Combined modified Valsalva maneuver with adenosine supraventricular tachycardia: A comparative study.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) is an arrhythmia commonly seen in the emergency department. Both modified Valsalva maneuver (MVM) and intravenous adenosine are the first line treatment, of which the former has e lower success rate while the latter has a higher success rate but some risks and adverse effects. Given both of these reverse rhythms quickly, combining them may achieve a better effect. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the success rate and potential risk of combining the use of intravenous adenosine while patients were doing MVM as a treatment for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia(pSVT). DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: We recruited patients with pSVT from 2017 to 2022, and randomly assigned them into 3 groups, MVM group, intravenous adenosine group, and combination therapy group, in which MVM was allowed to be performed twice, while intravenous adenosine was given in a titration manner to repeat three times, recorded the success rate and side effects in each group. MAIN RESULTS: The success rate of the MVM group, adenosine group, and combination group are 42.11%, 75.00 and 86.11%, respectively. The success rate of the adenosine group and combination group is significantly higher than the n MVSM group (p < 0.01, p < 0.001), while the success rate of the combination group is higher than the adenosine group, it has no significant difference (p = 0.340). In terms of safety, the longest RR durations (asystole period) are 1.61 s, 1.60s, and 2.27 s, there is a statistical difference among the three groups (p < 0.01) and between the adenosine and combination group (0.018). CONCLUSION: Therefore, we can conclude that combination therapy has a relatively high success rate and good safety profile, but the current study failed to show its superiority to adenosine.

Genetic association between smoking and DLCO in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have shown that smoking is related to the diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Nevertheless, further investigation is needed to determine the causal effect between these two variables. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate the causal relationship between smoking and DLCO in IPF patients using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. METHODS: Large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets from individuals of European descent were analysed. These datasets included published lifetime smoking index (LSI) data for 462,690 participants and DLCO data for 975 IPF patients. The inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method was the main method used in our analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed by MR‒Egger regression, Cochran's Q test, the leave-one-out test and the MR-PRESSO global test. RESULTS: A genetically predicted increase in LSI was associated with a decrease in DLCO in IPF patients [ORIVW = 0.54; 95% CI 0.32-0.93; P = 0.02]. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that smoking is associated with a decrease in DLCO. Patients diagnosed with IPF should adopt an active and healthy lifestyle, especially by quitting smoking, which may be effective at slowing the progression of IPF.

Determining the changes in metabolites of Dendrobium officinale juice fermented with starter cultures containing Saccharomycopsis fibuligera FBKL2.8DCJS1 and Lactobacillus paracasei FBKL1.3028 through untargeted metabolomics.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate the changes in volatile components and metabolites of Dendrobium officinale (D. officinale) juice fermented with starter cultures containing Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and Lactobacillus paracasei at 28 ℃ for 15 days and post-ripened at 4 ℃ for 30 days using untargeted metabolomics of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography (HS-SPME-GC-MS) before and after fermentation. RESULTS: The results showed that the alcohol contents in the S. fibuligera group before fermentation and after fermentation were 444.806 ± 10.310 µg/mL and 510.999 ± 38.431 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the alcohol content in the fermentation broth group inoculated with the co-culture of L. paracasei + S. fibuligera was 504.758 ± 77.914 µg/mL, containing a significant amount of 3-Methyl-1-butanol, Linalool, Phenylethyl alcohol, and 2-Methyl-1-propanol. Moreover, the Ethyl L (-)-lactate content was higher in the co-culture of L. paracasei + S. fibuligera group (7.718 ± 6.668 µg/mL) than in the L. paracasei (2.798 ± 0.443 µg/mL) and S. fibuligera monoculture groups (0 µg/mL). The co-culture of L. paracasei + S. fibuligera significantly promoted the metabolic production of ethyl L (-)-lactate in D. officinale juice. The differential metabolites screened after fermentation mainly included alcohols, organic acids, amino acids, nucleic acids, and their derivatives. Twenty-three metabolites, including 11 types of acids, were significantly up-regulated in the ten key metabolic pathways of the co-culture group. Furthermore, the metabolic pathways, such as pentose and glucuronate interconversions, the biosynthesis of alkaloids derived from terpenoid and polyketide, and aminobenzoate degradation were significantly up-regulated in the co-culture group. These three metabolic pathways facilitate the synthesis of bioactive substances, such as terpenoids, polyketides, and phenols, and enrich the flavor composition of D. officinale juice. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the co-culture of L. paracasei + S. fibuligera can promote the flavor harmonization of fermented products. Therefore, this study provides a theoretical basis for analyzing the flavor of D. officinale juice and the functional investigation of fermentation metabolites.

Adipose tissue levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in relation to prognostic biomarkers and progression-free survival time of breast cancer patients in eastern area of southern China: A hospital-based study.

Evidence indicates that individual or groups of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are associated with risk of breast cancer (BC). Epidemiological studies of PBDEs and BC progression are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between PBDE burdens in adipose tissues and prognostic biomarkers of BC as well as progression-free survival (PFS) of patients for the first time. The concentrations of 14 PBDE congeners in breast adipose tissues of 183 cases from the eastern area of southern China were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression models for the associations between PBDE levels and prognostic biomarkers. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify the correlations between PBDEs and PFS. The results showed that BDE-99 and 190 levels were positively associated with clinical stage and N stage respectively (OR = 2.61 [1.26-5.40], OR = 2.78 [1.04-7.46]). Concentrations of BDE-28 and BDE-183 were negatively associated with the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) (OR = 0.30 [0.11-0.81]; 0.39 [0.15-0.99]) and progesterone receptor (PR) (OR = 0.36 [0.14-0.92]; 0.37 [0.15-0.91]), and increased BDE-47 was associated with lower human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression (OR = 0.44 [0.23-0.86]). Adipose levels of BDE-71, 99, 138, 153, 154 and total PBDEs were positively associated with p53 expression (all P < 0.05). Finally, BDE-47, 99 and 183 were considered as independent prognostic factors for shorter PFS in the Cox models (adjusted hazard ratios = 3.14 [1.26-7.82]; 2.25 [1.03-4.94]; 2.60 [1.08-6.25], respectively). The recurrence risk and prognosis of BC may be closely bound to the body burdens of certain PBDE congeners. Further epidemiological and experimental studies are needed for confirmation.

Consistency between Impedance Technique and Echocardiogram Hemodynamic Measurements in Neonates.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to validate impedance technique (IT) by investigating the agreement in cardiac output measurements performed by IT and echocardiography (ECHO). STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective observational study, including a total of 30 neonates who underwent hemodynamic measurements by IT and ECHO. To determine the agreement between both methods, we performed IT to measure stroke volume (SV-IT) and cardiac output (CO-IT) immediately before or after ECHO to measure SV (SV-ECHO) and CO (CO-ECHO). The precision and accuracy of the IT relative to ECHO were assessed. RESULTS: SV-ECHO and SV-IT were (4.45 ± 0.78) and (4.54 ± 0.81) mL, respectively. The bias and limits of agreement of SV-IT were 0.09 mL and ( -1.92 to 1.73) mL, respectively. The true precision of SV-IT was 27.3%. Furthermore, CO-ECHO and CO-IT were (0.62 ± 0.12) and (0.61 ± 0.12) L/min, respectively. The bias and LoA of CO-IT were 0.01L/min and (-0.33 to 0.31) L/min, respectively. The true precision of CO-IT was 28.3%. CONCLUSION: Agreement between the IT and ECHO in the cardiac output measurement appeared acceptable. However, the accuracy and precision of the IT approach should be further investigated using a larger sample.

Thermoflavimicrobium daqui sp. nov., a thermophilic microbe isolated from Moutai-flavour Daqu.

Moutai-flavour Daqu is an important starter to support growth of microorganisms in the fermented process of Moutai-flavour liquor. A novel thermophilic microorganism, designated strain FBKL4.011T, was isolated from Moutai-flavour Daqu samples collected from Guotai distillery in Renhuai, Guizhou province, south-west China. The strain could grow at 45-65 °C (optimum 45 °C). Based on polyphasic analysis, strain FBKL4.011T was affiliated to the genus Thermoflavimicrobium. It formed abundant pale-yellow aerial and substrate mycelium, bearing single endospores (7.0-10.0 µm diameter) on branched long sporophores (5.0 µm diameter). The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid; ribose, glucose and mannose were the primary whole-cell sugars. The major fatty acids were iso-C14 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The predominant menaquinone were MK-8 and MK-9. The polar phospholipids contained diphosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, one unidentified phospholipid and one unidentified lipid. The G+C content of the genome was 43.1 mol%. According to the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain FBKL4.011T was closely related to Thermoflavimicrobium dichotomicum JCM 9688T (95.3 % sequence similarity), and other members within the family Thermoactinomycetaceae (less than 93.0 % sequence similarity). The DNA-DNA hybridisation data showed low relatedness between strain FBKL4.011T and T. dichotomicum JCM 9688T, Laceyella sacchari KCTC 9790T, Laceyella tengchongensis YIM 10002T, Laceyella sediminis RHA1T(36.7±1.1 %, 30.0±1.2 %, 21.3±2.1 % % and 37.6±0.9 %, respectively). Based on data from the polyphasic analysis, strain FBKL4.011T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Thermoflavimicrobium, for which the name Thermoflavimicrobium daqui sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is FBKL4.011T(=KCTC 43036T=CICC 24504T).

A novel fluorescent aptasensor for ultrasensitive and selective detection of acetamiprid pesticide based on the inner filter effect between gold nanoparticles and carbon dots.

This paper reports a novel fluorescent aptasensor for the detection of acetamiprid pesticide with high sensitivity and selectivity based on the inner filter effect (IFE) of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) toward fluorescent carbon dots (CDs). The aptasensor employs S-18 aptamer as the specific target recognition molecule and CDs as the signal transmission element. Free S-18 aptamer sequences can wrap the surfaces of AuNPs and enable their dispersion state even in the presence of high amounts of Tris-HCl salt, which can effectively quench the fluorescence of the CDs through the IFE. Upon adding acetamiprid pesticide, the free S-18 aptamer sequences are firstly exhausted to form some complexes; thus, the AuNPs tend to aggregate and their absorption spectrum no longer overlaps with the fluorescence emission spectrum of the CDs, which leads to obvious fluorescence recovery of the aptasensor. The properties of the CDs were extensively characterized, and the fluorescence quenching effects of the AuNPs toward the CDs were fully investigated. Additionally, the effects of some vital parameters, such as the type and amount of AuNPs, on the fluorescent aptasensor were also investigated. The proposed aptasensor has a detection limit as low as 1.08 µg L-1 with a linear range of 5 to 100 µg L-1 and shows high selectivity for acetamiprid over other control pesticides. Moreover, the aptasensor displays excellent accuracy and recovery in the detection of spiked real samples, suggesting that this fluorescent aptasensor can play important roles in the fields of food analysis and environmental detection.

Effects of intermedin on dorsal root ganglia in the transmission of neuropathic pain in chronic constriction injury rats.

Neuropathic pain is a common and severely disabling state that affects millions of people worldwide. The P2X3 receptor plays a crucial role in facilitating pain transmission. Intermedin (IMD), which is also known as adrenomedullin 2 (AMD2) is a newly discovered hormone that is a member of the calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related peptide family. The present research investigates the effects of IMD on pain transmission in neuropathic pain states as mediated by P2X3 receptors in dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats were used as the neuropathic pain model. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups as follows: blank control group (Control), sham operation group (Sham), CCI rats treated with saline group (CCI+NS), CCI rats treated with IMD1-53 group (CCI+IMD1-53 ), and CCI rats treated with IMD inhibitor IMD14-47 group (CCI+IMD14-47 ). The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) was tested by the von Frey method, and the thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) was tested via automatic thermal stimulus instruments. Changes in the expression of P2X3 receptors and IMD in CCI rat L4/L5 DRG were detected using immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. After treatment with intrathecal injection (i.t.), mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in the CCI+IMD1-53 group was maintained, but MWT and TWL in the CCI+IMD14-47 groups increased. The expression levels of P2X3 receptors and IMD in L4/L5 DRG in the CCI+NS and CCI+IMD1-53 groups were significantly increased compared with those in the Control group or the Sham group. After application of IMD14-47 in CCI rats, there was a decrease in the expression levels of P2X3 receptors and IMD in L4/L5 DRG. The phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2 in L4/L5 DRG in the CCI+NS group and the CCI+IMD1-53 group was stronger than that in the Control group or the Sham group; however, the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2 in the CCI+IMD14-47 group was much lower than that in the CCI+NS group or the CCI+IMD1-53 group. Our findings indicate that IMD might increase the sensitization effects of IMD on P2X3 receptors to alleviate chronic neuropathic pain injury. The IMD agonist IMD1-53 might enhance nociceptive responses mediated by P2X3 receptors in neuropathic pain, and the IMD inhibitor IMD14-47 could inhibit the sensitization of the P2X3 receptor in chronic neuropathic pain injury.

Airborne microorganisms and key environmental factors shaping their community patterns in the core production area of the Maotai-flavor Baijiu.

Airborne microorganisms are important parts of the Moutai-flavor Baijiu brewing microbial community, which directly affects the quality of Baijiu. However, environmental factors usually shape airborne microbiomes in different distilleries, even in the different production areas of the same distillery. Unfortunately, current understanding of environmental factors shaping airborne microbiomes in distilleries is very limited. To bridge this gap, we compared airborne microbiomes in the Moutai-flavor Baijiu core production areas of different distilleries in the Chishui River Basin and systematically investigated the key environmental factors that shape the airborne microbiomes. The top abundant bacterial communities are mainly affiliated to the phyla Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteri, whereas Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are the predominant fungal communities. The Random Forest analysis indicated that the biomarkers in three distilleries are Saccharomonospora and Bacillus, Thermoactinomyces, Oceanobacillus, and Methylobacterium, which are the core functional flora contributing to the production of Daqu. The correlation and network analyses showed that the distillery age and environmental temperature have a strong regulatory effect on airborne microbiomes, suggesting that the fermentation environment has a domesticating effect on air microbiomes. Our findings will greatly help us understand the relationship between airborne microbiomes and environmental factors in distilleries and support the production of the high-quality Moutai-flavor Baijiu.

Construction of cellulose-degrading microbial consortium and evaluation of their ability to degrade spent mushroom substrate.

Introduction: Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is a solid waste in agricultural production that contains abundant lignocellulosic fibers. The indiscriminate disposal of SMS will lead to significant resource waste and pollution of the surrounding environment.The isolation and screening of microorganisms with high cellulase degradation capacity is the key to improving SMS utilization. Methods: The cellulose-degrading microbial consortiums were constructed through antagonism and enzyme activity test. The effect of microbial consortiums on lignocellulose degradation was systematically evaluated by SMS liquid fermentation experiments. Results: In this study, four strains of cellulose-degrading bacteria were screened, and F16, F, and F7 were identified as B. amyloliquefaciens, PX1 identified as B. velezensis. At the same time, two groups of cellulose efficient degrading microbial consortiums (PX1 + F7 and F16 + F) were successfully constructed. When SMS was used as the sole carbon source, their carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) activities were 225.16 and 156.63 U/mL, respectively, and the filter paper enzyme (FPase) activities were 1.91 and 1.64 U/mL, respectively. PX1 + F7 had the highest degradation rate of hemicellulose and lignin, reaching 52.96% and 52.13%, respectively, and the degradation rate of F16 + F was as high as 56.30%. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis showed that the surface microstructure of SMS changed significantly after microbial consortiums treatment, and the change of absorption peak in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the increase of crystallinity in X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that the microbial consortiums had an actual degradation effect on SMS. The results showed that PX1 + F7 and F16 + F could effectively secrete cellulase and degrade cellulose, which had practical significance for the degradation of SMS. Discussion: In this study, the constructed PX1 + F7 and F16 + F strains can effectively secrete cellulase and degrade cellulose, which holds practical significance in the degradation of SMS. The results can provide technical support for treating high-cellulose solid waste and for the comprehensive utilization of biomass resources.

Structure of Polysaccharide from Dendrobium nobile Lindl. and Its Mode of Action on TLR4 to Exert Immunomodulatory Effects.

Dendrobium nobile Lindl. polysaccharide (DNP1) showed good anti-inflammatory activity in our previous study. In this study, the structural characterization of DNP1 and its mode of action on TLR4 were investigated. Structural characterization suggested that DNP1 was a linear glucomannan composed of (1 → 4)-ß-Manp and (1 → 4)-ß-Glcp residues, and the acetyl group was linked to the C-2 of Manp. The possible repeating structural units of DNP1 were [→4)-2-OAc-ß-Manp-(1→]3 →4)-ß-Glcp-(1→. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) binding test results showed that DNP1 did not bind directly to TLR4. The TLR4 and MD2 receptor blocking tests confirmed that DNP1 needs MD2 and TLR4 to participate in its anti-inflammatory effect. The binding energy of DNP1 to TLR4-MD2 was -7.9 kcal/mol, indicating that DNP1 could bind to the TLR4-MD2 complex stably. Therefore, it is concluded that DNP1 may play an immunomodulatory role by binding to the TLR4-MD2 complex and inhibiting the TLR4-MD2-mediated signaling pathway.

Characterization and prebiotic potential of polysaccharides from Rosa roxburghii Tratt pomace by ultrasound-assisted extraction.

In this study, polysaccharides (RRTPs) were extracted from Rosa roxburghii Tratt pomace by hot water or ultrasound (US)-assisted extraction. The structural properties and potential prebiotic functions of RRTPs were investigated. Structural characterization was conducted through HPAEC, HPGPC, GC-MS, FT-IR and SEM. Chemical composition analysis revealed that RRTPs extracted by hot water (RRTP-HW) or US with shorter (RRTP-US-S) or longer duration (RRTP-US-L) all consisted of galacturonic acid, galactose, glucose, arabinose, rhamnose and glucuronic acid in various molar ratio. US extraction caused notable reduction in molecular weight of RRTPs but no significant changes in primary structures. Fecal fermentation showed RRTPs could reshape microbial composition toward a healthier balance, leading to a higher production of beneficial metabolites including total short-chain fatty acids, curcumin, noopept, spermidine, 3-feruloylquinic acid and citrulline. More beneficial shifts in bacterial population were observed in RRTP-HW group, while RRTP-US-S had stronger ability to stimulate bacterial short-chain fatty acids production. Additionally, metabolic profiles with the intervention of RRTP-HW, RRTP-US-S or RRTP-US-L were significantly different from each other. The results suggested RRTPs had potential prebiotic effects which could be modified by power US via molecular weight degradation.

Enhancement of pyranoanthocyanin formation in blueberry wine with non-Saccharomyces yeasts.

The development of blueberry wine provides an alternative method for maintaining the nutritional value and extending the shelf life of blueberries. However, anthocyanin loss and off-flavor compound generation during fermentation impair blueberry wine color and quality. Hydroxycinnamate decarboxylase from yeast can catalyze the conversion of hydroxycinnamic acids to vinylphenols, which later may condense with anthocyanins to form more stable vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins. In this study, 10 non-Saccharomyces yeasts from Daqu that showed hydroxycinnamate decarboxylase activity were screened. Among the 10 strains, Wickerhamomyces anomalus Y5 showed the highest consumption (34.59%) of the total tested phenolic acids and almost no H2S production. Furthermore, Y5 seemed to produce four vinylphenol pyranoanthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-galactoside/glucoside-4-vinylcatechol, cyanidin-3-O-galactoside/glucoside-4-vinylsyringol, malvidin-4-vinylguaiacol, and malvidin-4-vinylcatechol) during blueberry wine fermentation, which may improve the color stability of blueberry wine. These findings provide new insights for improving the quality of blueberry wine using non-Saccharomyces yeasts.

Identification of Noncoding Functional Regulatory Variants of STIM1 Gene in Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: STIM1 (stromal interaction molecule 1) regulates store-operated calcium entry and is involved in pulmonary artery vasoconstriction and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation, leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). METHODS: Bioinformatics analysis and a 2-stage matched case-control study were conducted to screen for noncoding variants that may potentially affect STIM1 transcriptional regulation in 242 patients with idiopathic PAH and 414 healthy controls. Luciferase reporter assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, and intracellular Ca2+ measurement were performed to study the mechanistic roles of those STIM1 noncoding variants in PAH. RESULTS: Five noncoding variants (rs3794050, rs7934581, rs3750996, rs1561876, and rs3750994) were identified and genotyped using Sanger sequencing. Rs3794050, rs7934581, and rs1561876 were associated with idiopathic PAH (recessive model, all P<0.05). Bioinformatics analysis showed that these 3 noncoding variants possibly affect the enhancer function of STIM1 or the microRNA (miRNA) binding to STIM1. Functional validation performed in HEK293 and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells demonstrated that the noncoding variant rs1561876-G (STIM1 mutant) had significantly stronger transcriptional activity than the wild-type counterpart, rs1561876-A, by affecting the transcriptional regulatory function of both hsa-miRNA-3140-5p and hsa-miRNA-4766-5p. rs1561876-G enhanced intracellular Ca2+ signaling in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells secondary to calcium-sensing receptor activation and promoted proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells under both normoxia and hypoxia conditions, suggesting a possible contribution to PAH development. CONCLUSIONS: The potential clinical implications of the 3 noncoding variants of STIM1, rs3794050, rs7934581, and rs1561876, are 2-fold, as they may help predict the risk and prognosis of idiopathic PAH and guide investigations on novel therapeutic pathway(s).

Sensory-sympathetic coupling in superior cervical ganglia after myocardial ischemic injury facilitates sympathoexcitatory action via P2X7 receptor.

P2X receptors participate in cardiovascular regulation and disease. After myocardial ischemic injury, sensory-sympathetic coupling between rat cervical DRG nerves and superior cervical ganglia (SCG) facilitated sympathoexcitatory action via P2X7 receptor. The results showed that after myocardial ischemic injury, the systolic blood pressure, heart rate, serum cardiac enzymes, IL-6, and TNF-α were increased, while the levels of P2X7 mRNA and protein in SCG were also upregulated. However, these alterations diminished after treatment of myocardial ischemic (MI) rats with the P2X7 antagonist oxATP. After siRNA P2X7 in MI rats, the systolic blood pressure, heart rate, serum cardiac enzymes, the expression levels of the satellite glial cell (SGC) or P2X7 were significantly lower than those in MI group. The phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 in SCG participated in the molecular mechanism of the sympathoexcitatory action induced by the myocardial ischemic injury. Retrograde tracing test revealed the sprouting of CGRP or SP sensory nerves (the markers of sensory afferent fibers) from DRG to SCG neurons. The upregulated P2X7 receptor promoted the activation of SGCs in SCG, resulting in the formation of sensory-sympathetic coupling which facilitated the sympathoexcitatory action. P2X7 antagonist oxATP could inhibit the activation of SGCs and interrupt the formation of sensory-sympathetic coupling in SCG after the myocardial ischemic injury. Our findings may benefit the treatment of coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases.

Exploring the controllability of the Baijiu fermentation process with microbiota orientation.

Product quality and stability improvement is important for development of the Baijiu industry. Generally, Baijiu brewing is carried out in a spontaneous fermentation system mediated by microbiota. Thus, complexity and instability are major features. Due to the insufficient understanding of the mechanism for producing Baijiu, the precise control of the fermentation progress has still not been realized, ultimately affecting product quality and stability. The flavor of Baijiu is the most important factor in determining its quality and is formed by microbiota under the driving force of various physicochemical parameters, such as moisture, acidity, and temperature. Therefore, exploring the association among microbiota (core), physicochemical factors (reference) and flavor compounds (target) has become a key point to clarify the formation mechanism for the flavor quality of Baijiu. Daqu fermentation and liquor fermentation are the two major stages of Baijiu brewing. Daqu, distillers' grains, and pit mud, as the most important fermentation substrates of the microbiota respectively, provide a large number of functional microorganisms related to the flavor components. To this end, we reviewed the relevant research progress of microbiota diversity in different fermentation substrates and the interaction mechanisms among microbiota, physicochemical parameters, and flavor components in this paper. Moreover, a research hypothesis of precise control of the Baijiu fermentation process by building fermentation models based on this is proposed. The key point for this idea is the identification of core microbiota closely associated with the formation of key flavor components by multi-omics technology and the acquisition of culturable strains. With this foundation, fermentation models suitable for different brewing environments will be established by constructing synthetic microbiota, designing mathematical models, and determining key fermentation model parameters. The ultimate goal will be to effectively improve the quality and stability of Baijiu products through model regulation.

Quorum sensing-mediated microbial interactions: Mechanisms, applications, challenges and perspectives.

Microbial community in natural or artificial environments playes critical roles in substance cycles, products synthesis and species evolution. Although microbial community structures have been revealed via culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches, the hidden forces driving the microbial community are rarely systematically discussed. As a mode of cell-to-cell communication that modifies microbial interactions, quorum sensing can regulate biofilm formation, public goods secretion, and antimicrobial substances synthesis, directly or indirectly influencing microbial community to adapt to the changing environment. Therefore, the current review focuses on microbial community in the different habitats from the quorum sensing perspective. Firstly, the definition and classification of quorum sensing were simply introduced. Subsequently, the relationships between quorum sensing and microbial interactions were deeply explored. The latest progressives regarding the applications of quorum sensing in wastewater treatment, human health, food fermentation, and synthetic biology were summarized in detail. Finally, the bottlenecks and outlooks of quorum sensing driving microbial community were adequately discussed. To our knowledge, this current review is the first to reveal the driving force of microbial community from the quorum sensing perspective. Hopefully, this review provides a theoretical basis for developing effective and convenient approaches to control the microbial community with quorum sensing approaches.

Exploring the potential mechanism of Rubus corchorifolius L. fruit polyphenol-rich extract in mitigating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics profiling.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as the commonest chronic liver disease, is accompanied by liver oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Herein, the extract obtained from Rubus corchorifolius fruits was purified and characterized for its polyphenol composition. The liver protective effect of the purified R. corchorifolius fruit extract (RCE) on mice with high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD were investigated, and the potential mechanisms were explored through the integration of transcriptomics and metabolomics. Results showed that the polyphenolic compounds in RCE mainly included (-)-epigallocatechin, procyanidin B2, keracyanin, vanillin, dihydromyricetin, and ellagic acid. In addition, RCE intervention ameliorated liver and mitochondrial damage, which was evidenced by decreased indices of oxidative stress, liver function markers, and lipid profile levels. The liver metabonomics research revealed that RCE intervention affected the metabolic pathways of metabolites, including linoleic acid metabolism, galactose metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, retinol metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, riboflavin metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Additionally, liver transcriptomics research indicated that pathways like fatty acid degradation, circadian rhythm, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation, primary bile acid biosynthesis, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, adipocytokine signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism, lipid and atherosclerosis were significantly enriched. The transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis demonstrated that RCE intervention had significant modulatory effects on the metabolic pathways associated with glycolipid metabolism. Moreover, RT-PCR results verified that RCE intervention regulated liver mRNA levels associated with the inflammatory response. Therefore, our findings suggest that the intake of RCE might be an effective strategy to alleviate liver damage.

Phosphate-Solubilizing Capacity of Paecilomyces lilacinus PSF7 and Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology.

Phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms release organic acids that can chelate mineral ions or reduce the pH to solubilize insoluble phosphates for use by plants; it is important to study potential phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms for use in agriculture. In this study, PSF7 was isolated from the soil of the Wengfu Phosphorus Tailings Dump in Fuquan City, Guizhou Province, China. PSF7 was identified as Paecilomyces lilacinus, based on morphological characterization and ITS sequencing analysis. The relationship between the phosphorus-solubilizing capacity and pH variation of PSF7 under liquid fermentation was studied. The results showed that there was a significant negative correlation (-0.784) between the soluble phosphorus content of PSF7 and the pH value. When PSF7 was placed under low phosphorus stress, eight organic acids were determined from fermentation broth using HPLC, of which tartaric acid and formic acid were the main organic acids. Different optimization parameters of medium components were analyzed using response surface methodology. The optimized medium components were 23.50 g/L sucrose, 1.64 g/L ammonium sulfate and soybean residue, 1.07 g/L inorganic salts, and 9.16 g/L tricalcium phosphate, with a predicted soluble phosphorus content of 123.89 mg/L. Under the optimum medium composition, the actual phosphorus-solubilizing content of PSF7 reached 122.17 mg/L. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy analysis of the sample was carried out to characterize the phosphate-solubilizing efficiency of PSF7 on mineral phosphate. The results provide useful information for the future application of PSF7 as a biological fertilizer.

Effects of Jiuqu inoculating Rhizopus oryzae Q303 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on chemical components and microbiota during black glutinous rice wine fermentation.

In this study, the physicochemical properties, metabolites, sensory characteristics, and microbiota of black glutinous rice wine (BGRW) during traditional fermentation (TF) and inoculated fermentation (IF) were investigated, and their correlation relationships were revealed. Results indicated that IF promoted total sugar utilization and ethanol and esters synthesis in BGRW. Altogether 67 reliable metabolites were identified, 36 of which were labeled components, primarily esters (OAV > 1). Meanwhile, the concentrations of ethanol, esters, and total flavor on the 11th day of IF were close to those on the 22nd day of TF. Combined with the sensory description indicated that the IF could improve the quality of BGRW. Besides, TF contains vast unfavorable microorganisms, such as Chaetomium, Penicillium, Stachybotrys, and Trichocladium. Therefore, IF can accelerate the fermentation and enhance the flavor of BGRW, and inhibit the growth of pathogenic and spoilage organisms. Finally, Pearson's correlation analysis demonstrated that Saccharomyces, Rhizopus, Lactobacillus, Aspergillus, and Bacillus were the pivotal functional microorganisms in BGRW. The study provided scientific and effective basis for improving the quality, shortening the fermentation cycle, and controlling pathogenic and spoilage organisms of BGRW.