Preparation of various aminooligosaccharides using a novel chitinase and its CBM fusion mutants.

Aminooligosaccharides, including N-acetyl chitooligosaccharides (N-acetyl COSs), chitooligosaccharides (COSs), and partially acetylated chitooligosaccharides (paCOSs) have gained significant attention owing to their diverse bioactivities. Thus, the preparation of aminooligosaccharides particularly paCOSs, is a prospective way to reuse the huge amount of crustacean waste for high value-added products. In this study, a novel GH family 18 chitinase (MyChi54) suitable for aminooligosaccharides preparation was identified and characterized.

Strong Positive Correlations Between the Levels of Systemic Inflammation Markers and the Occurrence of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

In this study, a retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between systemic inflammation markers and persistent atrial fibrillation (pAF), intending to identify potential biomarkers for early detection of pAF.In the analysis, a total of 207 patients were included, with 109 in the pAF group and 98 in the non-pAF group. The associations between three systemic inflammation markers were investigated, namely, the systemic immune inflammation index (SII), system inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI), and pAF.

Micromechanical modelling for bending behaviour of novel bioinspired alumina-based dental composites.

The clinical failure mode of dental crown ceramics involves radial cracking at the interface, driven by the surface tension generated from the flexure of the ceramic layer on the subsurface. This results in a reduced lifespan for most all-ceramic dental crowns. Therefore, investigating optimal material combinations to reduce stress concentration in dental crown materials has become crucial for future successful clinical applications.

The association between systemic inflammation markers and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: Systemic inflammation markers have recently been identified as being associated with cardiac disorders. However, limited research has been conducted to estimate the pre-diagnostic associations between these markers and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Our aim is to identify potential biomarkers for early detection of PAF.

Uncovering the crystallography and formation mechanism of nanoscale clusters in Sb-rich SPPs of a p-type (Bi, Sb)Te alloy.

Considering that the crystallographic characteristics of the Sb-rich secondary phase particles (SPPs) greatly affect the thermoelectric properties of BiTe based materials, it is of great significance to explore the mechanism behind the Sb-rich SPPs in the p-type (Bi, Sb)Te material. Here a conventional TEM technique was used to characterize the composition, size and distribution of Sb-rich SPPs in a spark plasma sintered p-type (Bi, Sb)Te alloy. The results indicated that two different morphologies of Sb-rich SPPs including elongated and circular Sb-rich SPPs were frequently observed.

Effect of dapagliflozin on left ventricular structure and function in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy: An observational study.

Non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) is characterized by left ventricular dilatation and contractile dysfunction with severe morbidity and mortality. Sodium glucose cotransporter type 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors significantly reduce cardiovascular events for heart failure patients. We performed to investigate the impact of combined administration of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac structure and function in NIDCM patients undergoing conventional therapy.

The association between systemic inflammation markers and the prevalence of hypertension.

Background: We conducted a large-scale epidemiological analysis to investigate the associations between systemic inflammation markers and hypertension prevalence. Our aim is to identify potential biomarkers for early detection of hypertension.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with 119664 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was performed.

Transitional structure of {0001} twin in a deformed p-type (Bi,Sb)Te alloy: a direct experimental basis for understanding the twinning mechanism.

Twin boundaries provide a strong phonon scattering center to hinder the lattice thermal conductivity in thermoelectric materials, but the underlying evolution process of deformation twinning remains to be figured out. By applying atomic resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations, a novel type of transitional structure of {0001} twin was observed, for the first time, in the p-type (Bi,Sb)Te alloy subjected to three-point bending deformation. The transformation from matrix to (0001) twin can be realized by the following path: matrix → transitional twin → (0001) twin, and this process was completed by the gliding of a total of four partial dislocations (b1 = 1/3[011̄0]) extended in the different (0001) planes.

Hypobaric hypoxia induces iron mobilization from liver and spleen and increases serum iron via activation of ghrelin/GHSR1a/MAPK signalling pathway in mice.

Hypobaric hypoxia (HH) exposure affects appetite and serum iron levels in both humans and animals. Thus, whether appetite-regulating ghrelin is involved in iron regulation under HH needs to be elucidated. In vivo, C57BL/6J mice were placed in a hypobaric chamber to establish a 6000-m-high altitude exposure animal model.

Phenolic compound SG-1 from Balanophora harlandii and its derivatives exert anti-influenza A virus activity via activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Influenza A virus (IAV) is one of the leading causes of respiratory illness and continues to cause pandemics around the world. Against this backdrop, drug resistance poses a challenge to existing antiviral drugs, and hence, there is an urgent need for developing new antiviral drugs. In this study, we obtained a phenolic compound SG-7, a derivative of natural compound 2-hydroxymethyl-1,4-hydroquinone, which exhibits inhibitory activity toward a panel of influenza viruses and has low cellular toxicity.

5-Lipoxygenase Contributes to Benzo[a]pyrene-Induced Cytotoxicity and DNA Damage in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells.

Metabolic activation of indirect-acting carcinogens in target organs is a recognized mechanism of carcinogenesis. This study aimed to determine the role of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) metabolism enzymes lipoxygenase (LOX), cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1), and prostaglandin synthetase (PGS) in the cytotoxicity and DNA damage induced by BaP in the human tracheobronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) using RNA interference strategy and metabolic enzyme inhibitors. Our results showed that in three epithelial cell lines (HBE, HTR-8/SVneo, and HaCat), BaP significantly upregulated 5-LOX protein expression.

A novel elicitor protein phosphopentomutase from LJ02 enhances tomato resistance to .

The loss of tomatoes caused by () is one of the crucial issues restricting the tomato yield. This study screened the elicitor protein phosphopentomutase from LJ02 (BvEP) which improves the tomato resistance to . Phosphatemutase was reported to play a crucial role in the nucleoside synthesis of various microorganisms.

Effect of live and inactivated Chlamydomonas reinhardtii on the removal of tetracycline in aquatic environments.

With the development of medical drugs, the widely used tetracycline has brought many adverse effects on the ecosystem and human health. Tetracycline pollution of water environment is becoming more and more serious, and has become an emerging environmental problem. As single celled organisms, microalgae are not only model organisms for risk assessment of aquatic ecosystems, but also can efficiently purify sewage.

Identification of Key Residues Essential for the Activation of Plant Immunity by Subtilisin From LJ02.

Subtilisin, a serine protease, can trigger defense responses in a wide variety of plants, both locally and systemically, to protect against pathogens. However, key residues of subtilisin to improve resistance to plant diseases remain unknown. In this study, () leaves expressing subtilisin from LJ02 were shown to improve protection against ().

Sesquiterpenoids isolated from feces-residing sp. inhibit the cellular entry of influenza a viruses.

Five metabolites (-), including two new sesquiterpenoids, designated ganodermanol L () and 4α,15-epoxyeudesmane-1β,6α,11-triol (), together with three known structurally related compounds (-), have been isolated from the cultures of sp. XM17, a bacteria residing in the fresh feces of the giant panda . The structures of - were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR (H-H COSY, HMQC, HMBC and NOESY) experiments.

New anti-influenza A viral norsesquiterpenoids isolated from feces-residing Streptomyces sp.

Three novel norsesquiterpenoids, (2R,4S,8aR)-8,8a,1,2,3,4-hexahydro-2-hydroxy-4,8a-dimethyl-2(2H)-naphthalenone (1), (1S,3S,4S,4aS,8aR)-4,8a-dimethyloctahydronaphthalene-1,3,4a(3H)-triol(2), (4S,4aS,8aS)-octahydro-4a-hydroxy-4, 8a-dimethyl-1(2H)-naphthalenone (3), as well as six other known analogues (4-9), were isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces sp. XM17, an actinobacterial strain inhabiting the fresh feces of the giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca. The chemical structures of 1-3 were elucidated comprehensively by NMR spectroscopic and MS analyses, furthermore, the stereochemical configurations were resolved by NOESY experiments, along with ECD spectral and single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses.

Secondary Metabolites with Cytotoxic Activities from sp. BM-8 Isolated from the Feces of .

A new aliphatic acid, compound , together with six known metabolites, including nonactic acid (), homononactic acid (), ethyl homononactate (), homononactylhomononactate (), valinomycin (), and cyclo-(Pro-Leu) (), was isolated from the culture broth of sp. BM-8, an actinobacterial strain isolated from the feces of . The structures of these compounds were established by analyses of spectroscopic data, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (NMR), as well as by HR-ESI-MS spectrometry and chemical derivative analyses.

Elevated homocysteine levels in patients with heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) levels showed increasing significance as the predisposing factor for the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic sequelae, including cardiovascular mortality, coronary artery disease, and stroke. There is increasing evidence linking plasma Hcy levels and heart failure (HF). The association between the elevated level of plasma Hcy and HF was examined by meta-analysis and systematic review in this study.

Structures, Synthesis and Biological Activities of Nonactic Acid and Its Derivatives.

Nonactic acid, which is a macrocyclic nonactin subunit, contains four asymmetric centers and has the molecular formula of C10H18O3. Due to their various biological activities and challenging structural characteristics, nonactic acid and its derivatives have attracted much attention from scientists since 1955. These compounds possess significant antibacterial, insecticidal and acaricidal activities, as well as a promoting effect on plant growth.

Antiviral Bafilomycins from a Feces-Inhabiting sp.

A new bafilomycin derivative () and another seven known bafilomycins (-) were isolated from feces-derived sp. HTL16. The structure of was elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis.

Hepcidin Decreases Rotenone-Induced α-Synuclein Accumulation Autophagy in SH-SY5Y Cells.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, and the hallmarks of this disease include iron deposition and α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation. Hepcidin could reduce iron in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Here, we hypothesized that hepcidin could further decrease α-syn accumulation reducing iron.

Transcriptomics and Prognosis Analysis to Identify Critical Biomarkers in Invasive Breast Carcinoma.

Objective: Invasive breast cancer (BRCA) is one of the prevalent types of invasive tumors with high mortality worldwide. Due to the lack of effective treatment to control the recurrence of distant metastases, the prognosis of BRCA is still very unsatisfactory. We aimed to find some biomarkers by bioinformatics analysis for survival prediction.

Elevated Homocysteine Levels Associated with Atrial Fibrillation and Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation.

There is increasing evidence linking plasma homocysteine levels and atrial fibrillation (AF). The association between an elevated level of plasma homocysteine and AF was examined by meta-analysis in this study.The PubMed and ScienceDirect databases until August 2019 were utilized to collect previous literature on homocysteine and the potential relation to AF.

Bilayer Anion-Exchange Membrane with Low Borohydride Crossover and Improved Fuel Efficiency for Direct Borohdyride Fuel Cell.

The development of membranes with low fuel crossover and high fuel efficiency is a key issue in direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs). In previous work, we produced a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-anion-exchange resin (AER) membrane with a low fuel crossover and a low fuel efficiency by introducing Co ions. In this work, a bilayer membrane was designed to improve the fuel efficiency and cell performance.