Modulatory effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on chronic metabolic diseases

The increased global incidence of chronic metabolic diseases,a vital threat to human health and a burden on our healthcare systems,includes a series of clinical metabolic syndromes such as obesity,diabetes,hypertension,and dyslipidemia.One of the well-known probiotic microorganisms,Lactiplantibacillus plantarum plays an important role in promoting human health,including inhibiting the occurrence and development of a variety of chronic metabolic diseases.The present study provides an overview of the preventive and therapeutic effects of L.plantarum on diabetes,obesity,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,kidney stone disease,and cardiovascular diseases in animal models and human clinical trials.Ingesting L.plantarum demonstrated its ability to reduce inflammatory and oxidative stress levels by regulating the production of cytokines and short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs),the activity of antioxidant enzymes,and the balance of intestinal microbial communities to alleviate the symptoms of chronic metabolic diseases.Furthermore,updated applications and technologies of L.plantarum in food and biopharmaceutical industries are also discussed.Understanding the characteristics and functions of L.plantarum will guide the development of related probiotic products and explore the modulatory benefit of L.plantarum supplementations on the prevention and treatment of multiple chronic metabolic diseases.

Molecular mechanisms of paclitaxel and NM-3 on human gastric cancer in a severe combined immune deficiency mice orthotopic implantation model

AIM: To explore the molecular mechanisms of action of paclitaxel and NM-3 on human gastric cancer in severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice. METHODS: Human gastric cancer cells SGC-7901 were implanted into SCID mice and mice were treated with paclitaxel and NM-3. The effects of paclitaxel and NM-3 on apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells were analyzed using flow cytometry, TUNEL assays, and DNA fragment analyses. RESULTS: Apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells was successfully induced by paclitaxel, NM-3, and the combination of paclitaxel and NM-3 24 h after injection as shown by the presence of apoptotic hypodiploid peaks on the flow cytometer before G1-S and a characteristic apoptotic band pattern in the DNA electrophoresis. The apoptotic rate detected by TUNEL assay was found to be significantly higher in the paclitaxel/NM-3 compared to the control group (38.5% ± 5.14% vs 13.2% ± 1.75%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel in combination with NM-3 is able to induce apoptosis of the human gastric cancer cells in SCID mice effectively and synergistically.

Gene profiles between non-invasive and invasive colon cancer using laser microdissection and polypeptide analysis

AIM: To explore the expression of differential gene expression profiles of target cell between non-invasive submucosal and invasive advanced tumor in colon carcinoma using laser microdissection (LMD) in combination with polypeptide analysis. METHODS: Normal colon tissue samples from 20 healthy individuals and 30 cancer tissue samples from early non-invasive colon cancer cells were obtained. The cells from these samples were used LMD independently after P27-based amplification. aRNA from advanced colon cancer cells and metastatic cancer cells of 40 cases were applied to LMD and polypeptide analysis, semiquantitative reverse transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical assays were used to verify the results of microarray and further identify differentially expressed genes in non-invasive early stages of colon cancer. RESULTS: Five gene expressions were changed in colon carcinoma cells compared with that of controls. Of the five genes, three genes were downregulated and two were upregulated in invasive submucosal colon carcinoma compared with non-invasive cases. The results were confirmed at the level of aRNA and gene expression. Five genes were further identified as differentially expressed genes in the majority ofcases (> 50%, 25/40) in progression of colon cancer, and their expression patterns of which were similar to tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that combined use of polypeptide analysis might identify early expression profiles of five differential genes associated with the invasion of colon cancer. These results reveal that this gene may be a marker of submucosal invasion in early colon cancer.

Interannual variability of dimethylsulfide in the Yellow Sea

The 22-year(1998-2019)surface seawater dimethylsulfi de(DMS)concentrations in the Yellow Sea(YS)were hindcasted based on satellite sea surface temperature(SST)and chlorophyll-a(Chl-a)data using a generalized additive mixed model(GAMM).A continuous monthly dataset of DMS concentration in the YS was obtained after using the data interpolation empirical orthogonal function(DINEOF)to reconstruct missing information in the dataset.Then,the interannual DMS variability in the YS was analyzed.The results indicated that the monthly climatological DMS concentration in the YS was 3.61 nmol/L.DMS concentrations in the spring and summer were signifi cantly higher than those in the autumn and winter.DMS concentrations were highest in coastal YS waters and lowest primarily in off shore YS waters.Interannual DMS variability between 1998 and 2019 was subdivided into two inverse phases:with the exception of the central YS,DMS increased before the turning point and decreased after.The turning point in interannual DMS variation was earlier in the inshore YS as compared to the central YS.Spectrum analysis identifi ed some signifi cant patterns of interannual variation in the DMS anomaly in the YS.Chl a appeared to be the main factor infl uencing interannual trends in DMS in the YS.Interannual DMS variability was under the joint control of Chl a and SST.However,short-term interannual DMS variation(2-3 years)was primarily related to SST,while longer term interannual DMS variation(6-8 years)was signifi cantly correlated with Chl a and SST.

A Multisource Contour Matching Method Considering the Similarity of Geometric Features

The existing multi-source contour matching studies have focused on the matching methods with consideration of topological relations and similarity measurement based on spatial Euclidean distance,while it is lack of taking the contour geometric features into account,which may lead to mismatching in map boundaries and areas with intensive contours or extreme terrain changes.In light of this,it is put forward that a matching strategy from coarse to precious based on the contour geometric features.The proposed matching strategy can be described as follows.Firstly,the point sequence is converted to feature sequence according to a feature descriptive function based on curvature and angle of normal vector.Then the level of similarity among multi-source contours is calculated by using the longest common subsequence solution.Accordingly,the identical contours could be matched based on the above calculated results.In the experiment for the proposed method,the reliability and efficiency of the matching method are verified using simulative datasets and real datasets respectively.It has been proved that the proposed contour matching strategy has a high matching precision and good applicability.

Antibiofilm activity of 3,3'-diindolylmethane on Staphylococcus aureus and its disinfection on common food-contact surfaces

This study explored the antibiofilm efficacy of 3,3’-diindolylmethane(DIM)on Staphylococcus aureus and its disinfection on common food-contact surfaces.The minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration(MBIC)of DIM on S.aureus was 62.5μmol/L,while it did not impede the bacterial growth evaluated by growth curve and XTT reduction assay.DIM in the concentration range of 31.2-62.5μmol/L demonstrated a dose-dependent antibiofilm activity to S.aureus,as confirmed by light microscopic(LM),confocal laser scanning microscopic(CLSM),and scanning electron microscopic(SEM)analyses.At DIM of62.5μmol/L,the biomass of S.aureus biofilm was significantly reduced by 97%and its average thickness by 58%(P<0.05).DIM of 62.5μmol/L inhibited the bacterial initial adhesion and proliferation,as well as cell motility;the release of extracellular DNA(eDNA)and extracellular polysaccharide(EPS)were reduced by 75%and 69%,respectively.DIM exhibited a strong inhibition to S.aureus biofilm formation on common food-contact surfaces,including 304 stainless steel,glass,and polyvinyl chloride(PVC)but not disperse the mature biofilm.Overall,our investigation identified DIM as a promising antibiofilm agent and its suitability to prevent the biofilm formation of S.aureus on common food-contact surfaces utilized during food processing.

The immunity-promoting activity of porcine placenta in mice as an immunomodulator for functional foods

This study was to explore the immunity-promoting activity of porcine placenta as a potential raw material for functional foods.Porcine placenta was subjected to the analysis for its bioactive substances,and their immunity-promoting activity was determined in mice supplemented with porcine placenta extract(PPE)and freeze-dried porcine placenta powder at high(PPH)and low(PPL)dosage.Results showed that porcine placenta contained placental peptides and 15 free amino acids,and the amounts of estrogen and progesterone in products developed from porcine placenta were within the limit of national standard.Mice model experiment revealed that compared with the control,the PPH treatment significantly improved the spleen index(P<0.05)by increasing the phagocytic rate of macrophages from 20%to 60%and the conversion rate of T lymphocytes from 8%to 60%.The q PCR analysis disclosed that the porcine placenta powder enhanced mice immunity via promoting the expression of Th1 cytokines of interleukin-2(IL-2)and IFN-γ,especially the former,by almost 8 times in the spleens of male mice,while inhibited Th2 cytokines of IL-4 and IL-10.This investigation has provided a reference for the development of porcine placenta as a raw material applied in functional foods to improve human immunity.

Development and evaluation of a novel multiplex probe array for rapid differential identification of Mycobacterium in clinical specimens

Rapid differential identification of Mycobacterium species is essential for effective diagnosis and management of mycobacteriosis. The aim of this study was to develop a novel multiplex probe array based on the 16S-23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer sequence for the genotyping of mycobacteria to the species level. A pair of primers and a set of genus- and species-specific probes were designed from the conserved and polymorphic regions of the 16S rRNA gene, internal transcribed spacer, and 23S rRNA gene sequences of mycobacteria. We used a novel multiplex probe array for identification of 266 clinical specimens obtained from patients with mycobaterial infection. The results showed that the overall specificity and sensitivity of our novel probe array were both 100% for the genus-specific probe and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex- specific probe. There were 79.3 % （23/29） of nontuberculous mycobacteria which could be identified to the species level directly in the specimens from China. Some intraspecies heterogeneity in M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. chelonae and M. abscessus was observed. With the increase of sequences of internal transcribed spacer and numbers of whole microbial genomes, and further optimization of probes, the multiplex probe army will become a promising tool for the rapid and accurate identification of mycobacteria in ordinary clinical laboratories.

Microbial reduction of uranium(Ⅵ)by Bacillus sp.Dwc-2:A macroscopic and spectroscopic study

The microbial reduction of U（VI） by Bacillus sp. dwc-2, isolated from soil in Southwest China, was explored using transmission electron microscopy （TEIVI）, X-ray photoelectron spectros- copy （XPS） and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy （XANES）. Our studies indicated that approximately 16.0% of U（VI） at an initial concentration of 100 mg/L uranium nitrate could be reduced by Bacillus sp. dwc-2 at pH 8.2 under anaerobic conditions at room temperature. Additionally, natural organic matter （NOM） played an important role in enhancing the bioreduction of U（VI） by Bacillus sp. dwc-2. XPS results demonstrated that the uranium presented mixed valence states （U（VI） and U（IV）） after bioreduction, which was subse- quently confirmed by XANES. Furthermore, the TEM and high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） analysis suggested that the reduced uranium was bioaccumulated mainly within the cell and as a crystalline structure on the cell wa11. These observations implied that the reduction of uranium may have a significant effect on its fate in the soil environment in which these bacterial strains occur.

Bioaccumulation characterization of uranium by a novel Streptomyces sporoverrucosus dwc-3

The biosorption mechanisms of uranium on an aerobic bacterial strain Streptomyces sporoverrucosus dwc-3,isolated from a potential disposal site for（ultra-）low uraniferous radioactive waste in Southwest China,were evaluated by using transmission electron microscopy（TEM）,energy dispersive X-ray（EDX）analysis,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）,proton induced X-ray emission（PIXE）and enhanced proton backscattering spectrometry（EPBS）.Approximately60% of total uranium at an initial concentration of 10 mg/L uranium nitrate solution could be absorbed on 100 mg S.sporoverrucosus dwc-3 with an adsorption capacity of more than3.0 mg/g（wet weight）after 12 hr at room temperature at p H 3.0.The dynamic biosorption process of S.sporoverrucosus dwc-3 for uranyl ions was well described by a pseudo second-order model.S.sporoverrucosus dwc-3 could accumulate uranium on cell walls and within the cell,as revealed by SEM and TEM analysis as well as EDX spectra.XPS and FT-IR analysis further suggested that the absorbed uranium was bound to amino,phosphate and carboxyl groups of the cells.Additionally,PIXE and EPBS results confirmed that ion exchange also contributed to the adsorption process of uranium.

Local adaptive evolution of two distinct clades of Beijing and T families of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Chongqing:a Bayesian population structure and phylogenetic study

Background:Beijing sub-pedigree 2(BSP2)and T sub-lineage 6(TSL6)are two clades belonging to Beijing and T family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB),respectively,defined by Bayesian population structure analysis based on 24-loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number of tandem repeats(MIRU-VNTR).Globally,over 99%of BSP2 and 89%of TSL6 isolates were distributed in Chongqing,suggesting their possible local adaptive evolution.The objective of this paper is to explore whether BSP2 and TSL6 originated by their local adaptive evolution from the specific isolates of Beijing and T families in Chongqing.Methods:The genotyping data of 16090 MTB isolates were collected from laboratory collection,published literatures and SITVIT database before subjected to Bayesian population structure analysis based on 24-loci MIRUVNTR.Spacer Oligonucleotide Forest(Spoligoforest)and 24-loci MIRU-VNTR-based minimum spanning tree(MST)were used to explore their phylogenetic pathways,with Bayesian demographic analysis for exploring the recent demographic change of TSL6.Results:Phylogenetic analysis suggested that BSP2 and TSL6 in Chongqing may evolve from BSP4 and TSL5,respectively,which were locally predominant in Tibet and Jiangsu,respectively.Spoligoforest showed that Beijing and T families were genetically distant,while the convergence of the MIRU-VNTR pattern of BSP2 and TSL6 was revealed by WebLogo.The demographic analysis concluded that the recent demographic change of TSL6 might take 111.25 years.Conclusions:BSP2 and TSL6 clades might originate from BSP4 and TSL5,respectively,by their local adaptive evolution in Chongqing.Our study suggests MIRU-VNTR be combined with other robust markers for a more comprehensive genotyping approach,especially for families of clades with the same MIRU-VNTR pattern.