gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel anaerobic bacterium isolated from human faeces.

A novel obligate anaerobic organism, designated DONG20-135, was isolated from human faeces collected in Beijing, PR China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile and non-spore-forming. Growth occurred at 25‒45 °C (optimum, 30‒35 °C), a pH range of 6-9 (optimum, pH 8) and in the presence of 0‒3.

Short-term high-dose gavage of hydroxychloroquine changes gut microbiota but not the intestinal integrity and immunological responses in mice.

Aims: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a widely used antimalarial drug, is proposed to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, no report is currently available regarding the direct effects of HCQ on gut microbiota, which is associated with the outcomes of elderly patients with COVID-19. Here, we first investigated the effects of HCQ on intestinal microecology in mice.

Correlation of diet, microbiota and metabolite networks in inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives: Microbiota dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been widely reported. The gut microbiota connect diet to the metabolism by producing small molecules via diverse metabolic pathways. In this study we aimed to investigate the dietary preferences of IBD patients, and to explore the interactions among gut microbiota composition, dietary components, and metabolites in relation to IBD.

Mitochondrial modulation of apoptosis induced by low-dose radiation in mouse testicular cells.

Objective: To investigate whether apoptosis induced by low-dose radiation (LDR) is regulated by mitochondrial pathways in testicular cells.

Methods: Male mice were exposed to whole-body LDR, and changes in mitochondrial function and in expression of apoptotic factors were analyzed in the testicular cells as follows. Total nitric-oxide synthase (T-NOS) and Na+/K+ ATPase activities were biochemically assayed.

Cellular fatty acids as chemical markers for differentiation of Acinetobacter baumannii and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

Objective: Gas chromatography (GC) was used to investigate the cellular fatty acid (CFA) composition of 141 Acinetobacter baumannii and 32 A. calcoaceticus isolates from different locations in China and to find chemical markers to differentiate these two closely related bacteria.

Methods: Whole cell fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were obtained by saponification, methylation, and extraction for GC analysis, followed by a standardized Microbial Identification System (MIS) analysis.