The advancements, challenges, and perspectives of biomaterial-based strategies for enhancing adoptive cell therapy to combat various malignant diseases.

Extensive use and disposal of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), a primary constituent of explosives, pollutes the environment and causes severe damage to human health. Complete mineralization of TNT via bacterial degradation has recently gained research interest as an effective method for the restoration of contaminated sites. Here, screening for TNT degradation by six selected bacteria revealed that Buttiauxella sp. S19-1, possesses the strongest degrading ability. Moreover, BuP34O (a gene encoding for protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase—P34O, a key enzyme in the β-ketoadipate pathway) was upregulated during TNT degradation. A knockout of BuP34O in S19-1 to generate S-M1 mutant strain caused a marked reduction in TNT degradation efficiency compared to S19-1. Additionally, the EM1 mutant strain (Escherichia coli DH5α transfected with BuP34O) showed higher degradation efficiency than DH5α. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of TNT degradation by S19-1 revealed 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotolune (ADNT) as the intermediate metabolite of TNT. Furthermore, the recombinant protein P34O (rP34O) expressed the activity of 2.46 µmol/min·mg. Our findings present the first report on the involvement of P34O in bacterial degradation of TNT and its metabolites, suggesting that P34O could catalyze downstream reactions in the TNT degradation pathway. In addition, the TNT-degrading ability of S19-1, a Gram-negative marine-derived bacterium, presents enormous potential for restoration of TNT-contaminated seas.

Organic input is a widely recognized amendment for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and soil quality improvement. A short-term (2-yr) field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of green manure (GM) planting, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw return and farmyard manure application, and their interactions on SOC sequestration in a rain-fed winter wheat system in Northwest China. Ten combinations of two cultivation practices, conventional wheat monoculture (G0) and green manure-winter wheat rotation (G), and five fertilization methods during the wheat season: (a) no basal fertilization (B0), (b) basal chemical fertilization (B), (c) basal chemical fertilization plus wheat straw return (B + S), (d) basal chemical fertilization plus manure application (B + M) and (e) basal chemical fertilization plus wheat straw return and manure application (B + S+ M) were tested. Compared with theircontrols, M, S, and G increased the SOC stock in the 0-to-10-cm soil layer by an average of 20.7, 6.8, and 6.3%, respectively, and increased in the 10-to-20-cm soil layer by an average of 15.8, 4.7, and 6.6%, respectively. Manure exhibited a 55.9% carbon sequestration efficiency (CSE) in the 0-to-20-cm soil layer, followed by GM and wheat straw which exhibited CSEs of 27.7 and 19.3%, respectively. Nevertheless, combinations of G, M, and S, increased the SOC stock in cumulative manners without significant interactions. Positive relationships (P < .05) existed between the SOC sequestration and cumulative C input in both G0 and G. Therefore, G, S, and M, and their combinations were all effective for SOC sequestration in this cropping system.The G + M+ S was optimal for promoting SOC sequestration over the short term.

BACKGROUND Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) occurring in the parapharyngeal space are rare, and their final diagnosis depends on pathological and immunohistochemical analyses. Once the tumor is diagnosed, complete resection and regular postoperative follow-up are required. CASE SUMMARY A 40-year-old male patient with a right parotid gland mass discovered 8 years ago was admitted to hospital. The mass showed no tenderness or local skin redness. Imaging was carried out as the patient had stable vital signs and showed that the mass was a dumbbell-shaped tumor comprising a superficial tumor approximately 5 cm long and 3 cm wide in size that compressed the right parotid gland and a deep tumor located in the right parapharyngeal space approximately 4.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide in size. Both tumors were connected in the middle. Prior to surgery, the tumors were considered to be parapharyngeal schwannomas. During surgical dissection, the tumors were found to be smooth and tough, without obvious adhesion to the surrounding tissues. The tumors were revealed to be a SFT following postoperative pathological analysis. CONCLUSION SFTs in the parapharyngeal space are rarely reported, and complete resection of such tumor is recommended. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is used in patients with extensive tumor invasion to lower the recurrence rate. Postoperative long-term follow-up is required.

Combined foliar application of zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) and selenium (Se) has been practiced in wheat biofortification. However, it remains elusive that whether the combined application affects Zn and Se distribution to grain, the efficacy of biofortification and bioavailability in wheat, due to the accompanying sulphate sources. Selenite and ZnSO4 were applied either alone or simultaneously to foliage of wheat in field, and their impacts on Zn and Se partitioning in plants, enrichment and bioavailability in whole grain, bran and flour, as well as amino acid profile in flour, were closely investigated. Grain yield was not influenced by any of the foliar Zn and Se applications. Grain Zn and Se concentrations reached 58.3–77.9 and 0.30–0.74 mg kg−1 in Zn‐ and Se‐sprayed plants, respectively, and the estimated daily‐absorbed Zn by a reference adult from grain and flour were enhanced by 1.2‐ to 2.4‐fold than the control, as well as 16.8‐fold increase on average for daily Se intake. Combined Zn and Se application led to a 32%–37% reduction in Se concentrations and daily Se intake of whole grain and flour in one of the two seasons when compared with the foliar Se spray alone, which was partly associated with the reduced Se distribution to grains. Alternatively, similar responsive patterns of methionine and cysteine with grain and flour Se concentrations further suggested that zinc sulphate and selenium interactions in Se accumulation act through the metabolism of sulphur‐containing amino acids in wheat plants. Further, the substantial Zn enrichment in flour paralleled to the increase of amino acid profiles such as aspartate, glutamate, glycine and lysine, but not to the total amino acid content. Overall, wheat was successfully biofortified with Zn and Se through combined foliar applications, although an antagonistic impact of ZnSO4 spray on the magnitude of Se biofortification occurred in some cases.

Straw mulching can be affected by N fertilization rate with regard to improving soil organic carbon (SOC) lability, which modifies the net accumulation of SOC and soil aggregation. We conducted a 14-yr field experiment to determine how straw mulching coupled with N application rates affects crop yield, SOC sequestration as a net gain of SOC, and soil aggregation in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) monoculture system. Six combinations of two cultivation practices, conventional cultivation (CC) and straw mulching (SM), and three N application rates (0, 120, and 240 kg N ha -1 ) were compared. Results revealed that SM did not affect wheat yield throughout the 14 yr of cultivation, but increased the SOC stock, SOC lability, and the carbon management index (CMI) in surface soil (0-20 cm). Instead, N application, N120 and N240, increased the wheat production almost equally, and followed a trend for increasing SOC stock: N240 > N120 > N0; however, a different trend for increasing SOC lability and soil CMI (N120 > N240 > N0). Soil macro-aggregation was increased by SM but decreased with increasing N application. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that organic C input was the key to improving SOC sequestration, SOC lability, and soil macro-aggregation rather than N input, especially high N input (N240) reduced SOC lability and soil aggregation in soil. Consequently, medium N application (N120) may be expected to couple with straw directreturning for improving soil productivity and quality in this agro-system.

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