Gut microbiota dynamics and fecal SCFAs after colonoscopy: accelerating microbiome stabilization by Clostridium butyricum.

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy is a classic diagnostic method with possible complications including abdominal pain and diarrhoea. In this study, gut microbiota dynamics and related metabolic products during and after colonoscopy were explored to accelerate gut microbiome balance through probiotics. METHODS: The gut microbiota and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were analyzed in four healthy subjects before and after colonoscopy, along with seven individuals supplemented with Clostridium butyricum. We employed 16S rRNA sequencing and GC-MS to investigate these changes. We also conducted bioinformatic analysis to explore the buk gene, encoding butyrate kinase, across C. butyricum strains from the human gut. RESULTS: The gut microbiota and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of four healthy subjects were recovered on the 7th day after colonoscopy. We found that Clostridium and other bacteria might have efficient butyric acid production through bioinformatic analysis of the buk and assessment of the transcriptional level of the buk. Supplementation of seven healthy subjects with Clostridium butyricum after colonoscopy resulted in a quicker recovery and stabilization of gut microbiota and fecal SCFAs on the third day. CONCLUSION: We suggest that supplementation of Clostridium butyricum after colonoscopy should be considered in future routine clinical practice.

Weizmannia coagulans BCF-01: a novel gastrogenic probiotic for Helicobacter pylori infection control.

The widespread prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection, particularly in China, contributes to the development of gastrointestinal diseases. Antibiotics have limitations, including adverse reactions and increased antibiotic resistance. Therefore, identification of novel gastrogenic probiotics capable of surviving the acidic gastric environment and effectively combating H. pylori infection has potential in restoring gastric microbiota homeostasis. Five novel strains of human gastrogenic Weizmannia coagulans (BCF-01-05) were isolated from healthy gastric mucosa and characterized using 16S rDNA identification. Acid resistance, H. pylori inhibition, and adherence to gastric epithelial cells were evaluated in in-vitro experiments and the molecular mechanism explored in in-vivo experiments. Among the gastric-derived W. coagulans strains, BCF-01 exhibited the strongest adhesion and H. pylori inhibition, warranting further in-vivo safety evaluation. Through 16S rRNA sequencing of a mouse model, BCF-01 was determined to significantly restore H. pylori-associated gastric dysbiosis and increase the abundance of potential probiotic bacteria. Furthermore, BCF-01 enhanced mucosal tight junction protein expression and inhibited the TLR4-NFκB-pyroptosis signaling pathway in macrophages, as demonstrated by qRT-PCR and western blotting.These findings highlight the potential of BCF-01 in the prevention and control of H. pylori infection. Specifically, treatment with BCF-01 effectively restored gastric microecology and improved H. pylori-mediated mucosal barrier destruction while reducing inflammation through inhibition of the TLR4-NFκB-pyroptosis signaling pathway in macrophages. BCF-01 is a promising alternative to traditional triple therapy for H. pylori infections, offering minimal side effects with high suitability for high-risk individuals.

[Impact of Climate Warming on Paddy Soil Organic Carbon Change in the Sichuan Basin of China].

Climate warming can increase soil temperature and lead to soil carbon release, but it can also increase soil organic carbon by increasing primary productivity. Cropland soils are considered to have a huge potential to sequester carbon; however, direct observations for the responses of cropland soil organic carbon to climate warming over broad geographic scales are rarely documented. Paddy soil is one of the important cultivated soils in China. Based on the data of 2217 sampling points obtained during the second national soil survey and the data of 2382 sampling points collected during 2017-2019, this study analyzed the change characteristics of soil organic carbon content of paddy surface soil in Sichuan Basin of China and explored the relationships between the soil organic carbon change of paddy soil and temperature, precipitation, cropland use type, fertilization intensity, and grain yield. The results showed that the content of soil organic carbon of paddy soil changed from 13.33 g·kg-1to 15.96 g·kg-1, with an increase of 2.63 g·kg-1, suggesting that soils in the Sichuan Basin have acted as a carbon sink over past 40 years. The soil organic carbon increment of paddy soil varied with different geomorphic regions and different secondary basins. The increase in SOC content in paddy soil was positively correlated with annual average temperature; negatively correlated with annual average precipitation; and initially increased and then decreased with annual average fertilizer application, annual average increase rate of fertilizer application, annual average grain yield, and annual average grain yield growth rate. The relationship between the increase in SOC content and the annual average temperature growth rate was different under different farmland utilizations, and the increase in the annual average temperature growth rate had significant effects with the increase in SOC content only on paddy-dryland rotation. These results indicate that the paddy soil organic carbon change in Sichuan Basin was co-affected by various factors, but climate warming was an important factor leading to the paddy soil organic carbon change, and its influence was controlled by the water conditions determined by farmland use.

Recognition of Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease Based on Machine Vision.

Background: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a common clinical manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD), mostly occurring in the intermediate and advanced stages. FOG is likely to cause patients to fall, resulting in fractures, disabilities and even death. Currently, the pathogenesis of FOG is unclear, and FOG detection and screening methods have various defects, including subjectivity, inconvenience, and high cost. Due to limited public healthcare and transportation resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are greater inconveniences for PD patients who need diagnosis and treatment. Objective: A method was established to automatically recognize FOG in PD patients through videos taken by mobile phone, which is time-saving, labor-saving, and low-cost for daily use, which may overcome the above defects. In the future, PD patients can undergo FOG assessment at any time in the home rather than in the hospital. Methods: In this study, motion features were extracted from timed up and go (TUG) test and the narrow TUG (Narrow) test videos of 50 FOG-PD subjects through a machine learning method; then a motion recognition model to distinguish between walking and turning stages and a model to recognize FOG in these stages were constructed using the XGBoost algorithm. Finally, we combined these three models to form a multi-stage FOG recognition model. Results: We adopted the leave-one-subject-out (LOSO) method to evaluate model performance, and the multi-stage FOG recognition model achieved a sensitivity of 87.5% sensitivity and a specificity of 79.82%. Conclusion: A method to realize remote PD patient FOG recognition based on mobile phone video is presented in this paper. This method is convenient with high recognition accuracy and can be used to rapidly evaluate FOG in the home environment and remotely manage FOG-PD, or screen patients in large-scale communities.

Lactobacillus casei SYF-08 Protects Against Pb-Induced Injury in Young Mice by Regulating Bile Acid Metabolism and Increasing Pb Excretion.

Pb poisoning affects infant growth and development. However, dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) as the current therapy for Pb poisoning exerts relatively significant toxic side effects in infants. Therefore, identifying a non-toxic treatment in this regard is particularly important. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of an infant feces-derived probiotic strain, Lactobacillus casei SYF-08 (SYF-08), on Pb poisoning in young mice. The Pb levels in the organisms were detected via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, while the therapeutic effect of SYF-08 on Pb-induced neural system damage was explored via the Morris water maze test, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of SYF-08 against Pb-induced intestinal damage were also explored via histological staining, 16S rRNA sequencing, untargeted metabolomics, qRT-PCR, and western blotting. In vivo experiments revealed that SYF-08 reduced blood and bone Pb levels and increased urinary Pb excretion. Additionally, SYF-08 alleviated Pb-induced pathological damage to the brain and ultimately improved the learning and cognitive abilities of the young mice. This treatment also restored intestinal microflora dysbiosis, regulated bile acid metabolism, and inhibited the FXR-NLRP3 signaling pathway. It also resulted in fewer adverse events than the DMSA treatment. In conclusion, our results provided valuable insights into the therapeutic role of SYF-08 in Pb poisoning and also suggested that its administration can significantly alleviate the Pb-induced damage.

The Circ_CARM1 controls cell migration by regulating CTNNBIP1 in anti-benzo[a]pyrene-trans-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide-transformed 16HBE cells.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have an important role in the development and progression of human tumors, including lung cancer. Yet, their role in lung cancer induced by benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P) remains unclear. In this study, circRNA chips and qRT-PCR were used to examine downregulated circRNAs in malignantly transformed 16HBE cells (16HBE-T) induced by B[a]P. Five down-regulated circRNAs were found, among which hsa_circ_0004552 (circ_CARM1) had the most significant downregulation. Consequently, the role of circ_CARM1 on 16HBE-T cells biological behavior was further examined using several in vitro experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Detecting RNA expression via qRT-PCR. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to identify the localization of circ_CARM1 in 16HBE-T. The effect of circ_CARM1 on cell behavior (cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis) was explored by transfecting cells with a vector carrying an overexpression and then using wound healing, transwell migration assay, and flow cytometry. Also, the regulation mechanism for circ_CARM1, miR-1288-3p, and CTNNBIP1 was studied by Dual-Luciferase® Reporter (DLR™) Assay System and western blotting. RESULTS: Reduced expression of circ_CARM1 is observed in 16HBE-T. The overexpression of circ_CARM1 further inhibited the migration of 16HBE-T cells but did not affect cell proliferation and apoptosis. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis and Dual-Luciferase® Reporter (DLR™) Assay System showed that the competitive binding of circ_CARM1 and miR-1288-3p enhanced the expression of CTNNBIP1, thereby inhibiting the migration of 16HBE-T cells. CONCLUSION: Downregulation of circ_CARM1 can stimulate the expression of miR-1288-3p, thereby reducing the expression of CTNNBIP1, spurring cell migration.

Preparation of biocompatible wound dressings with dual release of antibiotic and platelet-rich plasma for enhancing infected wound healing.

The ever-growing threats of bacterial infection and chronic wound healing have provoked an urgent need for novel antibacterial wound dressings. In this study, we developed a wound dressing for the treatment of infected wounds, which can reduce the inflammatory period (through the use of gentamycin sulfate (GS)) and enhance the granulation stage (through the addition of platelet-rich plasma (PRP)). Herein, the sustained antimicrobial CMC/GMs@GS/PRP wound dressings were developed by using gelatin microspheres (GMs) loading GS and PRP, covalent bonding to carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC). The prepared dressings exhibited high water uptake capability, appropriate porosity, excellent mechanical properties, sustain release of PRP and GS. Meanwhile, the wound dressing showed good biocompatibility and excellent antibacterial ability against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Moreover, in vivo experiments further demonstrated that the prepared dressings could accelerate the healing process of E. coli and S. aureus-infected full-thickness wounds in vivo, reepithelialization, collagen deposition and angiogenesis. In addition, the treatment of CMC/GMs@GS/PRP wound dressing could reduce bacterial count, inhibit pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6), and enhance anti-inflammatory factors (TGF-ß1). The findings of this study suggested that biocompatible wound dressings with dual release of GS and PRP have great potential in the treatment of chronic and infected wounds.

Electromagnetic Fields Ameliorate Insulin Resistance and Hepatic Steatosis by Modulating Redox Homeostasis and SREBP-1c Expression in db/db Mice.

PURPOSE: The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has recently become known as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), has risen. However, pharmacotherapies for this disease have not been approved. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have excellent bioeffects on multiple diseases. However, the effects of EMFs on NAFLD are unknown. This study investigated the bioeffects of EMF exposure on insulin resistance, liver redox homeostasis and hepatic steatosis in db/db mice. METHODS: Animals were sacrificed after EMF exposure for 8 weeks. The fasting blood glucose and insulin levels in the serum were tested. The homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated by a formula. The levels of MDA, GSSG and GSH, biomarkers of redox, were assessed. The activities of CAT, SOD and GSH-Px were assessed. The body and liver weights were measured. Hepatic lipid accumulation was observed by Oil Red O staining. Hepatic CAT, GR, GSH-Px, SOD1, SOD2 and SREBP-1 expression was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: EMF exposure ameliorated insulin resistance and oxidative stress in the liver by downregulating the MDA and GSSG levels, increasing the reduced GSH levels, and promoting the GSH-Px levels in db/db mice. In addition, liver weight and triglyceride (TG) levels were reduced by EMF exposure. Simultaneously, EMF exposure improved hepatic steatosis by downregulating the protein expression of SREBP-1c. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that EMF exposure has positive effects in the treatment of NAFLD.

Development of nanosilver doped carboxymethyl chitosan-polyamideamine alginate composite dressing for wound treatment.

Nowadays, treatment to the infected wounds caused by bacterial even multi-resistant bacterial strains and subsequently complete skin regeneration remain a critical clinical challenge. Herein, a novel multi-functional platform (Alg/1.0Ag@CMC-PAMAM/PRP) was prepared as wound dressings by mixing platelet rich plasma (PRP) with the sodium alginate (Alg) based dressing containing nano silver (Ag)-doped carboxymethyl chitosan grafted polyamideamine (Ag@CMC-PAMAM) cationic polymers. The present dressings exhibited high swelling, suitable water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and good mechanical properties and degradability, as well as sustained release of PRP. Besides, the component of Ag@CMC-PAMAM nanoparticles endow them with excellent antibacterial performance, while the incorporation of PRP promotes the effect of anti-inflammatory and angiogenesis by up-regulating relative activity factor expression of TGF-ß1, CD31 and α-SMA and down-regulating the inflammatory-relative genes including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß, all of which promote the closure of wound and produce a superior healing effect to the commercial Aquacel Ag group. This work indicates that the prepared Alg/1.0Ag@CMC-PAMAM/PRP wound dressing is a promising biomaterial with synergistic effect of antibacterial property and wound healing.

Preparation and Evaluation of Sustained Release Platelet-Rich Plasma-Loaded Gelatin Microspheres Using an Emulsion Method.

The management and treatment of chronic wounds or acute wounds remain a major challenge in modern medicine. The application of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become a promising adjuvant therapy to promote wound healing. PRP is derived from centrifuged whole blood to extract concentrated platelets, and a large amount of cytokines and growth factors are released upon activation. These bioactive molecules can enhance angiogenesis and tissue regeneration. Herein, PRP-loaded gelatin microspheres were prepared by the emulsion cross-linking method. Scanning electron microscopy results showed that the prepared microspheres are completely spherical, with an average particle size of 15.95 ± 3.79 µm and having a uniform particle size. Among them, the surface of a single microsphere is smooth and has a microporous structure, which may be the main channel for drug diffusion. Results of drug release measurements show that the prepared microspheres can slowly release the vascular endothelial growth factor for more than 7 days. In vitro cell experiments show that the prepared microspheres can promote proliferation and migration of L929 mouse fibroblast cells. In summary, the prepared PRP-loaded gelatin microspheres with high and long-term activity can provide experimental and theoretical knowledge for the development of the clinical long-acting injectable formulations.

DNA sequencing reveals bacterial communities in midgut and other parts of the larvae of Spodoptera exigua Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Gut microbiota has been suggested as an important component of host defense. However, microbiota in other parts of the body have rarely been characterized. In our present work, we give a detailed view of the body of Spodoptera exigua larvae, the midgut with intestinal contents (MG), midgut excluding intestinal contents (PM), intestinal contents (IC) and remaining parts excluding the MG (RM), with the objective of revealing the complexity of microorganisms and comparing the biodiversity of the S. exigua larvae-associated microbiota. Our results provide the first evidence that third and fifth larvae samples of S. exigua were dominated by members of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. In addition, there were no obvious differences in relative abundances of microbiota among MG, PM and RM at the phylum level. MG3 and MG5 (nearly RM5) harbored the richest microbial community, with much higher abundance of Halomonas, Pseudomonas and Methylobacterium, respectively. Intestinal contents contained the lowest diversity and highest abundance of Enterococcus. Knowledge of the bacteria in a major herbivorous insect, such as S. exigua, can facilitate the acquisition of special biological resources for agricultural pest control.