Single cell atlas for 11 non-model mammals, reptiles and birds.

The availability of viral entry factors is a prerequisite for the cross-species transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Large-scale single-cell screening of animal cells could reveal the expression patterns of viral entry genes in different hosts. However, such exploration for SARS-CoV-2 remains limited. Here, we perform single-nucleus RNA sequencing for 11 non-model species, including pets (cat, dog, hamster, and lizard), livestock (goat and rabbit), poultry (duck and pigeon), and wildlife (pangolin, tiger, and deer), and investigated the co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Furthermore, cross-species analysis of the lung cell atlas of the studied mammals, reptiles, and birds reveals core developmental programs, critical connectomes, and conserved regulatory circuits among these evolutionarily distant species. Overall, our work provides a compendium of gene expression profiles for non-model animals, which could be employed to identify potential SARS-CoV-2 target cells and putative zoonotic reservoirs

Identification of a comprehensive alternative splicing function during epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Summary: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the underlying mechanism for tumor metastasis and shows the metastatic potential of tumor cells. Although the transcriptional regulation of EMT has been well studied, the role of alternative splicing (AS) regulation in EMT remains largely uncharacterized. The rapid accumulation of RNA-seq datasets has provided the opportunities for developing computational methods to associate mRNA isoform variations with EMT. In this study, we propose regularization models to identify significant AS events during EMT. Our experimental results confirm that the predicted AS events are closely related to apoptosis, focal adhesion-invadopodium shift and tight junction formation that are essential during EMT. Therefore, our study highlights the broad role of posttranscriptional regulation during EMT and identifies key subsets of AS events serving as distinct regulatory nodes

Short-Term Effects of Tourmaline on Nitrogen Removals and Microbial Communities in a Sequencing Batch Reactor at Low Temperatures

Tourmaline is a ring borosilicate with unique pyro-electricity and piezoelectricity values. Non-gem tourmaline is usually used as an environmental material. The short-term effects of ultrafine tourmaline particles on nitrogen removal performs microbial population dynamics. Key functional species in a sequencing batch reactor were investigated at 9 ± 1 °C. The investigation results showed that 1 g·L−1 ultrafine tourmaline particles could resist the effect of temperature shock on the metabolism of NH4+-N and were beneficial to the restoration of the metabolism capacity of NH4+-N. 1 g·L−1 ultrafine tourmaline particles, which increased the oxidation rate of NH4+-N in the aerobic phase, the formation rate of NO3−-N in the aerobic phase, and the denitrification rate in the hypoxia phase at low temperatures. However, the community richness or diversities were not changed after short-term exposure to 1 g·L−1 ultrafine tourmaline particles at low temperatures and 1 g·L−1 ultrafine tourmaline particles could not change the relative abundances of functional microbes except nitrite oxidizing bacteria

4-Hydroxyisoleucine inhibits tumor growth by triggering endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy

4-Hydroxyisoleucine（4-HIL）is a non-protein amino acid that is able to reduce obesity and improve insulin sensitivity in mice, and recently emerged as a drug candidate against hypoglycemia. For the first time, we found that 4-HIL exhibits a potent anti-tumor activity in various cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Most importantly, 4-HIL has no cytotoxic effect on normal or non-malignant cells. Proteomic data analysis revealed changes in endoplasmic reticulum stress（ERS）related protein and autophagy related protein. Western blot revealed that molecular components of the ERS pathway were activated, including phosphorylation of perk and EIF2a increased, while levels of GRP78 reduced, the cellular process of ERS potentially contributed to the activation of autophagy, Transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of autophagic vesicles under 4-HIL treatment, and LC3B was increased. Meanwhile, activation of ERS inhibits intracellular protein synthesis rate, our results suggest that 4-HIL exhibits anti-tumor activity in various cancer cell lines by increasing ERS and triggering autophagy responses without causing damage to normal cells

Hydrochemical Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Strontium-Rich Groundwater in Shijiazhuang, North China Plain

Strontium is a kind of trace element. Groundwater containing strontium is called mineral water when its content reaches a level that is beneficial for human physiology. Some groundwater resources in Shijiazhuang are rich in strontium. In this study, groundwater samples collected from 103 sites were studied for the hydrochemical characteristics of strontium and its formation mechanism in the groundwater system in Shijiazhuang City. The methods of source provenance analysis, factor correlation analysis, and runoff condition analysis were carried out in the study. The results showed that the content of strontium in eastern Shijiazhuang is higher than 0.229 mg/L, with a maximum content of 1.942 mg/L. The source of strontium is the dissolution of strontium-containing minerals in carbonate rock, sheet hemp rock, clastic rock, and granite in the Taihang Mountain area of the Hutuo River Basin. Strontium is positively correlated with total dissolved solids, bicarbonate, calcium magnesium, and free carbon dioxide. The erosion ability of groundwater strengthens the dissolution of strontium, and the geochemical action is mainly due to the dissolution. The enrichment and distribution of strontium are related to the conditions of groundwater runoff. Areas with good runoff conditions and strong mining are low in strontium, while areas with poor runoff conditions have high strontium content

Spatial-Temporal Changes and Driving Factors of Land-Use Eco-Efficiency Incorporating Ecosystem Services in China

With rapid urbanization in China, the dramatic land-use changes are one of the most prominent features that have substantially affected the land ecosystems, thus seriously threatening sustainable development. However, current studies have focused more on evaluating the economic efficiency of land-use, while the loss and degradation of ecosystem services are barely considered. To address these issues, this study first proposed a land use-based input–output index system, incorporating the impact on ecosystem services value (ESV), and then by taking 30 provinces in China as a case study. We further employed the super-efficiency slacks-based model (Super-SBM) and the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model to explore the spatial–temporal changes and driving factors of the evaluated land-use eco-efficiency. We found that the evaluated ESV was 28.09 trillion yuan (at the price of 2000) in 2015, and that the total ESV experienced an inverted U-shaped trend during 2000–2015.The average land-use eco-efficiency exhibited a downward trend from 0.87 in 2000 to 0.68 in 2015 with distinct regional differences by taking into account the ESV. Our results revealed that northeastern region had the highest efficiency, followed by the eastern, western, and central region of China. Finally, we identified a U-shaped relationship between the eco-efficiency and land urbanization, and found that technological innovation made great contributions to the improvement of the eco-efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of the ESV in the evaluation of land-use eco-efficiency. Future land development and management should pay additional attention to the land ecosystems, especially the continuous supply of human well-being related ecosystem services

Spatial-Temporal Changes and Driving Factors of Land-Use Eco-Efficiency Incorporating Ecosystem Services in China

With rapid urbanization in China, the dramatic land-use changes are one of the most prominent features that have substantially affected the land ecosystems, thus seriously threatening sustainable development. However, current studies have focused more on evaluating the economic efficiency of land-use, while the loss and degradation of ecosystem services are barely considered. To address these issues, this study first proposed a land use-based input–output index system, incorporating the impact on ecosystem services value (ESV), and then by taking 30 provinces in China as a case study. We further employed the super-efficiency slacks-based model (Super-SBM) and the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model to explore the spatial–temporal changes and driving factors of the evaluated land-use eco-efficiency. We found that the evaluated ESV was 28.09 trillion yuan (at the price of 2000) in 2015, and that the total ESV experienced an inverted U-shaped trend during 2000–2015.The average land-use eco-efficiency exhibited a downward trend from 0.87 in 2000 to 0.68 in 2015 with distinct regional differences by taking into account the ESV. Our results revealed that northeastern region had the highest efficiency, followed by the eastern, western, and central region of China. Finally, we identified a U-shaped relationship between the eco-efficiency and land urbanization, and found that technological innovation made great contributions to the improvement of the eco-efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of the ESV in the evaluation of land-use eco-efficiency. Future land development and management should pay additional attention to the land ecosystems, especially the continuous supply of human well-being related ecosystem services

Additional file 1 of Increased visceral fat area to skeletal muscle mass ratio is positively associated with the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in a Chinese population

Supplementary Material

Immune reconstitution efficacy after combination antiretroviral therapy in male HIV-1 infected patients with homosexual and heterosexual transmission

ABSTRACTWe aimed to explore the impact of sexual transmission modes on immune reconstitution after combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). We have retrospectively analyzed longitudinal samples from 1557 treated male patients with virological suppression (HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies/ml) for at least 2 years. Both heterosexuals (HET) and men who have sex with men (MSM) patients showed an increasing annual trend in CD4+ T cell counts after receiving cART (HET, β: 23.51 (cell/µl)/year, 95% CI: 16.70–30.31; MSM, β: 40.21 (cell/µl)/year, 95% CI: 35.82–44.61). However, the CD4+ T cell recovery rate was much lower in HET patients than MSM patients, determined by both the generalized additive mixed model (P < 0.001) and generalized estimating equations (P = 0.026). Besides HIV-1 subtypes, baseline CD4+ T cell counts and age at cART initiation, HET was an independent risk factor for immunological non-responders (adjusted OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.28–2.33). HET was also associated with lower probability of achieving conventional immune recovery (adjusted HR: 1.37; 95%CI: 1.22–1.67) and optimal immune recovery (adjusted HR: 1.48, 95%CI: 1.04-2.11). Male HET patients might have poorer immune reconstitution ability even after effective cART. Early initiation of cART after diagnosis and clinical monitoring for male HET patients should be highly emphasized