Characteristics of the oral and gastric microbiome in patients with early-stage intramucosal esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Oral microbiome dysbacteriosis has been reported to be associated with the pathogenesis of advanced esophageal cancer. However, few studies investigated the potential role of oral and gastric microbiota in early-stage intramucosal esophageal squamous carcinoma (EIESC). METHOD: A total of 104 samples were collected from 31 patients with EIESC and 21 healthy controls. The compositions of oral and gastric microbiota were analyzed using 16 S rRNA V3-V4 amplicon sequencing. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis was performed to assess taxonomic differences between groups. The correlation between oral microbiota and clinicopathological factors was evaluated using Spearman correlation analysis. Additionally, co-occurrence networks were established and random forest models were utilized to identify significant microbial biomarkers for distinguishing between the EIESC and control groups. RESULTS: A total of 292 oral genera and 223 species were identified in both EIESC and healthy controls. Six oral genera were remarkably enriched in EIESC groups, including the genera Porphyromonas, Shigella, Subdoligranulum, Leptotrichia, Paludibacter, and Odoribacter. LEfSe analysis identified genera Porphyromonas and Leptotrichia with LDA scores > 3. In the random forest model, Porphyromonas endodontalis ranked the top microbial biomarker to differentiate EIESC from controls. The elimination rate of Porphyromonas endodontalis from the oral cavity to the stomach was also dramatically decreased in the EIESC group than controls. In the microbial co-occurrence network, Porphyromonas endodontalis was positively correlated with Prevotella tannerae and Prevotella intermedia and was negatively correlated with Veillonella dispar. CONCLUSION: Our study potentially indicates that the dysbacteriosis of both the oral and gastric microbiome was associated with EIESC. Larger scale studies and experimental animal models are urgently needed to confirm the possible role of microbial dysbacteriosis in the pathogenesis of EIESC. (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Center, ChiCTR2200063464, Registered 07 September 2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=178563).

Fish ELOVL7a is involved in virus replication via lipid metabolic reprogramming.

The elongation of very long chain fatty acids (ELOVL) proteins are key rate-limiting enzymes that catalyze fatty acid synthesis to form long chain fatty acids. ELOVLs also play regulatory roles in the lipid metabolic reprogramming induced by mammalian viruses. However, little is known about the roles of fish ELOVLs during virus infection. Here, a homolog of ELOVL7 was cloned from Epinephelus coioides (EcELOVL7a), and its roles in red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) and Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) infection were investigated. The transcription level of EcELOVL7a was significantly increased upon RGNNV and SGIV infection or other pathogen-associated molecular patterns stimulation in grouper spleen (GS) cells. Subcellular localization analysis showed that EcELOVL7a encoded an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) related protein. Overexpression of EcELOVL7a promoted the viral production and virus release during SGIV and RGNNV infection. Furthermore, the lipidome profiling showed that EcELOVL7a overexpression reprogrammed cellular lipid components in vitro, evidenced by the increase of glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and glycerides components. In addition, VLCFAs including FFA (20:2), FFA (20:4), FFA (22:4), FFA (22:5) and FFA (24:0), were enriched in EcELOVL7a overexpressed cells. Consistently, EcELOVL7a overexpression upregulated the transcription level of the key lipid metabolic enzymes, including fatty acid synthase (FASN), phospholipase A 2α (PLA 2α), and cyclooxygenases -2 (COX-2), LPIN1, and diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1α (DGAT1α). Together, our results firstly provided the evidence that fish ELOVL7a played an essential role in SGIV and RGNNV replication by reprogramming lipid metabolism.

Comprehensive assessment of three typical antibiotics on cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa): The impact and recovery capability.

This innovative study provided a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of three typical antibiotics exposures (cefradine, norfloxacin and amoxicillin) on Microcystis aeruginosa in two periods (exposure and post-exposure) at a new perspective. The results indicated that the irreversible growth inhibition of M. aeruginosa attributed to the norfloxacin in the exposure and the re-exposure stages. In contrast, although the algal cell size recovered to the control level after the exposure of 20 mg/L of cefradine, the significant stimulation on glutathione (GSH) still persisted even if the contaminants were removed. On the other hand, amoxicillin inhibited the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), GSH contents and the algal cell size in the exposure period while malonaldehyde (MDA) contents increased significantly in two periods.

Association of UBQ-8i polymorphism with Alzheimer's disease in Caucasians: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported an association between the UBQ-8i (rs12344615) polymorphism of the UBQLN1 gene and risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but these findings remain controversial. In this study, a meta-analysis was carried out to investigate the relationship between UBQ-8i polymorphism and AD risk and a possible synergy with apolipoprotein E (APOE)ε4 gene status. METHODS: Case-control studies were selected from PubMed, Medline and Embase (Ovid) databases. The potential association was evaluated by odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Data were analyzed with Stata version 11.0. RESULTS: A total of 4679 AD cases and 9928 controls were included in the study. There was no evidence of heterogeneity between studies or publication bias in the meta-analysis. There were no significant differences among the examined genetic models. In the analysis stratified by age of onset, a significant association was detected in the late onset AD group under the allele (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01-1.24), heterozygote (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02-1.30) and dominant (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00-1-26) models. However, UBQ-8i polymorphism was not associated with a higher risk for AD among APOEε4 carriers. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that UBQ-8i polymorphism may contribute to AD susceptibility, but does not synergize with APOEε4 status to increase AD risk.

Phosphorus mining from marine sediments adopting different carbon/nitrogen strategies driven by anaerobic reactors: The exploration of potential mechanism and microbial activities.

To investigate the possibility of phosphorus (P) recovery from marine sediment and explore the role of the carbon: nitrogen ratio in affecting the internal P release under anaerobic conditions, we experimented with the external addition of carbon (acetic acid and glucose) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) to expose P release mechanisms. The 24-day anaerobic incubations were conducted with four different carbon: nitrogen dosing groups including no NH4-N addition and COD/N ratios of 100, 50, and 10. The P release showed that extra NH4-N loading significantly suppressed the decomposition of P (p < 0.05) from the marine sediment, the maximum P release was 4.07 mg/L and 7.14 mg/L in acetic acid- and glucose-fed systems, respectively, without extra NH4-N addition. Additionally, the results exhibited that the imbalance of carbon: nitrogen not only failed to induce the production of organic P mineralization enzyme (alkaline phosphatase) in the sediment but also suppressed its activity under anaerobic conditions. The highest enzyme activity was observed in the group without additional NH4-N dosage, with rates of 1046.4 mg/(kg∙h) in the acetic acid- and 967.8 mg/(kg∙h) in the glucose-fed system, respectively. Microbial data analysis indicated that a decrease in the abundance of P release-regulating bacteria, including polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (Rhodobacteraceae) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (Desulfosarcinaceae), was observed in the high NH4-N addition groups. The observed reduction in enzyme activity and suppression of microbial activity mentioned above could potentially account for the inhibited P decomposition in the presence of high NH4-N addition under anaerobic conditions. The produced P-enriched solution from the bioreactors may offer a promising source for future recovery endeavors.

Influence of pH, Heat Treatment of Inoculum, and Selenium Oxyanions on Concomitant Selenium Bioremediation and Volatile Fatty Acid Production from Food Waste.

Developing novel strategies to enhance volatile fatty acid (VFA) yield from abundant waste resources is imperative to improve the competitiveness of biobased VFAs over petrochemical-based VFAs. This study hypothesized to improve the VFA yield from food waste via three strategies, viz., pH adjustment (5 and 10), supplementation of selenium (Se) oxyanions, and heat treatment of the inoculum (at 85 °C for 1 h). The highest VFA yield of 0.516 g COD/g VS was achieved at alkaline pH, which was 45% higher than the maximum VFA production at acidic pH. Heat treatment resulted in VFA accumulation after day 10 upon alkaline pretreatment. Se oxyanions acted as chemical inhibitors to improve the VFA yield at pH 10 with non-heat-treated inoculum (NHT). Acetic and propionic acid production was dominant at alkaline pH (NHT); however, the VFA composition diversified under the other tested conditions. More than 95% Se removal was achieved on day 1 under all the conditions tested. However, the heat treatment was detrimental for selenate reduction, with less than 15% Se removal after 20 days. Biosynthesized Se nanoparticles were confirmed by transmission and scanning electron microscopy and and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. The heat treatment inhibited the presence of nonsporulating bacteria and methanogenic archaea (Methanobacteriaceae). High-throughput sequencing also revealed higher relative abundances of the bacterial families (such as Clostridiaceae, Bacteroidaceae, and Prevotellaceae) that are capable of VFA production and/or selenium reduction.

Efficiency assessment of ZVI-based media as fillers in permeable reactive barrier for multiple heavy metal-contaminated groundwater remediation.

Four zero valent iron-based composites were prepared and applied as the reactive media of permeable reactive barriers. Batch tests and continuous-flow column experiments were conducted to assess the long-term performance of these composites for possible utilization as fillers for PRB. The experimental results of the batch tests revealed that in single-metal systems, the removal efficiency of Cu(Ⅱ), Co(Ⅱ), Cr(Ⅵ) and As(Ⅲ) could reach 98% at equilibrium. Equilibrium data showed that composites displayed different selectivity values in binary and quaternary-component systems. For the continuous tests, column filled with chitosan-zero valent iron-based composites, exhibited optimal removal efficiency and achieved average removal values of 98.84%, 88.28%, 95.65% and 87.10% for Cu(Ⅱ), Co(Ⅱ), Cr(Ⅵ) and As(Ⅲ) during the whole 30-day operation, respectively. Dynamic removal improvement of multiple metals was observed with further assembly media, with average removal of 99.11%, 90.05% and 87.34% for Cu(Ⅱ), Co(Ⅱ) and As(Ⅲ), respectively. Combined with superficial characteristic analysis, the functional groups distributed on the surface of composites played a key role in metal sorption. Moreover, the adsorbed Cu(Ⅱ), Co(Ⅱ) and Cr(Ⅵ) gradually transferred to the mobile phase when the operational periods were prolonged, while As(Ⅲ) became more stable.

Effect of pig manure-derived sulfadiazine on species distribution and bioactivities of soil ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms after fertilization.

To evaluate the effect of pig manure-derived sulfadiazine (SDZ) on the species distribution and bioactivities of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) within the soil were investigated pre- and post-fertilization. Kinetic modeling and linear regression results demonstrated that the DT50 value of different SDZ fractions under initial SDZ concentrations of 50 and 100 mg·kg-1 exhibited the following trend: total SDZ>CaCl2-extractable SDZ>MeOH-extractable SDZ, whereas their inhibiting effect on AOMs showed an opposite trend. qPCR analysis suggested that comammox was the predominant ammonia oxidizer in soils regardless of SDZ addition, accounting for as much as 77.2-94.7% of the total amoA, followed by AOA (5.3-22.5%), whereas AOB (<0.5%) was the lowest. The SDZ exhibited a significant effect on the AOM abundance. Specifically, SDZ exerted the highest inhibitory effect on comammox growth, followed by AOA, whereas negligible for AOB. The community diversity of AOMs within the pig manure-fertilized soils was affected by SDZ, and AOA Nitrososphaera cluster 3 played a key role in potential ammonia oxidation capacity (PAO) maintenance. This study provides new insights into the inhibition mechanisms of pig manure-derived antibiotics on AOMs within the fertilized soil.

Adiponectin Enhances B-Cell Proliferation and Differentiation via Activation of Akt1/STAT3 and Exacerbates Collagen-Induced Arthritis.

Although B cells have been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the precise role of B cells in RA needs to be explored further. Our previous studies have revealed that adiponectin (AD) is expressed at high levels in inflamed synovial joint tissues, and its expression is closely correlated with progressive bone erosion in patients with RA. In this study, we investigated the possible role of AD in B cell proliferation and differentiation. We found that AD stimulation could induce B cell proliferation and differentiation in cell culture. Notably, local intraarticular injection of AD promoted B cell expansion in joint tissues and exacerbated arthritis in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Mechanistically, AD induced the activation of PI3K/Akt1 and STAT3 and promoted the proliferation and differentiation of B cells. Moreover, STAT3 bound to the promoter of the Blimp-1 gene, upregulated Blimp-1 expression at the transcriptional level, and promoted B cell differentiation. Collectively, we observed that AD exacerbated CIA by enhancing B cell proliferation and differentiation mediated by the PI3K/Akt1/STAT3 axis.

Development, current state and future trends of sludge management in China: Based on exploratory data and CO2-equivaient emissions analysis.

This study statistically reported the current state of sludge treatment/disposal in China from the aspects of sources, technical routes, geographical distribution, and development by using observational data after 1978. By the end of 2019, 5476 municipal wastewater treatment plants were operating in China, leading to an annual sludge productivity of 39.04 million tons (80% water content). Overall, 29.3% of the sludge in China was disposed via land application, followed by incineration (26.7%) and sanitary landfills (20.1%). Incineration, compost, thermal hydrolysis and anerobic digestion were the mainstream technologies for sludge treatment in China, with capacities of 27,122, 11,250, 8342 and 6944 t/d in 2019, respectively. Incineration and drying were preferentially constructed in East China. In contrast, sludge compost was most frequently used in Northeast China (46.5%), East China (22.4%) and Central China (12.8%), while anaerobic digestion in East China, North China and Central China. The capacities of sludge facilities exhibited a sharp increase in 2009-2019, with an overall greenhouse gas emissions in China in 2019 reached 108.18 × 108 kg CO2-equivaient emissions, and the four main technical routes contributed as: incineration (45.11%) > sanitary landfills (23.04%) > land utilization (17.64%) > building materials (14.21%). Challenges and existing problems of sludge disposal in China, including high CO2 emissions, unbalanced regional development, low stabilization and land utilization levels, were discussed. Finally, suggestions regarding potential technical and administrative measures in China, and sustainable sludge management for developing countries, were also given.

Palmitic Acid Promotes Virus Replication in Fish Cell by Modulating Autophagy Flux and TBK1-IRF3/7 Pathway.

Palmitic acid is the most common saturated fatty acid in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Studies highlighted that palmitic acid plays a significant role in diverse cellular processes and viral infections. Accumulation of palmitic acid was observed in fish cells (grouper spleen, GS) infected with Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV). The fluctuated content levels after viral infection suggested that palmitic acid was functional in virus-cell interactions. In order to investigate the roles of palmitic acid in SGIV infection, the effects of palmitic acid on SGIV induced cytopathic effect, expression levels of viral genes, viral proteins, as well as virus production were evaluated. The infection and replication of SGIV were increased after exogenous addition of palmitic acid but suppressed after knockdown of fatty acid synthase (FASN), of which the primary function was to catalyze palmitate synthesis. Besides, the promotion of virus replication was associated with the down-regulating of interferon-related molecules, and the reduction of IFN1 and ISRE promotor activities by palmitic acid. We also discovered that palmitic acid restricted TBK1, but not MDA5-induced interferon immune responses. On the other hand, palmitic acid decreased autophagy flux in GS cells via suppressing autophagic degradation, and subsequently enhanced viral replication. Together, our findings indicate that palmitic acid is not only a negative regulator of TBK1-IRF3/7 pathway, but also a suppressor of autophagic flux. Finally, palmitic acid promotes the replication of SGIV in fish cells.

A Review Study on Sulfate-Radical-Based Advanced Oxidation Processes for Domestic/Industrial Wastewater Treatment: Degradation, Efficiency, and Mechanism.

High levels of toxic organic pollutants commonly detected during domestic/industrial wastewater treatment have been attracting research attention globally because they seriously threaten human health. Sulfate-radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) have been successfully used in wastewater treatment, such as that containing antibiotics, pesticides, and persistent organic pollutants, for refractory contaminant degradation. This review summarizes activation methods, including physical, chemical, and other coupling approaches, for efficient generation of sulfate radicals and evaluates their applications and economic feasibility. The degradation behavior as well as the efficiency of the generated sulfate radicals of typical domestic and industrial wastewater treatment is investigated. The categories and characteristics of the intermediates are also evaluated. The role of sulfate radicals, their kinetic characteristics, and possible mechanisms for organic elimination are assessed. In the last section, current difficulties and future perspectives of SR-AOPs for wastewater treatment are summarized.

Enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance with metal-doped Bi2WO6 for typical fluoroquinolones degradation: Efficiencies, pathways and mechanisms.

To clarify the photocatalytic mechanisms of metal-doped Bi2WO6 for fluoroquinolones (FQs) degradation, the effects of the chemical characteristics of four metals, molar ratios of the doped metals, morphology of the catalysts, and electrostatic interactions on the degradation of norfloxacin (NOR) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) were evaluated under visible light irradiation. Experimental results implied that the doping of Mg2+, Fe3+, Zn2+ and Cu2+ dramatically improved the photodegradation of Bi2WO6 for NOR and CIP removal, in which 1% Mg/Bi2WO6 exhibited the highest degradation rate of 89.44% for NOR and 99.11% for CIP. Photodegradation of NOR fitted to the pseudo-first-order model (k1 value of 0.02576 min-1), whereas that of CIP be better described by pseudo-second-order model. Moreover, the two FQs photodegradation pathways and the possible intermediates were summarized. The mechanisms of the metal dopants for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity were attributed to its enhanced specific surface area, electrostatic absorption, as well as the significant photogeneration of ·O2- and h+. Also, the photocatalyst exhibited a high stability with 78.5% photocatalytic performance after four cycles of repeated usage.

Dewatering efficiency of sewage sludge during Fe2+-activated persulfate oxidation: Effect of hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of sludge EPS.

To clarify the effect of the hydrophobic/hydrophilic polarity of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on sludge filterability improvement during S2O82-/Fe2+ oxidation, waste activated sludge (WAS), glucose-fed hydrophilic sludge (HPI-WAS), and sodium acetate-fed hydrophobic sludge (HPO-WAS) samples were cultivated, and their dewatering behaviors were individually explored. Experimental results showed that S2O82- oxidation effectively disintegrated the polymeric EPS and led to a more significant reduction in the water content for HPO-WAS than for HPI-WAS (12.87-15.23% vs 9.31-12.12%), especially regarding the bound water (Wb) content. After oxidation, as high as 38.88-42.61% of the Wb within HPO-WAS samples were declined, much higher than the HPI-WAS samples (19.27-29.20%). Specifically, carbohydrates within sludge EPS negatively influenced the dewatering process of S2O82-/Fe2+ oxidation. By contrast, abundant existence of humic acids and polymeric proteinaceous components (especially those hydrophilic proteins and transitional humic acids) within the sludge EPS exhibited a converse trend. FT-IR and EEM spectral, as well as particle sizes variation for the sludge samples before and after S2O82-/Fe2+ oxidation was also evaluated. This study provides new insight into the enhancement of S2O82-/Fe2+ oxidation for sludge dewatering based on polarity analysis of EPS.

Single and mixture toxicities of BDE-47, 6-OH-BDE-47 and 6-MeO-BDE-47 on the feeding activity of Daphnia magna: From behavior assessment to neurotoxicity.

Although 2,2',4,4'-tetrabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-47), 6-hydroxy-2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (6-OH-BDE-47) and 6-methoxy-2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (6-MeO-BDE-47) clearly disrupt the endocrine system, current knowledge of their single and/or mixture toxicities on other behaviors of aquatic organisms remains limited. In the present study, Daphnia magna was used to investigate the single and mixture toxicities of BDE-47, 6-OH-BDE-47 and 6-MeO-BDE-47 as measured by inhibition of feeding during exposure and post-exposure periods. Additionally, the biochemical performance, i.e., the activities of super oxidase dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) of the test organism was studied to investigate the potential mechanisms of the toxicity of the target compounds. The three target compounds produced an obvious depressive effect on feeding behavior during the exposure period, and the effect increased with increasing concentrations. D. magna was most sensitive to 6-OH-BDE-47. The toxicity of the ternary mixture showed an obvious concentration-dependent effect, whereas the binary mixture toxicity showed the characteristics of hormesis. During the post-exposure period, overcompensation occurred, indicating a short-term effect of the target compounds on D. magna. Additionally, significant changes occurred in neurological responses, indicating that these compounds might have neurobehavioral toxicity in D. magna. The decrease in oxidative stress enzymes (SOD and GPx) indicated that the antioxidant response of D. magna was destroyed.

[Transmaxillary approach for micro resection of clivus tumors, clinical analysis of 16 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the indications, key point, advantages, and disadvantages of transmaxillary approach for microsurgical removal of clivus tumors. METHODS: The clinical data of 16 consecutive patients with clivus tumors operated upon through transmaxillary approach, based on Le Fort I ostectomy, July 1999 to May 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 16 patients, 8 patients suffered from chordoma, 2 from angiofibroma, 1 from pituitary adenoma, 1 from chondroma, 1 from adenocarcinoma of grade II, 1 from mucoid cyst, 1 from myeloma, and 1 from fibrous dysplasia of bone. Four out of the 16 cases were with recurrent tumors after operation performed in other hospitals. The operation field of all 16 patients was satisfactorily exposed. The tumors of 10 cases were totally removed under microscope, and 6 tumors were subtotally removed. The complications included rhinorrhea in 1 case and malocclusion in 3 cases. There was no operative mortality. All patients were followed up for 6 approximately 40 months (ion average 20 months) with MRI. Four of them had local recurrence within 1 year, 1.5 years, 2 years, and 9 months respectively after operational and have lived with tumors till now. The remainders had resumed their normal life. CONCLUSION: An ideal approach, transmaxillary approach facilitates the resection of clivus tumors, with satisfying exposure and fewer complications.