How fast and how well the Omicron epidemic was curtailed. A Guangzhou experience to share.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 has ravaged the world and undergone multiple mutations during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 7 April 2022, an epidemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (BA.2) variant broke out in Guangzhou, China, one of the largest transportation and logistical hubs of the country.

Crucial control measures to contain China's first Delta variant outbreak.

The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of actinobacteria in drinking water reservoirs: Novel insights into abundance, community structure, and co-existence model.

The control of taste and odor (T&O) in drinking water reservoirs is the main challenge for water supply. T&O is mainly derived from actinobacteria during non-algal blooms. However, few studies have investigated the actinobacterial community in reservoirs, especially the effects of water quality parameters on actinobacteria.

Effectiveness of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines against the Delta variant infection in Guangzhou: a test-negative case-control real-world study.

The effectiveness of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines against the Delta variant, which has been associated with greater transmissibility and virulence, remains unclear. We conducted a test-negative case-control study to explore the vaccine effectiveness (VE) in real-world settings. We recruited participants aged 18-59 years who consisted of SARS-CoV-2 test-positive cases ( = 74) and test-negative controls ( = 292) during the outbreak of the Delta variant in May 2021 in Guangzhou city, China.

Biogeographic distribution patterns of algal community in different urban lakes in China: Insights into the dynamics and co-existence.

Urban lake ecosystems are significant for social development, but currently we know little about the geographical distribution of algal community in urban lakes at a large-scale. In this study, we investigated the algal community structure in different areas of urban lakes in China and evaluated the influence of water quality parameters and geographical location on the algal community. The results showed that obvious differences in water quality and algal communities were observed among urban lakes in different geographical areas.

Combined effects of seasonality and stagnation on tap water quality: Changes in chemical parameters, metabolic activity and co-existence in bacterial community.

In drinking water distribution pipeline systems, the tap water quality is regulated by several biotic and abiotic factors, which can threaten the health of consumers. Stagnation is inevitable in the water distribution pipeline however, the combined effects of seasonal changes and stagnation on tap water quality are not well understood. Here, we investigated the seasonal variations in the chemical and biological quality of water after overnight stagnation for a period of one year.

Indoor heating triggers bacterial ecological links with tap water stagnation during winter: Novel insights into bacterial abundance, community metabolic activity and interactions.

The overnight stagnation of tap water in plumbing systems can lead to water quality deterioration. Meanwhile, the indoor heating can improve the indoor temperature in cold areas during winter, which may affect the quality of tap water during stagnation. However, indoor heating drives bacterial ecological links with tap water stagnation during winter are not well understood.

[Advances in Microbe-Derived Taste and Odor Compounds in Typical Aquatic Ecosystems].

Olfactory microorganisms mainly include actinomycetes, algae, and myxobacteria, and are widely found in typical water ecosystems such as water source reservoirs, lakes, streams, and oceans. Biologically-derived taste and odor compounds can cause severe off-flavor problems at trace concentrations, threatening the safety of water supplies. Physical and chemical methods have been implemented, but they need to be improved and optimized.

MCU-dependent negative sorting of miR-4488 to extracellular vesicles enhances angiogenesis and promotes breast cancer metastatic colonization.

Based on Stephen Paget's well-established theory, both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms are crucial for metastasis. Although the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) has been suggested to be involved in breast cancer (BC) progression via cell-autonomous mechanisms, whether it assists the metastasis of BC cells through non-cell-autonomous mechanisms remains unclear. This study aimed to demonstrate that the MCU regulates BC metastatic colonization via non-cell-autonomous mechanisms.

Aerobic denitrifying bacterial communities drive nitrate removal: Performance, metabolic activity, dynamics and interactions of core species.

Three novel mix-cultured aerobic denitrifying bacteria (Mix-CADB) consortia named D14, X21, and CL exhibited excellent total organic carbon (TOC) removal and aerobic denitrification capacities. The TOC and nitrate removal efficiencies were higher than 93.00% and 98.

[Water Quality and Bacterial Population Driving Mechanism of Algae Vertical Succession in Stratified Reservoir].

Phytoplankton and bacteria are important components of the aquatic food web, and play a critical role in substance circulation and energy exchange in freshwater ecosystems. The succession of algae is closely related to the metabolism and structural succession of bacterial populations in the water column. Thus, in this study, the vertical succession characteristics of phytoplankton and bacteria community structure and their coupling with water quality were investigated during an algal bloom in the Lijiahe Reservoir using high-throughput DNA sequencing and Biolog technologies.

[Spatial and Temporal Succession Characteristics of Aerobic Anoxygenic Photosynthesis Bacteria in a Stratified Reservoir].

Aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis bacteria (AAPB) play a significant role in the material circulation of the hydrosphere, with diverse community structure and unique metabolic functions. To investigate the spatial and temporal succession characteristics of AAPB abundance and community structure in Jinpen Reservoir, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technique targeting the gene were applied. Furthermore, redundancy analysis was used to determine the influence of environmental factors on their community structure.

Disentangling the drivers of Microcystis decomposition: Metabolic profile and co-occurrence of bacterial community.

In aquatic ecosystems, water microbial communities can trigger the outbreak or decline of cyanobacterial blooms. However, the microbiological drivers of Microcystis decomposition in reservoirs remain unclear. Here, we explored the bacterial community metabolic profile and co-occurrence dynamics during Microcystis decomposition.

Nitrate reduction by Paracoccus thiophilus strain LSL 251 under aerobic condition: Performance and intracellular central carbon flux pathways.

The intracellular carbon metabolic flux pathways of denitrifying bacteria under aerobic conditions remain unclear. Here, a newly strain LSL251 was identified as Paracoccus thiophilus. Strain LSL251 removed 94.

Community Compositions of Phytoplankton and Eukaryotes during the Mixing Periods of a Drinking Water Reservoir: Dynamics and Interactions.

In deep drinking water reservoir ecosystems, the dynamics and interactions of community compositions of phytoplankton and eukaryotes during the mixing periods are still unclear. Here, morphological characteristics combined with high-throughput DNA sequencing (HTS) were used to investigate the variations of phytoplankton and the eukaryotic community in a large canyon-shaped, stratified reservoir located at the Heihe River in Shaanxi Province for three months. The results showed that Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta were the dominant taxa of the phytoplankton community, accounting for more than 97% of total phytoplankton abundance, which mainly consisted of sp.

Geographical Patterns of Algal Communities Associated with Different Urban Lakes in China.

Urban lakes play an important role in drainage and water storage, regulating urban microclimate conditions, supplying groundwater, and meeting citizens' recreational needs. However, geographical patterns of algal communities associated with urban lakes from a large scale are still unclear. In the present work, the geographical variation of algal communities and water quality parameters in different urban lakes in China were determined.

Calcium-sensing stromal interaction molecule 2 upregulates nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 and transforming growth factor-β signaling to promote breast cancer metastasis.

Background: Stromal interaction molecule (STIM) 2 is a key calcium-sensing molecule that regulates the stabilization of calcium ions (Ca) and therefore regulates downstream Ca-associated signaling and cellular events. We hypothesized that STIM2 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to promote breast cancer metastasis.

Methods: We determined the effects of gain, loss, and rescue of STIM2 on cellular motility, levels of EMT-related proteins, and secretion of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β).

Knockdown of FAM64A suppresses proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells.

Background: FAM64A is a mitotic regulator promoting cell metaphase-anaphase transition, and it is frequently reported to be highly expressed in cancer cells. However, the role of FAM64A in human breast cancer (BrC) is poorly studied.

Methods: The expression of FAM64A mRNA in BrC samples was determined by RT-qPCR assay and TCGA database mining.

Exosomes derived from breast cancer lung metastasis subpopulations promote tumor self-seeding.

Lung metastasis is a primary obstacle in the clinical treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Most patients with lung metastasis eventually die of recurrence. Recurrence may be related to self-seeding, which occurs when circulating tumor cells re-seed into the tumors they originated from (metastasis or carcinoma in situ).

STIM1 and STIM2 differently regulate endogenous Ca entry and promote TGF-β-induced EMT in breast cancer cells.

The Ca sensor proteins STIM1 and STIM2 are crucial elements of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) in breast cancer cells. Increased SOCE activity may contribute to epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) and increase cell migration and invasion. However, the roles of STIM1 and STIM2 in TGF-β-induced EMT are still unclear.

Acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural formation in reconstituted potato chips during frying.

In our present paper, the effect of water activity and processing conditions in reconstituted potato chips was considered as a model to investigate the changes of acrylamide (AA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The results suggested that the formation of AA and HMF was highly correlated with frying temperature and time. Water activity could also influence the formation of AA and HMF.

Protective effect of allicin against acrylamide-induced hepatocyte damage in vitro and in vivo.

Acrylamide (AA) is known to be a neurotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic compound. The presence of AA in foods causes public health concerns. In our previous study, we found that allicin can effectively reduce AA content in Maillard model system.