High Thermoelectric Performance in Bismuth Telluride via Constructing MoSe2-2D Heterojunction.

Currently, the only thermoelectric (TE) materials commercially available at room temperature are those based on bismuth telluride. However, their widespread application is limited due to their inferior thermoelectric and mechanical properties. In this study, a strategy of growing a rigid second phase of MoSe2 is employed, in situ within the matrix phase to achieve n-type bismuth telluride-based materials with exceptional mechanical and thermoelectric properties. The in situ grown second phase contributes to both the electronic and lattice thermal conductivities. This is primarily attributed to the strong energy filtering effect, as the second phase forms a semi-common lattice interfacial structure with the matrix phase during growth. Furthermore, for composites containing 2 wt% MoSe2, a maximum zT value of 1.24 at 373 K can be achieved. On this basis, 8-pair TE module is fabricated and 1-pair TE module is optimized using a homemade p-type material. The optimized 1-pair TE module generates a maximum output power of 13.6 µW, which is twice that of the 8-pair TE module and four times more than the 8-pair TE module fabricated by commercial material. This work facilitates the development of the TE module by presenting a novel approach to obtaining bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric materials with superior thermoelectric and mechanical properties.

Probiotic-fermented tomato with hepatic lipid metabolism modulation effects: analysis of physicochemical properties, bioactivities, and potential bioactive compounds.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NCUH001046 (LP)-fermented tomatoes exhibited the potential to alleviate obesity in our previous study. This subsequent study further delves deeper into the effects of LP fermentation on the physicochemical properties, bioactivities, and hepatic lipid metabolism modulation of tomatoes, as well as the analysis of potential bioactive compounds exerting obesity-alleviating effects. Results showed that after LP fermentation, viable bacterial counts peaked at 9.11 log CFU mL-1 and sugar decreased, while organic acids, umami amino acids, total phenols, and total flavonoids increased. LP fermentation also improved the inhibition capacities of three digestive enzyme activities and Enterobacter cloacae growth, as well as antioxidant activities. Western blot results indicated that fermented tomatoes, especially live probiotic-fermented tomatoes (LFT), showed improved effects compared to unfermented tomatoes in reducing hepatic lipid accumulation by activating the AMPK signal pathway. UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based untargeted metabolomics analysis showed that chlorogenic acid, capsiate, tiliroside, irisflorentin, and homoeriodictyol levels increased after fermentation. Subsequent cell culture assays demonstrated that irisflorentin and homoeriodictyol reduced lipid accumulation via enhancing AMPK expression in oleic acid-induced hyperlipidemic HepG2 cells. Furthermore, Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that the five phenols were positively associated with hepatic AMPK pathway activation. Consequently, it could be inferred that the five phenols may be potential bioactive compounds in LFT to alleviate obesity and lipid metabolism disorders. In summary, these findings underscored the transformative potential of LP fermentation in enhancing the bioactive profile of tomatoes and augmenting its capacity to alleviate obesity and lipid metabolism disorders. This study furnished theoretical underpinnings for the functional investigation of probiotic-fermented plant-based foods.

Origin, evolution, and diversification of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinases in plants and animals.

BACKGROUND: In Eukaryotes, inositol polyphosphates (InsPs) represent a large family of secondary messengers and play crucial roes in various cellular processes. InsPs are synthesized through a series of pohophorylation reactions catalyzed by various InsP kinases in a sequential manner. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase (IP3 3-kinase/IP3K), one member of InsP kinase, plays important regulation roles in InsPs metabolism by specifically phosphorylating inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) to inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (IP4) in animal cells. IP3Ks were widespread in fungi, plants and animals. However, its evolutionary history and patterns have not been examined systematically. RESULTS: A total of 104 and 31 IP3K orthologues were identified across 57 plant genomes and 13 animal genomes, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that IP3K originated in the common ancestor before the divergence of fungi, plants and animals. In most plants and animals, IP3K maintained low-copy numbers suggesting functional conservation during plant and animal evolution. In Brassicaceae and vertebrate, IP3K underwent one and two duplication events, respectively, resulting in multiple gene copies. Whole-genome duplication (WGD) was the main mechanism for IP3K duplications, and the IP3K duplicates have experienced functional divergence. Finally, a hypothetical evolutionary model for the IP3K proteins is proposed based on phylogenetic theory. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals the evolutionary history of IP3K proteins and guides the future functions of animal, plant, and fungal IP3K proteins.

Promising probiotic-fermented soymilk for alleviating acute diarrhea: insights into the microbiome and metabolomics.

Fermented soymilk (FSM4) has attracted much attention due to its nutritional and health characteristics. Exploring FSM4 products to alleviate diarrhea can ensure their effectiveness as a therapeutic food for alleviating gastrointestinal disorders. However, the relationship between gut microbiota and gut metabolite production remains unknown during diarrheal episodes. Therefore, the diarrhea-alleviating role and mechanisms of FSM4 in diarrhea rats were investigated via biochemical, gut microbiota, and serum metabolite analyses. The findings showed that consuming FSM4 improved diarrhea symptoms and reduced systemic inflammation better than non-fermented soymilk (NFSM). It is worth noting that FSM4 promoted the diversity, richness, structure, and composition of gut microbiota. It increased the ability to reduce inflammation associated with harmful bacteria (Anaerofilum, Flavonifractor, Bilophila, Anaerostipes, [Ruminococcus]_torques_group, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Turicibacter, Ruminococcus_1, Ruminiclostridium_6, Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group and Fusicatenibacter), while stimulating the growth of healthy species (Lactobacillus, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014, Oscillibacter, [Eubacterium]_coprostanoligenes_group, Negativibacillus, and Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG-003). Moreover, metabolomics analysis showed that lipid metabolites such as lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LysoPE) and sphingolipids were upregulated in the NG group, closely related to pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) and the aforementioned pathogenic bacteria. Notably, in treatment groups, especially FSM4, the accumulation of L-ornithine, aspartic acid, ursocholic acid, 18-oxooleate, and cyclopentanethiol was increased, which was robustly associated with the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 and beneficial bacteria mentioned above. Therefore, it can be inferred that the amino acids, bile acid, 18-oxooleate, and cyclopentanethiol produced in the FSM4 group can serve as metabolic biomarkers, which synergistically act with the gut microbiota to help alleviate inflammation for diarrhea remission. Overall, FSM4 may provide a new alternative, as an anti-inflammatory diet, to alleviate diarrhea.

Lineage-specific gene duplication and expansion of DUF1216 gene family in Brassicaceae.

Proteins containing domain of unknown function (DUF) are prevalent in eukaryotic genome. The DUF1216 proteins possess a conserved DUF1216 domain resembling to the mediator protein of Arabidopsis RNA polymerase II transcriptional subunit-like protein. The DUF1216 family are specifically existed in Brassicaceae, however, no comprehensive evolutionary analysis of DUF1216 genes have been performed. We performed a first comprehensive genome-wide analysis of DUF1216 proteins in Brassicaceae. Totally 284 DUF1216 genes were identified in 27 Brassicaceae species and classified into four subfamilies on the basis of phylogenetic analysis. The analysis of gene structure and conserved motifs revealed that DUF1216 genes within the same subfamily exhibited similar intron/exon patterns and motif composition. The majority members of DUF1216 genes contain a signal peptide in the N-terminal, and the ninth position of the signal peptide in most DUF1216 is cysteine. Synteny analysis revealed that segmental duplication is a major mechanism for expanding of DUF1216 genes in Brassica oleracea, Brassica juncea, Brassica napus, Lepidium meyneii, and Brassica carinata, while in Arabidopsis thaliana and Capsella rubella, tandem duplication plays a major role in the expansion of the DUF1216 gene family. The analysis of Ka/Ks (non-synonymous substitution rate/synonymous substitution rate) ratios for DUF1216 paralogous indicated that most of gene pairs underwent purifying selection. DUF1216 genes displayed a specifically high expression in reproductive tissues in most Brassicaceae species, while its expression in Brassica juncea was specifically high in root. Our studies offered new insights into the phylogenetic relationships, gene structures and expressional patterns of DUF1216 members in Brassicaceae, which provides a foundation for future functional analysis.

Organic acids drove the microbiota succession and consequently altered the flavor quality of Laotan Suancai across fermentation rounds: Insights from the microbiome and metabolome.

Laotan Suancai, a popular traditional Chinese fermented vegetable, is manufactured in the industry via four fermentation rounds. However, the differences in flavor quality of Laotan Suancai from the four fermentation rounds and the causes of this variation remain unclear. Metabolome analysis indicated that the different content of five taste compounds and 31 aroma compounds caused the differences in flavor quality among the variated fermentation rounds of Laotan Suancai. Amplicon sequencing indicated that the microbial succession exhibited a certain pattern during four fermentation rounds and further analysis unveiled that organic acids drove the microbiota shift to more acid-resistant populations. Spearman correlation analysis highlighted that seven core microbes may be involved in the formation of differential flavor and the corresponding metabolic pathways were reconstructed by function prediction. Our findings offer a novel perspective on comprehending the deterioration of flavor quality across the fermentation rounds of Laotan Suancai.

Spectrometer-Less Remote Sensing Image Classification Based on Gate-Tunable van der Waals Heterostructures.

Remote sensing technology, which conventionally employs spectrometers to capture hyperspectral images, allowing for the classification and unmixing based on the reflectance spectrum, has been extensively applied in diverse fields, including environmental monitoring, land resource management, and agriculture. However, miniaturization of remote sensing systems remains a challenge due to the complicated and dispersive optical components of spectrometers. Here, m-phase GaTe0.5Se0.5 with wide-spectral photoresponses (250-1064 nm) and stack it with WSe2 are utilizes to construct a two-dimensional van der Waals heterojunction (2D-vdWH), enabling the design of a gate-tunable wide-spectral photodetector. By utilizing the multi-photoresponses under varying gate voltages, high accuracy recognition can be achieved aided by deep learning algorithms without the original hyperspectral reflectance data. The proof-of-concept device, featuring dozens of tunable gate voltages, achieves an average classification accuracy of 87.00% on 6 prevalent hyperspectral datasets, which is competitive with the accuracy of 250-1000 nm hyperspectral data (88.72%) and far superior to the accuracy of non-tunable photoresponse (71.17%). Artificially designed gate-tunable wide-spectral 2D-vdWHs GaTe0.5Se0.5/WSe2-based photodetector present a promising pathway for the development of miniaturized and cost-effective remote sensing classification technology.

Cardiac remodeling in patients with atrial fibrillation reversing bradycardia-induced cardiomyopathy: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Bradycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (BIC), which is a disease resulting from bradycardia, is characterized by cardiac chamber enlargement and diminished cardiac function. The correction of bradycardia can allow for significant improvements in both cardiac function and structure; however, this disease has been infrequently documented. In this case, we conducted a longitudinal follow-up of a patient who had been enduring BIC for more than 40 years to heighten awareness and prompt timely diagnosis and rational intervention. CASE SUMMARY: A woman who presented with postactivity fatigue and dyspnea was diagnosed with bradycardia at the age of 7. Since she had no obvious symptoms, she did not receive any treatment to improve her bradycardia during the 42-year follow-up, except for the implantation of a temporary pacemaker during labor induction surgery. As time progressed, the patient's heart gradually expanded due to her low ventricular rate, and she was diagnosed with BIC. In 2014, the patient developed atrial fibrillation, her ventricular rate gradually increased, and her heart shape gradually returned to normal. This report describes the cardiac morphological changes caused by the heart rate changes in BIC patients older than 40 years, introduces another possible outcome of BIC, and emphasizes the importance of early intervention in treating BIC. CONCLUSION: BIC can induce atrial fibrillation, causing an increased ventricular rate and leading to positive cardiac remodeling.

Characteristics of head frequency response in blunt impacts: a biomechanical modeling study.

Existing evaluation criteria for head impact injuries are typically based on time-domain features, and less attention has been paid to head frequency responses for head impact injury assessment. The purpose of the current study is, therefore, to understand the characteristics of human body head frequency response in blunt impacts via finite element (FE) modeling and the wavelet packet analysis method. FE simulation results show that head frequency response in blunt impacts could be affected by the impact boundary condition. The head energy peak and its frequency increase with the increase in impact; a stiffer impact block is associated with a higher head energy peak, and a bigger impact block could result in a high proportion of the energy peak. Regression analysis indicates that only the head energy peak has a high correlation with exiting head injury criteria, which implies that the amplitude-frequency aggregation characteristic but not the frequency itself of the head acceleration response has predictability for head impact injury in blunt impacts. The findings of the current study may provide additional criteria for head impact injury evaluation and new ideas for head impact injury protection.

Two-stage fermentation of corn and soybean meal mixture by Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus acidophilus to improve feeding value: optimization, physicochemical property, and microbial community.

Microbial treatment can reduce the antinutritional factors and allergenic proteins in corn-soybean meal mixture (CSMM), but the role of the microbial community in hypoallergenicity and digestibility during the fermentation process remains unclear. Therefore, the fermentation strains of Bacillus and LAB were determined, and the compatibility and fermentation process of two-stage solid fermentation composite bacteria were optimized, and the dynamic changes in physicochemical property and microbial community during two-stage fermentation were investigated. Results showed that Bacillus subtilis NCUBSL003 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCUA065016 were the best fermentation combinations. The optimal fermentation conditions were inoculum 7.14%, solid-liquid ratio of 1:0.88 and fermentation time of 74.30 h. The contents of TI, ß-conglycinin and glycinin decreased significantly after fermentation. Besides, TCA-SP, small peptides and FAA increased. Bacillus and Lactobacillus were the main genera. Pathogenic bacteria genera were inhibited effectively. This study suggests the feasibility of two-stage fermentation in improving the nutrient values and safety of the CSMM. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01426-7.

A novel ZnCo2O4/BiOBr p-n/Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for enhancing photocatalytic activity.

In this study, we developed a novel p-n/Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst, ZnCo2O4/BiOBr (ZCo/BB), through a straightforward and safe hydrothermal-calcination-solvent thermal method. The composite photocatalyst demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic efficacy, particularly when the mass ratio of ZnCo2O4 was 25% (referred to as 25% ZCo/BB). Structural characterization and electrochemical analysis revealed that 25% ZCo/BB exhibited a larger specific surface area and a faster electron transfer rate. Under visible light exposure for 30 min, methylene blue (MB) degradation reached 92%, and the reaction rate constants were 8.2 and 3.7 times higher than those observed for individual ZnCo2O4 and BiOBr, respectively. Furthermore, the 25% ZCo/BB demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic stability over four cycles, maintaining over 80% MB degradation after each cycle. The outstanding photocatalytic activity was attributed to the p-n/Z-scheme heterojunction construction, which promoted charge separation and inhibited carrier recombination. In addition, ·OH and h+ were the major active species in photocatalysis, and · O 2 - was identified as a secondary active species. This work presents an efficient heterojunction photocatalyst for the degradation of organic wastewater.

Prohibitin 1 inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis via the p53-mediated mitochondrial pathway in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) has been identified as an antiproliferative protein that is highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed, and it participates in a variety of essential cellular functions, including apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, proliferation, and survival. Emerging evidence indicates that PHB1 may play an important role in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of PHB1 in HCC is controversial. AIM: To investigate the effects of PHB1 on the proliferation and apoptosis of human HCC cells and the relevant mechanisms in vitro. METHODS: HCC patients and healthy individuals were enrolled in this study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria; then, PHB1 levels in the sera and liver tissues of these participates were determined using ELISA, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry. Human HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells were transfected with the pEGFP-PHB1 plasmid and PHB1-specific shRNA (shRNA-PHB1) for 24-72 h. Cell proliferation was analysed with an MTT assay. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were analysed using flow cytometry (FACS). The mRNA and protein expression levels of the cell cycle-related molecules p21, Cyclin A2, Cyclin E1, and CDK2 and the cell apoptosis-related molecules cytochrome C (Cyt C), p53, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase 3, and caspase 9 were measured by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: Decreased levels of PHB1 were found in the sera and liver tissues of HCC patients compared to those of healthy individuals, and decreased PHB1 was positively correlated with low differentiation, TNM stage III-IV, and alpha-fetoprotein ≥ 400 µg/L. Overexpression of PHB1 significantly inhibited human HCC cell proliferation in a time-dependent manner. FACS revealed that the overexpression of PHB1 arrested HCC cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and induced apoptosis. The proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase was significantly increased and the proportion of cells in the S phase was decreased in HepG2 cells that were transfected with pEGFP-PHB1 compared with untreated control and empty vector-transfected cells. The percentage of apoptotic HepG2 cells that were transfected with pEGFP-PHB1 was 15.41% ± 1.06%, which was significantly greater than that of apoptotic control cells (3.65% ± 0.85%, P < 0.01) and empty vector-transfected cells (4.21% ± 0.52%, P < 0.01). Similar results were obtained with SMMC-7721 cells. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression levels of p53, p21, Bax, caspase 3, and caspase 9 were increased while the mRNA and protein expression levels of Cyclin A2, Cyclin E1, CDK2, and Bcl-2 were decreased when PHB1 was overexpressed in human HCC cells. However, when PHB1 was upregulated in human HCC cells, Cyt C expression levels were increased in the cytosol and decreased in the mitochondria, which indicated that Cyt C had been released into the cytosol. Conversely, these effects were reversed when PHB1 was knocked down. CONCLUSION: PHB1 inhibits human HCC cell viability by arresting the cell cycle and inducing cell apoptosis via activation of the p53-mediated mitochondrial pathway.

Genomic characters of Anaplasma bovis and genetic diversity in China.

The emergence of Anaplasma bovis or A. bovis-like infection in humans from China and the United States of America has raised concern about the public health importance of this pathogen. Although A. bovis has been detected in a wide range of ticks and mammals in the world, no genome of the pathogen is available up to now, which has prohibited us from better understanding the genetic basis for its pathogenicity. Here we describe an A. bovis genome from metagenomic sequencing of an infected goat in China. Anaplasma bovis had the smallest genome of the genus Anaplasma, and relatively lower GC content. Phylogenetic analysis of single-copy orthologue sequence showed that A. bovis was closely related to A. platys and A. phagocytophilum, but relatively far from intraerythrocytic Anaplasma species. Anaplasma bovis had 116 unique orthogroups and lacked 51 orthogroups in comparison to other Anaplasma species. The virulence factors of A. bovis were significantly less than those of A. phagocytophilum, suggesting less pathogenicity of A. bovis. When tested by specific PCR assays, A. bovis was detected in 23 of 29 goats, with an infection rate up to 79.3% (95% CI: 64.6% ∼94.1%). The phylogenetic analyses based on partial 16S rRNA, gltA and groEL genes indicated that A. bovis had high genetic diversity. The findings of this study lay a foundation for further understanding of the biological characteristics and genetic diversity of A. bovis, and will facilitate the formulation of prevention and control strategies.

A retrospective cohort study on mortality, morbidity, and care practices for 1750 very low birth weight infants, 2016-2021.

BACKGROUND: Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are the key populations in neonatology, wherein morbidity and mortality remain major challenges. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study conducted aiming to analyze the clinical characteristics of VLBW in our hospital between January 2016 and December 2021. Neonates with a birth weight of <1500 g were included. Mortality, care practices, and major morbidities were analyzed, and compared with that of previous 7 years (2009-2015). RESULTS: Of the total 1750 VLBW, 1386 infants born with birth weight between 1000-1499 g and 364 were below 1000 g, 42.9% (751/1750) required delivery room resuscitation, 53.9% (943/1750) received non-invasive ventilation only, 38.2% (669/1750) received invasive ventilation; 1517 VLBW infants received complete treatment. Among them, 60.1% (912/1517) of neonates had neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS), 28.7% (436/1517) had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), 22.0% (334/1517) had apnea, 11.1% (169/1517) had culture-confirmed sepsis, 8.4% (128/1517) had pulmonary hemorrhage, 7.6% (116/1517) had severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)/periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), 5.7% (87/1517) had necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), 2.0% (31/1517) had severe retinopathy of prematurity. The total and in-hospital mortality rates were 9.7% (169/1750) and 3.0% (45/1517), respectively. The top three diagnoses of death among those who had received complete treatment were sepsis, NRDS, and NEC. In 2009-2015, 1146 VLBW were enrolled and 895 infants received complete treatment. The incidences of apnea, IVH, and IVH stage ≥3/PVL, were higher in 2009-2015 compared with those in 2016-2021, while the incidences of NRDS and BPD were characterized by significant increases in 2016-2021. The total and in-hospital mortality rates were 16.7% (191/1146) and 5.6% (50/895) respectively in 2009-2015. CONCLUSION: Among VLBW infants born in 2016-2021, the total and in-hospital mortality rates were lower than those of neonates born in 2009-2015. Incidences of NRDS and BPD increased in 2016-2021, which affected the survival rates and long-term prognosis of VLBW.

Exploring Impact of Probiotic-Fermented Soymilk on Dextran-Sulfate-Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis via Modulating Inflammation and Gut Microbiota Profile.

SCOPE: Lactic acid bacteria with probiotic functions and their fermentation products play a role in regulating ulcerative colitis (UC). This study investigates the potential role of fermented soymilk (FSM4) rich in isoflavones on DSS-induced UC. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice received 3% DSS and are supplemented daily once for 1 week by NFSM and FSM4. DSS usually causes intestinal inflammation and alters the gut microbiota. FSM4 intervention improves the UC-related inflammation and gut microbiota alteration. It considerably decreases pro-inflammatories such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in serum and COX-2 and MPO in colon tissues and pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia-Shigella). This facilitates gut-healthy bacteria growth. These healthy bacteria negatively correlat with pro-inflammatory factors but positively associated with acetic acid, butyric acid, and propionic acid, which may act for PPAR-γ pathway activating and NF-κB p65 pathway inhibiting, lowering the risk of UC. Overall, FSM4 might alleviate UC and significantly reverse the dysbiosis of gut microbiota via the PPAR-γ activation. It could be a good alternative for developing functional food to protect against UC. CONCLUSION: FSM4 attenuates intestinal inflammation and modulates the SCFA-producing bacteria growth, which enable the PPAR-γ activation to alleviate the UC target, which could be a dietary intervention strategy for gut health.

Effects of fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NCU116 on the antihypertensive activity and protein structure of black sesame seed.

Effects of fermentation by Lactobacillus Plantarum NCU116 on the antihypertensive potential of black sesame seed (BSS) and structure characteristics of fermented black sesame seed protein (FBSSP) were investigated. Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and zinc chelating ability of fermented black sesame seed hydrolysate (FBSSH) reached the highest of 60.78 ± 3.67 % and 2.93 ± 0.04 mg/mL at 48 h and 60 h of fermentation, respectively. Additionally, the antioxidant activities of FBSSH and surface hydrophobicity of FBSSP were increased noticeably by fermentation. The α-helix and ß-rotation of FBSSP tended to decrease and increase, respectively, during fermentation. Correlation analysis indicated strong positive relationships between ß-turn and ACE inhibition activity as well as zinc chelating ability with correlation coefficients r of 0.8976 and 0.8932. Importantly, novel ACE inhibitory peptides LLLPYY (IC50 = 12.20 µM) and ALIPSF (IC50 = 558.99 µM) were screened from FBSSH at 48 h using in silico method. Both peptides showed high antioxidant activities in vitro. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated that the hydrogen bond connected with zinc ions of ACE mainly attributed to the potent ACE inhibitory activity of LLLPYY. The findings indicated that fermentation by Lactobacillus Plantarum NCU116 is an effective method to enhance the antihypertensive potential of BSS.

Gut Distribution, Impact Factor, and Action Mechanism of Bacteriocin-Producing Beneficial Microbes as Promising Antimicrobial Agents in Gastrointestinal Infection.

Gastrointestinal (GI) infection by intestinal pathogens poses great threats to human health, and the therapeutic use of antibiotics has reached a bottleneck due to drug resistance. The developments of antimicrobial peptides produced by beneficial bacteria have drawn attention by virtue of effective, safe, and not prone to developing resistance. Though bacteriocin as antimicrobial agent in gut infection has been intensively investigated and reviewed, reviews on that of bacteriocin-producing beneficial microbes are very rare. It is important to explicitly state the prospect of bacteriocin-producing microbes in prevention of gastrointestinal infection towards their application in host. This review discusses the potential of gut as an appropriate resource for mining targeted bacteriocin-producing microbes. Then, host-related factors affecting the bacteriocin production and activity of bacteriocin-producing microbes in the gut are summarized. Accordingly, the multiple mechanisms (direct inhibition and indirect inhibition) behind the preventive effects of bacteriocin-producing microbes on gut infection are discussed. Finally, we propose several targeted strategies for the manipulation of bacteriocin-producing beneficial microbes to improve their performance in antimicrobial outcomes. We anticipate an upcoming emergence of developments and applications of bacteriocin-producing beneficial microbes as antimicrobial agent in gut infection induced by pathogenic bacteria.

Development and genetic regulation of pollen intine in Arabidopsis and rice.

Pollen intine serves as a protective layer situated between the pollen exine and the plasma membrane. It performs essential functions during pollen development, including maintaining the morphological structure of the pollen, preventing the loss of pollen contents, and facilitating pollen germination. The formation of the intine layer commences at the bicellular pollen stage. Pectin, cellulose, hemicellulose and structural proteins are the key constituents of the pollen intine. In Arabidopsis and rice, numerous regulatory factors associated with polysaccharide metabolism and material transport have been identified, which regulate intine development. In this review, we elucidate the developmental processes of the pollen wall and provide a concise summary of the research advancements in the development and genetic regulation of the pollen intine in Arabidopsis and rice. A comprehensive understanding of intine development and regulation is crucial for unraveling the genetic network underlying intine development in higher plants.

Identification of serum exosomal miRNA biomarkers for diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation-induced joint damage, which can cause lasting disability. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of RA are crucial. Herein, we evaluated whether exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) could be served as promising biomarkers that can accelerate the diagnosis of RA and development of therapies for RA. METHODS: First, we performed small RNA sequencing to determine the miRNA profiles of serum exosomes within a screening cohort comprised of 18 untreated active RA patients, along with 18 age and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs). Subsequently, the miRNA profiles were then validated in a training cohort consisting of 24 RA patients and 24 HCs by RT-qPCR. Finally, the selected exosomal miRNAs were validated in a larger cohort comprising 108 RA patients and 103 HCs. The diagnostic efficacy of the exosomal miRNAs was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Biological functions of the miRNAs were determined by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. RESULTS: Our results first demonstrated a noteworthy upregulation of three candidate miRNAs (miR-885-5p, miR-6894-3p, and miR-1268a) in the RA patients' serum exosomes compared to HCs. The combination of three miRNAs along with anti- citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) exhibited excellent diagnostic accuracy, yielding an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.963 (95 % CI : 0.941-0.984), sensitivity of 87.96 %, and specificity of 93.20 %. Notably, miR-885-5p exhibited remarkable discriminatory capacity by itself in indistinguishing ACPA- negative RA patients from HCs, with an AUC of 0.993 (95 % CI : 0.978-1.000), sensitivity of 96.67 %, and specificity of 100 %. Moreover, the expression of miR-1268a in the assessment of therapeutic effectiveness displayed significant reduction on 29th day of Methotrexate (MTX) treatment in RA patients. This decreased expression paralleled with trends observed in tender 28-joint count (TJC28), swollen 28-joint count (SJC28), and disease activity score with 28-joint count using C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP), all of which are indicative of RA disease activity. Finally, predictive analysis indicated that, these three exosomal miRNAs target pivotal signaling molecules involved in inflammatory pathways, thereby demonstrating effective modulation of the immune system. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we successfully demonstrated the promising potential for serum exosomal miRNAs, particularly miR-885-5p, miR-6894-3p and miR-1268a as biomarkers for early diagnosis and prediction of RA for the first time.

Site-directed immobilization of enzymes on nanoparticles using self-assembly systems.

Enzyme immobilization is an effective method for improving the stability and reusability. However, linking at random sites on the enzyme results in low catalytic efficiency due to blockage of the active site or conformational changes. Therefore, controlling the orientation of enzymes on the carrier has been developed. Here, the site-specific mutation and the SpyTag/SpyCatcher systems were used to prepare a site-directed immobilized enzyme. The thermal stability of the immobilized enzyme was better than that of the free enzyme, and ≥80 % of the catalytic activity was retained after 30 days of storage. Furthermore, the Michaelis constant (Km) and the turnover number (kcat) of the immobilized enzyme were 5.23-fold lower and 6.11-fold higher than those of the free enzyme, respectively, which appeared to be related to changes in secondary structure after immobilization. These findings provide a new and effective option for enzyme-directed immobilization.