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Accurate prediction of the dissolved oxygen level (DOL) is important for enhancing environmental conditions and facilitating water resource management. However, the irregularity and volatility inherent in DOL pose significant challenges to achieving precise forecasts. A single model usually suffers from low prediction accuracy, narrow application range, and difficult data acquisition. This study proposes a new weighted model that avoids these problems, which could increase the prediction accuracy of the DOL. The weighting constructs of the proposed model (PWM) included eight neural networks and one statistical method and utilized Young's double-slit experimental optimizer as an intelligent weighting tool. To evaluate the effectiveness of PWM, simulations were conducted using real-world data acquired from the Tualatin River Basin in Oregon, United States. Empirical findings unequivocally demonstrated that PWM outperforms both the statistical model and the individual machine learning models, and has the lowest mean absolute percentage error among all the weighted models. Based on two real datasets, the PWM can averagely obtain the mean absolute percentage errors of 1.0216%, 1.4630%, and 1.7087% for one-, two-, and three-step predictions, respectively. This study shows that the PWM can effectively integrate the distinctive merits of deep learning methods, neural networks, and statistical models, thereby increasing forecasting accuracy and providing indispensable technical support for the sustainable development of regional water environments. • A weighting model is developed for daily DOL prediction. • The weighting model considering both linear and nonlinear properties. • Young's double-slit experiment optimizer is employed to determine the weights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is a common pathogen that causes huge economic losses for the salmonid aquaculture industry. Autophagy plays an important regulatory role in the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we explored the relationship between IPNV infection and autophagy in Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE-214) cells using standard methods. Transmission electron microscopy showed that IPNV infection produced typical structures of autophagosomes in CHSE-214 cells. Transformation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-I to LC3-II protein, a marker of autophagy, was observed in IPNV-infected cells using confocal fluorescence microscopy and western blot analysis. Western blotting also showed that expression of the autophagy substrate p62 was significantly decreased in IPNV-infected cells. The influence of autophagy on IPNV multiplication was further clarified with cell culture experiments using autophagy inducer rapamycin and autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. Rapamycin promoted IPNV multiplication at both the nucleic acid and protein levels, which led to higher IPNV yields; 3-methyladenine treatment had the opposite effect. This study has demonstrated that IPNV can induce autophagy, and that autophagy promotes the multiplication of IPNV in CHSE-214 cells. • This study firstly reveals that IPNV could induce autophagy in CHSE-214 cell line. • The autophagy promotes IPNV replication and benefits IPNV yield. • Autophagy plays an important role for IPNV infection in CHSE-214 cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Dexamethasone (DEX) is widely used for antenatal lung maturation and has been investigated to prevent premature lung injury by inhibiting postnatal inflammation. Its pharmacological mechanisms in the treatment of bacterial infection-induced injury of neonatal lung parenchymal cells remain to be clarified. We hypothesized that DEX pretreatment may attenuate endotoxin-induced growth suppression and regulate cytokine mRNA expression in cultured neonatal type II alveolar epithelial cells (AEC-II). Methods AEC-II of newborn piglets were freshly isolated and cultured. After pretreatment of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 10 μmol/l DEX (E0.01, E0.1, E1.0 and E10 group, respectively) for 24 h, the cells were cultured with 1 μg/ml lipopolysaccharides (LPS) for 7 days with medium replacement every 24 h. Messenger RNA expression of surfactant proteins (SPs), pro-inflammatory cytokines and multiple growth factors (GF) were determined by RT-PCR, along with the cell growth and apoptosis measurements. Results LPS without DEX pretreatment suppressed cell proliferation, enhanced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA and apoptosis, which was ameliorated in all DEX-pretreated groups on day 3. On day 3 and 5, only cells pretreated by E1.0 and E10 showed a 20-fold increase in insulin-like GF-1 mRNA expression whereas the expression of other GFs was down-regulated. LPS exposure reduced the expression of SP-A, B, C and Aquaporin-5 mRNA on day 3–7. However, the expression of SP-C mRNA was increased in E1.0 on day 3, which was supported by in situ expression of pro-SP-C with immunocytochemical assay. Conclusion LPS-induced in vitro AEC-II injury was partially prevented by DEX pretreatment, with 1.0 μmol/l being the potentially optimal concentration. (253 words). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study some ratios of the Pochhammer k-symbol. We prove that some functions associated to these ratios are completely monotonic and obtain some sharp inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physicochemical and functional properties of two types of Jerusalem artichoke powder (JAP), freeze-dried powder (FDP) and oven-dried powder (ODP), and their potential application in emulsion-type sausages were evaluated in this study. The total phenolic content of FDP was higher than that of ODP. Again, FDP exhibited higher water-holding capacity, emulsion activity, emulsion stability, oil-binding capacity and gel-forming capacity values compared to ODP. TG/DSC analysis of FDP and ODP showed both of them were thermally stable at 150 °C. As a substitute of corn starch, the addition of FDP or ODP could reduce cooking loss and expressible water, increased the moisture content, oxidative stability and enhanced the anti-microbial properties of the emulsion-type sausage. The addition of FDP (9%) and ODP (9%) to the emulsion-type sausage was promising comparable to additions of 3% and 6%. This could be attributed to the inulin contents in the JAP. Scanning electron microscopy also showed that the addition of FDP or ODP in sausage formation led to a difference in the sausages. This study indicated that JAP (FDP and ODP) improved the processing properties of the emulsion-type sausage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the effect of apocynin (APO) on delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs) in rat atrial myocytes and the underlying mechanisms. Rat atrial myocytes were isolated by a Langendorff perfusion apparatus. DADs were induced by isoproterenol (ISO). Action potentials (APs) and ion currents were recorded by the whole-cell clamp technique. The fluorescent indicator fluo-4 was used to visualize intracellular Ca2+ transients, and western blotting was used to measure the expression of related proteins. The incidence of DADs in rat atrial myocytes increased significantly after ISO treatment, leading to an increased incidence of triggered activity (TA). The incidence of ISO-induced DADs and TA were reduced by 100.0 μM APO from 48.89% to 25.56% and 17.78% to 5.56%, respectively. In the range of 3.0 μM–300.0 μM, the effect of APO was concentration dependent, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50) of 120.1 μM and a Hill coefficient of 1.063. APO reversed the increase in transient inward current (I ti) and Na+/Ca2+-exchange current (I NCX) densities induced by ISO in atrial myocytes. The frequency of spontaneous Ca2+ transients in atrial myocytes was reduced by 100.0 μM APO. Compared with ISO, APO downregulated the expression of NOX2 and increased the phosphorylation of PLNSer16 and the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase-2a (SERCA2a) level; however, it had little effect on ryanodine-receptor channel type-2 (RyR2). These findings showed that APO may block I ti and I NCX and reduce intracellular Ca2+ levels in rat atrial myocytes, thus reducing the incidence of ISO-induced DADs and TA. • APO decreased the incidence of ISO-induced DADs and TA. • APO reduced the ISO-induced increase in the inward I NCX density and the I ti density. • APO reduced the frequency of ISO-induced spontaneous calcium transients. • APO downregulated NOX2 level and increased the phosphorylation of PLNSer16 and SERCA2a level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Redox-active poly(azure C) (PAC) is grown on CoFe Prussian blue analogue (CoFePBA) nanocubes. • The electrochemical performance of the optimized composite is improved significantly. • The CoFePBA@PAC//activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitor is fabricated. • The supercapacitor device delivers high energy and power densities. Prussian blue analogues are considered as promising supercapacitor electrode materials due to their high theoretical capacitance and low cost. Yet, they suffer from poor electronic conductivity and cycling life. Here, a redox dye polymer, poly(azure C) (PAC), is in-situ grown uniformly on CoFe Prussian blue analogue (CoFePBA). As a polymer mediator, the PAC coating on each PBA not only enhances the electronic conductivity and surface area, but also improves the structural stability and specific capacitance of PBA. As a result, the optimized CoFePBA@PAC possesses ultrahigh specific capacitance (968.67 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), superior rate performance (665.78 F g−1 at 10 A g−1), and excellent long-cycling stability (92.45% capacity retention after 2000 cycles). As an application, a fabricated CoFePBA@PAC//AC asymmetric supercapacitor (AC = activated carbon) maintains 84.7% capacitance retention in 2000 cycles at 1 A g−1 and displays a superior specific energy of 29.16 W h kg−1 at the power density of 799.78 W kg−1. These results demonstrate that redox dye polymer-coated PBAs with outstanding performance have a promising prospect in the field of energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Redox-active poly(azure C) (PAC) is grown on CoFe Prussian blue analogue (CoFePBA) nanocubes. • The electrochemical performance of the optimized composite is improved significantly. • The CoFePBA@PAC//activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitor is fabricated. • The supercapacitor device delivers high energy and power densities. Prussian blue analogues are considered as promising supercapacitor electrode materials due to their high theoretical capacitance and low cost. Yet, they suffer from poor electronic conductivity and cycling life. Here, a redox dye polymer, poly(azure C) (PAC), is in-situ grown uniformly on CoFe Prussian blue analogue (CoFePBA). As a polymer mediator, the PAC coating on each PBA not only enhances the electronic conductivity and surface area, but also improves the structural stability and specific capacitance of PBA. As a result, the optimized CoFePBA@PAC possesses ultrahigh specific capacitance (968.67 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), superior rate performance (665.78 F g−1 at 10 A g−1), and excellent long-cycling stability (92.45% capacity retention after 2000 cycles). As an application, a fabricated CoFePBA@PAC//AC asymmetric supercapacitor (AC = activated carbon) maintains 84.7% capacitance retention in 2000 cycles at 1 A g−1 and displays a superior specific energy of 29.16 W h kg−1 at the power density of 799.78 W kg−1. These results demonstrate that redox dye polymer-coated PBAs with outstanding performance have a promising prospect in the field of energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spent refractory brick (SRB) generated from the steel industry has a high magnesium content. In this study, a procedure was developed to utilize SRB gravels for efficient recovery of phosphate and ammonia from high strength wastewater via struvite (MgNH 4 PO 4 ∙6H 2 O(s)) precipitation. Mg2+ and Ca2+ were first leached from SRB gravels using nitric acid solution. Ca2+ in the solution could inhibit struvite precipitation and was sequestered by dosing SO 3 2− to form calcium sulfite (CaSO 3 (s)). The resulting Mg2+-rich solution was then employed to initiate struvite precipitation for phosphate and ammonia recovery. The optimal precipitation was achieved with a molar ratio of [Mg2+]:[NH 3 –N]:[PO 4 3–P] = 2:1:2 at pH 9.5. The residual phosphate in the solution can be further removed via the precipitation of calcium phosphate minerals. Overall, 99.6% phosphate and 98.2% ammonia could be recovered and the treated wastewater could meet the discharging standards of ammonia and phosphate. The resulting solids, including calcium sulfite, struvite and calcium phosphate can be potentially used in the cement industry and agriculture sector to achieve sustainable recycle of spent materials. [Display omitted] • Spent refractory brick can provide Mg for struvite precipitation. • 99.6% phosphate and 98.2% ammonia could be recovered. • Treated wastewater could meet discharging standards in Taiwan. • Recovered CaSO 3 , struvite and Ca 3 (PO 4) 2 could be beneficially used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spent refractory brick (SRB) generated from the steel industry has a high magnesium content. In this study, a procedure was developed to utilize SRB gravels for efficient recovery of phosphate and ammonia from high strength wastewater via struvite (MgNH 4 PO 4 ∙6H 2 O(s)) precipitation. Mg2+ and Ca2+ were first leached from SRB gravels using nitric acid solution. Ca2+ in the solution could inhibit struvite precipitation and was sequestered by dosing SO 3 2− to form calcium sulfite (CaSO 3 (s)). The resulting Mg2+-rich solution was then employed to initiate struvite precipitation for phosphate and ammonia recovery. The optimal precipitation was achieved with a molar ratio of [Mg2+]:[NH 3 –N]:[PO 4 3–P] = 2:1:2 at pH 9.5. The residual phosphate in the solution can be further removed via the precipitation of calcium phosphate minerals. Overall, 99.6% phosphate and 98.2% ammonia could be recovered and the treated wastewater could meet the discharging standards of ammonia and phosphate. The resulting solids, including calcium sulfite, struvite and calcium phosphate can be potentially used in the cement industry and agriculture sector to achieve sustainable recycle of spent materials. [Display omitted] • Spent refractory brick can provide Mg for struvite precipitation. • 99.6% phosphate and 98.2% ammonia could be recovered. • Treated wastewater could meet discharging standards in Taiwan. • Recovered CaSO 3 , struvite and Ca 3 (PO 4) 2 could be beneficially used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With BIMB ligand, we have successfully obtained and characterized three novel entangled inorganic–organic hybrid compounds by choosing different metal ions, that is, [Ni(BIMB)2(γ-Mo8O26)0.5]·3H2O (1), [Zn(BIMB)2(γ-Mo8O26)0.5] (2), and [Cu3(BIMB)4(H2O)(δ-Mo8O26)Cl2]·3H2O (3) (where BIMB=1,4-bis(1-imidazolyl)benzene). Compound 1 is a 2-fold interpenetration 4-connected 3D framework with the short Schläfli symbol of (4×64×8)2(42×62×82), in which octamolybdate anion shows γ-isomer; 2 exhibits a (5,6)-connected 3D self-penetrating topological motif with the short Schläfli symbol of (4×57×62)2(42×511×72), and 3 shows a (4,6)-connected self-penetrating 3D framework with the short Schläfli symbol of (42·52·6·7) (44·5·69·8) (54·62) whose octamolybdate has δ-isomer. In addition, the optical band gaps of these three compounds have been measured, which are 2.98eV for 1, 3.42eV for 2, and 2.88eV for 3. Moreover, 2 has photoluminescent property, which can be attributed to ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) band. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Different drugs from various pharmacological classes were compared for their ability to protect against the nasal effects of acute allergen challenge in a guinea pig model. In the model, sneezing and nose rubbing were recorded after an initial allergen challenge in guinea pigs previously sensitized to egg albumin. Four days later the same guinea pigs were re-challenged a second time when anesthetised. In these anaesthetized animals, nasal airway pressure, pulmonary inflation pressure and cellular infiltration into nasal lavage fluid were measured. The drug tested were autacoid antagonists (mepyramine—3mg/kg, cetirizine—3mg/kg and montelukast—10mg/kg), L-NAME (10 or 20mg/kg), heparin (20mg/kg) and dexamethasone (20mg/kg) given either intraperitoneally or intravenously; all were given shortly before challenge. Sneezing induced by allergen challenge was statistically significantly reduced by mepyramine, cetirizine and dexamethasone whereas only cetirizine reduced nose rubbing. Changes in nasal airway pressure due to allergen exposure were reduced by cetirizine, montelukast, L-NAME, and heparin, but not by mepyramine, nor dexamethasone. In the presence of L-NAME, nasal airway pressure actually changed in the opposite direction. Cellular infiltration, as assessed by cytometry in nasal lavage fluid 60min after acute allergen challenge, was reduced by montelukast and heparin but not by antihistamines, L-NAME nor dexamethasone. This pattern of effects of the drugs, given by doses and routes previously described in the literature as being effective was not completely consistent with expected responses. The lack of effect of dexamethasone probably reflects the fact that it was given acutely whereas in the clinic chronic administration is used. The two antihistamines were not identical in their actions, presumably reflecting the fact that cetirizine has therapeutic actions not entirely confined to blockade of H1 receptors. Montelukast has not been reported to have major effects on sneezing and itching in the clinic but reduces nasal obstruction (lower nasal airway pressure or nasal patency). Montelukast''s effects on cellular infiltration indicate the possible involvement of leukotrienes. Heparin has actions on inflammatory cell infiltration. This could explain its profile of reducing both cellular infiltration, and increased nasal airway pressure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• S. epidermidis stimulates pro-inflammation in lung epithelial cells in vitro. • Both biofilm-positive and -negative S. epidermidis induces potent pro-inflammation. • Biofilm-positive S. epidermidis seems to trigger higher pro-inflammatory response. • Biofilm-positive S. epidermidis induced cytotoxicity and TLR2 expression. • S. epidermidis is not a commensal but a relevant pathogen of inflammatory disease. Conventionally regarded as a harmless skin commensal, Staphylococcus epidermidis accounts for the majority of neonatal late-onset sepsis and is shown to be associated with neonatal inflammatory morbidities, especially bronchopulmonary dysplasia. This study addressed the pro-inflammatory capacity of different S. epidermidis strains on human alveolar epithelial cells. A549 cell monolayers were stimulated by live bacteria of S. epidermidis RP62A strain (biofilm-positive) and ATCC 12228 strain (biofilm-negative) at a multiplicity of infection ratio of 10 for 24 h. LPS (100 ng/ml) and Pam3CSK4 (1 µg/ml) were used for comparisons. Cell viability was measured by MTT method. The mRNA and protein expression of inflammatory mediators and toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 were assessed using RT-PCR, immunoassays and immunofluorescence. Both S. epidermidis strains induced expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-1β, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, interferon γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, but not IL-10. The stimulatory effect of RP62A exceeded that of LPS (p < 0.05). RP62A strain showed a trend towards higher induction of pro-inflammatory mediators than ATCC 12228 strain. The co-stimulation with RP62A strain decreased cell viability compared to control and TLR agonists (p < 0.05). RP62A but not ATCC 12228 stimulated mRNA and protein expression of TLR2. S. epidermidis drives pro-inflammatory responses in lung epithelial cells in vitro. The pro-inflammatory capacity of S. epidermidis may differ between strains. Biofilm-positive S. epidermidis strain seems to induce more potent pulmonary pro-inflammation than biofilm-negative S. epidermidis strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Two-dimensional (2D) beta indium sulfide (β -In 2 S 3) shows great potential in photocatalytic hydrogen production due to its broad-spectrum response, relatively negative conduction band edge, high carrier mobility and low toxicity. However, the high charge recombination rate limits the application of In 2 S 3. Here, we in-situ grew 2D cadmium sulfide (CdS) on the surface of In 2 S 3 doped with copper ions (Cu2+) to construct a heterojunction photocatalyst that suppresses charge recombination. The in-situ grown method and shared sulfur composition were conducive to forming the efficient interface contact between In 2 S 3 and CdS, promoting charge transfer and showing the high spatial charge separation rate, resulting in a hydrogen production rate of 868 µmol g-1h−1. The induced Cu2+ extended the light absorption range and stabilized the photocatalyst. By creating stable 2D/2D heterojunction photocatalysts with high charge separation efficiency, this work opens new possibilities for applying In 2 S 3 materials in photocatalytic hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

POLE mutation is a prognostic marker associated with excellent outcome in endometrial carcinoma (EC). However, these EC tumors frequently have aggressive histology. The aim of this study was to determine how to integrate the implications of POLE mutations into existing risk assessment strategies and further stratify patients. We detected POLE mutations in a cohort of 426 ECs from Chinese women and observed their prognostic significance in terms of survival and recurrence outcomes in combination with histological and other molecular characteristics, including microcystic, elongated and fragmented (MELF) pattern invasion, histologic subtype, tumor grade, myometrial invasion and p53 protein and mismatch repair protein expression status. POLE mutations were identified in 38 of 426 ECs (8.9%). The most common mutations were P286R (31.6%), V411L (15.8%) and Q453R (15.8%). We confirmed that POLE mutation was associated with improved overall survival (P =.047), although it did not show a statistically significant relationship with progression-free survival (P =.45). Interestingly, further analyses indicated that in POLE -mutant tumors, MELF pattern invasion was associated with a 15.1-fold increase in tumor recurrence or progression risk (HR = 15.1, 95%CI = 1.57–145.3, P =.018), whereas this phenomenon was not present in the POLE -wild-type subgroup (HR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.39–2.08, P =.80). Furthermore, higher staging and deeper myometrial invasion also showed much higher risk in patients harboring POLE mutations compared with those without POLE mutations. Although POLE mutation was associated with favorable overall survival, the combined consideration of POLE mutation status and established clinicopathologic factors in the risk assessment of endometrial cancer is more accurate than the consideration of clinicopathologic factors alone and might lead to precise and individualized therapeutic strategies. • POLE mutation was associated with favorable overall survival in this cohort. • However, MELF invasion and higher staging were associated with increased progression risk in patients with POLE mutation. • Thus, integrating POLE mutation with established clinicopathologic factors in the risk assessment of EC is safer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression in many biological processes, including immune response. In this study, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was carried out on healthy body wall (HB) and skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) infected body wall (SFB) to gain insights into the epigenetic regulatory mechanism in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. After comparison, a total of 116,522 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were obtained including 67,269 hyper-methylated and 49,253 hypo-methylated DMRs (p < 0.05, FDR < 0.001). GO enrichment analysis indicated that regulation of DNA-templated transcription (GO: 0006355), where DNA methylation occurred, was the most significant term in the biology process. The integration of methylome and transcriptome analysis revealed that 10,499 DMRs were negatively correlated with 496 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that these DEGs were enriched in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Interestingly, two serine/threonine-protein kinases, nemo-like kinase (NLK) and mTOR, were highlighted after functional analysis. The variations of methylation in these two genes were associated with SUS infection and immune regulation. They regulated gene expression at different levels and showed interaction during response process. The validation of methylation sites showed high consistency between pyrosequencing and WGBS. WGBS analysis not only revealed the changes of DNA methylation, but also presented important information about the regulation of key genes after SUS infection in A. japonicus. • WGBS were conducted on the healthy and SUS-infected body wall of Apostichopus japonicus. • A total of 116,522 DMRs were obtained including 67,269 hyper-methylated and 49,253 hypo-methylated DMRs. • The integration of methylome and transcriptome revealed that 10,499 DMRs had a negative correlation with 496 DEGs. • The variations of methylation in mTOR and NLK were associated with SUS infection and immune regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that mediate mRNA degradation or translation repression. Previous study showed that the expression of miRNAs was significantly changed in the body wall of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus after skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) infection, which is a dynamic process. However, the critical miRNAs from body wall that involved in different infection stages of SUS remain unknown. In this study, four cDNA libraries were constructed with the body wall from healthy and three SUS-infected stages of A. japonicus . A total of 248 conserved miRNAs and five novel miRNAs were identified through Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. Compared to the control, 238 miRNAs showed significant differential expression at three stages of SUS progression. Totally, 3149 miRNA-mRNA pairs were identified by target prediction and 314 miRNA-mRNA pairs showed negative correlation. It is noteworthy that 15 miRNAs and four mRNAs were located at the crucial positions of the network built with the anti-correlated miRNA-mRNA pairs. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that the predicted targets were involved in many immune-related processes. Deep analysis of miR-31c-5p, miR-29b-3p, NF-kB, mucin 2 and titin showed that they may play important roles in the pathogens attachment and recognition, signaling transduction and lesions repair of A. japonicus after SUS infection. These results would be useful for further investigating the potential roles of critical miRNAs and mRNAs in A. japonicus immune regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to preliminarily explore the joint involvement of different immune-related factors during the same immune process in Apostichopus japonicus , the transcriptional expression of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), catalase (CAT), c-type lysozyme (c-LYZ), i-type lysozyme (i-LYZ), cathepsin D, melanotransferrin (MTF), Toll, c-type lectin (c-LCT) and complement 3 (C3) during the development from fertilized eggs to juveniles and after challenging the juveniles with Vibrio splendidus , Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens , Shewanella baltica and Bacillus cereus , respectively, was measured using the method of quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and then the correlations among different immune-related factors were analyzed. The results showed that the selected immune-related factors were expressed at all of the determined developmental stages and significantly up-regulated at doliolaria stage, suggesting the selected factors are indispensable immune components and the immune system might be broadly activated at doliolaria stage in A. japonicus . After challenged with four pathogenic bacteria, Cu/Zn-SOD, CAT, i-LYZ, cathepsin D, MTF, Toll, C3 were all significantly down-regulated at 4 h, indicating that some components of A. japonicus immune system might be inhibited at the beginning of pathogenic bacteria invasion. The immune-responsive analysis also showed that the significant regulation in Toll after challenged with four tested bacteria, that in MTF after challenged with S. baltica and that in C3 after challenged with P. nigrifaciens were all minus, suggesting Toll, MTF and C3 are probably the primary targets of pathogenic bacteria attack. Furthermore, the correlation analysis indicated that, all of the selected immune-related factors except cathepsin D might be in the same immune regulatory network during A. japonicus development, while all of the selected immune-related factors except c-LYZ might be in the same responsive regulatory network after challenged with four pathogenic bacteria. Altogether, A. japonicus immune system exhibited high complexity in regulation during organism development and after bacterial challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to preliminarily illustrate the functional differences of phenoloxidases (POs) in Apostichopus japonicus , the full-length cDNAs of two POs (named as AjPOⅡ and AjPOⅢ, respectively) were cloned from the coelomocytes of A. japonicus using 3′- and 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends method, and combined with the previously acquired full-length cDNA of a laccase-type PO from A. japonicus (Accession No. KF040052 , named as AjPOⅠ), the sequence structure and phylogenic status of POs from A. japonicus (AjPOs) were comparatively analyzed, and the transcriptional expression of AjPOs in different tissues, at different developmental stages and after different bacterial challenges was determined with quantitative real-time PCR method. Sequence analysis indicated AjPOⅡ and AjPOⅢ were both laccase-type POs, coincident to the results of phylogenic analysis. Sequence analysis also showed that AjPOⅠ had a transmembrane domain (J. Jiang et al., 2014), AjPOⅡ contained a signal peptide, and AjPOⅢ possessed a signal peptide and a transmembrane domain, implying that three AjPOs might play different roles in immune and physiological processes. Transcriptional expression analysis showed that AjPOⅡ and AjPOⅢ were most abundant in tube feet, while AjPOⅠhad the highest expression level in coelomocytes (J. Jiang et al., 2014), suggesting that AjPOⅠ may be mainly involved in immune response, while AjPOⅡ and AjPOⅢ are probably responsible for other physiological processes in addition to immune response. Besides, three AjPOs were determined to have different expression patterns during organism development and different spectrums of response against bacteria, which further indicated that there might be immune and physiological functional differentiation among three AjPOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lysin motif (LysM)-containing protein is one of widespread pattern-recognition receptors in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Numerous LysM-containing gene sequences are present in gene databases; however, few have been well characterized, especially in echinoderms. In this study, the full-length cDNA of a novel LysM-containing gene was obtained from the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus , named AjLysM-1 , using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with rapid amplification of cDNA ends. We prepared and expressed recombinant AjLysM-1 protein (rAjLysM-1) and determined its pathogen-recognition ability by enzyme-linked immunosorbent and immunofluorescence assays. We also analyzed the tissue expression pattern and response to immune challenges of AjLysM-1 using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR and in situ hybridization. The AjLysM-1 protein was predicted to be an intracellular non-secreted LysM-containing protein, highly homologous to the same protein in other marine echinoderms. AjLysM-1 transcripts were highest expressed in coelomocytes and were strikingly induced by challenge with representative bacterial and fungal polysaccharides. rAjLysM-1 showed weak binding to mannan, Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens , and Shewanella baltica , implying that AjLysM-1 might provide inadequate defense against Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Notably, rAjLysM-1 also interacted with tyrosine protein kinase and filamin-B, indicating that it could be involved in focal adhesion in A. japonicus. These findings improve our understanding of the functions of LysM-containing proteins in marine echinoderms. • A novel LysM-containing gene in Apostichopus japonicus , AjLysM-1 , were uncovered. • AjLysM-1 is an intracellular non-secreted protein with pathogen-recognition abilities. • AjLysM-1 might provide inadequate defense against Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. • AjLysM-1 was proven to be interacted with tyrosine protein kinase and filamin-B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to preliminarily understand the immune difference between females and males in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus , the activities assay of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), phenoloxidase (PO), acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) with biochemical methods, the detection of PO isozymes with native-PAGE and catechol staining, and the test of antibacterial activities with bacterial growth curve determination method were performed in this study using cell-free coelomic fluid (CCF) and coelomocyte lysate supernatant (CLS) from females and males as the samples. The PO activities were not detected in the CLS and showed no significant difference between the CCF from females and males. However, totally five PO isozyme bands were detected in the CLS of females while only four were detected in the CLS of males after zymogram analysis. These results implied that the PO isozymes in the coelomocytes of viripotent A. japonicus were inactive under natural condition and may be activated by some certain treatments during native-PAGE, and PO might play different immune and physiological roles between females and males. In addition, the activities of SOD, CAT, POD and ALP in the CCF and the activities of CAT, POD, ACP and ALP in the CLS from males were all significantly higher than those from females. The results collectively suggested that in viripotent A. japonicus , the gender had a remarkable effect on the immunity, and the immunocompetence of males might have an advantage over that of females. Furthermore, the activities of all determined enzymes except PO and the number of detected PO isozymes showed higher values in CLS than in CCF, implying that in viripotent A. japonicus , the coelomocytes might take more immune responsibility in comparison with CCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is one of the most dominant and economically important aquaculture species in China. Saponin, which possesses notable biological and pharmacological properties, is a key determinant of the nutritional and health value of A. japonicus. In the present study, we amplified the full-length cDNA of a phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK) gene (named AjPMK) using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Subsequently, we engineered a recombinant AjPMK (rAjPMK) protein and assessed its enzymatic activity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Proteins that interact with rAjPMK were screened and identified via pull-down assay combined with liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We found that the full-length cDNA of AjPMK contained 1354 bp and an open reading frame (ORF) of 612 bp. The AjPMK protein was predicted not to contain a signal peptide but to contain a phosphonolate kinase domain seen in higher eukaryotes and a P-loop with a relatively conserved nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase domain. The molecular weight of the AjPMK protein was estimated to be 23.81 kDa, and its isoelectric point was predicted to be 8.72. Phylogenetic analysis showed that AjPMK had a closer evolutionary relationship with genes from starfish than with those of other selected species. Besides, we found that rAjPMK synthesized mevalonate-5-diphosphate, interacted either directly or indirectly with crucial pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and was regulated by immune-related processes, including antioxidative reactions, stress resistance responses and enzyme hydrolysis. Moreover, AjPMK also interacted with farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, an enzyme reported to be involved in saponin biosynthesis. Together, our findings implied that AjPMK may be directly involved in saponin biosynthesis and the regulation of various innate immune processes. • A phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK) gene was identified in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. • AjPMK is involved in sea cucumber saponin biosynthesis. • AjPMK might be regulated by multiple immune processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cd(II) complex 1 , namely {[Cd(HL)]·CH 3 OH} n was design as a new fluorescence probe for measuring concentration of Cu2+ ion in aqueous solution. Complex 1 is a 3,6-connected double-layered porous metal–organic framework, which was synthesized by optimizing the ratio of Cd(OH) 2 and a new ligand 4'-(((1-carboxyethyl)amino)methyl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (H 3 L) under solvothermal conditions. It not only had good thermal and solvent stabilities, but also displayed a strong solid-state fluorescence centered at 375 nm with a moderate quantum yield of 37.12% under excitation at 275 nm. More importantly, its fluorescence could be obviously quenched by the addition of Cu2+ ion. The fluorescence quenching may be caused by the weak coordination interaction between Cu2+ and the uncoordinated imino N in ligand (HL)2–, as well as the slightly competitive absorption of excitation light by Cu2+. In the low concentration range of Cu2+ ion, the fluorescence quenching efficiency of complex 1 is closely related to the concentration of Cu2+ ion, and the relationship between fluorescence quenching efficiency and the concentration of added Cu2+ ion could be well fitted by Stern-Volmer equation with K SV being 1.589 × 104 M−1 and the detection limit for Cu2+ ion being 5.7 μM. Our case may provide potential applications for the detection of Cu2+ ion in daily domestic water. A new double-layered porous metal‒organic framework prepared by the solvothermal reaction of an amino acid-functionalized aromatic tricarboxylic acid ligand and Cd(OH) 2 displays good thermal stability, solvent stability, and strong fluorescence emission, and can be used as a highly sensitive water-stable fluorescence probe for detecting Cu2+. [Display omitted] • Amino acid-functionalized aromatic tricarboxylic acid ligand. • Double-layered metal-organic framework based on binuclear subunit [Cd 2 (COO) 4 ]. • Water-stable fluorescence probe of Cu(II). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture pond sediments have a notable influence on the ecosystem balance and farmed animal health. In this study, microalgal-bacterial immobilization (MBI) was designed to improve aquaculture pond sediments via synergistic interactions. The physicochemical characteristics, bacterial communities, and the removal efficiencies of emerging pollutants were systematically investigated. The consortium containing diatom Navicula seminulum and Alcaligenes faecalis was cultivated and established in the free and immobilized forms for evaluating the treatment performance. The results indicated that the immobilized group exhibited superior performance in controlling nutrient pollutants, shaping and optimizing the bacterial community compositions with the enrichment of functional bacteria. Additionally, it showed a stronger positive correlation between the bacterial community shifts and nutrient pollutants removal compared to free cells. Furthermore, the immobilized system maintained the higher removal performance of emerging pollutants (heavy metals, antibiotics, and pathogenic Vibrios) than free group. These findings confirmed that the employment of immobilized N. seminulum and A. faecalis produced more synergistic benefits and exerted more improvements than free cells in ameliorating aquaculture pond sediments, suggesting the potential for engineering application of functional microalgal-bacterial consortium in aquaculture. [Display omitted] • The cooperative interactions of MBI for reducing nutrient pollutants were explored. • MBI performed better in improving physicochemical properties than free system. • The bacterial communities were shaped and optimized by MBI more significantly. • MBI exhibited a higher emerging pollutants removal performance than free system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that are involved in many biological processes. To investigate the miRNAs related to skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) of Apostichopus japonicus , small RNA libraries of body wall, intestine, respiratory tree and coelomocytes from healthy and diseased A. japonicus were sequenced on Illumina Hiseq 2000 platform. A total of 247 conserved and 10 novel miRNAs were identified across all libraries. After pair-wise comparisons, 215 miRNAs in body wall, 36 in intestine, 2 in respiratory tree and 38 in coelomocytes showed significant expression differences. Further analyses were conducted on some tissue-specific differentially expressed miRNAs: miR-8 and miR-486-5p in body wall, miR-200-3p, let-7-5p and miR-125 in intestine, miR-278a-3p and bantam in respiratory, miR-10a and miR-184 in coelomocytes. Notably, these miRNAs in some species were reported to function in various physiological or pathological processes associated with immune regulations. Using stem-loop quantitative real time PCR, six representative miRNAs in four tissues were selected to validate the sequencing results. The Pearson's correlation coefficient ( R ) of the six miRNAs ranged from 0.777 to 0.948, which confirmed the consistency and accuracy between these two approaches. This study provides comprehensive expression and regulation patterns of functional miRNAs in different tissues and gives insights into the tissue-specific immune response mechanisms in SUS-infected A. japonicus . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three proteins with PO-like activities in the coelomocytes of sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus were identified using electrophoretic method and named as SnPO1, SnPO2 and SnPO3 according to their molecular mass from high to low. The SnPOs were characterized for substrate specificity and the effects of temperature, pH, divalent metal ions and inhibitors on PO activities. They showed oxidative activities to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. ( l -DOPA), dopamine and hydroquinone, but failed to oxidize tyrosine, which illustrated the three proteins had laccase-like PO activities. The optimum temperature for the activities of SnPO1, SnPO2 and SnPO3 was 75 °C, 70 °C, 40 °C, and the optimum pH was 7.0, 9.0, 8.0, respectively. The SnPOs were notably activated after being incubated in boiled water for 60 min, suggesting that the three proteins are thermophilic. The activity of SnPO1 was greatly enhanced by Cu 2+ , Mn 2+ and Fe 2+ and inhibited by Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ , EDTA, DETC, sodium sulfite and ascorbic acid, but SnPO2 and SnPO3 were not obviously affected by Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ , suggesting the three proteins are copper-containing, and the catalytic properties of SnPO1 might be different from those of SnPO2 and SnPO3. Taken together, SnPO1, SnPO2 and SnPO3 might play different roles in the immune and physiological processes of S. nudus . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are an important family of proteinases involved in various physiological processes and associated with the immune response. However, the role of MMPs in the immune response remains unclear. To explore the possible role of MMPs in innate immunity, this study selected the MMP-16 gene encoding peptidoglycan (PGN) binding domain identified in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (named AjMMP-16, GenBank accession No. AQT26486) for microbial polysaccharide-induced transcriptional expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR, correlation analysis with nine representative genes from A. japonicus immune pathways in microbial polysaccharide-induced transcriptional expression by using Pearson's correlation test, and prokaryotic recombinant expression. Next, its recombinant protein was employed for microbial polysaccharide-binding analysis with ELISA and bacterial binding analysis with the indirect immunofluorescence method. The results showed that AjMMP-16 was significantly induced by diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-type PGN, lipopolysaccharide, mannan, and β-1,3-glucan and was closely correlated with myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in microbial polysaccharide-induced transcriptional expression. In addition, recombinant AjMMP-16 bound to lysine-type PGN, DAP-type PGN, lipopolysaccharide, mannan, β-1,3-glucan, Vibrio splendidus , Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens , Shewanella baltica , Bacillus cereus , Escherichia coli , and Staphylococcus aureus. These results suggest that AjMMP-16 might act as a pattern recognition receptor in innate immunity and play an important role in initiating the MyD88-dependent Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. • AjMMP-16 was able to be induced by diverse microbial polysaccharides. • AjMMP-16 might be associated with MyD88-dependent TLR signaling pathway. • AjMMP-16 had broad-spectrum pathogen recognition ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of uric acid (UA) is important not only in biomedicine and neurochemistry but also in disease diagnosis and pathology research. Herein, a family of bimetallic-organic frameworks, MIL-125(Ti–Cr)- x NH 2 (x = 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 %), was successfully prepared. MIL-125(Ti–Cr)- x NH 2 series were used as electrochemical sensors for the detection of UA, and MIL-125(Ti–Cr)–0%NH 2 exhibited the most promising behavior with 70 % carbon black doping in 0.1 M PBS (pH = 6.0). In addition, the as-prepared MIL-125(Ti–Cr)–0%NH 2 /GCE exhibited good stability and anti-interference behavior, which offered a promising platform for future utilization in real sample analysis. A series of bimetallic-organic MIL-125(Ti–Cr) frameworks was prepared for electrochemical detection of uric acid. [Display omitted] • A series of bimetallic-organic MIL-125(Ti–Cr) materials was assembled by one-pot synthesis. • MIL-125(Ti–Cr) series was emplyed for the electrochemical detection of uric acid. • MIL-125(Ti–Cr)–0%NH 2 provided a promising platform for future utilization in real sample analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Phenoloxidase (PO) is a crucial component of the immune system of echinoderms. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of PO (AjPO) was cloned from coelomocytes of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus using 3′- and 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR method, which is 2508 bp, with an open reading frame (ORF) of 2040 bp encoding 679 amino acids. AjPO contains a transmembrane domain, and three Cu-oxidase domains with copper binding centers formed by 10 histidines, one cysteine and one methionine respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that AjPO was clustered with laccase-type POs of invertebrates. Using the isolated membrane proteins as crude AjPO, the enzyme could catalyze the substrates catechol, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA), dopamine and hydroquinone, but failed to oxidize tyrosine. The results described above collectively proved that AjPO was a membrane-binding laccase-type PO. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that AjPO mRNA was expressed in muscle, body wall, coelomocytes, tube feet, respiratory tree and intestine with the highest expression level in coelomocytes. AjPO could be significantly induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), peptidoglycan (PGN), Zymosan A and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PolyI:C), suggesting AjPO is closely involved in the defense against the infection of bacteria, fungi and double-stranded RNA viruses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of type I integral membrane glycoproteins which play pivotal roles in innate immunity. In this study, two TLRs named AjTLR3 and AjToll were cloned from sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus). The full-length cDNA sequences of AjTLR3 and AjToll are 3484 bp and 4211 bp, with an open reading frame (ORF) of 2679 bp and 2853 bp, encoding 892 and 950 amino acids, respectively. Both AjTLR3 and AjToll are composed of a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain, a transmembrane (TM) domain and an intracellular Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain. Evolution analysis revealed that AjTLR3 and AjToll were clustered with the vertebrate-like TLRs (V-TLRs) and the protostome-like TLRs (P-TLRs), respectively. These two genes were widely expressed in all five tested tissues (body wall, coelomocytes, tube feet, intestine and respiratory tree), but showed different expression patterns. The significantly up-regulated expressions of AjTLR3 and AjToll after peptidoglycan (PGN), lipopolysaccharides (LPS), Zymosan A and polyinosinic–polycytidylic acid (PolyI:C) challenges suggested that they were functionally involved in the immune responses to the Cram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study developed a chitosan-treatment procedure to remove impurities from radish anthocyanin extracts to promote their utilization as natural food colorants. Effects of purification conditions (independent variables) including pH (3.7, 4.0, and 4.3), chitosan concentration (1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 g/100 mL), and treatment duration (2, 2.5, and 3 h) on anthocyanin content, glucosinolate content, and clarity of radish anthocyanin-rich extracts (dependent variables) were investigated via a Box–Behnken experimental design. A set of preferred chitosan treatment conditions was determined to be 2.74 h at pH 3.92 with an initial chitosan concentration of 1.59 g/100 mL, according to the desirability function analyses. Under these purification conditions, glucosinolate reduction was ∼61%, clarity was enhanced from 45.5% to 86.9%, and anthocyanin retention was ∼95%. This chitosan-treatment procedure uses a biodegradable agent, and is safe, economic and efficient for solving the off-flavor and clarification problems of radish anthocyanin extracts. The procedure requires no special equipment and has potential to be scaled up for commercial production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The echinoderm immunity system has been extensively investigated in adults in several classes such as echinoid and holothuroidea. However, the defense mechanism in embryos and larvae remains largely unexplored. To profile the immune-related genes expression in embryos and larvae and to monitor the stimulation of the innate immune response by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) challenge, we investigated the expression patterns of nine immune-related genes in embryos and larvae of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) at eleven developmental stages using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression of six encoding proteins including heat shock protein70 (Hsp70), Hsp90, Hsp gp96, thymosin-beta, ferritin and DD104 protein was detected at all eleven development stages according to mRNA expression data. However, the expression of mannan-binding C-type lectin (MBCL) was detected at early auricularia to juvenile stages, while lysozyme and serine proteinase inhibitor (SPI) were detected only at juvenile stage. Out of these nine genes, three (MBCL, lysozyme and SPI) were found to be up-regulated in mRNA expression upon LPS challenge, whereas the other six showed no significant change. Our study presents a first preliminary view into the expression patterns of immune-related genes at different developmental stages of sea cucumber, which increases the available information on echinoderm immunity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rhodotorula glutinis was evaluated for its activity in reducing postharvest gray mold decay of strawberry caused by Botrytis cinerea in vitro and in vivo. In the test on PDA plates, R. glutinis significantly inhibit the growth of B. cinerea. Spore germination of pathogens in PDB was greatly controlled in the presence of living cell suspensions. Rapid colonization of the yeast in wounds was observed during the first 3 days at 20°C, and then the populations stabilized for the remaining storage period. On strawberry wounds kept at 4°C, the increase in population density of R. glutinis was lower than those kept at 20°C, but continued over 8 days after application of the antagonist until it reached a high level. Number of inoculated strawberry fruit treated with 1×108 CFU/ml washed cell suspension of R. glutinis was 10% after 2 days at 20°C, compared to 100%, respectively, in the control. Washed cell suspensions of yeast controlled gray mold better than yeast in culture broth. Treatment of wounds with autoclaved cell cultures or cell-free culture filtrate did not prevent decay. The concentrations of antagonist had significant effects on biocontrol effectiveness: the higher the concentrations of the antagonist, the lower the disease incidence regardless of whether the fruit was stored at 20°C for 2 days or 4°C for 7 days. At concentrations of R. glutinis 1×109 CFU/ml, the incidence of gray mold was reduced by 94.7 or 95%, respectively, compared with control, after storage at 20°C for 2 days or 4°C for 7 days, respectively. R. glutinis significantly reduced the natural development of decay of fruit following storage at 20°C for 3 days or 4°C for 5 days followed by 20°C for 3 days. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• miR-318 directly targets the 3′-UTR of AjDNMT1, and downregulates the expression level of AjDNMT1. • miR-318 mimics decreased the expression of AjDNMT1, AjMBP, and AjDMAP, while miR-318 inhibitor increased their expression. • Regulations between miR-318 and AjDNMT1, AjMBP, AjDMAP provide insights into the prevention of A. japonicus SUS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chemotherapy often causes cognitive impairment, known as 'chemobrain'. • EA/TNS + BA is a novel therapy that may be effective in treating chemobrain. • Breast cancer patients on chemotherapy received EA/TNS + BA for 8 weeks. • EA/TNS + BA has particular benefits in improving working memory and other symptoms. • EA/TNS+BA is an effective intervention for breast cancer patients with chemobrain. Chemotherapy causes various side effects, including cognitive impairment, known as 'chemobrain'. In this study, we determined whether a novel acupuncture mode called electroacupuncture trigeminal nerve stimulation plus body acupuncture (EA/TNS + BA) could produce better outcomes than minimum acupuncture stimulation (MAS) as controls in treating chemobrain and other symptoms in breast cancer patients. In this assessor- and participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 93 breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy were randomly assigned to EA/TNS + BA (n = 46) and MAS (n = 47) for 2 sessions per week over 8 weeks. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) served as the primary outcome. Digit span test was the secondary outcomes for attentional function and working memory. The quality of life and multiple functional assessments were also evaluated. EA/TNS + BA treated group had much better performance than MAS-treated group on reverse digit span test at Week 2 and Week 8, with medium effect sizes of 0.53 and 0.48, respectively, although no significant differences were observed in MoCA score and prevalence of chemobrain between the two groups. EA/TNS + BA also markedly reduced incidences of diarrhoea, poor appetite, headache, anxiety, and irritation, and improved social/family and emotional wellbeing compared to MAS. These results suggest that EA/TNS + BA may have particular benefits in reducing chemotherapy-induced working memory impairment and the incidence of certain digestive, neurological, and distress-related symptoms. It could serve as an effective intervention for breast cancer patients under and post chemotherapy (trial registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov : NCT02457039). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonids can be co-infected by infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) under natural or experimental conditions. To reveal the influence of IPNV on IHNV in co-infections, CHSE-214 cells were inoculated with IPNV at different time intervals prior to or after IHNV infection. Propagation of IHNV was determined by an immunofluorescence antibody test, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and virus titration. The results showed that when cells were inoculated with IPNV prior to IHNV, IHNV multiplication was inhibited. This inhibitory effect became stronger with increasing time intervals (P < 0.05). When cells were inoculated with IPNV after IHNV, the inhibitory effect became weaker with increasing time intervals (P < 0.05), and no significant inhibition was observed at 12 h (P > 0.05) compared with the single IHNV infection group. The findings suggest that IHNV is inhibited at the early stage of infection by IPNV and in a time dependent manner during co-infection. Furthermore, the effect of IPNV on IHNV entry and expression of IHNV entry-related genes clathrin , dynamin-2 , adaptor protein 2 , and vacuolar protein sorting 35 were also determined. The results showed that IPNV did not affect the amount of IHNV entering the cells. However, the expression levels of clathrin and dynamin-2 were significantly lower in co-infection than those in single IHNV infection, which suggests that IPNV likely inhibits IHNV by affecting IHNV invasion via downregulating IHNV entry-related genes clathrin and dynamin-2. • IPNV inhibits IHNV in a time dependent manner during co-infection in CHSE-214 cells. • IPNV does not affect the amount of IHNV entering the cells in the co-infection. • IHNV entry-related genes clathrin and dynamin-2 were downregulated in the co-infection. • IHNV is inhibited at the early stage of infection by IPNV in the co-infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to perform an in vitro experiment to simulate retinal detachment caused by blunt impact, and provide experimental evidence to understand mechanical causes of traumatic retinal detachment. The experiment was conducted on twenty-two fresh porcine eyes using a bespoke pendulum testing device at two energy levels (0.1J for low energy and 1.0J for high energy). We examined dynamic forces and mechanical responses to the impact, including global deformations, intraocular pressure changes and the energy absorption. Another set of twenty-two eyes underwent pathological examination immediately after being subjected to blunt impact. Twelve additional intact eyes were examined as controls. All pathological sections were scored to indicate whether retinal detachment had occurred. A dynamic variation in intraocular pressure was detected following impact and exhibited an approximate sinusoidal oscillation-attenuation profile. The peaks of impact force were 12.9 ± 1.9 N at low-energy level and 34.8 ± 9.8 N at high-energy level, showing a significant difference (p < 0.001). The positive and negative peaks of intraocular pressure were 149.4 ± 18.9 kPa and −10.9 ± 7.2 kPa at low-energy level, and 274.5 ± 55.2 kPa and −35.7 ± 23.7 kPa at high-energy level, showing significant differences (p < 0.001 for both levels). Retinal detachments were observed in damaged eyes while few detachments were found in control eyes. The occurrence rate of retinal detachment differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the high- and low-energy impact groups. This study provided experimental evidence that shockwaves produced by blunt trauma break the force equilibrium and lead to the oscillation and negative pressure, which mainly contribute to traumatic retinal detachment. • Experimental evidence for mechanical cause of traumatic retinal detachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of acid-base resistant materials for elimination of organic contaminations in water under the sunlight conditions is very important for the protection of our living surroundings. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising candidates for photocatalytic applications, but many of them suffer from poor framework stability under the acidic or basic conditions. In this study, by using a bifunctional ligand 4-(4-carboxyphenyl)-1,2,4-triazole (HCPT) featuring both carboxylate and azole groups, a new polyoxometalate-based MOF formulated as {[Cu 8 Cl 5 (CPT) 8 (H 2 O) 4 (HSiW 12) (H 2 O) 20 (CH 3 CN) 4 } n (1) has been prepared via a solvothermal approach. Complex 1 shows a 3D 2-fold interpenetrating scu -type network based on the four-connected {Cu 2 (CO 2) 4 } and eight-connected {Cu 4 Cl}7+ clusters, and could be stable in a wide range of pH values f0 to 14). Apart from its excellent framework stability, complex 1 shows a high photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) by visible light irradiation and nearly 97% of the RhB was degraded within 70 ​min. To our knowledge, complex 1 represents the first case of polyoxometalate-based MOFs constructed from the mixed-cluster units. A new polyoxometalate-based MOF has been prepared via using a bifunctional ligand 4-(4-carboxyphenyl)-1,2,4-triazole featuring both carboxylate and azole groups. The as-prepared MOF shows a 3D 2-fold interpenetrating scu -type network based on the four-connected {Cu 2 (CO 2) 4 } and eight-connected {Cu 4 Cl}7+ clusters, and could be stable in a wide range of pH values (0–14). This MOF shows a high photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) by visible light irradiation with nearly 97% of the RhB was degraded within 70 ​min, and it represents the first case of polyoxometalate-based MOFs constructed from the mixed-cluster units. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gender differences of immunity have been elucidated in many vertebrates and invertebrates. However, the information of this difference was still not clear in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus , which is one of the most valuable aquaculture species and susceptible to diseases caused by pathogen infection. In the present study, the transcriptome of coelomocytes from female and male A. japonicus before and after spawning was obtained by RNA-sequencing technology. A total of 4,538 and 8,248 differentially expressed genes were identified between female and male A. japonicus before and after spawning, respectively, indicating that the gender differences of gene expression profiles in A. japonicus were more remarkable after spawning. Further KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted for both male and female up-regulated genes before and after spawning. The results revealed that the capacity to kill pathogens in female A. japonicus might be more powerful than that in males no matter before and after spawning; the antioxidant ability in male A. japonicus was probably stronger than that in females after spawning; the complement system in male A. japonicus might be more effective than that in females after spawning; and the apoptosis was likely to be more serious in male A. japonicus before spawning. Moreover, we speculated that the fatty acid composition might be one of the inducements for gender specific immune differences of A. japonicus. Overall, the results of our study illustrated the global gender specific immune differences of A. japonicus and contributed to understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sea cucumber immune regulation. • Differentially expressed genes related to gender were analyzed in Apostichopus japonicus. • The capacity to kill pathogen was probably more powerful in female A. japonicus. • The antioxidant ability might be stronger in male A. japonicus after spawning. • The complement system is more effective in male A. japonicus after spawning. • The apoptosis was likely more serious in male A. japonicus before spawning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collagen hydrolysate clarifier (CHC), which was prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis of pigskin shavings (collagen waste) in our previous study, was applied in the clarification of a Chrysanthemum beverage. CHC exhibited an excellent clarification effect on the Chrysanthemum beverage due to the significant improvement of the beverage transmittance from 55.4% to 96.2%. The clarification performance was influenced by CHC dosage, pH, temperature and clarification time. The highest transmittance was obtained at a CHC dosage of 0.8 g/L, pH 5.45, temperature of 29 °C and duration of 3 h. After clarification of CHC, the proteins, polyphenols, sugars and flavonoids in the Chrysanthemum beverage were all slightly reduced, but their retention rates were still more than 80%. The sensory quality and storage stability were improved greatly due to the increased total sensory quality score from 62.7 to 85.6 and the prolonged storage time from 1 day to 12 days. Moreover, the cost was estimated to be as low as $0.93/kg. Therefore, CHC is suitable for application in the clarification of plant beverages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis E is an emerging zoonotic disease, posing a severe threat to public health in the world. Since there are no specific treatments available for HEV infection, it is crucial to develop vaccine to prevent this infection. In this study, the truncated ORF2 encoded protein of 439aa∼617aa (HEV3-179) from HEV CCJD-517 isolates was expressed as VLPs in E. coli with diameters of approximate 20 nm. HEV3-179 protein was immunized with mice, and the results showed that a higher titre of antibody was induced in NIH mice in comparison with that of KM mice (P < 0.01) and BALB/c mice (P < 0.01). The induced antibody titer is much higher in subcutaneous immunization mice than that in the mice inoculated via abdominal immunization (P < 0.05) and muscles immunization (P < 0.01). Mice immunized with 12 μg and 6 μg candidate vaccine induced higher level of antibody titer than that of 3 μg dosage group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Antibody change curve showed that HEV IgG antibody titer increased from 14 days post immunization (dpi) to 1:262144 and reached the peak level on 42 dpi before gradually retreated with the same level antibody titer with 1:131072 until 84 dpi. Mice inoculated with HEV3-179 produced higher titer of cytokines than the mock group, and the concentration of IL-1β (P < 0.01) and IFN-γ (P < 0.01) further increased after stimulated by candidate vaccine. The result indicated that HEV3-179 possesses good immunogenicity, which could be used as a potential candidate for future HEV vaccine development. • Adopting the first strain of HEV-3a subtype in China to express the truncated protein as the candidate antigen. • The expressed protein HEV3-179 could assembled into VLPs in a nature form. • HEV3-179 could stimulate a high titre of antibodies, maintaining a high titer in 12 weeks. • The protein HEV3-179 could stimulate cellular immunity in vivo, particularly the Th1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, vision-related neuroscience studies are undergoing a trend from simplified image stimuli toward more naturalistic stimuli. Virtual reality (VR), as an emerging technology for visual immersion, provides more depth cues for three-dimensional (3D) presentation than two-dimensional (2D) image. It is still unclear whether the depth cues used to create 3D visual perception modulate specific cortical activation. Here, we constructed two visual stimuli presented by stereoscopic vision in VR and graphical projection with 2D image, respectively, and used electroencephalography to examine neural oscillations and their functional connectivity during 3D perception. We find that neural oscillations are specific to delta and theta bands in stereoscopic vision and the functional connectivity in the two bands increase in cortical areas related to visual pathways. These findings indicate that low-frequency oscillations play an important role in 3D perception with depth cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The complement system has been discovered in invertebrates and vertebrates, and plays a crucial role in the innate defense against common pathogens. As a central component in the complement system, complement component 3 (C3) is an intermediary between innate and adaptive immune system. In this study, a new isoform of C3 in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus, termed AjC3-2 was identified. Its open reading frame (ORF) is 5085 bp and encodes for 1695 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 20 amino acid residues. The mature protein molecular weight of AjC3-2 was 187.72 kDa. It has a conserved thioester site and a linker R689RRR692 where AjC3-2 is splitted into β and α chain during posttranslational modification. The expression patterns of two distinct sea cucumber C3 genes, AjC3-2 and AjC3, were similar. During the different development stages from unfertilized egg to juvenile of the sea cucumber, the highest expression levels of AjC3-2 and AjC3 genes were both found in late auricularia. In the adult, the highest expression of these two genes was observed in the coelomocytes and followed by the body wall. AjC3-2 and AjC3 genes expression increased significantly at 6 h after the LPS challenge. These results indicated that these two C3 genes play a pivotal role in immune responses to the bacterial infection in sea cucumber. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The biocontrol activity of Rhodotorula glutinis on gray mold decay and blue mold decay of apple caused by Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium expansum, respectively, was investigated, as well as its effects on postharvest quality of apple fruits. The results show there was a significant negative correlation between concentrations of the yeast cells and the disease incidence of the pathogens. The higher concentration of the R. glutinis, the better effect of the biocontrol capacity. At concentrations of R. glutinis 1×108 CFUml−1, the amount of gray mold decay was completely inhibited after 5 days incubation at 20°C, after challenge with B. cinerea spores suspension of 1×105 sporesml−1; While the blue mold decay was completely inhibited at concentrations of 5×108 CFUml−1, at challenged with P. expansum spores suspension of 5×104 sporesml−1 . These results demonstrated that the efficacy of R. glutinis in controlling of gray mold decay of apples was better than the efficacy of controlling blue mold. R. glutinis within inoculated wounds on apples increased in numbers at 20°C from an initial level of 9.5×105 CFU per wound to 2.24×107 CFU at 20°C after 1 day. The highest population of the yeast was recovered 4 days after inoculation, the yeast population in wounds increased by 56.9 times. After that, the population of the yeast began to decline very slowly. R. glutinis significantly reduced the incidence of natural infections on intact fruit from 75% in the control fruit to 28.3% after 5 days at 20°C, and from 58.3 to 6.7% after 30 days at 4°C followed by 4 days at 20°C. R. glutinis treatment had no deleterious effect on quality parameters after 5 days at 20°C or after 30 days at 4°C followed by 4 days at 20°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The potential of using Rhodotorula glutinis alone or in combination with salicylic acid (SA) for the control of postharvest gray mold decay of peach fruit, and their effects on postharvest quality of fruit was investigated. Washed cell suspensions of yeast controlled gray mold better than yeast in culture broth. Treatment of wounds with autoclaved cell cultures or cell-free culture filtrate did not prevent decay. Rapid colonization of the yeast in wounds was observed during the first day at 20°C, then the populations stabilized for the remaining storage period. Spore germination and germ tube elongation of Botrytis cinerea in PDB was controlled by the living cell of R. glutinis: the percentage of spore germination of B. cinerea incubated with R. glutinis was reduced by 69.3% compared with control; similarly, the length of germ tube of B. cinerea incubated with R. glutinis was reduced by 65.8% compared with control. SA (100μg/mL) could enhance the biocontrol activity of R. glutinis against gray mold decay in peach fruit. The application of SA and R. glutinis as stand-alone treatments did not produce significant control efficacy to natural infection of peach fruits. However, R. glutinis in combination with SA resulted in low average natural infection incidence in fruit, 16.67%, compared with 46.67% in the water-treated control fruit. SA, the yeast antagonist and the combination of them both had no significant effect on quality parameters after 7 days at 20°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]