Effect of the Water Content on the Adsorption of CO2 and CH4 in Calcite Slit Nanopores: Insights from GCMC, MD, and DFT.

It is significant to understand the adsorption mechanisms of shale gas (CH4) and CO2 in shale formations to enhance CH4 recovery rates and enable geological CO2 storage. This study provides a comprehensive investigation into the adsorption behaviors of CO2 and CH4 within dry and hydrous calcite nanopores, utilizing a combination of grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, molecular dynamics simulations, and density functional theory calculations. In dry calcite slits, the calculated results for the adsorption capacity, density profile, and isosteric heat of CO2 and CH4 reveal that CO2 possesses a stronger adsorption affinity, making it preferentially adsorb on the pore surface compared to CH4. In hydrous calcite slits, calculating the adsorption capacity and density profile of CO2 and CH4, the results show that the gas adsorption sites become progressively occupied by H2O molecules, leading to a substantial decrease in the adsorption capacity of CO2 and CH4. Furthermore, by analysis of the adsorption energy and electronic structure, the reason for the reduction of gas adsorption capacity caused by H2O is further revealed. This work has a deep understanding of the adsorption mechanisms of shale gas and CO2 in calcite and can offer valuable theoretical insights for the development of a CO2-enhanced shale gas recovery technology.

Predicting major adverse cardiovascular events within 3 years by optimization of radiomics model derived from pericoronary adipose tissue on coronary computed tomography angiography: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary inflammation induces changes in pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) can be detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Our aim was to investigate whether different PCAT radiomics model based on CCTA could improve the prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 3 years. METHODS: This retrospective study included 141 consecutive patients with MACE and matched to patients with non-MACE (n = 141). Patients were randomly assigned into training and test datasets at a ratio of 8:2. After the robust radiomics features were selected by using the Spearman correlation analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, radiomics models were built based on different machine learning algorithms. The clinical model was then calculated according to independent clinical risk factors. Finally, an overall model was established using the radiomics features and the clinical factors. Performance of the models was evaluated for discrimination degree, calibration degree, and clinical usefulness. RESULTS: The diagnostic performance of the PCAT model was superior to that of the RCA-model, LAD-model, and LCX-model alone, with AUCs of 0.723, 0.675, 0.664, and 0.623, respectively. The overall model showed superior diagnostic performance than that of the PCAT-model and Cli-model, with AUCs of 0.797, 0.723, and 0.706, respectively. Calibration curve showed good fitness of the overall model, and decision curve analyze demonstrated that the model provides greater clinical benefit. CONCLUSION: The CCTA-based PCAT radiomics features of three major coronary arteries have the potential to be used as a predictor for MACE. The overall model incorporating the radiomics features and clinical factors offered significantly higher discrimination ability for MACE than using radiomics or clinical factors alone.

Identification and mechanism characterization of Streptomyces griseoaurantiacus XQ-29 with biocontrol ability against pepper southern blight caused by Sclerotium rolfsii.

Pepper southern blight, caused by Sclerotium rolfsii, is a devastating soil-borne disease resulting in significant loss to pepper, Capsicum annuum L. production. Here, we isolated an antagonistic bacterial strain XQ-29 with antifungal activity against S. rolfsii from rhizospheric soil of pepper. Combining the morphological and biochemical characteristics with the 16S rDNA sequencing, XQ-29 was identified as Streptomyces griseoaurantiacus. It exhibited an inhibition of 96.83% against S. rolfsii and displayed significant inhibitory effects on Botrytis cinerea, Phytophthora capsica and Rhizoctonia solani. Furthermore, XQ-29 significantly reduced the pepper southern blight by 100% and 70.42% during seedling and growth stages, respectively. The antifungal mechanism involved altering the mycelial morphology, disrupting cell wall and membrane integrity, accompanied by accumulation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation in S. rolfsii mycelia. Furthermore, XQ-29 promoted growth and stimulated resistance of pepper plants by increasing defense-related enzyme activities and upregulating defense-related genes. Correspondingly, XQ-29 harbors numerous functional biosynthesis gene clusters in its genome, including those for siderophores and melanin production. The metabolic constituents present in the ethyl acetate extracts, which exhibited an EC50 value of 85.48 ± 1.62 µg/mL, were identified using LC-MS. Overall, XQ-29 demonstrates significant potential as a biocontrol agent against southern blight disease.

A pooled mycoviral resource in a strain of Rhizoctonia solani are regulators of fungal virulence.

Rhizoctonia solani is a widespread and devastating soil-borne plant fungal pathogen that causes diseases, including rice sheath blight, which are difficult to control. Some mycoviruses are potential biocontrol agents for the control of fungal diseases. In order to investigate the factors that influence the virulence of R. solani and search for mycoviruses with the potential for biocontrol of R. solani, a rice-infecting R. solani strain, ZJXD1-1, was isolated and confirmed to contain eight mycoviruses via dsRNA extraction and high-throughput sequencing. The identified mycoviruses belong to families of Endornaviridae (RsEV11 and RsEV12) and Mitoviridae (RsMV125 to RsMV129), and an unclassified Toti-like clade (RsTLV1). The C39 domain in RsEV12, which shares a close evolutionary relationship with bacteria, is observed for the first time in a mycovirus. Strains with different virus combinations were obtained through viral horizontal transfer, and pathogenicity test deduced that the Endornaviruses RsEV11 and RsEV12, and Mitovirus RsMV129 might potentially enhance the pathogenicity of R. solani, while RsMV125 might reduce the virulence or interfere with the function of other Mitoviruses. Furthermore, virus curing via protoplast regeneration and viral horizontal transfer demonstrated that RsMV129 is the causal agent of R. solani hypervirulence. Overall, our study provided the resource pool of viruses that may contribute to the discovery of new biocontrol agents against R. solani and enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of R. solani regulated by mycoviruses.

First Report of Colletotrichum spaethianum Causing Anthracnose on Jiaotou (Allium chinense G. Don) in China.

Jiaotou (Allium chinense G. Don) is a culinary and aromatic herb belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae. It is native to China and cultivated for its culinary uses in many other countries, which also possess high medicinal value in traditional Chinese medicine (Rhetso et al. 2020). In March 2023, a disease resembling anthracnose was detected in the fields of Changde city, Hunan Province, China. The symptoms manifested as yellow to brown necrotic spots located at the tip or middle of the blade. The lesions tended to wrinkle, leading to leaf distortion, thinning, and wilting. This disease has a high incidence rate of approximately 50% in an area of nearly 20 hectares. Ten symptomatic plants were collected for pathogen isolation. The leaf tissues were surface sterilized using 70% ethyl alcohol and 2% sodium hypochlorite, rinsed with sterile distilled water, and then transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 26°C in the dark. Ten colonies with similar cultural morphology were selected from the 10 affected plant samples. The fungal strains produced densely aerial mycelium on PDA, displaying off-white to gray-brown coloration. Conidia were hyaline, curved or slightly curved, aseptate, with a rounded apex and truncate base, contained oil globules, and measuring 21.0 to 29.0 × 4.1 to 5.3 µm (n = 50. Appressoria were dark brown, irregular in shape, partially lobed, and measured 6.5 to 15.5 µm long × 5.0 to 10.5 µm wide. Setae were straight, dark brown, with two- to three-septate, 78.5 to 155.4 µm long (n = 50). These morphological characteristics were similar to Colletotrichum spaethianum (Damm et al. 2009). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA, actin (ACT), chitin synthase (CHS-1) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) genes of three representative strains, JT-1, JT-2 and JT-3, were amplified and sequenced as described in Weir et al. (2012). These sequences were 99 to 100% identical to corresponding sequences of C. spaethianum strains (565/569 bp, MN396364.1 for ITS; 565/569 bp, MN433299.1 for ACT; 262/263 bp, MN433298.1 for GAPDH; 272/272 bp, MH020773 for CHS-1, respectively) (Zhong et al. 2020; Liu et al. 2020; Sun et al. 2020). A concatenated phylogenetic tree showed that all three strains were clustered within the C. spaethianum clade. The sequences of isolate JT-1 were deposited in GenBank (accession nos. PP911453, PP911607, PP911605, and PP911606 for ITS, ACT, GAPDH and CHS-1, respectively). For pathogenicity assays, 1-month-old seedings of A. chinense in plots were inoculated by spraying with a conidial suspension (1 × 105 conidia/ml) until runoff. Control plants were sprayed with sterilized water. All the inoculated plants were kept in a greenhouse at 25°C with a 12-h/12-h light/dark cycle. The experiment was conducted twice with three replications each. After 7 days, symptoms similar to those observed in the field developed on leaves of the inoculated plants, whereas the control plants remained asymptomatic C. spaethianum was specifically reisolated and identified from the symptomatic leaves, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. Colletotrichum spaethianum has been recorded as a pathogen fungus on many medicinal plants, such as Peucedanum praeruptorum (Guo et al. 2013), Anemarrhena asphodeloides (Okorley et al. 2019), and Paris polyphylla (Zhong et al. 2020). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. spaethianum causing anthracnose on Jiaotou in China. Effective control measures should be implemented to mitigate potential further damage to Jiaotou cultivation.

Characterization and biocontrol mechanism of Streptomyces olivoreticuli as a potential biocontrol agent against Rhizoctonia solani.

Rhizoctonia solani is a widespread and devastating plant pathogenic fungus that infects many important crops. This pathogen causes tobacco target spot, a disease that is widespread in many tobacco-growing countries and is destructive to tobacco. To identify antagonistic microorganisms with biocontrol potential against this disease, we isolated Streptomyces strains from forest inter-root soil and screened a promising biocontrol strain, ZZ-21. Based on in vitro antagonism assays, ZZ-21 showed a significant inhibitory effect on R. solani and various other phytopathogens. ZZ-21 was identified as Streptomyces olivoreticuli by its phenotypic, genetic, physiological and biochemical properties. Complete genome sequencing revealed that ZZ-21 harbored numerous antimicrobial biosynthesis gene clusters. ZZ-21 significantly reduced the lesion length in detached inoculated leaf assays and reduced the disease index under greenhouse and field conditions. Based on an in vitro antagonistic assay of ZZ-21 culture, the strain exhibited an antifungal activity against R. solani in a dose-dependent manner. The culture filtrate could impair membrane integrity, possibly through membrane lipid peroxidation. ZZ-21 could secrete multiple extracellular enzymes and siderophores. According to a series of antifungal assays, the extracellular metabolites of ZZ-21 contained antimicrobial bioactive compounds composed of proteins/peptides extracted using ammonium sulfate precipitation, which were stable under stress caused by high temperature and protease K. The EC50 value for ammonium sulfate precipitation was determined to be 21.11 µg/mL in this study. Moreover, the proteins/peptides also exhibited biocontrol ability and were observed to alter the plasma membrane integrity of R. solani which were evaluated by biocontrol efficacy assays on detached tobacco leaves and PI staining. Overall, strain ZZ-21 shows the potential to be developed into a biopesticide against tobacco target spot disease.

KRAS acting through ERK signaling stabilizes PD-L1 via inhibiting autophagy pathway in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: While the correlation between PD-L1 expression and KRAS mutation has been previously reported in other solid tumors such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whether PD-L1 can be modulated by ERK signaling downstream of KRAS in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) and the underlying molecular regulatory mechanism remain unclear. METHODS: The expression of ERK, p-ERK, PD-L1 and autophagy markers following KRAS knockdown or Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling inhibitors treatment was examined in two human iCCA cell lines (HuCCT1 and RBE) using western blotting and immunofluorescence. Both pharmacological autophagy inhibitors and short-interfering RNA against ATG7 were applied to inhibit autophagy. The apoptosis rates of iCCA cell lines were detected by flow cytometry and CCK-8 after co-culturing with CD3/CD28-activated human CD8+ T lymphocytes. Immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the correlation of ERK, p-ERK and PD-L1 in 92 iCCA tissues. RESULTS: The present study demonstrated that the PD-L1 expression level was distinctly reduced in KRAS-mutated iCCA cell lines when ERK signaling was inhibited and ERK phosphorylation levels were lowered. The positive association between p-ERK and PD-L1 was also verified in 92 iCCA tissue samples. Moreover, ERK inhibition induced autophagy activation. Both inhibiting autophagy via autophagy inhibitors and genetically silencing the ATG7 expression partially reversed the reduced PD-L1 expression caused by ERK inhibition. In addition, ERK-mediated down-regulation of PD-L1 via autophagy pathways induced the apoptosis of iCCA cells when co-cultured with CD3/CD28-activated human CD8+ T lymphocytes in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that ERK signaling inhibition contributes to the reduction of PD-L1 expression through the autophagy pathway in iCCA. As a supplement to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, ERK-targeted therapy may serve as a potentially novel treatment strategy for human KRAS-mutated iCCA.

Relationship between epicardial fat volume on cardiac CT and atherosclerosis severity in three-vessel coronary artery disease: a single-center cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The ideal treatment strategy for stable three-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) patients are difficult to determine and for patients undergoing conservative treatment, imaging evidence of coronary atherosclerotic severity progression remains limited. Epicardial fat volume (EFV) on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) has been considered to be associated with coronary atherosclerosis. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the relationship between EFV level and coronary atherosclerosis severity in three-vessel CAD. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 252 consecutive patients with three-vessel CAD and 252 normal control group participants who underwent CCTA between January 2018 and December 2019. A semi-automatic method was developed for EFV quantification on CCTA images, standardized by body surface area. Coronary atherosclerosis severity was evaluated and scored by the number of coronary arteries with ≥ 50% stenosis on coronary angiography. Patients were subdivided into groups on the basis of lesion severity: mild (score = 3 vessels, n = 85), moderate (3.5 vessels ≤ score < 4 vessels, n = 82), and severe (4 vessels ≤ score ≤ 7 vessels, n = 85). The independent sample t-test, analysis of variance, and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the associations between EFV level and severity of coronary atherosclerosis. RESULTS: Compared with normal controls, three-vessel CAD patients had significantly higher EFV level (65 ± 22 mL/m2 vs. 48 ± 19 mL/m2; P < 0.001). In patients with three-vessel CAD, there was a progressive decline in EFV level as the score of coronary atherosclerosis severity increased, especially in those patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 (75 ± 21 mL/m2 vs. 72 ± 22 mL/m2 vs. 62 ± 17 mL/m2; P < 0.05). Multivariable regression analysis showed that both BMI (OR 3.40, 95% CI 2.00-5.78, P < 0.001) and the score of coronary atherosclerosis severity (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.26-0.93, P < 0.05) were independently related to the change of EFV level. CONCLUSION: Three-vessel CAD patients do have higher EFV level than the normal controls. While, there may be an inverse relationship between EFV level and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with three-vessel CAD.

First Report of Southern Blight on Aloe vera Caused by Athelia rolfsii in China.

Aloe vera (L.) Burm f., which belongs to the family Aloaceae, is a perennial succulent plant and cultivated for its medicinal, cosmetic, vegetable and ornamental uses. In summer of 2021, about 15% (60 infected among 400 surveyed plants) of A. vera (A. barbadensis) plants in two gardens in Lishui, Zhejiang Province of China showed symptoms of southern blight disease. Symptomatic plants primarily exhibited slightly sunken water-soaked, dark brown lesions on taproot and basal part of the stems. As the disease progressed, leaves in the basal part of stems and subsequently the whole plant rotted and withered, with white mycelial mats occurring on infected stems and leaves. Numerous brown, spherical sclerotia were observed on the colonized tissues and soil surfaces around the infected plants. Mycelial fragments and sclerotia from symptomatic leaves were plated directly to potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 100 µg/ml streptomycin and incubated at 26°C in the dark. By hyphal-tip method, a total of five pure isolates were obtained from five diseased leaf samples. When cultured on PDA at 26°C for three days, colonies showed white and thick aerial mycelium, with a radial growth rate of 23.7 mm/day. Typical clamp connection structures were observed microscopically after three days and numerous globoid, rapeseed shape sclerotia, measuring 1 to 2 mm in diameter (n=50) formed after six days. These sclerotia were initially white and gradually turned dark brown with age. On the basis of morphological characteristics, the fungal isolates were identified as Athelia rolfsii (Curzi) C.C. Tu & Kimbr (anamorph Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc) (Mordue 1974). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1) regions of a representative isolate LHBJ2-4 were amplified and sequenced using the primers ITS4/ITS5 (White et al. 1990) and EF1/EF2, respectively (accession no. MZ956758 and OL365370). BLASTn search showed that the amplified ITS and TEF1 sequences had 99.71% (680/682 bp) and 99.80% (498/499 bp) identity with the A. rolfsii isolates CBS 115.22 (MH854711.1) and Sr_286 (JF267815), respectively. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on the ITS sequences revealed that LHBJ2-4 clustered with A. rolfsii isolates. For pathogenicity test, three potted A. vera plants (~30 cm tall) were inoculated by placing a 0.5 cm mycelial plug of isolate LHBJ2-4 (three-day old) at the base of each A. vera plant. Three A. vera plants inoculated with sterile PDA plugs served as controls. All the inoculated plants were placed in a growth chamber at 27°C under a 12/12 h light/dark cycle. The inoculation assays were carried out twice. After 5 to 7 days, stem bases of the inoculated plants showed brown lesions that were similar to those observed in the field. However, control plants remained symptomless. Athelia rolfsii was re-isolated from all the inoculated plants and identified using morphological and molecular method described above, thus confirming Koch's postulates. Although A. rolfsii has been reported to cause disease on A. vera in India (Dubey and Pandey 2009), to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of A. rolfsii causing southern blight on A. vera in China. Because A. rolfsii has a wide host range and is difficult to control (Punja 1985), occurrence of southern blight in China might be a serious threat for A. vera production and appropriate management strategies should be developed to control this disease.

[Effects of Low-dose Antibiotic Exposure on Fetal Growth and Development].

Objective To analyze maternal blood exposure to non-therapeutic antibiotics in late pregnancy and explore the effects of low-dose antibiotics on fetal growth and development.Methods A total of 104 pregnant women in late pregnancy (28-32 weeks) without serious pregnancy complications were enrolled,who had regular antenatal examination and delivery in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and did not use therapeutic antibiotics 2 months before pregnancy and in the whole pregnant process.The levels of antibiotics in the maternal blood were detected by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry,and the pregnant women were assigned into an antibiotic exposure group (antibiotic positive) and a non-exposure group (antibiotic negative).The length,weight,placental weight,and placental volume of the newborns in the two groups were measured,and the data were statistically analyzed by t test or χ2 test.Results The maternal blood antibiotic test showed 7 positive cases (6.73%,antibiotic exposure group) and 97 negative cases (93.27%,non-exposure group). The average length of newborns in the antibiotic exposure group and the non-exposure group was (49.57±1.40) cm and (48.85±1.77) cm,respectively,with no significant difference (t=1.060,P=0.363).The average weight of newborns in the antibiotic exposure group and the non-exposure group was (3558.57±382.95) g and (3275.36±356.41) g,respectively,with significant difference (t=2.021,P=0.046).The mean placental weight in the antibiotic exposure group and the non-exposure group was (676.43±124.59) g and (631.96±129.25) g,respectively,with no significant difference (t=0.881,P=0.380).The mean placental volume in the antibiotic exposure group and the non-exposure group was (724.67±174.91) cm3 and (676.82±220.86) cm3,respectively,with no significant difference (t=0.560,P=0.388).Compared with those in the non-exposure group,the neonatal length,neonatal weight,placental weight,and placental volume in the antibiotic exposure group increased by 1.47%,8.65%,7.04%,and 7.07%,respectively.Conclusion There are antibiotics in the environment,and maternal blood exposure to non-therapeutic antibiotics can promote the growth and development of the fetus and placenta,especially increasing the fetal weight.

First Report of Fusarium xylarioides Causing Root and Stem Rot on Aloe vera in China.

Aloe vera (L.) Burm f. is a perennial herb belonging to the family liliaceae. It is widely grown for medicinal, cosmetic and vegetable use. In 2018 and 2019, a root rot disease occurred on potted A. vera plants in a nursery in the Hunan Province of China. Symptoms of the disease include water soaking lesions, brown spots on taproot or basal part of the stem. The plants were easy to pull out when the taproot is rotten or necrotic. As the disease progressed upward, leaves in the basal part of stems became red-brown and gradually fell off. In severe cases, the whole plants became rotten and wilted. For isolation purposes, diseased tissues were excised from the lesion margins, surface disinfested with 70% ethanol for 10 s, 0.1% HgCl2 for 2 min, rinsed with sterile water thrice, and then placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 26°C for 3 days in the dark. When cultured on PDA, fungal strains with similar morphology were consistently isolated and purified by single spore isolation. Colonies showed thick, pink aerial mycelium with a growth rate of 1.3 cm /day. The pigmentation was more intense in the colony center and became pale orange and white at the edge of colony. When cultured on SNA (Spezieller Nährstoffarmer agar), the fungus showed less pigmentation and thinner hyphae. Microconidia were abundantly produced, clavate and oval to kidney shaped, 7.1 to 15.2 µm × 2.5 to 5.1 µm, with 0 to 1 transverse septa. Macroconidia were sickle shaped, slender, slightly incurved in apical cell and foot-shaped in the basal cell, measured 27.9 to 53.2 µm × 2.5 to 3.5 µm, with 3 to 5 septa. These morphological characteristics were similar with those of Fusarium spp. (Booth 1971). For molecular identification, genomic DNA of the fungus was extracted by cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide method. A portion of EF-1α (translation elongation factor 1-α) and RPB1 (the largest subunit of RNA polymerase) genes were amplified and directly sequenced using the EF-1/EF-2 and Fa/G2R primers (O'Donnell et al. 2010). The EF-1α and RPB1 were deposited in the GenBank with accession numbers MT755386 and MT755387. The EF-1α and RPB1 had 97.14% (ID FD_01334) and 99.62% identity (FD_03853), respectively, to F. xylarioides strains in the Fusarium-ID database (Geiser et al. 2004). In addition, the EF1-a showed 96.825% identity to the F. lateritium CBS 119871(AM295281) (a synonym of F. xylarioides), and the RPB1 showed 99.623% identity to the F. xylarioides NRRL 25486 (JX171517.1). Accordingly, the fungus was putatively identified to be F. xylarioides. For pathogenicity assay, A.vera seedlings were pot planted using sterilized nursery soil and inoculated with conidia suspension (1 × 105 conidia/ml), which were eluted from 7-day-old PDA cultures with sterilized water, according to the method described previously (Vakalounakis et al. 2015). The collar of each potted plant was poured with 20 ml of conidia suspensions. Plants mock inoculated with sterile water were used as control. All the inoculated plants were placed in a growth chamber at 25°C under 12/12 h light/dark cycle. The inoculation assays were carried out twice, with each one had three replicated plants. After 30 days, rot symptoms seen from the roots and basal part of stems were observed on the inoculated plants, but no visible symptoms were observed on control plants. The fungus was re-isolated from the inoculated plants and identified to be F. xylarioides by morphological and molecular characteristics, thus confirming Koch's postulates. As we know, many Fusarium species have been reported to cause root and stem rot disease in A.vera such as the F. oxysporum (Ji et al. 2007) and F. solani (Vakalounakis et al. 2015). However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. xylarioides causing root and stem rot disease of A.vera in China. The identification of the pathogen fungus might provide a foundation for taking appropriate control strategies to this disease.

Phomopsis liquidambari colonization promotes continuous cropping peanut growth by improving the rhizosphere microenvironment, nutrient uptake and disease incidence.

BACKGROUND: The continuous cropping of peanuts is a primary cause of yield and quality loss. Solutions to this problem should be therefore developed to ensure the sustainability of peanut production. RESULTS: In this study, colonization by the endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambari was detected, which led to significantly improved rhizosphere soil microenvironment, enhanced N, P and K assimilation and suppressed incidence of peanut disease. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the yield enhancement was significantly correlated with improvement of the rhizosphere soil microenvironment and the peanut's physiological status by P. liquidambari colonization. In addition, P. liquidambari colonization also significantly improved peanut quality. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the practical application of the endophytic fungus P. liquidambari has a strong potential to alleviate the obstacles associated with continuous peanut cropping under field conditions. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

MicroRNA-21 suppresses ox-LDL-induced human aortic endothelial cells injuries in atherosclerosis through enhancement of autophagic flux: Involvement in promotion of lysosomal function.

Atherosclerosis is a common pathological basis of cardiovascular disease and remains the leading cause of mortality. Endothelial cell (EC) injury and autophagy dysfunction have been proved to contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Recently, accumulating evidence confirms that microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as vital regulators and fine-tuners of various pathophysiological cellular impacts and molecular signaling pathways involved in atherosclerosis. Herein, the objective of the present study was to explore the biological function of miR-21 in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) injury and the underlying molecular mechanism. The results showed that ox-LDL treatment significantly decreased HAECs viability, increased caspase-3 activity, apoptosis ratio and Bax protein expression, and reduced Bcl-2 protein expression resulting in EC injuries. Simultaneously, ox-LDL treatment obviously reduced miR-21 level in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Notably, ox-LDL-induced EC injuries were abolished by miR-21 mimics transfection. In addition, miR-21 mimics alleviated ox-LDL-induced impaired autophagic flux as illustrated by the increases in LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and Beclin-1 protein expression, and the decrease in p62 protein expression in HAECs. Moreover, ox-LDL suppressed the expressions of lysosomal membrane protein (LAMP1) and cathepsin D proteins, and attenuated cathepsin D activity in HAECs, leading to lysosomal dysfunction, while these effects were also blocked by miR-21 mimics. These findings indicated that miR-21 restored impaired autophagic flux and lysosomal dysfunction, thereby attenuating ox-LDL-induced HAECs injuries.

Minocycline Promotes Neurite Outgrowth of PC12 Cells Exposed to Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation and Reoxygenation Through Regulation of MLCP/MLC Signaling Pathways.

Minocycline, a semi-synthetic second-generation derivative of tetracycline, has been reported to exert neuroprotective effects both in animal models and in clinic trials of neurological diseases. In the present study, we first investigated the protective effects of minocycline on oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation-induced impairment of neurite outgrowth and its potential mechanism in the neuronal cell line, PC12 cells. We found that minocycline significantly increased cell viability, promoted neurite outgrowth and enhanced the expression of growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) in PC12 cells exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation injury. In addition, immunoblots revealed that minocycline reversed the overexpression of phosphorylated myosin light chain (MLC) and the suppression of activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) caused by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation injury. Moreover, the minocycline-induced neurite outgrowth was significantly blocked by Calyculin A (1 nM), an inhibitor of myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP), but not by an ERK1/2 inhibitor (U0126; 10 µM). These findings suggested that minocycline activated the MLCP/MLC signaling pathway in PC12 cells after oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation injury, which resulted in the promotion of neurite outgrowth.

[Minocycline Prevent Microglial Activation via Suppression of Adenosine A 2A Receptor in a Rat Stroke Ischemia/Reperfusion Model].

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether minocycline could inhibit neuroinflammation induced by microglia activation through suppression of adenosine A2Areceptor (A2AR)expression in rats after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. METHODS: Thirty male Sprageue-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham group, I/R group and minocycline group. The rats were subjected to occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCAO) for 2 h to establish stroke I/R model, and 3 mg/kg minocycline was injected intravenously immediately after reperfusion twice a day in minocycline group. At 24 h after I/R, the inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and IL-6 in peri-infarct region were measured by Western blot, microglia activation was detected by double-immunofluorescence labeling. A2AR density was detected by immunohistofluorescence and Western blot. RESULTS: The number of CD11b-positive cells in I/R group was increased when compared with that in sham group. The expressions of IL-1ß, IL-6 and A2AR were markedly up-regulated after I/R. Minocycline significantly decreased the expressions of IL-1ß, IL-6 and A2AR and the number of CD11b-positive cells in peri-infarct region. CONCLUSION: Minocycline could prevent cerebral ischemia induced neuroinflammation by the suppression of microglial activation, which may be related to down-regulation of A2AR expression.

New cytochalasins from medicinal macrofungus Crodyceps taii and their inhibitory activities against human cancer cells.

Three new cytochalasins (1-3) together with two known cytochalasin analogues (4 and 5) were isolated from the chloroform fraction of ethanolic extract of a medicinal macrofungus Cordyceps taii. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The cytotoxicities of Compounds 1-5 were investigated by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) method in vitro against human highly metastatic lung cancer cell 95-D, human lung cancer cell line A-549 and normal hepatocyte HL-7702. The results revealed that Compounds 4 and 5 showed potent antitumor activities against human lung cancer cell 95-D with IC50 value of 3.67 and 4.04 µM, respectively. In comparison with cisplatin, the first-line chemotherapy drug, they had little or no cytotoxicity on normal cells, but showed stronger cytotoxic effects on cancer cells 95-D.

[Morphological typing of the middle cerebral artery M1 segment by magnetic resonance angiography].

OBJECTIVE: To study the morphology of middle cerebral artery (MCA) M1 segment. METHODS: We selected the MRA data of 794 MCA (400 of the left side and 394 of the right side) from January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011 consecutively and analyzed the morphology of the MCA M1 segment in axial, anteroposterior and lateral view, measured the length of the M1 segment, and analyzed the similarity of the left and right side M1 segment morphology. RESULTS: In axial, anteroposterior and lateral view, the MCA M1 segment showed C-shape > L-shape > S-shape. In axial view, it was about 373 (47%) M1 segment performance for the C-shape, of which 340 (42.8%) M1 segments showed bowing to the dorsal side, only 33 (4.2%) M1 segments showed bowing to the ventral side. In anteroposterior view, it was about 322 (40.6%) M1 segments of the performance of the C-shape, of which 262(33.0%) M1 segments showed a bowing to the superior, 60 (7.6%) showed bowing to the inferior. The similarity of the left and right MCA M1 segments was 27.2% (114/419) in axial view and 42.7% (179/419) in anteroposterior view. It was more similar in anteroposterior view than in axial view. Along with the increase of age, in the axial view, L-shape converted to C-shape very obviously, but only mildly elevated in S-shape. In anteroposterior view, the L-shape converted to the C-shape or S-shape along with the increase of age. CONCLUSION: The different morphology of MCA M1 segment in axial and anteroposterior view may be involved in the development of intracranial atherosclerosis.

[Effects of Minocycline on the Neuronal Plasticity in Rats after Focal Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of minocycline on morphology and the expression of synaptophysin in cortical tissues of rats after cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. METHODS: 36 male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham group, model group [ischemia reperfusion (I/R)] and minocycline (Min) group (treated with minocycline for 14 d, 3 mg/kg, 2 times/d ). Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was used to established as focal cerebral I/R model. At 14 d after I/R. Neurological functional recovery was evaluated using the staircase test, the cell morphology in cortex was evaluated by HE staining, the neurite growth was observed by immunostaining with anti-microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2) antibody, the expression of synaptophysin in pei-infarct region was tested by Western blot. RESULTS: In the sham group, the rats did not show any neurological deficits. The neurons in the cortex were arranged in neat rows and the morphology were normal, the MAP-2 positive neurons showed longer neuronal processes than the model group. Compared to the model group, minocycline significantly improved forelimb motor function, increased the expression of synaptophysin and the number of MAP-2-positive cells in peri-infarct region (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Minocycline could improve the neurite regrowth and the expression of synaptophysin of neuron in ischemic cortex, promote neurological functional recovery of rats after MCAO, which is related to regulate the neuronal plasticity.

[Antitumor Chemical Entities of Cordyceps taii Mycelia Powder from Guizhou].

OBJECTIVE: To seperate and identify the chemicals from the antitumor fraction of Cordyceps taii mycelia powder. METHODS: The mycelia of Cordyceps taii were prepared by the submerged fermentation technique. Chemical entities in the antitumor fraction of Cordyceps taii were isolated and purified by using different column chromatographies (silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and MCI), and semi-preparative HPLC method. Theirs chemical structures were then identified by different spectrum techniques such as EI, ESI and 1D/2D-NMR, etc. The cytotoxic activity was investigated by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. RESULTS: Six compounds, such as 5α,8α-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3ß-ol (1), ergosterol (2), adenine nucleoside (3), helvolic acid (4), deacetylcytochalasin C (5) and zygosporin D (6), were identified. The IC50 value of compound 2 against human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 was 5.99 µmol/L, which was less than the half value of cisplatin, and had lower cytotoxicity to normal cells in comparison with cisplatin. CONCLUSION: Six compounds have been isolated from the antitumor fraction of Cordyceps taii mycelia powder,of which compounds 1, 5 and 6 are isolated from Cordyceps taii for the first time. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 have cytotoxic activities against cancer cells, and should be the main antitumor compounds of Cordyceps taii.