Ergonomic benefit using heads-up display compared to conventional surgical microscope in Japanese ophthalmologists.

PURPOSE: Occupational musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent in ophthalmic surgeons and can impact surgeons' well-being and productivity. Heads-up displays may reduce ergonomic stress compared to conventional microscopes. This cross-sectional, non-interventional study compared ergonomic experience between heads-up display and conventional ocular microscopes. METHODS: The study protocol was approved by the independent ethics committee and nonprofit organization MINS Institutional Review Board. An online questionnaire was distributed to a sample of ophthalmic surgeons in Japan with experience operating with heads-up display. The questionnaire captured surgeon-specific variables, the standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, and custom questions to compare heads-up display and conventional microscope and understand long-term impacts of musculoskeletal disorders. RESULTS: Analysis was conducted on responses from 67 surgeons with a mean 25 years of practice and 2.7 years using heads-up display. Many surgeons agreed or strongly agreed that heads-up display reduced the severity (40%) and frequency (40%) of pain and discomfort, improved posture (61%), and improved overall comfort (61%). Of respondents who experienced asthenopia (n = 59) or pain/discomfort during operation (n = 61), 54% reported improvement in asthenopia and 72% reported feeling less pain/discomfort since using heads-up display. Overall, 69% reported preference for heads-up display. CONCLUSION: This study provides novel data on musculoskeletal disorders and the long-term impacts of ergonomic strain reported by ophthalmologists building on existing literature demonstrating ergonomic and other advantages of heads-up display. Future studies with objective ergonomic assessment are warranted to validate these findings.

CircRNA circRREB1 promotes tumorigenesis and progression of breast cancer by activating Erk1/2 signaling through interacting with GNB4.

Current investigations have illuminated the essential roles played by circular RNAs (circRNAs) in driving breast cancer (BC) tumorigenesis. However, the functional implications and molecular underpinnings of most circRNAs in BC are not well characterized. Here, Circular RNA (circRNA) expression profiles were analyzed in four surgically resected BC cases along with adjacent non-cancerous tissues applying RNA microarray analysis. The levels and prognostic implications of circRREB1 in BC were subjected to quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH). Experimental manipulation of circRREB1 levels in both in vivo and in vitro settings further delineated its role in BC cell growth, invasion, and metastasis. The mechanical verification of circRREB1's interaction with GNB4 was established through RNA pull-down, mass spectrometry, Western blot analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation assays (RIP), fluorescence ISH (FISH), and rescue experiments. We found that circRREB1 exhibited significant upregulation in BC tissues and cells, implicating its association with an unfavorable prognosis in BC patients. CircRREB1 knockdown elicited anti-proliferative, anti-migratory, anti-invasive, and pro-apoptotic effects in BC cells, whereas its upregulation exerted opposing influences. Follow-up mechanistic examinations suggested that circRREB1 might interact with GNB4 directly, inducing the activation of Erk1/2 signaling and driving BC progression. Our findings collectively indicate that the interplay of circRREB1 with GNB4 promotes Erk1/2 signaling, thereby fostering BC progression, and positioning circRREB1 as a candidate therapeutic target for intervention in BC.

Identification and characterization of extrachromosomal circular DNA in large-artery atherosclerotic stroke.

Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is a new biomarker and regulator of diseases. However, the role of eccDNAs in large-artery atherosclerotic (LAA) stroke remains unclear. Through high-throughput circle-sequencing technique, the length distribution, genomic characteristic and motifs feature of plasma eccDNA from healthy controls (CON) and patients with LAA stroke were analysed. Then, the potential functions of the annotated eccDNAs were investigated using GO and KEGG pathway analyses. EccDNAs mapped to the reference genome showed SHN3 and BCL6 were LAA stroke unique transcription factors. The genes of differentially expressed eccDNAs between LAA stroke patients and CON were mainly involved in axon/dendrite/neuron projection development and maintenance of cellular structure via Wnt, Rap1 and MAPK pathways. Moreover, LAA stroke unique eccDNA genes played a role in regulation of coagulation and fibrinolysis, and there were five LAA stroke unique eccDNAs (Chr2:12724406-12724784, Chr4:1867120-186272046, Chr4:186271494-186271696, Chr7:116560296-116560685 and Chr11:57611780-5761192). Additionally, POLR2C and AURKA carried by ecDNAs (eccDNA size >100 kb) of LAA stroke patients were significantly associated with development of LAA stroke. Our data firstly revealed the characteristics of eccDNA in LAA stroke and the functions of LAA stroke unique eccDNAs and eccDNA genes, suggesting eccDNA is a novel biomarker and mechanism of LAA stroke.

Feature Fusion for Multi-Coil Compressed MR Image Reconstruction.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) occupies a pivotal position within contemporary diagnostic imaging modalities, offering non-invasive and radiation-free scanning. Despite its significance, MRI's principal limitation is the protracted data acquisition time, which hampers broader practical application. Promising deep learning (DL) methods for undersampled magnetic resonance (MR) image reconstruction outperform the traditional approaches in terms of speed and image quality. However, the intricate inter-coil correlations have been insufficiently addressed, leading to an underexploitation of the rich information inherent in multi-coil acquisitions. In this article, we proposed a method called "Multi-coil Feature Fusion Variation Network" (MFFVN), which introduces an encoder to extract the feature from multi-coil MR image directly and explicitly, followed by a feature fusion operation. Coil reshaping enables the 2D network to achieve satisfactory reconstruction results, while avoiding the introduction of a significant number of parameters and preserving inter-coil information. Compared with VN, MFFVN yields an improvement in the average PSNR and SSIM of the test set, registering enhancements of 0.2622 dB and 0.0021 dB respectively. This uplift can be attributed to the integration of feature extraction and fusion stages into the network's architecture, thereby effectively leveraging and combining the multi-coil information for enhanced image reconstruction quality. The proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on fastMRI dataset of multi-coil brains under a fourfold acceleration factor without incurring substantial computation overhead.

Rh(III)-Catalyzed [4 + 1] Annulation of Benzamides with Vinyl Cyclic Carbonates for the Synthesis of Isoindolinones.

A Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H bond activation and subsequent [4+1] annulation of benzamides with vinyl cyclic carbonates have been developed for the synthesis of isoindolinones, in which the electron-rich alkenes could serve as one-carbon units. This reaction proceeds smoothly with high regioselectivity under oxidant- and silver-free conditions and exhibits broad substrate scope and functional group tolerance including some biological active materials. The scale-up reaction and derivatizations of the product further demonstrate the potential synthetic utility of this transformation.

New insight into Ca2+ -permeable channel in plant immunity.

Calcium ions (Ca2+ ) are crucial intracellular second messengers in eukaryotic cells. Upon pathogen perception, plants generate a transient and rapid increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels, which is subsequently decoded by Ca2+ sensors and effectors to activate downstream immune responses. The elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ is commonly attributed to Ca2+ influx mediated by plasma membrane-localized Ca2+ -permeable channels. However, the contribution of Ca2+ release triggered by intracellular Ca2+ -permeable channels in shaping Ca2+ signaling associated with plant immunity remains poorly understood. This review discusses recent advances in understanding the mechanism underlying the shaping of Ca2+ signatures upon the activation of immune receptors, with particular emphasis on the identification of intracellular immune receptors as non-canonical Ca2+ -permeable channels. We also discuss the involvement of Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum in generating Ca2+ signaling during plant immunity.

Single isocenter versus dual isocenter treatment using flattening filter-free and jaw-tracking volumetrically modulated arc therapy for boot-shaped lung cancer: Evaluation of dosimetric and feasibility.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether a dual-isocenter volumetrically modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique results in lower normal pulmonary dosage compared to a traditional single isocenter technique for boot-shaped lung cancer. METHODS: A cohort of 15 patients with advanced peripheral or central lung cancer who had metastases in the mediastinum and supraclavicular lymph nodes was randomly selected for this retrospective study. VMAT plans were generated for each patient using two different beam alignment techniques with the 6-MV flattening filter-free (FFF) photon beam: single-isocenter jaw-tracking VMAT based on the Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator (S-TV), and dual-isocenter VMAT based on both TrueBeam (D-TV) and Halcyon linear accelerator (D-HV). For all 45 treatment plans, planning target volume (PTV) dose coverage, conformity/homogeneity index (CI/HI), mean heart dose (MHD), mean lung dose (MLD) and the total lung tissue receiving 5, 20, 30 Gy (V5 , V20 , V30 ) were evaluated. The monitor units (MUs), delivery time, and plan quality assurance (QA) results were recorded. RESULTS: The quality of the objectives of the three plans was comparable to each other. In comparison with S-TV, D-TV and D-HV improved the CI and HI of the PTV (p < 0.05). The MLD was 13.84 ± 1.44 Gy (mean ± SD) for D-TV, 14.22 ± 1.30 Gy and 14.16 ± 1.42 Gy for S-TV and D-HV, respectively. Lungs-V5Gy was 50.78 ± 6.24%, 52.00 ± 7.32% and 53.36 ± 8.48%, Lungs-V20Gy was 23.72 ± 2.27%, 26.18 ± 2.86% and 24.96 ± 3.09%, Lungs-V30Gy was 15.69 ± 1.76%, 17.20 ± 1.72% and 16.52 ± 2.07%. Compared to S-TV, D-TV provided statistically significant better protection for the total lung, with the exception of the lungs-V5 . All plans passed QA according the gamma criteria of 3%/3 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Taking into account the dosimetric results and published clinical data on radiation-induced pulmonary injury, dual-isocenter jaw-tracking VMAT may be the optimal choice for treating boot-shaped lung cancer.

Interkingdom Hormonal Regulations between Plants and Animals Provide New Insight into Food Safety.

Food safety has become an attractive topic among consumers. Raw material production for food is also a focus of social attention. As hormones are widely used in agriculture and human disease control, consumers' concerns about the safety of hormone agents have never disappeared. The present review focuses on the interkingdom regulations of exogenous animal hormones in plants and phytohormones in animals, including physiology and stress resistance. We summarize these interactions to give the public, researchers, and policymakers some guidance and suggestions. Accumulated evidence demonstrates comprehensive hormonal regulation across plants and animals. Animal hormones, interacting with phytohormones, help regulate plant development and enhance environmental resistance. Correspondingly, phytohormones may also cause damage to the reproductive and urinary systems of animals. Notably, the disease-resistant role of phytohormones is revealed against neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. These resistances derive from the control for abnormal cell cycle, energy balance, and activity of enzymes. Further exploration of these cross-kingdom mechanisms would surely be of greater benefit to human health and agriculture development.

Bioprospecting of Actinobacterial Diversity and Antibacterial Secondary Metabolites from the Sediments of Four Saline Lakes on the Northern Tibetan Plateau.

The Tibetan Plateau, known as the "Roof of the World" and "The Third Pole", harbors numerous saline lakes primarily distributed in the Northern Tibetan Plateau. However, the challenging conditions of high altitude, low oxygen level, and harsh climate have limited investigations into the actinobacteria from these saline lakes. This study focuses on investigating the biodiversity and bioactive secondary metabolites of cultivable actinobacteria isolated from the sediments of four saline lakes on the Northern Tibetan Plateau. A total of 255 actinobacterial strains affiliated with 21 genera in 12 families of 7 orders were recovered by using the pure culture technique and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis. To facilitate a high-throughput bioactivity evaluation, 192 isolates underwent OSMAC cultivation in a miniaturized 24-well microbioreactor system (MATRIX cultivation). The antibacterial activity of crude extracts was then evaluated in a 96-well plate antibacterial assay. Forty-six strains demonstrated antagonistic effects against at least one tested pathogen, and their underlying antibacterial mechanisms were further investigated through a dual-fluorescent reporter assay (pDualrep2). Two Streptomyces strains (378 and 549) that produce compounds triggering DNA damage were prioritized for subsequent chemical investigations. Metabolomics profiling involving HPLC-UV/vis, UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, and molecular networking identified three types of bioactive metabolites belonging to the aromatic polyketide family, i.e., cosmomycin, kidamycin, and hedamycin. In-depth analysis of the metabolomic data unveiled some potentially novel anthracycline compounds. A genome mining study based on the whole-genome sequences of strains 378 and 549 identified gene clusters potentially responsible for cosmomycin and kidamycin biosynthesis. This work highlights the effectiveness of combining metabolomic and genomic approaches to rapidly identify bioactive chemicals within microbial extracts. The saline lakes on the Northern Tibetan Plateau present prospective sources for discovering novel actinobacteria and biologically active compounds.

Enhanced mitochondrial buffering prevents Ca2+ overload in naked mole-rat brain.

Deleterious Ca2+ accumulation is central to hypoxic cell death in the brain of most mammals. Conversely, hypoxia-mediated increases in cytosolic Ca2+ are retarded in hypoxia-tolerant naked mole-rat brain. We hypothesized that naked mole-rat brain mitochondria have an enhanced capacity to buffer exogenous Ca2+ and examined Ca2+ handling in naked mole-rat cortical tissue. We report that naked mole-rat brain mitochondria buffer >2-fold more exogenous Ca2+ than mouse brain mitochondria, and that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) at which Ca2+ inhibits aerobic oxidative phosphorylation is >2-fold higher in naked mole-rat brain. The primary driving force of Ca2+ uptake is the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm ), and the IC50 at which Ca2+ decreases Δψm is ∼4-fold higher in naked mole-rat than mouse brain. The ability of naked mole-rat brain mitochondria to safely retain large volumes of Ca2+ may be due to ultrastructural differences that support the uptake and physical storage of Ca2+ in mitochondria. Specifically, and relative to mouse brain, naked mole-rat brain mitochondria are larger and have higher crista density and increased physical interactions between adjacent mitochondrial membranes, all of which are associated with improved energetic homeostasis and Ca2+ management. We propose that excessive Ca2+ influx into naked mole-rat brain is buffered by physical storage in large mitochondria, which would reduce deleterious Ca2+ overload and may thus contribute to the hypoxia and ischaemia-tolerance of naked mole-rat brain. KEY POINTS: Unregulated Ca2+ influx is a hallmark of hypoxic brain death; however, hypoxia-mediated Ca2+ influx into naked mole-rat brain is markedly reduced relative to mice. This is important because naked mole-rat brain is robustly tolerant against in vitro hypoxia, and because Ca2+ is a key driver of hypoxic cell death in brain. We show that in hypoxic naked mole-rat brain, oxidative capacity and mitochondrial membrane integrity are better preserved following exogenous Ca2+ stress. This is due to mitochondrial buffering of exogenous Ca2+ and is driven by a mitochondrial membrane potential-dependant mechanism. The unique ultrastructure of naked mole-rat brain mitochondria, as a large physical storage space, may support increased Ca2+ buffering and thus hypoxia-tolerance.

Lower Plasma miR-223 Level Is Associated with Clopidogrel Resistance in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between the plasma miR-223 expression level and clopidogrel resistance in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Methods: We performed a search for publications using online databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Chinese Databases (CNKI database, Weipu database, and Wanfang database) from the inception of the databases to June 18, 2023, to identify studies reporting the relationship between the plasma miR-223 level and clopidogrel resistance in ACS patients. Two researchers independently searched and screened to ensure the consistency of the results and assess the quality of the included studies according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A fixed-effects model was used for pooling data with STATA 14.0. Results: Four articles including 399 Chinese ACS patients were eligible for the meta-analysis. Low plasma miR-223 levels were independently correlated with clopidogrel resistance in Chinese ACS patients (OR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.33-1.04). Conclusion: Lower plasma miR-223 levels are associated with clopidogrel resistance in Chinese ACS patients, suggesting that miR-223 may be a potential diagnostic biomarker of clopidogrel resistance.

Experimental and Numerical Simulation Studies on V-Shaped Bending of Aluminum/CFRP Laminates.

With the increasing requirements of automotive lightweighting, metal/CFRP laminates are increasingly used. In this paper, Al/CFRP laminates were prepared using an integrated hot press curing method, and the optimum curing conditions were determined using the single-lap shear test at 130 °C for 45 min. The effects of fiber lay-up, forming speed, and metal layer thickness on bending springback were investigated using the V-shaped bending test and Abaqus finite element analysis method. The results show that fiber lay-up has an important influence on springback. Among the five different fiber lay-ups (0° unidirectional, 90° unidirectional, 0° orthotropic, 90° orthotropic, and 45° orthotropic), the 45° orthotropic lay-up had the lowest springback rate of 1.11%. Increasing the thickness of the sheet metal can significantly reduce the resilience rate. As the sheet thickness increased from 2 mm to 3 mm, the springback of the 90° unidirectional lay-up decreased by 43%. Springback was not sensitive to forming speed, and the difference in springback was within 1% at different forming speeds. The damage behavior of the forming process was analyzed using the three-dimensional Hashin damage law with the Vumat subroutine and microscopic analysis. Fiber and resin damage under 45° orthotropic lay-up conditions was relatively small compared to fiber damage under 0° unidirectional lay-up and resin damage under 90° unidirectional lay-up.

Senescence-based colorectal cancer subtyping reveals distinct molecular characteristics and therapeutic strategies.

Cellular senescence has been listed as a hallmark of cancer, but its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. We comprehensively evaluated the transcriptome, genome, digital pathology, and clinical data from multiple datasets of CRC patients and proposed a novel senescence subtype for CRC. Multi-omics data was used to analyze the biological features, tumor microenvironment, and mutation landscape of senescence subtypes, as well as drug sensitivity and immunotherapy response. The senescence score was constructed to better quantify senescence in each patient for clinical use. Unsupervised learning revealed three transcriptome-based senescence subtypes. Cluster 1, characterized by low senescence and activated proliferative pathways, was sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs. Cluster 2, characterized by intermediate senescence and high immune infiltration, exhibited significant immunotherapeutic advantages. Cluster 3, characterized by high senescence, high immune, and stroma infiltration, had a worse prognosis and maybe benefit from targeted therapy. We further constructed a senescence scoring system based on seven senescent genes through machine learning. Lower senescence scores were highly predictive of longer disease-free survival, and patients with low senescence scores may benefit from immunotherapy. We proposed the senescence subtypes of CRC and our findings provide potential treatment interventions for each CRC senescence subtype to promote precision treatment.

Corneal Outcomes Following Cataract Surgery Using Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices Composed of Chondroitin Sulfate-Hyaluronic Acid: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) are commonly used during cataract surgery to protect the corneal endothelium. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the clinical evidence of OVDs composed of chondroitin sulfate-hyaluronic acid (CS-HA) versus other OVDs in maintaining endothelial cell density (ECD) and corneal thickness (CT). Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched from 2000 to 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs, N ≥ 20 per group) comparing an OVD containing CS-HA (ie, VISCOAT®, DuoVisc® or DisCoVisc®) to any other OVD were included. The identified comparators were limited to the OVDs found in the literature, which included those composed of HA-only or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). Outcomes of focus included changes in ECD (baseline to 3 months) and CT (baseline to 24 hours). Meta-analyses were performed using R software, to assess mean differences (MD) in ECD and CT change between CS-HA OVDs and HA-only or HPMC OVDs. Results: A total of 966 abstracts were screened, and data were extracted from 12 RCTs. Meta-analyses using a random-effects model revealed significantly lower percent (%) decrease in ECD for CS-HA OVDs compared to both HA-only (MD: -4.10%; 95% CI: -5.81 to -2.40; p < 0.0001; 9 studies) and HPMC (MD: -6.47%; 95% CI: -10.41 to -2.52; p = 0.001; 2 studies) products. Similarly, % CT increase was significantly lower with CS-HA than with HA-only OVDs (MD: -3.22%; 95% CI: -6.24% to -0.20%; p = 0.04; 4 studies). However, there were no significant differences when comparing % CT change between CS-HA and HPMC OVDs (MD: 2.65%; 95% CI: -0.43% to 0.95%; p = 0.4; 2 studies). Conclusion: CS-HA OVDs lead to less postoperative loss of endothelial cells and may better protect corneal endothelium during cataract surgery, relative to other OVDs. Future randomized studies may be needed to solidify these findings.

End-to-End Impact of a Cloud-Based Surgical Planning System on Efficiency in Cataract Surgery: A Time-and-Motion Study.

Purpose: Inefficiencies from manual data entry and non-integration exist throughout the cataract surgery workflow. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of SMARTCataract, an innovative cloud-based digital surgical planning platform (SPS) on efficiency in preoperative (diagnostic workup, surgery planning), intraoperative, and postoperative phases of cataract surgery. The primary objective aimed to assess time and number of manual transcription data points (TPs) required for all pre-, intra-, and postoperative devices that integrate with the SPS and surgery planning time across three patient types (post-refractive, astigmatic, conventional). The secondary objective aimed to assess the overall efficiency impact of the SPS on the surgery workflow for the three patient types by leveraging time-and-motion methods and workflow mapping. Patients and Methods: This prospective, observational, real-world, pre- and post-cohort time-and-motion study included patients undergoing evaluation for cataract surgery and/or surgery at the study site. Assessed variables included time and TPs required for clinical activities and devices associated with traditional manual methods (pre-cohort) versus the SPS (post-cohort). Statistical analyses (t-test) were performed comparing performance time using the SPS versus traditional methods for each integrated technology and surgery planning activity. Results: The SPS demonstrated statistically significant time savings over traditional methods in TP data input time taken across all integrated pre-, intra-, and postoperative devices (p<0.0001). The SPS additionally demonstrated statistically significant time savings in preoperative surgery planning across post-refractive (p<0.0001), astigmatic (p=0.0005), and conventional (p=0.0004) cataract patient groups. Overall, the SPS reduced end-to-end patient workflow time and TPs for post-refractive, astigmatic, and conventional cataract patients by averages of 13.2, 12.6, and 4.3 minutes and 184, 166, and 25 TPs per patient, respectively. Conclusion: Through the SPS' integration and surgery planning capabilities, substantial time efficiencies can be achieved for cataract surgery practices, clinicians, and patients compared to surgery planning with traditional manual methods.

Georgenia halotolerans sp. nov., a halotolerant actinobacterium isolated from Taklamakan desert soil.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming and rod-shaped actinobacterium, designated strain 10Sc9-8T, was isolated from Taklamakan desert soil sampled in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Strain 10Sc9-8T grew at 8‒37 °C (optimum, 28‒30 °C), pH 6.0‒10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0) and in the presence of 0‒15 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-3 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence suggested that strain 10Sc9-8T was affiliated with members of the genus Georgenia and showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Georgenia yuyongxinii Z443T (97.4 %). Phylogenomic analysis based on the whole genome sequences indicated that strain 10Sc9-8T should be assigned into the genus Georgenia. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values calculated from the whole genome sequences indicated that strain 10Sc9-8T was clearly separated from other closely related species of the genus Georgenia with values below the thresholds for species delineation. Chemotaxonomic analyses showed that the cell-wall peptidoglycan was in a variant of A4α type with an interpeptide bridge comprising l-Lys-l-Ala-Gly-l-Asp. The predominant menaquinone was MK-8(H4). The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, several unidentified phospholipids, glycolipids and one unidentified lipid. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 1 A and C16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content was 72.7 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and phylogenomic data, strain 10Sc9-8T represents a novel species of the genus Georgenia, for which the name Georgenia halotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 10Sc9-8T (=JCM 33946T=CPCC 206219T).

[Geochemical Background and Baseline Value of Soil Chemical Elements in Hebei Province].

Geochemical background and baseline values are important parameters for understanding the geochemical characteristics of soil elements, but the research degree of these two parameters is lacking in Hebei Province. Therefore, data from the multi-purpose regional geochemical survey and land quality geochemical assessment in Hebei Province from 2004 to 2018 were collected, covering approximately 71% of the land area of the whole province. Based on the data of surface soil and deep soil, scientific and robust methods including median value and median absolute deviation were used to calculate the geochemical background values, geochemical baseline values, as well as variation ranges of 54 indexes (Ag, Al2O3, As, Au, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Br, CaO, Cd, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, F, Fe2O3, Ga, Ge, Hg, I, K2O, La, Li, MgO, Mn, Mo, N, Na2O, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, pH, Rb, S, Sb, Sc, Se, SiO2, Sn, Sr, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr, total carbon (TC), and organic carbon (Corg)) in Hebei Province and 11 prefecture-level cities. The change rate in geochemical background for each index was also calculated. The results showed that the geochemical background and baseline values of most soil chemical elements in Hebei Province were lower than those nationwide, but the values of Ba, Br, Cl, MgO, Na2O, P, pH, S, Sr, and TC were higher, with CaO being the highest. Compared with those in north China, there was no significant difference in the geochemical background and baseline values for the 54 indexes, with the ratios of 0.83-1.17 and 0.79-1.19, respectively. Significant changes in the geochemical background for Corg, Hg, N, P, S, and Se were observed in Hebei Province, indicating that these indexes were greatly influenced by human factors. Preliminary analysis suggests that coal burning emissions and agricultural chemical use were two very important inducing factors.

Reciprocal costimulatory molecules control the activation of mucosal type 3 innate lymphoid cells during engagement with B cells.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are the counterpart of T helper cells in the innate immune system and share multiple phenotypes with T helper cells. Inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS) is recognized on T cells and participates in T-cell activation and T and B-cell engagement in lymphoid tissues. However, the role of ICOS in ILC3s and ILC3-involved interactions with the immune microenvironment remains unclear. Here, we found that ICOS expression on human ILC3s was correlated with the activated state of ILC3s. ICOS costimulation enhanced the survival, proliferation, and capacity of ILC3s to produce cytokines (IL-22, IL-17A, IFN-γ, TNF, and GM-CSF). Via synergistic effects of ICOS and CD40 signaling, B cells promoted ILC3 functions, and ILC3-induced T-cell-independent B-cell IgA and IgM secretion primarily required CD40 signaling. Hence, ICOS is essential for the nonredundant role of ILC3s and their interaction with adjacent B cells.

Dual-Affinity Graphene Sheets for High-Resolution Cryo-Electron Microscopy.

With the development of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), high-resolution structures of macromolecules can be reconstructed by the single particle method efficiently. However, challenges may still persist during the specimen preparation stage. Specifically, proteins tend to adsorb at the air-water interface and exhibit a preferred orientation in vitreous ice. To overcome these challenges, we have explored dual-affinity graphene (DAG) modified with two different affinity ligands as a supporting material for cryo-EM sample preparation. The ligands can bind to distinct sites on the corresponding tagged particles, which in turn generates various orientation distributions of particles and prevents the adsorption of protein particles onto the air-water interface. As expected, the DAG exhibited high binding specificity and affinity to target macromolecules, resulting in more balanced particle Euler angular distributions compared to single functionalized graphene on two different protein cases, including the SARS -CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. We anticipate that the DAG grids will enable facile and efficient three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction for cryo-EM structural determination, providing a robust and general technique for future studies.

Characterization of resistance genes and plasmids from sick children caused by Salmonella enterica resistance to azithromycin in Shenzhen, China.

Introduction: Samonella is 1 of 4 key global causes of diarrhoeal diseases, sometimes it can be serious, especially for yong children. Due to the extensive resistance of salmonella serotypes to conventional first-line drugs, macrolides (such as azithromycin) have been designated as the most important antibiotics for the treatment of salmonella. Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health problem in the world, and the mechanism of azithromycin resistance is rarely studied. Methods: This study determined the azithromycin resistance and plasmids of Salmonella enterica isolates from children attending the Shenzhen Children's Hospital. The susceptibility of ampicillin (AMP), ciprofloxacin (CIP), ceftriaxone (CRO), sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), chloramphenicol (CL), and azithromycin (AZM) were detected and the genes and plasmids from azithromycin-resistant Salmonella were detected by Illumina hi-seq and Nanopore MinIone whole genome sequencing (WGS) using a map-based method, and the genomic background of these factors was evaluated using various bioinformatics tools. Results: In total, 15 strains of nontyphoid Salmonella strains that were isolated (including S. typhimurium, S.London, S. Goldcoast, and S.Stanley) demonstrated resistance to azithromycin (minimum inhibitory concentration,MIC from 32 to >256 µg/mL), and the resistance rate was 3.08% (15/487). The sensitivity test to other antibiotics demonstrated 100% resistance to AMP, and the resistance to SMZ and CL was 86.7% and 80.0%, respectively. Through WGS analysis, all isolates were positive for a plasmid-encoded mphA gene. Plasmid incompatibility typing identified five IncFIB(K), five IncHI2/HI2A/Q1, two IncC, one IncHI2/HI2A/N, one IncR, one IncFII and one IncHI2/HI2A plasmids. Sequence analyses of plasmids revealed extensive homology to various plasmids or transposons in regions involved in plasmid replication/maintenance functions and/or in antibiotic resistance gene clusters. Conclusion: mphA is the main gene involved in azithromycin, a macrolide, and resistance to Salmonella. It is usually located on plasmids and easily spreads, hence posing a great threat to the current treatment of Salmonella infection. The plasmid sequence similarities suggest that the plasmids acquired resistance genes from a variety of enterica bacteria and underscore the importance of a further understanding of horizontal gene transfer among enterica bacteria.