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Background: The contribution of interspecies interactions between coinfecting pathogens to chronic refractory infection by affecting pathogenicity is well established. However, little is known about the impact of intraspecific interactions on infection relapse, despite the cross-talk of different strains within one species is more common in clinical infection. We reported a case of chronic refractory pulmonary infection relapse, caused by two methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains (SA01 and SA02) and revealed a novel strategy for relapse via intraspecific cooperation. Methods: The hemolytic ability, growth curve, biofilm formation, virulence genes and response of G. mellonella larvae to S. aureus infection were analysed to confirm this hypothesis. Results: SA02 hemolytic activity was inhibited by SA01, along with the expression of hemolysin genes and the virulence factor Hla. Additionally, SA01 significantly enhanced the biofilm formation of SA02. AIP-RNAIII may be a possible pathway for this interaction. Compared with mono-infection, a worse outcome (decreased larval survival and increased microbial burden) of the two MSSA strains coinfected with G. mellonella confirmed that intraspecific interactions indeed enhanced bacterial survival in vivo. Conclusion: The intraspecific interaction of S. aureus could lead to chronic refractory infection via pathogenicity changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) are crucial for cancer cells to adapt to hypoxia; however, the functional significance of lysine crotonylation (Kcr) in hypoxia remains unclear. Herein we report a quantitative proteomics analysis of global crotonylome under normoxia and hypoxia, and demonstrate 128 Kcr site alterations across 101 proteins in MDA-MB231 cells. Specifically, we observe a significant decrease in K131cr, K156cr and K220cr of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) upon hypoxia. Enoyl-CoA hydratase 1 (ECHS1) is upregulated and interacts with PGK1, leading to the downregulation of PGK1 Kcr under hypoxia. Abolishment of PGK1 Kcr promotes glycolysis and suppresses mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism by activating pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDHK1). A low PGK1 K131cr level is correlated with malignancy and poor prognosis of breast cancer. Our findings show that PGK1 Kcr is a signal in coordinating glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and may serve as a diagnostic indicator for breast cancer. The functional relevance of lysine crotonylation in cancer remains to be further explored. Here, the authors show that hypoxia-induced downregulation of PGK1 lysine crotonylation promotes glycolysis and suppresses mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism, contributing to breast cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to address the issues of emergency decision-making and optimization (EDMO) of fire accidents in colleges, this paper proposes the EDMO way to take into account the synergies among divergent divisions replacements and the psychology of decision makers (DMs) on the basis of the best-worst method (BWM) and VIKOR within an interval 2-tuple linguistic (ITL) surroundings and cumulative prospect theory (CPT). First, DMs use the ITL to evaluate the degree of synergy among replacements from divergent divisions, the language information can be processed accurately and the information loss can be avoided. Then, the multi-alternative amalgamations consisted of divergent divisions replacements are built. On the grounds of the DMs' value assignment, the collaborative decision matrix of multi-alternative amalgamations can be gained. And the optimal weight of the evaluation standards can be computed based on the ITL-BWM method. The CPT is extended into VIKOR to think about the effect of the DMs' psychological behavior on the decision result. Furthermore, the positive and negative utility matrices can be computed through the value function of CPT. On the grounds of the positive and negative utility matrices, the distance from the utility value of multi-alternative amalgamations to the desired right solution of positive and negative utility can be obtained, and the cumulative foreground value function is used to replace the distance among each replacement to the positive and negative right desired solutions, it can avoid ignoring the effect of the correlations among different attributes on the outcome. Furthermore, the model is applied to the example and an analysis of the sensitivity of the factors of the decision-making mechanism coefficient and the weights of synergistic indicators is carried out to prove the validity and stability of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disinfectant resistance is evolving into a serious problem due to the long-term and extensive use of disinfectants, which brings great challenges to hospital infection control. As a notorious multidrug-resistant bacterium, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is one of the most common and difficult pathogens of nosocomial infection. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) tests of seven kinds of disinfectants (0.1% benzalkonium bromide, 4% aqueous chlorhexidine, 75% alcohol, entoiodine II, 2% glutaraldehyde, 2000 mg/L chlorine-containing disinfectants, and 3% hydrogen peroxide) were detected by the broth dilution method. Three efflux pump genes (oqxA, oqxB, and qacE∆1-sul1) were detected by PCR. The mean MIC value of aqueous chlorhexidine from the intensive care unit (ICU) (0.0034%) was significantly higher than that from non-ICUs (0.0019%) (p < 0.05). The positive rates of three efflux pump genes oqxA, oqxB and qacE∆1-sul1 were 60.9% (39/64), 17.2% (11/64) and 71.9% (46/64) in the detected CRKP isolates, respectively. This study discovered that CRKP strains demonstrated extensive resistance to clinical disinfectants and suggest that it is necessary to perform corresponding increases in the concentration of aqueous chlorhexidine and chlorine-containing disinfectants on the basis of current standards in the healthcare industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since conventional graphite-based anode possesses a low capacity, seeking for high-capacity anode candidates becomes significant for constructing emerging Li-ion batteries. Herein, we present a composite anode prepared using a hydrothermal method, which consists of dense NiO nanoflakes in situ growing on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets. The rGO sheets within the NiO/rGO composite provide a conductive frame that enables rapid charge transfer, while the in situ anchoring of NiO nanoflakes on rGO reduces the agglomeration. We found that the appropriate loading of NiO in the composite is also significant. The NiO/rGO composite anode exhibits a high capacity of 1068 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. In addition, the capacity remains 870 mAh g−1 when the current density is increased to a high rate of 2 A g−1, indicating a good rate performance for potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag/ZnO microrods were synthesized by a simple and convenient microwave route using zinc acetate, silver nitrate and methenamine as raw materials. Phase structure, morphology, elementary composition, optical property of the products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-3600 spectrophotometer, respectively. Photocatalytic performance of Ag/ZnO was evaluated by studying the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solution under UV-Visible light irradiation. The results show that well crystallized dumbbell shaped Ag/ZnO microrods were achieved under microwave radiation power of 240 W for 15 min. Ag/ZnO photocatalysts exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic performance as compared to monolithic ZnO. The Ag/ZnO photocatalyst with 3.0 mol% silver exhibited obviously the best photocatalytic activity among the Ag doped samples under degradation condition. 100.0% of MB was degraded after 60 min of UV-Visible light irradiation in presence of 30 mg 3.0 mol% Ag/ZnO. The apparent reaction rate constant (k, 0.0865 min−1) of 3.0 mol% Ag/ZnO is 4.1 times higher than that of monolithic ZnO (k, 0.02107 min−1). The formation mechanism of dumbbell shaped Ag/ZnO during the microwave reaction process was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to increase plant conversion efficiency and reduce waste of the abnormal somatic embryos; factors influencing both the embryo morphology in germination and the embryogenic callus reinduction rate in secondary embryogenesis were studied in Vitis vinifera L. 'Thompson Seedless.' Embryos having mono-, di-, and multiple-normal cotyledons, trumpet-shaped, fascicular, and fused abnormal cotyledons were observed during germination. Normal embryos of one, two, and multiple cotyledons have a relatively higher conversion rate (48.89-64.44%) than abnormal ones (2.22-22.22%). Histomorphology analysis of these embryos showed that normal somatic embryos had a better developed vasculature and shoot meristem than abnormal individuals. A lower percentage of abnormal embryos formed when they germinated on Murashige and Skoog's medium (MS) and Woody Plant Medium (WPM) both of which contained 15 g/l sucrose and no plant growth regulators. Of all the abnormal embryos, only fused cotyledon embryos were suitable for recycling, and they were reinduced into the embryogenic callus. Cotyledons showed a higher reinduction rate (72.22%) than the other two parts: hypocotyls (4.44%) and roots (0%). In addition, recycled abnormal embryos produced many morphogenic types and this secondary embryogenesis could be used for embryo proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to characterize the cell proliferation and proliferating cell types during three-dimensional reconstitution of eccrine sweat glands. Eccrine sweat gland cells suspended in Matrigel were injected subcutaneously into the inguinal regions of nude mice. At 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days post-implantation, Matrigel plugs were immunostained for Ki67, to detect cycling cells, and the Ki67 labeling index at different time points was calculated. Three pairs of antibodies, Ki67/K7, Ki67/K14 and Ki67/α-SMA, were used to identify proliferating cell types in the plugs, on days 28, 35 and 42, by immunofluorescence double staining. The Ki67 labeling index on the first day of implantation was 30.53%, rapidly reached a peak value of 81.43% at 2 days post-implantation, and then decreased gradually to a low of 2.87% at 42 days. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that K14/Ki67 double-stained cells accounted for 80% of the Ki67-positive cells, whereas K7/Ki67 and α-SMA/Ki67 double-stained cells each accounted for 10% of the Ki67-positive population on days 28, 35, or 42 post-implantation. We conclude that eccrine sweat gland cells rapidly enter the cell cycle after implantation, but quickly show decreased cell proliferation and increased cell differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been considered severe risks to human health. Gas sensors for the sensitive detection of VOCs are highly required. However, the preparation of gas-sensing materials with a high gas diffusion performance remains a great challenge. Here, through a simple hydrothermal method accompanied with a subsequent thermal treatment, a special porous snowflake-shaped ZnO nanostructure was presented for sensitive detection of VOCs including diethyl ether, methylbenzene, and ethanol. The fabricated gas sensors exhibit a good sensing performance including high responses to VOCs and a short response/recovery time. The responses of the ZnO-based gas sensor to 100 ppm ethanol, methylbenzene, and diethyl ether are about 27, 21, and 11, respectively, while the response times to diethyl ether and methylbenzene are less than 10 seconds. The gas adsorption-desorption kinetics is also investigated, which shows that the gas-sensing behaviors to different target gases are remarkably different, making it possible for target recognition in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence indicates that maintenance of cell polarity plays a pivotal role in the regulation of glandular homeostasis and function. We examine the markers for polarity at different time points to investigate the formation of cell polarity during 3D reconstitution of eccrine sweat glands. Mixtures of eccrine sweat gland cells and Matrigel were injected subcutaneously into the inguinal regions of nude mice. At 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 weeks post-implantation, Matrigel plugs were removed and immunostained for basal collagen IV, lateral β-catenin, lateroapical ZO-1 and apical F-actin. The results showed that the cell polarity of the spheroids appeared in sequence. Formation of basal polarity was prior to lateral, apical and lateroapical polarity. Collagen IV was detected basally at 2 weeks, β-catenin laterally and ZO-1 lateroapically at 3 weeks, and F-actin apically at 4 weeks post-implantation. At week 5 and week 6, the localization and the positive percentage of collagen IV, β-catenin, ZO-1 or F-actin in spheroids was similar to that in native eccrine sweat glands. We conclude that the reconstituted 3D eccrine sweat glands are functional or potentially functional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have examined the changes of keratins and alpha-SMA at various time points in order to investigate the development and differentiation of eccrine sweat gland cells during the course of three-dimensional (3D) reconstitution. Mixtures of eccrine sweat gland cells and Matrigel were injected subcutaneously into the inguinal regions of nude mice. At 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days post-implantation, Matrigel plugs were removed and immunostained. We found that during 3D reconstitution, keratin and alpha-SMA expression changed in a time-dependent manner. At day 1, all cells stained positively for keratin isoforms K5, K14, and K15, with the staining intensity of K15 being weak and K5 and K14 being strong, but none of the cells displayed K7, K8, or alpha-SMA. As time progressed, spheroid-like structures formed with the inner layer acquiring K7 and K8, but losing K5 and K14 expression, and the outer layer acquiring alpha-SMA expression, but losing K15 expression. K8 expression was first noted at day 14, and K7 and alpha-SMA at day 21. The loss of K15 expression was first noted at day 14, K14 at day 21, and K5 at day 28. At 28, 35, and 42 days, the spheroid-like structures could be distinguished, by immunohistochemistry, as having secretory coil-like and coiled duct-like structures. We conclude that the changes in expression of keratins and alpha-SMA in 3D-reconstituted eccrine sweat glands are similar to those of native eccrine sweat glands, indicating that the 3D reconstitution of sweat glands provides an excellent model for studying the development, cytodifferentiation, and regulation of eccrine sweat glands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-dispersed carbon-doped ZnSn(OH)6 submicrocubes were successfully synthesized through a facile and economical hydrothermal method at 433K, which used green chemical glucose (C6H12O6) as the carbon-doping source. Photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized C-doped ZnSn(OH)6 was evaluated by studying photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation(≥ 400 nm). The results show that carbon-doped ZnSn(OH)6 photocatalysts exhibited higher photocatalytic performance as compared to pure ZnSn(OH)6. 1.0 wt% C-doped ZnSn(OH)6 photocatalyst exhibited obviously higher photocatalytic activity that of pure ZnSn(OH)6 or other C-ZnSn(OH)6 catalysts under the same condition. The enhanced photocatalytic degradation of MB could be attributed to the doping of carbon and the possible mechanism for high photocatalytic activity of C-doped ZnSn(OH)6 was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Victims with extensive and deep burns are unable to regenerate eccrine sweat glands. Combining of stem cells and biomimetic ECM to generate cell-based 3D tissues is showing promise for tissue repair and regeneration. We co-cultured BrdU-labeled bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and eccrine sweat gland cells in Matrigel for 2 weeks in vitro and then evaluated for BM-MSCs differentiation into functional eccrine sweat gland cells by morphological assessment and immunohistochemical double staining for BrdU/pancytokeratin, BrdU/ZO-2, BrdU/E-cadherin, BrdU/desmoglein-2, BrdU/Na-K-ATPase α, BrdU/NHE1 and BrdU/CFTR. Cells formed spheroid-like structures in Matrigel, and BrdU-labeled BM-MSCs were involved in the 3D reconstitution of eccrine sweat gland tissues, and the incorporated BM-MSCs expressed an epithelial cell marker (pancytokeratin), epithelial cell junction proteins (ZO-2, E-cadherin and desmoglein-2) and functional proteins of eccrine sweat glands (Na-K-ATPase α, NHE1 and CFTR). In conclusion, three-dimensional co-culture of BM-MSCs and eccrine sweat gland cells in Matrigel promotes the transdifferentiation of BM-MSCs into potentially functional eccrine sweat gland cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel posphite (Ni11(HPO3)8(OH)6) hexagonal polyhedrons are successfully synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The effect of surfactants on the growth mechanism of Ni11(HPO3)8(OH)6 are also explored. More importantly, Ni11(HPO3)8(OH)6 hexagonal polyhedrons are successfully applied as electrochemical supercapacitor electrode materials, which have a good specific capacitance (295 F g−1 at 0.625 A g−1), good rate capability, and cycling properties (maintained about 99.3% at 0.625 A g−1 after 1000 cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) and carbon(C) metabolisms in plants were investigated to assess different responses of Bt and non-Bt rice to different N treatments. T2A-1 (Bt rice variety) inserted with Cry2A* protein to resist Lepidoptera and its parental line MH63 was adopted in this study. The total N accumulation presented no statistical difference. But nitrogen contents in different parts of rice plant were significantly different between the two lines, especially on leaf and spike part. This study revealed that the nitrogen in leaf of T2A-1 was far more than that of MH63; however, the nitrogen in spike of T2A-1 was less than that of MH63. In addition, MH63 assimilated more carbon than T2A-1. However, the distribution proportion of carbon in leaf, stem and spike of T2A-1 and MH63 were both 1:1:1. What's more, our study of the difference in metabolism pathway based on proteomics analysis provided more insights on the responses of two lines of Bt and non-Bt rice to different N treatments. And amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism presented significant difference between two lines. In addition, the number of differentially expressed proteins with N deficiency treatment was almost twice as many as that with normal N treatment. It could be inferred that the insertion of Cry2A* in T2A-1 may bring about effects on carbon and nitrogen allocation and related metabolisms, especially under N deficiency environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel Phosphite Hexagonal Polyhedrons are firstly synthesized by Huan Pang, Jing Chen and co‐workers on page 287. The single microcrystal Ni11(HPO3)8(OH)6 hexagonal polyhedron is successfully primarily applied as electrochemical supercapacitor electrode materials, which has a good specific capacitance, good rate capability and cycling property. It is a good example to prove that the precise control of morphology of nanomaterials will serve for controlling the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]