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IntroductionFruit color significantly influences the quality of horticultural crops, which affects phytochemical diversity and consumer preferences. Despite its importance, the genetic basis of the white-colored fruit in tomatoes remains poorly understood.MethodsIn this study, we demonstrate that white-fleshed tomato varieties accumulate fewer carotenoids than yellow-fleshed varieties. We developed various segregating populations by hybridizing red, yellow, and white fruit tomato cultivars.ResultsGenetic analysis revealed that the white fruit color trait is controlled by a single gene that dominates both red and yellow fruits. Bulk segregant RNA sequencing provided a preliminary map of a 3.17 Mb region on chromosome 3 associated with the white color trait. Based on kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers, we narrowed the candidate gene region to 819 kb. Within this region, we identified a 4906-bp sequence absence variation near Phytoene Synthase 1 (SlPSY1) specific to white-colored tomatoes. Genotyping of the progeny and natural populations using a single nucleotide polymorphism adjacent to this absence of variation confirmed its key role in white fruit formation.DiscussionCollectively, our findings provide insights into white fruit trait formation in tomatoes, enabling tomato breeders to precisely introduce white fruit traits for commercial exploitation.

Summary: The traditional parameter adjustment design makes it difficult to effectively regulate the acoustic insulation performance of periodic sandwich structures while meeting the lightweight and mechanical stiffness requirements. A dynamic three-field floating projection topology optimization (FPTO) method for periodic structures is proposed to meet the optimization requirements of low-noise and high-stiffness performance of lightweight periodic sandwich structures. The sound transmission loss is taken as the optimization objective, and the lightweight volume and mechanical stiffness performance are taken as the multiple constraints. The results show that a smooth topology configuration with superior sound insulation performance, high stiffness, and a freely customizable number of periodic cores can be obtained via the proposed method. The accuracy and effectiveness of the presented method are verified via 3D printing technology and impedance tube sound insulation experiments, providing an important reference for the optimal design of lightweight composite structures for vibration and noise reduction in transportation equipment.

The significant progress in additive manufacturing has resulted in the development of well-engineered microstructures with innovative topological configurations, showcasing exceptional performance across diverse fields. Topology optimization is widely recognized as an advanced design tool that provides engineers with new insights for creating lightweight structures. As integration devices continue to trend towards miniaturization, the size effect in small-scale structures remains a persistent challenge. The absence of characteristic parameters to describe this size effect hinders proper explanation through traditional multiscale topology optimization based on classical mechanics. Therefore, we propose a size-dependent topology optimization framework for concurrent multiscale design involving multiple-phase materials. The modified couple stress theory is proposed to account for the size effect in small-scale structures. The numerical findings suggest that the size effect is significantly influenced by the ratio of elastic modulus, volume fraction, and width-to-length ratio of the representative volume element as its characteristic size approaches the length of the material. These results highlight the importance of considering size-dependent effects in topology optimization for multiscale design and provide valuable insights for engineers and researchers in this field.

This study aims to experimentally and numerically explore the bearing capacity of windshield glass for rail vehicles under projectile impact by gravel along the railway. The gravel particle sizes, ranging from 0.5 to 10 mm, were divided into 7 levels, and two conditions were chosen based on loading angles: 90° vertical impact and 45° oblique impact. Multiple gravel impacts were conducted based on the conversion of wind-blown sand flow intensity, analysing the difference in fracture velocity of windshield glass compared with single gravel impact. Finally, a stable 4 kPa wind pressure was applied to the windshield glass, and simultaneous gravel impact was performed. By comparing the impact test results without wind pressure, the weakening effect of wind pressure load on the impact resistance of windshield glass was analysed. Lastly, the dynamic process of projectile penetration and fracture of windshield glass was numerically simulated. This involved studying the crack propagation process and analysing the fracture velocity of windshield glass under projectiles made of different materials. By comparing the simulation and experimental results, the accuracy and reliability of this study were verified. The research results show that the larger the gravel particle size, the lower the chip and fracture velocities of the windshield glass. The chip velocity and fracture velocity of windshield glass under single gravel oblique impact at 45° are higher than those under vertical impact conditions, approximately 1.2 times and 1.13 times higher, respectively. Moreover, the fracture velocities under 3 and 6 gravel impacts are approximately 12 % and 20 % lower, respectively, compared to single gravel impact condition. Additionally, stress oscillations were observed to occur due to the cyclic process of stress accumulation, energy release through crack propagation, stress decline, and further stress accumulation. This was observed by tracking the stress state near the crack tip of the windshield glass.

A portable mass spectrometer (PMS) was combined with a mesoporous silica material (SBA-15) coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) Arrow to develop a rapid, easy-to-operate and sensitive method for detecting five veterinary drugs—amantadine, thiabendazole, sulfamethazine, clenbuterol, and ractopamine—in milk and chicken samples. Equipped with a pulsed direct current electrospray ionization source and a hyperboloid linear ion trap, the PMS can simultaneously detect all five analytes in approximately 30 s using a one-microliter sample. Unlike traditional large-scale instruments, this method shows great potential for on-site detection with no need for chromatographic pre-separation and minimal sample preparation. The SBA-15-SPME Arrow, fabricated via electrospinning, demonstrated superior extraction efficiency compared to commercially available SPME Arrows. Optimization of the coating preparation conditions and SPME procedures was conducted to enhance the extraction efficiency of the SBA-15-SPME Arrow. The extraction and desorption processes were optimized to require only 15 and 30 min, respectively. The SBA-15-SPME Arrow–PMS method showed high precision and sensitivity, with detection limits and quantitation limits of 2.8–9.3 µg kg−1 and 10–28 µg kg−1, respectively, in milk. The LOD and LOQ ranged from 3.5 to 11.7 µg kg−1 and 12 to 35 µg kg−1, respectively, in chicken. The method sensitivity meets the requirements of domestic and international regulations. This method was successfully applied to detect the five analytes in milk and chicken samples, with recoveries ranging from 85% to 116%. This approach represents a significant advancement in food safety by facilitating rapid, in-field monitoring of veterinary drug residues.

Triphenylmethane (TPM) fish drug residues and their metabolites exist in many aquiculture waters and can cause significant harm to consumers. Rapid, accurate, and simultaneous detection of their residues in foods is significant in protecting the safety of aquatic products. In the study, a new type of polydopamine coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-PDA) stir bar was prepared for the automatic sorptive extraction and enrichment of malachite green, leucomalachite green, crystal violet, and leucocrystal violet which are common TPM drugs used in aquaculture. The surface of PDMS matrix was first turned to hydrophilic by plasma treatment to enhance the evenness and stability of PDA coating. Therefore, the PDMS-PDA stir bar can enhance its extraction capacity and selectivity towards TPMs. These were due to the synergisitic adsorption capacities of PDA and PDMS towards the dyes. A hand-held stirring device was installed with the stir bar for on-site extraction. After that, a portable mass spectrometer directly detected the eluted targets without chromatography separation. Under the optimized conditions. The four analytes' lower detection limit of 0.16–0.38 μg L-1 was obtained. Within 35 min, the stir bar device, combing with a portable mass spectrometer, was used for rapid pretreatment and real sample analysis of four analytes with a recovery of 84.3–110 %. All these prove that the assay exhibited potential application prospects for the on-site detection of TPM residues in aquatic waters.

Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is one of the keystone pathogenic bacteria of periodontitis and peri-implantitis. This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effects and molecular mechanisms of trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC), a safe extract from natural plants, on P. gingivalis. Minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC) of TC were determined, and scanning and transmission electron microscopies were used to assess the morphological changes. The overall biomass was estimated, and the metabolic activity of biofilms was determined at different TC concentrations. A microarray-based bioinformatics analysis was performed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of TC-inhibited P. gingivalis, and significant differences among groups were determined. TC showed an inhibitory effect on the proliferation and survival of planktonic P. gingivalis, of which the MIC and MBC were 39.07 μg/mL and 78.13 μg/mL, respectively. TC also significantly suppressed the formation and metabolic activity of P. gingivalis biofilm. The results of the significant pathways and gene ontology (GO) analyses revealed that TC treatment inhibited two metabolic pathways, accompanied by the downregulation of relative genes of nitrogen metabolism (NrfA, NrfH, and PG_2213) and starch and sucrose metabolism (PG_1681, PG_1682, and PG_1683). Thus, this study confirmed TC to be a natural antimicrobial agent against P. gingivalis and further demonstrated that TC suppressed the microbial activity on P. gingivalis through the disruption of physiological metabolism, which might inhibit the growth and the biofilm formation of P. gingivalis.

In this study, a fluorescent (FL) aptasensor was developed for on-site detection of live Salmonella typhimurium (S.T.) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V.P.). Complementary DNA (cDNA) of aptamer (Apt)-functionalized multicolor polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-perovskite quantum dots (cDNA-POSS-PQDs) were used as encoded probes and combined with dual-stirring-bar-assisted signal amplification for pathogen quantification. In this system, bar 1 was labeled with the S.T. and V.P. Apts, and then bar 2 was functionalized with cDNA-POSS-PQDs. When S.T. and V.P. were introduced, pathogen-Apt complexes would form and be released into the supernatant from bar 1. Under agitation, the two complexes reached bar 2 and subsequently reacted with cDNA-POSS-PQDs, which were immobilized on MXene. Then, the encoded probes would be detached from bar 2 to generate FL signals in the supernatant. Notably, the pathogens can resume their free state and initiate next cycle. They swim between the two bars, and the FL signals can be gradually enhanced to maximum after several cycles. The FL signals from released encoded probes can be used to detect the analytes. In particular, live pathogens can be distinguished from dead ones by using an assay. The detection limits and linear range for S.T. and V.P. were 30 and 10 CFU/mL and 102–106 CFU/mL, respectively. Therefore, this assay has broad application potential for simultaneous on-site detection of various live pathogenic bacteria in water.

The certificateless cryptosystem can solve the problems of certificate management and key escrow at the same time, but its security model always assumes that Type II adversary (named malicious KGC) will not launch public key replacement attacks.This security assumption has certain limitations in real-world applications.As an efficient identity-based cryptographic scheme, SM9 signature scheme adopts R-ate bilinear pairing which has good security and high computational efficiency.However, it requires KGC to generate and manage keys for users, so it has the problem of key escrow.In view of the above problems, a certificateless signature scheme against malicious KGC was constructed based on blockchain and SM9 signature algorithm.Based on the properties of decentralization and tamper-proof of blockchain, the proposed scheme used the smart contract to record part of the public key corresponding to the user’s secret value on the blockchain.Then, the verifier can revoke the smart contract to query the user’s public key during the signature verification stage.Therefore, the proposed scheme ensured the authenticity of the user’s public key.The user’s private key consisted of the partial private key generated by KGC and a secret randomly chosen by the user.The user required the partial private key generated by KGC to endorse his identity identifier when the user generates the private key for the first time.Subsequently, the private key can be independently updated by changing the secret and the corresponding partial public key.During this process, the identity remains unchanged, which provided a viable solution for key management in decentralized application scenarios.The blockchain relied on the consensus mechanism to ensure the consistency of the distributed data.Based on the traceability of the blockchain, the change log of user’s partial public key was stored in the blockchain, which can trace the source of malicious public key replacement attacks and thereby prevent malicious KGC from launching public key replacement attacks.According to the experimental simulation and security proof results, the total overhead of signature and verification of the proposed scheme is only 7.4ms.Compared with similar certificateless signature schemes, the proposed scheme can effectively resist public key replacement attacks and has higher computational efficiency.

The authors make the following corrections to the published paper [...]

One of the most prevalent malignant tumors of the digestive tract is gastric cancer (GC). Age, high salt intake, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, and a diet deficient in fruits and vegetables are risk factors for the illness. A significant risk factor for gastric cancer is infection with H. pylori. Infecting gastric epithelial cells with virulence agents secreted by H. pylori can cause methylation of tumor genes or carcinogenic signaling pathways to be activated. Regulate downstream genes’ aberrant expression, albeit the precise mechanism by which this happens is unclear. Oncogene, oncosuppressor, and other gene modifications, as well as a number of different gene change types, are all directly associated to the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer. In this review, we describe comprehensive H. pylori and its virulence factors, as well as the activation of the NF-κB, MAPK, JAK/STAT signaling pathways, and DNA methylation following infection with host cells via virulence factors, resulting in abnormal gene expression. As a result, host-related proteins are regulated, and gastric cancer progression is influenced. This review provides insight into the H. pylori infection, summarizes a series of relevant papers, discusses the complex signaling pathways underlying molecular mechanisms, and proposes new approach to immunotherapy of this important disease.

In this work, high-frequency forced vibrations of lateral field excitation (LFE) devices with stepped electrodes based on monoclinic crystals GdCOB are modeled, and the influence laws of the device parameters (the step number, size, and thickness of the stepped electrodes) on the energy-trapping effects of the device are revealed. The results show that the step number has a significant effect on the energy-trapping effect of the device: with the increase in the step number, the stronger energy-trapping effect of the device can be obtained; with the increase in the thickness difference of two layers of electrodes, the energy-trapping effect of the device becomes stronger; with the increase in the difference of the electrode radius, the energy-trapping effect of the device is enhanced gradually. The results of this work can provide an important theoretical basis for the design of stepped-electrode LFE resonators and sensors with high-quality factors based on monoclinic crystals.

A simple, effective, and highly sensitive analytical approach was created and applied in this study for the accurate measurement of three β2-agonist residues (clenbuterol, salbutamol, and ractopamine) in meat samples. In the course of the experiment, new adsorbent molecular sieves (ZMS)@nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) composite materials were synthesized with the aid of hydrothermal synthesis. The composite adsorbent materials were prepared and characterized through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, fluorescence, and zeta potential. Four determinants affecting the extraction and elution’s efficiency, such as the amount of adsorbent, the extraction time, desorption time, and the amount of extraction salt, were substantially optimized. The analytes were quantified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Final results of the methodological validation reflected that the ZMS@N-CQDs composite materials were able to adsorb three β2-agonist residues well and had good reproducibility. In the meantime, all analytes indicated good linearity with coefficient of determination R2 ≥ 0.9908. The limit of detection was 0.7–2.0 ng·g−1, the limit of quantification varied from 2.4 to 5.0 ng·g−1, the precision was lower than 11.9%, and the spiked recoveries were in the range of 79.5–97.8%. To sum up, the proposed approach was quite effective, reliable, and convenient for the simultaneous analysis of multiple β2-agonist residues. Consequently, this kind of approach was successfully applied for the analysis of such compounds in meat samples.

The relaxor ferroelectric single crystal (1−x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xPbTiO3 (PMN-PT) has high piezoelectric constants, and thus has a good application prospect in the field of highly sensitive piezoelectric sensors. In this paper, for relaxor ferroelectric single crystal PMN-PT, the bulk acoustic wave characteristics on pure- and pseudo-lateral-field-excitation (pure- and pseudo-LFE) modes are investigated. LFE piezoelectric coupling coefficients and acoustic wave phase velocities for PMN-PT crystals in different cuts and electric field directions are calculated. On this basis, the optimal cuts of pure-LFE and pseudo-LFE modes of relaxor ferroelectric single crystal PMN-PT are obtained, namely, (zxt)45° and (zxtl)90°/90°, respectively. Finally, finite element simulations are carried out to verify the cuts of pure-LFE and pseudo-LFE modes. The simulation results show that the PMN-PT acoustic wave devices in pure-LFE mode have good energy-trapping effects. For PMN-PT acoustic wave devices in pseudo-LFE mode, when the device is in air, no obvious energy-trapping emerges; when the water (as a virtual electrode) is added to the surface of the crystal plate, an obvious resonance peak and the energy-trapping effect appears. Therefore, the PMN-PT pure-LFE device is suitable for gas-phase detections. While the PMN-PT pseudo-LFE device is suitable for liquid-phase detections. The above results verify the correctness of the cuts of the two modes. The research results provide an important basis for the development of highly sensitive LFE piezoelectric sensors based on relaxor ferroelectric single crystal PMN-PT.

Both live and dead Salmonella typhimurium (S.T) are harmful to human health, but there are differences in pathological mechanism, dosage, and security. It is crucial to develop a rapid and simultaneous assay to distinguish and quantify live and dead S.T in foods. Herein, one dual-mode biosensor for simultaneous detection of live and dead S.T was fabricated based on two phage probes, using portable bioluminescence and fluorescent meter as detectors, respectively. Firstly, a magnetic phage capture probe (M-P1) and a phage signal tag (P2-S) labeled with SYTO 13 fluorescent dye were prepared, respectively. Both M-P1 and P2-S can specifically conjugate with S.T to form a magnetic sandwich complex. After magnetic separation, the isolated complex can emit a fluorescent signal under an excited 365 nm laser, which can reflect the total amount of S.T. Afterwards, the lysozyme was added to decompose the captured live S.T, which can release ATP and produce a bioluminescent signal corresponding to the live S.T amount. The dead S.T concentration can be deduced by the difference between total and live examples. The detection limit of 55 CFU/mL for total S.T and 9 CFU/mL for live ones was within 20 min. The assay was successfully employed in milk samples and prospectively for on-site screening of other dead and live bacteria, while changing the phages for the targets.

The rapid and specific point-of-care (POC) analysis of virulent pathogenic strains plays a key role in ensuring food quality and safety. In this work, a paper-based fluorescent phage biosensor was developed for the detection of the virulent E. coli O157:H7 strain (as the mode of virulent pathogens) in food samples. Firstly, phages that can specifically combine with E. coli O157:H7 (E. coli) were stained with SYTO-13 dye to prepare a novel fluorescent probe (phage@SYTO). Simultaneously, a micro-porous membrane filter with a pore size of 0.45 μm was employed as a paper chip so as to retain the E. coli-phage@SYTO complex (>1.2 μm) on its surface. The phage@SYTO (200 nm in size) was able to pass through the pores of the chip, and the complex could be retained on the paper chip using the free phage@SYTO probes. The E. coli-phage@SYTO could emit a visual fluorescent signal (excited at 365 nm; emitted at 520 nm) onto the chip, which could be detected by a smartphone to reflect the concentration of E. coli. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit was as low as 50 CFU/mL (S/N = 3) and exhibited a wide linear range from 102 to 106 CFU/mL. The sensor has potential application value for the quick and specific POCT detection of virulent E. coli in foods.

The content of aluminum in 89SrCl2 crude material is an important parameter for quality control. The accurate measurement of that in 89SrCl2 solution is the basis of quality control and process improvement. In this paper, we use HR-ICP-MS to determine the aluminum content in 89SrCl2 solution, and we have established the method of sample preparation and constructing calibration curve, and the optimal mass spectrometry conditions were also determined. The effect of hydrochloric acid system, acidity and strontium matrix on the measurement of aluminum concentration were studied by a series of contrast experiments. Moreover, the source and the elimination method of mass spectrum interferences and aluminum background were also investigated by internal standard selection experiments. The experimental results show that the hydrochloric acid system has no significant effect on the measurement, and the 0.5% HCl system can be used as the matrix solution for standard and sample dilution. When the yttrium was selected as the internal standard, the double charged ion interferences and polyatomic ion interferences of aluminum could be eliminated with a resolution of 4 000 (10% valley), and the detection limit of this method could reach 39 ng/L. The method here can be used to measure the content of aluminum in 89SrCl2 solution quickly and accurately, which can meet the requirements of product quality control and process improvement.

On-site determination of trace copper ions in natural waters is of great significance to environmental monitoring, and how to develop accurate and specific point-of-care test methods is one critical issue. In the study, a paper-based analytical device (PAD) being modified with a new truncated DNAzyme (CLICK-T, which was derived from a reported DNAzyme-CLICK-17) was developed for Cu ions detection. The detection mechanism was based on Cu(II)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (Cu(II)AAC) reaction. It can directly conduct on-site analysis of Cu(II) ions based on fluorescent signals detected using a mobile phone. In the assay, the CLICK-T was firstly modified on the PADs. Then, water samples containing Cu ions mixed with 3-azido-7-hydroxycoumarin and 3-butyn-1-ol were instantly dripped on PADs and incubated for 20 min. Finally, the PADs were excited at 365 nm and emitted fluorescence which could be analyzed on site using smart phones. The Cu(II) concentration could be quantified through RGB analysis with the aid of iPhone APP software. The limit of detection is 0.1 µM by the naked eye due to the fact that CLICK-T exhibited a good catalytic effect on Cu(II)AAC. The Cu(II) concentration could also be directly detected without using reductant, such as ascorbic acid, which is prone to be oxidized in air. This simplifies the PDA detection process improves its efficiency. The PAD is convenient for the on-site analysis of Cu ions in natural waters.

Objective: To explore the effects of clinical nursing pathway (CNP) on the postoperative satisfaction and quality of life (QOL) of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods: This is a retrospective study. Eighty patients with SAH admitted to Baoding No.1 Central Hospital from June 2021 to January 2023 were prospectively divided into a observation group and a control group by random numbers. The control group was given routine nursing, and the observation group was additional given CNP. The prognosis, cognitive function, QOL, self-care ability, nursing satisfaction and the incidence of complications were compared between the two groups. Results: After CNP nursing, the GCS and MMSE scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group 14 days, one month and six months after the operation; and the difference was statistically significant (p< 0.05). Six months after the operation, the SS-QOL and Ability of daily living (ADL) scores in both groups were significantly improved compared with those before the intervention; and the improvement in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group; and the difference was statistically significant(p<0.05). The nursing satisfaction score in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group. The total incidence of complications in the observation group was lower than that in the control group. Conclusions: The CNP intervention in perioperative period of SAH patients has remarkable clinical effect, can improve the pertinence and efficiency of nursing, promote patients to recover as soon as possible, significantly improve the QOL of patients, and is worthy of clinical popularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives Shigella is a human pathogen that causes shigellosis, an acute invasive intestinal infection. Recent studies in the model bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) provided evidence that small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) can contribute to antimicrobial resistance or susceptibility. One of the sRNAs is SdsR, which increases sensitivity of E. coli against fluoroquinolone by repressing the drug efflux pump, TolC. However, no reports exist about the effect of SdsR on fluoroquinolone resistance in Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei). In this study, we established the effect of SdsR on the sensitivity of S. sonnei to norfloxacin. Data description We tested the effects of SdsR and SdsRv2 on fluoroquinolone resistance in S. sonnei in vivo. SdsRv2 is a synthetic version which promotes higher binding stability to tolC mRNA. Overexpression of either SdsR or SdsRv2 lowers the expression of tolC mRNA. Interestingly, SdsR and SdsRv2 promote the growth of S. sonnei in the presence of a sub-inhibitory concentration of norfloxacin. Mutant carrying SdsRv2 showed the highest growth advantage. This phenotype is opposite to the effect of SdsR reported in E. coli. This study is an example that demonstrates the difference in the phenotypic effect of a highly conserved sRNA in two closely related bacteria.

With the aging of the population, dental caries in the elderly has received increasing attention. A comprehensive study of the oral microbiome is required to understand its polymicrobial etiology. The results of previous studies are limited and remain controversial. In this study, subjects 60 years and older with and without caries were recruited. Unstimulated saliva and dental plaque were collected from each subject and the bacterial 16S rDNA was amplified using PCR and sequenced by Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing. A total of 92 samples were collected from 24 caries patients and 22 healthy controls. Sequences clustered into 147,531 OTUs, representing 16 phyla, 29 classes, 49 orders, 79 families, 149 genera, and 305 species. All predominant phyla, including Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Saccharibacteria, were largely consistent in different groups, but different relative abundances could be observed. The core microbiome was defined with 246 shared species among groups, which occupied 80.7% of all the species detected. Alpha diversity showed no significant differences in bacterial richness or diversity between caries patients and healthy controls, but distinction existed between samples collected from dental plaque and saliva. Beta diversity analysis was performed by PCoA and hierarchical clustering analysis, showing similar results that microorganisms vary between the two niches. The biomarkers of different groups were defined by LEfSe analysis to identify potential caries-related and health-related bacteria. The co-occurrence analysis of the predominant genera revealed significant interactions among oral microbiota and exhibited more complex and aggregated bacterial correlations in caries-free groups. Finally, the functional prediction of the microbiota present in oral samples was performed by PICRUSt, indicating vigorous microbial metabolism in the oral bacterial community. Our study provides thorough knowledge of the microbiological etiology of elderly individuals with caries and is expected to provide novel methods for its prevention and treatment.