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We propose an effective method to accurately determine the defect formation energy Ef and charge transition level ε of the point defects using exclusively cohesive energy Ecoh and the fundamental band gap Eg of pristine host materials. We find that Ef of the point defects can be effectively separated into geometric and electronic contributions with a functional form: Ef = χ Ecoh + λ Eg, where χ and λ are dictated by the geometric and electronic factors of the point defects (χ and λ are defect dependent). Such a linear combination of Ecoh and E g reproduces Ef with an accuracy better than 5% for electronic structure methods ranging from hybrid density-functional theory (DFT) to many-body random-phase approximation (RPA) and experiments. Accordingly, ε is also determined by Ecoh / Eg and the defect geometric/electronic factors. The identified correlation is rather general for monovacancies and interstitials, which holds in a wide variety of semiconductors covering Si, Ge, phosphorenes, ZnO, GaAs, and InP, and enables one to obtain reliable values of Ef and ε of the point defects for RPA and experiments based on semilocal DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massively parallel sequencing technologies provide great opportunities for discovering rare susceptibility variants involved in complex disease etiology via large-scale imputation and exome and whole-genome sequence-based association studies. Due to modest effect sizes, large sample sizes of tens to hundreds of thousands of individuals are required for adequately powered studies. Current analytical tools are obsolete when it comes to handling these large datasets. To facilitate the analysis of large-scale sequence-based studies, we developed SEQSpark which implements parallel processing based on Spark to increase the speed and efficiency of performing data quality control, annotation, and association analysis. To demonstrate the versatility and speed of SEQSpark, we analyzed whole-genome sequence data from the UK10K, testing for associations with waist-to-hip ratios. The analysis, which was completed in 1.5 hr, included loading data, annotation, principal component analysis, and single variant and rare variant aggregate association analysis of >9 million variants. For rare variant aggregate analysis, an exome-wide significant association (p < 2.5 × 10 −6 ) was observed with CCDC62 (SKAT-O [p = 6.89 × 10 −7 ], combined multivariate collapsing [p = 1.48 × 10 −6 ], and burden of rare variants [p = 1.48 × 10 −6 ]). SEQSpark was also used to analyze 50,000 simulated exomes and it required 1.75 hr for the analysis of a quantitative trait using several rare variant aggregate association methods. Additionally, the performance of SEQSpark was compared to Variant Association Tools and PLINK/SEQ. SEQSpark was always faster and in some situations computation was reduced to a hundredth of the time. SEQSpark will empower large sequence-based epidemiological studies to quickly elucidate genetic variation involved in the etiology of complex traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is one of the most pathogenic aquareovirus and can cause lethal hemorrhagic disease in grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ). However, management of GCRV infection remains a challenge. Therefore, it is necessary to find effective means for the control of its infection. The uses of bacterial ghost (BG, non-living bacteria) as carriers for DNA delivery have received considerable attentions in veterinary and human vaccines studies. Nevertheless, there is still no report about intramuscular administration of bacterial ghost-based DNA vaccines in fish. In the current study, a novel vaccine based on Escherichia coli DH5α bacterial ghost (DH5α-BG), delivering a major capsid protein gene ( vp 7) of grass carp reovirus encoded DNA vaccine was developed to enhance the efficacy of a vp7 DNA vaccine against GCRV in grass carp. The grass carp was injected intramuscularly by different treatments -i) naked pcDNA- vp 7 (containing plasmid 1, 2.5 and 5 μg, respectively), ii) DH5α-BG/pcDNA- vp 7 (containing plasmid 1, 2.5 and 5 μg, respectively) and iii) naked pcDNA, DH5α-BG or phosphate buffered saline. The immune responses and disease resistance of grass carp were assessed in different groups, and results indicated that the antibody levels, serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, acid phosphatase (ACP) activity and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity and immune-related genes were significantly enhanced in fish immunized with DH5α-BG/pcDNA- vp 7 vaccine (DNA dose ranged from 2.5 to 5 μg). In addition, the relative percentage survival were significantly enhanced in fish immunized with DH5α-BG/pcDNA- vp 7 vaccine and the relative percentage survival reached to 90% in DH5α-BG/pcDNA- vp 7 group than that of naked pcDNA- vp 7 (42.22%) at the highest DNA dose (5 μg) after 14 days of post infection. Moreover, the level of pcDNA- vp 7 plasmid was higher in DH5α-BG/pcDNA- vp 7 groups than naked pcDNA- vp 7 groups in muscle and kidneys tissues after 21 days. Overall, those results suggested that DH5α bacterial ghost based DNA vaccine might be used as a promising vaccine for aquatic animals to fight against GCRV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal plants have been widely used for a long history. Exploration of pharmacologically active compounds from medicinal plants present a broad prevalent of application. By examining viral mRNA expression in GCRV-infected Ctenopharyngodon idella kidney (CIK) cells treated with thirty kinds of plant extracts, we identified Magnolia officinalis Rehd et Wils. was able to preferably suppress viral replication. Further studies demonstrated that the main ingredients of magnolia bark, namely, magnolol and honokiol presented protective pharmacological function when treated GCRV-infected CIK cells with a concentration of 2.00 μg/ml and 1.25 μg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, reverse transcript quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot showed that both magnolol and honokiol were efficient to restrain the replication of GCRV in CIK cells at non-toxic concentration (2.51 ± 0.51 μg/ml for magnolol, and 3.18 ± 0.61 μg/ml for honokiol). Moreover, it was found that magnolol and honokiol promoted the expression of immune-related genes. Magnolol obviously significantly increased the expression of interferon (IFN) regulatory factor ( IRF ) 7 rather than that of IRF3 in the GCRV-infected cells, leading to the activation of type I IFN ( IFN-I ). Simultaneously, magnolol drastically facilitated the expression of interleukin ( IL)-1β , but failed to induce the molecules in nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathways. Differently, honokiol strikingly motivated not only the expression of IL-1β , but also those of tumor necrosis factor α ( TNFα ) and NF-κB . Interestingly, though honokiol motivated the expression of IFN-β promoter stimulator 1 ( IPS-1 ), IRF3 and IRF7 , it failed to up-regulate the expression of IFN-I , indicating that honokiol enhanced the host innate antiviral response to GCRV infection via NF-κB pathways. Collectively, the present study revealed that magnolol and honokiol facilitated the expression of innate immune-related genes to strengthen the innate immune signaling responses to resist GCRV infection, which contributed to understanding the mechanisms by which small-molecule drugs possessed antiviral activities. In addition, these results lay a foundation for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral compounds in aquaculture industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-genome and exome sequence data can be cost-effectively generated for the detection of rare-variant (RV) associations in families. Causal variants that aggregate in families usually have larger effect sizes than those found in sporadic cases, so family-based designs can be a more powerful approach than population-based designs. Moreover, some family-based designs are robust to confounding due to population admixture or substructure. We developed a RV extension of the generalized disequilibrium test (GDT) to analyze sequence data obtained from nuclear and extended families. The GDT utilizes genotype differences of all discordant relative pairs to assess associations within a family, and the RV extension combines the single-variant GDT statistic over a genomic region of interest. The RV-GDT has increased power by efficiently incorporating information beyond first-degree relatives and allows for the inclusion of covariates. Using simulated genetic data, we demonstrated that the RV-GDT method has well-controlled type I error rates, even when applied to admixed populations and populations with substructure. It is more powerful than existing family-based RV association methods, particularly for the analysis of extended pedigrees and pedigrees with missing data. We analyzed whole-genome sequence data from families affected by Alzheimer disease to illustrate the application of the RV-GDT. Given the capability of the RV-GDT to adequately control for population admixture or substructure and analyze pedigrees with missing genotype data and its superior power over other family-based methods, it is an effective tool for elucidating the involvement of RVs in the etiology of complex traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study examined the pattern of adjunctive antidepressant use in schizophrenia patients and its demographic and clinical correlates in a nationwide survey in China. Methods Fourteen thousand and thirteen patients in 45 Chinese psychiatric hospitals or centers were interviewed (4,486 in 2002, 5,288 in 2006, and 4,239 in 2012). Patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. Chi-square test, independent-samples t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used in data analyses. Results Antidepressant use was found in 5.2% of the study population with 4.6% in 2002, 4.3% in 2006, and 6.9% in 2012, respectively. A significant increase in use from 2006 to 2012 was found ( p < .001). Multiple logistic regression analyses in the whole population revealed that patients receiving adjunctive antidepressants were more likely to be outpatients in tertiary referral centers (level-III hospitals) and who had an earlier age of onset, less severe global illness, but more depressive symptoms. They were less likely to receive first-generation antipsychotics but more likely to receive benzodiazepines (R2 = 0.255, p < .001). Conclusions Despite an increasing trend, the frequency of antidepressant use in schizophrenia in China was considerably lower than in Western countries. The benefits and risks associated with concomitant use of antidepressants in schizophrenia need to be studied further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• UA effectively inhibits MSRV proliferation in vitro. • UA has a protective effect on MSRV-infected fish. • UA is a valuable agent for MSRV in the industry. Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) has a high mortality rate and causes huge economic losses to the aquaculture industry. In this study, we identified that ursolic acid (UA) had antiviral efficacy against MSRV in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that UA inhibited MSRV replication in grass carp ovary (GCO) cells with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50) of 5.55 μM, reduced viral titers and decreased cytopathic effects (CPE). Mechanistically, UA does not directly damage viral particles. On the other hand, UA inhibits MSRV replication by altering viral binding and release. Furthermore, pre- and post-treatment assays revealed that UA had preventive and therapeutic effects. For in vivo studies, UA could enhance the survival rate of MSRV-infected largemouth bass. Similarly, UA reduced the viral load of MSRV in the heart, spleen and brain at 3, 5 and 7 d post-infection. In conclusion, UA is an effective inhibitor of rhabdovirus in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dexamethasone, a known immunosuppressant, can inhibit the immune response and increase the amount of pathogen in body, but the role of dexamethasone affecting susceptibility of crucian carp ( Carassius auratus ) to pathogen is unclear. The effects of dexamethasone on susceptibility of crucian carp to Aeromonas hydrophila were investigated in this study. The fish were divided into four groups randomly and injected intraperitoneally by dexamethasone for 0 day (group D), 3 days (group C), 6 days (group B), and 9 days (group A), respectively. The serum lysozyme activity was significantly declined in group A, B and C. Relative immune gene expression such as il - 1β , cxcl-8 , tnfα and crp in kidney were down-regulation compared to group D. After that crucian carp were infected with A. hydrophila , crucian carp treated by dexamethasone had higher mortality (group A 95%, group B 76%, group C 31%) when compared to group D (4% mortality); the amount of pathogen in was significantly increased ( P < 0.05) in liver, kidney and spleen of fish in group A-C compared to group D. These results implicated that higher susceptibility caused by dexamethasone may be induced by the decrease of lysozyme activity and the down-regulation of some immune genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an intention to find more potent anti-parasite agents, four bromoalkane substituted coumarin derivatives ( 1 – 4 ) and twenty coumarin–imidazole hybrid derivatives were synthesized and screened for their anthelmintic activity and the acute toxicity. Anti-parasites results confirmed that most coumarin derivatives retained their anthelmintic activity against Dactylogyrus intermedius at the dose range from 1 to 10 mg/L. Among the candidates, compound 23 showed the best anthelmintic activity than other compounds against D. intermedius infestation with EC 50 value of 0.85 mg/L. The structure–activity relationship analysis confirmed that the anthelmintic activities of derivatives were determined by the length of ‘ linker ’ (R 1 substitute position) and the substitute group in R 2 position. The active data confirmed that six carbon atoms length of ‘ linker ’ and benzimidazole substitute group can increased the anthelmintic activity of compound, significantly. On the basis of these results, compound 23 can be used as a potential lead compound for the development of commercial drug against D. intermedius . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a simple way to the homocoupling of tertiary halides induced by photocatalysis. This method features mild reaction conditions, excellent functional group tolerance, high yields, low photocatalyst loading and successful application to the highly sterically hindered systems. On the basis of the reaction results, a novel stable-radical-induced homocoupling reaction mechanism has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the economic losses caused by diseases in aquaculture industry, more efficient and economic prophylactic measures should be urgently investigated. In this research, the effects of a novel functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) applied as a delivery vehicle for DNA vaccine administration in juvenile grass carp against Aeromonas hydrophila were studied. Our results showed that SWCNTs loaded with DNA vaccine induced a better protection to juvenile grass carp against A. hydrophila . Moreover, SWCNTs conjugated with DNA vaccine provided significantly protective immunity compared with free DNA vaccine. Thereby, SWCNTs may be considered as a potential efficient DNA vaccine carrier to enhance the immunological activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micropterus salmoides rhabavirus (MSRV) is an important pathogen that threatens the aquaculture of bass farming worldwide, and the efficacy of vaccines developed against this pathogen still needs to be improved. In order to further enhance the immune efficacy of existing vaccines, a mannose-modified nanovector vaccine SWCNTs-M-G2 was constructed by screening for peptide fragments encoding highly immunogenic antigenic epitopes (G2) and mannose modifications. Mannose receptor (MR) is abundantly expressed on the surface of Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and plays a role in recognizing pathogens and presenting antigens. In this study, the effect of mannosylated modification on the immunopotentiation of highly immunogenic peptide fragments was investigated by using the characteristics of MR-specific recognition of mannose and APCs surface. In vitro macrophage assays showed that SWCNTs-M-G2 was efficiently phagocytosed and taken up by largemouth black bass head kidney macrophages, and effectively stimulated macrophage activation and upregulated the secretion of macrophage cytokines IL-1β, IL-8 and IL-12. In vivo , SWCNTs-M-G2 was also shown to be better taken up by immune organs such as spleen and head kidney, and induced increased expression of IL-1β, IL-8 and IL-12 in the immune organs of Micropterus salmoides , and promoted the expression of TCR and CD4 molecules in specific immune cells. Meanwhile, in vivo fluorescence imaging revealed that SWCNTs-M-G2 could be in the immune organ of fish for a longer period of time, contributing to the efficient uptake of antigens. Finally, the challenge test showed that SWCNTs-M-G2 could mediate the production of specific antibodies at a higher level than the unmodified carrier vaccine SWCNTs-G2 and showed a higher relative immune protection rate. [Display omitted] • Screened G2 polypeptide fragments containing dominant antigenic epitopes. • Mannose-modified G2 protein activates macrophages more efficiently. • Modification of mannose can improve the immune protection effect of G2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tri-modal image fusion can be improved using cartoon-texture decomposition. • A novel scheme is proposed to fuse cartoon components while retaining brightness. • The proposed method shows excellent subjective and objective evaluation results. Multimodal medical image fusion integrates useful information from multiple single-modal medical images, generating a more comprehensive and objective fused image that better assist clinical applications. In this paper, a novel tri-modal medical image fusion method based on cartoon-texture decomposition is proposed and performed using a rolling guidance filter, and sparse representation, to fuse the texture components. Furthermore, a novel adaptive energy choosing scheme is proposed to fuse the cartoon components; through this approach, the brightness of cartoon components can be effectively detected. Finally, the fused image is reconstructed by combining the fused texture and cartoon components. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method yields better performance than some state-of-the-art methods in subjective and objective assessments. Meanwhile, the average level of the proposed method are 28.44%, 8.94%, 0.07%, 16.09%, 58.66%, and 0.34% higher than the compared methods evaluated by the metrics including Q MI , Q TE , Q NCIE , Q G , Q P and EN, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of continuous combat between pathogens and fish, bacteria have evolved a series of unique strategies to evade the defenses of the natural immune system. The bacterial type IV secretion system (T4SS), as an important multi-protein complex, plays an important role in the process of bacterial infection of the host. However, the T4SS effector protein and its function during bacterial infection remain to be elucidated. A typical T4SS is present in the integrative and conjugative element ICE (r2) of Yersinia ruckeri SC09. In this study, we found that SC09-T4SS mediated the virulence of bacteria and improved the viability of bacteria in eukaryotic cells. SC09-T4SS also mediated the inhibition of pro-inflammatory signals, thereby assisting in the immune escape of bacteria during infection. These effects of SC09-T4SS were due to the secretion of molecules such as STIR-1, STIR-2, and STIR-3. We believe that SC09-T4SS secretion systems are common in bacteria, and our research may provide a general rule of bacterial pathogenicity. • The SC09-T4SS assists Yersinia ruckeri immune escape. • STIR-1, STIR-2, STIR-3 are secreted by SC09-T4SS. • VirB3–4 is an important component of SC09-T4SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White spot disease (WSD) caused by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is one of the most dangerous diseases in the shrimp production industry, but there is no effective drug to control WSSV infection to date. The main challenges are the existence of biological barriers and untargeted drug delivery. In this study, a single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibody-mediated WSSV-targeting drug delivery system was constructed for WSD targeting therapy. Natural compound geniposidic acid (GPA) could directly inhibit the expression of WSSV structural proteins VP24, VP26, and VP28 in Drosophila S2 cells. Yeast two-hybrid and intracellular co-localization showed that scFv antibody P75E8 could recognize and bind to VP28. Indirect ELISA showed that P75E8 had a good affinity to WSSV. Moreover, single-walled carbon nanotubes, GPA, and P75E8 were respectively selected as the nanocarrier, anti-WSSV drug, and targeting ligand to construct targeted drug delivery system SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8. Compared with GPA, SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8 showed a stronger anti-WSSV activity by inhibiting WSSV replication in crayfish and reducing the mortality of WSSV-infected crayfish. The mortality of WSSV-infected crayfish decreased by 23.33% and 46.67% after treatment with GPA and SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8 for 240 h, respectively. The results of GPA metabolism showed that SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8 could transport more GPA to target tissues of WSSV. Taken together, SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8 showed stronger WSSV-targeting ability and anti-WSSV activity. WSSV-specific antibody-mediated targeted drug delivery system is an effective strategy for WSD targeting therapy. • Geniposidic acid (GPA) inhibits the expression of WSSV proteins VP24, VP26, and VP28 in vitro. • scFv antibody P75E8 can bind to WSSV by specific recognizing VP28. • P75E8-mediated targeted drug delivery system was constructed, named as SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8. • SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8 has stronger anti-WSSV activity in vivo than GPA. • SWCNTs-GPA-P75E8 can transport more GPA to the target site of WSSV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Complex bioinformatic data analysis workflows involving multiple scripts in different languages can be difficult to consolidate, share and reproduce. An environment that streamlines the entire processes of data collection, analysis, visualization and reporting of such multi-language analyses is currently lacking. Results We developed Script of Scripts (SoS) Notebook, a web-based notebook environment that allows the use of multiple scripting language in a single notebook, with data flowing freely within and across languages. SoS Notebook enables researchers to perform sophisticated bioinformatic analysis using the most suitable tools for different parts of the workflow, without the limitations of a particular language or complications of cross-language communications. Availability and implementation SoS Notebook is hosted at http://vatlab.github.io/SoS/ and is distributed under a BSD license. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of GdIII photosensitizers is important for designing theranostic agents owing to the unique properties arising from seven unpaired f electrons of the Gd3+ ion. Combining these with the advantages of porpholactones with tunable NIR absorption, we herein report the synthesis of GdIII complexes Gd-1- 4 ( 1, porphyrin; 2, porpholactone; 3 and 4, cis- and trans-porphodilactone, respectively) and investigated their function as singlet oxygen (1O2) photosensitizers. These Gd complexes displayed 1O2 quantum yields ( ΦΔs) from 0.64-0.99 with the order Gd-1< Gd-2< Gd-3< Gd-4. The gradually enhanced 1O2 sensitization after β-oxazolone moiety replacement was ascribed to the narrowing of the energy gap (Δ E) between the lowest triplet states (T1) of the ligand and the energy level of the 1Δg→3Σg transition of 1O2. In particular, Gd-4 is capable of excitation in the visible to NIR region (400-700 nm) with a quantum yield near unity. These Gd complexes were first demonstrated as efficient photosensitizers in photocatalysis such as oxidative C−H bond functionalization of secondary or tertiary amines, and the oxygenation of the natural product cholesterol. Finally, after glycosylation, these water-soluble Gd complexes showed potential applications in photodynamic therapy (PDT) in HeLa cells. This work revealed that GdIII complexes of 'bioinspired' β-modified porpholactones are efficient NIR photosensitizers and form a chemical basis to construct appealing photocatalysts and theranostic agents based on lanthanides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moroxydine hydrochloride (Mor) is known to have multi-antiviral activities against DNA and RNA viruses but very little information exists on its pharmacology. The paper was undertaken to explore the antiviral response and antiapoptotic mechanism of Mor against grass carp reovirus (GCRV) in Ctenopharyngodon idella kidney (CIK) cells. The results showed that exposing GCRV-infected cell to 6.3 μg mL −1 of Mor for 96 h avoid ca. 50% apoptosis. Meanwhile, Mor had lower cytotoxicity than ribavirin (Rib) as the value of safe concentration was threefold higher than effective concentration and the compound could ensure sufficient into and out of cells within 4 h when tested at the maximal safe concentration. Mor blocked the GCRV-induced cytopathic effects and eliminated nucleocapsids in CIK cells to keep the normal morphological structure. Moreover, the expressions of viral protein genes were significantly inhibited especially the guanylyl transferase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase related expression. Furthermore, GCRV caused Bcl-2 down-regulation and Bax mitochondrial translocation was prevented by treatment of CIK cells with Mor. The downstream effector, caspase activity was also significantly inhibited in Mor treated cells. The potential mechanism might be that mitochondrial apoptotic signals were not activated by the intervention of Mor for targeting viral gene expression. Taken together, Mor showed high anti-GCRV activity and had been proved as a secure and promising agent in viral controlling in aquaculture industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is a promising oxygenated additive or substitute for hydrocarbon fuels, because of the absence of C–C bonds and the large oxygen content in its molecular structure. To better understand its chemical oxidation and combustion kinetics, flow reactor pyrolysis at different pressures (40, 200 and 1040 mbar) and low-pressure laminar premixed flames with different equivalence ratios (1.0 and 1.5) were investigated. Mole fraction profiles of many reaction intermediates and products were obtained within estimated experimental uncertainties. From theoretical calculations and estimations, a detailed kinetic model for DMC pyrolysis and high-temperature combustion consisting of 257 species and 1563 reactions was developed. The performance of the kinetic model was then analyzed using detailed chemical composition information, primarily from the present measurements. In addition, it was examined against the chemical structure of an opposed-flow diffusion flame, relying on global combustion properties such as the ignition delay times and laminar burning velocities. These extended comparisons yielded overall satisfactory agreement, demonstrating the applicability of the present model over a wide range of high-temperature conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Tetrahymena thermophila as experimental models, the oxidative stress of triazole fungicides myclobutanil (MYC) and cyproconazole (CYP) was investigated. Results showed that 24-h EC 50 values for MYC and CYP were 16.67 (13.37–19.65) and 20.44 (18.85–21.96) mg/L, respectively; 48-h EC 50 values for MYC and CYP were 14.31 (13.13–15.42) and 18.76 (17.09–20.31) mg/L, respectively. Reactive oxygen species was significantly induced and cytotoxicity was caused by MYC and CYP by increasing propidium iodide (PI) fluorescence. Damage of regular wrinkles and appearing of small holes on the cell surface were observed by SEM. Furthermore, MYC and CYP also caused notable changes in enzyme activities and mRNA levels. Overall, the present study points out that MYC and CYP lead to oxidative stress on T. thermophila . The information presented in this study will provide insights into the mechanism of triazoles-induced oxidative stress on T. thermophila . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni–P/BN(h) composite coatings are prepared by means of the conventional electroless plating from the bath containing up to 10.0 g/l of hexagonal boron nitride particles with size 0.5 μm. The Ni–P coating is also prepared as a comparison. Cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is used to stabilize the electrolyte, and the optimum CTAB concentration resulting in a nonagglomerated dispersion of particles is obtained using a dispersion stability analyzer. Morphology of the coatings and the effect of incorporated particles on coating structure and composition are investigated via scanning electron microscopy, field emission electron probe micro-analyzer and X-ray diffraction analysis. Hardness, roughness, friction coefficient and wear resistance of the coatings are also evaluated using Vickers microhardness tester, atomic force microscopy and ball-on disk machine. The presence of CTAB in the depositing bath has a positive effect on the surface roughness and performance of Ni–P/BN(h) composite coatings. The friction and wear tests results show that incorporation of 14.5 vol% BN(h) particles into the Ni–P coating lowers the coating friction coefficient by about 75% and the wear resistance of the Ni–P composites is approximately 10 times higher than Ni–P coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the lethal hemorrhagic disease caused by grass carp reovirus (GCRV) and improve the production of grass carp, efficient and economic prophylactic measure against GCRV is the most pressing desired for the grass carp farming industry. In this work, a novel SWCNTs-pEGFP- vp5 DNA vaccine linked vp5 recombinant in the form of plasmid pEGFP- vp5 and ammonium-functionalized SWCNTs by a chemical modification method was prepared to enhance the efficacy of a vp5 DNA vaccine against GCRV in juvenile grass carp. After intramuscular injection (1, 2.5 and 5 μg) and bath administration (1, 10, and 20 mg/L), the ability of the different immune treatments to induce transgene expression was analyzed. The results showed that higher levels of transcription and expression of vp5 gene could be detected in muscle tissues of grass carp in SWCNTs-pEGFP- vp5 treatment groups compare with naked pEGFP- vp5 treatment groups. Moreover, antibody levels, immune-related genes, and relative percentage survival were significantly enhanced in fish immunized with SWCNTs-pEGFP- vp5 vaccine. In addition, we found that a good immune protective effect was observed in bath immunization group; which at a concentration of 20 mg/L could reach the similar relative percentage survival (approximately 100%) in injection group at a dose of 5 μg. All these results indicated that ammonium-functionalized SWCNTs could provide extensive application prospect to aquatic vaccine and might be used to vaccinate fish by intramuscular injection or bath administration method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the separation capability of CCC, a novel solid-liquid two-stationary phases CCC (ASP-CCC) column was prepared employing graphene oxide (GO) conjugated poly-dopamine (PD) coating (GO/PD) as auxiliary stationary phase (ASP). The results of Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that nanostructured GO and PD were successfully grafted on the inner wall of the PTFE column. Three alkaloid compounds were selected as the target analytes to evaluate the performance of the novel column. Because of the intermolecular force (hydrogen bond, electrostatic interaction and π–π interaction) between the ASP and model compounds, three analytes were well separated with this novel ASP-CCC column. Additionally, the novel column exhibited higher stationary phase retention ratio, about 8%, than original column without changing the chromatographic condition. Furthermore, the eluotropic sequence of analytes on novel column was in accordance with that in the original column. This suggested that the novel column is a CCC column with auxiliary stationary phase (ASP) in its own right, and the present separation mode is the combination of partition chromatography and adsorption chromatography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We examined the time trends and correlates of clozapine use in schizophrenia patients in China.Method: A total of 14,013 patients with schizophrenia treated in 45 psychiatric hospitals/centers nationwide were interviewed in 2002, 2006 and 2012. Patients' socio-demographic and clinical characteristics including psychopathology, medication side effects, satisfaction with treatment and quality of life (QOL) were recorded in a standardized fashion.Results: Clozapine was used in 32.9% of the whole sample; with corresponding figures of 39.7%, 32.5% and 26.4% in 2002, 2006 and 2012 (p<0.001). Families of clozapine users had lower satisfaction with treatment than those of the non-clozapine group, without significant differences with respect to patients' treatment satisfaction and mental or physical QOL. In multiple logistic regression analyses, compared to the non-clozapine group, patients on clozapine had an earlier age of onset, longer illness duration, more global illness severity and drug-induced central nervous system, gastrointestinal and other side effects, lower antipsychotic doses, less delusions and hallucinations, more negative symptoms, were more likely male, inpatients, to have a family history of psychiatric disorders, receive treatments in regional centers and receive antipsychotic polypharmacy, but less likely to have health insurance and receive first-generation antipsychotics and benzodiazepines (R(2)=0.498, p<0.001).Conclusions: Clozapine was used in one-third of schizophrenia patients in China, with decreasing frequency since 2002. Patients prescribed clozapine had multiple markers of greater global illness severity/chronicity and decreased satisfaction with treatment by the families, but similar QOL and less delusions and hallucinations than patients not prescribed clozapine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of exomes and genomes has accelerated the identification of genes involved in Mendelian phenotypes. However, many NGS studies fall short of identifying causal variants, with estimates for success rates as low as 25% for uncovering the pathological variant underlying disease etiology. An important reason for such failures is familial locus heterogeneity, where within a single pedigree causal variants in two or more genes underlie Mendelian trait etiology. As examples of intra- and inter-sibship familial locus heterogeneity, we present 10 consanguineous Pakistani families segregating hearing impairment due to homozygous variants in two different hearing impairment genes and a European-American pedigree in which hearing impairment is caused by four variants in three different genes. We have identified 41 additional pedigrees with syndromic and nonsyndromic hearing impairment for which a single previously reported hearing impairment gene has been identified but only segregates with the phenotype in a subset of affected pedigree members. We estimate that locus heterogeneity occurs in 15.3% (95% confidence interval: 11.9%, 19.9%) of the families in our collection. We demonstrate novel approaches to apply linkage analysis and homozygosity mapping (for autosomal recessive consanguineous pedigrees), which can be used to detect locus heterogeneity using either NGS or SNP array data. Results from linkage analysis and homozygosity mapping can also be used to group sibships or individuals most likely to be segregating the same causal variants and thereby increase the success rate of gene identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A duplication variant within the middle ear-specific gene A2ML1 cosegregates with otitis media in an indigenous Filipino pedigree (LOD score = 7.5 at reduced penetrance) and lies within a founder haplotype that is also shared by 3 otitis-prone European-American and Hispanic-American children but is absent in non-otitis-prone children and >62,000 next-generation sequences. We identified seven additional A2ML1 variants in six otitis-prone children. Collectively, our studies support a role for A2ML1 in the pathophysiology of otitis media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are widely used in industrial and commercial applications, but few studies systematically evaluate their developmental toxicity on aquatic organism. Using rare minnow ( Gobiocypris rarus) at early life stages as experimental models, developmental toxicity of functionalized single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) was investigated following exposure to 0-320 mg/L for 144 h. Results revealed that significantly increased in mortality and malformation was only observed after hatching. Decreased body length, heart rate and swimming speed provide a concentration-dependent manner on larvae; values of 144 h LC50 and EC50 were 140.8 and 109.8 mg/L, respectively. Antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione S-transferase) and antioxidant enzyme related mRNA expressions were significant changed; cell apoptosis activities (caspase-3, -8, -9) and cell apoptosis related mRNA expressions were significant up-regulated; reactive oxygen species and DNA damage were significantly induced when the concentration of SWCNTs above 100 mg/L. Fluorescence and electron microscopy sliced observation show that SWCNTs were well dispersed in larvae within 0.5 h, eventually cleared from the larvae at 144 h. This is the first study to define uptake kinetics and to focus on behavioral consequences, physiological changes and mRNA expression following SWCNTs exposure in the early life stages of fish. The results obtained in the present study demonstrated that functionalized SWCNTs have the potential to affect aquatic life when released into the aquatic environment and reached high concentration. In the increasing economical context of SWCNTs, complementary studies must be undertaken, especially including mechanistic and environmental investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MON effectively inhibits SVCV proliferation in EPC cells. • MON has a protective effect on SVCV-infected zebrafish. • MON is a valuable agent for SVCV in the industry. Spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) poses a serious threat to aquaculture industry due to the lack of approved antiviral treatments. Therefore, a novel arctigenin derivative, 4-(2-methylimidazole) octanoxy-arctigenin (MON), was synthesized to assess the antiviral activity against SVCV in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated MON decreased the SVCV glycoprotein (G) gene expression in vitro by a maximum inhibitory rate of > 99% at 3.5 μM. Furthermore, MON showed the protective effect on epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells and considerably decreased the cytopathic effect (CPE). More importantly, MON inhibited SVCV G gene expression levels in vitro at the half-maximal activity (IC 50) of 0.18 μM at 48 h. For in vivo studies, MON demonstrated anti-SVCV activity by enhancing the survival rate of zebrafish (Danio rerio) after infection via pelvic fin base injection. These results tended to be consistent with MON decreasing the SVCV titer of infected zebrafish. During this time, viral loads of the spleen and kidney have declined in SVSV-infected zebrafish. Based on the histopathological assay, MON exhibited the high protective effect in the spleen and kidney of SVCV-infected fish. Combined, MON is on track to become a novel agent to address SVCV infection in aquaculture. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new α-pyrone xylaripyrone A (1) and a new phthalide xylariphthalide A (2) were isolated from the Xylariaceae fungus (no. 63-19-7-3), along with four related known phthalides (3–6): 4-[(acetyloxy)methyl]-7-methoxy-6-methyl-1(3H)-isobenzofuranone (3), convolvulol (4), 7-methoxy-4,6-dimethyl-3H-isobenzofuran-1-one (5), and convolvulanic acid B (6). Their structures were determined on the basis of IR, MS, and NMR spectroscopic analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Intestinal microbiota has become an integral component of the fish, and plays a key role in host metabolism, immunity and health maintenance. However, information on the immune responses after vaccine administration in relation to the intestinal microbiota is absent in fish. The present study focused on the effect of a new recombinant Aeromonas hydrophila vaccine (Aera) by using a novel functionalized, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as a delivery vehicle on the intestinal microbiota of grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) through the bath immunization, and further explored the immunological responses in intestine, kidney and spleen. By performing deep sequencing, a total of 81,979 valid reads and 609 OTUs obtained from 4 intestine samples were analyzed. We detected 141 genuses, most of which belonged to Firmicutes, Fusobacteria and Proteobacteria. Of note, the quantity of Aeromonas in library Aera (after 6 h Aera vaccine pretreatment, fish were transferred to tanks without SWCNTs-Aera for 28 d) and Aera-GD (6 h Aera vaccine pretreated prior to the group injected by A. hydrophila ) was declined 6.5% and 14.6% compared with the control, respectively. Moreover, the expression of seven immune-related genes (IFN-I, TNF-α, CRP, IL-8, IgM, MHC I and CD8α) in the intestine, kidney and spleen of Aera treated fish was significantly enhanced, which indicated that a better tissue immune response in grass carp was induced by the SWCNTs-Aera vaccine. Therefore, a new recombinant SWCNT-Aera vaccine may represent potentially efficient and immunological role in grass carp intestine to resist A. hydrophila infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infectious diseases of viral origin cause major aquatic production losses in different parts of the world. Because of formidable barriers for gastrointestinal tract, skin and cell, large amounts of antiviral drugs have limited therapeutic effect. In the current study, functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were selected as a drug carrier to carry antiviral drug for the treatment of viral diseases on fish. The results show that increasing antiviral drug (ribavirin) intake was observed by SWCNTs carrier and therapeutic dosage to kill grass carp reovirus is significantly reduced. At 12 d post infection, survival rate and infection rate were 29.7% and 50.4% for naked ribavirin treatment group exposed to the highest concentration (20 mg/L); however, survival rate of 96.6% and infection rate of 9.4% were observed in 5 mg/L ribavirin-SWCNTs treatment group. In addition, the drug detention time in different organs and tissues (blood, gill, liver, muscle, kidney and intestine) was also significantly extended (about 72 h) compared with the same dosage in naked ribavirin treatment group. Moreover, the toxicity of functionalized SWCNTs in grass carp can be minimal, and physiological markers (some antioxidant enzymes activities, apoptotic factors activities and their corresponding genes expression) remained within normal ranges following treatment. Our results indicated that drug delivery with functionalized SWCNTs can improve the antiviral effect on grass carp and has a potential application value to control fish viral diseases in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new α-pyrone derivatives, nodulisporipyrones A–D (1–4), were isolated from the extract of an endolichenic fungal strainNodulisporiumsp. (65-12-7-1) that was fermented with rice. The structures of1–4were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configurations were determined by modified Mosher's method and electronic circular dichroism experiments. Their antimicrobial activities againstStaphylococcus aureus209P,Escherichia coliATCC0111,Aspergillus nigerR330, andCandida albicansFIM709 were evaluated using a paper disk diffusion method. Nodulisporipyrones A–D (1–4) are the first α-pyrone derivatives fromNodulisporiumfungi. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To aim at the common issues in clinical diagnose and classification, such as imbalance, different misclassification costs, numerous unlabeled samples, and measure errors, this paper introduced a relatively new research findings in deep learning, stacked denoising autoencoders (SDA) neural network. Then SDA neural network and metacost algorithm with under-sampling, it combined partial update to form an improved SDA neural network. This improved SDA neural network was cost-sensitive, denoising, able to utilize the unlabeled samples and alleviate the imbalance. In the experiment,it compared with SOFT-MAX regression, back propagation (BP) neural network, support vector machine (SVM), stacked autoencoders (SAE) neural network,and traditional SDA neural network. It shows that the accuracy(ACC) and area under ROC(AUC) of the improved SDA neural network outperforms the others. Consequently, the auxiliary diagnostic ability of the classification model is enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal microorganisms of aquatic animals have a crucial impact on the host and some may have the potential to be used as probiotics. In this work, three strains of autochthonous bacteria were isolated from the intestinal tract of the healthy grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idellus ). The effects of single or combined use of dietary Shewanella xiamenensis A-1, S. xiamenensis A-2, and Aeromonas veronii A-7 were assessed on innate immunity and disease resistance of grass carp. The grass carp were fed 28 days by five experimental diets: i) one control diet with no probiotics, ii) three diets supplemented with 1 × 10 8 cell g − 1 of intestinal bacteria A-1 (group A1), A-2 (group A2) and A-7 (group B), and iii) mixed diet (group MIX) comprising of bacteria A 1, A-2 and A 7 dosed at 1 × 10 8 cell g − 1 , at a ratio of 4:2:1, which was set according to their quantity ratio in our study. At the end of the 28-day feeding experiment, the survival of grass carp against Aeromonas hydrophila was challenged for 14 days. Results showed that responses of several non-specific immune parameters of groups fed probiotics were enhanced; i.e. all probiotic groups led to significant enhancement of both respiratory burst, phagocytic and lysozyme activities than that of control activity. The complement C3, total serum proteins, albumin and globulin levels were also significantly improved on day 14 of feeding regime with probiotics compared to the control. Moreover, the expression of four immune-related genes (IL-8, IL-1β, lysozyme-C, and TNF-α genes) was significantly up-regulated in grass carp fed probiotic diets compared to control group on days 7, 14, and 28. The cumulative mortality of grass carp, experimentally challenged with A. hydrophila , was reduced in groups fed probiotics, i.e. A-1 = 46.67%, A-2 = 33.33%, B = 53.33% and mixed = 26.67%, respectively, than that of controls (80%) after 14 days of post-infection. Overall, the results of this study indicated the potential of using the three isolated autochthonous bacteria (single or combined) to improve immunity and disease resistance of grass carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using catalytic amount of CoCl2with dmgH (dimethylglyoxime)as ligand to form a photosensitizer in situ, a highly selective, efficient,and environmentally benign visible light mediated cross-dehydrogenativecoupling (CDC) reaction has been developed in aqueous medium. Thedesired cross-coupling C–C bonds that involve Csp3with Csp, Csp2, and Csp3, respectively,were achieved exclusively in high yields without formation of anyother byproduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which investigates the use of antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) medication in China for the treatment of patients suffering from schizophrenia and its association with factors including quality of life and treatment satisfaction. Topics covered include the use of survey techniques to collect data, the use of the computer software the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to evaluate the acquired data, and a detailed analysis of the results.

The uses of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as carriers for DNA delivery have received considerable attention in cell studies. DNA vaccination of fish has been shown to elicit durable transgene expression, but no reports exist on intramuscular administration of SWCNTs-DNA vaccine electrostatic complexes which prepared through non-covalent conjugation. In this study, we injected grass carp intramuscularly with a plasmid vector containing a major capsid protein gene ( vp7 ) of grass carp reovirus as a) naked pcDNA- vp7 , b) SWCNTs-pcDNA- vp7 , c) empty plasmid vector, or phosphate buffered saline. After intramuscular administration, the ability of the different immune treatments to induce transgene expression was analyzed. The results indicated that higher levels of transcription and expression of the vp7 gene could be detected in muscle tissues of grass carp 28 days intramuscular injection in SWCNTs-pcDNA- vp7 treatment groups compare with naked pcDNA- vp7 treatment groups. Moreover, the serum respiratory burst activity, complement activity, lysozyme activity, superoxide dismutase activity, immune-related genes, antibody levels and relative percentage survival were significantly enhanced in fish immunized with SWCNTs-pcDNA- vp7 vaccine. The data in this study suggested that SWCNTs were promising carriers for plasmid DNA vaccine and might be used to vaccinate fish by intramuscular approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trifloxystrobin (TFS) is the widely used strobilurin fungicide. However, little information is so far available regarding the uptake kinetics and developmental toxicity of TFS to fish. The present study was conducted to investigate the uptake kinetics, potential environment risk and toxicity of TFS on Gobiocypris rarus embryos. Results revealed that increased malformation, decreased body length and heart rate, affected spontaneous movement and swimming speed provide a gradual concentration-dependent manner; values of 144 h LC 50 (median lethal concentration) and EC 50 (median effective concentration) were 1.11 and 0.86 μg L −1 . Continuous exposure to TFS resulted in a steady accumulation with no evidence of elimination. Enzyme activities were significantly changed; reactive oxygen species and DNA damage were significantly induced after TFS treatment. Certain genes related to cell apoptosis ( p53 ), metabolism ( cyp1a ), stress response ( hsp70 ) and blood vessels ( vezf1 ) development were all significantly up-regulated. This is the first study to define uptake kinetics and to focus on behavioral consequences, physiological changes and mRNA expression following TFS exposure in the early life stages of fish. Our results suggest that TFS is highly toxic to fish embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain A2 with algicidal activity against Microcystis aeruginosa was isolated and identified with the genus Acinetobacter on the basis of phenotypic tests and 16S rRNA gene analysis. It was identified with the species Acinetobactor guillouiae by partial rpoB sequence analysis. When 10% ( v / v ) of the bacterial culture was co-incubated with M . aeruginosa culture, algicidal efficiency reached 91.6% after 7 days. Supernatant of A2 culture showed similar algicidal activity, while the cell pellet had little activity, suggesting that Acinetobacter guillouiae A2 indirectly attacked M. aeruginosa cells by secreting an extracellular algicidal compound, which was characterized as heat-stable. A significant decrease in the microcystin (microcystin-LR) concentration was observed after 10% ( v / v ) addition of A2 culture. Transcription of three microcystin-related genes ( mcy A, mcy D and mcy H) was also found to be inhibited. The algicidal compound 4-hydroxyphenethylamine was obtained by further isolation and purification using various chromatographic techniques. The EC 50, 3d and EC 50, 7d values of 4-hydroxyphenethylamine against M. aeruginosa were 22.5 and 10.3 mgL −1 , respectively. These results indicate that A . guillouiae strain A2 inhibits growth of M. aeruginosa and degrades microcystin production. The identified compound, 4-hydroxyphenethylamine, has potential for development as a new algicidal formulation or product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the economic losses caused by diseases in aquaculture industry, more efficient and economic prophylactic measures should be urgently investigated. In this research, the effects of a novel functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) applied as a delivery vehicle for recombinant Aeromonas hydrophila vaccine administration via bath or injection in juvenile grass carp were studied. The results showed that SWCNT as a vector for the recombinant protein aerA, augmented the production of specific antibodies, apparently stimulated the induction of immune-related genes, and induced higher level of survival rate compared with free aerA subunit vaccine. Furthermore, we compared the routes of bath and intramuscular injection immunization by SWCNTs-aerA vaccine, and found that similar antibody levels induced by SWCNTs-aerA were observed in both immunization routes. Meanwhile, a similar relative percentage survival (approximately 80%) was found in both a 40 mg/L bath immunization group, and a 20 μg injection group. The results indicate that functionalized SWCNTs could be a promising delivery vehicle to potentiate the immune response of recombinant vaccines, and might be used to vaccinate juvenile fish by bath administration method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is a cyanobacterium that produces neurotoxins or paralytic shellfish poisons (PSPs) called aphantoxins, which present threats to environmental safety and human health via eutrophication of water bodies worldwide. Although the molecular mechanisms of this neurotoxin have been studied, many questions remain unsolved, including those relating to in vivo hepatic neurotransmitter inactivation, physiological detoxification and histological and ultrastructural alterations. Aphantoxins extracted from the natural strain of A. flos-aquae DC-1 were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The main components were gonyautoxins 1 and 5 (GTX1, GTX5) and neosaxitoxin (neoSTX), which comprised 34.04%, 21.28%, and 12.77% respectively. Zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) were exposed intraperitoneally to 5.3 or 7.61 μg STX equivalents (eq)/kg (low and high doses, respectively) of A. flos-aquae DC-1 aphantoxins. Morphological alterations and changes in neurotransmitter conduction functions of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) in zebrafish liver were detected at different time points 1–24 h post-exposure. Aphantoxin significantly enhanced hepatic alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities and histological and ultrastructural damage in zebrafish liver at 3–12 h post-exposure. Toxin exposure increased the reactive oxygen species content and reduced total antioxidative capacity in zebrafish liver, suggesting oxidative stress. AChE and MAO activities were significantly inhibited, suggesting neurotransmitter inactivation/conduction function abnormalities in zebrafish liver. All alterations were dose- and time-dependent. Overall, the results indicate that aphantoxins/PSPs induce oxidative stress through inhibition of AChE and MAO activities, leading to neurotoxicity in zebrafish liver. The above parameters may be useful as bioindicators for investigating aphantoxins/PSPs and cyanobacterial blooms in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV), the most pathogenic aquareovirus, can cause fatal hemorrhagic disease in fingerling and yearling grass carp. Vaccination by injection is by far the most effective method of combating disease. However it is labor intensive, costly and not feasible to vaccinate large numbers of the fish. Thus, an efficient and economic strategy for the prevention of GCRV infection becomes urgent. Here, functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as carrier were used to manufacture SWCNTs-VP7 subunit vaccine with chemical modification. Different developmental stages of grass carps were immunized by VP7/SWCNTs-VP7 subunit vaccine against GCRV by intramuscular injection and bath immunization. The results indicate that better immune responses of grass carp immunized with the SWCNTs-VP7 subunit vaccine were induced in comparison with VP7 subunit vaccine alone. Immunization doses/concentrations are significantly reduced (about 5–8 times) to prevent GCRV infection in different developmental stages of grass carp with injection or bath treatment when SWCNTs carrier was used. A good immune protective effect (relative percentage survival greater than 95%) is observed in smaller size fish (0.2 g) with SWCNTs-VP7 bath immunization. In addition, serum respiratory burst activity, complement activity, lysozyme activity, superoxide dismutase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, immune-related genes and antibody levels were significantly enhanced in fish immunized with vaccine. This study suggested that functionalized SWCNTs was the promising carrier for recombinant subunit vaccine and might be used to vaccinate fish by bath approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to isolate some compounds from methanol extract of Polygala tenuifolia and evaluate their immunostimulatory properties and antiviral activity using grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella kidney (CIK) cells and GCRV. By applying insecticidal bioassay-guided, chromatography techniques and successive recrystallization, two purified compounds were obtained. The changes of expression of selected immune genes (Mx1, IL-1β, TNFα, MyD88 and IgM) in C . idella kidney cell lines were evaluated after exposure to these isolated compounds. The results showed that compound 1 and 2 up-regulated to varying degrees of Mx1, IL-1β, TNFα, and MyD88 in C . idella kidney cells. WST-8 kit assay verified the two compounds has no toxic effects on CIK cell, and furthermore, have in vitro antivirus activity. Especially, that there is keeping 79% cell viability when exposure to compound 2 (100 mg L −1 ). According to in vivo insecticidal assays against Dactylogyrus intermedius , compound 2 exhibited higher efficacy than compound 1, which was found to be 87.2% effective at the concentrations of 5 mg L −1 and safe to goldfish ( Carassius auratus ). Besides, the purified compounds were identified by spectral data as: (1) 1,5-Anhydro-D-glucitol and (2) 3,4,5-trimethoxy cinnamic acid. Overall, the results indicate that bath administration of these compounds modulates the immune related genes in C . idella kidney cells and to some extent, eliminate the virus and parasitic infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni–Mo coatings with good mechanical properties were obtained by pulse plating. This study is focused on the current efficiency, molybdenum content and microhardness of the Ni–Mo coatings, which were affected by the pulse electroforming parameters. In addition, the wear resistance of the coatings was examined. The experimental results indicate that the Mo content in the PC-plated coatings increases upon increasing the frequency in the range 10–1000 Hz. The maximum Mo content (30.2 wt.%) in the coating occurred at a current density of 10 A/dm 2 , a duty cycle of 0.7, and a frequency of 1000 Hz. The XRD results indicate that the NiMo coatings prepared by pulse current are nanocrystalline and amorphous. The wear test results indicate that the wear resistance of the Ni–Mo coatings produced by pulse electroforming was higher than that produced by direct current plating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current chemotherapy of mono-component for Dactylogyrus is unsatisfactory due to its limited efficacy with side effects including pesticide resistance and drug residue. The present study is conducted to investigate the effects of herbal ingredients combination against Dactylogyrus on Carassius auratus under in vivo conditions. The ingredients of Dioscorea zingiberensis ( D. zingiberensis ) and Ginkgo biloba ( G. biloba ) are administered individually and in combination in an experimental fish infection model in this study. Finally, strong synergy actions are observed in both the methanol extract combinations and the active compound combinations between D. zingiberensis and G. biloba . The anthelmintic effects of the combination are expressed in terms of the values of EC 50 , EC 75 , EC 90 , and EC 99 to compare with the phytomedicine alone. The combination index (CI) is also calculated by using the combination index algorithm. Both the values of effective concentration and combination index indicate a highly synergistic anthelmintic effect against Dactylogyrus . Our study provides a powerful means by which anthelmintic combination therapies can be examined and demonstrates that the combinations of herbal ingredients have excellent properties and are predicted to give improved cure rates in monogenean management of aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Developmental toxicity of triazophos to fish was investigated. [•] Triazophos affects embryos and larvae in a concentration-dependent pattern. [•] Morphological malformations were elevated with the triazophos exposure. [•] The vezf1 and mstn were involved in triazophos caused heart and body defects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Glycoprotein mediated the entry of rhabdoviruses into the host cell and was the target of neutralizing antibodies. It was a prime tool for the study of the evolution and pathogenesis of viruses. Here, four different expression systems including cell-free synthesis system, Escherichia coli , Pichia pastoris and the baculovirus infected Spodoptera frugiperda were used to explore the recombinant expression of spring viraemia of carp virus glycoprotein. The results indicated that the recombinant glycoprotein could be detected in E. coli cell-free system after in vitro incubation for 16 h at 25 °C. E. coli was found to be the optimal expression system for the production of the largest amount of recombinant glycoprotein. Although robust yields were considerable in E. coli , the formation of insoluble aggregates and the removal of solubilizing labels were challenging for the expression and purification of glycoprotein. For this reason, the higher eukaryotic expression systems, yeast GS115 and insect Sf9 cells were used for the production of glycoprotein. The purity of the recombinant protein obtained from yeast culture was over 90% after purification by Ni-NTA. In insect cells, the target protein was expressed mainly in the intracellular environment, but secretory glycoprotein was also detected by western blotting. These findings provided a basis for further investigations into the structure and function of SVCV glycoprotein. • The full length glycoprotein was synthesized in E. coli cell-free system. • A soluble form of the ectodomain of glycoprotein was expressed in E. coli C41 strain. • Glycoprotein was found in the secreted fraction expressed by P. pastoris. • Glycoprotein was mainly localized intracellularly in baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycoprotein mediated the entry of rhabdoviruses into the host cell and was the target of neutralizing antibodies. It was a prime tool for the study of the evolution and pathogenesis of viruses. Here, four different expression systems including cell-free synthesis system, Escherichia coli , Pichia pastoris and the baculovirus infected Spodoptera frugiperda were used to explore the recombinant expression of spring viraemia of carp virus glycoprotein. The results indicated that the recombinant glycoprotein could be detected in E. coli cell-free system after in vitro incubation for 16 h at 25 °C. E. coli was found to be the optimal expression system for the production of the largest amount of recombinant glycoprotein. Although robust yields were considerable in E. coli , the formation of insoluble aggregates and the removal of solubilizing labels were challenging for the expression and purification of glycoprotein. For this reason, the higher eukaryotic expression systems, yeast GS115 and insect Sf9 cells were used for the production of glycoprotein. The purity of the recombinant protein obtained from yeast culture was over 90% after purification by Ni-NTA. In insect cells, the target protein was expressed mainly in the intracellular environment, but secretory glycoprotein was also detected by western blotting. These findings provided a basis for further investigations into the structure and function of SVCV glycoprotein. • The full length glycoprotein was synthesized in E. coli cell-free system. • A soluble form of the ectodomain of glycoprotein was expressed in E. coli C41 strain. • Glycoprotein was found in the secreted fraction expressed by P. pastoris. • Glycoprotein was mainly localized intracellularly in baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White spot disease caused by the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a highly lethal infectious disease of crustacean aquaculture, with no effective means of control. Active compounds from herbal medicines are promising candidates for the development of antiviral agents for WSSV. We evaluated the efficacy of 12 herbal medicines in inhibiting WSSV proliferation in a WSSV infection model (Procambarus clarkii), Lonicera japonica extract had the strongest inhibitory effect on WSSV replication. Luteolin (LUT), the major bioactive compound of L. japonica extract, was further investigated and revealed to have a strong inhibitory effect on WSSV (96.04%, 50 mg/kg). LUT treatment decreased the WSSV load and the expression of important viral genes (immediate-early gene ie1 , DNA polymerase DNApol and envelope protein Vp28) in a dose-dependent manner and increased the survival of WSSV-infected crayfish by 60.00% (50 mg/kg). Co-incubation and time-of-addition assays revealed that LUT did not affect the infectivity of viral particles or viral absorption and entry. Expression of immune-related genes such as barrier-to-autointegration (BAF), heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT), which may be beneficial for viral replication, were significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in LUT-treated crayfish. LUT also modified the expression of antioxidants (SOD , CAT and GST), pro-inflammatory factor (COX-1 and COX-2), and apoptosis-related (BAX and BI-1) genes (P < 0.01) to enhance antioxidant defenses, mitigate inflammation and induce apoptosis, respectively. Overall, LUT could be used as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent against WSSV infection in crustacean aquaculture. • Lonicera japonica inhibits WSSV proliferation in crayfish Procambarus clarkii. • Luteolin, a main bioactive constituent of L. japonica , is a potent WSSV inhibitor. • Luteolin represses WSSV viral load and viral gene expression at early genome replication stage. • Luteolin enhances anti-oxidant defenses, mitigate inflammation and induce apoptosis in WSSV infected crayfish. • Luteolin does not affect the viral infectivity, absorption or entry of WSSV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely acknowledged that the malformed fish shows low resistance to diseases due to abnormal development of body, leading to the decrease of viability. Until now, there is no evidence for the relationship between developmental abnormalities and pathogen infections in fish breeding. In this study, the first record of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infection in Micropterus salmoides was reported. Importantly, an interesting phenomenon that malformed fish suffered from more serious Ichthyophthiriasis than normal fish was demonstrated with the investigation of differences in the infection rate and the number of trophonts. Furthermore, the immune response, histopathological examination, and efficacy of antiparasitic drug against I. multifiliis infection were determined in normal and malformed fish. The fish affected by malformation resulted in decline of survival rate after infection with I. multifiliis at day 2 in comparison to the fish with normal development (p < 0.001). Malformation also caused significantly low expression of immune-related genes, including immunoglobulin (IgM), T cell receptor (TCR), pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-1β), cell mediated-immunity mediators (MHC-I), chemokine (CCL2), complement (C5), cluster of differentiation (CD4–1 and CD8-α), in skin, liver and spleen (p < 0.05). Also, histopathological examination showed distinct lesions in skin, gills, and fins of malformed fish. In addition, the survival rate of normal fish was significantly elevated after treatment with magnolol, an anti-parasitic drug, for 7 days compared to malformed fish (p < 0.001). Overall, these data indicate that weak immune response and more tissue damage in malformed fish might increase the susceptibility to pathogens, and the high mortality rate was associated with poor efficacy of magnolol in malformed fish. This study provides evidence for low resistance to pathogens and high mortality rate of fry caused by high malformation rate. Particularly, the malformed fish may act as a source of infection, spreading infectious disease for other healthy fish, causing mass economic losses for M. salmoides industry. Malformation is worth to pay more attention for fish breeding studies. • This is the first record of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infection in Micropterus salmoides. • Malformed fish suffered from more serious Ichthyophthiriasis than normal fish. • Weak immune response and more tissue damage in malformed fish might increase the susceptibility to pathogens. • The high mortality rate was associated with poor efficacy of anti-parasitic compound in malformed fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]