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Aims This study explores the impact of gut microbiota on body metabolites and the growth rate of sea cucumber seedlings. Methods and results A comprehensive analysis using metabolomics and microbiomics was conducted to ascertain the gut microbiota and body metabolites in sea cucumber seedlings exhibiting varying growth rates. Distinct changes in the intestinal flora were observed in correlation with different growth rates of sea cucumber seedlings. The microbial communities of faster-growing seedlings exhibited greater diversity and evenness of taxa. For example, the abundance of genera Rhodococcus, Woeseia, Lysobacter, Desulfuromonadia_Sva1033 , and Flavobacteriaceae_NS5_marine_group was more than 24 times higher in the fast-growing group compared to the slow-growing group. Metabolomics analysis revealed an association between high growth rates of cucumber seedlings and discrepancies in metabolites, such as amino acids, lipids, and carbohydrates. Isorenieratene, possibly synthesized by Rhodococcus , was more than 2.5 times more abundant in the fast-growing group than the slow-growing group. Slow-growing seedlings showed considerable enrichment of environmental pollutants, such as antibiotics and drugs, while their colonies were devoid of bacteria capable of degrading such pollutants. In addition, significant differences were observed between groups in the biosynthesis of amino acids, metabolism of arginine and proline, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and metabolism of linoleic acid. Moreover, significant correlations between the microbial genera and sea cucumber metabolites were identified through correlation analysis. Conclusions Significant differences exist in the gut microbiota and metabolite composition among seedlings with varying growth rates. Microbes residing in the gut have the potential to influence the growth of seedlings through modulation of their metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDEs (CEPs) are post-translationally modified peptides that play essential roles in root and shoot development, nitrogen absorption, nodule formation and stress resilience. However, it has proven challenging to determine biological activities of CEPs because of difficulties in obtaining loss-of-function mutants for these small genes. To overcome this challenge, we thus assembled a collection of easily detectable large fragment deletion mutants of Arabidopsis CEP genes through the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated protein 9–engineered genome editing. This collection was then evaluated for the usability by functionally analyzing the Arabidopsis growth and development with a focus on the root. Most cep mutants displayed developmental defects in primary and lateral roots showing an increased primary root length and an enhanced lateral root number, demonstrating that the genetic resource provides a useful tool for further investigations into the roles of CEPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Epidemiological studies have shown that some factors other than smoking may affect the risk of lung cancer in women, but the results are controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the influencing factors of lung cancer in nonsmoking women. Methods Both English and Chinese databases were searched for publications from 1990 to 2020. All included studies were assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of influential factors were analyzed using the meta-analysis method, and the publication bias and sensitivity were analyzed. Results Among the five categories, the pooled OR of cooking factors category was the highest. Among 42 influencing factors, there were frequent fried food (OR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.73–3.38) and long menstrual cycle (0.54, 95% CI: 0.39–0.75). A positive association of history of lung diseases/family lung/all cancer with lung cancer among Asian nonsmoking women (1.82, 95% CI: 1.60–2.07). Unlike other regions, cooking factors were the main risk factor for lung cancer in Asian. Conclusion The meta-analysis suggests that cooking habits, diet, passive smoking, history of cancer and lung disease, and female reproduction are related to lung cancer in nonsmoking women. However, additional studies are warranted to extend this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There are currently no studies synthesizing the screening rate and influential factors of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT)-screened lung cancer in Asian population. Methods A systematic review was conducted, using both English and Chinese language databases on March, 2019. The pooled screening rate and estimated odds ratios (ORs) of influential factors were analyzed using random effects models. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were also employed to explore the heterogeneity. Results The pooled LDCT lung cancer screening rate was 1.12% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94%, 1.32%), and increased with age. Adenocarcinoma and stage I lung cancer had higher screening rates. Analysis of influential factors in the general population showed that female and elder age (≥50 years) were significantly influencing LDCT lung cancer screening rate (for female, OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.15–1.52; for adults ≥ 50 years, OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.52–2.49). Meta-regression analysis indicated that the heterogeneity maybe significantly correlated with the sample size, risk population and source of population. Conclusions Unlike European and American populations, female and adults > 50 years rather than smoking adults were positively associated with screening rate in Asian populations. It is important to further study the benefits of lung cancer screening with LDCT in Asian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: There are knowledge gaps regarding STEC and EPEC strains in livestock in Jiangsu, China. This study aimed to evaluate the potential public health significance of STEC and EPEC strains isolated from livestock by determining the serotypes, virulence profiles, and genetic relationship with international STEC strains. Methods and Results: A total of 68 STEC and 37 EPEC strains were obtained from 231 faecal sheep samples and 70 faecal cattle samples. By using whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) analysis, all STEC belonged to 15 O: H serotypes, and the most prevalent serotypes were O6:H10 (19.1%), O155:H21 (14.7%), and O21:H25 (10.3%). The main Shiga toxin gene subtypes detected were stx1c (41.2%), stx1a (26.5%), stx2b (14.7%), and stx2k (14.7%). Only the STEC from cattle carried eae gene. Other adherence‐associated or toxin‐related genes, including lpfA (70.6%), iha (48.5%), subA (54.4%), and ehxA (33.8%), were found in STEC. All EPEC strains were bfpA‐negative, and the predominant eae variants were eae‐β1 (62.2%), eae‐ζ (21.6%), and eae‐θ (8.1%). The core‐genome multi‐locus sequence typing (cgMLST) analysis revealed nine scattered clusters in STEC and one dominant cluster in EPEC. The strains with the same serotypes, including O22:H8 and O43:H2 in the two towns, possessed a closely genomic distance. The core genome single‐nucleotide polymorphism (cgSNP) showed that part of STEC strains in this study was clustered with isolates possessing the same serotypes from the Netherlands, Sweden, and Xinjiang of China. Five serotypes of STEC isolates were associated with the clinical STEC strains from databases. Conclusion: This study provided the diverse serotypes and the virulence genes profiles in STEC and EPEC strains. Local strains possessed widely diverse and scattered clusters by cgMLST. Closely genomic correlation with clinical isolates displayed that part of the STEC strains may threaten to public health. Significance and Impact of the Study: Non‐O157 STEC strains act as important pathogens for human infections. This study supports the increased surveillance work of non‐O157 STEC rather than just O157 STEC in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This review aimed to provide constructive suggestions for the control and management of avian influenza through quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the impact of different live poultry market (LPM) interventions.Methods: Both English and Chinese language databases were searched for articles that were published on or before 9 November 2018. After extraction and assessment of the included literature, Stata14.0 was applied to perform a meta-analysis to explore the impacts of LPM interventions.Results: A total of 19 studies were identified. In total, 224 human, 3550 poultry, and 13 773 environment samples were collected before the intervention; 181 people, 4519 poultry, and 9562 environments were sampled after LPM interventions. Avian influenza virus (AIV) detection rates in the LPM environment (odds ratio [OR], 0.393; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.262-0.589) and the incidence of AIV infection (OR, 0.045; 95% CI, 0.025-0.079) were significantly lower after LPM interventions, while interventions were not significantly effective in reducing AIV detection in poultry samples (OR, 0.803; 95% CI, 0.403-1.597).Conclusions: LPM interventions can reduce AIV human infections and the detection rate of AIV in market environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]