Redundancy in microbiota-mediated suppression of the soybean cyst nematode.

BACKGROUND: Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) as animal parasites of plants are not usually interested in killing the host but are rather focused on completing their life cycle to increase population, resulting in substantial yield losses. Remarkably, some agricultural soils after long-term crop monoculture show a significant decline in SCN densities and suppress disease in a sustainable and viable manner. However, relatively little is known about the microbes and mechanisms operating against SCN in such disease-suppressive soils. RESULTS: Greenhouse experiments showed that suppressive soils (S) collected from two provinces of China and transplantation soils (CS, created by mixing 10% S with 90% conducive soils) suppressed SCN. However, SCN suppressiveness was partially lost or completely abolished when S soils were treated with heat (80 °C) and formalin. Bacterial community analysis revealed that the specific suppression in S and CS was mainly associated with the bacterial phylum Bacteroidetes, specifically due to the enrichment of Chitinophaga spp. and Dyadobacter sp., in the cysts. SCN cysts colonized by Chitinophaga spp. showed dramatically reduced egg hatching, with unrecognizable internal body organization of juveniles inside the eggshell due to chitinase activity. Whereas, Dyadobacter sp. cells attached to the surface coat of J2s increased soybean resistance against SCN by triggering the expression of defence-associated genes. The disease-suppressive potential of these bacteria was validated by inoculating them into conducive soil. The Dyadobacter strain alone or in combination with Chitinophaga strains significantly decreased egg densities after one growing cycle of soybeans. In contrast, Chitinophaga strains alone required more than one growing cycle to significantly reduce SCN egg hatching and population density. CONCLUSION: This study revealed how soybean monoculture for decades induced microbiota homeostasis, leading to the formation of SCN-suppressive soil. The high relative abundance of antagonistic bacteria in the cyst suppressed the SCN population both directly and indirectly. Because uncontrolled proliferation will likely lead to quick demise due to host population collapse, obligate parasites like SCN may have evolved to modulate virulence/proliferation to balance these conflicting needs. Video Abstract.

A nomogram for predicting choledochal cyst with perforation.

BACKGROUND: Choledochal cyst with perforation (CC with perforation) rarely occurs, early diagnosis and timely treatment plan are crucial for the treatment of CC with perforation. This study aims to forecast the occurrence of CC with perforation. METHODS: All 1111 patients were conducted, who underwent surgery for choledochal cyst at our hospital from January 2011 to October 2022. We conducted univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to screen for independent predictive factors for predicting CC with perforation, upon which established a nomogram. The predictive performance of the nomogram was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA) curves. RESULTS: The age of children with choledochal cyst perforation is mainly concentrated between 1 and 3 years old. Logistic regression analysis indicates that age, alanine aminotransferase, glutamyl transpeptidase, C-reactive protein, vomiting, jaundice, abdominal distension, and diarrhea are associated with predicting the occurrence of choledochal cyst perforation. ROC curves, calibration plots, and DCA curve analysis curves demonstrate that the nomogram has great discriminative ability and calibration, as well as significant clinical utility. CONCLUSION: The age of CC with perforation is mainly concentrated between 1 and 3 years old. A nomogram for predicting the perforation of choledochal cyst was established.

Off-axis bifocal metalens for displacement measurement.

Metasurface is a new type of micro-optical element developed in recent years. It can intelligently modulate electromagnetic waves by adjusting the geometrical parameters and arrangement of dielectric structures. In this paper, a bifocal metalens based on modulation of propagation phase was designed for the potential application in displacement measurement. The phase of the bifocal lens is designed by the optical holography-like method, which is verified by the scalar diffraction theory. We designed a square aperture lens with a side length of 200µm to realize two focal spots with focal lengths of 900 and 1100µm. The two focal spots aren't on one optical axis. The polarization insensitive TiO2cylinders are chosen as structure units. Four structures with different radius were selected to achieve the four phase steps. We fabricated the designed bifocal metalens using electron beam lithography and atomic layer deposition techniques, and measured the light intensity in the areas near the two foci in the direction of the longitudinal axis. The differential signal was calculated, from which we obtained a linear interval. It demonstrates the ability of bifocal differential measurement to be applied to displacement measurement. Because the metasurfaces production process is semiconductor compatible, the bifocal lens is easy to integrate and can be used for miniaturized displacement measurements, micro-resonators, acceleration measurements, and so on.

A Potential "Anti-Warburg Effect" in Circulating Tumor Cell-mediated Metastatic Progression?

Metabolic reprogramming is a defining hallmark of cancer metastasis, warranting thorough exploration. The tumor-promoting function of the "Warburg Effect", marked by escalated glycolysis and restrained mitochondrial activity, is widely acknowledged. Yet, the functional significance of mitochondria-mediated oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) during metastasis remains controversial. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are considered metastatic precursors that detach from primary or secondary sites and harbor the potential to seed distant metastases through hematogenous dissemination. A comprehensive metabolic characterization of CTCs faces formidable obstacles, including the isolation of these rare cells from billions of blood cells, coupled with the complexities of ex vivo-culturing of CTC lines or the establishment of CTC-derived xenograft models (CDX). This review summarized the role of the "Warburg Effect" in both tumorigenesis and CTC-mediated metastasis. Intriguingly, bioinformatic analysis of single-CTC transcriptomic studies unveils a potential OXPHOS dominance over Glycolysis signature genes across several important cancer types. From these observations, we postulate a potential "Anti-Warburg Effect" (AWE) in CTCs-a metabolic shift bridging primary tumors and metastases. The observed AWE could be clinically important as they are significantly correlated with therapeutic response in melanoma and prostate patients. Thus, unraveling dynamic metabolic regulations within CTC populations might reveal an additional layer of regulatory complexities of cancer metastasis, providing an avenue for innovative anti-metastasis therapies.