Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by leveraging the immune system\'s innate capabilities to combat malignancies. Despite the promise of tumor antigens in stimulating anti-tumor immune responses, their clinical utility is hampered by limitations in eliciting robust and durable immune reactions, exacerbated by tumor heterogeneity and immune evasion mechanisms. Recent insights into the immunogenic properties of host homologous microbial antigens have sparked interest in their potential for augmenting anti-tumor immunity while minimizing off-target effects. This review explores the therapeutic potential of microbial antigen peptides in tumor immunotherapy, beginning with an overview of tumor antigens and their challenges in clinical translation. We further explore the intricate relationship between microorganisms and tumor development, elucidating the concept of molecular mimicry and its implications for immune recognition of tumor-associated antigens. Finally, we discuss methodologies for identifying and characterizing microbial antigen peptides, highlighting their immunogenicity and prospects for therapeutic application.

Background/Objectives: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is caused by gastric contents refluxing back into the oesophagus and oral cavity. It can lead to injuries to the mucosa in the form of erosion and ulcers. Our past research have shown acid reflux severity and disease progression is associated with alternations in the microbiota of the distal oesophagus. The aim of this study was to explore whether changes in the oral microbiota occurred in GORD patients and establish any associations with reflux severity. Methods: Fresh mouthwash samples were collected from 58 patients experiencing reflux symptoms referred for 24 h pH monitoring. The participants were categorised into three groups based on their DeMeester scores: Normal (<14.72), Mild (14.2-50), and Moderate/severe (>51). Microorganism identity and diversity were generated using hypervariable tag sequencing and analysing the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: No differences in microbiota diversity were found in oral microbiota between groups using the Chiao1 diversity index and Shannon diversity index. Microbiota in the Mild group showed reductions in Rothia dentocariosa and Lautropia, while Moryella and Clostridiales_1 were increased compared with the Normal group. In the Moderate/severe group, the abundance of Rothia aeria was reduced compared with the Normal group, while Schwartzia, Rs_045, Paludibacter, S. satelles, Treponema, and T. socranskii all had increased abundance. The abundance of Prevotella pallens was higher in the Mild group compared with Moderate/severe, while S. satelles and Paludibacter abundances were lower. Conclusions: Our study shows the oral microbiome show significant differences between acid reflux severity groups, as categorised by DeMeester score.

UNASSIGNED: Yeast culture (YC) enhances ruminant performance, but its functional mechanism remains unclear because of the complex composition of YC and the uncertain substances affecting rumen fermentation. The objective of this study was to determine the composition of effective metabolites in YC by exploring its effects on rumen fermentation in vitro, growth and slaughter performance, serum index, rumen fermentation parameters, rumen microorganisms, and metabolites in lambs.
UNASSIGNED: In Trial 1, various YCs were successfully produced, providing raw materials for identifying effective metabolites. The experiment was divided into 5 treatment groups with 5 replicates in each group: the control group (basal diet without additives) and YC groups were supplemented with 0.625‰ of four different yeast cultures, respectively (groups A, B, C, and D). Rumen fermentation parameters were determined at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h in vitro. A univariate regression model multiple factor associative effects index (MFAEI; y) was established to correlate the most influential factors on in vitro rumen fermentation with YC metabolites (x). This identified the metabolites promoting rumen fermentation and optimal YC substance levels. In Trial 2, metabolites in YC not positively correlated with MFAEI were excluded, and effective substances were combined with pure chemicals (M group). This experiment validated the effectiveness of YC metabolites in lamb production based on their impact on growth, slaughter performance, serum indices, rumen parameters, microorganisms, and metabolites. Thirty cross-generation rams (Small tail Han-yang ♀ × Australian white sheep ♂) with good body condition and similar body weight were divided into three treatment groups with 10 replicates in each group: control group, YC group, pure chemicals combination group (M group).
UNASSIGNED: Growth performance and serum index were measured on days 30 and 60, and slaughter performance, rumen fermentation parameters, microorganisms, and metabolites were measured on day 60. The M group significantly increased the dressing percentage, and significantly decreased the GR values of lambs (p  < 0.05). The concentration of growth hormone (GH), Cortisol, insulin (INS), and rumen VFA in the M group significantly increased (p < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: These experiments confirmed that YC or its screened effective metabolites positively impact lamb slaughter performance, rumen fermentation, and microbial metabolism.

The food safety of livestock is a critical issue between animals and humans due to their complex interactions. Pathogens have the potential to spread at every stage of the animal food handling process, including breeding, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, marketing and consumption. In addition, application of the antibiotic usage in domestic animals is a controversial issue because, while they can combat food-borne zoonotic pathogens and promote animal growth and productivity, they can also lead to the transmission of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and antibiotic-resistant genes across species and habitats. Coevolution of microbiomes may occur in humans and animals as well which may alter the structure of the human microbiome through animal food consumption. One Health is a holistic approach to systematically understand the complex relationships among humans, animals and environments which may provide effective countermeasures to solve food safety problems aforementioned. This paper depicts the main pathogen spectrum of livestock and animal products, summarizes the flow of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes between humans and livestock along the food-chain production, and the correlation of their microbiome is reviewed as well to advocate for deeper interdisciplinary communication and collaboration among researchers in medicine, epidemiology, veterinary medicine and ecology to promote One Health approaches to address the global food safety challenges.

Spondylodiscitis is a severe spinal infection that requires an effective antibiotic treatment. Therefore, we sought to analyse the causative pathogens from intraoperative specimen in patients with spondylodiscitis and a need for surgery. To this end, we performed a retrospective study of all patients with spondylodiscitis and a need for operative treatment admitted to our hospital between January 2020 and December 2022. A total of 114 cases with spondylodiscitis were identified. A total of 120 different pathogens were detected. Overall, 76.7% of those microorganisms were Gram-positive bacteria. The most common causative pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus (n = 32; 26.6%), followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 28; 23.4%), of which Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 18; 15%) was the most frequently detected, as well as enterococci (n = 10; 8.4%) and Streptococcus spp. (n = 11; 9.2%). Moreover, 19.1% (n = 22) and 3.4% (n = 4) of all detected isolates were Gram-negative pathogens or fungi, respectively. Overall, 42.8% of all coagulase-negative staphylococci were oxacillin-resistant, while none of them were vancomycin-resistant. In summary, 50% of the pathogens could be identified as staphylococci. The results of our study highlight the important burden of oxacillin-resistant Gram-positive bacteria as an aetiological cause of spondylodiscitis, providing a relevant finding for antimicrobial stewardship programmes.

The gas vesicle (GV) is like a hollow nanoparticle consisting of an internal gas and a protein shell, which mainly consists of hydrophobic gas vesicle protein A (GvpA) and GvpC attached to the surface. GVs, first discovered in cyanobacteria, are mainly produced by photosynthetic bacteria (PSB) and halophilic archaea. After being modified and engineered, GVs can be utilized as contrast agents, delivery carriers, and immunological boosters for disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment with good results due to their tiny size, strong stability and non-toxicity advantages. Many diagnostic and therapeutic approaches based on GV are currently under development. In this review, we discuss the source, function, physical and chemical properties of GV, focus on the current application progress of GV, and put forward the possible application prospect and development direction of GV in the future.

This longevity of life expectancy has indirectly led to an increase in the number of chronic diseases such as periodontitis, apical periodontitis (AP), and diabetes mellitus (DM) in the aging society, thus affecting people\'s quality of life. There is an interaction between periodontitis/AP and DM with a two-way relationship. Although type 1 and 2 diabetes (T1DM, T2DM) have different etiologies, glycemic control may affect the infection, inflammation and tissue healing of periodontitis and AP. Non-surgical periodontal treatment may influence the glycemic control as shown by decrease of HbA1c level in T2DM patient. However, the effect of periodontal treatment on glycemic control in T1DM and root canal treatment/apical surgery on T1DM and T2DM patients awaits investigation. DM may affect the periodontal and periapical tissues possibly via altered oral microbiota, impairment of neutrophils\' activity and host immune responses and cytokine production, induction of oxidative stress etc. While periodontitis associated systemic inflammation and hyperlipidemia is suggested to contribute to the control of T2DM, more intricate studies are necessary to clarify the detailed mechanisms. The interactions between DM (T1DM and T2DM) and periodontitis and AP are therefore reviewed to provide a basis for the treatment of subsequent patients with pulpal/periodontal disease and diabetes. A two-pronged approach of medical and dental treatment is needed for the management of these patients, with emphasis on blood glucose control and improving oral hygiene and periodontal maintenance care, to ensure the best treatment outcome.

A crucial determining factor in agricultural productivity is biotic stress. In addition, supply of quality food to the ever-increasing world\'s population has raised the food demand tremendously. Therefore, enhanced agricultural crop productivity is the only option to mitigate these concerns. It ultimately demanded the often and indiscriminate use of synthetic agrochemicals such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, etc. for the management of various biotic stresses including a variety of plant pathogens. However, the food chain and biosphere are severely impacted due to the use of such harmful agrochemicals and their byproducts. Hence, it is need of hour to search for novel, effective and ecofriendly approaches for the management of biotic stresses in crop plants. Particularly, in plant disease management, efforts are being made to take advantage of newly emerged science i.e. nanotechnology for the creation of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) such as metallic, oxide, sulphide, etc. through different routes and their application in plant disease management. Among these, green nanomaterials which are synthesized using environmentally friendly methods and materials reported to possess unique properties (such as high surface area, adjustable size and shape, and specific functionalities) making them ideal candidates for targeted disease control. Nanotechnology can stop crop losses by managing specific diseases from soil, plants, and hydroponic systems. This review mainly focuses on the application of biologically produced green NPs in the treatment of plant diseases caused due to bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The utilization of green synthesis of NPs in the creation of intelligent targeted pesticide and biomolecule control delivery systems, for disease management is considered environmentally friendly due to its pursuit of less hazardous, sustainable, and environmentally friendly methods.

Due to the development and utilization of nuclear energy, the safe disposal of nuclear waste needs to be urgently addressed. In recent years, the utilization of microorganisms\' adsorption capacity to dispose of radioactive waste has received increasing attention. When compared with conventional disposal methods, microbial adsorption exhibits the characteristics of high efficiency, low cost, and no secondary pollution. In the long term, microbial biomass shows significant promise as specific chemical-binding agents. Optimization of biosorption conditions, identification of rare earth element binding sites, and studies on the sorption capacities of immobilized cells provide compelling reasons to consider biosorption for industrial applications in heavy metal removal from solutions. However, the interaction mechanism between microorganisms and radioactive nuclides is very complex. This mini-review briefly provides an overview of the preparation methods, factors affecting the adsorption capacity, and the mechanisms of microbial adsorbents.

Phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe) are two essential mineral nutrients in plant growth. It is widely observed that interactions of P and Fe could influence their availability in soils and affect their homeostasis in plants, which has received significant attention in recent years. This review presents a summary of latest advances in the activation of insoluble Fe-P complexes by soil properties, microorganisms, and plants. Furthermore, we elucidate the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying how plants adapt to Fe-P interactions. This review also discusses the current limitations and presents potential avenues for promoting sustainable agriculture through the optimization of P and Fe utilization efficiency in crops.