Multikingdom interactions govern the microbiome in subterranean cultural heritage sites.

SignificanceThe conservation of historical relics against microbial biodeterioration is critical to preserving cultural heritages. One major challenge is our limited understanding of microorganisms' dispersal, colonization, and persistence on relics after excavation and opening to external environments. Here, we investigate the ecological and physiological profiles of the microbiome within and outside the Dahuting Han Dynasty Tomb with a 1,800-y history. Actinobacteria dominate the microbiome in this tomb. Via interkingdom signaling mutualism, springtails carry Actinobacteria as one possible source into the tomb from surrounding environments. Subsequently, Actinobacteria produce cellulases combined with antimicrobial substances, which helps them to colonize and thrive in the tomb via intrakingdom competition. Our findings unravel the ecology of the microbiomes colonizing historical relics and provide help for conservation practices.

Value of GPR, APPRI and FIB-4 in the early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: There is an urgent need for novel biomarkers that are inexpensive, effective and easily accessible to complement the early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between serum gamma-glutamate-transpeptidase to platelet ratio, alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index, fibrosis index based on four factors and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, and to determine the optimal cut-offs for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Based on a prospective cohort study, 44 215 participants who were cancer-free at baseline (2011-13) were included in the study. Cox proportional hazard models and receiver operating characteristics curves were used to analyze the diagnostic value and optimal cut-off value of gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase to platelet ratio, alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index and fibrosis index based on four factors in predicting hepatocellular carcinoma patients. RESULTS: Gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase to platelet ratio, alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index and fibrosis index based on four factors can be used as early independent predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma risk. The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in the fourth quantile of gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase to platelet ratio and alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index was 4.04 times (hazard ratio = 4.04, 95% confidence interval: 2.09, 7.80) and 2.59 times (hazard ratio = 2.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.45, 4.61), respectively, compared with the first quantile. With fibrosis index based on four factors first quantile as a reference, fibrosis index based on four factors fourth quantile had the highest risk (hazard ratio = 18.58, 95% confidence interval: 7.55, 45.72). Receiver operating characteristic results showed that fibrosis index based on four factors had a stronger ability to predict the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (area under curve = 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.80, 0.81), and similar results were shown for gender stratification. In the total population, the optimal cut-off values of gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase to platelet ratio, alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index and fibrosis index based on four factors were 0.208, 0.629 and 1.942, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase to platelet ratio, alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index and fibrosis index based on four factors were independent predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma risk. Amongst them, fibrosis index based on four factors shows a stronger predictive ability for hepatocellular carcinoma risk, and gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase to platelet ratio and alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index can be used as complementary indicators.

Study on the daily dose and serum concentration of clozapine in psychiatric patients and possible influencing factors of serum concentration.

BACKGROUND: Clozapine is the most effective drug for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, and the dosage and concentration of clozapine in the treatment of mental illness vary greatly in different populations and are affected by many factors. METHODS: The serum clozapine concentration of 3734 psychiatric patients was detected, and data on daily dose, sex, age and other medical records were collected for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean daily dose, mean serum concentration and mean C/D (concentration/dose) ratio of clozapine were 191.02 ± 113.47 mg/day, 326.15 ± 235.66 ng/mL and 1.94 ± 1.25 ng/mL per mg/day, respectively. There was difference in daily dose between sexes, and females had higher daily dose (p <0.01), higher serum clozapine concentrations (p < 0.01) and higher C/D ratios (p < 0.01). There were significant differences in daily dose (p < 0.001), serum drug concentration (p < 0.001) and C/D ratio (p < 0.001) among different age groups. The daily dose decreased with age (p for trend < 0.001), and the C/D ratio increased with age (p for trend < 0.001). Inpatients and outpatients had no difference in daily dose, but inpatients had higher serum concentration (p < 0.001) and C/D ratio (p < 0.001). There was no difference in daily dose among different occupations, but there were significant differences in serum concentration (p < 0.001) and C/D ratio (p < 0.001), and unemployed patients may have higher serum concentration and C/D ratio. Duration of disease, comorbidity, marital status, and psychotic type may influence the daily dose and serum concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The effective daily dose and serum concentration of clozapine in the study area may be lower than recommended levels, and women have higher serum concentrations and slower metabolic rates. With increasing age, the daily dose decreases, and the metabolic rate slows. Inpatient status and occupation of patients may influence the serum concentration and metabolic rate of clozapine.

An NBD tertiary amine is a fluorescent quencher and/or a weak green-light fluorophore in H2S-specific probes.

The thiolysis of NBD piperazinyl amine (NBD-PZ) is highly selective for H2S over GSH and has been widely used for the development of many H2S fluorescent probes. Whether the NBD amine in H2S-specific probes could be a fluorescent quencher should be further clarified, because NBD amines have been used as environment-sensitive fluorophores for many years. Here, we compared the properties of NBD-based secondary and tertiary amines under the same conditions. For example, the emission of NBD-N(Et)2 is much smaller in water and less responsive to changes in polarity than that of NBD-NHEt. The emission of NBD-PZ-TPP is also smaller than that of NBD-NH-TPP both in aqueous buffer and in live cells. In addition, confocal bioimaging signals of NBD-PZ-TPP with excitation at 405 nm and 454 nm are much weaker than that at 488 nm. Based on these results as well as the previous work on NBD-based probes, we discuss and summarize the design strategies and sensing mechanisms for different NBD-based H2S probes. Moreover, NBD-PZ-TPP may be a useful tool for reaction with and imaging of mitochondrial H2S in live cells. This work should be useful for clarification of the roles of NBD in H2S-specific fluorescent probes as well as for facilitating the development of future NBD-based probes.

Balanced stochastic versus deterministic assembly processes benefit diverse yet uneven ecosystem functions in representative agroecosystems.

Ecological assembly processes, by influencing community composition, determine ecosystem functions of microbiomes. However, debate remains on how stochastic versus deterministic assembly processes influence ecosystem functions such as carbon and nutrient cycling. Towards a better understanding, we investigated three types of agroecosystems (the upland, paddy, and flooded) that represent a gradient of stochastic versus deterministic assembly processes. Carbon and nutrient cycling multifunctionality, characterized by nine enzymes associated with soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur cycling, was evaluated and then associated with microbial assembly processes and co-occurrence patterns of vital ecological groups. Our results suggest that strong deterministic processes favour microorganisms with convergent functions (as in the upland agroecosystem), while stochasticity-dominated processes lead to divergent functions (as in the flooded agroecosystem). To benefit agroecosystems services, we speculate that it is critical for a system to maintain balance between its stochastic and deterministic assembly processes (as in the paddy agroecosystem). By doing so, the system can preserve a diverse array of functional traits and also allow for particular traits to flourish. To further confirm this speculation, it is necessary to develop a systematic knowledge beyond merely characterizing general patterns towards the associations among community assembly, composition, and ecosystem functions.

Cigarette smoking and schizophrenia: Mendelian randomisation study.

BACKGROUND: The link between schizophrenia and cigarette smoking has been well established through observational studies. However, the cause-effect relationship remains unclear. AIMS: We conducted Mendelian randomisation analyses to assess any causal relationship between genetic variants related to four smoking-related traits and the risk of schizophrenia. METHOD: We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomisation using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of smoking-related traits and schizophrenia (7711 cases, 18 327 controls) in East Asian populations. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) correlated with smoking behaviours (smoking initiation, smoking cessation, age at smoking initiation and quantity of smoking) were investigated in relation to schizophrenia using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method. Further sensitivity analyses, including Mendelian randomisation-Egger (MR-Egger), weighted median estimates and leave-one-out analysis, were used to test the consistency of the results. RESULTS: The associated SNPs for the four smoking behaviours were not significantly associated with schizophrenia status. Pleiotropy did not inappropriately affect the results. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking is a complex behaviour in people with schizophrenia. Understanding factors underlying the observed association remains important; however, our findings do not support a causal role of smoking in influencing risk of schizophrenia.

Upregulation of iASPP ameliorates hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes by upregulating Nrf2 signaling.

The inhibitor of apoptosis-stimulating protein of p53 (iASPP) acts as a key modulator of cellular protection against oxidative stress. In the present work, we assessed the role of iASPP in the regulation of cardiomyocyte injury induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). We found that H/R-exposed cardiomyocytes expressed decreased levels of iASPP. The upregulation of iASPP repressed H/R-induced injury by decreasing levels of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species production. The upregulation of iASPP increased nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation and enhanced Nrf2 activation. The overexpression of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 reversed iASPP-mediated promotion of Nrf2 activation. Nrf2 inhibition abrogated iASPP-mediated cardioprotective effects in H/R-exposed cardiomyocytes. Our work demonstrates that the upregulation of iASPP ameliorates H/R-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes via potentiating Nrf2 signaling via modulation of Keap1.

Active Soil Nitrifying Communities Revealed by In Situ Transcriptomics and Microcosm-Based Stable-Isotope Probing.

Long-term nitrogen field fertilization often results in significant changes in nitrifying communities that catalyze a key step in the global N cycle. However, whether microcosm studies are able to inform the dynamic changes in communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) under field conditions remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the transcriptional activities of nitrifying communities under in situ conditions, and we found that they were largely similar to those of 13C-labeled nitrifying communities in the urea-amended microcosms of soils that had received different N fertilization regimens for 22 years. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and transcripts suggested that Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB and Nitrososphaera viennensis-like AOA were significantly stimulated in N-fertilized fresh soils. Real-time quantitative PCR demonstrated that the significant increase of AOA and AOB in fresh soils upon nitrogen fertilization could be preserved in the air-dried soils. DNA-based stable-isotope probing (SIP) further revealed the greatest labeling of Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB and Nitrosospira viennensis-like AOA, despite the strong advantage of AOB over AOA in the N-fertilized soils. Nitrobacter-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) played more important roles than Nitrospira-like NOB in urea-amended SIP microcosms, while the situation was the opposite under field conditions. Our results suggest that long-term fertilization selected for physiologically versatile AOB and AOA that could have been adapted to a wide range of substrate ammonium concentrations. It also provides compelling evidence that the dominant communities of transcriptionally active nitrifiers under field conditions were largely similar to those revealed in 13C-labeled microcosms.IMPORTANCE The role of manipulated microcosms in microbial ecology has been much debated, because they cannot entirely represent the in situ situation. We collected soil samples from 20 field plots, including 5 different treatments with and without nitrogen fertilizers for 22 years, in order to assess active nitrifying communities by in situ transcriptomics and microcosm-based stable-isotope probing. The results showed that chronic N enrichment led to competitive advantages of Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB over N. viennensis-like AOA in soils under field conditions. Microcosm labeling revealed similar results for active AOA and AOB, although an apparent discrepancy was observed for nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. This study suggests that the soil microbiome represents a relatively stable community resulting from complex evolutionary processes over a large time scale, and microcosms can serve as powerful tools to test the theory of environmental filtering on the key functional microbial guilds.

Application of bioinformatics to spectral analysis: soil organic carbon structure distinguished by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Spectroscopy, a powerful tool for analyzing material structure and composition, often encounters difficulties when investigating complex systems, such as soil and water. Here, it is hypothesized that bioinformatic methods based on the definition of the operational taxonomic unit can be applied to spectral analysis and to improve the resolving power of spectroscopic approaches. To test this hypothesis, we investigated SOC structure in response to three fertilization regimes using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The operational taxonomic unit in spectroscopy (OTUsp) was defined and then the Manhattan plots were performed. Our approach turned out to be successful in determining the discrimination of SOC structure, while the traditional peak fitting method of XPS spectra failed. The results were then validated by chemical extraction analysis. Spectral analysis based on OTUsp can supplement traditional spectral interpretation and enhance its usability for studying complex systems. Graphical abstract.

The feasibility of universal HPV vaccination program in Shenzhen of China: a health policy analysis.

BACKGROUND: HPV vaccination for the prioritized adolescent girls is well accepted and implemented in developed countries as an effective measure for cervical cancer prevention and control with increasing population-level effectiveness evidence accumulated. This study is to assess the feasibility of universal HPV vaccination among adolescent girls to inform strategies to manage political dimensions of policy-making process in Shenzhen, China, offering insights for other low- and middle-income countries undergoing HPV vaccine introduction. METHODS: Document review and in-depth interviews with identified stakeholders were conducted. The framework of Health Policy Triangle was adapted to guide data collection and analysis in terms of context, actors, process and content. Stakeholder analysis examining actors' position, power, role and interest and thematic analysis focusing on data coding and theme development were used. RESULTS: Shenzhen's contextual factors include legislative authority under a unitary political system, economic developments and cultural values on immunization and sexuality. Stakeholders' position and power could be explained by their role and interest in the Top-down health administration. Mothers could be potential bystanders if having little knowledge on HPV vaccination. Themes in policy-making process were problem definition, advocacy activities to promote HPV vaccination, HPV vaccine demand and access, the role of media and political attention on evidence-informed policy-making in Shenzhen. These stakeholders also discussed different aspects of program planning prospectively. CONCLUSIONS: Shenzhen witnesses a possibility of demonstration projects for local government's horizontal accountability but no potential advocates were identified at local level for fragmented organization of public health facilities and health professionals' lacking mobilization skills. A cervical cancer prevention expert could be a policy entrepreneur. Despite of these challenges, the recommendations to enhance the feasibility include multi-participation to engage non-governmental organizations, pharmaceuticals, target girls and their mothers, power enforcement along governing system, as well as better use of the media.

Two key features influencing community assembly processes at regional scale: Initial state and degree of change in environmental conditions.

Belowground microbial communities strongly influence ecosystem function such that predicting function may rely on understanding ecological processes that assemble communities. Uncertainty remains, however, in what governs the relative contributions of different ecological processes. To help fill this knowledge gap, we test the general hypothesis that both initial state and degree of change in environmental conditions govern the relative contributions of different ecological assembly processes. To do so, we leveraged regional-scale nutrient and organic matter addition experiments and used soil organic matter (SOM) as a proxy of integrated soil environmental conditions. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that both the initial amount of SOM and the degree of change in SOM-in response to nutrient addition-influenced the relative contributions of different ecological assembly processes. These influences were most clearly observed at the regional scale, suggesting potential scale dependence. More specifically, nutrient additions homogenized bacterial community composition due to enhanced influences of homogenizing dispersal when SOM content was initially high. In contrast, nutrient additions led to divergence in community composition due to variable selection when initial SOM was low and/or when SOM increased significantly in response to nutrient additions. Our findings indicate important connections among initial conditions, degree of change in environmental variables and microbial community assembly processes that may influence ecosystem processes. These conceptual inferences highlight a need to strengthen connections between ecological theory and biogeochemical modelling.

Lysinibacillus alkaliphilus sp. nov., an extremely alkaliphilic bacterium, and emended description of genus Lysinibacillus.

A novel aerobic, alkaliphilic, Gram-staining-positive, endospore-forming bacterium, strain OMN17T, was isolated from a typical sandy loam soil under long-term OMN fertilization (half organic manure N plus half mineral N fertilizer) in northern China and was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The best growth was achieved at 30 °C and pH 8-10 in medium containing 0.5% (w/v) NaCl. The cell-wall peptidoglycan of strain OMN17T was type A4α; (l-Lys-Gly-d-Asp) and the cell-wall sugars were ribose, traces of galactose and arabinose. The only respiratory quinone found in strain OMN17T was menaquinone 7 (MK-7). The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The major polar lipids were found to be phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. Phylogenetic analysis of strain OMN17T based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the strain was most closely related to Lysinibacillus halotolerans (97.8%), Lysinibacillus sinduriensis (97.5%), Lysinibacillus chungkukjangi (97.4%) and Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus (97.0%). The DNA-DNA hybridization results indicated that this strain was distinct from other species of the genus Lysinibacillus, the degree of relatedness being 21.8 ± 0.2% with L. halotolerans, 45.6 ± 1.8% with L. sinduriensis, 33.7 ± 1.2% with L. chungkukjangi and 23.7 ± 0.7% with L. xylanilyticus. The DNA G+C content of strain OMN17T was 38.1 mol%. The phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genetic analyses identified strain OMN17T as a novel species of the genus Lysinibacillus, for which the name Lysinibacillus alkaliphilus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is OMN17T ( = DSM 28019T = CCTCC AB 2014073T). An emended description of the genus Lysinibacillus is also provided.

N2O emissions and nitrogen transformation during windrow composting of dairy manure.

Windrow composting involves piling and regularly turning organic wastes in long rows, being in the succession of static standing periods between two consecutive pile turnings as well as a period of pile turning. N2O emissions and N transformation were investigated during the processes of windrow composting. In contrast to the conventional understanding, we observed that N2O concentrations inside compost materials were significantly higher after pile turning (APT) than before pile turning (BPT). Pile turning triggered a burst of N2O production rather than simple gaseous N2O escape from the stirred compost. Denitrification was the dominant pathway in pile turning because the observed [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] concentrations were significantly lower APT compared to BPT. The sudden exposure of O2 severely inhibited N2O reductase, which can block the transformation of N2O to N2 and thus caused an increase of N2O emission. As the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] concentrations rose during the following 48 standing hours, nitrification dominated N transformation and did not cause an increase of surface N2O emissions. Thus, pile turning resulted in a dramatic conversion of N transformation and strongly influenced its flux size. It was also found that high [Formula: see text] was accumulated in the compost and had a strong correlation with N2O emissions. Practical methods regulating nitrite and the frequency of pile turning would be useful to mitigate N2O emissions in manure composting.

Soil C and N availability determine the priming effect: microbial N mining and stoichiometric decomposition theories.

The increasing input of anthropogenically derived nitrogen (N) to ecosystems raises a crucial question: how does available N modify the decomposer community and thus affects the mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM). Moreover, N input modifies the priming effect (PE), that is, the effect of fresh organics on the microbial decomposition of SOM. We studied the interactive effects of C and N on SOM mineralization (by natural (13) C labelling adding C4 -sucrose or C4 -maize straw to C3 -soil) in relation to microbial growth kinetics and to the activities of five hydrolytic enzymes. This encompasses the groups of parameters governing two mechanisms of priming effects - microbial N mining and stoichiometric decomposition theories. In sole C treatments, positive PE was accompanied by a decrease in specific microbial growth rates, confirming a greater contribution of K-strategists to the decomposition of native SOM. Sucrose addition with N significantly accelerated mineralization of native SOM, whereas mineral N added with plant residues accelerated decomposition of plant residues. This supports the microbial mining theory in terms of N limitation. Sucrose addition with N was accompanied by accelerated microbial growth, increased activities of ß-glucosidase and cellobiohydrolase, and decreased activities of xylanase and leucine amino peptidase. This indicated an increased contribution of r-strategists to the PE and to decomposition of cellulose but the decreased hemicellulolytic and proteolytic activities. Thus, the acceleration of the C cycle was primed by exogenous organic C and was controlled by N. This confirms the stoichiometric decomposition theory. Both K- and r-strategists were beneficial for priming effects, with an increasing contribution of K-selected species under N limitation. Thus, the priming phenomenon described in 'microbial N mining' theory can be ascribed to K-strategists. In contrast, 'stoichiometric decomposition' theory, that is, accelerated OM mineralization due to balanced microbial growth, is explained by domination of r-strategists.

Bacillus fengqiuensis sp. nov., isolated from a typical sandy loam soil under long-term fertilization.

A Gram-staining-positive, endospore-forming, moderately alkaliphilic bacterium, strain NPK15(T), was isolated from a typical sandy loam soil under long-term NPK fertilization in northern China and was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The diamino acid of the cell-wall peptidoglycan of strain NPK15(T) was found to be meso-diaminopimelic acid and the cell-wall sugars were xylose, glucose and traces of mannose. The only respiratory quinone found in strain NPK15(T) was menaquinone 7 (MK-7). The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0), anteiso-C(15 : 0), C(16 : 0) and C(16 : 1)ω6c/C(16 : 1)ω7c. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. Phylogenetic analysis of the strain based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that it was related most closely to 'Bacillus thaonhiensis' KACC 17216 (99.59%), B. songklensis KCTC 13881(T) (99.52%) and B. abyssalis CCTCC AB 2012074(T) (99.00%). DNA-DNA hybridization results indicated that the strain was distinct from other species of the genus Bacillus, the degree of relatedness being 35.4% with B. abyssalis CCTCC AB 2012074(T), 39.7% with B. songklensis KCTC 13881(T) and 51.2% with 'B. thaonhiensis' KACC 17216. The DNA G+C content of strain NPK15(T) was 45.5 mol%. Phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular analyses identified strain NPK15(T) as a member of a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus fengqiuensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NPK15(T) ( = DSM 26745(T) = CCTCC AB 2013156(T)).

A cadherin-like protein from the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a putative Cry1Ac receptor.

In S. exigua, ingestion of Cry1Ac reduces larval growth, shortens lifespan, and decreases copulation and oviposition of the adults. Cadherin-like protein SeCad1b in S. exigua has recently been published. Here, we tested whether SeCad1b mediates the negative effects of Cry1Ac. We identified three potential Cry toxin binding regions in SeCad1b, i.e., (879) EIAIQITDTNN(889) , (1357) SLLTVTI(1363) , and (1436) GVISLNFQ(1443) . We expressed and purified a truncated cadherin, rSeCad1bp, and its interspecific homologue, rHaBtRp, from H. armigera that contain the putative toxin binding regions. Using a toxin overlay assay, we found that rSeCad1bp specifically binds to biotinylated Cry1Ac in a dose-dependent manner. We also discovered that an addition of rSeCad1bp and rHaBtRp enhances the suppression of larval growth by Cry1Ac, although rSeCad1bp is less suppressive than rHaBtRp. Finally, RNA interference-mediated knockdown of SeCad1b reduced approximately 80% of the target gene and significantly alleviated the negative effect of CrylAc on larval growth. We infer that the S. exigua SeCad1b is a functional receptor of Cry1Ac.

Mating experience and food deprivation modulate odor preference and dispersal in Drosophila melanogaster males.

Rotting fruits offer all of the known resources required for the livelihood of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae). During fruit fermentation, carbohydrates and proteins are decomposed to produce volatile alcohols and amines, respectively. It is hypothesized that D. melanogaster adults can detect these chemical cues at a distance to identify and locate the decaying fruits. In the present paper, we compared the olfactory responses and movement of male flies varying in mating status and nutritional state to methanol, ethanol, and ammonia sources using a glass Y-tube olfactometer. In general, ethanol vapor at low to moderate concentrations repelled more hungry mated males than satiated ones. In contrast, methanol showed little difference in the attractiveness to males at different nutritional states and mating status. Moreover, ammonia attracted more hungry mated males. The attractiveness increased almost linearly with ammonia concentration from lowest to highest. When ammonia and artificial diet were put together in the odor arm, the responses of male flies to mixed odor mimicked the response to ammonia. Furthermore, odorant concentration, mating status, and nutritional state affected the flies' dispersal. Mated and starved males dispersed at a higher rate than virgin and satiated ones. Thus, our results showed that starved, mated males increased dispersal and preferred ammonia that originated from protein.

Eco-evolutionary strategies for relieving carbon limitation under salt stress differ across microbial clades.

With the continuous expansion of saline soils under climate change, understanding the eco-evolutionary tradeoff between the microbial mitigation of carbon limitation and the maintenance of functional traits in saline soils represents a significant knowledge gap in predicting future soil health and ecological function. Through shotgun metagenomic sequencing of coastal soils along a salinity gradient, we show contrasting eco-evolutionary directions of soil bacteria and archaea that manifest in changes to genome size and the functional potential of the soil microbiome. In salt environments with high carbon requirements, bacteria exhibit reduced genome sizes associated with a depletion of metabolic genes, while archaea display larger genomes and enrichment of salt-resistance, metabolic, and carbon-acquisition genes. This suggests that bacteria conserve energy through genome streamlining when facing salt stress, while archaea invest in carbon-acquisition pathways to broaden their resource usage. These findings suggest divergent directions in eco-evolutionary adaptations to soil saline stress amongst microbial clades and serve as a foundation for understanding the response of soil microbiomes to escalating climate change.

Urban green space area mitigates the accumulation of heavy metals in urban soils.

Despite that the heavy metals in urban soils pose a threat to public health, the critical factors that influence their concentrations in urban soils are not well understood. In this study, we conducted a survey of surface soil samples from urban green spaces in Shanghai, to analyze the concentrations of the key heavy metals. The results showed that Zn was the most abundant metal with an average concentration of 122.99 mg kg-1, followed by Pb (32.72 mg kg-1) and Cd (0.23 mg kg-1). All concentrations were found to be below the risk screening values defined by the National Environmental Quality Standards for soils of development land in China (GB36600-2018), indicating no current risk in Shanghai. However, there was a clear accumulation of heavy metals, as the mean concentrations were significantly higher than the background values. Furthermore, we explored the relationships between key heavy metals with population density, GDP and green space area. Both Spearman correlation and Random Forest analysis indicated that per capita green space area (pGSA) and population density were the most crucial factors influencing the status of heavy metals in urban soils, unlike edaphic factors e.g. SOM content in farmland soils. Specifically, there was a significantly positive linear correlation between heavy metal concentrations and population density, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.3 to 0.4. However, the correlation with pGSA was found to be non-linear. The nonlinear regression analysis revealed threshold values between heavy metals concentrations and pGSA (e.g Zn 22.22 m2, Pb 24.92 m2, and Cd 25.92 m2), with a sharp reduction in heavy metal concentrations below the threshold and a slow reduction above the threshold. It suggests that an increase in per capita green space area can mitigate the accumulation of heavy metals caused by growing population density, but the effect is limited after the threshold. Our findings not only provide insights into the distribution patterns of heavy metals in the urban soils at the local scale, but also contribute to the urban greening at the global scale and offer guidance for city planning in the face of increasing population densities over the coming decades.

Evaluation of the Xpert Xpress GBS test for rapid detection of group B Streptococcus in pregnant women.

IMPORTANCE: This was the first study evaluating the performance of the Xpert Xpress group B Streptococcus (GBS) test using rectovaginal swabs from Chinese pregnant women. Compared to the other three assays, the Xpert Xpress GBS test demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity when screening 939 pregnant women for GBS in rectovaginal specimens. Additionally, its reduced time to obtain results makes it valuable for the rapid detection of GBS.