Microbiological analysis and characterization of Salmonella and ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates recovered from retail fresh vegetables in Shaanxi Province, China.

Fresh vegetables are closely associated with foodborne disease outbreaks; however, systematic analysis of the microbiological quality of fresh vegetables and molecular information on foodborne pathogens in fresh produce are poorly reported in China. Here, we evaluated the epidemiological prevalence of coliforms via the most probable number method and characterized Salmonella and ciprofloxacin-resistant (CIPR) Escherichia coli isolates recovered from retail fresh vegetables in Shaanxi Province, China. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, serotype determination, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), antibiotic resistance encoding gene (ARG) annotation, virulence factor prediction, and functional classification were performed. Between October 2020 and September 2021, 576 samples (i.e., tomatoes, lettuces, spinaches, and cabbages) were found to be positive for coliforms, and the prevalence of coliforms showed a seasonal trend. Coliform counts of vegetables in supermarkets in Xi'an were significantly lower (P < 0.01) than that in other cities. The detection rates of Salmonella and CIPRE. coli-positive vegetables were 1 % (6/576) and 0.7 % (4/576), respectively. All isolates exhibited resistance to ≥1 antibiotics, and 92.9 % (13/14) were multidrug-resistant. One extended spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing CIPRE. coli isolate in spinach was resistant to not only three third-generation cephalosporins but also to two polymyxins. Among nine Salmonella isolates, five different serovars (S. Enteritidis, S. Indiana, monophasic variant of S. Typhimurium, S. Agona, and S. Gallinarum), four sequence types (STs; ST11, ST13, ST17, and ST34), and seven core genome STs (cgSTs) were identified. Five CIPRE. coli strains were assigned to three serovars (O101:H4, O8:H18, and O11:H25), three STs (ST44, ST48, and ST457), and four cgSTs. Coexisting amino acid mutations of Thr57Ser/Ser80Arg in ParC and Ser83Phe/Asp87Gly in GyrA in quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) might be causes for nalidixic acid resistance. Eight definite virulence profiles in eight serovars were identified. Notably, cdtB and pltA only encoded typhoid toxins and were just detected from S. Typhoid isolates were also detected from S. Indiana and monophasic S. Typhimurium, which are closely associated with swine food chain were first detected in fresh vegetables. In conclusion, our findings suggest that coliform contamination on fresh vegetables is prevalent in this province. Most Salmonella and CIPRE. coli isolates were phenotypically and genetically diverse and could resist multiple antibiotics by carrying multiple ARGs and virulence genes.

circZC3HAV1 Regulates TBC1D9 to Affect the Biological Behavior of Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers all over the world, which accounts for a large proportion of cancer-associated deaths. The regulatory function of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has been affirmed in diverse cancers. circ_0082628, named circRNA zinc finger CCCH-type containing antiviral 1 (circZC3HAV1), has been discovered to be significantly downregulated in CRC tissues. Nevertheless, the function and mechanism of circZC3HAV1 in CRC remain unclear. Purpose: We targeted at studying the specific role and mechanism of circZC3HAV1 in CRC cells. Methods: The expression of the genes was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The binding relationship among different genes was verified by mechanism assays. Functional assays were carried out to reveal the role of different RNAs in CRC cell malignant behaviors. Results: circZC3HAV1 was significantly downregulated in CRC cells. circZC3HAV1 overexpression hampered CRC cell migratory and invasive abilities. As for the mechanism, circZC3HAV1 competitively bound with microRNA-146b-3p (miR-146b-3p) to enhance the expression of TBC1 domain family member 9 (TBC1D9). Rescue assays demonstrated circZC3HAV1 sponged miR-146b-3p and upregulated TBC1D9 to restrict migration and invasion of CRC cells. Conclusion: circZC3HAV1 could upregulate TBC1D9 via absorbing miR-146b-3p, consequently inhibiting migratory and invasive capabilities of CRC cells.

Validation of a Chinese Version of the Parental Burnout Assessment.

Parenting is a meaningful endeavor but it also induces stress, which can cause parental burnout. In China, the assessment and study of parental burnout are still in their formative stages. To contribute to advancing this field, the present study aimed to develop and validate a Chinese version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). Questionnaires were distributed to 614 families (comprising students in the eighth grade and both of their parents; one questionnaire for each person) on two separate occasions (Time 1 and Time 2). The students were asked to self-report their loneliness and life satisfaction at Time 1 and their anti-social behavior at Time 2. Meanwhile, parents were asked to self-report their parental burnout and job burnout at both Time 1 and Time 2, their marriage satisfaction at Time 1, and their levels of agreeableness and neuroticism at Time 2. Using the data obtained, we performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which indicated that this version of the PBA had a single-factor structure. The α of the PBA was 0.938 at Time 1 and 0.952 at Time 2. At Time 1, parental burnout was positively related to their job burnout in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and negatively related to their marriage satisfaction. In addition, parental burnout was positively related to students' life satisfaction, and mothers' parental burnout was positively related to students' loneliness. At Time 2, parental burnout showed positive relations with neuroticism and job burnout in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and was negatively related to agreeableness. In addition, mothers' parental burnout was positively related to students' anti-social behavior. Furthermore, parental burnout at Time 1 also showed positive relations with job burnout through emotional exhaustion and depersonalization measured at Time 2, and parental burnout at Time 1 was positively related to students' anti-social behavior at Time 2. Overall, the present study confirmed the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the PBA.

Synthesis, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities, and molecular docking studies of N-arylsulfonylindoles containing an aminoguanidine, a semicarbazide, and a thiosemicarbazide moiety.

Thirty-six N-arylsulfonyl-3-substituted indoles were designed and synthesized by combining the N-arylsulfonylindoles with aminoguanidine, semicarbazide, and thiosemicarbazide, respectively. Their antibacterial activities were screened, and cytotoxic activities were evaluated. The results showed that aminoguanidines (6) exhibited much better antibacterial activity than semicarbazides (7) and thiosemicarbazides (8). Most compounds in series 6 showed potent inhibitory activity against the tested bacterial strains, including multidrug-resistant strains, with MIC values in the range of 1.08-23.46 µM. The cytotoxic activity of the compounds 6c, 6d, 6h, 6j, 6k and 6l was assessed in two human cancer cell lines A590 and SGC7901, and one human normal cell line HEK 293T. The results indicated that compounds selected exhibited excellent activity against the tested cancer cells with IC50 values in the range of 1.51-15.12 µM suggesting the potential of them as new antibacterial and anticancer agents. What's more, the results of resistance study revealed that resistance of the tested bacteria toward 6d is not easily developed. Molecular docking studies revealed that the aminoguanidine and arylsulfonylindole moieties played a significant role in binding the target site of E. coli FabH-CoA receptor.