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The study examined predictors (teacher-child interactions, teacher-child relationships, child's self-control) of preschoolers' classroom engagement (135 preschoolers, 15 East Tennessee classrooms). Hierarchical linear regression revealed child's self-control significantly contributed to engagement. Teacher-child closeness enhanced engagement, but reverse-coded teacher-child conflict negatively impacted it after controlling teacher-child individualized interaction. Control variables included child gender, age, mother and father education. These findings offer holistic insights into preschoolers' engagement mechanisms, aiding intervention program design. Discussions and practical applications of results are provided.

Abstract Cophylogeny has been identified between gut bacteria and their animal host and is highly relevant to host health, but little research has extended to gut bacteriophages. Here we use bee model to investigate host specificity and cophylogeny in the “animal-gut bacteria-phage” tripartite system. Through metagenomic sequencing upon different bee species, the gut phageome revealed a more variable composition than the gut bacteriome. Nevertheless, the bacteriome and the phageome showed a significant association of their dissimilarity matrices, indicating a reciprocal interaction between the two kinds of communities. Most of the gut phages were host generalist at the viral cluster level but host specialist at the viral OTU level. While the dominant gut bacteria Gilliamella and Snodgrassella exhibited matched phylogeny with bee hosts, most of their phages showed a diminished level of cophylogeny. The evolutionary rates of the bee, the gut bacteria and the gut phages showed a remarkably increasing trend, including synonymous and non-synonymous substitution and gene content variation. For all of the three codiversified tripartite members, however, their genes under positive selection and genes involving gain/loss during evolution simultaneously enriched the functions into metabolism of nutrients, therefore highlighting the tripartite coevolution that results in an enhanced ecological fitness for the whole holobiont.

Abstract The Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain protein FAM92A1 is a multifunctional protein engaged in regulating mitochondrial ultrastructure and ciliogenesis, but its physiological role in the brain remains unclear. Here, we show that FAM92A1 is expressed in neurons starting from embryonic development. FAM92A1 knockout in mice results in altered brain morphology and age-associated cognitive deficits, potentially due to neuronal degeneration and disrupted synaptic plasticity. Specifically, FAM92A1 deficiency impairs diverse neuronal membrane morphology, including the mitochondrial inner membrane, myelin sheath, and synapses, indicating its roles in membrane remodeling and maintenance. By determining the crystal structure of the FAM92A1 BAR domain, combined with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we uncover that FAM92A1 interacts with phosphoinositide- and cardiolipin-containing membranes to induce lipid-clustering and membrane curvature. Altogether, these findings reveal the physiological role of FAM92A1 in the brain, highlighting its impact on synaptic plasticity and neural function through the regulation of membrane remodeling and endocytic processes.

Abstract Background Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients undergoing antipsychotic treatment demonstrated a high prevalence and harmful effects of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which acted as the major cause of cardiovascular disease. The major clinical challenge is the lack of biomarkers to identify MetS episodes and prevent further damage, while the mechanisms underlying these drug-induced MetS remain unknown. Methods This study divided 173 participants with SCZ into 3 groups (None, High risk, and MetS, consisting of 22, 88, and 63 participants, respectively). The potential biomarkers were searched based on 16S rRNA gene sequence together with metabolism analysis. Logistic regression was used to test the effects of the genus-metabolites panel on early MetS diagnoses. Results A genus-metabolites panel, consisting of Senegalimassilia, sphinganine, dihomo-gamma-linolenoylcholine, isodeoxycholic acid, and MG (0:0/22:5/0:0), which involved in sphigolipid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, secondary bile acid biosynthesis and glycerolipid metabolism, has a great discrimination efficiency to MetS with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.911 compared to the None MetS group (P = 1.08E-8). Besides, Senegalimassilia, 3-Hydroxytetradecanoyl carnitine, isodeoxycholic acid, and DG(TXB2/0:0/2:0) distinguished between subgroups robustly and exhibited a potential correlation with the severity of MetS in patients with SCZ, and may act as the biomarkers for early MetS diagnosis. Conclusions Our multi–omics study showed that one bacterial genus-five lipid metabolites panel is the potential risk factor for MetS in SCZ. Furthermore, Senegalimassilia, 3-Hydroxytetradecanoyl carnitine, isodeoxycholic acid, and DG(TXB2/0:0/2:0) could serve as novel diagnostic markers in the early stage. So, it is obvious that the combination of bacterial genus and metabolites yields excellent discriminatory power, and the lipid metabolism provide new understanding to the pathogenesis, prevention, and therapy for MetS in SCZ.

Abstract The vaginal microbiome is an immune defense against reproductive diseases and can serve as an important biomarker for cervical cancer. However, the intrinsic relationship between the recurrence and the vaginal microbiome in patients with cervical cancer before and after concurrent chemoradiotherapy is poorly understood. Here, we analyzed 125 vaginal microbial profiles from a patient cohort of stage IB–IVB cervical cancer using 16S metagenomic sequencing and deciphered the microbial composition and functional characteristics of the recurrent and non-recurrent both before and after chemoradiotherapy. We demonstrated that the abundance of beneficial bacteria and stability of the microbial community in the vagina decreased in the recurrence group, implying the unique characteristics of the vaginal microbiome for recurrent cervical cancer. Moreover, using machine learning, we identified Lactobacillus iners as the most important biomarker, combined with age and other biomarkers (such as Ndongobacter massiliensis, Corynebacterium pyruviciproducens ATCC BAA-1742, and Prevotella buccalis), and could predict cancer recurrence phenotype before chemoradiotherapy. This study prospectively employed rigorous bioinformatics analysis and highlights the critical role of vaginal microbiota in post-treatment cervical cancer recurrence, identifying promising biomarkers with prognostic significance in the context of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer. The role of L. iners in determining chemoradiation resistance in cervical cancer warrants further detailed investigation. Our results expand our understanding of cervical cancer recurrence and help develop better strategies for prognosis prediction and personalized therapy.

The intestinal tract plays an important role in digestion and absorption, nutrient metabolism, and immune anti-stress. At the same time, the intestine is also the major site for pathogens and various harmful substances to invade. Probiotics, as living microbial agents, improve animal health by maintaining the microecological balance of the host's intestinal flora. To explore the protective effect of Clostridium butyricum (CB) on the gut, we investigated the changes in digestion, antioxidant, and gut microbiota in juvenile largemouth bass. The fish were fed with diets containing 0 (control, CB0), 4.3×108 (CB1), 7.5×108 (CB2), 1.5×109 (CB3), and 3.2×109 (CB4) CFU/kg Clostridium butyricum for 56 days. After 56 days of dietary supplementation with 4.3×108 and 3.2×109 CFU/kg of CB, significant growth promotion and feed utilization improvement were observed in largemouth bass (P < 0.05). The activities of digestive enzymes (trypsin, protease and amylase) and intestinal functional indicators (sodium-potassium ATP, γ-GT and CK) were significantly increased in the intestine of largemouth bass (P < 0.05). The contents of intestinal short-chain fatty acids (acetic acid, propionic acid, isobutyric acid, N-butyric acid and isovaleric acid) in largemouth bass were significantly increased (P < 0.05). CB significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (T-AOC, CAT, POD, GSH-Px and SOD) and decreased the content of MDA in the intestine of largemouth bass (P < 0.05). It was also observed that CB significantly increased the activities of immune-related markers lysozyme and alkaline phosphatase (P < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene in largemouth bass revealed a significant increase in gut microbial richness. KEGG pathway analysis showed that CB had significant effects on intestinal microbiota functions, such as nutrient metabolism and energy conversion. The results showed that CB could stimulate intestine to produce the organic product butyric acid, which was customized in the gut to enhance digestive performance, promote nutrient metabolism, and protect microbial homeostasis in the intestinal tract of largemouth bass. These results provide new insights into the protective effects of CB on the intestinal tract of aquatic animals.

Abstract Background As an important catecholamine neurotransmitter in invertebrates and vertebrates, dopamine plays multiple roles in the life of the honey bee. Dopamine receptors (DA), which specifically bind to dopamine to activate downstream cascades, have been reported to be involved in honey bee reproduction, division of labour, as well as learning and motor behaviour. However, how dopamine receptors regulate honey bee behavior remains uninvestigated. Results The expression level of Amdop2 in the brain increased with the age of worker bees, which was just the opposite trend of ame-let-7. Inhibition of ame-let-7 through feeding an inhibitor upregulated Amdop2 expression; conversely, overexpression of ame-let-7 through a mimic downregulated Amdop2. Moreover, knockdown of Amdop2 in forager brain led to significantly higher sucrose responsiveness, which is similar to the phenotype of overexpression of ame-let-7. Finally, we confirmed that ame-let-7 directly targets Amdop2 in vitro by a luciferase reporter assay. Conclusions ame-let-7 is involved in the dopamine receptor signaling pathway to modulate the sucrose sensitivity in honey bees. Specifically, it down-regulates Amdop2, which then induces higher responses to sucrose. These results further unraveled the diverse mechanisms of the dopamine pathway in the regulation of insect behavior.

A rotary plate microwave dryer (RMD) and a newly-developed microwave convection coupled dryer (MCD) were used to dry apple cubes. The effects of microwave output power on drying, heating characteristics and quality attributes including scorching rate, color parameters, rehydration ratio, shrinkage, hardness, and sensory scores of the apple cubes were investigated and compared. The results showed that the microwave power required to complete drying in RMD was only 1/6 of that in MCD at the same microwave power density. Total drying time was 120, 60 and 30 min at 70, 210 and 350 W in RMD, respectively, while 160, 90, 80 and 60 min at 400; 800; 1,200; and 1,600 W in MCD, respectively. Compared with the products dried using hot air, the apple cubes dried in both dryers at the low microwave power had better rehydration capacity, less shrinkage and lower hardness as well as a* and b * value of color. Application of microwave power of over 800 W in MCD and over 210 W in RMD caused the increase in scorching rate as well as decreased the L * value and the sensory quality of the apple cubes. Microwave drying in MCD with temperature control improved the quality of the dried product. The microwave drying conditions suitable for the apple cubes were 400 W in MCD and 1,600 W in MCD with temperature control followed by 70 W in RMD; the products obtained under these three condition variants had superior or comparable quality to the products obtained upon conventional hot air-drying.

Superior fiber quality is one of the most important objectives in cotton breeding. To detect the genetic basis underlying fiber quality, an F2 population containing 413 plants was constructed by crossing Jifeng 914 and Jifeng 173, both of which have superior fiber quality, with Jifeng 173 being better. Five fiber quality traits were investigated in the F2, F2:3, F2:4, and F2:5 populations. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted based on a high-density genetic map containing 11,488 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and spanning 4202.12 cM in length. Transgressive segregation patterns and complex correlations in the five tested traits were observed. A total of 108 QTLs were found, including 13 major effect QTLs that contributed more than 10% toward phenotypic variation (PV) and 9 stable QTLs that could be repeatedly mapped in different generations. Chromosome A7 contained 12 QTL, ranking the first. No QTL was found on chromosomes D1 and D11. Two QTLs could be repeatedly detected in three populations, including qFL-D3-2 in F2, F2:4, and F2:5 with 9.18–21.45% of PV and qFS-A11-1 in F2:3, F2:4, and F2:5 with 6.05–10.41% of PV. Another seven stable QTLs could be detected in two populations, including four major effect QTLs: qFL-A12-3, qFS-D10-2, qMC-D6-2, and qMC-D8-1. Fourteen QTL-overlapping regions were found, which might explain the complex correlations among the five phenotypic traits. Four regions on chromosome A11, D3, D6, and D10 covered by both stable and major effect QTLs are promising for further fine mapping. The genomic regions of the two QTLs detected in three populations and the four major effect QTLs contain 810 genes. Gene functional analysis revealed that the annotated genes are mainly involved in protein binding and metabolic pathways. Fifteen candidate genes in the qFL-D3-2 region are highly expressed in fiber or ovules during fiber initiation, elongation, secondary cell wall thickening, or maturation stages. qRT-PCR revealed that Ghir_D03G005440.1 and Ghir_D03G011310.1 may play a role in promoting fiber initiation, while Ghir_D03G006470.1 may be beneficial for promoting fiber elongation. This study provides more information for revealing the molecular genetic basis underlying cotton fiber quality.

Abstract Background Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have anti-aging and anti-obesity effects in aged animals, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. Methods In the present study, we evaluated the in vivo transplantation effects of different age donor-matched ASCs on natural aging and leptin knockout mice (ob−/ob− mice). The multi-omics expression profiles of young and aged mouse donor-derived ASCs were also analyzed. Results The results revealed that ASCs from young donors induced weight and abdominal fat loss for older recipients but not for young or ob−/ob−mice. The young and aged mouse donor ASCs displayed significant phenotypic differences, contributing to the distinguished weight loss and anti-aging effects in aged mice. Conclusions Our data suggest an underlying molecular mechanism by which young-donor ASCs reduce immune cells and inflammation in aged mice via secreted immune factors. These findings point to a general anti-aging mechanism of stem cells, which may provide new insights into age-related disturbances of stem cell plasticity in healthy aging and age-related diseases.

Abstract Background Our study aims to investigate the role and mechanism of circular RNA_0002715 (circ_0002715) in osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Methods IL-1β-induced CHON-001 cells were used to mimic OA cell model. Circ_0002715, microRNA (miR)-127-5p and Latexin (LXN) expression was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Cell functions were determined by MTT assay, flow cytometry and ELISA assay. Protein expression was examined by western blot. Results Circ_0002715 was highly expressed in OA cartilage tissues. Circ_0002715 silencing inhibited inflammation, apoptosis, and ECM degradation in IL-1β-interfered CHON-001 cells. Circ_0002715 could sponge miR-127-5p, and miR-127-5p could target LXN. The effect of circ_0002715 down-regulation on chondrocyte injury was partially restored by miR-127-5p inhibitor. MiR-127-5p could suppress chondrocyte injury by inhibiting LXN expression. Conclusion Circ_0002715 might be a new therapeutic target for OA, which regulated miR-127-5p/LXN axis to promote IL-1β-induced chondrocyte injury.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant enzyme activities, inflammatory factors, and hypoxic stress in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Diets were supplemented with different doses of SB at 0 (SB0), 0.5 (SB1), 1.0 (SB2) and 2.0 (SB3) g/kg. The hypoxic stress experiment was performed after 56 days of culture. The results showed that compared with the SB0 group, the final body weight, weight gain rate and protein deposition rate of the SB3 group were significantly increased (P

Abstract The optical nanoprobes with emissions in the second near‐infrared window (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) show low tissue autofluorescence and photon scattering; therefore, they provide high spatial resolution and acceptable tissue penetration depth. These advantages make them appropriate for in vivo applications, including bioimaging, NIR‐II triggered disease therapy, and even on‐site efficacy monitoring. Among the various developed NIR‐II fluorescence probes, lanthanide‐doped nanoparticles (LDNPs) exhibit high photo stability and narrow emission bandwidths with long photoluminescence lifetimes and low cytotoxicity; therefore, they have been widely studied in the biomedical field. This review summarizes the typical compositions and optical properties of recently developed NIR‐II emitting LDNPs. Their applications in in vivo NIR‐II bioimaging and cancer therapy are reviewed. The perspectives and challenges of NIR‐II LDNPs are also discussed.

Network-wide traffic signal control is an important means of relieving urban congestion, reducing traffic accidents, and improving traffic efficiency. However, solving the problem of computational complexity caused by multi-intersection games is challenging. To address this issue, we propose a Nash-Stackelberg hierarchical game model that considers the importance of different intersections in the road network and the game relationships between intersections. The model takes into account traffic control strategies between and within sub-areas of the road network, with important intersections in the two sub-areas as the game subject at the upper layer and secondary intersections as the game subject at the lower layer. Furthermore, we propose two reinforcement learning algorithms (NSHG-QL and NSHG-DQN) based on the Nash-Stackelberg hierarchical game model to realize coordinated control of traffic signals in urban areas. Experimental results show that, compared to basic game model solving algorithms, NSHG-QL and NSHG-DQN algorithms can reduce the average travel time and time loss of vehicles at intersections, increase average speed and road occupancy, and coordinate secondary intersections to make optimal strategy selections based on satisfying the upper-layer game between important intersections. Moreover, the multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms based on this hierarchical game model can significantly improve learning performance and convergence.

Family systems are dynamic and interconnected, yet very limited research has considered both fathers' and mothers' perceptions of family support, stress and Family Quality of Life (FQOL) in a dynamic manner, especially in the Chinese context. The current study examines the association between parenting stress, FQOL and family support using a dyadic approach. We employed the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) to analyze a sample (N = 219 dyads) of Chinese fathers' and mothers' of children with autism spectrum disorder. Results suggested a strong actor effect of family support on decreasing stress and improving FQOL for mother and father respectively. However, the partner effect was largely contrasted with mothers' perceived family support and positively associated with fathers' FQOL, and fathers' perceived family support negatively associated with mothers' FQOL. There were no mediating effects of stress on partners' perceived support on FQOL. Despite being in a family system, the contrast pattern (opposite direction of the effects) between mothers and fathers suggest large discrepancies and perceptions, which may be due to different family roles and parenting involvement. Policy and practical implications are provided.

The effects of dietary supplementation of Clostridium butyricum (CB) on growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant activity, mRNA levels of immune-related genes and resistance to hypoxia stress were studied in largemouth bass. Feed with CB0 (control, 0 CFU/kg), CB1 (4.3×108 CFU/kg), CB2 (7.5×108 CFU/kg), CB3 (1.5×109 CFU/kg) and CB4 (3.2×109 CFU/kg) CB for 56 days, and then a 3 h hypoxic stress experiment was performed. The results showed that dietary CB significantly increased the WGR (weight gain rate), SGR (specific growth rate), PDR (protein deposition rate) and ISI (Intestosomatic index) of largemouth bass (P

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of arginine supplementation on liver morphology, antioxidant capacity, inflammatory response, insulin signaling pathway and glucose metabolism in hybrid snakehead. Five experimental diets (2.31 %, 2.42 %, 2.72 %, 2.92 %, and 3.12 % arginine) were prepared by adding different levels of arginine to the basal diet containing high (27 %) level of carbohydrate. The results showed that the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) of fish fed with arginine diets were significantly higher than those in control group (p

The effects of selenium supplementation in Tachysurus fulvidraco (T. fulvidraco) on low-temperature stress are not known. In this study, 280 healthy T. fulvidraco were divided into two groups, the G0 group (a control group) and the T0 group (a selenium treatment group on a 0.22 mg/kg diet), for a 6-week feeding time. Then, low-temperature stress (water temperature dropped from 26 to 13 °C, with a rate of 1 °C/h) was administered after that. The feeding results showed that selenium increased the percent weight gain (PWG), specific growth rate (SGR), and survival rate (SR) of T. fulvidraco and decreased the feed conversion rate (FCR), but these differences were not significant (p > 0.05). Under low temperatures, selenium still has no significant effects on antioxidant indexes such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in serum (p > 0.05). However, metabolomic analysis revealed that selenium caused changes in lipids and lipid-like molles, organic acids and their derivatives, and fatty acyls. Choline, linoleic acid, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways; d-arginine and d-ornithine metabolism; valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation; and biosynthesis pathways, as well as pyrimidine metabolism pathways, were activated to produce these metabolites to combat against this stress. In addition, selenium increased the diversity of intestinal microbes in T. fulvidraco and decreased the relative abundance of Plesiomonas. However, the combined analysis showed the intestinal microbe changes did not affect metabolite production. In summary, selenium activated lipid, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism for energy substance provision, reduced the oxidation and production of other harmful substances, and increased the intestinal microbe diversity of T. fulvidraco to improve resistance to low-temperature stress.

Chinese seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus) is a popular carnivorous fish with delicious taste. Although the feed value of condensed tannins has been well documented for L. maculatus, information about the effects of hydrolyzable tannins (HTs) on the growth and health of L. maculatus is limited. This study was conducted to assess the effects of dietary HTs on growth performance, body composition, intestinal digestive enzyme activities, serum metabolites, antioxidant and immune response, and intestine and liver morphology of L. maculatus. A total of 640 fish were randomly divided into four groups with four replicates per group and 40 fish per replicate. Four diets were prepared to contain 0 (G0), 1 (G1), 2 (G2), and 4 (G4) g/kg of HTs. Fish were fed to apparent satiation twice a day during the 56-day feeding trial. Results showed that the final body weight, weight gain rate, specific growth rate, and feed intake were linearly decreased (p< 0.001) as dietary HTs increased. All fish had similar (p > 0.05) whole body compositions. Fish fed G2 and G4 had lower (p< 0.05) intestinal trypsin and lipase activities than those fed G0 and G1, whereas G4 had higher (p< 0.05) aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities than G0. Serum total antioxidant capacity and lysozyme were linearly decreased (p< 0.01), but the malondialdehyde concentration was linearly increased (p< 0.01) as dietary HTs increased. Intestinal villi in G2 and G4 showed increased deformation, and the vacuolation of liver cells began to appear in G1 and was aggravated as dietary HTs increased. This study showed that HTs should be used with caution due to their growth-inhibiting effect, and the dietary HT level for L. maculatus is recommended to be less than 1 g/kg.

IntroductionOsteoporosis (OP) is primarily diagnosed through bone mineral density (BMD) measurements, and it often leads to fracture. Observational studies suggest that several mental diseases (MDs) may be linked to OP, but the causal direction of these associations remain unclear. This study aims to explore the potential causal association between five MDs (Schizophrenia, Depression, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Epilepsy) and the risk of OP.MethodsFirst, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were filtered from summary-level genome-wide association studies using quality control measures. Subsequently, we employed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to indirectly analyze the causal effect of MDs on the risk of OP through bone mineral density (in total body, femoral neck, lumbar spine, forearm, and heel) and fractures (in leg, arm, heel, spine, and osteoporotic fractures). Lastly, the causal effect of the MDs on the risk of OP was evaluated directly through OP. MR analysis was performed using several methods, including inverse variance weighting (IVW)-random effects, IVW-fixed effects, maximum likelihood, weighted median, MR-Egger regression, and penalized weighted median.ResultsThe results did not show any evidence of a causal relationship between MDs and the risk of OP (with almost all P values > 0.05). The robustness of the above results was proved to be good.DiscussionIn conclusion, this study did not find evidence supporting the claim that MDs have a definitive impact on the risk of OP, which contradicts many existing observational reports. Further studies are needed to determine the potential mechanisms of the associations observed in observational studies.

Introduction: The functional relevance of intra-species diversity in natural microbial communities remains largely unexplored. The guts of two closely related honey bee species, Apis cerana and A. mellifera, are colonised by a similar set of core bacterial species composed of host-specific strains, thereby providing a good model for an intra-species diversity study. Objectives: We aim to assess the functional relevance of intra-species diversity of A. cerana and A. mellifera gut microbiota. Methods: Honey bee workers were collected from four regions of China. Their gut microbiomes were investigated by shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and the bacterial compositions were compared at the species level. A cross-species colonisation assay was conducted, with the gut metabolomes being characterised by LC-MS/MS. Results: Comparative analysis showed that the strain composition of the core bacterial species was host-specific. These core bacterial species presented distinctive functional profiles between the hosts. However, the overall functional profiles of the A. cerana and A. mellifera gut microbiomes were similar; this was further supported by the consistency of the honey bees’ gut metabolome, as the gut microbiota of different honey bee species showed rather similar metabolic profiles in the cross-species colonisation assay. Moreover, this experiment also demonstrated that the gut microbiota of A. cerana and A. mellifera could cross colonise between the two honey bee species. Conclusion: Our findings revealed functional differences in most core gut bacteria between the guts of A. cerana and A. mellifera, which may be associated with their inter-species diversity. However, the functional profiles of the overall gut microbiomes between the two honey bee species converge, probably as a result of the overlapping ecological niches of the two species. Our findings provide critical insights into the evolution and functional roles of the mutualistic microbiota of honey bees and reveal that functional redundancy could stabilise the gene content diversity at the strain-level within the gut community.

The instant foxtail millet was prepared using microwave vacuum drying (MVD), microwave-hot air drying (MHAD), hot air drying (HAD) and traditional roasting (TR). Their effects on drying kinetics, physicochemical properties as well as sensory quality were evaluated and compared. Results showed that the total drying time varied with the drying method used and was about 160, 100, 260, and 45 min for MVD, MHAD, HAD and TR, respectively. The effective moisture diffusion coefficients (Deff) were 6.57×10 -9 m 2 /s, 9.80×10 -9 m 2 /s, 4.14×10 -9 m 2 /s and 6.20×10 -9 m 2 /s for MVD, MHAD, HAD and TR, respectively. Drying resulted in a significant decrease in L* and an increase in a* and b* of the color of products. MVD, MHAD and HAD products had a comparable rehydration ratio and cooking time. Scanning electron microscopy and rehydration process revealed that MHAD and MVD samples had a similar structure with the HAD sample. Drying caused a loss of 6.5–54.9% in the total phenolic content and a loss of 38.4–62.2% in total yellow pigment content. MVD millet displayed the highest total phenolic content (142.56 mg GAE/100 g dry matter) and yellow pigment content (9.56 mg CE/kg dry matter). In sensory evaluation, MHAD, HAD and MVD samples had comparable scores and were all accepted by the panelists, either in dry or rehydrated form. MHAD and MVD can be used as an alternative to hot air drying or traditional roasting in the production of the instant millet due to shorter drying time and better product quality.

Objectives. Evodia rutaecarpa (ER) is a well-known herbal Chinese medicine traditionally used for analgesia in dysmenorrhea, headaches, abdominal pain, etc. Notably, the analgesic effect of wine-processed Evodia rutaecarpa (PER) was more potent than that of raw ER. This research aimed to investigate the mechanism and pharmacodynamic substance basis of raw ER and PER on smooth muscle cells of dysmenorrhea mice. Methods. Metabolomics methods based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS were utilized to analyse the differential components of ER before and after wine processing. Afterwards, the uterine smooth muscle cells were isolated from the uterine tissue of dysmenorrhea and normal mice. The isolated dysmenorrhea uterine smooth muscle cells were randomly divided into four groups: model group, 7-hydroxycoumarin group (1 mmol/L), chlorogenic acid (1 mmol/L), and limonin (50 μmol/L). The normal group consisted of the isolated normal mouse uterine smooth muscle cells, which were repeated 3 times in each group. The cell contraction and the expression of P2X3 and Ca2+ in vitro were determined using immunofluorescence staining and laser confocal; ELISA was used for detection of PGE2, ET-1, and NO content after 7-hydroxycoumarin, chlorogenic acid, and limonin administered for 24 h. Results. The metabolomics results suggested that seven differential compounds were identified in the extracts of raw ER and PER, including chlorogenic acid, 7-hydroxycoumarin, hydroxy evodiamine, laudanosine, evollionines A, limonin, and 1-methyl-2-[(z)-4-nonenyl]-4 (1H)-quinolone. The in vitro results showed that 7-hydroxycoumarin, chlorogenic acid, and limonin were able to inhibit cell contraction and PGE2, ET-1, P2X3, and Ca2+ in dysmenorrhea mouse uterine smooth muscle cells and increase the content of NO. Conclusion. Our finding suggested that the compounds of the PER were different from those of the raw ER, and 7-hydroxycoumarin, chlorogenic acid, and limonin could improve dysmenorrhea in mice whose uterine smooth muscle cell contraction was closed with endocrine factors and P2X3-Ca2+ pathway.

Understanding the genetic basis of the node of the first fruiting branch (NFFB) improves early-maturity cotton breeding. Here we report QTL mapping on 200 F2 plants and derivative F2:3 and F2:4 populations by genotyping by sequencing (GBS). BC1F2 population was constructed by backcrossing one F2:4 line with the maternal parent JF914 and used for BSA-seq for further QTL mapping. A total of 1,305,642 SNPs were developed between the parents by GBS, and 2,907,790 SNPs were detected by BSA-seq. A high-density genetic map was constructed containing 11,488 SNPs and spanning 4,202.12 cM in length. A total of 13 QTL were mapped in the 3 tested populations. JF914 conferred favorable alleles for 11 QTL, and JF173 conferred favorable alleles for the other 2 QTL. Two stable QTL were repeatedly mapped in F2:3 and F2:4, including qNFFB-D3-1 and qNFFB-D6-1. Only qNFFB-D3-1 contributed more than 10% of the phenotypic variation. This QTL covered about 24.7 Mb (17,130,008–41,839,226 bp) on chromosome D3. Two regions on D3 (41,779,195–41,836,120 bp, 41,836,768–41,872,287 bp) were found by BSA-seq and covered about 92.4 Kb. This 92.4 Kb region overlapped with the stable QTL qNFFB-D3-1 and contained 8 annotated genes. By qRT-PCR, Ghir_D03G012430 showed a lower expression level from the 1- to 2-leaf stage and a higher expression level from the 3- to 6-leaf stage in the buds of JF173 than that of JF914. Ghir_D03G012390 reached the highest level at the 3- and 5-leaf stages in the buds of JF173 and JF914, respectively. As JF173 has lower NFFB and more early maturity than JF914, these two genes might be important in cell division and differentiation during NFFB formation in the seedling stage. The results of this study will facilitate a better understanding of the genetic basis of NFFB and benefit cotton molecular breeding for improving earliness traits.

In this paper, the authors report the directed-evolution of translation systems that allow the incorporation of unnatural amino acids with similar efficiency to natural amino acids and the construction of synthetic auxotroph in a generalizable way.

The alarming increase in soil contamination by heavy metals, such as cadmium and zinc demands immediate attention. The dioecious tree Populus cathayana, a phytoremediation plant, plays an important role in rehabilitating heavy metal contaminated areas. In this study, male and female P. cathayana plants were treated with Cd (20 mg kg−1) and different levels of Zn (25, 50, or 100 mg kg−1) to study their physiological responses. The results showed that Cd exposure alone caused stress by inhibiting the growth of both male and female plants. In both males and females, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzymes activities decreased substantially under Cd stress alone. Cd was largely located in the roots, but Zn was present in the shoots of both sexes. Zn supplementation considerably increased the photosynthetic rate from 14.62 % to 60.45 % and also enhanced the antioxidant enzymes activities from 24.11 % to 86.21 %. Zn treatment decreased the translocation ability of Cd compared to the Cd-only treatment, alleviating Cd toxicity. In addition, when sufficient Zn was made available, males showed a high degree of Cd accumulation, low root-to-shoot translocation, elevated antioxidant defense abilities, and an increased photosynthetic rate, while females were less responsive to Cd stress than males. Thus, combined exposure to Cd and Zn caused differential responses in plant growth and physiological processes between males and females P. cathayana. Male plants exhibit better Cd tolerance and accumulation capacity under optimum Zn supplementation. This study increases the fundamental knowledge regarding P. cathayana plants, which can be applied to enhance their remediation capacity in Cd-contaminated soils.

The effects of dietary tributyrin (TB) on growth, intestinal health, inflammatory response and antioxidant status in juvenile Pelteobagrus fulvidraco were investigated. The fish (initial weight 5.53 ± 0.02 g) were fed with diets containing 0 (control, TB0), 500 (TB1), 1000 (TB2) and 2000 (TB3) mg/kg tributyrin for 56 days. The results showed that significantly higher final weight, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio and protein retention were observed in fish fed with TB2 diet compared with those in TB0 (P

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammatory response which causes serious damages to alveolar epithelia and vasculature, and it still remains high lethality and mortality with no effective treatment. Based on the inflammatory homing of platelets and cell membrane cloaking nanotechnology, in this study we developed a biomimetic anti-inflammation nanoparticle delivery system for ALI treatment. PM@Cur-RV NPs were designed by combining the poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (NPs) coated with platelet membrane vesicles (PM) for the purpose of highly targeting delivery of curcumin (Cur) and resveratrol (RV) to inflammatory lungs. PM@Cur-RV NPs showed good biocompatibility and biosafety both in vitro and in vivo. Accumulation of NPs into lung tract was observed after inhaled NPs. Remarkably, the inhalation of PM@Cur-RV NPs effectively inhibited lung vascular injury evidenced by the decreased lung vascular permeability, and the reduced proinflammatory cytokine burden in an ALI mouse model. The analysis of infiltrated macrophages in the lungs showed that the Cur-RV-modulated macrophage polarized towards M2 phenotype and the decreased histone lactylation might contribute to their anti-inflammation effects. Together, this work highlights the potential of inhalation of biomimetic nanoparticle delivery of curcumin and resveratrol for the treatment of pulmonary diseases.

A 100-d feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) and rapeseed meal (RSM) with faba bean meal (FBM) on growth performance and muscle quality of tilapia. A total of 600 fish (initial body weight 500.2 ± 0.34 g) were randomly distributed into 4 groups with 3 replicates per group and 50 fish per replicate. Four diets were formulated to replace SBM and RSM with FBM at the rate of 0 % (R0), 25 % (R25), 50 % (R50) and 100 % (R100). Results showed that FBM substitute diets did not significantly alter (P > 0.05) the weight gain rate, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, feed intake and viscerosomatic index, but increased (P 0.05) essential amino acids, but increased (P

The yellow catfish (P. fulvidraco), as one of the economically-relevant freshwater fish found in China, cannot tolerate cold stress. Understanding the physiological and biochemical mechanisms under cold stress may provide insights for improving yellow catfish management in the cold. Therefore, we investigated the metabolic and intestinal microbiota changes in cold stress in response to induced cold stress. We found that cold stress in yellow catfish lead to a significant increase in the consumption of glucose and triglycerides, as well as increased use of cholesterol as an alternate energy source. Moreover, cold stress also activated several significant biological processes in the fish such as thermogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation, the spliceosome machinery, RNA transport, protein processing that occurs in the ER, and purine and pyrimidine metabolism pathways involved in energy production. On the other hand, many other mechanisms like insulin resistance, starch and sucrose metabolism, and the glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolic pathways that also served as energy production pathways were weakened. Furthermore, organic acids and their derivatives as well as the lipids and lipid-like molecules were mainly altered in cold stress; prenol lipids, steroids, and their derivatives were significantly upregulated, while fatty acyls and glycerophospholipids were significantly downregulated. Transcriptomic and metabolomic integrated analysis data revealed that carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism were involved in cold stress resistance. In addition, the intestinal microbiota abundance was also reduce and the pathogenic bacteria of plesiomonas was rapidly appreciation, which suggesting that cold stress also impaired intestinal health. This research study could offer insights into winter management or the development of feed to promote cold resistance in yellow catfish.

Mitochondria are essential organelles for neuronal function and cell survival. Besides the well-known bioenergetics, additional mitochondrial roles in calcium signaling, lipid biogenesis, regulation of reactive oxygen species, and apoptosis are pivotal in diverse cellular processes. The mitochondrial proteome encompasses about 1,500 proteins encoded by both the nuclear DNA and the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA. Mutations in the nuclear or mitochondrial genome, or combinations of both, can result in mitochondrial protein deficiencies and mitochondrial malfunction. Therefore, mitochondrial quality control by proteins involved in various surveillance mechanisms is critical for neuronal integrity and viability. Abnormal proteins involved in mitochondrial bioenergetics, dynamics, mitophagy, import machinery, ion channels, and mitochondrial DNA maintenance have been linked to the pathogenesis of a number of neurological diseases. The goal of this review is to give an overview of these pathways and to summarize the interconnections between mitochondrial protein dysfunction and neurological diseases.

L-ascorbic acid (ASA) is a micronutrient that is essential for reproduction, growth, and immunity in animals. Due to the loss of enzyme L-gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase (GLO), most aquatic animals lack the capacity for ASA biosynthesis and therefore require supplementation with exogenous ASA. Recent studies have shown that 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2KGA), a novel potential precursor of ASA, can enhance plant growth and improve stress resistance by promoting the synthesis and accumulation of ASA. Our hypothesis is that 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2KGA) plays a similar role in aquatic animals. To investigate this, we conducted an in vivo trial to examine the effects of exogenous 2KGA supplementation on ASA metabolism and growth of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish were categorized into groups based on their dietary intake, including a basal diet (CK group), a basal diet supplemented with 800 mg/kg ASA (ASA group), and 800 mg/kg 2KGA-Na (2KGA group) for a duration of three weeks. The results demonstrated a significant increase in ASA content in zebrafish treated with 2KGA (34.82% increase, p < 0.05) compared to the CK group, reaching a consistent level with the ASA group (39.61% increase, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the supplementation of 2KGA significantly improved growth parameters relevant to zebrafish (specific growth rate increased by 129.04%, p < 0.05) and enhanced feed utilization (feed intake increased by 15.65%, p < 0.05). Positive correlations were observed between growth parameters, feed utilization, whole-body chemical composition, and ASA content. Our findings suggest that supplementation with exogenous 2KGA can serve as a novel approach for elevating ASA synthesis in aquatic animals, and further investigation of its underlying mechanism is required.

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) on growth, digestive enzymes, body composition and nutrient retention-related gene expression of juvenile yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco). Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets (420 g/kg protein and 90 g/kg lipid) were formulated to contain 0 (control), 250, 500, 1,000 or 2,000 mg/kg SB. Triplicate groups of 40 fish (BW = 1.26 ± 0.01 g) per tank (300-L cylindrical fiberglass tanks) for each diet were fed to apparent satiation twice daily. Stomach, hepatopancreas and intestine samples were obtained for digestive enzymes activities analyses. A real-time quantitative PCR analysis was performed to determine the relative expression of target of rapamycin (TOR) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the hepatopancreas and intestine. Fish fed the diets supplemented with SB at 500 and 1,000 mg/kg showed significantly higher specific growth rate and significantly lower feed conversion ratio compared to the control (P < 0.05). Dietary SB inclusion did not alter activities of intestinal amylase, creatine kinase and sodium–potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+/K+-ATPase), but increased activities of hepatic trypsin, stomachic lipase, intestinal lipase, alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase for fish fed 1,000 mg/kg SB compared to the control (P < 0.05). Intestine length index, intestine somatic index, fold height and muscular thickness of distal intestine were significantly higher in 1,000 mg/kg SB groups compared to the control (P < 0.05). Significantly higher levels of whole-body crude protein, ash, calcium, phosphorus, nutrition retention and relative mRNA of intestinal TOR were observed in 1,000 mg/kg SB group (P < 0.05). Whole-body lipid content and hepatopancreas LPL mRNA expression in 2,000 mg/kg SB group were significantly higher than the control (P < 0.05). Relative mRNA levels of intestinal LPL and hepatopancreas TOR were significantly higher in the 500 mg/kg SB group compared to those in other groups (P < 0.05). The increased growth performance, digestive enzymes and nutrient retention in fish fed the diets supplemented with SB at 500 and 1,000 mg/kg suggests that SB can be a desirable growth promoter as an antibiotic alternative in diets.

The effects of arginine on intestinal shape, digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal flora of hybrid snakeheads Channa maculata♀×Channa argus♂. Five experimental diets were formulated to contain arginine with 2.31%, 2.42%, 2.72%, 2.92%, and 3.12% respectively, and recorded as G1 (control), G2, G3, G4, and G5. Five groups of 50 fish (22.02 ± 0.02 g) for each diet were fed to apparent satiation twice daily for 56 days. The results showed that significantly higher weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein deposition rate (PDR), intestinal somatic indices (ISI), lipase, trypsin, Na+/K+-ATPase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, and significantly lower feed coefficient rate (FCR) were observed in fish fed with 2.92% diet compared to 2.31% group (P

The experimental trial was conducted to assess the effects of dietary pyridoxine on growth performance, physiological metabolics, intestinal enzymatic activities and antioxidant properties of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. Six isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets (420 g/kg protein and 70 g/kg lipid) were formulated to contain 3.69 (control), 5.45, 7.31,11.17, 19.43 and 33.94 mg/kg pyridoxine. Four groups of 30 fish (3.85 ± 0.01 g) per tank (300-L cylindrical fiberglass tanks) for each diet were fed to apparent satiation twice daily for 63 days. Blood, intestine and hepatopancreas samples were obtained for metabolic, enzymatic activities and antioxidant properties analyses. The results showed that significantly higher weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), protein retention efficiency (PRE), whole-body crude protein, intestinal protease, alkaline phosphatase, Na+/K+-ATPase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and significantly lower feed conversion ratio were observed in fish fed diet with 7.31 mg/kg compared to those in control group (P

Most osteoporosis (OP) fracture accidents in men are due not only to a low BMD but also because of unhealthy muscle support. However, there has been a limited number of reports about how muscle metabolism is disturbed by OP in males. In this work, a pathway analysis based on metabolomic research was carried out to fill this gap. A classical orchiectomy procedure was adapted to create an OP animal model. A micro-CT and pathological section were applied for a bone and muscle phenotype assessment and a pathology analysis. UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS were applied to measure metabolites in skeletal muscle samples among groups. In total, 31 significantly differential metabolites were detected by comparing healthy models and OP animals, and 7 representative metabolites among the 31 significantly differential metabolites were identified and validated experimentally by UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS (xanthine, L-phenylalanine, choline, hypoxanthine, L-tryptophan, succinic acid, and L-tyrosine). An ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) analysis revealed significantly enriched pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, and necrosis. To our best knowledge, this is the first study to investigate early muscle disorder processes in Cases of OP at a metabolic level, facilitating early intervention and protection from OP fractures for aged men.

In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of Stichopus chloronotus. The mitogenome was 16,247 base pairs (58.55% A + T content) in length, comprising a total of 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. To resolve the phylogenetic position of S. chloronotus, we analyzed all mitochondrial protein-coding genes from 27 species within the Echinodermata. The results showed that S. chloronotus belonged to the family Stichopodidae and was more closely related to tropical Stichopus species (S. horrens and S. monotuberculatus) than to other species. Our results will be useful for evolutionary analysis of sea cucumber species.

Upon DNA damage, numerous proteins are targeted for ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation, which is an integral part of the DNA repair program. Although details of the ubiquitination processes have been intensively studied, little is known about whether and how the 26S proteasome is regulated in the DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we show that human Rpn10/PSMD4, one of the three ubiquitin receptors of the 26S proteasome, is rapidly phosphorylated in response to different types of DNA damage. The phosphorylation occurs at Rpn10-Ser266 within a conserved SQ motif recognized by ATM/ATR/DNA-PK. Blockade of S266 phosphorylation attenuates homologous recombination-mediated DNA repair and sensitizes cells to genotoxic insults. In vitro and in cellulo experiments indicate that phosphorylation of S266, located in the flexible linker between the two ubiquitin-interacting motifs (UIMs) of Rpn10, alters the configuration of UIMs, and actually reduces ubiquitin chain (substrate) binding. As a result, essential DDR proteins such as BRCA1 are spared from premature degradation and allowed sufficient time to engage in DNA repair, a scenario supported by proximity labeling and quantitative proteomic studies. These findings reveal an inherent self-limiting mechanism of the proteasome that, by controlling substrate recognition through Rpn10 phosphorylation, fine-tunes protein degradation for optimal responses under stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]