Responses of growth performance, immunity, disease resistance of shrimp and microbiota in Penaeus vannamei culture system to Bacillus subtilis BSXE-1601 administration: Dietary supplementation versus water addition

This study evaluated the effects of Bacillus subtilis BSXE-1601, applied either as dietary supplementation or water addition, on growth performance, immune responses, disease resistance of Penaeus vannamei, and microbiota in shrimp gut and rearing water. During the 42-day feeding experiment, shrimp were fed with basal diet (CO and BW group), basal diet supplemented with live strain BSXE-1601 at the dose of 1 × 109 CFU kg-1 feed (BD group) and 15 mg kg-1 florfenicol (FL group), and basal diet with strain BSXE-1601 added to water at the concentration of 1 × 107 CFU L-1 every five days (BW group). Results showed that dietary supplementation of strain BSXE-1601 significantly promoted growth performance of shrimp, both in the diet and water, enhanced disease resistance against Vibrio parahaemolyticus (P < 0.05). The BD and BW groups exhibited significant increases in acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lysozyme, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase activities, phenonoloxidase content in the serum of shrimp compared to the control (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the expression of immune-related genes proPO, LZM, SOD, LGBP, HSP70, Imd, Toll, Relish, TOR, 4E-BP, eIF4E1α, eIF4E2 were significantly up-regulated compared to the control (P < 0.05). When added in rearing water, strain BSXE-1601 induced greater immune responses in shrimp than the dietary supplement (P < 0.05). Chao1 and Shannon indices of microbiota in rearing water were significantly lower in BD group than in the control. The microbiota in rearing water were significantly altered in BD, BW and FL groups compared to the control, while no significant impacts were observed on the microbiota of shrimp gut. When supplemented into the feed, strain BSXE-1601 obviously reduced the number of nodes, edges, modules in the ecological network of rearing water. The results suggested that dietary supplementation of BSXE-1601 could be more suitable than water addition in the practice of shrimp rearing when growth performance, non-specific immunity, disease resistance against V. parahaemolyticus in shrimp were collectively considered.

Response of antioxidation and immunity to combined influences of pH and ammonia nitrogen in the spotted babylon (Babylonia areolata)

Spotted babylon were exposed to three different pH levels (7.0, 8.0 and 9.0) and four different concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (0.02, 1.02, 5.10 and 10.20 mg/L) in seawater to determine their acute toxicity and physiological responses to environmental fluctuation. The study evaluated four antioxidant enzymes: catalase (CAT), alkaline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and two immunoenzymes: acid phosphatase (ACP) and phosphatase (AKP). Over time, the immunoenzyme activity was significantly affected by pH and ammonia nitrogen concentration. After being exposed to pH and ammonia nitrogen, the spotted babylon showed signs of unresponsiveness to external stimuli, reduced vitality, slow movement, and an inability to maintain an upright position. Over time, the spotted babylon exhibited a trend of increasing and then decreasing GSH-PX, CAT, and SOD activities to adapt to the changing environment and enhance its immunity. On the contrary, the POD and ACP activities exhibited a decreasing trend initially, followed by an increasing trend over time and the AKP activity showed a gradual increase with time. The combined effect of pH and ammonia was found to be stronger than the effect of either factor alone. The interaction between pH and ammonia increased the activity of the spotted babylon antioxidant enzymes, induced oxidative stress, and reduced the ability of the spotted babylon's non-specific immune system to reverse it. Thus, the reverse-back of the spotted babylon was higher when pH and ammonia stress were dual than when pH or ammonia were single-factor stresses. The study results will establish a theoretical basis for analyzing the risk of multiple factors to the spotted babylon, and also enrich the basic information about the shellfish immune system.

Lnc-Clic5 as a sponge for miR-212-5p to inhibit cow barn PM2.5-induced apoptosis in rat alveolar macrophages

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a highly hazardous airborne particulate matter that poses a significant risk to humans and animals. Urban airborne particulate matter contributes to the increased incidence and mortality of respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in humans. However, the specific mechanism by which PM2.5 affects animals in barn environments is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effect of exposure to cow barn PM2.5 on rat alveolar macrophages (NR8383) and found that it induced apoptosis via the miR-212-5p/RASSF1 pathway. We found that lnc-Clic5 expression was downregulated in NR8383 cells exposed to cow barn PM2.5. Lnc-Clic5 plays a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory role by sponging miR-212-5p to attenuate the regulation of RASSF1. Moreover, lnc-Clic5 overexpression inhibited NR8383 apoptosis by targeting the miR-212-5p/RASSF1 pathway. Co-treatment with miR-212-5p and lnc-Clic5 in the presence of cow barn PM2.5 revealed that lnc-Clic5 reversed NR8383 cell apoptosis induced by PM2.5 when miR-212-5p was overexpressed. These findings contribute to the study of ncRNAs and ceRNAs regulating PM2.5-induced apoptosis in animal farms, provide therapeutic targets for lung macrophage apoptosis, and may be useful for further evaluating the toxicological effects of PM2.5 in farmhouses on the respiratory systems of humans and animals.

MicroRNA-150-5P regulates Th1/Th2 cytokines expression levels by targeting EGR2 in allergic rhinitis

BACKGROUND

MiR-150-5p is one of the miRNAs in the expression profile of miRNAs, and in many previous studies, it has been shown that miR-150-5p may play an important role in peripheral blood dendritic cells (DCs) of allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. We sought to investigate the role and mechanism of miR-150-5p in regulating DC function by modulating EGR2 and influencing T cell derivation to promote AR development.

METHODS

The expression of miR-150-5p and EGR2 in AR patients was examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), the expression of IL-4 cytokines in the supernatant of AR patients was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the expression of eosinophils in the supernatant of AR patients was measured by HE staining. The expression of EGR2 was detected by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent m-immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

MiR-150-5p expression was up-regulated and EGR2 expression was down-regulated in peripheral blood DCs from AR patients. miR-150-5p upregulated DCs, which promoted T-cell differentiation. miR-150-5p further regulated EGR2, which suppressed DCs and caused alteration of T-cell differentiation, in turn triggering the occurrence of AR.

CONCLUSION

MiR-150-5p and its target gene EGR2 are involved in the development of AR, and DCs foster T-cell differentiation in peripheral blood of AR patients.

Quality control of postoperative radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer: A study of mediastinal shift

PURPOSE

This study aimed to assess the shifting patterns of the mediastinum, including the target volume and the isocenter point during the postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) process of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to observe the occurrence of radiation injury. Additionally, we investigated the significance of mid-term assessment during the implementation of the PORT process.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We established coordinate axes based on bone anatomy and measured the mediastinum's three-dimensional direction and the shift of the isocenter point's shift in the PORT process. Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, and the Chi-square test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

In this study, the analysis of patients revealed that the shift of anterior and posterior mediastinum (X), left and right mediastinum (Y), upper and lower mediastinum (Z), anterior and posterior isocenter point (Xi), and the left and right isocenter points (Yi) in the PORT process were 0.04-0.53, 0.00-0.84, 0.00-1.27, 0.01-0.86, and 0.00-0.66cm, respectively. The shift distance of the mediastinum was Z>Y>X, and the shift distance of the isocenter point was Xi>Yi. According to the ROC curve, the cut-off values were 0.263, 0.352, 0.405, 0.238, and 0.258, respectively, which were more significant than the cut-off values in 25 cases (25%), 30 cases (30%), 30 cases (30%), 17 cases (17%), and 15 cases (15%). In addition, there was a significant difference in the shift of the mediastinum and the isocenter point (all P=0.00). Kruskal-Wallis test showed no statistically significant difference between mediastinal shift and resection site in X, Y, and Z directions (P=0.355, P=0.239, P=0.256), surgical method (P=0.241, P=0.110, P=0.064). There was no significant difference in the incidence of RE and RP in PORT patients (P>0.05). No III-IV RP occurred. However, the incidence of ≥ grade III RE in the modified plan cases after M-S was significantly lower than in the original PORT patients, 0% and 7%, respectively (P=0.000).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study provides evidence that mediastinal shift is a potential complication during the PORT process for patients with N2 stage or R1-2 resection following radical resection of NSCLC. This shift affects about 20-30% of patients, manifesting as actual radiation damage to normal tissue and reducing the local control rate. Therefore, mid-term repositioning of the PORT and revision of the target volume and radiation therapy plan can aid in maintaining QA and QC during the treatment of NSCLC patients and may result in improved patient outcomes.

Calcium administration appears not to benefit acute pancreatitis patients with hypocalcemia

OBJECTIVE

Hypocalcemia occurs commonly among patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Calcium therapy could be used to correct hypocalcemia and maintain calcium levels, but its impact on the prognosis has not been demonstrated. Our study aimed to determine whether calcium therapy could benefit the multiple outcomes of AP patients with hypocalcemia.

METHODS

We extracted 807 AP patients with hypocalcemia from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (MIMIC-IV) database and performed retrospective analyses. The outcomes were in-hospital, 28 days, ICU mortality, and the length of stay (LOS) in the hospital and ICU. We performed propensity matching (PSM) and inverse probability weighting (IPTW) to balance the baseline differences and conducted multivariate regression to investigate the impact of calcium therapy.

RESULTS

A total of 620 patients (76.8%) received calcium treatment (calcium group) during hospitalization, while 187 patients (non-calcium group) did not. Patients in the calcium group did not present significant survival differences between groups before and after matching. After including covariates, calcium administration had no association with patients' in-hospital (HR: 1.03, 95% Cl: 0.47-2.27, p = .942), 28 days and ICU mortality and was significantly associated with prolonged length of stay in the hospital (effect estimate: 6.18, 95% Cl: 3.27-9.09, p < .001) and ICU (effect estimate: 1.72, 95% Cl: 0.24-3.20, p < .001). Calcium therapy could not benefit patients in subgroups with exclusive parenteral infusion, early calcium therapy (<48 h), or various degrees of hypocalcemia.

CONCLUSION

AP patients with hypocalcemia could not benefit from calcium administration, which has no association with multiple mortality and is significantly associated with prolonged LOS in the hospital and ICU.

NOTCH1 as a Negative Regulator of Avian Adipocyte Differentiation: Implications for Fat Deposition

The NOTCH signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in diverse developmental processes, including cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we investigated whether this signaling molecules also contribute to avian adipogenesis. Using previous mRNA-seq datasets, we examined the expression of 11 signaling members during avian adipocyte differentiation. We found most members are down-regulated throughout differentiation (p < 0.05). As a representative, NOTCH1 was decreased in cultured chicken abdominal adipocytes during adipogenesis at mRNA and protein levels (p < 0.05). Moreover, using an overexpression plasmid for NOTCH1's intracellular domain (NICD1), as well as siRNA and DAPT to activate or deplete NOTCH1 in cells, we investigated the role of NOTCH1 in avian adipogenesis. Our findings illuminate that NOTCH1 activates the expression of HES1 and SOCS3 while it decreases NR2F2 and NUMB (p < 0.05), as well as inhibits oleic acid-induced adipocyte differentiation (p < 0.01). We further demonstrate that HES1, a downstream transcription factor activated by NOTCH1, also significantly inhibits adipogenesis by suppressing PPARγ and C/EBPα (p < 0.01). Collectively, these findings establish NOTCH1 as a negative regulator of avian adipocyte differentiation, unveiling NOTCH signaling as a potential target for regulating avian fat deposition.

Combined Systemic Immune-inflammatory Index (SII) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) predict survival in elderly patients with hip fractures: a retrospective study

PURPOSE

The Systemic Immune-inflammatory Index (SII) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) have undergone comprehensive examination and validation in forecasting the outcomes of diverse medical conditions. Nevertheless, the correlation between the combined use of GNRI and SII metrics and hip fractures has yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to determine whether the amalgamation of SII and GNRI scores constitutes an independent prognostic factor for elderly patients with hip fractures.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of elderly patients admitted to our facility with hip fractures, encompassing both femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures. Demographic information, experimental parameters, and postoperative complications were systematically recorded. The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and Systemic Immunoinflammatory Index (SII) were meticulously computed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated, and optimal cutoff values for each parameter were determined. Subsequently, a multivariate Cox regression analysis was employed to assess the predictive utility of the SII-GNRI score in relation to 1-year postoperative mortality among elderly patients with hip fractures.

RESULTS

In a study involving 597 patients, 90 of whom experienced mortality within 1 year, it was observed that the SII-GNRI score in the group of patients who passed away was significantly higher compared to the group that survived. Following a multifactorial adjustment, it was established that a high SII-GNRI score served as an independent predictor of 1-year all-cause mortality in older patients with hip fractures. In addition to the SII-GNRI score, factors such as length of hospital stay, CCI > 2, and blood transfusion were also identified as independent risk factors for survival. Notably, the incidence of postoperative complications in patients with high SII-GNRI scores was significantly greater than in patients with low scores.

CONCLUSION

The SII-GNRI score proves valuable in predicting the 1-year survival rate for elderly patients with hip fractures who have undergone surgery.

Expression of small nucleolar RNA SNORA51 and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma

Small nucleolar RNA H/ACA Box 51 (SNORA51) is involved in progression of multiple cancers. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyze the expression of SNORA51 in HCC and its clinical significance. A total of 136 patients with HCC who underwent surgery from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 were included. The expression of SNORA51 in cancer tissues and adjacent tissues was compared using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and bioinformatics methods. Methylation of the SNORA51 promoter in cancer and adjacent tissues was compared using bioinformatics. The relationship between SNORA51 expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with HCC, in addition to prognosis, was analyzed. The expression of SNORA51 in HCC was significantly higher compared with that in adjacent tissues (P<0.05). starBase demonstrated that higher expression levels of SNORA51 were associated with a significantly worse prognosis of patients with HCC compared with those who had lower expression levels of SNORA51 (P<0.05). Bioinformatics analysis using The University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Data Analysis Portal demonstrated that methylation of the SNORA51 promoter region in HCC was significantly decreased compared with adjacent tissues (P<0.05). A high expression of SNORA51 was significantly associated with portal vein tumor thrombus, vascular invasion and TNM stage (P<0.05). The median survival time of patients with high SNORA51 expression was significantly lower compared with those who had low SNORA51 expression (P<0.05). Both uni- and multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that SNORA51 expression was an independent risk factor that significantly worsened the prognosis of patients with HCC (P<0.05). The overexpression of SNORA51 in patients with HCC was significantly associated with a poor prognosis and may be related to the reduced methylation of the SNORA51 promoter region. Therefore, SNORA51 may be a promising biomarker for prediction of the prognosis of patients with HCC and may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC in future.

Effects of Light Color on the Growth, Feeding, Digestion, and Antioxidant Enzymes of Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus, 1758)

To study the effects of light color on sea urchin (Tripneustes gratilla), blue light (B, λ450nm), yellow light (Y, λ585-590nm), red light (R, λ640nm), green light (G, λ510nm), white light (W, λ400-780nm), and darkness (H) groups were established in a recirculating seawater aquaculture system. Six different LED light color treatment groups with a photoperiod of 12 L:12 D were tested for 30 days to investigate the effects of different light colors on the feeding, growth, and enzyme activities of T. gratilla (142.45 ± 4.36 g). We found that using different LED light colors caused significantly different impacts on the feeding, growth, and enzyme activity of T. gratilla. Notably, the sea urchins in group B exhibited better growth, with a weight gain rate of 39.26%, while those in group R demonstrated poorer growth, with a weight gain rate of only 26%. The feeding status differed significantly (p < 0.05) between groups B and R, with group B consuming the highest daily intake (6.03 ± 1.69 g) and group R consuming the lowest (4.54 ± 1.26 g). Throughout the three phases, there was no significant change in the viability of the α-amylase (p > 0.05). Conversely, the pepsin viability significantly increased (p < 0.05) in group B. The lipase viability consistently remained at the lowest level, with no notable differences between group W and group B. In group R, both the α-amylase and pepsin viabilities remained lower, whereas the lipase viability was noticeably greater in each phase than in group B (p < 0.05). Among the antioxidant enzymes, group R exhibited a trend of initial increase followed by decreases in catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities, particularly during the third stage (15-30 days), during which a significant decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity was observed (p < 0.05). Taken together, these findings suggest that blue light positively affects the growth, feeding, digestion, and antioxidant capacity of T. gratilla in comparison with those in other light environments, whereas red light had an inhibitory effect. Furthermore, T. gratilla is a benthic organism that lives on shallow sandy sea beds. Thus, as short wavelengths of blue and green light are more widely distributed on the seafloor, and long wavelengths of red light are more severely attenuated on the seafloor, shorter wavelengths of light promote the growth of bait organisms of sea urchins, which provide better habitats for T. gratilla.

ASH2L, Core Subunit of H3K4 Methylation Complex, Regulates Amelogenesis

Histone methylation assumes a crucial role in the intricate process of enamel development. Our study has illuminated the substantial prevalence of H3K4me3 distribution, spanning from the cap stage to the late bell stage of dental germs. In order to delve into the role of H3K4me3 modification in amelogenesis and unravel the underlying mechanisms, we performed a conditional knockout of Ash2l, a core subunit essential for the establishment of H3K4me3 within the dental epithelium of mice. The absence of Ash2l resulted in reduced H3K4me3 modification, subsequently leading to abnormal morphology of dental germ at the late bell stage. Notably, knockout of Ash2l resulted in a loss of polarity in ameloblasts and odontoblasts. The proliferation and apoptosis of the inner enamel epithelium cells underwent dysregulation. Moreover, there was a notable reduction in the expression of matrix-related genes, Amelx and Dspp, accompanied with impaired enamel and dentin formation. Cut&Tag-seq (cleavage under targets and tagmentation sequencing) analysis substantiated a reduction of H3K4me3 modification on Shh, Trp63, Sp6, and others in the dental epithelium of Ash2l knockout mice. Validation through real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence consistently affirmed the observed downregulation of Shh and Sp6 in the dental epithelium following Ash2l knockout. Intriguingly, the expression of Trp63 isomers, DNp63 and TAp63, was perturbed in Ash2l defect dental epithelium. Furthermore, the downstream target of TAp63, P21, exhibited aberrant expression within the cervical loop of mandibular first molars and incisors. Collectively, our findings suggest that ASH2L orchestrates the regulation of crucial amelogenesis-associated genes, such as Shh, Trp63, and others, by modulating H3K4me3 modification. Loss of ASH2L and H3K4me3 can lead to aberrant differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis of the dental epithelium by affecting the expression of Shh, Trp63, and others genes, thereby contributing to the defects of amelogenesis.

Prognostic nomogram for primary splenic lymphoma: a SEER database-based study

This study aimed to establish a nomogram model based on the clinicopathological factors affecting the prognosis of patients with primary splenic lymphoma (PSL) to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients. A total of 4074 patients diagnosed with PSL were included in this study. Among them, 4052 cases from the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database were randomized into a training set and an internal validation set in a 7:3 ratio. Another 22 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were used as an external validation set. The prognostic factors affecting the OS and CSS of patients were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier (KM) method and compared by Log-rank test. Then, a nomogram model was established to predict OS and CSS. Finally, the model was validated both internally and externally using the concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), and calibration curve to evaluate its predictive value, and the decision curve analysis (DCA) was conducted to assess its clinical utility. Our results showed that the model displayed a good prediction ability. In the training set, the OS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 85.9%, 75.8% and 70.1%, respectively, while the CSS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 91.9%, 86.2% and 82.3%, respectively. Predictors in the prediction model of OS included age, sex, marital status, Ann Arbor stage, histology, surgery, chemotherapy and year at diagnosis. On the other hand, predictors in the model of CSS included age, Ann Arbor stage, histology, chemotherapy, and year at diagnosis. Internal and external validation of the nomogram model showed that the C-index for predicting OS was 0.678 (0.662, 0.694) in the training set, 0.672 (0.648, 0.696) in the internal validation set, and 0.704 (0.565, 0.843) in the external validation set; the C-index for predicting CSS was 0.685 (0.661, 0.709) in the training set, 0.683 (0.650, 0.716) in the internal validation set, and 0.676 (0.488, 0.864) in the external validation set. The calibration curves for several groups showed good consistency, and DCA suggested its clinical usability. In conclusion, the nomogram constructed in this study has a good predictive value for the survival of patients with PSL, and can be a clinically applicable and practical prediction tool, facilitating rapid and accurate individualized predictions of the patient survival.

MicroRNA miR-212-5p Regulates the MEK/ERK Signaling Pathway by Targeting A-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase (ARAF) to Regulate Cowshed PM2.5-Induced NR8383 Apoptosis

Objective: To investigate the role of miR-212-5p-targeted ARAF during the apoptosis of rat alveolar macrophages induced by cowshed PM2.5. Methods: miRNA and related target genes and pathways were predicted using the KEGG, TargetScan, and other prediction websites. NR8383 macrophages were treated with cowshed PM2.5 to establish an in vitro lung injury model in rats; meanwhile, for the assessment of cell viability, apoptosis, intracellular calcium ions, and mitochondrial membrane potential in NR8383 cells, RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of miR-212-5p and the target gene ARAF. Results: The bioinformatic analyses showed that miR-212-5p and ARAF were involved in PM2.5-associated cellular damage. Exposure to different concentrations (0 μg/mL, 60 μg/mL, 180 μg/mL, 300 μg/mL) with different durations (0 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h) of cowshed PM2.5 resulted in apoptosis, increased intracellular calcium ions, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. The miR-212-5p mimic group showed an up-regulation of Bax and cleaved Caspase 3 expression but decreased Bcl2 expression compared to the NC group, and overexpression of ARAF up-regulated the expression of p-MEK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 and simultaneously reversed the above phenomena. Conclusions: miR-212-5p targets ARAF to affect the cowshed PM2.5-induced apoptosis through the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, providing a potential target for relevant farming industry and pathology studies.

The male and female genomes of golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) provide insights into the sex chromosome evolution and rapid growth

INTRODUCTION

Golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) is economically significant important for offshore cage aquaculture in China and Southeast Asian countries. Lack of high-quality genomic data and accurate gene annotations greatly restricts its genetic breeding progress.

OBJECTIVES

To decode the mechanisms of sex determination and rapid growth in golden pompano and facilitate the sex- and growth-aimed genetic breeding.

METHODS

Genome assemblies of male and female golden pompano were generated using Illumina, PacBio, BioNano, genetic maps and Hi-C sequencing data. Genomic comparisons, whole genome re-sequencing of 202 F1 individuals, QTL mapping and gonadal transcriptomes were used to analyze the sex determining region, sex chromosome evolution, SNP loci, and growth candidate genes. Zebrafish model was used to investigate the functions of growth candidate gene.

RESULTS

Female (644.45 Mb) and male (652.12 Mb) genomes of golden pompano were assembled and annotated at the chromosome level. Both genomes are highly conserved and no new or highly differentiated sex chromosomes occur. A 3.5 Mb sex determining region on LG15 was identified, where Hsd17b1, Micall2 and Lmx1a were putative candidates for sex determination. Three SNP loci significantly linked to growth were pinpointed, and a growth-linked gene gpsstr1 was identified by locus BSNP1369 (G→C, 17489695, Chr23). Loss of sstr1a (homologue of gpsstr1) in zebrafish caused growth retardation.

CONCLUSION

This study provides insights into sex chromosome evolution, sex determination and rapid growth of golden pompano.

Multitrait meta-analyses identify potential candidate genes for growth-related traits in Holstein heifers

Understanding the underlying pleiotropic relationships among growth and body size traits is important for refining breeding strategies in dairy cattle for optimal body size and growth rate. Therefore, we performed single-trait GWAS for monthly-recorded body weight (BW), hip height, body length, and chest girth from birth to 12 mo of age in Holstein animals, followed by stepwise multiple regression of independent or lowly-linked markers from GWAS loci using conditional and joint association analyses (COJO). Subsequently, we conducted a multitrait meta-analysis to detect pleiotropic markers. Based on the single-trait GWAS, we identified 170 significant SNPs, in which 59 of them remained significant after the COJO analyses. The most significant SNP, located at BTA7:3,676,741, explained 2.93% of the total phenotypic variance for BW6 (BW at 6 mo of age). We identified 17 SNPs with potential pleiotropic effects based on the multitrait meta-analyses, which resulted in 3 additional SNPs in comparison to those detected based on the single-trait GWAS. The identified quantitative trait loci regions overlap with genes known to influence human growth-related traits. According to positional and functional analyses, we proposed HMGA2, HNF4G, MED13L, BHLHE40, FRZB, DMP1, TRIB3, and GATAD2A as important candidate genes influencing the studied traits. The combination of single-trait GWAS and meta-analyses of GWAS results improved the efficiency of detecting associated SNPs, and provided new insights into the genetic mechanisms of growth and development in Holstein cattle.

Mechanisms of Digestive Enzyme Response to Acute Salinity Stress in Juvenile Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)

This study investigates the effect of a sudden change in salinity for 48 h on the digestive enzyme activity of juvenile yellowfin tuna. The treatment included a control salinity of 32‱ in natural seawater and an experimental salinity of 29‱. Acute stress experiments were carried out on 72 juvenile yellowfin tuna (646.52 ± 66.32 g) for 48 h to determine changes in digestive enzyme activity in different intestinal sections over time (0 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h). The activities of pepsin, trypsin, α-amylase, lipase, and chymotrypsin in the digestive organs (stomach, foregut, and pyloric ceca) of juvenile yellowfin tuna were measured. Pepsin and pancreatic protease in the experimental group were significantly lower than in the control group (p < 0.05). α-amylase showed a fluctuating trend of decreasing and then increasing, and its activity trend was pyloric ceca > foregut > stomach. The lipase activity of gastric tissues decreased at the beginning and then increased, reaching a minimum at 24 h (2.74 ± 1.99 U·g protein-1). The change of lipase in the pyloric ceca and foregut was increasing and then decreasing. The lipase activity trend was pyloric ceca > foregut > stomach. The chymotrypsin showed a decreasing and increasing trend and then stabilized at 48 h with a pattern of pyloric ceca > foregut > stomach. Similarly, the gut villi morphology was not significantly altered in the acutely salinity-stressed compared to the non-salinity-stressed. This study suggests that salinity may change the digestive function of juvenile yellowfin tuna, thereby affecting fish feeding, growth, and development. On the contrary, yellowfin tuna is highly adapted to 29‱ salinity. However, excessive stress may negatively affect digestive enzyme activity and reduce fish digestibility. This study may provide a scientific basis for a coastal aquaculture water environment for yellowfin tuna farming, which may guide the development and cultivation of aquaculture.

Distinct and shared endothermic strategies in the heat producing tissues of tuna and other teleosts

Although most fishes are ectothermic, some, including tuna and billfish, achieve endothermy through specialized heat producing tissues that are modified muscles. How these heat producing tissues evolved, and whether they share convergent molecular mechanisms, remain unresolved. Here, we generated a high-quality genome from the mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis) and investigated the heat producing tissues of this fish by single-nucleus and bulk RNA sequencing. Compared with other teleosts, tuna-specific genetic variation is strongly associated with muscle differentiation. Single-nucleus RNA-seq revealed a high proportion of specific slow skeletal muscle cell subtypes in the heat producing tissues of tuna. Marker genes of this cell subtype are associated with the relative sliding of actin and myosin, suggesting that tuna endothermy is mainly based on shivering thermogenesis. In contrast, cross-species transcriptome analysis indicated that endothermy in billfish relies mainly on non-shivering thermogenesis. Nevertheless, the heat producing tissues of the different species do share some tissue-specific genes, including vascular-related and mitochondrial genes. Overall, although tunas and billfishes differ in their thermogenic strategies, they share similar expression patterns in some respects, highlighting the complexity of convergent evolution.

Cooperative Positioning Method of a Multi-UAV Based on an Adaptive Fault-Tolerant Federated Filter

Aiming at the problem of the low cooperative positioning accuracy and robustness of multi-UAV formation, a cooperative positioning method of a multi-UAV based on an adaptive fault-tolerant federated filter is proposed. Combined with the position of the follower UAV and leader UAV, and the relative range between them, a cooperative positioning model of the follower UAV is established. On this basis, an adaptive fault-tolerant federated filter is designed. Fault detection and isolation technology are added to improve the positioning accuracy of the follower UAV and the fault tolerance performance of the filter. Meanwhile, the measurement noise matrix is adjusted by the adaptive information allocation coefficient to reduce the impact of undetected fault information on the sub-filter and global estimation accuracy. The simulation results show that the adaptive fault-tolerant federated algorithm can greatly improve the positioning accuracy, which is 83.4% higher than that of the absolute positioning accuracy of a single UAV. In the case of a gradual fault, the method has a stronger fault-tolerant performance and reconstruction performance.

[Plurihormonal PIT1-lineage pituitary neuroendocrine tumors: a clinicopathological study]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of plurihormonal PIT1-lineage pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. Methods: Forty-eight plurihormonal PIT1-lineage tumors were collected between January 2018 and April 2022 from the pathological database of Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University. The related clinical and imaging data were retrieved. H&E, immunohistochemical and special stains were performed. Results: Out of the 48 plurihormonal PIT1-lineage tumors included, 13 cases were mature PIT1-lineage tumors and 35 cases were immature PIT1-lineage tumors. There were some obvious clinicopathological differences between the two groups. Clinically, the mature plurihormonal PIT1-lineage tumor mostly had endocrine symptoms due to increased hormone production, while a small number of immature PIT1-lineage tumors had endocrine symptoms accompanied by low-level increased serum pituitary hormone; patients with the immature PIT1-lineage tumors were younger than the mature PIT1-lineage tumors; the immature PIT1-lineage tumors were larger in size and more likely invasive in imaging. Histopathologically, the mature PIT1-lineage tumors were composed of large eosinophilic cells with high proportion of growth hormone expression, while the immature PIT1-lineage tumors consisted of chromophobe cells with a relatively higher expression of prolactin; the mature PIT1-lineage tumors had consistently diffuse cytoplasmic positive staining for keratin, while the immature PIT1-lineage tumors had various expression for keratin; the immature PIT1-lineage tumors showed more mitotic figures and higher Ki-67 proliferation index; in addition, 25.0% (12/48) of PIT1-positive plurihormonal tumors showed abnormal positive staining for gonadotropin hormones. There was no significant difference in the progression-free survival between the two groups (P=0.648) by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Conclusions: Plurihormonal PIT1-lineage tumor belongs to a rare type of PIT1-lineage pituitary neuroendocrine tumors, most of which are of immature lineage. Clinically increased symptoms owing to pituitary hormone secretion, histopathologically increased number of eosinophilic tumor cells with high proportion of growth hormone expression, diffusely cytoplasmic keratin staining and low proliferative activity can help differentiate the mature plurihormonal PIT1-lineage tumors from the immature PIT1-lineage tumors. The immature PIT1-lineage tumors have more complicated clinicopathological characteristics.

Acute thermal stress increased enzyme activity and muscle energy distribution of yellowfin tuna

Heat is a powerful stressor for fish living in natural and artificial environments. Understanding the effects of heat stress on the physiological processes of fish is essential for better aquaculture and fisheries management. In this experiment, a heating rod was used to increase the temperature at 2°C/h to study the changes of energy allocation (CEA) and energy metabolity-related enzyme activities, including pepsin, trypsin, amylase, lipase, acid phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, glutamic oxalic aminotransferase and energy reserve (Ea), energy expenditure (ETS), in juvenile yellowfin tuna cells under acute temperature stress. The results showed that the Ea of juvenile yellowfin tuna muscles in response to high temperature (34°C) was significantly lower than that of the control (28°C), and it also increased ETS. At 6 h, CEA decreased slightly in the high-temperature group, but, the difference in CEA between 24 h and 0 h decreased. After heat stress for 6 h, the activities of acid phosphatase (ACP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (AST) increased, indicating that the metabolic rate was accelerated. After heat stress for 24 h, the activity of ALT decreased, indicating that with time elapsed, the activities of some protein metabolizing enzymes increased, and some decreased. In this study, digestive enzymes, trypsin and lipase increased gradually. After heat stress, Ea and Ec change significantly. Yellowfin tuna muscles use lipids in response to sharp temperature increases at high temperatures, red muscles respond to temperature changes by increasing energy in the early stages, but not nearly as much, and white muscles reduce lipids.

Efficacy of Postoperative Radiotherapy for Patients with New N2 Descriptors of Subclassification in Completely Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Real-World Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Patients with N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were heterogeneous groups and required further stratification. The International Society for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) added new descriptors of three sub-stages for stage N2 NSCLC: N2 at a single station without N1 involvement (N2a1), N2 at a single station with N1 involvement (N2a2), and N2 at multiple stations (N2b). This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) for patients with these N2 descriptors.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC after complete resection and divided into PORT group and non-PORT group. The primary endpoint was DFS. The second endpoints were overall survival (OS) and locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS). Propensity-score matching (PSM) of baseline characteristics between the PORT and non-PORT groups was used for validation.

RESULTS

Totally 1832 patients were enrolled, including 308 N2a1 patients, 682 N2a2 patients, and 842 N2b patients. The median follow-up time was 50.1 months. The survival outcomes of the PORT and non-PORT groups before PSM were shown in Table 1. For patients with N2a1, PORT could not improve the DFS (median DFS of the PORT group and the non-PORT group: not reached vs. 46.8 months, P = 0.41), OS (P = 0.85), or LRFS (P = 0.32), which were consistent with the multivariate analysis and data after the PSM. For patients with N2a2, PORT significantly improved the DFS (median DFS 29.7 vs. 22.2 months, P = 0.02), OS (P = 0.03), and LRFS (P = 0.01). The multivariate analysis and data after the PSM confirmed the benefits in DFS and LRFS, but no benefit was observed in OS (multivariate analysis: HR 0.79, P = 0.18; median OS after PSM: 103.7 vs. 63.1 months, P = 0.34). For patients with N2b, PORT could not improve the DFS (median DFS 20.6 vs. 21.2 months, P = 0.39) but significantly improved the OS (P<0.001) and LRFS (P<0.001). However, the multivariate analysis showed that PORT significantly improved DFS (HR 0.81, P = 0.03), consistent with the data after the PSM (median DFS 20.6 and 17.6 months, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

PORT significantly improved the DFS and LRFS in patients with N2a2 and significantly improved the DFS, LRFS, and OS in patients with N2b. Patients with N2a1 could not benefit from PORT.

High Dose Hyperfractionated Thoracic Radiotherapy vs. Standard Dose for Limited Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicenter, Open-Label Randomized, Phase 3 Trial

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Limited stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) is associated with poor prognosis. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of high-dose, hyperfractionated thoracic radiotherapy of 54 Gy in 30 fractions compared with standard dose (45 Gy in 30 fractions) as a first-line treatment for LS-SCLC.

MATERIALS/METHODS

The study was an open-label, randomized, phase 3 trial, done at 16 public hospitals in China. Key inclusion criteria were patients aged 18-70 years, with previously histologically or cytologically confirmed LS-SCLC, previously untreated or received 1-2 courses of intravenous cisplatin (75 mg/m²of body-surface area, on day 1 or divided into two days of each cycle) or carboplatin (area under the curve of 5 mg/mL per min, day 1 of each cycle)and intravenous etoposide (100 mg/m²of body-surface area, on days 1-3 of each cycle), and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1.Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) of 45 Gy in 30 fractions or the simultaneous integrated boost VMAT (SIB-VMAT) of 54 Gy in 30 fractions to the primary lung tumor and lymph node metastases starting 0-42 days after the first chemotherapy course. Both groups of patients received thoracic radiotherapy twice per day and 10 fractions per week. Prophylactic cranial radiation (PCI, 25 Gy in 10 fractions) was implemented to patients with responsive disease. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Safety was analyzed in the as-treated population.

RESULTS

Between June 30, 2017, and April 6, 2021, 224 eligible patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to 54 Gy (n = 108) or 45 Gy (n = 116). Median follow-up for the primary analysis was 45 months (IQR 41-48). Median overall survival was significantly improved in the 54 Gy group (62.4 months) compared with the 45 Gy group (43.1 months; p = 0.001). Median progression-free survival was significantly improved in the 54 Gy group (30.5 months) compared with the 45 Gy group (16.7 months; p = 0.044). The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia (30 [28%] of 108 patients in the 54 Gy group vs 27 [23%] of 116 patients in the 45 Gy group), neutropenic infections (6 [6%] vs 2 [2%]), thrombocytopenia (13 [12%] vs 12 [10%]), anemia (6 [6%] vs 4 [3%]), and esophagitis (1 [1%] vs 3 [3%]). Treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in 9 [8%] patients in the 54 Gy group and 16 [14%] patients in the 45 Gy group. There were one treatment-related deaths in 54 Gy group (myocardial infarction).

CONCLUSION

Compared with standard thoracic radiotherapy dose of 45 Gy, the high dose of 54 Gy improved overall survival and progression-free survival without increasing toxicities in patients with LS-SCLC, supporting twice-daily hyperfractionated thoracic radiotherapy of 54 Gy with concurrent chemotherapy is an alternative treatment option for LS-SCLC. This study is complete and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03214003.

The Impact of a High Radiation Dose to the Immune Cells on Tumor Control and Survival in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Postoperative Radiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Previous studies showed that the estimated dose of radiation to immune cells (EDRIC) was correlated with the overall survival (OS) of patients who received definitive thoracic radiotherapy. However, planning target volume (PTV) may be a confounding factor. The PTV is relatively uniform for patients undergoing postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). We further assessed the prognostic value of EDRIC on survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing PORT.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients with NSCLC who received PORT between 2004 and 2019 were analyzed. EDRIC was calculated as a function of the number of radiation fractions and mean doses to the lung, heart, and remaining body based on a model developed by Jin et al. The correlation between EDRIC and OS, PFS, local progression-free survival (LPFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were analyzed using univariable and multivariable Cox models. Kaplan-Meier method was used to show the survival difference between patients with high and low EDRIC.

RESULTS

A total of 345 patients were eligible. The mean EDRIC was 7.6 Gy. Multivariate analysis showed that EDRIC was associated with OS (HR 1.14, P = 0.002), PFS (HR 1.08, P = 0.016), LRFS (HR 1.111, P = 0.008), and DMFS (HR 1.10, P = 0.018). Patients were divided into low and high EDRIC groups according to median EDRIC. The 3-year OS was 82.7% and 72.2% (p = 0.03). The 3-year PFS was 40.3% and 17.8% (p < 0.01). The 3-year LRFS was 71.39% and 59.18% (p = 0.05). The 3-year DMFS was 74.4% and 63.4% (p = 0.06).

CONCLUSION

EDRIC was an independent prognostic factor for survival. Higher doses of radiation to the immune system were associated with tumor progression and death after the PORT of NSCLC. The organ at risk for the immune system should be considered during radiotherapy planning.

A Machine Learning Method to Predict Pathological Complete Response of Esophageal Cancer after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy with Clinicohematological Markers and MR Radiomics: A Multi-Center Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Nearly 30% of patients with local advanced esophageal cancer achieved pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), who may benefit from organ-preservation strategy under accurate prediction of pCR. We aimed to develop and validate machine learning models based on clinicohematological markers and MR radiomics to accurately predict pCR of esophageal cancer after nCRT.

MATERIALS/METHODS

In this multi-center study, eligible patients with esophageal cancer who received baseline MR scan (T2-weighted image) and nCRT plus surgery were enrolled between September 2014 and September 2022 at institution 1 (training set) and between December 2017 and August 2021 at institution 2 (testing set). Pre-nCRT and post-nCRT blood test results were collected to calculate hematological markers. Models were constructed by machine learning based on clinicohematological markers and MR radiomics to predict pCR. Area under the curve (AUC) and cut-off analysis were used to evaluate model performances.

RESULTS

Totally 154 patients (81 in the training set and 73 in the testing set) were enrolled. The combined model integrating pre-nCRT monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio and 6 radiomics features achieved AUC of 0.800 (95% CI 0.671-0.918) in the testing set, with sensitivity of 79.2% (95% CI 62.5%-95.8%), specificity of 83.7% (95% CI 73.5%-93.9%), positive predictive value of 76.0% (95% CI 62.5%-90.0%), and negative predictive value of 89.6% (95% CI 82.0%-95.8%).

CONCLUSION

A machine learning model based on clinicohematological markers and MR radiomics to predict pCR after nCRT for patients with esophageal cancer was developed and validated, providing a novel tool for personalized treatment. It is necessary to further validate in more large datasets.

Clinical Verification of a Nomogram Model for Prediction of Brain Metastases in Patients with pⅢA-N2 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Brain metastasis is one of the most common failure patterns of pⅢA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after complete resection. Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation (PCI) can improve intracranial control but not overall survival. Thus, it is particularly important to identify risk factors that are associated with brain metastasis and subsequently provide instructions for selecting patients who will optimally benefit from PCI. We have reported a nomogram model which was established based on the condition of histology, bronchial invasion, perineural invasion, and adjuvant chemotherapy, through which we can predict high risk brain metastases in patients with pⅢA-N2 NSCLC. The purpose of this study is to verify the accuracy of the nomogram model by using new cases information.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019, patients of pⅢA-N2 NSCLC were retrospectively analyzed, to verify the consistency between actual and predictive brain metastases. The verification group was divided into two groups according to the years when genetic testing has been widely used in clinic (group1:2015-2016, group2:2017-2019). ROC curves and calibration curves were chosen for validation.

RESULTS

A total of 770 patients were enrolled in our retrospective study (group1:294 patients, group2: 476patients). The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 97.2%, 76.5%, 63.2% in group1, and 95.8%, 84.5%, 76.9% in group2, respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year brain metastasis rates were 7.9%, 19.7%, 25.8%, and 5.4%, 14.5%, 26.3% in group2, respectively. The AUC were 0.74 (95% CI:0.72 - 0.76) in group1, and 0.71(95% CI:0.70 - 0.73) in group 2.The 1.3.5-year calibration curves of the two groups show that the prediction is in good agreement with the actual observation.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram model can predict brain metastases high risk patients with pⅢA-N2 NSCLC. Whether gene test or not, it can be used as a basis to screening out patients of high-risk brain metastases in future clinical trials for PCI.

Overall Survival Following Salvage Thoracic Radiotherapy for Locoregional Recurrence in Patients with Completely Resected PIIIA-N2 NSCLC

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Locoregional recurrence is a common failure pattern for patients with completely resected pIIIA-N2 NSCLC. The salvage thoracic radiotherapy is administered in some pIIIA-N2 NSCLC patients despite postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). Salvage thoracic radiotherapy could be well tolerated and might improve survival from several small sample retrospective studies, while the high-level clinical evidence is presently lacking. We conducted this retrospective case control study to demonstrate the efficacy of salvage thoracic radiotherapy for completely resected pIIIA-N2 NSCLC patients with locoregional recurrence.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Between January 2003 and June 2019, patients who had undergone lobectomy or pneumonectomy plus mediastinal lymph node dissection or systematic sampling in our single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Those with pⅢA-N2 NSCLC that did not receive PORT and suffered locoregional recurrence being the first treatment failure were enrolled. The log-rank test was used to analyze differences between the groups, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses using Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to evaluate potential prognostic factors for survival. Statistically significant difference was set as p<0.05.

RESULTS

Of all the patients with pⅢA-N2 NSCLC reviewed, 105 suffered locoregional recurrence as the first treatment failure and didn't receive PORT. Among these patients, 51 (48.6%) received salvage thoracic radiotherapy and 54 (51.4%) did not. The median OS was 47.7 months of all patients. Survival analysis showed that the median OS in salvage thoracic radiotherapy group (69.0 months) was significantly longer than that in non-salvage thoracic radiotherapy group (37.7 months) (p = 0.029). For patients of EGFR wild type, salvage thoracic radiotherapy group had significantly longer median OS of 69.0 months compared with non-salvage thoracic radiotherapy group of 31.3 months (p = 0.004). When assessed by histological types, salvage thoracic radiotherapy significantly improved the survival of patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma with median OS not reached compared with non-salvage thoracic radiotherapy group of 31.3 months (p<0.001), while in patients with non-squamous cell carcinoma, this survival benefit was not observed (p = 0.829).

CONCLUSION

Salvage thoracic radiotherapy is an effective treatment for completely resected pIIIA-N2 NSCLC patients that have not received PORT and suffered post-operative locoregional recurrence.

Modelling enzyme inhibition toxicity of ionic liquid from molecular structure via convolutional neural network model

Deep learning (DL) methods further promote the development of quantitative structure-activity/property relationship (QSAR/QSPR) models by dealing with complex relationships between data. An acetylcholinesterase inhibitory toxicity model of ionic liquids (ILs) was established using a convolution neural network (CNN) combined with support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF) and multilayer perceptron (MLP). A CNN model was proposed for feature self-learning and extraction of ILs. By comparing with the model results through feature engineering (FE), the model regression results based on the CNN model for feature extraction have been substantially improved. The results showed that all six models (FE-SVM, FE-RF, FE-MLP, CNN-SVM, CNN-RF, and CNN-MLP) had good prediction accuracy, but the results based on the CNN model were better. The hyperparameters of six models were optimized by grid search and the 10-fold cross validation. Compared with the existing models in the literature, the model performance has been further improved. The model could be used as an intelligent tool to guide the design or screening of low-toxicity ILs.

Heat stress exposure cause alterations in intestinal microbiota, transcriptome, and metabolome of broilers

Introduction

Heat stress can affect the production of poultry through complex interactions between genes, metabolites and microorganisms. At present, it is unclear how heat stress affects genetic, metabolic and microbial changes in poultry, as well as the complex interactions between them.

Methods

Thus, at 28  days of age a total of 200 Arbor Acres broilers with similar body weights were randomly divided into the control (CON) and heat stress treatment (HS). There were 5 replicates in CON and HS, respectively, 20 per replication. From the 28-42  days, the HS was kept at 31 ± 1°C (9:00-17:00, 8 h) and other time was maintained at 21 ± 1°C as in the CON. At the 42nd day experiment, we calculated the growth performance (n = 8) of broilers and collected 3 and 6 cecal tissues for transcriptomic and metabolomic investigation and 4 cecal contents for metagenomic investigation of each treatment.

Results and discussion

The results indicate that heat stress significantly reduced the average daily gain and body weight of broilers (value of p < 0.05). Transcriptome KEGG enrichment showed that the differential genes were mainly enriched in the NF-kB signaling pathway. Metabolomics results showed that KEGG enrichment showed that the differential metabolites were mainly enriched in the mTOR signaling pathway. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing results indicated that heat stress increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria decreased the relative abundance of Firmicutes. Multi-omics analysis showed that the co-participating pathway of differential genes, metabolites and microorganisms KEGG enrichment was purine metabolism. Pearson correlation analysis found that ornithine was positively correlated with SULT1C3, GSTT1L and g_Lactobacillus, and negatively correlated with CALB1. PE was negatively correlated with CALB1 and CHAC1, and positively with g_Alistipes. In conclusion, heat stress can generate large amounts of reactive oxygen and increase the types of harmful bacteria, reduce intestinal nutrient absorption and antioxidant capacity, and thereby damage intestinal health and immune function, and reduce growth performance indicators. This biological process is manifested in the complex regulation, providing a foundational theoretical basis for solving the problem of heat stress.

Fermented Astragalus membranaceus could promote the liver and intestinal health of juvenile tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)

In order to understand the effects of fermented Astragalus membranaceus (FAM) on the liver and intestinal health of tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), this study was conducted. This study evaluates the effects of different levels of FAM on liver and intestinal tissue structure, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal digestive enzyme, and microbiota structure of tiger grouper. Fish were fed with diets (crude protein ≥ 48.0%, crude fat ≥ 10.0%) with five levels of FAM (L1:0.25%, L2: 0.5%, L3: 1%, L4: 2% and L5: 4%) in the experimental groups and a regular diet was used as the control (L0: 0%) for 8 weeks. Compared with AM, the protein content of FAM was significantly changed by 34.70%, indicating that a large amount of bacterial protein was produced after AM fermentation, and its nutritional value was improved. FAM had significant effects on the growth performance of tiger grouper (p < 0.05). The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was highest in L4 group, being significantly different from L0 group. The area and diameter of hepatocytes were lowest in L3 and L4, and the density of hepatocyte was highest in L4 group and relatively decreased in L5 group. The mucosal height and muscular thickness were highest in L3 group. The intestinal microbiota structure of tiger grouper was changed under the intervention of FAM. The lower abundance of potential pathogenic bacteria and higher abundance of probiotics colonization in the L4 group showed that the dose of FAM had the best effect on improving the health of intestinal microbiota. This study indicates that the addition of FAM in the feed contributes to liver health, improves intestinal morphology, and regulates the intestinal microbiota of tiger grouper. The addition ratio of 1%-2% is better for intestinal and liver health, and a high addition ratio will cause liver damage. Our work will provide a reference for the addition and management of FAM in the aquaculture industry.

Daily Rhythmicity of Muscle-Related and Rhythm Genes Expression in Mackerel Tuna (Euthynnus affinis)

The aim of this study was to investigate the circadian rhythm of muscle-related gene expression in mackerel tuna under different weather conditions. The experiment was carried out under two weather conditions at four sampling times (6:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00) to determine the expression of growth, function, and rhythm genes: white muscle rhythm genes were rhythmic on sunny and cloudy days, except for PER3 and RORA; all functional genes had daily rhythmicity. Red muscle had daily rhythmicity on both sunny and cloudy days; functional genes had daily rhythmicity except for MBNL. The expression levels of the rhythm gene PER1 were determined to be significantly different by independent t-test samples in white muscle at 6:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00 under different weather conditions; the expression levels of the functional genes MBNL and MSTN were both significantly different. In the red muscle, the expression of the rhythm genes PER3, REVERBA, and BMAL1 was determined by independent t-test samples at 6:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00 on cloudy and sunny days; the functional gene MBNL was significantly different. The present study showed that mackerel tuna muscle rhythm genes and functional genes varied significantly in expression levels depending on weather, time of day, and light intensity and that the expression levels of myogenic genes were closely related to clock gene expression. The fish were also able to adapt to changes in light intensity in different weather conditions through positive physiological regulation.

Changes in pH and Nitrite Nitrogen Induces an Imbalance in the Oxidative Defenses of the Spotted Babylon (Babylonia areolata)

In order to reveal the acute toxicity and physiological changes of the spotted babylon (Babylonia areolata) in response to environmental manipulation, the spotted babylon was exposed to three pH levels (7.0, 8.0 and 9.0) of seawater and four concentrations of nitrite nitrogen (0.02, 2.7, 13.5 and 27 mg/L). The activities of six immunoenzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), catalase (CAT), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and peroxidase (POD), were measured. The levels of pH and nitrite nitrogen concentrations significantly impacted immunoenzyme activity over time. After the acute stress of pH and nitrite nitrogen, the spotted babylon appeared to be unresponsive to external stimuli, exhibited decreased vigor, slowly climbed the wall, sank to the tank and could not stand upright. As time elapsed, with the extension of time, the spotted babylon showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing ACP, AKP, CAT and SOD activities in order to adapt to the mutated environment and improve its immunity. In contrast, POD and GSH-PX activities showed a decrease followed by an increase with time. This study explored the tolerance range of the spotted babylon to pH, nitrite nitrogen, and time, proving that external stimuli activate the body's immune response. The body's immune function has a specific range of adaptation to the environment over time. Once the body's immune system was insufficient to adapt to this range, the immune system collapsed and the snail gradually died off. This study has discovered the suitable pH and nitrite nitrogen ranges for the culture of the spotted babylon, and provides useful information on the response of the snail's immune system.

Effects of smoke-free government policy in Qingdao, China: Evidence from the path analysis

Smoke-free government(SFG), as a key tobacco control measure, has been added in Healthy China 2030 blueprint and Qingdao started the establishment of the demonstrative SFG in 2020.This study examined the effects of SFG policy on smoking and smoke-free(SF) environment after establishing the demonstrative SFG. This cross-sectional survey selected participants by simple random sampling from party and government agencies in Qingdao (N = 3625) and the participants filled in questionnaires online from November 31 to December 15, 2020. We utilized AMOS to set up models to analyze the direct and indirect effects of SFG policy. The findings showed that knowledge of SFG policy was positively associated with SF environment(β = 0.29, P<0.001) and negatively associated with smoking(β = -0.14,P<0.001). Knowledge of SFG policy had indirect effects on SF environment through four channels: independent mediation of discouraging smoking and attitude towards SFG policy, as well as chain mediation of these two factors, and perception of tobacco hazards and discouraging smoking, with indirect effects accounting for 33.5% of the total effect. Knowledge of SFG policy had indirect effects on smoking reduction via SF environment and two chain mediation: SF environment and attitude towards SFG policy, perception of tobacco hazards and intention to quit smoking, with indirect effects accounting for 50.2% of the total effect. The results provided the evidence that SFG policy not only had positive effects on creating SF environment but also on reducing smoking. The efficient policy infiltration to individuals played a vital role in the establishment of SFG. Attitude towards SFG policy, discouraging smoking and SF environment were the potential mediators for SFG policy. Findings in this study added more evidence related to effect mechanism of SFG policy and had a positive influence on promoting the implementation SFG policies for China and other countries.

Silymarin suppresses proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells under hypoxia through downregulation of the HIF-1α/VEGF pathway

BACKGROUND

Hypoxia is a significant feature of many solid tumors and can activate hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α)/vascular epidermal growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of primary liver cancer (PLC). Silymarin (SM) had been used as a traditional liver protective drug for decades. Recent studies have found that SM has chemopreventive and chemosensitizing effects on multiple cancers. In this study, we investigated the effects of SM on HIF-1α/VEGF signaling in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells under hypoxia conditions.

METHODS

HepG2 and Hep3B cells were divided into different experimental groups according to different culture conditions (aerobic or anaerobic) and the concentration of SM in the culture medium. The cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, colony formation, and apoptosis were observed by using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, cell migration assay, in vitro invasion assay, soft agar colony formation assay, and Annexin V apoptosis assay, respectively. The cellular expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot (WB) analyses.

RESULTS

SM reduced cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation, but induced apoptosis in HepG2 and Hep3B cells under hypoxia conditions. The half inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of SM on HepG2 and Hep3B cells were 58.46 and 75.13 umol/L, respectively. SM also suppressed cellular expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF in HepG2 and Hep3B cells under hypoxia conditions at the mRNA and protein levels. All these effects of SM were dose dependent.

CONCLUSIONS

The inhibitory effect of SM on HepG2 and Hep3B cells under hypoxia is partially via downregulating HIF-1α/VEGF signaling, which may serve as a potential drug therapy target for liver cancer based on SM.

An amino acid metabolism-based seventeen-gene signature correlates with the clinical outcome and immune features in pancreatic cancer

Background: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive tumor with a low 5-year survival rate and primary resistance to most therapy. Amino acid (AA) metabolism is highly correlated with tumor growth, crucial to the aggressive biological behavior of pancreatic cancer; nevertheless, the comprehensive predictive significance of genes that regulate AA metabolism in pancreatic cancer remains unknown. Methods: The mRNA expression data downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were derived as the training cohort, and the GSE57495 cohort from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was applied as the validation cohort. Random survival forest (RSF) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis were employed to screen genes and construct an AA metabolism-related risk signature (AMRS). Kaplan-Meier analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed to assess the prognostic value of AMRS. We performed genomic alteration analysis and explored the difference in tumor microenvironment (TME) landscape associated with KRAS and TP53 mutation in both high- and low-AMRS groups. Subsequently, the relationships between AMRS and immunotherapy and chemotherapy sensitivity were evaluated. Results: A 17-gene AA metabolism-related risk model in the TCGA cohort was constructed according to RSF and LASSO. After stratifying patients into high- and low-AMRS groups based on the optimal cut-off value, we found that high-AMRS patients had worse overall survival (OS) in the training cohort (a median OS: 13.1 months vs. 50.1 months, p < 0.0001) and validation cohort (a median OS: 16.2 vs. 30.5 months, p = 1e-04). Genetic mutation analysis revealed that KRAS and TP53 were significantly more mutated in high-AMRS group, and patients with KRAS and TP53 alterations had significantly higher risk scores than those without. Based on the analysis of TME, low-AMRS group displayed significantly higher immune score and more enrichment of T Cell CD8⁺ cells. In addition, high-AMRS-group exhibited higher TMB and significantly lower tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score and T Cells dysfunction score, which suggested a higher sensitive to immunotherapy. Moreover, high-AMRS group was also more sensitive to paclitaxel, cisplatin, and docetaxel. Conclusion: Overall, we constructed an AA-metabolism prognostic model, which provided a powerful prognostic predictor for the clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Expert consensus of management of adverse drug reactions with anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements occur in ∼3%-6% of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Small molecular drugs that effectively inhibit ALK gene have revolutionized the therapeutic paradigm for patients with ALK rearrangements, resulting in significant improvements in objective response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival compared with classical platinum-based chemotherapy. Several ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs), including crizotinib, alectinib, ceritinib, brigatinib, ensartinib, and lorlatinib, have been recommended as standard first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC patients with ALK rearrangements. Patients with ALK rearrangements typically exhibit long-term durable responses to ALK-TKIs; therefore, the management of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) with ALK-TKIs is crucial in clinical practice to maximize clinical benefits, prevent an adverse impact on quality of life, and improve patient compliance. In general, ALK-TKIs are well tolerated. There are, however, a number of serious toxicities that may necessitate dose modification or even discontinuation of treatment and the management of ADRs with ALK-TKIs has grown in importance. The therapeutic use of this class of medications still carries some risk because there are currently no pertinent guidelines or consensus recommendations for managing ADRs caused by ALK-TKIs in China. In order to improve the clinical management of ADRs with ALK-TKIs, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Professional Committee led the discussion and summary of the incidence, diagnosis and grading standards, and prevention and treatment of ADRs caused by ALK-TKIs.

[High-fat intake alleviates lung injury induced by Paragonimus proliferus infection in rats through up-regulating CYP 4A1 expression in lung tissues]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the improvements of high-fat intake on lung injury induced by Paragonimus proliferus infection in rats, and to preliminarily explore the mechanisms underlying the role of cytochrome P450 4A1 (CYP 4A1) in the improve ments.

METHODS

SD rats were randomly assigned into three groups, including the normal control group (n = 10), the infection and normal diet group (n = 12) and the infection and high-fat diet group (n = 12). Rats in the normal control group were fed with normal diet and without any other treatments, and animals in the infection and normal diet group were subcutaneously injected with 8 excysted metacercariae of P. proliferus via the abdominal wall, followed by feeding with normal diet, while rats in the infection and high-fat diet group were subcutaneously injected with 8 excysted metacercariae of P. proliferus via the abdominal wall, followed by feeding with high-fat diet. All rats were sacrificed 28 weeks post-infection, and serum samples and lung specimens were collected. Following hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining of rat lung specimens, the rat lung injury was observed under an optical microscope, and alveolitis was evaluated using semi-quantitative scoring. Serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the cytochrome P450 4A1 (CYP 4A1) expression was quantified in rat lung specimens at transcriptional and translational levels using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting assays.

RESULTS

Alveolar wall thickening, edema and inflammatory cell infiltration were alleviated 28 weeks post-infection with P. proliferus in rats in the infection and high-fat diet group relative to the infection and normal diet group, and no alveolar consolidation was seen in the infection and high-fat diet group. The semi-quantitative score of alveolitis was significantly higher in the infection and normal diet group [(2.200 ± 0.289) points] than in the normal control group [(0.300 ± 0.083) points] and the infection and high-fat diet group [(1.300 ± 0.475) points] (both P values < 0.05), and higher serum IL-1β [(151.586 ± 20.492)] pg/mL and TNF-α levels [(180.207 ± 23.379) pg/mL] were detected in the infection and normal diet group than in the normal control group [IL-1β: (103.226 ± 3.366) pg/mL; TNF-α: (144.807 ± 1.348) pg/mL] and the infection and high-fat diet group [IL-1β: (110.131 ± 12.946) pg/mL; TNF-α: (131.764 ± 27.831) pg/mL] (all P values < 0.05). In addition, lower CYP 4A1 mRNA (3.00 ± 0.81) and protein expression (0.40 ± 0.02) was quantified in lung specimens in the infection and normal diet group than in the normal control group [(5.03 ± 2.05) and (0.84 ± 0.14)] and the infection and high-fat diet group [(11.19 ± 3.51) and (0.68 ± 0.18)] (all P values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

High-fat intake may alleviate lung injuries caused by P. proliferus infection in rats through up-regulating CYP 4A1 expression in lung tissues at both translational and transcriptional levels.

Cloning, Expression Analysis and SNP Screening of the kiss1 Gene in Male Schizothorax biddulphi

Schizothorax biddulphi is an endemic fish distributed only in southern Xinjiang, China. Due to overfishing, water conservancy facilities, and other factors, as well as inherent biological limitations, resource recovery is quite difficult. For endangered fish with slow growth, late sexual maturity, and insufficient natural population supplementation, large-scale artificial reproduction and breeding are important for restoring resources. Therefore, it is urgent to optimize the reproductive regulation methods of the fish. The kiss1 gene is a key regulator of the reproductive regulation cascade, and identifying and analyzing the role of kiss1 are important for further elucidating the reproductive mechanism of S. biddulphi. To understand the characteristics of the kiss1 of S. biddulphi, the full-length cDNA sequence of kiss1 was obtained in this study, and its tissue expression specificity and association with phenotypic traits were analyzed in male fish. The full-length cDNA sequence of kiss1 in S. biddulphi was 658 bp, with an ORF of 327 bp, and encoded a 108-amino acid, unstable protein. Homology results indicated that kiss1 was highly conserved. qPCR showed kiss1 expression in different tissues in male S. biddulphi, with the highest expression in the gonads, followed by muscle, and significantly lower expression in the swim bladder, pituitary gland, heart, hypothalamus, gill, fin, liver, eye, and mid-kidney. qPCR revealed three SNP loci in the exonic region of kiss1. The c.3G>T locus was significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with gonad mass and the maturation coefficient in S. biddulphi. These results will help uncover the reproductive endocrinology network of S. biddulphi, improve artificial breeding technology for fish, and unveil new directions for breeding excellent strains of S. biddulphi and molecular marker-assisted breeding.

Exposure to cadmium induced gut antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microbiota alternations of Babylonia areolata

Cadmium (Cd) is widely distributed in aquatic environments and has multiple adverse effects on aquatic organisms such as the ivory shell (Babylonia areolata). However, its effects on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and gut microbiota of B. areolata remain unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of different concentrations (0, 0.03, 0.18 and 1.08 mg/L) of Cd on intestinal microbial communities and ARGs in B. areolata through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR. The results showed that the structure and diversity of ARGs and microbiota in B. areolata gut were altered upon Cd exposure. Tetracycline, Vancomycin and Macrolide-Lincosamide-Streptogramin B (MLSB) resistance genes were identified as the major ARGs in B. areolata gut. The absolute abundance and alpha diversity of ARGs in B. areolata gut increased with the rise of cadmium concentration. The microbial communities at genus level were enriched in the low and medium Cd concentration groups, while decreased in the high Cd concentration group compared to the control groups. In addition, the influence of microbiota on the ARG profile was more significant than that of Cd concentration and MGEs in B. areolata gut. Null model analysis demonstrated that stochastic processes dominated ARG assembly in the Cd-exposed groups and were enhanced with the increasing Cd concentrations. Four opportunistic bacterial pathogens (Bacteroides, Legionella, Acinetobacter and Escherichia) detected in B. areolata gut maybe the potential hosts of ARGs. Our findings provide references for the hazards assessment of environmental Cd exposure of gut microbiome in aquatic animals.

[DTX2 overexpression promotes migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells through the Notch2/Akt axis]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of changes in DTX2 expression level on migration and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and explore the mechanism.

METHODS

Two CRC cell lines SW620 and LoVo were transfected with a specific shRNA targeting DTX2 (DTX2-shRNA) or a DTX2-overexpressing plasmid (pcDNA-DTX2), and the transfection efficiency was evaluated with RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Scratch and Transwell assays were used to assess the changes in migration and invasion ability of the transfected cells, and the cellular expression levels of Notch2, NICD, AKT, p-Akt and MMP-2/9 proteins were detected with Western blotting. The CRC cells were co-transfected with pcDNA-DTX2 and Notch2 siRNA to assess the effect of Notch2 knockdown on DTX2 overexpression-induced enhancement of cell migration and invasion.

RESULTS

The expression levels of DTX2 at both the mRNA and protein levels were significantly decreased in CRC cells transfected with DTX2- shRNA (P < 0.01) and increased in cells transfected with pcDNA-DTX2 (P < 0.01). Scratch and Transwell assays showed that the migration and invasion abilities of CRC cells were significantly lowered following DTX2 knockdown (P < 0.01) and were enhanced in cells with DTX2 overexpression (P < 0.01). The expression levels of Notch2, NICD, p-Akt and MMP-2 proteins decreased significantly in CRC cells with DTX2 knockdown (P < 0.05) and increased obviously in DTX2-overexpressing cells (P < 0.05). In both of the two CRC cell lines, transfection with Notch2 siRNA obviously reversed the effect of DTX2 overexpression in promoting cell migration and invasion (P < 0.01) and expressions of the related proteins.

CONCLUSION

DTX2 overexpression promotes migration and invasion of CRC cells through the Notch2/Akt axis, suggesting the potential of DTX2 as a new biological indicator of CRC.

DNA image cytometry ploidy analysis technique improves the detection rate of pleural effusion cytology

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical diagnostic value of DNA image cytometry (DNA-ICM) ploidy analysis in malignant pleural effusion cancer screening, this study analyzed the effect of exfoliated cell smears (ECSs), cell blocks (CBs), and immunochemistry.

METHOD

A total of 830 cases of pleural effusion were considered for the DNA-ICM ploidy analysis. The ECSs were centrifuged, the CBs were formed, and the DNA-ICM ploidy analysis was carried out in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion. Immunochemistry and biopsy was applied to differentiate between benign and malignant pleural effusion and to determine the source of the latter. The sensitivity and specificity differences between the three methods alone and in combination were compared.

RESULTS

The sensitivity of the DNA-ICM, ECS, and CB methods was 96.28%, 94.93%, and 95.95%, respectively, and the specificity of each method was 86.52%, 87.08%, and 86.14%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the combined diagnosis method were 99.32% and 75.09%, respectively. Among the 22 cases diagnosed as positive in the DNA-ICM ploidy analysis but negative in the ECS and CB analyses, four cases were diagnosed as positive by comprehensive clinical diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

The sensitivity and specificity of DNA-ICM ploidy analysis are high; the positive detection rate of pleural fluid cytology is effectively increased, and the missed detection rate of cell pathologies is effectively reduced. The combination of the three methods significantly improves the specificity and sensitivity of the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion, and immunochemistry with CBs can be used to accurately analyze the primary tumor site.

Compound probiotics can improve intestinal health by affecting the gut microbiota of broilers

Probiotics, as a widely used additive, have played a unique advantage in replacing antibiotic products. As a result, the probiotic effects on broiler development, intestinal flora, intestinal barrier, and immunity were assessed by this investigation. Four hundred and eighty 1-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allotted to 4 groups of 5 replicates with 24 broilers each. The control was fed only a basal corn-soybean meal diet. Probiotics I, probiotics II, and probiotics III were fed basal diet and 1, 5, and 10 g/kg compound probiotics (Lactobacillus casei: Lactobacillus acidophilus: Bifidobacterium = 1:1:2), respectively. We found that broilers in the compound probiotic group exhibited better growth performance and carcass characteristics compared with control, especially among probiotics III group. The intestinal barrier-related genes relative expression of Claudin, Occludin, MUC2, and ZO-1 mRNA in the probiotic group increased at 21 and 42 d compared with control, especially among probiotics III group (P < 0.05). The early gut immune-related genes (TLR2, TLR4, IL-1β, and IL-2) mRNA increased compared with control, while the trend at 42 d was completely opposite to that in the earlier stage (P < 0.05). Among them, probiotics III group showed the most significant changes compared to probiotics II group and probiotics I group. Select probiotics III group and control group for 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing analysis. The 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing results demonstrated that probiotics increased the relative abundance of beneficial microbes such as o_Bacteroidales, f_Rikenellaceae, and g_Alistipes and improved the cecum's gut microbiota of 42-day-old broilers. Additionally, adding the probiotics decreased the relative abundance of harmful microbes such as Proteobacteria. PICRUSt2 functional analysis revealed that most proteins were enriched in DNA replication, transcription, and glycolysis processes. Therefore, this study can provide theoretical reference value for probiotics to improve production performance, improve intestinal barrier, immunity, intestinal flora of broilers, and the application of probiotics.

Association of body mass index and intestinal (faecal) Streptococcus in adults in Xining city, China P.R

Body mass index (BMI) and gut microbiota show significant interaction, but most studies on the relationship between BMI and gut microbiota have been done in Western countries. Relationships that are also identified in other cultural backgrounds are likely to have functional importance. Hence here we explore gut microbiota in adults living in Xining city (China P.R.) and relate results to subject BMI. Analysis of bacterial 16s rRNA gene was performed on faecal samples from participants with normal-weight (n=24), overweight (n=24), obesity (n=11) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) (n=8). The results show that unweighted but not weighted Unifrac distance was significantly different when gut microbiota composition was compared between the groups. Importantly, the genus Streptococcus was remarkably decreased in both obese subjects and subjects suffering from T2D, as compared to normal-weight subjects. Accordingly, strong association was identified between the genus Streptococcus and BMI and especially Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophiles was a major contributor in this respect. As previous studies have shown that Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophiles is also negatively associated with obesity in Western cohorts, our results suggest that this species is a potential probiotic for the prevention of obesity and related disorders.

[Clinicopathological characteristics of H3K27-altered diffuse midline glioma and evaluation of NTRK as its therapeutic target]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of H3K27-altered diffuse midline glioma (DMG), and to analyze DMG's prognostic factors, and subsequently, to study the possibility of using NTRK as a therapeutic target for DMG. Methods: A total of 232 DMG diagnosed at the Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China from July 2016 to March 2021 were collected. Their clinical, radiological and pathological features, the ratio of MGMT promoter methylation, expression of NTRK, and characteristics of NTRK gene fusion were analyzed. The prognostic values of different factors were also studied, including age, tumor location, histological grade, gene and protein expression of NTRK, and postoperative adjuvant therapy. Results: Among the 232 DMG cases, there were 8 patients with both primary and relapse tumors on the record. Thus, a total of 224 patients were analyzed, including 118 males and 106 females. There were 126 adults (>18 years of age) and 98 children (≤18 years of age). Notably, the most frequent location was thalamus (41/126, 32.5%) in adults, but brainstem (59/96, 60.2%) in children. The lesions showed T1 hypointensity or isointensity, and T2 hyperintensity. However, contrast enhancement patterns of the tumors varied, with many tumors lacking contrast-enhancing. The histological grades included grade 2 (9/224, 4.0%), grade 3 (41/224, 18.3%) and grade 4 (174/224, 77.7%). Two hundred and twenty-four DMGs were diffusely positive for H3K27M and negative for H3K27me3. The ratio of MGMT promoter methylation was low (1/45, 2.2%). One hundred and seventy-seven of the 224 cases (177/224, 79.0%) were positive for NTRK. Fifty cases were analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Among them, five DMGs (positive rate, 10.0%) were NTRK fusion positive. This study showed that there were no differences between adult and pediatric DMGs in histological grading, expression of NTRK, and NTRK gene fusion. One hundred and fifty-nine patients were included in the follow-up analysis (P>0.05). During the follow-up period, 109/159 patients (69.6%) died of the disease, with a median survival time of 12 months (range 1 to 55 months). Univariate log-rank analysis showed that age, location, surgical procedure and postoperative adjuvant therapy were associated with overall survivals of the DMG patients (P<0.05). Conclusions: The prognosis of DMG is poor overall. There are differences between adult and pediatric DMGs in anatomic location and prognosis, but not in other features. NTRK1 gene fusion is detected in 10.0% of the tumors. It suggests that TRK inhibitor might be a choice for treating DMG.

Unraveling the effects of sulfamethoxazole on the composition of gut microbiota and immune responses in Stichopus variegatus

The aim of this work was to reveal the changes in gut microbiota composition and immune responses of sea cucumber (Stichopus variegatus) after being affected by different doses of sulfamethoxazole. In this study, the bacterial 16S rRNA of gut microbiota were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing, and the activities of immune enzymes [lysozyme (LZM), phenoloxidase (PO), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and acid phosphatase (ACP)] in the gut of S. variegatus were determined. The results showed that the gut microbiota presented a lower richness in the antibiotic treatment groups compared with the control group, and there were significant differences among the dominant bacteria of different concentration treatments. At the genus level, the abundance of Escherichia, Exiguobacterium, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Thalassotalea were significantly decreased in the 3 mg/L treatment group, while Vibrio was significantly increased. Furthermore, the 6 mg/L treatment group had less effect on these intestinal dominant bacteria, especially Vibrio. The changes in relative abundance of Vibrio at the species level indicated that lower concentrations of sulfamethoxazole could enhance the enrichment of Vibrio mediterranei and Vibrio fortis in S. variegatus more than higher concentrations of sulfamethoxazole. Meanwhile, the 3 mg/L treatment group significantly increased the activities of PO, AKP, and ACP, and decreased the activity of LZM. These results suggested that lower doses of sulfamethoxazole have a greater effect on the gut microbiota composition and immune responses in S. variegatus and may increase the risk of host infection.

Rhizoma curcumae Longae ameliorates high dietary carbohydrate-induced hepatic oxidative stress, inflammation in golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus

In general, starch, as a complex carbohydrate, is the most economical energy source in aquaculture for its relatively low cost. However, excessive dietary levels of carbohydrate result in pathological conditions. An 8-week feeding trial with CT (control diet, containing 21% carbohydrate), HC (a high-carbohydrate diet, containing 50% carbohydrate) and HCR (a HC diet supplemented with 0.015% Rhizoma curcumae Longae) was performed to investigate the protective effect of curcumin on high-carbohydrate-induced hepatic oxidative stress and intestine lesion in juvenile Trachinotus ovatus. In the current study, HC group significantly decreased WGR, SGR, plasma CAT activity, intestinal C4 levels, hepatic Nrf2, Keap1, Bach1, HO1, CAT, and GPX mRNA expression as well as ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-3, TGF-β mRNA transcription levels, while the opposite was true for plasma AST activity, hepatic MDA contents, intestinal Claudin-15, NF-κB, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA expression. In contrast with the HC group, the HCR group significantly increased the activities of hepatic CAT, SOD, intestinal C3, C4, IgG and LZM levels, hepatic Nrf2, Bach1, CAT, and GPX mRNA expression as well as intestinal ZO-1, Occludin, Claudin-3, TGF-β and IL-10 mRNA expression levels, but the opposite trend was found in plasma triglyceride content, hepatic lipid deposition, hepatic Keap1 mRNA level as well as intestinal NF-κB, IL-6. In conclusion, high-carbohydrate diet can cause detrimental effect on physiological health status in Trachinotus ovatus, while adding Rhizoma curcumae Longae can improve hepatic and intestinal health status via attenuating the oxidative stress, inflammation, and reducing lipid deposition.

Combined Effects of Temperature and Salinity Affect the Surviv-Al of Asian Green Mussel (Perna viridis) through Digestive and Antioxidant Performance

Changes in temperature and salinity of the marine environment fluctuate continuously, and the effects of these changes on shellfish survival are significant. In this study, the survival rate of adult Asian green mussels (Perna viridis) was measured after short-term treatments (7 days) for a range of temperature (20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C) and salinity (23‰, 28‰, 33‰). The digestive (amylase, lipase, trypsin and pepsin activities) and antioxidant performance (SOD and GPX gene expression; SOD, GPX and CAT activities; GSH and MDA Concentration) were measured and MANOVA results were obtained using a generalized linear model between certain factors (temperature (T), salinity (S) and temperature × salinity (T × S)) and survival rate. Both T and T × S significantly affected the survival rate of Asian green mussels. The overall relationship between the survival rate of P. viridis and T and S within the experimental range can be summarised by the equation: ln(Survival rate) = 54.9282 − 2.5627 × T − 3.6180 × S + 0.1857 × T × S + 0.0156 × T2 + 0.0520 × S2 − 0.0012 × T2 × S − 0.0023 × T × S2. The optimal temperature–salinity combination was 23.698 °C/30.760‰. T, S and T × S all had a significant impact on amylase and lipase activities of Asian green mussels. In the hepatopancreas, gill, mantle, adductor muscle, gonad and foot tissues of Asian green mussel, the SOD and GPX gene expression were responsive to temperature–salinity changes. The antioxidant performance of the combinations far from the optimal temperature–salinity combination were significantly improved. Our results suggest that combined temperature and salinity effects have a regular impact on the survival of Asian green mussels and that there is a link between survival and digestive and antioxidant performance.

Comparative analysis of R2R3-MYB transcription factors in the flower of Iris laevigata identifies a novel gene regulating tobacco cold tolerance

Breeding for flower cold resistance is a priority for flower breeding research in northern China. The identification of cold resistance genes will not only provide genetic resources for cold resistance breeding, but also form a basis for the study of plant cold resistance mechanisms. Based on the flower transcriptome of Iris laevigata, 20 R2R3-MYBs were identified and comprehensive analysis, including conservative domain, phylogenetic analyses and functional distribution, were performed for R2R3-MYBs. Expression patterns of the abiotic stress genes under cold stress were detected, the upregulated gene was genetically transformed into tobacco, and the related physiological indicators of the transgenic tobacco were measured. A novel cold resistance gene, IlMYB306, was obtained. qRT-PCR indicated that IlMYB306 was dramatically induced by cold stress and was significantly upregulated in roots. The free proline content, MDA, SOD and POD activity of the transgenic tobacco improved after cold stress, and the chlorophyll content decreased slowly. In addition, overexpression of IlMYB306 improved cold resistance of the seeds. SEM results showed leaves of transgenic tobacco had obvious folds, more grooves and bulges on the lower leaf surface. Overall, we report a novel cold resistance R2R3-MYB gene, IlMYB306, in the flower of I. laevigata, which could improve tobacco cold stress tolerance by thickening the waxy layer, increasing antioxidant activity and the content of proline.