Camponotus ants harbor the obligate intracellular endosymbiont Blochmannia in their midgut bacteriocytes, but little is known about intestinal bacteria living in the gut lumen. In this paper we reported the results of a survey of the intestinal microflora of Camponotus japonicus Mayr based on small-subunit rRNA genes (16S rRNAs) polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis of worker guts. From 107 clones, 11 different restriction fragment-length polymorphism profiles were identified, and sequences blasting analysis found these represent four types of bacteria. Most (91.6%) of the clones were "Candidatus Blochmannia", the obligate endosymbionts of Camponotus ants, and 6.5% of the clones were "Candidatus Serratia symbiotica", a secondary endosymbiont of aphids; the remaining 2% clones were Fructobacillus fructosus and uncultured Burkholderiales bacterium, respectively. These results show that the diversity of gut bacteria in C. japonicus was low. "Candidatus Serratia symbiotica" was identified from Camponotus ants for the first time, an interesting result because Blochmannia's closest bacterial relative is also in the genus Serratia. This discovery supports the scenario that consumption of aphid honeydew or tissue provides an initial step in the evolution of an advanced symbiosis, and suggests that Camponotus ant could acquire other secondary endosymbionts from Hemiptera host through their diet. In addition, Burkholderiales bacterium also was identified from the gut of C. japonicus for the first time, and whether it is a nitrogen-recycling endosymbiont in Camponotus ants needs to be investigated further.

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Background Fast track surgery has shown its effectiveness to accelerate recovery and gained acceptance in many operations. However, data for paramedics using fast track surgery are limited in China. The aims of our study are to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and application status of fast track surgery in paramedics and to provide suggestions for the better application of fast track surgery. Methods Two Hundred Ninety-one operating room paramedics were investigated by simple random sampling from October 20 to December 20, 2019 time. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data with five dimensions: demographic data, cognitive level, knowledge, attitude and application of fast track surgery. Data were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Results 19.93% of participants never heard fast track surgery and only 3.32% of participants were very familiar with it. Gender (0.702, 95% CI 0.109–1.294), technical title (0.342, 95% CI 0.126–0.558) and awareness of the concept of fast track surgery (0.471, 95% CI 0.165–0.776) had a correlation with the knowledge level of paramedics towards fast track surgery. In terms of attitude towards fast track surgery, gender (− 1.944, 95% CI -3.830- -0.058), age (0.303, 95% CI 0.021–0.585) and knowledge score of fast track surgery (0.426, 95% CI 0.014–0.838) are related. Half of the paramedics believe the most difficult problem in the application of fast track surgery was the lack of multi-team communication and cooperation. Conclusion The knowledge of fast track surgery among paramedics in Wuhan is poor, and some paramedics have a negative attitude towards it. As the attitude is positively correlated with the knowledge, it is necessary to improve the knowledge level of fast track surgery among paramedics in Wuhan.

Impaired invasion of EVTs results in inadequate remodelling of arteries and poor placentation, leading to PE. TMBIM4 was found to promote the migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma U2-OS and breast cancer MCF7 cell lines. However, the effect of TMBIM4 on trophoblast biological behaviour and its relevance to PE pathophysiology remain unclear. In this study, we confirmed that TMBIM4 was highly expressed in cytotrophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts, and EVTs of the human placenta during early pregnancy. By comparing the expression levels of TMBIM4 in the placenta of women with normal-term pregnancy and PE, TMBIM4 was found to be significantly decreased in PE. Thereafter, we determined the expression of TMBIM4 in the LPS-treated first-trimester human trophoblast cell line HTR-8/SVneo (mimicking a PE-like cell model), and determined the effect of TMBIM4 on trophoblast function and its underlying mechanism. LPS treatment reduced the expression of TMBIM4 and induced NLRP3 inflammasome activity in HTR-8/SVneo cells. KO of TMBIM4 in the HTR-8/SVneo cell line impaired cell viability, migration, and invasion, which was more severe in the LPS/ATP-treated TMBIM4-KO cell line. Moreover, TMBIM4 deficiency enhanced NLRP3 inflammasome activity and promoted subsequent pyroptosis, with or without LPS/ATP treatment. The negative relationship between TMBIM4 expression and NLRP3 inflammatory activity was verified in PE placentas. Inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome with MCC950 in HTR-8/SVneo cells alleviated LPS/ATP-induced pyroptosis and damaged cell function in the TMBIM4-KO cell line. Overall, this study revealed a new PE-associated protein, TMBIM4, and its biological significance in trophoblast pyroptosis mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome. TMBIM4 may serve as a potential target for the treatment of placental inflammation-associated PE.

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