Comparing transfusion reactions between pre-storage and post-storage leukoreduced apheresis platelets: an analysis using propensity score matching.

Transfusion reactions induced by platelet transfusions may be reduced and alleviated by leukocyte reduction of platelets. Although leukoreduction of apheresis platelets can be performed either pre-storage or post-storage, seldom studies directly compare the incidence of transfusion reaction in these two different blood products. We conducted a retrospective study to compare the transfusion reactions between pre-storage and post-storage leukoreduced apheresis platelets. We reviewed the general characteristics and the transfusion reactions, symptoms, and categories for inpatients who received pre-storage or post-storage leukoreduced apheresis platelets. Propensity-score matching was performed to adjust for baseline differences between groups. A total of 40,837 leukoreduction apheresis platelet orders were reviewed. 116 (0.53%) transfusion reactions were reported in 21,884 transfusions with pre-storage leukoreduction, and 174 (0.91%) reactions were reported in 18,953 transfusions with post-storage leukoreduction. Before propensity-score matching, the odds ratio for transfusion reactions in the pre-storage group relative to the post-storage group was 0.57 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.72, P < 0.01); the odds ratio after matching was 0.63 (95% CI 0.49-0.80, P < 0.01). A two-proportion z-test revealed pre-storage leukoreduction significantly decreases the symptoms of chills, fever, itching, urticaria, dyspnea, and hypertension as compared with those in post-storage leukoreduction. Pre-storage leukoreduced apheresis platelet significantly decreased febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reaction as compared with post-storage groups. This study suggests pre-storage leukoreduction apheresis platelet significantly decreases the transfusion reaction as compared with those in post-storage leukoreduction.

Comparison of four screening methods for sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults: A diagnostic accuracy study.

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic values of SARC-F (strength, assistance with walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls), SARC-Calf (SARC-F combined with calf circumference), CC (calf circumference), and the Yubi-wakka (finger-ring) test for screening for sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria were used as a standard reference. A total of 209 participants were enrolled, and 40.7% were identified as sarcopenia. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were respectively 54.1%, 70.2%, and 0.687 for SARC-F; 76.5%, 73.4% and 0.832 for SARC-calf, 86.7%, 82.4%, and 0.906 for CC in men, and 85.5%, 63.3%, and 0.877 for CC in women. Relative to the "bigger," a significant association between sarcopenia and the Yubi-wakka test ("just fits" OR: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.57-10.98; "small" OR: 27.5, 95% CI: 10.14-74.55) was observed. The overall accuracy of CC was better than SARC-Calf for sarcopenia screening.

Ethanol yield improvement in Saccharomyces cerevisiae GPD2 Delta FPS1 Delta ADH2 Delta DLD3 Delta mutant and molecular mechanism exploration based on the metabolic flux and transcriptomics approaches.

BACKGROUND: Saccharomyces cerevisiae generally consumes glucose to produce ethanol accompanied by the main by-products of glycerol, acetic acid, and lactic acid. The minimization of the formation of by-products in S. cerevisiae was an effective way to improve the economic viability of the bioethanol industry. In this study, S. cerevisiae GPD2, FPS1, ADH2, and DLD3 genes were knocked out by the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats Cas9 (CRISPR-Cas9) approach. The mechanism of gene deletion affecting ethanol metabolism was further elucidated based on metabolic flux and transcriptomics approaches. RESULTS: The engineered S. cerevisiae with gene deletion of GPD2, FPS1, ADH2, and DLD3 was constructed by the CRISPR-Cas9 approach. The ethanol content of engineered S. cerevisiae GPD2 Delta FPS1 Delta ADH2 Delta DLD3 Delta increased by 18.58% with the decrease of glycerol, acetic acid, and lactic acid contents by 22.32, 8.87, and 16.82%, respectively. The metabolic flux analysis indicated that the carbon flux rethanol in engineered strain increased from 60.969 to 63.379. The sequencing-based RNA-Seq transcriptomics represented 472 differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified in engineered S. cerevisiae, in which 195 and 277 genes were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. The enriched pathways of up-regulated genes were mainly involved in the energy metabolism of carbohydrates, while the down-regulated genes were mainly enriched in acid metabolic pathways. CONCLUSIONS: The yield of ethanol in engineered S. cerevisiae increased with the decrease of the by-products including glycerol, acetic acid, and lactic acid. The deletion of genes GPD2, FPS1, ADH2, and DLD3 resulted in the redirection of carbon flux.

Neferine induces autophagy of human ovarian cancer cells via p38 MAPK/ JNK activation.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy. Patients usually have poor prognosis because of late diagnosis, relapse, and chemoresistance. It is pressing to seek novel agent for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Neferine is a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from the embryos of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of neferine on ovarian cancer cells. We found that neferine exhibited growth-inhibitory effect on human ovarian cancer cells, whereas showing less cytotoxic to non-malignant fallopian tube epithelial cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that neferine induced autophagy and inactivated the mTOR pathway. Finally, we found that both p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways were activated by neferine treatment and contributed to the induction of autophagy in ovarian cancer cells. In conclusion, our findings showed that neferine induced autophagy of human ovarian cancer cells via p38 MAPK/JNK activation. Neferine may be explored as a promising antitumoral agent in ovarian cancer.

Fever presentation and associated factors in patients with healthcare-associated bacteraemia.

Bacteraemia is a systemic infection associated with strong febrile immune reactions. Fever definitions, fever intensity and other factors might affect the recognition, management and prognosis of patients with bacteraemia. A prospective observational design was used to study 412 consecutive Taiwanese patients with healthcare-associated bacteraemia. The study variables were fever intensity, factors related to fever intensity, the association of physical function to thermogenic capacity and the sensitivity of three definitions of fever for identifying patients with bacteraemia. Age, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score, chills and pathogen types were predictors of fever intensity. Barthel index score, CCI score and pathogen types were predictors of chills, an indicator of thermogenic capacity. The sensitivity of three fever definitions (basal body temperature plus 1°C, ≥ 38°C and ≥ 38.3°C) to identify patients with bacteraemia was 93.3%, 83.5% and 71.4%, respectively. Clinicians can target patients with factors associated with blunted febrile response to bacteraemia for closer monitoring.

Sleep disturbances and related factors among family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Sleep disturbances among family caregivers (FCs) are common in advanced cancer. The comprehensive factors for sleep disturbances among the FCs of patients with cancer have not been investigated in Taiwan. The purposes of this study were to investigate the sleep disturbances among the FCs of patients with advanced cancer and to determine predictors of sleep disturbance. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 172 FCs. Data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and wrist actigraphy. A linear regression model was used to identify the predictive factors for sleep quality. RESULTS: Seventy-six percent of the FCs experienced some sleep disturbances. Female gender, more fatigue, greater depression, more caregiving burden, and spending over 16 h per day on caregiving tasks were risk factors for sleep disturbances in caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbances were common among the Taiwanese FCs of patients with advanced cancer. FCs with risk factors for sleep disturbances should be identified and provided assistance.

Growth and optical properties of ZnO/MgO core/shell nanoparticles.

Octylamine capped ZnO/MgO core/shell nanoparticles with different shell thickness were grown by thermolysis of metal organic precursors. The as-grown nanoparticles and subsequently annealed ones were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, high resolution transmission electron microscope, and Micro Raman spectroscope. ZnMgO alloys and amorphous MgO formed on the surface of the ZnO cores in the as-grown core/shell nanoparticles. MgO crystalline formed after annealing at 430 degrees C for 2 h. ZnO cores have strong UV emission and weak visible emission. Growth of the shells could enhance the intensity of ZnO UV emission by 4.2 times. The thinner shells promote the core luminescence more efficiently than thicker ones. After being annealed in air at high temperatures, UV luminescence intensities of both pure core and core/shell nanoparticles degraded, while the luminescence of the core/shell nanoparticles with thinner shells degraded more obviously.

Effect of a Web-Based Integrative Support Intervention to Improve Family Caregiver Positive Caregiving Experience and Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Cancer caregivers experience significant stress due to their multifaceted role. Current support methods are limited by unidimensional assessments. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate a Web-based support system aimed at reducing caregiver stress and anxiety, and improving resilience, vigilance, and quality of life, using both subjective and objective measures. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial with a single-center, 2-arm parallel design and longitudinal assessment was conducted in Taiwan. Caregivers of patients recently diagnosed with cancer were randomly allocated to either a standard care group or an intervention group that received enhanced nurse-led support. Metrics including psychological resilience, caregiver burden, anxiety, quality of life, stress levels, and vigilance were systematically evaluated on a monthly basis over a period of 5 months, starting from the initial baseline measurement. RESULTS: Following the intervention, participants in the intervention group exhibited statistically significant reductions in caregiver burden and anxiety, alongside a notable improvement in resilience. Objective evaluations revealed a significant reduction in stress levels within this group. However, there were no discernible differences in vigilance and quality of life metrics between the intervention and control groups. CONCLUSION: The Web-based program effectively reduced caregiver stress and burden, as indicated by multiple metrics. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This accessible and efficient Web-based support is beneficial for cancer caregivers facing diverse challenges.

Psychological factors associated with exercise self-efficacy in the recipients of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

BACKGROUND: Insufficient exercise affects the health of patients who have implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between exercise self-efficacy (ESE) and its associated psychological factors in ICD recipients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included individuals who had undergone ICD implantation at the cardiology department of a medical centre in Taiwan. A face-to-face survey was conducted. The survey questionnaire included questions regarding the participants' demographics, perceived health (PH), ICD shock-related anxiety (ICD-SRA), self-care self-efficacy (SSE), perceived exercise benefit (PE-benefit), perceived exercise barrier (PE-barrier), and ESE. Data were analysed using SPSS 20.0 Software. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were also performed to evaluate the predictive effects of the aforementioned factors on ESE. RESULTS: A total of 52 ICD recipients were enrolled. ESE was negatively correlated with ICD-SRA (r = -0.511; p < 0.01) and PE-barrier (r = -0.563; p < 0.01), but positively correlated with SSE (r = 0.339; p < 0.05) and PE-benefit (r = 0.464; p < 0.01). The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that PE-barrier, PE-benefit, and ICD-SRA effectively predicted ESE in the participants. CONCLUSIONS: ESE may be improved by overcoming PE-barrier, ICD-SRA and enhancing PE-benefit. Consequently, improving ESE may enhance the health benefits of exercise.

Immobilization of recombinant Trametes versicolor aflatoxin B1-degrading enzyme (TV-AFB1D) with montmorillonite for absorption and in situ degradation of aflatoxin B1.

Aflatoxin B1 is a highly carcinogenic and teratogenic substance mainly produced by toxin-producing strains such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasitic. The efficient decomposition of aflatoxin is an important means to reduce its harm to humans and livestock. In this study, Trametes versicolor aflatoxin B1-degrading enzyme (TV-AFB1D) was recombinantly expressed in Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) 168. MMT-CTAB-AFB1D complex was prepared by the immobilization of TV-AFB1D and montmorillonite (MMT) by cross-linking glutaraldehyde. The results indicated that TV-AFB1D could recombinantly express in engineered B. subtilis 168 with a size of approximately 77 kDa. The immobilization efficiency of MMT-CTAB-AFB1D reached 98.63% when the concentration of glutaraldehyde was 5% (v/v). The relative activity of TV-AFB1D decreased to 72.36% after reusing for 10 times. The content of AFB1 in MMT-CTAB-AFB1D-AFB1 decreased to 1.1 µg/g from the initial 5.6 µg/g after incubation at 50 °C for 6 h. The amount of 80.4% AFB1 in the MMT-CTAB-AFB1D-AFB1 complex was degraded by in situ catalytic degradation. Thus, the strategy of combining adsorption and in situ degradation could effectively reduce the content of AFB1 residue in the MMT-CTAB-AFB1D complex.

Effect of age on febrile response in patients with healthcare-associated bloodstream infection.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effect of age on febrile response in patients with healthcare-associated bloodstream infection (BSI). METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study using medical records as the primary source of data. Three indicators measured body temperature changes: basal body temperature (BBT), body temperature at infection onset (onset T), and maximum temperature (max T) during the infection period. RESULTS: In a sample of 230 patients there was no significant correlation between BBT or onset T and age. Max T was significantly correlated with age (r = -.191, p = .004). There was wide variation in onset T in all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Age showed no effect on BBT and onset T, but blunted max T in patients with bacteremia. This variability in onset T in all age groups emphasizes the need for early recognition of subtle signs of infection and the need to use an individualized definition of fever.

Etiology and clinical features of non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae infection in an inland city in China.

Non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae (NOVC) causes various illnesses ranging in severity from mild to life-threatening but were ignored previously. Knowledge of the NOVC infection, particularly bacteremia, is limited because of its rarity. Here we first retrospectively reported the demographic, clinical, and therapy characteristics of patients with NOVC infection. Isolated NOVC stains were identified by a series of biochemical, mass spectrometry (MS), and serum agglutination tests. The results of 11 patients with NOVC infection (including 8 with bacteremia) with a median age of 68 years were included in this report. Most isolated NOVC strains had antibiotic susceptibility. Patients with NOVC-positive were distributed in various departments, most occurring in gastroenterology (6 cases). Hepatic disease was the most common comorbid disease, followed by diabetes (3 cases) and biliary tract disease (3 cases). Two cases were previously healthy. The most common symptom at presentation was fever. All patients presented with abnormal changes in hematology and inflammatory parameters. Cephalosporins were the most frequently used antibiotics. Ten patients had a favorable outcome after treatment; one died from complicated underlying diseases. In summary, we recommend the timely identification of NOVC strains using MALDI-TOF-MS. The suspicion of NOVC bacteremia cannot be ruled out regardless of the host's immune status. An alternative therapeutic regimen for this infection may be ß-lactam antibiotics or combined with ß-lactamase inhibitors. Regardless, the specific therapeutic regimen should be based on the antibiogram data.

Prediction of risk of ischemic heart disease in first-diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patients in taiwan: is air pollution exposure a risk factor?

BACKGROUND: Air pollution is a key public health factor with the capacity to induce diseases. The risk of ischemia heart disease (IHD) in those suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from air pollution exposure is ambiguous. This study aimed to: (1) determine the hazard ratio (HR) of IHD after the first-diagnosed SLE and (2) examine the effects of air pollution exposure on IHD in SLE for 12 years. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring data were used in the study. Cases first diagnosed with SLE in 2006 cases without IHD were recruited as the SLE group. We randomly selected an additional sex-matched non-SLE cohort, four times the size of the SLE cohort, as the control group. Air pollution indices by residence city per period were calculated as the exposure. Life tables and Cox proportional risk models of time-dependent covariance were used in the research. RESULTS: This study identified patients for the SLE group (n = 4,842) and the control group (n = 19,368) in 2006. By the end of 2018, the risk of IHD was significantly higher in the SLE group than in the control group, and risks peaked between the 6th and 9th year. The HR of incidence IHD in the SLE group was 2.42 times that of the control group. Significant correlations with risk of developing IHD were noted for sex, age, CO, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5, of which PM10 exposure had the highest risk of IHD incidence. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with SLE were at a higher risk of IHD, especially those in the 6th to 9th year after SLE diagnosis. The advanced cardiac health examinations and health education plan should be recommended for SLE patients before the 6th year after SLE diagnosed.

Multi-scale analysis of the impacts of meteorology and emissions on PM2.5 and O3 trends at various regions in China from 2013 to 2020 1: Synoptic circulation patterns and pollution.

A multiscale analysis of meteorological trends was carried out to investigate the impacts of the large-scale circulation types as well as the local-scale key weather elements on the complex air pollutants, i.e. PM2.5 and O3 in China. As the first paper in the series, the relationship between synoptic circulation patterns and pollution was investigated. Six types of circulation patterns are defined and clustered to correlate with the observed pollutant levels, resulting in the identification of the impact similarity and difference of circulations on PM2.5 and O3 for three regions in China, i.e., the BTH (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei), YRD (Yangtze River Delta) and PRD (Peral River Delta), from 2013 to 2020. It is found that the six clustered circulation patterns were able to classify the circulation patterns that influence the pollutants and yield significant correlations with O3 and PM2.5 in three regions. The major circulation patterns governing the heavy PM2.5 and O3 were identified separately for each region and found to show inter-annual variabilities. Composite analysis indicated that there were some circulation patterns that caused the dual-highs of PM2.5 and O3 with about 13%, 8% and 3% occurrences during the period of 2013 to 2020 in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, respectively. The key weather elements for each type of circulation pattern were also identified. A detailed study of the impacts of key weather elements and emissions on the PM2.5 and O3 trends will accompany this paper (Gong et al., 2022).

CRISPR-Cas9 Approach Constructed Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the Deletion of GPD2, FPS1, and ADH2 to Enhance the Production of Ethanol.

Bioethanol plays an important value in renewable liquid fuel. The excessive accumulation of glycerol and organic acids caused the decrease of ethanol content in the process of industrial ethanol production. In this study, the CRISPR-Cas9 approach was used to construct S. cerevisiae engineering strains by the deletion of GPD2, FPS1, and ADH2 for the improvement of ethanol production. RNA sequencing and transcriptome analysis were used to investigate the effect of gene deletion on gene expression. The results indicated that engineered S. cerevisiae SCGFA by the simultaneous deletion of GPD2, FPS1, and ADH2 produced 23.1 g/L ethanol, which increased by 0.18% in comparison with the wild-type strain with 50 g/L of glucose as substrate. SCGFA strain exhibited the ethanol conversion rate of 0.462 g per g of glucose. In addition, the contents of glycerol, lactic acid, acetic acid, and succinic acid in SCGFA decreased by 22.7, 12.7, 8.1, 19.9, and 20.7% compared with the wild-type strain, respectively. The up-regulated gene enrichment showed glycolysis, fatty acid, and carbon metabolism could affect the ethanol production of SCGFA according to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Therefore, the engineering strain SCGFA had great potential in the production of bioethanol.

Impact of an Educational Program on Improving Nurses' Management of Fever: An Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite a public information campaign "To Break the Myth of Fever", nurses continued to overtreat fever. This study hypothesized that the campaign lacked the detailed rationale essential to alter nurses' attitudes and behaviors. AIM: To evaluate the effect of the educational program on nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to fever management. DESIGN: A randomized experimental design using a time series analysis. METHODS: A random sample of 58 medical/surgical nurses was evenly divided into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group received an educational program on fever and fever management. Both groups completed a pretest and four posttests using investigator-developed instruments: a questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes about fever management and a fever treatment checklist to audit charts. RESULTS: The intervention group had markedly higher knowledge scores and reduced use of ice pillows at all four posttests, as well as lower use of antipyretics overall, except for the first posttest, despite no sustained change in attitude. CONCLUSIONS: An educational program for fever management can effectively improve clinical nurses' knowledge and attitudes about fever management.

Validation of Screening Tools for Predicting the Risk of Functional Decline in Hospitalized Elderly Patients.

BACKGROUND: Functional decline and increased dependence on others are common health issues among hospitalized elderly patients. However, a well-validated screening tool for predicting functional decline in elderly patients is still lacking. The current study therefore aimed to evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracy of the Identification of Seniors at Risk-Hospitalized Patients (ISAR-HP), Variable Indicative of Placement Risk (VIP), and Score Hospitalier d' Evaluation du Risque de Perte d'Autonomie (SHERPA) in predicting functional decline 30 days after discharge in older patients admitted to an acute hospital ward. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted in 197 elderly inpatients at the internal medicine ward of a teaching hospital in central Taiwan. Data were collected twice, first within 48 h after hospitalization and second via a telephone interview 30 days after hospital discharge. Variables included demographic data, Barthel Index of activities of daily living (ADL), and screening instruments. The Barthel Index was used to measure functional disability. Functional decline was defined as a decline of at least five points on the Barthel Index 30 days after discharge compared to that at pre-admission. RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 77.7 years, with 55.7% being female. Functional decline was observed in 39.1% of all patients. The best cutoff point, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 2.5, 96.1%, 52.5%, and 0.751 for ISAR-HP; 1.5, 83.1%, 62.5%, and 0.761 for VIP; and 4.75, 89.6%, 54.2%, and 0.758 for SHERPA, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: All three instruments showed moderate diagnostic accuracy as indicated by their best cutoff points. Therefore, the results presented herein can guide health care professionals in selecting the appropriate assessment tool for predicting functional decline among hospitalized elderly patients in a clinical setting.

Multi-scale analysis of the impacts of meteorology and emissions on PM2.5 and O3 trends at various regions in China from 2013 to 2020 2. Key weather elements and emissions.

A multiscale analysis of meteorological trends was carried out to investigate the impacts of the large-scale circulation types as well as the local-scale key weather elements on the complex air pollutants, i.e., PM2.5 and O3 in China. Following an accompanying paper on synoptic circulation impact (Gong et al., 2022), using a multi-linear regression model, the trends of key meteorological elements at local scale, i.e., temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, PBL height, precipitation and wind speed, are analyzed and correlated with the trends of PM2.5 and O3 levels to identify significantly influencing factors in seven Chinese cities. Furthermore, with additional emission surrogates introduced in the regression model, the impacts on the trends by meteorology and emission were separated and quantified. Results show that the increasing trends of O3 at most Chinese cities were largely attributed to the trends of meteorological elements of temperature and solar radiation, while the trends of PM2.5 are mostly contributed by the emission reduction measures of PM2.5 and its precursors. The meteorology alone can explain approximately 57-80% of the O3 variations and only 20-33% of the PM2.5 variations. With the addition of emission surrogates, this explanation percentage is increased to about 57-82% for O3 but significantly enhanced to 71-83% for PM2.5.

Characterization of a Trametes versicolor aflatoxin B1-degrading enzyme (TV-AFB1D) and its application in the AFB1 degradation of contaminated rice in situ.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contaminates rice during harvest or storage and causes a considerable risk to human and animal health. In this study, Trametes versicolor AFB1-degrading enzyme (TV-AFB1D) gene recombinantly expressed in engineered E. coli BL21 (DE3) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The TV-AFB1D enzymatic characteristics and AFB1 degradation efficiency in contaminated rice were investigated. Results showed that the size of recombinant TV-AFB1D expressing in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and S. cerevisiae was appropriately 77 KDa. The kinetic equation of TV-AFB1D was y = 0.01671x + 1.80756 (R 2 = 0.994, Km = 9.24 mM, and Vmax = 553.23 mM/min). The Kcat and Kcat/Km values of TV-AFB1D were 0.07392 (s-1) and 8 M-1 s-1, respectively. The AFB1 concentration of contaminated rice decreased from 100 µg/ml to 32.6 µg/ml after treatment at 32°C for 5 h under the catabolism of TV-AFB1D. S. cerevisiae engineered strains carrying aldehyde oxidase 1 (AOX1) and Cauliflower mosaic virus 35 S (CaMV 35 S) promoters caused the residual AFB1 contents, respectively, decreased to 3.4 and 2.9 µg/g from the initial AFB1 content of 7.4 µg/g after 24 h of fermentation using AFB1-contaminated rice as substrate. The AFB1 degradation rates of S. cerevisiae engineered strains carrying AOX1 and CaMV promoters were 54 and 61%, respectively. Engineered S. cerevisiae strains integrated with TV-AFB1D expression cassettes were developed to simultaneously degrade AFB1 and produce ethanol using AFB1-contaminated rice as substrate. Thus, TV-AFB1D has significant application potential in the AFB1 decomposition from contaminated agricultural products.

Chemoenzymatic Labeling Pathogens Containing Terminal N-Acetylneuraminic Acid-α(2-3)-Galactose Glycans.

The N-acetylneuraminic acid-α(2-3)-galactose epitope is often located at the nonreducing terminal ends of glycans on the envelopes of many pathogens, and it is believed that this structure mimics a host's oligosaccharide so as to circumvent and/or counteract the host's immune responses. A chemoenzymatic method for the rapid and sensitive detection of N-acetylneuraminic acid-α(2-3)-galactose has been built, so we planned to examine whether the chemoenzymatic method could be applied on the detection of N-acetylneuraminic acid-α(2-3)-galactose on pathogens. Our results revealed that the chemoenzymatic method was rapid and sensitive for labeling live or dead Gram-positive Streptococcus agalactiae A909 and Gram-negative Campylobacter jejuni MK104 with N-acetylneuraminic acid-α(2-3)-galactose. This study suggested that the chemoenzymatic method was a new strategy for labeling pathogens and had potential for the diagnosis of or therapeutics for pathogenic infection.