Objectives:To investigate the safety and efficacy of concomitant mitral valvuloplasty(MVP)and implantation of domestic third-generation magnetically levitated Corheart 6 left ventricular assist device(LVAD). Methods:Clinical data of 13 end-stage heart failure patients who underwent Corheart 6 LVAD implantation and MVP at Central China Fuwai Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2021 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Mortality and complication events during hospitalization and at follow-up were collected,and changes in myocardial injury biomarkers,renal function,hemodynamics,and echocardiographic indices were observed. Results:There were no perioperative deaths and no MVP-related complications in these patients.During a mean follow-up of(14.2±5.6)months,2 patients died due to COVID-19 pneumonia and cardiac arrest respectively,11 cases(84.6%)survived.There were no recurrences of moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation in the survived patients.Compared with preoperative value,higher cardiac output,lower central venous pressure,pulmonary artery systolic pressure(PASP),and mean pulmonary artery pressure(PAMP)were evidenced at 24 h and 72 h postoperatively,estimated glomerular filtration rate was also reduced at 1 week post operation(all P<0.010).High-sensitive troponin T level was significantly increased at 1 week post operation and then reduced at 1 month post operation,but still not returned to pre-operative level([125.5±281.9]pg/ml at baseline,[1 295.6±654.6]pg/ml at 1 week post operation and[278.0±300.5]pg/ml at 1 month post operation).Echocardiography showed that compared with preoperative period,the left ventricular ejection fraction tended to be higher at 1 and 6 months postoperatively(both P>0.017),whereas left ventricular end-diastolic dimension,PASP,and PAMP were significantly reduced(all P<0.010). Conclusions:Domestic third-generation magnetically levitated Corheart 6 LVAD implantation with concomitant MVP is safe and feasible,there is no recurrence of moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation,a significant reduction in pulmonary artery pressure,and significant hemodynamic improvement in early to mid-term postoperatively are observed in survived patients.

Synthetic electroactive microbial consortia, which include exoelectrogenic and electrotrophic communities, catalyze the exchange of chemical and electrical energy in cascade metabolic reactions among different microbial strains. In comparison to a single strain, a community-based organisation that assigns tasks to multiple strains enables a broader feedstock spectrum, faster bi-directional electron transfer, and greater robustness. Therefore, the electroactive microbial consortia held great promise for a variety of applications such as bioelectricity and biohydrogen production, wastewater treatment, bioremediation, carbon and nitrogen fixation, and synthesis of biofuels, inorganic nanomaterials, and polymers. This review firstly summarized the mechanisms of biotic-abiotic interfacial electron transfer as well as biotic-biotic interspecific electron transfer in synthetic electroactive microbial consortia. This was followed by introducing the network of substance and energy metabolism in a synthetic electroactive microbial consortia designed by using the "division-of-labor" principle. Then, the strategies for engineering synthetic electroactive microbial consortiums were explored, which included intercellular communications optimization and ecological niche optimization. We further discussed the specific applications of synthetic electroactive microbial consortia. For instance, the synthetic exoelectrogenic communities were applied to biomass generation power technology, biophotovoltaics for the generation of renewable energy and the fixation of CO₂. Moreover, the synthetic electrotrophic communities were applied to light-driven N₂ fixation. Finally, this review prospected future research of the synthetic electroactive microbial consortia.
Microbial Consortia ; Synthetic Biology ; Electron Transport ; Electricity ; Biodegradation, Environmental

OBJECTIVE To establish the quality standard of Kuipingning gastric floating tablets. METHODS Kuipingning gastric floating tablets were prepared and investigated in terms of property ，weight difference and friability. Crydalis yanhusuo was identified qualitatively by thin layer chromatography （TLC）method. High performance liquid chromatography method was used to determine the content of total anthraquinones in Rheum palmatum ，and set the content limit of total anthraquinones. The floating performance and release degree of the preparation were investigated ，and the release kinetic process was fitted. RESULTS Kuipingning gastric floating tablets prepared in this study were gray white to gray tablets with slight smell and bitter taste ；the weight difference and friability were all in line with relevant regulations ；the established TLC method possessed strong specificity and could accurately identify C. yanhusuo . The average content of total anthraquinones in R. palmatum was 17.95 mg/tablet，and its content limit would not be less than 14.36 mg/tablet. The initial floating time of the preparation was no more than 10 s，and the holding time was more than 8 h. The release kinetics process accorded with the Retger-Peppas release model. CONCLUSIONS The method established in this study shows good reliability ，stability and feasibility ，and can effectively control the quality of Kuipingning gastric floating tablets.

Exoelectrogenic microorganisms are the research basis of microbial electrochemical technologies such as microbial fuel cells, electrolytic cells and electrosynthesis. However, their applications are restricted in organic degradation, power generation, seawater desalination, bioremediation, and biosensors due to the weak ability of biofilm formation and the low extracellular electron transfer (EET) efficiency between exoelectrogenic microorganisms and electrode. Therefore, engineering optimization of interaction between exoelectrogenic microorganisms and electrode interface recently has been the research focus. In this article, we review the updated progress in strategies for enhancing microbe-electrode interactions based on microbial engineering modifications, with a focus on the applicability and limitations of these strategies. In addition, we also address research prospects of enhancing the interaction between electroactive cells and electrodes.
Bioelectric Energy Sources ; Biofilms ; Electrodes ; Electron Transport ; Electrons

Objective:To compare the prognosis of patients with a single compared to multiple colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) after hepatectomy.Methods:The clinical data of 490 patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases who underwent hepatectomy at Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Ⅰ, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute from January 2006 to December 2016 were retrospectively studied. There were 314 males and 176 females. The median age was 58 years (range 21 to 83 years). There were 200 patients in the single liver metastasis group and 290 patients in the multiple liver metastases group. The tumor recurrence and survival outcomes on follow-up were analyzed. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Both overall survival and disease-free survival between two groups were compared by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to analyze independent risk factors of overall survival.Results:The 1-, 3-, 5-, 10-year overall survival rates for the single versus the multiple liver metastases groups were 92.5%, 58.6%, 51.0%, 38.8% versus 90.7%, 53.2%, 41.1%, 29.9%. The differences were significant ( P<0.05). The disease-free survival was also significantly better in the single than the multiple groups ( P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that right-sided primary colonic tumor, preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level ≥50 U/ml, and RAS mutant were independent factors influencing survival in patients with single liver metastasis; while primary colonic tumor N 1-2, liver metastases diameter ≥5 cm, and RAS mutant were independent factors influencing survival in patients with multiple tumors. If the three independent factors affecting overall survival of patients with multiple liver metastases were assigned 1 point for each factor, the number of patients with scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 were 50, 145, 84, and 11, respectively. The long-term survival of patients with a low score (0, 1) was similar to those with a single liver metastasis (both P>0.05). However, patients with a high score (2, 3) showed significantly worse long-term survival when compared with patients with a single liver metastasis (both P<0.05). Conclusions:The prognosis of patients with single colorectal liver metastasis was better than those with multiple liver metastases after hepatectomy. For patients with multiple liver metastases with fewer associated risk factors, surgical resection could still result in long-term survival outcomes which were comparable to those patients with a single liver metastasis.

Exoelectrogens are promising for a wide variety of potential applications in the areas of environment and energy, which convert chemical energy from organic matter into electrical energy by extracellular electrons transfer (EET). Microorganisms with different mechanisms and EET efficiencies have been elucidated. However, the practical applications of exoelectrogens are limited by their fundamental features. At present, it is difficult to realize the extensive application of exoelectrogens in complex and diverse environments by means of traditional engineering strategies such as rational design and directed evolution. The exoelectrogens with excellent performance in environments can be screened with efficient strain identification technologies, which promote the widespread applications of exoelectrogens. The aims of this review are to summarize the methods of screening based on different types of exoelectrogens, and to outline future research directions of strain screening.
Bioelectric Energy Sources ; Electricity ; Electron Transport

Uncovering the functionally essential variations related to tumorigenesis and tumor pro-gression from cancer genomics data is still challenging due to the genetic diversity among patients, and extensive inter-and intra-tumoral heterogeneity at different levels of gene expression regulation, including but not limited to the genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptional levels. To minimize the impact of germline genetic heterogeneities, in this study, we establish multiple primary cultures from the primary and recurrent tumors of a single patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Multi-omics sequencing was performed for these cultures that encompass the diversity of tumor cells from the same patient. Variations in the genome sequence, epigenetic modification, and gene expression are used to infer the phylogenetic relationships of these cell cultures. We find the discrepancy among the relationships revealed by single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and transcriptional/epigenomic pro-files from the cell cultures. We fail to find overlap between sample-specific mutated genes and differ-entially expressed genes (DEGs), suggesting that most of the heterogeneous SNVs among tumor stages or lineages of the patient are functionally insignificant. Moreover, copy number alterations (CNAs) and DNA methylation variation within gene bodies, rather than promoters, are significantly correlated with gene expression variability among these cell cultures. Pathway analysis of CNA/DNA methylation-related genes indicates that a single cell clone from the recurrent tumor exhibits distinct cellular characteristics and tumorigenicity, and such an observation is further confirmed by cellular experiments both in vitro and in vivo. Our systematic analysis reveals that CNAs and epigenomic changes, rather than SNVs, are more likely to contribute to the phenotypic diversity among subpop-ulations in the tumor. These findings suggest that new therapeutic strategies targeting gene dosage and epigenetic modification should be considered in personalized cancer medicine. This culture model may be applied to the further identification of plausible determinants of cancer metastasis and relapse.

How to identify active constituents of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and study their interactions are key problems in the development of TCMs. The inhibitory effect of six alkaloids from Rhizoma Coptidis (RC) on Shigella dysenteriae (S. dysenteria) growth had been investigated by microcalorimetry in this study. Main active constituents of RC were confirmed by comparing their contributions to the bacteriostatic effect, and the interactions among active constituents were further researched. According to the result, in 0.8 mg-mL-1 extract of RC, the contributions of six active alkaloids including berberine, coptisine, epiberberine, palmatine and the combination of jatrorrhizine and columbamine were 52.83%, 36.31%, 2.49%, 4.27% and 3.21%, respectively. Therefore, berberine and coptisine were the main active constituents of RC that inhibited the growth of S. dysenteria. The study of interactions among the six alkaloids indicated that, 1 there were some contstituents antagonizing the inhibitory effect of RC, 2 there was a synergy effect between berberine and coptisine, 3 there were additive effects between other four alkaloids and the main active constituents. These results may provide some useful references for the establishment of the quality standard for RC and the development of multi-component TCMs.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the effect of endophytic fungi on expression amount of key enzyme genes SS (squalene synthase gene), SE (squalene epoxidase gene) and bAS (beta-amyrin synthase gene) in saponin biosynthesis and saponins content in Eleutherococcus senticosus.

METHODWound method was used for back meeting the endophytic fungi to E. senticosus. With GAPDH as internal control gene, the expression of key enzyme genes was detected by real time PCR method. E. senticosus saponins content was measured by spectrophotometry method.

RESULTWhen wound method back meeting P116-1a and P116-1b after 30 d, the expression content of SS improved significantly (P < 0.05), however the back meeting of P109-4 and P312-1 didnt change the expression of SS. After that SS expression showed reduction-equality-reduction varying trend. Thirty days after back meeting P312-1, the expression content of SE improved significantly (P < 0.05). Ninty days after back meeting P116-1b and P312-1, the expression content of SE improved significantly to 130%,161%, respectively (P < 0.05). After 120 d, back meeting four endophytic fungi, the expression of SE were significantly higher than the control (P < 0.05). Back meeting four endophytic fungi form 60 d to 120 d, the expression of bAS was significantly higher than the control (P < 0.05). The back meeting four endophytic fungi improved E. senticosus saponins content significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONEndophytic fungi P116-1a, P116-1b, P1094 and P312-1 significantly effected the expression of key enzyme genes SS, SE and bAS and then affected E. senticosus saponins content. Among the genes, bAS was key target gene.

Eleutherococcus ; chemistry ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Endophytes ; physiology ; Farnesyl-Diphosphate Farnesyltransferase ; genetics ; Fungi ; physiology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Intramolecular Transferases ; genetics ; Saponins ; analysis ; biosynthesis ; Squalene Monooxygenase ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo clone farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS) gene from Eleutherococcus senticosus and analyze the bioinformatics and expression of the gene.

METHODThe FPS full length cDNA was cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The data was analyzed by bioinformatics method, the structure and function of FPS was deduced. The expression of FPS in different organ of E. senticosus was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTThe full length of FPS cDNA was 1 499 bp containing a 1 029 bp ORF that encoded 342 amino acids. The deduced protein sequence exhibited two Asp riches conserved motifs (DDXXD). Without transmembrane domain, FPS was located in cytoplasm. RT-PCR result showed that FPS gene expressed in different organs of E. senticosus. The expression amounts of FPS in different organs were different significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe FPS gene of E. senticosus was successfully cloned for the first time, and provided a stable foundation for studying on its effect and expression control on E. senticosus saponins biosynthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Computational Biology ; Conserved Sequence ; Eleutherococcus ; enzymology ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Geranyltranstransferase ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Protein Conformation