Algoriphagus algorifonticola sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from cold spring area of South China Sea.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain hg1T, was isolated from marine sediment within the cold spring area of South China Sea and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic investigation. Colonies were circular and 1.0-2.0 mm in diameter, coral in colour, convex and smooth after growth on marine agar at 28 °C for 3 days. Strain hg1T was found to grow at 4-40 °C (optimum, 35-37 °C), at pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5-2 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed the sole respiratory quinone was MK-7, and the principal fatty acids are iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), and iso-C16 : 0. The major polar lipids are phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid and five unidentified glycolipids. The DNA G+C content of strain hg1T was 39.6 mol% based on the genome sequence. The comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities showed that hg1T was closely related to Algoriphagus ornithinivorans DSM 15282T (98.6 % sequence similarity), Algoriphagus zhangzhouensis MCCC 1F01099T (97.9 %) and Algoriphagus vanfongensis DSM 17529T (97.2 %); it exhibited 97.0 % or less sequence similarity to the type strains of other species of the genus Algoriphagus with validly published names. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed with the neighbour-joining, maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain hg1T constituted a separate branch with A. ornithinivorans, A. zhangzhouensis, A. vanfongensis in a clade of the genus Algoriphagus. OrthoANI values between strain hg1T and A. ornithinivorans, A. zhangzhouensis and A. vanfongensis were 94.3, 74.1, 73.2 %, respectively, and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values were 56.2, 18.5 and 18.3 %, respectively. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain hg1T is clearly distinct from recognized species of genus Algoriphagus. On the basis of these features, we propose that strain hg1T (=MCCC 1K03570T=KCTC 72111T) represents a novel species of the genus Algoriphagus with the name Algoriphagus algorifonticola sp. nov.

Nocardioides malaquae sp. nov., a novel actinobacterium isolated from sewage sludge of a fisheries processing factory.

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic bacterial strain (Y6T) was isolated from a sewage sludge sample collected from a fisheries processing factory in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, PR China. The growth range of NaCl concentration was 0-6.0 % (w/v), with an optimum at 3.0 % (w/v). The temperature range for growth was 10-42 °C, with an optimum at 37 °C. The pH range for growth was pH 7.0-10.0, with an optimum at pH 9.0. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain Y6T belonged to the genus Nocardioides and showed the highest sequence similarity of 97.8 % to Nocardioides jishulii dk3136T. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain Y6T and the reference strains were 76.9-81.2 % and 20.6-23.6 %, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the sole respiratory quinone was MK-8(H4) and the predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0, 10-methyl-C17 : 0 and C18 : 1 ω9c. The polar lipid profile was composed of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, four unidentified phospholipids, three unidentified aminolipids and five unidentified lipids. The peptidoglycan was ll-2,6-diaminopimelic acid. On the basis of the phenotypic, genotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic features, strain Y6T is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Nocardioides malaquae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Y6T (=KCTC 49504T=MCCC 1K04765T).

Nesterenkonia ebinurensis sp. nov., a Novel Actinobacterium Isolated From Populus euphratica.

During our studies focused on the microorganism diversity and community structure of Populus euphratica at Ebinur lake wetland nature reserve in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, PR China, a Gram-positive, aerobic, short rod-shaped bacterium without flagellum, designated as MD2T, was isolated from a piece of resina on Populus euphratica. The isolate grew at temperature of 10-45 °C (optimum 37 °C), pH of 7.0-12.0 (optimum pH 8.0) and NaCl concentration of 1-18% (optimum 3%, w/v). Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and the phylogenetic analysis, the strain shared the highest sequence similarities to Nesterenkonia alkaliphila JCM 19766T (96.3%), Nesterenkonia populi KCTC 29119T (95.9%), Nesterenkonia alba CCTCC AB 207011T (95.5%), and was placed within the radiation of Nesterenkonia species in the phylogenetic trees. The draft genome of the isolate was sequenced, which comprised 3,739,891 bp with G + C content of 63 mol%, and was annotated to contain 3614 protein-coding genes, 44 tRNA genes and 5 rRNA genes. Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the main respiratory quinones were MK-8 and MK-9, the predominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C17:0, anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0, the major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol andphosphatidylinositol. According to the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain MD2T is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Nesterenkonia ebinurensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MD2T (= KCTC 52999T = MCCC 1K03343T).

Agromyces kandeliae sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Kandelia candel in a mangrove.

A novel, Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile and irregular rod-shaped bacterium designated Q22T was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant, Kandelia candel collected in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, China. Strain Q22T was able to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0) and with 0-5.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1.0 %). The genomic DNA G+C content was 71.9%. The average nucleotide identity, and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain Q22T and the reference strains were 79.7-88.9% and 22.6-37.4%, respectively. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-12 and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The major polar lipids of strain Q22T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, one glycolipid and three unidentified lipids. The strain Q22T contained 2,4-diaminobutyric acid, alanine acid, glutamic acid and glycine in the peptidoglycans. The phylogenetic analysis and genotypic features, along with the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, indicate that strain Q22T represents a novel species of the genus Agromyces, for which the name Agromyces kandeliae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Q22T (=MCCC 1K03340T= KCTC 39961T).

Nesterenkonia muleiensis sp. nov., a novel actinobacterium isolated from sap of Populus euphratica.

A novel, Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-endospore-forming, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium designated RB2T was isolated from sap of Populus euphratica collected in Mulei county, Xinjiang province, PR China. RB2T was able to grow at 10-45 °C (optimum 35 °C), pH 6.0-12.0 (optimum 8.0) and with 0-12 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1 %). The genomic DNA G+C content was 63.5 % (from the genome sequence). The results of the chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the predominant isoprenoid quinones were MK-8 and MK-9. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The major polar lipids of RB2T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and two glycolipids. The peptidoglycan type of RB2T was A4α, l-Lys-Gly-l-Glu. The results of the phylogenetic analysis, along with the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, indicate that strain RB2T represents a novel species of the genus Nesterenkonia, for which the name Nesterenkonia muleiensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RB2T (=MCCC 1K03528T=KCTC 49017T).

Description of Erythrobacter mangrovi sp. nov., an aerobic bacterium from rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant (Kandelia candel).

A novel Gram-stain negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain EB310T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant Kandelia candel in Fugong village, Zhangzhou, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain EB310T belonged to the genus Erythrobacter, clustering with Erythrobacter pelagi JCM 17468T, Erythrobacter lutimaris KCTC 42109T and Erythrobacter marisflavi KCTC 62896T, and showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.5% to Erythrobacter pelagi JCM 17468T. The genomic average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain EB310T and the reference strains were 71.0-75.5% and 19.8-20.0%, respectively. Growth ranges of the isolate occurred at 10-45 °C (optimum 28-30 °C), pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum pH 7.5) and 0-9.0% NaCl concentrations (optimum 2.0%, w/v). The strain did not produce bacteriochlorophyll a and flexirubin, but produced carotenoids. The strain contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω6c/C18:1 ω7c) as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids were sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine. Differential phenotypic characteristics, together with chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genomic distinctiveness, indicated that strain EB310T is distinguishable from other members of the genus Erythrobacter. On the basis of the data exhibited, strain EB310T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Erythrobacter, for which the name Erythrobacter mangrovi sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is EB310T (= KCTC 72109T = MCCC 1K03690T). The genomic DNA G + C content is 62.9 mol%.

Correction to: Description of Wenzhouxiangella salilacus sp. nov., a moderate halophilic bacterium isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang Province, China.

In the original publication of the article, the deposit accession numbers of strain 15181T in the acknowledgment section were incorrectly provided as "KCTC 62172T and MCCC 1K03442T".

Nitratireductor mangrovi sp. nov., a Nitrate-Reducing Bacterium Isolated from Mangrove Soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain SY7T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of the mangrove Kandelia obovata of Fugong village, in Zhangzhou, China. The isolate grew at 10-45 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and 0-8% NaCl (optimum 3%, w/v). The 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain SY7T located within the radiation of genus Nitratireductor and showed the highest sequence similarity of 97.23% to Nitratireductor pacificus MCCC 1A01024T. The DNA G+C content was 64.9%. In silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain SY7T with reference strains of N. pacificus MCCC 1A01024T, N. basaltis KCTC 22119T and N. aquibiodomus DSM 15645T were 16.7%, 14.3%, 14.7% and 75.2%, 72.6%, 73.5%, respectively. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The dominant fatty acids were 11-methyl C18:1ω7c, iso-C17:0, C19:0ω8c cyclo and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω6c/C18:1ω7c), a profile that almost matched the other members of the genus Nitratireductor. The predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol. On the basis of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic analysis, strain SY7T represents a novel species of the genus Nitratireductor, for which the name Nitratireductor mangrovi sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is SY7T (= KCTC 72110T = MCCC 1K03723T).

Alkalilacustris brevis gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a soda lake.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-pigmented and short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated 34079T, was isolated from a water sample of a soda lake in Jilin, a province of China. Strain 34079T grew at 10-50 °C (optimum, 35 °C), pH 7-10 (optimum, pH 8.0-8.5). NaCl was required for growth at the concentration range 1-10.0 % (w/v), with an optimum at 2.5-4 % (w/v). Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the sole respiratory quinone was Q-10. The predominant cellular fatty acids (>5 %) were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c/C18 : 1 ω6c) and C16 : 0. The major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, three unidentified amino lipids, one unidentified amino phosphoglycolipid, one phosphoglycolipid, one unidentified glycolipid, three unidentified phospholipids and two unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content was 65.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain 34079T formed a distinct lineage in the clade of the family 'Rhodobacteraceae' with the highest sequence similarity of 96.1 % to Pararhodobacter aggregans, followed by Rhodobaca bogoriensis DSM 18756T (95.7 %) and Roseibaca ekhonensis DSM 11469T (94.7 %). The distinct biochemical, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic differences from the previously described taxa supported that strain 34079T represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Alkalilacustris brevis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 34079T (=KCTC 62428T=MCCC 1K03493T).

Pseudomonas mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from mangrove soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain TC11T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of mangrove forest (Kandeliaobovata) in Fugong village, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China. Strain TC11T grew at 15-45 °C (optimum, 35 °C), 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1 %, w/v) and pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum, pH 7.5). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain TC11T belonged to a clade of the genus Pseudomonas and showed the highest sequence similarity of 98.4 % to Pseudomonas fluvialis ASS-1T, followed by Pseudomonas oleovorans subsp.oleovorans DSM 1045T (97.9 %), Pseudomonas indoloxydans JCM 14246T (97.7 %), Pseudomonas guguanensis JCM 18416T(97.6 %) and Pseudomonas alcaliphila JCM 10630T (97.5 %) on the basis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. The DNA G+C content was 64.3 mol%. In silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain TC11T and the reference strains were 19-22 % and 72-78 %, respectively. Studies based on the three housekeeping genes, rpoB, gyrB and rpoD, further confirmed that strain TC11T is a novel member of the genus Pseudomonas. The major fatty acids of strain TC11Twere C16 : 0, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c/C18 : 1ω7c) and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c). The sole isoprenoid quinone was Q-9. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties, strain TC11T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudomonas, for which the name Pseudomonasmangrovi sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is TC11T (=KCTC 62159=MCCC 1K03499).

Meridianimarinicoccus roseus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel genus of the family Rhodobacteraceae isolated from seawater.

A Gram-stain negative, pink-pigmented, strictly aerobic, non-motile and coccoid-shaped bacterial strain, designated TG-679T, was isolated from a deep-sea water sample collected from the South China Sea. Cells of strain TG-679T were catalase- and oxidase-positive, lacked bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoid. Strain TG-679T was found to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 5.5-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0.5-2.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis of strain TG-679T indicated that the sole respiratory quinone was Q-10, the predominant cellular fatty acid was C18 : 1ω7c, and the major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified phospholipid and two unidentified glycolipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain TG-679T was 65.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain TG-679T constituted a separated branch in the family Rhodobacteraceae. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain TG-679T is clearly distinct from any validly published genus. Based on polyphasic taxonomic characterization, strain TG-679T is considered to represent a novel species of a novel genus, for which the name Meridianimarinicoccus roseus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the species is TG-679T (=KCTC 62454T=MCCC 1K03496T).

Idiomarina mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of a mangrove Avicennia marina forest.

A Gram-staining negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated ZQ330T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of a mangrove (Avicennia marina) forest of Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, China. The growth range of NaCl concentration was 0.5-10.0 % (w/v), with an optimum at 2.5-3.0 % (w/v), the temperature range for growth was 10-40 °C, with an optimum at 28-30 °C, the pH range for growth was pH 6.0-9.5, with an optimum at pH 7.5. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain ZQ330T exhibited less than 97.0 % sequence similarity to all type strains with validly published names and revealed that strain ZQ330T formed a distinct lineage in the genus Idiomarina. The average nucleotide identity, and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain ZQ330T and the reference strains were 64.8-69.9 % and 27.5-28.4 %, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the main respiratory quinone was Q-8, the predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0, summed feature 9 (C16 : 0 10-methyl and/or iso-C17 : 1ω9c), iso-C15 : 1F, C16 : 0, C18 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω8c and/or iso-C16 : 1 2-OH) and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c). The polar lipid profile was composed of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified glycolipid, an unidentified aminolipid, an unidentified phospholipid and two unidentified lipids. Based on the genotypic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain ZQ330T is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Idiomarina mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZQ330T (=MCCC 1K03495T=KCTC 62455T).

Description of Wenzhouxiangella salilacus sp. nov., a moderate halophilic bacterium isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang Province, China.

A Gram-stain negative, non-motile, strictly aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated as 15181T, was isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang Province, China. Strain 15181T was able to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum 37 °C), pH 6.0-8.5 (optimum 7.0) and with 1-14% NaCl (optimum 4%, w/v). According to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain 15181T was assigned to the genus Wenzhouxiangella with high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.4% to Wenzhouxiangella sediminis XDB06T, followed by Wenzhouxiangella marina KCTC 42284T (95.9%). Strain 15181T exhibited ANI values of 80.0% and 72.0% to W. sediminis XDB06T and W. marina KCTC 42284T, respectively. The in silico DDH analysis revealed that strain 15181T shared 19.1% and 18.7% DNA relatedness with W. sediminis XDB06T and W. marina KCTC 42284T, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that the sole respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8, the major fatty acids included iso-C15:0, iso-C16:0 and summed feature 9 (C16:0 10-methyl and/or iso-C17:1ω9c). The major polar lipids included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified glycolipids, two unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified aminophospholipids and an unidentified lipid. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics presented in this study, strain 15181T is concluded to represent a novel species in the genus Wenzhouxiangella, for which the name Wenzhouxiangella salilacus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 15181T (=KCTC 62172T=MCCC 1K03442T).

Three New Isoflavonoid Glycosides from the Mangrove-Derived Actinomycete Micromonospora aurantiaca 110B.

The mangrove ecosystem is a rich resource for the discovery of actinomycetes with potential applications in pharmaceutical science. Besides the genus Streptomyces, Micromonospora is also a source of new bioactive agents. We screened Micromonospora from the rhizosphere soil of mangrove plants in Fujian province, China, and 51 strains were obtained. Among them, the extracts of 12 isolates inhibited the growth of human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Strain 110B exhibited better cytotoxic activity, and its bioactive constituents were investigated. Consequently, three new isoflavonoid glycosides, daidzein-4'-(2-deoxy-α-l-fucopyranoside) (1), daidzein-7-(2-deoxy-α-l-fucopyranoside) (2), and daidzein-4',7-di-(2-deoxy-α-l-fucopyranoside) (3) were isolated from the fermentation broth of strain 110B. The structures of the new compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS). The result of medium-changing experiments implicated that these new compounds were microbial biotransformation products of strain M. aurantiaca 110B. The three compounds displayed moderate cytotoxic activity to the human lung carcinoma cell line A549, hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line HepG2, and the human colon tumor cell line HCT116, whereas none of them showed antifungal or antibacterial activities.

Effect of Hydrogen Addition on Soot Formation and Emission in Acetylene Laminar Diffusion Flame.

Hydrogen (H2) has been regarded as a highly competitive alternative fuel that does not produce CO2 and soot during combustion. There are few studies of cofiring H2 with hydrocarbons. Meanwhile, the effect of hydrogen addition on soot formation and emission is questionable. In this study, the effect of H2 addition with varying ratios (between 0 and 50% by molar fraction while the remainder is nitrogen) on soot formation in acetylene (50% by molar fraction) laminar diffusion flames was experimentally and numerically investigated. Results show that with H2 addition, the flame height increases and the temperature decreases. The total soot emission and the primary particle size both increase with H2 addition. The addition of H2 promotes soot formation. In addition, the soot oxidation is weakened due to the lower flame temperature. Chemical kinetic analysis shows that the concentrations of A1, H, and H2O increase with H2 addition, which is consistent with the experimental results. According to the HACA reaction, the increase of the molar fraction of A1 and H radicals could promote PAH growth and soot formation.

Successful Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer in a Patient With TSC2 and SMAD4 Mutations: A Case Report.

Background: Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, and it is traditionally treated with chemotherapy. Fortunately, immunotherapy has rapidly changed the landscape of solid tumor treatment, and improving the survival of cancer patients. However, pancreatic cancer is non-immunogenic, and single agent immunotherapies are unfavorable to its prognosis. Case Presentation: Here, we report a case of stage IV pancreatic cancer in a patient with TSC2 and SMAD4 mutations treated with immunotherapy when the disease progressed after multi-line chemotherapy. Next generation sequencing (NGS) confirmed the presence of TSC2 and SMAD4 mutations and microsatellite stability (MSS). When the disease progressed after chemotherapy, a combination strategy was devised consisting of chemotherapy (S-1) and sintilimab. The patient had a partial response to therapy with this regimen, the lesions were significantly reduced and nearly disappeared. In metastatic pancreatic cancer, responses of this magnitude are rarely seen. Conclusions: This outcome reveals that this combination can be effective in treating metastatic pancreatic cancer, especially in pancreatic cancer patients with SMAD4 and TSC2 mutations. This may help increase the use of this therapy in large-scale clinical research.

Numerical modeling of ultrasonic cavitation by dividing coated microbubbles into groups.

Homogeneous cavitation models usually use an average radius to predict the dynamics of all bubbles. However, bubbles with different sizes may have quite different dynamic characteristics. In this study, the bubbles are divided into several groups by size, and the volume-weighted average radius is used to separately calculate the dynamics of each group using a modified bubble dynamics equation. In the validation part, the oscillations of bubbles with two sizes are simulated by dividing them into 2 groups. Comparing with the predictions by the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method, the bubble dynamics of each size are precisely predicted by the proposed model. Then coated microbubbles with numerous sizes are divided into several groups in equal quantity, and the influence of the group number is analyzed. For bubble oscillations at f = 0.1 MHz and 1 MHz without ruptures, the oscillation amplitude is obviously under-estimated by the 1-group model, while they are close to each other after the group number increases to 9. For bubble ruptures triggered by Gaussian pulses, the predictions are close to each other when more than 5 groups are used.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Soot Suppression by Acoustic Oscillated Combustion.

The soot suppression by acoustic oscillations for acetylene diffusion flames was investigated combining numerical and experimental studies. The combustion and soot formation were predicted by the finite-rate detailed chemistry model and modified Moss-Brookes model, respectively, while the turbulence was predicted by the detached eddy simulation (DES) with a low Reynolds number correction. Experimental results showed that the soot rate almost decreased linearly with the amplitude of acoustic oscillation, and the pinch-off of the flame occurred at a large acoustic oscillation. Numerical results showed that the flame structure was well predicted, while the soot rate was over-predicted at large acoustic oscillations; the consumption of O2 increased obviously with the acoustic oscillation. The soot suppression was mainly caused by the decrease of the surface growth rate when the air was pushed toward the flame.

Discovery of Three 22-Membered Macrolides by Deciphering the Streamlined Genome of Mangrove-Derived Streptomyces sp. HM190.

Strain HM190, a moderate halophile, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of the mangrove Kandelia obovata in Fugong village, China. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence and the results of phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain HM190 belonged to the genus Streptomyces and had the highest sequence similarity of 99.79% to Streptomyces heilongjiangensis NEAU-W2T. The complete genome of strain HM190 comprised 7,762,826 bp in a linear chromosome with 71.97% G + C content. According to antiSMASH analysis, a total of 30 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) were predicted to be involved in secondary metabolism, 12 of which were responsible for the production of polyketide- and non-ribosomal peptide-derived secondary metabolites. Gene cluster 5 was responsible for macrolide biosynthesis in a strain-specific 126,331-bp genomic island belonging to the left-arm region. Combined genomics-metabolomics analysis led to the discovery of three 22-membered macrolides (compounds 1-3). Their structures were elucidated by using spectroscopic techniques including high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The absolute configurations of compounds 1-3 were determined by the X-ray single crystal diffraction and NMR data analysis. All three compounds displayed moderate cytotoxic activities toward tumor cell lines HepG2, A549, and HCT116.

Streptomyces nigra sp. nov. Is a Novel Actinobacterium Isolated From Mangrove Soil and Exerts a Potent Antitumor Activity in Vitro.

A new bacterial strain, designated 452T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of the mangrove Avicennia marina in China. As determined, its cell wall peptidoglycan contained LL-diaminopimelic acid; MK-9(H8) and MK-9(H6) were the major isoprenoid quinones; and iso-C16:0 (31.3%), anteiso-C15:0 (16.9%), and iso-C15:0 (12.5%) were the major cellular fatty acids (>10.0%). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain 452T formed a distinct lineage in the clade of the genus Streptomyces, and was closely related to S. coerulescens DSM 40146T (99.6% sequence identity), S. bellus DSM 40185T (99.5%), and S. coeruleorubidus DSM 41172T (99.3%). The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain 452T and these type strains ranged between 29.3 and 42.3%. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic features, the strain 452T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces nigra sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 452T (=KCTC 39960T = MCCC 1K03346T). Further, strain 452T extracts exhibited a pronounced antitumor activity against human cancer cell lines A549, HCT-116, and HepG2, but not against normal human colon cells CCD-18Co. Active substances in the fermentation broth of strain 452T were isolated by bioassay-guided analysis, and then purified using a macroporous resin, silica gel, sephadex LX-20 column, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Eight proline-containing diketopiperazines, namely, cyclo(Pro-Ala), cyclo(Pro-Gly), cyclo(Pro-Phe), cyclo(Pro-Met), cyclo(Pro-Val), cyclo(Pro-Leu), cyclo(Pro-Tyr), and cyclo(L-Leu-trans-4-hydroxy-L-Pro), were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The compounds displayed different levels of cytotoxicity. The highest cytotoxicity was exhibited by cyclo(Pro-Ala) and cyclo(Pro-Met) against A549 cells, and cyclo(Phe-Pro) and cyclo(Pro-Ala) against HCT-116 cells, with average IC50 values equal to 18.5, 27.3, 32.3, and 47.6 µg/mL, respectively. The diversity of diketopiperazines and other chemicals produced by 452T was further investigated using gas chromatography (GC)-MS and liquid chromatography (LC)-MS. The analysis revealed 16 types of metabolites with antitumor activity and 16 other types of diketopiperazines. Hence, extracts of the newly identified strain may be used a starting material for the development of antitumor agents.