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Background: To elucidate the relationship between the triglyceride-glycemic index (TyG) and clinical characteristics of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)., Methods: A total of 1,594 individuals diagnosed with pancreatic and periampullary neoplasms were categorized into four groups: PDAC-early (n = 403), locally advanced PDAC (LAPC, n = 315), PDAC-late with distant metastasis (n = 371), and other tumor types (n = 505). TyG-high was defined as a TyG index greater than 8.81 in males and 8.73 in females., Results: The prevalence of TyG-high status was highest in PDAC-early (68.48%), followed by LAPC (53.33%), and lowest in PDAC-late (44.47%). TyG-high status significantly predicted worse PDAC prognosis (P = 0.0166), particularly in PDAC-late (P = 0.0420). Despite similar blood glucose levels across PDAC groups (P = 0.897), PDAC-early patients showed significantly higher rates of glycemic disturbances (56.33% vs. 32.28%) and TyG-high status (68.48% vs. 47.13%) compared to those with other tumors. Progressive increases in glycemic disturbances and TyG-high status were observed from benign to pre-malignant lesions and PDAC-early. PDAC-early patients at the pancreatic head exhibited higher rates of glycemic disturbances (58.12% vs. 33.33%, P < 0.0001), larger pancreatic duct diameters (0.4056 cm vs. 0.3398 cm, P = 0.0043), and poorer prognosis compared to periampullary cancers, although the TyG-high rate and body mass index were similar., Conclusion: The TyG index exhibits a complex association with PDAC stages, profoundly shaping glycemic profiles. At the initial stages of PDAC, a notable elevation in TyG-high status and glycemic disturbances is observed. However, in advanced PDAC, while the TyG-high rate diminishes, abnormal glucose levels persist., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Salinization of land is globally increasing due to climate change, and salinity stress is an important abiotic stressor that adversely affects agricultural productivity. In this study, we assessed a halotolerant endophytic bacterium, Pseudoxanthomonas sp. JBR18, for its potential as a plant growth-promoting agent with multiple beneficial properties. The strain exhibited tolerance to sodium chloride concentration of up to 7.5 % in the R2A medium. In vitro evaluation revealed that strain JBR18 possessed proteolytic, protease (EC 3.4), and cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4) activities, as well as the ability to produce indole-acetic acid, proline, and exopolysaccharides. Compared with the controls, co-cultivation of Arabidopsis seedlings with the strain JBR18 improved plant growth, rosette size, shoot and root fresh weight, and chlorophyll content under salinity stress. Moreover, JBR18-inoculated seedlings showed lower levels of malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species, and Na + uptake into plant cells under salt stress but higher levels of K + . Additionally, seedlings inoculated with JBR18 exhibited a delayed response time and quantity of salt-responsive genes RD29A, RD29B, RD20, RD22, and KIN1 under salt stress. These multiple effects suggest that Pseudoxanthomonas sp. JBR18 is a promising candidate for mitigating the negative impacts of salinity stress on plant growth. Our findings may assist in future efforts to develop eco-friendly strategies for managing abiotic stress and enhancing plant tolerance to salt stress., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in China, accounting for the majority of primary liver cancer cases. Liver resection is the preferred curative method for early-stage HCC. However, up to 80-85% of patients have already missed the opportunity of radical surgery due to tumor advances at the time of consultation. Conversion therapies are a series of medications and treatments for initially inoperable patients. For early-stage unresectable HCC (uHCC) patients, conversion therapies are designed to meet surgical requirements by increasing the volume of the residual liver. Meanwhile, for advanced cases, conversion therapies strive for tumor shrinkage and down-staging, creating the opportunity for liver resection or liver transplantation. This review summarizes the latest advances in conversion therapies and highlights their potential for improving the survival benefit of patients with uHCC.

A novel endophytic bacterium, designated DY-R2A-6 T , was isolated from oat ( Avena sativa L.) seeds and found to produces β-carotene. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain DY-R2A-6 T had 96.3% similarity with Jiella aquimaris LZB041 T , 96.0% similarity with Aurantimonas aggregate R14M6 T and Aureimonas frigidaquae JCM 14755 T , and less than 95.8% similarity with other genera in the family Aurantimonadaceae . The complete genome of strain DY-R2A-6 T comprised 5,929,370 base pairs, consisting of one full chromosome (5,909,198 bp) and one plasmid (20,172 bp), with a G + C content was 69.1%. The overall genome-related index (OGRI), including digital DNA-DNA hybridization (<20.5%), ANI (<79.2%), and AAI (<64.2%) values, all fell below the thresholds set for novel genera. The major cellular fatty acids (>10%) of strain DY-R2A-6 T were C 16:0 , C 19:0 cyclo ω8c, and summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7c and/or C 18:1 ω6c). Ubiquinone-10 was the main respiratory quinone. We identified the gene cluster responsible for carotenoid biosynthesis in the genome and found that the pink-pigment produced by strain DY-R2A-6 T is β-carotene. In experiment with Arabidopsis seedlings, co-cultivation with strain DY-R2A-6 T led to a 1.4-fold increase in plant biomass and chlorophyll content under salt stress conditions, demonstrating its capacity to enhance salt stress tolerance in plants. Moreover, external application of β-carotene to Arabidopsis seedlings under salt stress conditions also mitigated the stress significantly. Based on these findings, strain DY-R2A-6 T is proposed to represent a novel genus and species in the family Aurantimonadaceae , named Jeongeuplla avenae gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is DY-R2A-6 T (= KCTC 82985 T  = GDMCC 1.3014 T ). This study not only identified a new taxon but also utilized genome analysis to predict and confirm the production of β-carotene by strain DY-R2A-6 T . It also demonstrated the ability of this strain to enhance salt stress tolerance in plants, suggesting potential application in agriculture to mitigate environmental stress in crops., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jiang, Peng, Kim, Jeon, Choe, Han, Kim and Lee.)

PAMB 00755 T , a bacterial strain, was isolated from Korean fir leaves. The strain exhibits yellow colonies and consists of Gram-negative, non-motile, short rods or ovoid-shaped cells. It displays optimal growth conditions at 20°C, 0% NaCl, and pH 6.0. Results of 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analyses showed that strain PAMB 00755 T was most closely related to Sphingomonas chungangi MAH-6 T (97.7%) and Sphingomonas polyaromaticivorans B2-7 T (97.4%), and ≤96.5% sequence similarity to other members of the genus Sphingomonas . The values of average nucleotide identity (79.9-81.3%), average amino acid identity (73.3-75.9%), and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (73.3-75.9%) were significantly lower than the threshold values for species boundaries; these overall genome-related indexes (OGRI) analyses indicated that the strain represents a novel species. Genomic analysis revealed that the strain has a 4.4-Mbp genome encoding 4,083 functional genes, while the DNA G+C content of the whole genome is 66.1%. The genome of strain PAMB 00755 T showed a putative carotenoid biosynthetic cluster responsible for its antioxidant activity. The respiratory quinone was identified as ubiquinone 10 (Q-10), while the major fatty acids in the profile were identified as C 18:1 ω 7 c and/or C 18:1 ω 6 c (summed feature 8). The major polar lipids of strain PAMB 00755 T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid, and phosphatidylcholine. Based on a comprehensive analysis of genomic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, we proposed the name Sphingomonas abietis sp. nov. for this novel species, with PAMB 00755 T as the type strain (= KCTC 92781 T = GDMCC 1.3779 T ).

A rod-shaped, motile, Gram-negative bacterial strain named DM-R-R2A-13 T was isolated from the plant Cannabis sativa L. 'Cheungsam'. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain DM-R-R2A-13 T belongs to the family Oxalobacteraceae and is closely related to members of the genus Massilia, with Massilia flava (97.58% sequence similarity) and Massilia armeniaca (97.37% sequence similarity) being the closest members. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain DM-R-R2A-13 T and Massilia flava CGMCC 1.10685 T and Massilia armeniaca ZMN-3 T were 22.2% and 23.3%, while the average nucleotide identity (ANI) values were 78.85% and 79.63%, respectively. The DNA G+C content was measured to be 64.6 mol%. Moreover, the bacterium was found to contain polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granules based on transmission electron microscopy, indicating its potential to produce bioplastic. Genome annotation revealed the presence of PHA synthase genes (phaC, phaR, phaP, and phaZ), and the biopolymer was identified as poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. Using maltose as a carbon source, the strain produced PHB of up to 58.06% of its dry cell weight. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic characteristics, it has been determined that DM-R-R2A-13 T represents a novel species belonging to the genus Massilia. As such, the name Massilia endophytica sp. nov. is proposed for this newly identified species. The type strain is DM-R-R2A-13 T (= KCTC 92072 T  = GDMCC 1.2920 T )., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

The taxonomic relationship of Cellulosimicrobium fucosivorans SE3 T and Cellulosimicrobium composti BIT-GX5 T was re-evaluated. The type strains of the two species shared 99.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, and whole genome sequence comparisons showed that the two species shared a 86.3 % digital DNA‒DNA hybridization (dDDH) value, a 98.5 % average nucleotide identity (ANI) score and a 98.2 % average amino acid identity (AAI) value. These values were higher than the recommend novel species recognition threshold values of 16S rRNA gene similarity of 98.6 %, dDDH cutoff value of 70 %, and ANI and AAI cutoff values of 95-96 %. In addition, the phylogenetic tree based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences as well as the phylogenomics tree based on whole genomes supported these two strains being closely related. Based on the principle of priority, we propose that Cellulosimicrobium fucosivorans is a later heterotypic synonym of Cellulosimicrobium composti .

A facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated N5 T , was obtained from the phycosphere microbiota of the marine planktonic dinoflagellate, Karlodinium veneficum . Strain N5 T showed growth on marine agar at 25 °C, pH 7 and 1 % (w/v) NaCl and produced a yellow colour. According to a phylogenetic study based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain N5 T has a lineage within the genus Gymnodinialimonas . The G+C content in the genome of strain N5 T is 62.9 mol% with a total length of 4 324 088 bp. The NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline revealed that the N5 T genome contained 4230 protein-coding genes and 48 RNA genes, including a 5S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA, 42 tRNA, and three ncRNAs. Genome-based calculations (genome-to-genome distance, average nucleotide identity and DNA G+C content) clearly indicated that the isolate represents a novel species within the genus Gymnodinialimonas . The predominant fatty acids were C 19 : 0 cyclo ω 8 c and feature 8 (comprising C 18 : 1 ω 6 c and/or C 18 : 1 ω 7 c ). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. The main respiratory quinone was Q-10. Based on its phenotypic, phylogenetic, genomic and chemotaxonomic features, strain N5 T represents a novel species of the genus Gymnodinialimonas , for which the name Gymnodinialimonas phycosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is N5 T (=KCTC 82362 T =NBRC 114899 T ).

A novel, nostoxanthin-producing, endophytic bacterium, designated as AK-PDB1-5 T , was isolated from the needle-like leaves of the Korean fir ( Abies koreana Wilson) collected from Mt. Halla in Jeju, South Korea. A 16S rRNA sequence comparison indicated that the closest phylogenetic neighbors were Sphingomonas crusticola MIMD3 T (95.6%) and Sphingomonas jatrophae S5-249 T (95.3%) of the family Sphingomonadaceae . Strain AK-PDB1-5 T had a genome size of 4,298,284 bp with a 67.8% G + C content, and digital DNA-DNA hybridization and OrthoANI values with the most closely related species of only 19.5-21% and 75.1-76.8%, respectively. Cells of the strain AK-PDB1-5 T were Gram-negative, short rods, oxidase- and catalase-positive. Growth occurred at pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum pH 8.0) in the absence of NaCl at 4-37°C (optimum 25-30°C). Strain AK-PDB1-5 T contained C 14:0 2OH , C 16:0 and summed feature 8 as the major cellular fatty acids (> 10%), while sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phospholipids and lipids were found to be the major polar lipids. The strain produces a yellow carotenoid pigment; natural products prediction via AntiSMASH tool found zeaxanthin biosynthesis clusters in the entire genome. Biophysical characterization by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and ESI-MS studies confirmed the yellow pigment was nostoxanthin. In addition, strain AK-PDB1-5 T was found significantly promote Arabidopsis seedling growth under salt conditions by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Based on the polyphasic taxonomic analysis results, strain AK-PDB1-5 T was determined to be a novel species in the genus Sphingomonas with the proposed name Sphingomonas nostoxanthinifaciens sp. nov. The type strain is AK-PDB1-5 T (= KCTC 82822 T  = CCTCC AB 2021150 T )., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jiang, Seo, Peng, Jeon, Lee, Kim and Lee.)

Endophytes can facilitate the improvement of plant growth and health in agriculturally important crops, yet their genomes and secondary metabolites remain largely unexplored. We previously isolated Saccharibacillus brassicae strain ATSA2 T from surface-sterilized seeds of kimchi cabbage and represented a novel species of the genus Saccharibacillus. In this study, we evaluated the plant growth-promoting (PGP) effect of strain ATSA2 T in kimchi cabbage, bok choy, and pepper plants grown in soils. We found a significant effect on the shoot and root biomass, and chlorophyll contents following strain ATSA2 T treatment. Strain ATSA2 T displayed PGP traits such as indole acetic acid (IAA, 62.9 μg/mL) and siderophore production, and phosphate solubilization activity. Furthermore, genome analysis of this strain suggested the presence of gene clusters involved in iron acquisition (fhuABD, afuABC, fbpABC, and fepCDG) and phosphate solubilization (pstABCHS, phoABHLU, and phnCDEP) and other phytohormone biosynthesis genes, including indole-3-acetic acid (trpABCDEFG), in the genome. Interestingly, the secondary metabolites cerecidin, carotenoid, siderophore (staphylobactin), and bacillaene underlying plant growth promotion were found in the whole genome via antiSMASH analysis. Overall, physiological testing and genome analysis data provide comprehensive insights into plant growth-promoting mechanisms, suggesting the relevance of strain ATSA2 T in agricultural biotechnology., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy plus regorafenib versus regorafenib only in patients with pretreated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Methods: Immunotherapy plus regorafenib or regorafenib alone was analyzed in patients with advanced HCC with documented tumor progression on front-line therapy. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were assessed., Results: Of the 125 patients enrolled in this study, 50 patients received combination (pCOM) treatment as front-line treatment, and 60 patients received monotherapy (pMONO) as front-line treatment. In the pCOM cohort, median OS was significantly longer with for patients regorafenib plus immunotherapy than regorafenib alone treatment (15.0 vs. 2.0 months; P = 0.035). The DCR numerically increased in the regorafenib plus immunotherapy treatment in both cohorts (40.6 % vs. 22.2 %, 72.7 % vs. 54.7 %, respectively). There were no differences in PFS with regorafenib according to whether or not regorafenib was combined with immunotherapy in the pCOM and pMONO cohorts (PFS, P = 0.17, P = 0.91, respectively). Regarding the number of TRAEs occurred, regorafenib plus immunotherapy group was comparable to regorafenib group in the pCOM cohort (65.6 % vs. 72.2 %). In the pMONO cohort, TRAEs occurred in fewer patients receiving regorafenib than regorafenib plus immunotherapy (69.8 % vs. 95.5 %)., Conclusions: Immunotherapy plus regorafenib may significantly improve clinical outcomes and have a manageable safety profile compared with regorafenib monotherapy in advanced HCC after front-line therapy failure. The efficacy of combination therapy needs to be validated in prospective studies with large samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The extensive usage of synthetic fungicides against fungal diseases has caused adverse impacts on both human and agricultural crops. Therefore, the current study aims to establish a new bacterium 7WMA2, as a biocontrol agent to achieve better antifungal results. The strain 7WMA2 was isolated from marine sediment, displayed a broad spectrum of several fungi that includes Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium sp., Candida albicans, Fusarium oxysporum, Trichosporon pullulans, and Trichophyton rubrum. The 16S rRNA phylogeny inferred that strain 7WMA2 was a member of Brevibacillus. The phylogenetic and biochemical analyses revealed that the strain 7WMA2 belongs to the species of Brevibacillus halotolerans. The complete genome sequence of Brevibacillus halotolerans 7WMA2 consists of a circular chromosome of 5,351,077 bp length with a GC content of 41.39 mol %, including 4433 CDS, 111 tRNA genes, and 36 rRNA genes. The genomic analysis showed 23 putative biosynthetic secondary metabolite gene clusters responsible for non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides and siderophores. The antifungal compounds concentrated from cell-free fermentation broth demonstrated strong inhibition of fungi, and the compounds are considerably thermal stable and adaptable to pH range 2-12. This complete genome sequence has provided insight for further exploration of antagonistic ability and its secondary metabolite compounds indicated feasibility as biological control agents against fungal infections., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium, designated DM2-R-LB4 T was isolated from Cannabis sativa L. 'Cheungsam' in Andong, Republic of Korea. The strain DM2-R-LB4 T grew at temperatures of 15-45 °C (optimum, 30-37 °C), pH of 5.5-9 (optimum, 8.0), and 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl concentration (optimum, 0%). Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain DM2-R-LB4 T is related to species of the genus Sphingomonas , and shared 97.8 and 97.5% similarity to Sphingomonas kyenggiensis KCTC 42244 T and Sphingomonas leidyi DSM 4733 T , respectively. The DNA G+C content was 67.9 mol% and genome analysis of the strain DM2-R-LB4 T revealed that the genome size was 4 386 171 bp and contained 4 009 predicted protein-coding genes. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between strain DM2-R-LB4 T and S. kyenggiensis KCTC 42244 T , and S. leidyi DSM 4733 T was 76.8 and 76.7 %, respectively, while the values of digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) were 20.7 and 20.6 %, respectively. C 14 : 0 2-OH, C 16 : 0 , and summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω6c and/or C 18 : 1  ω7c) were the major fatty acids (>10 %) in the strain DM2-R-LB4 T . The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylcholine (PC), sphingoglycolipid (SGL), glycolipid (GL), phospholipid (PL), and two unidentified polar lipids (L1 and L2). Ubiquinone-10 (Q-10) was the only respiratory quinone. The polyamine pattern was found to contain homospermidine, putrescine, and spermidine. The results of phylogenetic anlayses, polyphasic studies, revealed that strain DM2-R-LB4 T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingomonas , for which the name Sphingomonas cannabina sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is DM2-R-LB4 T (=KCTC 92075 T = GDMCC 1.3018 T ).

A novel Gram-stain-positive, aerobic bacterial strain, designated AK-R2A1-2  T , was isolated from the surface-sterilized needle leaves of an Abies koreana tree. Strain AK-R2A1-2  T had 97.3% and 96.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Subtercola boreus K300 T and Subtercola lobariae 9583b T , respectively, but formed a distinct phyletic lineage from these two strains. Growth of strain AK-R2A1-2  T was observed at 4-25 °C at pH 5.0-8.0. Strain AK-R2A1-2  T contained menaquinone 9 (MK-9) and menaquinone 10 (MK-10) as the predominant respiratory quinones. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C 15:0 and summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7c or/and C 18:1 ω6c), and the polar lipids included diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) and three unknown aminolipids, AKL2, AKL3, and AKL4. The complete genome of strain AK-R2A1-2  T was sequenced to understand the genetic basis of its survival at low temperatures. Multiple copies of cold-associated genes involved in cold-active chaperon, stress response, and DNA repair supported survival of the strain at low temperatures. Strain AK-R2A1-2  T was also able to significantly improve rice seedling growth under low temperatures. Thus, this strain represents a novel species of the genus Subtercola, and the proposed name is Subtercola endophyticus sp. nov. The type strain is AK-R2A1-2  T (= KCTC 49721  T  = GDMCC 1.2921  T )., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Total pancreatectomy (TP) for pancreatic cancer (PC) has been limited historically for fear of elevated perioperative morbidity and mortality. With advances in perioperative care, TP may be an alternative option to partial pancreatectomy (PP). Limited evidence clarified the indication for these two procedures in PC patients, especially in patients with different tumor staging and location. Thus, this study aims to compare the outcomes after TP and PP for PCs of different T stages and locations., Methods: The study identified 14,456 PC patients with potentially curable primary tumor (T1-3) who received TP or PP from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database during 2000 to 2016. Detailed clinical and tumor covariates were all collected. Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were the primary endpoints of interest in this study. OS and CSS were compared between patients after TP and PP using log-rank analysis., Results: For all patients, except for tumor location, TP group was comparable to the PP group. OS and CSS of the TP group were worse than of the PP group (median OS: 19 vs. 20 months, P=0.0058; median CSS: 24 vs. 26 months, P=0.00098, respectively). In stratifying analyses, TP was significantly related to worse OS and CSS than PP in pancreatic head and neck cancer patients with T2-stage tumors (median OS: 18 vs. 19 months, P=0.0016; median CSS: 22 vs. 24 months, P=0.00055, respectively), whereas for patients with T1- or T3-stage pancreatic head and neck cancer as well as T1- to T3-stage pancreatic body and tail cancer or overlapping location cancer, OS and CSS of the two groups were similar (all P>0.05)., Conclusions: Compared with PP, TP offered worse prognosis in pancreatic head and neck cancer patients with T2-stage tumors, furthermore, TP and PP achieved comparable prognosis in patients with T1- or T3-stage pancreatic head and neck cancer as well as T1- to T3-stage pancreatic body and tail cancer or overlapping location cancer., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-2217/coif).The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

A bacterial strain, designated J12C1-MA-4 T , was isolated from liquid culture of the dinoflagellate Ceratoperidinium margalefii. The bacterium was Gram-negative, aerobic, and rod-shaped. Oxidase and catalase were positive. Optimal growth was observed at 30 °C, pH 7.0, in the presence of 1% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene and a 92 core gene set suggested that the strain J12C1-MA-4 T belongs to the family Rhodobacteraceae in the class Alphaproteobacteria and represents a taxon separated from other genera. 16S rRNA gene sequence of the strain J12C1-MA-4 T showed high similarities to Loktanella ponticola KCTC 42133 T (95.7%), Pseudooctadecabacter jejudonensis KCTC 32525 T (95.5%) and Jannaschia helgolandensis KCTC 12191 T (95.3%). The genome length of strain J12C1-MA-4 T was 3,621,968 bp with a DNA G + C content of 64.48 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids of strain J12C1-MA-4 T were summed feature 8 (comprising C 18:1 ω7c and/or C 18:1 ω6c) (> 10%). Phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phospholipids (PL), lipids 1 (L1) and aminolipid (AL) were shown to be the major polar lipids. The sole predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. Based on phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic features, we propose that strain J12C1-MA-4 T represent a novel species in the novel genus of the family Rhodobacteraceae, with the proposed name Gymnodinialimonas ceratoperidinii gen. nov., sp. nov.. The type strain is J12C1-MA-4 T (=KCTC 82770 T  =GDMCC 1.2729 T )., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile by gliding, rod-shaped, oxidase- and catalase-positive bacterial strain, designated BB8 T , was isolated from the stems of a Korean soybean cultivar ( Glycine max L. cv. Gwangan). The strain produced a yellow pigment on tryptic soy agar. Growth of strain BB8 T occurred at pH 5.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0), at 10-35 °C (optimum, 25-30 °C) and in the presence of 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0.5%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain BB8 T formed a lineage within the genus Flavobacterium and was most closely related to Flavobacterium artemisiae SYP-B1015 T (96.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Flavobacterium ustbae T13 T (96.8%). The complete genome sequence of strain BB8 T was 5 513 159 bp long with a G+C content of 34.1 mol%. The major fatty acids (>10 %) of strain BB8 T were iso-C 15 : 0 (21 %), summed feature 3 (comprising C 16 : 1  ω7 c and/or C 16 : 1  ω6 c , 20.3%) and iso-C 16 : 0 3-OH (13.7%). The predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and unidentified aminolipids, and the major respiratory quinone was menaquinone-6. Based on these phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain BB8 T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium , for which the name Flavobacterium endoglycinae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BB8 T (=KCTC 82167 T =CCTCC AB 2020070 T ).

Microbial volatiles have beneficial roles in the agricultural ecological system, enhancing plant growth and inducing systemic resistance against plant pathogens without being hazardous to the environment. The interactions of plant and fungal volatiles have been extensively studied, but there is limited research specifically elucidating the effects of distinct volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on plant growth promotion. The current study was conducted to investigate the impact of VOCs from Cladosporium halotolerans NGPF1 on plant growth, and to elucidate the mechanisms for the plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity of these VOCs. The VOCs from C. halotolerans NGPF1 significantly promoted plant growth compared with the control, and this PGP activity of the VOCs was culture medium-dependent. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified two VOC structures with profiles that differed depending on the culture medium. The two compounds that were only produced in potato dextrose (PD) medium were identified as 2-methyl-butanal and 3-methyl-butanal, and both modulated plant growth promotion and root system development. The PGP effects of the identified synthetic compounds were analyzed individually and in blends using N. benthamiana plants. A blend of the two VOCs enhanced growth promotion and root system development compared with the individual compounds. Furthermore, real-time PCR revealed markedly increased expression of genes involved in auxin, expansin, and gibberellin biosynthesis and metabolism in plant leaves exposed to the two volatile blends, while cytokinin and ethylene expression levels were decreased or similar in comparison with the control. These findings demonstrate that naturally occurring fungal VOCs can induce plant growth promotion and provide new insights into the mechanism of PGP activity. The application of stimulatory volatiles for growth enhancement could be used in the agricultural industry to increase crop yield., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Jiang, Lee, Kim, Kim, Kim, Min and Lee.)

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been widely used in clinical practice as a first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the current therapeuticeffect of TACE is far from satisfactory and thus requires further improvement. TACE combined with multifunctional magnetic particles may be a promising approach for the treatment of HCC. In this study, we designed a new magnetic drug carrier system consisting of micron-sized iron powder, barium ferrite (BaFe 12 O 19 ), and carbon-coated iron nanocrystals (CCINs). CCINs possess properties, such as high drug loading and sustained release. BaFe 12 O 19 could attract both CCINs and iron powder to form larger clusters after magnetization. Altogether, the triple therapeutic effects of chemotherapeutic enhancement, embolization, and thermal ablation could be realized herein. Further experiments indicate that the system has a high drug-loading capacity, good controlled-release effect, and no significant cytotoxicity. Under the action of a medium-frequency magnetic induction device, the magnetic induction temperature could reach 43 °C in one min while the maximum temperature of 70.8 °C could be reached in 2.5 h. Overall, this new carrier system displayed excellent antitumor effects in a mouse model. Our findings demonstrate the great application prospects of this system in TACE for HCC., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped strain (R2A-3 T ) was isolated from the toxin-producing dinoflagellate Centrodinium punctatum and identified as a novel genus and new species based on a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The optimum conditions for growth of the strain were at 25 °C, pH 8.0 and in the presence of 3 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA genes and 92 core genes sets revealed that strain R2A-3 T belongs to the family Nevskiaceae in the class Gammaproteobacteria and represented an independent taxon separated from other genera. The 16S rRNA gene of strain R2A-3 T showed the highest sequence similarity to Polycyclovorans algicola TG408 T (95.2%), Fontimonas thermophila HA-01 T (94.1%) and Sinimarinibacterium flocculans NH6-24 T (93.2%), and less than 92.8 % similarity to other genera in the family Nevskiaceae . The genome length of strain R2A-3 T was 3608892 bp with 65.2 mol% G+C content. Summed feature 8 (comprising C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ) was the major fatty acid (>10 %). Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine were detected as the major polar lipids. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. According to its phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic features, strain R2A-3 T represents a new species in the new genus of the family Nevskiaceae . It is recommended to name it Flagellatimonas centrodinii gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is R2A-3 T (=KCTC 82469 T =GDMCC 1.2523 T ).

It remains impossible to accurately assess the prognosis after thermal ablation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our aim was to build a nomogram to predict the survival rate of HCC patients after thermal ablation. We developed and validated a nomogram using data of 959 HCC patients after thermal ablation from two centers. Harrell's concordance index (C-index), calibration plot and Decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to measure the performance of the nomogram, and we compared it with the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system and a previous nomogram. Six variables including age, serum albumin, operation method, risk area, tumor number and early recurrence were selected to construct the nomogram. In the training cohort, internal validation cohort, and external validation cohort, the nomogram all had a higher C-index to predict survival rate than both the BCLC staging system and the previous nomogram (0.736, 0.558 and 0.698, respectively; 0.763, 0.621 and 0.740, respectively; and 0.825, 0.551 and 0.737, respectively). Calibration plots showed a high degree of consistency between prediction and actual observation. Decision curve analysis (DCA) presented that compared with BCLC system and the previous nomogram, our nomogram had the highest net benefit. In all three cohorts, the nomogram could accurately divide patients into three subgroups according to predicted survival risk. A nomogram was developed and validated to predict survival of HCC patients who underwent thermal ablation, which is helpful for prognostic prediction and individual surveillance in clinical practice., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2021.)

A novel endophytic bacterial strain, designated GR-TSA-9 T , was isolated from surface-sterilized grape ( Vitis vinifera L.). 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that the isolate was grouped within the genus Brevundimonas , displaying the highest similarity with Brevundimonas lenta DS-18 T (97.9%) and Brevundimonas kwangchunensis KSL-102 T (97.8%) and less than 97.5% similarity with other members of Brevundimonas . The strain GR-TSA-9 T was a gram negative, rod shaped, facultatively anaerobic, catalase and oxidase positive, and motile bacterium. Its growth occurred at 10-37°C (optimally 25-30°C), at pH 7.0-8.0, and in NaCl 0-1% (optimally 0%). It contained ubiquinone-10 as a respiratory quinone, and the major cellular fatty acids (>10% of the total) were C 16:0 (14.2%) and summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7 c and/or C 18:1 ω6c, 65.6%). The polar lipids present in the strain were phosphoglycolipids, phosphatidylglycerol, 1,2-di- O- acyl-3-O-[d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-d-glucopyranuronosyl]glycerol, and unidentified lipids (L1, L2, and L4). The strain had one 2,976,716bp circular chromosome with a G+C content of 66.4%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain GR-TSA-9 T and B. lenta DS-18 T was 20.9%, while the average nucleotide identity value was 76.7%. In addition, the dDDH and ANI values to other members in this genus, whose genome sequences are available, are less than 21.1 and 77.6%. Genome annotation predicted the presence of some gene clusters related to tyrosine degradation and pyomelanin formation. Strain GR-TSA-9 T produced a brown melanin-like pigment in the presence of L-tyrosine-containing media. The highest pigment production (0.19g/L) was observed in tryptic soy broth with 1.0mg/ml L-tyrosine at 25°C for 6days of culture. Biophysical characterization by ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry confirmed that the pigment was pyomelanin. Additionally, melanized GR-TSA-9 T cells could protect the cells against UVC exposure. The phylogenetic, genomic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic features indicated that strain GR-TSA-9 T represents a novel melanin-producing species of Brevundimonas . The type strain was GR-TSA-9 T (KCTC 82386 T =CGMCC 1.18820 T )., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Jiang, Jeon, Kim, Lee, Peng, Seo, Lee, Paik, Kim and Lee.)

An aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, weak-motile, short-rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated JBR3-12 T , was isolated from halophyte Carex pumila plants, and its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The strain produced a pink pigment on tryptic soy agar and grew optimally at 25 °C, pH 8 and in the presence of 3 % (w/v) NaCl. Results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JBR3-12 T formed a lineage within the genus Pedobacter and was most closely related to Pedobacter sandarakinus DS-27 T (98.0 %) and Pedobacter agri PB92 T (97.6 %). The DNA G+C content of the genome was 41.3 mol%; the whole genome length was 5 426 070 bp. The major fatty acids of JBR3-12 T were iso-C 15 : 0 , summed feature 3 (comprising C 16 : 1  ω 6 c and/or C 16 : 1  ω 7 c ) and iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH. The predominant polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant quinone was menaquinone-7. Based on its phenotypic, phylogenetic and genotypic features, strain JBR3-12 T is proposed to represent a novel species of the genus Pedobacter , for which the name is Pedobacter endophyticus sp. nov. The type strain is JBR3-12 T (=KCTC 82363 T =NBRC 114901 T ).

Background: The members of the cell division cycle-associated ( CDCA ) gene family are significant regulators of cell proliferation known to play key roles in various cancers. However, the function of CDCA genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. The aim of this research was to clarify the roles of CDCA family members in HCC using bioinformatics analysis tools., Methods: We studied data on the mRNA and protein expression of CDCA genes and survival in patients with HCC using the Oncomine, UALCAN, HPA, CCLE, LinkedOmics, cBioPortal, and Metascape databases., Results: Significant overexpression of all CDCA members was found in HCC tissues. The expression levels of CDCA s were related to the tumor stage, and high expression levels were correlated with a low survival rate in patients with HCC. Also, we observed a high mutation rate (45%) of CDCA s in the HCC samples, which manifested as deep deletion, amplification, or increased mRNA expression. In the correlation analysis, we found that any 2 CDCA members were significantly positively correlated with each other. Cycle-related genes including AHCTF1 , AKT1 , BIRC5 , CENPF , CENPL , and CENPQ were closely associated with CDCA gene alterations., Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that CDCA s may be potential therapeutic targets and prognostic indicators for patients with HCC., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jgo-21-110). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Researches demonstrated that gut microbiota are associated with breast cancer progression. This study aims to evaluate the anti-breast tumor effects of daucosterol linolenate (DLA), daucosterol linoleate (DL), and daucosterol palmitate (DP) from sweet potato in MCF-7 xenograft nude mice by determining the tumor growth, serum tumor markers, tumor-related proteins, and performing 16S rDNA sequencing. After treatment at 87.8 mg/kg/day for 29 days, DLA, DL and DP delayed tumor growth and decreased levels of tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and cancer antigen 153 (CA153) in vivo. All treatments activated caspase 3, 9, PARP1 cleavage, down-regulated Ki67, VEGF, BCL-2, BCL-XL, up-regulated BAX expression, and inhibited PI3K/AKT/NF-κB activation in tumor tissues. Their anti-breast tumor effects were associated with the regulation on gut microbiota. The three treatments increased Bacteroidetes whereas decreased Firmicutes richness. They also modulated the diversity of gut microbiota at family and genus levels. Furthermore, DL treatment promoted butyric acid secretion, DP promoted acetic acid and butyric acid secretion in the colorectal and feces. Our findings indicate that DLA, DL, and DP inhibit tumor growth in MCF-7 xenograft nude mice by regulating the homeostasis of gut microbiota, producing SCFAs, and then disturbing the expression of cancer-related proteins. The present study suggests three phytosterols as gut microbiota regulator for breast cancer prevention., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Enhancing the competence for plant regeneration in tissue culture studies is an important issue not only for efficient genetic transformation of commercial crops but also for the reproducibility of scientific reports. In this study, we investigated optimization of several tissue culture conditions including plant growth regulators, types and ages of explants, culture densities, and plant position in order to improve the competence of adventitious shoot formation of the tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom). In addition, we examined the differential expression of D-type cyclin ( CYCD3-1) and several shoot regeneration regulatory genes from hypocotyl and cotyledon explants of tomato during shoot organogenesis. A treatment of 1 mg L -1 Zeatin and 0.1 mg L -1 Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 3% sucrose was optimal for adventitious shoot formation from hypocotyl and cotyledon explants. The younger explants exhibited more shoot formation regardless of explant types. Additionally, those closest to the shoot apical meristem produced more shoots compared to the other regions in the hypocotyl and the cotyledon explants. Gene expression of CYCD3-1, SHOOT MERISTEMLESS ( STM ), and cytokinin dependent WUSCHEL ( WUS ) was significantly higher in younger explants than in older ones. Furthermore, an increase in CYCD3-1 , STM , and WUS expression was evident at the distal part of hypocotyls and the proximal part of cotyledons compared to other regions. These differential gene expression profiles exhibited good agreement with the results of shoot formation obtained from diverse explants of tomato. These results suggest that temporal and spatial gene expression of shoot regeneration regulatory genes plays an important role in enhancing the competence and the reproducibility of adventitious shoot formation from tomato explants.

Sweet potato is a functional food with potential antitumor properties, but the bioactive constituents and biological mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of daucosterol linolenate extracted from sweet potato and its potential mechanism. An MTT assay indicated that DLA inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer MCF-7 cells but had only weak effects on the proliferation of MDA-MB-231, 4T1, and MCF-10A cells. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that daucosterol linolenate induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. Experiments with MCF-7 xenograft in nude mice further confirmed that DLA inhibited tumor growth dose-dependently. After DLA treatment, the expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor were decreased and that of cleaved caspase 3 was increased as compared to the TC group. DLA also down-regulated the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B and repressed insulin-induced phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B activation. Our findings suggest that DLA suppresses breast tumor growth through inactivating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Background and Purpose: Gastric cancer is one of the major malignancies worldwide. Epiberberine (EPI) is a major alkaloid from Coptis chinensis Franch and the antitumor property of EPI remains poorly understood., Method: The inhibition on gastric cancer cells was observed by MTT assays and colony formation experiments. The apoptosis, cell cycle, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in gastric cancer cells were analyzed by Flow cytometry. The anti-tumor effect of EPI was evaluated with the MKN-45-beraring nude mice, and the potential mechanisms were explored by RNA-seq, qPCR, siRNA silencing and western blotting., Results: EPI inhibited the proliferation of human gastric cancer cell lines MKN-45 (harboring wild-type p53) and HGC-27 (harboring mutant p53) in a dose dependent manner. EPI induced the apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in these two cell lines, of which MKN-45 cells are more sensitive to EPI than HGC-27 cells. Further experiments indicated that EPI induced the accumulation of ROS and decreased of ΔΨm in MKN-45 cells. The significant differentially expressed genes obtained by RNA-seq were distinctly enriched in the p53 signaling pathway. The apoptosis induced by EPI in MKN-45 cells would be effectively inhibited with the treatment of p53 siRNA and p53 inhibitor PFT-α. Western blotting demonstrated that EPI diminished the expression of Bcl-2 and XIAP, and increased those of p53, Bax, p21, p27, Cytochrome C and Cleaved-caspase 3. Animal experiments confirmed that EPI significantly alleviated tumor growth in MKN-45 xenograft mice via p53/Bax pathway., Conclusions: These data indicated that EPI could be a novel anti-tumor candidate against MKN-45-related gastric cancer via targeting p53-dependent mitochondria-associated pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The genus Izhakiella was established and designated as a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae in 2016. Although the taxonomical classification of most members in this family has been relatively resolved after two reclassifications in 2016 and 2017, the classification of the genus Izhakiella remains ambiguous. In this study, a polyphasic approach was used to provide evidence supporting the fact that the genus Izhakiella should no longer be considered a member of Enterobacteriaceae and proposes its reclassification into the family Erwiniaceae . The phylogenetic tree of type species in the families Enterobacteriaceae and Erwiniaceae based on the sequences of the 16S rRNA gene, rpoB housekeeping gene, and the whole-genome comprising the 92 core genes revealed that the genus Izhakiella forms a phylogenetic lineage within the family Erwiniaceae . The average nucleotide identity (ANI) value of the type species with genus Izhakiella was found to be higher for the family Erwiniaceae than that for the family Enterobacteriaceae . Notably, 12 conserved signature indels (CSIs) that are exclusively shared among the Erwiniaceae clade members were found in the type strains of the genus Izhakiella . Based on these analyses, this study suggests the reclassification of I. capsodis and I. australiensis into the family Erwiniaceae .

Strain KSNA2 T , a Gram-negative, moderately halophilic, facultatively anaerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium, was isolated from the surface-sterilized stem tissue of a beach morning glory (Cafystegia soldanella) plant in Chuja Island, Jeju-do, Republic of Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome sequences revealed that strain KSNA2 T formed a distinct lineage within the family Enterobacteriaceae, with the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Izhakiella australiensis KCTC 72143 (96.2%) and Izhakiella capsodis KCTC 72142 T (96.0%), exhibited 95.5-95.9% similarity to other genera in the family Enterobacter-iaceae and Erwiniaceae. Conserved signature indels analysis elucidated that strain KSNA2 T was delimited into family Enterobacteriaceae. KSNA2 genome comprises a circular chromosome of 5,182,800 bp with 56.1% G + C content Digital DNA-DNA relatedness levels between strain KSNA2 T and 18 closely related species were 19.3 to 21.1%. Average nucleotide identity values were between 72.0 and 76.7%. Growth of strain KSNA2 T was observed at 4 to 45°C (optimum, 25°C) and pH 5.0 to 12.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) in the presence of 0 to 11% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-7%). The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) were C 16 :o followed by summed feature 8 (C 18 ω7c and/or C 18 ω6c), summed feature 3 (C 16:1 ω7c and/or C 16:1 ω6c), C 17:0 cyclo, and C 14:0 . The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). With combined phylogenetic, genomic, phenotypic, and chemotaxo-nomic features, strain KSNA2 T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Enterobacteriaceae, for which the name Jejubacter calystegiae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KSNA2 T (= KCTC 72234 T = CCTCC AB 2019098 T ).

Strain ATSA2 T was isolated from surface-sterilized kimchi cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) seeds and represents a novel bacterium based on the polyphasic taxonomic approach. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain ATSA2 T formed a lineage within genus Saccharibacillus and was most closely to Saccharibacillus deserti WLG055 T (98.1%) and Saccharibacillus qing-shengii H6 T (97.9%). The whole-genome of ATSA2 T comprised a 5,619,468 bp of circular chromosome with 58.4% G + C content. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain ATSA2 T and its closely related type strains S. deserti WLJ055 and S. qingshengii H6 T were 26.0% and 24.0%, respectively. Multiple gene clusters associated with plant growth promotion activities (stress response, nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism, and auxin biosynthesis) were annotated in the genome. Strain ATSA2 T was Gram-positive, endospore-forming, facultatively anaerobic, and rod-shaped It grew at 15-37°C (optimum 25°C), pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum pH 8.0), and in the presence of 0-5% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1%). The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) of strain ATSA2 T were anteiso-C 15:0 and C 16:0 . MK-7 was the major isoprenoid quinone. The major polar lipids present were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and three unknown glycolipids. Based on its phylogenetic, genomic, phenotypic, and chemotaxo-nomic features, strain ATSA2 T is proposed to represent a novel species of genus Saccharibacillus, for which the name is Saccharibacillus brassicae sp. nov. The type strain is ATSA2 T (KCTC 43072 T = CCTCC AB 2019223 T ).

Biocontrol offers a promising alternative to synthetic fungicides for the control of a variety of pre- and post-harvest diseases of crops. Black rot, which is caused by the pathogenic fungus Ceratocytis fimbriata, is the most destructive post-harvest disease of sweet potato, but little is currently known about potential biocontrol agents for this fungus. Here, we isolated several microorganisms from the tuberous roots and shoots of field-grown sweet potato plants, and analyzed their ribosomal RNA gene sequences. The microorganisms belonging to the genus Pantoea made up a major portion of the microbes residing within the sweet potato plants, and fluorescence microscopy showed these microbes colonized the intercellular spaces of the vascular tissue in the sweet potato stems. Four P. dispersa strains strongly inhibited C. fimbriata mycelium growth and spore germination, and altered the morphology of the fungal hyphae. The detection of dead C. fimbriata cells using Evans blue staining suggested that these P. dispersa strains have fungicidal rather than fungistatic activity. Furthermore, P. dispersa strains significantly inhibited C. fimbriata growth on the leaves and tuberous roots of a susceptible sweet potato cultivar ("Yulmi"). These findings suggest that P. dispersa strains could inhibit black rot in sweet potato plants, highlighting their potential as biocontrol agents.

A strictly aerobic, motile, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designated HS21 T , was isolated from rhizospheric soil of the Korean fir tree (Abies koreana) from Halla mountain on Jeju island, Korea. Growth of strain HS21 T was observed at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum: pH 7.0), 0-2% (w/v) NaCl and 4-30°C (optimum: 25°C). A comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain HS21 T was most closely related to Cohnella luojiensis HY-22R T (97.6%), followed by C. lupini RLAHU4B T (97.4%) and C. collisoli NKM-5 T (97.2%). The genome of strain HS21 T comprised a circular chromosome of 7,059,027 bp with 44.8% G + C content. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain HS21 T and C. luojiensis HY-22R T and C. lupini RLAHU4B T were 18.1% and 13.8%, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids (> 5%) of the isolate were anteiso-C 15:0 , iso-C 16:0 , C 16:0 , and iso-C 15:0 . The polar lipids present were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, lysylphosphatidylglycerol, and three unidentified aminophospholipids. Based on its phenotypic, phylogenetic, genomic, and chemotaxonomic properties, strain HS21 T represents a novel species of the genus Cohnella, for which the name Cohnella abietis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HS21 T (= KCTC 43028 T = CCTCC AB 2019010 T ).

The present study provides the method for simultaneous separation and determination of concentration and evaluates anti-breast cancer activity of three phytosterols from the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.): daucosterol linolenate (DLA), daucosterol linoleate (DL), and daucosterol palmitate (DP). A cell viability assay revealed that the three phytosterols had a stronger inhibitory effect on MCF-7 than MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, and had no effects on non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated that DLA, DL, and DP suppressed tumor growth in MCF-7 xenograft breast cancer model in nude mice. Given the anti-breast cancer activity of DLA, DL, and DP, an HPLC method for the determination of their content in the sweet potato was developed. The method had satisfactory linearity (R 2  = 0.9992-0.9999). The limits of detection (LOD) were in the range of 2.5-10 μg/mL, the limits of quantification (LOQ) were 5-25 μg/mL, and the recovery rates were 97.64-103.02%. Additionally, the HPLC method was successfully validated in eight sweet potato cultivars. This novel technique can be applied for the determination of DLA, DL, and DP in the sweet potato., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Saccharibacillus sp. ATSA2 was isolated from Kimchi cabbage seeds grown in Gyeongbuk province in the Republic of Korea. Whole-genome sequencing of Saccharibacillus sp. ATSA2 was performed using the PacBio RSII and Illumina HiSeq platforms, and it features a 5,619,468 bp circular chromosome with 58.4% G + C content. The genome includes 4543 protein-coding genes, 104 RNA genes (70 transfer RNA genes, 30 ribosomal RNA genes, and 4 non-coding RNA), and 73 pseudogenes. Multiple gene clusters associated with stress responses, nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism, and plant hormone biosynthesis were annotated in the genome. The genome information will provide fundamental knowledge of this organism as well as insight for understanding microbial activity in the agricultural application. The whole-genome sequence of Saccharibacillus sp. ATSA2 is available at GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ under accession number CP041217.

A Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, endospore-forming, oxidase-positive, and catalase-negative strain designated as BRMEA1 T was isolated from the surface-sterilized Selaginella involvens roots. Growth of strain BRMEA1 T was found to occur at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0), 15-50 °C (optimum, 25-30 °C) and in the absence of NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain BRMEA1 T formed a lineage within the genus Neobacillus (family Bacillaceae ) and showed the highest sequence similarity to Neobacillus drentensis DSM 15600 T (98.3 %) and Neobacillus fumarioli KCTC 13885 T (98.2 %), and less than 98.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the other members of the genus Neobacillus . Whole-genome analysis of strain BRMEA1 T comprised a circular chromosome (5 632 809 bp in size) with 38.5 mol% G+C content. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization analyses revealed that strain BRMEA1 T showed 20.5 and 22.0% genomic DNA relatedness with the closest species , N. drentensis DSM 15600 T and N. fumarioli KCTC 13885 T , respectively. The whole-genome sequence of strain BRMEA1 T showed the presence of 11 specific conserved signature indels for the genus Neobacillus . The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) of strain BRMEA1 T were found to be iso-C 15 : 0 and anteiso-C 15 : 0 , while the major polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. Polyphasic analysis results revealed that BRMEA1 T represents a novel species of the genus Neobacillus , with the proposed name Neobacillus endophyticus sp. nov. The type strain is BRMEA1 T (=KCTC 43208 T =CCTCC AB 2020071 T ).

A Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic, endospore-forming, rod-shaped strain, AGMB 02131 T , which grew at 20-40 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 3.0-11.0 (optimum pH 4.0) and in the presence of 0-18 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 10 %), was isolated from a cow faecal sample and identified as a novel strain using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences along with the whole genome (92 core gene sets) revealed that AGMB 02131 T formed a group within the genus Peribacillus , and showed the highest sequence similarity with Peribacillus endoradicis DSM 28131 T (96.9 %), following by Peribacillus butanolivorans DSM 18926 T (96.6 %). The genome of AGMB 02131 T comprised 70 contigs, the chromosome length was 4 038 965 bp and it had a 38.5 % DNA G+C content. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization revealed that AGMB 02131 T displayed 21.4 % genomic DNA relatedness with the most closely related strain, P. butanolivorans DSM 18926 T . AGMB 02131 T contains all of the conserved signature indels that are specific for members of the genus Peribacillus . The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) of AGMB 02131 T were C 18 : 1 ω9 c , C 18:0 and C 16 : 0 . The major polar lipids present were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. On the basis of the phenotypic, phylogenetic, genomic and chemotaxonomic features, AGMB 02131 T represents a novel species of the genus Peribacillus , for which the name Peribacillus faecalis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AGMB 02131 T (=KCTC 43221 T =CCTCC AB 2020077 T ).

Essential oil extracted from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. ( H. cordata ) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine due to its excellent biological activities. However, impurities and deficient preparations of the essential oil limit its safety and effectiveness. Herein, we proposed a strategy to prepare H. cordata essential oil (HEO) safely and effectively by combining the solvent extraction and the macroporous resin purification flexibly, and then encapsulating it using microemulsion. The extraction and purification process were optimized by orthogonal experimental design and adsorption-desorption tests, respectively. The average houttuynin content in pure HEO was then validated at 44.3% ± 2.01%, which presented a great potential for industrial application. Subsequently, pure HEO-loaded microemulsion was prepared by high-pressure homogenization and was then fully characterized. Results showed that the pure HEO-loaded microemulsion was successfully prepared with an average particle size of 179.1 nm and a high encapsulation rate of 94.7%. Furthermore, safety evaluation tests and in vitro antiviral testing indicated that the safety and activity of HEO were significantly improved after purification using D101 resin and were further improved by microemulsion encapsulation. These results demonstrated that the purification of HEO by macroporous resin followed by microemulsion encapsulation would be a promising approach for industrial application of HEO for the antiviral therapies.

Background: Over the last decades, the application of mucoadhesive polymers in nasal drug delivery systems has gained interest among pharmaceutical scientists as a means of promoting dosage form residence time in the nasal cavity as well as improving intimacy of contact with absorptive membranes of the biological system. In addition, the enhanced paracellular absorption following the swelling of the mucoadhesive polymers on the nasal membranes provides an important way for the absorption of the macromolecules through the nasal cavity., Method: This paper describes some aspects of mucoadhesion related to the nasal drug delivery system. First the theories of the adhesion of mucoadhesive polymers to the mucosa epithelium are described. Then the characteristics and application of several widely used polymers in nasal drug delivery are presented. Finally, the influences of dosage form on the nasal absorption of drugs in the mucoadhesive polymer-based formulations are discussed., Conclusion: The mucoadhesive polymers have enormous potential for the delivery of therapeutic macromolecules, genes, and vaccines through the nasal cavity with high drug bioavailability.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the use of antibiotics in a burn unit and the change in the drug - resistance of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)., Methods: By calculating the defined daily doses (DDD) of accumulated consumption of antibiotics per unit time and expense consumption, the use of different kinds of antibiotics in a burn unit in recent five years was analyzed, and correlation analysis between the change of antibiotics consumption amount and the change in drug - resistance level of S. aureus were carried out., Results: Amikacin, gentamycin and cephazolin were the commonest antibiotics used in our burn unit. They were relatively cheaper than some other antibiotics. The consumption amount of compound antibiotics application was negatively correlated with the penicillin resistance level of S. aureus. Seven correlation coefficients between the consumption of first generation cephalosporins and seven coefficiences of resistance rate of S. aureus were negative. The consumption amount of the 3rd generation of cephalosporin application was positively related to the resistance of S. aureus to erythromycin and oxacillin., Conclusion: Accumulated DDD might be one of the ideal indices of reflecting antibiotic use. The changes in the consumption amount of the 1st and 3rd generation of cephalosporins containing beta-lactamase-inhibitor might affect the drug-resistance levels of S. aureus to some degree.