Effect of acupuncture anesthesia on inflammatory response and cellular immunity in patients with osteoporotic fractures.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) occur frequently in the elderly, with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) being the major clinical treatment at present. How to improve the patient's surgical cooperation while ensuring surgical safety is the focus of clinical research. This study explores the influence of acupuncture anesthesia (AA) on the safety, inflammatory response, and cellular immunity of OVCF patients undergoing PVP, which may provide a more reliable safety guarantee for future treatment of OVCFs. The results showed that patients using AA had lower postoperative Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores and incidence of postoperative adverse reactions, a smaller anesthetic dosage, but an extended duration of anesthesia; moreover, the postoperative inflammatory response was markedly alleviated and the stability of T lymphocyte subsets was obviously enhanced. Therefore, AA has high clinical application value in PKP treatment of OVCFs in the future.

[Leigh syndrome caused by the mitochondrial m.8993T>G mutation with hypocitrullinemia: a report of four cases and literature review]. / m.8993T>Gç›¸å ³Leighç»¼åˆå¾åˆå¹¶ä½Žç“œæ°¨é ¸è¡€ç—‡æ‚£å„¿4ä¾‹å¹¶æ–‡çŒ®å¤ä¹ .

OBJECTIVES: To explore early diagnostic biological markers for Leigh syndrome caused by the m.8993T>G mutation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of four children diagnosed with m.8993T>G mutation-related mitochondrial disease at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2014 to January 2024. Additionally, a literature review was conducted. RESULTS: All four children had plasma amino acid and acylcarnitine analyses that revealed decreased citrulline levels, and one child was initially identified through neonatal genetic metabolic disease screening. According to the literature review, there were 26 children with mitochondrial disease and hypocitrullinemia caused by the m.8993T>G mutation (including the four children in this study). Among these, 12 children exhibited clinical phenotypes of Leigh syndrome or Leigh-like syndrome, while 18 children were identified with hypocitrullinemia and/or elevated levels of 3-hydroxyisovalerylcarnitine (C5-OH) during neonatal genetic metabolic disease screening. CONCLUSIONS: Hypocitrullinemia may serve as a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of m.8993T>G mutation-associated Leigh syndrome, detectable as early as during neonatal genetic metabolic disease screening.

GDSL in Lilium pumilum (LpGDSL) Confers Saline-Alkali Resistance to the Plant by Enhancing the Lignin Content and Balancing the ROS.

In order to explore the response mechanism of Lilium pumilum (L. pumilum) to saline-alkali stress, we successfully cloned LpGDSL (GDSL lipase, Gly-Asp-Ser-Leu) from L. pumilum. The qRT-PCR results indicated that the LpGDSL expression was higher in the leaves of L. pumilum, and the expression of the LpGDSL reached the highest level at 12 h in leaves under 11 mM H2O2, 200 mM NaCl, 25 mM Na2CO3, and 20 mM NaHCO3. The bacteriophage overexpressing LpGDSL was more tolerant than the control under different NaHCO3 contents. Overexpressed and wild-type plants were analyzed for phenotype, chlorophyll content, O2- content, H2O2 content, lignin content, and so on. Overexpressed plants had significantly higher resistance than the wild type and were less susceptible to saline-alkali stress. The yeast two-hybrid and BiFC assays demonstrated the existence of an interaction between LpGDSL and LpBCP. The yeast one-hybrid assay and transcriptional activation assay confirmed that B3 transcription factors could act on LpGDSL promoters. Under saline-alkali stress, L. pumilum will promote the expression of LpGDSL, which will then promotes the accumulation of lignin and the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to reduce its damage, thus improving the saline-alkali resistance of the plant.

Drinking severity mediates the relationship between hypothalamic connectivity and rule-breaking/intrusive behavior differently in young women and men: an exploratory study.

Background: The hypothalamus is a key hub of the neural circuits of motivated behavior. Alcohol misuse may lead to hypothalamic dysfunction. Here, we investigated how resting-state hypothalamic functional connectivities are altered in association with the severity of drinking and clinical comorbidities and how men and women differ in this association. Methods: We employed the data of the Human Connectome Project. A total of 870 subjects were included in data analyses. The severity of alcohol use was quantified for individual subjects with the first principal component (PC1) identified from principal component analyses of all drinking measures. Rule-breaking and intrusive scores were evaluated with the Achenbach Adult Self-Report Scale. We performed a whole-brain regression of hypothalamic connectivities on drinking PC1 in all subjects and men/women separately and evaluated the results at a corrected threshold. Results: Higher drinking PC1 was associated with greater hypothalamic connectivity with the paracentral lobule (PCL). Hypothalamic PCL connectivity was positively correlated with rule-breaking score in men (r=0.152, P=0.002) but not in women. In women but not men, hypothalamic connectivity with the left temporo-parietal junction (LTPJ) was negatively correlated with drinking PC1 (r=-0.246, P<0.001) and with intrusiveness score (r=-0.127, P=0.006). Mediation analyses showed that drinking PC1 mediated the relationship between hypothalamic PCL connectivity and rule-breaking score in men and between hypothalamic LTPJ connectivity and intrusiveness score bidirectionally in women. Conclusions: We characterized sex-specific hypothalamic connectivities in link with the severity of alcohol misuse and its comorbidities. These findings extend the literature by elucidating the potential impact of problem drinking on the motivation circuits.

A unified moment tensor potential for silicon, oxygen, and silica.

Si and its oxides have been extensively explored in theoretical research due to their technological importance. Simultaneously describing interatomic interactions within both Si and SiO2 without the use of ab initio methods is considered challenging, given the charge transfers involved. Herein, this challenge is overcome by developing a unified machine learning interatomic potentials describing the Si/SiO2/O system, based on the moment tensor potential (MTP) framework. This MTP is trained using a comprehensive database generated using density functional theory simulations, encompassing diverse crystal structures, point defects, extended defects, and disordered structure. Extensive testing of the MTP is performed, indicating it can describe static and dynamic features of very diverse Si, O, and SiO2 atomic structures with a degree of fidelity approaching that of DFT.

Conception vessel acupuncture research regularity in the treatment of diminished ovarian reserve: a multi-center, large-sample prospective cohort study protocol.

Background: Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) refers to a decrease in the number or quality of oocytes in the ovarian cortex, which is a degenerative disease of the reproductive system, and can further develop into premature ovarian failure. There are few studies on acupuncture and moxibustion for DOR, which are still in the exploratory stage. Methods/design: This study was a real-world case registry study. According to whether the subjects received conception vessel acupuncture or not, they were divided into the basic treatment combined with conception vessel acupuncture group and the basic treatment group. A total of 1221 patients with DOR were enrolled and treated for 12 weeks. The percentage of patients with ≥30% improvement in anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) was evaluated at the end of week 12. Secondary outcomes included Antral follicle count (AFC), modified Kupperman scale, basal FSH level, LH level, FSH/LH ratio, positive pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, early spontaneous abortion, ongoing pregnancy, and ectopic pregnancy. Discussion: This study provides clinical evidence and theoretical support for the treatment of DOR with conception vessel acupuncture and moxibustion, so as to guide and improve the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion. Trial registration: Acupuncture-Moxibustion Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2400080471. Registered on 30 January 2024.

Defect Engineering in CuS1- x Nanoflowers Enables Low-Overpotential and Long-Cycle-Life of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries.

The defect engineering is essential for the development of efficient cathode catalysts for lithium-oxygen batteries. Herein, CuS1 -x nanoflowers are fabricated by microwave hydrothermal method. Through theoretical and experimental analysis, the S vacancies are observed, which result in augmented charge around Cu, improved adsorption of LiO2, and reduced overpotential. On the one hand, the generated electronic defects cause the Fermi level to shift toward the conduction band, which enhances the electronic conductivity and ion transfer. On the other hand, the increased S vacancies provide a large number of Cu active sites, which increase the charge transfer from Cu to LiO2, which improves the stability of the intermediate adsorption. Interactively, CuS1- x catalyst obtains a capacity of 23,227 mAh g-1 and a cycle life of 225 at 500 mA g-1. This work will be helpful for obtaining an efficient cathode catalyst by providing a deep understanding of vacancy modulation in advanced catalysts.

Dynamic Surface Intelligent Robust Control of Nonlinear Systems With Fixed-Time Sliding-Mode Observer.

The high tracking control precision and fast finite-time convergence for nonlinear systems is a significant challenge due to complex nonlinearity and unknown disturbances. To address this challenge, a dynamic surface intelligent robust control strategy with fixed-time sliding-mode observer (DSIRC-SMO) is proposed to improve the tracking control performance in a finite time. First, adaptive fuzzy neural network based on a predictor (P-AFNN) is designed to imitate the complex nonlinearity. In particular, the weight adaptive law is formulated by utilizing the prediction error information, which improves the accuracy of approximating the nonlinear system. Second, the fixed-time sliding-mode observer (SMO) is integrated into the dynamic surface control technique to deal with unknown disturbances and modeling errors in a fixed time. This integration allows for timely updates the dynamic surface using observation information, thereby enhancing the system's anti-interference capability. Then, the fixed-time convergence of SMO is proven. Third, the proposed DSIRC-SMO can be effectively implemented and the finite-time convergence of DSIRC-SMO is proven in detail based on the fixed-time convergence of SMO. Finally, numerical simulation and actual wastewater treatment processes simulation are conducted to validate the effectiveness of DSIRC-SMO.

Use of Stable Isotope Labeled (SIL) Antibodies in Cassette Dosing to Improve Pharmacokinetics Screening Efficiency of ADCs with Novel Cytotoxic Payloads.

Stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) is an established technique used in quantitative mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics. SILAC is also used to generate stable isotope labeled (SIL) antibodies for internal standards (IS) used in LC-MS/MS bioassays to improve quantitative robustness.Total antibody (TAb) is measured to evaluate pharmacokinetic (PK) of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) candidates measured by either ligand binding (LBA) or LC-MS/MS. Herein, we describe an application of SILAC, where multiple SIL combinations of an antibody are used for cassette dosing and PK evaluation.Our preclinical studies demonstrate SILAC-labeled ADC therapeutics did not alter antibody PK. Furthermore, with cassette dosing SIL antibodies exhibited comparable exposure to discretely administered unlabeled test articles in rats.In addition, SIL antibodies were conjugated to cytotoxic payloads to create SIL ADCs and cassette dosed in a cynomolgus monkey PK study and SIL ADCs yielded comparable PK results to discrete dosed unlabeled ADCs.In conclusion, SIL antibodies used with a cassette dosing strategy increases PK screening throughput of ADC candidates in preclinical species. Additionally, cassette dosing strategy further facilitates the responsible use of laboratory animals to achieve the three-Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement).

Universal Bound on Effective Central Charge and Its Saturation.

The effective central charge (denoted by c_{eff}) is a measure of entanglement through a conformal interface, while the transmission coefficient (encoded in the coefficient c_{LR} of the two-point function of the energy-momentum tensor across the interface) is a measure of energy transmission through the interface. It has been pointed out that these two are generally different. In this Letter, we propose the inequalities, 0≤c_{LR}≤c_{eff}≤min(c_{L},c_{R}). They have the simple but important implication that the amount of energy transmission can never exceed the amount of information transmission. We verify them using the AdS/CFT correspondence, using the perturbation method, and in examples beyond holography. We also show that these inequalities are sharp by constructing a class of interfaces that saturate them.

Altitude-related features and prognosis in patients with reversible splenial lesion syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: RESLES (Reversible splenial lesion syndrome) can be observed secondary to various diseases, and intramyelinic edema may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of SCC (Splenium of the corpus callosum). Some studies have suggested that hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy may constitute a risk factor for SCC lesions. However, the potential impact of high-altitude environments on SCC, especially during chronic exposure, remain obscure. METHODS: Our study included 19 patients who satisfied the diagnostic criteria of RESLES at high altitudes. Ten low-altitude patients with RESLES were included as controls. All participants received MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) scans twice. Routine blood tests, liver, kidney and thyroid function, coagulation function, electrolytes and vitamins were detected during hospitalization and before discharge. In addition, the patients were followed up in May 2023. RESULTS: Hypoxic environments at high altitudes may increase the risk of RESLES. The two groups showed different clinical symptoms. High-altitude patients had significantly higher CRP levels than low-altitude patients. The lesion size in high-altitude patients showed a positive correlation with SaO2 levels. However, the patients at low altitudes had positive correlation trends between lesion size and several inflammatory markers (WBC, NEU and CRP). All patients had a benign prognosis that may not be affected by the use of prednisone acetate. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxic environments at high altitudes may play a role in the aetiology of RESLES. Additionally, RESLES is a reversible disease and the administration of glucocorticoids may be dispensable for its treatment.

Full-length transcriptome sequencing of pepper fruit during development and construction of a transcript variation database.

Chili pepper is an important spice and a model plant for fruit development studies. Large-scale omics information on chili pepper plant development continues to be gathered for understanding development as well as capsaicin biosynthesis. In this study, a full-spectrum transcriptome data of eight chili pepper tissues at five growth stages using the Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing approach was generated. Of the 485 351 transcripts, 35 336 were recorded as reference transcripts (genes), while 450 015 were novel including coding, lnc, and other non-coding RNAs. These novel transcripts belonged to unknown/intergenic (347703), those retained introns (26336), and had multi-exons with at least one junction match (20333). In terms of alternative splicing, retained intron had the highest proportion (14795). The number of tissue-specific expressed transcripts ranged from 22 925 (stem) to 40 289 (flower). The expression changes during fruit and placenta development are discussed in detail. Integration of gene expression and capsaicin content quantification throughout the placental development clarifies that capsaicin biosynthesis in pepper is mainly derived from valine, leucin, and isoleucine degradation as well as citrate cycle and/or pyrimidine metabolism pathways. Most importantly, a user-friendly Pepper Full-Length Transcriptome Variation Database (PFTVD 1.0) (http://pepper-database.cn/) has been developed. PFTVD 1.0 provides transcriptomics and genomics information and allows users to analyse the data using various tools implemented. This work highlights the potential of long-read sequencing to discover novel genes and transcripts and their diversity in plant developmental biology.

Semi-supervised CT image segmentation via contrastive learning based on entropy constraints.

Deep learning-based methods for fast target segmentation of computed tomography (CT) imaging have become increasingly popular. The success of current deep learning methods usually depends on a large amount of labeled data. Labeling medical data is a time-consuming and laborious task. Therefore, this paper aims to enhance the segmentation of CT images by using a semi-supervised learning method. In order to utilize the valid information in unlabeled data, we design a semi-supervised network model for contrastive learning based on entropy constraints. We use CNN and Transformer to capture the image's local and global feature information, respectively. In addition, the pseudo-labels generated by the teacher networks are unreliable and will lead to degradation of the model performance if they are directly added to the training. Therefore, unreliable samples with high entropy values are discarded to avoid the model extracting the wrong features. In the student network, we also introduce the residual squeeze and excitation module to learn the connection between different channels of each layer feature to obtain better segmentation performance. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on the COVID-19 CT public dataset. We mainly considered three evaluation metrics: DSC, HD95, and JC. Compared with several existing state-of-the-art semi-supervised methods, our method improves DSC by 2.3%, JC by 2.5%, and reduces HD95 by 1.9 mm. In this paper, a semi-supervised medical image segmentation method is designed by fusing CNN and Transformer and utilizing entropy-constrained contrastive learning loss, which improves the utilization of unlabeled medical images.

Physiological and biochemical characteristics and microbial responses of Medicago sativa (Fabales: Fabaceae) varieties with different resistance to atrazine stress.

Atrazine, a commonly employed herbicide for corn production, can leave residues in soil, resulting in photosynthetic toxicity and impeding growth in subsequent alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) crops within alfalfa-corn rotation systems. The molecular regulatory mechanisms by which atrazine affects alfalfa growth and development, particularly its impact on the microbial communities of the alfalfa rhizosphere, are not well understood. This study carried out field experiments to explore the influence of atrazine stress on the biomass, chlorophyll content, antioxidant system, and rhizosphere microbial communities of the atrazine-sensitive alfalfa variety WL-363 and the atrazine-resistant variety JN5010. The results revealed that atrazine significantly reduced WL-363 growth, decreasing plant height by 8.58 cm and root length by 5.42 cm (p < 0.05). Conversely, JN5010 showed minimal reductions, with decreases of 1.96 cm in height and 1.26 cm in root length. Chlorophyll content in WL-363 decreased by 35% under atrazine stress, while in JN5010, it was reduced by only 10%. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation increased by 60% in WL-363, compared to a 20% increase in JN5010 (p < 0.05 for both). Antioxidant enzyme activities, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), were significantly elevated in JN5010 (p < 0.05), suggesting a more robust defense mechanism. Although the predominant bacterial and fungal abundances in rhizosphere soils remained generally unchanged under atrazine stress, specific microbial groups exhibited variable responses. Notably, Promicromonospora abundance declined in WL-363 but increased in JN5010. FAPROTAX functional predictions indicated shifts in the abundance of microorganisms associated with pesticide degradation, resistance, and microbial structure reconstruction under atrazine stress, displaying different patterns between the two varieties. This study provides insights into how atrazine residues affect alfalfa rhizosphere microorganisms and identifies differential microbial responses to atrazine stress, offering valuable reference data for screening and identifying atrazine-degrading bacteria.

Aberrant high-beta band functional connectivity during reward processing in melancholic major depressive disorder: An MEG study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the spatial-temporal pattern variation of whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) during reward processing in melancholic major depressive disorder (MDD) patients, and to determine the clinical correlates of connectomic differences. METHODS: 61 MDD patients and 32 healthy controls were enrolled into the study. During magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanning, all participants completed the facial emotion recognition task. The MDD patients were further divided into two groups: melancholic (n = 31) and non-melancholic (n = 30), based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) assessment. Melancholic symptoms were examined by using the 6-item melancholia subscale from the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D6). The whole-brain orthogonalized power envelope connections in the high-beta band (20-35 Hz) were constructed in each period after the happy emotional stimuli (0-200 ms, 100-300 ms, 200-400 ms, 300-500 ms, and 400-600 ms). Then, the network-based statistic (NBS) was used to determine the specific abnormal connection patterns in melancholic MDD patients. RESULTS: The NBS identified a sub-network difference at the mid-late period (300-500 ms) in response to happy faces among the three groups (corrected P = 0.035). Then, the post hoc and correlation analyses found five FCs were decreased in melancholic MDD patients and were related to HAM-D6 score, including FCs of left fusiform gyrus-right orbital inferior frontal gyrus (r = -0.52, P < 0.001), left fusiform gyrus-left amygdala (r = -0.26, P = 0.049), left posterior cingulate gyrus-right precuneus (r = -0.32, P = 0.025), left precuneus-right precuneus (r = -0.27, P = 0.049), and left precuneus-left inferior occipital gyrus (r = -0.32, P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: In response to happy faces, melancholic MDD patients demonstrated a disrupted functional connective pattern (20-35 Hz, 300-500 ms), which involved brain regions in visual information processing and the limbic system. The aberrant functional connective pattern in reward processing might be a biomarker of melancholic MDD.

[Structural design of "fitness" and "feasibility" of body-fitted stent and its mechanical analysis].

To address the conflict between the "fitness" and "feasibility" of body-fitted stents, this paper investigates the impact of various smoothing design strategies on the mechanical behaviour and apposition performance of stent. Based on the three-dimensional projection method, the projection region was fitted with the least squares method (fitting orders 1-6 corresponded to models 1-6, respectively) to achieve the effect of smoothing the body-fitted stent. The simulation included the crimping and expansion process of six groups of stents in stenotic vessels with different degrees of plaque calcification. Various metrics were analyzed, including bending stiffness, stent ruggedness, area residual stenosis rate, contact area fraction, and contact volume fraction. The study findings showed that the bending stiffness, stent ruggedness, area residual stenosis rate, contact area fraction and contact volume fraction increased with the fitting order's increase. Model 1 had the smallest contact area fraction and contact volume fraction, 77.63% and 83.49% respectively, in the incompletely calcified plaque environment. In the completely calcified plaque environment, these values were 72.86% and 82.21%, respectively. Additionally, it had the worst "fitness". Models 5 and 6 had similar values for stent ruggedness, with 32.15% and 32.38%, respectively, which indicated the worst "feasibility" for fabrication and implantation. Models 2, 3, and 4 had similar area residual stenosis rates in both plaque environments. In conclusion, it is more reasonable to obtain the body-fitted stent by using 2nd to 4th order fitting with the least squares method to the projected region. Among them, the body-fitted stent obtained by the 2nd order fitting performs better in the completely calcified environment.

Pulmonary Spindle Cell Carcinoma Mimicking Granulomatous Inflammation: A Rare Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature.

Background: Pulmonary spindle cell carcinoma (PSCC), a highly malignant tumor, often exhibits cell pleomorphism, a histopathological characteristic. Owing to its extremely low incidence, atypical imaging and clinical presentations, and insufficient awareness among clinicians, PSCC is often misdiagnosed, which results in delays in treatment. Herein, we reported a rare case of PSCC that was initially misdiagnosed as granulomatous inflammation. Case Presentation: A 66-year-old male visited a local hospital with symptoms such as cough and hemoptysis. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest revealed a mass in his right lung, and no mediastinal lymphadenopathy was observed. Bronchoscopy showed no major abnormalities, and the results of fine needle aspiration biopsy showed granulomatous inflammation. Even though the patient received anti-infection treatment, his symptoms did not improve markedly. After two months, a follow-up CT scan of the lung showed a noticeably enlarged mass accompanied by multiple instances of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in the upper lobe of the right lung. Consequently, he underwent a second CT-guided lung biopsy at our hospital. The pathology report indicated PSCC. Due to financial constraints, genetic testing was not performed. Given his poor overall physical condition, the patient was unable to undergo systemic chemotherapy and instead received palliative radiotherapy. The prescribed radiotherapy dose for the right upper lobe lung cancer and multiple metastatic lymph nodes was 60 Gy, administered in 30 fractions. Unfortunately, he failed to adhere to scheduled follow-ups and succumbed to the disease 6 months later, as confirmed during a telephone follow-up. Conclusion: PSCC is a rare but highly malignant lung cancer. Multiple pathological biopsies are necessary to accurately and promptly diagnose the disease, which is crucial for early treatment intervention as well as improving patient prognosis.

Single-Luminophore Molecular Engineering for Rapidly Phototunable Solid-State Luminescence.

Smart materials enabling emission intensity or wavelength tuning by light stimulus attract attention in numerous cutting-edge fields. However, due to the generally dense molecular stacking against photoresponsivity in solid states, especially in crystals, developing rapidly phototunable solid-state luminescent systems remains challenging. Herein, we propose a new luminophore that serves as both a photoresponsive unit and a luminescent group, while possessing enhanced conformational freedom to provide a solution. Namely, photoexcitation-induced molecular conformational change of an ionized persulfurated arene based on weak intermolecular aliphatic C-H···π interaction was employed. On these basis, rapidly enhanced phosphorescence upon irradiation can be observed in a series of phase states, like solution state, crystal, and amorphous state, especially with a high photoresponsive rate of 0.033 s-1 in crystal state that is superior to the relevant reported cases. Moreover, a rapidly phototunable afterglow effect is achieved by extending this molecule into some polymer-based doping systems, endowing the system with unique dynamic imaging and fast photopatterning capabilities. Such a single-luminophore molecular engineering and the underlying mechanism have implications for building different condensed functional materials, principally for those with stimuli responses in solid states.

A transcriptome-wide analysis provides novel insights into how Metabacillus indicus promotes coral larvae metamorphosis and settlement.

BACKGROUND: Coral reefs experience frequent and severe disturbances that can overwhelm their natural resilience. In such cases, ecological restoration is essential for coral reef recovery. Sexual reproduction has been reported to present the simplest and most cost-effective means for coral reef restoration. However, larval settlement and post-settlement survival represent bottlenecks for coral recruitment in sexual reproduction. While bacteria play a significant role in triggering coral metamorphosis and settlement in many coral species, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we employed a transcriptome-level analysis to elucidate the intricate interactions between bacteria and coral larvae that are crucial for the settlement process. RESULTS: High Metabacillus indicus strain cB07 inoculation densities resulted in the successful induction of metamorphosis and settlement of coral Pocillopora damicoris larvae. Compared with controls, inoculated coral larvae exhibited a pronounced increase in the abundance of strain cB07 during metamorphosis and settlement, followed by a significant decrease in total lipid contents during the settled stage. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during metamorphosis were significantly enriched in amino acid, protein, fatty acid, and glucose related metabolic pathways. In settled coral larvae induced by strain cB07, there was a significant enrichment of DEGs with essential roles in the establishment of a symbiotic relationship between coral larvae and their symbiotic partners. The photosynthetic efficiency of strain cB07 induced primary polyp holobionts was improved compared to those of the negative controls. In addition, coral primary polyps induced by strain cB07 showed significant improvements in energy storage and survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that strain cB07 can promote coral larval settlement and enhance post-settlement survival and fitness. Manipulating coral sexual reproduction with strain cB07 can overcome the current recruitment bottleneck. This innovative approach holds promise for future coral reef restoration efforts.