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BackgroundAlthough the pathology and bacterial status of the “normal” bone stump after operation of diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) are of great significance for the prognosis of foot wounds, there are only a few studies on this topic; hence, it is clinically relevant and urgent to study this topic.MethodsThe data of 57 inpatients with DFO from June 2021 to April 2022 were collected, all of whom had DFO in the forefoot and underwent conservative surgery. After the surgical removal of necrotic bone, bone biopsies were taken from the necrotic phalangeal bone and the reserved “normal” metatarsal stump. They were cultured, after which antibiotic susceptibility test and pathological screening were carried out. According to clinical judgment, inpatients’ wounds were divided into metatarsal affected group and metatarsal unaffected group. We then compared and analyzed the pathological and bacterial characteristics of preserved “normal” bone stump and its effect on wound healing and prognosis.ResultsThe poor concordance rate between deep soft tissue culture and infected phalange culture was only 19.3%. The deep soft tissue (72.6%), infected phalange (70.7%), and metatarsal stump (71.4%) were mainly infected with gram-negative Bacillus. The proportion of Enterococcus spp. increased significantly in bone tissue. Acinetobacter baumannii had the highest drug resistance (88%, 22/25). There was no significant difference in several clinical characteristics and wound healing regardless of whether their metatarsal stumps were affected. Most reserved “normal” metatarsal stumps (84.2%, 48/57) were positive by pathological diagnosis and bacterial culture testing; only 15.7% (9/57) samples were truly sterile. Only 8.3% (4/48) of the former patients healed within 6 months; whereas, all the latter (9/9) patients healed within 6 months. However, the majority (89.6%, 43/48) could heal. There was no difference in operations, skin grafting, negative pressure wound therapy, and mortality between the two groups.ConclusionThe most reserved “normal” metatarsal stumps have been invaded by bacteria. However, the majority stumps can be preserved, and the wound will eventually be healed according to the pathological and bacterial culture results.

The purpose of this experiment was to isolate and screen Bacillus with excellent probiotic properties from healthy donkey feces for the preparation of donkey microecological preparations. The isolated strains were identified by morphological observation, physiological and biochemical tests and 16S rRNA PCR. The biological characteristics of the isolated strains were preliminarily studied. The results showed that 12 strains of Bacillus were isolated and identified, including three strains of Bacillus subtilis, three strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, two strains of Bacillus altitudinis, two strains of Bacillus pumilus, one strain of Bacillus toyonensis and one strain of Bacillus mojavensis, numbered LV-1~LV-12. Five strains of the isolated bacteria had hydrolysis circles on cellulase, protease and amylase selective medium. LV-2 had the best enzyme production performance, and its tolerance to low pH, gastrointestinal fluid and bile salt were better than other isolates. 12 strains of Bacillus were able to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Pasteurella, respectively, and were resistant to enrofloxacin, lincomycin, aztreonam and ceftazidime. The security test showed that 12 strains of Bacillus were safe and non-pathogenic to mice. The study indicates that Bacillus subtilis LV-2 has a strong ability to produce hydrolases, has antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pasteurella, has good stress resistance, is sensitive to most antibiotics, and is safe and nonpathogenic. It can be used as a candidate strain for the subsequent development of donkey-derived probiotic preparations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundEarly identification and intervention of diabetic peripheral neuropathy is beneficial to improve clinical outcome.ObjectiveTo establish a risk prediction model for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsThe derivation cohort was from a meta-analysis. Risk factors and the corresponding risk ratio (RR) were extracted. Only risk factors with statistical significance were included in the model and were scored by their weightings. An external cohort were used to validate this model. The outcome was the occurrence of DPN.ResultsA total of 95,604 patients with T2DM from 18 cohorts were included. Age, smoking, body mass index, duration of diabetes, hemoglobin A1c, low HDL-c, high triglyceride, hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease were enrolled in the final model. The highest score was 52.0. The median follow-up of validation cohort was 4.29 years. The optimal cut-off point was 17.0, with a sensitivity of 0.846 and a specificity of 0.668, respectively. According to the total scores, patients from the validation cohort were divided into low-, moderate-, high- and very high-risk groups. The risk of developing DPN was significantly increased in moderate- (RR 3.3, 95% CI 1.5–7.2, P = 0.020), high- (RR 15.5, 95% CI 7.6–31.6, P < 0.001), and very high-risk groups (RR 45.0, 95% CI 20.5–98.8, P < 0.001) compared with the low-risk group.ConclusionA risk prediction model for DPN including 11 common clinical indicators were established. It is a simple and reliable tool for early prevention and intervention of DPN in patients with T2DM.

The SiC particle (SiCp) reinforced magnesium matrix composite powders (AZ91‒xSiCp, x=5%, 10%, 15%, volume fraction) were synthesized by mechanical milling. After the mechanical milling, the grain size of the magnesium matrix was refined to nanoscale, and the ultrafine SiC particles were dispersed into the magnesium matrix uniformly. The effect of SiCp on the microstructure of the milled nanocrystalline AZ91 magnesium alloys was analyzed. In the results, SiCp could accelerate the refining of magnesium matrix. Meanwhile, both the dissolving of Al element into the magnesium matrix and the refining of SiCp are inhibited due to the increasing of SiCp. The hardness of AZ91‒xSiCp composites (x=5%, 10%, 15%) is HV 166, HV 175, and HV 185, respectively. The contribution ratio of grain boundary strengthening, Orowan strengthening, solid solution strengthening, and load-bearing strengthening to the milled AZ91‒xSiCp composites is about 86.9%, 7.4%, 1.8% and 3.8%, respectively.

Established a model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis in mice, pathological sections and myeloperoxidase were used to detect the degree of tissue damage, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, meanwhile fluorescence quantitative PCR experiments were performed to detect the mRNA expression of CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK signalling pathway, and the faeces of mice were collected for 16S measurement of flora. The results showed that Abrus cantoniensis total flavonoids (ATF) could significantly reduce the damage of LPS on mammary tissue in mice and inhibit the secretion of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. At the mRNA level, ATF inhibited the expression of CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway and enhanced the expression of tight junction proteins in the blood-milk barrier. In the results of the intestinal flora assay, ATF were found to be able to regulate the relative abundance of the dominant flora from the phylum level to the genus level, restoring LPS-induced gut microbial dysbiosis. In summary, ATF attenuated the inflammatory response of LPS on mouse mammary gland by inhibiting the expression of CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway, enhancing the expression of tight junction proteins and restoring LPS-induced gut microbial dysbiosis. This suggests that ATF could be a potential herbal remedy for mastitis.

Simple Summary: OsHV-1 is one of two herpesviruses known to infect invertebrates; this pathogen has emerged as the primary etiology responsible for mass mortalities in the species. The pathological characteristics, tissue and cellular tropisms of OsHV-1 in Anadara broughtonii (A. broughtonii) remain unknown. The objective of this study was to characterize the pathological changes and tissue tropism during the development of an OsHV-1 infection in A. broughtonii. The results demonstrated that hemocytes and fibroblastic-like cells were the primary cellular targets of OsHV-1. Additionally, lesions, infiltrated hemocytes, and co-localized ISH signals were identified in the muscular tissues of the foot and adductor muscle. These findings contribute to the understanding of OsHV-1 pathogenesis in Arcidae mollusks. OsHV-1 caused detrimental infections in a variety of bivalve species of major importance to aquaculture worldwide. Since 2012, there has been a notable increase in the frequency of mass mortality events of the blood clam associated with OsHV-1 infection. The pathological characteristics, tissue and cellular tropisms of OsHV-1 in A. broughtonii remain unknown. In this study, we sought to investigate the distribution of OsHV-1 in five different organs (mantle, hepatopancreas, gill, foot, and adductor muscle) of A. broughtonii by quantitative PCR, histopathology and in situ hybridization (ISH), to obtain insight into the progression of the viral infection. Our results indicated a continuous increase in viral loads with the progression of OsHV-1 infection, reaching a peak at 48 h or 72 h post-infection according to different tissues. Tissue damage and necrosis, as well as colocalized OsHV-1 ISH signals, were observed primarily in the connective tissues of various organs and gills. Additionally, minor tissue damage accompanied by relatively weak ISH signals was detected in the foot and adductor muscle, which were filled with muscle tissue. The predominant cell types labeled by ISH signals were infiltrated hemocytes, fibroblastic-like cells, and flat cells in the gill filaments. These results collectively illustrated the progressive alterations in pathological confusion and OsHV-1 distribution in A. broughtonii, which represent most of the possible responses of cells and tissues to the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial photosynthesis using carbon nitride (g-C3N4) holds a great promise for sustainable and cost-effective H2O2 production, but the high carrier recombination rate impedes its efficiency. To tackle this challenge, we propose an innovative method involving multispecies iodine mediators (I−/I3−) intercalation through a pre-photo-oxidation process using potassium iodide (suspected deteriorated "KI") within the g-C3N4 framework. Moreover, we introduce an external electric field by incorporating cationic methyl viologen ions to establish an auxiliary electron transfer channel. Such a unique design drastically improves the separation of photo-generated carriers, achieving an impressive H2O2 production rate of 46.40 mmol g−1 h−1 under visible light irradiation, surpassing the most visible-light H2O2-producing systems. Combining various advanced characterization techniques elucidates the inner photocatalytic mechanism, and the application potential of this photocatalytic system is validated with various simulation scenarios. This work presents a significative strategy for preparing and applying highly efficient g-C3N4-based catalysts in photochemical H2O2 production. H2O2 photosynthesis using g-C3N4 is considered an alternative to anthraquinone processes. Inspired by the optical instability of potassium iodide, the I− /I3− internal redox mediator and external electric field are integrated into the g-C3N4, achieving satisfactory H2O2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this experiment was to study the changes of quality, nutritional index, and microbial content of corn-soybean meal feed after fermentation with different compound probiotics, and to screen the best compound probiotic fermentation agent suitable for corn-soybean meal feed fermentation. The composite probiotics were compounded by Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Lactobacillus and yeast according to different strains and doses. The composite probiotics were inoculated with 5% of compound probiotics, and the water content was 55%. The naturally fermented feed without complex probiotics was used as the control group. Anaerobic fermented feed for 21 days was used as experimental groups, which were divided into fermentation group A (Bacillus subtilis: Bacillus licheniformis: Saccharomyces cerevisiae=2: 2: 1), fermentation group B (Bacillus subtilis: Bacillus licheniformis: yeast JM3=2: 2: 1), fermentation group C (Bacillus subtilis: Lactobacillus: Saccharomyces cerevisiae=2: 2: 1). The feed quality, nutritional index and probiotic content after fermentation were measured. The results showed that the feed color of probiotic fermentation group had little difference, all of which were golden yellow, and the smell was wine or mellow. The feed of the control group showed yellow brown and corn flour flavor. Compared with the control group, the number of probiotics increased significantly (P<0.05), the pH value decreased significantly in the probiotic fermentation groups (P<0.05), and the pH value of fermentation group C was the lowest, which was 3.90. Compared with the control group, the concentrations of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in the probiotic fermentation group decreased, while the concentrations of crude protein, crude ash, fat and starch increased, and the fermentation group C was the best. Compared with the control group, the content of P in the fermentation group C increased significantly (P<0.05), and the metabolizable energy, net energy, net energy of weight gain, and net energy of maintenance increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the total fatty acid content in the probiotic fermentation groups was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the linoleic acid content and palmitic acid content in the fermentation group C were significantly increased (P<0.05). The study indicates that the sensory properties, nutritional indexes, calcium, phosphorus, metabolizable energy, and fatty acid indexes of corn-soybean meal feed fermented by compound probiotics were improved. Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus, and Saccharomyces cerevisae have the best fermentation effect on corn-soybean meal feed in a ratio of 2:2:1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimAcute hyperglycemia is closely related to kidney injury. Oxidative stress activation and notable mitochondria damages were found under acute hyperglycemia treatment in our previous work. In the present study, we explored the dose-effect relationship and the pivotal role of mitophagy in acute hyperglycemia induced tubular injuries.MethodsForty non-diabetic SD rats were randomly divided and treated with different concentrations of hyperglycemia respectively during the 6-h clamp experiment. Renal morphological and functional alterations were detected. Rat renal tubular epithelial cells were treated with different concentrations of glucose for 6 h. Markers and the regulation pathway of mitophagy were analyzed.ResultsSignificant tubular injuries but not glomeruli were observed under both light and electron microscope after acute hyperglycemia treatment, which manifested as enlargement of tubular epithelial cells, disarrangement of epithelial cell labyrinths and swelling of mitochondria. Urinary microalbumin, β2-MG, CysC, NAG, GAL, and NGAL were increased significantly with the increase of blood glucose (P < 0.05). ROS was activated, mitochondrial membrane potential and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio were decreased but P62 and BNIP3L/Nix were increased in hyperglycemia groups (P < 0.05), which were reversed by AMPK activation or mTOR inhibition.ConclusionAcute hyperglycemia causes obvious tubular morphological and functional injuries in a dose-dependent manner. Acute hyperglycemia could inhibit mitophagy through AMPK/mTOR pathway, which would aggravate mitochondria damage and renal tubular impairment.

Abrus cantoniensis is a Chinese herbal medicine with efficacy in clearing heat and detoxification, as well as relieving liver pain. The whole plant, except the seeds, can be used and consumed. Flavonoids have been found in modern pharmacological studies to have important biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The antibacterial and antioxidant bioactivities of the total flavonoids of Abrus cantoniensis (ATF) have been widely reported in national and international journals, but there are fewer studies on their anti-inflammatory effects. The present study focused on the optimization of the ultrasonic extraction process of ATF by response surface methodology and the study of its anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the factors that had a great impact on the ATF extraction were the material-to-liquid ratio, ultrasonic extraction cycles and ethanol concentration. The best extraction process used a material-to-liquid ratio of 1:47, ultrasonic extraction cycles of 4 times, an ethanol concentration of 50%, an ultrasonic extraction time of 40 min and an ultrasonic power of 125 W. Under these conditions, the actual extraction rate of total flavonoids was 3.68%, which was not significantly different from the predicted value of 3.71%. In an in vitro anti-inflammatory assay, ATF was found to be effective in alleviating LPS (lipopolysaccharide)-induced inflammation in mouse peritoneal macrophages. In an in vivo anti-inflammatory assay, ATF was found to have a significant inhibitory effect on xylene-induced ear swelling in mice and cotton ball granuloma in mice, and the inhibitory effect was close to that of the positive control drug dexamethasone. This may provide a theoretical basis for the further development of the medicinal value of Abrus cantoniensis.