Health risk ranking of antibiotic resistance genes in the Yangtze River

Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global health concern, exacerbated by the pervasive presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in natural environments. The Yangtze River, the world's third-longest river, traversing areas with intense human activities, presents a unique ecosystem for studying the impact of these genes on human health. Here, we explored ARGs in the Yangtze River, examining 204 samples from six distinct habitats of approximately 6000 km of the river, including free-living and particle-associated settings, surface and bottom sediments, and surface and bottom bank soils. Employing shotgun sequencing, we generated an average of 13.69 Gb reads per sample. Our findings revealed a significantly higher abundance and diversity of ARGs in water-borne bacteria compared to other habitats. A notable pattern of resistome coalescence was observed within similar habitat types. In addition, we developed a framework for ranking the risk of ARG and a corresponding method for calculating the risk index. Applying them, we identified water-borne bacteria as the highest contributors to health risks, and noted an increase in ARG risks in particle-associated bacteria correlating with heightened anthropogenic activities. Further analysis using a weighted ARG risk index pinpointed the Chengdu–Chongqing and Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations as regions of elevated health risk. These insights provide a critical new perspective on ARG health risk assessment, highlighting the urgent need for strategies to mitigate the impact of ARGs on human health and to preserve the ecological and economic sustainability of the Yangtze River for future human use.</p

Health risk ranking of antibiotic resistance genes in the Yangtze River

Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global health concern, exacerbated by the pervasive presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in natural environments. The Yangtze River, the world's third-longest river, traversing areas with intense human activities, presents a unique ecosystem for studying the impact of these genes on human health. Here, we explored ARGs in the Yangtze River, examining 204 samples from six distinct habitats of approximately 6000 km of the river, including free-living and particle-associated settings, surface and bottom sediments, and surface and bottom bank soils. Employing shotgun sequencing, we generated an average of 13.69 Gb reads per sample. Our findings revealed a significantly higher abundance and diversity of ARGs in water-borne bacteria compared to other habitats. A notable pattern of resistome coalescence was observed within similar habitat types. In addition, we developed a framework for ranking the risk of ARG and a corresponding method for calculating the risk index. Applying them, we identified water-borne bacteria as the highest contributors to health risks, and noted an increase in ARG risks in particle-associated bacteria correlating with heightened anthropogenic activities. Further analysis using a weighted ARG risk index pinpointed the Chengdu–Chongqing and Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations as regions of elevated health risk. These insights provide a critical new perspective on ARG health risk assessment, highlighting the urgent need for strategies to mitigate the impact of ARGs on human health and to preserve the ecological and economic sustainability of the Yangtze River for future human use.</p

Urban Feature Extraction within a Complex Urban Area with an Improved 3D-CNN Using Airborne Hyperspectral Data

Article describes how airborne hyperspectral data has high spectral-spatial information, but mining and using this information effectively is still a great challenge. Therefore, a 3D-1D-CNN model was proposed for feature extraction in complex urban with hyperspectral images affected by cloud shadows

Studying the distribution patterns, dynamics and influencing factors of city functional components by gradient analysis

Understanding the spatial distribution characteristics and formation mechanism of urban facilities (city functional components) constitutes the basis of urban layout optimization. Currently, research on the overall distribution of the various types of city functional components is lacking. In this study, by applying the gradient analysis method common in ecology, we considered 13 types of city functional components (80,214 individuals in total) in large, medium and small Chinese cities (9 cities in total) to carry out quantitative analysis of the distribution of components along urban–rural gradients through density distribution curves. The results indicated that: (1) a higher density of city functional components near the city centre revealed an obvious aggregated distribution; (2) the spatial distribution dynamics of city functional components were related to the city size, providing a reference for the rational distribution of components in cities of different sizes; (3) the distribution of city functional components was affected by their ecosystem services. This study offers a new perspective for the application of ecological methods in the examination of the distribution of city functional components

Enhanced daytime secondary aerosol formation driven by gas-particle partitioning in downwind urban plumes

Anthropogenic emissions from city clusters can significantly enhance secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in the downwind regions, while the mechanism is poorly understood. To investigate the effect of pollutants within urban plumes on organic aerosol (OA) evolution, a field campaign was conducted at a downwind site of the Pearl River Delta region of China in the fall of 2019. A time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer coupled with a Filter Inlet for Gases and Aerosol (FIGAERO-CIMS) was used to probe the gas- and particle-phase molecular composition and thermograms of organic compounds. For air masses influenced by urban pollution, strong daytime SOA formation through gas-particle partitioning was observed, resulting in higher OA volatility. The obvious SOA enhancement was mainly attributed to the equilibrium partitioning of non-condensable (C * &ge; 100.5 &mu;g m-3) organic vapors. We speculated that the elevated NOx concentration could suppress the formation of highly oxidized products, resulting in a smooth increase of condensable (C * &lt; 100.5 &mu;g m-3) organic vapors. Evidence showed that urban pollutants (NOx and VOCs) could enhance the oxidizing capacity, while the elevated VOCs was mainly responsible for promoting daytime SOA formation by increasing the RO2 production rate. Our results highlight the important role of urban anthropogenic pollutants in SOA control in the suburban region

Genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening for drug resistance in tumors

Genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated nuclease 9 (Cas9) screening is a simple screening method for locating loci under specific conditions, and it has been utilized in tumor drug resistance research for finding potential drug resistance-associated genes. This screening strategy has significant implications for further treatment of malignancies with acquired drug resistance. In recent years, studies involving genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening have gradually increased. Here we review the recent application of genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening for drug resistance, involving mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibitors, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), alkylating agents, mitotic inhibitors, antimetabolites, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKI). We summarize drug resistance pathways such as the KEAP1/Nrf2 pathway MAPK pathway, and NF-κB pathway. Also, we analyze the limitations and conditions for the application of genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening techniques

A Novel Postbiotic From Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG With a Beneficial Effect on Intestinal Barrier Function

It has long been known that probiotics can be used to maintain intestinal homeostasis and treat a number of gastrointestinal disorders, but the underlying mechanism has remained obscure. Recently, increasing evidence supports the notion that certain probiotic-derived components, such as bacteriocins, lipoteichoic acids, surface layer protein and secreted protein, have a similar protective role on intestinal barrier function as that of live probiotics. These bioactive components have been named ‘postbiotics’ in the most recent publications. We previously found that the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) culture supernatant is able to accelerate the maturation of neonatal intestinal defense and prevent neonatal rats from oral Escherichia coli K1 infection. However, the identity of the bioactive constituents has not yet been determined. In this study, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, we identified a novel secreted protein (named HM0539 here) involved in the beneficial effect of LGG culture supernatant. HM0539 was recombinated, purified, and applied for exploring its potential bioactivity in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that HM0539 exhibits a potent protective effect on the intestinal barrier, as reflected by enhancing intestinal mucin expression and preventing against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-induced intestinal barrier injury, including downregulation of intestinal mucin (MUC2), zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and disruption of the intestinal integrity. Using a neonatal rat model of E. coli K1 infection via the oral route, we verified that HM0539 is sufficient to promote development of neonatal intestinal defense and prevent against E. coli K1 pathogenesis. Moreover, we further extended the role of HM0539 and found it has potential to prevent dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis as well as LPS/D-galactosamine-induced bacterial translocation and liver injury. In conclusion, we identified a novel LGG postbiotic HM0539 which exerts a protective effect on intestinal barrier function. Our findings indicated that HM0539 has potential to become a useful agent for prevention and treatment of intestinal barrier dysfunction- related diseases