Relationship between low molecular weight heparin calcium therapy and prognosis in severe acute kidney injury in sepsis: Mendelian randomized analysis and retrospective study.

Background: Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) poses an independent risk for mortality due to the absence of highly sensitive biomarkers and a specific treatment plan. Objective: Investigate the association between low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) calcium therapy and prognosis in critically ill SA-AKI patients, and assess the causal relationship through Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods: A single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional study included 90 SA-AKI patients and 30 septic patients without acute kidney injury (AKI) from the intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University. SA-AKI patients were categorized into control or LMWH groups based on LMWH calcium usage. Primary outcome was renal function recovery, with secondary outcomes including 28-day mortality, ICU stay length, number of renal replacement therapy (RRT) recipients, and 90-day survival. MR and related sensitivity analyses explored causal effects. Results: The combination of heparin-binding protein (HBP), heparanase (HPA), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) demonstrated high diagnostic value for SA-AKI. MR analysis suggested a potential causal link between gene-predicted HBP and AKI (OR: 1.369, 95%CI: 1.040-1.801, p = 0.024). In the retrospective study, LMWH-treated patients exhibited improved renal function, reduced levels of HPA, HBP, Syndecan-1, and inflammation, along with enhanced immune function compared to controls. However, LMWH did not impact 28-day mortality, 90-day survival, or ICU stay length. Conclusion: LMWH could enhance renal function in SA-AKI patients. MR analysis supports this causal link, underscoring the need for further validation in randomized controlled trials.

Natural Algaecide Sphingosines Identified in Hybrid Straw Decomposition Driven by White-Rot Fungi.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs), which are promoted by eutrophication and intensified by global warming, occur worldwide. Allelochemicals, which are natural chemicals derived from plants or microbes, are emerging weapons to eliminate these blooms. However, the cost and technical challenges have limited the discovery of novel antialgal allelochemicals. Herein, the decomposition of agricultural straws is manipulated by white-rot fungi and achieved elevated antialgal efficiency. The transcriptomic analysis reveals that nutrient limitation activated fungal decomposition. By using a comparative nontarget metabolomics approach, a new type of allelochemical sphingosines (including sphinganine, phytosphingosine, sphingosine, and N-acetylsphingosine) is identified. These novel natural algaecides exhibit superior antialgal capability, with as high as an order of magnitude lower effective concentration on blooming species than other prevalent allelochemicals. The co-expression relationship between transcriptomic and metabolomic results indicate that sphinganine is strongly correlated with the differentially expressed lignocellulose degradation unigenes. The algal growth suppression is triggered by the activation of programmed cell death, malfunction of algal photosystem and antioxidant system, the disruption on CO2 assimilation and light absorption. The sphingosines reported here are a new category of allelochemicals in addition to the well-known antialgal natural chemicals, which are potential species-specific agents for HABs control identified by multi-omics methodology.

Discovery of novel anti-cyanobacterial allelochemicals by multi-conformational QSAR approach.

Microcystis aeruginosa causes cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) in various freshwater environments. Due to global climate change, the cHABs have even spread to estuaries and coasts. Plant-derived flavones have been reported as allelochemicals that efficiently inhibit the growth of M. aeruginosa. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) was applied to investigate the factors affecting the M. aeruginosa inhibitory activity of flavones, and to discover novel allelochemicals against M. aeruginosa. We constructed 2D and 3D-QSAR models based on the half maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 22 flavones against M. aeruginosa, using molecular descriptors from multiple stable conformations. Both models showed satisfactory performances (2D-QSAR: r2=0.899, q2=0.596, rtest2=0.801; 3D-QSAR: r2=0.810, q2=0.516, rtest2=0.897). The 2D-QSAR model indicates that the anti-cyanobacterial activity is positively correlated with minimum and maximum surface electrostatic potential, and negatively correlated with polarity index and polar surface area. Through the 3D-QSAR approach, electronegative hydroxyl groups in 5- and 4'-position were favorable for the anti-cyanobacterial activity. In addition, we selected six untested flavones that fit the "activity-favorable" pattern of the visualized 3D-QSAR model. Five of the external flavones exhibited significant cyanobacterial inhibitory ability at their predicted IC50 by the 3D-QSAR model. In particular, diosmetin achieved an inhibition rate of 70.50±4.74%, which was much higher than expected. The flavones screened by the 3D-QSAR model are novel cyanobacterial inhibitors and should be fully exploited to mitigate cHABs.

Sound localization and auditory selective attention in school-aged children with ADHD.

This study aimed to identify the neurophysiologic bases of auditory attention deficits in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), focusing on the electroencephalography component of auditory spatial selective attention [the N2 anterior contralateral component (N2ac)]. EEG data were collected from 7- to 11-year-old children with ADHD (n = 54) and age-, sex-, and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children (n = 61), while they performed an auditory spatial selective task. For behavior, the children with ADHD showed a shorter reaction time (RT) but a higher RT coefficient of variability (RTCV) than TD children. For ERPs, the TD group showed a significant "adult-like" N2ac component; however, the N2ac component was absent in children with ADHD. More importantly, the smaller N2ac component could predict longer RT in both groups, as well as higher severity of inattentive symptoms in children with ADHD. Our results indicated that 7- to 11-year-old TD children have developed an "adult-like" ability to balance auditory target selection and distractor suppression; the absence of N2ac in children with ADHD provided novel evidence supporting their dysfunctional auditory spatial selective attention.

Artificial light source selection in seaweed production: growth of seaweed and biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments and soluble protein.

Seaweed growth is often limited by light. Artificial light supply has been well studied in terrestrial agriculture, however, much less is known about its effect in seaweed aquaculture. In this study, the effects of four artificial light sources (white, red, green, and blue LEDs light) on a brown alga Sargassum fusiforme and a green alga Ulva pertusa were investigated. Seaweed growth, accumulation of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a and carotenoid), and soluble protein were evaluated. White LED light was the optimal supplementary light when cultivating Ulva pertusa and Sargassum fusiforme, because it promoted seaweed growth while maintaining protein production. Meanwhile, red LED was unfavored in the cultivation of S. fusiforme, as it affected the seaweed growth and has a lower residual energy ratio underneath the water. LEDs would be a promising supplementary light source for seaweed cultivation.

New insights into the harmful algae inhibition by Spartina alterniflora: Cellular physiology and metabolism of extracellular secretion.

This study investigated the response of three toxic harmful algal blooms (HABs) species, Heterosigma akashiwo, Chattonella marina, and Alexandrium tamarense to coastal invasive plant, Spartina alterniflora. In this study, the growth of three HABs species were suppressed significantly by S. alterniflora extracts, showing a dose-response relationship. The raphidophyte H. akashiwo and C. marina exhibited higher inhibitory response with EC50,7d decreased by 14% and 75% as compared to the dinoflagellate A. tamarense. C. marina was the most sensitive among the three species. S. alterniflora extracts disrupted algal cellular integrity and photosynthesis. Furthermore, the extracellular organic matters were detected by fluorescence excitation-emission matrix. Algal metabolites, protein-like substances (tyrosine-like peak and tryptophan-like peak) decreased as time prolonged and the humic-like substances (UVA marine humic-like peak) increased when algal cells were exposed to S. alterniflora extracts. These results provide new insights to the inhibition mechanism of S. alterniflora extracts on HABs species.