Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative brain disease and is the most common form of dementia. In recent years, many studies indicated the association of gut microbiota changes with metabolic ...diseases. However, the gut microbiota of AD has not been investigated. The present study aims to compare the gut microbiota in APP/PS1 transgenic mice of AD and C57/Bl6 wild-type (WT) mice by pyrosequencing the V3 and V4 regions of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes. The 3-, 6-, and 8-month-old APP/PS1 and WT mice were used to explore the effects of age on the gut microbiota. First, the results indicated that impaired spatial learning and memory appeared in 6-month-old APP/PS1 mice and was further aggravated in the 8-month-old group, which was consistent with immunohistochemical studies of amyloid plaque. Second, AD histological and behavioral manifestations in the APP/PS1 mice were found to be correlated with a specific gut microbiome state. Third, the microbiota diversity of APP/PS1 mice decreased with increased age. Fourth, further inspection showed that the abundance of Helicobacteraceae and Desulfovibrionaceae at the family level and Odoribacter and Helicobacter at the genus level increased significantly in APP/PS1 mice than in WT mice, while Prevotella abundance in WT mice was significantly higher than in APP/PS1 mice. More human studies are warranted to explore the potential of gut microbiota as diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic target for AD.
The molecular mechanism of ABA‐promoted anthocyanin accumulation and fruit coloration is less known. Here, an apple bZIP transcription factor MdbZIP44 was identified to be a positive regulator in ...ABA‐promoted anthocyanin accumulation by interacting with MdMYB1 and enhancing its binding capacity to the promoters of downstream target genes. MdBT2 decreased ABA‐promoted anthocyanin accumulation by degrading MdbZIP44 protein.
Phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) induces anthocyanin biosynthesis; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is less known. In this study, we found that the apple MYB transcription factor MdMYB1 activated anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to ABA. Using a yeast screening technique, we isolated MdbZIP44, an ABA‐induced bZIP transcription factor in apple, as a co‐partner with MdMYB1. MdbZIP44 promoted anthocyanin accumulation in response to ABA by enhancing the binding of MdMYB1 to the promoters of downstream target genes. Furthermore, we identified MdBT2, a BTB protein, as an MdbZIP44‐interacting protein. A series of molecular, biochemical, and genetic analysis suggested that MdBT2 degraded MdbZIP44 protein through the Ubiquitin‐26S proteasome system, thus inhibiting MdbZIP44‐modulated anthocyanin biosynthesis. Taken together, we reveal a novel working mechanism of MdbZIP44‐mediated anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to ABA.
AbstractObjectiveTo study the clinical characteristics of patients in Zhejiang province, China, infected with the 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) responsible for ...coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-2019).DesignRetrospective case series.SettingSeven hospitals in Zhejiang province, China.Participants62 patients admitted to hospital with laboratory confirmed SARS-Cov-2 infection. Data were collected from 10 January 2020 to 26 January 2020.Main outcome measuresClinical data, collected using a standardised case report form, such as temperature, history of exposure, incubation period. If information was not clear, the working group in Hangzhou contacted the doctor responsible for treating the patient for clarification.ResultsOf the 62 patients studied (median age 41 years), only one was admitted to an intensive care unit, and no patients died during the study. According to research, none of the infected patients in Zhejiang province were ever exposed to the Huanan seafood market, the original source of the virus; all studied cases were infected by human to human transmission. The most common symptoms at onset of illness were fever in 48 (77%) patients, cough in 50 (81%), expectoration in 35 (56%), headache in 21 (34%), myalgia or fatigue in 32 (52%), diarrhoea in 3 (8%), and haemoptysis in 2 (3%). Only two patients (3%) developed shortness of breath on admission. The median time from exposure to onset of illness was 4 days (interquartile range 3-5 days), and from onset of symptoms to first hospital admission was 2 (1-4) days.ConclusionAs of early February 2020, compared with patients initially infected with SARS-Cov-2 in Wuhan, the symptoms of patients in Zhejiang province are relatively mild.
During the spring of 2013, a novel avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus emerged and spread among humans in China. Data were lacking on the clinical characteristics of the infections caused by this ...virus.
Using medical charts, we collected data on 111 patients with laboratory-confirmed avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) infection through May 10, 2013.
Of the 111 patients we studied, 76.6% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), and 27.0% died. The median age was 61 years, and 42.3% were 65 years of age or older; 31.5% were female. A total of 61.3% of the patients had at least one underlying medical condition. Fever and cough were the most common presenting symptoms. On admission, 108 patients (97.3%) had findings consistent with pneumonia. Bilateral ground-glass opacities and consolidation were the typical radiologic findings. Lymphocytopenia was observed in 88.3% of patients, and thrombocytopenia in 73.0%. Treatment with antiviral drugs was initiated in 108 patients (97.3%) at a median of 7 days after the onset of illness. The median times from the onset of illness and from the initiation of antiviral therapy to a negative viral test result on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction assay were 11 days (interquartile range, 9 to 16) and 6 days (interquartile range, 4 to 7), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of a coexisting medical condition was the only independent risk factor for the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (odds ratio, 3.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.21 to 9.70; P=0.02).
During the evaluation period, the novel H7N9 virus caused severe illness, including pneumonia and ARDS, with high rates of ICU admission and death. (Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and others.).
It is imperative to derive an appropriate cadmium （Cd） health risk toxicity threshold for paddy soils to ensure the Cd con- centration of rice grains meet the food safety standard. In this study, 20 ...rice cultivars from the main rice producing areas in China were selected, and a pot-experiment was conducted to investigate transformation of Cd in paddy soil-rice system with 0 （CK）, 0.3 mg kg-1 （T1） and 0.6 mg kg-1（T2） Cd treatments in greenhouse. The results showed that Cd concentrations of rice grains existed significant difference （P〈0.05） in 20 rice cultivars under the same Cd level in soil. The Cd concentrations of rice grains of the CK, T1 and T2 treatments were in the range of 0.143-0.202, 0.128-0.458 and 0.332-0.806 mg kg-1, respectively. Marked differences of the ratios of Cd concentration for soil to rice grain （BCFs） and transfer factors （TFs, root to grain and straw to grain） among the tested cultivars were observed in this study. The bioconcentration factors （BCFgrain） and TFs of the 20 rice cultivars were 0.300-1.112 and 0.342-0.817, respectively. The TFs of Cd from straw to grain ranged from 0.366 to 1.71, with significant differences among these 20 rice cultivars. The bioconcentration factors （BCFgrain） and TFs among the 20 rice cultivars ranged from 0.300-1.112 and 0.342-0.817, respectively. The species-sensitivity distribu- tion （SSD） of Cd sensitivity of the rice species could be fitted well with Burr-Ill （R2=0.987） based on the data of BCFs. The toxicity threshold of Cd derived from SSD for the paddy soil was 0.507 mg kg-1 in the present study.
Curcumin, the major active component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), is widely used as a spice and food-coloring agent, and also exhibits multiple biological activities. However, as curcumin has poor ...systemic bioavailability its pharmacology remains to be elucidated. Owing to the high concentration of curcumin in the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration, we hypothesize that it may exert regulative effects on the gut microbiota. We investigated the regulative effects of oral curcumin administration on the gut microbiota of C57BL/6 mice and found that curcumin significantly affected the abundance of several representative families in gut microbial communities, including Prevotellaceae, Bacteroidaceae, and Rikenellaceae. Considering the pathogenic associations between gut microbiota and many diseases, the present findings may help us to interpret the therapeutic benefits of curcumin.
Acute change in water temperature causes heavy economic losses in the aquaculture industry. The present study investigated the metabolic and molecular effects of acute thermal stress on black ...rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii). Gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS)-based metabolomics was used to investigate the global metabolic response of black rockfish at a high water temperature (27°C), low water temperature (5°C) and normal water temperature (16°C). Metabolites involved in energy metabolism and basic amino acids were significantly increased upon acute exposure to 27°C (P < 0.05), and no change in metabolite levels occurred in the low water temperature group. However, certain fatty acid levels were elevated after cold stress (P < 0.05), and this effect was not observed in the 27°C group, suggesting that acute high and low temperature exposures caused different physiological responses. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we analyzed the expression of ubiquitin (ub), hypoxia-inducible factor (hif), lactate dehydrogenase (ldh), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (acac). Higher expression levels of ub, hif, and ldh (P < 0.05) were observed in the high water temperature group, but no changes in these expression levels occurred in the low water temperature group. Our findings provide a potential metabolic profile for black rockfish when exposed to acute temperature stress and provide some insights into host metabolic and molecular responses to thermal stress.
Layered oxide cathodes usually exhibit high compositional diversity, thus providing controllable electrochemical performance for Na‐ion batteries. These abundant components lead to complicated ...structural chemistry, closely affecting the stacking preference, phase transition and Na+ kinetics. With this perspective, we explore the thermodynamically stable phase diagram of various P2/O3 composites based on a rational biphasic tailoring strategy. Then a specific P2/O3 composite is investigated and compared with its monophasic counterparts. A highly reversible structural evolution of P2/O3–P2/O3/P3–P2/P3–P2/Z/O3′–Z/O3′ based on the Ni2+/Ni3.5+, Fe3+/Fe4+ and Mn3.8+/Mn4+ redox couples upon sequential Na extraction/insertion is revealed. The reduced structural strain at the phase boundary alleviates the phase transition and decreases the lattice mismatch during cycling, endowing the biphasic electrode a large reversible capacity of 144 mAh g−1 with the energy density approaching 514 Wh kg−1.
A rational biphasic tailoring strategy to prepare layered composite cathodes with the desired phase ratio is proposed. Benefiting from the reversible phase transition within transition metal slabs and the decreased structure strain at the phase boundary of the intergrowth structure during Na extraction and insertion, the Com‐NaNMFT composite material demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance.
It is known that ethylene signaling is involved in the regulation of the salt stress response. However, the molecular mechanism of ethylene‐regulated salt stress tolerance remains largely unclear. In ...this study, an apple NAM ATAF CUC transcription factor, MdNAC047, was isolated and functionally characterized to be involved in ethylene‐modulated salt tolerance. MdNAC047 gene was significantly induced by salt treatment and its overexpression conferred increased tolerance to salt stress and facilitated the release of ethylene. Quantitative real‐time‐PCR analysis demonstrated that overexpression of MdNAC047 increased the expression of ethylene‐responsive genes. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay, yeast one‐hybrid and dual‐luciferase assays suggested that MdNAC047 directly binds to the MdERF3 (ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR) promoter and activates its transcription. In addition, genetic analysis assays indicated that MdNAC047 regulates ethylene production at least partially in an MdERF3‐dependent pathway. Overall, we found a novel ‘MdNAC047‐MdERF3‐ethylene‐salt tolerance’ regulatory pathway, which provide new insight into the link between ethylene and salt stress.
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