Vitamin D impacts on the intestinal health, immune status and metabolism in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.)

Vitamin D (VD) plays a vital role in various physiological processes in addition to its classic functions on maintaining the balance of Ca and P metabolism. However, there still are gaps to understand in depth the issues on the precise requirement, metabolic processes and physiological functions of VD in fish. In this study, we investigated the effects of VD on the growth, intestinal health, host immunity and metabolism in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.), one important commercial carnivorous fish in aquaculture, through the supplementation of different doses of dietary VD3 (0, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 μg VD3/kg diet). According to our results, the optimal VD3 level in the feed for turbot growth was estimated to be around 400 IU/kg, whereas VD3 deficiency or overdose in diets induced the intestinal inflammation, lowered the diversity of gut microbiota and impaired the host resistance to bacterial infection in turbot. Moreover, the level of 1α,25(OH)2D3, the active metabolite of VD3, reached a peak value in the turbot serum in the 400 μg group, although the concentrations of Ca and phosphate in the turbot were stable in all groups. Finally, the deficiency of dietary VD3 disturbed the nutritional metabolism in turbot, especially the metabolism of lipids and glucose. In conclusion, this study evaluated the optimal dose of dietary VD3 for turbot and provided the evidence that VD has a significant impact on intestinal health, host immunity and nutritional metabolism in fish, which deepened our understanding on the physiological functions and metabolism of VD3 in fish.

Identification of diagnostic gene biomarkers related to immune infiltration in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis based on bioinformatics strategies

Objective

The study aims to identify potential diagnostic markers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and analyze the significance of immune cell infiltration in this pathology.

Materials and methods

Download two publicly available gene expression profiles (GSE10667 and GSE24206 datasets) from the GEO database including 48 Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) samples and 21 human control samples and select for distinctly expressed genes (DEG) from them. Lasso regression model and support vector machine recursive feature elimination S,V,R,F analysis were used to check candidate biomarkers. The area under the subject's work characteristic curve (AUC) value is used to evaluate its recognition ability. The GSE53845 dataset (40 IPF patients and 8 controls) continue to validate the expression level and diagnostic value of biomarkers in IPF. Comprehensive analysis of immune infiltrated cells of IPF was performed using R software and immune cell infiltration estimation analysis tool- deconvolution algorithm (CIBERSORT).

Results

43 DEGs were identified in total. The identified DEGs mostly involve pneumonia, lung disease, collagen disease, obstructive pulmonary disease and other diseases. The activation of IL-17 signaling pathways, amoebic disease, interaction of viral proteins with cytokines and cytokine receptors, protein digestion and absorption, and flaccid hormone signaling pathways in IPF were different from the control group. The expression degree of CRTAC1, COL10A1, COMP, RPS4Y1, IGFL2, NECAB1, SCG5, SLC6A4, and SPP1 in IPF tissue were prominently higher than the normal group. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed that CRTAC1, COL10A1, COMP, IGFL2, NECAB1, SCG5, SLC6A4, and SPP1 were associated with monocytes, plasma cells, neutrophils, and regulatory (treg) T cells.

Conclusion

CRTAC1, COL10A1, COMP, IGFL2, NECAB1, SCG5, SLC6A4, and SPP1 can be used as diagnostic markers for IPF, providing new ideas for the future study of IPF occurrence and molecular mechanisms.

The effectiveness of drugs combined with individualized management for elderly patients with stage III pressure ulcers

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of drugs in combination with individualized management for elderly patients with stage III pressure ulcers.

METHODS

Sixty patients with stage III pressure sores at our hospital from August 2017 to December 2019 were selected as research subjects. The patients were equally divided between the study group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) by the random number table method. All enrolled patients received drug treatment, silver ion alginate and hydrocolloid and foam dressings once every 3 days, according to the patient's wound condition to shorten the healing time. After necrotic tissue and wounds were washed with normal saline, a silver ion alginate dressing was applied and the dressing was changed once a day. The study group had individualized management based on the above drug treatment as well as exercise, nutrition, and psychological management. The pressure ulcer scale for healing (PUSH) score and changes in the pressure ulcer area were compared between the two groups before treatment, at 1, 3, and 5 weeks of treatment. The wound healing rate was then calculated.

RESULTS

With the progress of treatment time, the PUSH scores and pressure ulcer areas in both groups showed a significantly decreasing trend, and the wound healing rate was significantly increased (p < 0.05). The study group's PUSH scores and pressure ulcer areas were significantly lower when compared with the control group (p < 0.05) after one, three, and 5 weeks of treatment. The wound healing rate of the study group at three and 5 weeks was significantly faster than the control group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Based on drug therapy (silver ion alginate, hydrocolloid dressing, and foam dressing) combined with individualized exercise, nutrition, and psychological management, older patients with stage III pressure ulcers had improved therapeutic wound healing.

Preparation of Hollow Porous Carbon Nanofibers and Their Performance and Mechanism of Broadband Microwave Absorption

Developing microwave absorbing composites with lightweight and wide absorption bands is an essential direction for electromagnetic wave stealth and shielding application. In this article, PAN/PMMA blend fibers and sheath-core blend fibers with PAN/PMMA as the sheath and PMMA as the core were spun by uniaxial and coaxial electrostatic spinning, respectively. Porous carbon nanofiber (PCNF) and hollow porous carbon nanofiber (HPCNF) were obtained after pre-oxidation and carbonization of the corresponding two precursor fibers. The microwave absorption composite samples with PCNF and HPCNF as absorbents and paraffin as matrix were prepared, respectively. Their electromagnetic parameters were investigated by the reflective-transmission network parameter method. The microwave absorption properties of the corresponding composites were calculated based on a model for a single-layer planewave absorber from electromagnetic parameters. The results showed diversity between the microwave absorbing performance of the composites filled with PCNF and HPCNF. HPCNF performs better than PCNF as an absorbent; that is, the lowest reflection loss of composite filled with HPCNF is -20.26 dB and the effective bandwidth (lower than -10 dB) is to 4.56 GHz, while the lowest reflection loss of a composite filled with PCNF is -13.70 dB, and the effective bandwidth (lower than -10 dB) is 2.68 GHz when the absorbent content is 7%, and the thickness is 3 mm. Much lower reflection loss and a wider absorption band could be expected from HPCNF. The presence of a hollow structure in HPCNF, which may increase the degree of polarization and provide more interfaces for the interference phase extinction of reflected electromagnetic waves, might help to improve the attenuation of electromagnetic waves and broaden the absorption band.

The Effects of Sodium Propionate Supplementation in the Diet with High Soybean Meal on Growth Performance, Intestinal Health, and Immune Resistance to Bacterial Infection in Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.)

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the products of the microbial fermentation of dietary fiber in the intestine. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate are the most abundant SCFA metabolites and play an important role in maintaining host health. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of sodium propionate (NaP) supplementation in the diet with a high proportion of soybean meal (SBM) on the growth, inflammatory status, and anti-infectious ability in juvenile turbot. Four experimental diets were designed: (1) fish meal- (FM-) based diet (control group), (2) SBM protein replacing 45% FM protein in the diet (high SBM group), (3) 0.5% NaP supplementation in the high SBM diet (high SBM+0.5% NaP group), and (4) 1.0% NaP supplementation in the high SBM diet (high SBM+1.0% NaP group). The results confirmed that the fish fed the high SBM diet for 8 weeks showed the decreased growth performance, the typical enteritis symptoms, and the increased mortality responding to Edwardsiella tarda (E. tarda) infection. However, 0.5% NaP supplementation in the high SBM diet promoted the growth performance of turbot and restored the activities of digestive enzymes in the intestine. Moreover, dietary NaP ameliorated the intestinal morphology, enhanced the expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, improved the antioxidant capacity, and suppressed the inflammatory status in turbot. Finally, the expression of antibacterial components and the resistance to bacterial infection were increased in NaP-fed turbot, especially in high SBM+1.0% NaP group. In conclusion, the supplementation of NaP in high SBM diet promotes the growth and health in turbot and provides a theoretical basis for the development of NaP as a functional additive in fish feed.

TET enzymes regulate skeletal development through increasing chromatin accessibility of RUNX2 target genes

The Ten-eleven translocation (TET) family of dioxygenases mediate cytosine demethylation by catalyzing the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC). TET-mediated DNA demethylation controls the proper differentiation of embryonic stem cells and TET members display functional redundancy during early gastrulation. However, it is unclear if TET proteins have functional significance in mammalian skeletal development. Here, we report that Tet genes deficiency in mesoderm mesenchymal stem cells results in severe defects of bone development. The existence of any single Tet gene allele can support early bone formation, suggesting a functional redundancy of TET proteins. Integrative analyses of RNA-seq, Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing (WGBS), 5hmC-Seal and Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (ATAC-seq) demonstrate that TET-mediated demethylation increases the chromatin accessibility of target genes by RUNX2 and facilities RUNX2-regulated transcription. In addition, TET proteins interact with RUNX2 through their catalytic domain to regulate cytosine methylation around RUNX2 binding region. The catalytic domain is indispensable for TET enzymes to regulate RUNX2 transcription activity on its target genes and to regulate bone development. These results demonstrate that TET enzymes function to regulate RUNX2 activity and maintain skeletal homeostasis.

Here the authors investigate the role of the TET family of DNA demethylases in mammalian skeletal development. They find that loss of TETs leads to hypermethylation that results in decreased chromatin accessibility of RUNX2 target genes, repressing osteoblast differentiation and leading to skeletal defects in mouse such as short limbs.

Stroke severity modified the effect of chronic atrial fibrillation on the outcome of thrombolytic therapy

There is conflicting information regarding the impact of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) on the outcomes of thrombolyzed patients with stroke. This study was designed to identify high-risk patients with chronic AF who had undergone thrombolysis treatment and to explore whether the baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) could be used to distinguish poor clinical outcomes in thrombolyzed patients. A total of 164 acute ischemic stroke patients with chronic AF were enrolled in this study. The patients were categorized as having poor or favorable outcomes. A favorable 90-day outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤2. Our study showed that the baseline NIHSS score of patients with poor functional recovery (mRS >2) was significantly higher than that of patients with favorable outcomes (median 16 vs 12). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of mRS score showed that a baseline NIHSS score of 14 was the optimal threshold for predicting unfavorable outcomes in patients with chronic AF. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that baseline NIHSS score >14 was independently associated with poor outcomes (odds ratio = 4.182, 95% confidence interval 2.092-8.361). Our study showed that stroke severity modified the effect of chronic AF on the outcome of thrombolytic therapy. The approach of stratifying stroke severity may be used to evaluate treatment strategies for decision making in intravenous thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke with chronic AF.

Impacts of Built Environment on Risk of Women's Lung Cancer: A Case Study of China

Built environment factors such as air pollution are associated with the risk of respiratory disease, but few studies have carried out profound investigation. We aimed to evaluate the association between the built environment and Chinese women’s lung cancer incidence data from the China Cancer Registry Annual Report 2017, which covered 345,711,600 people and 449 qualified cancer registries in mainland China. The air quality indicator (PM2.5) and other built environment data are obtained from the China Statistical Yearbook and other official approved materials. An exploratory regression tool is applied by using Chinese women’s lung cancer incidence data (Segi population) as the dependent variable, PM2.5 index and other built environment factors as the independent variables. An apparent clustering region with a high incidence of women’s lung cancer was discovered, including regions surrounding Bohai bay and the three Chinese northeastern provinces, Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia. Besides air quality, built environment factors were found to have a weak but clear impact on lung cancer incidence. Land-use intensity and the greening coverage ratio were positive, and the urbanization rate and population density were negatively correlated with lung cancer incidence. The role of green spaces in Chinese women’s lung cancer incidence has not been proven.

Anti-fatigue effect from Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma: a suggestive and promising treatment for long COVID

Two years after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, an increasing number of patients continue to suffer from long COVID (LC), persistent symptoms, and/or delayed or long-term complications beyond the initial 4 weeks from the onset of symptoms. Constant fatigue is one of the most common LC symptoms, leading to severely reduced quality of life among patients. Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-known as the King of Herbs in traditional Chinese medicine-has shown clinical anti-fatigue effects. In this review, we summarize the underlying anti-fatigue mechanisms of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma extracts and their bioactive compounds, with a special focus on anti-viral, immune remodeling, endocrine system regulation, and metabolism, suggesting that Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma is a potentially promising treatment for LC, especially in regard to targeting fatigue.

Federated Generalized Face Presentation Attack Detection

Face presentation attack detection (fPAD) plays a critical role in the modern face recognition pipeline. An fPAD model with good generalization can be obtained when it is trained with face images from different input distributions and different types of spoof attacks. In reality, training data (both real face images and spoof images) are not directly shared between data owners due to legal and privacy issues. In this article, with the motivation of circumventing this challenge, we propose a federated face presentation attack detection (FedPAD) framework that simultaneously takes advantage of rich fPAD information available at different data owners while preserving data privacy. In the proposed framework, each data owner (referred to as data centers) locally trains its own fPAD model. A server learns a global fPAD model by iteratively aggregating model updates from all data centers without accessing private data in each of them. Once the learned global model converges, it is used for fPAD inference. To equip the aggregated fPAD model in the server with better generalization ability to unseen attacks from users, following the basic idea of FedPAD, we further propose a federated generalized face presentation attack detection (FedGPAD) framework. A federated domain disentanglement strategy is introduced in FedGPAD, which treats each data center as one domain and decomposes the fPAD model into domain-invariant and domain-specific parts in each data center. Two parts disentangle the domain-invariant and domain-specific features from images in each local data center. A server learns a global fPAD model by only aggregating domain-invariant parts of the fPAD models from data centers, and thus, a more generalized fPAD model can be aggregated in server. We introduce the experimental setting to evaluate the proposed FedPAD and FedGPAD frameworks and carry out extensive experiments to provide various insights about federated learning for fPAD.

Vitamin D regulates insulin pathway and glucose metabolism in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ [1,25(OH)₂ D₃ ], the most active vitamin D (VD) metabolite, is a steroid hormone playing an important role in many physiological functions in addition to maintaining mineral homeostasis. In this study, we explored the mechanism that the VD regulated insulin pathway and glucose metabolism in zebrafish in vitro and in vivo. Our results show that 1,25(OH)₂ D₃  significantly enhances the expression of insulin receptor a (insra), insulin receptor substrate 1 (irs1) and glucose transporter 2 (glut2), and promotes glycolysis and glycogenesis, while suppressing gluconeogenesis in zebrafish liver cell line (ZFL) under the condition of high glucose (20 mM), instead of the normal glucose (10 mM). Moreover, consistent results were obtained from the zebrafish fed with VD₃ -deficient diet, as well as the cyp2r1^-/- zebrafish, in which endogenous VD metabolism is blocked. Furthermore, results from dual-luciferase reporting system exhibited that 1,25(OH)₂ D₃ directly activated the transcription of insra, rather than insrb in zebrafish by binding to vitamin D response element (VDRE) located at -181 to -167 bp in the promoter region of insra. Importantly, the 1,25(OH)₂ D₃ treatment significantly alleviated the symptoms of hyperglycemia in diabetic zebrafish. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that VD activates VDRE located in the promoter area of insra in zebrafish to promote insulin/insra signaling pathway, thereby contributing to the maintenance of glucose homeostasis.

Three-Dimensional Ordered Macroporous Magnetic Inverse Photonic Crystal Microsphere-Based Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Selective Capture of Aflatoxin B1

Development of an efficient detection method to monitor residual mycotoxins in food is very important to ensure food safety, but the complex food matrix seriously affects the detection sensitivity and accuracy. Here, using a three-dimensional ordered macroporous magnetic inverse photonic crystal microsphere (MPCM) as the supporting material, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) that can selectively recognize aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) was synthesized through the dummy template imprinting strategy. The MPCM@MIP prepared by employing 5,7-dimethoxycoumarin as the template and methacrylic acid as the functional monomer displayed selectivity toward AFB₁ (imprinting factor of 1.5) and could be used as a solid-phase extraction material. By coupling with high-performance liquid chromatography, an analytical method targeting AFB₁ was established and displayed a wide linear range of 5-1000 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 0.4 ng/mL. The method showed a good recovery rate of 73-92% in AFB₁-spiked soy sauce and vinegar samples. Moreover, the MPCM@MIP could be separated from the sample solution easily because of its magnetic performance, displaying a promising future not only in the enrichment of AFB₁ to improve the detection sensitivity and accuracy but also in the removal of AFB₁ from food and environmental samples.

Cinobufacini Injection Inhibits the Proliferation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Through the Pin1-TAZ Signaling Pathway

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer (BC), which is characterized by the total absence of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), progesterone receptor (PR), and estrogen receptor (ER) expression. Cinobufacini injection (CI) is the aqueous extract from the dry skin of Bufo gargarizans, which is broadly used for the treatment of malignant tumors. However, the potential mechanism of CI against TNBC has not been fully revealed. In this study, we found that CI inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. RNA-seq data showed that downregulated and upregulated genes were mainly enriched in biological processes related to tumor cell proliferation, including cell cycle arrest and regulation of apoptosis signaling pathways. Indeed, after CI treatment, the protein level of CDK1 and Bcl-2/Bax decreased, indicating that CI induced the cell cycle of MDA-MB-231 arrest in the G2/M phase and increased the rate of apoptosis. Meanwhile, CI significantly inhibited the growth of tumor in vivo, and RNA-seq data showed that the TAZ signaling pathway played a vital role after CI treatment. Both immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis confirmed the downregulation of Pin1 and TAZ, caused by CI treatment. Furthermore, the bioinformatics analysis indicated that Pin1 and TAZ were indeed elevated in TNBC patients, with poor staging, classification, and patient survival rate. In conclusion, CI effectively inhibited the proliferation of TNBC in vitro and in vivo and induced their apoptosis and cycle arrest through the Pin1–TAZ pathway.

Silver-promoted dearomative [3+4] cycloaddition of anthranils with α-isocyanoacetates: access to benzodiazepines

The first example of silver-promoted [3+4] cycloaddition of α-isocyanoacetates with anthranils as aromatic Michael accepters, offering access to benzo[d][1,3]diazepinones, has been developed. Mechanistic studies revealed that an "oxygen migration" rearrangement process was involved in this dearomative cycloaddition reaction. Additionally, benzo[d][1,3]diazepinones were obtained efficiently as well under catalytic conditions. Broad functional groups were well tolerated under mild reaction conditions.

Xuanfei Baidu Decoction protects against macrophages induced inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis via inhibiting IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Xuanfei Baidu Decoction (XFBD), one of the "three medicines and three prescriptions" for the clinically effective treatment of COVID-19 in China, plays an important role in the treatment of mild and/or common patients with dampness-toxin obstructing lung syndrome.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present work aims to elucidate the protective effects and the possible mechanism of XFBD against the acute inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis.

METHODS

We use TGF-β1 induced fibroblast activation model and LPS/IL-4 induced macrophage inflammation model as in vitro cell models. The mice model of lung fibrosis was induced by BLM via endotracheal drip, and then XFBD (4.6 g/kg, 9.2 g/kg) were administered orally respectively. The efficacy and molecular mechanisms in the presence or absence of XFBD were investigated.

RESULTS

The results proved that XFBD can effectively inhibit fibroblast collagen deposition, down-regulate the level of α-SMA and inhibit the migration of fibroblasts. IL-4 induced macrophage polarization was also inhibited and the secretions of the inflammatory factors including IL6, iNOS were down-regulated. In vivo experiments, the results proved that XFBD improved the weight loss and survival rate of the mice. The XFBD high-dose administration group had a significant effect in inhibiting collagen deposition and the expression of α-SMA in the lungs of mice. XFBD can reduce bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting IL-6/STAT3 activation and related macrophage infiltration.

CONCLUSIONS

Xuanfei Baidu Decoction protects against macrophages induced inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis via inhibiting IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Xuanfei Baidu Decoction reduces acute lung injury by regulating infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages via PD-1/IL17A pathway

The pathogenic hyper-inflammatory response has been revealed as the major cause of the severity and death of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Xuanfei Baidu Decoction (XFBD) as one of the "three medicines and three prescriptions" for the clinically effective treatment of COVID-19 in China, shows unique advantages in the control of symptomatic transition from moderate to severe disease states. However, the roles of XFBD to against hyper-inflammatory response and its mechanism remain unclear. Here, we established acute lung injury (ALI) model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), presenting a hyperinflammatory process to explore the pharmacodynamic effect and molecular mechanism of XFBD on ALI. The in vitro experiments demonstrated that XFBD inhibited the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α and iNOS activity in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. In vivo, we confirmed that XFBD improved pulmonary injury via down-regulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α and IL1-β as well as macrophages and neutrophils infiltration in LPS-induced ALI mice. Mechanically, we revealed that XFBD treated LPS-induced acute lung injury through PD-1/IL17A pathway which regulates the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages. Additionally, one major compound from XFBD, i.e. glycyrrhizic acid, shows a high binding affinity with IL17A. In conclusion, we demonstrated the therapeutic effects of XFBD, which provides the immune foundations of XFBD and fatherly support its clinical applications.

Distinct transcription kinetics of pluripotent cell states

Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) can adopt naïve, ground, and paused pluripotent states that give rise to unique transcriptomes. Here, we use transient transcriptome sequencing (TT-seq) to define both coding and non-coding transcription units (TUs) in these three pluripotent states and combine TT-seq with RNA polymerase II occupancy profiling to unravel the kinetics of RNA metabolism genome-wide. Compared to the naïve state (serum), RNA synthesis and turnover rates are globally reduced in the ground state (2i) and the paused state (mTORi). The global reduction in RNA synthesis goes along with a genome-wide decrease of polymerase elongation velocity, which is related to epigenomic features and alterations in the Pol II termination window. Our data suggest that transcription activity is the main determinant of steady state mRNA levels in the naïve state and that genome-wide changes in transcription kinetics invoke ground and paused pluripotent states.

Genome-wide mapping of G-quadruplex structures with CUT&Tag

Single-stranded genomic DNA can fold into G-quadruplex (G4) structures or form DNA:RNA hybrids (R loops). Recent evidence suggests that such non-canonical DNA structures affect gene expression, DNA methylation, replication fork progression and genome stability. When and how G4 structures form and are resolved remains unclear. Here we report the use of Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) for mapping native G4 in mammalian cell lines at high resolution and low background. Mild native conditions used for the procedure retain more G4 structures and provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio than ChIP-based methods. We determine the G4 landscape of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC), observing widespread G4 formation at active promoters, active and poised enhancers. We discover that the presence of G4 motifs and G4 structures distinguishes active and primed enhancers in mouse ESCs. Upon differentiation to neural progenitor cells (NPC), enhancer G4s are lost. Further, performing R-loop CUT&Tag, we demonstrate the genome-wide co-occurrence of single-stranded DNA, G4s and R loops at promoters and enhancers. We confirm that G4 structures exist independent of ongoing transcription, suggesting an intricate relationship between transcription and non-canonical DNA structures.

[VOCs Emission Inventory and Uncertainty Analysis of Industry in Qingdao Based on Latin Hypercube Sampling and Monte Carlo Method]

In recent years, fine particulate matter(PM_2.5) and ozone(O₃) have become the main air pollutants in cities in China. Volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are one of the important precursors of PM_2.5, O₃, and secondary organic aerosols. The establishment of VOCs emission inventory is therefore of great significance for controlling the amount of PM_2.5 and O₃. To date, the coefficient method has been used, which has error transmission of activity level, parameter and model, leading to the uncertainty of emission inventory. Multivariate uncertainty quantitative analysis of VOCs emission inventory provides an accurate alternative which has not been reported in China. The bottom-up method is adopted to collect the activity level of each enterprise. The variables of pollution control measures are obtained from surveys conducted with enterprises. The VOCs emission inventory of Qingdao from industrial source is established using an optimized coefficient method. The uncertainty of the VOCs inventory on the impact of univariate and multivariate variables is simulated by combining the Monte Carlo method(MC) with Latin hypercube sampling method(LHS). The results show that the total VOCs emissions were 44700 tons from industrial sources in 2019(unoptimized coefficient method:31100 tons).The rubber and plastic industries, metal products, and oil/coal/other fuel processing contributed more VOCs, which accounted for 40.26% of the total emissions. The uncertainty of multivariate simulation is higher than that of single variable. The uncertainty from process(-9.72%-230.51%) and solvent using source(-14.14%-122.77%) is significantly higher than uncertainty from combustion source(-15.62%-36.41%). The main sectors affecting the uncertainty of the VOCs inventory include:the chemical, papermaking, and textile industries(emission factors); metal, automobile manufacturing, and chemical industries(removal rate, facility operating rate); industries of petroleum processing and ferrous metal smelting(too few samples). VOCs emissions are mainly distributed in the east of the West Coast New district, north of Dazhu Mountain, south of Jimo district, north of Chengyang district, northeast of Jiaozhou district, built-up area of Pingdu district, and southeast of Laixi district.

Vitamin D3 protects turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) from bacterial infection

Accumulating evidence supports that vitamin D₃ (VD₃) possesses immunomodulatory properties besides its classical actions in calcium and bone homeostasis. In this study, juvenile turbots were fed with the diets containing 0 IU/kg VD₃ or the optimum dose of 400 IU/kg VD₃ for 8 weeks. To investigate the effects of VD₃ on anti-infectious immunity in fish, 10⁷ CFU Edwardsiella tarda was injected intraperitoneally to each juvenile turbot after the feeding trial. Our results showed that the mortality of infected turbots with dietary VD₃ was much lower than that in VD₃ deficient group, and the supplementation of dietary VD₃ significantly reduced the bacterial load in the spleen of infected turbots. Further analysis demonstrated that the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in haemocytes and lysozyme activity in serum was elevated, and the responses of T cells and B cells were modulated in VD₃-supplemented turbots. Moreover, the inflammation was significantly exacerbated in the infected turbots fed with 0 IU/kg VD₃ compared to the fish fed with 400 IU/kg VD₃. In addition, the head kidney macrophages (HKMs) in turbots were isolated and incubated with VD₃in vitro, the results showed that VD₃ significantly promoted the bactericidal activity in HKMs. In conclusion, our study has shown clear evidence that VD₃ positively regulates the innate and adaptive immunity in fish, which is beneficial to the defense in fish against pathogen infection.

Vertical environmental gradient drives prokaryotic microbial community assembly and species coexistence in a stratified acid mine drainage lake

Acid mine drainage (AMD) lakes are typical hydrologic features caused by open pit mining and represent extreme ecosystems and environmental challenges. Little is known about microbial distribution and community assembly in AMD lakes, especially in deep layers. Here, we investigated prokaryotic microbial diversity and community assembly along a depth profile in a stratified AMD lake using 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with multivariate ecological and statistical methods. The water column in the AMD lake exhibited tight geochemical gradients, with more acidic surface water. Coupled with vertical hydrochemical variations, prokaryotic microbial community structure changed significantly, and was accompanied by increased diversity with depth. In the surface water, heterogeneous selection was the most important assembly process, whereas stochastic processes gained importance with depth. Meanwhile, microbial co-occurrences, especially positive interactions, were more frequent in the stressful surface water with reduced network modularity and keystone taxa. The pH was identified as the key driver of microbial diversity and community assembly along the vertical profile based on random forest analysis. Taken together, environmental effects dominated by acid stress drove the community assembly and species coexistence that underpinned the spatial scaling patterns of AMD microbiota in the lake. These findings demonstrate the distinct heterogeneity of local prokaryotic microbial community in AMD lake, and provide new insights into the mechanism to maintain microbial diversity in extreme acidic environments.