Poplar glutathione S-transferase PtrGSTF8 contributes to reactive oxygen species scavenging and salt tolerance.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) constitute a protein superfamily encoded by a large gene family and play a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, their precise functions in wood plant responses to abiotic stress are not fully understood. In this study, we isolated a Phi class glutathione S-transferase-encoding gene, PtrGSTF8, from poplar (Populus alba × P. glandulosa), which is significantly up-regulated under salt stress. Moreover, compared with wild-type (WT) plants, transgenic tobacco plants exhibited significant salt stress tolerance. Under salt stress, PtrGSTF8-overexpressing tobacco plants showed a significant increase in plant height and root length, and less accumulation of reactive oxygen species. In addition, these transgenic tobacco plants exhibited higher superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities and reduced malondialdehyde content compared with WT plants. Quantitative real-time PCR experiments showed that the overexpression of PtrGSTF8 increased the expression of numerous genes related to salt stress. Furthermore, PtrMYB108, a MYB transcription factor involved in salt resistance in poplar, was found to directly activate the promoter of PtrGSTF8, as demonstrated by yeast one-hybrid assays and luciferase complementation assays. Taken together, these findings suggest that poplar PtrGSTF8 contributes to enhanced salt tolerance and confers multiple growth advantages when overexpressed in tobacco.

Fabrication of Human Milk Fat Substitute: Based on the Similarity Evaluation Model and Computer Software.

We aimed to obtain the optimal formula for human milk fat substitute (HMFS) through a combination of software and an evaluation model and further verify its practicability through an animal experiment. The results showed that a total of 33 fatty acid (FA) and 63 triglyceride (TAG) molecular species were detected in vegetable oils. Palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, 18:1/16:0/18:1, 18:2/16:0/18:2, 18:1/18:1/18:1 and 18:1/18:2/18:1, were the main molecular species among the FAs and TAGs in the vegetable oils. Based on the HMFS evaluation model, the optimal mixed vegetable oil formula was blended with 21.3% palm oil, 2.8% linseed oil, 2.6% soybean oil, 29.9% rapeseed oil and 43.4% maize oil, with the highest score of 83.146. Moreover, there was no difference in the weight, blood routine indices or calcium and magnesium concentrations in the feces of the mice between the homemade mixed vegetable oil (HMVO) group and the commercial mixed vegetable oil (CMVO) group, while nervonic acid (C24:1) and octanoic acid (C8:0) were absorbed easily in the HMVO group. Therefore, these results demonstrate that the mixing of the different vegetable oils was feasible via a combination of computer software and an evaluation model and provided a new way to produce HMFS.

Changes in fronts regulate nitrate cycling in Zhanjiang Bay: A comparative study during the normal wet season, rainstorm, and typhoon periods.

Typhoons and rainstorms (>250 mm/day) are extreme weather events changing hydrological characteristics and thus nitrogen (N) cycle in coastal waters. However, responses of N cycle to rainstorms and typhoons and their underlying mechanisms need to be elucidated. In this study, we conducted an analysis of a comparative dataset encompassing concentrations of nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), dissolved oxygen (DO), chlorophyll a (Chl a), hydrological parameters, dual isotopic composition of NO3- (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-) in Zhanjiang Bay during three distinct periods: the normal wet season, rainstorm, and typhoon periods. After the rainstorm, the salinity front in Zhanjiang Bay was more weakened and steadier than that during the normal wet season, mainly because onshore wind and a large amount of freshwater was inputted into the ocean surface. This weakened and steady salinity front strengthened water stratification and provided a favorable condition for phytoplankton blooms. Correspondingly, evident NO3- deficits coincided with elevated δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3- values indicated that sufficient NO3- sustained phytoplankton blooms, leading to NO3- assimilation during the rainstorm period. By contrast, due to the onshore wind induced by the typhoon, the salinity front in Zhanjiang Bay was more intensified and unsteady after the typhoon than the normal wet season. The salinity front after the typhoon was unsteady enough to enhance vertical mixing in the water column. Relatively high DO concentrations suggested that enhanced vertical mixing after the typhoon support freshly organic matter decomposition and nitrification via oxygen injection from the air into the water column. In addition, NO3- deficits coincided with elevated δ15N-NO3- values and δ18O-NO3- values demonstrated the coexistence of NO3- assimilation during the typhoon period. This study suggests that the changing processes involved in NO3- cycling after typhoons and rainstorms are associated with the stability and intensity of the salinity front altered by these weather events.

Optimizing Akkermansia muciniphila Isolation and Cultivation: Insights into Gut Microbiota Composition and Potential Growth Promoters in a Chinese Cohort.

The study aims to analyze the composition of the gut microbiota in Chinese individuals using metagenomic sequencing technology, with a particular focus on the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk). To improve the efficiency of Akk isolation and identification accuracy, modifications were made to the enrichment culture medium and 16S rRNA universal primers. Additionally, potential growth-promoting factors that stimulate Akk growth were explored through in vitro screening. The research results revealed that the abundance of Akk in Chinese fecal samples ranged from 0.004% to 0.4%. During optimization, a type of animal protein peptide significantly enhanced the enrichment efficiency of Akk, resulting in the isolation of three Akk strains from 14 fecal samples. Furthermore, 17 different growth-promoting factors were compared, and four factors, including galactose, sialic acid, lactose, and chitosan, were identified as significantly promoting Akk growth. Through orthogonal experiments, the optimal ratio of these four growth-promoting factors was determined to be 1:1:2:1. After adding 1.25% of this growth-promoting factor combination to the standard culture medium, Akk was cultivated at 37° for 36 h, achieving an OD600nm value of 1.169, thus realizing efficient proliferation and optimized cultivation of Akk. This study provides important clues for a deeper understanding of the gut microbiota composition in Chinese individuals, while also offering effective methods for the isolation and cultivation of Akk, laying the groundwork for its functional and application research in the human body.

Positive regulation of the Eucommia rubber biosynthesis-related gene EuFPS1 by EuWRKY30 in Eucommia ulmoides.

Eucommia rubber is a secondary metabolite from Eucommia ulmoides that has attracted much attention because of its unique properties and enormous potential for application. However, the transcriptional mechanism regulating its biosynthesis has not yet been determined. Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase is a key enzyme in the Eucommia rubber biosynthesis. In this study, the promoter of EuFPS1 was used as bait, EuWRKY30 was screened from the cDNA library of EuFPS1 via a yeast one-hybrid system. EuWRKY30 belongs to the WRKY IIa subfamily and contains a WRKY domain and a C2H2 zinc finger motif, and the expressed protein is located in the nucleus. EuWRKY30 and EuFPS1 exhibited similar tissue expression patterns, and yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase experiments confirmed that EuWRKY30 directly binds to the W-box element in the EuFPS1 promoter and activates its expression. Moreover, the overexpression of EuWRKY30 significantly upregulated the expression level of EuFPS1, further increasing the density of the rubber particles and Eucommia rubber content. The results of this study indicated that EuWRKY30 positively regulates EuFPS1, which plays a critical role in the synthesis of Eucommia rubber, provided a basis for further analysis of the underlying transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

Establishment and verification of a prediction model based on clinical characteristics and computed tomography radiomics parameters for distinguishing benign and malignant pulmonary nodules.

Background: The radiographic classification of pulmonary nodules into benign versus malignant categories is a pivotal component of early lung cancer diagnosis. The present study aimed to investigate clinical and computed tomography (CT) clinical-radiomics nomogram for preoperative differentiation of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Methods: This retrospective study included 342 patients with pulmonary nodules who underwent high-resolution CT (HRCT) examination. We assigned them to a training dataset (n=239) and a validation dataset (n=103). There are 1781 tumor characteristics quantified by extracted features from the lesion segmented from patients' CT images. The features with poor reproducibility and high redundancy were removed. Then a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression model with 10-fold cross-validation was used to further select features and build radiomics signatures. The independent predictive factors were identified by multivariate logistic regression. A radiomics nomogram was developed to predict the malignant probability. The performance and clinical utility of the clinical-radiomics nomogram was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: After dimension reduction by the LASSO algorithm and multivariate logistic regression, four radiomic features were selected, including original_shape_Sphericity, exponential_glcm_Maximum Probability, log_sigma_2_0_mm_3D_glcm_Maximum Probability, and ogarithm_firstorder_90Percentile. Multivariate logistic regression showed that carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) [odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.40 (1.09-1.88)], CT rad score [OR (95% CI): 2.74 (2.03-3.85)], and cytokeratin-19-fragment (CYFRA21-1) [OR (95% CI): 1.80 (1.14-2.94)] were independent influencing factors of malignant pulmonary nodule (all P<0.05). The clinical-radiomics nomogram combining CEA, CYFRA21-1 and radiomics features achieved an area of curve (AUC) of 0.85 and 0.76 in the training group and verification group for the prediction of malignant pulmonary nodules. The clinical-radiomics nomogram demonstrated excellent agreement and practicality, as evidenced by the calibration curve and DCA. Conclusions: The clinical-radiomics nomogram combined of CT-based radiomics signature, along with CYFRA21-1 and CEA, demonstrated strong predictive ability, calibration, and clinical usefulness in distinguishing between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. The use of CT-based radiomics has the potential to assist clinicians in making informed decisions prior to biopsy or surgery while avoiding unnecessary treatment for non-cancerous lesions.

Effect of lung isolation with different airway devices on postoperative pneumonia in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a propensity score-matched study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pneumonia is one of the common complications after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. There is no related study on the effect of lung isolation with different airway devices on postoperative pneumonia. Therefore, in this study, the propensity score matching method was used to retrospectively explore the effects of different lung isolation methods on postoperative pneumonia in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: This is A single-center, retrospective, propensity score-matched study. The information of patients who underwent VATS in Weifang People 's Hospital from January 2020 to January 2021 was retrospectively included. The patients were divided into three groups according to the airway device used in thoracoscopic surgery: laryngeal mask combined with bronchial blocker group (LM + BB group), tracheal tube combined with bronchial blocker group (TT + BB group) and double-lumen endobronchial tube group (DLT group). The main outcome was the incidence of pneumonia within 7 days after surgery; the secondary outcome were hospitalization time and hospitalization expenses. Patients in the three groups were matched using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. RESULTS: After propensity score matching analysis, there was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative pneumonia and hospitalization time among the three groups (P > 0.05), but there was significant difference in hospitalization expenses among the three groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the effect of different intubation lung isolation methods on postoperative pneumonia in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery.

Preparation of milk fat globule membrane ingredients enriched in polar lipids: Composition characterization and digestive properties.

In this study, milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) ingredients enriched in polar lipids was prepared using membrane filtration, including microfiltration, diafiltration, and ultrafiltration from butter serum powder. Polar lipids (phospholipids, sterols, and gangliosides) in prepared MFGM ingredients were analyzed by 31P NMR, GC-MS, and UPLC-MS/MS, respectively. The lipolysis degree and microstructure of MFGM ingredient and soybean lecithin-emulsification during in vitro digestion were also analyzed. Microfiltration showed higher concentration efficiency than ultrafiltration which increased 2.16% and 2.73% in phospholipid, respectively. Moreover, diafiltration concentrated more polar lipids (6.39% of phospholipid) than microfiltration. MFGM ingredients had high level of sphingomyelin (1.27-1.36%) and ration of GD3 than GM3 of 9.25-9.88-fold of total gangliosides. The different lipolysis behavior between MFGM ingredient-emulsification and soybean lecithin-emulsification were correlated with their different polar lipid compositions. Phospholipids from both MFGM ingredients and soybean lecithin could help maintain the initial structure during the gastric digestion. These results could provide a scientific basic for developing high-polar lipids food, particularly infant formulas and special functional foods.

T2T reference genome assembly and genome-wide association study reveal the genetic basis of Chinese bayberry fruit quality.

Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra or Morella rubra; 2n = 16) produces fruit with a distinctive flavor, high nutritional, and economic value. However, previous versions of the bayberry genome lack sequence continuity. Moreover, to date, no large-scale germplasm resource association analysis has examined the allelic and genetic variations determining fruit quality traits. Therefore, in this study, we assembled a telomere-to-telomere (T2T) gap-free reference genome for the cultivar 'Zaojia' using PacBio HiFi long reads. The resulting 292.60 Mb T2T genome, revealed 8 centromeric regions, 15 telomeres, and 28 345 genes. This represents a substantial improvement in the genome continuity and integrity of Chinese bayberry. Subsequently, we re-sequenced 173 accessions, identifying 6 649 674 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Further, the phenotypic analyses of 29 fruit quality-related traits enabled a genome-wide association study (GWAS), which identified 1937 SNPs and 1039 genes significantly associated with 28 traits. An SNP cluster pertinent to fruit color was identified on Chr6: 3407532 to 5 153 151 bp region, harboring two MYB genes (MrChr6G07650 and MrChr6G07660), exhibiting differential expression in extreme phenotype transcriptomes, linked to anthocyanin synthesis. An adjacent, closely linked gene, MrChr6G07670 (MLP-like protein), harbored an exonic missense variant and was shown to increase anthocyanin production in tobacco leaves tenfold. This SNP cluster, potentially a quantitative trait locus (QTL), collectively regulates bayberry fruit color. In conclusion, our study presented a complete reference genome, uncovered a suite of allelic variations related to fruit-quality traits, and identified functional genes that could be harnessed to enhance fruit quality and breeding efficiency of bayberries.

Effects of endogenous DHA milk and exogenous DHA milk on oxidative stress and cognition in SAMP8 mice.

In this study, Senescence Accelerated Mice (SAMP8) were supplemented with exogenous DHA milk, endogenous DHA milk, normal milk, or 0.9 % saline solution. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), gas chromatography (GC), ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI MS/MS), and Morris water maze were used to characterize the effects of diet on oxidative stress and cognition in SAMP8 mice. Supplementation endogenous DHA milk or exogenous DHA milk can enhance the antioxidant capacity of mice organs. Endogenous DHA milk increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of mice brain and serum than normal milk and 0.9 % saline solution (P ≤ 0.05), as well as increased SOD activity of mice liver and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity of mice brain than normal milk (P ≤ 0.05). Exogenous DHA milk increased SOD activity of mice brain than normal milk and 0.9 % saline solution, as well as increased SOD activity of mice serum than 0.9 % saline solution (P ≤ 0.05). Several polar lipid relative content, such as 18:0/18:2 PS, 17:0 Ceramide, and 20:4 LPC in mice brain was affected by dietary supplementation with DHA-containing milk. Lipid oxidation metabolites in mice brain were not affected by DHA-containing milk. Endogenous DHA milk increased the number of platform location crossing times of mice in the Morris water maze test, compared with Exogenous DHA milk, normal milk, and 0.9 % saline solution (P ≤ 0.05).

Characteristics of casein phosphopeptides in Chinese human milk and its correlation with infant growth: A cross-sectional study.

This research aimed to investigate the characteristics of casein phosphopeptides in Chinese human milk, and their potential relationship to infant growth. Using the liquid chromatography-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry technique, a total of 15 casein phosphopeptides were identified from 200 human milk samples. Also, our results indicate that casein phosphopeptides were phosphorylated with only one phosphate. The relative concentrations of casein phosphopeptides at 6 months postpartum were increased compared with milk at 2 months (FDR < 0.05). Significantly positive correlations were observed between casein phosphopeptides and infant growth, as shown by four casein phosphopeptides were positively correlated with the infants' weight-for-age Z-scores (rs range from 0.20 to 0.29), and three casein phosphopeptides were positively correlated with the infants' length-for-age Z-scores (rs range from 0.19 to 0.27). This study is the first to reveal the phosphorylated level and composition of casein phosphopeptides in Chinese human milk, and their potential relationship with infant growth.

Dynamics studies for the multi-well and multi-channel reaction of OH with C2H2 on a full-dimensional global potential energy surface.

The C2H2 + OH reaction is an important acetylene oxidation pathway in the combustion process, as well as a typical multi-well and multi-channel reaction. Here, we report an accurate full-dimensional machine learning-based potential energy surface (PES) for the C2H2 + OH reaction at the UCCSD(T)-F12b/cc-pVTZ-F12 level, based on about 475 000 ab initio points. Extensive quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) calculations were performed on the newly developed PES to obtain detailed dynamic data and analyze reaction mechanisms. Below 1000 K, the C2H2 + OH reaction produces H + OCCH2 and CO + CH3. With increasing temperature, the product channels H2O + C2H and H + HCCOH are accessible and the former dominates above 1900 K. It is found that the formation of H2O + C2H is dominated by a direct reaction process, while other channels belong to the indirect mechanism involving long-lived intermediates along the reaction pathways. At low temperatures, the C2H2 + OH reaction behaves like an unimolecular reaction due to the unique PES topographic features, of which the dynamic features are similar to the decomposition of energy-rich complexes formed by C2H2 + OH collision. The classification of trajectories that undergo different reaction pathways to generate each product and their product energy distributions were also reported in this work. This dynamic information may provide a deep understanding of the C2H2 + OH reaction.

Comparison of deep learning-assisted blinking analysis system and Lipiview interferometer in dry eye patients: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal blinking pattern is associated with ocular surface diseases. However, blink is difficult to analyze due to the rapid movement of eyelids. Deep learning machine (DLM) has been proposed as an optional tool for blinking analysis, but its clinical practicability still needs to be proven. Therefore, the study aims to compare the DLM-assisted Keratograph 5M (K5M) as a novel method with the currently available Lipiview in the clinic and assess whether blinking parameters can be applied in the diagnosis of dry eye disease (DED). METHODS: Thirty-five DED participants and 35 normal subjects were recruited in this cross-sectional study. DED questionnaire and ocular surface signs were evaluated. Blinking parameters including number of blinks, number of incomplete blinking (IB), and IB rate were collected from the blinking videos recorded by the K5M and Lipiview. Blinking parameters were individually collected from the DLM analyzed K5M videos and Lipiview generated results. The agreement and consistency of blinking parameters were compared between the two devices. The association of blinking parameters to DED symptoms and signs were evaluated via heatmap. RESULTS: In total, 140 eyes of 70 participants were included in this study. Lipiview presented a higher number of IB and IB rate than those from DLM-assisted K5M (P ≤ 0.006). DLM-assisted K5M captured significant differences in number of blinks, number of IB and IB rate between DED and normal subjects (P ≤ 0.035). In all three parameters, DLM-assisted K5M also showed a better consistency in repeated measurements than Lipiview with higher intraclass correlation coefficients (number of blinks: 0.841 versus 0.665; number of IB: 0.750 versus 0.564; IB rate: 0.633 versus 0.589). More correlations between blinking parameters and DED symptoms and signs were found by DLM-assisted K5M. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the number of IB from K5M exhibiting the highest area under curve of 0.773. CONCLUSIONS: DLM-assisted K5M is a useful tool to analyze blinking videos and detect abnormal blinking patterns, especially in distinguishing DED patients from normal subjects. Large sample investigations are therefore warranted to assess its clinical utility before implementation.

Effects of protein genetic variants on their phosphorylation levels, milk composition, milk proteome, and milk coagulation ability in Chinese Holstein bovine milk.

Milk samples were collected from 3625 Chinese Holstein cows to assess the effects of κ-casein (κ-CN) and ß-lactoglobulin (ß-LG) genetic variants on its milk coagulation properties. The results show that Chinese Holstein cows have a higher frequency of the κ-CN AA and AB variants, and ß-LG of the AB and AA variants. Of these, κ-CN B variants, the ß-LG AA and BB variants were more frequent in milk showing good coagulation. The effects of the genetic variants on milk composition, milk proteome, and protein phosphorylation sites were studied. The results showed that higher concentrations of protein and dry matter were found in κ-CN BE variant. Moreover, large variations in milk proteome among different κ-CN and ß-LG variants were observed. Highly phosphorylated for κ-CN, especially Ser97, was observed in cows with the κ-CN BE variant, but no effect of ß-LG variants on phosphorylation site was found. Of the various factors examined, variation of κ-CN phosphorylation sites Ser97 may be the most important in affecting casein structure and milk coagulation ability. Some milk protein contents were found to be negative factors for milk coagulation. In summary, this study showed that κ-CN genetic variants contained different milk compositions and phosphorylation site Ser97 influenced milk coagulation.

Exposure to the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Lepidodinium sp. and its cues increase toxin production of Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries.

The present study examined the defense responses of toxigenic Pseudo-nitzschia species (P. multiseries) to a mixotrophic dinoflagellate, Lepidodinium sp., and its associated cues. We evaluated their responses to different predation risks, including direct physical contact and indirect interactions facilitated by cues from Lepidodinium sp. during active feeding on heterospecific prey (Rhodonomas salina), limited feeding on conspecific prey (P. multiseries) and non-feeding (autotrophic growth in f/2 medium) states. This study is the first investigation of these trophic interactions. Our results demonstrated a significant increase in cellular domoic acid (cDA) in P. multiseries when exposed to Lepidodinium sp. and its associated cues, which was 1.38 to 2.42 times higher than the non-induced group. Notably, this increase was observed regardless of Lepidodinium sp. feeding on this toxic diatom and nutritional modes. However, the most significant increase occurred when they directly interacted. These findings suggest that P. multiseries evaluates predation risk and increases cDA production as a defensive strategy against potential grazing threats. No morphological changes were observed in P. multiseries in response to Lepidodinium sp. or its cues. P. multiseries cultured in flasks of Group L+P-P showed a decrease in growth, but Group L-P and Group L+R-P did not exhibit any decrease. These results suggest a lack of consistent trade-offs between the defense response and growth, thus an increase in cDA production may be a sustainable and efficient defense strategy for P. multiseries. Furthermore, our findings indicate that P. multiseries had no significant impact on the fitness (cell size, growth and/or grazing) of Lepidodinium sp. and R. salina, which suggests no evident toxic or allelopathic impacts on these two phytoplankton species. This study enhances our understanding of the trophic interactions between toxic diatoms and mixotrophic dinoflagellates and helps elucidate the dynamics of Harmful Algal Blooms, toxin transmission, and their impact on ecosystem health.

A 107.6 dB-DR Three-Step Incremental ADC for Motion-Tolerate Biopotential Signals Recording.

This article describes a power-efficient, high dynamic range (DR) incremental ADC (IADC) for wearable biopotential signals recording, where DC and low-frequency disturbances such as electrode offset, 50/60 Hz interference and motion artifact must be tolerated. To achieve a wide DR, the IADC performs a three-step conversion by combining zoom-SAR and extended counting (EC) on top of a second-order incremental delta-sigma modulator (ΔΣM). The hybrid architecture notably reduces the oversampling ratio (OSR) with respect to conventional incremental ΔΣMs, while using the EC further improves the Signal-to-Noise-and-Distortion Ratio (SNDR) by 7.4 to 25.6 dB. Fabricated in a 0.18-µm CMOS technology, the IADC achieves 107.6-dB DR, 104.9-dB peak SNR, and 99.3-dB peak SNDR at 2 kS/s while dissipating 130 µW from 1.8-V (analog) / 1.2-V (digital) supply. This translates to a highly competitive FoMDR of 176.5 dB. The high-DR IADC reduces the gain of the preceding instrumentation amplifier (IA) such that significant DC and low-frequency disturbances can be tolerated. The advantages of high DR have been demonstrated by wearable Electrocardiography (ECG) and Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings under motion artifact.

Noctiluca scintillans bloom alters the composition and carbohydrate utilization of associated bacterial community and enriches potential pathogenic bacterium Vibrio anguillarum.

Noctiluca scintillans (red) is a widely distributed heterotrophic dinoflagellate and a prominent red tide forming species. This study investigated the effects of Noctiluca blooms on marine microbial diversity and functionality using multi-omics approaches. Our findings revealed significant differences in the community composition of Noctiluca-associated bacteria compared to those associated with autotrophic plankton and free-living bacteria in the surrounding seawater. The dominant bacterial groups within the Noctiluca-associated community shifted at various bloom stages, which could be attributed to changes in prey composition of Noctiluca. During the non-bloom stage, Burkholderiaceae, Carnobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae dominated the community, while Vibrionaceae became dominant during the bloom stage, and Saprospiraceae, Crocinitomicaceae, and Pirellulaceae thrived during the post-bloom stage. Compared to the non-bloom stage, Noctiluca-associated bacterial community at the bloom stage exhibited significant down-regulation of genes related to complex carbohydrate metabolism, while up-regulation of genes related to glucose transportation and utilization. Furthermore, we identified Vibrio anguillarum, a potential pathogenic bacterium to marine fish, as a major component of the Vibrionaceae family during the bloom stage. The occurrence of V. anguillarum associated with Noctiluca blooms may be attributed to the increased availability of its preferred carbon sources and its high capabilities in glucose transportation, motility and chemotaxis. Moreover, the presence of Vibrio infection genes (hap, hlyA, rtxA) encoding vibriolysin, hemolysin, and RTX (Repeats-in-toxin) toxin in the V. anguillarum genome, with the hap gene showing high expression levels during Noctiluca blooms, indicates an elevated risk of infection. This study underscores the unique composition of the bacterial community associated with red tide forming heterotrophic dinoflagellates and suggests that Noctiluca cells may serve as reservoirs and vectors for pathogenic bacteria, potentially posing a threat to fish-farming and the health of other marine organisms.

Formation Mechanisms of Electronically Excited Nitrogen Molecules from N + N2 and N + N + N Collisions Revealed by Full-Dimensional Potential Energy Surfaces.

This work reports six new full-dimensional adiabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the N3 system (four 4A″ states and two 2A″ states) at the MRCI + Q/AVQZ level of theory that correlated to N2(X1Σg+) + N(4S), N2(X1Σg+) + N(2D), N2(A3Σu+) + N(4S), N2(B3Πg) + N(4S), N2(W3Δu) + N(4S), and N(4S) + N(4S) + N(4S) channels. The neural networks with a proper account of the nuclear permutation invariant symmetry of N3 were employed to fit the PESs based on about 4000 ab initio points. The accuracy of the PESs was validated by excellent agreement on the equilibrium bond length, vertical excitation energy, and dissociation energy with experimental values. Two possible mechanisms of the formation of N2(A) were found. One is that the collision occurs between N2(X) and N(4S) in the 14A″ state, followed by a nonadiabatic transition through the conical intersection with the 24A″ PES, resulting in the formation of the N2(A) + N(4S) product. The other takes place in the collision among three N(4S) atoms in the adiabatic 24A″ state, and then, N2(A) + N(4S) is formed. This is the first systematical research of the N3 system focusing on the formation of the excited states of N2 via both adiabatic and nonadiabatic pathways.

Toxicologic effect and transcriptome analysis for sub-chronic exposure to carbendazim, prochloraz, and their combination on the liver of mice.

Carbendazim (CBZ) and prochloraz (PCZ) are broad-spectrum fungicides used in agricultural peat control. Both fungicides leave large amounts of residues in fruits and are toxic to non-target organisms. However, the combined toxicity of the fungicides to non-target organisms is still unknown. Therefore, we characterized the toxic effects of dietary supplementation with CBZ, PCZ, and their combination for 90 days in 6-week-old male Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice. CBZ-H (100 mg/kg day), PCZ-H (10 mg/kg day), and their combination treatments increased the relative liver weights and caused liver injury. The serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), glucose (Glu), pyruvate (PYR), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were reduced, and synergistic toxicity was observed. Hepatic transcriptome revealed that 326 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of liver were observed in the CBZ treatment group, 149 DEGs in the PCZ treatment group, and 272 DEGs in the combination treatment group. According to KEGG enrichment analysis, the fungicides and their combination affected lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and ferroptosis. In addition, the relative mRNA levels of key genes involved in lipid metabolism were also examined. Compared with individual exposure, combined exposure to CBZ and PCZ caused a more obvious decrease in the expression of some genes related to glycolipid metabolism. Furthermore, the relative mRNA levels of some key genes in the combination treatment group were lower than those in the CBZ and PCZ treated groups. In summary, CBZ, PCZ, and their combination generally caused hepatotoxicity and glycolipid metabolism disorders, which could provide new insights for investigating the combined toxicity of multiple fungicides to animals.

Risk assessment of norovirus and hepatitis A virus in strawberries imported into China.

Norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) pose a considerable health risk worldwide. In recent years, many cases of virus infection caused by virus-contaminated strawberries have occurred worldwide. This study applied a critical control point system to analyze the main hazards during the production and marketing of strawberries imported into China and explore the key control points in the whole process. To further evaluate the risks in the supply chain, the established quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was used to determine the probability that residents would be infected with viruses after consuming imported strawberries. It was found that the risk of virus contamination from imported strawberries was low, and the virus contamination mainly results from water resources and personnel. This research helps the regulatory authorities formulate strategies to ensure the long-term microbial safety of imported strawberries. In addition, the methods may prove useful in evaluating the risks of other agricultural produce.