Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Marinobacterium weihaiense sp. nov. and Marinobacterium marinum sp. nov., isolated from marine sediment, and genomic properties of the genus Marinobacterium.

In this study, two novel bacterial strains were isolated from coastal sediment of Weihai, China. The two strains were Gram-stain-negative and facultatively aerobic, designated 3-1745T and A346T. Based on phenotypic, genetic and phylogenetic properties, strains 3-1745T and A346T represent two novel species of the genus Marinobacterium. The results of genome analysis revealed many central carbohydrate metabolism pathways such as gluconeogenesis, pyruvate oxidation, tricyclic acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway and PRPP biosynthesis in the genus Marinobacterium. The ability of strains 3-1745T and A346T to utilize volatile fatty acids was experimentally confirmed. Polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases (PhaA, PhaB and PhaC) for the synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates were prevalent in the genus Marinobacterium. Multiple BGCs (biosynthetic gene clusters) including betalactone, ectoine, ranthipeptide, redox-cofactor, RiPPs (ribosomally synthesized post-translationally modified peptides) and T3PKS (polyketide synthases) in the genome of the genus Marinobacterium were found. Additional genome analyses suggested that the genus Marinobacterium contained diverse potential mechanisms of salt tolerance and mainly utilized oligosaccharides. This is the first report on broad genomic analyses of the genus Marinobacterium with the description of two novel species and potential ecological and biotechnological implications.

The Evolution of Pancreatic Islet Function in a Diabetic Patient after Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasm Surgery: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs) are rare primary tumors of the pancreas. Although these tumors are heterogeneous and can be classified as functional or non-functional according to pancreatic endocrine biomarkers, the more prevalent type is non-functional pNENs with endocrine differentiation but with non-specific symptoms and often late diagnoses. The treatment option for patients often involves surgical management, but the reported outcomes, especially on insulin secretion change and the trend of diabetes in these patients, varied to date. Hence, the purpose of this clinical report is to study the functional change of pancreatic ß- cell corresponding to the mass of tumorectomy of pNEN in a diabetic patient. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported that a 39-year-old man with diabetes was found complicated with neuroendocrine neoplasm. He was admitted to the General Surgery of our hospital for further examination and therapy. The patient received a pancreatectomy + splenectomy + lymphadenectomy on the pancreatic body and tail. We analyzed the pancreatic mass change and performed Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) before and after the surgery to evaluate the function of the pancreas. CONCLUSION: This case may provide us a reference to predict the extent of islet function loss before the pancreatectomy, and apply personalized hypoglycemic therapy after surgery in these patients.

Fulvivirga sedimenti sp.nov, isolated from the sediment of oceanic tidal zone.

A yellow-orange, rod-shaped (0.3-0.4 × 2.2-3.8 µm), Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, atrichous bacterium, designated strain 1062T, was isolated from tidal zone sediment collected from Xiaoshi Island, Weihai, Shandong Province, China. Growth of strain 1062T occurred at 15-43 °C (optimum, 37 °C), pH 6.0-9.5 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0.5-7.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.0-3.0%). Nitrate was not reduced to nitrite or nitrogen. Positive for catalase and oxidase activity, as well as the hydrolysis of casein, DNA, starch and Tweens 20, 40, 60, but negative for hydrolysis of alginate, CM-cellulose, agar and Tweens 80. The 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons indicated that strain 1062T had a sequence similarity of 96.2% with Fulvivirga lutimaris KCTC 42720T and 94.3% with Fulvivirga kasyanovii KCTC 12832T. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain 1062T belonged to the genus Fulvivirga. The genomic DNA G + C content was 45.1 mol%. The ANI values of strain 1062T in comparison to F. kasyanovii KCTC 12832T and F. lutimaris KCTC 42720T were all lower than 70%. The dDDH values of strain 1062T in comparison to F. kasyanovii KCTC 12832T and F. lutimaris KCTC 42720T were all lower than 20%. The average amino acid identity values of strain 1062T in comparison to F. kasyanovii KCTC 12832T and F. lutimaris KCTC 42720T were all lower than 60%. The major fatty acids (> 5%) of strain 1062T were iso-C15:0, iso-C15:0 G, iso-C15:0 3OH, iso-C17:0 3-OH and summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c/C16:1ω6c). The polar lipids consist of an aminolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major respiratory quinone was MK-7. Based on the results of physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic characteristics, the strain 1062T (= KCTC 72868T = MCCC 1H00499T) was identified as a new species of the genus Fulvivirga and the name Fulvivirga sedimenti sp. nov, is proposed.

The diagnostic value of diffusion kurtosis imaging in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Under the background that diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) has become a research hotspot of central nervous system diseases, there are no studies with large sample size evaluating the value of DKI in diagnosing Parkinson's disease (PD). Moreover, the diagnostic efficacy of DKI in PD is not consistent. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to use the method of meta-analysis, to summarize and evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of DKI in the identification of PD, and to explore the value of its clinical application. Methods: We use PICOS principles for project design. The included patients were PD patients, and the control group were healthy volunteers. We hope to use DKI to make a differential diagnosis between the two, and this study is a diagnostic test. We performed a literature search of English (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, etc.) and Chinese (China knowledge Network, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service platform, China Science and Technology Journal Database, China Biomedical Literature Service system) databases for related literatures on the efficacy of DKI in the differential diagnosis of PD published before March 29, 2022. We used Revman 5.3 software to assess the quality of the literature, Meta-Disc 1.4 software for summarizing sensitivity (Sen), specificity (Spe), diagnostic odds ratios, and heterogeneity tests, and for subgrouping, and Stata 16.0 software for publication bias analysis. Results: Fourteen articles were included through the literature search. The 14 studies included 535 patients with PD and 486 patients without PD. Most of the included literature had good clinical applicability and relatively low risk. By merging statistics, the results obtained were as follows: Sen =0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74-0.81], Spe =0.83 (95% CI: 0.79-0.86), and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was 0.8870. Discussion: The results of the meta-analysis showed that magnetic resonance DKI has comparable diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of PD. However, this study also has limitations, and the use of different diagnostic gold standards in the included studies may have some impact on the case selection in the study.

Description and Genomic Characterization of Oceaniferula flavus sp. nov., a Novel Potential Polysaccharide-Degrading Candidate of the Difficult-to-Cultivate Phylum Verrucomicrobiota Isolated from Seaweed.

A novel strain, isolate 5K15T, which belongs to difficult-to-cultivate phylum Verrucomicrobiota, was recovered from kelp collected from Li Island, Rongcheng, China. The genome sequence of the strain (genome size 3.95 Mbp) showed the presence of four putative biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), namely, two terpene biosynthetic gene clusters, one aryl polyene biosynthetic cluster, and one type III PKS cluster. Genomic analysis revealed 79 sulfatase-encoded genes, 24 sulfatase-like hydrolase/transferase-encoded genes, and 25 arylsulfatase-encoded genes, which indicated the great potential of 5K15T to degrade sulfated polysaccharides. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the novel strain was most closely related to Oceaniferula marina N1E253T (96.4%). On the basis of evidence from a polyphasic study, it is proposed that the strain 5K15T (= KCTC 82748T = MCCC 1H00442T = SDUM 810003T) be classified as Oceaniferula flavus sp. nov. The strain has the ability of carbohydrate transport and metabolism. This ability allows it to survive in carbohydrate-rich materials such as kelp. It has the potential to be used in the marine drug industry using seaweed.

Maribellus maritimus sp. nov., isolated from marine sediment.

A novel facultatively anaerobic and Gram-stain-negative bacterial strain, designated 5E3T, was isolated from intertidal sediments of Xiaoshi Island of Weihai, People's Republic of China. Cells of strain 5E3T were long rod-shaped with widths of 0.3-0.5 µm and lengths of 4.0-6.0 µm. Optimum growth of strain 5E3T occurred at 33 °C, pH 6.5-7.0 and with 3% (w/v) NaCl. Oxidase activity was negative but catalase activity was weakly positive. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain 5E3T was most closely related to 'Maribellus comscasis' WC007 (99.5%), followed by M. sediminis MCCC 1K04285T (95.9%) and M. luteus XSD2T (95.6%). Genome comparisons between strain 5E3T and strain 'M. comscasis' WC007, using average nucleotide identity (ANI) value (93.0%) and DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) value (50.1%), confirmed low genome relatedness. The major cellular fatty acids (≥ 10%) were iso-C15:0 and iso-C17:0 3-OH. The sole respiratory quinone was MK-7. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), one unidentified aminolipid (AL) and three unidentified lipids (L1, L2, L3). The DNA G + C content was 37.9 mol%. According to the integrated results of phylogenetic, physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic characteristics, we propose that strain 5E3T represents a novel species of the genus Maribellus, for which the name Maribellus maritimus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 5E3T (= KCTC 82744T = MCCC 1H00473T).

Whole-genome resequencing of 445 Lactuca accessions reveals the domestication history of cultivated lettuce.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an important vegetable crop worldwide. Cultivated lettuce is believed to be domesticated from L. serriola; however, its origins and domestication history remain to be elucidated. Here, we sequenced a total of 445 Lactuca accessions, including major lettuce crop types and wild relative species, and generated a comprehensive map of lettuce genome variations. In-depth analyses of population structure and demography revealed that lettuce was first domesticated near the Caucasus, which was marked by loss of seed shattering. We also identified the genetic architecture of other domestication traits and wild introgressions in major resistance clusters in the lettuce genome. This study provides valuable genomic resources for crop breeding and sheds light on the domestication history of cultivated lettuce.

Can dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI evaluate VEGF expression in brain glioma? An MRI-guided stereotactic biopsy study.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether pharmacokinetic parameters derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) can be used to evaluate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in brain glioma based on a point-to-point basis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with treatment-naïve glioma received preoperative DCE-MRI before stereotactic biopsy. We histologically quantified VEGF from section of stereotactic biopsies, and co-registered biopsy locations with localized measurements of DCE-MRI parameters including volume transfer coefficient (Ktrans), reverse reflux rate constant (Kep), extracellular extravascular volume fraction (Ve) and blood plasma volume (Vp). The correlations between DCE-MRI parameters (Ktrans, Kep, Ve and Vp) and VEGF were determined using Spearman correlation coefficient. P≤.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Seventy-nine biopsy samples were obtained and graded into 45 high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and 34 low-grade gliomas (LGGs). Ktrans showed a significant positive correlation with VEGF expression in HGGs group (ρ=0.505, P<0.001) and in combined group (LGGs+HGGs) (ρ=0.549, P<0.001), but not in LGGs group (P>0.05). Kep, Ve or Vp was not correlated with VEGF even though a positive trend showed (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DCE-MRI is a useful, non-invasive imaging technique for quantitative evaluation of VEGF, and its parameter Ktrans other than Kep, Ve or Vp may be used as a surrogate for VEGF expression in brain gliomas.

Genome-wide transcriptome profiling provides insights into panicle development of rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Panicle architecture is an important component of agronomic trait in rice, which is also a key ingredient that could influence yield and quality of rice. In the panicle growth and development process, there are a series of complicated molecular and cellular events which are regulated by many interlinking genes. In this study, to explore the potential mechanism and identify genes and pathways involved in the formation of rice panicle, we compared the transcriptional profile of rice panicles (NIL-GW8 and NIL-gw8Amol) at three different stages of panicle development: In5 (formation of higher-order branches), In6 (differentiation of glumes) and In7 (differentiation of floral organs). A range of 40.5 to 54.1 million clean reads was aligned to 31,209 genes in our RNA-Seq analysis. In addition, we investigated transcriptomic changes between the two rice lines during different stages. A total of 726, 1121 and 2584 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Based on an impact analysis of the DEGs, we hypothesize that MADS-box gene family, cytochrome P450 (CYP) and pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein and various transcription factors may be involved in regulation of panicle development. Further, we also explored the functional properties of DEGs by gene ontology analysis, and the results showed that different numbers of DEGs genes were associated with 53 GO groups. In KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, many DEGs related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and plant hormone signal transduction, suggesting their important roles during panicle development. This study provides the first examination of changes in gene expression between different panicle development stages in rice. Our results of transcriptomic characterization provide important information to elucidate the complex molecular and cellular events about the panicle formation in rice or other cereal crops. Also, the findings will be helpful for the further identification of the genes related to panicle development.

Microhemorrhage identified on 3.0 T MR susceptibility-weighted imaging for prognosis of viral encephalitis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of microhemorrhage on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) with the severity of clinical symptoms and the prognosis of viral encephalitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with clinically diagnosed viral encephalitis were divided into three groups according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the condition of recovery namely, Group I (n = 12): Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)≥13 and recovered with no sequelae; Group II (n = 11): GCS 9-12 and recovered with some sequelae; Group III (n = 7): GCS 3-8 and recovered with more severe sequelae. The microhemorrhage detectability on SWI and conventional MR imaging in these three groups was compared and their correlations with different seriousness of clinical symptoms and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in microhemorrhage volume among different MR sequences (p < 0.05). SWI was more sensitive to detect microhemorrhage than conventional MR imaging techniques. Microhemorrhages on SWI were significantly different among the three groups (p < 0.01). The volume of microhemorrhage on SWI was well correlated with the degree of clinical symptoms and the prognosis of viral encephalitis. CONCLUSION: SWI can be used to detect microhemorrhage in patients with viral encephalitis. Assessment of microhemorrhage with SWI can provide useful information for the prognosis evaluation of viral encephalitis.

Effects of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor doxycycline and CD147 antagonist peptide-9 on gallbladder carcinoma cell lines.

Gallbladder carcinoma is the most common and aggressive malignancy of the biliary tree and highly expresses CD147, which is closely related to disease prognosis in a variety of human cancers. Doxycycline exhibited anti-tumor properties in many cancer cells. CD147 antagonist peptide-9 is a polypeptide and can specifically bind to CD147. The effect of these two drugs on gallbladder cancer cells has not been studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of doxycycline and antagonist peptide-9 on gallbladder carcinoma cells and the possible mechanism of inhibition on cancer cell of doxycycline. To investigate the effects of doxycycline and antagonist peptide-9 on gallbladder carcinoma cells (GBC-SD and SGC-996), cell proliferation, CD147 expression, and early-stage apoptosis rate were measured after treated with doxycycline. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 activities were measured after treated with different concentrations of doxycycline, antagonist peptide-9, and their combination. The results demonstrated that doxycycline inhibited cell proliferation, reduced CD147 expression level, and induced an early-stage apoptosis response in GBC-SD and SGC-996 cells. The matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 activities were inhibited by antagonist peptide-9 and doxycycline, and the inhibitory effects were enhanced by combined drugs in gallbladder carcinoma cell lines. Taken together, doxycycline showed inhibitory effects on gallbladder carcinoma cell lines and reduced the expression of CD147, and this may be the mechanism by which doxycycline inhibits cancer cells. This study provides new information and tries to implement the design of adjuvant therapy method for gallbladder carcinoma.

Blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging during carbogen breathing: differentiation between prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia and correlation with vessel maturity.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can evaluate tumor maturity and preoperatively differentiate prostate cancer (PCa) from benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: BOLD MRI based on transverse relaxation time*-weighted echo planar imaging was performed to assess PCa (19) and BPH (22) responses to carbogen (95% O2 and 5% CO2). The average signal values of PCa and BPH before and after carbogen breathing and the relative increased signal values were computed, respectively. The endothelial-cell marker, CD31, and the pericyte marker, α-smooth muscle actin (mature vessels), were detected with immunofluorescence, and were assessed by microvessel density (MVD) and microvessel pericyte density (MPD). The microvessel pericyte coverage index (MPI) was used to evaluate the degree of vascular maturity. The changed signal from BOLD MRI was correlated with MVD, MPD, and MPI. RESULTS: After inhaling carbogen, both PCa and BPH showed an increased signal, but a lower slope was found in PCa than that in BPH (P<0.05). PCa had a higher MPD and MVD but a lower MPI than BPH. The increased signal intensity was positively correlated with MPI in PCa and that in BPH (r=0.616, P=0.011; r=0.658, P=0.002); however, there was no correlation between the increased signal intensity and MPD or MVD in PCa than that in BPH (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed that the increased signal values induced by BOLD MRI well differentiated PCa from BPH and had a positive correlation with vessel maturity in both of them. BOLD MRI can be utilized as a surrogate marker for the noninvasive assessment of the degree of vessel maturity.

A novel quasi-solid state electrolyte with highly effective polysulfide diffusion inhibition for lithium-sulfur batteries.

Polymer solid state electrolytes are actively sought for their potential application in energy storage devices, particularly lithium metal rechargeable batteries. Herein, we report a polymer with high concentration salts as a quasi-solid state electrolyte used for lithium-sulfur cells, which shows an ionic conductivity of 1.6 mS cm(-1) at room temperature. The cycling performance of Li-S battery with this electrolyte shows a long cycle life (300 cycles) and high coulombic efficiency (>98%), without any consuming additives in the electrolyte. Moreover, it also shows a remarkably decreased self-discharge (only 0.2%) after storage for two weeks at room temperature. The reason can be attributed to that the electrolyte can suppress polysulfide anions diffusion, due to the high ratio oxygen atoms with negative charges which induce an electrical repulsion to the polysulfide anions, and their relatively long chains which can provide additional steric hindrance. Thus, the polysulfide anions can be located around carbon particles, which result in remarkably improved overall electrochemical performance, and also the electrolyte have a function of suppress the formation of lithium dendrites on the lithium anode surface.

Correlation between neurochemical metabolism and memory function in adolescent patients with depression: A multi-voxel ¹H magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

AIMS: We utilized multi-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) to detect biochemical abnormalities in dorsolateral prefrontal white matter and anterior cingulate gray matter and to determine the correlation of biochemical changes with memory function in depressed adolescents. METHODS: A total of 24 depressed patients and 23 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. MRS was performed to assess the N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine Cr and choline (Cho)/Cr ratios in dorsolateral prefrontal white matter and anterior cingulate gray matter of participants. Memory function was measured on the basis of Wechsler Memory Scale scores, and depression was diagnosed on the basis of clinical observation, interview, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. RESULTS: Compared with controls, depressed patients had significantly lower NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in left dorsolateral prefrontal white matter and lower NAA/Cr ratios in right dorsolateral prefrontal white matter (P < 0.05). No biochemical differences were identified in the bilateral anterior cingulate gray matter between the two groups. Nevertheless, the depressed patients showed significantly lower memory quotient than controls (P < 0.05). The NAA/Cr ratio in dorsolateral prefrontal white matter positively correlated with memory quotient (left: P < 0.01; right: P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that biochemical abnormalities in prefrontal white matter are involved in the pathophysiology of adolescent depression. In particular, such abnormalities are already present at the early stage of the disorder, and low NAA/Cr in bilateral anterior frontal white matter may be associated with memory impairment and related neuropathology.

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome: clinical diagnostic value of dynamic enhanced MSCT.

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the clinical diagnostic value of dynamic enhanced multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome (FHCS). [Subjects and Methods] This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical features and manifestations of scanning and dynamic enhanced MSCT in 19 patients with FHCS. [Results] MSCT scans showed different degrees of liver capsule thickness in the lesion area: seven cases of sub-capsular effusion and three cases with a small amount of pleural effusion; thickness of the liver capsular arterial phase showing significant enhancement in 17 cases, and slight enhancement in two; portal venous and delayed phase enhancement decreased with no clear boundary of the liver parenchyma; and adjacent hepatic parenchymal involvement in five cases, in which the arterial phase appeared to have patchy or triangular enhancement, and unclear portal vein and delayed phase imaging findings. MSCT revealed pelvic inflammatory disease in 14 cases, peritonitis in two, endometritis combined with bilateral ovarian abscesses in two, and a tube-ovarian abscess in one. [Conclusion] Dynamic enhanced MSCT can accurately display liver capsule lesions and possible pelvic inflammatory diseases related to FHCS, suggest the infection source, and have high application value for making early, accurate diagnoses and improved prognosis.

Cell death-stimulated cell proliferation: a tissue regeneration mechanism usurped by tumors during radiotherapy.

The death of all the cancer cells in a tumor is the ultimate goal of cancer therapy. Therefore, much of the current effort in cancer research is focused on activating cellular machinery that facilitates cell death such as factors involved in causing apoptosis. However, recently, a number of studies point to some counterintuitive roles for apoptotic caspases in radiation therapy as well as in tissue regeneration. It appears that a major function of apoptotic caspases is to facilitate tissue regeneration and tumor cell repopulation during cancer therapy. Because tumor cell repopulation has been shown to be important for local tumor relapse, understanding the molecular mechanisms behind tumor repopulation would be important to enhance cancer radiotherapy. In this review, we discuss our current knowledge of these potentially paradigm-changing phenomena and mechanisms in various organisms and their implications on the development of novel cancer therapeutics and strategies.