Biological and genomic characterization of 4 novel bacteriophages isolated from sewage or the environment using non-aureus Staphylococci strains.

Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) are an essential group of bacteria causing antimicrobial resistant intramammary infections in livestock, particularly dairy cows. Therefore, bacteriophages emerge as a potent bactericidal agent for NAS mastitis. This study aimed to obtain NAS-specific bacteriophages using bacterial strains isolated from cows with mastitis, subsequently evaluating their morphological, genomic, and lytic characteristics. Four distinct NAS bacteriophages were recovered from sewage or the environment of Chinese dairy farms; PT1-1, PT94, and PT1-9 were isolated using Staphylococcus chromogenes and PT1-4 using Staphylococcus gallinarum. Both PT1-1 (24/54, 44 %) and PT94 (28/54, 52 %) had broader lysis than PT1-4 (3/54, 6 %) and PT1-9 (10/54, 19 %), but PT1-4 and PT1-9 achieved cross-species lysis. All bacteriophages had a short latency period and good environmental tolerance, including surviving at pH=4-10 and at 30-60℃. Except for PT1-9, all bacteriophages had excellent bactericidal efficacy within 5 h of co-culture with host bacteria in vitro at various multiplicity of infection (MOIs). Based on whole genome sequencing, average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis of PT1-1 and PT94 can be classified as the same species, consistent with whole-genome synteny analysis. Although motifs shared by the 4 bacteriophages differed little from those of other bacteriophages, a phylogenetic tree based on functional proteins indicated their novelty. Moreover, based on whole genome comparisons, we inferred that cross-species lysis of bacteriophage may be related to the presence of "phage tail fiber." In conclusion 4 novel NAS bacteriophages were isolated; they had good biological properties and unique genomes, with potential for NAS mastitis therapy.

Gut brain interaction theory reveals gut microbiota mediated neurogenesis and traditional Chinese medicine research strategies.

Adult neurogenesis is the process of differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) into neurons and glial cells in certain areas of the adult brain. Defects in neurogenesis can lead to neurodegenerative diseases, mental disorders, and other maladies. This process is directionally regulated by transcription factors, the Wnt and Notch pathway, the extracellular matrix, and various growth factors. External factors like stress, physical exercise, diet, medications, etc., affect neurogenesis and the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota may affect NSCs through vagal, immune and chemical pathways, and other pathways. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been proven to affect NSCs proliferation and differentiation and can regulate the abundance and metabolites produced by intestinal microorganisms. However, the underlying mechanisms by which these factors regulate neurogenesis through the gut microbiota are not fully understood. In this review, we describe the recent evidence on the role of the gut microbiota in neurogenesis. Moreover, we hypothesize on the characteristics of the microbiota-gut-brain axis based on bacterial phyla, including microbiota's metabolites, and neuronal and immune pathways while providing an outlook on TCM's potential effects on adult neurogenesis by regulating gut microbiota.

Fe2O3/Porous Carbon Composite Derived from Oily Sludge Waste as an Advanced Anode Material for Supercapacitor Application.

It is urgent to improve the electrochemical performance of anode for supercapacitors. Herein, we successfully prepare Fe2O3/porous carbon composite materials (FPC) through hydrothermal strategies by using oily sludge waste. The hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) substrate and fine loading of Fe2O3 nanorods are all important for the electrochemical performance. The HPC substrate could not only promote the surface capacitance effect but also improve the utilization efficiency of Fe2O3 to enhance the pseudo-capacitance. The smaller and uniform Fe2O3 loading is also beneficial to optimize the pore structure of the electrode and enlarge the interface for faradaic reactions. The as-prepared FPC shows a high specific capacitance of 465 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, good rate capability of 66.5% retention at 20 A g-1, and long cycling stability of 88.4% retention at 5 A g-1 after 4000 cycles. In addition, an asymmetric supercapacitor device (ASC) constructed with FPC as the anode and MnO2/porous carbon composite (MPC) as the cathode shows an excellent power density of 72.3 W h kg-1 at the corresponding power density of 500 W kg-1 with long-term cycling stability. Owing to the outstanding electrochemical characteristics and cycling performance, the associated materials' design concept from oily sludge waste has large potential in energy storage applications and environmental protection.

The lncRNA PVT1/miR-423-5p axis is positively correlated with the severity of bronchial asthma.

Bronchial asthma (BA) is a serious problem affecting the quality of life of patients. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in BA. This study set out to investigate expressions of PVT1/miR-423-5p in the serum of BA patients and its clinical value on BA diagnosis and evaluation. This study included the same number (N = 100) of patients with BA at remission (BA-R), BA at exacerbation (BA-E), and healthy controls. PVT1 level was increased in BA-R and BA-E patients, and PVT1 level was higher in BA-E patients than BA-R patients. miR-141-3p targeted PVT1. miR-423-5p was downregulated in the serum of BA patients and was negatively correlated with PVT1. Area under ROC curve of PVT1/miR-423-5p axis on BA-R patients was 0.837 with sensitivity 0.74, specificity 0.84, while that of BA-E was 0.974 with sensitivity 0.87 and specificity 0.95. PVT1/miR-423-5p axis was negatively correlated with FEV1/FVC, FEV1% pred, and IL-10, and positively correlated with IgE, TNF-α, and IL-6. PVT1 and PVT1/miR-423-5p axis were associated with increased severity while miR-423-5p axis was negatively associated with BA severity. In conclusion, increased levels of PVT1/miR-423-5p had higher diagnostic efficiency on BA patients, especially patients with acute exacerbation.

Analysis of risk factors for Gleason score upgrading after radical prostatectomy in a Chinese cohort.

BACKGROUND: To study the risk factors of Gleason score upgrading (GSU) after radical prostatectomy (RP) in a Chinese cohort. METHODS: The data of 637 patients who underwent prostate biopsy and RP in our hospital from January 2014 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The age, body mass index (BMI), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, testosterone (TT) level, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (ELR), aspartate aminotransferase/alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio, clinical stage, the biopsy method, and pathological characteristics of specimens after biopsy and RP were collected for all patients. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of GSU after RP. The predictive efficacy was verified with the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We performed the analysis separately in the overall cohort and in the cohort with Gleason score (GS) = 6. RESULTS: In the overall cohort, 177 patients (27.79%) had GSU, and in the GS = 6 cohort, 68 patients (60.18%) had GSU. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in the overall cohort, clinical stage ≥T2c (OR = 3.201, p < 0.001), the number of positive cores ≥3 (OR = 0.435, p = 0.04), and positive rate of biopsy (OR = 0.990, p = 0.016) can affect whether GS is upgraded, and the AUC of the combination of the three indicators for predicting the occurrence of GSU was 0.627. In the GS = 6 cohort, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that clinical stage ≥T2c (OR = 4.690, p = 0.001) was a risk factor for GSU, and the AUC predicted to occur GSU is 0.675. CONCLUSION: Clinical stage ≥T2c, the number of positive cores <3, and lower positive rate of biopsy are the risk factors of GSU. This study may provide some references for clinicians to judge the accuracy of biopsy pathological grading and formulate treatment strategies, but the specific effect still needs clinical practice certification.

The association between sleep duration and prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The association between sleep duration and prostate cancer (PCa) risk is still unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore if sleep duration is associated with PCa in men.A comprehensive literature search was conducted in November 2019 based on the Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. After extracting the data, the random effects model was used to calculate the pooled Risk Ratio (RR) and it's 95% confidence interval (CI) to represent the correlation between sleep duration and PCa risk.Overall, we included 6 studies in our meta-analysis. Our pooled results showed that neither short sleep (RR = 0.99; 95%CI:0.91-1.07, P = .74) nor long sleep (RR = 0.88; 95%CI:0.75-1.04, P = .15) was associated with the risk of PCa.Sleep duration has no significant effect on PCa risk. Long sleep may have a potential protective effect on PCa incidence.

Prostate biopsy free system for laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in a pituitary dwarfism: a case report.

Prostate biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. However, not all patients are suitable for prostate biopsy. For example, some patients have anal stenosis, some patients are too old to withstand the pain caused by puncture, patients who are unwilling to undergo prostate biopsy. We found that there was currently no literature report on a specific solution to this problem. This is the first report of a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) in a pituitary dwarfism who didn't have a prostate biopsy before LRP due to anal stenosis. And this report added a new method to diagnose prostate cancer. We present a case of a 61-year-old pituitary dwarfism who had a prostate specific antigen (PSA) of 32.13 ng/mL by physical examination and didn't perform prostate biopsy due to anal stenosis. Preoperative prostate MRI suggests a low-signal mass on the left side of the prostate and 68Ga PSMA-11 PET/CT demonstrated that Abnormally high PSMA and CHO uptake on the left side of the prostate. Therefore, combined with the patient's PSA, MRI and 68Ga PSMA-11 PET/CT, our clinical diagnosis was prostate cancer. Surgery was difficult due to narrow pelvic space, but achievable through LRP. Histological analysis revealed multifocal prostate cancer, with negative surgical margins and no extraprostatic extension. Postoperative patient had no serious complications and was discharged. Based on this case, For the first time, we proposed to make full use of the results of clinical tests and imaging examinations for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases without prostate biopsy.

Characterization of the endothiapepsin-like protein in the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana and its virulence effect on the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Endothiapepsin is an aspartic proteinase that was first isolated from the plant pathogenic fungus Endothia parasitica. In previous studies, we reported on three endothiapepsin-like proteins in the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana; the genes were up-regulated in B. bassiana hyper-virulent strain GXsk1011 at early stage infection in the silkworm. However, whether these proteins play a role in pathogenicity or not remains unknown. In this study, we cloned one protein, BbepnL-1 gene (BBA-07766), that has 98% homology with B. bassiana strain Bb2860, and expressed it in the yeast Pichia pastoris to investigate its function. The endothiapepsin-like protein is a secreted proteinase of molecular weight approximately 40 kDa. It has an N-glycosylation site and a mutation in the C-terminal conserved domain- a Thr was mutated to Gly in B. bassiana GXsk1011 and is different than the endothiapepsin of Endothia parasitica. The recombinant endothiapepsin-like protein showed enzyme activity and degraded the protein components of the silkworm cuticle. To further investigate the activity of the endothiapepsin-like protein, we knocked out the gene BbepnL-1 and showed that the loss of BbepnL-1 reduced the virulence in the silkworm. These results demonstrated that the endothiapepsin-like protein of B. bassiana is a virulence factor.

Transcriptomic analysis of two Beauveria bassiana strains grown on cuticle extracts of the silkworm uncovers their different metabolic response at early infection stage.

Beauveria bassiana is an important entomopathogenic fungus which not only widely distributes in the environment but also shows phenotypic diversity. However, the mechanism of pathogenic differences among natural B. bassiana strains has not been revealed at transcriptome-wide level. In the present study, in order to explore the mechanism, two B. bassiana strains with different pathogenicity were isolated from silkworms (Bombyx mori L.) and selected to analyze the gene expression of early stage by culturing on cuticle extracts of the silkworm and using RNA-sequencing technique. A total of 2108 up-regulated and 1115 down-regulated genes were identified in B. bassiana strain GXsk1011 (hyper-virulent strain) compared with B. bassiana strain GXtr1009 (hypo-virulent strain), respectively. The function categorization of differential expressed genes (DEGs) showed that most of them involved in metabolic process, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, catalytic activity, and some involved in nutrition uptake, adhesion and host defense were also noted. Based on our data, distinct pathogenicity among different strains of B. bassiana may largely attribute to unique gene expression pattern which differed at very early infection process. Most of the genes involved in conidia adhesion, cuticle degradation and fungal growth were up-regulated in hyper-virulent B. bassiana strain GXsk1011. Furthermore, in combination with fungal growth analysis, our research provided a clue that fungal growth may also play an important role during early infection process. The results will help to explain why different B. bassiana strains show distinct pathogenicity on the same host even under same condition. Moreover, the transcriptome data were also useful for screening potential virulence factors.

Characterization of and biomolecule immobilization on the biocompatible multi-walled carbon nanotubes generated by functionalization with polyamidoamine dendrimers.

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were covalently tethered onto the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The morphology and dispersive properties of the MWCNT-PAMAM hybrids were characterized and the peripheral functional groups were identified. Cytotoxicity to human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells, and protein and DNA immobilization ability of the hybrids were evaluated in detail. The dendrimers were present on the surface of MWCNTs in high density. The MWCNT-PAMAM hybrids exhibited good dispersibility and stability in aqueous solution. We showed that the hybrids are biocompatible, with no obvious cytotoxicity at concentration <25 microgmL(-1) over 24h. They possess excellent biomolecule-immobilization ability (bovine serum albumin and 5'-Fam-CAAggTCgTgTAAAggTCAg-3' were used as models). The functionalization of MWCNTs with PAMAM dendrimers improved the biomolecule-immobilization ability 70-fold and simultaneously decreased the cellular toxicity by about 30%. It is expected that the MWCNT-PAMAM hybrids will find promising applications in biosensors and biomolecule delivery systems in gene or protein therapy.

[Water distribution patterns in different degraded desert grasslands of Reaumuria soongorica].

Water distribution pattern and water use-efficiency in soil-plant-atmosphere system for light, medium, and heavy degraded Reaumuria soongorica grasslands were studied in Alashan region of Inner Mongolia. The total precipitation in 2001 was 124.3 mm, of which 119.4 mm occured during experimental period. Soil water content (SWC) in 10-40 cm layer was greatly affected by the evapotranspiration. The SWC in 10-20 cm layer of medium degraded grassland paddock was significantly lower (P < 0.05), and the SWC in 20-40 cm layer of light degraded paddock was lower than that of other paddocks due to different transpiration rate and root distribution depth between the main co-existing plant species of R. soongorica and Cleistogenes soongorica in the paddocks. The annual average bare land evaporation and R. soongorica population transpiration were 30.6 mm and 11.9 mm, respectively. As the grassland further degraded, the bare land evaporation and transpiration through Peganum nigellastrum population, a degradation indicating plant species, increased, while the transpiration of R. soongorica decreased. In addition, the water use-efficiency of the grassland and dominant plant species markedly decreased with the increasing grassland degradation. Compared to the light degraded paddocks, for instance, the water use-efficiency of medium and heavy degraded paddocks were reduced by 14.6% and 46.1% for total biomass production, and by 37.8% and 73.8% for R. soongorica, respectively.