Bidirectional multiciliated cell extrusion is controlled by Notch-driven basal extrusion and Piezo1-driven apical extrusion.

Xenopus embryos are covered with a complex epithelium containing numerous multiciliated cells (MCCs). During late-stage development, there is a dramatic remodeling of the epithelium that involves the complete loss of MCCs. Cell extrusion is a well-characterized process for driving cell loss while maintaining epithelial barrier function. Normal cell extrusion is typically unidirectional, whereas bidirectional extrusion is often associated with disease (e.g. cancer). We describe two distinct mechanisms for MCC extrusion, a basal extrusion driven by Notch signaling and an apical extrusion driven by Piezo1. Early in the process there is a strong bias towards basal extrusion, but as development continues there is a shift towards apical extrusion. Importantly, response to the Notch signal is age dependent and governed by the maintenance of the MCC transcriptional program such that extension of this program is protective against cell loss. In contrast, later apical extrusion is regulated by Piezo1, such that premature activation of Piezo1 leads to early extrusion while blocking Piezo1 leads to MCC maintenance. Distinct mechanisms for MCC loss underlie the importance of their removal during epithelial remodeling.

Breast cancer cell-derived exosome-delivered microRNA-155 targets UBQLN1 in adipocytes and facilitates cancer cachexia-related fat loss.

Cachexia occurrence and development are associated with loss of white adipose tissues, which may be involved with cancer-derived exosomes. This study attempted to characterize the functional mechanisms of breast cancer (BC) cell-derived exosome-loaded microRNA (miR)-155 in cancer cachexia-related fat loss. Exosomes were incubated with preadipocytes and cellular lipid droplet accumulation was observed using Oil Red O staining. Western blotting evaluated the cellular levels of lipogenesis marker peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and adiponectin, C1Q and collagen domain containing (AdipoQ). Differentiated adipocytes were incubated with exosomes, and phosphate hormone sensitive lipase (P-HSL), adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and glycerol were detected in adipocytes, in addition to uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and leptin levels. A mouse model of cancer cachexia was established where cancer exosomes were injected intravenously. The changes in body weight and tumor-free body weights were recorded and serum glycerol levels and lipid accumulation in adipose tissues were determined. Also, the relationship between miR-155 and UBQLN1 was predicted and verified. BC exosome treatment reduced PPARγ and AdipoQ protein levels, promoted the levels of P-HSL and ATGL proteins, facilitated glycerol release, increased UCP1 expression and lowered leptin expression in adipocytes. Exosomal miR-155 inhibited lipogenesis in preadipocytes and boosted the browning of white adipose tissues. miR-155 downregulation alleviated cancer exosome-induced browning of white adipose tissues and fat loss. Mechanistically, miR-155 targeted UBQLN1, and UBQLN1 upregulation reversed the impacts of cancer exosomes. miR-155 loaded by BC cell-derived exosomes significantly affects white adipose browning and inhibition of cancer-derived exosomes.

Convolutional neural network for identifying common bile duct stones based on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.

AIMS: To develop an auto-categorization system based on machine learning for three-dimensional magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (3D MRCP) to detect choledocholithiasis from healthy and symptomatic individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3D MRCP sequences from 254 cases with common bile duct (CBD) stones and 251 cases with normal CBD were enrolled to train the 3D Convolutional Neural Network (3D-CNN) model. Then 184 patients from three different hospitals (91 with positive CBD stone and 93 with normal CBD) were prospectively included to test the performance of 3D-CNN. RESULTS: With a cutoff value of 0.2754, 3D-CNN achieved the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 94.51%, 92.47%, and 93.48%, respectively. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) for the presence or absence of CBD stones was 0.974 (95% CI, 0.940-0.992). There was no significant difference in sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy between 3D-CNN and radiologists. In addition, the performance of 3D-CNN was also evaluated in the internal test set and the external test set, respectively. The internal test set yielded an accuracy of 94.74% and AUC of 0.974 (95% CI, 0.919-0.996), and the external test set yielded an accuracy of 92.13% and AUC of 0.970 (95% CI, 0.911-0.995). CONCLUSIONS: An artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostic system for CBD stones was constructed using 3D-CNN model for 3D MRCP images. The performance of 3D-CNN model was comparable to that of radiologists in diagnosing CBD stones. 3D-CNN model maintained high performance when applied to data from other hospitals.

Characterisation and agronomic evaluation of acidified food waste anaerobic digestate products.

Raw liquid anaerobic digestate was synthesised into nutrient-dense solid digestates via acidification and evaporation. Acidification retained ammonium in the digestate whilst also donating the anion to free ammonium to form an ammonium salt. Digestate was treated with the addition of sulphuric, nitric, and phosphoric acid resulting in the formation of ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium phosphate, respectively then evaporated into a solid fertiliser product. FTIR, XRD and SEM-EDS collectively confirm that the addition of acids completely converted the free ammonium in the raw digestate into their respective ammonium salt counterparts. Compounds of potassium chloride, silicon dioxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium ammonium phosphate, sodium nitrate, and sodium chloride were identified in all solid digestate samples. Plant growth and grain yield was higher in urea ammonium nitrate, raw liquid digestate and acidified digestate products compared to control and unacidified solid digestate. Urea ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrate solid digestate had the highest dry shoot, likely due to the high available nitrogen found in both fertilisers. Overall, acidification and evaporation of liquid digestate can efficiently transform it into a valuable solid fertiliser with a high nutrient density. This process not only has the potential to mitigate handling and storage constraints of low nutrient density digestate in anaerobic digestion facilities but also offers a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilisers.

[Cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2022].

Objective: The National Central Cancer Registry estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths in China in 2022, using incidence and mortality data collected by the National Cancer Center. Methods: According to the data of 700 cancer registries in 2018 and the data of 106 cancer registries from 2010 to 2018, the age-period-cohort model was used to estimate the incidence rate and mortality rate of all cancers and 23 types of cancer in 2022, stratified by gender and urban and rural areas. We estimated the number of new cancer cases and deaths in China in 2022 based on the estimated rate and population data in 2022. Results: The estimated results showed that in 2022, there were approximately 4 824 700 new cancer cases in China (2 533 900 in males and 2 290 800 in females), with an age-standardized incidence rate of Chinese population (ASIR) of 208.58 per 100 000 (212.67 per 100 000 for males and 208.08 per 100 000 for females). Approximately 2 903 900 new cancer cases occurred in urban areas, with an ASIR of 212.95 per 100 000. It was estimated about 1 920 800 new cancer cases in rural areas, and the ASIR was 199.65 per 100 000. The top five cancers (lung cancer 1 060 600, colorectal cancer 517 100, thyroid cancer 466 100, liver cancer 367 700 and female breast cancer 357 200) accounted for 57.4% of all new cases. The estimated number of deaths from cancer in China in 2022 was 2 574 200 (1 629 300 in males and 944 900 in females), with an age-standardized mortality rate of Chinese population (ASMR) of 97.08 per 100 000 (127.70 per 100 000 in males and 68.67 per 100 000 in females). The number of deaths from cancer in urban and rural areas was about 1 400 600 and 1 173 400, with the ASMR of 92.37 and 103.97 per 100 000 in urban and rural areas, respectively. The top five leading cause of cancers death (lung cancer 733 300, liver cancer 316 500, gastric cancer 260 400, colorectal cancer 240 000 and esophageal cancer 187 500) accounted for 67.5% of all cancer deaths. Lung cancer ranked first in the incidence and mortality in men and women. The incidence rate in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas, while the mortality rate was lower than that in rural areas. Conclusions: The burden of cancer in China is still relatively heavy, with significant differences in cancer patterns in gender, urban-rural, and regional. The burden of cancer presents a coexistence of developed and developing countries, and the situation of cancer prevention and control is still serious in China.

Estimands for atopic dermatitis clinical trials: Expert opinion on the importance of intercurrent events.

Despite the emergence of novel targeted treatments for atopic dermatitis (AD), there is a lack of guidelines on standardizing analysis of clinical trial data. To define and estimate meaningful treatment comparisons, several factors, including intercurrent events, must be taken into account. Intercurrent events are defined as events occurring after treatment initiation that affect either the interpretation or existence of the measurements associated with clinical questions of interest. Due to the relapsing, unpredictable nature of AD, intercurrent events frequently occur in AD trials, such as use of rescue therapy for intense itch and sleep deprivation. Despite the impact of intercurrent events in AD, they are often handled in an inconsistent manner across trials, which limits results interpretation. The estimand framework is increasingly used to estimate treatment effects while accounting for intercurrent events. This review explores how guidance from the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) on the use of estimands can be applied to support AD clinical trial design and analysis. We propose that estimands are used in AD trials and defined early during trial design. The use of estimands can provide clinicians with interventional trial results that are more reflective of clinical practice, help facilitate comparisons across clinical trials, and are more informative to enable improved treatment selection for patients.

[Cancer statistics in China, 2016].

Objective: Data for 2016 from cancer registries were used to estimate cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2016. Methods: According to the quality control process of the National Central Cancer Registry, the data from 683 cancer registries submitted by each province were evaluated, and the data of 487 cancer registries were qualified and included in the final analysis. Age-specific incidence and mortality rates were calculated by area (urban/rural), sex, age and cancer site, combined with national population data to estimate cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2016. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence and mortality rates. Results: Total population covered by 487 cancer registries was 381 565 422 (192 628 370 in urban and 188 937 052 in rural areas). The percentages of morphologically verified (MV%) and death certificate-only cases (DCO%) accounted for 68.31% and 1.40%, respectively, and the mortality to incidence ratio was 0.61. It was estimated about 4 064 000 new cases occurred in China in 2016, with the crude incidence rate being 293.91/100 000 (the rates of males and females were 315.52/100 000 and 271.23/100 000), age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and by world standard population (ASIRW) were 190.76/100 000 and 186.46/100 000, with the cumulative incidence rate (0-74 years old) being 21.42%. The crude incidence and ASIRC were 314.74/100 000 and 196.38/100 000 in urban areas, whereas in rural areas, they were 265.90/100 000 and 182.21/100 000, respectively. It was estimated about 2 413 500 cancer deaths occurred in China in 2016, the crude mortality rate was 174.55/100 000 (216.16/100 000 in males and 130.88/100 000 in females), the age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and by world standard population (ASMRW) were 106.00/100 000 and 105.19/100 000, and the cumulative mortality rate (0-74 years old) was 11.85%. The crude mortality and ASMRC were 180.31/100 000 and 104.44/100 000 in urban areas, whereas in rural areas, they were 166.81/100 000 and 108.01/100 000, respectively. The most common cancer cases include lung, colorectal, stomach, liver and female breast cancers. The top five cancers accounted for about 57.27% of all cancer cases. The most common cancer deaths included lung, liver, stomach, colorectal and esophageal cancers. The top five cancers accounted for about 69.25% of all cancer deaths. Conclusions: The burden of cancer shows a continuous increasing trend in China. Regional and gender differences in cancer burden are obvious. The cancer patterns still show the coexistence of cancer patterns in developed countries and developing countries. The situation of cancer prevention and control is still serious in China.

[Clinical features of IgG4-related lung disease].

Objective: To explore the clinical features of IgG4-related lung disease. Methods: The clinical data of 60 patients diagnosed with IgG4-related lung disease in Peking University People's Hospital from February 2012 to May 2021 were retrospectively collected. Analysis was made to explore the features of clinical manifestation, laboratory, imaging, prognosis and other characteristics of the disease. Results: A total of 60 patients were included, with 40 males, age of (58.2±12.9) years, an age of onset of (57.1±13.2) years, and 31.7% (19 cases) of the patients had a history of allergic disease. 36.7% (22 cases) of the patients had respiratory symptoms during the disease. 94.6% (53/56) of patients had serum IgG4>1.35 g/L, 24.1% (14/58) of patients had increased eosinophils, 79.2% (38/48) of patients had increased IgE level, and 53.7% (29/54) of patients had decreased C3 or C4. Common imaging findings included nodular changes (38 cases, 63.3%), mediastinal and/or hilar lymphadenopathy (34 cases, 56.7%), and ground glass opacities (31 cases, 51.7%). Fifty-three cases (88.3%) showed two or more imaging changes. The pathological examination of the patient was mainly characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and fibrosis, with only one case of phlebitis obliterans. Compared with the asymptomatic group (38 cases), patients with respiratory symptoms (22 cases) showed higher level of serum total IgG and eosinophils (43.2 vs 17.8 g/L, 0.30×109/L vs 0.14×109/L, P<0.05), lower proportion of allergic diseases, and higher proportion of consolidation shadows on chest CT (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in serum IgG4, IgE, complement levels, and imaging outcomes after treatment between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: The clinical manifestations of IgG4-related lung disease are atypical, and asymptomatic patients account for a high proportion. The imaging of the disease is highly heterogeneous, and patients are prone to show coexisted multiple imaging changes. The main clinical features and imaging outcomes of patients with and without respiratory symptoms are not significantly different.

[Effect of recombinant human thrombin for hemostasis in liver resection: a randomized controlled phase â ¢ clinical trial].

Objective: To evaluate the hemostatic efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of recombinant human thrombin in the treatment of liver wounds that still ooze after conventional surgical hemostasis. Methods: A multicenter, stratified randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase Ⅲ trial with a planned enrollment of 510 subjects at 33 centers, with a 2∶1 randomization to the thrombin group versus the placebo group. An interim analysis will be conducted after approximately 70% of the subjects have completed the observation period. The primary efficacy endpoint was the rate of hemostasis within 6 minutes at the point of bleeding that could be evaluated. Safety analysis was performed one month after surgery, and the positive rates of anti-drug antibody (ADA) and neutralizing antibody were evaluated. Results: At the interim analysis, a total of 348 subjects had been randomized and received the study drug (215 were male and 133 were female). They were aged 19-69 (52.9±10.9)years. Among them, 232 were in the thrombin group and 116 were in the placebo group, with balanced and comparable demographics and baseline characteristics between the two groups. The hemostasis rate at 6 minutes was 71.6% (95%CI:65.75%-77.36%) in the thrombin group and 44.0% (95%CI: 34.93%-53.00%) in the placebo group, respectively (P<0.001). No grade≥3 drug-related adverse events and no drug-related deaths were reported from the study.No recombinant human thrombin-induced immunologically-enhanced ADA or immunologically-induced ADA was detected after topical use in subjects. Conclusion: Recombinant human thrombin has shown significant hemostatic efficacy and good safety in controlling bleeding during liver resection surgery, while also demonstrating low immunogenicity characteristics.

[A case of giant pleural tuberculoma].

We retrospectively analyzed a rare case of giant pleural tuberculoma. The patient was a female, 62 years old, admitted to hospital for intermittent fever and hemoptysis. The CT scan of the chest and abdomen showed a mass in the right thoracic cavity, and the uneven surface of the bilateral fallopian tubes. Routine blood tests showed a decrease in platelets, white blood cells, and hemoglobin. The mass in the chest was finally confirmed as a tuberculoma by biopsy. The patient was diagnosed with tuberculosis more than 9 years ago and had been treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs for more than 9 years, which caused damage to the liver, bone marrow and other organs, and led to the drug-resistant tuberculosis, making diagnosis and treatment more complex.

[A case of Cryptococcus gattii pneumonia].

Cryptococcus gattii often causes meningitis, but rarely causes pulmonary infections. Here, we reported a patient with asymptomatic pulmonary cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus gattii. The patient presented to the thoracic surgery department with an isolated pulmonary nodule that had been present for three years and underwent a thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection. Postoperative pathology was consistent with Cryptococcus gattii infection. Although the incidence of Cryptococcus gattii infection is lower than that of Cryptococcus neoformans, the neurological involvement is common and has severe complications. In this report, the risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of Cryptococcus gattii pneumonia were discussed to improve clinical awareness of this disease.

A role for Cep70 in centriole amplification in multiciliated cells.

Centriole amplification in multiciliated cells occurs in a pseudo-cell cycle regulated process that typically utilizes a poorly characterized molecularly dense structure called the deuterosome. We identified the centrosomal protein Cep70 as a novel deuterosome-associated protein that forms a complex with other deuterosome proteins, CCDC78 and Deup1. Cep70 dynamically associates with deuterosomes during centriole amplification in the ciliated epithelia of Xenopus embryos. Cep70 is not found in nascent deuterosomes prior to amplification. However, it becomes localized at deuterosomes at the onset of centriole biogenesis and remains there after the completion of centriole amplification. Deuterosome localization requires a conserved C-terminal "Cep70" motif. Depletion of Cep70 using morpholino oligos or CRISPR/Cas9 editing in F0 embryos leads to a severe decrease in centriole formation in both endogenous MCCs, as well as ectopically induced MCCs. Consistent with a decrease in centrioles, endogenous MCCs have defects in the process of radial intercalation. We propose that Cep70 represents a novel regulator of centriole biogenesis in MCCs.

Thermodiluted relative tidal volume estimation using a thermal camera in operating room under spinal anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Estimating relative tidal volume is an important factor when monitoring breathing status. The relationship between temperature and respiration volume has rarely been studied. In this paper, a formula was derived for calculating thermodiluted respiration volume from temperature changes in the nasal cavity. To evaluate the proposed formula, the study compared the relative tidal volume estimated by the proposed formula with that recorded by a respiration volume monitor (Exspiron1Xi, RVM). Thermal data were obtained for 8 cases at a rate of 10 measurements per second. Simultaneous recordings by the RVM are regarded as the reference. RESULTS: The mean of ICC coefficient is 0.948 ± 0.030, RMSE is 0.1026 ± 0.0284, R-squared value is 0.8962 ± 0.065 and linear regression coefficient [Formula: see text] is 0.966 ± 0.104, [Formula: see text] is 0.042 ± 0.057. Bland-Altman plot showed 96.01% of samples that the difference between the measured and estimated values exists within 2 standard deviations. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, a model that can thermodynamically calculate the relationship between thermal energy and respiration volume is proposed. The thermodiluted model is a feasible method for estimating relative respiration tidal volumes.

The impact of socioeconomic and geographic factors on access to transoral robotic/endoscopic surgery for early stage oropharyngeal malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of social and geographic factors on the likelihood of receiving transoral robotic surgery (TORS) or non-robotic transoral endoscopic surgery treatment in early stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried to form a cohort of patients with T1-T2 N0-N1 M0 OPSCC (AJCC v.7) who underwent treatment from 2010 to 2016. Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment type, social, and geographic factors were all collected. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were then performed. RESULTS: Among 9267 identified patients, 1774 (19.1%) received transoral robotic surgery (TORS), 1191 (12.9%) received transoral endoscopic surgery, and 6302 (68%) received radiation therapy. We found that lower cancer stage, lower comorbidity burden and HPV- positive status predicted a statistically significant increased likelihood of receiving surgery. Patients who reside in suburban or small urban areas (>1 million population), were low-to- middle income, or rely on Medicaid were less likely to receive surgery. Patients that reside in Medicaid-expansion states were more likely to receive TORS (p > .0001). Patients that reside in states that expanded Medicaid January 2014 and after were more likely to receive non-robotic transoral endoscopic surgery (p > .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Poorer baseline health, lower socioeconomic status and residence in small urban areas may act as barriers to accessing minimally invasive transoral surgery while residence in a Medicaid-expansion state may improve access. Barriers to accessing robotic surgery may be greater than accessing non-robotic surgery.

Detection of Electronic Devices Using FMCW Nonlinear Radar.

Nonlinear radars can be utilized to detect electronic devices, which are difficult to detect with conventional radars due to their small radar cross sections (RCS). Since the receiver in a nonlinear radar is designed to only receive harmonic or intermodulated echoes from electronic devices, it is able to separate electronic devices from non-electronic scatters (clutter) by rejecting their echoes at fundamental frequencies. This paper presents a harmonic-based nonlinear radar scheme utilizing frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) signals for the detection of various electronic devices at short range. Using a laboratory experiment setup for FMCW radar at S-band for Tx (C-band for Rx), measurements are carried out to detect electronic devices of various sizes. The results show that the detection of small electronic devices is possible with nonlinear FMCW radar when appropriate system parameters are selected. Furthermore, we also discuss the maximum detectable range estimation for electronic targets using the radar range equation for FMCW nonlinear radar.

[The incidence and mortality of endometrial cancer in China, 2015].

Objective: To estimate endometrial cancer (EC) incidence and mortality in China in 2015. Methods: Qualified cancer registry data collected in 2011-2015 were pooled for analysis, from which EC cases and deaths were extracted. EC cases were classified into endometrioid, nonendometrioid and other & unspecified according to their histologic types. Incidence and mortality rates stratified by region and age group were calculated. Population data of 2015 was used to estimate cancer cases and deaths in China. Segi's population was used for the calculation of age-standardized rates by world standard population (ASW). Results: Data from 158, 176, 239, 235, 231 qualified cancer registries of 2011 to 2015 were pooled together. These registries covered about 488 million population, including about 255 million population in urban area and 233 million population in rural area. In 2015, a total of 53 600 EC cases were estimated, with a crude incidence rate of 7.74/100 000 and an ASW of 5.13/100 000. Incidence rates were higher in urban areas (9.15/100 000) than in rural areas (6.20/100 000). A total of 10 700 deaths were estimated, with a crude mortality rate of 1.60/100 000 and an ASW of 0.98/100 000. Mortality rate was higher in urban areas (1.78/100 000) than in rural areas (1.40/100 000). Among reported EC cases during 2011-2015, 70.92% (23 641 cases) were endometrioid, 5.13% (1 709 cases) were nonendometrioid and 23.95% (7 982 cases) were other & unspecified. The mean age at onset of all EC cases was 55.9±10.6. The mean age at onset of endometrioid cases (55.7±10.0) was younger than that of nonendometrioid cases (57.7±10.8) (P<0.001). The mean age at onset of all histologic types in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas (P<0.001). The mean age at death for EC deaths was 63.9±12.5. The mean age at death in urban areas (65.3±12.5) was higher than that in rural areas (61.4±12.2) (P<0.001). Conclusion: EC disease burden differs between urban and rural areas. Targeted cancer prevention and control strategies should be made for each region.

The TSIS-1 Hybrid Solar Reference Spectrum.

We present a new solar irradiance reference spectrum representative of solar minimum conditions between solar cycles 24 and 25. The Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-1 (TSIS-1) Hybrid Solar Reference Spectrum (HSRS) is developed by applying a modified spectral ratio method to normalize very high spectral resolution solar line data to the absolute irradiance scale of the TSIS-1 Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) and the CubeSat Compact SIM (CSIM). The high spectral resolution solar line data are the Air Force Geophysical Laboratory ultraviolet solar irradiance balloon observations, the ground-based Quality Assurance of Spectral Ultraviolet Measurements In Europe Fourier transform spectrometer solar irradiance observations, the Kitt Peak National Observatory solar transmittance atlas, and the semi-empirical Solar Pseudo-Transmittance Spectrum atlas. The TSIS-1 HSRS spans 202-2730 nm at 0.01 to ∼0.001 nm spectral resolution with uncertainties of 0.3% between 460 and 2365 nm and 1.3% at wavelengths outside that range.

Inoculation of Bacillus megaterium strain A14 alleviates cadmium accumulation in peanut: effects and underlying mechanisms.

AIMS: A cadmium (Cd)-tolerant Bacillus megaterium strain A14 was used to investigate the effects and mechanisms of bacterial inoculation on peanut growth, Cd accumulation in grains and Cd fixation in Cd-contaminated soil. METHODS AND RESULTS: Spectroscopic analysis showed that A14 has many functional groups (-OH, -NH2 and -COO et al.) distributed on its surface. The pot experiment indicated that compared to the Cd-contaminated soil alone treatment, inoculation with strain A14 increased shoot and root biomass by 59·93 and 58·31% respectively. The accumulation of Cd in grains decreased by 48·14%, while the proportion of exchangeable Cd in soil decreased from 40 to 26% in A14 inoculated soil. CONCLUSIONS: Inoculation with B. megaterium A14 improved peanut plant growth via (i) adsorbing Cd2+ through functional groups on cell surface, (ii) immobilization of Cd in soil through extracellular secretions, (iii) scavenging the reactive oxygen species through production of antioxidant enzymes, and (iv) by reducing the phytoavailable Cd through regulation of Cd transport gene expression. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provided a new sight on microbial approach for the chemical composition transformation of soil Cd and associated food safety production, which pointed out an efficient way to improve peanut cultivation.

Trends towards revealing the genetic architecture of sheep tail patterning: Promising genes and investigatory pathways.

Different sheep breeds have evolved after initial domestication, generating various tail phenotypic patterns. The phenotypic diversity of sheep tail patterns offers ideal materials for comparative analysis of its genetic basis. Evolutionary biologists, animal geneticists, breeders, and producers have been curious to clearly understand the underlying genetics behind phenotypic differences in sheep tails. Understanding the causal gene(s) and mutation(s) underlying these differences will help probe an evolutionary riddle, improve animal production performance, promote animal welfare, and provide lessons that help comprehend human diseases related to fat deposition (i.e., obesity). Historically, fat tails have served as an adaptive response to aridification and climate change. However, the fat tail is currently associated with compromised mating and animal locomotion, fat distribution in the animal body, increased raising costs, reduced consumer preference, and other animal welfare issues such as tail docking. The developing genomic approaches provide unprecedented opportunities to determine causal variants underlying phenotypic differences among populations. In the last decade, researchers have performed several genomic investigations to assess the genomic causality underlying phenotypic variations in sheep tails. Various genes have been suggested with the prominence of several potentially significant causatives, including the BMP2 and PDGFD genes associated with the fat tail phenotype and the TBXT gene linked with the caudal vertebrae number and tail length. Although the potential genes related to sheep tail characteristics have been revealed, the causal variant(s) and mutation(s) of these high-ranking candidate genes are still elusive and need further investigation. The review discusses the potential genes, sheds light on a knowledge gap, and provides possible investigative approaches that could help determine the specific genomic causatives of sheep tail patterns. Besides, characterizing and revealing the genetic determinism of sheep tails will help solve issues compromising sheep breeding and welfare in the future.

Effects of feeding a Lactobacillus plantarum JL01 diet on caecal bacteria and metabolites of weaned piglets.

Currently, knowledge is limited concerning the impact of a Lactobacillus plantarum JL01 diet for weaned piglets on caecal bacteria and metabolite profiles. In our experiments, 24 weaned piglets were randomly divided into two groups; each piglet in the treatment groups (Cec-Lac) was fed a basic diet and administered 10 ml of L. plantarum JL01 (1·0 × 109  CFU per ml) every day. The control group (Cec-Con) was fed a basic diet. After feeding for 28 days, we analysed the parameters of the caecal digesta of weaned piglets. We used 16S rDNA gene sequencing and mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics techniques to investigate the effect of a L. plantarum JL01 diet on intestinal microbial composition and its metabolite profiles in the caecum contents of weaned piglets. The results showed that the richness estimators (ACE and Chao indices) in the caecal bacteria increased in the Cec-Lac group. Prevotella_2 and Desulfovibrio decreased significantly, while Pantoea and Rectale_group increased in the caecum of weaned piglets in the Cec-Lac group. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that the genus Rectale_group was positively correlated with indole-3-acetic acid (P < 0·05), and the genus Pantoea had the same correlation with 1-palmitoyl lysophosphatidic acid. The metabolomics analysis revealed that the L. plantarum JL01 diet supplementation had significant effects on tryptophan metabolism and fat digestion and absorption. The results indicated that the L. plantarum JL01 dietary supplementation not only altered the microbial composition but also mediated tryptophan metabolism and fat digestion and absorption in the caecum, factors that may further affect the health of the host.