ATN-161 alleviates caerulein-induced pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis is a common gastrointestinal disorder that causes hospitalization with significant morbidity and mortality. The mechanistic pathophysiology of pancreatitis is complicated, limiting the discovery of pharmacological intervention methods. Here, we show that the administration of ATN-161, an antagonist of Integrin-α5, significantly mitigates the pathological condition of acute pancreatitis induced by caerulein.

The first large scale rDNA amplicon database of soil microbiomes from Pamir Plateau, China.

The Eastern Pamir, distinguished with high altitude, extremely arid and cold climate, limited nutrients and sparse vegetation, is a unique ecological reservoir. Microbial communities play a central role in maintaining Eastern Pamir's ecosystem functioning. Despite the ecological significance, due to the difficulty of sample collection and microbial isolation, the microbial diversity and its functionality at the Pamir Plateau have been rarely documented.

Development of autoimmune thyroid disease after COVID-19 infection: case report.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 could trigger multiple immune responses, leading to several autoimmune diseases, including thyroid diseases. Many cases of thyroid diseases caused by COVID-19 infection have been reported. Here, we describe the disease development of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease after COVID-19 infection.

Effect of fucoidan on gut microbiota and its clinical efficacy in Helicobacter pylori eradication: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of fucoidan-assisted standard quadruple therapy (SQT) in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication and the improvement of gut microbiota.

Methods: An open-label randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University in Shandong Province, China.

Global analysis of the biosynthetic chemical space of marine prokaryotes.

Background: Marine prokaryotes are a rich source of novel bioactive secondary metabolites for drug discovery. Recent genome mining studies have revealed their great potential to bio-synthesize novel secondary metabolites. However, the exact biosynthetic chemical space encoded by the marine prokaryotes has yet to be systematically evaluated.

Antipsychotic drugs induce vascular defects in hematopoietic organs.

Antipsychotic agents are clinically utilized to treat schizophrenia and other mental disorders. These drugs induce neurological and metabolic side effects, but their influence on blood vessels remains largely unknown. Here, we show that haloperidol, one of the most frequently prescribed antipsychotic agents, induces vascular defects in bone marrow.

Saccharina japonica fucan suppresses high fat diet-induced obesity and enriches fucoidan-degrading gut bacteria.

Low molecular weight seaweed polysaccharides exhibit promising potential as novel therapeutics for the prevention of obesity and gut microbiota dysbiosis. The interplay between polysaccharides and gut microbiota may play crucial roles in their anti-obesity effects, but is largely unknown, including the impact of polysaccharides on the composition of the gut microbiota with polysaccharide-degrading capacity. The primary structure of a 5.

Metagenomic analysis reveals wide distribution of phototrophic bacteria in hydrothermal vents on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge.

Unlabelled: Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are known as chemosynthetic ecosystems. However, high temperature vents emit light that hypothetically can drive photosynthesis in this habitat. Metagenomic studies have sporadically reported the occurrence of phototrophic populations such as cyanobacteria in hydrothermal vents.

Effects of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Patients With Septic Coagulopathy and Their Interaction With Autophagy.

Introduction: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) act as a critical trigger of inflammation and coagulation. We hypothesized that NETs are associated with septic hypercoagulability.

Materials And Methods: In total, 82 patients admitted with sepsis in the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Peking Union Medical College Hospital were enrolled between February 2017 and April 2018.

An atlas of bacterial secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters.

Bacterial secondary metabolites are rich sources of novel drug leads. The diversity of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in genome-sequenced bacteria, which will provide crucial information for the efficient discovery of novel natural products, has not been systematically investigated. Here, the distribution and genetic diversity of BGCs in 10 121 prokaryotic genomes (across 68 phyla) were obtained from their PRISM4 outputs using a custom python script.

Labeling of liver cells with CdSe/ZnS quantum dot-based fluorescence probe below freezing point.

In this paper, CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with particle size of 5.5 ~ 9.3 nm were synthesized, and the fluorescence emission ranged from 545 ~ 616 nm.

Reduced microbial stability in the active layer is associated with carbon loss under alpine permafrost degradation.

Permafrost degradation may induce soil carbon (C) loss, critical for global C cycling, and be mediated by microbes. Despite larger C stored within the active layer of permafrost regions, which are more affected by warming, and the critical roles of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in C cycling, most previous studies focused on the permafrost layer and in high-latitude areas. We demonstrate in situ that permafrost degradation alters the diversity and potentially decreases the stability of active layer microbial communities.

Metaproteomics reveals the molecular mechanism underlying bloom maintenance of a marine dinoflagellate under low ambient CO and inorganic nutrients.

Dinoflagellate blooming periods are paradoxically characterized by high biomass growth rate and low ambient dissolved CO and inorganic nutrients, however, the underlying mechanisms linking cell growth and nutrient acquisition are poorly understood. Here, we compared metaproteomes of non-bloom, mid-blooming and late-blooming cells of a marine dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense. Cell division, metabolism of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, lipid, porphyrin and chlorophyll were more active in blooming cells than in non-bloom cells.

Multiplex and visual detection of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) based on Hive-Chip and direct loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

African swine fever is caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV), and has a mortality rate approaching 100%. It has already caused tremendous economy lost around the world. Without effective vaccine, rapid and accurate on-site detection plays an indispensable role in controlling outbreaks.

Characterization and hypoglycemic effects of sulfated polysaccharides derived from brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida.

The brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida polysaccharides show various biological activities, but their hypoglycemic activity and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. Here, three fractions of sulfated polysaccharides Up-3, Up-4, and Up-5 were prepared by microwave-assisted extraction from U. pinnatifida.

Thiazolidin-2-cyanamides derivatives as novel potent β-glucuronidase inhibitors and their structure-inhibitory activity relationships.

Gut microbial β-glucuronidases have the ability to deconjugate glucuronides of some drugs, thus have been considered as an important drug target to alleviate the drug metabolites-induced gastrointestinal toxicity. In this study, thiazolidin-2-cyanamide derivatives containing 5-phenyl-2-furan moiety () were evaluated for inhibitory activity against β-glucuronidase (EcGUS). All of them showed more potent inhibition than a commonly used positive control, d-saccharic acid 1,4-lactone, with the IC values ranging from 1.

Polysaccharides Prevent High-Fat Diet-Induced Early Fasting Hypoglycemia and Regulate the Gut Microbiota Composition.

A low fasting blood glucose level is a common symptom in diabetes patients and can be induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding at an early stage, which may play important roles in the development of diabetes, but has received little attention. In this study, five polysaccharides were prepared from and their effects on HFD-induced fasting hypoglycemia and gut microbiota dysbiosis were investigated. The results indicated that C57BL/6J male mice fed an HFD for 4 weeks developed severe hypoglycemia and four polysaccharides (SFPs), consisting of Sf-2, Sf-3, Sf-3-1, and Sf-A, significantly prevented early fasting hypoglycemia without inducing hyperglycemia.

Eight new cytotoxic annonaceous acetogenins from the seeds of Annona squamosa.

Eight new annonaceous acetogenins, squamotin A-D (1-4), annosquatin IV-V (5 and 6), muricin O (7) and squamosten B (8), together with four known ones (9-12) were isolated from the seeds of Annona squamosa. Their structures were elucidated by chemical methods and spectral data. The inhibitory activities of compound 1-9 against three multidrug resistance cell lines were evaluated.

Five new -kaurane diterpenes from L. pericarps.

In the present study, five new -kaurane diterpenes including 4α-hydroxy-17,19---kaurane-16-one (), 4-hydroxy-16-H-18---kaurane-17-oic acid (), 4,17-dihydroxy-16α-acetoxy-18-nor--kaurane (), Annosquamosin Z () and 16-H--kaurane-17,18-dioic acid, 17-methy ester () were isolated from L. pericarp. The compounds were also evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cell lines, among which compound exhibited potent cytotoxicity with IC value of less than 20 μM.

[Protective effect of Ligustri Lucidi Ait Polysaccharide against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory injury of Sertoli cells in rats].

Objective: To explore the effect of Ligustri Lucidi Ait Polysaccharide (LLP) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory injury of Sertoli cells.

Methods: Rat Sertoli cells were isolated and cultured in vitro and then divided into five groups, blank control, LPS, LPS + low-dose LLP, LPS + medium-dose LLP, and LPS + high-dose LLP. After 48 hours of treatment, the proliferation of the cells was detected by CCK-8, their apoptosis determined by FMC, and the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the supernatant of the cell culture medium measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometry.

[Role of TGF-β1 in Sertoli cells and tight junction].

Objective: To explore the role of TGF-β1 in the proliferation and apoptosis of Sertoli cells and its effect on the expressions of tight junction-related proteins and genes in rats.

Methods: Rat Sertoli cells were isolated in vitro, primarily cultured, and divided into groups A (blank control), B (TGF-β1 receptor blocker), C (TGF-β1), and D (TGF-β1 + receptor blocker). The proliferation and apoptosis of the cells were detected by CCK-8 and flow cytometry, respectively.