AMB Express最新文献

Agro-industry and leather manufacturing are considered two of the most polluting industries worldwide due to the huge amount of waste they produce that contributes to pollution. To address the challenges of food waste while contributing to sustainable leather production, this study explores the feasibility of developing an alternative, ecofriendly leather material. Talaormyces sp. was isolated from eggplant peel waste and was identified using phylogenetic ITS region (Genbank accession number: PQ007745); the closest relatedness was with Talaromyces atroroseus. Eggplant peel waste was exposed to electron beam irradiation at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 kGy. The results showed that exposure of eggplant peel waste to electron beam irradiation affected its rigidity, color, and tensile strength, where exposure to 15 kGy resulted in flexible material that showed tensile strength of 8 MPa, whereas non-irradiated sheets showed tensile strengths of 5 MPa. Modification and optimization of the cultivation media were performed using Full Factorial Design of Experiment. Sucrose (20, 40 g/L), calcium chloride (0.5, 1 M), and glycerol (10, 20%) were tested as 3 factors, two levels. The results showed that increasing the concentration of sucrose in the cultivation media from 20 to 40 g/L increased the mycelial network and induced exopolysaccharides, which act as the bio-binder in the mycelial-leather forming process. A post-treatment study was performed to ensure that there are no spores in the myco-product. These findings demonstrate that both fungal mycelium and eggplant waste-derived fungal sheets have great potential as ecofriendly materials with leather-like properties.

Actinomycetes, are abundant sources of bioactive secondary metabolites with potential antibacterial and molluscicidal effects. This work aims to isolate and characterize actinomycetes strains from Egyptian soil, emphasizing the evaluating their antibacterial efficiency, optimizating their metabolite production, and assessing molluscicidal activities against Biomphalaria alexandrina (B. alexandrina), an intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni). Nineteen actinomycetes isolates were screened for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella typhi (S. typhi), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Candida albicans (C. albicans), and Penicillium marneffei (P. marneffei). Isolate No. 10, later identified as Streptomyces rochei ASN (S. rochei ) via 16 S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and was selected for further study. Production media optimization revealed that modified nutritional agar, starch as a carbon source, sodium nitrate as a nitrogen source, and 25 °C incubation maximized antimicrobial metabolite production. Antibacterial activity increased with extended incubation time, peaking at 8 days. Dose-dependent inhibition was observed when different concentrations (20-80%) of cell-free supernatant (CFS) from S. rochei ASN were applied to test pathogens, with S. aureus, C. albicans, and P. marneffei being most susceptible. Scanning electron microscopy revealed severe cellular and structural damage in treated microbes. The CFS also demonstrated significant molluscicidal activity, with LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of 26.85 ppm and 40.95 ppm, respectively. It inhibited the hatchability of B. alexandrina eggs in a concentration- and age-dependent manner, and exerted rapid, dose-dependent mortality against S. mansoni miracidia and cercariae. Histological examinations of exposed snails showed degeneration in both hermaphrodite and digestive glands, including disrupted acinar structures, damaged oocytes and spermatocytes, vacuolated digestive cells, and degenerated secretory cells. S. rochei ASN, isolated from Egyptian soil, exhibits potent antimicrobial and molluscicidal activities. Its bioactivity is significantly influenced by growth conditions and medium composition. The strain holds promise as a natural biocontrol agent against pathogenic microbes and snail vectors involved in schistosomiasis transmission, warranting further pharmacological and ecological investigations.

Influenza viruses present significant challenges to global health. A rapid recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-based detection system for multiple influenza strains (A, H1N1/H2N2/H3N2/H5N1/H7N9 and B) has been developed to address the limitations of 2-h Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) tests. By using optimized primers targeting key viral proteins (M, NA, HA, PA), the method achieves detection in 10 min with 0.99 log linearity (1-10⁶ copies/μL). Clinical validation demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity, effectively distinguishing infections from healthy controls. This portable platform shows strong potential for point-of-care (POC) applications in resource-limited settings, offering timely diagnosis and epidemic control through its rapid and accurate detection capabilities.

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) is an essential medicinal plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. The active ingredient of milk thistle is silymarin, a key component used to treat numerous physical and biological ailments. This study aimed to compare the nutritional composition, total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents, and the antimicrobial activities of S. marianum stems, leaves, and flowers extracted using five different solvents. Phytochemical assays were used to evaluate the total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents in petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, and water extracts from different plant parts. The proximate composition showed that the leaves had a higher percentage of moisture (11.53%). In contrast, the flowers showed increased lipid content, carbohydrate, and protein concentration (5.17, 69.86, and 10.03%, respectively), and stems showed elevated ash content (28.67%) compared to leaves and flowers. In S. marianum, the highest yield was obtained from the flowers, while the leaves and stems produced progressively lower amounts, respectively. Among the solvents tested, extraction with water made the largest yield, followed in decreasing order by methanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, and petroleum ether. The findings of the study revealed that alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, steroids, quinones, phenols, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, and terpenoids were found by phytochemical analysis of S. marianum in different parts. At the same time, saponins and anthocyanins were completely absent in all parts. On the other hand, coumarins are present in leaves and flowers and are completely lacking in stems. The highest levels of phenol content, tannins, and flavonoids were found in the methanol extract of the flowers (183.12 ± 11.02 mg gallic acid equivalent/g (mg GAE/g), 187.43 ± 15.91 mg quercetin equivalents/g (mg QE/g), and 94.40 ± 16.04 mg TAE/g, respectively). In contrast, the water extract of stems had the lowest amount (5.45 ± 1.32 mg GAE/g, 9.60 ± 1.5 mg QE/g, and 3.27 ± 1.53 mg TAE/g, respectively). Antimicrobial tests revealed the extract's ability to inhibit several Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus ATCC 6538 and B.subtilis ATCC 6633), Gram-negative bacteria (P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027, S. typhimurium ATCC 14028, E. coli ATCC 11229), and eukaryotic strains such as unicellular fungi (C.albicans ATCC 10231). These results confirm the potential of milk thistle extract as a naturally occurring antimicrobial agent.

Evidence from observational studies and clinical trials has reported that gut microbiota (GM) was associated with chronic lung diseases (CLDs). However, the causal relationships between GM and CLDs have yet to be fully ascertained. The Mendelian randomization (MR) based causal analysis was performed using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics from the MiBioGen and FinnGen consortium. GM served as exposure, and CLDs were taken for outcomes. Inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger, and weighted median methods were utilized to examine the causal association between GM and CLDs. The sensitivity analyses were then conducted to validate the robustness of the results. Further, the reverse MR analysis was performed to evaluate the possibility of reverse causation. Finally, the in-silico in-situ microbiota resequencing (ISSMR) of high-throughput sequencing data was utilized as a supplement to dissect the role of microbiota spatial distribution disturbance on the onset of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study revealed that GM had causal associations with CLDs. Conversely, reverse MR analysis suggested that the presence of COPD and IPF may causally influence the abundance of specific GM. And ISSMR further provided clues to the interaction of intra-tissue as well as gut microbe disturbance in IPF and COPD from synergistic or independent perspectives. In short, the MR analysis revealed a causal relationship between GM and CLDs from a host genetic perspective, and ISSMR extended the host-microbe regulatory modality from a microbe genetic perspective, thus together providing novel insights into the gut microbiota-mediated development mechanism of CLDs.

While gut microbiome associations with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) are recognized, causal mechanisms and mediation via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metabolites remain unestablished. Using bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) with mediation analysis and integrating genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics from gut microbiota (​​composition in the FINRISK 2002 prospective cohort, n = 5,959​​), CSF metabolites (from the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center ​​Registry and Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention​​, n = 291), and sCJD case-control data (5,208 cases vs. 511,675 controls), we identified five microbial taxa influencing sCJD risk. Protective effects were observed for the family Atopobiaceae [odds ratio (OR) = 0.527, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.321-0.864, P = 0.011], the species Enterococcus faecalis (OR = 0.647, 95% CI = 0.427-0.980, P = 0.040), and the genus Lactobacillus (group B) (OR = 0.768, 95% CI = 0.602-0.981, P = 0.035). Conversely, the species Bacteroides eggerthii (OR = 1.228, 95% CI = 1.027-1.468, P = 0.025) and the order Chloroflexales (OR = 3.455, 95% CI = 1.214-9.835, P = 0.020) were pathogenic. Mediation analysis revealed that S-methylcysteine mediates 8.8% of ​​the effect of order Chloroflexales on sCJD risk​​, establishing it as a significant biological mediator in this pathogenic pathway. These findings provide novel biomarkers for early sCJD risk stratification, identify ​​the family Atopobiaceae, the species Enterococcus faecalis, and the genus Lactobacillus (group B)​​ as probiotic candidates for primary prevention, reveal S-methylcysteine pathway modulation as therapeutic entry points, and establish mechanistic foundations for disrupting gut-CSF transmission​​ in prion diseases.

Psoriasis is a persistent immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that adversely affects the skin. Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is integral to the development and pathophysiology of psoriasis, and targeting IL-22 may serve as a promising therapeutic approach for treating the condition. IL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP) exhibits a binding affinity for IL-22 that far surpasses that of IL-22RA1 and functions as a natural antagonist of IL-22. Traditional IL-22BP production methods predominantly rely on eukaryotic animal cell expression systems, which generally require complex processes, resulting in low yield and high production costs. This study reports the expression of long-acting IL-22BP with a high yield and purity over 90% in Escherichia coli by fusion with the albumin-binding structural domain ABD. The biological functions of rhIL-22BP-ABD were assessed utilizing cell lines and a murine model. Our findings indicated that rhIL-22BP-ABD successfully suppressed IL-22-induced proliferation of HaCaT cells in vitro and alleviated imiquimod-induced psoriasis inflammation in mice. Furthermore, rhIL-22BP-ABD can effectively inhibit the signaling of its downstream signaling pathway STAT3 and the associated inflammatory factors by binding to IL-22, which is beneficial to the recovery of psoriasis. These findings provide a basis for forthcoming extensive studies on the rhIL-22BP-ABD protein for industrial manufacturing and pharmaceutical development.

Fungus-farming termites (Macrotermitinae), predominantly found in Africa, are eusocial insects with significant ecological roles. Historically, they have been valued in traditional medicine, human diets, and livestock feed. These termites share a long-standing symbiotic relationship with Termitomyces fungi, which has evolved over millions of years and is critical to their survival and ecological impact. This mutualism promotes a unique monoculture of Termitomyces in the fungus comb while suppressing fungal and bacterial antagonists, likely due to the comb's structural or chemical properties, sparking interest among researchers. In this study, we conducted an extensive examination of 11 fungus combs associated with five termite species collected in Senegal. Our analysis revealed significant antibacterial properties in the crude extracts of the combs, notably against multidrug-resistant strains. Chemical analyses led to the identification of dicrotalic acid (Meglutol) in the active fractions of two combs from agricultural areas. This compound, likely of plant origin, suggests a link between termite feeding habits and the antimicrobial potential of the combs. Although the exact bioactive compounds responsible for the antimicrobial activity have not yet been fully identified, the presence of various metabolites may explain the maintenance of Termitomyces monocultures and the suppression of pathogens. This also illustrates the complex ecological relationship between Termitomyces and termites, which may work together to produce natural bioactive compounds that suppress pathogens.

Alterations in skin microbiota composition have been linked to allergic diseases, but the causal relationship remains unclear. To investigate the causal relationship between skin microbiota, allergic diseases, and inflammation biomarkers using Mendelian randomization (MR). We integrated summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of skin microbiota inflammation biomarkers, and seven allergic diseases. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) served as the primary statistical method, with supplementary analyses using MR-Egger regression, weighted median, and Weighted mode. Sensitivity analyses, including Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test and MR-PRESSO outlier detection, were conducted to validate and stabilize our findings. Two-step MR analyses were performed to identify potential mediating inflammation biomarkers between skin microbiota and allergic diseases.We identified 43 significant causal relationships between the skin microbiota and seven allergic diseases: allergic disease as a whole, asthma (adult, pediatric, allergic), allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, allergic urticaria and eczema, which included 20 protective and 23 risk causal relationships, respectively. Mediation analysis showed that specific biomarkers, such as C-C motif chemokine 19 and CD40L receptor levels, Interleukin-18 and TNF-β mediated these associations. This MR study provides robust evidence supporting causal relationships between specific skin microbiota taxa and allergic diseases, as well as potential mediating roles of inflammation biomarkers.