Relationship between nutritional therapy and beneficial bacteria ratio in severe disease

Objective:To evaluate relationship between changes in the beneficial bacteria in intensive care unit(ICU)patients and nutritional therapy type.Methods:Ten patients aged≥18 years admitted to the ICU between January and December 2020,were included.Good enteral nutrition was defined as early achievement of target calorie intake through enteral feeding.The ratio of beneficial bacteria at the first and second bowel movements after each patient’s admission was calculated and the patients were classified into the increase or decrease group.Among all patients,five each were in the increase and decrease groups.We investigated patient background,changes in sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation(APACHE)Ⅱscores,nutritional doses or methods,and clinical outcomes.Results:No relationship was found between changes in the ratio of beneficial bacteria and changes in SOFA/APACHEⅡscores at the time of admission.The rate of good enteral nutrition was significantly higher in the increase group than in the decrease group(4/5 vs.0/5,P=0.01).Conclusions:An increase in beneficial bacteria may be significantly related to the early establishment of enteral nutrition.In the future,accumulating cases may make it possible to establish a new nutritional strategy for critically ill patients from an intestinal microbiota perspective.

Ingredients from integral valorization of Isabel grape to formulate goat yogurt with stimulatory effects on probiotics and beneficial impacts on human colonic microbiota in vitro

Isabel grape(IG)products have high contents of phenolic compounds and fiber recognized for their positive impacts on microorganisms associated with health benefits to host.This study evaluated the effects of goat yogurts formulated with ingredients from IG integral valorization on the growth and metabolism of different probiotic strains,as well as on the population of selected bacterial groups and metabolic activity of human colonic microbiota in vitro.Goat yogurts with IG ingredients(IGI)stimulated the growth of tested Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotic strains during a 48-h cultivation,as well as decreased the pH values and enhanced the organic acid production.Goat yogurts with IGI increased the population of Lactobacillus spp.and Bifidobacterium spp.during a 24-h in vitro colonic fermentation.A stable Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio close to 1 was found in media with goat yogurt formulations during the colonic fermentation,being similar to the effect caused by fructooligosaccharides.Goat yogurt formulations with IGI caused increased production of short-chain fatty acids and sugar consumption during colonic fermentation.Goat yogurts with IGI should be a valuable strategy for development of novel added-value foods with beneficial effects on gut microbiota and human health.

Recovery of metals and other beneficial products from coal fly ash： a sustainable approach for fly ash management

Increasing production and disposal of coal fly ash （CFA） is a matter of serious environment concern. However, CFA contains various beneficial metals and mineral matters whose demand is increasing in the industrialized world, while natural supplies are diminishing. Therefore, recovery of these potential resources from CFA can be an alternative way to save mineral resources, as well as to reduce the environmental burden of CFA disposal. There are numerous methods developed for the recovery of beneficial products from CFA. Based on the US patents and journal literatures, the present review describes the recovery status and technologies of major elements such as Al, Si, Fe and Ti, and trace elements such as V, Ga, Ge, Se, Li, Mo, U, Au, Ag, Pt groups and rare earth elements （REEs） and other beneficial products such as magnetic materials, cenospheres, and unburned carbon from CFA. It also highlights the recovery efficiency and drawbacks for their extraction, and suggests future research to develop satisfactory results in terms of selective recovery and purification.

Responses of Bruguiera sexangula propagules to beneficial microbes in the nursery

Bruguiera sexangula （Lout） Poir., a threatened mangrove tree, was inoculated with beneficial microbes in a nursery to assess any improvements in growth and bio- mass. From soil samples from the rhizosphere of B. sexangula in a mangrove forest in Panangadu of Kerala India, nitrogen-fixing bacteria Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum brasilense were isolated. The phosphatesolubilising bacterium Bacillus megaterium and potassiummobilizing bacteria Frateruria aurantia were also isolated and cultured on suitable media. Later, ripe propagules of B. sexangula were collected from matured trees and raised in sterilized soil bags （13 × 25 cm） containing sterilized soil and sand （2：1 ratio）. The cultured beneficial microbes were propagated and used to inoculate the ripe propagules of B. sexangula and maintained in the nursery for 6 months. After 6 months, growth and biomass of the inoculated propagules were greater than for the uninoculated control propagules. Shoot length, number of leaves, stem girth and root length were also significantly greater than in the controls. This study showed that the mangrove-specific beneficial microbes influenced the growth of B. sexangula

Diversity of cultivable endophytic bacteria associated with halophytes in Xinjiang of China and their plant beneficial traits

Endophytic bacteria from halophytes have a wide range of application prospects in various fields,such as plant growth-promoting,biocontrol activity and stress resistance.The current study aimed to identify cultivable endophytic bacteria associated with halophytes grown in the salt-affected soil in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China and to evaluate their plant beneficial traits and enzyme-producing activity.Endophytic bacteria were isolated from Reaumuria soongorica(PalL Maxim.),Artemisia carvifolia(Buch.-Ham.ex Roxb.Hort.Beng.),Peganum harmala L.and Suaeda dendroides(C.A.Mey.Moq.)by using the cultural-dependent method.Then we classified these bacteria based on the difference between their sequences of 16S rRNA(16S ribosomal RNA)gene.Results showed that the isolated bacteria from R.soongorica belonged to the genera Brucella,Bacillus and Variovorax.The bacteria from A.carvifolia belonged to the genera Micromonospora and Brucella.The bacteria from P.harmala belonged to the genera Paramesorhizobium,Bacillus and Peribacillus.The bacteria from S.dendroides belonged to the genus Bacillus.Notably,the genus Bacillus was detected in the three above plants,indicating that Bacillus is a common taxon of endophytic bacteria in halophytes.And,our results found that about 37.50%of the tested strains showed strong protease-producing activity,6.25%of the tested strains showed strong cellulase-producing activity and 12.50%of the tested strains showed moderate lipase-producing activity.Besides,all isolated strains were positive for IAA(3-Indoleacetic acid)production,31.25%of isolated strains exhibited a moderate phosphate solubilization activity and 50.00%of isolated strains exhibited a weak siderophore production activity.Our findings suggest that halophytes are valuable resources for identifying microbes with the ability to increase host plant growth and health in salt-affected soils.

Naringin as a beneficial natural product against degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic projection in the adult brain

The progressive degeneration of nigral dopaminergic（DA）neurons and the biochemical reduction of striatal dopamine levels are associated with major clinical symptoms,including tremor at rest,rigidity of the limbs,slowness and paucity of voluntary movement（bradykinesia）.

Beneficial roles silicon plays in agriculture

Silicon（Si）,asecondmostabundantelementinsoil,is nonessential but beneficial for higher plants.Silicon addition can result in improved plant growth, yield and quality.Indeed, application of Si fertilizer is a rather common agricultural practice in many countries and regions, especially in Southeast Asian countries.

Endophytic bacteria associated with halophyte Seidlitzia rosmarinus Ehrenb.ex Boiss.from saline soil of Uzbekistan and their plant beneficial traits

Endophytic bacteria of halophytic plants play essential roles in salt stress tolerance.Therefore,an understanding of the true nature of plant-microbe interactions under extreme conditions is essential.The current study aimed to identify cultivable endophytic bacteria associated with the roots and shoots of Seidlitzia rosmarinus Ehrenb.ex Boiss.grown in the salt-affected soil in Uzbekistan and to evaluate their plant beneficial traits related to plant growth stimulation and stress tolerance.Bacteria were isolated from the roots and the shoots of S.rosmarinus using culture-dependent techniques and identified by the 16S rRNA gene.RFLP(Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism)analysis was conducted to eliminate similar isolates.Results showed that the isolates from the roots of S.rosmarinus belonged to the genera Rothia,Kocuria,Pseudomonas,Staphylococcus,Paenibacillus and Brevibacterium.The bacterial isolates from the shoots of S.rosmarinus belonged to the genera Staphylococcus,Rothia,Stenotrophomonas,Brevibacterium,Halomonas,Planococcus,Planomicrobium and Pseudomonas,which differed from those of the roots.Notably,Staphylococcus,Rothia and Brevibacterium were detected in both roots and shoots,indicating possible migration of some species from roots to shoots.The root-associated bacteria showed higher levels of IAA(indole-3-acetic acid)synthesis compared with those isolated from the shoots,as well as the higher production of ACC(1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate)deaminase.Our findings suggest that halophytic plants are valuable sources for the selection of microbes with a potential to improve plant fitness under saline soils.

Effects of Crop Rotation and Microbial Fertilizer on Nutrient Absorption and Beneficial Bacterium Abundance in Rhizosphere of Continuous Cropped Eggplant

Rotation is a method to effectively regulate the soil microbial community structure and alleviate the obstacles of continuous planting of eggplant in facilities.High-throughput sequencing technology was used to study the change of beneficial bacteria diversity and structure at the first fruit stage of continuous eggplant rhizosphere soil affected by rotation combined with Bacillus subtilis fertilizer.The result showed that beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere soil samples of eggplant at the phylum classification level included Actinobacteria,Chloroflexi,Acidobacteria,Planctomycetes and Cyanobacteria.At the level of genus classification,the beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere soil samples of eggplant were Bacillus,Arthrobacter,Sphingomonas and Streptomyces.The significantly differences were observed in the abundance of soil dominant bacteria and beneficial bacteria at phylum level and genus classification among different treatments.At the phylum level,compared with CK treatment,the relative abundances of Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria in BB treatment were increased by 34.4%and 20.2%,respectively.At the level of genus classification,the beneficial bacterial Arthrobacter abundance in BB treatment was 1.44 times than that of CK treatment and was significantly higher than that in CF treatment.Moreover,the total uptake of N,P and K by eggplants in BB treatment and BFN treatment were 1.68 and 1.35 times than those of CK treatment,respectively.The above results showed that the combined treatment of microbial fertilizer and rotation could increased the soil bacterial community diversity and the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the first fruit stage of eggplant,which indeed enhanced the absorption of N,P and K by continuous eggplant plants,thereby alleviating the obstacles of continuous cropping of eggplant.

Beneficial Regulatory Effects of Sesamin on Intestinal Flora of Mice

The effects of sesamin on intestinal microflora of mice with normal diet were studied by in vitro animal feces anaerobic culture system.The results showed that treatment with sesamin could significantly change the intestinal flora structure of mice,increasing the abundance of probiotics Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria Enterococcus.High-throughput sequencing analysis showed that sesamin could affect the structure and composition of fecal microflora of mice,and the abundance of probiotics such as Bacillus and Bifidobacterium increased.Sesamin also could increase the expression of tight contiguous protein Occludin and Claudin-1 in colonic tissue of mice,which was benefit to the adhesion of probiotics.In conclusion,sesamin intervention could improve the composition and abundance of intestinal microorganisms in mice with normal diet,which had a beneficial regulatory effect on the intestinal health.

Chinese herbal medicines with beneficial effects

Among the vast resources of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)herbal species,only a handful of Chinese herbs are growing in frigid regions or extreme environment but they have a unique property.The most recognizable TCM herb falling in this category is Panax ginseng,which is widely considered the representative tonic herb with oceans of beneficial effects on human health.In this article,we will introduce several typical Chinese herbal medicines with beneficial effects aiming to arouse broader attention from the scientific community to expand the exploration and exploitation on this for their potential applications to meet the increasingly demanding medical needs.

The Game between FDI and the Beneficial Policies of Host Country

Foreign direct investment （FDI） has great function to the growth of the economy in various countries. The beneficial policies of the foreign capitals are the main means to various countries to absorb FDI. Utilizing this means appropriately and designing beneficial policies, which can make the host country get the maximized revenue of utilizing FDI, are the key to absorb FDI effectively. In this paper, we set up a game model between the level of the host country＇s beneficial policies and the scale of FDI, and analyze what the key factors that influence the level of host country＇s beneficial policies are and how to decide the level of beneficial policies according to these key factors.

Enhancement of beneficial microbiomes in plant-soil continuums through organic fertilization:Insights into the composition and multifunctionality

Soil microbiomes play a crucial role in maintaining ecological functions and are of great importance for soil health.Some of them could bring benefits to plants for growth promotion.Despite numerous studies have focused on specific beneficial bacteria and their interactions with soils and plants,we still lack a comprehensive understanding of beneficial communities in plant–soil continuums and their responses to agricultural activities.To address this gap,we carried out a microcosm experiment using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to explore the effects of organic fertilization on beneficial communities in plant–soil continuums and assess their potential multifunctionality.Our findings reveal that organic fertilization had a positive impact on the beneficial functionality of bacterial communities in plant–soil continuums.This improvement was primarily attributed to the optimized soil physicochemical conditions resulting from organic fertilization.Additionally,organic fertilization increased the complexity of bacterial co-occurrence networks in both soils and the endosphere.Keystone taxa in the endosphere undergone a shift of functions toward pathogen suppression as the result of organic fertilization.Furthermore,this study revealed that plants exhibited a preference for internalizing beneficial bacteria over other type of bacteria.We also provided new insights for evaluating the multifunctionality of microbiomes,and found that the functionality of beneficial communities in plant–soil continuums is enhanced by organic fertilization.All these findings suggested that organic fertilization can be an effective strategy for maintaining plant and soil health.

Fast integration and accumulation of beneficial breeding alleles through an AB–NAMIC strategy in wheat

Wheat(Triticum aestivum)is among the most important staple crops for safeguarding the food security of the growing world population.To bridge the gap between genebank diversity and breeding programs,we developed an advanced backcross-nested association mapping plus inter-crossed population(AB-NAMIC)by crossing three popular wheat cultivars as recurrent founders to 20 germplasm lines from a mini core collection.Selective backcrossing combined with selection against undesirable traits and extensive crossing within and between sub-populations created new opportunities to detect unknown genes and increase the frequency of beneficial alleles in the AB-NAMIC population.We performed phenotyping of 590 AB-NAMIC lines and a natural panel of 476 cultivars for six consecutive growing seasons and genotyped these 1066 lines with a 660K SNP array.Genome-wide association studies of both panels for plant development and yield traits demonstrated improved power to detect rare alleles and loci with medium genetic effects in AB-NAMIC.Notably,genome-wide association studies in AB-NAMIC detected the candidate gene TaSWEET6-7B(TraesCS7B03G1216700),which has high homology to the rice SWEET6b gene and exerts strong effects on adaptation and yield traits.The commercial release of two derived AB-NAMIC lines attests to its direct applicability in wheat improvement.Valuable information on genome-wide association studymapping,candidate genes,and their haplotypes for breeding traits are available through WheatGAB.Our research provides an excellent framework for fast-tracking exploration and accumulation of beneficial alleles stored in genebanks.

Cell-type-specific transcriptomics reveals that root hairs and endodermal barriers play important roles in beneficial plant-rhizobacterium interactions

Growth-and health-promoting bacteria can boost crop productivity in a sustainable way.Pseudomonas simiae WCS417is sucha bacterium that efficiently colonizes roots,modifiesthe architecture of the root systemto increase its size,and induces systemic resistance to make plants more resistant to pests and pathogens.Our previous work suggested that WCS417-induced phenotypes are controlled by root cell-type-specific mechanisms.However,it remains unclear how WCS417 affects these mechanisms.In this study,we transcriptionally profiled five Arabidopsis thaliana root cell types following WCS417 colonization.We found that the cortex and endodermis have the most differentially expressed genes,even though they are not in direct contact with this epiphytic bacterium.Many of these genes are associated with reduced cell wall biogenesis,and mutant analysis suggests that this downregulation facilitates WCS417-driven root architectural changes.Furthermore,we observed elevated expression of suberin biosynthesis genes and increased deposition of suberin in the endodermis of WCS417-colonized roots.Using an endodermal barrier mutant,we showed the importance of endodermal barrier integrity for optimal plant-beneficial bacterium association.Comparison of the transcriptome profiles in the two epidermal cell types that are in direct contact with WcS417-trichoblasts that form root hairs and atrichoblasts that do not-implies a difference in potential for defense gene activation.While both cell types respond to WCS417,trichoblasts displayed both higher basal and WCS417-dependent activation of defense-related genes compared with atrichoblasts.This suggests that root hairs may activate root immunity,a hypothesis that is supported by differential immune responses in root hair mutants.Taken together,these results highlight the strength of cell-type-specific transcriptional profiling to uncover"masked"biological mechanisms underlying beneficial plant-microbe associations.

Soil bacterial and fungal communities resilience to long-term nitrogen addition in subtropical forests in China

Atmospheric nitrogen(N)deposition is predicted to increase,especially in the subtropics.However,the responses of soil microorganisms to long-term N addition at the molecular level in N-rich subtropical forests have not been clarified.A long-term nutrient addition experiment was conducted in a subtropical evergreen old-growth forest in China.The four treatments were:control,low N(50 kg N ha^(-1)a^(-1)),high N(100 kg N ha^(-1)a^(-1)),and combined N and phosphorus(P)(100 kg N ha^(-1)a^(-1)+50 kg P ha^(-1)a^(-1)).Metagenomic sequencing characterized diversity and composition of soil microbial communities and used to construct bacterial/fungal co-occurrence networks.Nutrient-treated soils were more acidic and had higher levels of dissolved organic carbon than controls.There were no significant differences in microbial diversity and community composition across treatments.The addition of nutrients increased the abundance of copiotrophic bacteria and potentially beneficial microorganisms(e.g.,Gemmatimonadetes,Chaetomium,and Aureobasidium).Low N addition increased microbiome network connectivity.Three rare fungi were identified as module hubs under nutrient addition,indicating that low abundance fungi were more sensitive to increased nutrients.The results indicate that the overall composition of microbial communities was stable but not static to long-term N addition.Our findings provide new insights that can aid predictions of the response of soil microbial communities to long-term N addition.

Validating the use of ROS-scavenging bacteria as probiotics to increase coral resilience to thermal stress

Thermal stress causes the overproduction and toxic accumulation of reactive oxygen species(ROS),which seems to be correlated with coral bleaching and,ultimately,death.The reduction of ROS concentration within the coral holobiont could minimize the effects of thermal stress and support efforts to reduce coral decline globally.In the current study,we explored the physiological responses of Pocillopora damicornis to ROS-scavenging bacteria inoculation as well as the microbiome restructuring that correlates with P.damicornis’s resilience to thermal stress after probiotic inoculation.Inoculation of corals with ROS-scavenging bacteria enhanced coral health and reduced ROS concentration.Furthermore,the enhanced coral thermal resistance promoted by ROS-scavenging bacteria was also correlated with an overall coral microbiome restructuring.In addition,the complex network relationships between bacteria and Symbiodiniaceae in corals after ROS-scavenging bacteria inoculation contributed to corals’resilience to high temperatures.Besides,coral heat tolerance bacterial biomarkers,such as Myxococcota,were enriched in corals with added ROS-scavenging bacteria.Collectively,our findings validate the selected ROS-scavenging bacteria as coral probiotics that could help corals resist thermal stress on a short timescale.Additionally,our data contribute to our understanding of the potential interactions between different members of the coral holobiont and the use of probiotics as tools to aid coral restoration efforts.

The effect of abiotic stresses on plant C:N:P homeostasis and their mitigation by silicon

In crop plants, various environmental stresses affect the balance of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus(C:N:P), leading to biochemical and physiological alterations and reductions in yield. Silicon(Si) is a beneficial element that alleviates plant stress. Most studies involving silicon have focused on physiological responses, such as improvements in photosynthetic processes, water use efficiency, and antioxidant defense systems. But recent research suggests that stressed plants facing either limited or excessive resources(water, light, nutrients, and toxic elements), strategically employ Si to maintain C:N:P homeostasis, thereby minimizing biomass losses. Understanding the role of Si in mitigating the impact of abiotic stresses on plants by regulating C:N:P homeostasis holds great potential for advancing sustainable agricultural practices in crop production. This review presents recent advances in characterizing the influence of environmental stresses on C:N:P homeostasis, as well as the role of Si in preserving C:N:P equilibrium and attenuating biological damage associated with abiotic stress. It underscores the beneficial effects of Si in sustaining C:N:P homeostasis and increasing yield via improved nutritional efficiency and stress mitigation.