Kitasatospora cathayae sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinomycete isolated from the leaves of Cathaya argyrophylla.

Strain HUAS 3-15T was isolated from the leaves of Cathaya argyrophylla collected from Chenzhou, Hunan Province, PR China. The main fatty acids (>5.0 %) of the strain were anteiso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0, C18 : 1 ω9c, iso-C16 : 0, summed feature 5 (C18 : 2 ω6,9c/C18 : 0 ante), iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. MK-9(H6), MK-9(H8) and MK-9(H4) were detected as respiratory quinones. The diagnostic cell-wall diamino acid was meso-diaminopimelic acid. Galactose, glucose and ribose were also present in the cell wall. The major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and unidentified phospholipids. The DNA G+C content of the genome sequence, consisting of 8 860 963 bp, is 72.4 mol%. blast analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strain belongs to the genus Kitasatospora, with 99.37, 99.03, 98.95, 98.68 and 98.67 % sequence similarity to Kitasatospora aureofaciens ATCC 10762T, Kitasatospora viridis DSM 44826T, Kitasatospora xanthocidica NBRC 13469T, Kitasatospora aburaviensis NRRL B-2218T and Kitasatospora kifunensis IFO 15206T, respectively. Phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome sequences demonstrated that strain HUAS 3-15T formed a well-supported cluster with K. aureofaciens ATCC 10762T. Further genomic characterization through average nucleotide identity (ANIb/m) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization analysis between strain HUAS 3-15T and K. aureofaciens ATCC 10762T showed values of 90.62/92.55 % and 45.3 %, respectively, lower than the 95-96 % ANI threshold and 70.0 % cutoff used as guideline values for species delineation in bacteria. Furthermore, the differences between the strain and its phylogenomic neighbour in terms of physiological (e.g. sole carbon source growth) and chemotaxonomic (e.g. cellular fatty composition) characteristics further supported this conclusion. Consequently, we concluded that strain HUAS 3-15T represents a novel species of the genus Kitasatospora, for which the name Kitasatospora cathayae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HUAS 3-15T (=MCCC 1K08542T=JCM 36274T).

Association of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages with elevated blood pressure among college students in Yunnan Province, China.

OBJECTIVE: Although some studies have examined the association between eating behaviour and elevated blood pressure (EBP) in adolescents, current data on the association between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and EBP in adolescents in Yunnan Province, China, are lacking. SETTING: Cluster sampling was used to survey freshmen at a college in Kunming, Yunnan Province, from November to December. Data on SSB consumption were collected using an FFQ measuring height, weight and blood pressure. A logistic regression model was used to analyse the association between SSB consumption and EBP, encompassing prehypertension and hypertension with sex-specific analyses. PARTICIPANTS: The analysis included 4781 college students. RESULTS: Elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were detected in 35·10 % (1678/4781) and 39·34 % (1881/4781) of patients, respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables, tea beverage consumption was associated with elevated SBP (OR = 1·24, 95 % CI: 1·03, 1·49, P = 0·024), and carbonated beverage (OR = 1·23, 95 % CI: 1·04, 1·45, P = 0·019) and milk beverage (OR = 0·81, 95 % CI: 0·69, 0·95, P = 0·010) consumption was associated with elevated DBP in college students. Moreover, fruit beverage (OR = 1·32, 95 % CI: 1·00, 1·75, P = 0·048) and milk beverage consumption (OR = 0·69, 95 % CI: 0·52, 0·93, P = 0·014) was associated with elevated DBP in males. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that fruit and milk beverage consumption was associated with elevated DBP in males, and no association was observed with EBP in females.

Downregulating lncRNA NEAT1 induces proliferation and represses apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells in polycystic ovary syndrome via microRNA-381/IGF1 axis.

OBJECTIVE: Researchers have revealed the combined functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNA (miRNAs) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study aimed to understand the role of nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) and miR-381 involving insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in PCOS. METHODS: PCOS rat model was established by dehydroepiandrosterone induction. NEAT1, miR-381 and IGF1 expression in ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS patients and ovarian tissues of PCOS rats were tested. Bioinformatics website and dual luciferase reporter gene assay were utilized to verify the relationship between NEAT1 and miR-381 and that between miR-381 and IGF1. Levels of sex hormone, pathological changes and ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in ovarian tissues of PCOS rats were detected. Ovarian granulosa cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed in vitro. RESULTS: NEAT1 and IGF1 expression increased while miR-381 expression decreased in the ovarian granulosa cells of patients with PCOS and the ovarian tissues of PCOS rats. In in vivo experiments, interference with NEAT1 improved the levels of sex hormones, alleviated pathological changes and suppressed ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in the ovarian tissues of PCOS rats. In in vitro cell experiments, interference with NEAT1 suppressed apoptosis and enhanced cell proliferation of ovarian granulosa cells. NEAT1 interference-mediated effect would be reversed by up-regulating miR-381. NEAT1 acted as a ceRNA to adsorb miR-381 to target IGF1. Overexpression of IGF1 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-381 on ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Interference with NEAT1 increases miR-381 and reduces IGF1 levels, effectively improving the levels of sex hormones and reducing the pathological damage of ovarian tissue in rats with PCOS.

Magnetic Metal-Organic Framework Exhibiting Quick and Selective Solvatochromic Behavior along with Reversible Crystal-to-Amorphous-to-Crystal Transformation.

By utilizing a flexible tetrapyridinate ligand, tetrakis(4-pyridyloxymethylene) methane(L), a novel multifunctional soft porous framework, [Co(NCS)2(L)]·2H2O·CH3OH (1), was constructed. This framework exhibits quick and selective solvatochromic and vapochromic behavior during a reversible crystal-to-amorphous-to-crystal (CAC) transformation. Importantly, the rapid CAC transition can selectively be triggered by methanol molecules, even at low concentrations of liquid or gaseous methanol. This reproducible transition can be monitored by single-crystal and power X-ray analysis, IR, and UV-vis, which all powerfully illustrate the selectivity and sensitivity of this system. In addition, the typical magnetic behavior of single ion magnets (SIMs) has been successfully introduced into this 3D framework, and the modified dynamic relaxations have been investigated via experimental and theoretical analysis. The consistent observations of both experimental and theoretical results support that the distortions of the metal coordination environments should be responsible for the finely tuned SIM behavior.

SEC-10 and RAB-10 coordinate basolateral recycling of clathrin-independent cargo through endosomal tubules in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Despite the increasing number of regulatory proteins identified in clathrin-independent endocytic (CIE) pathways, our understanding of the exact functions of these proteins and the sequential manner in which they function remains limited. In this study, using the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine as a model, we observed a unique structure of interconnected endosomal tubules, which is required for the basolateral recycling of several CIE cargoes including hTAC, GLUT1, and DAF-4. SEC-10 is a subunit of the octameric protein complex exocyst. Depleting SEC-10 and several other exocyst components disrupted the endosomal tubules into various ring-like structures. An epistasis analysis further suggested that SEC-10 operates at the intermediate step between early endosomes and recycling endosomes. The endosomal tubules were also sensitive to inactivation of the Rab GTPase RAB-10 and disruption of microtubules. Taken together, our data suggest that SEC-10 coordinates with RAB-10 and microtubules to form the endosomal tubular network for efficient recycling of particular CIE cargoes.

Hospitalization of patients with nutritional anemia in the United States in 2020.

Background: Nutritional anemia is highly prevalent and has triggered a globally recognized public health concern worldwide. Objective: To better understand the prevalence of anemia and the state of nutritional health in developed countries to inform global nutritional health and better manage the disease. Method: We employed the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)-2020 National Inpatient Health Care Data (NIS), administered by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Nutritional anemia was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). Matching analysis and multivariate regression were used to adjust for patient and hospital characteristics. Controls were obtained by stratifying and matching for age and sex. Results: The 2020 HCUP-NIS database encompassed a survey over 6.4 million hospitalized patients, among which 1,745,350 patients diagnosed with anemia, representing approximately 26.97% of the hospitalized population, over 310,000 were diagnosed with nutritional anemia, and 13,150 patients were hospitalized for nutritional anemia as primary diagnosis. Hospitalization rate for nutritional anemia exhibited an increased age-dependent increase nationwide, especially among females, who displayed 1.87 times higher than males. Notably, in comparison to the control group, individuals of the Black race exhibit a higher prevalence of nutritional anemia (case group: 21.7%, control group: 13.0%, p < 0.001). In addition, hospitalization rates were higher among low-income populations, with lower rates of private insurance (case group: 18.7%, control group: 23.5%, p < 0.001) and higher rates of Medicaid insurance (case group: 15.4%, control group: 13.9%, p < 0.001). In areas characterized by larger urban centers and advanced economic conditions within the urban-rural distribution, there was an observed increase in the frequency of patient hospitalizations. Iron deficiency anemia emerged as the predominant subtype of nutritional anemia, accounting for 12,214 (92.88%). Secondary diagnosis among patients hospitalized for nutritional anemia revealed that a significant number faced concurrent major conditions like hypertension and renal failure. Conclusion: In economically prosperous areas, greater attention should be given to the health of low-income individuals and the older adult. Our findings hold valuable insights for shaping targeted public health policies to effectively address the prevalence and consequences of nutritional anemia based on a overall population health.

Dynamic formation of zeolite synthesized from fly ash by alkaline hydrothermal conversion.

This study was designed to characterize the dynamic formation of zeolite synthesized from fly ash (ZFA) and to identify the zeolitization mechanisms during a 160-h-long hydrothermal alkaline conversion at 95°C by using fly ash (FA) samples collected from four typical thermoelectric power plants in China, with the purpose of improving ZFA quality. The process of synthesizing ZFA can be fundamentally divided into five stages: induction stage (0-0.5 h), accelerating dissolution stage (0.5-12 h), nucleation and/or crystallization stage (12-24 h), crystal growth stage (24-72 h) and crystal transformation stage (72-160 h). The crystal growth stage determined the quality of zeolite crystallization, coupled with functions of re-assembling the silicon-aluminium tetrahedral network and developing submicro- and/or nanometer microstructure. A 48-h-long hydrothermal conversion generated ZFAs that had a greater specific surface area (26.0-89.4 times) and cation exchange capacity (29.6-71.0 times) than FA, which successfully sequestrated 41-95% of ammonium and 75-98% of phosphate from swine manure. However, over-reaction resulted in more stable hydroxysodalite and/or sodalite, surface agglomeration and cracking, and energy wasting. This work suggests that the reuse of recycled synthesis materials should occur during the fourth step (24-72 h).

First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales.

Modern baleen whales are unique as large-sized filter feeders, but their roles were replicated much earlier by diverse marine reptiles of the Mesozoic. Here, we investigate convergence in skull morphology between modern baleen whales and one of the earliest marine reptiles, the basal ichthyosauromorph Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, from the Early Triassic, a time of rapid recovery of life following profound mass extinction. Two new specimens reveal the skull morphology especially in dorsal view. The snout of Hupehsuchus is highly convergent with modern baleen whales, as shown in a morphometric analysis including 130 modern aquatic amniotes. Convergences in the snout include the unfused upper jaw, specialized intermediate space in the divided premaxilla and grooves around the labial margin. Hupehsuchus had enlarged its buccal cavity to enable efficient filter feeding and probably used soft tissues like baleen to expel the water from the oral cavity. Coordinated with the rigid trunk and pachyostotic ribs suggests low speeds of aquatic locomotion, Hupehsuchus probably employed continuous ram filter feeding as in extant bowhead and right whales. The Early Triassic palaeoenvironment of a restrictive lagoon with low productivity drove Hupehsuchus to feed on zooplankton, which facilitated ecosystem recovery in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an Fauna at the beginning of the Mesozoic.

Finite-difference time-domain to screen Au NPs as SERS active substrate for the sensitive determination of prohibited drugs in fish via solvent cleaning.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), as a molecule-specific method using plasmonic nanostructures to significantly enhance signal intensity, has been employed in various fields. In our study, we investigated the size effect of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on surface plasmon response by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. In addition, SERS experiments, using the same concentrations of crystal violet (CV), were also carried out to confirm the simulation results. On this basis, the size of citrate-stabilized Au NPs (∼100 nm) was controlled by a seed-mediated growth, thus providing great electromagnetic field enhancement for SERS detection of CV in fish. Methanol solvent cleaning along with high speed centrifugal separation was developed, which could not only remove lipids in fish, but also produce hot spots via induced aggregation of Au NPs. The SERS detection limit of CV in fish could be less than 1 ppb. Such cost-effective and facile routes will be attractive for the trace detection of various analytes in complex matrices.

Hydrophobic expanded graphite-covered support to construct flexible and stable SERS substrate for sensitive determination by paste-sampling from irregular surfaces.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising technique for trace determination. More and more attention is focused on hybrid SERS substrates, which coupled with noble metal nanoparticles and carbon-based materials. Herein, expanded graphite (EG) is used to prepare EG-covered support by ultrasonic washing and filtration. Such support is flexible and can be cut into any shape. And the contact angle (θe) for Au nanorods (Au NRs) sol on the EG-covered support was 108.2° and the hydrophobic surface is helpful for Au NRs to construct 'hot spots' during evaporation. The limits of detection (LOD) for crystal violet (CV), thiram, malachite green (MG) and methylene blue (MB) were as low as 1 ppb, 50 ppb, 1 ppb and 1 ppb, respectively. Moreover, a fast and convenient 'paste-sampling' method could be employed for trace contaminants on real samples, because EG-based Au NRs substrate is of flexibility and porosity. Thus, CV residue on shrimp could be determined lower than 1 ppb and thiram residue on grapes could be identified lower than 50 ppb. In addition to high sensitivity, the stability of EG-based Au NRs substrate is also very good. Even after acid/alkali pretreatment (pH = 4∼10) or 30 min of thermal treatment (T = 20∼100 °C), the enhancement of the substrate remained stable. What's more, the substrate could be stored as long as 30 days. The highly stable, sensitive, cost-effective and easy-to-produce EG-based Au NRs substrates exhibit a great potential to promote application of SERS for routine analysis.

Structural tuning of zinc-porphyrin frameworks via auxiliary nitrogen-containing ligands towards selective adsorption of cationic dyes.

Three metal-organic frameworks have been synthesized by using N-containing ligands and meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin, which all exhibit distinct selective adsorption capacities toward various organic dyes, illustrating the most important influence of the structural tuning.

Synthesis of nano-zeolite from coal fly ash and its potential for nutrient sequestration from anaerobically digested swine wastewater.

The treatment of anaerobically digested swine wastewater (ADSW) is problematic due to its high nutrient concentration. This study investigated the simultaneous sequestration of ammonium (N) and phosphate (P) from ADSW using nano-zeolites synthesized from fly ash (ZFA). The nanometer-scale crystalline structures plentiful of zeolite-NaP1 coating on ZFA particle increased the levels of specific surface area and cation exchange capacity at times of 40 and 104, compared to raw fly ash. Kinetic N and P sorption experiments with ZFA were well described by both the Langmuir and Freundlich models, suggesting the co-existence of homogeneous and heterogeneous sorption mechanisms. N and P removal efficiencies ranged from 41% to 95% and 75% to 98%, respectively, across a range of ZFA doses (from 0.25 to 8g/100ml). Collectively, application of the laboratory-synthesized ZFA can alleviate the nutrient loads in ADSW and therefore modify the ratio of N:P in wastewater beneficial for subsequent biological treatment.

Silence of Synaptotagmin VII inhibits release of dense core vesicles in PC12 cells.

Synaptotagmin VII (Syt VII), which has a higher Ca(2+) affinity and slower disassembly kinetics with lipid than Syt I and Syt IX, was regarded as being uninvolved in synaptic vesicle (SV) exocytosis but instead possibly as a calcium sensor for the slower kinetic phase of dense core vesicles (DCVs) release. By using high temporal resolution capacitance and amperometry measurements, it was demonstrated that the knockdown of endogenous Syt VII attenuated the fusion of DCV with the plasma membrane, reduced the amplitude of the exocytotic burst of the Ca(2+)-triggered DCV release without affecting the slope of the sustained component, and blocked the fusion pore expansion. This suggests that Syt VII is the Ca(2+) sensor of DCV fusion machinery and is an essential factor for the establishment and maintenance of the pool size of releasable DCVs in PC12 cells.