Literature review to identify evidence of secondary transmission of pentavalent human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine (RV5) strains to unvaccinated subjects.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children. Live attenuated vaccines can lead to horizontal transmission with the risk of vaccine-derived disease in contacts. Transmission of pentavalent human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine (RV5) strains leading to clinical disease was not well evaluated in the pivotal clinical trials, and only a few case reports have been described in the literature. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature review to investigate secondary transmission of RV5 strains to unvaccinated subjects globally. We searched Embase, Medline for English papers, CNKI, Wan Fang for Chinese papers, and other resources (i.e., conference papers with full text) from January 2005 to June 2021. Eligibility criteria for inclusion were original articles based on non-interventional studies (case-control studies, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies) using RV5 strain transmission as outcomes. Other study or publication types were excluded, such as pre-clinical studies, interventional studies and case reports. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used, and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cohort studies and the JBI checklist for cross-sectional studies to assess the risk of bias. RESULTS: The search generated 2,089 articles in total. Seven articles met all inclusion criteria, including six cohort studies and one cross-sectional study. All studies underwent quality assessment and complied with the quality criteria of the NOS or JBI checklist, respectively. Overall, none of the seven studies identified RV5 vaccine-type transmission to an unvaccinated population, in either hospitals or nurseries under a close contact environment. One study reported that 1% of unvaccinated infants had gastrointestinal symptoms, but all symptoms were attributed to other clinical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence of horizontal transmission of RV5 strains to unvaccinated infants in a context of a limited amount and the descriptive nature of the identified studies.

Gastrointestinal tumor-related perihepatic fluorouracil encapsulated lesions and liver metastases: a diagnostic imaging study based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Perihepatic fluorouracil encapsulated lesions (FELs) can result in potentially confusing computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in postoperative examinations of gastrointestinal tumors. This retrospective study aimed to summarize the typical imaging features of FELs and determine the best imaging modality to distinguish FELs from liver metastases for junior residents. Methods: Patients with FELs who had undergone gastrointestinal tumor surgery in Tongji Hospital from January 2016 to June 2022 were evaluated. The imaging features of FELs were summarized by two senior radiologists. Contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) was used as the primary follow-up tool for postoperative gastrointestinal tumor patients. Patients with FELs and available CECT and MRI examinations were matched with patients with liver metastases based on gender and age and presented in chronological order in a 2:1 ratio. Different imaging modality combinations were used for further evaluation, including a CECT group (modality Ⅰ), CECT and nonenhanced MRI group (modality Ⅱ) and CECT with all MRI sequences group (modality Ⅲ). Subsequently, two junior residents blindly evaluated three groups following a 4-week interval based on a 5-point scale (1= definite benign lesion, 2= probable benign lesion, 3= indeterminate, 4= probable liver metastasis, 5= definite liver metastasis). Results: Imaging features of 33 patients with 36 FELs were analyzed. CECT and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) showed no enhancement in most lesions. Additionally, 20 patients with FELs meeting the requirements were matched with 40 patients with liver metastases. The highest sensitivity, specificity, and consistency for identifying liver metastases were achieved using a combination of CECT and MRI encompassing all sequences yielded, including modality Ⅰ (reader 1: 72.0% and 17.4%; reader 2: 62.0% and 17.4%; kappa value 0.295), modality Ⅱ (reader 1: 88.0% and 8.7%; reader 2: 92.0% and 34.8%; kappa value 0.259), and modality Ⅲ (reader 1: 98.0% and 34.8%; reader 2: 92.0% and 39.1%; kappa value 0.680). Conclusions: FELs are typically non-enhancing lesions. In our study, two junior residents could best distinguish FELs from liver metastases using CECT with all MRI sequences.

Enhancing the Differentiation between Intestinal Behçet's Disease and Crohn's Disease through Quantitative Computed Tomography Analysis.

Behçet's disease (BD) behaves similarly to Crohn's disease (CD) when the bowel is involved. Computed tomography enterography (CTE) can accurately show intestinal involvement and obtain body composition data. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether CTE could improve the ability to distinguish between intestinal BD and CD. This study evaluated clinical, laboratory, endoscopic, and CTE features on first admission. Body composition analysis was based on the CTE arterial phase. The middle layers of the L1-L5 vertebral body were selected. The indicators assessed included: the area ratio of visceral adipose tissue (VAT)/subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) (VSR) in each layer, the total volume ratio of VAT/SAT, the quartile of VAT attenuation in each layer and the coefficient of variation (CV) of the VAT area for each patient was also calculated. Two models were developed based on the above indicators: one was a traditional model (age, gender, ulcer distribution) and the other was a comprehensive model (age, gender, ulcer distribution, proximal ileum involvement, asymmetrical thickening of bowel wall, intestinal stenosis, VSRL4, and CV). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the traditional (sensitivity: 80.0%, specificity: 81.0%) and comprehensive (sensitivity: 95.0%, specificity: 87.2%) models were 0.862 and 0.941, respectively (p = 0.005).

Biofuneling lignin-derived compounds into lipids using a newly isolated Citricoccus sp. P2.

Lignin-derived compounds (LDCs) bioconversion into lipids is a promising yet challenging task. This study focuses on the isolation of the ligninolytic bacterium Citricoccus sp. P2 and investigates its mechanism for producing lipids from LDCs. Although strain P2 exhibits a relatively low lignin degradation rate of 44.63%, it efficiently degrades various concentrations of LDCs. The highest degradation rate is observed when incubated with 0.6 g/L vanillic acid, 0.6 g/L syringic acid, 0.8 g/L p-coumaric acid, and 0.4 g/L phenol, resulting in respective lipid yields of 0.16 g/L, 0.13 g/L, 0.24 g/L, and 0.13 g/L. The genome of strain P2 provides insights into LDCs bioconversion into lipids and stress tolerance. Moreover, Citricoccus sp. P2 has been successfully developed a non-sterilized lipid production using its native alkali-halophilic characteristics, which significantly enhances the lipid yield. This study presents a promising platform for lipids production from LDCs and has potential to promote valorization of lignin.

Effect of leaf phenology and morphology on the coordination between stomatal and minor vein densities.

Leaf phenology (evergreen vs. deciduous) and morphology (simple vs. compound) are known to be related to water use strategies in tree species and critical adaptation to certain climatic conditions. However, the effect of these two traits and their interactions on the coordination between minor vein density (MVD) and stomatal density (SD) remains unclear. In this study, we examined the leaves of 108 tree species from plots in a primary subtropical forest in southern China, including tree species with different leaf morphologies and phenologies. We assessed nine leaf water-related functional traits for all species, including MVD, SD, leaf area (LA), minor vein thickness (MVT), and stomatal length (SL). The results showed no significant differences in mean LA and SD between either functional group (simple vs. compound and evergreen vs. deciduous). However, deciduous trees displayed a significantly higher mean MVD compared to evergreen trees. Similarly, compound-leaved trees have a higher (marginally significant) MVD than simple-leaved trees. Furthermore, we found that leaf morphology and phenology have significantly interactive effects on SL, and the compound-leafed deciduous trees exhibited the largest average SL among the four groups. There were significant correlations between the MVD and SD in all different tree groups; however, the slopes and interceptions differed within both morphology and phenology. Our results indicate that MVD, rather than SD, may be the more flexible structure for supporting the coordination between leaf water supply and demand in different leaf morphologies and phenologies. The results of the present study provide mechanistic understandings of the functional advantages of different leaf types, which may involve species fitness in community assembly and divergent responses to climate changes.

Valorization of lignin-derived compounds into poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) by engineered Halomonas sp. Y3.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a biopolyester with great potential, but its high production cost via the propionate-dependent pathway has hindered its development. Herein, we engineer Halomonas sp. Y3 to achieve efficient conversion of various LDCs into PHBV without propionate supplement. Initially, we successfully achieve PHBV production without propionate supplement by overexpressing threonine synthesis. The resulting biopolyester exhibits a 3 HV proportion of up to 7.89 mol%, comparable to commercial PHBV (8 mol%) available from Sigma Aldrich (403105). To further enhance PHBV production, we rationally design the reconstruction of aromatic compound catabolism. The engineered strain Y3_18 efficiently assimilates all LDCs containing syringyl (S), guaiacyl (G), and p-hydroxyphenyl-type (H) units. From 1 g/L of S-, G-, and H-type LDCs, Y3_18 produces PHBV at levels of 449 mg/L, 488 mg/L, and 716 mg/L, respectively, with yields of 44.9 % (g/g), 48.8 % (g/g), and 71.6 % (g/g). Moreover, to improve PHBV yield from lignin, we integrate laccase-secretion and PHBV production modules. This integration leads to the accumulation of 425.84 mg/L of PHBV with a yield of 21.29 % (g/g) and a 3 HV proportion of 6.38 mol%. By harnessing the capabilities of Halomonas sp. Y3, we demonstrate an efficient and sustainable approach for PHBV production from a variety of LDCs.

Imaging Phenotypes and Evolution of Hepatic Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis on CT/MRI: A Retrospective Study of Clinical Cases and Literature Review.

(1) Background: pathological changes in hepatic Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) have been observed; however, corresponding imaging findings can appear vague to physicians and radiologists. The present study aimed to comprehensively illustrate the imaging findings of hepatic LCH and to investigate the evolution of LCH-associated lesions. (2) Methods: LCH patients with liver involvement treated at our institution were retrospectively reviewed along with prior studies in PubMed. Initial and follow-up computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were systematically reviewed, and three imaging phenotypes were created based on the lesion distribution pattern. Clinical features and prognoses were compared among the three phenotypes. Liver fibrosis was evaluated visually on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the fibrotic areas were measured. Descriptive statistics and a comparative analysis were used to analyze the data. (3) Results: based on the lesion distribution pattern on CT/MRI scans, patients with liver involvement were categorized as the disseminated lesion phenotype, scattered lesion phenotype, and central periportal lesion phenotype. Patients with scattered lesion phenotype were typically adults, and only a few of them had hepatomegaly (npresent = 1, 1/6, 16.7%) and liver biochemical abnormalities (npresent = 2, 2/6, 33.3%); patients with central periportal lesion phenotype were typically young children, and hepatomegaly and biochemical abnormalities were more apparent in these patients than those with another phenotype; and those with the disseminated lesion phenotype were found in all age groups, and the lesions evolved rapidly on medical imaging. Follow-up MRI scans show more details and can better document the evolution of lesions than CT. T2-hypointense fibrotic changes, including the periportal halo sign (npresent = 2, 2/9, 22.2%), patchy liver parenchyma changes (npresent = 6, 6/9, 66.7%), and giant hepatic nodules close to the central portal vein (npresent = 1, 1/9, 11.1%), were found, while fibrotic changes were not observed in patients with the scattered lesion phenotype. The mean ADC value for the area of liver fibrosis in each patient was lower than the optimal cutoff for significant fibrosis (METAVIR Fibrosis Stage ≥ 2) in a previous study that assessed liver fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis. (4) Conclusions: The infiltrative lesions and liver fibrosis of hepatic LCH can be well characterized on MRI scans with DWI. The evolution of these lesions was well demonstrated on follow-up MRI scans.

Paraphlomisyingdeensis (Lamiaceae), a new species from Guangdong (China).

Paraphlomisyingdeensis (Lamiaceae), a new species from the limestone area in northern Guangdong Province, China, is described and illustrated. Phylogenetic analyses, based on two nuclear DNA regions (ITS and ETS) and three plastid DNA regions (rpl32-trnL, rps16 and trnL-trnF), suggest that P.yingdeensis represents a distinct species in Paraphlomis. Morphologically, P.yingdeensis is similar to P.foliatasubsp.montigena and P.nana, but can be distinguished from the former by its densely villous lamina and calyx, not decurrent base of lamina and bristle-like-acuminate apex of calyx teeth, and distinguished from the latter by its significantly taller plant (15-20 cm vs. 1-5 cm) and larger lamina (6.2-16.5 × 4-11.5 vs. 2-7 × 1.5-4 cm), densely villous stem, lamina and calyx and yellow corolla.

Non-sterilized conversion of whole lignocellulosic components into polyhydroxybutyrate by Halomonas sp. Y3 with a dual anti-microbial contamination system.

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production from lignocellulosic biomass is challenging due to the need for whole components and energy-effective conversion. Herein, Halomonas sp. Y3, a ligninolytic bacterium with the capacity to produce PHB from lignin and cellulose- and hemicellulose-derived sugars, is employed to explore its feasibility. This strain shows high sugar tolerance up to 200 g/L of glucose and 120 g/L of xylose. A dual anti-microbial contamination system (DACS) containing alkali-halophilic system (AHS) and phosphite-urea system (PUS) is presented, successfully achieving a completely aseptic effect and resulting in a total of 8.2 g of PHB production from 100 g bamboo biomass. We further develop a stage-fed-batch fermentation to promote the complete utilization of xylose. Approximately 69.99 g of dry cell weight (DCW) and 46.45 g of PHB with 66.35 % are obtained from a total of 296.58 g of sugars and 5.70 g of lignin, showing a significant advancement for LCB bioconversion. We then delete the native phosphate transporters, rendering the strain unable to grow on phosphate-loaded media, effectively improving the strain biosafety without compromising its ability to produce PHB. Overall, our findings demonstrate the potential of Y3 as a classic bacterium strain for PHB production with potential uses in industry.

Tryptophan pretreatment adjusts transcriptome and metabolome profiles to alleviate cadmium toxicity in Arabidopsis.

Cadmium (Cd) is highly toxic to all organisms including plants, and recently tryptophan (Trp) pretreatment of plant seedlings is shown to improve Cd tolerance. But the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we used Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) to determine the physiological relevance of Trp pretreatment in alleviating Cd toxicity in plants and explore its molecular mechanism with a focus on the metabolic pathways. The results showed that Trp pretreatment maintained the biomass and root lengths, relieved Cd-induced lipid peroxidation, and reduced Cd transport to the shoots, and eventually improved the response against Cd in Arabidopsis seedlings. The integrative analyses of the transcriptome and metabolome further revealed that Trp pretreatment alleviated Cd toxicity not only through a known mechanism of producing a major auxin indole-3-acetic acid and maintaining its levels, but also through two previously unrecognized mechanisms: increasing the area and strength of cell walls by promoting lignification to further reduce Cd entry, and fine-tuning Cd detoxification products derived from sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism. Our findings thereby provide deep mechanical insights into how Trp alleviates Cd toxicity in plants.

Highly efficient polyhydroxyalkanoate production from lignin using genetically engineered Halomonas sp. Y3.

Lignin degradation represents a significant challenge in biological valorization, but it is suffering from insufficiency, putting barriers to efficient lignin conversion. Herein, the study first develops a highly efficient laccase secretion apparatus, enabling high enzyme activity of 184 U/mL, complementing the biochemical limits on lignin depolymerization well in Halomonas sp. Y3. Further engineering of PHA biosynthesis produces a significantly high PHA titer of 286, 742, and 868 mg/L from alkaline lignin, catechol, and protocatechuate, respectively. The integration of laccase-secretion and PHA production modules enables a record titer of 693 and 1209 mg/L in converting lignin and lignin-containing stream to PHA, respectively. The titer is improved furtherly to 740 and 1314 mg/L by developing a non-sterilized fermentation. This study advances a cheaper and greener production of valuable chemicals from lignin by constructing a biosynthetic platform for PHA production and provides novel insight into the lignin conversion by extremophilic microbes.

Volumetric visceral fat machine learning phenotype on CT for differential diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether volumetric visceral adipose tissue (VAT) features extracted using radiomics and three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) approach are effective in differentiating Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 316 patients (mean age, 36.25 ± 13.58 [standard deviation]; 219 men) with confirmed diagnosis of CD and UC who underwent CT enterography between 2012 and 2021. Volumetric VAT was semi-automatically segmented on the arterial phase images. Radiomics analysis was performed using principal component analysis (PCA) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression algorithm. We developed a 3D-CNN model using VAT imaging data from the training cohort. Clinical covariates including age, sex, modified body mass index, and disease duration that impact VAT were added to the machine learning model for adjustment. The model's performance was evaluated on the testing cohort separating from the model's development process by its discrimination and clinical utility. RESULTS: Volumetric VAT radiomics analysis with LASSO had the highest AUC value of 0.717 (95% CI, 0.614-0.820), though difference of diagnostic performance among the 3D-CNN model (AUC = 0.693; 95% CI, 0.587-0.798) and radiomics analysis with PCA (AUC = 0.662; 95% CI, 0.548-0.776) and LASSO have not reached statistical significance (all p > 0.05). The radiomics score was higher in UC than in CD on the testing cohort (mean ± SD, UC 0.29 ± 1.05 versus CD -0.60 ± 1.25; p < 0.001). The LASSO model with adjustment of clinical covariates reached an AUC of 0.775 (95%CI, 0.683-0.868). CONCLUSION: The developed volumetric VAT-based radiomics and 3D-CNN models provided comparable and effective performance for the characterization of CD from UC. KEY POINTS: • High-output feature data extracted from volumetric visceral adipose tissue on CT enterography had an effective diagnostic performance for differentiating Crohn's disease from ulcerative colitis. • With adjustment of clinical covariates that cause difference in volumetric visceral adipose tissue, adjusted clinical machine learning model reached stronger performance when distinguishing Crohn's disease patients from ulcerative colitis patients.

Effects of Simulated Nitrogen Deposition and Micro-Environment on the Functional Traits of Two Rare and Endangered Fern Species in a Subtropical Forest.

Although the effects of N deposition on forest plants have been widely reported, few studies have focused on rare and endangered fern species (REFs). Information is also lacking on the effects of micro-environments on REFs. We investigated the effects of N addition (canopy and understory N addition, CAN, and UAN) and micro-environments (soil and canopy conditions) on the functional traits (growth, defense, and reproduction; 19 traits in total) of two REFs-Alsophila podophylla and Cibotium baromet-in a subtropical forest in South China. We found that, compared to controls, CAN or UAN decreased the growth traits (e.g., plant height, H) of C. baromet, increased its defense traits (e.g., leaf organic acid concentrations, OA), delayed its reproductive event (all-spore release date), and prolonged its reproductive duration. In contrast, A. podophylla showed increased growth traits (e.g., H), decreased defense traits (e.g., OA), and advanced reproductive events (e.g., the all-spore emergence date) under CAN or UAN. Meanwhile, the negative effects on the C. baromet growth traits and A. podophylla defense traits were stronger for CAN than for UAN. In addition, the soil chemical properties always explained more of the variations in the growth and reproductive traits of the two REFs than the N addition. Our study indicates that, under simulated N deposition, C. baromet increases its investment in defense, whereas A. podophylla increases its investment in growth and reproduction; this may cause an increasing A. podophylla population and decreasing C. baromet population in subtropical forests. Our study also highlights the importance of considering micro-environments and the N-addition approach when predicting N deposition impact on subtropical forest REFs.

The relationship between perianal fistula activity and abdominal adipose tissue in Crohn's disease: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between abdominal adipose tissue and perianal fistula activity in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) using cross-sectional imaging. METHODS: Patients with perianal fistulizing CD who underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and abdominal computed tomography (CT) were retrospectively enrolled. We scored the fistulas in each patient's MRI images based on Van Assche's classification. The area and density of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (at the third, fourth, and fifth lumbar (L3, L4, and L5) levels were measured by averaging five slices of measurements at each vertebral level in CT images, and areas were further standardized by the lumbar height2 (heightL1-5). The VAT/SAT ratio (VSR) and VAT/Total adipose tissue (VA/TA) index were calculated. Based on MRI scores, patients were divided into two groups with low and high activity, and their clinical, MRI features, and CT parameters were compared. We evaluated patients with follow-up MRI and compared the differences in clinical and radiological indicators among patients with different outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 136 patients were included, 77 in the low-activity group and 59 in the high-activity group. Patients in the high activity group had lower subcutaneous adipose index (all levels, p < 0.05) and visceral adipose index (L3 level, p < 0.01), but higher SAT and VAT density (all levels, p < 0.01), VSR (L5 level, p = 0.07) and VA/TA index (L5 level, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There were differences in adipose tissue composition among CD patients with different active perianal fistulas.

Funneling lignin-derived compounds into polyhydroxyalkanoate by Halomonas sp. Y3.

Lignin-derived compounds (LDCs) biological funneling for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis has been attractive but elusive. Herein, the Halomonas sp. Y3 is isolated and developed for PHA production from LDCs. Of the tested 13 LDCs, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA), protocatechuate (PA), catechol (CAT), and vanillic acid (VA) exhibit a hyper-degradation and production with 87.2 %, 85.8 %, 84.7 %, and 83.4 % TOC removal rate and 535.2 mg/L, 506.5 mg/L, 435.6 mg/L, and 440.8 mg/L PHA concentration, respectively. The Halomonas sp. Y3 genome is sequenced by identifying numerous genes responsible for LDCs funneling, stress response, and PHA biosynthesis. An open unsterilized fermentation with optimal conditions of pH 9.0 and NaCl 60 g/L is investigated, achieving a completely aseptic effect and significantly improved PHA production from LDCs. Overall, the results indicate that the Halomonas sp. Y3 is an ideal candidate for LDC bioconversion and exhibits a great potential to realize black liquor valorization.

Patterns of compound-leaf form and deciduous-leaf habit across forests in China: Their association and key climatic factors.

Leaf form (compound vs. simple) and habit (evergreen vs. deciduous) are key functional traits of trees to adapt to various climates and are vital in determining plant response to climate change. However, their association and climatic determinants remain uncertain, especially in East Asian forests in the largest monsoon region on earth. To fill these knowledge gaps, we compiled a dataset comprising 42 intact forests and over 2200 angiosperm tree species across China (spanning 30 latitudes and 47 longitudes). The geographical and climatic patterns of leaf form and habit were analyzed. The association between compound leaf and deciduousness was tested for tropical, subtropical and temperate climatic zones. We found that both the percentage of compound leaf (CT%) and deciduous tree species (DT%) increased with latitude and decreased with mean annual precipitation (MAP). For all forests, DT% was negatively related to mean annual temperature (MAT), whereas CT% was not. Nevertheless, both DT% and CT% increased with increasing MAT in the tropics, possibly owing to the high vapor pressure deficits (VPD) and canopy water deficits associated with high temperatures. A positive linear relationship between CT% and DT% was found across all forests and within different climatic zones except for temperate, and the intercept of the regression line was significantly higher in the tropics than in the subtropics. Overall, as supported by principal component analysis, deciduousness was negatively associated with both temperature and precipitation, while CT negatively with precipitation only across zones and positively with temperature in the tropics. Different relationships in different climatic zones suggest potentially different selective forces. Our findings provide novel insights into the linkage between leaf form and habit, as well as how climate shapes the landscape of broadleaf forests, which has important implications regarding the response of forest composition to climate change.

Pregnancy outcomes and factors affecting the clinical effects of emergency cerclage in twin pregnancies with cervical dilation and prolapsed membranes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of mid-trimester emergency cerclage in women with twin pregnancies with cervical dilation and prolapsed membranes, and to identify risk factors predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) before 28 weeks, after cerclage. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of twin gestations with cervical dilation and prolapsed membranes treated with emergency cerclage or expectant management (2015-2020). The primary outcomes were the rate of sPTB before 28 weeks and the gestational latency. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with sPTB before 28 weeks, after cerclage. RESULTS: Ninety-seven women were included, cerclage (n = 58) or no cerclage (n = 39). Cerclage placement was associated with significantly lower incidence of sPTB before 28 weeks of pregnancy (34.5% vs 82.1%) and prolongation of the gestational latency (46.71 ± 27.52 vs 10.95 ± 11.71 days). Positive cervical culture (odds ratio [OR] 10.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.82-62.95), pregnancy duration at diagnosis less than 22 weeks (OR 9.42; 95% CI 1.69-52.69) and cervical dilation at least 4 cm (OR 7.92; 95% CI 1.40-44.71) were found to be independent risk factors for sPTB before 28 weeks, after cerclage. CONCLUSION: Emergency cerclage in women with twin pregnancies with cervical dilation and prolapsed membranes was associated with an overall 40% decrease in sPTB before 28 weeks and a prolongation of latency by 5 weeks. The strongest predictor of sPTB before 28 weeks after cerclage was a positive cervical culture.

Comparative genomic and secretomic characterisation of endophytic Bacillus velezensis LC1 producing bioethanol from bamboo lignocellulose.

Bacillus is an excellent organic matter degrader, and it has exhibited various abilities required for lignocellulose degradation. Several B. velezensis strains encode lignocellulosases, however their ability to efficiently transform biomass has not been appreciated. In the present study, through the comparative genomic analysis of the whole genome sequences of 21 B. velezensis strains, CAZyome related to lignocellulose degradation was identified and their similarities and differences were compared. Subsequently, the secretome of B. velezensis LC1 by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were identified and confirmed that a considerable number of proteins were involved in lignocellulose degradation. Moreover, after 6-day treatment, the degradation efficiency of the B. velezensis LC1 toward cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were 59.90%, 75.44% and 23.41%, respectively, the hydrolysate was subjected to ethanol fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli KO11, yielded 10.44 g/L ethanol after 96 h. These results indicate that B. velezensis LC1 has the ability to effectively degrade bamboo lignocellulose and has the potential to be used in bioethanol production.

Microscopic analysis of overglaze green pigment on Chinese famille rose porcelain from the Imperial Palace.

Famille rose porcelain made in the imperial workshop was one of the symbols of the highest manufacturing techniques in ancient China. It was very precious and only owned by the royals for a long time. Because of its complex making technology, overglaze green pigment painted on famille rose porcelain shows many variations. In this work, selected porcelain shards that were excavated at the Forbidden City were analyzed by using microscopy observation, micro-Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer to obtain a deep understanding of overglaze green pigment technique on famille rose porcelain. The results revealed that four types of green pigment are used in the selected samples. With different recipes and combinative ways on green pigment and opaque white pigment, craftsmen can choose the using method of pigment to get the effect they want.