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Defatted soybean meal (SBM), which is produced by defatting soybean with solvents, has been considered as the most cost-effective substitute for fish meal (FM) in fish diets. However, SBM contains alcohol-soluble components which may interfere with growth performance and digestive physiology of fish. This study examined the effects of alcohol extract (Ext) containing alcohol-soluble components extracted from SBM on bile acid level, digestive enzyme activity and nutrient digestibility of pompano Trachinotus blochii. SBM was processed and separated into Ext and ethanol-extracted SBM (ESBM), thus, ESBM was SBM without alcohol-soluble components. Four experimental diets were formulated, denoted as FMD (FM-based diet), SBMD (SBM-based diet), ESBMD (ESBM-based diet), and ESBM+ExtD (ESBM-based diet plus Ext). Each diet was fed to two groups of fish (20 fish/group, 25 g/fish) for 4 weeks. Results showed that plasma lipid components, anterior intestinal bile acid level, anterior intestinal trypsin and lipase activities, and protein and lipid apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of SBMD -fed fish were similar to those of ESBM+ExtD-fed fish. These parameters were significantly lower in SBMD-fed and ESBM+ExtD-fed fish than in ESBMD-fed and FMD-fed fish (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in plasma total cholesterol level, trypsin activity, and protein ADC between ESBMD and FMD groups, however, total bile acid level, lipase activity, and lipid ADC were significantly lower in ESBMD -fed fish than fish fed FMD (P < 0.05). These results indicated that alcohol extract containing alcohol-soluble components extracted from SBM inhibited the secretions of bile acids and pancreatic digestive enzymes in pompano fish, and these abnormalities might impair nutrient digestion and absorption. The findings of the present study suggested that removing alcohol extract and supplementation of taurine could be effective for improving nutritional quality of SBM and enhancing feed utilization and growth performance of pompano which were fed SBM-based diets.

Ecosystem service assessments are increasingly used to support natural resource management, but there is a bias in their application towards terrestrial systems and higher income countries. Tropical marine applications are particularly scarce, especially in SE Asia. Given the growing coastal population and expansion in blue economy sectors in SE Asia, evidence to support effective marine planning, such as ecosystem service assessments, is urgently needed. Data deficiencies for marine systems, especially (but not only) in lower income countries is a significant obstacle for ecosystem service assessments. To overcome this, we develop an ecosystem service potential matrix which combines evidence taken from an extensive literature review together with expert opinion. The matrix includes both natural and modified habitats as the service providing units. The ecosystem service potential for habitats are scored at the macro level (e.g. mangrove) due to insufficient evidence to score micro-habitats (e.g. fringe, basin or riverine mangroves). The majority of evidence is available for biogenic habitats (mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass meadows) with comparatively little for sedimentary habitats. While provisioning, regulating and cultural services are scored, published evidence is more readily available for provisioning and regulating services. Confidence scores, indicating the uncertainty in the ecosystem service potential scores are included in the matrix. To our knowledge this is the first attempt to systematically capture the provision of ecosystem services from tropical marine habitats. Although initially developed for four marine biosphere reserves and protected areas in SE Asia, the generic nature of the evidence included suggests that the matrix constitutes a valuable baseline for marine ecosystem service assessments within SE Asia and provides a robust foundation for development in future work.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strains ND20 and HY78 were detected from infected pigs in the Xuan Truong-Nam Dinh and Hung Yen provinces in North Vietnam in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The most prevalent CSFV subgenotypes in Vietnam are 2.1 and 2.2, and these two complete genome sequences will help the CSFV prevention policy in Vietnam., Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strains ND20 and HY78 were detected from infected pigs in the Xuan Truong-Nam Dinh and Hung Yen provinces in North Vietnam in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The most prevalent CSFV subgenotypes in Vietnam are 2.1 and 2.2, and these two complete genome sequences will help the CSFV prevention policy in Vietnam. In particular, subgenotype 2.2 (ND20 strain) has been reported less worldwide, so it is worth sharing information about this subgenotype.

The selective expression of CD137 on cells of the immune system (e.g., T and DC cells) and oncogenic cells in several types of cancer leads this molecule to be an attractive target to discover cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, specific antibodies against CD137 are being studied and developed aiming to activate and enhance anti-cancer immune responses as well as suppress oncogenic cells. Accumulating evidence suggests that anti-CD137 antibodies can be used separately to prevent tumor in some cases, while in other cases, these antibodies need to be co-administered with other antibodies or drugs/vaccines/regents for a better performance. Thus, in this work, we aim to update and discuss current knowledge about anti-cancer effects of anti-CD137 antibodies as mono- and combined-immunotherapies.