Case Report: Pneumocystis Pneumonia Following Liver Transplantation Identified by High-Throughput Second-Generation Gene Sequencing Technology

Pneumocystis, a fungus species, has emerged as one of the predominant infectious pathogens in immunocompromised patients, particularly in liver transplant recipients who require immunosuppressants. The pathogen colonizes the recipient’s lower respiratory tract and induces a pulmonary infection. Respiratory failure is one of the leading causes of mortality in organ transplant recipients, as the disease pro-gresses swiftly, its diagnosis is difcult, and it is simple for it to occur. This report details the case of a patient admitted to Calmette Hospital, afliated with Kunming Medical University, diagnosed with pneumocystis pulmonary infection post liver transplantation. The diagnosis and successful treatment of the patient were facilitated by high-throughput second-generation gene sequencing technology based on metagenom-ics, enlightening future clinical diagnoses and treatments

Combined antioxidant formulation of ascorbic acid with resveratrol ameliorates isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats

The current investigation was proposed to assess the effectiveness of the combination of resveratrol and ascorbic acid against Isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction in rats. The experimental model was divided into six groups (n = 6 in each group). Group I: control, Group 2: isoproterenol (ISO)-100 mg/kg b.wt, Group 3: ISO+Resveratrol (RES) (20 mg/kg b.wt) treated, Group 4: ISO+ Ascorbic acid (AA) (80 mg/kg b.wt) treated, Group 5: ISO+RES (20 mg/kg b.wt)+AA (80 mg/kg b.wt) treated and Group 6: RES (20 mg/kg b.wt)+ AA (80 mg/kg b.wt) alone treated. The study showed an increase in lipid peroxides and cardiac markers in the serum samples of experimental animals administered with ISO. Treatment with RES and AA individually and a combinational formulation brought a significant decrease in lipid peroxides and cardiac markers. They increased the level of enzymatic antioxidants and non-enzymatic antioxidant levels. Histopathological results showed the distortion of heart architecture among the experimental groups administered with ISO and significant recovery when treated with RES and AA individually and in their combination. The study presents the effective combination of RES and AA in combating ISO-induced myocardial infarction and protection against ROS-mediated oxidative stress

MenT nucleotidyltransferase toxins extend tRNA acceptor stems and can be inhibited by asymmetrical antitoxin binding

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for human tuberculosis, has a genome encoding a remarkably high number of toxin-antitoxin systems of largely unknown function. We have recently shown that the M. tuberculosis genome encodes four of a widespread, MenAT family of nucleotidyltransferase toxin-antitoxin systems. In this study we characterize MenAT1, using tRNA sequencing to demonstrate MenT1 tRNA modification activity. MenT1 activity is blocked by MenA1, a short protein antitoxin unrelated to the MenA3 kinase. X-ray crystallographic analysis shows blockage of the conserved MenT fold by asymmetric binding of MenA1 across two MenT1 protomers, forming a heterotrimeric toxin-antitoxin complex. Finally, we also demonstrate tRNA modification by toxin MenT4, indicating conserved activity across the MenT family. Our study highlights variation in tRNA target preferences by MenT toxins, selective use of nucleotide substrates, and diverse modes of MenA antitoxin activity

Changing sources and burial of organic carbon in the Chukchi Sea sediments with retreating sea ice over recent centuries

Decreasing sea ice extent in summer caused by climate change is affecting the carbon cycle of the Arctic Ocean. In this study, surface sediments across the western Arctic Ocean are investigated to characterize sources of sedimentary organic carbon (OC). Bulk organic parameters (total organic carbon, total nitrogen, &delta;13Corg and &delta;15N) combined with molecular organic biomarkers (e.g., sterols and highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs)) are applied to distinguish between sympagic, pelagic, and terrestrial OC. Furthermore, downcore profiles of these parameters were also generated from the Chukchi Sea R1 core (74&deg; N) to evaluate changes in the relative contribution of these three components of sedimentary OC over the last 200 years with decreasing sea ice. Our data evidence that from 1820s to 1930s, prevailing high and variable sea ice cover inhibited in situ primary production resulting in prominent land-derived material stored in sediments. From 1930s to 1980s, with the gradual decline of sea ice, primary production increased progressively. The ratio of sympagic and pelagic OC began to rise to account for a larger portion of sedimentary OC. Since 1980s, accelerated sea ice loss led to enhanced primary production, stabilizing over the last decades due to freshwater induced surface ocean stratification in summer.</p

Complete genome sequence of biocontrol strain Bacillus velezensis YC89 and its biocontrol potential against sugarcane red rot

IntroductionSugarcane is one of the most important sugar crops worldwide, however, sugarcane production is seriously limited by sugarcane red rot, a soil-borne disease caused by Colletotrichum falcatum. Bacillus velezensis YC89 was isolated from sugarcane leaves and can significantly inhibited red rot disease caused by C. falcatum.MethodsIn this study, the genome of YC89 strain was sequenced, its genome structure and function were analyzed using various bioinformatics software, and its genome was compared with those of other homologous strains. In addition, the effectiveness of YC89 against sugarcane red rot and the evaluation of sugarcane plant growth promotion were also investigated by pot experiments.ResultsHere, we present the complete genome sequence of YC89, which consists of a 3.95 Mb circular chromosome with an average GC content of 46.62%. The phylogenetic tree indicated that YC89 is closely related to B. velezensis GS-1. Comparative genome analysis of YC89 with other published strains (B. velezensis FZB42, B. velezensis CC09, B. velezensis SQR9, B. velezensis GS-1, and B. amyloliquefaciens DSM7) revealed that the strains had a part common coding sequences (CDS) in whereas 42 coding were unique of strain YC89. Whole-genome sequencing revealed 547 carbohydrate-active enzymes and identified 12 gene clusters encoding secondary metabolites. Additionally, functional analysis of the genome revealed numerous gene/gene clusters involved in plant growth promotion, antibiotic resistance, and resistance inducer synthesis. In vitro pot tests indicated that YC89 strain controlled sugarcane red rot and promoted the growth of sugarcane plants. Additionally, it increased the activity of enzymes involved in plant defense, such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, chitinase, and β-1,3-glucanase.DiscussionThese findings will be helpful for further studies on the mechanisms of plant growth promotion and biocontrol by B. velezensis and provide an effective strategy for controlling red rot in sugarcane plants

Influencing Factors and Group Differences of Urban Consumers&rsquo; Willingness to Pay for Low-Carbon Agricultural Products in China

Developing low-carbon agriculture has become a development goal for low-carbon economies in various countries, and consumers&rsquo; awareness and willingness to pay (WTP) for low-carbon agricultural products is an important link in achieving the sustainable development of low-carbon agriculture. The theory of planned behavior is a widely used framework to explain consumers&rsquo; food choices. Considering the intrinsic norms of consumers, their perceptions of low-carbon agricultural products, and shifts in consumer behavior, our study adds the influence of environmental awareness and consumer preferences to the theoretical framework of analysis. We choose the contingent valuing method (CVM) and use 532 consumer questionnaires in Shanghai to validate Chinese urban consumers&rsquo; WTP for low-carbon products and its influencing factors. The findings show that Chinese urban consumers have a high overall awareness of low-carbon agricultural products and, after strengthening the conceptual information of consumers, most consumers agree that low-carbon vegetables are more conducive to ecological environment protection, quality, and safety guarantees than conventional vegetables. The existing analysis showed that some variables such as bid price, behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, and consumption preferences significantly influenced consumers&rsquo; willingness to pay for low-carbon leafy greens, while the effect of the environmental awareness variable was not significant. Further research found that consumers&rsquo; WTP for low-carbon leafy greens showed significant group differences across income, gender, age, and education. Therefore, to promote the consumption of low-carbon agricultural products in China, we should attach importance to the publicity and guidance of low-carbon vegetables and strengthen the certification of low-carbon vegetable products. This study can provide policy reference for reasonably regulating and subdividing China&rsquo;s low-carbon agricultural products market

The Influence of the Social Support on Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression among Patients with Silicosis

The improvement of social support promotes the mental health and improves the health status. The study aimed to examine the influence of the social support on symptoms of anxiety and depression among patients with silicosis and provide the scientific basis to further alleviate anxiety and depression and to monitor their whole quality of life. We investigated 324 inpatients with silicosis between April 2011 and September 2011. The HADS (the Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale) was the major methodology used to evaluate anxiety and depression, and the MSPSS (the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) to evaluate the social support level. Among patients with silicosis, 99.1% had anxiety symptoms, and 86.1% had depression symptoms. Meanwhile, the social support significantly influenced symptoms of anxiety and depression. The study suggested that patients with silicosis presented more anxiety and depression symptoms, while the social support levels of the patients were relatively low. The influence of social support on symptoms of anxiety and depression among patients with silicosis implied that improving the level of social support and the effective symptomatic treatment might alleviate anxiety and depression symptoms and improve physical and mental status

Additional file 1 of Enolase of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 promotes biomolecular condensation of ribosomal protein SA for HBMECs apoptosis

Additional file 1: Fig. S1. RPSA forms spherical condensations. (A) By use of appropriate antibodies in an immunofluorescence experiment, RPSA condensates are shown to localize in HCMEC/D3 cells. A representative image is displayed (scale bar = 40 μm) and magnified. (B) Representative confocal images of RPSA condensates formed by in vitro reconstitution using purified EGFP-RPSAWT. EGFP-ENO was used as a control. A representative image is displayed (scale bar = 10 μm) and magnified (scale bar = 5 μm). Fig. S2. RPSA is associated with intermediate filament-related proteins. (A) After SS2 infection for 1 h, cell lysates were used for pull-down analysis by using antibody against RPSA, followed by SDS-PAGE and silver staining analysis. (B) The strips obtained from result (A) were sent for mass spectrometry sequencing and quantification (QL Bio, Beijing). Data visualization of protein abundance was performed by a heat map (http://mev.tm4.org/). (C) Proteins from result (B) were subjected to a Gene Ontology (GO) biological pathway (BP) analysis using the online Metascape software (http://metascape.org/). Fig. S3. Multiple fluorescence immunohistochemistry analyses of RPSA and VIM proteins from brain tissue of piglets. Changes in RPSA and VIM expression levels in piglet brain tissues before and after SS2 infection. The brain tissue is labeled with the indicated antibodies (scale bar = 3 mm). Quantitative analysis of images by using HALO software. Fig. S4. SS2 infection or ENO stimulation can damage host cell mitochondria. (A) After SS2 infection of HCMCE/D3 cells for the indicated times, VIM and mitochondria were observed by immunofluorescence using the antibodies against VIM and UQCRC1. (B) Representative confocal images are shown (scale bar = 40 μm) and magnified (scale bar = 20 μm). HCMEC/D3 cells were stimulated for the indicated times using the indicated final concentration of ENO protein. Mitochondrial activity was detected and analyzed by immunofluorescence. Representative images are shown (scale bar = 50 μm). (C and D) The indicated serum and SS2 were mixed and added together to the HCMEC/D3 cells. After 2 h, mitochondria potential (C) or reactive oxygen species level (D) was then detected. Data represent the mean ± SD (n = 4 biologically independent samples). NS for not significant, * for P < 0.05, *** for P < 0.001; one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s test. Fig. S5. Ca2+ promotes ENO to induce apoptosis. (A) Cells were stimulated for the indicated time using a final concentration of 30 μg/mL of ENO protein. Flow cytometry analysis of the apoptosis level of cells. In the specified circumstances, the ratio of dead cells to total cells was examined by FlowJo. (B) The HCMEC/D3 cells were given a final concentration of 200 μM Ca2+, 30 μg/mL ENO, or a combination of the two. After 12 h, flow cytometry was used to analyze the death level of cells. The ratio of dead to total cells in the indicated conditions was quantitatively analyzed by FlowJo as mean ± SD (n ≥ 2 biologically independent samples). NS for not significant, ** for P < 0.01; one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s tes