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© 2019 Japanese Society of Phycology Flattened Gracilaria species are widely distributed along the coasts of the South China Sea with more than 20 species recorded. Within the South China Sea, Gracilaria mammillaris has only been reported from Vietnam, but this species is likely restricted to the western Atlantic. This study aimed to reevaluate the taxonomic status of Vietnamese specimens of ‘G. mammillaris’ using combined morphological and molecular data. Our data clearly indicated that Vietnamese specimens were morphologically and genetically distinct from authentic G. mammillaris from the western Atlantic, and also other described flat Gracilaria species. We, therefore, propose that specimens from Vietnam originally identified as G. mammillaris be designated as a new species, Gracilaria phuquocensis sp. nov. Morphologically, G. phuquocensis can be distinguished from other flat Gracilaria species by its small thallus size, narrower blades, many medullary layers, abundant basal nutritive filaments within mature cystocarps, and tetrasporangial nemathecium. Our rbcL sequence analyses showed that the new species was sister to Gracilaria rhodymenioides from Thailand, and these two species formed a clade with cylindrical Gracilaria species. Our study contributes to clarification of the taxonomic status of misidentified specimens attributed to the flattened Gracilaria species in the South China Sea.

Pleural fibrosis is an irreversible pathological process occurred in the development of several lung diseases. TMEM88 is a member of transmembrane (TMEM) family and has been found to be involved in the regulation of fibrogenesis. However, the role of TMEM88 in pleural fibrosis remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of TMEM88 in pleural fibrosis in vitro using TGF-β1-induced human pleural mesothelial cell line MeT-5A cells. Our results showed that the expression levels of TMEM88 were downregulated in pleural fibrosis tissues and TGF-β1-treated Met-5A cells. Overexpression of TMEM88 inhibited the proliferation of Met-5A cells under TGF-β1 stimulation. In addition, TMEM88 overexpression prevented TGF-β1-induced extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in Met-5A cells with decreased expression levels of Col I and fibronectin, increased levels of cytokeratin-8 and E-cadherin, as well as decreased levels of vimentin and α-SMA. Furthermore, overexpression of TMEM88 inhibited the expression of TGF-β receptor I (TβRI) and TβRII and suppressed the phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 in Met-5A cells. In conclusion, these results indicated that TMEM88 exhibited an anti-fibrotic activity in pleural fibrosis via inhibiting the activation of TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway.

Background Female pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), a common disease affecting women, has attracted a significant amount of attention in the field of obstetrics and gynecology in recent years. Pelvic floor disorders can induce urinary incontinence, vaginal prolapse and other dysfunction, which seriously affect the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to analyze the current status of PFD in urban women in Xi'an City. Methods A total of 1300 women in the urban area of Xi'an City were selected based on a multi-stage sampling method. A face-to-face questionnaire survey and gynecological examination were carried out, and the prevalence rates of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and PFD were calculated, Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors of PFD in urban women in Xi'an City. Results The effective questionnaire recovery rate was 76.69% (997/1,300). The number of patients with SUI, POP, and SUI combined POP were 124 (55.11%), 64 (28.44%) and 37 (16.44%), respectively, and the prevalence of PFD was 22.57% (225/997). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of PFD in women with vaginal delivery, delivery times ≥2, menopause or prolonged labor was higher than that in women with cesarean section, delivery times of 1, no menopause, or no prolonged labor (P Conclusions The prevalence rate of PFD in urban women in Xi'an City cannot be ignored, especially women who have experienced vaginal delivery, delivered ≥2 children, menopause, or prolonged labor. It may be necessary to prioritize these women so as to actively prevent and control PFD.

In this study, we investigated the utility of pentraxin 3 (PTX-3) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as lung cancer (LCa) diagnostic. A total of 89 LCa patients and 84 non-LCa patients who received bronchoscopy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from December 2014 to February 2015 were enrolled. LCa was subdivided according to pathological type (scale, gland, and small cell lung cancer). BALF samples were obtained during bronchoscopy and PTX-3 levels assayed by ELISA. t-tests, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed for the comparison of PTX-3 levels between the different groups. Correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used to analyze clinical data. The levels of PTX-3 increased in the LCa groups. PTX-3 levels were higher in the small cell lung cancer (SCLC) compared to non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) groups. In LCa patients, obstructive pneumonia could upregulate the expression of PTX-3 in BALF. The area under the ROC curve of PTX-3 in BALF during LCa diagnosis, SCLC, and LCa with obstructive pneumonia was 0.949 (p≤0.001), 0.672 (p<0.05), and 0.838 (p<0.01), respectively. In conclusion, PTX-3 in BALF has a potential value as an LCa biomarker, particularly in cases of SCLC and LCa with obstructive pneumonia.

We investigate a singular fractional differential equation with an infinite-point fractional boundary condition, where the nonlinearity $f(t,x)$ may be singular at $x = 0$ , and $g(t)$ may also have singularities at $t= 0$ or $t=1$ . We establish the existence of positive solutions using the fixed point index theory in cones.

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of hospital admissions, which can result in a significant financial burden. OBJECTIVE To determine hospitalisation costs and factors associated with higher costs in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD (AE-COPD). DESIGN Patients hospitalised for a whole year formed the study cohort. Demographic features, clinical data and hospitalisation bills were evaluated retrospectively. Student's t-test or the Mann-Whitney U-test were used to compare the mean values of variables between high-cost and low-cost groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the relationship between hospitalisation costs with clinical factors. RESULTS A total of 188 patients were evaluated. The mean length of stay in hospital (LOSH) was 8.5 days. The mean cost of AE-COPD was US$1722.0. Costs were significantly associated with LOSH and the per cent predicted value of forced expiratory volume in one second. Age, sex, smoking index, partial oxygen pressure, partial carbon dioxide pressure, haemoglobin concentration and white blood cell counts were not associated with hospitalisation costs. CONCLUSION Medications and laboratory services are the main drivers of hospitalisation costs in AE-COPD. Longer LOSH and reduced pulmonary function determine the high costs in hospitalised patients with AE-COPD admitted to a general ward. To reduce hospitalisation costs, more emphasis should be placed on shortening LOSH and preventing the worsening of pulmonary function.

Background Long-term survival in isolated marginal seas of the China coast during the late Pleistocene ice ages is widely believed to be an important historical factor contributing to population genetic structure in coastal marine species. Whether or not contemporary factors (e.g. long-distance dispersal via coastal currents) continue to shape diversity gradients in marine organisms with high dispersal capability remains poorly understood. Our aim was to explore how historical and contemporary factors influenced the genetic diversity and distribution of the brown alga Sargassum thunbergii, which can drift on surface water, leading to long-distance dispersal. Results We used 11 microsatellites and the plastid RuBisCo spacer to evaluate the genetic diversity of 22 Sargassum thunbergii populations sampled along the China coast. Population structure and differentiation was inferred based on genotype clustering and pairwise F ST and allele-frequency analyses. Integrated genetic analyses revealed two genetic clusters in S. thunbergii that dominated in the Yellow-Bohai Sea (YBS) and East China Sea (ECS) respectively. Higher levels of genetic diversity and variation were detected among populations in the YBS than in the ECS. Bayesian coalescent theory was used to estimate contemporary and historical gene flow. High levels of contemporary gene flow were detected from the YBS (north) to the ECS (south), whereas low levels of historical gene flow occurred between the two regions. Conclusions Our results suggest that the deep genetic divergence in S. thunbergii along the China coast may result from long-term geographic isolation during glacial periods. The dispersal of S. thunbergii driven by coastal currents may facilitate the admixture between southern and northern regimes. Our findings exemplify how both historical and contemporary forces are needed to understand phylogeographical patterns in coastal marine species with long-distance dispersal. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-017-1089-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, many miRNAs play critical role in lung cancer initiation and progression. Here, we demonstrated that miR-1254 was upregulated in lung cancer tissues and cells. miR-1254 overexpression promoted lung cancer cell proliferation determined by MTT assay, colony formation assay, soft agar growth ability assay and BrdU incorporation assay, miR-1254 knockdown suppressed lung cancer cell proliferation. Mechanism analysis revealed that Wnt/β-catenin pathway antagonist secreted frizzled related protein 1 (SFRP1) was its target, its expression was opposite to SFRP1 level, and directly bound to the 3'UTR of SFRP1. Double knockdown of miR-1254 and SFRP1 promoted lung cancer cell proliferation, suggesting miR-1254 promoted lung cancer cell proliferation by targeting SFRP1.

International audience; The tropical to warm-temperate marine brown macroalgal genus Lobophora (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) recently drew attention because of its striking regional diversity. In this study we reassess Lobophora global species diversity, and species distributions, and explore how historical factors have shaped current diversity patterns. We applied a series of algorithmic species delineation techniques on a global mitochondrial cox3 dataset of 598 specimens, resulting in an estimation of 98–121 species. This diversity by far exceeds traditional diversity estimates based on morphological data. A multi-locus time-calibrated species phylogeny using a relaxed molecular clock, along with DNA-confirmed species distribution data was used to analyse ancestral area distributions, dispersal-vicariance-founder events, and temporal patterns of diversification under different biogeographical models. The origin of Lobophora was estimated in the Upper Cretaceous (−75 to −60 MY), followed by gradual diversification until present. While most speciation events were inferred within marine realms, founder events also played a non-negligible role in Lobophora diversification. The Central Indo-Pacific showed the highest species diversity as a result of higher speciation events in this region. Most Lobophora species have small ranges limited to marine realms. Lobophora probably originated in the Tethys Sea and dispersed repeatedly in the Atlantic (including the Gulf of Mexico) and Pacific Oceans. The formation of the major historical marine barriers (Terminal Tethyan event, Isthmus of Panama, Benguela upwelling) did not act as important vicariance events. Long-distance dispersal presumably represented an important mode of speciation over evolutionary time-scales. The limited geographical ranges of most Lobophora species, however, vouch for the rarity of such events.

Understanding the evolutionary processes that have created diversity and the genetic potential of species to adapt to environmental change is an important premise for biodiversity conservation. Herein, we used mitochondrial trnW-L and cox3 and plastid rbcL-S data sets to analyze population genetic variation and phylogeographic history of the brown alga Sargassum fusiforme, whose natural resource has been largely exterminated in the Asia-Northwest Pacific in the past decades. Phylogenetic trees and network analysis consistently revealed three major haplotype groups (A, B, and C) in S. fusiforme, with A and B distributed in the Japan-Pacific coast. Group C consisted of three subgroups (C1, C2, and C3) which were distributed in the Sea of Japan, the Yellow-Bohai Sea, and East China Sea, respectively. Isolation-with-migration (IM a) analysis revealed that the three groups diverged approximately during the mid-Pleistocene (c. 756-1,224 ka). Extended Bayesian skyline plots (EBSP) showed that groups A and B underwent relatively long-term stable population size despite a subsequent rapid demographic expansion, while subgroups C2 and C3 underwent a sudden expansion at c. 260 ka. FST and AMOVA detected low population-level genetic variation and high degrees of divergence between groups. The cryptic diversity and phylogeographic patterns found in S. fusiforme not only are essential to understand how environmental shifts and evolutionary processes shaped diversity and distribution of coastal seaweeds but also provide additional insights for conserving and managing seaweed resources and facilitate predictions of their responses to future climate change and habitat loss.

In this paper, we consider differential delay systems of the form $$x'(t)=-\sum_{s=1}^{2k-1}(-1)^{s+1} \nabla F \bigl(x(t-s) \bigr), $$x′(t)=−∑s=12k−1(−1)s+1∇F(x(t−s)), in which the coefficients of the nonlinear terms with different hysteresis have different signs. Such systems have not been studied before. The multiplicity of the periodic orbits is related to the eigenvalues of the limit matrix. The results provide a theoretical basis for the study of differential delay systems.

Steady signals of a power system sampled asynchronously will generate frequency spectrum leakage and fence effect. Meanwhile, in the case of the existence of interharmonics that are close to harmonics as well as other interharmonics, the actual frequency components cannot be accurately identified and measured on account of the limited frequency resolution. In order to solve the immeasurability of multiple adjacent interharmonics under asynchronous sampling condition due to spectrum interference, a multiple interharmonics spectrum separation and parameter measurement method is proposed. First, an interharmonic simplification model is established, and then, each main frequency component can be separated with the known spectral information using the spectrum separation algorithm. The performance of the proposed method is validated on the synthetic signal. The simulation results show that the proposed method can not only accurately identify the frequency components, but also obtain the parameters with high precision.

Objective: To conduct survey on cognition of clinical nurses on knowledge of high-alert medication and propose relevant strategies for effective improvement. Methods: One hundred twenty clinical nurses were randomly selected from medical staff in our hospital from July 2016 to February 2017, and the results were analyzed and evaluated by questionnaires. Results: The results showed that, the total score of clinical nurses on knowledge of high-alert medication was 14-37 points, averaging 26.8 ± 3.32 points. The cognition of high-alert medication knowledge was significantly different among nursing staff with different age, service age, technical title and educational level (P

Four new xenicanes, namely 4a-hydroxyisodictyohemiacetal (1), 4a-hydroxyisodictyoacetal (2), 13,18-diacetoxy-4-hydroxyisodictyo-19-al (3), and 4a-hydroxypachylactone (8), were isolated from a Chinese collection of the brown alga Dictyota plectens, along with four known analogues (4-7). The structures of the new diterpenes were determined by extensive spectroscopic data analysis. All compounds were evaluated for their antiviral activities against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, and inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse peritoneal macrophages (PEM Phi).

Pleural fibrosis can dramatically lower the quality of life. Numerous studies have reported that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is involved in fibrosis. However, the molecular mechanism is inadequately understood. Fibroblast-specific protein-1 (S100A4) is a target of TGF-β signaling. In our previous study, we have reported that S100A4 is highly expressed in pleural fibrosis. Thus, we suggest that S100A4 took part in the TGF-β-induced EMT in pleural fibrosis. In this study, we determined the expression of S100A4 and EMT-related markers in Met-5A cells (pleural mesothelial cells) treated with TGF-β or TGF-β inhibitor by real-time PCR and western blot. In order to explore the role of S100A4, we used siRNA to knock down the expression of S100A4 in cell model. We found that the expression of epithelial cell marker was decreased and the mesenchymal cell marker increased with S100A4 upregulation after treatment with TGF-β. Moreover, the changes of EMT-related event were restricted when the expression of S100A4 was knocked down. Conversely, S100A4 can partially rescue the EMT-related expression changes induced by TGF-β inhibitor. These findings suggest that S100A4 expression is induced by the TGF-β pathway, and silencing S100A4 expression can inhibit the process of TGF-β-induced EMT.

Many studies classifying Gracilaria species for the exploitation of agarophytes and the development of the agar industry were conducted before the prevalence of molecular tools, resulting in the description of many species based solely on their morphology. Gracilaria firma and G. changii are among the commercially important agarophytes from the western Pacific; both feature branches with basal constrictions that taper toward acute apices. In this study, we contrasted the morpho-anatomical circumscriptions of the two traditionally described species with molecular data from samples that included representatives of G. changii collected from its type locality. Concerted molecular analyses using the rbcL and cox1 gene sequences, coupled with morphological observations of the collections from the western Pacific, revealed no inherent differences to support the treatment of the two entities as distinct taxa. We propose merging G. changii (a later synonym) into G. firma and recognize G. firma based on thallus branches with abrupt basal constrictions that gradually taper toward acute (or sometimes broken) apices, cystocarps consisting of small gonimoblast cells and inconspicuous multinucleate tubular nutritive cells issuing from gonimoblasts extending into the inner pericarp at the cystocarp floor, as well as deep spermatangial conceptacles of the verrucosa-type. The validation of specimens under different names as a single genetic species is useful to allow communication and knowledge transfer among groups from different fields. This study also revealed considerably low number of haplotypes and nucleotide diversity with apparent phylogeographic patterns for G. firma in the region. Populations from the Philippines and Taiwan were divergent from each other as well as from the populations from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Establishment of baseline data on the genetic diversity of this commercially important agarophyte is relevant in the context of cultivation, as limited genetic diversity may jeopardize the potential for its genetic improvement over time.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. Following peer-review and acceptance of the above referenced paper for publication in Lung Cancer, the Editor-in-Chief was contacted by the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Gene Therapy, with information that the manuscript had simultaneously been submitted to both Lung Cancer and Gene Therapy. A referee selected to review the manuscript for Gene Therapy was also contacted by the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Respiratory Research, with a request to review the same manuscript for that journal. The three journals ascertained that the manuscript had been simultaneously submitted to all three journals. In addition, as part of their investigation of potential simultaneous submission, the Editors of Lung Cancer compared the manuscript submitted to Gene Therapy with that accepted for publication in Lung Cancer, and this has raised concerns related to the data presented in the paper. The paper accepted for publication in Lung Cancer examines A549 and H810 cells. The paper submitted to Gene Therapy examines A549 and H510A cells. However, the data presented in both papers, including the figures, are identical. The Editors of Lung Cancer have asked the authors for an explanation, but the corresponding author has not responded. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal.

Background: Emodin is the main active component of rhubarb, which has demonstrated many beneficial effects against inflammation. Nanosilver is an effective antimicrobial agent. The present study was designed to observe the effects of Emodin combined with silver nanoparticles (E/S) on sepsis protection and related mechanism. Methods: E/S was prepared by loading different concentrations of Emodin on nanosilver and cytotoxicity of E/S were determined by suphorhodamine B assays. Anti-microbial activities of E/S were assayed by direct interaction with various common pathogens and anti-adhesive activites of E/S on leukocytes with endothelial cells were assayed by biochemical analysis. Next, inflammatory cell enumeration, inflammatory mediators in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and endothelial cell function were analyzed on a clinically relevant model of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) after E/S administration. The effects of E/S on NF-κB and p38 were also examined by western blot. Results: E/S exhibited little cytotoxicity action on endothelial cells and significant inhibitory activities against all tested common microorganisms and adherence between leukocyte and endothelial cells. E/S induced anti-sepsis protection mainly mediated by inhibition of inflammatory cells infiltration, down-regulation of TNF-alpha, IL-8 and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), and inhibition of NF-κB and p38 pathways in mice 24 h post-CLP. Conclusion: Our data suggest that E/S has strong anti-sepsis effects, which was related with anti-inflammatory protection and thereby promote survival following sepsis challenge.

Using light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and SSU rDNA and rbcL gene sequencing, we investigated three marine benthic diatoms: Haslea avium Tiffany, Herwig et Sterrenburg; H. feriarum Tiffany et Sterrenburg and H. tsukamotoi Sterrenburg et Hinz collected from intertidal sediments in China. These are the first records of these three species from China. Our observations showed that the typical valve structure of Haslea, with an inner basal layer and an outer tegumental layer, and walls (saepes sensu Sterrenburg et al.) between them is not present in either H. tsukamotoi or H. avium. Moreover, the two species possess small helictoglossae, an internal apical thickened area and hooked terminal fissures reaching to the valve mantle, suggesting a close relationship with Navicula tripunctata, the type species of Navicula s.s. In molecular phylogenetic analyses, Haslea was polyphyletic, being divided into two separate clades: H. feriarum belonged to a clade that comprised only Haslea species, including the type H. ostrearia, while H. tsukamotoi and H. avium were within the Navicula clade. Therefore, we propose transferring H. tsukamotoi and H. avium to Navicula and suggest that the presence of continuous longitudinal strips on the external valve surface is not a synapomorphy, but rather a homoplastic character for Haslea.

The whole chloroplast genome (cp DNA) sequence of Caulerpa lentillifera J. Agardh has been characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The circular cpDNA was 119,402 bp in length, containing 122 genes, which included 91 protein-coding genes, 28 tRNA genes, and 3 ribosomal RNA genes (four rRNA species). The overall AT content of C. lentillifera cpDNA is 67.4%. The 48 genes phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. lentillifera formed a monophyletic clade with congeneric C. racemosa.

Background/Aims: The study was designed to explore the potential relationship of TLR4 and endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1) in vivo and vitro experiments. Methods: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected from 55 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and 25 healthy subjects. The differential cell count was performed using Wright-Giemsa staining. The expression levels of TLR4 and TLR5 were detected by RT-qPCR. The levels of methylation and mRNA expression of EPAS1 were assayed by bisulfite sequencing PCR and real-time PCR. The correlation of TLR4 and EPAS1 was also analyzed in TLR 4-overexpressing endothelial cells. Results: The results showed that the number of neutrophils, lymphocytes and macrophages and expression of TLR 4 were significantly increased in lower respiratory tract of COPD patients. Moreover, decreased EPAS1 mRNA and increased EPAS1 promoter methylation were detected in COPD, which were closely associated with increased TLR4 expression. According to in vitro experiments, TLR 4 inhibited EPAS1 mRNA expression and promoted promoter methylation in endothelial cells. Conclusion: These findings suggest that TLR4 over-expression decreased EPAS1expression which contributes to the progress of COPD.

In this paper, we study the two-point boundary value problems for systems of nonlinear third-order dierential equations .Under some conditions, we show the existence and multiplicity of positive solutions of the above problem by applying the fixed point theorems in cones.

Unfortunately for all articles of Vol. 35 No. 1 the future journal title “Journal of Oceanology and Limnology” was used instead of the current journal title “Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology”. All articles in the issue are affected. Please make sure to cite the articles with the following Vol. and No. info: Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, Vol. 35 No. 1, [page range].

A carbon nanotube/Nafion composite film modified electrode is described for the sensitive and convenient determination of Pb2+. In the presence of 1% Nafion, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were successfully dispersed into ethanol by ultrasonication. After evaporating the ethanol, a MWNT/Nafion composite film-modified electrode was achieved. The resulting MWNT/Nafion film modified electrode possesses high cation exchange capacity, large surface area, strong adsorption ability and catalytic activity. Compared with the unmodified electrode and Nafion film-modified electrode, the MWNT/Nafion film-modified electrode remarkably increases the stripping peak current of Pb2+. Furthermore, the influences of supporting electrolyte, volume of MWNT/Nafion suspension, accumulation potential and accumulation time were investigated. The striping peak current of Pb2+ is proportional to its concentration over the range 8.0 × 10−8 to 6.0 × 10−6 mol L−1. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) is as low as 5.0 × 10−9 mol L−1. Finally, this newly developed method was used to determine Pb2+ in water samples.

BackgroundPopulation structure and genetic diversity of marine organisms in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean exhibited complex patterns.Saccharina japonicais a commercially and ecologically important kelp species widely distributed along the coast of Japan Sea. However, it is still poorly known about population genetics and phylogeographic patterns of wildS. japonicapopulations on a large geographic scale, which is an important contribution to breeding and conservation of this marine crop.ResultsWe collected 612 mitochondrialCOIandtrnW-trnL sequences. Diversity indices suggested thatS. japonicapopulations along the coast of Hokkaido exhibited the highest genetic diversity. Bayesian Analysis of Population Structure (BAPS) revealed four clusters in the kelp species (cluster 1: Hokkaido and South Korea; cluster 2: northwestern Hokkaido; cluster 3: Far Eastern Russia; cluster 4: China). The network inferred from concatenated data exhibited two shallow genealogies corresponding to two BAPS groups (cluster 2 and cluster 3). We did not detect gene flow between the two shallow genealogies, but populations within genealogy have asymmetric gene exchange. Bayesian skyline plots and neutrality tests suggested thatS. japonicaexperienced postglacial expansion around 10.45 ka.ConclusionsThe coast of Hokkaido might be the origin and diversification center ofS. japonica. Gene exchange amongS. japonicapopulations could be caused by anthropogenic interference and oceanographic regimes. Postglacial expansions and gene exchange apparently led to more shared haplotypes and less differentiation that in turn led to the present shallow phylogeographical patterns inS. japonica.

Background Fibroblast specific protein-1 (S100A4) is related with many fibrotic diseases, but its role in the pathogenesis of pleural fibrosis has not been fully elucidated. Then we aim to investigate the expression and effect of fibroblast specific protein-1 (S100A4) in pleural tuberculosis and, subsequently, pleural fibrosis. Methods The expression of S100A4 in pleura was examined in 30 patients with pleural tuberculosis and 5 control (disease-free) patients by immunohistochemistry using the streptavidin-peroxidase (S-P) conjugated method. Results The expression of S100A4 in pleura was mainly distributed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells, and the positive rate was 90.0% (27 out of 30 patients with pleural tuberculosis). There were no expressions of S100A4 in the control group. In the pleura of all 30 patients with pleural tuberculosis, S100A4 had a higher expression in the two- to eight-week duration of the disease. Conclusions S100A4 plays an important role in the phenotypic transformation of pleural mesothelial cells and the development of pleural fibrosis.

Part of the definition of Psammodiscus is that there is always a small pore and sometimes a rimoportula present on the valve centre. A new species Psammodiscus calceatus Tsuy.Watanabe, Nagumo & J. Tanaka is described, which lacks a central small pore. And the valves of P. nitidus were found that have two marginal rimoportulae. Living cell of P. nitidus attached on sand grain solitary and it has many discoid plastids. The structures of rotae with fin-like projections in Psammodiscus differ from those of Rhaphoneidaceae genera. The epicingulum of Psammodiscus consists of three or four open bands with the valvocopula and second band opening at 180° to one another alternately at one apex.