Uropathogenic Escherichia coli infection: innate immune disorder, bladder damage, and Tailin Fang II.

Background: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) activates innate immune response upon invading the urinary tract, whereas UPEC can also enter bladder epithelial cells (BECs) through interactions with fusiform vesicles on cell surfaces and subsequently escape from the vesicles into the cytoplasm to establish intracellular bacterial communities, finally evading the host immune system and leading to recurrent urinary tract infection (RUTI). Tailin Fang II (TLF-II) is a Chinese herbal formulation composed of botanicals that has been clinically proven to be effective in treating urinary tract infection (UTI). However, the underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain poorly understood. Methods: Network pharmacology analysis of TLF-II was conducted. Female Balb/C mice were transurethrally inoculated with UPEC CFT073 strain to establish the UTI mouse model. Levofloxacin was used as a positive control. Mice were randomly divided into four groups: negative control, UTI, TLF-II, and levofloxacin. Histopathological changes in bladder tissues were assessed by evaluating the bladder organ index and performing hematoxylin-eosin staining. The bacterial load in the bladder tissue and urine sample of mice was quantified. Activation of the TLR4-NF-κB pathway was investigated through immunohistochemistry and western blotting. The urinary levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6 and urine leukocyte counts were monitored. We also determined the protein expressions of markers associated with fusiform vesicles, Rab27b and Galectin-3, and levels of the phosphate transporter protein SLC20A1. Subsequently, the co-localization of Rab27b and SLC20A1 with CFT073 was examined using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Results: Data of network pharmacology analysis suggested that TLF-II could against UTI through multiple targets and pathways associated with innate immunity and inflammation. Additionally, TLF-II significantly attenuated UPEC-induced bladder injury and reduced the bladder bacterial load. Meanwhile, TLF-II inhibited the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB on BECs and decreased the urine levels of IL-1ß and IL-6 and urine leukocyte counts. TLF-II reduced SLC20A1 and Galectin-3 expressions and increased Rab27b expression. The co-localization of SLC20A1 and Rab27b with CFT073 was significantly reduced in the TLF-II group. Conclusion: Collectively, innate immunity and bacterial escape from fusiform vesicles play important roles in UPEC-induced bladder infections. Our findings suggest that TLF-II combats UPEC-induced bladder infections by effectively mitigating bladder inflammation and preventing bacterial escape from fusiform vesicles into the cytoplasm. The findings suggest that TLF-II is a promising option for treating UTI and reducing its recurrence.

Nontrivial Giant Linear Magnetoresistance in Nodal-Line Semimetal ZrGeSe 2D Layers.

Linear magnetoresistance (LMR) is usually observed in topological quantum materials and plausibly connected with the topologically nontrivial surface state with Dirac-cone-like linear dispersion because the frequently encountered large Hall resistivity can be trivially mixed into the LMR via charge inhomogeneity. Herein, by applying an optimal gate voltage to nodal-line semimetal ZrGeSe two-dimensional (2D) layers with specific thicknesses, we observe a giant nonsaturated LMR of 8 × 104% at 2 K and a magnetic field of 9 T. This giant LMR is accompanied by a very small Hall resistivity, which is inconsistent with the charge inhomogeneity mechanism. Our systematic results confirm that the giant LMR is maximized when the topological semimetal is in the "even-metal" regime and suppressed upon evolution to the normal "odd-metal" regime. The "even-to-odd" transition is universal regardless of the thicknesses of the crystals. A comparison with Abrikosov's quantum LMR theory indicates that the observed LMR cannot be trivial.

InN superconducting phase transition.

InN superconductivity is very special among III-V semiconductors, as other III-V semiconductors (such as GaAs, GaN, InP, InAs, etc.) usually lack strong covalent bonding and thus seldom show superconductivity at low temperatures. Here, we probe the different superconducting phase transitions in InN highlighted by its microstructure. Those chemical-unstable phase-separated inclusions, such as metallic indium or In2O3, are intentionally removed by HCl acid etching. The quasi-two-dimensional vortex liquid-glass transition is observed in the sample with a large InN grain size. In contrast, the superconducting properties of InN with a small grain size are sensitive to acid etching, showing a transition into a nonzero resistance state when the temperature approaches zero. Since the value of ξ0 (the zero-temperature-limit superconducting coherence length) is close to the grain size, it is suggested that individual InN grains and intergrain coupling should be responsible for the sample-dependent InN superconducting phase transition. Our work establishes a guideline for engineering superconductivity in III-nitride.

Visible light mediated oxidative lactonization of 2-methyl-1,1'-biaryls for the synthesis of benzocoumarins.

A visible light mediated oxidative lactonization of 2-methyl-1,1'-biaryls was developed, giving benzocoumarins in good yields. The reaction features multiple C-H functionalization processes with oxygen as the final oxidant. The corresponding 2-aldehdyes, alcohols and carboxylic acids of the 1,1'-biaryls also worked well for the reaction.

Visible light promoted coupling of alkynyl bromides and Hantzsch esters for the synthesis of internal alkynes.

A metal-free visible light promoted C(sp3)-C(sp) coupling reaction of alkynyl bromides and Hantzsch esters was developed, giving internal alkynes with primary, secondary, tertiary alkyl or other functional groups in good to high yields.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Annulation of α-Chloroaldehydes with γ-/δ-Amino-α,ß-Unsaturated Ketones: Enantioselective Synthesis of Pyrrolidones and Piperidones.

The N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [2+3] and [2+4] annulations of α-chloroaldehydes with γ-/δ-amino-α,ß-unsaturated ketones were developed, giving the corresponding pyrrolidones and piperidones in good yields with exclusive trans-selectivities and excellent enantioselectivities.

Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of Spirooxindoles with Contiguous Tetrasubstituted Stereocenters via Catalytic Coupling of Two Tertiary Radicals.

The oxidative N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation of ß,ß-disubstituted enals and dioxindoles was developed, giving the spirocyclic oxindole-γ-lactones bearing two contiguous tetrasubstituted stereocenters in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities and good enantioselectivities.

Morphological Variation and Recovery Mechanism of Residual Crude Oil by Biosurfactant from Indigenous Bacteria: Macro- and Pore-Scale Experimental Investigations.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) is being used more widely, and the biological contributions involved in MEOR need to be identified and quantified for the improvement of field applications. Owing to the excellent interfacial activity and the wide distribution of producing strains in oil reservoirs, lipopeptides have proved to be an essential part of the complex mechanisms in MEOR. In this study, crude lipopeptides were produced by a strain isolated from an indigenous community in an oil reservoir. It was found that crude lipopeptides can effectively reduce the IFT (interfacial tension) to 10(-1)~10(-2) mN/m under high salinity without forming stable emulsions, and the wettability of natural sandstone can be enhanced (Amott index, from 0.36 to 0.48). The results of core flooding experiments indicate that an additional 5.2% of original oil in place can be recovered with a 9.5% reduction of injection pressure. After the shut-in period, the wettability of the core, the reduction of injection pressure, and the oil recovery can be improved to 0.63, 16.2% and 9.6%, respectively. In the microscopic flooding experiments, the crude oil in membrane, cluster, and throat states contribute nearly 90% in total of the additional oil recovery, and the recovery of membranestate oil was significantly enhanced by 93.3% after shut in. Based on the results in macro and pore scale, the IFT reduction and the wettability alteration are considered primary contributors to oil recovery, while the latter was more dominant after one shut-in period.

Comparison of microbial community compositions of injection and production well samples in a long-term water-flooded petroleum reservoir.

Water flooding plays an important role in recovering oil from depleted petroleum reservoirs. Exactly how the microbial communities of production wells are affected by microorganisms introduced with injected water has previously not been adequately studied. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach and 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis, the comparison of microbial communities is carried out between one injection water and two production waters collected from a working block of the water-flooded Gudao petroleum reservoir located in the Yellow River Delta. DGGE fingerprints showed that the similarities of the bacterial communities between the injection water and production waters were lower than between the two production waters. It was also observed that the archaeal composition among these three samples showed no significant difference. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene clone libraries showed that the dominant groups within the injection water were Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Methanomicrobia, while the dominant groups in the production waters were Gammaproteobacteria and Methanobacteria. Only 2 out of 54 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 5 out of 17 archaeal OTUs in the injection water were detected in the production waters, indicating that most of the microorganisms introduced by the injection water may not survive to be detected in the production waters. Additionally, there were 55.6% and 82.6% unique OTUs in the two production waters respectively, suggesting that each production well has its specific microbial composition, despite both wells being flooded with the same injection water.

[A survey of sanitary working status 20 days after the earthquake in Dujiangyan municipality].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sanitary working status in the districts for locating residents after earthquake in Dujiangyan municipality. METHODS: Some immediate measures were taken after the earthquake including water source surveillance, restoring immunization system and epidemic surveillance. A questionnaire survey was also conducted to collect information in 107 locating districts of 18 towns. RESULTS: Generally, the sanitary working status was good. Temporary sheds in most districts were Tents (75.70%, 81/107) and simple sheds (19.63%, 21/107), and 69.16% (74/107) districts could use water supply and 94.39% (101/107) arrange specialized persons to disinfect the environment and kill pests. The fly density was 2 per eye-view. The proportions for the correct responds to health knowledge, action adopted and attitude of residents were all above 90%. According to the epidemic surveillance system and mobile syndrome surveillance system in disaster area, there was no increasing trend for the incidences of contagious diseases. CONCLUSION: 20 days after earthquake, the whole situation of disease prevention in disaster area is stable.

[One family investigation and risk factors analysis of developmental dysplasia of the hip].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical manifestations and risk factors of the patients from developmental dysplasia of the hip(DDH) family. METHODS: Detailed epidemiology investigation, physical examination, functional movement assessment, lab test and X-ray examination were applied to the whole members of a DDH family. RESULTS: In the family with 9 generations and 218 persons, the incidence of DDH was 31.03% in 145 survivors. Patients mainly manifested bilateral knee and hip joint pain, flexion contracture of hip, limitation in internal and external rotation of hip; a few had arthritic functional disorder, deformation, and limp. The radiography illustrated shallow acetabulum with increased inclination, which encompassed the femoral head badly. Deformation of the femoral head, narrow joint space and osteophyte were also found by X-ray examination. The main risk factors of DDH were genetic factors, gender, birth season etc. The son or daughter with one or two DDH parents had a higher risk for developing DDH than those with no DDH parents. Furthermore, first-degree relatives of the DDH patients also had a greater chance to develop DDH than second-degree relatives and third-degree relatives. The incidence among females was higher than males, and the family member who was given birth in winter had a highest risk for developing DDH. However, there was no difference between incidence of DDH in children and youths and in adults; the incidence of DDH in the immigrants with no blood relationship also did not differ from the incidence of DDH in the family member. CONCLUSION: The genetic factors play an important role in the development of DDH, so do the environmental factors.

Decolorization of azo dyes with high salt concentration by salt-tolerant mixed cultures under anaerobic conditions.

Because the lack of detailed study of biological decolorization in high salt dye wastewater, it is still difficult to evaluate the biological treatment on high-salinity dye wastewater. The experiments were carried out to study the salt-tolerant bacteria, which is useful in the treatment of high-salinity colored wastewater. Simulated wastewater containing 5-150 g/L salt (NaCl) and 50-2000 mg/L Reactive Brilliant Red K-2BP was treated with three salt-tolerant mixed cultures (CAS, TAS, DSAS), which were under a gradually acclimated procedure. With the increase of concentrations of salt and dye, the decolorization became low. The abilities of decolorization of dyes wastewater by three mixed cultures (CAS, TAS, DSAS) were studied, CAS and DSAS mixed cultures showed more active for the treatment of high-salinity colored wastewater than TAS mixed cultures. The results suggested that there might be a simple process for the high salt wastewater treatment, which could be incorporated into conventional activated sludge plants.

Decolorization of azo dyes by Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Rhodobacter sphaeroides AS1.1737 decolorized more than 90% of several azo dyes (200 mg dyes l(-1)) in 24 h. The optimal culture conditions were: anaerobic illumination (1990 1x), peptone as carbon source, temperature 35-40 degrees C and pH 7-8. Intracellular crude enzyme from this strain had azoreductase activity, optimized temperature as 45-50 degrees C, and decolorization kinetics which were consistent with a ping-pong mechanism.