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Despite huge efforts, tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health threat worldwide, with approximately 23% of the human population harboring a latent TB infection (LTBI). LTBI can reactivate and progress to active and transmissible TB disease, contributing to its spread within the population. The challenges in diagnosing and treating LTBI patients have been major factors contributing to this phenomenon. Exosomes offer a novel avenue for investigating the process of TB infection. In this study, we conducted small RNA sequencing to investigate the small RNA profiles of plasma exosomes derived from individuals with LTBI and healthy controls. Our findings revealed distinct miRNA profiles in the exosomes between the two groups. We identified 12 differentially expressed miRNAs through this analysis, which were further validated via qRT-PCR using the same exosomes. Notably, six miRNAs (hsa-miR-7850-5p, hsa-miR-1306-5p, hsa-miR-363-5p, hsa-miR-374a-5p, hsa-miR-4654, has-miR-6529-5p, and hsa-miR-140-5p) exhibited specifically elevated expression in individuals with LTBI. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that the targets of these miRNAs were enriched in functions associated with ferroptosis and fatty acid metabolism, underscoring the critical role of these miRNAs in regulating the intracellular survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Furthermore, our results indicated that the overexpression of miR-7850-5p downregulated the expression of the SLC11A1 protein in both Mtb-infected and Mtb-uninfected THP1 cells. Additionally, we observed that miR-7850-5p promoted the intracellular survival of Mtb by suppressing the expression of the SLC11A1 protein. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the role of miRNAs and repetitive region-derived small RNAs in exosomes during the infectious process of Mtb and contribute to the identification of potential molecular targets for the detection and diagnosis of latent tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@viscose spunlaced nonwoven material (VSN) was prepared by in situ solvothermal method for the adsorption of organic dyes in wastewater and then carbonized in a tube furnace under N2 atmosphere at 300 °C to improve the adsorption performances. The results showed that the synthesized NH2-MIL-101(Fe) particles with a polyhedral structure were uniformly loaded on the VSN surface. After being carbonized, the NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@viscose spunlaced nonwoven porous carbon material (VSNC) were obtained. Compared with uncarbonized NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@VSN, the adsorption efficiency of NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@VSNC for methylene blue (MB) significantly enhanced and could reach 98.3% under the condition of water bath temperature of 30 °C and pH 9. According to adsorption thermodynamic analysis, the MB adsorption process by NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@VSNC was spontaneous. The quasi-secondary adsorption kinetic model was more suitable to describe the whole adsorption process of NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@VSNC, implying that the adsorption mechanism of NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@VSNC for MB was mainly chemical adsorption. NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@VSNC presented good structure stability and reusability during the adsorption process. After being recycled five times, the MB adsorption efficiency still maintained about 86.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the chemical components and nutrient components of Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps, component analysis was characterized using UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS. Then, the acute toxicity and the subacute toxicity were conducted, respectively. A total of 38 compounds were detected and quantified. Meanwhile, Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps had higher quantities of macronutrients, primarily Zn, which was remarkably higher than the human recommended daily values (p < 0.001). Importantly, no evidence of toxicity was observed in the mice after acute exposure to Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps. In subacute toxicity studies, there were no significant differences in the body and organ weights. In the blood chemistry analysis, no significant changes occurred. Pathologically, neither histopathological changes nor gross abnormalities were observed. Thus, our study highlights the potential for using Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps as novel food with Zn supplementation for humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms of modulating milk production traits remain largely unknown. Based on our previous RNA-seq, DDIT3 was presumed as a novel, promising candidate gene for regulating milk protein and fat traits in dairy cattle. To further detect the genetic effect of DDIT3 and its potential molecular mechanisms in regulating milk production traits in dairy cattle, here, we performed a genotype-phenotype association study. Two SNPs, g.-1194 C>T and g.-128 C>T, were significantly associated with MY (p = 0.0063), FY (p = 0.0001) and PY (p = 0.0216), respectively. A luciferase assay demonstrated that the allele T of g.-128 C>T increased the promoter activity by binding the HSF2, while allele C did not. To further reveal the molecular regulatory mechanisms, the DDIT3-knockdown MAC-T cells were established. It was observed that DDIT3 silencing could induce apoptosis and increase the number of PI-positive cells. Meanwhile, DDIT3 silencing led to increased expression of inflammatory markers, such as IL-6, IL6R, IL1B, IL7R, IL1RL2, IL1A, STAT1-5, MYC, IGFBP4, and IGFBP5, and especially for IL-6 (log2FC = 4.22; p = 3.49 × 10−112). Additionally, compared with the control group, increased lipid accumulation was found in the DDIT3-knockdown MAC-T cells. Thus, our results proved that lower expression of DDIT3 could result in increased lipid accumulation and apoptosis via up-regulating the expression of IL-6. These findings provided clues about the regulatory mechanisms of milk production traits in dairy cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. Previous genome-wide association studies suggested that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in some genes could indicate the susceptibility to TB in some populations. Herein, we studied the association of SNPs in the immunity-related genes, i.e., ASAP1 and SP110 genes with the susceptibility to TB in a Mongolian population in China. A case-control study was performed with 197 TB patients and 217 healthy controls. Six SNPs in ASAP1 and six SNPs in SP110 were selected for genotyping test by second-generation sequencing technique. A SNP in SP110 gene (rs722555) was identified to be associated with susceptibility to TB in the Mongolian population (p < 0.05). The T allele of rs722555 in SP110 gene was associated with a 36% increase of risk at TB (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.81), and the CT+TT genotype of rs722555 was associated with a 74% increase of risk at TB (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.16-2.60) in the dominant genetic model. None of SNPs in ASAP1 gene tested in this study were significantly associated with TB susceptibility, while some individuals with SNPs (rs10956514, rs4733781, rs2033059, rs12680942, rs1017281, rs1469288, and rs17285138) in the ASAP1 gene tended to have a reduced risk at TB. In conclusion, this study suggested that the rs722555 SNP in SP110 gene might be a risk factor for TB in a Mongolian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8)@polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membrane was prepared and carbonized for heavy metal cadmium ion (Cd 2+ ) adsorption in aqueous medium. Zinc oxide (ZnO) was first sputtered onto the surface of the PAN electrospun nanofiber membrane to provide a metal ion source. Then, the ZIF-8@PAN nanofiber membrane was prepared via in situ solvothermal reaction and carbonized in a tube furnace at 900 °C under a N 2 atmosphere to enhance adsorption performance. The synthesized ZIF-8 particles with polyhedral structure were uniformly immobilized on the surface of the PAN electrospun nanofiber membrane. After being heated at 900 °C, the polygonal ZIF-8 shrank, and the carbonized ZIF-8@PAN nanofiber membrane was obtained. Compared with the nanofiber membrane without being carbonized, the adsorption capacity of the carbonized ZIF-8@PAN nanofiber membrane reached 102 mg L -1 , and its Cd 2+ adsorption efficiency could be more than 90% under the adsorption temperature of 35 °C and solution of pH = 7.5 conditions. According to the adsorption thermodynamics analysis, the Cd 2+ adsorption process of the carbonized ZIF-8@PAN nanofiber membrane was spontaneous. The whole Cd 2+ adsorption process was more suitably described by the pseudo second-order adsorption kinetics model, indicating that there exists a chemical adsorption mechanism besides physical adsorption.