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Objective To explore the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on oxalate metabolism and renal protection in rats fed a high oxalate diet. Methods Twenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: SC, SC + FMT, OD + PBS and OD + FMT. The SC group was set as the control group and was fed standard rat chow. The OD + PBS group and OD + FMT group were fed a diet containing 5% oxalate. Starting from day 14, the OD + PBS group, OD + FMT group and SC + FMT group received intragastric administration of PBS solution or filtered faecal microbiota solution from guinea pigs for 7 consecutive days. The 24-hour urine, feces, and venous serum of the rats were collected from the rats of all groups to determine the gut microbiota and biochemical markers. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry were conducted on the rat kidneys to detect the expression of renin, ACE, and OPN. Results The fecal microbiota transplantation altered the gut microbiota of rats. The gut microbiota of the SC + FMT group deviated from that of the SC group and showed increased similarity to that of the guinea pigs. Compared to the OD + PBS group, the OD + FMT group exhibited significant reductions in the urinary oxalate, urinary urea, uric acid, urinary creatinine, serum urea nitrogen/creatinine, and serum uric acid. Furthermore, after FMT treatment, the OD + FMT group exhibited reduced upregulation of renin mRNA expression and restored downregulation of OPN mRNA expression compared to the OD + PBS group; similar results were obtained from immunohistochemistry. Conclusion Fecal microbiome trans-plantation activated the microbial network in the rat gut, particularly the oxalate-degrading bacteria represented by Muribaculaceae. The kidney injury induced by high oxalate was partially restored by the microbiota network's degradation of oxalate, indicating the protective effect of fecal microbiota transplantation on the rat kidneys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety of the geotechnical environment around subways is vitally important for their sustainability. Ground settlement is a very common threat to the safe operation of subways and is related to subway traffic vibrations. Taking Nanjing subway line 10 as an example, field tests, discrete element simulations, and a grey relational analysis are carried out to study the deformation mechanism of the underlying sandy soil induced by vibrations. The results show that the vibration load of Nanjing subway Line 10 is mainly concentrated in the vertical direction. The particles' coordination number below the subway increases under the vibration load, while the coordination number on the side of the tunnel decreases, which may cause a shear dilatancy effect. Among the five microscopic indexes, the local porosity and the coordination number are closely related to the deformation. Although the deformation of the underlying sandy soil is quite small under the subway traffic load, it will accumulate under frequent loading and then lead to urban engineering geological disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited evidence has explored the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on posttraumatic epilepsy with control cohort for comparison. In addition, we could not find any review to identify the effect of TBI on the outcomes. Thus, we conducted this study to compare the risk of epilepsy between individuals with TBI and without TBI. Methods: Systematic and comprehensive search was carried out in the following databases and search engines: EMBASE, Cochrane, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from 1954 until January 2022. The Newcastle Ottawa (NO) Scale was utilized to assess the risk of bias. Meta-analysis was carried out using the random-effects model, and pooled odds ratio (OR) along with 95% CI was reported. Results: In total, we included 10 studies satisfying inclusion criteria. Most studies had good to satisfactory quality. The pooled OR was 4.25 (95% CI, 1.77-10.25; I 2 = 100%), indicating that the individuals with TBI had 4.25 times higher risk of having epilepsy than individuals without TBI, and this association was statistically significant (P =.001). Subgroup analysis based on the years of follow-up revealed that the patients within 5 years post-TBI had the highest risk of epilepsy (pooled OR = 7.27; 95% CI, 3.61-14.64). Conclusion: Individuals with TBI had a significantly higher risk of epilepsy than the individuals without TBI, irrespective of the duration of the injury. Hence, long-term follow-up of the individuals with TBI is necessary to prevent any adverse consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The culture of Zen comes into two diverse paths in China and Japan. Compared to China, the Japanese Zen culture has characteristics of natural, plain, sensitive, vanity and silence. It is unrestrained with feeble and desolation. And these characteristics are presented in Japanese domestic ceramic in the unique beauty of its domestic ceramic.