Dietary compounds in modulation of gut microbiota-derived metabolites

Gut microbiota, a group of microorganisms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, plays important roles in health and disease. One mechanism that gut microbiota in modulation of the functions of hosts is achieved through synthesizing and releasing a series of metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids. In recent years, increasing evidence has indicated that dietary compounds can interact with gut microbiota. On one hand, dietary compounds can modulate the composition and function of gut microbiota; on the other hand, gut microbiota can metabolize the dietary compounds. Although there are several reviews on gut microbiota and diets, there is no focused review on the effects of dietary compounds on gut microbiota-derived metabolites. In this review, we first briefly discussed the types of gut microbiota metabolites, their origins, and the reasons that dietary compounds can interact with gut microbiota. Then, focusing on gut microbiota-derived compounds, we discussed the effects of dietary compounds on gut microbiota-derived compounds and the following effects on health. Furthermore, we give our perspectives on the research direction of the related research fields. Understanding the roles of dietary compounds on gut microbiota-derived metabolites will expand our knowledge of how diets affect the host health and disease, thus eventually enable the personalized diets and nutrients

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Preparation and Road Performance Study of Rubber–Diatomite Composite-Modified Asphalt Mixture

To examine the effect mechanism of rubber and diatomite on asphalt as well as the performance of asphalt mixtures for road applications, various composite-modified asphalts are prepared using rubber and diatomite. The performance of modified asphalts with various proportions is analyzed, and the optimal dosage ratio of modifiers is determined via the response surface approach. The microstructure of rubber–diatomite composite-modified asphalt is methodically examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The road performance, aging resistance, and long-term stability of asphalt mixtures are evaluated through Marshall tests, wheel tracking tests, aging wheel tracking tests, freeze–thaw splitting tests, and cyclic freeze–thaw drying aging splitting tests. The obtained results reveal that asphalt with 22% rubber and 4% diatomite exhibits the best overall performance. The composite-modified asphalt essentially demonstrates the physical blending between rubber powder, diatomite, and base asphalt. The asphalt built from them formed a uniform and stable overall structure. Compared with rubber asphalt and rubber–SBS composite-modified asphalt, rubber–diatomite composite-modified asphalt exhibits superior road performance, including better aging resistance and long-term water stability in asphalt mixtures. This study can promote the further extensive application of rubber–diatomite-modified asphalt in road engineering, while providing new ideas for cost-saving and environmentally friendly asphalt modification

Parallel Computation for Inversion Algorithm of 2D ZTEM

ZTEM refers to the Z-axis tipper electromagnetic method. The ZTEM method is an airborne magnetotelluric sounding method based on the difference in rocks’ resistivity using the native electromagnetic field. The method is effective in exploring large-scale structures when the ground is fluctuant. The paper introduces the inversion algorithm of 2D ZTEM named the conjugate gradient method. This method, which avoids solving the Jacobi matrix, is very effective but not effective enough when the model is divided into a big grid. This study can perform further computation using parallel computation and then receive the processed data. We compare the results of the serial algorithm with the result of the parallel algorithm, which proves that the parallel algorithm is correct. When the number of processes is between three and six, the speedup ratio is between 1.74 and 3.19. It improves the effectiveness of the parallel algorithm of 2D ZTEM

Night eating in timing, frequency, and food quality and risks of all-cause, cancer, and diabetes mortality: findings from national health and nutrition examination survey

Abstract Objective To investigate the association of timing, frequency, and food quality of night eating with all-cause, cancer, and diabetes mortality. Methods This study included 41,744 participants from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2002–2018). Night eating information was collected by 24-h dietary recall and the exposures were timing, frequency, and food quality of night eating. Food quality was assessed by latent class analysis. The outcomes were all-cause, cancer, and diabetes mortality, which were identified by the National Death Index and the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision. Adjusted hazard ratios [aHR] with 95% confidence intervals [CI] were computed by Cox regression. Results During a median follow-up of 8.7 years, 6066 deaths were documented, including 1381 from cancer and 206 from diabetes. Compared with no night eating (eating before 22:00), the later timing of night eating was associated with higher risk of all-cause and diabetes mortality (each P-trend <0.05) rather than cancer mortality, with the highest risk of eating being 00:00–1:00 (aHR 1.38, 95% CI 1.02–1.88) and being 23:00–00:00 (aHR 2.31, 95% CI 1.21–4.40), respectively. However, the increased risks were not observed for 22:00-23:00. Likewise, one time or over frequency of night eating was associated with higher all-cause and diabetes mortality (each P < 0.05). That risks were further observed in high-dietary-energy-density group of night eating (all-cause mortality: aHR 1.21 [95% CI 1.06–1.38]; diabetes mortality: aHR 1.97 [95% CI 1.13–3.45]), but not in low-dietary-energy-density group. Finally, correlation analysis found positive associations of night eating with glycohemoglobin, fasting glucose, and OGTT. Conclusions Night eating was associated with increased all-cause, cancer and diabetes mortality; however, reduction of excess mortality risk was observed when eating before 23:00 or low-dietary-energy-density foods

Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell lines NSHDMUi001-A from patients with type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is common in China, and its aetiology and pathogenesis are still unclear. We reprogrammed pEP4EO2SEN2K and pEP4EO2SET2K, pCEP4-M2L was electrotransfected in T2DM patients with pEP4EO2SEN2K, and pCEP4-M2L was electrotransfected in T2DM patients expressing the OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LIN28, c-MYC, KLF4, and SV40LT transcription factors to obtain induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The obtained iPSCs have been verified to have pluripotency, normal karyotype and differentiation potential; therefore, these cells can be used in the study of disease pathophysiology and drug development to create new therapeutic targets for T2DM and associated central nervous system damage

Ajuforrestin A, an Abietane Diterpenoid from <i>Ajuga ovalifolia</i> var. <i>calanthe</i>, Induces A549 Cell Apoptosis by Targeting SHP2

The Src-homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2), which is encoded by PTPN11, participates in many cellular signaling pathways and is closely related to various tumorigenesis. Inhibition of the abnormal activity of SHP2 by small molecules is an important part of cancer treatment. Here, three abietane diterpenoids, named compounds 1–3, were isolated from Ajuga ovalifolia var. calantha. Spectroscopic analysis was used to identify the exact structure of the compounds. The enzymatic kinetic experiment and the cellular thermal shift assay showed compound 2 selectively inhibited SHP2 activity in vitro. Molecular docking indicated compound 2 targeted the SHP2 catalytic domain. The predicted pharmacokinetic properties by SwissADME revealed that compound 2 passed the majority of the parameters of common drug discovery rules. Compound 2 restrained A549 proliferation (IC50 = 8.68 ± 0.96 μM), invasion and caused A549 cell apoptosis by inhibiting the SHP2–ERK/AKT signaling pathway. Finally, compound 2 (Ajuforrestin A) is a potent and efficacious SHP2 inhibitor and may be a promising compound for human lung epithelial cancer treatment

Biochar derived from traditional Chinese medicine residues: An efficient adsorbent for heavy metal Pb(II)

Biochar (BC) is widely used in the remediation of soil and wastewater polluted by heavy metals, but there are few reports on the characteristics of biochar derived via pyrolysis from different traditional Chinese medicine residues (TCMRs). In this study, biochars were prepared by slow pyrolysis of five common Chinese medicine residues, namely, Salvia miltiorrhiza (DNS), Ligusticum striatum (CX), Angelica sinensis (DG), Codonopsis pilosula (DGS), and Astragalus membranaceus (HQ). The biochars were systematically investigated by determining their physicochemical properties and using common characterization techniques. The Spearman correlation matrix between factors was used to examine relationships between properties of different biochars. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the adsorption characteristics of biochar on Pb(II) and the mechanisms involved. The results showed that the physicochemical properties and adsorption performance of biochar were related to the type of its pharmaceutical residue. Biochar produced from materials with higher lignin content showed a better adsorption of the heavy metal Pb(II). All biochars were alkaline, with yields ranging from 29.30 to 38.65 %, and the main structure comprised of mesopores and macropores. The FT-IR and Boehm experiments revealed that the various TCMR biochars contained comparable functional groups, but their content varied. XRD and TEM results show that all biochar is amorphous with a crystalline structure, with the surface dominated by cellulose crystals and graphitic carbon. The O/C ratio ( 0.99), and their isotherms were consistent with the Langmuir model (R2 > 0.99), indicating a monolayer chemisorption process. The biochar samples exhibited varying adsorption capacities for Pb(II), with the highest capacity observed for BDNS (36.42 mg/g). The adsorption mechanism mainly involved precipitation, complexation with oxygen-containing functional groups, and ion exchange. This study indicates that biochars from herbal residues exhibit promising potential for adsorbing heavy metal Pb(II), suggesting biochar production as a viable method for recycling herbal residues

Palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental implications of late-Pleistocene aeolian sand in the Jin-Shaan Gorges of the Yellow River valley revealed by luminescence chronology

River valleys are critical water-gas-rock interactions zone, where close interaction between fluvial and aeolian deposition are a pronounced feature in arid, semi-arid, and semi-humid environments. Pedo-sedimentological investigations were carried out in the Jin-Shaan Gorges of the Yellow River valley. Two late-Pleistocene and Holocene aeolian sand-loess profiles were identified within the cliff riverbank. The aim of this study is to reveal the palaeoclimatic conditions and driving factors for the formation of palaeo-aeolian sand in the Jin-Shaan Gorges of the Yellow River valley. Five samples were taken from the aeolian sand-loess profiles for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The OSL ages are in stratigraphic order and range from 12.8 +/- 0.7 ka to 11.8 +/- 1.0 ka. By combining OSL ages with additional stratigraphic correlations, the deposition period of the palaeo-aeolian sand is dated to 12.5-11.8 ka, which would place it at the Younger Dryas (YD) time interval that punctuated the last glacial-Holocene transition period. The formation of palaeo-aeolian sand in the region was due to sufficient sediment supply from the riverbed sand of the Yellow River, strong East Asian winter monsoon, and strong wind erosion. These results give insights into the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions for the formation of aeolian sand associated with the river valleys in semi-arid and sub-humid regions

Fire history and human activity revealed through poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) records at archaeological sites in the middle reaches of the Yellow River drainage basin, China

Disentangling the role of natural and anthropogenic factors is a major challenge in paleofire studies. Here, we introduce the molecular biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), combined with charcoal and black carbon in sediments of archaeological sites, to identify anthropogenic signals of environmental change during the middle Holocene. In the prehistoric period, an intensified-fire regime period, inferred on the basis of PAHs, char and macro-charcoal levels, has been attributed to intensified anthropogenic biomass burning from dry crop cultivation between 6500 and 5000 and 3900-3600 yr BP., corresponding to the earliest Chinese settlements during the Miaodigou & Banpo IV Culture and the development of the Erlitou Culture under drier climate conditions. Subsequently, the fire frequency decreased notably between 4500 and 4000 yr BP. as the climate became wetter and there were shifts in the frequency of high-magnitude floods, corresponding to the abandonment of late Neolithic settlements in the floodplain. Changes in the PAH fluxes in sediments are positively correlated with intensified-fire regime periods, consistent with the charcoal and black carbon fluxes during those periods. Principal component analysis of PAH fluxes suggests that these intensified-fire events have a pyrogenic signature, implying that the PAHs were derived from biomass burning of fuelwood and other woody plants. In this study, PAHs in loess sediments have been used as the indicators of anthropogenic biomass burning through time. Meanwhile, PAHs also record the shift of modes of production and the evolution of human settlements as well as the choices made in response to limited natural resources. To comprehensively analyze the paleofire records of PAHs, charcoal and black carbon combined with multiproxy evidence are needed to understand wildfire history as well as human land use and social and cultural development across the study regions in depth