Prevalence of hepatitis E virus in swine in China: a systematic review with meta-analysis (2004-2023).

Introduction: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute hepatitis in humans and recognized as a zoonotic pathogen, with swine serving as a primary reservoir. Despite substantial research, comprehensive analysis encompassing regional variations and pig growth stages within China, as well as the influence of recent biosecurity measures on HEV prevalence, remains limited. In this study, we aim to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with swine HEV in China.

Decoding heterogeneous single-cell perturbation responses.

Understanding how cells respond differently to perturbation is crucial in cell biology, but existing methods often fail to accurately quantify and interpret heterogeneous single-cell responses. Here we introduce the perturbation-response score (PS), a method to quantify diverse perturbation responses at a single-cell level. Applied to single-cell perturbation datasets such as Perturb-seq, PS outperforms existing methods in quantifying partial gene perturbations.

Parallel genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screens uncouple human pluripotent stem cell identity versus fitness.

Pluripotent stem cells have remarkable self-renewal capacity: the ability to proliferate indefinitely while maintaining the pluripotent identity essential for their ability to differentiate into almost any cell type in the body. To investigate the interplay between these two aspects of self-renewal, we perform four parallel genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens interrogating stem cell fitness in hPSCs and the dissolution of primed pluripotent identity during early differentiation. These screens distinguish genes with distinct roles in pluripotency regulation, including mitochondrial and metabolism regulators crucial for stem cell fitness, and chromatin regulators that control pluripotent identity during early differentiation.

Redesigning glycolaldehyde synthase for the synthesis of biorefinery feedstock D-xylulose from C1 compounds.

Global climate deterioration intensifies the demand for exploiting efficient CO utilization approaches. Converting CO to biorefinery feedstock affords an alternative strategy for third-generation biorefineries. However, upcycling CO into complex chiral carbohydrates remains a major challenge.

Virucidal effects of eucalyptus essential oil on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

Currently, the efficacy of vaccination for preventing and controlling PRRSV is insufficient. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel effective preventive strategies. This study aimed to investigate the antiviral effect of Eucalyptus essential oil (EEO) against PRRSV .

The interplay between the proposer's role model and moral behavior modulates proposal processing in the Ultimatum Game: An ERP study.

Economic decision-making plays a paramount role in both individual and national interests. Individuals have fairness preferences in economic decision-making, but a proposer's moral-related information may affect fairness considerations. In prior ERP studies, researchers have suggested moral identity influences fairness preferences in the Ultimatum Game (UG), but there are discrepancies in the results.

Expanded PAH analysis of household air pollution in a rural region of China with high lung cancer incidence.

The domestic combustion of locally sourced smoky (bituminous) coal in Xuanwei and Fuyuan counties, China, is responsible for some of the highest lung cancer rates in the world. Recent research has pointed to methylated PAHs (mPAHs), particularly 5-methylchrysene (5MC), within coal combustion products as a driving factor. Here we describe measurements of mPAHs in Xuanwei and Fuyuan derived from controlled burnings (i.

A Light-Driven In Vitro Enzymatic Biosystem for the Synthesis of α-Farnesene from Methanol.

Terpenoids of substantial industrial interest are mainly obtained through direct extraction from plant sources. Recently, microbial cell factories or in vitro enzymatic biosystems have emerged as promising alternatives for terpenoid production. Here, we report a route for the synthesis of α-farnesene based on an in vitro enzyme cascade reaction using methanol as an inexpensive and renewable C1 substrate.

Seroprevalence survey of Hepatitis E Virus in Domestic Pigs in Guangdong, China.

The Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute and chronic Hepatitis E and is a global public health concern. HEV genotypes 3 (HEV-3) and 4 (HEV-4) are common to humans and animals, and domestic pigs and wild boars have been identified as the main reservoirs. However, limited information is available on the status of HEV infection in pigs, particularly in the Guangdong Province, China.

Identification and characterization of a potential strain for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate from glycerol.

While poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) holds promise as a bioplastic, its commercial utilization has been hampered by the high cost of raw materials. However, glycerol emerges as a viable feedstock for PHB production, offering a sustainable production approach and substantial cost reduction potential. Glycerol stands out as a promising feedstock for PHB production, offering a pathway toward sustainable manufacturing and considerable cost savings.

Glucose Transporters Are Key Components of the Human Glucostat.

Mouse models are extensively used in metabolic studies. However, inherent differences between the species, notably their blood glucose levels, hampered data translation into clinical settings. In this study, we confirmed GLUT1 to be the predominantly expressed glucose transporter in both adult and fetal human β-cells.

Proposer's moral identity modulates fairness processing in the ultimatum game: Evidence from behavior and brain potentials.

Economic decision-making is pivotal to both human private interests and the national economy. People pursue fairness in economic decision-making, but a proposer's moral identity can influence fairness processing. Previous ERP studies have revealed that moral identity has an effect on fairness considerations in the Ultimatum Game (UG), but the findings are inconsistent.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis of the antibacterial mechanism of silver nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant .

Background: The increase in antibiotic resistance of bacteria has become a major concern in clinical treatment. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have significant antibacterial effects against . Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of AgNPs against multidrug-resistant .

Decoding Heterogenous Single-cell Perturbation Responses.

Understanding diverse responses of individual cells to the same perturbation is central to many biological and biomedical problems. Current methods, however, do not precisely quantify the strength of perturbation responses and, more importantly, reveal new biological insights from heterogeneity in responses. Here we introduce the perturbation-response score (PS), based on constrained quadratic optimization, to quantify diverse perturbation responses at a single-cell level.

Construction of an artificial phosphoketolase pathway that efficiently catabolizes multiple carbon sources to acetyl-CoA.

The canonical glycolysis pathway is responsible for converting glucose into 2 molecules of acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) through a cascade of 11 biochemical reactions. Here, we have designed and constructed an artificial phosphoketolase (APK) pathway, which consists of only 3 types of biochemical reactions. The core enzyme in this pathway is phosphoketolase, while phosphatase and isomerase act as auxiliary enzymes.

Chromatin regulation of transcriptional enhancers and cell fate by the Sotos syndrome gene NSD1.

Nuclear receptor-binding SET-domain protein 1 (NSD1), a methyltransferase that catalyzes H3K36me2, is essential for mammalian development and is frequently dysregulated in diseases, including Sotos syndrome. Despite the impacts of H3K36me2 on H3K27me3 and DNA methylation, the direct role of NSD1 in transcriptional regulation remains largely unknown. Here, we show that NSD1 and H3K36me2 are enriched at cis-regulatory elements, particularly enhancers.

Discovery of Competent Chromatin Regions in Human Embryonic Stem Cells.

Unlabelled: The mechanisms underlying the ability of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to rapidly activate lineage-specific genes during differentiation remain largely unknown. Through multiple CRISPR-activation screens, we discovered human ESCs have pre-established transcriptionally competent chromatin regions (CCRs) that support lineage-specific gene expression at levels comparable to differentiated cells. CCRs reside in the same topological domains as their target genes.

PRPF8 controls alternative splicing of PIRH2 to modulate the p53 pathway and survival of human ESCs.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have great potential for developmental biology and regenerative medicine. However, extensive apoptosis often occurs when hESCs respond to various stresses or injuries. Understanding the molecular control and identifying new factors associated with hESC survival are fundamental to ensure the high quality of hESCs.

Parallel genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screens uncouple human pluripotent stem cell identity versus fitness.

Pluripotent stem cells are defined by their self-renewal capacity, which is the ability of the stem cells to proliferate indefinitely while maintaining the pluripotent identity essential for their ability to differentiate into any somatic cell lineage. However, understanding the mechanisms that control stem cell fitness versus the pluripotent cell identity is challenging. To investigate the interplay between these two aspects of pluripotency, we performed four parallel genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens interrogating stem cell fitness in hPSC self-renewal conditions, and the dissolution of the primed pluripotency identity during early differentiation.

Household air pollution from, and fuel efficiency of, different coal types following local cooking practices in Xuanwei, China.

The domestic combustion of smoky (bituminous) coal in the Chinese counties of Xuanwei and Fuyuan, are responsible for some of the highest rates of lung cancer in the world. Cancer rates vary between coal producing regions (deposits) in the area, with coals from Laibin exhibiting particularly high risks and smokeless (anthracite) coal exhibiting lower risks. However, little information is available on the specific burning characteristics of coals from throughout the area.

Genetic Diversity for Accelerating Microbial Adaptive Laboratory Evolution.

Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) is a widely used and highly effective tool for improving microbial phenotypes and investigating the evolutionary roots of biological phenomena. Serving as the raw materials of evolution, mutations have been extensively utilized to increase the chances of engineering molecules or microbes with tailor-made functions. The generation of genetic diversity is therefore a core technology for accelerating ALE, and a high-quality mutant library is crucial to its success.

Chromosome-level genome of Himalayan yew provides insights into the origin and evolution of the paclitaxel biosynthetic pathway.

Taxus, commonly known as yew, is a well-known gymnosperm with great ornamental and medicinal value. In this study, by assembling a chromosome-level genome of the Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana) with 10.9 Gb in 12 chromosomes, we revealed that tandem duplication acts as the driving force of gene family evolution in the yew genome, resulting in the main genes for paclitaxel biosynthesis, i.

Low-operating temperature quasi-solid-state potassium-ion battery based on commercial materials.

Quasi-solid-state potassium-ion batteries (QSPIBs) are regarded as one of the most promising safety-enhanced energy storage devices. Herein, a facile method for preparing a potassium-ion composite electrolyte membrane on a large scale is presented for the first time. The as-synthesized membrane displays excellent electrochemical stability, good mechanical flexibility, and high ionic conductivity (9.

The preparation of iron phosphide using ionic liquids as iron and phosphorus sources for efficient hydrogen evolution reactions.

Ionic liquids (ILs) were utilized as iron and phosphorus sources for the preparation of iron phosphide for the first time. The IL trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium tetrachloroferrate ([P(CH)CH][FeCl]) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were applied as precursors for the preparation of FeP/CNTs. This material has good catalytic activity and stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction, including a low onset overpotential (75 mV) and Tafel slope (68 mV dec).