Tripartite interactions of an endophytic entomopathogenic fungus, Asian corn borer, and host maize under elevated carbon dioxide

BACKGROUND

Biological control of insect pests is encountering an unprecedented challenge in agricultural systems due to the ongoing rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) level. The use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in these systems is gaining increased attention, and EPF as crop endophytes hold the potential for combining insect pest control and yield enhancement of crops, but the effects of increased CO2 concentration on this interaction are poorly understood. Here, the introduction of endophytic EPF was explored as an alternative sustainable management strategy benefiting crops under elevated CO2, using maize (Zea mays), Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis), and EPF (Beauveria bassiana) to test changes in damage to maize plants from O. furnacalis, and the nutritional status (content of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), biomass, and yield of maize.

RESULTS

The results showed that endophytic B. bassiana could alleviate the damage caused by O. furnacalis larvae for maize plants under ambient CO2 concentration, and this effect was enhanced under higher CO2 concentration. Inoculation with B. bassiana effectively counteracted the adverse impact of elevated CO2 on maize plants by preserving the nitrogen content at its baseline level (comparable with ambient CO2 conditions without B. bassiana). Both simultaneous effects could explain the improvement of biomass and yield of maize under B. bassiana inoculation and elevated CO2.

CONCLUSION

This finding provides key information about the multifaceted benefits of B. bassiana as a maize endophyte. Our results highlight the promising potential of incorporating EPF as endophytes into integrated pest management strategies, particularly under elevated CO2 concentrations. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

New Insights into the Biological Functions of Essential TsaB/YeaZ Protein in Staphylococcus aureus

TsaB/YeaZ represents a promising target for novel antibacterial agents due to its indispensable role in bacterial survival, high conservation within bacterial species, and absence of eukaryotic homologs. Previous studies have elucidated the role of the essential staphylococcal protein, TsaB/YeaZ, in binding DNA to mediate the transcription of the ilv-leu operon, responsible for encoding key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids-namely isoleucine, leucine, and valine (ILV). However, the regulation of ILV biosynthesis does not account for the essentiality of TsaB/YeaZ for bacterial growth. In this study, we investigated the impact of TsaB/YeaZ depletion on bacterial morphology and gene expression profiles using electron microscopy and deep transcriptomic analysis, respectively. Our results revealed significant alterations in bacterial size and surface smoothness upon TsaB/YeaZ depletion. Furthermore, we pinpointed specific genes and enriched biological pathways significantly affected by TsaB/YeaZ during the early and middle exponential phases and early stationary phases of growth. Crucially, our research uncovered a regulatory role for TsaB/YeaZ in bacterial autolysis. These discoveries offer fresh insights into the multifaceted biological functions of TsaB/YeaZ within S. aureus.

Based on molecular docking and real-time PCR technology, the two-component system Bae SR was investigated on the mechanism of drug resistance in CRAB

This study aimed to explore the role of the two-component system Bae SR in the mechanism of drug resistance in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) using molecular docking and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The two-component system Bae SR of Acinetobacter baumannii was subjected to molecular docking with imipenem, meropenem, and levofloxacin. Antibacterial assays and fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to explore protein-ligand interactions and molecular biological resistance mechanisms related to CRAB. The analysis of the two-component system in A. baumannii revealed that imipenem exhibited the highest docking energy in Bae S at - 5.81 kcal/mol, while the docking energy for meropenem was - 4.92 kcal/mol. For Bae R, imipenem had a maximum docking energy of - 4.28 kcal/mol, compared with - 4.60 kcal/mol for meropenem. The highest binding energies for Bae S-levofloxacin and Bae R-levofloxacin were - 3.60 and - 3.65 kcal/mol, respectively. All imipenem-resistant strains had minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 16 µg/mL, whereas levofloxacin-resistant strains had MIC values of 8 µg/mL. The time-sterilization curve showed a significant decrease in bacterial colony numbers at 2 h under the action of 8 µg/mL imipenem, indicating antibacterial effects. In contrast, levofloxacin did not exhibit any antibacterial activity. Fluorescence quantitative PCR results revealed significantly increased relative expression levels of bae S and bae R genes in the CRAB group, which were 2 and 1.5 times higher than those in the CSAB group, respectively, with statistically significant differences. Molecular docking in this study found that the combination of Bae SR and carbapenem antibiotics (imipenem, meropenem) exhibited stronger affinity and stability compared with levofloxacin. Moreover, the overexpression of the two-component system genes in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii enhanced its resistance to carbapenem, providing theoretical and practical insights into carbapenem resistance in respiratory tract infections caused by A. baumannii.

Preventive and Therapeutic Potential of Streptococcus cristatus CA119 in Experimental Periodontitis in Rats

Periodontitis is an inflammatory condition of the oral cavity caused by a mixed infection of various bacteria, which not only severely affects the alveolar bone and connective tissues but also displays potential correlations with distal intestinal inflammation. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the therapeutic effects of Streptococcus cristatus CA119 on experimental periodontitis in rats and its impact on intestinal morphology. The results demonstrate that CA119 is capable of colonizing the oral cavity and exerting antagonistic effects on Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, thus leading to a significant reduction in the oral pathogen load. Following CA119 intervention, there was a significant alleviation of weight loss in rats induced by periodontitis (P < 0.001). CA119 also regulated the expression of IL-6 (P < 0.05), IL-1β (P < 0.001), IL-18 (P < 0.001), COX-2 (P < 0.001), iNOS (P < 0.001), and MCP-1 (P < 0.01) in the gingival tissue. Additionally, CA119 reduced oxidative stress levels in rats and enhanced their antioxidant capacity. Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) and histological analysis revealed that CA119 significantly reduced alveolar bone loss and reversed the downregulation of OPG/RANKL (P < 0.001). Furthermore, CA119 exhibited a significant protective effect against intestinal inflammation induced by periodontal disease and improved the colonic morphology in rats. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the role of CA119 as a potential oral probiotic in the prevention and treatment of experimental periodontitis, underscoring the potential of probiotics as a complementary approach to traditional periodontal care.

Bacillus halotolerans SW207 alleviates enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-induced inflammatory responses in weaned piglets by modulating the intestinal epithelial barrier, the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway, and intestinal microbiota

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the major pathogens contributing to piglet diarrhea, with significant implications for both piglet health and the economic aspects of the livestock industry. SW207 is an isolate of Bacillus halotolerans isolated from the cold- and disease-resistant Leixiang pigs in Northeastern China. We have discovered that SW207 can survive in the pig's gastrointestinal fluid and under conditions of high bile salt concentration, displaying potent antagonistic activity against ETEC. In this study, we established a weaned piglet diarrhea model infected with ETEC to investigate the role of SW207 in preventing diarrhea and improving intestinal health. Results indicate that SW207 upregulates the expression of tight junction proteins, including claudin-1, occludin, and zonula occludens-1, at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Furthermore, SW207 reduces serum endotoxin, D-lactic acid, and various oxidative stress markers while enhancing piglet mechanical barrier function. In terms of immune barrier, SW207 suppressed the activation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway, reducing the expression of various inflammatory factors and upregulating the expression of small intestine mucosal sIgA. Concerning the biological barrier, SW207 significantly reduces the content of E. coli in the intestines and promotes the abundance of beneficial bacteria, thereby mitigating the microbiota imbalance caused by ETEC. In summary, SW207 has the potential to prevent weaned piglet diarrhea caused by ETEC, alleviate intestinal inflammation and epithelial damage, and facilitate potential beneficial changes in the intestinal microbiota. This contributes to elucidating the potential mechanisms of host-microbe interactions in preventing pathogen infections.IMPORTANCEEnterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) has consistently been one of the significant pathogens causing mortality in weaned piglets in pig farming. The industry has traditionally relied on antibiotic administration to control ETEC-induced diarrhea. However, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of drug-resistant zoonotic bacterial pathogens, posing a threat to public health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify alternatives to control pathogens and reduce antibiotic usage. In this study, we assessed the protective effect of a novel probiotic in a weaned piglet model infected with ETEC and analyzed its mechanisms both in vivo and in vitro. The study results provide theoretical support and reference for implementing interventions in the gut microbiota to alleviate early weaned piglet diarrhea and improve intestinal health.

Multi-Species Surface Reconstruction for High-Efficiency Perovskite Nanocrystal Light-Emitting Diodes

Although colloidal perovskite nanocrystal (PNC) solution has exhibited near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), the luminance would be severely quenched when the PNC solution is assembled into thin films due to the agglomeration and fusion of NCs caused by the exfoliation of surface ligands and non-radiative Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from small to large particle sizes, which seriously affected the performances of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we used Guanidine thiocyanate (GASCN) and Sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN) to achieve effective CsPbI3 PNC surface reconstruction. Due to the strong coordination ability of these small molecules with the anions and cations on the surface of the PNCs, they can provide strong surface protection against PNC fusion during centrifugal purification process and repair the surface defects of PNCs, so that the original uniform size distribution of PNCs can be maintained and FRET between close-packed PNC films is effectively suppressed, which allows the emission characteristics of the films to be preserved. As a result, highly oriented, smooth and nearly defect-free high-quality PNC thin films are obtained, with PLQY as high as 95.1 %, far exceeding that of the original film, and corresponding LEDs exhibit a maximum external quantum efficiency of 24.5 %.

Gut microbiota-derived LCA mediates the protective effect of PEDV infection in piglets

BACKGROUND

The gut microbiota is a critical factor in the regulation of host health, but the relationship between the differential resistance of hosts to pathogens and the interaction of gut microbes is not yet clear. Herein, we investigated the potential correlation between the gut microbiota of piglets and their disease resistance using single-cell transcriptomics, 16S amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and untargeted metabolomics.

RESULTS

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection leads to significant changes in the gut microbiota of piglets. Notably, Landrace pigs lose their resistance quickly after being infected with PEDV, but transplanting the fecal microbiota of Min pigs to Landrace pigs alleviated the infection status. Macrogenomic and animal protection models identified Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus amylovorus in the gut microbiota as playing an anti-infective role. Moreover, metabolomic screening of the secondary bile acids' deoxycholic acid (DCA) and lithocholic acid (LCA) correlated significantly with Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus amylovorus, but only LCA exerted a protective function in the animal model. In addition, LCA supplementation altered the distribution of intestinal T-cell populations and resulted in significantly enriched CD8+ CTLs, and in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that LCA increased SLA-I expression in porcine intestinal epithelial cells via FXR receptors, thereby recruiting CD8+ CTLs to exert antiviral effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our findings indicate that the diversity of gut microbiota influences the development of the disease, and manipulating Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus amylovorus, as well as LCA, represents a promising strategy to improve PEDV infection in piglets. Video Abstract.

An Innovative Approach to Alleviate Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Stress on Wheat through Nanobubble Irrigation

The extensive utilization of zinc oxide nanoparticles in consumer products and the industry has led to their substantial entry into the soil through air and surface runoff transportation, which causes ecotoxicity in agro-ecosystems and detrimental effects on crop production. Nanobubbles (diameter size < 1 µm) have many advantages, such as a high surface area, rapid mass transfer, and long retention time. In this study, wheat seedlings were irrigated with a 500 mg L-1 zinc oxide nanoparticle solution delivered in the form of nanobubble watering (nanobubble-ZnO-NPs). We found that nanobubble watering improved the growth and nutrient status of wheat exposed to zinc oxide nanoparticles, as evidenced by increased total foliar nitrogen and phosphorus, along with enhanced leaf dry mass per area. This effect can be attributed to nanobubbles disassembling zinc oxide aggregates formed due to soil organic carbon, thereby mitigating nutrient absorption limitations in plants. Furthermore, nanobubbles improved the capability of soil oxygen input, leading to increased root activity and glycolysis efficiency in wheat roots. This work provides valuable insights into the influence of nanobubble watering on soil quality and crop production and offers an innovative approach for agricultural irrigation that enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of water application.

The Detection of Circulating Antigen Glutathione S-Transferase in Sheep Infected with Fasciola hepatica with Double-Antibody Sandwich Signal Amplification Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Fasciolosis is a global zoonotic parasitic disease caused by F. hepatica infection that is particularly harmful to cattle and sheep. A biotin-streptavidin signal amplification ELISA (streptavidin-ELISA/SA-ELISA) based on circulating antigens can allow for the early detection of F. hepatica-infected animals and is suitable for batch detection. It is considered to be a better means of detecting F. hepatica infection than traditional detection methods. In this study, using the serum of sheep artificially infected with F. hepatica, the cDNA expression library of F. hepatica was screened, 17 immunodominant antigen genes of F. hepatica were obtained, and glutathione s-transferase (GST) was selected as the candidate detection antigen. Firstly, the GST cDNA sequence was amplified from F. hepatica, followed by the preparation of recombinant protein GST (rFhGST). Then, monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against rFhGST were prepared using the GST protein. Afterward, the immunolocalization of the target protein in the worm was observed via confocal microscopy, and it was found that the GST protein was localized in the uterus, intestinal tract, and body surface of F. hepatica. Finally, a double-antibody sandwich SA-ELISA based on the detection of circulating antigens was established. There was no cross-reaction with positive sera infected with Dicrocoelium lanceatum (D. lanceatum), Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus), Neospora caninum (N. caninum), or Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum). Forty serum and fecal samples from the same batch of sheep in Nong'an County, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China were analyzed using the established detection method and fecal detection method. The positive rate of the SA-ELISA was 17.5%, and the positive rate of the fecal detection method was 15%. The detection results of this method were 100% consistent with commercial ELISA kits. A total of 152 sheep serum samples were tested in Nong'an County, Changchun City, Jilin Province, and the positive rate was 5.92%. This study laid the foundation for the development of serological detection preparations for F. hepatica infection based on the detection of circulating antigens.

Auraptene Mitigates Colitis Induced by Dextran Sulfate Sodium in Mice by Regulating Specific Intestinal Flora and Repairing the Intestinal Barrier

Auraptene (AUT) is widely known to possess both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study attempted to evaluate the protective effects of AUT in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice and to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our results suggest that AUT substantially minimizes the severity and worsening of DSS-induced colitis in mice, indicated by the lengthening of the colon, lower disease activity index, reduced oxidation levels, and attenuated inflammatory factors. Molecular studies revealed that AUT reduces the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), thereby inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors. Additionally, AUT promotes the diversity of the intestinal flora in mice with colitis by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillaceae and lowering the number of harmful bacteria. In conclusion, AUT mitigates DSS-induced colitis by maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier and modulating the levels of the intestinal microbial species.

Amphiphilic Polyurethane with Cluster-Induced Emission for Multichannel Bioimaging in Living Cell Systems

The development of single-component materials with low cytotoxicity and multichannel fluorescence imaging capability is a research hotspot. In the present work, highly electron-deficient pyrazine monomers were covalently connected into a polyurethane backbone using addition polymerization with terminal poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether units containing a high density of electron pairs. Thereby, an amphiphilic polyurethane-pyrazine (PUP) derivative has been synthesized. The polymer displays cluster-induced emission through compact inter- and/or intramolecular noncovalent interactions and extensive through-space electron coupling and delocalization. Molecular rigidity facilitates red-shifted emission. Based on hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions and excitation dependence emission at low concentrations, PUP has been self-assembled into fluorescent nanoparticles (PUP NPs) without additional surfactant. PUP NPs have been used for cellular multicolor imaging to provide a variety of switchable colors on demand. This work provides a simple molecular design for environmentally sustainable, luminescent materials with excellent photophysical properties, biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and color modulation.

Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applied to the Secondary Prevention of Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke is a serious disease posing significant threats to human health and life, with the highest absolute and relative risks of a poor prognosis following the first occurrence, and more than 90% of strokes are attributable to modifiable risk factors. Currently, machine learning (ML) is widely used for the prediction of ischemic stroke outcomes. By identifying risk factors, predicting the risk of poor prognosis and thus developing personalized treatment plans, it effectively reduces the probability of poor prognosis, leading to more effective secondary prevention. This review includes 41 studies since 2018 that used ML algorithms to build prognostic prediction models for ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We analyzed in detail the risk factors used in these studies, the sources and processing methods of the required data, the model building and validation, and their application in different prediction time windows. The results indicate that among the included studies, the top five risk factors in terms of frequency were cardiovascular diseases, age, sex, national institutes of health stroke scale (NIHSS) score, and diabetes. Furthermore, 64% of the studies used single-center data, 65% of studies using imbalanced data did not perform data balancing, 88% of the studies did not utilize external validation datasets for model validation, and 72% of the studies did not provide explanations for their models. Addressing these issues is crucial for enhancing the credibility and effectiveness of the research, consequently improving the development and implementation of secondary prevention measures.

Broadband Emission Origin in Metal Halide Perovskites: Are Self-Trapped Excitons or Ions?

It has always been a goal to realize high efficiency and broadband emission in single-component materials. The appearance of metal halide perovskites makes it possible. Their soft lattice characteristics and significant electron-phonon coupling synergistically generate self-trapped excitons (STEs), contributing to a broadband emission with a large Stokes shift. Meanwhile, their structural/compositional diversity provides suitable active sites and coordination environments for doping of ns2 ions, allowing 3 Pn ( n =0,1,2) →1 S0 transitions toward broadband emission. The ns2 ions emission is phenomenologically similar to that of STE emission, hindering in-depth understanding of their emission origin, and leading to failure to meet the design requirements for practical applications. In this scenario, herein, the fundamentals and development of such two emission mechanisms are summarized to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the broadband emission phenomenon, which may pave the way to an ideal customization of broadband-emission metal halide perovskites.

A seed expansion-based method to identify essential proteins by integrating protein-protein interaction sub-networks and multiple biological characteristics

BACKGROUND

The identification of essential proteins is of great significance in biology and pathology. However, protein-protein interaction (PPI) data obtained through high-throughput technology include a high number of false positives. To overcome this limitation, numerous computational algorithms based on biological characteristics and topological features have been proposed to identify essential proteins.

RESULTS

In this paper, we propose a novel method named SESN for identifying essential proteins. It is a seed expansion method based on PPI sub-networks and multiple biological characteristics. Firstly, SESN utilizes gene expression data to construct PPI sub-networks. Secondly, seed expansion is performed simultaneously in each sub-network, and the expansion process is based on the topological features of predicted essential proteins. Thirdly, the error correction mechanism is based on multiple biological characteristics and the entire PPI network. Finally, SESN analyzes the impact of each biological characteristic, including protein complex, gene expression data, GO annotations, and subcellular localization, and adopts the biological data with the best experimental results. The output of SESN is a set of predicted essential proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of each component of SESN indicates the effectiveness of all components. We conduct comparison experiments using three datasets from two species, and the experimental results demonstrate that SESN achieves superior performance compared to other methods.

Integrating Chlorophyll a Fluorescence and Enzymatic Profiling to Reveal the Wheat Responses to Nano-ZnO Stress

It has been shown that increased concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) in the soil are harmful to plant growth. However, the sensitivity of different wheat cultivars to nano-ZnO stress is still unclear. To detect the physiological response process of wheat varieties with different tolerance to nano-ZnO stress, four wheat cultivars (viz., cv. TS1, ZM18, JM22, and LM6) with different responses to nano-ZnO stress were selected, depending on previous nano-ZnO stress trials with 120 wheat cultivars in China. The results found that nano-ZnO exposure reduced chlorophyll concentrations and photosynthetic electron transport efficiency, along with the depressed carbohydrate metabolism enzyme activities, and limited plant growth. Meanwhile, the genotypic variation in photosynthetic carbon assimilation under nano-ZnO stress was found in wheat plants. Wheat cv. JM22 and LM6 possessed relatively lower Zn concentrations and higher leaf nitrogen per area, less reductions in their net photosynthetic rate, a maximum quantum yield of the PS II (Fv/Fm), electron transport flux per cross-section (ETo/CSm), trapped energy flux per cross-section (TRo/CSm), and total soluble sugar and sucrose concentrations under nano-ZnO stress, showing a better tolerance to nano-ZnO stress than wheat cv. TS1 and ZM18. In addition, the chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters Fv/Fm, ETo/CSm, and TRo/CSm could be used to rapidly screen wheat varieties resistant to nano-ZnO stress. The results here provide a new approach for solving the issues of crop yield decline in regions polluted by heavy metal nanoparticles and promoting the sustainable utilization of farmland with heavy metal pollution.

China's wetland soil organic carbon pool: New estimation on pool size, change, and trajectory

Robust estimates of wetland soil organic carbon (SOC) pools are critical to understanding wetland carbon dynamics in the global carbon cycle. However, previous estimates were highly variable and uncertain, due likely to the data sources and method used. Here we used machine learning method to estimate SOC storage and their changes over time in China's wetlands based on wetland SOC density database, associated geospatial environmental data, and recently published wetland maps. We built a database of wetland SOC density in China that contains 809 samples from 181 published studies collected over the last 20 years as presented in the published literature. All samples were extended and standardized to a 1-m depth, on the basis of the relationship between SOC density data from soil profiles of different depths. We used three different machine learning methods to evaluate their robustness in estimating wetland SOC storage and changes in China. The results indicated that random forest model achieved accurate wetland SOC estimation with R2 being .65. The results showed that average SOC density of top 1 m in China's wetlands was 25.03 ± 3.11 kg C m-2 in 2000 and 26.57 ± 3.73 kg C m-2 in 2020, an increase of 6.15%. SOC storage change from 4.73 ± 0.58 Pg in 2000 to 4.35 ± 0.61 Pg in 2020, a decrease of 8.03%, due to 13.6% decreased in wetland area from 189.12 × 103 to 162.8 × 103  km2 in 2020, despite the increase in SOC density during the same time period. The carbon accumulation rate was 107.5 ± 12.4 g C m-2  year-1 since 2000 in wetlands with no area changes. Climate change caused variations in wetland SOC density, and a future warming and drying climate would lead to decreases in wetland SOC storage. Estimates under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 1-2.6 (low-carbon emissions) suggested that wetland SOC storage in China would not change significantly by 2100, but under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5-8.5 (high-carbon emissions), it would decrease significantly by approximately 5.77%. In this study, estimates of wetland SOC storage were optimized from three aspects, including sample database, wetland extent, and estimation method. Our study indicates the importance of using consistent SOC density and extent data in estimating and projecting wetland SOC storage.

Magnetic Field-Assisted Interface Embedding Strategy to Construct 2D/3D Composite Structure for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency Over 24

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on 2D/3D composite structure have shown enormous potential to combine high efficiency of 3D perovskite with high stability of 2D perovskite. However, there are still substantial non-radiative losses produced from trap states at grain boundaries or on the surface of conventional 2D/3D composite structure perovskite film, which limits device performance and stability. In this work, a multifunctional magnetic field-assisted interfacial embedding strategy is developed to construct 2D/3D composite structure. The composite structure not only improves crystallinity and passivates defects of perovskite layer, but also can efficiently promote vertical hole transport and provide lateral barrier effect. Meanwhile, the composite structure also forms a good surface and internal encapsulation of 3D perovskite to inhibit water diffusion. As a result, the multifunctional effect effectively improves open-circuit voltage and fill factor, reaching maximum values of 1.246 V and 81.36%, respectively, and finally achieves power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.21%. The unencapsulated devices also demonstrate highly improved long-term stability and humidity stability. Furthermore, an augmented performance of 21.23% is achieved, which is the highest PCE of flexible device based on 2D/3D composite perovskite films coupled with the best mechanical stability due to the 2D/3D alternating structure.

Luminescence and Degeneration Mechanism of Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes and Strategies for Improving Device Performance

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) can be a promising technology for next-generation display and lighting applications due to their excellent optoelectronic properties. However, a systematical overview of luminescence and degradation mechanism of perovskite materials and PeLEDs is lacking. Therefore, it is crucial to fully understand these mechanisms and further improve device performances. In this work, the fundamental photophysical processes of perovskite materials, electroluminescence mechanism of PeLEDs including carrier kinetics and efficiency roll-off as well as device degradation mechanism are discussed in detail. In addition, the strategies to improve device performances are summarized, including optimization of photoluminescence quantum yield, charge injection and recombination, and light outcoupling efficiency. It is hoped that this work can provide guidance for future development of PeLEDs and ultimately realize industrial applications.

Polymer Nanoantidotes

Intoxication is one of the most common causes of accidental death globally. Although some antidotes capable of neutralizing the toxicity of certain xenobiotics have become well established, the current reality is that clinicians primarily rely on nonspecific extracorporeal techniques to remove toxins. Nano-intervention strategies in which nanoantidotes neutralize toxicity in situ via physical interaction, chemical bonding, or biomimetic clearance have begun to show clinical potential. However, most nanoantidotes remain in the proof-of-concept stage, and the difficulty of constructing clinical relevance models and the unclear pharmacokinetics of nanoantidotes hinder their translation to clinic. This Concept reviews the detoxification mechanisms of polymer nanoantidotes and predicts the opportunities and challenges associated with their clinical application.

Biomaterials That Induce Immunogenic Cell Death

The immune system takes part in most physiological and pathological processes of the body, including the occurrence and development of cancer. Immunotherapy provides a promising modality for inhibition and even the cure of cancer. During immunotherapy, the immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells induced by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, phototherapy, bioactive materials, and so forth, triggers a series of cellular responses by causing the release of tumor-associated antigens and damage-associated molecular patterns, which ultimately activate innate and adaptive immune responses. Among them, the ICD-induced biomaterials attract increasing conditions as a benefit of biosafety and multifunctional modifications. This Review summarizes the research progress in biomaterials for inducing ICD via triggering endoplasmic reticulum oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell membrane rupture and discusses the application prospects of ICD-inducing biomaterials in clinical practice for cancer immunotherapy.

A novel method for Pu-erh tea face traceability identification based on improved MobileNetV3 and triplet loss

Ensuring the traceability of Pu-erh tea products is crucial in the production and sale of tea, as it is a key means to ensure their quality and safety. The common approach used in traceability systems is the utilization of bound Quick Response (QR) codes or Near Field Communication (NFC) chips to track every link in the supply chain. However, counterfeiting risks still persist, as QR codes or NFC chips can be copied and inexpensive products can be fitted into the original packaging. To address this issue, this paper proposes a tea face verification model called TeaFaceNet for traceability verification. The aim of this model is to improve the traceability of Pu-erh tea products by quickly identifying counterfeit products and enhancing the credibility of Pu-erh tea. The proposed method utilizes an improved MobileNetV3 combined with Triplet Loss to verify the similarity between two input tea face images with different texture features. The recognition accuracy of the raw tea face dataset, ripe tea face dataset and mixed tea face dataset of the TeaFaceNet network were 97.58%, 98.08% and 98.20%, respectively. Accurate verification of tea face was achieved using the optimal threshold. In conclusion, the proposed TeaFaceNet model presents a promising approach to enhance the traceability of Pu-erh tea products and combat counterfeit products. The robustness and generalization ability of the model, as evidenced by the experimental results, highlight its potential for improving the accuracy of Pu-erh tea face recognition and enhancing the credibility of Pu-erh tea in the market. Further research in this area is warranted to advance the traceability of Pu-erh tea products and ensure their quality and safety.

Fe3O4 Composite Superparticles with RGD/Magnetic Dual-Targeting Capabilities for the Imaging and Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

In clinical practice, the incidence and mortality of non-small cell lung cancer are increasing year by year, which is a serious threat to the health of patients. Once the optimal surgical window is missed, the toxic side effects of chemotherapy have to be confronted. With the rapid development of nanotechnology in recent years, medical science and health have been greatly impacted. Therefore, in this manuscript, we design and prepare chemotherapeutic drug vinorelbine (VRL)-loaded polydopamine (PDA) shell-coated Fe₃O₄ superparticles, and further graft the targeted ligand RGD onto their surface. Because of the introduction of the PDA shell, the toxicity of the prepared Fe₃O₄@PDA/VRL-RGD SPs is greatly reduced. At the same time, due to the existence of Fe₃O₄, the Fe₃O₄@PDA/VRL-RGD SPs also have MRI contrast capability. Under the dual-targeting effect of RGD peptide and external magnetic field, Fe₃O₄@PDA/VRL-RGD SPs can accumulate into tumors effectively. The accumulated superparticles in the tumor sites can not only effectively identify and mark the location and boundary of the tumor under MRI, guideing the application of near-infrared laser, but also release the loaded VRL under the stimulation of the acidic microenvironment of the tumor to play the role of chemotherapy. On further combination with photothermal therapy under laser irradiation, A549 tumors are completely eliminated without recurrence. Our proposed RGD/magnetic field dual-targeting strategy can effectively improve the bioavailability of nanomaterials and contribute to better imaging and therapeutic effects, which has a promising application prospect in the future.

African Swine Fever Virus L83L Negatively Regulates the cGAS-STING-Mediated IFN-I Pathway by Recruiting Tollip To Promote STING Autophagic Degradation

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating infectious disease of pigs caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), which poses a great danger to the global pig industry. Many viral proteins can suppress with interferon signaling to evade the host's innate immune responses. Therefore, the development of an effective vaccine against ASFV has been dampened. Recent studies have suggested that the L83L gene may be integrated into the host genome, weakening the host immune system, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Our study found that L83L negatively regulates the cGAS-STING-mediated type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling pathway. Overexpression of L83L inhibited IFN-β promoter and ISRE activity, and knockdown of L83L induced higher transcriptional levels of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and phosphorylation levels of IRF3 in primary porcine alveolar macrophages. Mechanistically, L83L interacted with cGAS and STING to promote autophagy-lysosomal degradation of STING by recruiting Tollip, thereby blocking the phosphorylation of the downstream signaling molecules TBK1, IRF3, and IκBα and reducing IFN-I production. Altogether, our study reveals a negative regulatory mechanism involving the L83L-cGAS-STING-IFN-I axis and provides insights into an evasion strategy involving autophagy and innate signaling pathways employed by ASFV. IMPORTANCE African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large double-stranded DNA virus that primarily infects porcine macrophages. The ASFV genome encodes a large number of immunosuppressive proteins. Current options for the prevention and control of this pathogen remain pretty limited. Our study showed that overexpression of L83L inhibited the cGAS-STING-mediated type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling pathway. In contrast, the knockdown of L83L during ASFV infection enhanced IFN-I production in porcine alveolar macrophages. Additional analysis revealed that L83L protein downregulated IFN-I signaling by recruiting Tollip to promote STING autophagic degradation. Although L83L deletion has been reported to have little effect on viral replication, its immune evade mechanism has not been elucidated. The present study extends our understanding of the functions of ASFV-encoded pL83L and its immune evasion strategy, which may provide a new basis for developing a live attenuated vaccine for ASF.

Prognostic Significance of PNI in Patients With Pancreatic Head Cancer Undergoing Laparoscopic Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background

Recently, several prognosis indicators based on inflammatory and nutritional factors, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), plated-to-lymphocyte (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte (LMR) and prognosis nutritional index (PNI), have been proposed as prognosis factors for several cancers. However, few studies have looked into PNI. The goal of this research was to see if preoperative PNI had any predictive value in patients with pancreatic head cancer who were having a laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Methods

From February 11, 2018 to May 31, 2019, two hundred and fifty-one pancreatic head carcinoma patients were retrospectively enrolled. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cut-off value. Patients were divided into two groups: PNI > 45.1 (high PNI group) and PNI < 45.1 (low PNI group), and clinic-pathological data was compared between the two groups. The link between PNI and NLR, PLR, and LMR, and their effect on overall survival. In addition, the factors of postoperative survival were analyzed univariate and multivariate.

Results

PNI, NLR, PLR and LMR cut-off values were 45.1, 3.7,287.2 and 3.6, respectively. Between the two groups of patients, the low PNI group exhibited considerably higher PLR and lower LMR. PNI had a negative correlation with PLR and NLR (r = −0.329, p < 0.001 and r = 0.170, p = 0.014), but a positive correlation with LMR (r = 0.476, p < 0.001). The high PNI group had a considerably greater survival rate than the low PNI group (median survival days, 217 vs. 468, log-rank = 45.92, p < 0.001). PNI < 45.1(HR: 0.357, 95 percent CI, 0.263–0.485, p < 0.001) and LMR <3.6(HR: 0.705, 95 percent CI, 0.528–0.942, p < 0.018) were revealed to be possible predictive variable in univariate analysis. Only PNI <45.1 was found to be an independent predictive factor in multivariate analysis (HR: 0.359, 95%CI,: 0.256–0.502, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our findings shoe that PNI is linked to a variety of systemic inflammatory response and can be used to predict survival in individuals with pancreatic head cancer.

Flexible All-Inorganic Room-Temperature Chemiresistors Based on Fibrous Ceramic Substrate and Visible-Light-Powered Semiconductor Sensing Layer

As the most extensively used gas-sensing devices, inorganic semiconductor chemiresistors are facing great challenges in realizing mechanical flexibility and room-temperature gas detection for developing next-generation wearable sensing devices. Herein, for the first time, flexible all-inorganic yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/In2 O3 /graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) (ZIC) gas sensor is designed by employing YSZ nanofibers as substrate, and ultrathin In2 O3 /g-C3 N4 heterostructures as active sensing layer. The YSZ substrate possesses small nanofiber diameter (310 nm), ultrafine grain size (23.9 nm), and abundant dangling bonds, endowing it with striking mechanical flexibility and strong adhesion with In2 O3 /g-C3 N4 sensing layer. Meanwhile, the ultrathin thickness (≈7 nm) of In2 O3 /g-C3 N4 ensures that the inorganic sensing layer has tiny linear strain along with the deformation of flexible YSZ substrate, thereby enabling unusual bending capacity. To address the operating temperature issue, the gas sensor is operated by using a visible-light-powered strategy. Under visible-light illumination, the flexible ZIC sensor exhibits a perfectly reversible response/recovery dynamic process and ultralow detection limit of 50 ppb to toxic nitrogen dioxide at room temperature. This work not only provides an insight into the mechanical flexibility of inorganic materials, but also offers a valuable reference for developing other flexible inorganic-semiconductor-based room-temperature gas sensors.

Meta-analysis of the prevalence of Echinococcus in dogs in China from 2010 to 2019

BACKGROUND

Echinococcosis (canine Echinococcus disease) is a neglected tropical disease that causes serious public harm. Dogs, as a terminal host of Echinococcus spp., are a key part of the Echinococcus epidemic. Echinococcosis spreads easily in humans and animals in some areas of China and it is therefore necessary to fully understand the prevalence of Echinococcus spp. in dogs.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

PubMed, ScienceDirect, Chongqing VIP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WanFang databases were searched for relevant articles published in the past 10 years. A final total of 108 studies were included. The overall prevalence of Echinococcus spp. in dogs in China was 7.3%, with the highest point estimate found in sampling year 2015 (8.2%) and publication year 2015 (16.5%). Northwestern China (7.9%) had the highest infection rate in China. Qinghai Province (13.5%) showed the highest prevalence among the 11 provinces we included. We also found that geographical and climatic factors are related to the incidence of canine echinococcosis. We further investigated the source of heterogeneity by analysis of subgroups (sampling district, detection method, dog type, season, parasite species, medication, and study quality level).

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Our research indicated that Echinococcus spp. were still prevalent in some areas in China. More localized prevention and control policies should be formulated, including improving drinking water hygiene and strengthening hygiene promotion. We recommend the rational use of anti-Echinococcus drugs. In addition, treatment of livestock offal and feces and improving the welfare of stray dogs may play an important role in reducing canine Echinococcus infections.

A Multichannel Ca2+ Nanomodulator for Multilevel Mitochondrial Destruction-Mediated Cancer Therapy

Subcellular organelle-targeted nanoformulations for cancer theranostics are receiving increasing attention owing to their benefits of precise drug delivery, maximized therapeutic index, and reduced off-target side effects. Herein, a multichannel calcium ion (Ca2+ ) nanomodulator (CaNMCUR+CDDP ), i.e., a cisplatin (CDDP) and curcumin (CUR) co-incorporating calcium carbonate (CaCO3 ) nanoparticle, is prepared by a facile one-pot strategy in a sealed container with in situ synthesized polydopamine (PDA) as a template to enhance Ca2+ -overload-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer therapy. After systemic administration, the PEGylated CaNMCUR+CDDP (PEG CaNMCUR+CDDP ) selectively accumulates in tumor tissues, enters tumor cells, and induces multilevel destruction of mitochondria by the combined effects of burst Ca2+ release, Ca2+ efflux inhibition by CUR, and chemotherapeutic CDDP, thereby observably boosting mitochondria-targeted tumor inhibition. Fluorescence imaging of CUR combined with photoacoustic imaging of PDA facilitates the visualization of the nanomodulator. The facile and practical design of this multichannel Ca2+ nanomodulator will contribute to the development of multimodal bioimaging-guided organelle-targeted cancer therapy in the future.

ZnO-Ti3 C2 MXene Electron Transport Layer for High External Quantum Efficiency Perovskite Nanocrystal Light-Emitting Diodes

2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides called MXenes show outstanding performance in many applications due to their superior physical and chemical properties. Herein, a ZnO-MXene mixture with different contents of Ti3 C2 is applied as electron transport layers (ETLs) and the influence of the Ti3 C2 MXene in all-inorganic metal halide perovskite nanocrystal light-emitting diodes (perovskite NC LEDs) is explored. The addition of Ti3 C2 makes more balanced charge carrier transport in LEDs by changing the energy level structure and electron mobility of ETL. Moreover, lower surface roughness is obtained for the ETL, thus guaranteeing uniform distribution of the perovskite NCs layer and further reducing leakage current. As a result, a 17.4% external quantum efficiency (EQE) with low efficiency roll-off is achieved with 10% Ti3 C2 , which is a 22.5% improvement compared to LEDs without Ti3 C2 .

UL36 Encoded by Marek's Disease Virus Exhibits Linkage-Specific Deubiquitinase Activity

(1) Background: Deubiquitinase (DUB) regulates various important cellular processes via reversing the protein ubiquitination. The N-terminal fragment of a giant tegument protein, UL36, encoded by the Marek's disease (MD) virus (MDV), encompasses a putative DUB (UL36-DUB) and shares no homology with any known DUBs. The N-terminus 75 kDa fragment of UL36 exists in MD T lymphoma cells at a high level and participates in MDV pathogenicity. (2) Methods: To characterize deubiquitinating activity and substrate specificity of UL36-DUB, the UL36 N-terminal fragments, UL36(323), UL36(480), and mutants were prepared using the Bac-to-Bac system. The deubiquitinating activity and substrate specificity of these recombinant UL36-DUBs were analyzed using various ubiquitin (Ub) or ubiquitin-like (UbL) substrates and activity-based deubiquitinating enzyme probes. (3) Results: The results indicated that wild type UL36-DUBs show a different hydrolysis ability against varied types of ubiquitin chains. These wild type UL36-DUBs presented the highest activity to K11, K48, and K63 linkage Ub chains, weak activity to K6, K29, and K33 Ub chains, and no activity to K27 linkage Ub chain. UL36 has higher cleavage efficiency for K48 and K63 poly-ubiquitin than linear ubiquitin chain (M1-Ub4), but no activity on various ubiquitin-like modifiers. The mutation of C98 and H234 residues eliminated the deubiquitinating activity of UL36-DUB. D232A mutation impacted, but did not eliminated UL36(480) activity. The Ub-Br probe can bind to wild type UL36-DUB and mutants UL36(480)H234A and UL36(480)D232A, but not C98 mutants. These in vitro results suggested that the C98 and H234 are essential catalytic residues of UL36-DUB. UL36-DUB exhibited a strict substrate specificity. Inhibition assay revealed that UL36-DUB exhibits resistance to the Roche protease inhibitor cocktail and serine protease inhibitor, but not to the Solarbio protease inhibitor cocktail. (4) Conclusions: UL36-DUB exhibited a strict substrate preference, and the protocol developed in the current study for obtaining active UL36-DUB protein should promote the high-throughput screening of UL36 inhibitors and the study on the function of MDV-encoded UL36.

PEGylated Polyurea Bearing Hindered Urea Bond for Drug Delivery

In recent years, polyureas with dynamic hindered urea bonds (HUBs), a class of promising biomedical polymers, have attracted wide attention as a result of their controlled hydrolytic properties. The effect of the chemical structures on the properties of polyureas and their assemblies has rarely been reported. In this study, four kinds of polyureas with different chemical groups have been synthesized, and the polyureas from cyclohexyl diisocyanate and tert-butyl diamine showed the fastest hydrolytic rate. The amphiphilic polyurea composed of hydrophobic cyclohexyl-tert-butyl polyurea and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was synthesized for the controlled delivery of the antitumor drug paclitaxel (PTX). The PTX-loaded PEGylated polyurea micelle more effectively entered into the murine breast cancer 4T1 cells and inhibited the corresponding tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the PEGylated polyurea with adjustable degradation might be a promising polymer matrix for drug delivery.

Predicting overlapping protein complexes based on core-attachment and a local modularity structure

BACKGROUND

In recent decades, detecting protein complexes (PCs) from protein-protein interaction networks (PPINs) has been an active area of research. There are a large number of excellent graph clustering methods that work very well for identifying PCs. However, most of existing methods usually overlook the inherent core-attachment organization of PCs. Therefore, these methods have three major limitations we should concern. Firstly, many methods have ignored the importance of selecting seed, especially without considering the impact of overlapping nodes as seed nodes. Thus, there may be false predictions. Secondly, PCs are generally supposed to be dense subgraphs. However, the subgraphs with high local modularity structure usually correspond to PCs. Thirdly, a number of available methods lack handling noise mechanism, and miss some peripheral proteins. In summary, all these challenging issues are very important for predicting more biological overlapping PCs.

RESULTS

In this paper, to overcome these weaknesses, we propose a clustering method by core-attachment and local modularity structure, named CALM, to detect overlapping PCs from weighted PPINs with noises. Firstly, we identify overlapping nodes and seed nodes. Secondly, for a node, we calculate the support function between a node and a cluster. In CALM, a cluster which initially consists of only a seed node, is extended by adding its direct neighboring nodes recursively according to the support function, until this cluster forms a locally optimal modularity subgraph. Thirdly, we repeat this process for the remaining seed nodes. Finally, merging and removing procedures are carried out to obtain final predicted clusters. The experimental results show that CALM outperforms other classical methods, and achieves ideal overall performance. Furthermore, CALM can match more complexes with a higher accuracy and provide a better one-to-one mapping with reference complexes in all test datasets. Additionally, CALM is robust against the high rate of noise PPIN.

CONCLUSIONS

By considering core-attachment and local modularity structure, CALM could detect PCs much more effectively than some representative methods. In short, CALM could potentially identify previous undiscovered overlapping PCs with various density and high modularity.

Complete genome sequence of Bacillus velezensis 157 isolated from Eucommia ulmoides with pathogenic bacteria inhibiting and lignocellulolytic enzymes production by SSF

Bacillus velezensis 157 was isolated from the bark of Eucommia ulmoides, and exhibited antagonistic activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Moreover, B. velezensis 157 also showed various lignocellulolytic activities including cellulase, xylanase, α-amylase, and pectinase, which had the ability of using the agro-industrial waste (soybean meal, wheat bran, sugarcane bagasse, wheat straw, rice husk, maize flour and maize straw) under solid-state fermentation and obtained several industrially valuable enzymes. Soybean meal appeared to be the most efficient substrate for the single fermentation of B. velezensis 157. Highest yield of pectinase (19.15 ± 2.66 U g-1), cellulase (46.69 ± 1.19 U g-1) and amylase (2097.18 ± 15.28 U g-1) was achieved on untreated soybean meal. Highest yield of xylanase (22.35 ± 2.24 U g-1) was obtained on untreated wheat bran. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of the B. velezensis 157, composed of a circular 4,013,317 bp chromosome with 3789 coding genes and a G + C content of 46.41%, one circular 8439 bp plasmid and a G + C content of 40.32%. The genome contained a total of 8 candidate gene clusters (bacillaene, difficidin, macrolactin, butirosin, bacillibactin, bacilysin, fengycin and surfactin), and dedicates over 15.8% of the whole genome to synthesize secondary metabolite biosynthesis. In addition, the genes encoding enzymes involved in degradation of cellulose, xylan, lignin, starch, mannan, galactoside and arabinan were found in the B. velezensis 157 genome. Thus, the study of B. velezensis 157 broadened that B. velezensis can not only be used as biocontrol agents, but also has potentially a wide range of applications in lignocellulosic biomass conversion.

Celiac Disease Autoimmunity in Patients with Autoimmune Diabetes and Thyroid Disease among Chinese Population

The prevalence of celiac disease autoimmunity or tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (TGA) amongst patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) in the Chinese population remains unknown. This study examined the rate of celiac disease autoimmunity amongst patients with T1D and AITD in the Chinese population. The study included 178 patients with type 1 diabetes and 119 with AITD where 36 had both T1D and AITD, classified as autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 3 variant (APS3v). The study also included 145 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), 97 patients with non-autoimmune thyroid disease (NAITD), and 102 healthy controls. Serum islet autoantibodies, thyroid autoantibodies and TGA were measured by radioimmunoassay. TGA positivity was found in 22% of patients with either type 1 diabetes or AITD, much higher than that in patients with T2D (3.4%; p< 0.0001) or NAITD (3.1%; P < 0.0001) or healthy controls (1%; p<0.0001). The patients with APS3v having both T1D and AITD were 36% positive for TGA, significantly higher than patients with T1D alone (p = 0.040) or with AITD alone (p = 0.017). T1D and AITD were found to have a 20% and 30% frequency of overlap respectively at diagnosis. In conclusion, TGA positivity was high in the Chinese population having existing T1D and/or AITD, and even higher when both diseases were present. Routine TGA screening in patients with T1D or AITD will be important to early identify celiac disease autoimmunity for better clinical care of patients.