Male nursing students' experiences of their clinical internships: A qualitative study.

Background: Nursing has traditionally been a predominantly female profession; however, there has been a gradual increase in the proportion of male nursing students in recent years. Male nursing students may encounter distinct challenges within clinical settings, potentially impacting their physical and mental well-being. Aim: This study aims to explore the clinical internship experiences of male nursing students and provide them with adequate support for their successful adaptation to clinical roles. Methods: This study used a descriptive design and qualitative approach. The participants were enrolled using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Results: Male nursing students' experiences of their clinical internships were described through the following themes: (1) dynamics of working as a nurse, (2) not just a male nursing student, (3) gender-based stereotypes, (4) balance between forte and failing, (5) difficulties and challenges when working in hospitals, and (6) lessons learned and knowledge needs. Conclusions: Our research findings have significantly enhanced our comprehension of male nursing students' experiences and offered valuable recommendations for both nursing education and clinical practice. Simultaneously, these results provide essential information support for nursing educators and hospital administrators.

Development of an enzyme-linked phage receptor-binding protein assay (ELPRA) based on a novel biorecognition molecule- receptor-binding protein Gp130 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage Henu5.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium associated with life-threatening healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), including burn wound infections, pneumonia and sepsis. Moreover, P. aeruginosa has been considered a pathogen of global concern due to its rising antibiotic resistance. Efficient identification of P. aeruginosa would significantly benefit the containment of bacterial infections, prevent pathogen transmission, and provide orientated treatment options. The accuracy and specificity of bacterial detection are primarily dictated by the biorecognition molecules employed. Lytic bacteriophages (or phages) could specifically attach to and lyse host bacterial cells. Phages' host specificity is typically determined by their receptor-binding proteins (RBPs), which recognize and adsorb phages to particular bacterial host receptors. This makes RBPs promising biorecognition molecules in bacterial detection. This study identified a novel RBP (Gp130) from the P. aeruginosa phage Henu5. A modified enzyme-linked phage receptor-binding protein assay (ELPRA) was developed for P. aeruginosa detection employing Gp130 as biorecognition molecules. Optimized conditions provided a calibration curve for P. aeruginosa with a range from 1.0 × 103 to 1.0 × 107 CFU/mL, with a limit of detection as low as 10 CFU/mL in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). With VITEKⓇ 2 Compact system identification (40 positives and 21 negatives) as the gold standard, the sensitivity of ELPRA was 0.950 (0.818-0.991), and the specificity was 0.905 (0.682-0.983) within a 95 %confidence interval. Moreover, the recovery test in spiked mouse serum showed recovery rates ranging from 82.79 %to 98.17%, demonstrating the prospect of the proposed ELPRA for detecting P. aeruginosa in biological samples.

Xiasangju alleviate metabolic syndrome by enhancing noradrenaline biosynthesis and activating brown adipose tissue.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clinical condition associated with multiple metabolic risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases. Recent evidence suggests that modulating adipose tissue to adaptive thermogenesis may offer therapeutic potential for MetS. Xiasangju (XSJ) is a marketed drug and dietary supplement used for the treatment of metabolic disease with anti-inflammatory activity. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of XSJ and the underlying mechanisms affecting the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in MetS. The results revealed that XSJ ameliorated MetS by enhancing glucose and lipid metabolism, leading to reduced body weight and abdominal circumference, decreased adipose tissue and liver index, and improved blood glucose tolerance. XSJ administration stimulated catecholamine biosynthesis, increasing noradrenaline (NA) levels and activating NA-mediated proteins in BAT. Thus, BAT enhanced thermogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Moreover, XSJ induced changes in gut microbiota composition, with an increase in Oscillibacter abundance and a decrease in Bilophila, Candidatus Stoquefichus, Holdemania, Parasutterella and Rothia. XSJ upregulated the proteins associated with intestinal tight junctions corresponding with lower serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels to maintain NA signaling transport. In summary, XSJ may alleviate MetS by promoting thermogenesis in BAT to ultimately boost energy metabolism through increasing NA biosynthesis, strengthening intestinal barrier integrity and reducing low-grade inflammation. These findings suggest XSJ has potential as a natural therapeutic agent for the treatment of MetS.

Preoperative prediction of microsatellite instability status: development and validation of a pan-cancer PET/CT-based radiomics model.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to verify the feasibility of preoperative prediction of patients' microsatellite instability status by applying a PET/CT-based radiation model. METHODS: This retrospective study ultimately included 142 patients. Three prediction models have been developed. The predictive performance of all models was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve values. The PET/CT radiological histology score (Radscore) was calculated to evaluate the microsatellite instability status, and the corresponding nomogram was established. The correlation between clinical factors and radiological characteristics was analyzed to verify the value of radiological characteristics in predicting microsatellite instability status. RESULTS: Twelve features were retained to establish a comprehensive prediction model of radiological and clinical features. M phase of the tumor has been proven to be an independent predictor of microsatellite instability status. The receiver operating characteristic results showed that the area under the curve values of the training set and the validation set of the radiomics model were 0.82 and 0.75, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the training set were 0.72, 0.78, 0.83 and 0.66, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the validation set were 1.00, 0.50, 0.76 and 1.00, respectively. The risk of patients with microsatellite instability was calculated by Radscore and nomograph, and the cutoff value was -0.4385. The validity of the results was confirmed by the decision and calibration curves. CONCLUSION: Radiological models based on PET/CT can provide clinical and practical noninvasive prediction of microsatellite instability status of several different cancer types, reducing or avoiding unnecessary biopsy to a certain extent.

Acute kidney injury comorbidity analysis based on international classification of diseases-10 codes.

OBJECTIVE: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical syndrome that occurs as a result of a dramatic decline in kidney function caused by a variety of etiological factors. Its main biomarkers, serum creatinine and urine output, are not effective in diagnosing early AKI. For this reason, this study provides insight into this syndrome by exploring the comorbidities of AKI, which may facilitate the early diagnosis of AKI. In addition, organ crosstalk in AKI was systematically explored based on comorbidities to obtain clinically reliable results. METHODS: We collected data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV database on patients aged [Formula: see text] 18 years in intensive care units (ICU) who were diagnosed with AKI using the criteria proposed by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes. The Apriori algorithm was used to mine association rules on the diagnoses of 55,486 AKI and non-AKI patients in the ICU. The comorbidities of AKI mined were validated through the Electronic Intensive Care Unit database, the Colombian Open Health Database, and medical literature, after which comorbidity results were visualized using a disease network. Finally, organ diseases were identified and classified from comorbidities to investigate renal crosstalk with other distant organs in AKI. RESULTS: We found 579 AKI comorbidities, and the main ones were disorders of lipoprotein metabolism, essential hypertension, and disorders of fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance. Of the 579 comorbidities, 554 were verifiable and 25 were new and not previously reported. In addition, crosstalk between the kidneys and distant non-renal organs including the liver, heart, brain, lungs, and gut was observed in AKI with the strongest heart-kidney crosstalk, followed by lung-kidney crosstalk. CONCLUSION: The comorbidities mined in this study using association rules are scientific and may be used for the early diagnosis of AKI and the construction of AKI predictive models. Furthermore, the organ crosstalk results obtained through comorbidities may provide supporting information for the management of short- and long-term treatment practices for organ dysfunction.

Molecular Insights into the Specific Targeting of c-MYC G-Quadruplex by Thiazole Peptides.

Stabilization of a G-quadruplex (G4) in the promotor of the c-MYC proto-oncogene leads to inhibition of gene expression, and it thus represents a potentially attractive new strategy for cancer treatment. However, most G4 stabilizers show little selectivity among the many G4s present in the cellular complement of DNA and RNA. Intriguingly, a crescent-shaped cell-penetrating thiazole peptide, TH3, preferentially stabilizes the c-MYC G4 over other promotor G4s, but the mechanisms leading to this selective binding remain obscure. To investigate these mechanisms at the atomic level, we performed an in silico comparative investigation of the binding of TH3 and its analogue TH1 to the G4s from the promotors of c-MYC, c-KIT1, c-KIT2, and BCL2. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, combined with in-depth analyses of non-covalent interactions and bulk and per-nucleotide binding free energies, revealed that both TH3 and TH1 can induce the formation of a sandwich-like framework through stacking with both the top and bottom G-tetrads of the c-MYC G4 and the adjacent terminal capping nucleotides. This framework produces enhanced binding affinities for c-MYC G4 relative to other promotor G4s, with TH3 exhibiting an outstanding binding priority. Van der Waals interactions were identified to be the key factor in complex formation in all cases. Collectively, our findings fully agree with available experimental data. Therefore, the identified mechanisms leading to specific binding of TH3 towards c-MYC G4 provide valuable information to guide the development of new selective G4 stabilizers.

Towards a better understanding of atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technology.

Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technology is an emerging sustainable development strategy to deal with global water scarcity. To better understand the current state of AWH technology development, we conducted a bibliometric analysis highlighting three water harvesting technologies (fog harvesting, condensation, and sorption). By comprehensively reviewing the research progress and performing a comparative assessment of these technologies, we summarized past achievements and critically analyzed the different technologies. Traditional fog collectors are more mature, but their efficiency still needs to be improved. External field-driven fog harvesting and active condensation need to be driven by external forces, and passive condensation has high requirements for environmental humidity. Emerging bio-inspired fog harvesting and sorption technology provide new possibilities for atmospheric water collection, but they have high requirements for materials, and their commercial application is still to be further promoted. Based on the key characteristics of each technology, we presented the development prospects for the joint use of integrated/hybrid systems. Next, the water-energy relationship is used as a link to clarify the future development strategy of AWH technology in energy driving and conversion. Finally, we outlined the core ideas of AWH for both basic research and practical applications and described its limitless possibilities for drinking water supply and agricultural irrigation. This review provides an essential reference for the development and practical application of AWH technologies, which contribute to the sustainable utilization of water resources globally.

Bacteriophages and their derived enzymes as promising alternatives for the treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii infections.

Nosocomial infections with the opportunistic bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii pose a severe challenge to clinical treatment, which is aggravated by the increasing occurrence of multi-drug resistance, especially resistance to carbapenems. The use of phage therapy as an alternative and supplement to the current antibiotics has become an important research topic in the post-antibiotic era. This review summarizes in vivo and in vitro studies on phage therapy against multi-drug-resistant A. baumannii infection that have used different approaches, including treatment with a single phage, combination with other phages or non-phage agents, and administration of phage-derived enzymes. We also briefly discuss the current challenges of phage-based therapy as well as promising approaches for the treatment of A. baumannii infection in the future.

Phosphorylation of KAT-2B by WKS1/Yr36 redirects the lipid flux to jasmonates to enhance resistance against wheat stripe rust.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the most essential human energy and protein sources. However, wheat production is threatened by devastating fungal diseases such as stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici (Pst). Here, we reveal that the alternations in chloroplast lipid profiles and the accumulation of jasmonate (JA) in the necrosis region activate JA signaling and trigger the host defense. The collapse of chloroplasts in the necrosis region results in accumulations of polyunsaturated membrane lipids and the lipid-derived phytohormone JA in transgenic lines of Yr36 that encodes Wheat Kinase START 1 (WKS1), a high-temperature-dependent adult plant resistance protein. WKS1.1, a protein encoded by a full-length splicing variant of WKS1, phosphorylates and enhances the activity of keto-acyl thiolase (KAT-2B), a critical enzyme catalyzing the ß-oxidation reaction in JA biosynthesis. The premature stop mutant, kat-2b, accumulates less JA and shows defects in the host defense against Pst. Conversely, overexpression of KAT-2B results in a higher level of JA and limits the growth of Pst. Moreover, JA inhibits the growth and reduces pustule densities of Pst. This study illustrates the WKS1.1‒KAT-2B‒JA pathway for enhancing wheat defense against fungal pathogens to attenuate yield loss.

Identifying potential therapeutic targets of mulberry leaf extract for the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a TMT-based quantitative proteomic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaf, as a medicinal and food homologous traditional Chinese medicine, has a clear therapeutic effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), yet its underlying mechanisms have not been totally clarified. The study aimed to explore the mechanism of mulberry leaf in the treatment of T2DM through tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics analysis of skeletal muscle. METHODS: The anti-diabetic activity of mulberry leaf extract (MLE) was evaluated by using streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats at a dose of 4.0 g crude drug /kg p.o. daily for 8 weeks. Fasting blood glucose, body weight, food and water intake were monitored at specific intervals, and oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test were conducted at the 7th and 8th week respectively. At the end of the experiment, levels of glycated hemoglobin A1c, insulin, free fat acid, leptin, adiponectin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were assessed and the pathological changes of rat skeletal muscle were observed by HE staining. TMT-based quantitative proteomic analysis of skeletal muscle and bioinformatics analysis were performed and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were validated by western blot. The interactions between the components of MLE and DEPs were further assessed using molecular docking. RESULTS: After 8 weeks of MLE intervention, the clinical indications of T2DM such as body weight, food and water intake of rats were improved to a certain extent, while insulin sensitivity was increased and glycemic control was improved. Serum lipid profiles were significantly reduced, and the skeletal muscle fiber gap and atrophy were alleviated. Proteomic analysis of skeletal muscle showed that MLE treatment reversed 19 DEPs in T2DM rats, regulated cholesterol metabolism, fat digestion and absorption, vitamin digestion and absorption and ferroptosis signaling pathways. Key differential proteins Apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA1) and ApoA4 were successfully validated by western blot and exhibited strong binding activity to the MLE's ingredients. CONCLUSIONS: This study first provided skeletal muscle proteomic changes in T2DM rats before and after MLE treatment, which may help us understand the molecular mechanisms, and provide a foundation for developing potential therapeutic targets of anti-T2DM of MLE.

An insertion of transposon in DcNAP inverted its function in the ethylene pathway to delay petal senescence in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.).

Petal senescence is the final stage of flower development. Transcriptional regulation plays key roles in this process. However, whether and how post-transcriptional regulation involved is still largely unknown. Here, we identified an ethylene-induced NAC family transcription factor DcNAP in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.). One allele, DcNAP-dTdic1, has an insertion of a dTdic1 transposon in its second exon. The dTdic1 transposon disrupts the structure of DcNAP and causes alternative splicing, which transcribes multiple domain-deleted variants (DcNAP2 and others). Conversely, the wild type allele DcNAP transcribes DcNAP1 encoding an intact NAC domain. Silencing DcNAP1 delays and overexpressing DcNAP1 accelerates petal senescence in carnation, while silencing and overexpressing DcNAP2 have the opposite effects, respectively. Further, DcNAP2 could interact with DcNAP1 and interfere the binding and activation activity of DcNAP1 to the promoters of its downstream target ethylene biosynthesis genes DcACS1 and DcACO1. Lastly, ethylene signalling core transcriptional factor DcEIL3-1 can activate the expression of DcNAP1 and DcNAP2 in the same way by binding their promoters. In summary, we discovered a novel mechanism by which DcNAP regulates carnation petal senescence at the post-transcriptional level. It may also provide a useful strategy to manipulate the NAC domains of NAC transcription factors for crop genetic improvement.

Fangchinoline inhibits the PEDV replication in intestinal epithelial cells via autophagic flux suppression.

Animal and human health are severely threatened by coronaviruses. The enteropathogenic coronavirus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), is highly contagious, leading to porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), which causes large economic losses in the world's swine industry. Piglets are not protected from emerging PEDV variants; therefore, new antiviral measures for PED control are urgently required. Herein, the anti-PEDV effects and potential mechanisms of fangchinoline (Fan) were investigated. Fan dose-dependently inhibited a PEDV infection at 24 h post-infection (EC50 value = 0.67 µM). We found that Fan mainly affected the PEDV replication phase but also inhibited PEDV at the attachment and internalization stages of the viral life cycle. Mechanistically, Fan blocked the autophagic flux in PEDV-infected cells by regulating the expression of autophagy-related proteins and changing PEDV virus particles. In summary, Fan inhibits PEDV infection by blocking the autophagic flux in cells. Our findings will help develop new strategies to prevent and treat PEDV infection.

Analysis and recognition of post-exercise cardiac state based on heart sound features and cardiac troponin I.

PURPOSE: Excessive intensity exercises can bring irreversible damage to the heart. We explore whether heart sounds can evaluate cardiac function after high-intensity exercise and hope to prevent overtraining through the changes of heart sound in future training. METHODS: The study population consisted of 25 male athletes and 24 female athletes. All subjects were healthy and had no history of cardiovascular disease or family history of cardiovascular disease. The subjects were required to do high-intensity exercise for 3 days, with their blood sample and heart sound (HS) signals being collected and analysed before and after exercise. We then developed a Kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) model that can distinguish the state of heart by using the pre- and post-exercise data. RESULTS: There was no significant change in serum cardiac troponin I after 3 days of load cross-country running, which indicates that there was no myocardial injury after the race. The statistical analysis of time-domain characteristics and multi-fractal characteristic parameters of HS showed that the cardiac reserve capacity of the subjects was enhanced after the cross-country running, and the KELM is an effective classifier to recognize HS and the state of the heart after exercise. CONCLUSION: Through the results, we can draw the conclusion that this intensity of exercise will not cause profound damage to the athlete's heart. The findings of this study are of great significance for evaluating the condition of the heart with the proposed index of heart sound and prevention of excessive training that causes damage to the heart.

Suppressing ASPARTIC PROTEASE 1 prolongs photosynthesis and increases wheat grain weight.

The elongation of photosynthesis, or functional staygreen, represents a feasible strategy to propel metabolite flux towards cereal kernels. However, achieving this goal remains a challenge in food crops. Here we report the cloning of wheat CO2 assimilation and kernel enhanced 2 (cake2), the mechanism underlying the photosynthesis advantages and natural alleles amenable to breeding elite varieties. A premature stop mutation in the A-genome copy of the ASPARTIC PROTEASE 1 (APP-A1) gene increased the photosynthesis rate and yield. APP1 bound and degraded PsbO, the protective extrinsic member of photosystem II critical for increasing photosynthesis and yield. Furthermore, a natural polymorphism of the APP-A1 gene in common wheat reduced APP-A1's activity and promoted photosynthesis and grain size and weight. This work demonstrates that the modification of APP1 increases photosynthesis, grain size and yield potentials. The genetic resources could propel photosynthesis and high-yield potentials in elite varieties of tetraploid and hexaploid wheat.

Suppression of ZEAXANTHIN EPOXIDASE 1 restricts stripe rust growth in wheat.

Reducing losses caused by pathogens is an effective strategy for stabilizing crop yields. Daunting challenges remain in cloning and characterizing genes that inhibit stripe rust, a devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). We found that suppression of wheat zeaxanthin epoxidase 1 (ZEP1) increased wheat defense against Pst. We isolated the yellow rust slower 1 (yrs1) mutant of tetraploid wheat in which a premature stop mutation in ZEP1-B underpins the phenotype. Genetic analyses revealed increased H2O2 accumulation in zep1 mutants and demonstrated a correlation between ZEP1 dysfunction and slower Pst growth in wheat. Moreover, wheat kinase START 1.1 (WKS1.1, Yr36) bound, phosphorylated, and suppressed the biochemical activity of ZEP1. A rare natural allele in the hexaploid wheat ZEP1-B promoter reduced its transcription and Pst growth. Our study thus identified a novel suppressor of Pst, characterized its mechanism of action, and revealed beneficial variants for wheat disease control. This work opens the door to stacking wheat ZEP1 variants with other known Pst resistance genes in future breeding programs to enhance wheat tolerance to pathogens.

HSP90.2 modulates 2Q2-mediated wheat resistance against powdery mildew.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a critical food crop feeding the world, but pathogens threaten its production. Wheat Heat Shock Protein 90.2 (HSP90.2) is a pathogen-inducible molecular chaperone folding nascent preproteins. Here, we used wheat HSP90.2 to isolate clients regulated at the posttranslational level. Tetraploid wheat hsp90.2 knockout mutant was susceptible to powdery mildew, while the HSP90.2 overexpression line was resistant, suggesting that HSP90.2 was essential for wheat resistance against powdery mildew. We next isolated 1500 clients of HSP90.2, which contained a wide variety of clients with different biological classifications. We utilized 2Q2, a nucleotide-binding leucine repeat-rich protein, as a model to investigate the potential of HSP90.2 interactome in fungal resistance. The transgenic line co-suppressing 2Q2 was more susceptible to powdery mildew, suggesting 2Q2 as a novel Pm-resistant gene. The 2Q2 protein resided in chloroplasts, and HSP90.2 played a critical role in the accumulation of 2Q2 in thylakoids. Our data provided over 1500 HSP90.2 clients with a potential regulation at the protein folding process and contributed a nontypical approach to isolate pathogenesis-related proteins.

Kaixin-San improves Aß-induced synaptic plasticity inhibition by affecting the expression of regulation proteins associated with postsynaptic AMPAR expression.

Objective: To explore the mechanism underlying Kaixin-San (KXS) regulation of postsynaptic AMPA receptor (AMPAR) expression to mitigate toxic effects of the amyloid-ß protein (Aß). Methods: An animal model was established via intracerebroventricular injection of Aß1-42. The Morris water maze test was conducted to evaluate learning and memory, while electrophysiological recording was conducted to assess the hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). Western blotting was used to detect expression levels of the hippocampal postsynaptic AMPAR and its accessory proteins. Results: The time spent to find the platform was significantly prolonged, the number of mice crossing the target site was significantly reduced, and the maintenance of LTP was inhibited in the Aß group than in the control group. In the Aß/KXS group, the time taken to find the platform was significantly shortened and the number of mice crossing the target site was significantly increased than in the Aß group; furthermore, the inhibition of LTP induced by Aß was reversed. The expression of GluR1, GluR2, ABP, GRIP1, NSF, and pGluR1-Ser845 was upregulated, while that of pGluR2-Ser880 and PKC δ was downregulated in the Aß/KXS group. Conclusion: The increased expression of ABP, GRIP1, NSF, and pGluR1-Ser845 and the decreased expression of pGluR2-Ser880 and PKC δ under the influence of KXS, followed by the upregulation of postsynaptic GluR1 and GluR2, alleviated the inhibition of LTP induced by Aß. Ultimately, the memory function of model animals was improved by KXS. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanism underlying KXS mitigation of Aß-induced synaptic plasticity inhibition and memory impairment by altering the levels of accessory proteins associated with AMPAR expression.

Lactate is useful for the efficient replication of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in cell culture.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a deadly pathogen infecting pig herds, and has caused significant economic losses around the world. Vaccination remains the most effective way of keeping the PEDV epidemic under control. Previous studies have shown that the host metabolism has a significant impact on viral replication. In this study, we have demonstrated that two substrates of metabolic pathway, glucose and glutamine, play a key role in PEDV replication. Interestingly, the boosting effect of these compounds toward viral replication appeared to be dose-independent. Furthermore, we found that lactate, which is a downstream metabolite, promotes PEDV replication, even when added in excess to the cell culture medium. Moreover, the role of lactate in promoting PEDV was independent of the genotype of PEDV and the multiplicity of infection (MOI). Our findings suggest that lactate is a promising candidate for use as a cell culture additive for promoting PEDV replication. It could improve the efficiency of vaccine production and provide the basis for designing novel antiviral strategies.

Antimicrobial Peptides: A Promising Strategy for Anti-tuberculosis Therapeutics.

The high global burden of tuberculosis (TB) and the increasing emergence of the drugresistant (DR) strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) emphasize the urgent need for novel antimycobacterial agents. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small peptides widely existing in a variety of organisms and usually have amphiphilic cationic structures, which have a selective affinity to the negatively charged bacterial cell wall. Besides direct bactericidal mechanisms, including interacting with the bacterial cell membrane and interfering with the biosynthesis of the cell wall, DNA, or protein, some AMPs are involved in the host's innate immunity. AMPs are promising alternative or complementary agents for the treatment of DR-TB, given their various antibacterial mechanisms and low cytotoxicity. A large number of AMPs, synthetic or natural, from human to bacteriophage sources, have displayed potent anti-mycobacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we summarized the features, antimycobacterial activity, and mechanisms of action of the AMPs according to their sources. Although AMPs have not yet met the expectations for clinical application due to their low bioavailabilities, high cost, and difficulties in large-scale production, their potent antimycobacterial activity and action mechanisms, which are different from conventional antibiotics, make them promising antibacterial agents against DR-Mtb in the future.

HSP90.2 promotes CO2 assimilation rate, grain weight and yield in wheat.

Wheat fixes CO2 by photosynthesis into kernels to nourish humankind. Improving the photosynthesis rate is a major driving force in assimilating atmospheric CO2 and guaranteeing food supply for human beings. Strategies for achieving the above goal need to be improved. Here, we report the cloning and mechanism of CO2 ASSIMILATION RATE AND KERNEL-ENHANCED 1 (CAKE1) from durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum). The cake1 mutant displayed a lower photosynthesis rate with smaller grains. Genetic studies identified CAKE1 as HSP90.2-B, encoding cytosolic molecular chaperone folding nascent preproteins. The disturbance of HSP90.2 decreased leaf photosynthesis rate, kernel weight (KW) and yield. Nevertheless, HSP90.2 over-expression increased KW. HSP90.2 recruited and was essential for the chloroplast localization of nuclear-encoded photosynthesis units, for example PsbO. Actin microfilaments docked on the chloroplast surface interacted with HSP90.2 as a subcellular track towards chloroplasts. A natural variation in the hexaploid wheat HSP90.2-B promoter increased its transcription activity, enhanced photosynthesis rate and improved KW and yield. Our study illustrated an HSP90.2-Actin complex sorting client preproteins towards chloroplasts to promote CO2 assimilation and crop production. The beneficial haplotype of Hsp90.2 is rare in modern varieties and could be an excellent molecular switch promoting photosynthesis rate to increase yield in future elite wheat varieties.