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Objective To analyze the composition of microbial community in gut of elderly male Nycticebus bengalensis, aiming to explore the health impact factors associated with artificial captivity. Methods Fecal samples of 4 adult male Nycticebus bengalensis were collected and the V4 region was amplified using bacterial 16S rDNA universal primers. Illumina NovaSeq sequencing platform was used for microbial sequencing analysis. The complexity and similarity of the samples were analyzed using the QIIME software analysis tool. The species structure and abundance of the intestinal flora were analyzed at the phylum and genus levels based on validated data. The PICRUSt software was applied to predict the metabolic function of the flora. Results The results showed that the diversity index (Shannon index) of the flora in the youngest Nycticebus bengalensis was higher than that of the others. PCoA analysis showed that the bacterial community compositions of the four samples had a certain degree of similarity. Bacteria identified in the Nycticebus bengalensis feces included 12 phyla, 18 classes, 28 orders, 49 families, 93 genera, and 59 species. Among them, the dominant phyla were Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes with average relative abundances of 46% and 28%, respectively; The genera Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Fusobacterium had higher abundances, with relative abundances of 33%, 6%, and 6%, respectively; The beneficial genus Bifidobacterium was found in all samples, with the highest relative abundance found in the younger Nycticebus bengalensis. PICRUSt function prediction analysis showed that the abundance of the functional genes related to amino acid transport and metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism,was relatively high. Conclusion The use of Illumina NovaSeq high-throughput sequencing technology can comprehensively detect the fecal microbial community of the Nycticebus bengalensis. The bacterial composition of Nycticebus bengalensis has rich diversity. Many bacteria are not identified and have higher relative abundance, which need further study.

The welfare and ethics of laboratory animals in drug development has attracted increasing attention, and how to treat animals well has become an important topic. Blood microsampling overcomes several disadvantages of conventional large-volume blood sampling methods, such as complex operation, great harm to animals and high requirement on rodent quantity, and has great advantages in animal welfare, scientificity and cost. Therefore, its application is regarded as an important practice to implement the 3Rs. This article reviewed the latest research progress of blood microsampling, and its advantages and challenges in non-clinical studies in order to promote the wider application of this new technique in this field.

Introduction: The Cannabis Sativa L., a perennial dioecious herb renowned for its industrial applications, serves as the source of hemp. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic compound derived from industrial hemp, has garnered considerable interest due to its promising therapeutic potential. Methods: The extraction parameters for CBD from industrial hemp were optimized using the Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology (RSM). The purification process involved characterizing the penetration and desorption profiles of CBD on HPD-100 resin. The in vitro antibacterial activity was assessed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Antioxidant properties were evaluated using DPPH and ABTS assays, as well as an iron-reducing ability test. Results: After optimization, the extraction rate of CBD reached 0.26 ± 0.02%. The use of HP-100 resin in the purification process resulted in a significant enrichment of CBD content, which was 4.2 times higher than that of the crude extract, with a recovery rate of 83.13%. The MIC against S. aureus was found to be 5 mg/mL, while no inhibitory effect was observed against E. coli. The IC50 values for the DPPH and ABTS assays were 0.1875 mg/mL and 2.988 mg/mL, respectively, indicating the potent antioxidant capacity of CBD. Additionally, CBD demonstrated a strong iron-reducing ability. Conclusion: These findings contribute to the development of CBD for broader applications in various industries, highlighting its potential as a valuable compound in health and wellness sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonal variations that occur in the gut microbiota of healthy adult rhesus monkeys kept in outdoor groups under conventional rearing patterns and how these variations are affected by environmental variables are relatively poorly understood. In this study, we collected 120 fecal samples from 30 adult male rhesus monkeys kept in outdoor groups across four seasons and recorded the temperature and humidity of the housing facilities, as well as the proportions of fruit and vegetables in their diet. A 16S rRNA sequencing analysis showed that the alpha diversity of the gut microbiota of the rhesus monkeys was higher in winter and spring than in summer and autumn. A principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) further demonstrated notable seasonal variations in the composition and functionality of the gut microbiota in the rhesus monkeys. The phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes and the genus Prevotella 9 were the significantly dominant groups in all 120 fecal samples from the rhesus monkeys. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis (LDA > 4) indicated that at the phylum level, Firmicutes was significantly enriched in winter, Bacteroidetes was significantly enriched in summer, and Proteobacteria and Campylobacter were significantly enriched in spring. At the genus level, Helicobacter and Ralstonia were significantly enriched in spring; Prevotella 9, Streptococcus, and Prevotella were significantly enriched in summer; and UCG_005 was significantly enriched in autumn. The beneficial genera Lactobacillus, Limosilactobacillus, and Ligilactobacillus and the beneficial species Lactobacillus johnsonii, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, Ligilactobacillus murinus, and Lactobacillus amylovorus all showed the same seasonal trend; namely, their average relative abundance was markedly greater during the winter months compared to other seasons. Compared with other seasons, carbohydrate metabolic function was significantly upregulated in winter (p < 0.01), amino acid metabolic function was relatively increased in spring, and energy metabolic function and the metabolic function of cofactors and vitamins were significantly downregulated in winter and relatively upregulated in summer. A variance partitioning analysis (VPA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the proportions of fruits and vegetables in the diet, but not climatic factors (temperature and humidity), significantly influenced the seasonal changes in the gut microbiota. These variations were related to changes in the proportions of fruits and vegetables. This research presents novel findings regarding the influence of external environmental factors on the gastrointestinal environment of rhesus monkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria has prompted the search for alternative approaches to address bacterial infections. Lanthipeptides, which are small molecule peptides, are biosynthesized and post-translationally modified by ribosomes in gram-positive bacteria. These compounds possess distinctive target recognition properties, making them highly potential candidates for combating antimicrobial resistance. Consequently, they hold promising potential as innovative substitutes for traditional antibiotics. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of 65 publicly available Bacillus amyloliquefaciens genomes' data to explore the potential for lanthipeptide synthesis in this species. We annotated 21 putative precursor peptide genes for these novel lanthipeptides. Through heterologous expression experiments, we successfully obtained a novel lanthipeptide named amyA3. We accomplished a novel co-transformation strategy by introducing the synthetic enzyme obtained from B. amyloliquefaciens WS-8 into the E. coli BL21 (DE3) strain along with the heterologous precursor peptide amyA3. Through mass spectrometry analysis, we confirmed the successful modification of amyA3 by the synthetic enzyme derived from B. amyloliquefaciens WS-8, which represents a significant breakthrough in this research field. The identification and characterization of the lanthipeptide amyA3 along with the elucidation of its biosynthetic pathway provide novel perspectives into the discovery of naturally derived products and the intricate processes of translation and post-translational modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We made structural modifications on the A-ring of camptothecin (CPT) by incorporating methyl substituents on positions 9 and 12. This allows conversion of the camptothecin-derivative to an endoperoxide (ENDO-CPT). The endoperoxide obtained this way thermally releases singlet oxygen, reverting back to the original 9,12-dimethylcamptothecin (DM-CPT) with a half-life of 1.4 hours at 37 °C. Endoperoxide modification yields a significant improvement in cytotoxicity against MDR-cell lines, compared to both CPT and DM-CPT. It appears that the simultaneous action of singlet oxygen and CPT is highly effective due to the targeting of P-glycoprotein by singlet oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes the China high- and new-technology enterprise (HNTE) program implemented in 2008 as a quasi-natural experiment. Difference-in-differences (DID) estimate with matching data from the China Industrial Enterprise Database, the China Customs Database and the HNTE Certification Database for 2006–2010 is used to study the impact of HNTE certification on enterprises' export product quality. The results show that, overall, HNTE certification promotes the upgrading of export product quality. Moreover, the improvement of innovation ability brought by HNTE certification is an important channel to promote such upgrades. A series of robustness tests also confirm the above conclusions. In addition, heterogeneity analyses are conducted based on the enterprise size, ownership and trade mode, respectively. The results show that the mechanism by which HNTE certification policy promotes export product quality through the improvement of enterprise innovation ability is more significant in non-SOEs and general trading enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]