Patulibacter defluvii sp. nov., Isolated from a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Guangzhou City, China.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, non-motile, and rod-shaped bacterium with ibuprofen-degrading capacity, designated DM4T, was isolated from the sewage of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Guangzhou city, China. Strain DM4T grew optimally at 0% (w/v) NaCl, pH 5.0-7.0, and 30 °C, forming white colonies on trypticase soy agar. C18:1ω9c, C18:2ω9.12c and C15:1ω10c were the predominant fatty acids. Results of 16S rRNA gene alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain DM4T belonged to the genus Patulibacter, was closely related to Patulibacter medicamentivorans DSM 25692T (98.5%) and P. brassicae KCTC 39817T (98.1%). Strain DM4T had a genome size of 5.33Mbp, and the DNA G + C content was 75.0%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity (AAI), and digital DNA-DNA hybridisation (dDDH) values between strain DM4T and P. medicamentivorans were 85.2%, 83.9%, and 29.0% respectively, while those between strain DM4T and P. brassicae were 78.5%, 71.3%, and 22.2%, respectively. Strain DM4T could significantly degrade ibuprofen by almost 80% after 84 h of incubation, and the degradation kinetics was well fitted with the first-order kinetics. Evidence from phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic analyses support that strain DM4T (= GDMCC 1.4574T = KCTC 59145T) represents a new species of the genus Patulibacter, for which the name Patulibacter defluvii sp. nov. is proposed.

Tabrizicola rongguiensis sp. nov., isolated from the sediment of a river in Ronggui, Foshan city, China.

A novel Gram-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated J26T, was isolated from the sediment of a river in Ronggui, Foshan city, China. Strain J26T grew optimally at 0 % (w/v) NaCl, pH 6.5-7.5, and 30 °C, and it formed milky white irregular colonies on Reasoner's 2A agar medium. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain J26T had the highest similarity to Tabrizicola aquatica RCRI19T (97.1 %) and formed a distinct clade in the genus Tabrizicola. Cellular components of J26T supported this strain as a member of the genus Tabrizicola. The predominant fatty acids were C18 : 1 ω7c, C18 : 1 ω7c-11 methyl and C16 : 0. Polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphorylethanolamine. Ubiquinone Q-10 was the major respiratory quinone, and the DNA G+C content was 64.2 mol%. However, low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and average nucleotide identity (73.56 % for ANIb between strain J26T with RCRI19T) demonstrated that strain J26T should be assigned to a novel species. Moreover, the differences between J26T and RCRI19T in terms of physiological and biochemical properties, such as carbon, nitrogen and sulphur metabolism, further supported that J26T represents a novel species, for which the name Tabrizicola rongguiensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is J26T (=GDMCC 1.2843T=KCTC 92112T).

Assessment of gonadal and thyroid histology in Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) from Barataria Bay Louisiana one year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

We examined gonads and thyroid glands of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) 1yr after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. F. grandis were trapped from two impacted sites in Barataria Bay (Bayou St. Denis, Bay Jimmy) and an un-impacted site in East Texas (Sabine Pass). The greatest number of F. grandis were collected at Sabine Pass. F. grandis collected at Bayou St. Denis were smaller and had smaller Fulton condition factor scores than fish collected at Sabine Pass. Sex ratios were biased roughly 2:1 in favor of females at Sabine Pass and Bayou St. Denis. Gonad-somatic index (GSI) in males from Sabine Pass was double that of fish from Bay Jimmy while germinal epithelium thickness of the testes was 2.7 fold smaller in males from the impacted site. GSI and oocyte diameters in females from Bayou St. Denis were significantly smaller than females from Bay Jimmy or the reference site. There were no differences in thyroid follicle cell height. While total polyaromatic hydrocarbons at the impacted sites were no different from the reference site, the impacted sites did have greater concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene in sediment pore water. The finding of smaller GSI and testicular germinal epithelium in males from an impacted site suggest that exposure to a combination of oil and dispersants may adversely impact testicular function.

Association between cognitive insight and anxiety among community-dwelling schizophrenia patients: the chain mediating effects of family cohesion and chronotype.

Objective: To investigate the effect of cognitive insight on anxiety in community-dwelling schizophrenia patients and to construct a chain mediating model to determine the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between cognitive insight and anxiety through family cohesion and chronotype. Methods: The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, the Chinese version of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale, the Morningness-Eveningness Scale, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale were used to assess cognitive insight, family cohesion, chronotype, and anxiety in a sample of 785 individuals with schizophrenia living in the community. Spearman correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and Bootstrap methods were employed to analyze the four variables. Results: Residential region, current employment status, and family economic status impacted anxiety among community-dwelling schizophrenia patients. All variables were associated with each other, but self-certainty was not significantly associated with anxiety. Cognitive insight and self-reflection had direct effects on anxiety, as well as indirect effects on anxiety through the partial mediating effect of chronotype, the suppressing effect of family cohesion, and the chain mediating effect of family cohesion and chronotype. Conclusions: Family cohesion and chronotype can mediate the relationship between cognitive insight and anxiety. Improving family functioning, promoting emotional relationships within families, and correcting non-circadian sleep patterns can reduce anxiety in community-dwelling schizophrenia patients, with important implications for improving adverse mental health outcomes.

Cable bacteria: widespread filamentous electroactive microorganisms protecting environments.

Cable bacteria have been identified and detected worldwide since their discovery in marine sediments in Aarhus Bay, Denmark. Their activity can account for the majority of oxygen consumption and sulfide depletion in sediments, and they induce sulfate accumulation, pH excursions, and the generation of electric fields. In addition, they can affect the fluxes of other elements such as calcium, iron, manganese, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Recent developments in our understanding of the impact of cable bacteria on element cycling have revealed their positive contributions to mitigating environmental problems, such as recovering self-purification capacity, enhancing petroleum hydrocarbon degradation, alleviating phosphorus eutrophication, delaying euxinia, and reducing methane emission. We highlight recent research outcomes on their distribution, state-of-the-art findings on their physiological characteristics, and ecological contributions.

Comparative analysis of psychiatric medications and their association with falls and fractures: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

An association between psychiatric medications and falls and fractures in people taking them has been demonstrated, but which class or medication leads to the greatest risk of falls or fractures should be further investigated. The aim of this study was to compare and rank the magnitude of risk of falls and fractures due to different psychiatric medications. Eight databases were searched for this meta-analysis and evaluated using a frequency-based network meta-analysis. The results included a total of 28 papers with 14 medications from 5 major classes, involving 3,467,314 patients. The results showed that atypical antipsychotics were the class of medications with the highest risk of falls, and typical antipsychotics were the class of medications with the highest risk of resulting in fractures. Quetiapine ranked first in the category of 13 medications associated with risk of falls, and class Z drugs ranked first in the category of 6 medications associated with risk of fractures. The available evidence suggests that atypical antipsychotics and typical antipsychotics may be the drugs with the highest risk of falls and fractures, respectively. Quetiapine may be the medication with the highest risk of falls, and class Z drugs may be the medication with the highest risk of fractures.

Distribution and response of electroactive microorganisms to freshwater river pollution.

Electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) play a vital role in biogeochemical cycles by facilitating extracellular electron transfer. They demonstrate remarkable adaptability to river sediments that are characterized by pollution and poor water quality, significantly contributing to the sustainability of river ecosystems. However, the distribution and diversity of EAMs remain poorly understood. In this study, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to assess EAMs in 160 samples collected from eight rivers within the Pearl River Delta of Southern China. The results indicated that specialized EAMs communities in polluted sediments exhibited variations in response to water quality and sediment depth. Compared to clean sediment, polluted sediments showed a 4.5% increase in the relative abundances of EAMs communities (59 genera), with 45- and 17-times higher abundances of Geobacter and cable bacteria. Additionally, the abundance of cable bacteria decreased with increasing sediment depth in polluted sediments, while the abundance of L. varians GY32 exhibited an opposite trend. Finally, the abundances of Geobacter, cable bacteria, and L. varians GY32 were positively correlated with the abundance of filamentous microorganisms (FMs) across all samples, with stronger interactions in polluted sediments. These findings suggest that EAMs demonstrate heightened sensitivity to polluted environments, particularly at the genus (species) level, and exhibit strong adaptability to conditions characterized by high levels of acid volatile sulfide, low dissolved oxygen, and elevated nitrate nitrogen. Therefore, environmental factors could be manipulated to optimize the growth and efficiency of EAMs for environmental engineering and natural restoration applications.

Effectiveness of reminiscence therapy interventions for older people: Evidence mapping and qualitative evaluation.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Reminiscence therapy is a common psychosocial intervention in mental health nursing. Numerous secondary studies have explored the effects of reminiscence therapy interventions in older adults, and while the effects are significant, conflicting results remain. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: To date, research on reminiscence therapy has examined different disorders in isolation from one another. By illustrating the evidence gaps between studies, this paper highlights the need for a new evidence-based summary overview of reminiscence therapy research. The results suggest that reminiscence therapy can be beneficial to the improvement of mental health and quality of life for older people. However, we found that the secondary studies were not of high quality and that further high-quality literature supporting the evidence is still needed. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE?: Reminiscence therapy may be considered a useful non-pharmacological intervention for older people with mental and psychological problems. However, there is a lack of normative guidelines for reminiscence therapy in terms of intervention time, frequency, and form. The development of a global standard protocol for the application of reminiscence therapy may be necessary for future randomized controlled trials (RCTs). ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Reminiscence therapy is an alternative to pharmaceutical intervention provided during long-term care, especially for older people with mental and psychological problems. However, the effects of reminiscence therapy remain inconclusive. AIM: The present study aimed to systematically identify, synthesize and describe the research evidence and quality of systematic reviews (SRs) related to reminiscence interventions for older people through an evidence-mapping approach. METHODS: Commonly used English and Chinese databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WANFANG, VIP and SinoMed, were searched from inception till 31 March 2022. The study type was restricted to SRs with or without meta-analysis. The methodological quality of the included SRs was assessed by A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2). The Microsoft Excel 2019 tool was used for data extraction and coding, and bubble charts were used to synthesize information on the study population, intervention category, original study sample size and classification of findings. RESULTS: A total of 28 SRs were enrolled, including 514 original studies, 91.4% of which were randomized controlled trials. The main participants of the study were depressed older people (7 publications), older people with dementia (10 publications) and ordinary older people (8 publications). The findings of 26 (92.8%) publications were categorized as either "beneficial" or "potentially beneficial." The primary outcome indicators of the effectiveness of the reminiscence intervention for older people are mental and psychological problems (especially depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning), quality of life and categories of positive psychology (e.g., life satisfaction, happiness and self-esteem). The main factors influencing the intervention effect were the intervention period, residential setting, intervention format (group/individual) and intervention intensity. The intervention settings/contexts were mainly community and long-term care facilities. However, the methodological quality of 27 (96.4%) of the SRs was scored as either "Low" or "Critically Low." DISCUSSION: Reminiscence therapy has been used to study the mental health and quality of life of older people in various conditions, with significant results. However, due to the limited evidence included in the studies and the low methodological quality, there is still a need to focus on the issue of effectiveness and evidence gaps for different interventions in the field of recall in the future, in addition to efforts to improve the methodological quality and standardize the reporting process for the evaluation of reminiscence intervention systems. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Reminiscence therapy may be considered a useful non-pharmacological intervention for older people with mental and psychological problems. A standard protocol for reminiscence therapy may be necessary for future studies.

Species' functional traits and interactions drive nitrate-mediated sulfur-oxidizing community structure and functioning.

IMPORTANCE: Understanding the processes and mechanisms governing microbial community assembly and their linkages to ecosystem functioning has long been a core issue in microbial ecology. An in-depth insight still requires combining with analyses of species' functional traits and microbial interactions. Our study showed how species' functional traits and interactions determined microbial community structure and functions by a well-controlled laboratory experiment with nitrate-mediated sulfur oxidation systems using high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent technologies. The results provided solid evidences that species' functional traits and interactions were the intrinsic factors determining community structure and function. More importantly, our study established quantitative links between community structure and function based on species' functional traits and interactions, which would have important implications for the design and synthesis of microbiomes with expected functions.

Explaining nitrogen turnover in sediments and water through variations in microbial community composition and potential function.

Anthropogenic activities greatly impact nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycling in aquatic ecosystems. High N concentrations in coastal aquaculture waters threaten fishery production and aquaculture ecosystems and have become an urgent problem to be solved. Existing microbial flora and metabolic potential significantly regulate N turnover in aquatic ecosystems. To clarify the contribution of microorganisms to N turnover in sediment and water, we investigated three types of aquaculture ecosystems in coastal areas of Guangdong, China. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) was the dominant component of total nitrogen in the sediment (interstitial water, 90.4%) and water (61.6%). This finding indicates that NO3--N (1.67-2.86 mg/L and 2.98-7.89 mg/L in the sediment and water) is a major pollutant in aquaculture ecosystems. In water, the relative abundances of assimilation nitrogen reduction and aerobic denitrifying bacteria, as well as the metabolic potentials of nitrogen fixation and dissimilated nitrogen in fish monoculture, were only 61.0%, 31.5%, 47.5%, and 27.2% of fish and shrimp polyculture, respectively. In addition, fish-shrimp polyculture reduced NO3--N content (2.86 mg/L) compared to fish monoculture (7.89 mg/L), which was consistent with changes in aerobic denitrification and nitrate assimilation, suggesting that polyculture could reduce TN concentrations in water bodies and alleviate nitrogen pollution risks. Further analysis via structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that functional pathways (36% and 31%) explained TN changes better than microbial groups in sediment and water (13% and 11%), suggesting that microbial functional capabilities explain TN better than microbial community composition and other factors (pH, O2, and aquaculture type). This study enhances our understanding of nitrogen pollution characteristics and microbial community and functional capabilities related to sediment-water nitrogen turnover in three types of aquaculture ecosystems, which can contribute to the preservation of healthy coastal ecosystems.

Cable bacteria accelerate the anaerobic removal of pyrene in black odorous river sediments.

Cable bacteria play an essential role in biogeochemical processes in sediments by long-distance electron transport (LDET). A potential relationship has been found between cable bacteria and organic contaminant removal; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, the response of cable bacteria to pyrene was investigated in sediments with and without pyrene, and the effect of cable bacteria on pyrene removal was explored by connecting and blocking the paths of cable bacteria to the suboxic zones. The results showed that pyrene significantly influenced the microbial community structure and the composition of cable bacteria. The pyrene removal efficiencies significantly increased with the enrichment of cable bacteria, while sulfur-reducing microorganisms and aromatic compound degraders were also significantly enriched and correlated with cable bacteria abundance. Metagenomic analysis showed that cable bacteria have a potential LDET-bound acetate/formate respiratory pathway to gain energy. The presence of pyrene probably selects and enriches cable bacteria with a high tolerance to organic contaminants and changes the related functional microbial community, leading to the acceleration of pyrene removal. This study provides new insights into the interaction mechanisms between contaminants and cable bacteria, shedding light on the applications of cable bacteria in the bioremediation of contaminants in sediments.

Microbial carriers promote and guide pyrene migration in sediments.

Microbial carriers may co-transport polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but lack substantial experimental evidence. Cable bacteria use gliding or twitching motility to access sulfide; hence, they could be important microbial carriers in co-transporting PAHs from the sediment-water interface into suboxic zones. In this study, the effect of cable bacteria on pyrene migration was investigated by connecting or blocking the paths of cable bacteria to the suboxic zones. The results showed that downward migration of pyrene in the connecting groups were significantly higher (17.3-49.2%, p < 0.01) than those in the control groups. Meanwhile, significant downward migration of microbial communities in the connecting groups were also observed, including abundant filamentous-motile microorganisms, especially cable bacteria. The adsorption of surrounding particles by cable bacteria were morphologically evidenced. The biomechanical model based on the Peclet number indicated that filamentous-motile microorganisms demonstrated stronger adsorption ability for pyrene than other microorganisms. Supposedly, the downward migration of microbial communities, especially cable bacteria, significantly enhanced pyrene migration, thus influencing the distribution and ecological risk of pyrene in sediments. This study provides new insights into the important roles of motile microorganisms in the migration of PAHs in sediments, shedding lights on guidance for ecological risk assessment of PAHs.

Cysteine-Mediated Extracellular Electron Transfer of Lysinibacillus varians GY32.

Microbial extracellular electron transfer (EET) is essential in many natural and engineering processes. Compared with the versatile EET pathways of Gram-negative bacteria, the EET of Gram-positive bacteria has been studied much less and is mainly limited to the flavin-mediated pathway. Here, we investigate the EET pathway of a Gram-positive filamentous bacterium Lysinibacillus varians GY32. Strain GY32 has a wide electron donor spectrum (including lactate, acetate, formate, and some amino acids) in electrode respiration. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and electrochemical analyses show that the electrode respiration of GY32 mainly depends on electron mediators, and c-type cytochromes may be involved in its respiration. Fluorescent sensor and electrochemical analyses demonstrate that strain GY32 can secrete cysteine and flavins. Cysteine added shortly after inoculation into microbial fuel cells accelerated EET, showing cysteine is a new endogenous electron mediator of Gram-positive bacteria, which provides novel information to understand the EET networks in natural environments. IMPORTANCE Extracellular electron transport (EET) is a key driving force in biogeochemical element cycles and microbial chemical-electrical-optical energy conversion on the Earth. Gram-positive bacteria are ubiquitous and even dominant in EET-enriched environments. However, attention and knowledge of their EET pathways are largely lacking. Gram-positive bacterium Lysinibacillus varians GY32 has extremely long cells (>1 mm) and conductive nanowires, promising a unique and enormous role in the microenvironments where it lives. Its capability to secrete cysteine renders it not only an EET pathway to respire and survive, but also an electrochemical strategy to connect and shape the ambient microbial community at a millimeter scale. Moreover, its incapability of using flavins as an electron mediator suggests that the common electron mediator is species-dependent. Therefore, our results are important to understanding the EET networks in natural and engineering processes.

Water quality drives the distribution of freshwater cable bacteria.

Cable bacteria are a group of recently found filamentous sulfide-oxidizing Desulfobulbaceae that significantly impact biogeochemical cycling. However, the limited understanding of cable bacteria distribution patterns and the driving force hindered our abilities to evaluate and maximize their contribution to environmental health. We evaluated cable bacteria assemblages from ten river sediments in the Pearl River Delta, China. The results revealed a clear biogeographic distribution pattern of cable bacteria, and their communities were deterministically assembled through water quality-driven selection. Cable bacteria are diverse in the river sediments with a few generalists and many specialists, and the water quality IV and V environments are the "hot spot." We then provided evidence on their morphology, function, and genome to demonstrate how water quality might shape the cable bacteria assemblages. Reduced cell width, inhibited function, and water quality-related adaptive genomic traits were detected in sulfide-limited water quality III and contaminant-stressed water quality VI environments. Specifically, those genomic traits were contributed to carbon and sulfur metabolism in the water quality III environment and stress resistance in the water quality VI environment. Overall, these findings provided a helpful baseline in evaluating the contribution of cable bacteria in the freshwater ecosystem and suggested that their high diversity and flexibility in phylogeny, morphology, and genome allowed them to adapt and contribute to various environmental conditions.

Mangiferin protects against alcoholic liver injury via suppression of inflammation-induced adipose hyperlipolysis.

Adipose dysfunction is closely associated with alcoholic liver disease. The impact of mangiferin on ethanol-induced liver injury and the probable underlying molecular mechanism has not been sufficiently addressed. In the present study, mice were subjected to a chronic plus a single binge ethanol feeding to induce liver injury. In addition, the differentiated adipocytes from primary mouse adipocytes were isolated and used for the mechanism studies. Our study demonstrated that mangiferin protects against ethanol induced adipose hyperlipolysis by restoring PDE3B stability, which is associated with activating the AMPK/TBK1 signaling and suppressing the noncanonical NF-κB activation, leading to the reduction of free fatty acid release and the amelioration of ethanol-induced liver injury. Our findings identify that mangiferin ameliorates alcoholic liver injury via suppression of inflammation-induced adipose hyperlipolysis, suggesting that mangiferin might be a potential effective agent for the management of alcoholic liver injury.

Terrestrial Toxicity of Synthetic Gas-to-Liquid versus Crude Oil-Derived Drilling Fluids in Soil.

Unlike most other conventional petroleum products that are derived from crude oil, gas-to-liquids (GTLs) are petroleum products that are synthesized from natural gas (methane). This process results in GTL products having no sulfur and low aromatic content, so they should have less impact on human health and the environment compared with crude oil-derived products. The GTLs have been registered for use as nonaqueous base fluids (NABFs) in drilling muds, which aid in the process of drilling wells for oil and gas extraction; it is through these uses and others that they enter terrestrial environments. The primary objective of the present study was to determine whether GTLs were less toxic to terrestrial soil biota than conventional NABFs used for land-based drilling, such as diesel and low-toxicity mineral oil (LTMO). A second objective was to understand the fate and impact of these fluids under more realistic soil and aging conditions of a common west Texas (USA) oil-producing region (i.e., sandy loam soil with low organic matter and a hot arid climate). Acute terrestrial toxicity studies were conducted on the soft-bodied terrestrial invertebrate earthworm (Eisenia fetida) along with 3 plant species-alfalfa (Medicago stavia), thickspike wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus), and fourwing saltbrush (Atriplex canescens). We also assessed changes in microbial community structure of the soils following additions of NABF. Overall, the GTL NABFs had lower toxicity compared with conventional NABFs like diesel and LTMO, as measured by invertebrate toxicity, plant seed germination, and impact on the microbial community. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:721-730. © 2020 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.