Effective microorganism combinations improve the quality of compost-bedded pack products in heifer barns: exploring pack bacteria-fungi interaction mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Compost-bedded pack barns (CBP) are getting huge attention as an alternative housing system for dairy cows due to their beneficial impact on animal welfare. Effective microorganisms (EM) inoculums are believed to enhance compost quality, improve soil structure and benefit the environment. However, little information is available on the impact of incubation with external EM combinations on the barn environment, compost quality and microbial diversity in CBP. This experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of inoculating different combinations of EM [Lactobacillus plantarum (L), Compound Bacillus (B) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S)] on compost quality and microbial communities of CBP products, as well as the relationship with the heifers' barn environment. CBP barns were subjected to the following four treatments: CON with no EM inoculum, LB/LS/LBS were Incubated with weight ratios of 1:2 (L: B), 1:2 (L: S), 1:1:1 (L: B: S), respectively. RESULTS: The EM inoculation (LB, LS, LBS) reduced the concentration of respirable particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in the CBP, and decreased the serum total protein and total cholesterol levels in heifers. Notably, LBS achieved the highest content of high-density lipoprotein compared to other treatments. Microbiome results revealed that EM inoculation reduced the bacterial abundance (Chao1 index) and fungal diversity (Shannon & Simpson indexes), while increasing the relative abundance of various bacterial genera (Pseudomonas, Paracoccus, Aequorivita) and fungi (Pestalotiopsis), which are associated with cellulose decomposition that ultimately resulted in accelerating organic matter degradation and humification. Furthermore, high nutrient elements (TK&TP) and low mycotoxin content were obtained with EM inoculation, with LBS showing a particularly pronounced effect. Meanwhile, LBS contributed to a decline in the proportion of fungal pathogen categories but also led to an increase in fungal saprotroph categories. CONCLUSION: Generally, EM inoculation positively impacted compost product quality as organic fertilizer and barn environment by modifying the abundance of cellulolytic bacteria and fungi, while inhibiting the reproduction of pathogenic microbes, especially co-supplementing with L, B and S achieved an amplifying effect.

Effect of Moringa oleifera leaf polysaccharide on the composition of intestinal microbiota in mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis.

Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is a natural plant that has excellent nutritional and medicinal potential. M. oleifera leaves (MOL) contain several bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effect of MOL polysaccharide (MOLP) on intestinal flora in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. DSS-induced colitis was deemed to be a well-characterized experimental colitis model for investigating the protective effect of drugs on UC. In this study, we stimulated the experimental mice with DSS 4% for 7 days and prepared the high dose of MOLP (MOLP-H) in order to evaluate its effect on intestinal flora in DSS-induced UC mice, comparing three experimental groups, including the control, DSS model, and DSS + MOLP-H (100 mg/kg/day). At the end of the experiment, feces were collected, and the changes in intestinal flora in DSS-induced mice were analyzed based on 16S rDNA high throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the Shannon, Simpson, and observed species indices of abundance decreased in the DSS group compared with the control group. However, the indices mentioned above were increased in the MOLP-H group. According to beta diversity analysis, the DSS group showed low bacterial diversity and the distance between the control and MOLP-H groups, respectively. In addition, compared with the control group, the relative abundance of Firmicutes in the DSS group decreased and the abundance of Helicobacter increased, while MOLP-H treatment improves intestinal health by enhancing the number of beneficial organisms, including Firmicutes, while reducing the number of pathogenic organisms, such as Helicobacter. In conclusion, these findings suggest that MOLP-H may be a viable prebiotic with health-promoting properties.

Potential transition of depression of older adults affected by socioeconomic status show different styles: A longitudinal study of Chinese older adults.

Socioeconomic status' (SES) impact on depressive symptoms has been extensively examined; however, previous studies have generally used variable-centered approaches and cross-sectional designs. Therefore, this study explored the subtypes of depression and examined the degree of association between SES and latent transition probabilities. We used latent profile and latent transition analyses with the 2015 and 2018 waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 4904). Three subtypes of depression were identified based on symptoms: severe symptom (SS), low symptom (LS), and sub-health (MS). The SS subtype had the highest probability of staying within the original subtype. Individuals in the MS subtype were more likely to move to the SS subtype than those in the LS subtype. The heterogeneity analysis also showed that the effect of SES on latent transition probabilities is heterogeneous to the satisfaction with their relationship with their children, as well as the number of children. Additionally, decision tree analysis found SES and gender can predict transitioning. These findings add to literature on the effects of SES on the heterogeneity of depression and have implications for depression screening and identifying individuals in need of targeted interventions.

Harnessing and Mimicking Bacterial Features to Combat Cancer: From Living Entities to Artificial Mimicking Systems.

Bacterial-derived micro-/nanomedicine has garnered considerable attention in anticancer therapy, owing to the unique natural features of bacteria, including specific targeting ability, immunogenic benefits, physicochemical modifiability, and biotechnological editability. Besides, bacterial components have also been explored as promising drug delivery vehicles. Harnessing these bacterial features, cutting-edge physicochemical and biotechnologies have been applied to attenuated tumor-targeting bacteria with unique properties or functions for potent and effective cancer treatment, including strategies of gene-editing and genetic circuits. Further, the advent of bacteria-inspired micro-/nanorobots and mimicking artificial systems has furnished fresh perspectives for formulating strategies for developing highly efficient drug delivery systems. Focusing on the unique natural features and advantages of bacteria, this review delves into advances in bacteria-derived drug delivery systems for anticancer treatment in recent years, which has experienced a process from living entities to artificial mimicking systems. Meanwhile, a summary of relative clinical trials is provided and primary challenges impeding their clinical application are discussed. Furthermore, future directions are suggested for bacteria-derived systems to combat cancer.

Unraveling Ros Conversion Through Enhanced Enzyme-Like Activity with Copper-Doped Cerium Oxide for Tumor Nanocatalytic Therapy.

Nanozyme catalytic therapy for cancer treatments has become one of the heated topics, and the therapeutic efficacy is highly correlated with their catalytic efficiency. In this work, three copper-doped CeO2 supports with various structures as well as crystal facets are developed to realize dual enzyme-mimic catalytic activities, that is superoxide dismutase (SOD) to reduce superoxide radicals to H2 O2 and peroxidase (POD) to transform H2 O2 to ∙OH. The wire-shaped CeO2 /Cu-W has the richest surface oxygen vacancies, and a low level of oxygen vacancy (Vo) formation energy, which allows for the elimination of intracellular reactive oxygen spieces (ROS) and continuous transformation to ∙OH with cascade reaction. Moreover, the wire-shaped CeO2 /Cu-W displays the highest toxic ∙OH production capacity in an acidic intracellular environment, inducing breast cancer cell death and pro-apoptotic autophagy. Therefore, wire-shaped CeO2 /Cu nanoparticles as an artificial enzyme system can have great potential in the intervention of intracellular ROS in cancer cells, achieving efficacious nanocatalytic therapy.