Actinomycetes are predominantly pathogenic bacteria that lack aerial hyphae and do not form spores. They are generally anaerobic or facultative anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria, belonging to the prokaryotic group. Actinomycetes are widely distributed in nature, similar to other bacteria, and are mostly saprophytic, with a few being parasitic. They are named as such due to their colony\'s radial form. The symptoms and signs of actinomycosis are atypical and rarely manifest in the nasopharynx. Consequently, it can be challenging to distinguish actinomycosis from nasopharyngeal carcinoma, making diagnosis difficult. Histopathology is usually relied upon for diagnosis, although culture may pose challenges. Fortunately, actinomycetes are highly sensitive to penicillin. Therefore, timely treatment with high doses of penicillin is crucial for successful recovery. In this case study, we present the details of a 53-year-old female patient with no history of mucosal damage or tooth decay but with a previous partial thyroidectomy. The patient experienced recurring neck pain accompanied by progressive limitation of neck movement. Nasopharyngoscopy revealed the presence of a smooth-surfaced mass. Subsequent biopsy, clinical imaging, microbiological analysis, and histological findings confirmed the diagnosis of actinomycosis.Following a comprehensive treatment plan involving a combination of penicillin and doxycycline for a duration of two months, the disease was successfully eradicated.

Aroma is a critical component of the flavor and quality of beverages. Among the volatile chemicals responsible for fragrance perception, sulfur compounds are unique odorants due to their extremely low odor threshold. Although trace amounts of sulfur compounds can enhance the flavor profile of beverages, they can lead to off-odors. Sulfur compounds can be formed via Maillard reaction and microbial metabolism, imparting coffee aroma and altering the flavor of beverages. In order to increase the understanding of sulfur compounds in the field of food flavor, 2-furfurylthiol (FFT) was chosen as a representative to discuss the current status of their generation, sensory impact, enrichment, analytical methods, formation mechanisms, aroma deterioration, and aroma regulation. FFT is comprehensively reviewed, and the main beverages of interest are typically baijiu, beer, wine, and coffee. Challenges and recommendations for FFT are also discussed, including analytical methods and mechanisms of formation, interactions between FFT and other compounds, and the development of specific materials to extend the duration of aroma after release.

This study aimed to detect the impact of bacteriospermia on semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation. This prospective case-control study was conducted over a period of 9 months. Samples were collected from andrology outpatient clinic attendants of Cairo University Hospitals. We enrolled 68 semen samples divided into two groups: a study group (34 semen samples with bacteriospermia) and a control group (34 semen samples without bacteriospermia). The characteristics of the semen, including morphology, motility, count, liquefaction, viscosity, pH, volume, and appearance, were evaluated according to the standard protocols. Patients with and without bacteriospermia had a comparable liquefaction time (p = .343), semen appearance and color (p = 1.00), semen pH (p = 1.00), velocity (p = .163), and total sperm count (p = .451). Patients with bacteriospermia were associated with lower progressive motility (p = .001), nonprogressive motility (p = .032), total motility (p = .001), and normal forms (p = .001). The prevalence of abnormal semen analysis was 64.71% in the study group compared with 35.29% in the control group. Staphylococcus aureus (67.6%) and Escherichia coli (14.7%) were the most commonly detected organisms. Samples from which Methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated showed significant abnormalities in both progressive motility and normal morphology of sperm. Bacteriospermia has deteriorative effects on sperm quality parameters, such as semen volume, sperm motility, and sperm normal morphology.

Previous research on antibiotic resistance genes and microorganisms centered on those in urban sewage treatment plants, breeding farms, hospitals and others with serious antibiotic pollution. However, at present, there are evident proofs that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) indeed exist in a primitive environment hardly without any human\'s footprints. Accordingly, an original karst mountain swamp ecosystem in Niangniang Mountain, Guizhou, China, including herbaceous swamp, shrub swamp, sphagnum bog and forest swamp, was selected to analyze the physical and chemical parameters of sediments. Moreover, microbial compositions, functions, as well as their connections with ARGs were assayed and analyzed using metagenomic technology. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the dominant microorganisms and ARGs in the four marshes, in which the dominant bacteria phyla were Proteobacteria (37.82 %), Acidobacteriota (22.17 %) and Actinobacteriota (20.64 %); the dominant archaea Euryarchaeota. (1.00 %); and the dominant eukaryotes Ascomycota (0.07 %), with metabolism as their major functions. Based on the ARDB database, the number of ARGs annotated reached 209 including 30 subtypes, and the dominant ARGs were all Bacitracin resistance genes (bacA, 84.77 %). In terms of the diversity of microorganisms and ARGs, the herbaceous swamp ranked the top, and the shrub swamp were at the bottom. Correlation analysis between microorganisms and resistance genes showed that, apart from aac2ic, macB, smeE, tetQ, and tetL, other ARGs were positively correlated with microorganisms. Among them, baca coexisted with microorganisms. Pearson correlation analysis results showed that contrary to ARGs, microorganisms were more affected by environmental factors.

Treatment by field-scale bioscrubber of exhaust air, including ammonia (NH3) and the greenhouse gases methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2), from 13 intensive pig production houses located in northern Germany were investigated in 2013 and 2015. NH3 removal efficiencies varied between 35 and 100% with an overall average value of 79% under the NH3 inlet fluctuations from 34 to 755 g d-1 m-3 in both 2013 and 2015. Results of the electron microscopic analyses demonstrated that the bacteria Nitrosomonas sp. and methanotrophs type I were the dominant NH3 and CH4 oxidizers, respectively. However, overall average removal efficiencies of CH4 was approximately zero, which means CH4 is hard to remove in bioscrubbers under normal operation. The pH of recirculation water in the bioscrubber varied from 6.1 to 8.1, and the bioscrubbers with low pH values (<7.0) had high NH3 removal efficiencies (>79%). Electrical conductivity was commonly used to diagnose the bioscrubbers\' performance; in the present study, electrical conductivity presented a significant linear relationship with dissolved inorganic nitrogen, which indicates the performance stability of the 13 selected bioscrubbers.

Thallium (Tl) is a trace element with extreme toxicity. Widespread Tl pollution in riverine systems, mainly due to escalating mining and smelting activities of Tl-bearing sulfide minerals, has attracted increasing attention. Insights into the function of the microbial communities with advanced characterization tools are critical for understanding the biogeochemical cycle of Tl. Herein, microbial communities and their adaptive evolution strategies in river sediments from a representative Tl-bearing pyrite mine area in southern China were profiled via 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and shotgun metagenomic analysis. In total, 64 phyla and 778 genera of microorganisms were observed in the studied sediments. The results showed that pH, Tl, Pb, Zn and total organic carbon (TOC) had a significant influence on microbial community structure. Some important reductive microorganisms (such as Erysipelothrix, Geobacter, desulfatiferula, desulfatihabadium and fusibacter) were involved in the biogeochemical cycle of Tl. The ruv, rec, ars and other resistance genes enhanced the tolerance of microorganisms to Tl. The study suggested that relevant C, N and S cycle genes were the main metabolic paths of microorganisms surviving in the high Tl-polluted environment. The findings were critical for establishment, operation and regulation in the microbial treatment of Tl containing or related wastewater.

OBJECTIVE: In this case-control study, we retrospectively analyzed the intestinal flora compositions of patients with early-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD).
METHODS: Forty-seven patients with early CKD who were treated at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital between March and October 2018 were enrolled, and 150 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the healthy control group. Fresh stool samples were collected. The V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA was amplified via PCR. Biterminal sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The flora compositions were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS: The Chao1 and Shannon indices showed significantly lower intestinal flora diversity and abundances in the CKD group than in the healthy controls. Beta diversity analysis revealed notable differences in the intestinal flora compositions between the groups. At the phylum level, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria abundances were significantly higher in the CKD group. Thirty-one species differed significantly between both groups, among which, differences in Ruminococcus and Roseburia displayed the highest diagnostic values for distinguishing CKD patients from healthy controls.
CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal flora compositions are altered in early-stage CKD patients among the Han population in southwestern China.

The relative importance of geographic distance and depth in shaping microeukaryote community composition on a regional scale remains unclear, especially how that composition is related to the movement of water masses. Here, we collected 156 water samples across the Taiwan Strait, which is characterized by complex topography and dynamic circulation, to investigate the composition of the ciliate community with high-throughput sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene transcript. Ciliate alpha diversity exhibited strong correlations with water chemistry, food abundance, and geographic distance; approximately 50% of the variance of the diversity could be explained by dissolved oxygen concentrations, chlorophyll a concentrations, bacterial abundance, and latitude. The sampling sites could be divided into three provinces based on the compositions of the ciliate communities, which exhibited a distinctly nonuniform spatial distribution pattern on a regional scale (587 km). Geographic distance, environmental conditions, and depth were identified as principal determinants of the ciliate community within the Strait. Geographic distance was the most influential factor. The effect of geographic distance seems to mainly reflect the movement of water masses that strongly constrain dispersal and contribute to environmental heterogeneity that accounts for 86.0% and 5.5%, respectively, of community variance across the Strait. Overall, this study revealed that ciliate biogeography as a function of depth and environmental gradients is linked on a regional scale to the water masses that the ciliates inhabit. This result expands our knowledge of the drivers of microeukaryote community composition across regions within which there are water mass movements and strong spatial and environmental gradients.

Microorganisms play a major role in biogeochemical cycles. As such they are attractive candidates for developing new or improving existing biotechnological applications, in order to deal with the accumulation and pollution of organic and inorganic compounds. Their ability to participate in bioremediation processes mainly depends on their capacity to metabolize toxic elements and catalyze reactions resulting in, for example, precipitation, biotransformation, dissolution, or sequestration. The contribution of genomics may be of prime importance to a thorough understanding of these metabolisms and the interactions of microorganisms with pollutants at the level of both single species and microbial communities. Such approaches should pave the way for the utilization of microorganisms to design new, efficient and environmentally sound remediation strategies, as exemplified by the case of arsenic contamination, which has been declared as a major risk for human health in various parts of the world.