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The increasing number of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria presents a serious threat to global health. However, colistin-resistant Acinetobacter junii has rarely been reported. We identified a colistin-resistant A. junii clinical isolate, AJ6079, in blood. The colony of AJ6079 presented a dry phenotype, and it was difficult to form a bacterial suspension, whilst transmission electron microscopy revealed that AJ6079 possessed a thick outer membrane. The phenotypic and genomic comparisons were conducted with one colistin-susceptible A. junii, which had the same antibiotic susceptibility profile except for colistin, and had the same KL25 capsule biosynthesis locus. The AJ6079 exhibited a slower growth rate, indicating that colistin-resistant A. junii possesses a higher fitness cost. The genome of AJ6079 had a G+C content of 38.7% and contained one 3,362,966 bp circular chromosome with no plasmid or mobile colistin resistance (mcr) gene. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the AJ6079 contained several previously unreported point mutations in colistin-resistance-related genes involving amino acid substitutions in PmrB (N5K, G147C), LpxA (I107F, H131Y), and LpxD (F20I, K263R), which might be correlated with colistin resistance in A. junii. Further research is needed for verification as the genetic background was not exactly the same between the two isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean is a globally important legume crop that provides a primary source of high-quality vegetable protein and oil. Seed protein and oil content are two valuable quality traits controlled by multiple genes in soybean. In this study, the restricted two-stage multi-locus genome-wide association analysis (RTM-GWAS) procedure was performed to dissect the genetic architecture of seed protein and oil content in a diverse panel of 279 soybean accessions from the Yangtze and Huaihe River Valleys in China. We identified 26 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for seed protein content and 23 for seed oil content, including five associated with both traits. Among these, 39 QTLs corresponded to previously reported QTLs, whereas 10 loci were novel. As reported previously, the QTL on chromosome 20 was associated with both seed protein and oil content. This QTL exhibited opposing effects on these traits and contributed the most to phenotype variation. From the detected QTLs, 55 and 51 candidate genes were identified for seed protein and oil content, respectively. Among these genes, eight may be promising candidate genes for improving soybean nutritional quality. These results will facilitate marker-assisted selective breeding for soybean protein and oil content traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between dietary patterns with frailty phenotypes in an elderly Chinese population., Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 780 Shanghai suburban elders aged 65-74 in 2019. Dietary data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire. Adherence to a priori dietary patterns, including the Chinese Healthy Eating Index (CHEI), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and Mediterranean Diet (MD) were calculated. Three a posteriori dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis, namely, "protein-rich"; "vegetables"; and "sugar, oil, and condiments". Frailty was defined using the Fried frailty phenotype scale. Ordinal multiple logistic regression was applied to examine the associations between dietary patterns and frailty prevalence., Results: The prevalences of pre-frailty and frailty were 47.69% and 3.85%, respectively. Participants with a higher DASH score had a lower frailty prevalence in the sex- and age-adjusted models of the 780 subjects (OR = 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94-0.99), p < 0.05). The association slightly strengthened in the multivariate adjusted model of the 555 subjects after excluding the participants with chronic diseases may influence frailty (OR = 0.96 (95% CI: 0.92-1.00), p < 0.05). High "protein-rich" dietary pattern scores were negatively associated with frailty prevalence in the multivariate adjusted model of the 780 subjects (OR = 0.82 (95% CI: 0.69-0.98), p < 0.05). The association attenuated in the sex- and age-adjusted model of the 555 subjects (OR = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.69-1.00, p = 0.056)., Conclusion: A better diet quality as characterized by DASH and "protein-rich" was associated with a reduced prevalence of frailty in Shanghai suburban elders. The correlation of CHEI, MD or a posteriori dietary patterns with the development of frailty in Chinese older people remains to be explored.

Phthalates are hormonally active pollutants. In-utero exposure to phthalates has been reported to be associated with birth size parameters and pregnancy outcomes. However, previous reports were inconsistent. We examined the associations between meconium exposure to phthalates and the effects on birth size parameters, pregnancy outcomes and sex and thyroid hormones in 251 mother-infant pairs from a Shanghai hospital. We measured 10 metabolites of phthalates in meconium samples collected during the first 24h after delivery. Information on seven birth size parameters (birth weight, birth length, abdominal circumference, head circumference, femur length, biparietal diameter and anogenital distance) and three pregnancy outcomes (gestational diabetes, premature rupture of membrane, and premature birth) was available from the birth record. Concentrations of free testosterone, estradiol (E2), thyroid stimulating hormone, concentrations of total and free thyroxine and triiodothyronine were measured from cord blood. Multivariate linear regression and logistic regression were used to estimate associations between phthalate exposure and health outcomes. mono-iso-butylphthalate (MiBP), mono-n-butylphthalate (MnBP) and mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate (MEOHP) were positively associated with birth length and femur length which seemed more obvious in female newborn; MiBP, MnBP and mono-2-ethylhexylphthalate (MEHP) were positively associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) only in mothers with male newborns; monomethyl phthalate (MMP), MiBP and MEOHP were positively associated with E2 in male newborns. This study indicates that meconium exposure to phthalates may adversely affect some fetal growth parameters and GDM with a potential gender effect.