The serum soluble scavenger with 5 domains levels: A novel biomarker for individuals with heart failure

Background: We aimed to explore the relationship between the serum Soluble Scavenger with 5 Domains (SSC5D) levels and heart failure (HF).Methods and Results: We retrospectively enrolled 276 patients diagnosed with HF or normal during hospitalization in Shanghai General Hospital between September 2020 and December 2021. Previously published RNA sequencing data were re-analyzed to confirm the expression profile of SSC5D in failing and non-failing human and mouse heart tissues. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was used to quantify Ssc5d mRNA levels in murine heart tissue after myocardial infarction and transverse aortic constriction surgery. To understand the HF-induced secreted proteins profile, 1,755 secreted proteins were investigated using human dilated cardiomyopathy RNA-seq data, and the results indicated that SSC5D levels were significantly elevated in failing hearts compared to the non-failing. Using single-cell RNA sequencing data, we demonstrated that Ssc5d is predominantly expressed in cardiac fibroblasts. In a murine model of myocardial infarction or transverse aortic constriction, Ssc5d mRNA levels were markedly increased compared with those in the sham group. Similarly, serum SSC5D levels were considerably elevated in the HF group compared with the control group [15,789.35 (10,745.32–23,110.65) pg/mL, 95% CI (16,263.01–19,655.43) vs. 8,938.72 (6,154.97–12,778.81) pg/mL, 95% CI (9,337.50–11,142.93); p < 0.0001]. Moreover, serum SSC5D levels were positively correlated with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (R = 0.4, p = 7.9e-12) and inversely correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (R = −0.46, p = 9.8e-16).Conclusion: We concluded that SSC5D was a specific response to HF. Serum SSC5D may function as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for patients with HF

Analysis of Aroma Components of Red Jujube from Different Origins Based on HS-SPME-GC-MS and Chemometrics

To compare the volatile flavor characteristics of red jujube from different origins, volatile aroma components of jujube fruit from five origins (Xinzheng, Lingbao, Yulin, Hotan and Dezhou) were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The results showed that a total of 51 compounds were identified, among which the most volatile compounds were contained in Xinjiang Hotan jujube. Combined with multivariate statistical analysis, the differences in the overall volatile flavor substances of red jujube from different origins could be well distinguished. Under the conditions of satisfying the variable importance in projection>1 and P<0.05, 13 differential characteristic aroma substances, including methyl caproate, methyl decanoate, hexanal, and benzaldehyde, were screened out from red jujube samples, which imparted unique almond, sweet, and fruity flavors to red jujube. The results of this study clarify the chemical substance basis of the aroma quality of red jujube from different origins, provide a new idea for the origin tracing study of red jujube, and further provide a scientific basis for the rational processing and utilization of jujube fruit resources

Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) to Improve Romantic Relationships Can Be a Promising Approach

The romantic relationship refers to the specific relationship in which partners are dependent upon each other to obtain satisfactory outcomes and facilitate the pursuit of their most important needs and goals. Satisfying romantic relationships is a strong predictor of better psychological well-being, better physical health, and longer life expectancy. However, romantic relationships are not all smooth-sailing and lovers are often confronted with a variety of unavoidable issues that constantly challenge the stability of their romantic relationships. Dissatisfying romantic relationships are harmful and even destructive. Dyads of lovers engage in a variety of efforts to protect and maintain their romantic relationships based on qualitative research methods including theories- and psychological consultation-based approaches. Unfortunately, those existing approaches do not seem to effectively improve romantic relationships. Thus, it is necessary to seek an efficient approach regulating dyads of lovers in romantic relationships simultaneously. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) with advantages over existing approaches satisfies this purpose. We discuss the practicability of tACS in detail, as well as why and how tACS can be utilized to improve romantic relationships. In summary, this review firstly introduced the concept of romantic relationship and the necessity of enhancing it. Then, it discussed methods to improve romantic relationships including some existing approaches. This review next discussed the practicability of using tACS to improve romantic relationships. Finally, it shone a spotlight on potential future directions for researches aiming to improve romantic relationships

Systematic Investigation on Supported Gold Catalysts Prepared by Fluorine-Free Basic Etching Ti₃AlC₂ in Selective Oxidation of Aromatic Alcohols to Aldehydes

Conventional methods to prepare supported metal catalysts are chemical reduction and wet impregnation. This study developed and systematically investigated a novel reduction method based on simultaneous Ti3AlC2 fluorine-free etching and metal deposition to prepare gold catalysts. The new series of Aupre/Ti3AlxC2Ty catalysts were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM, and SEM and were tested in the selective oxidation of representative aromatic alcohols to aldehydes. The catalytic results demonstrate the effectiveness of the preparation method and better catalytic performances of Aupre/Ti3AlxC2Ty, compared with those of catalysts prepared by traditional methods. Moreover, this work presents a comprehensive study on the influence of calcination in air, H2, and Ar, and we found that the catalyst of Aupre/Ti3AlxC2Ty-Air600 obtained by calcination in air at 600 °C performed the best, owing to the synergistic effect between tiny surface TiO2 species and Au NPs. The tests of reusability and hot filtration confirmed the catalyst stability

Synthesis of Oxylipin Mimics and Their Antifungal Activity against the Citrus Postharvest Pathogens

Nine oxylipin mimics were designed and synthesized starting from d-mannose. Their antifungal activity against three citrus postharvest pathogens was evaluated by spore germination assay. The results indicated that all the compounds significantly inhibited the growth of Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum and Aspergillus niger. The compound (3Z,6Z,8S,9R,10R)-octadeca-3,6-diene-8,9,10-triol (3) exhibited excellent inhibitory effect on both Penicillium digitatum (IC50 = 34 ppm) and Penicillium italicum (IC50 = 94 ppm). Their in vivo antifungal activities against citrus postharvest blue mold were tested with fruit inoculated with the pathogen Penicillium italicum. The compound (3R,4S)-methyl 3,4-dihydroxy-5-octyltetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylate (9) demonstrated significant efficacy by reducing the disease severity to 60%. The antifungal mechanism of these oxylipin mimics was postulated in which both inhibition of pathogenic mycelium and stimuli of the host oxylipin-mediated defense response played important roles

Conversion of natural grassland to cropland alters microbial community assembly across northern China

To feed the growing human population, natural grasslands are being converted to agricultural use at a massive scale. This conversion may have negative consequences for soil biodiversity, but its impact on the community assembly of differentially microbial groups remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the diversity and community compositions of bacteria, archaea, fungi and protists, using a paired sampling of grassland and cropland soils across the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. Land-use conversion decreased α diversity of bacteria, fungi and protists, and altered the structures of the entire soil microbial community (archaea, bacteria, fungi and protists). The community assembly of archaea and bacteria was dominated by stochastic processes, and that of protists dominated by deterministic processes in both land-use types. By contrast, the fungal community was governed more strongly by stochastic processes in grassland soil, than by deterministic processes in cropland soil. Our findings support the ʻsize-plasticityʼ hypothesis that smaller body-sized microorganisms (archaea and bacteria) are more structured by stochastic processes, and larger one (protist) is more influenced by deterministic processes. Our study demonstrates that distinct ecological processes govern microbial community assembly, and land-use change regulates the balance between determinism and stochasticity

Manure application did not enrich antibiotic resistance genes in root endophytic bacterial microbiota of cherry radish plants

Growing evidence suggests that livestock manure used as organic fertilizer in agriculture may lead to the potential propagation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from “farm to fork.” However, little is known about the impacts of manure fertilization on the incidence of ARGs in the plant-associated microbiomes (including rhizosphere, endosphere, and phyllosphere), which hampers our ability to assess the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in the soil-plant system. Here, we constructed a pot experiment to explore the effects of poultry and cattle manure applications on the shifts in the resistome in the plant microbiome of harvested cherry radish. A total of 144 ARGs conferring resistance to eight major classes of antibiotics were detected among all the samples. Rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbiomes harbored significantly higher diversity and abundance of ARGs than did root endophytic microbiomes of cherry radish. Manure application significantly increased the abundance of ARGs in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere but not in the endophytes of the root, which is the edible part of cherry radish. Soil and plant microbiomes changed dramatically after manure applications and clustered separately according to different sample types and treatments. Structural equation modeling revealed that bacterial abundance was the most important factor modulating the distribution patterns of soil and plant resistomes after accounting for multiple drivers. Taken together, we provide evidence that enrichment of the resistome in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of cherry radish is more obvious than with the endosphere after manure application, suggesting that manure amendment might not enhance the dissemination of ARGs into the root of vegetables in the pot experiment. IMPORTANCE Our study provides important evidence that manure application increased the occurrence of ARGs in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of cherry radish, compared with that in the endophytic bacterial microbiota of root, which is the edible part of cherry radish. Our findings suggest that although manure amendment is a significant route of ARGs entering agricultural soils, these manure-derived ARGs may be at low risk of migrating into the endophytes of root vegetables

Transfer of antibiotic resistance from manure-amended soils to vegetable microbiomes

The increasing antimicrobial resistance in manure-amended soil can potentially enter food chain, representing an important vehicle for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) transmission into human microbiome. However, the pathways for transmission of ARGs from soil to plant remain unclear. Here, we explored the impacts of poultry and cattle manure application on the patterns of resistome in soil and lettuce microbiome including rhizosphere, root endosphere, leaf endosphere and phyllosphere, to identify the potential transmission routes of ARGs in the soil-plant system. After 90 days of cultivation, a total of 144 ARGs were detected in all samples using high-throughput quantitative PCR. Rhizosphere soil samples harbored the most diverse ARGs compared with other components of lettuce. Cattle manure application increased the abundance of ARGs in root endophyte, while poultry manure application increased ARGs in rhizosphere, root endophyte and phyllosphere, suggesting that poultry manure may have a stronger impact on lettuce resistomes. The ARG profiles were significantly correlated with the bacterial community, and the enrichment of soil and plant resistomes was strongly affected by the bacterial taxa including Solibacteres, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Gemm-1 and Gemmatimonadetes, as revealed by the network analyses. Moreover, the overlaps of ARGs between lettuce tissues and soil were identified, which indicated that plant and environmental resistomes are interconnected. Our findings provide insights into the transmission routes of ARGs from manured soil to vegetables, and highlight the potential risks of plant resistome migration to the human food chain

Urinary Excretion of Cyanuric Acid in Association with Urolithiasis: A Matched Case-Control Study in Shanghai Adults

Melamine (MEL) has raised human concern since the 2008 milk scandal. Co-exposure to MEL and one of its analogues, cyanuric acid (CYA), has been reported to have a synergistic effect on promoting urolithiasis. However, few epidemiological studies have reported urolithiasis in association with exposure to CYA based on our knowledge. We therefore conducted a case-control study to investigate whether cases of urolithiasis had higher excretion of urinary CYA than the controls. Spot urine samples from 70 adult cases and first-morning urine samples from 70 controls (matched by age and sex) were collected for the measurement of MEL, CYA, and other two analogues in urine. The case group also had 2.81-fold higher concentration of urinary CYA than the control group (34.87 versus 12.43 ng/mL, p-value &lt; 0.001). Multivariate conditional logistic regression models adjusting potential confounders of personal characteristics identified the risk factor of urinary CYA as a continuous variable with odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval, 95%CI) of 1.11 (1.02&ndash;1.21) (p-value = 0.021) and having meals at restaurants with OR of 5.71 (1.01&ndash;32.31) (p-value = 0.049). Compared to the participants having the lowest quartile of CYA concentration in urine, participants at the second, third, and fourth quartile groups had ORs of 13.94, 83.69, and 118.65 with p-values of 0.004, &lt;0.001, and &lt;0.001, respectively. The high excretion of urinary CYA in urolithiasis cases might be the sign of stones in patients consisting of CYA, then proving the attribution of CYA exposure in the etiology of urolithiasis. These findings are important since CYA is a degraded by-product of chlorinated isocyanuric acid disinfectants, which are widely used in daily life not only in swimming pool water but also in other scenarios, such as serving as anti-pandemic disinfectants. Risk assessment of CYA serving as a by-product of disinfectants needs to be conducted in future studies