Description of Nesterenkonia aerolata sp. nov., an actinobacterium isolated from air of manufacturing shop in a pharmaceutical factory.

During our studies on the microorganism diversity from air of manufacturing shop in a pharmaceutical factory in Shandong province, China, a Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, cocci-shaped bacterium, designated LY-0111T, was isolated from a settling dish. Strain LY-0111T grew at temperature of 10-42 °C (optimum 35 °C), pH of 5.0-10.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and NaCl concentration of 1-12% (optimum 0.5-3%, w/v). Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the strain shared the highest sequence similarities to Nesterenkonia halophila YIM 70179T (96.2%), and was placed within the radiation of Nesterenkonia species in the phylogenetic trees. The genome of the isolate was sequenced, which comprised 2,931,270 bp with G + C content of 66.5%. A supermatrix tree based on the gene set bac120 indicated that LY-0111T was close related to Nesterenkonia xinjiangensis YIM 70097T (16S rRNA gene sequence similarity 95.3%). Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the main respiratory quinones were MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9, the predominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C15:0, and the major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol. According to the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain LY-0111T is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Nesterenkonia aerolata sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LY-0111T (= JCM 36375T = GDMCC 1.3945T). In addition, Nesterenkonia jeotgali was proposed as a later synonym of Nesterenkonia sandarakina, according to the ANI (96.8%) and dDDH (72.9%) analysis between them.

Unlocking the Potential of Zebrafish Research with Artificial Intelligence: Advancements in Tracking, Processing, and Visualization.

Zebrafish have become a widely accepted model organism for biomedical research due to their strong cortisol stress response, behavioral strain differences, and sensitivity to both drug treatments and predators. However, experimental zebrafish studies generate substantial data that must be analyzed through objective, accurate, and repeatable analysis methods. Recently, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled automated tracking, image recognition, and data analysis, leading to more efficient and insightful investigations. In this review, we examine key AI applications in zebrafish research, including behavior analysis, genomics, and neuroscience. With the development of deep learning technology, AI algorithms have been used to precisely analyze and identify images of zebrafish, enabling automated testing and analysis. By applying AI algorithms in genomics research, researchers have elucidated the relationship between genes and biology, providing a better basis for the development of disease treatments and gene therapies. Additionally, the development of more effective neuroscience tools could help researchers better understand the complex neural networks in the zebrafish brain. In the future, further advancements in AI technology are expected to enable more extensive and in-depth medical research applications in zebrafish, improving our understanding of this important animal model. This review highlights the potential of AI technology in achieving the full potential of zebrafish research by enabling researchers to efficiently track, process, and visualize the outcomes of their experiments.

Expression of nerve growth factor carried by pseudotyped lentivirus improves neuron survival and cognitive functional recovery of post-ischemia in rats.

AIMS: Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been reported to prevent neuronal damage and contributes to the functional recovery in animal brain injury models and human ischemic disease as well. We aimed to investigate a potential therapeutic effect of NGF gene treatment in ischemic stroke and to estimate the functional recovery both at the cellular and cognitive levels in an ischemia rat model. METHODS: After microinjection of pseudolentivirus-delivered ß-NGF into an established ischemic stroke model in rats (tMCAO), we estimated neuronal cell apoptosis with TUNEL labeling and neurogenesis by cell proliferation marker Ki67 staining in both ischemic core and penumbra of striatum. Furthermore, we used behavioral functional tests, Morris water maze performance, to evaluate cognitive functional recovery in vivo and propose a potential underlying mechanism. RESULTS: We found that pseudolentivirus-mediated delivery of ß-NGF gene into the brain induced high expression in striatum of the infarct core area after ischemia in rats. The ß-NGF overexpression in the striatal infarction core after ischemia not only improved neuronal survival by reducing cell apoptosis and increasing cell proliferation, but also rescued cognitive functional impairment through upregulation of GAP-43 protein expression in tMCAO rat model of ischemia. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a potential ß-NGF gene therapy by utilization of pseudolentivirus in ischemia and indicates future applications of NGF gene treatment in ischemic patients.

Global transcriptomic study of atherosclerosis development in rats.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease of the arterial wall and a leading cause of death worldwide. Though the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic lesion formation has been studied, we still lack evidence of the global changes in the artery during atherosclerosis. In this report, we induced atherosclerosis in rats and conducted GeneChip analysis on carotid arteries with or without plaque formation. We found that molecular pathways underlying plaque formation in atherosclerosis were related to immune response, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, apoptosis and hypoxic microenvironments, suggesting that the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis is varied. In addition, we showed that three lncRNAs, GAS5, SNHG6 and Zfas1, were significantly increased in the plaque of atherosclerosis patients compared to normal people. A complex interaction of mRNA and lncRNA was identified in atherosclerosis. Our results provide a global transcriptomic network of atherosclerosis development in rats and possible targets that could lead to new clinical applications in the future.

Direct hippocampal injection of pseudo lentivirus-delivered nerve growth factor gene rescues the damaged cognitive function after traumatic brain injury in the rat.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment is a long-term process and requires repeated medicine administration, which, however, can cause high expense, infection, and hemorrhage to patients. To investigate how a long-term expression of nerve growth factor (Ngf) gene affects the injured hippocampus function post-TBI, in this study, a pseudo lentivirus carrying the ß-Ngf fusion gene, with green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene, was constructed to show the gene expression and its ability of protecting cells from oxidative damage in vitro. Then, the pseudo lentivirus-carried ß-Ngf fusion gene was directly injected into the injured brain to evaluate its influence on the injured hippocampus function post-TBI in vivo. We found that the expression of the pseudo lentivirus-delivered ß-Ngf fusion gene lasted more than four-week after the cell transduction and the encoded ß-NGF fusion protein could induce the neuron-like PC12 cell differentiation. Moreover, the hippocampal injection of the pseudo lentivirus-carried ß-Ngf fusion gene sped the injured cognitive function recovery of the rat subjected to TBI. Together, our findings indicate that the long-term expression of the ß-Ngf fusion gene, delivered by the pseudo lentivirus, can promote the neurite outgrowth of the neuron-like cells and protect the cells from the oxidative damage in vitro, and that the direct and single dose hippocampal injection of the pseudo lentivirus-carried ß-Ngf fusion gene is able to rescue the hippocampus function after the TBI in the rat.

Neurocognitive improvement after carotid artery stenting in patients with chronic internal carotid artery occlusion: a prospective, controlled, single-center study.

Symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion with hemodynamic impairment remains a dismal disease when untreated. In this prospective, single-center, controlled study, we investigated the feasibility, safety, and long-term outcome of stenting by endovascular recanalization for patients with chronic ICA occlusion. Forty patients with symptomatic chronically occluded ICA were assigned to receive endovascular recanalization (group A, n = 18) or conservative management (group B, n = 22). The primary end point was 100% complete recanalization of the primary occlusion at 60 minutes, and secondary end points were improvement in neurologic function and cognitive function. Patients in the 2 groups were comparable in demographic and baseline characteristics. Successful recanalization was achieved in 88.9% (16 of 18) of patients with the restoration of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Ischemia/Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia 2 or 3 flow. There was no procedural or new cerebral ischemic event. Improvement in brain perfusion was observed in 12 (12 of 18, 75%) patients on single-photon emission computed tomography. Improvement in neurologic function defined as a reduction of ≥4 points on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at 6 months was observed in group A (baseline, 6.83 ± 3.01 vs 6 months, 2.61 ± 1.20; P < .01) and group B (baseline, 6.05 ± 2.75 vs 6 months, 4.77 ± 1.69; P < .05). A significant difference in NIHSS scores was noted between group A and B at 1, 3, and 6 months (P < .05 or .001). Improvement in cognitive function defined as an increase of ≥8 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was observed in group A at 3 and 6 months (baseline, 14.67 ± 3.56 vs 3 months, 24.17 ± 3.55 and 6 months, 24.72 ± 2.85; P < .01). Significant improvement in MoCA was also observed in group B (P < .01). Furthermore, a significant difference in MoCA scores was noted between group A and B at 1, 3, and 6 months (P < .05 or .001). Endovascular recanalization is feasible and safe for patients with symptomatic chronic carotid artery occlusion. Successful carotid artery stenting can improve neurological function and global cognitive function than nonrevascularization.

Over expression of PPP2R2C inhibits human glioma cells growth through the suppression of mTOR pathway.

PPP2R2C encodes a gamma isoform of the subunit B55 subfamily, which is a regulatory subunit of Protein phosphatase type 2A (PP2A). Our study shows that PPP2R2C is downregulated in glioma cells and human brain cancer patient samples. Overexpression of PPP2R2C inhibited cancer cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo through the suppression of the activity of S6K in the mTOR pathway. Moreover, exogenous expression of PPP2R2C promoted the formation of a complex with the PP2A-C subunit to further enhance the binding of PP2A-C with S6K. Our results suggest that PPP2R2C is a potential tumor suppressor gene in human brain cancers. This study will provide novel insight into the development of therapeutic strategies in the treatment of human brain tumors.