An Alternative Non-Invasive Screening Model for Liver Fibrosis among US Adults at Risk of MASLD.

Screening for liver fibrosis presents a clinical challenge. This study aimed to explore a useful alternative method for assessing fibrosis risk among US adults at risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). A liver stiffness score (LSS) model was proposed and tested using data from 3976 participants at possible risk of MASLD, obtained from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Scanning the active center of formolase to identify key residues for enhanced C1 to C3 bioconversion.

Background: Formolase (FLS) is a computationally designed enzyme that catalyzes the carboligation of two or three C1 formaldehyde molecules into C2 glycolaldehyde or C3 dihydroxyacetone (DHA). FLS lays the foundation for several artificial carbon fixation and valorization pathways, such as the artificial starch anabolic pathway. However, the application of FLS is limited by its low catalytic activity and product promiscuity.

New eremophilane-type sesquiterpenes from Synotis solidaginea.

Eleven new highly oxygenated eremophilane-type sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the whole plant of Synotis solidaginea, including two pairs of C-8 S/R epimers. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis and the absolute configurations of 1 and 9 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography using Cu Kα radiation. All the isolates were tested for the inhibition of LPS-stimulated NO production in macrophage-like mouse monocytic leukemia RAW264.

Development and Application of a Comprehensive Nontargeted Screening Strategy for Aristolochic Acid Analogues.

Aristolochic acid analogs (AAAs) are naturally occurring carcinogenic and toxic compounds that pose a safety threat to pharmaceuticals and the environment. It is challenging to screen AAAs due to their lack of characteristic mass spectral fragmentation and their presence of structural diversity. A comprehensive nontargeted screening strategy was proposed by taking into account diverse factors and incorporating various self-developed techniques, and a Python3-based toolkit called AAAs_finder was developed for its implementation.

Iodine Intake Trends in United States Girls and Women between 2011 and 2020.

Background: Usual intakes of iodine in United States girls and women, including pregnant and lactating women have not been adequately studied. Adequate intake of iodine is critical for neurodevelopment of girls, thyroid functions, and reproductive health of women.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the adequacy and trends of iodine intake of United States girls and women between 2011 and 2020.

Genome-Wide Identified MADS-Box Genes in 'Plena' and Theirs Roles in Double-Flower Development.

The MADS-box gene family plays key roles in flower induction, floral initiation, and floral morphogenesis in flowering plants. To understand their functions in the double-flower formation of 'Plena' (hereafter referred to as PCP), which is an excellent flowering cherry cultivar, we performed genome-wide identification of the MADS-box gene family. In this study, 71 MADS-box genes were identified and grouped into the Mα, Mβ, Mγ and MIKC subfamilies according to their structures and phylogenetic relationships.

Rapid recognition and targeted isolation of potential anti-breast cancer xanthones in Hypericum bellum Li by "seed" mass spectra-based molecular networking and in silico MS/MS fragmentation.

Instruction: Hypericum bellum Li is rich in xanthones with various bioactivities, especially in anti-breast cancer. While the scarcity of mass spectral data of xanthones in Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) libraries have challenged the rapid recognition of xanthones with similar structures.

Objective: This study is aimed to enhance the molecular networking (MN)-based dereplication and visualisation ability of potential anti-breast cancer xanthones from H.

Trends in Diet Quality and Increasing Inadequacies of Micronutrients Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Iron and Potassium in US Type 2 Diabetic Adults.

Background: Prevalence of diabetes was high and rose significantly in the US between 1999 and 2018. A healthy dietary pattern that provides micronutrient adequacy is one of the most important lifestyle choices for battling the progress of diabetes. Yet, the patterns and trends of diet quality of the US type 2 diabetes are understudied.

Genome assembly, resequencing and genome-wide association analyses provide novel insights into the origin, evolution and flower colour variations of flowering cherry.

Flowering cherry is a very popular species around the world. High-quality genome resources for different elite cultivars are needed, and the understanding of their origins and the regulation of key ornamental traits are limited for this tree. Here, a high-quality chromosome-scale genome of Prunus campanulata 'Plena' (PCP), which is a native and elite flowering cherry cultivar in China, was generated.

Cell-free chemoenzymatic starch synthesis from carbon dioxide.

Starches, a storage form of carbohydrates, are a major source of calories in the human diet and a primary feedstock for bioindustry. We report a chemical-biochemical hybrid pathway for starch synthesis from carbon dioxide (CO) and hydrogen in a cell-free system. The artificial starch anabolic pathway (ASAP), consisting of 11 core reactions, was drafted by computational pathway design, established through modular assembly and substitution, and optimized by protein engineering of three bottleneck-associated enzymes.

Non-natural Aldol Reactions Enable the Design and Construction of Novel One-Carbon Assimilation Pathways .

Methylotrophs utilizes cheap, abundant one-carbon compounds, offering a promising green, sustainable and economical alternative to current sugar-based biomanufacturing. However, natural one-carbon assimilation pathways come with many disadvantages, such as complicated reaction steps, the need for additional energy and/or reducing power, or loss of CO, resulting in unsatisfactory biomanufacturing performance. Here, we predicted eight simple, novel and carbon-conserving formaldehyde (FALD) assimilation pathways based on the extended metabolic network with non-natural aldol reactions using the comb-flux balance analysis (FBA) algorithm.

Ultrastable Zirconium-Based Cationic Metal-Organic Frameworks for Perrhenate Removal from Wastewater.

The effective removal of radioactive TcO anion from nuclear wastewater remains a very difficult unsolved problem. Functional adsorbent materials with high stability, anion-exchange capacity, excellent selectivity, and recyclability are much needed to solve this problem. In this work, we designed two stable cationic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-Zr-tcbp-Me and Zr-tcpp-Me-for possible use as adsorbent materials to remove TcO.

Decreased Iron Intake Parallels Rising Iron Deficiency Anemia and Related Mortality Rates in the US Population.

Background: Prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and its related mortality rate are on the rise in the United States and causes are unclear.

Objectives: The aim was to examine trends and causes of Fe deficiency anemia prevalence and Fe deficiency-related mortality rates in the total US population.

Methods: Changes in daily dietary Fe intake, serum iron concentration, hemoglobin, red cell distribution width (RDW), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) obtained from the laboratory files of NHANES, Fe deficiency anemia-related mortality rates from the CDC, and iron concentrations of US food products from the USDA between 1999 and 2018 were analyzed.

Economic burden of maintenance hemodialysis patients' families in Nanchong and its influencing factors.

Background: Maintenance hemodialysis is the main therapy for clinical treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The aim of this study was to analyze the current status of the economic burden levied on families with members who are maintenance hemodialysis patients in Nanchong, and the related influencing factors.

Methods: A total of 111 patients with ESRD who were admitted to our hospital from April 2018 to April 2020 and treated with maintenance hemodialysis were selected as research subjects.

Rise in Potassium Deficiency in the US Population Linked to Agriculture Practices and Dietary Potassium Deficits.

This paper, for the first time, provides evidence that current practices that lead to agricultural crop removal of potassium are unsustainable and likely contributed to the decline in dietary potassium intake and rise in hypokalemia prevalence in the US population. Potassium concentrations in beef, pork, turkey, fruit, vegetables, cereal crops, and so forth decreased between 1999 and 2015 based on the examination of potassium values of food items of USDA standard reference. Ratios of potassium input to removal by crops between 1987 and 2014, potassium in topsoil, and crop-available soil potassium in US farms all declined in recent years.

Exposure to organophosphorus insecticides and increased risks of health and cancer in US women.

Results of this paper provide evidence that chronic long-term exposure to organophosphorus insecticides poses a significantly higher health risk for US women than for men, based on dialkylphosphate biomarker data from NHANES cycles 2003-2012. The risk of cardiovascular disease for female non-smokers aged 60-85 years in the highest dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP) urinary concentration quartile is 3.0 (odds ratio, OD = 3.

Rising Trend of Hypokalemia Prevalence in the US Population and Possible Food Causes.

Potassium intake deficiency is a chronic issue in the US and many other countries. Possible causes of the deficiency are understudied. This study examined potassium deficiency in the US population and possible causes for the new trend.

[Correlation between growth characteristics and quality of rhizomes of Notopterygium incisum under wild tending].

Study the growth and development process of rhizomes(bamboo-like part) of Notopterygium incisum and the changes of carbohydrate, endogenous hormones and secondary metabolites, and provide theoretical guidance for the formation of high-quality N. incisum medicinal commodities under artificial cultivation. The One-year-old seedlings were transplanted to the original habitat,and the growth and physiological characteristics of N.

[Transcriptome and quality evaluation of Sichuan Dao-di herbs Zanthoxylum bungeanum].

"Huajiao" is dried ripe fruit peel of Zanthoxylum bungeanum or Z. schinifolium, is konwn as geoherbs, especially the "Dahongpao" cultivated in Hanyuan, Maoxian and Jiulong of Sichuan province. However, the genetic basis of Dao-di "Huajiao" is virtually unknown.

Pichia pastoris as a Versatile Cell Factory for the Production of Industrial Enzymes and Chemicals: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

With nearly three decades of development, Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) has become a powerful eukaryotic protein expression system for the expression of thousands of proteins both on a laboratory and industrial scale. In addition, it has also been extensively used as a cell factory for the production of a variety of chemicals.

[Effects of soil water content on growth and accumulation of active ingredients of Notopterygium incisum].

To investigate the adaptive mechanism of Notopterygium incisum to water changes, one-year-old seedlings were used as test materials. The characteristics of growth, physiology, and active ingredients of N. incisum were studied at different soil water content by pot experiments.

North-south gradient of mesothelioma and asbestos consumption-production in the United States-Progresses since the 1st asbestos partial ban in 1973.

Background: Temporal trends and broad geographical distributions of asbestos use and the incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) in the US still need to be studied.

Methods: Data on asbestos consumption and production between 1900 and 2015 and MM mortality and incidence rates between 1975 and 2015 in the US were examined. Spatial distributions of MM mortality and incidence rates and their association with climate zone were analyzed.