection of typical odorants, such as 2-methylisobornel (2-MIB), geosmin (GSM), ß-cyclocitral, ß-ionone, and other T&O compounds in source water, while avoiding uncertainties and instability related to manual inspection. All the T&O compounds could be effectively differentiated by principal component analysis (PCA). Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) showed that the odors varied greatly between different samples and could be effectively distinguished. As the odorant concentration increased, the sensor response intensity of the primary identification sensors R6 and R8 increased with a significant positive correlation. For Microcystis aeruginosa, an algae that produces odorants, PCA could distinguish the odors of algae at a series of densities at different concentrations. The responses of R10 showed a significant increase with increasing algae density, implying the production of more aliphatic hydrocarbons and other odor compounds. The results indicated that the electronic nose could provide a promising alternative to traditional unstable and complex detection methods for the detection of odorous substances in surface water and early warning of odor events. This study aimed to provide technical support for rapid monitoring and early warning of odorants in source water management.

Effect of Koji on Flavor Compounds and Sensory Characteristics of Rice Shochu.

Koji is an important starter for rice shochu brewing and influences the rice shochu quality. Consequently, we studied the impacts of koji on the flavor compounds and sensory characteristics of rice shochu using molds Aspergillus kawachii SICC 3.917 (A-K), Aspergillus oryzae SICC 3.79(A-O), Aspergillus Niger CICC 2372 (A-N), Rhizopus oryzae CICC 40260 (R-O), and the traditional starter Qu (control). The effects of koji on the aroma components, free amino acids (FAAs), and overall sensory aspects of rice shochu were studied. These findings indicated that koji significantly affected the rice shochu's quality. The content of total FAAs in rice shochu A-K (30.586 ± 0.944 mg/L) and A-O (29.919 ± 0.278 mg/L) was higher than others. The content of flavor compounds revealed that the aroma of rice shochu with various koji varied greatly from the smells of alcohols and esters. Shochu A-O had a higher concentration of aroma compounds and it exhibited a strong aroma and harmonious taste compared with the others. This research using taste compounds, FAAs, flavor intensity, and partial least squares regression (PLSR) showed that shochu A-O appeared to possess the best sensory qualities, with elevated concentrations of alcohols and sweet FAAs and lesser concentrations of sour FAAs. Therefore, the A-O mold is promising for the manufacture of rice shochu with excellent flavor and sensory characteristics.

Single-Tube Multiplex Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Molecular Diagnosis and Prediction of Severity of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disease characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons and progressive muscle atrophy. Accurate detection of SMN1 and SMN2 copy numbers is essential for SMA diagnosis, carrier screening, disease severity prediction, therapy, and prognosis. However, a method for SMN1 and SMN2 copy number determination that is simultaneously accurate, simple, rapid, multitargeted, and applicable to various samples has not previously been reported. Here, we developed a single-tube multiplex digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) assay for simultaneous determination of the copy numbers of SMN1 exons 7 and 8 and SMN2 exons 7 and 8. A total of 317 clinical samples, including peripheral blood, amniotic fluid, chorionic villus, buccal swabs, and dried blood spots, were collected to evaluate the performance of this dPCR-based assay. The test results were accurate for all the clinical samples. Our assay is accurate, rapid, easy to handle, and applicable to many types of samples and uses a small amount of DNA; it is a powerful tool for SMA molecular diagnosis, large-scale screening, and disease severity assessment.

Metabolite-Based Mutualistic Interaction between Two Novel Clostridial Species from Pit Mud Enhances Butyrate and Caproate Production.

Pit mud microbial consortia play crucial roles in the formation of Chinese strong-flavor baijiu's key flavor-active compounds, especially butyric and caproic acids. Clostridia, one of the abundant bacterial groups in pit mud, were recognized as important butyric and caproic acid producers. Research on the interactions of the pit mud microbial community mainly depends on correlation analysis at present. Interaction between Clostridium and other microorganisms and its involvement in short/medium-chain fatty acid (S/MCFA) metabolism are still unclear. We previously found coculture of two clostridial strains isolated from pit mud, Clostridium fermenticellae JN500901 (C.901) and Novisyntrophococcus fermenticellae JN500902 (N.902), could enhance S/MCFA accumulation. Here, we investigated their underlying interaction mechanism through the combined analysis of phenotype, genome, and transcriptome. Compared to monocultures, coculture of C.901 and N.902 obviously promoted their growth, including shortening the growth lag phase and increasing biomass, and the accumulation of butyric acid and caproic acid. The slight effects of inoculation ratio and continuous passage on the growth and metabolism of coculture indicated the relative stability of their interaction. Transwell coculture and transcriptome analysis showed the interaction between C.901 and N.902 was accomplished by metabolite exchange, i.e., formic acid produced by C.901 activated the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of N.902, thereby enhancing its production of acetic acid, which was further converted to butyric acid and caproic acid by C.901 through reverse ß-oxidation. This work demonstrates the potential roles of mutually beneficial interspecies interactions in the accumulation of key flavor compounds in pit mud. IMPORTANCE Microbial interactions played crucial roles in influencing the assembly, stability, and function of the microbial community. The metabolites of pit mud microbiota are the key to flavor formation of Chinese strong-flavor baijiu. So far, researches on the interactions of the pit mud microbial community have been mainly based on the correlation analysis of sequencing data, and more work needs to be performed to unveil the complicated interaction patterns. Here, we identified a material exchange-based mutualistic interaction system involving two fatty acid-producing clostridial strains (Clostridium fermenticellae JN500901 and Novisyntrophococcus fermenticellae JN500902) isolated from pit mud and systematically elucidated their interaction mechanism for promoting the production of butyric acid and caproic acid, the key flavor-active compounds of baijiu. Our findings provide a new perspective for understanding the complicated interactions of pit mud microorganisms.

Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Rett Syndrome Caused by Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein-2 Variants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in peripheral blood in Rett syndrome caused by methyl-CpG-binding protein-2 (MECP2) variants and explore the mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction in Rett syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: Female patients who were diagnosed with Rett syndrome and had an MECP2 variant (n = 142) were recruited in this study, along with the same number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. MtDNA copy number was quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction with TaqMan probes. The differences in mtDNA copy number between the Rett syndrome group and the control group were analyzed using the independent-samples t test. Linear regression, biserial correlation analysis, and one-way ANOVA were applied for the correlations between mtDNA copy number and age, clinical severity, variant types, functional domains, and hot-spot variants. RESULTS: MtDNA copy number was found to be significantly increased in the patients with Rett syndrome with MECP2 gene variants compared with the control subjects. Age, clinical severity, variant types, functional domains, and hot-spot variants were not related to mtDNA copy number in patients with Rett syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: MtDNA copy number is increased significantly in patients with Rett syndrome, suggesting that changes in mitochondrial function in Rett syndrome trigger a compensatory increase in mtDNA copy number and providing new possibilities for treating Rett syndrome, such as mitochondria-targeted therapies.

Lentilactobacillus laojiaonis sp. nov., isolated from the mud in a fermentation cellar for the production of Chinese liquor.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-motile bacterial strain, designated IM3328T, was isolated from a mud cellar which has been continuously used over hundreds of years for the fermentative production of Chinese strong-flavour baijiu. It is asporogenous, facultative anaerobic and does not exhibit catalase activity. Strain IM3328T can grow at pH 4.5-8.5 (optimum, pH 7.0), 15-45 °C (optimum, 37 °C), with 0-75% (w/v) ethanol with and 0-6% (w/v) NaCl. The API 50CH assay revealed that strain IM3328T can metabolize l-arabinose, d-ribose, d-xylose, d-glucose, d-fructose, d-mannose, N-acetylglucosamine, gluconate, methyl ß-d-pyranoside, methyl α-d-glucopyranoside, methyl α-d-glucopyranoside and raffinose among the 49 studied carbon sources. Lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, isopentanol and butyl acetate are he predominant metabolites in the fermentation broth of strain IM3328T when cultured in liquid de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium under micro-aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The polar lipids of strain IM3328T consist of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified phospholipid, two unidentified glycolipids and two unidentified lipids. The major cellular fatty acids (≥10%) consist of C16 : 0, C18:1 ω9c and summed feature 7. The cell wall contains ribose, glucose, galactose, lysine, alanine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid. The complete genome of strain IM3328T contains a circular chromosome of 1242019 bp with 1242 genes and 33 mol% G+C content. On the basis of the 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic tree, Lentilactobacillus senioris DSM 24302T (95.9% similarity), Lentilactobacillus rapi DSM 19907T (95.7% similarity) and Lentilactobacillus parabuchneri DSM 5707T (95.1% similarity) were chosen to compare with strain IM3328T to reveal the physiological differences. The low average nucleotide identity values (69.7-71.2%) between strain IM3328T and phylogenetically related reference strains demonstrated that this strain represents a novel species of the genus Lentilactobacillus, and the name Lentilactobacillus laojiaonis sp. nov. (type strain IM3328T=CGMCC 1.18832T=JCM 34630T) is proposed.

Multi-Modal Vehicle Trajectory Prediction by Collaborative Learning of Lane Orientation, Vehicle Interaction, and Intention.

Accurate trajectory prediction is an essential task in automated driving, which is achieved by sensing and analyzing the behavior of surrounding vehicles. Although plenty of research works have been invested in this field, it is still a challenging subject due to the environment's complexity and the driving intention uncertainty. In this paper, we propose a joint learning architecture to incorporate the lane orientation, vehicle interaction, and driving intention in vehicle trajectory forecasting. This work employs a coordinate transform to encode the vehicle trajectory with lane orientation information, which is further incorporated into various interaction models to explore the mutual trajectory relations. Extracted features are applied in a dual-level stochastic choice learning to distinguish the trajectory modality at both the intention and motion levels. By collaborative learning of lane orientation, interaction, and intention, our approach can be applied to both highway and urban scenes. Experiments on the NGSIM, HighD, and Argoverse datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a significant improvement in prediction accuracy compared with the baseline.

Mining the Factors Driving the Evolution of the Pit Mud Microbiome under the Impact of Long-Term Production of Strong-Flavor Baijiu.

The mud cellar creates a unique microenvironment for the fermentation of strong-flavor baijiu (SFB). Recent research and long-term practice have highlighted the key roles of microbes inhabiting pit mud in the formation of SFB's characteristic flavor. A positive correlation between the quality of SFB and cellar age was extracted from practice; however, the evolutionary patterns of pit mud microbiome and driving factors remain unclear. Here, based on the variation regularity analysis of microbial community structure and metabolites of samples from cellars of different ages (∼30/100/300 years), we further investigated the effects of lactate and acetate (main microbial metabolites in fermented grains) on modulating the pit mud microbiome. Esters (50.3% to 64.5%) dominated the volatile compounds identified in pit mud, and contents of the four typical acids (lactate, hexanoate, acetate, and butyrate) increased with cellar age. Bacteria (9.5 to 10.4 log10 [lg] copies/g) and archaea (8.3 to 9.1 lg copies/g) mainly constituted pit mud microbiota, respectively dominated by Clostridia (39.7% to 81.2%) and Methanomicrobia (32.8% to 92.9%). An upward trend with cellar age characterized the relative and absolute abundance of the most predominant bacterial and archaeal genera, Caproiciproducens and Methanosarcina. Correlation analysis revealed significantly (P < 0.05) positive relationships between the two genera and major metabolites. Anaerobic fermentation with acetate and lactate as carbon sources enhanced the enrichment of Clostridia, and furthermore, the relative abundance of Caproiciproducens (40.9%) significantly increased after 15-day fed-batch fermentation with lactate compared with the initial pit mud (0.22%). This work presents a directional evolutionary pattern of pit mud microbial consortia and provides an alternative way to accelerate the enrichment of functional microbes. IMPORTANCE The solid-state anaerobic fermentation in a mud cellar is the most typical feature of strong-flavor baijiu (SFB). Metabolites produced by microbes inhabiting pit mud are crucial to create the unique flavor of SFB. Accordingly, craftspeople have always highlighted the importance of the pit mud microbiome and concluded by centuries of practice that the production rate of high-quality baijiu increases with cellar age. To deepen the understanding of the pit mud microbiome, we determined the microbial community and metabolites of different-aged pit mud, inferred the main functional groups, and explored the forces driving the microbial community evolution through metagenomic, metabolomic, and multivariate statistical analyses. The results showed that the microbial consortia of pit mud presented a regular and directional evolutionary pattern under the impact of continuous batch-to-batch brewing activities. This work provides insight into the key roles of the pit mud microbiome in SFB production and supports the production optimization of high-quality pit mud.

Novisyntrophococcus fermenticellae gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from an anaerobic fermentation cellar of Chinese strong-flavour baijiu.

A Gram-stain-negative, coccus-shaped, obligately anaerobic, non-motile and non-spore-forming bacterium, designated strain JN500902T, was isolated from the mud in a fermentation cellar used continuously over 30 years for Chinese strong-flavour baijiu production. Colonies were white, circular, convex and smooth-edged. Growth was observed at 20-40 °C (optimum, 37 °C), at pH 5.0-10 (optimum, pH 7.5), with 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl and with 0-4 % (v/v) ethanol. The Biolog assay demonstrated positive reactions of strain JN500902T in the metabolism of l-fucose and pyruvate. The predominant cellular fatty acids (>10 %) consisted of C16 : 0 and C14 : 0. The major end metabolites of strain JN500902T were acetic acid and ethanol when incubated anaerobically in liquid reinforced clostridial medium. Acetate was the major organic acid end product. The complete genome size of strain JN500902T was 3 420 321 bp with 3327 identified genes. The G+C content was 43.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated strain JN500902T with the family Lachnospiraceae, having low sequence similarity (92.8 %) to the nearest type strain, Syntrophococcus sucromutans DSM 3224T and forming a clearly distinct branch. Core genome phylogenetic analysis of the isolate and 134 strains belonging to the family Lachnospiraceae also revealed that strain JN500902T was well-separated from other genera of this family as a monophyletic clade. The average nucleotide identity and amino acid identity values between strain JN500902T and 134 Lachnospiraceae strains were less than 74 and 65 %, respectively. Considering its polyphasic characteristics, strain JN500902T represents a novel genus and species within the family Lachnospiraceae, for which the name Novisyntrophococcus fermenticellae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JN500902T (=CICC 24502T=JCM 33939T).

Reclassification of Olsenella gallinarum as Thermophilibacter gallinarum comb. nov. and description of Thermophilibacter immobilis sp. nov., isolated from the mud in a fermentation cellar used for the production of Chinese Luzhou-flavour Baijiu.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, strictly anaerobic, elliptical, non-motile and non-flagellated bacterium, designed LZLJ-2T, was isolated from the mud in a fermentation cellar used for the production of Chinese Luzhou-flavour Baijiu. Growth occurred at 28-45 °C (optimum, 37 °C), at pH 6.0-7.0 (optimum, pH 6.0) and with concentrations of NaCl up to 2 % (w/v; optimum, 0 %). On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain LZLJ-2T belonged to the genus Thermophilibacter and was most closely related to Thermophilibacter mediterraneus Marseille-P3256T (similarity 96.9 %), Olsenella gallinarum ClaCZ62T (similarity 96.6 %) and Thermophilibacter provencensis Marseille-P2912T (similarity 96.4 %). In addition, strain LZLJ-2T had high similarity to the genus Olsenella, including Olsenella profusa DSM 13989T (similarity 94.9 %), Olsenella umbonata DSM 22620T (similarity 94.9 %), Olsenella uli ATCC 49627T (similarity 94.22 %), Tractidigestivibacter scatoligenes DSM 28304T (similarity 93.9 %) and Paratractidigestivibacter faecalis KCTC 15699T (similarity 93.25 %). Comparative genome analysis showed that orthoANI values between strain LZLJ-2T and Thermophilibacter mediterraneus Marseille-P3256T, Olsenella gallinarum ClaCZ62T, Thermophilibacter provencensis Marseille-P2912T, Olsenella profusa DSM 13989T, Olsenella umbonata DSM 22620T, Olsenella uli ATCC 49627T, Tractidigestivibacter scatoligenes DSM 28304T and Paratractidigestivibacter faecalis KCTC 15699T were 78.68, 78.99, 78.29, 73.40, 74.00, 74.30, 75.08 and 77.23 %, and the genome-to-genome distance values were respectively 22.3, 22.5, 22.4, 19.6, 20.5, 19.7, 20.5 and 21.5 %. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain LZLJ-2T was 65.21 mol%. The predominant cellular fatty acids (>10 %) of strain LZLJ-2T were C18 : 1 cis 9 (33.7 %), C14 : 0 (22.0 %) and C18 : 1 cis 9 DMA (13.5 %). d-Glucose, sucrose, mannose, maltose, lactose (weak), salicin, glycerol (weak), cellobiose and trehalose (weak) could be used by strain LZLJ-2T as sole carbon sources. Enzyme activity results showed positive reactions with valine arylamidase, leucine arylamidase, crystine arylamidase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, esterase (C4) (weakly positive), naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase, α-glucosidase and ß-glucosidase. The major end products of glucose fermentation were lactic acid and acetic acid. It produced skatole from indole acetic acid, and produced p-cresol from modified peptone-yeast extract medium with glucose. Based on the 16S rRNA gene trees as well as the genome core gene tree, it is suggested that Olsenella gallinarum are transferred to genus Thermophilibacter as Thermophilibacter gallinarum comb. nov. Based on phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, strain LZLJ-2T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Thermophilibacter, for which the name Thermophilibacter immobilis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LZLJ-2T (=KCTC 25162T=JCM 34224T).

Daqu microbiota exhibits species-specific and periodic succession features in Chinese baijiu fermentation process.

Daqu, a brick-shaped product spontaneously fermented under an open environment, has been regarded as the starter of fermentation, raw enzyme preparation and raw materials for baijiu production. However, its contribution in baijiu fermentation has not been fully elaborated yet. Here, the effects of daqu microbiota on baijiu fermentation were investigated under both field-scale and lab-scale conditions. In field-scale baijiu fermentation, the dominant daqu microbes (average relative abundance>10.0%), including unclassified_Leuconostocaceae, Thermoascus, and Thermomyces, tended to dominate the early stage (0-7 d). However, the rare daqu microbes (average relative abundance <0.1%, e.g., Kazachstania) tended to dominate the middle and late stages (11-40 d). In addition, some genera showed differences in species diversity between daqu and fermented grains. The average relative abundance of Lactobacillus was over 75% during baijiu fermentation, and most of them were affiliated with Lactobacillus acetotolerans, while Lactobacillus crustorum dominated the Lactobacillus OTUs in daqu. The similar patterns were also observed during lab-scale baijiu fermentation. The results of function prediction showed the enriched metabolic pathways were associated with glycolysis and long-chain fatty acid esters in baijiu fermentation. These results improved the understanding of daqu microbiota function during baijiu fermentation and provided a basic theory to support the regulation of baijiu production.

Contamination characteristics, source analysis and health risk assessment of heavy metals in the soil in Shi River Basin in China based on high density sampling.

To explore the contamination of heavy metals in the Shi River Basin soil in China, a high density sampling of surface soil was conducted. In this study, an absolute principal component scores multiple linear regression model (APCS-MLR) was used to identify the sources of heavy metals in the soil and quantify their amounts. The methods to assess the heavy metals included a fuzzy synthetic evaluation, index and health risk assessment. The results show that heavy metals are relatively rich southwest of the study area. Their levels may be affected by natural sources, such as parent materials. The pollution caused by human factors cannot be ignored, and it is primarily influenced by traffic emissions and processing sources, which contribute 62.6%, followed by agricultural sources, such as pesticides and fertilizers, that contribute 21.1%. The risk assessment indicated that the study area was slightly to moderately polluted. All heavy metals pose higher carcinogenic and other health risks to children than adults, and ingestion is the main way that these pollutants enter the body. The carcinogenic risk of children owing to Cr from natural sources merits further study, while the carcinogenic risk to adults and the non-carcinogenic risk to both adults and children are at acceptable levels. Transportation and industrial processing sources are the main cause of the non-carcinogenic risk. The results could provide reference for reducing heavy metal pollution in the soil.

Acupuncture for Parkinson's Disease: Efficacy Evaluation and Mechanisms in the Dopaminergic Neural Circuit.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Existing pharmaceutical treatments offer alleviation of symptoms but cannot delay disease progression and are often associated with significant side effects. Clinical studies have demonstrated that acupuncture may be beneficial for PD treatment, particularly in terms of ameliorating PD symptoms when combined with anti-PD medication, reducing the required dose of medication and associated side effects. During early stages of PD, acupuncture may even be used to replace medication. It has also been found that acupuncture can protect dopaminergic neurons from degeneration via antioxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic pathways as well as modulating the neurotransmitter balance in the basal ganglia circuit. Here, we review current studies and reflect on the potential of acupuncture as a novel and effective treatment strategy for PD. We found that particularly during the early stages, acupuncture may reduce neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons and regulate the balance of the dopaminergic circuit, thus delaying the progression of the disease. The benefits of acupuncture will need to be further verified through basic and clinical studies.

Heavy metal pollution and health risk assessment of agricultural land in the Southern Margin of Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, China.

The study aimed to analyze the level of heavy metal pollution in the agricultural lands in the southern margin of Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, and its risks to human health. A total of 1765 soil samples were collected from the Cele-Ruoqiang area. The contents of soil As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn were analyzed using the pollution load index method. The results showed that soil was slightly contaminated with Hg and Cd; the multivariate statistical analysis indicated that Cr, Ni, As, Cu, Zn, and Cd were formed mostly by geochemical genesis, whereas Hg and Pb contents by the geological origin and human activities. The health risk assessment showed that there is no unacceptable non-carcinogenic health risk. As levels posed carcinogenic risk, however, they were within human tolerance. Thus, this study provides a scientific basis for local agricultural production safety and prevention and control of soil heavy metal pollution.