The composition and function of bacterial communities in Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) changed dramatically with infected fungi: A new potential to culture Cordyceps cicadae.

Cordyceps cicadae (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) is a renowned entomopathogenic fungus used as herbal medicine in China. However, wild C. cicadae resources have been threatened by heavy harvesting. We hypothesised that Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) could be a new alternative to cultivate C. cicadae due to the low cost of rearing. Bacterial communities are crucial for the formation of Cordyceps and for promoting the production of metabolites. To better understand the bacterial community structure associated with Cordyceps, three Claviciptaceae fungi were used to explore the pathogenicity of the silkworms. Here, fifth-instar silkworms were infected with C. cicadae, Cordyceps cateniannulata (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) and Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae). Subsequently, we applied high-throughput sequencing to explore the composition of bacterial communities in silkworms. Our results showed that all three fungi were highly pathogenic to silkworms, which suggests that silkworms have the potential to cultivate Cordyceps. After fungal infection, the diversity of bacterial communities in silkworms decreased significantly, and the abundance of Staphylococcus increased in mummified larvae, which may play a role in the death process when the host suffers infection by entomopathogenic fungi. Furthermore, there were high similarities in the bacterial community composition and function in the C. cicadae and C. cateniannulata infected samples, and the phylogenetic analysis suggested that these similarities may be related to the fungal phylogenetic relationship. Our findings reveal that infection with different entomopathogenic fungi affects the composition and function of bacterial communities in silkworms and that the bacterial species associated with Cordyceps are primarily host dependent, while fungal infection affects bacterial abundance.

Immediate Versus Staged Complete Revascularization in Patients Presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Multivessel Coronary Disease Without Cardiac Shock: A Study-Level Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Achieving full revascularization via percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may enhance the prognosis of individuals diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and multivessel coronary disease (MVD). The present work focused on investigating whether PCI should be performed during staged or index procedures for non-culprit lesions. METHODS: Electronic databases, such as PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, were systematically explored to locate studies contrasting immediate revascularization with staged complete revascularization for patients who experienced ACS and MVD without cardiac shock. The outcome measures comprised major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and unplanned ischemia-driven revascularization (UIDR). RESULTS: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 3550 patients, including 1780 who received immediate complete revascularization (ICR) and 1770 who received staged complete revascularization (SCR), were included in the analysis. The ICR group had lower MACEs (RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.61~0.87, P = 0.0004), MI (RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.37~0.77, P = 0.0008), and UIDR (RR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.50~0.81, P = 0.0003) than did the SCR group. All-cause mortality, CVD incidence, and stroke incidence did not significantly differ between the two groups. According to our subgroup analyses based on the time window of the SCR, the ICR group had significantly fewer MACEs (RR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.56~0.88, P = 0.003), MI (RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.37~0.77, P = 0.0002), and UIDR (RR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.40~0.77, P = 0.0004) than did the subgroup of patients who were between discharge and 45 days. CONCLUSION: Compared with patients in the SCR group, patients in the ICR group had decreased MACEs, MI, and UIDR, especially between discharge and 45 days. All-cause mortality and CVD incidence were not significantly different between the two groups.

Frankliniella occidentalis pathogenic fungus Lecanicillium interacts with internal microbes and produces sublethal effects.

Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a pest that feeds on various crops worldwide. A prior study identified Lecanicillium attenuatum and L. cauligalbarum as pathogens of F. occidentalis. Unfortunately, the potential of these two entomopathogenic fungi for the biocontrol of F. occidentalis has not been effectively evaluated. The internal microbes (endosymbionts and the gut microbiota) of insects, especially gut bacteria, are crucial in regulating the interactions between the host and intestinal pathogens. The role of thrips internal microbes in the infection of these two entomopathogenic fungi is also unknown. Therefore, biological control of thrips is immediately needed, and to accomplish that, an improved understanding of the internal microbes of thrips against Lecanicillium infection is essential. The virulence of the two pathogenic fungi against F. occidentalis increased with the conidia concentration. Overall, the LC50 of L. cauligalbarum was lower than that of L. attenuatum, and the pathogenicity degree was adult > pupa > nymphs. The activities of protective enzymes include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD); detoxification enzymes include polyphenol oxidase (PPO), glutathione s-transferase (GSTs), and carboxylesterase (CarE); hormones include ecdysone and juvenile hormone; and the composition and proportion of microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) in F. occidentalis infected by L. cauligalbarum and L. attenuatum have changed significantly. According to the network correlation results, there was a considerable correlation among the internal microbes (including bacteria and fungi), enzyme activities, and hormones, which indicates that in addition to bacteria, internal fungi of F. occidentalis are also involved in the L. cauligalbarum and L. attenuatum infection process. In addition, the development time of the surviving F. occidentalis exposed to L. cauligalbarum or L. attenuatum was significantly shorter than that of the control group. Furthermore, the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R0), mean generation time (T), and gross reproductive rate (GRR) were significantly lower in the treatment groups than in the control group. L. attenuatum and L. cauligalbarum have biocontrol potential against F. occidentalis. In addition to bacteria, internal fungi of F. occidentalis are also involved in the infection process of insect pathogenic fungi. Disruption of the internal microbial balance results in discernible sublethal effects. Such prevention and control potential should not be ignored. These findings provide an improved understanding of physiological responses in thrips with altered immunity against entomopathogenic fungal infections, which can guide us toward the development of novel biocontrol strategies against thrips.

Extended Left Hemihapatectomy with Right Hepatic Artery Reconstruction for Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasm: A Brief Report.

BACKGROUND rimary hepatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PHNEN) are exceedingly rare tumors with atypical clinical manifestations, accounting for less than 0.5% of all neuroendocrine tumors. Currently, there is a lack of consensus on their management, and guidelines do not recommend postoperative chemotherapy for patients with stage G1/G2 disease after curative resection. We present a case report of PHNEN, outlining its diagnostic challenges, treatment strategy, and clinical outcomes. CASE REPORT A 31-year-old man presented with jaundice and was initially diagnosed with suspected IgG4-related disease, which initially appeared to respond to steroid therapy, but manifested worsening jaundice 4 months after initial treatment. Subsequent evaluation revealed a PHNEN NET G2 with lymph node metastasis and invasion of the right hepatic artery; and involvement of the hepatic duct at the hepatic hilum, primarily the left hepatic duct. The patient underwent extended left hemi-hepatectomy with caudate lobe resection, bile duct resection, and lymphadenectomy, followed by reconstruction of the right hepatic artery. Postoperatively, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of capecitabine (1000 mg bid D1-14) and temozolomide (200 mg qn D10-14) for 6 cycles. Currently, the patient remains disease free 43 months after treatment. CONCLUSIONS PHNEN presents diagnostic challenges due to its rarity and lack of specific markers. Surgical resection remains the cornerstone of treatment, with chemotherapy being considered in select cases with high-risk features. Further research is needed to refine treatment approaches and improve outcomes for patients with PHNEN.

Estimated Divergence Times of Lecanicillium in the Family Cordycipitaceae Provide Insights Into the Attribution of Lecanicillium.

Background: The genus Lecanicillium W.Gams & Zare is a recognized insect pathogen but members of the genus have been found parasitizing various hosts including arthropods, nematodes, plants, and fungi. The new classification system for fungi proposed to reject Lecanicillium and transfer some of the species to the genus Akanthomyces. However, the attribution problem of most species in the original genus Lecanicillium remains unsolved. The current study aimed to improve understanding of the pivotal internal phylogeny in Lecanicillium by estimating the divergence times of Lecanicillium to provide additional insights into the status of this genus within the family Cordycipitaceae. Results: Dating analyses support the supposition that the ancestor of Lecanicillium was in the Cretaceous period (84.36 Mya, 95% HPD: 72.12-94.74 Mya). After originating from a common ancestor, eight clades of Lecanicillium were derived and evolved independently in parallel with other genera of Cordycipitaceae. Based on the clear divergence age estimates, Lecanicillium clade 8 originated earlier as an independent group in the Cretaceous period (75.61 Mya, 95% HPD: 63.31-87.54 Mya), while Lecanicillium clades 1-7 originated later as an independent group in the boundary of the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods (64.66 Mya, 95% HPD: 52.75-76.74 Mya). Lecanicillium huhutii formed an independent branch in a polytomy together with a clade containing Lecanicillium tenuipes (BI posterior probabilities 1, ML bootstrap 100%). Conclusion: The pivotal internal phylogeny, origin, and evolutionary history of Lecanicillium in the family Cordycipitaceae were investigated. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses indicated that there are eight representative clades (four representative branches of evolutionary history), including clade 1 (members have a relatively uniform sporulation structure comprising globose heads with a higher number of conidia), clade 8 (including all members of Gamszarea), clades 2-5 (the differences of the divergence time estimations were smaller compared with other clades), and clade 6-7 (members are close to Gibellula, Hevansia, and Ascopolyporus). Based on the above findings, a novel spider-pathogenic fungus, Lecanicillium huhutii, is described. All other species in Lecanicillium clade 1 (Lecanicillium araneogemum, L. nodulosum, L. pissodis, and L. uredinophilum) should be transferred to the genus Akanthomyces. Furthermore, the monotypic genus Parengyodontium should be merged with the genus Gamszarea. More novel species need to be discovered to thoroughly resolve the attribution problem of Lecanicillium. Finally, no major lineages of Lecanicillium were correlated with the nearby Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, indicating that the diversity of Lecanicillium is more likely to be caused by long-term environmental adaptation and coevolution with insects rather than by dramatic extinction events.

Lecanicilliumcauligalbarum sp. nov. (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales), a novel fungus isolated from a stemborer in the Yao Ren National Forest Mountain Park, Guizhou.

A new species of entomopathogenic fungi, Lecanicilliumcauligalbarum, was discovered from a survey of invertebrate-associated fungi in the Yao Ren National Forest Mountain Park in China. The synnemata of this species emerged from the corpse of a stemborer (Lepidoptera), which was hidden amongst pieces of wood on the forest floor. It differs from morphologically similar Lecanicillium species mainly in its short conidiogenous cells and ellipsoid to ovoid and aseptate conidia. Phylogenetic analysis of a combined data set comprising ITS, SSU, LSU, TEF, RPB1 and RPB2 sequence data supported the inclusion of L.cauligalbarum in the Lecanicillium genus and its recognition as a distinct species.