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The purpose of this study was to investigate the bacterial communities of biting midges and ticks collected from three sites in the Poyang Lake area, namely, Qunlu Practice Base, Peach Blossom Garden, and Huangtong Animal Husbandry, and whether vectors carry any bacterial pathogens that may cause diseases to humans, to provide scientific basis for prospective pathogen discovery and disease prevention and control. Using a metataxonomics approach in concert with full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing and operational phylogenetic unit (OPU) analysis, we characterized the species-level microbial community structure of two important vector species, biting midges and ticks, including 33 arthropod samples comprising 3,885 individuals, collected around Poyang Lake. A total of 662 OPUs were classified in biting midges, including 195 known species and 373 potentially new species, and 618 OPUs were classified in ticks, including 217 known species and 326 potentially new species. Surprisingly, OPUs with potentially pathogenicity were detected in both arthropod vectors, with 66 known species of biting midges reported to carry potential pathogens, including Asaia lannensis and Rickettsia bellii, compared to 50 in ticks, such as Acinetobacter Iwoffii and Staphylococcus sciuri. We found that Proteobacteria was the most dominant group in both midges and ticks. Furthermore, the outcomes demonstrated that the microbiota of midges and ticks tend to be governed by a few highly abundant bacteria. Pantoea sp7 was predominant in biting midges, while Coxiella sp1 was enriched in ticks. Meanwhile, Coxiella spp., which may be essential for the survival of Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, were detected in all tick samples. The identification of dominant species and pathogens of biting midges and ticks in this study serves to broaden our knowledge associated to microbes of arthropod vectors. Biting midges and ticks carry large numbers of known and potentially novel bacteria, and carry a wide range of potentially pathogenic bacteria, which may pose a risk of infection to humans and animals. The microbial communities of midges and ticks tend to be dominated by a few highly abundant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties of gastrodin. However, its specific role and mechanism in the context of osteoarthritis (OA) remain unclear. Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the function and mechanism of gastrodin in both in vivo and in vitro OA models. Materials and Methods: In this study, the targets of gastrodin against osteoarthritis were analyzed using bioinformatics methods. The effect of gastrodin on neutrophil infiltration and inflammatory cytokines in OA synovial tissue was evaluated using H&E staining. The levels of inflammatory cytokines were determined using ELISA and Q-PCR. The extracellular matrix degradation-related proteins and PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 signaling pathway were tested using western blotting. Results: Bioinformatics analysis predicted that the target of gastrodin against OA might act on the FoxO pathway. The use of gastrodin resulted in a significant reduction in the infiltration of neutrophils in the synovial tissue of rats, as observed through H&E staining. Additionally, gastrodin was found to attenuate IL-1β-induced inhibition of chondrocyte viability, pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and extracellular matrix degradation. This effect can be attributed to the suppression of PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 by gastrodin. Conclusion: These findings indicate that gastrodin is a treatment for OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]