The clinical application of V-Y advanced flap pedicled with freestyle perforator flap for repairing small range defects in the anterior knee region.

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of V-Y advanced flap pedicled with freestyle perforator flap for repairing small range defects in the anterior knee region. Methods: 8 patients with skin and soft tissue defect/necrosis in the anterior knee area admitted to the Changshu No.1 People's Hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 were selected, with a defect range of 4 cm × 3 cm-9 cm × 6 cm, designed a V-Y advanced flap pedicled with freestyle perforator flap to repair the wound in the anterior knee area. Adjust the size and position of the flap according to the number and position of perforating branches found during the surgery, with a cutting area of 6 cm × 5 cm-14 cm × 10 cm and the supply area was directly pulled and sutured. Results: 4 patients were repaired by flaps pedicled with 2 perforating branches, 2 patients were repaired by flaps pedicled with 1 perforating branch and 2 patients were repaired by flaps pedicled with 3 perforating branches. 4 patients were repaired by flaps pedicled with 2 perforating branches, 2 patients were repaired by flaps pedicled with 1 perforating branch and 2 patients were repaired by flaps pedicled with 3 perforating branches. All flaps survived and following up for 6-15 months, the blood supply, appearance, and color of the flap were satisfactory, and the functions of knee joint flexion and extension were well preserved. Discussion: The V-Y advancement flap pedicled with freestyle perforator flap has the advantages of reliable blood supply, simple surgical operation, texture and thickness similar to the skin of the anterior knee area, and direct suture of the donor area. It is a perforator flap with good repair effect for small scale defects in the anterior knee area.

Causal analysis of body composition measurements in osteoarthritis knee: a two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: To analyse the causal associations of different physical measures with osteoarthritis knee (KOA). METHODS: Exposure factors (weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and basal metabolic rate (BMR)), and outcome factor KOA were analyzed by inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, along with heterogeneity test, sensitivity and pleiotropy analyses. Meta-analysis was used to combine the effect values of IVW methods in different data sources. RESULTS: Weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference and BMR analyses showed causal association with increased KOA risk, while WHR analysis indicated a reduction of the incidence of KOA. P-value for all the results was less than 0.05 and F-value large than 20. All results were negative for heterogeneity tests and sensitivity analyses, and there was pleiotropy in weight and BMR. Meta-analysis results showed that the results of Odds Ratios (95% Confidence Intervals) for Weight (1.43(1.35-1.51)), BMI (1.40(1.10-1.78)), body fat percentage (1.56(1.44-1.68)), waist circumference (1.40(1.10-1.78)), hip circumference (1.37(1.30-1.44)), WHR (0.86(0.71-1.04)) and BMR (1.36(1.27-1.46) were consistent with the ones by Mendelian randomization analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Body fat percentage may be a better indicator of KOA than BMI. In addition, weight and BMR may have a causal effect in KOA, but WHR does not have a causal relationship. BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and hip circumference has a causal effect on KOA.

The burden of low back pain in adolescents and young adults.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain is highly prevalent and the main cause of years lived with disability, but data on the burden and trends of low back pain (LBP) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are sparse. OBJECTIVE: To assess trends in the burden of LBP among AYAs aged 15-39 years at the global, regional and national levels from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 were used to analyze incidence, prevalence and Disability-adjusted life year (DALY) due to LBP at global, regional, and national levels. Joinpoint regression analysis calculated the average annual percentage changes (AAPC). Then analyse the association between incidence, prevalence and DALYs and socioeconomic development using the GBD Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Finally, projections were made until 2030 and calculated in Nordpred. RESULTS: The incidence, prevalence and DALYs rates (95%UI) were 2252.78 (1809.47-2784.79), 5473.43 (4488.62-6528.15) and 627.66 (419.71-866.97) in 2019, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates AAPC (95%CI) were -0.49 (-0.56 to -0.42), -0.58 (-0.65 to -0.51) and -0.57 (-0.64 to -0.5), respectively. Incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates in South Asia, East Asia, High-income North America, Western Europe, and Australasia decreased with SDI. Incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates in Central Asia, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe decreased and then increased with SDI. At the national level, the incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates are high in the United States and low in India and China. From the 2020 to 2030, most regions is predicted to decline. CONCLUSION: LBP in AYAs is a major global public problem with a high burden. There are large differences in incidence, prevalence and DALYs across SDIs, regions and countries. there is still a need to focus on LBP in AYAs and tailor interventions to reduce the future burden of this condition.

The association between lipid biomarkers and osteoarthritis based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Mendelian randomization study.

To explore the association between lipid markers and osteoarthritis (OA). First, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database was used to screen participants with lipid markers, OA and relevant covariates, and logistic regression was used to analyze the association between lipid markers and OA; Then, under the theoretical framework of Mendelian randomization (MR), two-sample MR was performed using GWAS data of lipid markers and OA to explore the causal association between the two, which was analyzed by inverse variance weighting (IVW) method. Heterogeneity test, sensitivity analysis and pleiotropy analysis were also performed. The NHANES database screened a total of 3706 participants, of whom 836 had OA and 2870 did not have OA. When lipid markers were used as continuous variables, multivariate logistic results showed an association between HDL, LDL and OA (HDL, OR (95%):1.01 (1.00, 1.01); LDL, OR (95%):1.00 (0.99, 1.00)). When lipid markers were used as categorical variables, multivariate logistic results showed the fourth quartile result of 0.713 (0.513, 0.992) for LDL relative to the first quartile. In MR study, the results of the IVW method for TG, TL, HDL and LDL showed OR (95% CI) of 1.06 (0.97-1.16), 0.95 (0.85-1.06), 0.94 (0.86-1.02) and 0.89 (0.80-0.998) with P-values of 0.21, 0.37. 013, 0.046. The heterogeneity tests and multiplicity analyses showed P-values greater than 0.05, and sensitivity analyses showed no abnormal single nucleotide polymorphisms. Through NHANES database and MR analyses, LDL was found to be a protective factor for OA, while HDL still needs further study. Our results provide new biomarkers for preventive and therapeutic strategies for OA.

The relationship between prebiotic intake and allergic rhinitis.

Objectives: Exploring the relationship between intake of probiotics and the prevalence of allergic rhinitis. Methods: Based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, dietary supplement labels were examined to identify products containing probiotics and prebiotics. Statistical methods were used to analyze the factors influencing the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, and further stratified analysis was conducted to control for confounding factors. Results: The proportion of individuals not consuming probiotics was significantly higher in the allergic rhinitis (AR) group than in those consuming them, suggesting a correlation between probiotics and AR. In the male subgroup with probiotic intake, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 0.28 (0.10-0.75), p = .02, indicating that probiotic intake was a protective factor for AR in the male population. In the probiotic-intake group, the odds ratio for age < 65 was 0.26 (0.07-0.94), p = .04, and for age ≥ 80 was less than 1 with p < .0001, suggesting that probiotic intake was a protective factor for AR in age < 65 and age ≥ 80 populations, both with statistical significance. Conclusion: Intake of probiotics is associated with a reduced prevalence of allergic rhinitis, particularly in the male population and individuals aged <65 years and ≥ 80 years. Level of Evidence: Level 4.

Relationship between rumen bacterial community and milk fat in dairy cows.

Introduction: Milk fat is the most variable nutrient in milk, and recent studies have shown that rumen bacteria are closely related to milk fat. However, there is limited research on the relationship between rumen bacteria and milk fatty. Fatty acids (FAs) are an important component of milk fat and are associated with various potential benefits and risks to human health. Methods: In this experiment, forty-five healthy Holstein dairy cows with alike physiological and productive conditions were selected from medium-sized dairy farms and raised under the same feeding and management conditions. The experimental period was two weeks. During the experiment, raw milk and rumen fluid were collected, and milk components were determined. In this study, 8 high milk fat percentage (HF) dairy cows and 8 low milk fat percentage (LF) dairy cows were selected for analysis. Results: Results showed that the milk fat percentage in HF group was significantly greater than that of the dairy cows in the LF group. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the rumen bacterial abundance of HF dairy cows was significantly higher than that in LF dairy cows; at the genus level, the bacterial abundances of Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Prevotellaceae_UCG-003, Ruminococcus_1, Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group, probable_genus_10 and U29-B03 in HF group were significantly higher than those in the LF group. Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated that milk fat percentage was positively related to Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Prevotellaceae_UCG-003, Ruminococcus_1, Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group, probable_genus_10 and U29-B03. Furthermore, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 was positively related to C14:0 iso, C15:0 iso, C18:0, Ruminococcus_1 with C18:1 t9, Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group with C18:1 t9 and C18:1 t11, U29-B03 with C15:0 iso. Discussion: To sum up, rumen bacteria in dairy cows are related to the variation of milk fat, and some rumen bacteria have potential effects on the deposition of certain fatty acids in raw milk.

The association between frailty and osteoarthritis based on the NHANES and Mendelian randomization study.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to examine the association between frailty and osteoarthritis. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, while logistic regression was used to explore the association of the two. Mendelian randomization (MR) study was used to explore the causal relationship between the two. Results: In the cross-sectional study, logistic regression analysis showed that odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) value was 1.07 (1.05, 1.08). In the MR study, the inverse-variance weighting (IVW) results showed OR (95% CI) value of 1.69 (1.01-2.83). Conclusions: There is both a correlation and a causal relationship between frailty and osteoarthritis, and frailty may be a potentially better response than age to osteoarthritis.

Intratumoral CD103+ CD8+ T cells predict response to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Immune cell heterogenicity is known to determine the therapeutic response to cancer progression. Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NACI) has shown clinical benefits in some patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but the underlying mechanism behind this clinical response is unknown. The efficacy of NACI needs to be potentiated by identifying accurate biomarkers to predict clinical responses. Here, we attempted to identify molecules predicting NACI response in advanced HNSCC. METHODS: We performed combined single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIHC) staining with tumor samples derived from NACI-treated HNSCC patients to identify a new tumor-infiltrating cell (TIL) subtype, CD103+ CD8+ TILs, associated with clinical response, while both in vitro and in vivo assays were carried out to determine its antitumor efficiency. The regulatory mechanism of the CD103+ CD8+ TILs population was examined by performing cell-cell interaction analysis of the scRNA-seq data and spatial analysis of the mIHC images. RESULTS: We established intratumoral CD103+ CD8+ TILs density as a determinant of NACI efficacy in cancers. Our scRNA-seq results indicated that the population of CD103+ CD8+ TILs was dramatically increased in the responders of NACI-treated HNSCC patients, while mIHC analysis confirmed the correlation between intratumoral CD103+ CD8+ TILs density and NACI efficacy in HNSCC patients. Further receiver operating characteristic curve analysis defined this TIL subset as a potent marker to predict patient response to NACI. Functional assays showed that CD103+ CD8+ TILs were tumor-reactive T cells, while programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockade enhanced CD103+ CD8+ TILs cytotoxicity against tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, targeting the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2-positive (TREM2+ ) macrophages might enhance the population of CD103+ CD8+ TILs and facilitate antitumor immunity during NACI treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the impact of intratumoral CD103+ CD8+ TILs density on NACI efficacy in different cancers, while the efforts to elevate its population warrant further clinical investigation.

Gut microbiome causal impacts on the prognosis of breast cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence has shown that gut microbiome composition is associated with breast cancer (BC), but the causality remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the link between BC prognosis and the gut microbiome at various oestrogen receptor (ER) statuses. METHODS: We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to analyse the gut microbiome of BC patients, the dataset for which was collected by the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). The analysis was executed mainly via inverse variance weighting (IVW); the Mendelian randomization (MR) results were verified by heterogeneity tests, sensitivity analysis, and pleiotropy analysis. RESULTS: Our findings identified nine causal relationships between the gut microbiome and total BC cases, with ten and nine causal relationships between the gut microbiome and ER-negative (ER-) and ER-positive (ER+) BC, respectively. The family Ruminococcaceae and genus Parabacteroides were most apparent among the three categories. Moreover, the genus Desulfovibrio was expressed in ER- BC and total BC, whereas the genera Sellimonas, Adlercreutzia and Rikenellaceae appeared in the relationship between ER + BC and total BC. CONCLUSION: Our MR inquiry confirmed that the gut microbiota is causally related to BC. This further explains the link between specific bacteria for prognosis of BC at different ER statuses. Considering that potential weak instrument bias impacts the findings and that the results are limited to European females due to data constraints, further validation is crucial.

A comprehensive analysis of systematically screened laboratory tests: based on a COVID-19 cohort.

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed at screening indicators with differential diagnosis values and investigating the characteristics of laboratory tests in COVID-19 patients. METHODOLOGY: All the laboratory tests from COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 patients in this cohort were included. Test values from the groups during the course, days 1-7, and days 8-14 were analyzed. Mann-Whitney U test, univariate logistic regression analysis, and multivariate regression analysis were performed. Regression models were established to verify the diagnostic performance of indicators. RESULTS: 302 laboratory tests were included in this cohort, and 115 indicators were analyzed; the values of 61 indicators had significant differences (p < 0.05) between groups, and 23 indicators were independent risk factors of COVID-19. During days 1-7, the values of 40 indicators had significant differences (p < 0.05) between groups, while 20 indicators were independent risk factors of COVID-19. During days 8-14, the values of 45 indicators had significant differences (p < 0.05) between groups, and 23 indicators were independent risk factors of COVID-19. About 10, 12, and 12 indicators showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in multivariate regression analysis in different courses respectively, and the diagnostic performance of the model from them was 74.9%, 80.3%, and 80.8% separately. CONCLUSIONS: The indicators obtained through systematic screening have preferable differential diagnosis values. Compared with non-COVID-19 patients, the screened indicators indicated that COVID-19 patients had more severe inflammatory responses, organ damage, electrolyte and metabolism disturbance, and coagulation disorders. This screening approach could find valuable indicators from a large number of laboratory test indicators.

Delineating and identifying risk zones of soil heavy metal pollution in an industrialized region using machine learning.

The ability to control the risk of soil heavy metal pollution is limited by the inability to accurately depict their spatial distributions and to reasonably delineate the risk zones. To overcome this limitation and develop machine learning methods, a hybrid data-driven method supported by random forest (RF) and fuzzy c-means with the aid of inverse distance weighted interpolation was proposed to delineate and further identify risk zones of soil heavy metal pollution on the basis of 577 soil samples and 12 environmental covariates. The results indicated that, compared to multiple linear regression, RF had a better prediction performance for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn, with the corresponding R2 values of 0.86, 0.85, 0.78, 0.85, 0.84, 0.78, 0.79 and 0.76, respectively. The relative concentrations (predicted concentrations divided by risk screening values) of Cd (17.69), Cr (1.38), Hg (0.31), Pb (6.52), and Zn (8.24) were relatively high in the north central part of the study area. There were large differences in the key influencing factors and their contributions among the eight heavy metals. Overall, industrial enterprises (21.60% for As), soil pH (31.60% for Cd), and population (15.50% for Cr) were the key influencing factors for the heavy metals in soil. Four risk zones, including one high risk zone, one medium risk zone, and two low risk zones were delineated and identified based on the characteristics of the eight heavy metals and their influencing factors, and accordingly discriminated risk control strategies were developed. In the high risk zone, it will be necessary to strictly control the discharge of heavy metals from the various industrial enterprises and mines by the adoption of cleaner production practices, centralizedly treat the domestic wastes from residents, substantially reduce the irrigation of polluted river water, and positively remediate the Cd, Cr, and Ni-polluted soil.

Artificial dermis combined with split-thickness skin autograft in the treatment of hand thermal compression wounds: a single center case-control study.

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of artificial dermis combined with split-thickness skin autograft in treating hand thermal compression wounds. Methods: Forty-two patients in our hospital from January 2016 to October 2022 with thermal compression wounds were divided into two groups. The survival rate of autologous skin grafts seven days after skin grafting, the number of operations, total hospital stay, total hospitalization cost, and bacterial culture results of secretions were recorded. The visual analog scale was used to evaluate the wound pain. The condition of skin graft rupture was recorded and the scar status of the donor site was evaluated by the Vancouver Scar Scale. Results: It showed combination of artificial dermis, split-thickness skin autograft, and vacuum sealing drainage improves the treatment of hand thermal compression wounds by enhancing the survival rate of skin grafting (95.24% > 66.67%), reducing the number of operations (P < 0.001), relieving wound pain (P < 0.001), effectively controlling wound infection (4.76% < 9.52%), and reducing the skin graft rupture rate after surgery (4.8% < 28.6%). There was no evident scar hyperplasia in the donor (P = 0.003) and skin graft areas (P < 0.001), which had a good recovery of hand function (P = 0.037); however, this treatment strategy may prolong the hospital stay (P = 0.030) and increase the total hospitalization cost (P = 0.030). Conclusion: The composite transplantation of artificial dermis and split-thickness skin combined with the VSD significantly improves treatment and aesthetic outcomes in patients with thermal compression wounds to the hand, which is worth promoting and applying in clinical practice.

Assessment of the Driving Pollution Factors of Soil Environmental Quality Based on China's Risk Control Standard: Multiple Bigdata-Based Approaches with Intensive Sampling.

Identifying the driving factors of soil environmental quality is critical in raising countermeasures for managing the soil environment efficiently and precisely. In 2018, China issued risk control standards to divide soil environmental quality into three classes to meet the demands of environment management. However, there is a lack of knowledge of this new standard. An intensive field-sampling research (2598 top-soil samples were analyzed) was conducted in the agricultural land of Hubei province, central China, to find the driving factors of pollutants based on this new standard. According to the standard, the proportion of classes 1, 2, and 3 in the overall quality grade was 57.3%, 41.7%, and 1%, respectively. The standardized index showed that the pollution levels of cadmium, arsenic, lead, and chromium were higher than that of mercury. The first component of the principal component analysis explained 56.4% of the total variance, and the loading of cadmium, arsenic and lead were -53.5%, -52.1%, and -51.2%, respectively. The general linear modeling found that cadmium and arsenic showed positive and significant effects (p < 0.001) on the grading results of soil environmental quality. Based on the random forest algorithm, cadmium showed the greatest importance on soil environmental quality (increase in mean squared error = 32.5%). Overall, this study revealed that cadmium, arsenic, and lead were driving pollutants affecting soil environment quality grade. The large data size increased the reliability and robustness of the study's conclusions, and it provided reference methods for future studies investigating China's new standard for assessing soil environmental quality.

Poria cocos polysaccharides exert prebiotic function to attenuate the adverse effects and improve the therapeutic outcome of 5-FU in ApcMin/+ mice.

BACKGROUND: As a first-line chemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) exhibits many side effects, weakening its efficacy in cancer treatment. In this study, we hypothesize that Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with various bioactivities and prebiotic effects, might improve the therapeutic effect of 5-FU by restoring the homeostasis of the gut microenvironment and the commensal gut microflora. METHODS: ApcMin/+ mice were employed to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of 5-FU in conjunction with PCP treatment. Body weight and food consumption were monitored weekly. Polyp count was used to assess the anti-cancer effect of PCP and 5-FU. Expressions of mucosal cytokines and gut epithelial junction molecules were measured using qRT-PCR. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal DNAs was used to evaluate the compositional changes of gut microbiota (GM). Transplantation of Lactobacillus johnsonii and Bifidobacterium animalis were performed to verify the prebiotic effects of PCP in improving the efficacy of 5-FU. RESULTS: The results showed that PCP treatment alleviated the weight loss caused by 5-FU treatment and reduced the polyp burden in ApcMin/+ mice. Additionally, PCP treatment eased the cytotoxic effects of 5-FU by reducing the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokines; and significantly improving the gut barriers by enhancing the tight junction proteins and associated adhesion molecules. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing data showed that PCP alone or with 5-FU could stimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria (Bacteroides acidifaciens, Bacteroides intestinihominis, Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum, and the genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium). At the same time, it inhibited the growth of potential pathogens (e.g., Alistipes finegoldii, Alistipes massiliensis, Alistipes putredinis., Citrobacter spp., Desulfovibrio spp., and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans). Moreover, the results showed that transplantation of L.johnsonii and B.animalis effectively reduced the polyp burden in ApcMin/+ mice being treated with 5-FU. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that PCP could effectively improve the anti-cancer effect of 5-FU by attenuating its side effects, modulating intestinal inflammation, improving the gut epithelial barrier, and modulating the gut microbiota of ApcMin/+ mice.

Fufang Fanshiliu Decoction Revealed the Antidiabetic Effect through Modulating Inflammatory Response and Gut Microbiota Composition.

Background: Diabetes mellitus brings serious threats and financial burdens to human beings worldwide. Fufang Fanshiliu decoction (FFSLD), a traditional Chinese medicine formula showing great antidiabetic effects, has been used in clinics for many years. Objective: This study aims to explore the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of FFSLD in Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats induced by high-fat diet feeding combined with streptozotocin injection were used to establish the T2DM model. All rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: control, model, metformin, high dosage, middle dosage, and low dosage of FFSLD. After 4 weeks of treatment, serum, intestinal mucosa, and fecal samples were collected for further analysis. ELISA was used to detect the diabetic-related serum indicators and proinflammation cytokines. Gene or protein expressions of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in intestinal mucosa were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or western blot. 16s rRNA gene sequencing was used to detect the changes of gut microbiome in these groups. Intestinal gut microbiota (GM) composition was further analyzed according to the sequencing libraries. Results: FFSLD effectively recovered the diabetic-related biochemical indexes by reducing fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), insulin, and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Furthermore, FFSLD significantly ameliorated the abnormal levels of proinflammation cytokines including IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-ß. In addition, the GM compositions of rats in control, model, and FFSLD treated groups were different. FFSLD significantly increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, and Proteus, and reduced the relative abundance of Alistipes, Desulfovibrio, and Helicobacter. Moreover, these changed bacteria were closely related to the diabetic-related serum indicators and proinflammatory cytokines. Conclusion: These results suggest that FFSLD alleviates diabetic symptoms in T2DM rats through regulating GM composition and inhibiting inflammatory response, which clarify the therapeutic mechanism of FFSLD on T2DM and provide a theoretical basis for its further clinical application.

The prebiotic and anti-fatigue effects of hyaluronan.

Hyaluronan (HA) is a mucopolysaccharide that naturally exists in all living organisms as the main component of the extracellular matrix. Over the last 30 years, HA has been used as the main ingredient in cosmetic products, eye drops, and medicinal products. It is also taken orally as a health supplement. However, the physiological effect of the ingested HA is not clear. In the current study, the interaction between HA and gut microbiota, and the potential prebiotic effects were investigated. HA was used to treat the C57BL/6 mice for 15 consecutive days, then fecal genomic DNA was extracted from fecal samples for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The results showed that HA could significantly change the composition of gut microbiota (GM), e.g., increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria and xylan/cellulose-degrading bacteria, whereas decreased the relative abundance of potential pathogens including sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), inflammation and cancer-related bacteria. The rotarod test was used to evaluate the anti-fatigue effects of HA in C57BL/6 mice. The results showed that HA could lengthen the mice's retention time on the accelerating rotarod. HA increased the concentration of glycogen and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in mice's muscle and liver, whereas decreased the serum concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA). Moreover, the metabolic products of Desulfovibrio vulgaris (MPDV), the model SRB bacteria, showed cytotoxic effects on H9c2 cardiomyocytes in a dosage-dependent manner. MPDV also caused mitochondrial damage by inducing mitochondrial fragmentation, depolarization, and powerless ATP production. Taken together, we show that HA possesses significant prebiotic and anti-fatigue effects in C57BL/6 mice.

Effect of Flaxseed Supplementation on Milk and Plasma Fatty Acid Composition and Plasma Parameters of Holstein Dairy Cows.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of whole flaxseed and ground flaxseed supplementation on the composition of fatty acids in plasma and milk, particularly the content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs). Thirty Holstein dairy cows were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. Cows were fed a total mixed ration without flaxseed (CK), 1500 g of whole flaxseed (WF), and 1500 g of ground flaxseed (GF) supplementation. There were no differences observed in dry matter intake, milk yield, energy-corrected milk, and 4% fat-corrected milk (p > 0.05). Compared with the CK group, the contents of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosatrienoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid increased in the plasma and milk WF and GF groups, and the content of docosahexaenoic acid and total n-3 PUFA was higher in GF than the other groups (p < 0.001). The ALA yield increased to 232% and 360% in WF and GF, respectively, compared to the CK group. Compared with the WF group, GF supplementation resulted in an increased milk ALA/ALA intake ratio (p < 0.001). Flaxseed supplementation increased the activity of GSH-Px and decreased the concentration of MDA in milk (p < 0.001). Plasma parameters did not differ among the treatments (p > 0.05). This result indicated that compared with the WF group, GF supplementation in the diet showed higher efficiency in increasing the total n-3 PUFA levels and the milk ALA/ALA intake ratio, and decreased the ratio of n-6 PUFAs to n-3 PUFAs in milk.

A hybrid data-driven framework for diagnosing contributing factors for soil heavy metal contaminations using machine learning and spatial clustering analysis.

The efficacy of source apportionment is often limited by a lack of information on natural and anthropogenic contributing factors influencing soil heavy metal (HM) contaminations. To overcome this limitation and develop the data mining methods, a novel hybrid data-driven framework was proposed to diagnose the contributing factors in an industrialized region in Guangdong Province, China, mainly using a combination of naive Bayes (NB), random forest (RF), and bivariate local Moran's I (BLMI) on the basis of the multi-source big data. The medium industry types of enterprises from the freely available Baidu point of interest data were successfully classified, and then the 250 contaminating enterprises as a contributing factor were identified by the optimized NB classifier. The quantitative contributions of the nine contributing factors for the As, Cd, and Hg concentrations were determined by the optimized RF. The twelve spatial clustering maps between the three HM concentrations and the four key contributing factors were generated by BLMI, explicitly revealing their mutual interactions and internal effects and also intuitively showing the "high-high" areas and their distributions. This framework can obtain rich information on contributing factors such as medium industry types, contribution rates, spatial clusters, and spatial distributions.

Ruminal bacterial community is associated with the variations of total milk solid content in Holstein lactating cows.

Total milk solid (TMS) content directly reflects the quality of milk. Rumen bacteria ferment dietary components, the process of which generates the precursors for the synthesis of milk solid, therefore, the variation in rumen bacterial community could be associated with milk solid in dairy cows. In this study, 45 healthy mid-lactation Holstein dairy cows with the similar body weight, lactation stage, and milk yield were initially used for the selection of 10 cows with high TMS (HS) and 10 cows with low TMS (LS). All those animals were under the same feeding management, and the individual milk yield was recorded for 14 consecutive days before milk and rumen fluid were sampled. Rumen fluid was used to determine bacterial community by 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique. The HS cows had significantly greater feed intake and milk TMS, fat, protein content than LS cows (P < 0.05). Among the volatile fatty acids (VFA), propionic acid and valeric acid concentrations were significantly greater in HS cows than those in LS cows (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the concentrations of acetate, butyrate, isobutyrate, valerate, and the total VFA (P > 0.05), nor was the acetate-to-propionate ratio, pH value, ammonia nitrogen and microbial crude protein concentrations (P > 0.05). Significant differences in the relative abundances of some bacterial genera were found between HS and LS cows. Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed that TMS content was correlated positively with the abundances of Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 group, Prevotellaceae UCG-001, Butyrivibrio 2, Prevotellaceae UCG-003, Candidatus Saccharimonas, Ruminococcus 2, Lachnospiraceae XPB1014 group, probable genus 10, Eubacterium ventriosum group, but negatively correlated with Pyramidobacte. In addition, Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Ruminococcus 2, Ruminococcaceae UCG001, probable genus 10 and Eubacterium ventriosum group might boost the total VFA production in the rumen. In conclusion, the dry matter intake of dairy cows and some special bacteria in rumen were significantly associated with TMS content, which suggests the potential function of rumen bacteria contributing to TMS content in dairy cows.