Constructed Rice Tracers Identify the Major Virulent Transcription Activator-Like Effectors of the Bacterial Leaf Blight Pathogen.

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) injects major transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) into plant cells to activate susceptibility (S) genes for promoting bacterial leaf blight in rice. Numerous resistance (R) genes have been used to construct differential cultivars of rice to identify races of Xoo, but the S genes were rarely considered. Different edited lines of rice cv. Kitaake were constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing, including single, double and triple edits in the effector-binding elements (EBEs) located in the promoters of rice S genes OsSWEET11a, OsSWEET13 and OsSWEET14. The near-isogenic lines (NILs) were used as tracers to detect major TALEs (PthXo1, PthXo2, PthXo3 and their variants) in 50 Xoo strains. The pathotypes produced on the tracers determined six major TALE types in the 50 Xoo strains. The presence of the major TALEs in Xoo strains was consistent with the expression of S genes in the tracers, and it was also by known genome sequences. The EBE editing had little effect on agronomic traits, which was conducive to balancing yield and resistance. The rice-tracers generated here provide a valuable tool to track major TALEs of Xoo in Asia which then shows what rice cultivars are needed to combat Xoo in the field.

Homotherapy for heteropathy: Interleukin-41 and its biological functions.

Interleukin-41 (IL-41) is a newly discovered cytokine, named Cometin, Subfatin, meteorin-like transcription (Metrnl), and so forth. It is widely expressed in animals and can exert its biological roles through autocrine and paracrine forms. It has functions such as anti-inflammatory, improving body metabolism, regulating immunity, regulating fat metabolism and participates in the process of autoimmune disease or inflammatory injury. It plays an important role in psoriasis, diabetes, Crohn's disease (CD), osteoarthritis, Kawasaki disease (KD), Graves' disease, autoimmune hepatitis, infertility, obesity, sepsis, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases. This paper reviews the biological functions of IL-41, the relationship between IL-41 and diseases, the effects of IL-41 in the cytokine network and the possible signalling pathways. In order to explore the same target or the same drug for the treatment of different diseases from the perspective of homotherapy for heteropathy, cytokine strategies based on IL-41 have been put forward for the precise treatment of immune diseases and inflammatory diseases. It is worth noting that IL-41 related preparations for lung protection and smoking cessation are interesting research fields.

Associations of long-term exposure to air pollution and green space with reproductive hormones among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology: A longitudinal study.

Studies investigating the association between long-term exposure to air pollution (AP)/green space and female reproductive hormones are still limited. Furthermore, their interactive effects remain unclear. Our study sought to explore the separate and interactive impacts of AP/green space on reproductive hormones among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology. We measured estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), testosterone (T), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the longitudinal assisted reproduction cohort in Anhui, China. The annual mean concentrations of air pollutants were calculated at the residential level. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within 500-m represented green space exposure. To assess the effect of AP/green space on hormones, we employed multivariable linear mixed-effect models. Our results showed that each one-interquartile range (IQR) increment in particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) was associated with -0.03[-0.05, -0.01], -0.03[-0.05, -0.02], and -0.03[-0.05, -0.01] decrease in P. An IQR increase in PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and carbon monoxide (CO) was associated with a -0.16[-0.17, -0.15], -0.15[-0.16, -0.14], -0.15[-0.16, -0.14], and -0.12[-0.13, -0.11] decrease in T and a -0.31[-0.35, -0.27], -0.30[-0.34, -0.26], -0.26[-0.30, -0.22], and -0.21[-0.25, -0.17] decrease in FSH. Conversely, NDVI500-m was associated with higher levels of P, T, and FSH, with ß of 0.05[0.02, 0.08], 0.06[0.04, 0.08], and 0.07[0.00, 0.14]. Moreover, we observed the "U" or "J" exposure-response curves between PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 concentrations and E2 and P levels, as well as "inverted-J" curves between NDVI500-m and T and FSH levels. Furthermore, we found statistically significant interactions of SO2 and NDVI500-m on E2 and P as well as CO and NDVI500-m on E2. These findings indicated that green space might mitigate the negative effects of SO2 on E2 and P, as well as the effect of CO on E2. Future research is needed to determine these findings and underlying mechanisms.

Autoimmune diseases and gut microbiota: a bibliometric and visual analysis from 2004 to 2022.

Many studies have shown that gut microbiota is closely related to autoimmune diseases (ADs). Studies on gut microbiota and ADs have also increased significantly, but no bibliometric analysis has summarized the association between gut microbiota and ADs. This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric and visual analysis of published studies on gut microbiota and ADs. Based on the Web of Science Core Collection SCI-expanded database, we utilize Excel 2019 and visualization analysis tools VOSviewer and co-occurrence13.2 (COOC13.2) for analysis. A total of 2516 related kinds of literature were included, and the number of papers presented an overall increasing trend. The country/region with the most publications is the USA, the institution is the Harvard Medical School, and the author is Mikael Knip from the USA. Hot research areas include intestinal regulation (such as dysbiosis, short chain fatty acids, and probiotics), multisystem ADs (such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease), and immune-related cells (such as T cells, and dendritic cells). Psoriasis, dysbiosis, autoimmune liver disease, and fecal microbiota transplantation may be the future research direction. Our research results can help researchers grasp the current status of ADs and gut microbiota research and find new research directions in the future.

A model-based quantitative analysis of efficacy and associated factors of platelet rich plasma treatment for osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: While platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been extensively studied in treating osteoarthritis (OA), there has been an ongoing debate regarding the efficacy of PRP and the optimal subpopulation for PRP treatment remains unknown. The authors hereby aim to establish a pharmacodynamic model-based meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate PRP efficacy, comparing with hyaluronic acid (HA) and identify relevant factors that significantly affect the efficacy of PRP treatment for OA. METHODS: The authors searched for PubMed and the Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials of PRP randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for the treatment of symptomatic or radiographic OA from the inception dates to 15 July 2022. Participants' clinical and demographic characteristics and efficacy data, defined as Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and visual analog scale pain scores at each time point were extracted. RESULTS: A total of 45 RCTs (3829 participants) involving 1805 participants injected with PRP were included in the analysis. PRP reached a peak efficacy at ~ 2-3 months after injection in patients with OA. Both conventional meta-analysis and pharmacodynamic maximal effect models showed that PRP was significantly more effective than HA for joint pain and function impairment (additional decrease of 1.1, 0.5, 4.3, and 1.1 scores compared to HA treatment at 12 months for Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain, stiffness, function, and visual analog scale pain scores, respectively). Higher baseline symptom scores, older age (≥60 years), higher BMI (≥30), lower Kellgren-Lawrence grade (≤2) and shorter OA duration (<6 months) were significantly associated with greater efficacy of PRP treatment. CONCLUSION: These findings sugges t that PRP is a more effective treatment for OA than the more well-known HA treatment. The authors also determined the time when the PRP injection reaches peak efficacy and optimized the targeting subpopulation of OA. Further high-quality RCTs are required to confirm the optimal population of PRP in the treatment of OA.

The natural pyrazolotriazine pseudoiodinine from Pseudomonas mosselii 923 inhibits plant bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Natural products largely produced by Pseudomonads-like soil-dwelling microorganisms are a consistent source of antimicrobial metabolites and pesticides. Herein we report the isolation of Pseudomonas mosselii strain 923 from rice rhizosphere soils of paddy fields, which specifically inhibit the growth of plant bacterial pathogens Xanthomonas species and the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. The antimicrobial compound is purified and identified as pseudoiodinine using high-resolution mass spectra, nuclear magnetic resonance and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Genome-wide random mutagenesis, transcriptome analysis and biochemical assays define the pseudoiodinine biosynthetic cluster as psdABCDEFG. Pseudoiodinine biosynthesis is proposed to initiate from guanosine triphosphate and 1,6-didesmethyltoxoflavin is a biosynthetic intermediate. Transposon mutagenesis indicate that GacA is the global regulator. Furthermore, two noncoding small RNAs, rsmY and rsmZ, positively regulate pseudoiodinine transcription, and the carbon storage regulators CsrA2 and CsrA3, which negatively regulate the expression of psdA. A 22.4-fold increase in pseudoiodinine production is achieved by optimizing the media used for fermentation, overexpressing the biosynthetic operon, and removing the CsrA binding sites. Both of the strain 923 and purified pseudoiodinine in planta inhibit the pathogens without affecting the rice host, suggesting that pseudoiodinine can be used to control plant diseases.

Membrane Protein Amuc_1100 Derived from Akkermansia muciniphila Facilitates Lipolysis and Browning via Activating the AC3/PKA/HSL Pathway.

Obesity, defined as a disorder of lipid metabolism caused by white fat accumulation, is closely related to the gut microbiota. Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk), one of the most common gut commensals, can reduce fat storage and promote the browning of white adipocytes, alleviating disorders of lipid metabolism. However, which components of Akk produce the effect remain unclear, limiting the application of Akk in the treatment of obesity. Here, we found that the membrane protein Amuc_1100 of Akk decreased formation of lipid droplets and fat accumulation during the differentiation process and stimulated browning in vivo and in vitro. Transcriptomics revealed that Amuc_1100 accelerated lipolysis through upregulation of the AC3/PKA/HSL pathway in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting showed that Amuc_1100 intervention promotes steatolysis and browning of preadipocytes by increasing lipolysis-related genes (AC3/PKA/HSL) and brown adipocyte marker genes (PPARγ, UCP1, and PGC1α) at both the mRNA and protein levels. These findings introduce new insight into the effects of beneficial bacteria and provide new avenues for the treatment of obesity. IMPORTANCE An important intestinal bacterial strain Akkermansia muciniphila contributes to improving carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, thus alleviating obesity symptoms. Here, we find that the Akk membrane protein Amuc_1100 regulates lipid metabolism in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Amuc_1100 inhibits lipid adipogenesis and accumulation during the differentiation process of preadipocytes, upregulates the browning-related genes of preadipocytes, and promotes thermogenesis through activation of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), including Acox1 involved in lipid oxidation. Amuc_1100 accelerates lipolysis via the AC3/PKA/HSL pathway, phosphorylating HSL at Ser 660. The experiments illustrated here identify the specific molecules and functional mechanisms of Akk. Therapeutic approaches with Amuc_1100 derived from Akk may help alleviate obesity and metabolic disorders.

Clinical features and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales infection in children. / å„¿ç«¥ç¢³é’éœ‰çƒ¯ç±»è€è¯è‚ æ†èŒç›®ç»†èŒæ„ŸæŸ“çš„ä¸´åºŠç‰¹å¾åŠåˆ†å­æµè¡Œç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical features of children with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infection and the molecular characteristics of isolated strains. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data and infection status of the children who were hospitalized in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to June 2021. A total of 1 098 non-repetitive strains of Enterobacterales were obtained. Drug sensitivity test, PCR amplification, and resistance-related gene sequencing were performed for 66 isolated CRE strains to observe molecular epidemiology. RESULTS: Among the 1 098 strains of Enterobacterales, the detection rate of CRE was 6.01% (66/1 098). The 66 CRE strains were isolated from 66 children, among whom there were 37 boys (56%) and 29 girls (44%), with an age of 2 days to 14 years. Among these 66 children, 16 (24%) had an age of <1 month, 28 (42%) had an age of 1-12 months, 11 (17%) had an age of 12-36 months, and 11 (17%) had an age of >36 months. The children with CRE were mainly distributed in the department of neonatology (38 children, 58%) and the pediatric intensive care unit (17 children, 26%). The top three types of specimens with CRE detection were respiratory specimens (48%), midstream urine specimens (21%), and blood specimens (17%). The CRE strains were mainly Klebsiella pneumoniae (45 strains, 68%), Escherichia coli (12 strains, 18%), and Enterobacter cloacae (6 strains, 9%), with high resistance to carbapenems (such as imipenem and ertapenem), penicillin, and cephalosporins, slightly high resistance to commonly used antibiotics, and relatively low resistance to amikacin (14%), levofloxacin (23%), and tobramycin (33%). The carbapenemase genotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were mainly blaNDM (20 strains, 44%), blaIMP (10 strains, 22%), and blaKPC (5 strains, 11%), and the carbapenemase genotypes of Escherichia coli strains were mainly blaNDM (10 strains, 83%). After sequencing, there were 24 blaNDM-1 strains, 6 blaNDM-5 strains, 5 blaIMP-4 strains, and 3 blaKPC-2 strains, and some genotypes were not identified. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high incidence rate of CRE infection among children, mainly those aged 1-12 months. CRE generally has high resistance to antibacterial drugs, and metalloenzymes are the main type of carbapenemases for CRE strains in children.

A thousand metagenome-assembled genomes of Akkermansia reveal phylogroups and geographical and functional variations in the human gut.

Akkermansia muciniphila has long been considered to be the only Akkermansia species in the human gut and has been extensively studied. The present study revealed the genomic architecture of Akkermansia in the human gut by analyzing 1,126 near-complete metagenome-assembled genomes, 84 publicly available genomes, and 1 newly sequenced Akkermansia glycaniphila strain from the human gut. We found that 1) the genomes of Akkermansia were clustered into four phylogroups with distinct interspecies similarity and different genomic characteristics and 2) A. glycaniphila GP37, a strain of Akkermansia, was isolated from the human gut, whereas previously, it had only been found in python. Amuc III was present in the Chinese population, and Amuc IV was mainly distributed in Western populations. A large number of gene functions, pathways, and carbohydrate-active enzymes were specifically associated with phylogroups. Our findings based on over a thousand genomes strengthened our previous knowledge and provided new insights into the population structure and ecology of Akkermansia in the human gut.

Quality and Metabolomics Analysis of Houttuynia cordata Based on HS-SPME/GC-MS.

Houttuynia cordata is a medicinal and edible plant with a wide biological interest. Many parts were discarded due to various modes of consumption, resulting in resource waste. In this study, a comprehensive study was conducted on various edible indicators and medicinal components of Houttuynia cordata to understand its edible and medicinal value. The edible indexes of each root, stem, and leaf were determined, and the metabolites of different parts were investigated using the headspace solid-phase micro-extraction technique (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The differential metabolites were screened by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and clustering analysis. The results of the study showed that the parts of Houttuynia cordata with high edibility values as a vegetable were mainly the roots and leaves, with the highest vitamin C content in the roots and the highest total flavonoids, soluble sugars, and total protein in the leaves. The nutrient content of all the stems of Houttuynia cordata was lower and significantly different from the roots and leaves (p < 0.05). In addition, 209 metabolites were isolated from Houttuynia cordata, 135 in the roots, 146 in the stems, 158 in the leaves, and 91 shared metabolites. The clustering analysis and OPLS-DA found that the parts of Houttuynia cordata can be mainly divided into above-ground parts (leaves and stems) and underground parts (roots). When comparing the differential metabolites between the above-ground parts and underground parts, it was found that the most important medicinal component of Houttuynia cordata, 2-undecanone, was mainly concentrated in the underground parts. The cluster analysis resulted in 28 metabolites with up-regulation and 17 metabolites with down-regulation in the underground parts. Most of the main components of the underground part have pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antiviral, which are more suitable for drug development. Furthermore, the above-ground part has more spice components and good antioxidant capacity, which is suitable for the extraction of edible flavors. Therefore, by comparing and analyzing the differences between the edible and medicinal uses of different parts of Houttuynia cordata as a medicinal and food plant, good insights can be obtained into food development, pharmaceutical applications, agricultural development, and the hygiene and cosmetic industries. This paper provides a scientific basis for quality control and clinical use.

A potential probiotic bacterium for antipsychotic-induced metabolic syndrome: mechanisms underpinning how Akkermansia muciniphila subtype improves olanzapine-induced glucose homeostasis in mice.

BACKGROUND: Olanzapine (OLZ) is one of the most effective atypical antipsychotics but is associated with severe metabolic side effects, in which the gut microbiota plays an important role. Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila; Akk), a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium in the intestine, can potentially improve metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect and underlying mechanisms of an A. muciniphila subtype (A. muciniphilasub; Akksub) on OLZ-induced metabolic dysfunction in lean and obese mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 female mice were fed a high-fat diet to induce obesity or normal chow for 8 weeks before OLZ treatment for 16 weeks. During the treatment period, mice in each group were orally administrated A. muciniphilasub. Weight gain, glucose and lipid metabolism, and inflammation were evaluated. RESULTS: A. muciniphilasub decreased OLZ-related weight gain only at week 16 in lean mice and significantly alleviated OLZ-induced hyperglycemia irrespective of diet. This was accompanied by reduced levels of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK)-key enzymes in hepatic gluconeogenesis-and OLZ-associated insulin resistance. Moreover, OLZ-induced increases in serum interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels were improved by A. muciniphilasub in both obese and lean mice. OLZ did not increase serum lipid levels or hepatic fat accumulation. CONCLUSIONS: A. muciniphilasub improves OLZ-related hyperglycemia via regulation of G6Pase and PEPCK levels and insulin resistance. Moreover, A. muciniphilasub alleviates systemic inflammation caused by OLZ. A. muciniphilasub is a promising probiotic treatment for OLZ-induced metabolic dysfunction.

Diverse effects of different Akkermansia muciniphila genotypes on Brown adipose tissue inflammation and whitening in a high-fat-diet murine model.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the metabolic protective effects of Akkermansia muciniphila (A.muciniphila) genotypes on high-fat diet mice and explore possible mechanisms. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups, including high-fat diet (HFD)+ A. muciniphila I/II/PBS group, normal control diet (NCD)+ A. muciniphila I/II/PBS group, respectively. Dietary intervention and A. muciniphila gavage were performed simultaneously. Blood glucose and lipid metabolism, brown adipose morphology and activities, and intestinal barrier function were examined after the mice were sacrificed. RESULTS: A.muciniphila gavage improved the impaired glucose tolerance, hyperlipidemia and liver steatosis in HFD mice, and that A. muciniphila II (Amuc_GP25) was not as effective as A. muciniphila I (Amuc_GP01). This phenomenon might be because Amuc_GP01 intervention significantly inhibited brown adipose tissue whitening and inflammation induced by HFD, by repairing the intestinal barrier and relieving endotoxemia. Amuc_GP25 did not display the same results as Amuc_GP01 in HFD mice but had stronger effects in the NCD mice. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals the distinct functions of different A. muciniphila genotypes on diet-induced obesity, suggesting that different A. muciniphila genotypes may affect pathological conditions differently through distinct action pathways.

Protective effects of Akkermansia muciniphila on cognitive deficits and amyloid pathology in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a global health problem without effective methods to alleviate the disease progression. Amyloid ß-protein (Aß) is widely accepted as a key biomarker for AD. Metabolic syndromes, including obesity and insulin resistance, are key high risk factors for AD. Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk), the only representative human gut microbe in the genus Verrucomicrobia, can prevent the weight gain caused by a high-fat diet, repair the damaged integrity of the intestinal epithelium barrier, reduce endotoxin levels in blood and improve insulin resistance. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of Akk administration in AD model mice in different diets. METHODS: APP/PS1 mice were fed either a normal chow diet or a high-fat diet and were treated with Akk by gavage each day for 6 months. The impacts of Akk on glucose metabolism, intestinal barrier and lipid metabolism in the mouse model of AD were determined. Changes in brain pathology and neuroethology were also analyzed. RESULTS: Akk effectively reduced the fasting blood glucose and serum diamine oxidase levels, and alleviated the reduction of colonic mucus cells in APP/PS1 mice. After treatment with Akk, the APP/PS1 mice showed obviously reduced blood lipid levels, improved hepatic steatosis and scapular brown fat whitening. Moreover, Akk promoted the reduction of Aß 40-42 levels in the cerebral cortex of APP/PS1 mice, shortened the study time and improved the completion rate in Y-maze tests. CONCLUSION: Akk effectively improved glucose tolerance, intestine barrier dysfunction and dyslipidemia in AD model mice. Our study results suggested that Akk could delay the pathological changes in the brain and relieve impairment of spatial learning and memory in AD model mice, which provides a new strategy for prevention and treatment of AD.

An Akkermansia muciniphila subtype alleviates high-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders and inhibits the neurodegenerative process in mice.

The prevalence of obesity and diabetes, and their complicating mental disorders, severely affect public health. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of an Akkermansia muciniphila subtype (A. muciniphilasub) on high-fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes, and to evaluate whether this subtype can alleviate their complicated mental disorders. Whole genome sequencing and short chain fatty acid production analysis in supernatant of pure culture were performed. Female adult C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet or a normal chow diet and were gavaged with A. muciniphilasub or phosphate-buffered saline daily for 10 months. Body weight, food consumption and blood glucose were measured. At the end of the treatment period, all mice were subjected to the Y-maze test, sucrose preference test, analyses of serum, fecal microbiota analysis and histological examination. This A. muciniphilasub had 278 unique genes compared to the type strain (A. muciniphila ATCC BAA-835) and produced short chain fatty acids both. A. muciniphilasub administration significantly reduced body weight gain and improved the spatial memory of high-fat diet-fed mice. A. muciniphilasub increased Nissl bodies in neurons of the hippocampus, and restored the high-fat diet-inhibited tryptophan metabolism. The high-fat diet led to decreased serum 5-hydroxytryptamine and induced depression, which were not alleviated by A. muciniphilasub. A. muciniphilasub increased the relative fecal abundance of Bifidobacterium, and was negatively correlated with the fecal abundance of Bacteroides. The present study demonstrated the beneficial effects of this A. muciniphilasub on body weight, blood glucose control and the alleviation of the memory decay caused by a high-fat diet in mice.

Whole exome sequencing identified a pathogenic mutation in RYR2 in a Chinese family with unexplained sudden death.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the pathogenic mutation in a Chinese family with unexplained sudden death (USD) or occasional syncope. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Whole exome sequencing and target capture sequencing were respectively conducted for two related patients. The genetic data was screened using the 1000 genomes project and SNP database (PubMed), and the identified mutations were assessed for predicted pathogenicity using the SIFT and Polyphen-2 algorithms. RESULTS: We identified a heterozygous mutation in the RYR2 gene at c.490C>T (p.P164S), highly conserved across all species, in three family members of USD, syncope and malignant ventricular tachycardias induced by treadmill exercise test, while another heterozygous de novo mutation in SCN5A at c.5576G>A p.R1859H was detected in one family member. Both variants were verified by Sanger sequencing. Importantly, RYR2 p.P164S is associated with the risk of sudden cardiac death, such as in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. CONCLUSIONS: A pathogenic mutation in RYR2 (p.P164S) is the likely cause of USD in a Chinese family associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Whole exome and target capture sequencing can be useful for discovering the genetic causes of USD.

Genome sequencing of 39 Akkermansia muciniphila isolates reveals its population structure, genomic and functional diverisity, and global distribution in mammalian gut microbiotas.

BACKGROUND: Akkermansia muciniphila is one of the most dominant bacteria that resides on the mucus layer of intestinal tract and plays key role in human health, however, little is known about its genomic content. RESULTS: Herein, we for the first time characterized the genomic architecture of A. muciniphila based on whole-genome sequencing, assembling, and annotating of 39 isolates derived from human and mouse feces. We revealed a flexible open pangenome of A. muciniphila currently consisting of 5644 unique proteins. Phylogenetic analysis identified three species-level A. muciniphila phylogroups exhibiting distinct metabolic and functional features. Based on the comprehensive genome catalogue, we reconstructed 106 newly A. muciniphila metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) from available metagenomic datasets of human, mouse and pig gut microbiomes, revealing a transcontinental distribution of A. muciniphila phylogroups across mammalian gut microbiotas. Accurate quantitative analysis of A. muciniphila phylogroups in human subjects further demonstrated its strong correlation with body mass index and anti-diabetic drug usage. Furthermore, we found that, during their mammalian gut evolution history, A. muciniphila acquired extra genes, especially antibiotic resistance genes, from symbiotic microbes via recent lateral gene transfer. CONCLUSIONS: The genome repertoire of A. muciniphila provided insights into population structure, evolutionary and functional specificity of this significant bacterium.

Phascolarctobacterium faecium abundant colonization in human gastrointestinal tract.

Phascolarctobacterium can produce short-chain fatty acids, including acetate and propionate, and can be associated with the metabolic state and mood of the host. The present study investigated the colonization characteristics of Phascolarctobacterium faecium in healthy individuals <1-80 years old in Southern China. A total of 150 fresh fecal samples were collected, and bacterial DNA was isolated from these samples for quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Phascolarctobacterium faecium demonstrated a high colonization rate and abundant colonization in the human gastrointestinal tract. The colonization rate varied between 43.33-93.33%, and the abundance of Phascolarctobacterium faecium ranged between 3.22-5.76 log cells g-1 (<1 years old) and 3.06-9.33 log cells g-1 (>1 year old). The permillage of Phascolarctobacterium faecium in total bacteria ranged between 0.004-1.479. There was presence of Phascolarctobacterium faecium-like bacteria in younger individuals with a gradual increase in the number of bacteria maintained at a high level with increasing ages (between 1 and 60 years old), but with a decrease in elderly individuals (>60 years old). The results of the present study demonstrated that Phascolarctobacterium faecium is abundantly colonized in the human gastrointestinal tract.

Elevated levels of cerebrospinal fluid S100B are associated with brain injury and unfavorable outcomes in children with central nervous system infections.

PURPOSE: This work aimed to assess whether elevated levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) S100B are associated with brain injury and unfavorable outcomes at discharge in children with central nervous system (CNS) infections. METHODS: CSF S100B and associated clinical parameters were retrospectively analyzed in 83 children with CNS infections and 88 children without neurological pathology served as controls. Children with CNS infections were divided into an infectious encephalitis group and an infectious meningitis group based on whether cerebral parenchyma was involved, and CSF S100B levels in different age subgroups between the two groups were compared. The predictive value of CSF S100B in children with infectious encephalitis was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analysis, and the discriminative power was investigated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: CSF S100B levels in the infectious encephalitis group were significantly higher than the infectious meningitis and the control group at each age range. CSF S100B ≥ 0.96 µg/L had 62.9% sensitivity and 76.2% specificity for diagnosing cerebral parenchyma injury in children with CNS infections. Increased CSF S100B levels were proven to be an independent predictor of unfavorable outcomes in children with infectious encephalitis and the optimal cut-off value (1.77 µg/L of CSF S100B) for predicting unfavorable outcomes in children with infectious encephalitis showed 61.1% sensitivity and 96.2% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that elevated levels of CSF S100B are associated with brain injury and could be used as an independent predictor of clinically unfavorable outcomes at discharge in children with CNS infections.