Meta-Analysis on the Recovery Effect of Acupuncture Combined With Rehabilitation Therapy in Spinal Cord Injury Patients.

Objective: To explore the recovery effect of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation therapy on muscle spasms in patients with spinal cord injury through a systematic review of meta-analysis methods. Methods: Use "acupuncture," "electronic-acupuncture," "spinal cord," "spasm," and "paraplegia" as keywords, CNKI, Google, Wanfang, VIP, sci-hub, Web of Science, PubMed, and other Chinese or English databases were searched. To collect the domestic and foreign research on acupuncture combined with rehabilitation for muscle spasms in patients with spinal cord injury. Preliminary screening was conducted, and data extraction and quality evaluation were carried out on the included literature, including publication time, sample size, treatment methods, recovery effects, etc. According to the literature, the influence of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation therapy on muscle spasms in patients with spinal cord injury and related indices was analyzed. The search period was from January 2018 to June 2023, and the selected research results were tested by RevMan5.3 software and data consolidation for consistency. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results: A preliminary literature search yielded 172 papers. 53 papers from sci-hub, 71 papers from HowNet, 36 papers from Wanfang, and 12 papers from VIP. Finally, 10 articles that met the criteria were included, including 594 patients. According to different treatment methods, the literature about acupuncture combined with rehabilitation therapy for muscle spasms in patients with spinal cord injury was analyzed for consistency, and data were merged. It was concluded that acupuncture combined with rehabilitation The clinical curative effect of the experimental group of patients is higher than that of the control group MD=5.31, 95%CI (2.94, 7.81), Z=5.64, P < .001; the clinical effective rate of the experimental group is higher than that of the control group. The improvement of the clinical spasticity index (CSI) score index of the patients in the experimental group was better than that of the control group MD = -3.09, 95%CI (-4.51, -1.67), Z =4.28, P < .001; the MAS score of the patients in the experimental group The improvement was better than that of the control group MD =-0.76, 95%CI (-1.16, -0.38), Z=8.13, P < .001; the improvement of Barthel index (BI) in the experimental group was better than that of the control group MD=9.81, 95%CI (7.84,11.71), Z=12.71, P < .001; no adverse events were reported in the experimental group and the control group. Conclusion: This study shows that acupuncture and rehabilitation are more effective than other therapeutic methods in the treatment of muscle spasms after spinal cord injury, and more randomized controlled trials are needed to verify this in the future.

Effects of yeast inoculation methods on caproic acid production and microbial community during anaerobic fermentation of Chinese cabbage waste.

To provide a sufficient supply of electron donors for the synthesis of caproic acid, yeast fermentation was employed to increase ethanol production in the anaerobic fermentation of Chinese cabbage waste (CCW). The results showed that the caproic acid yield of CCW with ethanol pre-fermentation was 7750.3 mg COD/L, accounting for 50.2% of the total volatile fatty acids (TVFAs), which was 32.5% higher than that of the CCW without yeast inoculation. The synchronous fermentation of yeast and seed sludge significantly promoted the growth of butyric acid consuming bacterium Bacteroides, resulting in low yields of butyric acid and caproic acid. With yeast inoculation, substrate competition for the efficient ethanol conversion in the early stage of acidogenic fermentation inhibited the hydrolysis and acidfication. Without yeast inoculation, the rapid accumulation of TVFAs severely inhibited the growth of Bacteroidetes. In the reactor with ethanol pre-fermentation, the key microorganism for caproic acid production, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_12, was selectively enriched.

Modular revision strategy with bispherical augments in severe acetabular deficiency reconstruction.

PURPOSE: Reconstruction of severe acetabular deficiency is extremely challenging in total hip arthroplasty (THA) revisions. Novel bispherical augments were designed to fill acetabular bone loss and facilitate restoration of hip center of rotation (HCOR). Current study aims to compare the outcomes of bispherical augments and tantalum augments. METHODS: Between July 2017 and December 2018, bispherical augments (BA group) were implanted in 25 patients (25 hips) and 22 patients (22 hips) underwent porous tantalum augments (TA group) reconstruction in revision THA. Clinical and radiographic results were evaluated for 25 hips in BA group and 20 hips in TA group at the final follow-up. The mean duration of follow-up was 2.9 years (range, 2.2 ~ 3.7) in BA group and 2.9 years (range, 2.3 ~ 3.8) in TA group. RESULTS: Harris hip scores, HCOR, and leg length discrepancy (LLD) correction did not differ between the treatment groups. The bispherical augments were located more closer to the medial-superior part (zone II) of acetabular shell while the majority of tantalum augments were located at the lateral-superior part (zone I) (P = 0.010). More screws were used in the BA group for augment fixation (mean 2.1 vs. 1.3) (P = 0.000). There was no evidence of loosening or migration in all hips. Only one dislocation occurred in BA group and treated with closed reduction, no recurrence of instability up to the final follow-up. CONCLUSION: The clinical and radiological outcomes of bispherical augments were comparable with tantalum augments; this technique was a reliable alternative method in severe acetabular deficiency reconstruction.

Plasmon lattice resonances induced by an all-dielectric periodic array of Si nanopillars on SiO2nanopillars.

An all-dielectric periodic array is proposed to form plasmon lattice resonances (PLR). In the array, Si nanopillars are on top of SiO2nanopillars, and SiO2nanopillars are on top of quartz substrates. The simulated results show that the line-width of the PLR can be as small as 3.3 nm. This can be attributed to the coupling between the Mie resonances of Si nanopillars and the diffracted waves. While the PLR can't be formed by the periodic Si nanopillar array directly sitting on quartz substrates. The diameter and height of Si nanopillars, the period of the array and the height of SiO2nanopillars have significant impacts on the PLR. This work extends the application of PLR.

Sub-chronic exposure to antibiotics doxycycline, oxytetracycline or florfenicol impacts gut barrier and induces gut microbiota dysbiosis in adult zebrafish (Daino rerio).

Antibiotics are widely used in the treatment of bacterial infections and as food additives in the livestock industry. The wide usage of antibiotics causes residues in animal products, like milk, eggs and meat. A number of studies have reported that antibiotic residues exist at high concentrations in watercourses around the world. Doxycycline (DH), oxytetracycline (OTCC) and florfenicol (FF) are the three most commonly used veterinary antibiotics in China. However, studies of the toxic effects of DH, OTCC and FF are limited. In this study, six-moth-old healthy male adult zebrafish were exposed to 0, 10, 30, 100 µg/L DH, OTCC or FF for 21 days. After exposure, some biochemical parameters changed significantly, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), pyruvate and acid phosphatase (ACP). In addition, mucus secretion in the gut decreased and the transcription of related genes also decreased significantly. Moreover, the composition of microbiota in the gut changed significantly. DH, OTCC and FF exposure caused the decrease of diversity of gut microbiota. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria increased significantly after OTCC and FF exposure and Fusobacteria decreased in all antibiotic-treated groups. Further functional prediction analysis also suggested changes in gut microbiota in the OTCC and FF-treated groups, especially those linked to metabolism. To support this idea, we confirmed that some glycolipid related genes also increased significantly in the liver of adult zebrafish after antibiotic exposure. According to these results, DH, OTCC or FF exposure could cause the gut microbiota dysbiosis and dysfunction, and hepatic metabolic disorder in adult male zebrafish.

Cloning, Secretory Expression and Characterization of a Unique pH-Stable and Cold-Adapted Alginate Lyase.

Cold-adapted alginate lyases have unique advantages for alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) preparation and brown seaweed processing. Robust and cold-adapted alginate lyases are urgently needed for industrial applications. In this study, a cold-adapted alginate lyase-producing strain Vibrio sp. W2 was screened. Then, the gene ALYW201 was cloned from Vibrio sp. W2 and expressed in a food-grade host, Yarrowia lipolytica. The secreted Alyw201 showed the activity of 64.2 U/mL, with a molecular weight of approximate 38.0 kDa, and a specific activity of 876.4 U/mg. Alyw201 performed the highest activity at 30 °C, and more than 80% activity at 25-40 °C. Furthermore, more than 70% of the activity was obtained in a broad pH range of 5.0-10.0. Alyw201 was also NaCl-independent and salt-tolerant. The degraded product was that of the oligosaccharides of DP (Degree of polymerization) 2-6. Due to its robustness and its unique pH-stable property, Alyw201 can be an efficient tool for industrial production.

Characterization of an NDM-5 carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli ST156 isolate from a poultry farm in Zhejiang, China.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains has posed a severe threat to public health in recent years. The mobile elements carrying the New Delhi metallo-ß-lactqtamase (NDM) gene have been regarded as the major mechanism leading to the rapid increase of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from clinics and animals. RESULTS: We describe an NDM-5-producing Escherichia coli strain, ECCRA-119 (sequence type 156 [ST156]), isolated from a poultry farm in Zhejiang, China. ECCRA-119 is a multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolate that exhibited resistance to 27 antimicrobial compounds, including imipenem and meropenem, as detected by antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). The complete genome sequence of the ECCRA-119 isolate was also obtained using the PacBio RS II platform. Eleven acquired resistance genes were identified in the chromosome; four were detected in plasmid pTB201, while six were detected in plasmid pTB202. Importantly, the carbapenem-resistant gene blaNDM-5 was detected in the IncX3 plasmid pTB203. In addition, seven virulence genes and one metal-resistance gene were also detected. The results of conjugation experiments and the transfer regions identification indicated that the blaNDM-5-harboring plasmid pTB203 could be transferred between E. coli strains. CONCLUSIONS: The results reflected the severe bacterial resistance in a poultry farm in Zhejiang province and increased our understanding of the presence and transmission of the blaNDM-5 gene.

A high-throughput screening method for determination of multi-antibiotics in animal feed.

A high-throughput method based on ultrasonic-assisted extraction, 96-well plate thin-film microextraction was established to determinate 18 antibiotics in animal feed. In this method, the extraction was implemented by ultrasonic-assisted extraction for 30 min with disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-McIlvaine buffer (pH 5) containing 6% sodium chloride w/v, purified by thin-film microextraction and combined with 96-well plate system to improve the efficiency. Optimization of thin-film microextraction conditions was performed by methods of single factor and response surface, and finalized as: condition time: 20 min; adsorption time: 55 min; washing time: 5 s with water; desorption time: 30 min with acetonitrile/water (8:2, v/v) containing 0.1% formic acid v/v. Evaluation of different extractive phases showed that polystyrene-divinylbenzene-polyacrylonitrile was the optimum coating. The analysis was performed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Recovery, inter- and intraday precision, linearity, limit of detection, and quantitation were evaluated. The average recoveries of 18 antibiotics were 66.6-93.5% at three spiked levels, intraday precision was 1-8.4%, and interday precision was 3.0-16.4%. The linearity was good for r2  > 0.99. Limits of detection and quantification were found in the range of 1-14 and 4-48 µg/kg, respectively.

Contamination assessment and health risk of arsenic exposure to stairway dust in the zinc smelting district, Northeast China.

Stairway dust samples were collected from residential communities in Huludao city to investigate population health risk of arsenic (As) exposure through stairway dust. ArcGIS software was used to analyze As spatial distribution in Huludao city. Hazard index was applied to assess health risk due to exposure to As in stairway dust. The results were that As concentrations ranged from 13.26 to 237.58 mg kg-1, and the mean value was 59.64 mg kg-1, which was seven times as high as the background value of Liaoning Province. The pattern of spatial distribution was concentric rings as the center of Huludao zinc plant, with the extension to the northeast and southwest. The average value of Igeo was 2.176, which fell into moderately polluted level. For non-carcinogenic risk, the hazard indexes were less than 1, indicating that there was almost no health risk for residents exposed to stairway dust. But population risk exposure to dust would increase rapidly with exposure time in stairway. The highest contribution to the overall figure of non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk appeared to be ingestion of substrate particles followed by inhalation pathway and dermal absorption of As in dust samples. And for carcinogenic risk, the risk values were lower than the threshold range of EPA's safe limits (1 × 10-6 and 1 × 10-4), suggesting that potential cancer risk of As due to exposure to stairway dust can be acceptable.

Effect of soil pH and organic matter content on heavy metals availability in maize (Zea mays L.) rhizospheric soil of non-ferrous metals smelting area.

Maize plant tissues and rhizosphere soil were collected from an agricultural area around the Huludao Zinc Plant in Liaoning Province, China, to investigate the effects of soil pH and organic matter content on heavy metal concentration and accumulation in different types of maize tissues. The mean pH of the soil samples was 7.02 (range 5.74-7.86), and the mean organic matter content was 31.03 g kg-1 (range 18.80-52.20 g kg-1). The average Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd contents in soil were 2.92, 6.72, 7.95, and 16.28 times greater than the corresponding background values, respectively. The geo-accumulation index indicated that the soils were uncontaminated to moderately contaminated by Cu, moderately to strongly contaminated by Pb and Zn, and strongly contaminated by Cd. The average available Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd contents in the soil samples were 16.34, 6.997, 69.77, and 0.190 mg kg-1, respectively, while their bioavailability coefficients were 28.53%, 1.65%, 40.44%, and 10.83%, respectively. The respective mean Pb and Cd concentrations in grain samples were 0.341 and 0.342 mg kg-1, which exceeded the maximum concentrations permitted by the Chinese National Standard. Thus, the maize grain is not safe for consumption and poses potential risks to human health. With the exception of Cu, the combined effect of pH and organic matter content had a stronger influence on the availability of heavy metals in soil compared with either factor alone. Cd uptake in maize plant tissues was affected by the combination of soil pH, organic matter content, and bioavailable Cd content in soil; however, the combination of these three factors had only slight effects on Cu, Zn, and Pb absorption in maize tissues.

Ice Squeezing Induced Multicolor Fluorescence Emissions from Polyacrylamide Cryogels.

Being short of conventional chromophores, polyacrylamide is generally not regarded as a fluorescent material. Exactly the polymerization of dilute solutions of acrylamide and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide led to thick liquids at 60 °C, showing no fluorescence. Things changed when the phase transition of water was involved. The squeezing effect of ice crystals not only created polymeric solids (cryogels) at - 20 °C, but also endowed them unexpected fluorescence emissions. The macroporous cryogels are mainly blue fluorescent polymers. However yellow and red fluorescence were also achieved by changing the ingredient ratios. A series of instrumental detections revealed that the multicolor fluorescence were based on exquisite amido stacking induced from ice squeezing. If people make good use of the squeezing effect of the heaven-sent molecule to manipulate the interactions of monomer functionalities, cryogenic polymerization can be a promising method to produce diverse polymeric materials.

Syringe cleanup with UHPLC-MS/MS for nitroimidazoles and steroids detection in manure-based fertilizers.

A syringe-dispersive solid-phase extraction method was developed for the determination of seven nitroimidazoles and nine steroids in manure-based fertilizers by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Methanol and acetonitrile were used to extract the sample, and mixed dispersive sorbents dispersed in the syringe were used for purification. The extract was separated with an HSS-T3 column and detected in positive or negative multiple reaction monitoring mode. Under the optimal conditions, the recoveries of the 16 compounds ranged from 70.3 to 112.3% at the four spiked levels (3, 10, 20, and 50 µg/kg) and the relative standard deviations ranged from 1.0 to 12.4%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.22-0.86 and 0.73-2.87 µg/kg, respectively. This method is simple, fast, and reliable, and can be used to simultaneously screen and determine nitroimidazoles and steroids in manure-based fertilizers.

Detection of 13 mycotoxins in feed using modified QuEChERS with dispersive magnetic materials and UHPLC-MS/MS.

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 13 mycotoxins in feed by magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was developed. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile/water (80:20, v/v, containing 3% acetic acid), and separated by centrifugation after salting-out, and then treated with magnetic adsorbents to remove interferences. The separation of target mycotoxins was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column using a mobile phase consisting of 1 mmol/L ammonium acetate with 0.1% formic acid and methanol by gradient elution. Good linearities for the 13 mycotoxins were achieved with correlation coefficients over 0.99, and the recoveries of mycotoxins were in the range of 89.3-112.6% at spiking at levels of 5, 20, and 100 µg/kg, with relative standard deviations of 0.9-10.4%. Based on the functional magnetic materials (MDN@Fe3 O4 , PSA@Fe3 O4 , ZrO2@ Fe3 O4 ) applied in dispersive solid-phase extraction, the pretreatment process is more convenient and it is beneficial to reduce the experimental cost by reusing the recycled magnetic materials. It is a simple, rapid, and environmentally friendly analytical method for the determination of mycotoxins in feed.

Effects of cadmium and copper mixtures to carrot and pakchoi under greenhouse cultivation condition.

A pot experiment was undertaken to investigate the effects of Cd and Cu mixtures to growth and nutrients (sugar, carotene or vitamin C) of carrot and pakchoi under greenhouse cultivation condition. The study included: (a) physical-chemical properties of soil and soil animals in response to Cd and Cu stress; (b) bioaccumulation of heavy metals, length, biomass, contents of sugar and carotene (vitamin C) of carrot and pakchoi; (c) estimation the effects of Cd and Cu mixtures by multivariate regression analysis. The results implied that heavy metals impacted negative influence on soil animals' abundance. The metals contents in plants increased obviously with Cd and Cu contamination in soil. The biomass production and nutrients declined with Cd and Cu contents increasing. Cd (20 mg kg-1) treatment caused maximum reduction of sugar content (45.29%) in carrot root; maximum reduction in carotene content (75.73%) in carrot, 75.1% sugar content reduction and 70.58% vitamin C content reduction in pakchoi shoots were observed with addition of Cd (20 mg kg-1) and Cu (400 mg kg-1) mixture. The results of multivariate regression analysis indicated that combination of Cd and Cu exerts negative effects to both carrot and pakchoi, and both growth and nutrients were negatively correlated with metals concentrations. It is concluded that the Cd and Cu mixtures caused toxic damage to vegetable plants as Cd and Cu gradient concentrations increased.

Direct Anterior Approach for Total Hip Arthroplasty in the Lateral Decubitus Position: Our Experiences and Early Results.

BACKGROUND: The direct anterior approach (DAA) for total hip arthroplasty (THA) is typically performed in the supine position using a specially designed operating room table, which makes this approach more accessible to orthopedic surgeons. We attempted to perform this procedure in the lateral decubitus position on an ordinary operation table to avoid dependence on a special operating room table. There is an obvious absence of literature regarding this subject. METHODS: A total of 248 patients (295 hips) were recruited for primary THAs from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. In total, 126 hips (42.7%) underwent THAs using the DAA in the lateral decubitus position. The technical feasibility and early results were evaluated. RESULTS: The orientation of the acetabular component was 16.5° ± 4.9° anteversion and 43.3° ± 3.5° abduction. Intraoperative proximal femoral fracture occurred in one hip. The superficial wound complications occurred in 2 hips and the hematoma in one hip while in hospital. The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury was noted in 43 hips. The early dislocation occurred in 2 hips. Heterotopic ossification was Brooker class I in 5 hips and class II in 1 hip. No aseptic loosening, postoperative periprosthetic fracture, and deep infection occurred in our series. CONCLUSION: The DAA for THA in the lateral decubitus position may be a valuable alternative if the DAA in the supine position is difficult to implement owing to absence of a special operating room table. This technique also seems to provide satisfactory clinical and radiographic outcomes with an acceptable complication in our early follow-up.

Improvement in the thermostability of chitosanase from Bacillus ehimensis by introducing artificial disulfide bonds.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of artificial disulfide bridges on the thermostability and catalytic efficiency of chitosanase EAG1. RESULTS: Five artificial disulfide bridges were designed based on the structural information derived from the three-dimensional (3-D) model of chitosanase EAG1. Two beneficial mutants (G113C/D116C, A207C-L286C) were located in the flexible surface loop region, whereas the similar substitutions introduced in α-helices regions had a negligible effect. Mut5, the most active mutant, had a longer half-life at 50 °C (from 10.5 to 69.3 min) and a 200 % higher catalytic efficiency (K cat/K m) than that of the original EAG1. CONCLUSIONS: The contribution of disulfide bridges to enzyme thermostability is mainly dependent on its location within the polypeptide chain. Strategical placement of a disulfide bridge in flexible regions provides a rigid support and creation of a protected microenvironment, which is effective in improving enzyme's thermostability and catalytic efficiency.

Targeting cellular apoptotic pathway with peptides from marine organisms.

Apoptosis is a critical defense mechanism against the formation and progression of cancer and exhibits distinct morphological and biochemical traits. Targeting apoptotic pathways becomes an intriguing strategy for the development of chemotherapeutic agents. Peptides from marine organisms have become important sources in the discovery of antitumor drugs, especially when modern technology makes it more and more feasible to collect organisms from seas. This primer summarizes several marine peptides, based on their effects on apoptotic signaling pathways, although most of these peptides have not yet been studied in depth for their mechanisms of action. Novel peptides that induce an apoptosis signal pathway are presented in association with their pharmacological properties.

Simultaneous determination of chlorpyrifos and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol in duck muscle by modified QuEChERS coupled to gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).

A rapid, specific, and sensitive method based on modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) coupled to gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of chlorpyrifos (CP) and its metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) in duck muscle. The residues of CP and TCP were extracted by acidified acetonitrile. The fat layer of the extract was removed under -20 °C, then the organic layer was evaporated. The analytes were derivatized by N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) and cleaned up by a mixture of 150 mg MgSO4, 25 mg graphitized carbon black (GCB), and 50 mg N-propylethylenediamine (PSA) to remove interference. The final extract was analyzed by GC-MS/MS. Recovery values at the spiking concentrations ranged from 86.2 to 92.3 % for CP and from 74.8 to 81.8 % for TCP, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 9.5 and 12.3, respectively. The correlation coefficients of CP (from 2 to 2,000 µg/kg) and TCP (from 1 to 1,000 µg/kg) were equal to or higher than 0.998. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.3 and 0.15 µg/kg, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 1.0 and 0.5 µg/kg for CP and TCP in duck muscle, respectively. The average intra- and inter-day accuracy ranged from 84.6 to 91.2 % for CP and 75.6 to 82.3 % for TCP, and the intra- and inter-day precisions were from 5.8 to 8.2 % for CP and 6.5 to 11.9 % for TCP. Furthermore, the CP and TCP residues in duck muscle samples were detected for dietary risk assessment using the validated method.

Evaluation of toxicological impacts on Sprague-Dawley rat by successively low dose of aflatoxin B1.

BACKGROUND: Aflatoxins (AFs) are a group of potent mycotoxins that frequently pollute agro-products and animal feeds. For complex reasons, the regulatory limits of AFs differ from nation to nation. In this study, feedstuffs contaminated with various concentrations of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) corresponding to AF regulatory limits of major agro-product importing and exporting nations were tested in Sprague-Dawley rats, and the toxicological results were evaluated. RESULTS: During the trial period, no poisoning behavior was observed and no animals died. No significant differences in body weight were observed between AFB1-contaminated and control rats. However, various negative impacts on liver and kidney functions were observed in AFB1-contaminated groups, and these negative impacts were positively correlated with AFB1 concentrations. At concentrations of 4-50 µg kg(-1) , AFB1 tolerance was observed for the liver after 15 days of testing, but this tolerance was not observed for the kidney. CONCLUSION: Low concentrations of AFB1 still induced obvious toxicological impacts on Sprague-Dawley rats, and the negative effects were aggravated by increasing the AFB1 dose and feeding time. Therefore strict AF regulatory limits are suggested for food safety administration, especially for the low-income nations with higher hepatitis B virus prevalence.

Hexanoic acid production and microbial community in anaerobic fermentation: Effects of inorganic carbon addition.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a crucial role in carbon chain elongation with ethanol serving as an electron donor. In this study, the impacts of various carbonates on CO2 concentration, hexanoic acid production, and microbial communities during ethanol-butyric acid fermentation were explored. The results showed that the addition of MgCO3 provided sustained inorganic carbon and facilitated interspecific electron transfer, thereby increasing hexanoic acid yield by 58%. MgCO3 and NH4HCO3 inhibited the excessive ethanol oxidation and decreased the yield of acetic acid by 51% and 42%, respectively. The yields of hexanoic acid and acetic acid in the CaCO3 group increased by 19% and 15%, respectively. The NaHCO3 group exhibited high headspace CO2 concentration, promoting acetogenic bacteria enrichment while reducing the abundance of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_12. The batch addition of NaHCO3 accelerated the synthesis of hexanoic acid and increased its production by 26%. The relative abundance of Clostridium_sensus_stricto_12 was positively correlated with hexanoic acid production.