Effects of microbial deodorizer on pig feces fermentation and the underlying deodorizing mechanism.

Microbial deodorization is a novel strategy for reducing odor in livestock and poultry feces. Herein, 12 strains of ammonia (NH3) and 15 hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removing bacteria were obtained with a removal efficiency of 65.20-79.80% and 34.90-79.70%, respectively. A novel bacteria deodorant named MIX (Bacillus zhangzhouensis, Bacillus altitudinis, and Acinetobacter pittii at a ratio of 1:1:2) were obtained. MIX can shorten the temperature rising stage by 2 days and prolong the thermophilic stage by 4 days. The ability of MIX to remove NH3, H2S, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and the underlying removal mechanism were analyzed during pig feces fermentation. MIX can significantly reduce the concentrations of NH3 and H2S by 41.82% and 66.35% and increase the concentrations of NO3--N and SO42- by 7.80% and 8.83% (P < 0.05), respectively, on the 25th day. Moreover, the concentrations of acetic, propionate, iso-valerate, and valerate were significantly reduced. The dominant bacteria communities at the phylum level were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetes. B. zhangzhouensis and B. altitudinis could convert NH4+-N to NO3--N, and A. pittii could transfer H2S to SO42-. This study revealed that bacteria deodorant can reduce the concentrations of NH3, H2S, and VFAs in pig feces and increase those of NH4+, NO3-, and SO42- and has excellent potential in deodorizing livestock and poultry feces composting.

Expanding the role of combined immunochemotherapy and immunoradiotherapy in the management of head and neck cancer (Review).

Immunotherapy has become one of the most promising approaches in tumor therapy, and there are numerous associated clinical trials in China. As an immunosuppressive tumor, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) carries a high mutation burden, making immune checkpoint inhibitors promising candidates in this field due to their unique mechanism of action. The present review outlines a comprehensive multidisciplinary cancer treatment approach and elaborates on how combining immunochemotherapy and immunoradiotherapy guidelines could enhance clinical efficacy in patients with HNSCC. Furthermore, the present review explores the immunology of HNSCC, current immunotherapeutic strategies to enhance antitumor activity, ongoing clinical trials and the future direction of the current immune landscape in HNSCC. Advanced-stage HNSCC presents with a poor prognosis, low survival rates and minimal improvement in patient survival trends over time. Understanding the potential of immunotherapy and ways to combine it with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy confers good prospects for the management of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive HNSCC, as well as other HPV-positive malignancies. Understanding the immune system and its effect on HNSCC progression and metastasis will help to uncover novel biomarkers for the selection of patients and to enhance the efficacy of treatments. Further research on why current immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted drugs are only effective for some patients in the clinic is needed; therefore, further research is required to improve the overall survival of affected patients.

Microbial inoculation influences bacterial community succession and physicochemical characteristics during pig manure composting with corn straw.

This study determined the physicochemical changes and bacterial community succession in the pig manure composting process with microbial inoculant. Microbial inoculant could prolong the thermophilic stage by 2 days and increased the germination index (GI). Analysis with 16S rDNA showed that the Chao1 and Shannon indices increased at the thermophilic stage in the treatment (T), while those of the control (C) decreased. Microbial inoculant increased the relative abundance of Flavobacterium and Solibacillus in 4-12 and 12-24 days, respectively. Acinetobacter was reduced at 4-12 days. The key physicochemical factors affecting microbial successions were revealed by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and correlation analysis. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfse) analysis showed that there were 78 biomarkers, while in piles T and C, there were 35 and 43 biomarkers, respectively. These results indicated the addition of microbial inoculant improved the maturity and fertility, as well as significantly regulating the microbial community structure.

Sphingobacterium shayense sp. nov., isolated from forest soil.

A Gram-staining-negative, yellow-coloured, strictly aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designated HS39(T), isolated from a soil sample collected from a natural Populus euphratica forest in Xinjiang, China, was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The isolate grew optimally at 30-37 °C, at pH 6.5-8.0 and with 0-3 % NaCl. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain HS39(T) revealed that it is a member of the genus Sphingobacterium. Sphingobacterium mizutaii ATCC 33299(T) was the nearest relative (94.0 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 40.2 mol%. The major fatty acids were iso-C15:0, iso-C17:0 3-OH and summed feature 3 (comprising C16:1ω6c and/or C16:1ω7c). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. On the basis of phenotypic properties and phylogenetic inference, strain HS39(T) represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacterium shayense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HS39(T) (=CCTCC AB 209006(T) =NRRL B-59203(T)).

Isolation and identification of an alkaliphilic Bacillus flexus XJU-3 and analysis of its alkaline amylase.

OBJECTIVE: To isolate and identify a new Bacillus strain capable of growing under highly alkaline conditions as alkaline amylase producers and to characterize its enzymatic properties. METHODS: The isolates were sampled from alkaline sewage in Shihezi city, Xinjiang and screened by plating them on the amylase agar medium depending on the halo zone diameter. The alkaline amylase producer with best enzymatic activity was designated as XJU-3. XJU-3 was identified by its physiological and biochemical characteristics, 16S rDNA sequence homology, and the content of its major cellular fatty acids. RESULTS: XJU-3 was a Gram-positive, spore-forming, aerobic, motile rod alkaliphilic bacterium. It can grow at a broad range of pH (4.0-12.5) in Luria broth medium and its optimum growth was at pH 10 and 37 degrees C. Its NaCl tolerance was up to 15%. Its major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C15:0. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that XJU-3 was most closely related to Bacillus flexus, with 99% similarity. The genomic DNA (G+C) content of our isolate was 39.13 mol %. XJU-3 produced extracellular alkaline amylase, and its maximal enzyme activity was observed at 40 degrees C and pH 10.0. More than 70% of the enzymatic activity was remained at pH 13.0. The enzyme activity was strongly enhanced with the presence of Co2+ and Mg2+. CONCLUSION: The strain XJU-3 was confirmed as B. flexus. Owing to its excellent pH tolerance, the kinds of major cellular fatty acids, and several phenotypic characteristics that were different from the description of the reference strain, the strain was further classified as a new variant of the species B. flexus. The enzymatic properties of XJU-3 alkaline amylase indicated its potential in industrial applications.