Search Results (88)

The uterine microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining postpartum reproductive health in dairy cows, and its dysregulation is closely associated with uterine diseases. Vaginal discharge characteristics serve as important clinical indicators for assessing uterine status and guiding clinical decision-making. This study employed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze uterine microbial diversity in cows with different discharge types. Results revealed significant microbial shifts associated with discharge severity. Notably, Caviibacter was highly enriched (up to 60.25%) in cows with mildly purulent discharge (<50%), suggesting its potential role in early-stage endometritis. In contrast, Fusobacterium and Helcococcus dominated when purulent discharge exceeded 50%, while Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, and Peptostreptococcus prevailed in cows with malodorous or discolored secretions, indicating severe inflammation. This study extends previous findings by uncovering stage-specific microbial transitions and proposing Caviibacter as a potential early biomarker of endometritis. These insights support early diagnosis and targeted interventions, contributing to improved reproductive management and sustainable dairy farming. Full article

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a prevalent central nervous system disorder that causes significant disability and mortality. Unfortunately, due to the complex pathophysiological mechanisms involved, there remains a critical paucity of effective therapeutic interventions capable of achieving neural tissue regeneration and functional recovery enhancement in SCI patients. The advancements in extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a cell-free therapy for SCI have displayed notable benefits. These include their small size, low immunogenicity, capacity to target specific areas, and ability to cross the blood‒brain barrier (BBB). EVs offer the potential to not only repair tissue damage and stimulate regeneration but also effectively deliver and release them at the site of SCI when combined with diverse biomaterials. This review explores the biological role and importance of EVs in treating SCI, highlighting the combined use of modified EVs with different biomaterials and their potential for future applications. It presents new and hopeful treatment approaches for individuals afflicted with SCI. Full article

Vibrio natriegens (V. natriegens) is an emerging synthetic biology chassis characterized by rapid growth, and its potential for the synthesis of sesquiterpenes (such as pentalenene) has not been developed. In this study, heterologous pentalenene biosynthesis was successfully established in V. natriegens via metabolic engineering. The optimization of gene dosage and culture conditions led to an increase in pentalenene yield from 0.75 mg/L to 39.4 mg/L, representing the highest titer reported in V. natriegens to date, though still markedly lower than yields achieved in conventional microbial hosts. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the exogenous mevalonate (MVA) pathway effectively activated terpenoid precursor synthesis, as evidenced by the up-regulation of key pathway genes. However, the endogenous methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway remained inactive, and genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, the pentose phosphate pathway, and thiamine biosynthesis were down-regulated, leading to limited availability of ATP, NADPH, and acetyl-CoA. Competition for cofactors, particularly NADPH, further constrained precursor supply and pathway efficiency. This study confirmed the potential of V. natriegens as a pentalenene production platform and revealed its metabolic bottleneck, providing a theoretical basis for subsequent engineering optimization. Full article

Ovarian tissue is critical for goose reproduction. This study aimed to investigate gene regulation by DNA methylation in relation to the reproductive traits of geese. We performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) on ovarian tissues from Sichuan white geese (high-laying-rate group: HLRG, ♀ = 3; low-laying-rate group: LLRG, ♀ = 3) during the laying period. The results showed a higher level of hypermethylated differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the HLRG, indicating a higher overall methylation level compared to the LLRG. In total, we identified 2831 DMRs and 733 differentially methylated genes (DMGs), including 363 genes with upregulated methylation. These DMGs were significantly enriched in pathways related to microtubule function (GO:0005874; GO:0000226), GnRH secretion, thyroid hormone signaling, ECM-receptor interaction, and PI3K–Akt signaling. Integration with RNA-seq data identified eight overlapping genes between DMGs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with five genes (CUL9, MEGF6, EML6, SYNE2, AK1BA) exhibiting a correlation between hypomethylation and high expression. EML6, in particular, emerged as a promising candidate, potentially regulating follicle growth and development in Sichuan white geese. Future studies should focus on further verifying the role of the EML6 gene. In conclusion, this study provides important insights into the regulatory mechanisms of DNA methylation influencing reproductive traits in geese, offering novel candidate markers for future goose breeding programs. Full article

This paper investigates the impact of different Large Language Models (DeepSeek, Kimi and Doubao) on the attack detection success rate of evasive Spectre attacks while accessing text, image, and code tasks. By running different Large Language Models (LLMs) tasks concurrently with evasive Spectre attacks, a unique dataset with LLMs noise was constructed. Subsequently, clustering algorithms were employed to reduce the dimension of the data and filter out representative samples for the test set. Finally, based on a random forest detection model, the study systematically evaluated the impact of different task types on the attack detection success rate. The experimental results indicate that the attack detection success rate follows the pattern of “code > text > image” in both the evasive Spectre memory attack and the evasive Spectre nop attack. To further assess the influence of different architectures on evasive Spectre attacks, additional experiments were conducted on an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU. The results reveal that, on the RTX 3060, the attack detection success rate for code tasks decreased, while those for text and image tasks increased compared to the 2080 Ti. This finding suggests that architectural differences impact the manifestation of Hardware Performance Counters (HPCs), influencing the attack detection success rate. Full article

In this work, micro Zn-doped Ga₂O₃ films (GZO) were deposited by one-step mixed atomic layer deposition (ALD) followed by post-thermal engineering. The effects of Zn doping and post-annealing temperature on both structure characteristics and electric properties were investigated in detail. The combination of plasma-enhanced ALD of Ga₂O₃ and thermal ALD of ZnO can realize the fast growth rate (0.62 nm/supercyc.), high density (4.9 g/cm³), and smooth interface (average R_q = 0.51 nm) of Zn-doped Ga₂O₃ film. In addition, the thermal engineering of the GZO was achieved by setting the annealing temperature to 400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C, respectively. The GZO film annealed at 800 °C exhibits a typical crystalline structure (Ga₂O₃: β phase, ZnO: hexagonal wurtzite), a lower roughness (average R_q = 2.7 nm), and a higher average breakdown field (16.47 MV/cm). Notably, compared with the pure GZO film, the breakdown field annealed at 800 °C increases by 180%. The O_V content in the GZO after annealing at 800 °C is as low as 34.8%, resulting in a remarkable enhancement of electrical properties. These research findings offer a new perspective on the high-quality ALD-doped materials and application of GZO in high-power electronics and high-sensitive devices. Full article

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a pig respiratory disease threating the global swine industry. To combat PRRS, it is necessary of the effective diagnostic detection of antibody, including developing a neutralizing antibody against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), especially the currently prevalent NADC30-like PRRSV in China. In this study, we prepared three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against NADC30-like PRRSV glycoprotein 5 (GP5) protein, and identified two corresponding precise epitopes (¹⁵⁵WR¹⁵⁶ and ¹⁹⁶QWGRP²⁰⁰). In the neutralization test, ¹⁹⁶QWGRP²⁰⁰ recognizing GP5 mAbs (11E6 and 12D1) exhibited obvious neutralizing activity, whereas the ¹⁵⁵WR¹⁵⁶ recognizing mAb (3A8) showed low neutralizing activity. Based on the two antigenic peptides, a peptide-based Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was developed to detect antibodies against PRRSV, presenting high specificity, sensitivity, and repeatability. The concordance rate of the peptide-based ELISA and commercial IDEXX PRRSV X3 Ab ELISA in detection of 81 clinical samples was 82.7%. In conclusion, the GP5 peptide-based ELISA can be used for the detection of neutralizing antibodies against NADC30-like PRRSV, providing a rapid and reliable method for monitoring PRRSV infection. Full article

Cronobacter sakazakii is a food-borne pathogen that can thrive in various environments, including the human body. The human body’s physiological temperature exceeds that of the environment (22–30 °C), necessitating adaptations to heat stress during this transition. Managing heat stress is crucial when transitioning from the environment to the human body. In this study, we explored the effect of human body temperature on the growth of planktonic C. sakazakii, as well as its acid resistance, osmotic stress resistance, autoaggregation, and cell surface hydrophobicity. Our study demonstrated that human body temperature facilitated the growth, acid resistance, and osmotic resistance of C. sakazakii, compared to 28 °C. The relationship between human body temperature and phenotypes was studied by comparing gene expression at human and environmental temperatures (37 to 28 °C) using high-throughput sequencing. The results revealed up-regulation in the expression of 626 genes, including genes involved in arginine and proline metabolism, carbon fixation pathways, and nitrogen metabolism. Further analysis showed that human body temperature is essential for the environmental stress resistance of C. sakazakii. It boosts denitrification, betaine transport, and universal stress proteins, supporting membrane integrity and osmoprotectant transport. This study enhances our understanding of the strategies employed by C. sakazakii during its adaptation to the human body. Full article

Addressing the pressing issue of global warming, sustainable rice cultivation strategies are crucial. Milk vetch (MV), a common green manure in paddies, has been shown to increase CH₄ emissions, necessitating effective mitigation. This two-year field experiment assessed the impact of applying calcium peroxide (CaO₂), widely used in wastewater treatment and soil remediation due to its oxygen-releasing properties, on CH₄ emissions in conventional paddy fields (chemical fertilizer-only) and MV-incorporated fields. The results revealed that in conventional paddy fields, CaO₂ application significantly reduced the average CH₄ emissions by 19% without affecting rice yield. Compared with chemical fertilizer alone, MV incorporation increased the average rice yield by 12% but significantly elevated CH₄ emissions. However, in paddy fields with MV incorporation, CaO₂ application significantly reduced CH₄ emissions by 19% while preserving the yield benefits of MV. Soil analyses indicated that MV incorporation led to increased soil carbon content and increased mcrA and pmoA gene copy numbers, with elevated mcrA gene copy numbers being primarily responsible for the promoted CH₄ emissions. CaO₂ application improved the soil redox potential, reducing mcrA gene copies and consequently mitigating CH₄ emissions. Overall, CaO₂ application can contribute to global efforts to reduce CH₄ emissions while supporting rice productivity. Full article

Background: Aromatase inhibitors-related musculoskeletal syndrome (AIMSS) is a common side effect experienced by early breast cancer patients undergoing endocrine therapy. This condition can result in medication discontinuation and a diminished quality of life. The objective of this study was to characterize AIMSS, investigate its pathogenesis, and identify potential biomarkers at both the protein and metabolic levels. Methods: We collected peripheral blood samples from 60 women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing aromatase inhibitor therapy, of whom 30 had AIMSS and 30 did not. The samples were analyzed using four-dimensional data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based proteomics and untargeted metabolomics, employing liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) on the latest platform. Results: The mean age of participants was 49.2 (11.3) years in the AIMSS group and 50.1 (11.5) years in the non-AIMSS group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, BMI, education level, clinical stage, and treatment. In total, we identified 3473 proteins and 1247 metabolites in the samples. The chemokine signaling pathway (p = 0.015), cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction (p = 0.015), complement and coagulation cascades (p = 0.004), neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction (p = 0.004), and the estrogen signaling pathway (p = 0.004) were significant enriched in differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). GnRH secretion (p < 0.001), sphingolipid signaling pathways (p < 0.001), endocrine resistance (p < 0.001), the estrogen signaling pathway (p = 0.001), endocrine and other factor-regulated calcium reabsorption (p = 0.001), dopaminergic synapse (p = 0.003), regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes (p = 0.004), biosynthesis of cofactors (p = 0.004), thyroid hormone synthesis (p = 0.008), aldosterone synthesis and secretion (p = 0.001), taurine and hypotaurine metabolism (p = 0.011), ovarian steroidogenesis (p = 0.011), and the cAMP signaling pathway (p = 0.011) were significantly enriched in differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs). Complement C3 (p = 0.004), platelet factor 4 (p = 0.015), KRT10 (p = 0.004), KRT14 (p = 0.004), beta-estradiol (p = 0.019), testosterone (p = 0.023), sphingosine (p < 0.001), and 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (p = 0.039) could be the monitoring and therapeutic targets for AIMSS. Conclusions: This study offered new insights into the mechanisms underlying musculoskeletal symptoms associated with aromatase inhibitors. It also highlighted potential biomarkers for predicting and addressing these symptoms in breast cancer patients, paving the way for improved intervention strategies. Full article

To explore the impact of epigenetic modifications on egg-laying traits in geese, we employed genome-wide bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) to analyze DNA methylation patterns in pituitary tissues of high-(HYP) and low-yield (LYP) Sichuan White geese. We achieved high-quality sequencing data (mean 19.09 Gb raw reads, 15.49 Gb clean reads, 79.1% unique mapping rate) with a bisulfite conversion efficiency of 99.88%. Comparative analysis revealed 2394 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and 422 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) between HYP and LYP groups. We identified five key differentially methylated candidate genes (BMPER, INHA, NMBR, NK3R, and DSG2) linked to egg-laying traits in Sichuan White geese. Integrated GO and KEGG enrichment analysis conducted to explore the role of regulatory networks of epigenetic modification on egg-laying traits in Sichuan White geese identified multiple metabolic pathways associated with egg-laying traits (promoting egg transport, ovulation, and yolk protein synthesis and secretion), thus providing a basis for subsequent functional verification. Full article

Diffractive lens has advantages over traditional reflective lens, such as light weight, high folding compression ratio, high tolerance for surface figure error and low manufacturing costs. It provides a new technical approach for a lightweight LiDAR ranging system. In this work, a laser radar system based on a diffractive lens receiver system has been designed. The receiver system is a hybrid structure consisting of an eight-level diffractive lens, a collimation set and a convergence set. Combined with the single photodetector, the designed laser radar system can simultaneously achieve measurements at near-field distances of 6.0 m, 9.9 m, and 16.1 m and far-field distances of 851.2 m. Full article

African swine fever (ASF) has widely spread around the world in the last 100 years since its discovery. The African swine fever virus (ASFV) particles are made of more than 150 proteins, with the p17 protein encoded by the D117L gene serving as one of the major capsid proteins and playing a crucial role in the virus’s morphogenesis and immune evasion. Thus, monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting p17 is important for the research and detection of ASFV infection. Here, we produced two specific mAbs against p17, designated as 1G2 and 6G3, respectively, and both have been successfully used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assay. Moreover, we found that both 1G2 and 6G3 mAbs recognize a novel epitope of 72–78 amino acids of p17 protein, highly conserved across all genotype I and II strains. Based on this epitope, an indirect ELISA has been established to effectively detect antibodies during ASFV infection, and it exhibits high consistency with commercial ASFV ELISA kits. In summary, the production of the specific p17 mAbs and the identification of the recognized epitope will significantly promote the serological diagnosis of ASFV. Full article

The aim of this paper was to investigate the transcriptomic and metabolomic differences in Populus cathayana × canadasis ‘Xinlin1’ (P. cathayana × canadasis ‘Xinlin 1’) under varying irrigation and fertilization conditions. Ten-year-old P. cathayana × canadasis ‘Xinlin 1’ was selected as the test subject in this study; different irrigation and fertilization treatments were set up, and DEGs and DAMs in response to water and fertilizer regulation were identified. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles were analyzed from both leaves and roots. A total of 22,870 DEGs were identified in response to water and fertilizer treatments, predominantly belonging to 48 transcription factor families, including MYB, ERF, and MYB-related ones. Additionally, 2432 DAMs were detected and categorized into 18 metabolite classes, with flavonoids being the most abundant (342 metabolites), followed by terpenoids, lipids, and others. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that DEGs and DAMs were significantly associated with pathways such as plant hormone signal transduction and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways. The levels of ABA exhibited an initial decrease followed by an increase, with several key genes, including PYR/PYL, PP2C, SnRK2, and ABF, also differentially expressed in the plant hormone signal transduction pathway. In the starch and sucrose metabolic pathways, sucrose was more hydrolyzed into D-fructose, which gradually translocated from roots to leaves. DEGs were significantly involved in sucrose synthesis and decomposition into D-fructose and 1,3-β-glucose, as well as starch synthesis and starch decomposition into cellulose dextrin, which underwent complete hydrolysis to glucose. In the starch hydrolysis process, 29 DEGs were involved, with 12 down-regulated and 17 up-regulated. Full article

In this study, the effects of adding glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), aspartate (Asp), and asparagine (Asn) on the flavor formation of Huangjiu were investigated, and the effect of Gln concentration on the quality, microbial community structure, and flavor development of Huangjiu was further explored. Varied Gln concentrations influenced yeast growth, sugar utilization, microbial communities, and quality attributes. Additional Gln promoted yeast cell counts and sugar depletion. It increased the complexity of bacterial co-occurrence networks and reduced the impact of stochastic processes on assembly. Correlation analysis linked microorganisms to flavor compounds. Isolation experiments verified the role of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus chevalieri, Bacillus altitudinis, and Lactobacillus coryniformis in flavor production under Gln conditions. This research elucidated the microbiological mechanisms by which amino acid supplementation, especially Gln, enhances Huangjiu quality by modulating microbial metabolic functions and community dynamics during fermentation. This research is significant for guiding the production of Huangjiu and enhancing its quality. Full article