Cinnamaldehyde Regulates the Migration and Apoptosis of Gastric Cancer Cells by Inhibiting the Jak2/Stat3 Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality all around the world. Because of its poor prognosis and low survival rate, the treatment of gastric cancer has received extensive attention. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is the main single active component of the Chinese herbal medicine cinnamon, which has a variety of pharmacological effects. The inhibitory effect of CA on the growth of some tumor cells has been proven, but its therapeutic effect on gastric cancer has rarely been reported. METHODS: Through network pharmacology, bioinformatics methods, and molecular docking technology, we predicted the interaction targets of CA and gastric cancer. Moreover, we found that apoptosis is an important mode of action of CA on gastric cancer cells. Subsequently, we validated it in gastric cancer cell lines cultured in vitro. RESULTS: The results showed that in the presence of CA, the Jak2/Stat3 pathway was inhibited, the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax decreased, and the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells was promoted in a concentration-dependent. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, CA can promote the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells by inhibiting the activity of the Jak2/Stat3 pathway, which may achieve the effect of treating gastric cancer.

Phosphorus biogeochemistry regulated by carbonates in soil.

Phosphates are the dominant phosphorus (P) source on Earth. The phosphates govern available P in soil, or even the complete ecosystem. The common deficiency of available P in carbonate-enriched soils suggests the tight correlation between P and C biogeochemistry, although the two elements have diverse abundance in soil. The influences of carbonates on P cycle were reviewed in this study, via both abiotic and biotic pathways. The abiotic processes at geochemical scale include element release, transport, sorption, desorption, weathering, precipitation, etc. The sorption of P on carbonate and buffering ability of carbonates were particularly addressed. Biotic factors are ascribed to various microorganisms in soil. As the most active P pool in soil, microorganisms prefer to consume abundant P, and then accumulate it in their biomass. Carbonates, however, are usually utilized by microorganisms after conversion to organic C. Meanwhile, extracellular precipitation of Ca-P phases significantly regulates the transportation of P in/out the cells. Moreover, they boost and complexify both carbonates and P turnover in soil via bioweathering and biomineralization, i.e., the intense interactions between biosphere and lithosphere. Based on this review, we proposed that carbonates may negatively affect P supply in soil system. This comprehensive review regarding the regulation by carbonates on P biogeochemistry would shed a light on predicting long-term P availability influenced by C biogeochemistry.

Rapid Identification of Four Fusarium spp. Complex by High-Resolution Melting Curve Analysis and their Antifungal Susceptibility Profiles.

Fusarium species are globally distributed filamentous ascomycete fungi that are frequently reported as plant pathogens and opportunistic human pathogens, leading to yield loss of crops, mycotoxin contamination of food and feed products as well as damage to human and livestock. Human infections of Fusarium spp. are difficult to treat due to broad antifungal resistance by members of this genus. Their role as disease-causing agents in crops and humans suggests a need for antifungal resistance profiles as well as a simple, rapid, and cost effective identification method. Fusarium strains were isolated from food and clinical samples. High-resolution melting curve (HRM) analysis was performed using specific primers targeting internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, followed with evaluation of specificity and sensitivity. The antifungal susceptibility of four Fusarium species was studied using the Sensititre YeastOne method. HRM analysis revealed reproducible, unimodal melting profiles specific to each of the four Fusarium strains, while no amplification of the negative controls. The minimum detection limits were 100-120 copies based on a 2 µl volume of template. Clear susceptibility differences were observed against antifungal agents by different Fusarium isolates, with amphotericin B and voriconazole displayed strongest antifungal effects to all the tested strains. We developed a simple, rapid, and low-cost qPCR-HRM method for identification of four Fusarium spp. (F. oxysporum, F. lateritium, F. fujikuroi, and F. solani). The antifungal susceptibility profiles supplied antifungal information of foodborne and clinical Fusarium spp. and provided guidance for clinical treatment of human infections.

Circular RNA-ZNF609 regulates corneal neovascularization by acting as a sponge of miR-184.

Corneal neovascularization can cause abnormal blood vessels to grow in the normally transparent and translucent cornea leading to various sight-threatening eye diseases. microRNAs and circular RNAs are known to play essential roles in the regulation of numerous biological functions. It is urgently needed to understand the molecular mechanism of miRNAs and circular RNAs in the corneal neovascularization. We aimed to elucidate the role of a specific a circular RNA, cZNF609, in the corneal neovascularization. cZNF609 and miR-184 levels were determined by RT-qPCR. Luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were conducted to verify the target of cZNF609. The biological function of cZNF609 and miR-184 were assessed via cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation assays in vitro as well as the corneal suture model in vivo. The up-regulation of cZNF609 and down-regulation of miR-184 were observed during corneal neovascularization. cZNF609 acted as a miR-184 sponge to block miR-184 activity. Overexpression of miR-184 suppressed HCEKs cell proliferation, migration in vitro, and angiogenesis in vivo. The miR-184-mediated inhibition effect can be rescued through the re-introduction of cZNF609. Mechanically, cZNF609/miR-184 interaction regulated the downstream Akt and VEGF signaling pathway. Intervention of cZNF609 and miR-184 may serve as a potential strategy for pathological corneal neovascularization treatment.

Baicalin augments the differentiation of osteoblasts via enhancement of microRNA-217.

Baicalin (BAI), a sort of flavonoid monomer, acquires from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, which was forcefully reported in diversified ailments due to the pleiotropic properties. But, the functions of BAI in osteoblast differentiation have not been addressed. The intentions of this study are to attest the influences of BAI in the differentiation of osteoblasts. MC3T3-E1 cells or rat primary osteoblasts were exposed to BAI, and then cell viability, ALP activity, mineralization process, and Runx2 and Ocn expression were appraised through implementing CCK-8, p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP), Alizarin red staining, western blot, and RT-qPCR assays. The microRNA-217 (miR-217) expression was evaluated in MC3T3-E1 cells or rat primary osteoblasts after BAI disposition; meanwhile, the functions of miR-217 in BAI-administrated MC3T3-E1 cells were estimated after miR-217 inhibitor transfection. The impacts of BAI and miR-217 inhibition on Wnt/ß-catenin and MEK/ERK pathways were probed to verify the involvements in BAI-regulated the differentiation of osteoblasts. BAI accelerated cell viability, osteoblast activity, and Runx2 and Ocn expression in MC3T3-E1 cells or rat primary osteoblasts, and the phenomena were mediated via activations of Wnt/ß-catenin and MEK/ERK pathways. Elevation of miR-217 was observed in BAI-disposed MC3T3-E1 cells or rat primary osteoblasts, and miR-217 repression annulled the functions of BAI in MC3T3-E1 cell viability and differentiation. Additionally, the activations of Wnt/ß-catenin and MEK/ERK pathways evoked by BAI were both restrained by repression of miR-217. These explorations uncovered that BAI augmented the differentiation of osteoblasts via activations of Wnt/ß-catenin and MEK/ERK pathways by ascending miR-217 expression.

Molecular characterization and expression analysis of protein enhancer of sevenless 2B from Artemia sinica at early embryonic development and during immune response to bacterial stimulation.

Protein enhancer of sevenless 2B, E(sev)2B, is a key adapter protein in the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway which has been reported to be involved in innate immunity. In this study, the gene that encodes AsE(sev)2B was isolated from A. sinica. It was found to contain a 636 bp open reading frame encoding 211 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 24.357 kDa and a predicted isoelectric point of 5.39. The predicted protein contains a N-terminal Src homology 3 domain (SH3), a central Src homology 2 domain (SH2), and a C-terminal Src homology 3 domain (SH3). Homology analysis revealed that AsE(sev)2B shares 49%-95% identity with E(sev)2B homologs from other species. In this study, the expression pattern and location of AsE(sev)2B during different stages of embryonic development and bacterial challenge were investigated by means of real-time qPCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results showed that the highest expression level of AsE(sev)2B was at 0 h. After challenged by Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria, AsE(sev)2B was remarkably upregulated at 106 cellsL-1 bacterial concentrations. These results suggested that AsE(sev)2B plays a vital role during early embryonic development and in immune responses against bacterial challenge.

An enhanced anti-tumor effect of apoptin-cecropin B on human hepatoma cells by using bacterial magnetic particle gene delivery system.

The gene therapy of cancer, due to the limit of its efficiency and safety, has not been widely used in clinical. Recently, bacterial magnetic particles (BMPs), which are membrane-bound nanocrystals found in magnetotactic bacteria, have been exploited as a new gene delivery system. However, its application on gene therapy remains to be explored. In our previous study, we found that a combination of cecropin B (ABPs) and apoptin (VP3) could serve as an effective gene therapeutic agent. Thus, in this study, we used BMPs to deliver the co-expression plasmid of these two gene, namely pVAX1-VA, and evaluated its therapeutic effect on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2). Our results showed that BMPs significantly improved the efficiency of gene transfection (almost 3-fold than Lipofectamine 2000 at 48 h, P < .001), which led to stronger apoptosis (in a peak almost 2-fold than Lipofectamine 2000-pVAX1-VA, P < .01) and growth inhibition of HepG2 cells. More importantly, compared with Lipofectamine 2000-pVAX1-VA group, BMP-pVAX1-VA strikingly inhibited tumor growth (0.60 ±â€¯0.09 g vs. 0.88 ±â€¯0.11 g, P < .05) in nude mouse tumor models and increased the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes considerably without apparent cytotoxicity. These findings suggest that BMPs could be an attractive gene delivery system for gene therapy and provide a potential available treatment for human hepatocellular carcinoma and maybe some other kinds of tumors.

Structure-Activity Relationship of Xanthones as Inhibitors of Xanthine Oxidase.

Polygala plants contain a large number of xanthones with good physiological activities. In our previous work, 18 xanthones were isolated from Polygala crotalarioides. Extented study of the chemical composition of the other species Polygala sibirica led to the separation of two new xanthones-3-hydroxy-1,2,6,7,8-pentamethoxy xanthone (A) and 6-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-1,7-dimethoxy xanthone (C)-together with 14 known xanthones. Among them, some xanthones have a certain xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity. Furthemore, 14 xanthones as XO inhibitors were selected to develop three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) models. The CoMFA model predicted a q² value of 0.613 and an r² value of 0.997. The best CoMSIA model predicted a q² value of 0.608 and an r² value of 0.997 based on a combination of steric, electrostatic, and hydrophobic effects. The analysis of the contour maps from each model provided insight into the structural requirements for the development of more active XO inhibitors.

Spatiotemporal Expression of Bcl-2/Bax and Neural Cell Apoptosis in the Developing Lumbosacral Spinal Cord of Rat Fetuses with Anorectal Malformations.

Fecal incontinence and constipation still remain the major complications after procedures for anorectal malformations (ARMs). Previous studies have demonstrated a decrease of neural cell in lumbosacral spinal cord of ARMs patients and rat models. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, the neural cell apoptosis and Bcl-2/Bax expression were explored during lumbosacral spinal cord development in normal and ARMs fetuses. ARMs rat fetuses were induced by treating pregnant rats with ethylenethiourea on embryonic day 10. TUNEL staining was performed to identify apoptosis, and the expression of Bcl-2/Bax was confirmed with immunohistochemical staining, RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis on E16, E17, E19 and E21. Apoptosis index (AI) in the ARMs group was significantly higher compared to normal group. Our results showed that TUNEL-positive cells were mainly localized in the ventral horn, which is the location of neural cells controlling defecation. And the expression of Bcl-2 decreased, whereas the level of Bax increased in the ARMs fetuses. In addition, there was a significantly negative correlation between protein expression of Bcl-2/Bax ratio and AI in the ARMs group. Abnormal apoptosis might be a fundamental pathogenesis for the number decrease of neural cells in lumbosacral spinal cord, which leads to complications after procedures for ARMs. The negative correlation between the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and AI manifested that Bcl-2/Bax pathway might be the mechanism for neural cell apoptosis in ARMs.

Stable ABTS Immobilized in the MIL-100(Fe) Metal-Organic Framework as an Efficient Mediator for Laccase-Catalyzed Decolorization.

The successful encapsulation of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), a well-known laccase mediator, within a mesoporous metal-organic framework sample (i.e., MIL-100(Fe)) was achieved using a one-pot hydrothermal synthetic method. The as-prepared ABTS@MIL-100(Fe) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, nitrogen sorption, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Our ABTS@MIL-100(Fe)-based electrode exhibited an excellent electrochemical response, indicating that MIL-100(Fe) provides an appropriate microenvironment for the immobilization and electroactivity of ABTS molecules. ABTS@MIL-100(Fe) was then evaluated as an immobilized laccase mediator for dye removal using indigo carmine (IC) as a model dye. Through the application of laccase in combination with a free (ABTS) or immobilized (ABTS@MIL-100(Fe)) mediator, decolorization yields of 95% and 94%, respectively, were obtained for IC after 50 min. In addition, following seven reuse cycles of ABTS@MIL-100(Fe) for dye treatment, a decolorization yield of 74% was obtained. Dye decolorization occurred through the breakdown of the chromophoric group by the Laccase/ABTS@MIL-100(Fe) system, and a catalytic mechanism was proposed. We therefore expect that the stability, reusability, and validity of ABTS@MIL-100(Fe) as a laccase mediator potentially render it a promising tool for dye removal, in addition to reducing the high running costs and potential toxicity associated with synthetic mediators.

Two New Flavonol Glycosides from Polygala sibirica L. var megalopha Fr.

Two new flavonol glycosides, named polygalin H (1) and polygalin I (2), as well as the known compound polygalin D (3), were isolated from the whole plant of Polygala sibirica L. var megalopha Fr. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis. These flavonol glycosides exhibited strong inhibitory activities against xanthine oxidase in vitro. Their half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were calculated, which were 9.48, 8.31, 16.00 µM, respectively.

Fabrication of composite polymer foam films at the liquid/liquid interface through emulsion-directed assembly and adsorption processes.

The foam films of polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid)-b-polystyrene (PS-b-PAA-b-PS) doped with Cd(II) or Pb(II) species were fabricated at the planar liquid/liquid interfaces between a DMF/chloroform (v/v: 1/1) solution of the polymer and aqueous solutions containing cadmium acetate or lead acetate at ambient temperature. Optical microscopic observation shows the thin film is uniform on a larger length scale. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) investigations reveal that the foam films are made up of microcapsules with the size of several hundreds of nanometers to micrometers. The walls of the microcapsules have a layered structure decorating with nanofibers and hollow nanospheres, where numerous inorganic fine nanoparticles are dispersed homogeneously. The film formation is a result of emulsion droplet-templated assembly and adsorption of the formed microcapsules at the planar liquid/liquid interface. Because of the miscibility of DMF with chloroform and water, DMF migrates to the aqueous phase while water migrates to the organic phase across the interface, resulting in the formation of a W/O emulsion, as revealed by optical microscopic observation, freeze fracture transmission electron microscopic (FF-TEM) observation, and dynamic laser scattering (DLS) investigation. The triblock copolymer molecules and the inorganic species adsorb and self-assemble around the emulsion drops, leading to the formation of the composite microcapsules. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) and FTIR spectroscopic results indicate that two kinds of Cd(II) or Pb(II) species, metal oxide or hydroxide, resulting from the hydrolysis of the metal ions and the coordinated metal ions to the carboxyl groups coexist in the formed thin films, which transform to metal sulfide completely after treating with hydrogen sulfide to get metal sulfide nanoparticle-doped polymer thin films.

Liquid/Liquid interfacial fabrication of thermosensitive and catalytically active Ag nanoparticle-doped block copolymer composite foam films.

An aqueous solution of AgNO3 (upper phase) and a DMF/CHCl3 solution of polystyrene-b-poly(acryl acid)-b-polystyrene (PS-b-PAA-b-PS) or PS-b-PAA-b-PS/1,6-diaminohexane (DAH) (lower phase) constituted a planar liquid/liquid interface. The lower phase gradually transformed to a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion via spontaneous emulsification due to the "ouzo effect". Polymer molecules, DAH molecules, and Ag(+) ions assembled into microcapsules around emulsion droplets that adsorbed at the planar liquid/liquid interface, resulting in formation of a foam film. DAH acted as a cross-linker during this process. Transmission electron microscopic observations indicated that Ag nanoclusters that were generated through reduction of Ag(+) ions by DMF were homogeneously dispersed in the walls of the foam structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigations revealed that Ag(I) and Ag(0) coexisted in the film, and Ag(I) transformed to Ag(0) after further treatment. The film formed without DAH was not stable, while the film formed with DAH was very stable due to intermolecular attraction between PAA and DAH and formation of amides, as revealed by FTIR spectra. The film formed with DAH exhibited high and durable catalytic activity for hydrogenation of nitro compounds and, very interestingly, exhibited thermoresponsive catalytic behavior.

[Purgative activity difference and mechanism of raw and processed Rhei Radix et rhizoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the purgative activity difference and mechanism of raw and processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. METHODS: Mail mice were divided into 9 groups:normal group (saline), model group, Tongbianling group (1 g/kg), raw Rhei Radix et Rhizoma groups (5.00, 2.50 and 1.25 g/kg), processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma groups (5.00, 2.50 and 1.25 g/kg). After oral administration for 5 days, the diarrhea experiment and intestinal propelling test were carried out to evaluate the purgative effect difference of raw and processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. Wistar rats were divided into normal group (normal saline), model group, Tong-bianling group (0.5 g/kg), raw Rhei Radix et Rhizoma group (1.25 g/kg), processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma group (1.25 g/kg). The changes of levels of gastin( GAS), motilin( MTL), vasoactive peptide (VIP), neurotensin (NT), somatostatin ( SS), acetylcholinesterase (AchE), substance P(SP) and endothelin (ET-1)in blood of the rats and gastin (GAS), motilin( MTL), vasoactive peptide (VIP) and neurotensin (NT) in colon of the rats were detected. RESULT: The levels of GAS, MTL, VIP, NT, SS, AchE, SP and ET-1 in serum of raw Rhei Radix et Rhizoma group, and GAS, MTL and VIP in colon of raw Rhei Radix et Rhizoma group were different obviously comparing with the processed one (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The raw Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and the processed one had obvious differences in regulating intestinal gastrointestinal hormone and neurotransmitter. This effect may be the reason or one of the reasons for purgative activity difference between raw and processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma.

[Research on building method of spleen kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea rats model].

Spleen kidney Yang deficiency (SKYD) diarrhea is a common syndrome in tranditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Until now, there is not an ideal SKYD diarrhea rat model for the research. In this study, we compared single factor way (method I, injecting hydrocortisone and gavaging Sennae Folium) with compound factors way(method II, gavaging adenine, improper diet, exhaustion, and gavaging Sennae Folium) on establishing SKYD diarrhea rat model. After modelling, diarrhea index, D-xylose excretory rate, NOS/cGMP signal transduction system, organ index and histopathology examination were used to evaluate the two ways. The results showed that, compared with health group, all the assessment criterias of method I and method II had significant differences (P < 0.01, 0.05). In addition, the index such as diarrhea index, NOS/cGMP signal transduction system, organ index (kidney, testis and thymus) and histopathology examination had significant differences (P < 0.01, 0.05) between method I and method II. In conclusion, the compound factors modelling method better conforms to the symptom of diarrhoea model caused by SKYD. This new modelling method provides a basis for studying on TCM astringents warming and tonifying the spleen and kidney, relieving diarrhea.

[Discussion about the sampling positions of the bag-type infusion sets for single use in the ethylene oxide residues detection].

This paper selects the bag-type infusion sets for single use as samples, which are produced by different manufacturers and based on the ethylene oxide sterilization. The ethylene oxide sterilization residues in different parts of samples are detected by colorimetric analysis. Combined the comparison of the ethylene oxide residues testing results in the different parts of the same sample with the actual situation in clinical use, more reasonable sampling positions are found to detect the ethylene oxide sterilization residues. The result of this experiment will play a guiding role in the detection of the actual samples.

A broadly applicable protein-polymer adjuvant system for antiviral vaccines.

Although protein subunit vaccines generally have acceptable safety profiles with precise antigenic content, limited immunogenicity can lead to unsatisfactory humoral and cellular immunity and the need for vaccine adjuvants and delivery system. Herein, we assess a vaccine adjuvant system comprising Quillaja Saponaria-21(QS-21) and cobalt porphyrin polymeric micelles that enabling the display of His-tagged antigen on its surface. The nanoscale micelles promote antigen uptake and dendritic cell activation to induce robust cytotoxic T lymphocyte response and germinal center formation. Using the recombinant protein antigens from influenza A and rabies virus, the micelle adjuvant system elicited robust antiviral responses and protected mice from lethal challenge. In addition, this system could be combined with other antigens to induce high titers of neutralizing antibodies in models of three highly pathogenic viral pathogens: Ebola virus, Marburg virus, and Nipah virus. Collectively, our results demonstrate this polymeric micelle adjuvant system can be used as a potent nanoplatform for developing antiviral vaccine countermeasures that promote humoral and cellular immunity.

pH Window for High Selectivity of Ionizable Antimicrobial Polymers toward Bacteria.

Antimicrobial polymers exhibit great potential for treating drug-resistant bacteria; however, designing antimicrobial polymers that can selectively kill bacteria and cause relatively low toxicity to normal tissues/cells remains a key challenge. Here, we report a pH window for ionizable polymers that exhibit high selectivity toward bacteria. Ionizable polymer PC6A showed the greatest selectivity (131.6) at pH 7.4, exhibiting low hemolytic activity and high antimicrobial activity against bacteria, whereas a very high or low protonation degree (PD) produced relatively low selectivity (≤35.6). Bactericidal mechanism of PC6A primarily comprised membrane lysis without inducing drug resistance even after consecutive incubation for 32 passages. Furthermore, PC6A demonstrated synergistic effects in combination with antibiotics at pH 7.4. Hence, this study provides a strategy for designing selective antimicrobial polymers.

Investigation of bacterial and fungal population structure on environmental surfaces of three medical institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To evaluate the population structure of environmental bacteria and fungi in three different types of medical institutions and the potential risks due to antibiotic resistance during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: One hundred twenty-six environmental surface samples were collected from three medical institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 6,093 and 13,514 representative sequences of 16S and ITS ribosomal RNA (rRNA) were obtained by amplicon sequencing analysis. The functional prediction was performed using the Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States tool based on the Greengenes database and the FAPROTAX database. Results: On environmental surfaces in three medical institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Firmicutes (51.6%) and Bacteroidetes (25%) were the dominant bacteria, while Ascomycota (39.4%) and Basidiomycota (14.2%) were the dominant fungi. A number of potential bacterial and fungal pathogens were successfully identified by the metagenomic approach. Furthermore, compared with the bacterial results, the fungi showed a generally closer Bray Curtis distance between samples. The overall ratio of Gram-negative bacteria to Gram-positive bacteria was about 3:7. The proportion of stress-tolerant bacteria in medical institutions A, B and C reached 88.9, 93.0 and 93.8%, respectively. Anaerobic bacteria accounted for 39.6% in outdoor environments, 77.7% in public areas, 87.9% in inpatient areas and 79.6% in restricted areas. Finally, the ß-Lactam resistance pathway and polymyxin resistance pathway were revealed through functional prediction. Conclusion: We described the microbial population structure changes in three different types of medical institutions using the metagenomic approach during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that the disinfection measures performed by three healthcare facilities may be effective on the "ESKAPE" pathogens, but less effective on fungal pathogens. Moreover, emphasis should be given to the prevention and control of ß-lactam and polymyxin antibiotics resistance bacteria during the COVID-19 pandemic.