Role of different examination methods in colorectal cancer screening: Insights and future directions.

Colorectal cancer is a malignant tumor with the third and second highest incidence and mortality rates worldwide, and its mortality rate is increasing annually. Colorectal cancer evolves gradually over a long period of time. The evolving process from colorectal adenoma to colorectal cancer takes approximately 10-15 years, providing a sufficiently long "window period" for early screening and diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Design and construction of an artificial labor-division consortium for phenanthrene degradation with three-functional modules.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are highly toxic organic pollutants. Phenanthrene often serves as a model compound for studying PAHs biodegradation. In this work, we firstly engineered Escherichia coli M01 containing seven phenanthrene degradation genes and combined it with existing engineered strains E.

Controllable detection threshold achieved through the toehold switch system in a mercury ion whole-cell biosensor.

Due to the toxicity of mercury and its harmful effects on human health, it is essential to establish a low-cost, highly sensitive and highly specific monitoring method with a wide detection range, ideally with a simple visual readout. In this study, a whole-cell biosensor with adjustable detection limits was developed for the detection of mercury ions in water samples, allowing controllable threshold detection with an expanded detection range. Gene circuits were constructed by combining the toehold switch system with lactose operon, mercury-ion-specific operon, and inducible red fluorescent protein gene.

Adsorption of Hg/Cr by metal-binding proteins heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli.

Background: Removal of heavy metals from water and soil is a pressing challenge in environmental engineering, and biosorption by microorganisms is considered as one of the most cost-effective methods. In this study, the metal-binding proteins MerR and ChrB derived from Cupriavidus metallidurans were separately expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 to construct adsorption strains. To improve the adsorption performance, surface display and codon optimization were carried out.

Microbial Consortium HJ-SH with Very High Degradation Efficiency of Phenanthrene.

Phenanthrene (PHE) is one of the model compounds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, a natural PHE-degrading microbial consortium, named HJ-SH, with very high degradation efficiency was isolated from soil exposed to long-term PHE contamination. The results of GC analysis showed that the consortium HJ-SH degraded 98% of 100 mg/L PHE in 3 days and 93% of 1000 mg/L PHE in 5 days, an efficiency higher than that of any other natural consortia, and even most of the engineered strains and consortia reported so far.

Engineering a Pseudomonas putida as living quorum quencher for biofilm formation inhibition, benzenes degradation, and environmental risk evaluation.

Bacterial communication interruption based on quorum quenching (QQ) has been proven its potential in biofilm formation inhibition and biofouling control. However, it would be more satisfying if QQ could be combined with the efficient degradation of contaminants in environmental engineering. In this study, we engineered a biofilm of Pseudomonas putida through introducing a QQ synthetic gene, which achieved both biofilm formation inhibition and efficient degradation of benzene series in wastewater.

Association between constipation and major depression in adult Americans: evidence from NHANES 2005-2010.

Objective: Current studies on the association between constipation and depression is still insufficient. In this study, we investigated the detailed association between constipation and major depression among American adults.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 12,352 adults aged 20 and older were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2010 for the sample.

Improvement of a highly sensitive and specific whole-cell biosensor by adding a positive feedback amplifier.

In this study, we designed a Cd whole-cell biosensor with both positive and negative feedback cascade amplifiers in KT2440 (LTCM) based on our previous design with only a negative feedback amplifier (TCM). The results showed that the newly developed biosensor LTCM was greatly improved compared to TCM. Firstly, the linear response range of LTCM was expanded while the maximum linear response range was raised from 0.

Reconstruction and optimization of a - microbial consortium for mcl-PHA production from lignocellulosic biomass.

The demand for non-petroleum-based, especially biodegradable plastics has been on the rise in the last decades. Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) is a biopolymer composed of 6-14 carbon atoms produced from renewable feedstocks and has become the focus of research. In recent years, researchers aimed to overcome the disadvantages of single strains, and artificial microbial consortia have been developed into efficient platforms.

Engineering To Produce Rhamnolipid Biosurfactants for Promoting Phenanthrene Biodegradation by a Two-Species Microbial Consortium.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of organic contaminants that pose a significant environmental hazard. Phenanthrene is one of the model compounds for the study of biodegradation of PAHs. However, the biodegradation of phenanthrene is often limited by its low water solubility and dissolution rate.

Prognostic Value of the Albumin-to-Globulin Ratio in Patients with Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Recently, the albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) has been investigated as a prognostic parameter in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the results remain inconsistent. We aimed to quantitatively identify the prognostic role of the AGR in CRC through meta-analysis. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the prognostic value of the AGR for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS)/progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

Optimization of a Two-Species Microbial Consortium for Improved Mcl-PHA Production From Glucose-Xylose Mixtures.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have attracted much attention as a good substitute for petroleum-based plastics, especially mcl-PHA due to their superior physical and mechanical properties with broader applications. Artificial microbial consortia can solve the problems of low metabolic capacity of single engineered strains and low conversion efficiency of natural consortia while expanding the scope of substrate utilization. Therefore, the use of artificial microbial consortia is considered a promising method for the production of mcl-PHA.

Surface display of carbonic anhydrase on for CO capture and mineralization.

Mineralization catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase (CA) is one of the most promising technologies for capturing CO. In this work, BL21(DE3) was used as the host, and the -terminus of ice nucleation protein (INPN) was used as the carrier protein. Different fusion patterns and vectors were used to construct CA surface display systems for α-carbonic anhydrase (HPCA) from 26695 and α-carbonic anhydrase (SazCA) from .

Highly Sensitive Whole-Cell Biosensor for Cadmium Detection Based on a Negative Feedback Circuit.

Although many whole-cell biosensors (WCBs) for the detection of Cd have been developed over the years, most lack sensitivity and specificity. In this paper, we developed a Cd WCB with a negative feedback amplifier in KT2440. Based on the slope of the linear detection curve as a measure of sensitivity, WCB with negative feedback amplifier greatly increased the output signal of the reporter mCherry, resulting in 33% greater sensitivity than in an equivalent WCB without the negative feedback circuit.

Artificial Consortium of Three BL21 Strains with Synergistic Functional Modules for Complete Phenanthrene Degradation.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are highly toxic and persistent organic pollutions that can accumulate in the environment. In this study, an aromatic ring cleavage module, a salicylic acid synthesis module, and a catechol metabolism module were respectively constructed in three BL21 strains. Subsequently, the engineered strains were cocultured as an artificial consortium for the biodegradation of phenanthrene, a typical PHA.

Construction of cadmium whole-cell biosensors and circuit amplification.

Owing to the prevalence of cadmium contamination and its serious hazards, it is important to establish an efficient and low-cost monitoring technique for the detection of the heavy metal cadmium. In this study, we first designed 30 cadmium whole-cell biosensors (WCBs) using different combinations of detection elements, reporting elements, and the host. The best performing WCB KT-5-R with Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as the host and composed of CadR and mCherry was selected for further analysis and engineering.

Effect of High Suspension and Low Incision Surgery Based on Traditional Ligation of Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Mixed Haemorrhoids: A Multi-centre, Randomized, Single-Blind, Non-inferiority Clinical Trial.

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of high suspension and low incision (HSLI) surgery on mixed haemorrhoids, compared with Milligan-Morgan haemorrhoidectomy.

Methods: A multi-centre, randomized, single-blind, non-inferiority clinical trial was performed. Participants with mixed haemorrhoids from Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing Rectum Hospital, Air Force Medical Center of People's Liberation Army of China, and Puyang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were enrolled from September 2016 to March 2018.

Recent advances in constructing artificial microbial consortia for the production of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of high-molecular-weight polyesters made from hydroxy fatty acid monomers. PHAs produced by microorganisms have diverse structures, variable physical properties, and good biodegradability. They exhibit similar physical properties to petroleum-based plastics but are much more environmentally friendly.

A four-microorganism three-step fermentation process for producing medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate from starch.

In this study, a four-microorganism three-step fermentation process was established for producing medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) from starch, which was used as the sole carbon source. The four microorganisms used for this process were , L2612, , and KT2440-. The initial carbon source starch concentration was set to 30 g/L, the maximum glucose concentration reached 17.

Display of lead-binding proteins on Escherichia coli surface for lead bioremediation.

Cell surface display of heavy metal-binding proteins has been used to enhance the adsorption capacity of heavy metals and the engineered microbial cells can be potentially used for the bioremediation of heavy metals. In this study, the proteins PbrR, PbrR691, and PbrD from the Cupriavidus metallidurans strain CH34 were displayed on the extracellular membrane of Escherichia coli BL21 cells, with the N-domain of ice-nucleation protein as the anchor protein to achieve specific adsorption of lead ions (Pb ) and bioremediation of lead in the soil. The localization of fusion proteins was confirmed by western blot analysis.

The prognostic role of age in primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma: a proposal derived from a population-based registry.

Purpose: A few prognostic predicting systems existed for primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (PCBCL). However, none of them took age into consideration. We sought to declare the prognostic role of age in PCBCL.

Directed evolution of a transcription factor PbrR to improve lead selectivity and reduce zinc interference through dual selection.

Directed evolution has been proven as a powerful tool for developing proteins and strains with novel or enhanced features. In this study, a dual selection system was designed to tune the binding specificity of a transcription factor to a particular ligand with the ampicillin resistance gene amp (ON selection) as the positive selection marker and the levansucrase gene sacB (OFF selection) as the negative selection marker. It was applied to the lead responsive transcription factor PbrR in a whole-cell lead biosensor previously constructed in our lab (Jia et al.

Construction of a "nutrition supply-detoxification" coculture consortium for medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate production with a glucose-xylose mixture.

In this study, we constructed a coculture consortium comprising engineered Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and Escherichia coli MG1655. Provision of "related" carbon sources and synthesis of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHAs) were separately assigned to these strains via a modular construction strategy. To avoid growth competition, a preference for the use of a carbon source was constructed.

Sensitive and Specific Whole-Cell Biosensor for Arsenic Detection.

Whole-cell biosensors (WCBs) have been designed to detect As(III), but most suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity. In this paper, we developed an arsenic WCB with a positive feedback amplifier in DH5α. The output signal from the reporter mCherry was significantly enhanced by the positive feedback amplifier.