Corrigendum: The utility of high-frequency 18 MHz ultrasonography for preoperative evaluation of acral melanoma thickness in Chinese patients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1185389.].

Characterizing the Influence of a Heterotrophic Bicosoecid Flagellate Pseudobodo sp. on the Dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus balechii.

Microbial interactions including competition, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and predation, which can be triggered by nutrient acquisition and chemical communication, are universal phenomena in the marine ecosystem. The interactions may influence the microbial population density, metabolism, and even their environmental functions. Herein, we investigated the interaction between a heterotrophic bicosoecid flagellate, Pseudobodo sp. (Bicoecea), and a dinoflagellate, Gambierdiscus balechii (Dinophyceae), which is a well-known ciguatera food poisoning (CFP) culprit. The presence of Pseudobodo sp. inhibited the algal proliferation and decreased the cardiotoxicity of zebrafish in the algal extract exposure experiment. Moreover, a significant difference in microbiome abundance was observed in algal cultures with and without Pseudobodo sp. Chemical analysis targeting toxins was performed by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) combined with molecular networking (MN), showing a significant alteration in the cellular production of gambierone analogs and some super-carbon chain compounds. Taken together, our results demonstrated the impact of heterotrophic flagellate on the photosynthetic dinoflagellates, revealing the complex dynamics of algal toxin production and the ecological relationships related to dinoflagellates in the marine environment.

The utility of high-frequency 18 MHz ultrasonography for preoperative evaluation of acral melanoma thickness in Chinese patients.

Background: Despite the increasing use of preoperative ultrasound evaluation for melanoma, there is limited research on the use of this technique for Acral Melanoma (AM). Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the electronic medical records of patients who underwent preoperative evaluation for cutaneous melanoma maximum thickness using an 18 MHz probe and histopathological examination between December 2017 and March 2021 at the Department of Dermatology in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Results: A total of 105 patients were included in the study. The mean tumor thickness was 3.9 mm (s.d., 2.3), with 63% of the specimens showing ulceration and 44 patients showing lymph node metastasis. The results showed a good correlation between the high-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) and histopathological thickness measurements, with a Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0.83 [(95% CI 0.73-0.90) (P < 0.001)]. The positive predictive value (PPV) of sonography in identifying tumor thickness was also found to be high. Conclusion: Our study suggests that high-frequency 18 MHz ultrasonography is an effective tool for the preoperative evaluation of AM thickness. The HFUS measurements correlated well with the histopathological thickness measurements, making it a valuable and reliable method for clinicians to assess the thickness of melanoma lesions preoperatively.

Analysis of somatic mutations and key driving factors of cervical cancer progression.

We investigated the somatic mutations and key driving factors of cervical cancer by whole exome sequencing . We found 22,183 somatic single nucleotide variations (SNVs) in 52 paired samples. Somatic SNVs in cervical cancer were significantly higher than those in high-grade intraepithelial lesion and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion groups (P < 0.05). C → T/G accounted for 44.12% of base substitution. Copy number variation (false discovery rate < 0.05) was found in 57 chromosome regions. The three regions with significant differences between cervical cancer and non-cervical cancer groups were 1q21.1, 3q26.33, and 13q33.1, covering genes related to tumor proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. The frequency of human papillomavirus (HPV) insertion/integration and the number of "tCw" mutations in the cervical cancer group were significantly higher than those in the non-cervical cancer group (P < 0.05). The total number of mutations was positively correlated with the number of "tCw" mutations (R 2 = 0.7967). HPV insertion/integration (OR = 2.302, CI = 1.523-3.589, P = 0.0005), APOBEC enrichment (OR = 17.875, CI = 2.117-150.937, P = 0.001), and HLA-B*39 in HLA-I (OR = 6.435, CI = 0.823-48.919, P = 0.0042) were risk factors for cervical cancer, while HLA-DQB1*05 in HLA-II was a protective factor (OR = 0.426, CI = 0.197-0.910, P = 0.032). Conclusively, HPV insertion/integration, APOBEC mutagenesis, and HLA polymorphisms are high-risk factors for cervical cancer and may be causes of genome instability and somatic mutations. This study provides experimental data for revealing the molecular mechanism of cervical cancer.

Specialized metabolites of the fungal genus Phomopsis: Structures, bioactivities and biosynthesis.

Fungi are important resources of novel bioactive compounds which have a high potential to be drug leads or candidates for further pharmacological applications. Phomopsis, a genus widely distributed in the environment, can produce various types of compounds including polyketides, alkaloids, terpenoids, cytochalasins, steroids and flavonoids. The metabolites of Phomopsis sp. showed diverse bioactivities such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, and so on, many of which may influence the physiological behaviour of the host plants. In this review, we focus on the chemical structures and biological activities of 183 specialized metabolites isolated from Phomopsis sp. in the decade (2013-2022). Moreover, the biosynthetic pathways of some typical components are summarized.

Present Status, Limitations, and Prospects of Using Streptomyces Bacteria as a Potential Probiotic Agent in Aquaculture.

Streptomyces is a Gram-positive bacterium, belonging to the family Streptomycetaceae and order Streptomycetales. Several strains from different species of Streptomyces can be used to promote the health and growth of artificially cultured fish and shellfish by producing secondary metabolites including antibiotics, anticancer agents, antiparasitic agents, antifungal agents, and enzymes (protease and amylase). Some Streptomyces strains also exhibit antagonistic and antimicrobial activity against aquaculture-based pathogens by producing inhibitory compounds such as bacteriocins, siderophores, hydrogen peroxide, and organic acids to compete for nutrients and attachment sites in the host. The administration of Streptomyces in aquaculture could also induce an immune response, disease resistance, quorum sensing/antibiofilm activity, antiviral activity, competitive exclusion, modification in gastrointestinal microflora, growth enhancement, and water quality amelioration via nitrogen fixation and degradation of organic residues from the culture system. This review provides the current status and prospects of Streptomyces as potential probiotics in aquaculture, their selection criteria, administrative methods, and mechanisms of action. The limitations of Streptomyces as probiotics in aquaculture are highlighted and the solutions to these limitations are also discussed.

Chemistry and bioactivities of alkaloids isolated from marine fungi (covering 2016-2022).

The ocean is a treasure house with rich resources of new chemical and biological molecules. A growing body of evidence suggests that marine fungi represent a huge and largely untapped resource of natural products that have been optimized by evolution for biological and ecological relevance. Alkaloids, the important components of natural products, have attracted much attention from medicinal and natural product chemists due to their unique structures and biological potential. The number and variety of alkaloids from marine fungi discovered in recent years maintain an upward trend. This review would give a systematic overview of the structures and bioactivities of marine fungal alkaloids obtained over the past six years and inspire the development of novel pharmaceutical agents.

Structures and bioactivities of secondary metabolites from Penicillium genus since 2010.

Penicillium genus was a fungal endophyte first reported by Alexander Fleming in 1928 and attracted more attention in recent decades due to its multitudinous metabolites which possess novel skeletons, abundant bioactivities and potential in medicine. Up to now, >300 Penicillium species were found all around the world. The review summarized secondary metabolites derived from the Penicillium genus since 2010, including their chemical structures and biological activities.

Polyene Macrolactams from Marine and Terrestrial Sources: Structure, Production Strategies, Biosynthesis and Bioactivities.

Over the past few decades (covering 1972 to 2022), astounding progress has been made in the elucidation of structures, bioactivities and biosynthesis of polyene macrolactams (PMLs), but they have only been partially summarized. PMLs possess a wide range of biological activities, particularly distinctive fungal inhibitory abilities, which render them a promising drug candidate. Moreover, the unique biosynthetic pathways including ß-amino acid initiation and pericyclic reactions were presented in PMLs, leading to more attention from inside and outside the natural products community. According to current summation, in this review, the chem- and bio-diversity of PMLs from marine and terrestrial sources are considerably rich. A systematic, critical and comprehensive overview is in great need. This review described the PMLs' general structural features, production strategies, biosynthetic pathways and the mechanisms of bioactivities. The challenges and opportunities for the research of PMLs are also discussed.

Mechanism of biochar on nitrification and denitrification to N2O emissions based on isotope characteristic values.

To clarify the mechanism of biochar on nitrification and denitrification to N2O emissions in farmland soil, the effects of combined application of biochar and different nitrogen sources on the contributions of nitrification and denitrification to N2O emissions were studied using isotope characteristic values. The results showed that the soil N2O emissions from ammonium nitrogen fertilizer treatments were significantly higher than that from nitrate nitrogen fertilizer treatments. The biochar combined with ammonium nitrogen fertilizer reduced soil N2O emissions by 31.0%-30.8%, and biochar combined with nitrate nitrogen fertilizer reduced soil N2O emissions by 70.6%-63.0%. The isotope model showed that the application of ammonium nitrogen fertilizer was more favorable for soil nitrification in the early stage of the experiment (0-2 d), and more favorable for denitrification in the middle and later stages of the experiment (3-17 d). Application of nitrate nitrogen fertilizer enhanced the nitrification of soil nitrifying bacteria in the early and middle stages of the experiment (0-8 d), and the denitrification of soil denitrifying bacteria in the later stage of the experiment (9-17 d). The effects of biochar on N2O emissions were mainly in the middle and later stages of the experiment by promoting the nitrification of nitrifying bacteria and inhibiting denitrification of denitrifying bacteria, so as to reduce N2O emission in soil. These results may help to understand the mitigation mechanism of biochar on N2O emission in upland soil.

The Occurrence, Distribution, and Toxicity of High-Risk Ciguatera Fish Species (Grouper and Snapper) in Kiritimati Island and Marakei Island of the Republic of Kiribati.

Ciguatera is one of the most widespread food poisonings caused by the ingestion of fish contaminated by ciguatoxins (CTXs). Snapper and grouper with high palatable and economic value are the primary food source and fish species for exportation in the Republic of Kiribati, but they are highly suspected CTX-contaminated species due to their top predatory characteristics. In this study, 60 fish specimens from 17 species of snappers and groupers collected from the Kiritimati Island and Marakei Island of the Republic of Kiribati were analyzed using mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) assay and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine Pacific CTX-1, -2 and -3 (P-CTX-1, -2 and -3). The LC-MS/MS results show that CTXs were detected in 74.5% of specimens from Marakei Island and 61.5% of specimens from Kiritimati Island. The most toxic fish Epinephelus coeruleopunctatus from Marakei Island and Cephalopholis miniata from Kiritimati Island were detected as 53-fold and 28-fold P-CTX-1 equivalents higher than the safety level of 10 pg/g P-CTX-1 equivalents, respectively. CTX levels and composition profiles varied with species and location. The N2a results suggested that fish specimens also contain high levels of other CTX-like toxins or sodium channel activators. The distribution patterns for ciguatoxic fish of the two islands were similar, with fish sampled from the northwest being more toxic than the southwest. This study shows that groupers and snappers are high-risk species for ciguatera in the Republic of Kiribati, and these species can further be used as indicator species in ciguatera endemic areas for risk assessment.

New Cytotoxic Secondary Metabolites from Two Deep-Sea-Derived Fungi and the Co-Culture Impact on the Secondary Metabolic Patterns.

In this study, chemical profiles for two co-existing deep-sea-derived Penicillium fungal strains were thoroughly investigated. Two new compounds and 11 known compounds were identified from Penicillium sp. LXY140-R, while one new compound and 12 known compounds were isolated from Penicillium sp. LXY140-3. Their structures were elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments, which were supported by HR-ESI-MS data. The antiproliferative activities of all isolates against HCT-116, A549 and Bel-7402 cell lines were also evaluated. Compounds 2, 5, 6, 10 and 13 showed potent antiproliferative activity. To reveal the metabolic relationship of the two strains, we conducted co-culture experiments to discover cross-talk molecules by a device that allows only small molecule to communicate. Extensive HPLC/MS2 experiments were applied to identify the disturbance of the chemical profiles within the synthetic Penicillium-Penicillium community. The fungal strain LXY140-R was found to accumulate mono or multiple-acetylation derivatives of deoxynivalenol (DON) sesquiterpenes as responsible molecules by the disturbance of the metabolites produced by the LXY140-3 strain.

Characterization of New Gambierones Produced by Gambierdiscus balechii 1123M1M10.

The benthic dinoflagellate genus Gambierdiscus is the primary producer of toxins responsible for ciguatera poisoning (CP), a food intoxication endemic in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. We used high-performance liquid chromatography tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS) to investigate the toxin profile of Gambierdiscus balechii 1123M1M10, which was obtained from Marakei Island (2°01'N, 173°15'E), Republic of Kiribati, located in the central Pacific Ocean. Four new gambierone analogues including 12,13-dihydro-44-methylgambierone, 38-dehydroxy-12,13-dihydro-44-methylgambierone, 38-dehydroxy-44-methylgambierone, and desulfo-hydroxyl gambierone, and two known compounds, gambierone and 44-methylgambierone, were proposed by analyzing their fragmentation behaviors and pathways. Our findings provide new insights into the toxin profile of Gambierdiscus balechii 1123M1M10, which can be used as a biomarker for species identification, and lay the foundation for further toxin isolation and bioactivity studies of gambierones.

The association between rs1800872 polymorphism in interleukin-10 and risk of cervical cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, several reports have tried to prove this connection between rs1800872 polymorphism in interleukin-10 and cervical cancer among different populations, but the results are debatable. Thus, we collected all the published literature and conducted an integrated meta-analysis, which provided better evidence-based medicine for the relationship between rs1800872 polymorphism in interleukin-10 and risk of cervical cancer. METHODS: We systematically performed our search on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, WanFang database, and CNKI for all papers related to this research, published up to August 1, 2020. Summary odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated in allelic, homozygous, heterozygous, dominant, and recessive model to appraise the association. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 8 studies containing 1393 cervical cancer cases and 1307 controls. The aggregate data under heterozygous model and dominant inheritance model (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.55--0.80) indicated a significant association between rs1800872 and the low risk of cervical cancer in the entire population. And the aggregated data under the dominant inheritance model shows that rs1800872 is significantly associated with the reduction in the risk of cervical tumors in the entire population. CONCLUSION: Our conclusion is that the AC/AA + AC variant of Rs1800872 indicates a protective effect in the development of cervical cancer.

Long-term variations of phytoplankton community in relations to environmental factors in Deep Bay, China, from 1994 to 2016.

Long-term effects of environmental factors on phytoplankton community in Deep Bay, Hong Kong, were investigated from 1994 to 2016. Phytoplankton community experienced three important shifts: small flagellates and Chroomonas spp. dominated from 1994 to 2006. Heavy blooms of diatoms Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira spp. occurred and became the dominant species between 2007 and 2009. Phytoplankton community was dominated by small flagellates and Chroomonas spp. from 2010 to 2015, and their abundance was much higher than earlier periods. Abundance of Chroomonas spp. decreased sharply in 2016, and Thalassiosira spp. became the dominant species. Phytoplankton community changed from consisting mainly of small flagellates and Chroomonas spp. to more diatoms, changing from ~90% to ~45% for other species abundance and from <10% to ~55% for diatoms. Nitrite, 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, salinity, suspended solids and turbidity were more influential on phytoplankton variation (23.65% explained by all the variables).

Anti-Inflammatory Cembrane-Type Diterpenoids and Prostaglandins from Soft Coral Lobophytum sarcophytoides.

Two new cembrane-type diterpenoids, lobophytins A (1) and B (3), and four new prostaglandins, (5E)-PGB2 (10), (5E)-13,14-dihydro-PGB2 (11), 13,14-dihydro-PGB2 (12) and 13,14-dihydro-PGB2-Me (13), together with ten known compounds were isolated from the soft coral Lobophytum sarcophytoides. The structures of these new secondary metabolites were identified by high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron circular dichroism (ECD) analyses, as well as the modified Mosher's method. Compounds 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 16 showed potential anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO) in RAW264.7 cells that were activated by lipopolysaccharide, with IC50 values ranging from 7.1 to 32.1 µM and were better than the positive control indomethacin, IC50 = 39.8 µM.

MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in placenta of hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy.

Expression and characteristics of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor-1 (TIMP-1) in the placenta of pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) were detected in Uygur to analyze its correlation with PIH, and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical work. Ninety cases of placental tissue patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Obstetrics of People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur from December 2014 to September 2016 were collected, including 30 cases of severe preeclampsia, 30 cases of mild preeclampsia, and 30 cases of normal group. The distribution of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in placenta was mainly in the cytoplasm of trophoblast cells, vascular endothelial cells and villous mesenchymal cells. The distribution of MMP-9 positive particles in the placenta tissue of the severe group was significantly reduced. The difference of MMP-9 in the three groups was statistically significant. Severe group was statistically significantly different from normal and mild group. With the aggravation of PIH, positive expression of MMP-9 was gradually decreased. TIMP-1 was expressed in each group, and difference was not statistically significant. Positive expression ratio of MMP-9/TIMP-1 in severe group was lower than that in normal pregnancy and mild group, and positive expression ratio of the two groups became smaller as the condition worsened. Positive expression of MMP-9 in placental tissue of patients with PIH decreased significantly with the severity of PIH. TIMP-1 in placental tissue of PIH patients did not change much in each group, and had no significant correlation with PIH.

Hydrogen peroxide generation in microbial fuel cells using graphene-based air-cathodes.

Utilization of two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in bioelectrochemical systems (BES) is a novel way to generate H2O2 from wastewater, and cathode catalyst is a key factor affecting ORR performance. Here, the catalytic performance of plain graphene, oxidized graphene and graphene oxide (GO) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and the influence of oxygen-containing functional groups are reported. Oxidized graphene air-cathode had 78% and 131% higher H2O2 productions than plain graphene cathode respectively in an abiotic reactor and an MFC. GO showed nearly no H2O2 production in the tests. XPS revealed that oxygen atomic fraction of oxidized graphene reached 5.7%, mostly in the form of COC. These results show that oxidized graphene had good catalytic performance for H2O2 production, and oxygen-containing functional groups, especially COC could significantly enhance its performance, but overoxidation worked adversely. Meanwhile, using oxidized graphene air-cathode could realize simultaneous wastewater treatment, power output and H2O2 generation in MFCs.

A live gI/gE-deleted pseudorabies virus (PRV) protects weaned piglets against lethal variant PRV challenge.

Emerging pseudorabies virus (PRV) variant has led to frequent outbreaks of PRV infection among Bartha-K61-vaccinated swine population in Chinese swine farms and caused high mortality in pigs of all age since late 2011. Here, we generated a gE/gI-deleted PRV (rPRVXJ-delgI/gE-EGFP) based on PRV variant strain (PRV-XJ) through homologous DNA recombination. Compared to parental strain, rPRVXJ-delgI/gE-EGFP showed similar growth kinetics in vitro. Its safety and immunogenicity were evaluated in weaned piglets. Our results showed that piglets immunized with rPRVXJ-delgI/gE-EGFP did not exhibit any clinical symptoms, and a high level of gB-specific antibody was detected. After lethal challenge with variant PRV (PRV-FJ strain), all vaccinated piglets survived without showing any clinical symptoms except slight fever within 7 days post-challenge. In unvaccinated piglets, typical clinical symptoms of pseudorabies were observed, and the piglets were all died at 5 days post-challenge. These results indicated that a live rPRVXJ-delgI/gE-EGFP vaccine could be a maker vaccine candidate to control the currently epidemic pseudorabies in China.

Rapid and sensitive detection of porcine torovirus by a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay (RT-LAMP).

Porcine torovirus (PToV) is associated with swine gastroenteritis, but its pathogenesis is uncertain because there is limited information regarding PToV due to its difficulty to adapt in vitro. This study has developed a rapid one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) method for the detection of PToV. A set of four primers specific to six regions within the PToV's highly conserved fragment of the M gene was designed for use with the RT-LAMP assay. The RT-LAMP assay was sensitive with a detection limit of 1 × 10(1)copies/µL, which was 100-fold higher than reverse-transcription PCR. No cross-reaction was observed with other similar viruses. A total of 175 clinical specimens were collected from the Sichuan province, and PToV was detected by the established RT-LAMP assay with a positive rate of 39.2% (69/175). This study developed the first rapid, sensitive, simple, cost-effective and accurate method for the detection of PToV. The results show that the RT-LAMP assay is highly feasible in clinical settings.