Enhanced degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics by an engineered Stenotrophomonas pavanii in the presence of biofilm.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics pose significant environmental and human health risks due to their resistance to degradation and accumulation in ecosystems. In this study, we engineered Stenotrophomonas pavanii JWG-G1, a robust biofilm-forming bacterium, to overexpress the PET hydrolase (DuraPETase) for PET microplastics degradation at ambient temperature. Nine endogenous PET hydrolases were identified through genome sequencing of S. pavanii, and were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Among them, hydrolase Est_B achieved 100 % degradation of bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) at an initial concentration of 0.23 mg/mL at 30 °C within 4 h, identifying it as a novel BHETase. However, the PET degradation performance of all endogenous PET hydrolases was inferior to that of DuraPETase. The engineered strain overexpressing DuraPETase demonstrated a significant enhancement in PET degradation, achieving a 38.04 µM total product release of high-crystallinity PET microplastics after 30 days at 30 °C. The degradation extent was greater than that of low biofilm-forming engineered strains, attributing to the aggregation of DuraPETase on the PET surface in the presence of biofilm. Additionally, this engineered strain also maintained PET degradation activity across various water environments and demonstrated effectiveness in degrading other polyester plastics. This is the first report demonstrating that an engineered strain of Stenotrophomonas species is capable of simultaneously secreting exogenous hydrolase and degrading polyester microplastics, representing a novel approach in the development of engineered bacteria with potential applications in bioreactor systems and environmental remediation.

Synergistic bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil using immobilized consortium of Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Bacillus subtilis laccase.

Petroleum-contaminated soil represents a significant environmental and public health challenge on a global scale. Microbial bioremediation has shown potential, yet the role of enzymes in enhancing petroleum degradation remains underexplored. In this study, the synergistic effects of Rhodococcus rhodochrous (R.rh) and Bacillus subtilis-derived laccase (BsLac) was investigated in the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil. Immobilized R.rh (PSIMRH) and BsLac (ADIMLac) exhibited higher petroleum degradation rates than their free state, achieving 78.3% and 56.3% degradation in liquid systems, respectively. The combined treatment of PSIMRH and ADIMLac demonstrated a synergistic effect on petroleum degradation, achieving 43.6% with a maximum degradation constant of 0.0335 d-1, representing a 202.7% improvement over untreated soil. PSIMRH enhanced petroleum degradation through microbial metabolism, while ADIMLac accelerated the initial breakdown of complex hydrocarbons into simpler, more bioavailable ones via enzymatic oxidation, providing growth substrates for microbes and significantly improving petroleum degradation rates. The microbial analysis revealed an increase abundance of known petroleum-degrading bacterial genera, including Rhodococcus, Lysobacter, Micromonospora, and Streptomyces. However, the presence of BsLac appeared to reduce the competitive advantage of Rhodococcus, promoting the proliferation of indigenous strains like Lysobacter and Streptomyces. These results suggest that enzyme-microbe synergy can enhance the bioremediation process by altering microbial community dynamics and accelerating petroleum degradation. This study attempts to remediate petroleum-contaminated pollution with the combined use of strains and enzymes, providing a new approach for the remediation of other pollution problems.

Targeted aggregation of PETase towards surface of Stenotrophomonas pavanii for degradation of PET microplastics.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used plastics, but its fragmentation into microplastics poses significant environmental challenges. The recycling of PET microplastics is hindered by their low solubility and widespread dispersion in the environment, making microbial in-situ degradation a promising solution. However, existing PET-degrading strains exhibited the limited effectiveness, primarily due to the diffusion of secreted hydrolases away from the PET surface. In this study, Stenotrophomonas pavanii JWG-G1 was engineered to achieve the targeted aggregation of PET hydrolase PETase on the cell surface by fusing it with an endogenous anchor protein. This approach aims to maximise the local concentration of PETase around PET, thereby increasing the overall rate of PET degradation. The PETase surface-aggregated system, S. pavanii/PaL-PETase, demonstrated the highest degradation efficiency, achieving 63.3 % degradation of low-crystallinity PET (lcPET) and 27.3 % degradation of high-crystallinity PET bottles (hcPET) at 30 °C. This represents the highest degradation rate reported for a displayed whole-cell system at ambient temperature. Furthermore, this system exhibited broad-spectrum degradation activity against various polyesters. These findings suggest that this system offers a promising, eco-friendly solution to PET and other polyester pollution, with potential implications for environmental bioremediation strategies.

Complete degradation of PET waste using a thermophilic microbe-enzyme system.

Enzymatic degradation has been proposed as a suitable solution for addressing PET pollution, but approximately 10 % of PET is left as nonbiodegradable. Microbes can completely degrade PET at the gram level per year. Based on the complementary benefits of microbes and enzymes, a microbe-enzyme system was created to completely degrade PET. Here, a thermophilic microbe-enzyme (TME) system composed of Bacillus thermoamylovorans JQ3 and leaf-branch compost cutinase variant (ICCG) was used to demonstrate the synergistic degradation of PET, enabling 100 % degradation of PET waste at a high PET loading level (360 g/L). Six endogenous PET hydrolases of strain JQ3 were discovered by employing an ester bond hydrolysis function-first genome mining (EGM) strategy and first successfully expressed in E. coli. These hydrolases could release TPA as the final product from PET and preferentially degraded BHET instead of MHET. Of these, carboxylesterase 39_5 and ICCG could degrade PET in a synergistic manner to generate 50 µM of TPA, which was greater than the sum of the individual treatments. Finally, the degradation pathway of the TME system was speculated to include biofilm formation, PET degradation and utilization. The successful implementation of this study rendered a scale-up degradation feasible of PET at a lower cost.

The role of MAPK/NF-κB-associated microglial activation in T-2 toxin-induced mouse learning and memory impairment.

T-2 toxin is a mycotoxin with multiple toxic effects and has emerged as an important food pollutant. Microglia play a significant role in the toxicity of various neurotoxins. However, whether they participate in the neurotoxicity of T-2 toxin has not been reported. To clarify this point, an in vivo mouse model of T-2 toxin (4 mg/kg) poisoning was established. The results of Morris water maze and open-field showed that T-2 toxin induced learning and memory impairment and locomotor inhibition. Meanwhile, T-2 toxin induced microglial activation, while inhibiting microglia activation by minocycline (50 mg/kg) suppressed the toxic effect of the T-2 toxin. To further unveil the potential mechanisms involved in T-2 toxin-induced microglial activation, an in vitro model of T-2 toxin (0, 2.5, 5, 10 ng/mL) poisoning was established using BV-2 cells. Transcriptomic sequencing revealed lots of differentially expressed genes related to MAPK/NF-κB pathway. Western blotting results further confirmed that T-2 toxin (5 ng/mL) induced the activation of MAPKs and their downstream NF-κB. Moreover, the addition of inhibitors of NF-κB and MAPKs reversed the microglial activation induced by T-2 toxin. Overall, microglial activation may contribute a considerable role in T-2 toxin-induced behavioral abnormalities, which could be MAPK/NF-κB pathway dependent.

Association between ambient carbon monoxide levels and hospitalization costs of patients with myocardial infarction: Potential effect modification by ABO blood group.

Previous researches have reported the association between air pollution and various diseases. However, few researches have investigated whether air pollutants are associated with the economic loss resulting from patients' hospitalization, especially the economic loss of hospitalization due to acute cardiovascular events. The purpose of our research was to explore the association between the levels of carbon monoxide (CO), taken as an index of pollution, and the hospitalization costs of myocardial infarction (MI), and the potential effect modification by the ABO blood group. A total of 3237 MI inpatients were included in this study. A multiple linear regression model was used to evaluate the association between ambient CO levels and hospitalization costs of MI patients. Moreover, we performed stratified analyses by age, gender, body mass index (BMI), season, hypertension, and ABO blood types. There was a positive association between the levels of CO in the air and the costs of hospitalization caused by MI. Furthermore, such association was stronger in males, BMI ≥25, <65 years, with hypertension, and non-O blood group. Interestingly, we found the association was particularly significant in patients with blood group B. Overall, our study first found that ambient CO levels could have an impact on the hospitalization costs for MI patients, and those with blood group B can be more sensitive.

The association between short-term ambient sulfur dioxide exposure and hospitalization costs of ischemic stroke: a hospital-based study in Chongqing, China.

Evidence of the short-term effects of ambient sulfur dioxide (SO2) exposure on the economic burden of ischemic stroke is limited. This study aimed to explore the association between short-term ambient SO2 exposure and hospitalization costs for ischemic stroke in Chongqing, the most populous city in China. The hospital-based study included 7271 ischemic stroke inpatients. Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the association between SO2 concentration and hospitalization costs. Propensity score matching was used to compare the patients' characteristics when exposed to SO2 concentrations above and below 20 µg/m3. It is found that short-term SO2 exposure was positively correlated with the hospitalization costs of ischemic stroke. The association was more evident in males, people younger than 65, and people hospitalized in the cool seasons. Besides, among the components of hospitalization costs, medicine costs were most significantly associated with SO2. More interesting, the lower concentration of SO2, the higher costs associated with 1 µg/m3 SO2 change. Above all, SO2 was positively associated with hospitalization costs of ischemic stroke, even at its low levels. The measures to reduce the level of SO2 can help reduce the burden of ischemic stroke.

Ni-O4 as Active Sites for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction with Electronic Metal-Support Interactions.

Precise adjustment of the metal site structure in single-atom catalysts (SACs) plays a key role in addressing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report the synthesis of O-doped Ni SACs anchored on porous graphene-like carbon (Ni-O-G) using molten salts (ZnCl2 and NaCl) as templates, in which the unique Ni-O4 structure serves as the active sites. Ni-O-G, with an overpotential of only 238 mV (@ 10 mA cm-2), is one of the more advanced catalysts. An array of characterizations and density functional theory calculations show that the Ni-O4 coordination enables Ni to be closer to the Fermi level compared to traditional Ni-N4, enhancing the electronic metal-support interaction to facilitate OER kinetics. Thus, this work offers an alternative strategy for the structural modulation of Ni SACs and the effect of different coordination elements with the same atomic coordination structure on the intrinsic OER activity.

Directional-path modification strategy enhances PET hydrolase catalysis of plastic degradation.

Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a widely used type of general plastic that produces a significant amount of waste due to its non-degradable properties. We propose a novel directional-path modification (DPM) strategy, involving positive charge amino acid introduction and binding groove remodeling, and apply it to Thermobifida fusca cutinase to enhance PET degradation. The highest value of PET degradation (90%) was achieved in variant 4Mz (H184S/Q92G/F209I/I213K), exhibiting values almost 30-fold that of the wild-type. We employed molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and QM/MM MD for the degradation process of PET, accompanied by acylation and deacylation. We found that the distance of nucleophilic attack was reduced from about 4.6 Å in the wild type to 3.8 Å in 4Mz, and the free energy barrier of 4Mz dropped from 14.3 kcal/mol to 7.1 kcal/mol at the acylation which was the rate-limiting step. Subsequently, the high efficiency and universality of the DPM strategy were successfully demonstrated in LCC, Est119, and BhrPETase enhancing the degradation activity of PET. Finally, the highest degradation rate of the pretreated commercial plastic bottles had reached to 73%. The present study provides insight into the molecular binding mechanism of PET into the PET hydrolases structure and proposes a novel DPM strategy that will be useful for the engineering of more efficient enzymes for PET degradation.

The association between short-term exposure to ambient carbon monoxide and hospitalization costs for bronchitis patients: A hospital-based study.

Ambient carbon monoxide (CO) is associated with bronchitis morbidity, but there is no evidence concerning its correlation with hospitalization costs for bronchitis patients. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between short-term ambient CO exposure and hospitalization costs for bronchitis patients in Chongqing, China. Baseline data for 3162 hospitalized bronchitis patients from November 2013 to December 2019 were collected. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the association, delayed and cumulative, between short-term CO exposure and hospitalization costs. Additionally, subgroup analyses were performed by gender, age, season, and comorbidity. Positive association between CO and hospitalization costs for bronchitis patients was observed. The strongest association was observed at lag 015 days, with per 1 mg/m3 increase of CO concentrations corresponded to 5834.40 Chinese Yuan (CNY) (95% CI: 2318.71, 9350.08; P < 0.001) (845.97 US dollars) increment in hospitalization costs. Stratified analysis results showed that the association was more obvious among those males, elderly, with comorbidities, and in warm seasons. More importantly, there was strongest correlation between CO and bronchitis patients with coronary heart disease. In summary, short-term exposure to ambient CO, even lower than Chinese and WHO standards, can be associated with increased hospitalization costs for bronchitis. Controlling CO exposure can be helpful to reduce medical burden associated with bronchitis patients. The results also suggest that when setting air quality standards and formulating preventive measures, susceptible subpopulations ought to be considered.

Accelerated biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate by Thermobifida fusca cutinase mediated by Stenotrophomonas pavanii.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a general plastic that produces a significant amount of waste due to its non-biodagradable properties. We obtained four bacteria (Stenotrophomonas pavanii JWG-G1, Comamonas thiooxydans CG-1, Comamonas koreensis CG-2 and Fulvimonas soli GM-1) that utilize PET as a sole carbon source through a novel stepwise screening and verification strategy. PET films pretreated with S. pavanii JWG-G1 exhibited weight loss of 91.4% following subsequent degradation by Thermobifida fusca cutinase (TfC). S. pavanii JWG-G1 was able to colonize the PET surface and maintain high cell viability (over 50%) in biofilm, accelerating PET degradation. Compared with PET films with no pretreatment, pretreatment with S. pavanii JWG-G1 caused the PET surface to be significantly rougher with greater hydrophilicity (contact angle of 86.3 ± 2° vs. 96.6 ± 2°), providing better opportunities for TfC to contact and act on PET. Our study indicates that S. pavanii JWG-G1 could be used as a novel pretreatment for efficiently accelerating PET biodegradation by TfC.

The Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Treating Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture- (OVCF-) Induced Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are common health issues in the elderly that cause chronic pain in over one-third of patients. This study was sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for alleviating pain caused by OVCFs. METHODS: We performed a search of 8 electronic databases for publications from the inception to 30th March 2021. Eligible studies were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effect of acupuncture for the treatment of OVCFs. Two investigators evaluated literature quality and extracted data independently. RevMan V.5.4.1 was used for data analyses, with pooled risk estimates presented as mean difference (MD) or relative risk (RR) along with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), as appropriate. RESULTS: Fourteen RCTs involving 1,130 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, acupuncture showed a greater benefit on pain reduction caused by OVCFs (1 week: MD = -1.26, 95% CI: (-1.82,-0.70); 1 month: MD = -1.63, 95% CI: (-1.82,-1.43); 6 months: MD = -1.13, 95% CI: (-1.55, -0.70)). Acupuncture treatment was also associated with fewer adverse events, lower ODI index, and higher bone density than the control group (safety: (RR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.12-0.75); ODI: MD = -3.19, 95% CI: (-5.20, -1.19); bone density: MD = 0.15, 95% CI: (0.05, 0.26)). The GRADE quality of these results was assessed as low or very low. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the control treatment, acupuncture was more effective and safer in relieving the pain caused by OVCF and made a greater improvement on patient's ODI score and bone density. Given the low level of our study evidence, future high-quality studies are needed to verify our study findings.

DNA Methylation: A Potential Biomarker of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious public health concern worldwide. By 2040, 4.41 million people are estimated to expire annually due to COPD. However, till date, it has remained difficult to alter the activity or progress of the disease through treatment. In order to address this issue, the best way would be to find biomarkers and new therapeutic targets for COPD. DNA methylation (DNAm) may be a potential biomarker for disease prevention, diagnosis, and prognosis, and its reversibility further makes it a potential drug design target in COPD. In this review, we aimed to explore the role of DNAm as biomarkers and disease mediators in different tissue samples from patients with COPD.

Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies for COVID-19 Based on "The Diagnosis and Treatment Program for Coronavirus Disease-2019" from Chinese Authority.

In December 2019, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan and other places. Seven versions of the Diagnosis and Treatment Program for Coronavirus Disease-2019 successively issued by the Chinese government have designated traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a necessary medical strategy. Based on the changes in TCM diagnosis and treatment strategies in these seven versions of Diagnosis and Treatment Program for Coronavirus Disease-2019, this paper collected data reported by the Chinese government media; analyzed the understanding of the etiology, pathogenesis, syndrome differentiation, treatment methods, and prescriptions of COVID-19 by TCM and evaluated the clinical efficacy of TCM strategies. COVID-19 is associated with TCM disease of pestilence, and its pathogenesis can be summarized as an "epidemic pathogen invading the body, followed by entering the internal organs and transforming into heat, resulting in pathogen trapping in the interior and healthy qi collapsing, and deficiency of qi and yin". Pathological processes should be emphasized in syndrome differentiation. The manifestations of qi deficiency and yin deficiency are exhibited during the recovery period. TCM strategies represented by Qing Fei Pai Du Tang have shown apparent advantages in improving symptoms, promoting virus clearance, and shortening hospitalization, as well as surprising efficacy of zero patient progressing from mild to severe cases in a TCM cabin hospital. Clinical data illustrate the effectiveness of TCM strategies proposed by the Chinese government. This major epidemic may bring new opportunities for TCM development.

The outcomes of post-traumatic arthritis vs osteoarthritis following primary total knee arthroplasty: A protocol of matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for treatment of end-stage post-traumatic arthritis (PTA) has specific technical difficulties and complications. The aim of this study was to examine the outcome of TKA after PTA and to compare it with a cohort osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: A retrospective review of patients undergoing primary TKA at a single university hospital from 2013 to 2016 was performed. A minimum follow-up of 4 years was required. Patients in the study group were matched 1:2 with patients in the cohort group based on the following criteria: age at time of TKA (±3 years), body mass index (±3 points), sex, and American Society of Anesthesiologists score (±1 point). Outcome measures included surgical time, intraoperative complications, Oxford Knee Score, range of motion, postoperative complications, and revision. RESULTS: This clinical trial is expected to determine whether PTA is associated with increased risks of complications and revision or reduced functional outcomes following TKA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study protocol was registered in Research Registry (researchregistry5455).

Cupping therapy for treating knee osteoarthritis: The evidence from systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Cupping therapy is widely used in East Asia, the Middle East, or Central and North Europe to manage the symptom of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cupping therapy for treating patients with KOA. METHODS: The following databases were searched from their inception until January 2017: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and four Chinese databases [WanFang Med Database, Chinese BioMedical Database, Chinese WeiPu Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)]. Only the RCTs related to the effects of cupping therapy on KOA were included in this systematic review. A quantitative synthesis of RCTs will be conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. Study selection, data extraction, and validation was performed independently by two reviewers. Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias were used to assess the methodological quality of the trials. RESULTS: Seven RCTs met the inclusion criteria, and most were of low methodological quality. Study participants in the dry cupping therapy plus the Western medicine therapy group showed significantly greater improvements in the pain [MD = -1.01, 95%CI (-1.61, -0.41), p < 0.01], stiffness [MD = -0.81, 95%CI (-1.14, -0.48), p < 0.01] and physical function [MD = -5.53, 95%CI (-8.58, -2.47), p < 0.01] domains of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) compared to participants in the Western medicine therapy group, with low heterogeneity (Chi2 = 0.00 p = 1.00, I2 = 0% in pain; Chi2 = 0.45 p = 0.50, I2 = 0% in stiffness; Chi2 = 1.09 p = 0.30, I2 = 9% in physical function). However, it failed to do so on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) [MD = -0.32, 95%CI (-0.70, 0.05), p = 0.09]. In addition, when compared with Western medicine therapy alone, meta-analysis of four RCTs suggested favorable statistically significant effects of wet cupping therapy plus western medicine on response rate [MD = 1.06, 95%CI (1.01, 1.12), p = 0.03; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 1.13, p = 0.77, I2 = 0%] and Lequesne Algofunctional Index (LAI) [MD = -2.74, 95%CI (-3.41, -2.07), p < 0.01; heterogeneity: Chi2 = 2.03, p = 0.57, I2 = 0% ]. CONCLUSION: Only weak evidence can support the hypothesis that cupping therapy can effectively improve the treatment efficacy and physical function in patients with KOA.

Controllable growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC.

We investigated how to control the growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC by varying the processing conditions. It is found that, the growth rate scales with the annealing temperature and the graphene height is proportional to the annealing time. Temperature gradient and crystalline quality of the SiC substrates influence their vaporization. The partial vapor pressure is crucial as it can interfere with further vaporization. A growth mechanism is proposed in terms of physical vapor transport. The monolayer character of vertically aligned graphene is verified by Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. With the processed samples, d0 magnetism is realized and negative magnetoresistance is observed after Cu implantation. We also prove that multiple carriers exist in vertically aligned graphene.

[Determination of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in Damnacanthus indicus from different places by RP-hPLC].

OBJECTIVE: To establish A RP-HPLC method for determination of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in Damnacanthus indicus from different places. METHODS: After ultrasonic extraction with 95% ethanol,the separation was achieved on a Kromasil C18 column at 25 degrees C using methanol-2.0% phosphoric acid solution (90:10, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The detection wavelength was 210 nm. RESULTS: Oleanolic acid showed good linear at the range of 0.124-1.24 microg (r = 0.9997). The recovery was 97.6% and RSD was 2.2%. Ursolic acid showed good linear at the range of 0.192-1.92 microg (r = 0.9999). The recovery was 102.4% and RSD was 1.9%. CONCLUSION: The proposed method is simple and accurate. It can provide reliable evidence for quality control, development and utilization of Damnacanthus indicus.

[Expression of oxyntomodulin in bifidobacteria and effect of oxyntomodulin-transformed bifidobacteria on the body weight of obese mice].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of pBBADs-OXM-transformed bifidobacteria on the body weight of obese mice. METHODS: B. longum was transformed with pBBADs-OXM by electroporation, and arabopyranose-induced oxyntomodulin expression by the bacterium was detected by ELISA. pBBADs-OXM-transformed bifidobacteria was administered orally obese mice on a daily basis with pBBADs-GFP-transformed bifidobacteria as the negative control, and the body weight changes of the mice were observed. RESULTS: OXM was detected by ELISA not only in the supernatant but also the precipitant of the transformed bacterial culture. The body weight of the obese mice fed with pBBADs-OXM-transformed bifidobacteria decreased significantly compared with that of the mice in the obese model group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Administration of pBBADs-OXM-transformed B.longum can reduce the body weight of obese mice.