A genome-wide association study identifies a transporter for zinc uploading to maize kernels.

The Zn content in cereal seeds is an important trait for crop production as well as for human health. However, little is known about how Zn is loaded to plant seeds. Here, through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identify the Zn-NA (nicotianamine) transporter gene ZmYSL2 that is responsible for loading Zn to maize kernels. High promoter sequence variation in ZmYSL2 most likely drives the natural variation in Zn concentrations in maize kernels. ZmYSL2 is specifically localized on the plasma membrane facing the maternal tissue of the basal endosperm transfer cell layer (BETL) and functions in loading Zn-NA into the BETL. Overexpression of ZmYSL2 increases the Zn concentration in the kernels by 31.6%, which achieves the goal of Zn biofortification of maize. These findings resolve the mystery underlying the loading of Zn into plant seeds, providing an efficient strategy for breeding or engineering maize varieties with enriched Zn nutrition.

Deep learning based method for predicting DNA N6-methyladenosine sites.

DNA N6 methyladenine (6mA) plays an important role in many biological processes, and accurately identifying its sites helps one to understand its biological effects more comprehensively. Previous traditional experimental methods are very labor-intensive and traditional machine learning methods also seem to be somewhat insufficient as the database of 6mA methylation groups becomes progressively larger, so we propose a deep learning-based method called multi-scale convolutional model based on global response normalization (CG6mA) to solve the prediction problem of 6mA site. This method is tested with other methods on three different kinds of benchmark datasets, and the results show that our model can get more excellent prediction results.

Origins of High Air Sensitivity and Treatment Strategies in O3-Type NaMn1/3 Fe1/3Ni1/3O2.

Sodium-ion layered oxides are one of the most highly regarded sodium-ion cathode materials and are expected to be used in electric vehicles and large-scale grid-level energy storage systems. However, highly air-sensitive issues limit sodium-ion layered oxide cathode materials to maximize cost advantages. Industrial and scientific researchers have been developing cost-effective air sensitivity treatment strategies with little success because the impurity formation mechanism is still unclear. Using density functional theory calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, this work shows that the poor air stability of O3-type NaMn1/3Fe1/3Ni1/3O2 (NMFNO) may be as follows: (1) low percentage of nonreactive (003) surface; (2) strong surface adsorption capacity and high surface reactivity; and (3) instability of the surface sodium ions. Our physical images point out that the high reactivity of the NMFNO surface originates from the increase in electron loss and unpaired electrons (magnetic moments) of the surface oxygen active site as well as the enhanced metal coactivation effect due to the large radius of the sodium ion. We also found that the hydrolysis reaction requires a higher reactivity of the surface oxygen active site, while the carbon hybridization mode transformation in carbonate formation depends mainly on metal activation and does not even require the involvement of surface oxygen active sites. Based on the calculation results and our proposed physical images, we discuss the feasibility of these treatment strategies (including surface morphology modulation, cation/anion substitution, and surface configuration design) for air-sensitive issues.

FGFR1/2/3-rearranged carcinoma of the head and neck: expanded histological spectrum crossing path with high-risk HPV in the sinonasal tract.

AIMS: Oncogenic FGFR1/2/3 rearrangements are found in various cancers. Reported cases in head and neck (HN) are mainly squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) with FGFR3::TACC3 fusions, a subset of which also harbour high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). However, the knowledge of the clinicopathological spectrum of FGFR-rearranged head and neck carcinomas (FHNC) is limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective MSK-fusion clinical sequencing cohort 2016-23 was searched to identify malignant tumours in the HN region harbouring FGFR1/2/3 fusion. FHNC were characterised by histological examination, immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis. Electronic medical records were reviewed. Three FHNC were identified. Two cases (cases 1 and 2) involved sinonasal tract and were high-grade carcinomas with squamous, basaloid, glandular and/or ductal-myoepithelial features. Case 1 arose in a 79-year-old man and harboured FGFR2::KIF1A fusion. Case 2 arose in a 58-year-old man, appeared as HPV-related multiphenotypic sinonasal carcinoma (HMSC), and was positive for FGFR2::TACC2 fusion and concurrent high-risk HPV, non-type 16/18. Case 3 was FGFR3::TACC3 fusion-positive keratinising SCCs arising in the parotid of a 60-year-old man. All three cases presented at stage T4. Clinical follow-up was available in two cases; case 1 remained disease-free for 41 months post-treatment and case 3 died of disease 2 months after the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: FHNC include a morphological spectrum of carcinomas with squamous features and may occur in different HN locations, such as parotid gland and the sinonasal tract. Sinonasal cases can harbour FGFR2 rearrangement with or without associated high-risk HPV. Timely recognition of FHNC could help select patients potentially amenable to targeted therapy with FGFR inhibitors. Further studies are needed (1) to determine if FGFR2 rearranged/HPV-positive sinonasal carcinomas are biologically distinct from HMSC, and (2) to elucidate the biological and clinical significance of FGFR2 rearrangement in the context of high-risk HPV.

Selectively Probing the Magnetic Resonance Signals of γ-Aminobutyric Acid in Human Brains In Vivo.

BACKGROUND: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in human brains, playing a role in the pathogenesis of various psychiatric disorders. Current methods have some non-neglectable shortcomings and noninvasive and accurate detection of GABA in human brains is long-term challenge. PURPOSE: To develop a pulse sequence capable of selectively detecting and quantifying the 1 H signal of GABA in human brains based on optimal controlled spin singlet order. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. SUBJECTS/PHANTOM: A phantom of GABA (pH = 7.3 ± 0.1) and 11 healthy subjects (5 females and 6 males, body mass index: 21 ± 3 kg/m2 , age: 25 ± 4 years). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 7 Tesla, 3 Tesla, GABA-targeted magnetic resonance spectroscopy (GABA-MRS-7 T, GABA-MRS-3 T), magnetization prepared two rapid acquisition gradient echoes sequence. ASSESSMENT: By using the developed pulse sequences applied on the phantom and healthy subjects, the signals of GABA were successfully selectively probed. Quantification of the signals yields the concentration of GABA in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in human brains. STATISTICAL TESTS: Frequency. RESULTS: The 1 H signals of GABA in the phantom and in the human brains of healthy subjects were successfully detected. The concentration of GABA in the dACC of human brains was 3.3 ± 1.5 mM. DATA CONCLUSION: The developed pulse sequences can be used to selectively probe the 1 H MR signals of GABA in human brains in vivo. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.

pH Mapping of Gliomas Using Quantitative Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MRI: Quasi-Steady-State, Spillover-, and MT-Corrected Omega Plot Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative in-situ pH mapping of gliomas is important for therapeutic interventions, given its significant association with tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis. Although chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) offers a noninvasive way for pH imaging based on the pH-dependent exchange rate (ksw ), the reliable quantification of ksw in glioma remains constrained due to technical challenges. PURPOSE: To quantify the pH of gliomas by measuring the proton exchange rate through optimized omega plot analysis. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. PHANTOMS/ANIMAL MODEL/SUBJECTS: Creatine and murine brain lysates phantoms, six rats with glioma xenograft model, and three patients with World Health Organization grade 2-4 gliomas. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 11.7 T, 7.0 T, CEST imaging, T2 -weighted (T2 W) imaging, and T1 -mapping. ASSESSMENT: Omega plot analysis, quasi-steady-state (QUASS) analysis, multi-pool Lorentzian fitting, amine and amide concentration-independent detection, pH enhanced method with the combination of amide and guanidyl (pHenh ), and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) were utilized for pH metric quantification. The clinical outcomes were determined through radiologic follow-up and histopathological analysis. STATISTICAL TESTS: Mann-Whitney U test was performed to compare glioma with normal tissue, and Pearson's correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between ksw and other parameters. RESULTS: In vitro experiments reveal that the determined ksw at 2 ppm increases exponentially with pH (creatine phantoms: ksw = 106 + 0.147 × 10(pH-4.198) ; lysates: ksw = 185.1 + 0.101 × 10(pH-3.914) ). Omega plot analysis exhibits a linear correlation between 1/MTRRex and 1/ω1 2 in the glioma xenografts (R2 > 0.98) and glioma patients (R2 > 0.99). The exchange rate in the rat glioma decreases compared to the contralateral normal tissue (349.46 ± 30.40 s-1 vs. 403.54 ± 51.01 s-1 , P = 0.025), while keeping independence from changes in concentration (r = 0.5037, P = 0.095). Similar pattern was observed in human data. DATA CONCLUSION: Utilizing QUASS-based, spillover-, and MT-corrected omega plot analysis for the measurement of exchange rates, offers a feasible method for quantifying pH within glioma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

Taklimakanibacter deserti gen. nov., sp. nov. and Taklimakanibacter lacteus sp. nov., isolated from desert soil.

Two Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, milk-white coloured, non-motile, short rod-shaped bacteria, designated as strains SYSU D60010T and SYSU D60012T, were isolated from sand samples collected from the Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang Province in China. Both strains were positive for oxidase, catalase and nitrate reduction, but negative for amylase, H2S production, hydrolysis of gelatin and cellulase. Strains SYSU D60010T and SYSU D60012T grew well at 28 °C, at pH 7 and had the same NaCl tolerance range of 0-1 % (w/v). The major fatty acids (>5 %) of strains SYSU D60010T and SYSU D60012T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c), iso-C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c, C16 : 0 and iso-C18 : 1 2-OH. Q-10 was the only respiratory ubiquinone. Strains SYSU D60010T and SYSU D60012T showed high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to Aestuariivirga litoralis SYSU M10001T (94.2 and 94.1 %), Rhodoligotrophos jinshengii BUT-3T (92.0 and 91.9 %) and Rhodoligotrophos appendicifer 120-1T (91.8 and 91.7 %), and the genomes were 7.4 and 5.8 Mbp in size with DNA G+C contents of 62.8 and 63.0 mol%, respectively. Phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics indicated that these two strains represent a novel genus and two novel species within the family Aestuariivirgaceae. We propose the name Taklimakanibacter deserti gen. nov., sp. nov. for strain SYSU D60010T, representing the type strain of this species (=KCTC 52783T =NBRC 113344T) and Taklimakanibacter lacteus gen. nov., sp. nov. for strain SYSU D60012T, representing the type strain of this species (=KCTC 52785T=NBRC 113128T).

In situ Hg2+ improved the peroxidase-like activity and triggered "ON" the oxidase-like activity of yolk-shell Co3S4 microspheres for the detection of Hg2.

Exploring highly active nanozymes is an important task to realize the real-time detection of some heavy metal ions in water. In this work, yolk-shell Co3S4 microspheres have been verified to possess excellent peroxidase-like activity, which can be further improved by adding Hg2+. Very interestingly, Hg2+ can trigger "ON" the oxidase-like activity of Co3S4 microspheres. The dual peroxidase-/oxidase-like activity of the yolk-shell Co3S4 microspheres is evaluated by using the chromogenic substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Furthermore, comprehensive studies verify that the enhanced peroxidase-like activity, together with the "ON" oxidase-like activity of the yolk-shell Co3S4 microspheres, is attributed to the in situ generation of HgS on the surface of Co3S4 microspheres and then the release of more active sites. Importantly, the in situ generated HgS on the surface of Co3S4 microspheres can form a heterojunction, which also accelerates the catalytic process. During the catalytic reaction, some active species (O2- and h+) can be detected by ESR. Thus, a colorimetric sensing platform based on Hg2+-triggered signal amplification has been successfully constructed, which can be validated by the detection of Hg2+ residue in environmental water.

Desertibaculum subflavum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the family Sneathiellaceae isolated from the Kumtag Desert soil.

A novel rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain SYSU D60015T that formed yellowish colonies was isolated from a sandy soil collected from the Kumtag Desert in Xinjiang, China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, oxidase-positive, catalase-negative and motile with a single polar flagellum. Growth optimum occurred between 28 and 37 °C, pH 7.0 and with 0-0.5% (W/V) NaCl. The predominant cellular fatty acids (> 5%) were summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c and/or C18:1 ω6c), C19:0 cyclo ω8c, C18:1 ω7c 11-methyl and C16:0. The polar lipid profile contained one phosphatidylethanolamine, one diphosphatidylglycerol, one phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified phospholipid, three unidentified aminolipids, two unidentified aminophospholipids and seven unidentified lipids. The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogenetic analysis, strain SYSU D60015T was found to form a distinct linage within the family Sneathiellaceae, and had 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 90.8% to Taonella mepensis H1T, and 90.2% to Ferrovibrio denitrificans S3T. The genome of SYSU D60015T was 5.66 Mb in size with 68.2% of DNA G + C content. The low digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH, 18.0%), average nucleotide identity (ANI, 77.5%) and amino acid identity (AAI, 56.0%) values between SYSU D60015T and Ferrovibrio terrae K5T indicated that SYSU D60015T might represent a distinct genus. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic data, we propose Desertibaculum subflavum gen. nov., sp. nov. as a novel species of a new genus within the family Sneathiellaceae. The type strain is SYSU D60015T (= NBRC 112952T = CGMCC 1.16256T).

An improved attention module based on nnU-Net for segmenting primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) in MRI images1.

BACKGROUND: Accurate volumetric segmentation of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is essential for assessing and monitoring the tumor before radiotherapy and the treatment planning. The tedious manual segmentation leads to interindividual and intraindividual differences, while existing automatic segmentation methods cause under-segmentation of PCNSL due to the complex and multifaceted nature of the tumor. OBJECTIVE: To address the challenges of small size, diffused distribution, poor inter-layer continuity on the same axis, and tendency for over-segmentation in brain MRI PCNSL segmentation, we propose an improved attention module based on nnUNet for automated segmentation. METHODS: We collected 114 T1 MRI images of patients in the Huashan Hospital, Shanghai. Then randomly split the total of 114 cases into 5 distinct training and test sets for a 5-fold cross-validation. To efficiently and accurately delineate the PCNSL, we proposed an improved attention module based on nnU-Net with 3D convolutions, batch normalization, and residual attention (res-attention) to learn the tumor region information. Additionally, multi-scale dilated convolution kernels with different dilation rates were integrated to broaden the receptive field. We further used attentional feature fusion with 3D convolutions (AFF3D) to fuse the feature maps generated by multi-scale dilated convolution kernels to reduce under-segmentation. RESULTS: Compared to existing methods, our attention module improves the ability to distinguish diffuse and edge enhanced types of tumors; and the broadened receptive field captures tumor features of various scales and shapes more effectively, achieving a 0.9349 Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in segmenting the PCNSL. To our knowledge, this is the first study to introduce attention modules into deep learning for segmenting PCNSL based on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), promoting the localization of PCNSL before radiotherapy.

Improving T2*-weighted human cortico-spinal acquisitions with a dedicated algorithm for region-wise shimming.

Cortico-spinal fMRI acquisitions aim to investigate direct interactions between brain and spinal cord, e.g. during motor output or pain processing, by covering both regions in a single measurement. Due to their large distance and location in the body, a dynamic shim update of constant and linear shim terms is required when using echo-planar imaging (EPI) to achieve reasonable image quality in both target regions. A previously presented approach with region-wise shim settings is based on a standard single-region shim algorithm and suffers from (i) non-optimal shim settings because it combines linear and second-order shim terms optimized for different volumes, and (ii) significant user interactions making it rather cumbersome, time consuming, and error-prone. Here, a dedicated ("CoSpi") shim algorithm for cortico-spinal fMRI is presented that performs joint optimization of static second-order shim terms and one set of linear and constant shim terms for each region in a single run and with minimal user interaction. Field map and T2*-weighted EPI measurements were performed on a clinical 3 T whole-body MR system in water phantoms and five healthy volunteers using the conventional region-wise and CoSpi shim settings as well as "gold standard" shim settings optimized for one of the target regions only. With CoSpi shim settings, (i) overall field inhomogeneity was reduced by about 65% / 75% (brain / spinal cord volume) compared to the conventional region-wise approach and in vivo was within 5% of the values obtained with the single-volume shim settings, (ii) geometric distortions derived from voxel displacement maps were reduced on average by about 35% / 70%, (iii) the temporal SNR determined from an EPI time series that may reflect the impact of through-slice dephasing, was increased by about 17% / 10%, and (iv) the variation of the mean field between slices, a measure targeting the predisposition to insufficient fat saturation and GRAPPA-related ghosting artifacts, was reduced by about 90% / 45%. Thus, the presented algorithm not only speeds up and simplifies the shim procedure considerably, but also provides a better field homogeneity and image quality, which both could help to significantly improve the applicability of cortico-spinal fMRI.

Dendrimer-Encapsulated Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals for Self-Powered White Light-Emitting Glass.

Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have attracted substantial attention due to their inspiring intrinsic merits such as low cost, high performance, and solution processability, but when it comes to the usage of blends of different colored PNCs with the purpose of covering the broadband spectrum field, the high degree of instability remains a major bottleneck. Herein, we report a family of dendritic ammonium ligands that act as stiff shell-encapsulating PNCs for improving their stability and suppressing ion permeability in mixed colloidal PNC solutions. The as-synthesized ligand-encapsulated PNCs notably achieve near-unity photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) and strongly resist the unwanted ion exchange reaction under aggressive anion source attack. To fabricate self-powered white-emitting glass, the stabilized mixed colored PNCs were embedded into the laminated glass, which simultaneously acted as absorbers-emitters for luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) and emitters for white light-emitting glass.

Unsupervised contrastive graph learning for resting-state functional MRI analysis and brain disorder detection.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) helps characterize regional interactions that occur in the human brain at a resting state. Existing research often attempts to explore fMRI biomarkers that best predict brain disease progression using machine/deep learning techniques. Previous fMRI studies have shown that learning-based methods usually require a large amount of labeled training data, limiting their utility in clinical practice where annotating data is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. To this end, we propose an unsupervised contrastive graph learning (UCGL) framework for fMRI-based brain disease analysis, in which a pretext model is designed to generate informative fMRI representations using unlabeled training data, followed by model fine-tuning to perform downstream disease identification tasks. Specifically, in the pretext model, we first design a bi-level fMRI augmentation strategy to increase the sample size by augmenting blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals, and then employ two parallel graph convolutional networks for fMRI feature extraction in an unsupervised contrastive learning manner. This pretext model can be optimized on large-scale fMRI datasets, without requiring labeled training data. This model is further fine-tuned on to-be-analyzed fMRI data for downstream disease detection in a task-oriented learning manner. We evaluate the proposed method on three rs-fMRI datasets for cross-site and cross-dataset learning tasks. Experimental results suggest that the UCGL outperforms several state-of-the-art approaches in automated diagnosis of three brain diseases (i.e., major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and Alzheimer's disease) with rs-fMRI data.

Association between activity in the ventral premotor cortex and spinal cord activation during force generation-A combined cortico-spinal fMRI study.

Force generation is a crucial element of dexterity and a highly relevant skill of the human motor system. How cerebral and spinal components interact and how spinal activation is associated with the activity in the cerebral primary motor and premotor areas is poorly understood. Here, we conducted combined cortico-spinal functional magnetic resonance imaging during a simple visually guided isometric force generation task in 20 healthy young subjects. Activation was localized in the right cervical spinal cord and left primary motor and premotor areas. The main finding is that spinal activation was negatively correlated with ventral premotor cortex activation. Spinal activation was furthermore significantly correlated with primary motor cortex activation, while increasing target forces led to an increase in the amount of activation. These data indicate that human premotor areas such as the ventral premotor cortex might be functionally connected to the lower cervical spinal cord contributing to distal upper limb functions, a finding that extends our understanding of human motor function beyond the animal literature.

Simultaneous multislice imaging with slice-specific z-shim.

PURPOSE: To implement slice-specific z-shim in simultaneous multislice (SMS) imaging in order to minimize signal losses in slice-accelerated T2 *-weighted acquisitions, such as for spinal cord functional neuroimaging. METHODS: The RF envelopes of the individual slice bands are temporally shifted on the plateau of the slice-selection gradient pulse before being combined to the multiband RF envelope. Thus, optimum z-shims can be realized for each slice of an SMS excitation, which is in contrast to conventional z-shimming. EPI with 2-fold SMS acceleration was performed on a 3T whole-body MR system in phantoms and the cervical spinal cord of healthy volunteers (i) without z-shim, (ii) with conventional z-shim using the average value of the slices of the SMS excitation, and (iii) with optimal, slice-specific z-shims for each slice using envelope shifts. RESULTS: Phantom experiments demonstrate the equivalence of the envelope shift and conventional z-shimming for non-SMS excitations. With SMS, the best image quality is obtained with "mixed" z-shim, where only the z-shim differences of the slices of an SMS excitation are implemented by an envelope shift while their mean z-shim is applied conventionally with a gradient pulse after the echoes acquired for N/2 ghost correction. In phantoms and in vivo, this setup outperforms the approaches without slice-specific z-shim with respect to signal amplitude and temporal SNR at the expense of slight TE differences (<1 ms) between the slices. CONCLUSION: With RF envelope shifts, slice-specific z-shims can be combined with SMS imaging, which could improve slice-accelerated functional neuroimaging in the spinal cord.

Enhanced Performance of Porphyrin-Modified CuO-Co3O4 Heterojunction as a Photoelectrocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation.

It is desirable to improve the methanol oxidation ability of heterojunction catalysts because of their potential in the field of electrocatalysis. In this article, we have integrated CuO/Co3O4 heterojunction with porphyrin (TCPP) for TCPP/Cu2Co1. The results demonstrate that the specific surface area and electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) are enhanced, and the unblocked separation and transfer of photogenerated charges are guaranteed by the matched band energy of CuO, Co3O4, and TCPP. As such, the photocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) performance and stability of TCPP/Cu2Co1 are significantly enhanced compared with those of Cu2Co1. This study provides a promising pathway for the design of MOR catalysts with high MOR activity.

Rubellimicrobium arenae sp. nov., isolated from desert soil.

Two Gram-stain-negative strains, designated as SYSU D00286T and SYSU D00782, were isolated from a sand sample collected from the Kumtag Desert in Xinjiang, north-west China. Cells were aerobic, non-motile and positive for both oxidase and catalase. Growth occurred at 4-37 °C (optimum, 28-30 °C), pH 6.0-7.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and NaCl concentration of 0-1.5 % (w/v; optimum, 0%). Growth was observed on Reasoner's 2A agar and nutrient agar, but not on Luria-Bertani agar and trypticase soy agar. The polar lipids were identified as diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified aminolipids, one unidentified glycolipid and two unidentified phospholipids. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the major fatty acids (>10 %) were C16 : 0 and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strains SYSU D00286T and SYSU D00782 was 100%, and their average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity and (AAI) digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values were all 100.0 %. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these two strains belong to the same species of the genus Rubellimicrobium and show the highest sequence similarity to Rubellimicrobium rubrum KCTC 72461T (98.2 %) and Rubellimicrobium roseum CCTCC AA 208029T (97.5 %). The ANI, AAI and dDDH values between SYSU D00286T (as well as SYSU D00782) and the other five Rubellimicrobium type strains were all less than or equal to 83.2, 80.1 and 23.6 %, respectively. Based on their phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomical features, strains SYSU D00286T and SYSU D00782 represent a novel species of the genus Rubellimicrobium, for which the name Rubellimicrobium arenae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SYSU D00286T (=MCCC 1K04981T=CGMCC 1.8626T=KCTC 82271T).

Bergapten inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis via promoting mitophagy.

Inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation produces potent therapeutic effects in a wide array of inflammatory diseases. Bergapten (BeG), a furocoumarin phytohormone present in many herbal medicines and fruits, exibits anti-inflammatory activity. In this study we characterized the therapeutic potential of BeG against bacterial infection and inflammation-related disorders, and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. We showed that pre-treatment with BeG (20 µM) effectively inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation in both lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-primed J774A.1 cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), evidenced by attenuated cleaved caspase-1 and mature IL-1ß release, as well as reduced ASC speck formation and subsequent gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis. Transcriptome analysis revealed that BeG regulated the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism in BMDMs. Moreover, BeG treatment reversed the diminished mitochondrial activity and ROS production after NLRP3 activation, and elevated the expression of LC3-II and enhanced the co-localization of LC3 with mitochondria. Treatment with 3-methyladenine (3-MA, 5 mM) reversed the inhibitory effects of BeG on IL-1ß, cleaved caspase-1 and LDH release, GSDMD-N formation as well as ROS production. In mouse model of Escherichia coli-induced sepsis and mouse model of Citrobacter rodentium-induced intestinal inflammation, pre-treatment with BeG (50 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated tissue inflammation and injury. In conclusion, BeG inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis by promoting mitophagy and maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. These results suggest BeG as a promising drug candidate for the treatment of bacterial infection and inflammation-related disorders.

Telluribacter roseus sp. nov., Isolated from the Kumtag Desert Soil.

A pink-pigmented bacterium, designated as strain SYSU D00476T, was isolated from sandy soil collected from the Kumtag Desert in China. Colonies were opaque, smooth and of a slight convexity with a clearly defined border. Cells were rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive. Growth occurred at 4-45 ℃ (optimum at 28-30 ℃), pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum at 7.0), and with 0-3.0% NaCl (w/v, optimum at 0-2.0%). Major fatty acids (> 10%) were C16:0, summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c and/or C16:1 ω6c), iso-C17:0 3-OH and iso-C15:0. Polar lipids comprised of three unidentified polar aminolipids (ALs), two unidentified aminophosphoglycolipids (APLs), one unidentified glycolipid (GL) and three unidentified phospholipids (PLs). The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7. The genomic DNA G + C content was 50.5%. The low digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH, 27.4%) and average nucleotide identity (ANI, 85%) values between strain SYSU D00476T and Telluribacter humicola KCTC 42819T indicated that SYSU D00476T represent a distinct species. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SYSU D00476T belonged to the genus Telluribacter, showing 97.5% similarity with T. humicola KCTC 42819T. All these data support that strain SYSU D00476T represent a novel species of the genus Telluribacter within the family Spirosomataceae, named as Telluribacter roseus sp. nov. The type strain is SYSU D00476T (= KCTC 82285T = CGMCC 1.18647T = MCCC 1K04983T).

A case of recurrent intracranial hemorrhage in CADASIL caused by NOTCH3 c.1759C>T heterozygous mutation.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a cerebrovascular disease that is closely related to the NOTCH3 gene. Recurrent ischemic stroke, progressive cognitive dysfunction, and mental symptoms are the main clinical manifestations, whereas symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage is rare. METHODS: We detected a heterozygous mutation of c.1759C>T in exon 11 of the NOTCH3 gene that caused recurrent intracranial hemorrhage in CADASIL. RESULTS: Second-generation sequencing of a sample of the patient's genome revealed a heterozygous mutation of c.1759C>T in exon 11 of NOTCH3, which resulted in amino acid changes (p.R587C). This variation may be rated as a CADASIL clinical variation. CONCLUSION: The discovery of this mutation site provides an important theoretical basis for a gene-based diagnosis and treatment of recurrent intracranial hemorrhage.