The Predatory Properties of Bradymonabacteria, the Representative of Facultative Prey-Dependent Predators.

Bradymonabacteria, as the representative of the facultative prey-dependent predators, were re-classified from the preceding into the phylum and proposed as a novel class named . However, it was ambiguous whether their predatory pattern and properties were similar to those of the other myxobacterial predators. Therefore, the physiologic features were compared to determine the similarities and differences during the process of group attack and kin discrimination.

sp. nov. and sp. nov., isolated from kelp seedlings.

Two novel rod-shaped, strictly aerobic, non-motile and Gram-stain-negative bacterial strains, designated SDUM040013 and SDUM040014, were isolated from kelp seedlings in Weihai, PR China. Cells of strain SDUM040013 were 0.3-0.

sp. nov., isolated from coastal sediment.

An orange-pigmented, Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-flagellated and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain DF17, was isolated from coastal sediment collected from Jingzi Wharf, Weihai, PR China. The optimal growth conditions were determined to be at 30 °C, pH 7.5, and in 3 % (w/v) NaCl.

A new species of the genus (Squamata, Natricidae) from Yunnan, China.

A new species of the genus Thompson, 1913 is described from Yingjiang County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, based on molecular and morphological evidence. It can be distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: (1) dorsal scale rows 19-17-17, feebly keeled; (2) ventrals 146-151; (3) nasal complete, nostril in the middle of the nasal; (4) supralabials 9, the fourth to sixth in contact with the eye; (5) infralabials 10-11, the first 5 touching the first pair of chin shields; (6) preoculars 2; (7) postoculars 3; (8) temporals 3, arranged in two rows (1+2); (9) maxillary teeth 31, the last 4 slightly enlarged, without diastema; (10) tail comparatively long, TAL/TL ratio 0.334 in the male; (11) dorsolateral series of irregular orange or ochre yellow blotches, extending from the neck to the posterior part of the tail; and (12) venter pale orange, tips of ventrals with subrectangular black blotches.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 reduces early mortality post severe burn injury via alleviating endotoxemia, oxidative stress and inflammation.

Severe burn patients frequently suffer from 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-[OH]2-D3) deficiency. In this study, we investigated the effect of 1,25-[OH]2-D3 on early mortality post severe burn and potential underlying mechanisms. Our results indicate that 1,25-[OH]2-D3 significantly reduced early mortality in mice post severe burn injury.

Cultivating the uncultured: Harnessing the "sandwich agar plate" approach to isolate heme-dependent bacteria from marine sediment.

In the classical microbial isolation technique, the isolation process inevitably destroys all microbial interactions and thus makes it difficult to culture the many microorganisms that rely on these interactions for survival. In this study, we designed a simple coculture technique named the "sandwich agar plate method," which maintains microbial interactions throughout the isolation and pure culture processes. The total yield of uncultured species in sandwich agar plates based on eight helper strains was almost 10-fold that of the control group.

Recent progress of iron-based nanomaterials in gene delivery and tumor gene therapy.

Gene therapy aims to modify or manipulate gene expression and change the biological characteristics of living cells to achieve the purpose of treating diseases. The safe, efficient, and stable expression of exogenous genes in cells is crucial for the success of gene therapy, which is closely related to the vectors used in gene therapy. Currently, gene therapy vectors are mainly divided into two categories: viral vectors and non-viral vectors.

Direct Degradation of Fresh and Dried Macroalgae by B2Z047.

Marine macroalgae are increasingly recognized for their significant biological and economic potential. The key to unlocking this potential lies in the efficient degradation of all carbohydrates from the macroalgae biomass. However, a variety of polysaccharides (alginate, cellulose, fucoidan, and laminarin), are difficult to degrade simultaneously in a short time.

Winogradskyella immobilis sp. nov., an Alginate-Hydrolyzing Bacterium Isolated from the Brown Algae Saccharina japonica.

A novel bacterium, designated E313, was isolated from brown algae Saccharina japonica in Weihai, China. The strain is a Gram-stain-negative, non-flagellated, non-gliding, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium that grows optimally at 28 °C with pH levels between 7.0 and 7.

sp. nov., a nitrate-reducing and thiosulphate-oxidizing bacterium, isolated from coastal sediment.

A novel bacterial strain, N1Y112, was isolated from coastal sediment collected in Weihai, PR China. This Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile rod-shaped bacterium exhibited the ability to oxidize thiosulphate to sulphate and reduce nitrate to ammonia through its Sox system and nitrate reduction pathway, respectively. The strain grew at 20-35 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 6.

A new species of the Genus Hebius Thompson, 1913 (Squamata: Colubridae) from Baise, Guangxi, China.

A new species of the genus Hebius Thompson, 1913 is described from Youjiang District, Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, based on a single adult female specimen. It can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) dorsal scale rows 19-17-17, feebly keeled except the outermost row; (2) tail length comparatively long, TAL/TL ratio 0.30 in females; (3) ventrals 160 (+ 3 preventrals); (4) subcaudals 112; (5) supralabials 9, the fourth to sixth in contact with the eye; (6) infralabials 10, the first 5 touching the first pair of chin shields; (7) preocular 1; (8) postoculars 2; (9) temporals 4, arranged in three rows (1+1+2); (10) maxillary teeth 30, the last 3 enlarged, without diastem; (11) postocular streak presence; (12) background color of dorsal brownish black, a conspicuous, uniform, continuous beige stripe extending from behind the eye to the end of the tail; (13) anterior venter creamish-yellow, gradually fades to the rear, with irregular black blotches in the middle and outer quarter of ventrals, the posterior part almost completely black.

A new species of the genus Achalinus (Squamata: Xenodermidae) from Nanning, Guangxi, China.

We describe a new species of the genus Achalinus Peters, 1869 from Daming Mountain, Shanglin County, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, based on a single adult male specimen. It can be distinguished from all the other species in Achalinus by a combination of the following morphological characters: (1) a bright yellow collar around the neck, extending forward to the ventral of the head; (2) tail length comparatively long, TaL/Tol ratio 0.25; (3) DSR 23-23-23, moderately keeled; (4) VS 3+162; (5) SC 74, unpaired; (6) cloacal plate entire; (7) SPL 6, the fourth and fifth in contact with the eye; (8) IFL 6, the first three touching the first pair of chin shields; (9) a single loreal; (10) length of suture between internasal significantly longer than that between prefrontal, LSBI/LSBP ratio 1.

Optimization of physical microenvironment to maintain the quiescence of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatic stellate cells.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a crucial role in liver fibrosis by producing excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) following chronic inflammation. However, studying HSC function has been challenging due to the limited availability of primary human quiescent HSCs (qHSCs) in vitro, and the fact that primary qHSCs quickly activate when cultured on plastic plates. Advances in stem cell technology have allowed for the generation of qHSCs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with the potential to provide an unlimited source of cells.

Application of Biomimetic Nanoparticles based on the Cell Membrane in Tumor Therapy.

Due to their unique biological functionality, nanocarriers can be designed to deliver various anti-tumor drugs in vivo, which has a wide and important application prospect in the field of tumor therapy. However, poor biosafety, short blood circulation time, and weak targeting ability still limit the application of nanoparticles in tumor therapy. In recent years, with the development of biomedicine, the biomimetic technology-based biomembrane-mediated drug delivery system is expected to achieve a breakthrough in tumor-targeted therapy due to low immunogenicity, tumor targeting, the adjustability and versatility of intelligent nanocarrier design.

A new species of the genus Achalinus (Squamata: Xenodermidae) from Ningshan County, Shaanxi Province, China.

A new species of odd-scaled snake in the genus Achalinus is described from Ningshan County, Shaanxi Province, China, based on seven female specimens. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) dorsum iridescent and uniformly dark brown in preservative, longitudinal vertebral line absent; (2) light brown beneath; (3) dotted black streak in the middle of the subcaudals absent; (4) tail length relatively short, TaL/ToL 12-16%, in females; (5) fewer subcaudals, 41-46 in females; (6) dorsal scales 23 rows throughout, strongly keeled; the outer-most rows on both sides are also keeled and slightly enlarged; (7) one loreal; (8) internasal not fused to prefrontal; (9) suture between internasals is similar in size when compared to the suture between prefrontals; (10) preocular and postocular absent; (11) 6 supralabials; (12) 5 infralabials, the first 3 (rarely 2) touching the first pair of chin shields; (13) 3 pairs of chin shields. A phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), showed that this new species forms a monophyletic group with strong support.

sp. nov. and sp. nov., isolated from marine sediment.

Two novel strains (N1Y82 and N1F302) were isolated from a marine sediment sample taken from the coastal zone of Weihai, PR China. Cells of the two strains were Gram-strain-negative, catalase-positive, oxidase-positive, non-motile and ovoid- to rod-shaped. Strain N1Y82 grew optimally at 16 °C, pH 7.

Predation capacity of Bradymonabacteria, a recently discovered group in the order Bradymonadales, isolated from marine sediments.

Bacterial predation is a vital feeding behavior that affects community structure and maintains biodiversity. However, predatory bacterial species in coastal sediments are comparatively poorly described. In this study, the predation capacity of all nine culturable Bradymonabacteria strains belonging to the recently discovered order Bradymonadales was determined against different types of prey.

IDH2: A novel biomarker for environmental exposure in blood circulatory system disorders.

As the risk of harmful environmental exposure is increasing, it is important to find suitable targets for the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases caused. Isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) is an enzyme located in the mitochondria; it plays an important role in numerous cell processes, including maintaining redox homeostasis, participating in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and indirectly taking part in the transmission of the oxidative respiratory chain. IDH2 mutations promote progression in acute myeloid leukemia, glioma and other diseases.

Degradation of Alginate by a Newly Isolated Marine Bacterium sp. B2Z047.

Alginate is the main component of brown algae, which is an important primary production in marine ecosystems and represents a huge marine biomass. The efficient utilization of alginate depends on alginate lyases to catalyze the degradation, and remains to be further explored. In this study, 354 strains were isolated from the gut of adult abalones, which mainly feed on brown algae.

Pseudohalioglobus sediminis sp. nov., isolated from coastal sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated NY5, was isolated from marine sediment collected from coastal area in Weihai, China (122°07' 38.80'' E, 37°33' 57.60'' N).

Robertkochia sediminum sp. nov., isolated from coastal sediment.

An orange-pigmented, Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, non-flagellated, and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain 1368, was isolated from coastal sediment collected from Xiaoshi Island, Weihai, China. The optimal growth conditions were determined to be at 37 °C, pH 7.0 and in 2%-3% (w/v) NaCl.

Tracking the Dynamic Histone Methylation of H3K27 in Live Cancer Cells.

Histone methylations play a crucial role in chromatin remodeling and genome regulations. However, there is a lack of tools to visualize these histone modifications with high spatiotemporal resolutions in live cells. We have developed a biosensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and incorporated it into nucleosomes, capable of monitoring the trimethylation of H3K27 (H3K27me3) in live cells.

A new species of the Genus Pelodiscus Fitzinger, 1835 (Testudines: Trionychidae) from Huangshan, Anhui, China.

A new species of the soft-shelled turtle genus Pelodiscus is described based on seven specimens from Huangshan, southern Anhui Province, China. The new species, Pelodiscus huangshanensis sp. nov.

Assessing Empathy in Anesthesia Residents with the Chinese Version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy: A Pilot Standardized Patient Program.

Objectives To validate the reliability of the Chinese version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) in physician-standardized patient (SP) encounter. We also tried to examine the agreement between video-based ratings and in-room ratings, as well as the agreement between the faculty ratings and SP ratings. Methods The CARE was translated into Chinese.