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[Display omitted] • OEO significantly changed the microbial communities and metabolic functions. • The pathogens had a strong significant correlation with multidrug resistance genes. • OH treatment reduced the critical, high, and medium priority pathogens. • OEO could inhibit the multidrug resistance genes at the end of sludge composting. • Target MGEs and VFs were the key factors for reducing multidrug resistance genes. Multidrug-resistant bacteria and multi-resistance genes in sludge have become a serious issue for public health. It is imperative to develop feasible and environmentally friendly methods of sludge composting to alleviate multidrug resistance genes. Plant-derived essential oil is an effective natural and eco-friendly antibacterial, which has great utilization in inhibiting pathogens in the agricultural industry. Nevertheless, the application of plant-derived essential oil to control pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance in composting has not been reported. This study conducted a composting system by adding plant-derived essential oil i.e., oregano essential oil (OEO), to sludge composting. The findings indicated that multidrug resistance genes and priority pathogens (critical, high, and medium categories) were reduced by (17.0 ± 2.2)% and (26.5 ± 3.0)% in the addition of OEO (OH treatment) compared to control. Besides, the OH treatment changed the bacterial community and enhanced the gene sequences related to carbohydrate metabolism in compost microorganisms. Mantel test and variation partitioning analysis revealed that the target virulence factors (VFs), target mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and priority pathogens were the most important factors affecting multidrug resistance in composting. The OH treatment could significantly inhibit the target VFs, target MGEs, and priority pathogens, which were helpful for the suppression and elimination of multidrug resistance genes. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of multidrug resistance genes during sludge composting and a novel way to diminish the environmental risk of antibiotic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein phosphatase 2 C (PP2C) gene family is known for regulating a variety of abiotic stresses in plants. However, little is currently understood about this gene family in jute. In this study, a total of 60 CcPP2C genes were identified in jute, which were named from CcPP2C1 to CcPP2C60 according to the order of their physical coordinates. These CcPP2C proteins contained about 162–1324 amimo acids. Their isoelectric points varied in the range of 4.51–9.45, and their molecular weights varied from 18.307 to 146.906 kDa. The evolutionary tree of PP2Cs in jute and Arabidopsis indicated that PP2Cs can be divided into 12 branches. Sixty-seven collinear gene pairs were identified between 42 CcPP2Cs and 62 AtPP2Cs by analyzing the whole genome collinearity data of jute and Arabidopsis. The analyses of conserved motifs in these CcPP2C proteins and cis -elements in the promoters revealed that CcPP2Cs might play an extensive role in responses to various abiotic stresses in jute. Particularly, the expression patterns of CcPP2Cs in group A under salt treatments showed that CcPP2C51 was up-regulated under various stress treatments. And CcPP2C51 was localized in the nucleus and cell membrane. In Arabidopsis , the overexpression of CcPP2C51 positively regulated the salt-tolerance genes. Also, the overexpression of CcPP2C51 improved the salt tolerance of jute regenerated roots. This study revealed the origin and evolution of PP2C genes in jute, and provides potential possibilities for molecular breeding of jute. [Display omitted] • A total of 60 CcPP2C genes were identified in jute • These 60 CcPP2C genes are evolutionarily conserved and might be involved in stresses • Different expression patterns were observed under salt treatment in CcPP2Cs • CcPP2C51 was found to be localized in the nucleus and cell membrane • Overexpression of CcPP2C51 in Arabidopsis and jute resulted in salt tolerance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar transporter proteins (STPs) play an important role in plant growth and development and stress resistance. Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a significant economic crop and is widely cultivated worldwide. However, the evolution and the roles of STP genes in the growth and development and in coping with abiotic stresses in pepper are poorly known. Here, we characterized STP gene family in pepper through integration of chromosomal location, gene structure, conserved motif, phylogeny, expression patterns in different tissues and abiotic stresses. Using bioinformatics-based methods, we identified 17 putative STP genes in pepper. Chromosome mapping indicated that they are unevenly distributed on 9 chromosomes and there are tandem duplication events. Gene structure analysis revealed that intron numbers among these CaSTP genes ranged from 2 to 5, except that CaSTP12 and CaSTP13 genes contained no introns. The phylogenetic tree of STP genes from pepper and other plant species revealed that STP genes were grouped into 4 subfamilies, suggesting that these gene subfamilies may have diverged from a single common ancestor prior to the mono-dicot split. Gene expression analysis based on RNA-seq data showed that three genes were expressed constitutively in all the tissues analyzed, implying that these genes might have specific function in pepper. Stress data analysis showed that the expression profiles of some members of the CaSTP gene family were altered under cold, heat, salt and hormone stress conditions. The present results will provide valuable information into the evolutionary relationships and functional divergence of the STP family in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic shielding (EMI) materials are becoming more and more important because of the increasingly serious radiation pollution. The preparation of high mechanical strength, ultrathin, lightweight, flexible materials with excellent EMI shielding performance have so far been elusive. Here, we try to prepare an ultrathin, lightweight and flexible film with excellent EMI shielding performance using one-dimensional aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and two-dimensional few-layered Ti 3 C 2 T x through a simple filtration method. The ultimate tensile strength and strain of the film are up to 116.71 MPa and 2.64%. The EMI shielding effectiveness and the specific EMI shielding efficiency are 34.71 dB and 21971.37 dB cm2 g−1, which will be no recession after 1000 times bending. Our results show that a practical EMI shielding material with excellent performances has been successfully prepared, which will be widely applied in wearable electronics, robot joints, and precision instrument protection and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NBS-LRR (nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat) is one of the largest resistance gene families in plants. The completion of the genome sequencing of wild tomato Solanum pimpinellifolium provided an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the NBS-LRR gene superfamily at the genome-wide level. In this study, gene identification, chromosome mapping, and phylogenetic analysis of the NBS-LRR gene family were analyzed using the bioinformatics methods. The results revealed 245 NBS-LRRs in total, similar to that in the cultivated tomato. These genes are unevenly distributed on 12 chromosomes, and ~59.6% of them form gene clusters, most of which are tandem duplications. Phylogenetic analysis divided the NBS-LRRs into 2 subfamilies (CNL-coiled-coil NBS-LRR and TNL-TIR NBS-LRR), and the expansion of the CNL subfamily was more extensive than the TNL subfamily. Novel conserved structures were identified through conserved motif analysis between the CNL and TNL subfamilies. Compared with the NBS-LRR sequences from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, wide genetic variation occurred after the divergence of S. pimpinellifolium and A thaliana. Species-specific expansion was also found in the CNL subfamily in S. pimpinellifolium. The results of this study provide the basis for the deeper analysis of NBS-LRR resistance genes and contribute to mapping and isolation of candidate resistance genes in S. pimpinellifolium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Trem1 was upregulated after skin wounding as well as after macrophage β2-AR activation. • β2-AR agonists impair wound healing and exacerbate the inflammatory response in wounds. • Activation of macrophage β2 receptor promotes Trem1 expression via the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. • Activation of macrophage β2 receptor amplifies the inflammatory response induced by LPS stimulation through upregulation of Trem1. Inflammation is an important part of the wound healing process. The stress hormone epinephrine has been demonstrated to modulate the inflammatory response via its interaction with β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR). However, the precise molecular mechanism through which β2-AR exerts its influence on inflammation during the wound healing process remains an unresolved question. Transcriptome datasets of wound and macrophages from the GEO database were reanalyzed using bioinformatics. The role of β2-AR in wound healing was explored by a mouse hind paw plantar wound model, and histological analyses were performed to assess wound healing. In vivo and in vitro assays were performed to elucidate the role of β2-AR on the inflammatory response. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (Trem1) was knocked down with siRNA on RAW cells and western blot and qPCR assays were performed. Trem1 was upregulated within 24 h of wounding, and macrophage β2-AR activation also upregulated Trem1. In vivo experiments demonstrated that β2-AR agonists impaired wound healing, accompanied by upregulation of Trem1 and activation of cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway, as well as by a high level of pro-inflammatory cytokine production. In vitro experiments showed that macrophage β2-AR activation amplified LPS-induced inflammation, and knockdown of Trem1 reversed this effect. Using activator and inhibitor of cAMP, macrophage β2-AR activation was confirmed to upregulate Trem1 via the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. Our study found that β2-AR agonists increase Trem1 expression in wounds, accompanied by amplification of the inflammatory response, impairing wound healing. β2-AR activation in RAW cells induces Trem1 upregulation via the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway and amplifies LPS-induced inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NBS-LRR (nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat) is one of the largest resistance gene families in plants. The completion of the genome sequencing of wild tomato Solanum pimpinellifolium provided an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the NBS-LRR gene superfamily at the genome-wide level. In this study, gene identification, chromosome mapping, and phylogenetic analysis of the NBS-LRR gene family were analyzed using the bioinformatics methods. The results revealed 245 NBS-LRRs in total, similar to that in the cultivated tomato. These genes are unevenly distributed on 12 chromosomes, and ~59.6% of them form gene clusters, most of which are tandem duplications. Phylogenetic analysis divided the NBS-LRRs into 2 subfamilies (CNL-coiled-coil NBS-LRR and TNL-TIR NBS-LRR), and the expansion of the CNL subfamily was more extensive than the TNL subfamily. Novel conserved structures were identified through conserved motif analysis between the CNL and TNL subfamilies. Compared with the NBS-LRR sequences from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, wide genetic variation occurred after the divergence of S. pimpinellifolium and A thaliana. Species-specific expansion was also found in the CNL subfamily in S. pimpinellifolium. The results of this study provide the basis for the deeper analysis of NBS-LRR resistance genes and contribute to mapping and isolation of candidate resistance genes in S. pimpinellifolium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nitrogen removal from landfill leachate via anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process has been considered as an innovative and sustainable approach to the traditional nitrification and denitrification process. However, the various technologies for rapid start-up of Anammox are still being explored. In this study, two strategies (inoculating anaerobic sludge and without inoculation) were applied to treat landfill leachate based on biological nitrogen removal processes. The start-up and mechanism of de-nitrogen process in landfill bioreactor was explored using 15N stable isotopic tracing, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and high-throughput sequencing methods. Results showed that inoculating anaerobic sludge was beneficial to enhance the nitrogen removal at the initial stage (from day 10 to day 25), but no significant increase was found during days 25–55 (p > 0.05). 15N stable isotopic tracing demonstrated that the inoculation of sludge accelerated by denitrification other than Anammox. Inoculation of sludge was conducive to increase of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB)- amoA and niK genes. Thauera was the dominant genus for nitrogen removal due to inoculation of sludge in landfill bioreactor, whereas the abundance of Candidatus Kuenenia did not increase by inoculating the sludge. Moreover, seeding anaerobic sludge could not provide Anammox's ecological niches. The results will provide a scientific basis for the selection of suitable operational condition for the rapid start-up in the landfill bioreactor. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Seeding sludge was beneficial to enhancing the nitrogen removal at the initial stage. • Inoculation of sludge accelerated by denitrification other than Anammox. • Thauera was the dominant genus for nitrogen removal due to inoculation of sludge. • Seeding anaerobic sludge could not provide Anammox's ecological niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To assess the predictive value of early‐stage physiological time‐series (PTS) data and non‐interrogative electronic health record (EHR) signals, collected within 24 h of ICU admission, for traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient outcomes. Methods: Using data from TBI patients in the multi‐center eICU database, we focused on in‐hospital mortality, neurological status based on the Glasgow Coma Score (mGCS) motor subscore at discharge, and prolonged ICU stay (PLOS). Three machine learning (ML) models were developed, utilizing EHR features, PTS signals collected 24 h after ICU admission, and their combination. External validation was performed using the MIMIC III dataset, and interpretability was enhanced using the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) algorithm. Results: The analysis included 1085 TBI patients. Compared to individual models and existing scoring systems, the combination of EHR and PTS features demonstrated comparable or even superior performance in predicting in‐hospital mortality (AUROC = 0.878), neurological outcomes (AUROC = 0.877), and PLOS (AUROC = 0.835). The model's performance was validated in the MIMIC III dataset, and SHAP algorithms identified six key intervention points for EHR features related to prognostic outcomes. Moreover, the EHR results (All AUROC >0.8) were translated into online tools for clinical use. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of early‐stage PTS signals in predicting TBI patient outcomes. The integration of interpretable algorithms and simplified prediction tools can support treatment decision‐making, contributing to the development of accurate prediction models and timely clinical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract MXene, as a new 2-dimensional (2D) material, has excellently potential applications in the field of electrochemistry owing to its high conductivity and fast charge transporting speed. Especially, MXene/polymer composites have attracted widely attentions due to their extensive application in the area of multi-functional materials. Herein, the composites of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene/polyaniline (PANI) with different PANI contents have been successfully prepared. The microwave absorption mechanism of these materials was investigated. Attributing to the multiple layer structure, the dielectric property of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene and PANI, and the synergistic effect between the Ti 3 C 2 T x and PANI, the as-prepared composites possessed a specific microwave absorbing behavior. With a proper content of PANI, the MXene/PANI composites in a paraffin matrix exhibited a maximum reflection loss of −56.30 dB at 13.80 GHz with the thickness of 1.8 mm. In addition, the effective absorption bandwidth (>90%) ranged from X-band (8–12.4 GHz) to Ku-band (12.4–18 GHz) with the tunable thickness ranging from 1.5 to 2.6 mm. The results indicate that MXene/PANI composites has great potential to be used in the field of microwave absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illumina MiSeq sequencing and phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) were applied to study the dynamic changes and effects of microbial community structures as well as the metabolic function of bacterial community in maize straw composting process. Results showed that humic acid contents in loosely combined humus (HA1) and stably combined humus (HA2) increased after composting and Staphylococcus , Cellulosimicrobium and Ochrobactrum possibly participated in the transformation of the process. The bacterial communities differed in different stages of the composting. Firmicutes , Proteobacteria , Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were reported the dominant phyla throughout the process and the relative abundance of the dominant phyla varied significantly (p < 0.05) over time. Moreover, the total phosphorus (TP) had the greatest influence on the microbial community structure among C/N ratio, available phosphorus (AP) and humic substances. Metabolism, cellular processes and environmental information processing might be the primary functions of microbial community during the composting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 350 million tons of solid waste is disposed of in landfills every year globally, with millions of cubic meters of landfill leachates released into neighboring environment. However, to date, little is known about the variations of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in on-site leachate treatment systems and its development in leachate-receiving water environment. Here, we quantified 7 subtypes of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), 3 types of culturable antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and 6 subtypes of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the effluents from a combined leachate treatment process, including biological treatment (MBR), physical separation (UF), ultraviolet (UV) disinfection and advanced oxidation process (AOP). The contents of ARGs, ARB and MGEs were generally enriched by the MBR, but then decreased significantly along with the tertiary treatment process. However, in the effluent-receiving water samples, the abundance of dominant ARGs (i.e. ermB , sul1 , bla TEM ) increased by 1.5 orders of magnitude within 96 h, alongside a general increase of MGEs (~10.0 log 10 (copies/mL) and total ARB (~1100 CFU/mL). Structural correlation analyses reveal that target ARGs were closely associated with MGEs, particularly in effluent-receiving samples (Procrustes test; M 2  = 0.49, R  = 0.71, P  = 0.001); and occurrences of ARB were majorly affected by ARG's distribution and environmental conditions (e.g. nitrogen speciation) in effluent and recipient groups, respectively. This study indicates that current treatment technologies and operation protocols are not feasible in countering the development of AMR in effluent-receiving water environment, particularly in tidal rivers that are capable of retaining contaminants for a long residence time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MFC was studied using young and old landfill leachate substrate to remove pollutants and produce renewable energy coupled with study of anodic microbiomes. The power output of 96.8 mWm −2 with COD removal of 90.0 ± 1.2% was achieved at 60% young leachate in batch mode, which decreased to 75 mWm −2 having 55.5% COD abatement in continuous mode employing 100% young leachate. Power production using simulated wastewater without organic source proved that ammonium could also serve as fuel in MFC. The high ammonium dosage increased the overall system performance but beyond a certain limit, the inhibitory effect intensified. Nitrogen removal (66.0 ± 3.3% NH 4 + -N and 86.0 ± 0.1% NO 2 − -N) occurred obeying different removal pathways. Sequencing analyses revealed that anammox bacteria (2%), denitrifying bacteria (5%) and electrogenic bacteria (15%) were in abundance of the microbial community in the anode. This technology can be promising for leachate treatment and power production however certain constraints still exist in pilot scale experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, anammox-denitrification process was verified by 15 N stable isotopic tracing methods and variations and effects of microbial community structures were studied using Illumina MiSeq sequencing and Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). The results showed that higher nitrogen removal efficiency and richer microbial consortia was observed at hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 15 L/m 3 ·d, BOD 5 /TN ratio of 0.4:1, respectively. Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in the anamox-denitrification biomass. The number of amx gene changed significantly during the HLR downshift and BOD 5 /TN ratio upshift period. The obtained results enhance understanding regarding the microbial community structures of anammox-denitrification bacteria in aged refuse, leading to a more effective controlling of anammox-denitrification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently developed two-dimensional transition metal carbides (such as MXene) have shown amazing electrical properties. MXene and derivative two dimensional (2D) materials are widely used in electron devices, and have large potential application in electromagnetic (EM) absorber. Herein we describe a mild method to prepare an urchin-like ZnO-MXene Ti 3 C 2 T x nanocomposite through a coprecipitation process. The nanocomposite delivers a substantially enhanced EM absorbing performance with an optimum reflection loss of −26.30 dB, which is significantly better than that of primitive Ti 3 C 2 T x (−6.70 dB), owing to the construction of unique semiconductive networks and larger interfaces. The EM absorption performance can be effectively controlled in the range of 14.0–18.0 bands by changing the growth time of ZnO. Considering the large amount of members in MXene, this study demonstrates a new strategy applicable in maximizing their applications in EM absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although several approaches for reducing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil have been proposed, the application of environmentally friendly approaches is now attracting much more attention. In the present study, two types of essential oils (EOs), namely lavender essential oil (LEO) and oregano essential oil (OEO), were selected to investigate their roles in regulating ARGs in soil. In a 28-day microcosm experiment, it was found that the different types and doses of EOs significantly changed the composition of microbial communities. The LEO treatments enriched more taxa belonging to Actinobacteria than the control, whereas the low dose of OEO reduced Actinobacteria enrichment. Besides, the control and the treatments with a high dose of LEO and OEO all significantly enriched the functional pathways related to Human Diseases, which were positively associated with ARGs. However, the low dose of these EOs helped to reduce the pathways. Because of inhibition of the functional pathways and ARG hosts, the low dose of OEO reduce the ARGs related to antibiotic efflux by 71.8% and the resistance genes to multidrug by 56.4%, but these roles did not occur in LEO treatments. These outcomes provide practical and theoretical support for the application of EOs in remediating ARG-contaminated soils. [Display omitted] • The effects of LOE and OEO on soil resistome were investigated. • LOE and OEO significantly changed the composition of microbial communities. • The functional pathways related to Human Diseases positively correlated with ARGs. • The low dose of OEO reduced the abundance of ARGs related to antibiotic efflux. • Reduction of ARGs by the low dose of OEO attributed to inhibiting ARG hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A total of 39 WRKY genes were identified in seed hemp. • Members of each subgroup share similar gene structure, implying similar functions. • CasWRKY genes can respond to GA 3 stress and promote fiber elongation and development. • This work will contribute to functional characterization of CasWRKY genes and breeding improvements in seed hemp. WRKY transcription factor is one of the largest transcription factor families in higher plants. However, the investigations of the WRKY gene family have not yet been reported in seed hemp. In the present study, we identified 39 CasWRKY s at the genome-wide level and analyzed phylogenetic relationship, chromosome location, cis -acting elements, gene structure, conserved motif, and expression pattern. Based on the gene structure and phylogenetic analyses, CasWRKY proteins were divided into 3 groups and 7 subgroups. The gene duplication investigation revealed that 6 and 5 pairs of CasWRKY genes underwent tandem and segmental duplication events, respectively. These events may contribute to the diversity and expansion of the CasWRKY gene family. The regulatory elements in the promoter regions of CasWRKYs contained diverse cis -regulatory elements, among which P-box cis -regulatory elements showed high frequency, indicating that CasWRKYs can respond to the regulation of gibberellin. The expression profiles derived from RNA-seq and qRT-PCR showed that 13 CasWRKY genes could respond to GA 3 stress and affect fiber development, as well as play significant roles in stem growth and development. This study will serve as molecular basis and practical reference for further exploring the genetic evolution and biological function of CasWRKY genes in seed hemp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inhibition of C5a by antibodies has been demonstrated to dramatically improve survival in various sepsis models in mice and rats. The structural basis of C5a mediated bioactivity and C5a antibody mediated neutralization are of interesting to be investigated. In the previous study, we obtained a novel functional mouse antibody named as F20. With computer-guided modeling method, the 3-D theoretical structure of F20 Fv fragment was constructed. Using the crystal structure of C5a, the 3-D complex structure of C5a and F20 Fv fragment was modeled with molecular docking method. Based on distance geometry method and intermolecular interaction theory, the key residue Lys68 in C5a identified by F20 was predicted. The mutant experimental results showed that the residue Lys68 was the critical residue of C5a for it''s bioactivity and F20 binding activity. The present study shed new light on the structural basis of C5a mediated bioactivity. The identification of the critical residue will provide useful information for human complement C5a targeted therapeutic intervention. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• PAC performed better than GAC in promoting the methane production rate and yield. • PAC remarkably alleviated excess acidification by accelerating VFAs consumption. • PAC enriched key microorganisms involved in VFAs degradation and DIET. • The hydrogenotrophic and aceticlastic pathways were facilitated by GAC and PAC. Low methanogenic efficiency caused by excess acidification is a challenge during anaerobic digestion. This study indicated that both granular activated carbon (GAC) and powdered activated carbon (PAC) promoted the start-up of methanogenesis and methane output in anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and fruit-vegetable waste. Moreover, PAC performed better than GAC. Specifically, the highest cumulative methane yield and shortest lag phase were observed in 5 g/L PAC and 10 g/L PAC group, 22.0% higher and 62.5% shorter than that without activated carbon supplementation, respectively. PAC facilitated the methane productivity by effectively accelerating volatile fatty acids (VFAs) consumption and thereby alleviating acidification. Syntrophic VFAs oxidizing bacteria (Gelria and Syntrophomonas) and direct interspecies electron transfer related microorganisms (Geobacter and Methanosarcina) were remarkably enriched by PAC. Furthermore, metagenomic analysis showed that both PAC and GAC might facilitate the electron transfer between microbes by acting as the electrical bridge and enhance both hydrogenotrophic and aceticlastic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sludge compost is often used as a fertilizer for crops, although it might be enriched with antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and heavy metals that cannot be removed through composting. A robust understanding of the factors affecting the transmission of ARGs to vegetables grown in soils treated with sludge products is lacking. In this study, target ARGs in the bulk and rhizosphere soils and endophytes of shallots under heavy metal stress (i.e., Cd) were assessed, and the factors driving the transmission of ARGs were identified. Cd stress resulted in an increase in the relative abundances of target ARGs in the bulk and rhizosphere soils and endophytes. The driving factors were different in soils and plants under different degrees of Cd stress. The fungal community composition was the main driving factor of ARG variation in both bulk and rhizosphere soils. Moreover, endophytic bacteria played a crucial role in transferring ARGs to plants. Higher Cd stress promoted the transfer of most target ARGs from the below-ground plant parts to the above-ground parts. These findings indicate that application of sludge contaminated with heavy metals, such as Cd, can facilitate the dissemination of ARGs into vegetables, which must be considered while assessing the risks to public health. Unlabelled Image • Cd stress facilitated ARGs propagation in bulk and rhizosphere soils. • Cd increased significantly some target ARG abundances in the above-ground plant parts. • The driving factors for ARGs alteration were distinguished between soils and plants. • Some endophytes were considered to be the potential host for ARGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The ratio of C/N (30:1) was helpful to reduce tetM , tetQ , ermB , bal OXA and mexF genes. • The potential host bacteria were the important drivers of the ARG profiles. • sul1, sul2 and aadA1 genes had negative correlation with multiple metabolic pathways. • There is a trade-off between bacteria carrying intI1 gene and genes involved in metabolic pathways. Sludge composting is increasingly adopted due to its end product for application as a soil nourishment amendment. Although the ratio of C/N is significant in the quality and process of composting, little information has been obtained from the effects of nutritional energy (carbon and nitrogen) on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during sludge composting. Dynamic variations of ARGs, microbial community as well as functional characteristics during composting of sludge were investigated in this study. Three levels of carbon to nitrogen (20:1, 25:1 and 30:1) were developed for the composting of sludge with fermented straw plus a control which was just sewage sludge (C/N = 9.5:1). A novel finding of this work is that the highest initial C/N ratio (30:1) could prolong the thermophilic period, which was helpful to reduce some target ARGs. Some ARGs (sul1, sul2 , and aadA1) had negative correlation with multiple metabolic pathways, which were difficult to remove. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hyperglycemia‐induced neuroinflammation significantly contributes to diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Objective: To investigate the role of Sirt3, a mitochondrial deacetylase, in hyperglycemia‐induced neuroinflammation and DNP and to explore potential therapeutic interventions. Method and Results: Here, we found that Sirt3 was downregulated in spinal dorsal horn (SDH) of diabetic mice by RNA‐sequencing, which was further confirmed at the mRNA and protein level. Sirt3 deficiency exacerbated hyperglycemia‐induced neuroinflammation and DNP by enhancing microglial aerobic glycolysis in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of Sirt3 in microglia alleviated inflammation by reducing aerobic glycolysis. Mechanistically, high‐glucose stimulation activated Akt, which phosphorylates and inactivates FoxO1. The inactivation of FoxO1 diminished the transcription of Sirt3. Besides that, we also found that hyperglycemia induced Sirt3 degradation via the mitophagy‐lysosomal pathway. Blocking Akt activation by GSK69093 or metformin rescued the degradation of Sirt3 protein and transcription inhibition of Sirt3 mRNA, which substantially diminished hyperglycemia‐induced inflammation. Metformin in vivo treatment alleviated neuroinflammation and diabetic neuropathic pain by rescuing hyperglycemia‐induced Sirt3 downregulation. Conclusion: Hyperglycemia induces metabolic reprogramming and inflammatory activation in microglia through the regulation of Sirt3 transcription and degradation. This novel mechanism identifies Sirt3 as a potential drug target for treating DNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection induced neuroinflammatory condition is the critical pathology of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). The immune escape mechanism of VZV remains elusive. As to mice have no VZV infection receptor, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection is a well established PHN mice model. Transcriptional expression analysis identified that the protein arginine methyltransferases 6 (Prmt6) was upregulated upon HSV-1 infection, which was further confirmed by immunofluorescence staining in spinal dorsal horn. Prmt6 deficiency decreased HSV-1-induced neuroinflammation and PHN by enhancing antiviral innate immunity and decreasing HSV-1 load in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of Prmt6 in microglia dampened antiviral innate immunity and increased HSV-1 load. Mechanistically, Prmt6 methylated and inactivated STING, resulting in reduced phosphorylation of TANK binding kinase-1 (TBK1) and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), diminished production of type I interferon (IFN-I) and antiviral innate immunity. Furthermore, intrathecal or intraperitoneal administration of the Prmt6 inhibitor EPZ020411 decreased HSV-1-induced neuroinflammation and PHN by enhancing antiviral innate immunity and decreasing HSV-1 load. Our findings revealed that HSV-1 escapes antiviral innate immunity and results in PHN by upregulating Prmt6 expression and inhibiting the cGAS-STING pathway, providing novel insights and a potential therapeutic target for PHN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Plant height (PH) is an important factor affecting bast fiber yield in jute. Here, we report the mechanism of dwarfism in the 'Guangbaai' (gba) of jute. The mutant gba had shorter internode length and cell length compared to the standard cultivar 'TaiZi 4' (TZ4). Exogenous GA3 treatment indicated that gba is a GA‐insensitive dwarf mutant. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of three PH‐related traits via a high‐density genetic linkage map according to re‐seq showed that a total of 25 QTLs were identified, including 13 QTLs for PH, with phenotypic variation explained ranging from 2.42 to 74.16%. Notably, the functional mechanism of the candidate gene CoGID1a, the gibberellic acid receptor, of the major locus qPHIL5 was evaluated by transgenic analysis and virus‐induced gene silencing. A dwarf phenotype‐related single nucleotide mutation in CoGID1a was identified in gba, which was also unique to the dwarf phenotype of gba among 57 cultivars. Cogid1a was unable to interact with the growth‐repressor DELLA even in the presence of highly accumulated gibberellins in gba. Differentially expressed genes between transcriptomes of gba and TZ4 after GA3 treatment indicated up‐regulation of genes involved in gibberellin and cellulose synthesis in gba. Interestingly, it was found that up‐regulation of CoMYB46, a key transcription factor in the secondary cell wall, by the highly accumulated gibberellins in gba promoted the expression of cellulose synthase genes CoCesA4 and CoCesA7. These findings provide valuable insights into fiber development affected by endogenous gibberellin accumulation in plants. Significance Statement: Our results reveal that a nonsynonymous single nucleotide mutation in CoGID1a disrupts its interaction with DELLA proteins resulting in a GA‐insensitive dwarf phenotype and endogenous gibberellin accumulation in gba promotes the expression of CoMYB46 affecting fiber development in jute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational design of a magnetic and fast self-healing gel is significant in the field of shape construction. Magnetic gels with rapid self-healing ability constructed using nanoparticles and dynamic chemical bonds have so far been elusive. Here, an ultrafast self-healing magnetic gel based on thioctic acid (TA), ferric chloride (FeCl3) and ferric oxide (Fe3O4) has been successfully synthesized. The reversible interactions of the S–S bond, hydrogen bond and iron(III)–carboxylate coordinate bonds endow a 100% self-healing efficiency for the magnetic gel after healing in air for only 10 min, and a saturation magnetization of the gel of 0.27 emu g−1 can be achieved. The intelligent in situ healing ability of the as-obtained magnetic gel guarantees the same function and shape as the original gel. This combination of high-efficiency repaired performance and magnetic properties can broaden the range of applications for shape construction through the "building blocks" consisting of magnetic gels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to large intra-class variation and inter-class ambiguity, fine-grained object recognition has been a challenging task for decades. A good approach should be able to: (1) discover discriminative local details and (2) align and aggregate these local discriminative patch-level features in an effective manner to facilitate object-level classification. Toward this end, we develop a two-stage framework for fine-grained recognition. In our framework, the first stage aims to discover and align local discriminative features, and the second stage aims to aggregate these features to get classification results. In the first stage, we propose two methods to sequentially discover informative regions. In the second stage, we progressively feed these discovered and aligned regions into a recurrent neural network to obtain object-level representation. Extensive experiments are conducted on three fine-grained image benchmarks, and the results verify the effectiveness of our proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfills are reservoirs of antibiotics, heavy metals, disinfectants and other emerging contaminants, and they are closely associated with the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, two classes of clinical use antibiotics, i.e., fluoroquinolones (FQs) and β-lactams (BLs), twelve subtypes of their parallel ARGs, and five mobile genetic elements (MGEs), were measured in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachates from seven mega-cities in China. The highest concentration of FQs was detected in Shanghai (48,326.67 ng/L), and the highest concentration of BLs was detected in Hangzhou (1304 ng/L). In landfill leachates in Suzhou, the total contents of targeted ARGs subtypes ((1.44 ± 4.64) × 10 −4 (ARGs/16S)) and MGEs (7.88 × 10 −2  ± 1.18 × 10 −1 (ARGs/16S)) were the highest. The relative abundance of ARGs and MGEs was significantly correlated with the contents of As and Cr, and the presence of MGEs was highly correlated with the content of Cd ( r  = −0.438, p  = 0.475). Linear regression analysis showed that MGEs are closely associated with the abundance of genes resistant to FQs and BLs. These results suggest that the occurrences of FQs and BLs ARGs in the landfills of China are substantially influenced by heavy metals and MGEs. Regional differences concerning the antibiotics and ARGs contents in leachates were observed across seven mega-cities, and FQs were significantly correlated with the local population level ( p  < 0.01). Further, the nitrogen input to the landfills contributes significantly to the elevated levels of target ARGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Investigated how nivolumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, induces acute pain in a bone cancer model. • Nivolumab induces acute pain through spinal cord microglia activation and enhanced glycolytic metabolism, independent of PD-L1 expression changes. • Targeting spinal cord microglia and metabolic pathways may improve pain management in cancer immunotherapy. The skeletal system ranks as the third most common site for cancer metastasis, often leading to pain with nociceptive and neuropathic features. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)-targeting therapeutic antibodies offer effective cancer treatment but can cause treatment-related acute pain. Understanding the mechanisms of this pain and identifying potential interventions is still a challenge. A murine model of bone cancer pain was established using Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells, followed by intravenous administration of nivolumab, a human anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Pain thresholds were measured, and micro-CT images of the skeletal system were obtained. High-throughput sequencing of the spinal cord/colon transcriptome during the acute phase of bone cancer pain and gut microbiota analysis at the end of the treatment were performed. Immunofluorescence staining and western blot experiments assessed spinal cord microglia activation and acute pain-associated molecules. PD-1 inhibition with nivolumab protected against bone degradation initiated by LLC cell administration but consistently induced acute pain during nivolumab treatment. Spinal cord and colon transcriptomics revealed an immunopathological pattern during tumor progression and the acute pain phase, with notable changes in interleukin and S100 gene families. Gut microbiota analysis post-immunotherapy showed a decline in beneficial bacteria associated with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Activation of spinal cord microglia and enhanced glycolytic metabolism were confirmed as key factors in inducing acute pain following immunotherapy. This study reveals that nivolumab induces acute pain by activating microglia and enhancing glycolytic metabolism in the treatment of bone cancer and uncovers connections between transcriptomic changes, gut microbiota, and acute pain following immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment. It offers novel insights into the relationship between immune checkpoint blockade therapies and pain management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptorchidism, as a common congenital disease of canine testes, is mainly caused by factors leading to endocrine abnormalities in testes and infertility in a heat stress and hypoxia microenvironment. Moreover, heat stress and hypoxia, as critical microenvironmental factors, promote epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), which occurs during adult tissue remodelling responses including carcinogenesis and fibrosis and is the main cause of testicular tumours. In this study, we found by haematoxylin–eosin staining that the canine cryptorchid tissue produced a lot of collagen fibres. Also, the quantitative PCR and Western blot results showed that the mRNA and protein levels of the heat stress makers HSP70 and HO‐1 and the hypoxia maker HIF‐1α are significant higher compared with normal testes. Moreover, we found the expression levels of TGF‐βs and its two receptors TGF‐βRI and TGF‐βRII increased in case of cryptorchidism. From the study in vitro, we found both heat stress and COCl2 mimic hypoxia inhibited the secretion of testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A4) and promoted the expression of the EMT maker α‐SMA and vimentin in Leydig cells, and also that heat stress and COCl2 stimulated with the TGF‐β signalling promoted the expression of TGF‐βs and its two type receptors and also the active phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. The use of LY2109761, a receptor inhibitor of TGF‐βs/Smad signalling pathway, was associated with heat stress and COCl2 suppression of androgens' secretion and stimulated EMT in Leydig cells. These findings characterized a novel pathogenesis of cryptorchidism and provided a new idea for therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoplastic resins have contributed more and more to the field of fiber reinforced composites. The ability to fabricate fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composites with excellent and functional interface performances has so far been elusive. Herein, we use a polyamide-imide (PAI)/Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene sizing to enhance the interfacial performance of CF reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites. The composite sizing makes the composite with high interfacial adhesion and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performances. Our results indicate that traditional composite materials can improve performance and increase functionality through interface treatment. The schematic diagram of EMI shielding and the interfacial machanism of modified CF/PEEK composites. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil degradation caused by watermelon continuous cropping obstacle is a serious problem in China. Compost, as a soil conditioner, has great potential in improving soil degradation. In order to explore how compost affects the soil quality under continuous cropping obstacle, associations among soil chemical characteristics, microbial community structures and agronomic variables were analyzed and compared. Results showed that soil pH, available potassium, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and organic matter changed significantly after using maize straw compost and sludge compost, which indicated the feasibility of composts as soil remediations. This is also reflected on the significant changes of soil microbial community. Mizugakiibacter , as the main reason of watermelon continuous cropping obstacle, decreased significantly after using compost products. It also showed a negative connection with most chemical characteristics. Rhodanobacter and Galbibacter increased significantly after using compost products, which were positively related to most chemical characteristics. The increase of them was helpful to reduce Mizugakiibacter. Beneficial bacteria were positively related to beneficial fungi (Chaetomium and Chrysosporium). The increase of them and the decrease of Verticillium also helped to improve microbial community structure. The results indicated that compost as a useful and inexpensive technique could alleviate soil degradation caused by watermelon continuous cropping obstacle. • Soil degradation was improved after the application of compost. • Beneficial microorganism increased and harmful microorganism decreased. • Mizugakiibacter was the main reason of watermelon continuous cropping obstacle. • The increase of Rhodanobacter and Galbibacter was helpful to reduce Mizugakiibacter. • Beneficial fungi were positively related to beneficial bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Earthworms could promote nitrogen nitrification and increase the N 2 O emission. • Nitrification was the dominant contributor to N 2 O in later stage of vermicomposting. • Denitrification was the main pathway of N 2 O in the earthworm gut. • The earthworm could enhance the production of N 2 O through nitrification. Vermicomposting is a sustainable option for the recycling of biodegradable organic waste. However, it also produces nitrous oxide (N 2 O), which is a highly potent greenhouse gas. In this study, the N 2 O stable isotope and functional genes for nitrogen cycling were determined to investigate the sources of N 2 O during vermicomposting. The results showed that vermicomposting promoted the organic degradation and nitrogen nitrification, and the presence of earthworms increased the emission of N 2 O during vermicomposting compared to that during the control treatment with no earthworms. The site preference analysis of N 2 O stable isotope showed that both nitrification and denitrification were present during the early stages of vermicomposting, while nitrification was the dominant contributor to N 2 O production in the later stages. Moreover, earthworms increased the gene copies of amoA , and stimulated the nitrifying bacteria, and hence, increased the N 2 O emission via nitrification. In addition, the activity of earthworms reduced the gene number of nosZ during vermicomposting, while the denitrification was the main source of N 2 O in the earthworm gut, as the conditions inside the gut inhibited nosZ. Overall, nitrification was the major pathway (55.8–88.7 %) for N 2 O production, which was promoted by the introduction of earthworms through nitrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Performance of carbon fiber (CF) reinforced composites mainly depends on the tensile strength and interfacial bonding strength between fiber and the matrix. However, most of the surface modification technologies for CF may result in decrease in its tensile strength in both laboratory scale and commercial production. Herein, carbon black (CB) was decorated onto the surface of CF by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. SEM, TEM and AFM characterizations showed that CB significantly changed the morphology of CF. The results of dynamic contact angle text (DCAT) demonstrated that the surface energy of CF was increased due to the loading of CB. Upon the decoration by CB, IFSS, ILSS and impact strength of CF/epoxy composites were enhanced, corresponding to 46.84%,29.11% and 48.24%, respectively, and the reinforcing and toughening mechanisms have also been discussed. Besides, the results of tensile tests for single fiber showed that the tensile strength (TS) of CB-decorated CF was higher compared with that of original CF. Meanwhile, this modification method for CF could serve as a basis for realizing the industrialization online production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interfacial properties between carbon fiber (CF) and matrix play a key role in the mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites. To improve the mechanical properties of fibers/epoxy composites without sacrificing tensile strength of base fibers, carbon black (CB) was introduced onto the surface of CFs by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The distribution of CBs on the fiber surface and the change of the surface roughness were analyzed, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Raman spectroscopy indicated that the defects of CF surface were repaired by CB. The wettability and surface energy of modified CFs increased obviously in comparison with those of the untreated CFs. Meanwhile, a significant increase of interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), interface shear strength tests (IFSS) and impact property were achieved in the 5-min-modified CFs, which was 22.0, 44.4 and 22.7%, respectively. In addition, the tensile strength (TS) of modified CFs showed a slight increase compared with that of untreated CFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MYB transcription factors (TFs) are vital players in various plant biochemical and physiological processes. To date, MYB TFs have been comprehensively investigated in numerous plant species. Corchorus capsularis is one of the most important fiber crops worldwide. However, systematic investigation of the MYB TFs in C. capsularis remains elusive, which limits our insights into the contribution of MYB TFs regulating numerous biochemical processes such as anthocyanin accumulation and physiological processes (Color, growth, etc.) in this crop. Therefore, this study systematically investigated MYB genes comprising the gene structure, phylogeny, chromosomal locations, protein motifs, expression patterns, protein-protein interaction, and collinearity analysis. A total of 88 Corchorus capsularis R2R3-MYB (CcMYB) genes were characterized and distributed on seven chromosomes. The collinearity study revealed that the segmental duplication events were responsible for the enlargement of CcMYB genes. The highest syntenic relationship was observed between CcMYB genes (70/88) and Gossypium hirsutism genes. Further, phylogenetic tree analysis classified the 88 CcMYBs into 25 subgroups based on domain similarity and phylogenetic topology. Furthermore, the phylogenetic investigation of CcMYBs and Arabidopsis MYBs displayed the functional discrepancy of the CcMYB genes throughout evolution. Changes in anthocyanin content were observed among white jute's stem bark tissues, which may be due to their different colors. Expression study of 11 CcMYB genes in total by real-time quantitative PCR revealed the diverse expression profiles in various tissues organs and functional predictions found that some CcMYBs might be associated with stem bark color and anthocyanin content, cellulose, and lignin biosynthesis. Co-expression interaction analysis showed that CcMYB genes could be involved in physiological, biological, and molecular processes. Our study provides comprehensive details on MYB genes and contributes to a better understanding of their functions in Corchorus capsularis. [Display omitted] • It is the first report of systematic genome-wide analysis of MYB genes in C. capsularis. • A total of 88 R2R3-MYB genes (CcMYB) were identified and characterized. • CcMYB genes were divided into 25 subgroups based on phylogenetic topology and conserved domains. • CcMYB exhibited functional discrepancy and some were associated with lignin, cellulose, anthocyanin, and color formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FeO/polyaniline (PANI) composite hollow spheres were prepared by using sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) microspheres as templates. The sulfonic acid groups were applied to induce absorbing FeO nanoparticle, and subsequently, conductive PANI was grown. Finally, the polystyrene cores were selectively dissolved to yield composite hollow microspheres with electromagnetic properties. The analysis results indicated that the adsorption of FeO on template core by electrostatic interaction resulted in magnetic composite microspheres. The conductivity of composite hollow spheres was remarkably increased after polyvinylpyrrolidone modification which favored the growth of PANI on SPS/FeO and enhanced the integrity of hollow microspheres. The saturated magnetization of the composite hollow microspheres was tuned from 2.7 to 9.1 emu/g, and the conductivity was in the range from 10 to 10 S/cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: By binding to T cell Ig mucin-3 (Tim-3) expressed on different cells, galectin-9 (Gal-9) mediates two important functions, triggering T cell death and activating innate immune cells. The mechanisms by which ligation of the same molecule on different cell types mediates different effects are largely unclear. Gal-9 contains two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRD) in the N- and C-terminal regions (Gal-9-N and Gal-9-C). The N and C terminals of Gal-9 have been shown to have different activities in promoting T cell death. However, whether the differences between two domains account for its dual functions remains to be elucidated. Here we hypothesized that the different functions of Gal-9 in innate immunity and adaptive immunity are mediated by different domains. To test this, we created recombinant Gal-9 (Gal-9-NC) and homodimers containing either the NCRD (Gal-9-N) or the CCRD (Gal-9-C). All these Gal-9 constructs can activate dendritic cells (DCs) and induce T cell death. However, the Gal-9-C was much more potent than the Gal-9-N in inducing T cell death, while the Gal-9-N was much more effective in activating DCs by inducing much higher TNF-α and IL-6 production, greater phosphorylation of p38 and AKT. In both DC and T cells, Gal-9-N but not Gal-9-C stimulation resulted in markedly iκBα degradation. Finally, computer analyses suggested different patterns and affinities for the binding of the Gal-9-N and Gal-9-C to their receptor, Tim-3. Our data suggest that the N- and C-terminal CRDs of Gal-9 contribute differently to its ability to induce T cell death and to activate DCs. Further investigations on the underlying mechanisms will provide new insights into the biochemical basis for the multiple activities of Gal-9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cryptorchidism is located in a hypoxic and DHT deficiency microenvironment. • DHT showed a dose-dependent alleviate the fibrosis process of canine Sertoli cells induced by CoCl 2. • DHT inhibited hypoxia-induced canine Sertoli cells fibrosis linking to interference with TGF-β signaling. The hypoxic microenvironment of cryptorchidism is an important factor to induce the impairment of the structure and function of Sertoli cells and thus lead to spermatogenesis loss or tumorigenesis. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), as a potent nonaromatizable 5α-reduced androgen, has both positive and negative effect on pathological fibrosis process. However, it is still unknown whether DHT can regulate hypoxia-induced fibrosis of Sertoli cells. Herein, in this study, we evaluate the DHT level, two 5α-reductase isoforms, 5α-red1 and 5α-red2, as well as HIF-1α expression pattern in canine cryptorchidism and contralateral normal testis. Results showed that the abdominal testes presented low DHT levels and 5α-red1 and 5α-red2 expression, while significantly higher HIF-1α expression and ECM production compared with the scrotum. Moreover, we established a hypoxia-induced fibrosis model in canine Sertoli cells induced by cobalt chloride (CoCl 2), and found that DHT inhibited the fibrosis of Sertoli cells in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, DHT interfered with the TGF-β signaling by reducing the expression of TGF-βRI and TGF-βRII and inhibiting the expression and phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3, while flutamide (androgen receptor inhibitor) inhibited these effects of DHT. Furthermore, use of LY2109761 (TGF-β receptor type I/II inhibitor) to interfere with the TGF-β/Smad pathway showed a similar effect with DHT suppression of the fibrosis in Sertoli cells. Our research data demonstrated that cryptorchidism is located in a hypoxic and DHT deficiency microenvironment. Moreover, supplementing DHT can alleviate the fibrosis process of Sertoli cells caused by hypoxia, which is associated with AR regulating the inhibition of TGF-β/Smad signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in food waste (FW) disposal can pose severe threats to public health. Lipid is a primary composition in FW, while whether lipid stress can affect ARGs dynamics during anaerobic digestion (AD) process of FW is uncertain. This study focused on the impacts of lipid stress on methane production, fate of ARGs and its microbial mechanisms during AD of FW. Results showed that high lipid content increased methane yield but prolonged hydrolysis and lag time of methane production compared to AD of FW without oil. Moreover, variations of ARGs were more susceptible to lipid stress. Lipid stress could facilitate the reduction of total ARGs abundances compared to the group without oil, particularly restraining the proliferation of sul1 , aadA1 and mefA in AD systems (P < 0.05). Mantel test suggested that integrons (intl1 and intl2) were significantly correlated with all detected ARGs (r: 0.33, P < 0.05), indicating that horizontal gene transfer mediated by integrons could be the driving force on ARGs dissemination. Network analysis suggested that Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , Synergistetes and Proteobacteria were the main potential hosts of ARGs. In addition, under the lipid stress, the reduction of host bacteria was responsible for the elimination of several specific ARGs, thereby affecting ARGs profiles. These findings firstly deciphered ARGs dynamics and their driving factors responding to lipid stress during anaerobic biological treatment of FW. Unlabelled Image • Lipid stress increased methane yield but prolonged hydrolysis and methanogenesis. • High lipid stress remarkably facilitate the reduction of total ARGs. • Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , Synergistetes and Proteobacteria were the hosts of ARGs. • Reduction of host bacteria was responsible for elimination of several ARGs. • Horizontal gene transfer contributed to the transfer of ARGs across host bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance are major threats to ecosystems and human health. Transoceanic channels (e.g., ship ballast water) can transfer harmful aquatic organisms across geographically isolated waters. However, the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in ship ballast water and their relationship with microbial communities and environmental factors remain unknown. In this study, ballast water from 28 vessels sailing to Shanghai and Jiangyin (China) were collected, and the ARGs in these water samples were investigated. Considerable levels of ARGs and integrase of the class-I integrons (intI 1) were detected in all ballast water samples. sul 1 and tet Q were the most and least abundant ARGs in ballast water samples, respectively. The ARGs were strongly correlated with those of the 16S rRNA and intI 1 genes. Ballast water exchange can reduce the absolute abundance of some kinds of ARGs while increasing the relative abundance of several ARGs (e.g., mef A, mex F, str B, sul 1 , and tet Q). Moreover, the bacterial hosts of ARGs were generally different in the unexchanged ballast water (UEBW) and exchanged ballast water (EBW). In particular, Leisingera and unclassified_Erythrobacteraceae were the main ARGs-associated genera in the EBW, while Pseudohongiella , Cycloclasticus , OM43_clade , norank_f_Rhodospirillaceae , and norank_f_Rhodobacteraceae were the dominant ARGs hosts in the UEBW. Overall, ship ballast water is an effective moving carrier for the global transference of ARGs, and its sufficient management is required for mitigating ARGs propagation across oceans. Image 1 • Ballast water was an important moving carrier for the global transfer of ARGs. • sul 1 and tet Q were the most and least abundant ARGs in ballast water. • ARGs was strongly correlated with the 16S rRNA and intI 1 gene in ballast water. • Ballast water exchange could affect the ARGs profiles and change ARG-associated genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]