Search Results (334)

Silicon has a striking similarity to carbon and is found in plant cells. However, there is no specific role that has been assigned to silicon in the life cycle of plants. The amount of silicon in plant cells is species specific and can reach levels comparable to macronutrients. Silicon is used extensively in artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and the digital revolution, and thus can serve as an informational molecule such as nucleic acids. The diverse potential of silicon to bond with different chemical species is analogous to carbon; thus, it can serve as a structural candidate similar to proteins. The discovery of large amounts of silicon on Mars and the moon, along with the recent development of enzyme that can incorporate silicon into organic molecules, has propelled the theory of creating silicon-based life. The bacterial cytochrome has been modified through directed evolution such that it could cleave silicon–carbon bonds in organo-silicon compounds. This consolidates the idea of utilizing silicon in biomolecules. In this article, the potential of silicon-based life forms has been hypothesized, along with the reasoning that autotrophic virus-like particles could be used to investigate such potential. Such investigations in the field of synthetic biology and astrobiology will have corollary benefits for Earth in the areas of medicine, sustainable agriculture, and environmental sustainability. Full article

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the leading cause of bacterial diarrhea in humans from shellfish consumption. In Thailand, blood clam is a popular shellfish, but homemade cooking often results in insufficient heating. Therefore, consumers may suffer from food poisoning due to Vibrio infection. This study aimed to determine the effect of chitooligosaccharide conjugated with epigallocatechin gallate (COS-EGCG) at different concentrations (200 and 400 ppm) combined with high-voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) on inhibiting V. parahaemolyticus in vitro and in challenged blood clam meat. Firstly, HVACP conditions were optimized for gas composition and treatment time (20 and 60 s); a 70% Ar and 30% O₂ gas mixture resulted in the highest ozone formation and a treatment time of 60 s was used for further study. COS-EGCG conjugate at 400 ppm with HVACP (ACP-CE400) completely killed V. parahaemolyticus after incubation at 37 °C for 6 h. Furthermore, an antibacterial ability of ACP-CE400 treatment against bacterial cells was advocated due to the increased cell membrane damage, permeability, and leakage of proteins and nucleic acids. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed cell elongation and pore formation, while confocal microscopy revealed disrupted biofilm formation. Additionally, the shelf life of challenged blood clam meat treated with ACP-CE400 was extended to nine days. SEM analysis revealed damaged bacterial cells on the meat surface after ACP-CE400 treatment, indicating the antibacterial activity of the combined treatment. Thus, HVACP combined with COS-EGCG conjugate, especially at a highest concentration (400 ppm), effectively inhibited microbial growth and extended the shelf life of contaminated blood clam meat. Full article

(1) Background: Murine typhus, caused by Rickettsia typhi, is a neglected rickettsial disease and an underdiagnosed cause of acute febrile illness (AFI), particularly in endemic regions such as Indonesia. (2) Case description: We report a case series of four patients presenting with AFI of less than seven days in duration. Three patients were admitted with moderate disease, while one presented with septic shock with the macrophage activation-like syndrome (MALS) phenotype. Common clinical features included myalgia and headache; additional symptoms included cough, sore throat, and abdominal pain. Laboratory findings revealed bicytopenia, elevated transaminases, and raised inflammatory and bacterial infection markers. Common tropical infections—dengue, typhoid fever, and leptospirosis—and other potential sources of infection were excluded early during hospitalization. Diagnosis was confirmed by nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), which detected R. typhi in all patients. Doxycycline was initiated following confirmation, leading to defervescence within 36–48 h. (3) Conclusions: Murine typhus remains an underrecognized cause of febrile illness in Indonesia. In the near future, the inclusion of rickettsial testing in the diagnostic protocol of AFI will be crucial, as it enables timely administration of effective, low-cost treatment. Full article

The B-cell adapter for PI3K (BCAP) is a protein that connects membrane receptor signaling to the PI3K pathway. In fibroblasts or dendritic cells, priming the cGAS nucleic-acid-sensing pathway increases BCAP expression and enhances type I interferon (IFN-I) production upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. These findings corroborate the idea that BCAP may bias cytokine production toward IFN during inflammation, indicating its potential involvement in IFN-driven diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We investigate the role of BCAP in regulating the inflammatory response in SLE and its relationship with IFN-mediated inflammation. BCAP gene expression and IFN signature were analyzed in 36 subjects with SLE and 20 healthy controls. Two cellular models were used to assess BCAP’s role in LPS response and IFN signaling after cGAS stimulation. We found a correlation between BCAP and interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression in SLE. In a cellular model, tofacitinib and anifrolumab, acting as IFN signaling “inhibitors”, blocked BCAP overexpression triggered by cGAS, confirming BCAP as an ISG. Additional studies in BCAP^−/− cells revealed that, in the absence of BCAP, these cells exhibited diminished IFN production upon LPS stimulation following prior exposure to cGAMP. Overall, BCAP is an ISG that acts as a positive regulator of Toll-like receptor 4-mediated IFN production. We speculate that its increased expression in SLE may contribute to a positive feedback loop, enhancing IFN production during bacterial infections. Full article

Salinity, as one of the critical environmental factors in marine ecosystems, has complex and wide-ranging biological effects. However, the effects of salinity fluctuation on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) in the marine environment are not well understood. In this study, metagenomic sequencing analysis was used to reveal the response of ARGs and VFGs, hosted by low and high nucleic acid-content bacteria (HNA and LNA bacteria), to salinity, as it decreased from 26‰ to 16‰. The results showed that a total of 27 ARG types and 13 VFG types in HNA and LNA bacteria were found. Salinity changes had significant effects on the ARGs’ and VFGs’ composition and their hosts’ composition. In the network topology relationship, the complexity of the network between the ARGs and their host as well as the VFGs and their host differed with the decrease in salinity. The abundance of most genera of HNA and LNA bacteria was significantly corrected with the abundance of ARGs and VFGs, respectively. Overall, this study demonstrates the effects of salinity on ARGs and VFGs hosted by HNA and LNA bacteria in the marine environment and suggests the importance of salinity in regulating HNA and LNA bacterial communities and functions. Full article

Amyloids are protein aggregates having a cross-β structure, and they reveal some unusual properties, like interactions with specific dyes and resistance to actions of detergents and proteases, as well as the capability to force some proteins to change their conformation from a soluble form to aggregates. The occurrence of amyloids is not restricted to humans and animals, as they also exist in microbial cells. However, contrary to animals, where amyloids are usually pathological molecules, bacterial amyloids are often functional, participating in various physiological processes. In this review, we focus on a specific property of bacterial amyloids, namely their ability to interact with nucleic acids and resultant regulatory mechanisms. Moreover, some of these interactions might play indirect roles in the pathomechanisms of human neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases; these aspects are also summarized and discussed in this review. Full article

Aerococcus urinaeequi is an opportunistic pathogen that has been isolated from humans, pigs, and chickens, but with no reports in geese until now. This research aimed to isolate and identify A. urinaeequi from four geese, and establish a specific PCR detection method for A. urinaeequi. Strain E1 was identified as A. urnaeequi through a combination of Gram staining (Gram-positive coccus), colony morphology (α-hemolysis), and whole genome sequencing analysis. Comparative genomics was used to analyze the genome sequences of five reference strains of A. urinaeequi to screen for a species-specific genomic region (401 bp). Based on this region, specific primers were designed to establish the PCR detection method for A. urnaeequi, and the specificity and sensitivity of this assay were tested. The results showed that the target sequence was specifically amplified only for the genome of A. urinaeequi, and that the minimum nucleic acid detection concentration was 7.08 × 10⁻³ ng/μL. The mouse infection model indicated that the target fragment could be amplified from the tissue samples of dead mice in the challenge groups, verifying the applicability of PCR for clinical sample detection. Specific sequences of A. urinaeequi were detected in the lungs of three pigs using the PCR method, confirmed to be consistent through whole genome sequencing, and previously identified as A. urinaeequi or A. viridans by 16S rRNA sequencing. For the detection of fecal samples from geese, canines, and felines using the PCR method, the highest positive rate was 36.9% (31/84) of geese, followed by 21.7% (20/90) of felines, and finally 6.9% (16/230) of canines. A strain of A. urinaeequi was isolated and identified in geese for the first time, and a species-specific PCR detection method for A. urinaeequi was established with high specificity and sensitivity, which could well distinguish the bacterial species A. urinaeequi from its phylogenetically related species, A. viridans. Full article

This study investigated the combined antibacterial effects of PAW with natural antimicrobial agents and further examined the impact of this technology on postharvest strawberry preservation. The optimal PAW preparation condition was determined at 50 min at 400 W, although PAW alone showed limited efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Among the five selected natural antimicrobial agents, the 1% tannic acid–PAW combined treatment demonstrated optimal bactericidal performance, achieving reductions of 3.62 log CFU/mL for S. aureus in 20 min and 5.13 log CFU/mL for E. coli in 8 min. The results revealed membrane damage in both S. aureus and E. coli, with leakage of intracellular proteins and nucleic acids, decreased membrane protein content, and cellular shrinkage and collapse observed morphologically. Increased MDA content indicated membrane lipid peroxidation, while elevated intracellular H₂O₂ and ROS levels resulted from oxidative stress induced by PAW’s reactive species. Tannic acid reduced SOD and CAT enzyme activities, impairing bacterial antioxidant capacity, and PAW further exacerbated the decline in SOD and CAT activities, intensifying oxidative stress and disrupting bacterial physiological balance. In strawberry preservation applications, the combined treatment reduced surface microbial loads, decreased mold incidence and weight loss, slowed the deterioration of color, firmness, and edible quality, and enhanced antioxidant capacity. The results suggest that the tannic acid–PAW combined treatment offers a promising strategy for enhancing microbial safety and extending the shelf life of strawberries. Full article

Therapeutic cancer vaccines are a new growth point of biomedicine with broad industrial prospects in the post-COVID-19 era. Many large international pharmaceutical companies and emerging biotechnology companies are deploying different tumor therapeutic cancer vaccine projects, focusing on promoting their clinical transformation, and the vaccine industry has strong momentum for development. Such vaccines are also the core engine and pilot site for the development of new vaccine targets, new vectors, new adjuvants, and new technologies, which play a key role in promoting the innovation and development of vaccines. Various therapeutic cancer vaccines, such as viral vector vaccines, bacterial vector vaccines, cell vector vaccines, peptide vaccines, and nucleic acid vaccines, have all been applied in clinical research. With the continuous development of technology, therapeutic cancer vaccines are evolving towards the trends of precise antigens, efficient carriers, diversified adjuvants, and combined applications. For instance, the rapidly advancing mRNA-4157 vaccine is a typical representative that combines personalized antigens with efficient delivery vectors (lipid nanoparticles, LNPs), and it also shows synergistic advantages in melanoma patients treated in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this article, we will systematically discuss the current research and development status and clinical research progress of various therapeutic cancer vaccines. Full article

Cinnamomum camphora chvar. Borneol essential oil (BEO, 16.4% borneol) is a by-product obtained during the steam distillation process used to produce natural crystalline borneol (NCB, 98.4% purity). This study aimed to compare the antibacterial activity of BEO and NCB against Staphylococcus epidermidis, and to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of BEO in vitro. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), determined by broth microdilution, were identical for both BEO and NCB (0.5 mg/mL). Despite this, BEO exhibited stronger antibacterial activity, suggesting synergistic enhancement by other components. Mechanistic studies revealed that BEO disrupted the bacterial cell wall, causing leakage of nucleic acids and proteins, and ultimately bacterial death. In LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, BEO dose-dependently reduced the production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 (r = −0.9847, −0.9456, −0.9315). Network pharmacology, combined with primary and secondary factor analysis, was employed to identify anti-inflammatory pathways and key active compounds. Borneol contributed over 50% to the anti-inflammatory effect, followed by β-caryophyllene, limonene, camphor, and γ-terpinene. These findings highlight the potential enhanced bioactivity of BEO due to multi-component synergy. Full article

Rapid and accurate identification of pathogenic bacteria phenotypic traits, including virulence, drug resistance, and metabolic activity, is essential for clinical diagnosis and infectious disease control. Traditional methods are time-consuming, highlighting the need for more efficient approaches. This study develops a single-cell Raman spectroscopy approach to detect multiple phenotypic traits of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) as a proof of concept. We constructed a single-cell Raman spectral database encompassing 6240 spectra from 10 strains of S. aureus with diverse phenotypic traits and developed a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict these phenotypes from the Raman spectra. The CNN model achieved 93.90%, 98.73%, and 98.66% accuracy in identifying enterotoxin-producing strains, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and growth stages, respectively. Characteristic Raman peaks for enterotoxin producers mainly appeared at 781, 939, 1161, 1337, 1451, and 1524 cm⁻¹, whereas MRSA primarily exhibited peaks at 723, 780, 939, 1095, 1162, 1340, 1451, 1523, and 1660 cm⁻¹. During culture, nucleic acid-related peaks weakened, lipid peaks increased, and protein peaks initially increased and subsequently decreased. This integration of Raman spectroscopy and machine learning demonstrates considerable potential for rapid bacterial phenotyping. Future research should expand to a wider range of bacterial species and phenotypes to enhance the diagnosis, prevention, and management of infectious diseases. Full article

Background/Objectives: Nucleic acid-based anticancer vaccines are becoming a very active field in the fight against cancer. Here, our goal was to generate an oral DNA vaccine targeting the angiogenic peptide, proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP). Methods: An expression plasmid (PcPAMP) was generated by fusing the tetanus toxin epitopes P2 and P30 to the mouse PAMP sequence to counteract self-tolerance, and the empty plasmid was used as a negative control (PcNeg). The plasmids were introduced into Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that were then transformed into bacterial ghosts. C57BL/6J mice were orally immunized with the ghosts five times at 2-week intervals. Then, B16-F10 melanoma cells were injected into the tail vein to generate lung metastases. Furthermore, naïve CD4⁺ T cells were exposed to PAMP, and their secretome was analyzed by proximity extension assays. Results: Significant levels of anti-PAMP immunoglobulins were detected in the blood of PcPAMP-vaccinated mice and their levels of spleen CD8⁺ T cells were significantly higher than in those treated with PcNeg, indicating that self-tolerance was effectively broken. Although the number and size of lung metastases was similar between both experimental groups, there was a significant reduction in intratumoral angiogenesis and in cancer cell proliferation index in the PcPAMP group. Furthermore, these animals showed an intense infiltration of lymphocytes, including regulatory T cells, and M2-like macrophages into the metastases, that was not evident in the PcNeg group. In addition, PAMP induced upregulation of IL1β, IL6, IL7, IL12, IL27, TNFα, and FGF21, and downregulation of IL16 in naïve CD4⁺ T cells. Conclusions: Although the vaccine was not effective in reducing tumor growth, new proliferative and immune functions have been described for PAMP. These new functions include induction of melanoma proliferation and modulation of lymphocyte and macrophage tumor infiltration dynamics. Full article

Dermacentor is the most widely distributed tick genus in China. Dermacentor nuttalli, a predominant tick species in Inner Mongolia, can carry and transmit pathogenic microorganisms. Here, D. nuttalli were collected from Ordos (O-D) and Hinggan League (H-D) in the Inner Mongolia. D. nuttalli specimens at different developmental stages were subsequently reared under identical laboratory conditions. Sample processing, nucleic acid extraction, high-throughput sequencing, and microbial community analyses were conducted. Bacterial communities in O-D and H-D were annotated to 8 phyla, 145 genera and 16 phyla, 141 genera, respectively, with Proteobacteria showing the highest relative abundance. Differences in dominant bacterial genera were observed across developmental stages between the two regions. The most abundant bacterial species were Arsenophonus_uncultured_bacterium in O-D and Rickettsia japonica in H-D. Viral communities were annotated to 4 orders, 25 families, 61 genera, and 126 species in O-D and 6 orders, 28 families, 49 genera, 135 species in H-D. Notable difference in the viral genera with >1% abundance were identified at different developmental stages in the two regions. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare microbial community compositions of D. nuttalli across developmental stages in two Inner Mongolian regions under under identical rearing conditions and to report the presence of R. japonica, Tacheng Tick Virus-2, and bovine viral diarrhea virus in D. nuttalli. Full article

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) have emerged as pivotal mediators of host–microbe interactions, profoundly influencing cancer biology. These nanoscale vesicles, produced by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, carry diverse biomolecular cargo such as proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and metabolites. BEVs play dualistic roles in tumor promotion and suppression by modulating the tumor microenvironment, immune responses, and genetic regulation. This review synthesizes the current understanding of BEVs in various cancers, including gastrointestinal, ovarian, breast, lung, brain, and renal malignancies. BEVs are highlighted for their potential as diagnostic biomarkers, prognostic indicators, and therapeutic agents, including their applications in immunotherapy and advanced engineering for precision medicine. Challenges such as heterogeneity, standardization, and clinical scalability are critically analyzed, with case examples providing actionable insights. Future directions emphasize interdisciplinary collaborations, emerging technologies, and the integration of BEV-based tools into clinical workflows. This review underscores the transformative potential of BEVs in advancing cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, paving the way for innovations in precision oncology. Full article

The use of low-temperature antibacterial technology is a processing method designed to preserve the biological activity of milk to the greatest extent. Traditional feeding and milking practices result in high levels of microbiological contamination of raw milk after extraction, mainly from cows and milking equipment, especially rubber cups. Ultrasonic treatment combined with antimicrobial agents combine cleaning and antibacterial technology, compared with traditional cleaning methods, more efficiently and in a environmentally friendly way. In this study, the technique was demonstrated to significantly reduce the total amount of bacteria in raw milk through simulation experiments on the surface of milking cups. It was shown that ultrasound-coupled slightly electrolytic water has a good potential for application in reducing bacterial contamination in the milk extraction process on farms. We investigated the synergistic mechanism of ultrasound (US) and slightly acidic electrolytic water (SAEW) and verified the bactericidal effect of milking cups. A 20 s treatment of milking cups with US (100 W) and SAEW (90 mg/L) led to an antibacterial rate of over 90%. The bactericidal mechanism causes fragmentation of the cell membrane of pathogenic bacteria, exudation of their intracellular contents such as nucleic acids and proteins, and increases in ROS. Full article