Regulating cellular metabolism and morphology to achieve high-yield synthesis of hyaluronan with controllable molecular weights.

High-yield biosynthesis of hyaluronan (HA) with controllable molecular weights (MWs) remains challenging due to the poorly understood function of Class I HA synthase (HAS) and the metabolic imbalance between HA biosynthesis and cellular growth. Here, we systematically characterize HAS to identify crucial regions involved in HA polymerization, secretion, and MW control. We construct HAS mutants that achieve complete HA secretion and expand the MW range from 300 to 1400 kDa.

Modulating Gut Microbiota: The Mechanism of Electroacupuncture at the "Siguan" Acupoints in Alleviating Post-Stroke Depression.

Purpose: To explore the related mechanisms of electroacupuncture at the "Siguan" acupoints in treating post-stroke depression (PSD).

Methods: Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group, stroke group, PSD group, Siguan group and Bifidobacterium group, with 10 rats in each group. The Siguan group was given electroacupuncture at the bilateral "Hegu" (LI4) and "Taichong" (LR3), using the disperse-dense wave with a frequency of 2Hz/10Hz for 30 minutes each time.

[Effects of acupuncture on sleep quality and serum neurotransmitter levels in patients with chronic insomnia].

Objective: To observe the effects of (regulating the hinge and calming the mind) acupuncture on sleep quality and serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in patients with chronic insomnia.

Methods: A total of 58 patients with chronic insomnia were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 29 cases in each group. acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV20) and bilateral Shenmen (HT7), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Benshen (GB13) in the acupuncture group, once a day, 1-day interval was taken after 6 consecutive days of treatment.

A two-stage model for precise identification and Gleason grading of clinically significant prostate cancer: a hybrid approach.

Introduction: Accurate identification and grading of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa, Gleason Score ≥ 7) without invasive procedures remains a significant clinical challenge. This study aims to develop and evaluate a two-stage model designed for precise Gleason grading. The model initially uses radiomics-based multiparametric MRI to identify csPCa and then refines the Gleason grading by integrating clinical indicators and radiomics features.

Causal relationship between Women's reproductive traits and depression: a multivariate mendelian randomization analysis.

Purpose: The relationship between women's reproductive traits and depression (PPD) has not been clarified. We reveal the association between genetically predicted modifiable women's reproductive traits and PPD using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR).

Methods: We used genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to obtain instrumental variables (IVs) of 9 women's reproductive traits.

Disulfidptosis-related subtype and prognostic signature in prostate cancer.

Background: Disulfidptosis refers to cell death caused by the accumulation and bonding of disulfide in the cytoskeleton protein of SLC7A11-high level cells under glucose deprivation. However, the role of disulfidptosis-related genes (DRGs) in prostate cancer (PCa) classification and regulation of the tumor microenvironment remains unclear.

Methods: Firstly, we analyzed the expression and mutation landscape of DRGs in PCa.

Molecular Subtypes Defined by Cuproptosis-Associated Genes, Prognostic Model Development, and Tumor Immune Microenvironment Characterization in Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Introduction: This study aims to explore the role of cuproptosis-related genes in ACC, utilizing data from TCGA and GEO repositories, and to develop a predictive model for patient stratification.

Methods: A cohort of 123 ACC patients with survival data was analyzed. RNA-seq data of 17 CRGs were examined, and univariate Cox regression identified prognostic CRGs.

[Heterologous expression of bacterial tyrosinase and its applications in biological hair dyeing and DOPA modification of hydrolyzed silk fibroin].

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing polyphenol oxidase widely applied in the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Currently, the production of commercial tyrosinase primarily relies on extraction from fungi, which has high costs, low purity, low specific activity, and poor stability. The objective of this study is to obtain highly expressed bacterial tyrosinase with potential for industrial applications.

Immobilized high-performance heparin lyase III for efficient preparation of low molecular weight heparin.

Heparin lyase III has garnered widespread attention due to its high specificity and minimal loss of anticoagulant activity during the preparation of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), a crucial anticoagulant drug in clinical practice. However, low expression levels and complex preparation processes limit its practical application. To address these challenges, high-performance Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron heparin lyase III (Bhep III) variants were engineered and immobilized for LMWH preparation.

Engineering artificial cross-species promoters with different transcriptional strengths.

As a fundamental tool in synthetic biology, promoters are pivotal in regulating gene expression, enabling precise genetic control and spurring innovation across diverse biotechnological applications. However, most advances in engineered genetic systems rely on host-specific regulation of the genetic portion. With the burgeoning diversity of synthetic biology chassis cells, there emerges a pressing necessity to broaden the universal promoter toolkit spectrum, ensuring adaptability across various microbial chassis cells for enhanced applicability and customization in the evolving landscape of synthetic biology.

A multi-scale attention mechanism for detecting defects in leather fabrics.

Defect detection is critical to industrial quality control in leather production engineering. The various sizes and locations of defects in leather, as well as significant differences within the same class and indistinctive variations between different classes of defects, contribute to the complexity of the problem. To address this challenge, we propose a Multi-Layer Residual Convolutional Attention (MLRCA) approach.

Exploring Mechanism of Electroacupuncture in Modulating Neuroinflammation Based on Intestinal Flora and Its Metabolites.

Neuroinflammatory responses play an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, particularly those affecting the central nervous system. Inhibition of neuroinflammation is a crucial therapeutic strategy for the management of central nervous system disorders. The intestinal microbial-gut-brain axis serves as a key regulatory pathway that modulates neuroinflammatory processes.

Non-invasively identifying candidates of active surveillance for prostate cancer using magnetic resonance imaging radiomics.

Active surveillance (AS) is the primary strategy for managing patients with low or favorable-intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCa). Identifying patients who may benefit from AS relies on unpleasant prostate biopsies, which entail the risk of bleeding and infection. In the current study, we aimed to develop a radiomics model based on prostate magnetic resonance images to identify AS candidates non-invasively.

Association between gut microbiota and common overlapping gastrointestinal disorders: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The main functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) include functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which often present overlapping symptoms with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), posing a challenge for clinical diagnosis and treatment. The gut microbiota is closely associated with FGIDs and GERD, although the causal relationship has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential causal relationship using bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Inflammatory proteins mediate male erectile dysfunction via plasma metabolites.

Background: There are no clear conclusions as to whether inflammatory proteins and plasma metabolites influence erectile dysfunction (ED).

Aim: In this research, we used Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to discover a causal relationship between inflammatory proteins, plasma metabolites, and ED.

Methods: Raw data with ED, inflammatory proteins, and plasma metabolites were obtained from the MRC IEU OpenGWAS and FinnGen database.

High-activity recombinant human carboxypeptidase B expression in Pichia pastoris through rational protein engineering and enhancing secretion from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane.

Human carboxypeptidase B1 (hCPB1) is vital for recombinant insulin production, holding substantial value in the pharmaceutical industry. Current challenges include limited hCPB1 enzyme activity. In this study, recombinant hCPB1 efficient expression in Pichia pastoris was achieved.

Enhancing the expression of chondroitin 4-O-sulfotransferase for one-pot enzymatic synthesis of chondroitin sulfate A.

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) stands as a pivotal compound in dietary supplements for osteoarthritis treatment, propelling significant interest in the biotechnological pursuit of environmentally friendly and safe CS production. Enzymatic synthesis of CS for instance CSA has been considered as one of the most promising methods. However, the bottleneck consistently encountered is the active expression of chondroitin 4-O-sulfotransferase (C4ST) during CSA biosynthesis.

Coordinated optimization of the polymerization and transportation processes to enhance the yield of exopolysaccharide heparosan.

Heparosan as the precursor for heparin biosynthesis has attracted intensive attention while Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) has been applied as a chassis for heparosan biosynthesis. Here, after uncovering the pivotal role of KfiB in heparosan biosynthesis, we further demonstrate KfiB is involved in facilitating KpsT to translocate the nascent heparosan polysaccharide chain. As a result, an artificial expression cassette KfiACB was constructed with optimized RBS elements, resulting in 0.

Enzymatic construction of a library of even- and odd-numbered heparosan oligosaccharides and their N-sulfonated derivatives.

Low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs), especially the specific-sized heparin oligosaccharides, are attractive for the therapeutic applications, while their synthesis remains challenging. In the present study, unsaturated even-numbered heparosan oligosaccharides were firstly prepared by cleaving high-molecular-weight heparosan using recombinant heparinase III (HepIII). The conversion rates of the unsaturated disaccharides, tetrasaccharides, hexasaccharides, octasaccharides, and decasaccharides were 33.

Regulatory RNAs in A review on regulatory mechanism and applications in synthetic biology.

Bacteria exhibit a rich repertoire of RNA molecules that intricately regulate gene expression at multiple hierarchical levels, including small RNAs (sRNAs), riboswitches, and antisense RNAs. Notably, the majority of these regulatory RNAs lack or have limited protein-coding capacity but play pivotal roles in orchestrating gene expression by modulating transcription, post-transcription or translation processes. Leveraging and redesigning these regulatory RNA elements have emerged as pivotal strategies in the domains of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.

LI-RADS CT and MRI Ancillary Feature Association with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Malignancy: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.

Background The independent contribution of each Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) CT or MRI ancillary feature (AF) has not been established. Purpose To evaluate the association of LI-RADS AFs with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and malignancy while adjusting for LI-RADS major features through an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. Materials and Methods Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus were searched from January 2014 to January 2022 for studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of CT and MRI for HCC using LI-RADS version 2014, 2017, or 2018.