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In this study, metagenomic DNA was screened for the Na+/ H+ antiporter gene from the halophilic bacteria from Daban Salt Lake using Escherichia coli KNabc lacking three major Na+/ H+ antiporters, and two genes psmrAB predicted to encode paired small multidrug resistance ( PSMR) family proteins, the homolog of Yvd SR, were finally cloned. Only the simultaneous presence of psmrAB, but not the single gene alone, conferred the tolerance of E. coli KNabc to up to 0.6 M Na Cl and at alkaline pH. p H-dependent Na+( Li+)/ H+ antiport activity was detected from everted membrane vesicles prepared from E. coli KNabc cells carrying psmrAB, which had the highest activity at p H 9.0. However, a detailed test for antimicrobial drugs showed that E. coli DH5α with psmrAB only exhibited slight resistance to chloramphenicol, but not other representative antimicrobial drugs especially ethidium bromide. Protein sequence alignment showed that neither PsmrA nor PsmrB has homology with known single-gene or multiple-gene Na+/ H+ antiporters, or such proteins as TetA(L) and MdfA with Na+/ H+ antiport activity. Taken together, PsmrAB should function mainly as a novel two-component Na+/ H+ antiporter. This is the first example of a PSMR family member that exhibits Na+/ H+ antiporter activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In response to the problem of asynchronous fermentation between lignocellulose and perishable materials in compost, the combined technology of low-temperature hydrochar and compost has been studied. Hydrochar was prepared through low-temperature hydrothermal reactions and applied to aerobic fermentation. The response relationship between lignocellulose content, electron transfer capability, and microbes was explored. The results showed that a pore structure with oxygen-containing functional groups was formed in hydrochar, promoting electron transfer during composting. With the rapid increase in composting temperature, the lignocellulose content decreased by 64.36 mg/g. Oceanobacillus , Cerasibacillus , Marinimicrobium , and Gracilibacillus promoted the degradation of lignocellulose and the carbon/nitrogen cycle during aerobic fermentation, and there was a significant response relationship between electron transfer capability and functional microbes. The combined application of hydrochar and aerobic fermentation accelerated the degradation of lignocellulose. This study provides technical support for the treatment of heterogeneous organic waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have discovered an emerging role of IL11 in various colitis-associated cancers, suggesting that IL11 mainly promotes tumor cell survival and proliferation in regulating tumorigenesis. Herein we aimed to reveal a novel function of IL-11 through STAT3 signaling in regulating tumor immune evasion. Methods: AOM/DSS model in Il11−/− and Apcmin/+/Il11−/− mice were used to detect tumor growth and CD8+ T infiltration. STAT1/3 phosphorylation and MHC-I, CXCL9, H2-K1 and H2-D1 expression were detected in MC38 cells and intestine organoids treated with/without recombinant IL11 to explore effect of IL11/STAT3 signaling, with IL11 mutein used to competitively inhibit IL11 and rescue inhibited STAT1 activation. Correlation between IL11 and CD8+ T infiltration was analyzed using TIMER2.0 website. IL11 expression and survival prognosis was analyzed in clinical data of patient cohort from Nanfang Hospital. Results: IL11 is highly expressed in CRC and indicates unfavorable prognosis. IL11 knockout increased CD8+ T cell infiltration and reduced intestinal and colon formation. Tumors were significantly suppressed while MHC-I and CXCL9 expression for CD8+ T infiltration were remarkably increased in the tumor tissues of Apcmin/+/Il11−/− mice or Il11−/− mice induced by AOM/DSS. IL11/STAT3 signaling downregulated MHC-I and CXCL9 by inhibiting IFNγ-induced STAT1 phosphorylation. IL11 mutein competitively inhibit IL11 to upregulate CXCL9 and MHC-I in tumor and attenuated tumor growth. Conclusions: This study ascribes for a new immunomodulatory role for IL11 during tumor development that is amenable to anti-cytokine based therapy of colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generating grinding method has the characteristics of high machining accuracy and high efficiency. Therefore, it is widely used in the finishing process of the face gear tooth surface. The physical performance of the grinding process is an important factor that influences the machining accuracy of the face gear tooth surface. Therefore, to improve the manufacturing accuracy of the face gear, it is necessary to accurately simulate the grinding process of the face gear. Owing to the influence of the complex spatial geometric characteristics of the face gear tooth surface and the grinding wheel, establishing a surface residual modeling method for the face gear is a key challenge in simulating the generating grinding process. To address the aforementioned issues, this study proposes a normal cutting depth iterative method to calculate the grinding residual in the face gear generating grinding process. This method considers the complex 3D spatial characteristics of the face gear tooth surface and establishes the spatial residual model of each node of the face gear surface in the process of generating grinding. Compared with other residual algorithms based on 2D truncation or Boolean operation of face gears, this algorithm has higher computational accuracy and efficiency. Thus, it lays the foundation for accurately establishing the complex spatial microscopic surface topography in the face gear generating grinding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five-axis flank milling process of sculptured surfaces is an intricate process involving time-varying and nonlinear characteristics under the multiphysics coupling effect. The milling force during the process is an important factor that influences the machining accuracy of sculptured surfaces. Face gears, as parts with sculptured surfaces, are widely employed in the aerospace and machinery manufacturing industries. To realize the high-precision manufacturing of face gears with a universal milling machine, this study proposes a five-axis flank milling method for face gears. In addition, based on the tangent plane approximation algorithm and the Receptance Coupling Substructure Analysis (RCSA) method, the milling force and the tool tip vibration during the face gear machining process are investigated. Finally, a five-axis flank milling force model and a face gear surface machining error model are established considering the interaction between the milling force and the process system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect mechanism of electroacupuncture based on the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) /acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) signaling pathway to improve glycolipid metabolism disorders in db/db mice. 10 db/m mice with normal genotype were used as the normal control group without diabetes (Con), and 30 db/db mice were divided randomly into three groups: Pathological model mice (Mod), Acupuncture + ACC antagonist group (Acu + ACC), and Acupuncture + AMPK antagonist group (Acu + AMPK). Con and Mod did not receive any special treatment, only as a control observation. The latter two groups of mice received electroacupuncture treatment for 4 weeks. Mouse triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), and cholesterin(CHO) levels were detected by colorimetric assay. Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was used to detect insulin(INS) levels. Liver histopathologic changes and hepatic glycogen synthesis were observed by HE and PAS staining. The mRNA and protein expression of insulin receptor substrate-1(IRS1), Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), AMPK, and ACC were detected by Western blot and qRT-PCR.The results show that compared with Mod, TG, LDL, CHO, and INS levels of Acu + AMPK and Acu + ACC mice were significantly reduced (P < 0.05), and the HDL levels were significantly increased (P < 0.05), the steatotic degeneration of mice hepatocytes was reduced to different degrees, and the hepatocyte glycogen particles were increased, and the latter two groups had a decrease in AKT, ACC mRNA expression was reduced (P < 0.05), PI3K protein expression was increased, and AKT and ACC protein expression was reduced (P < 0.05), in addition, protein expression of AMPK was increased and IRS1 protein expression was reduced in Acu + ACC (P < 0.05). The study showed that electroacupuncture improves glucose-lipid metabolism disorders in db/db mice, and this mechanism is related to the AMPK/ACC signaling pathway., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Anoikis is proved to play a crucial role in the development of cancers. However, the impact of anoikis on the prognosis of bladder cancer (BLCA) is currently unknown. Thus, this study aimed to find potential effect of anoikis in BLCA. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-BLCA and GSE13507 cohorts were downloaded from TCGA and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, respectively. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened between BLCA and normal groups, which intersected with anoikis-related genes to yield anoikis-related DEGs (AR DEGs). Univariate COX, rbsurv, and multivariate COX analyses were adopted in order to build a prognostic risk model. The differences of risk score in the different clinical subgroups and the relevance between survival rate and clinical characteristics were explored as well. Finally, chemotherapy drug sensitivity in different risk groups was analyzed. In total, 78 AR DEGs were acquired and a prognostic signature was build based on the 6 characteristic genes (CALR, FASN, CSPG4, HGF, INHBB, SATB1), where the patients of low-risk group had longer survival time. The survival rate of BLCA patients was significantly differential in different groups of age, stage, smoking history, pathologic-T, and pathologic-N. The IC50 of 56 drugs showed significant differences between 2 risk groups, such as imatinib, docetaxel, and dasatinib. At last, the results of real time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) demonstrated that the expression trend of CALR, HGF, and INHBB was consistent with the result obtained previously based on public databases. Taken together, this study identified 6 anoikis-related characteristic genes (CALR, FASN, CSPG4, HGF, INHBB, SATB1) for the prognosis of BLCA patients, providing a scientific reference for further research on BLCA., Competing Interests: The authors declare there is no potential conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

This paper presents the development of a fiber-optic-based fluorescence detection system for multi-scale monitoring of drug distribution in living animals. The integrated system utilized dual laser sources at the wavelengths of 488 nm and 650 nm and three photomultiplier channels for multi-color fluorescence detection. The emission spectra of fluorescent substances were tracked using the time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy module to continuously monitor their blood kinetics. The fiber bundle, consisting of 30,000 optic filaments, was designed for wide-field mesoscopic imaging of the drug's interactions within organs. The inclusion of a gradient refractive index (GRIN) lens within the setup enabled fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy to visualize the drug distribution at the cellular level. The system performance was verified by imaging hepatic and renal tissues in mice using cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs) and R3. By acquiring multi-level images and real-time data, our integrated system underscores its potential as a potent tool for drug assessment, specifically within the realms of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic investigations., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interests., (© 2024 Optica Publishing Group.)

Introduction: To investigate the effects of acupuncture on endogenous metabolites in the liver of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice-based metabolomics., Methods: Proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H-NMR) metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis and univariate analysis were used to analyze the changes of endogenous metabolites in the liver of mice in each group and to provide new clinical ideas for acupuncture in the treatment of glycolipid metabolism disorders caused by T2DM and NAFLD., Results: After 4 weeks of continuous treatment, fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin (INS), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) decreased significantly in mice in the acupuncture treatment group (ATG), and the content of liver glycogen increased significantly. Based on 1 H-NMR metabolomic analysis, a total of 47 metabolites were identified in the liver of T2DM with NAFLD mice, of which eight metabolites: UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, adenosine, glutamate, isoleucine, ATP, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, NADP + , and leucine were significantly altered by acupuncture treatment. Through the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, it is found that acupuncture has an intervention effect on five metabolic pathways, mainly involving amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress., Conclusion: Our study shows that acupuncture can regulate the liver metabolism mode of T2DM in NAFLD mice. It can reduce blood glucose and lipid accumulation in the liver, and these findings provide a new idea and theoretical basis for acupuncture in the treatment of diseases related to glucose and lipid metabolism., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yihui Guo et al.)

Background: The surgical approach for patients with Siewert type II AEG remains controversial. Several studies have described a new laparoscopic radical resection approach of Siewert type II AEG through the left diaphragm. However, the technical safety and feasibility of the new surgical approach compared with the transhiatal approach have not yet been tested., Study Design: We retrospectively reviewed patients with AEG who underwent TSLG and LTH operations in the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine between January 2017 and April 2021. Histologically confirmed AEG and D2 lymphadenectomy with curative R0 patients were included, and patients with Siewert I/III AEG or distant metastasis were excluded. Blood loss, the amount of harvested lymph node, and complications related to surgery were evaluated., Results: A total of 99 patients with Siewert type II AEG were analyzed, 44 in the TSLG group and 55 in the LTH group. There was no difference in clinicopathological features between the two groups. The more harvested lymph node (23.33 ± 11.41 vs. 32.18 ± 12.85, p < 0.01), lower mediastinal lymph node (1.07 ± 2.08 vs. 3.25 ± 3.31, p < 0.01), and longer proximal margin length (3.08 ± 1.19 vs. 4.47 ± 0.95 cm, p < 0.01) were observed in the TSLG group. The rate of cure (R0 gastrectomy) in the TSLG group was higher than that in the LTH group (100% vs. 89.09%, p = 0.03)., Conclusion: The TSLG approach is associated with improved surgical views, simplified lymphatic dissection in the inferior mediastinum, and more reliable margins. TSLG surgery may be an effective addition to LTH surgery, particularly when lower mediastinal lymph node metastases are suspected., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: This study aimed to investigate the pathogenic factors of glucocorticoids (GCs)-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GONFH) and its underlying pathogenesis in vivo and in vitro., Methods: Radiographical (µCT) scanning, histopathological, immunohistochemical, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and tunel staining were conducted on GONFH patients and rats. ROS, tunel, flow cytometry, alkaline phosphatase, Oil red O staining, reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting were applied to elucidate the exact pathogenesis mechanism., Results: Clinical and animal studies demonstrated increased levels of ROS, aggravated oxidative stress (OS) microenvironment, augmented apoptosis and imbalance in osteogenic/lipogenic in the GONFH group compared to the control group. The fate of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) directed by GCs is a crucial factor in determining GONFH. In vitro studies further revealed that GCs promote excessive ROS production through the expression of NOX family proteins, leading to a deterioration of the OS microenvironment in MSCs, ultimately resulting in apoptosis and imbalance in osteogenic/lipogenic differentiation. Furthermore, our results confirmed that the NOX inhibitor-diphenyleneiodonium chloride and the NF-κB inhibitor-BAY 11-7082 ameliorated apoptosis and osteogenic/lipogenic differentiation imbalance of MSCs induced by an excess of GCs., Conclusion: We demonstrated for the first time that the aggravation of the OS microenvironment in MSCs caused by high doses of GCs leading to apoptosis and differentiation imbalance is a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of GONFH, mediated through activating the NOX/ROS/NF-κB signaling pathway., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Microplastic (MP) pollution has become a global environmental problem, with particular concerns for its harmful effects on human health. Several studies have demonstrated that MP can penetrate animals and humans resulting in tissue dysfunction, but their influences on metabolism remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impact of MP exposure on metabolism and the results showed that different treatment doses produce a bidirectional modulatory effects on mice. When exposed to high concentrations of MP, mice lost significant weight, while those in the lowest concentration treatment group showed little change, but those treated at relatively low concentrations became overweight. There was excessive lipid accumulation in these heavier mice, with a better appetite and lower activity level. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that MPs increased fatty acid synthesis in the liver. In addition, the gut microbiota composition of the MPs-induced obese mice was remodeled, which would enhance the nutrient absorption capacity of the intestine. Our results uncovered an MP dose-dependent lipid metabolism in mice and a non-unidirectional model of the physiological responses to different MP concentrations was proposed. These results provided new insights into the seemingly contradictory effects of MP on metabolism in the previous study., 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 © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Microplastics (MPs) can accumulate in animal organs. Numerous studies have linked MPs with immune system. However, the impact of MPs on immune response remains unclear. This study examined the innate immune response of mice exposed to 5 μm MPs. In the lipopolysaccharide challenge, mice treated with MPs exhibited lower levels of serum immune factors and activated immune cells. MPs disrupted immune-related receptors and cause dysfunction in cell signal transduction within the liver and spleen. Proteomic analysis revealed that MPs impede the activation of serum immune-related signals. In addition, the tissue section imaging exhibited a significant enrichment of MPs in the extracellular matrix (ECM), consistent with the ECM dysfunction and immune receptor suppression. Therefore, our data suggest excessive MPs accumulation in ECM inhibits cell signaling pathways, thereby suppressing the activation of immune responses. We propose the biotoxicity of MPs is partly through the MP disruption of ECM (MPDEM)., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a real-time, cross-sectional optical imaging technology. It is analogous to ultrasonography, except that OCT uses light waves instead of sound waves, and can provide three-dimensional morphological images of living tissues with a micrometer resolution. Through the use of endoscopes, needles, catheters and laparoscopes, OCT has demonstrated tremendous imaging potential in tumor surgery. The current studies suggest that OCT has potential for clinical applications in the following fields of gastrointestinal tumor surgery: (1) Early tumor detection and diagnosis: OCT can distinguish differences between polyp tissue, normal tissue and malignant tissue. It could possibly identify premalignant lesions or conditions potentially predisposing to malignancy, such as gastric and intestinal metaplasia, gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori, and early gastric cancer involving the mucosa or submucosa. In addition, OCT can differentiate between adenomatous polyps and hyperplastic polyps. (2) Optical biopsy of lymph nodes: As a high-resolution, near-IR imaging modality, OCT is capable of visualizing microscopic features within tissue, distinguishing lymph node tissue from surrounding adipose tissue, revealing nodal structures such as germinal centers and intra-nodal vessels. Consequently, OCT has the ability to show changes in node microarchitecture during metastatic tumor infiltration. (3) Intraoperative guidance for real-time determination of surgical margins: In other tumors such as oral squamous cell carcinoma and breast cancer, it has been demonstrated that OCT can be used to rapidly scan large areas of tissue, to guide at the cellular level the surgical resection of neoplastic disease, and to scan tumor margins for the presence of residual disease, tumor foci, and potentially even metastasizing tumor cells. It implies that colorectal neoplasms surgeons can possibly use the laparoscopic OCT to detect the intestinal tumor margin and lymph nodes during operation in the future, so as to determine the appropriate range of bowel resection and lymph node dissection. At present, there are few reports about the intra-operative application of OCT in the field of gastrointestinal tumor surgery. Thus there is a tremendous opportunity for further research in this field.

The rules of acupoint selection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) based on data mining technology are analyzed. Literature regarding acupuncture for DPN published in core journals from January of 2005 to December of 2014 was retrieved in CNKI database and Wanfang database to establish a database of acupuncture prescriptions, which were included into the TCM Inheritance Platform software (Version 2.0). The data mining methods, including rule analysis, revised mutual information, etc. were applied to analyze the acupuncture prescriptions and the frequency of each acupoint was calculated. The results indicated Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Quchi (LI 11), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Hegu (LI 4), Shenshu (BL 23), etc. were mostly selected in acupuncture for DPN; in addition, 19 acupoint combinations were acquired. It is concluded that acupuncture for DPN applied reinforcing methods as main rules, accompanied with promoting blood and qi circulation; the acupoint selection focused on yangming meridians and back- shu points.

Objective: To analyze the biodiversity of halotolerant and halophilic bacteria the bacteria in saline-alkaline soils in Songnen Plain, we isolated and purified bacteria samples in the area., Methods: Halotolerant and halophilic bacteria were isolated from the enriched cultures of the saline-alkline soil samples through the traditional culture method, and 16S rRNA sequences were amplified and analyzed for the determination of phylogenetic relationships., Results: Forty strains were obtained and classified into 34 species, 16 genera, 8 families, 3 phylum (Firmicutes, gamma-Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria) in the Domain Bacteria. The genus Staphylococcus is the predominant group, followed by Halomonas, Oceanbacillus, Bacillus, Kocuria and Pseudomonas. The 16S rRNA sequences of 9 strains showed 97.2 to 99.0% similarities with their closest type strains, suggesting that they may be the potential novel species. The salt tolerance of the strains is mainly concentrated on the 5% - 10% NaCl while alkaline pH resistance of the strains is between pH 9 and 12. Based on the NaCl dependence, 62.5% of the strains were grouped into the halotolerant bacteria, and the rest into the moderate halophiles., Conclusion: The halotolerant and halophilic bacteria are very rich in the saline-alkaline soils in Songnen Plain, and the genera Staphylococcus and Halomonas are the predominant groups. Almost all the bacteria from this area could tolerate not only at the high concentration of NaCl, but also at high alkaline pH. More importantly, a number of novel species may be included in this area.