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The aim of this study was to evaluate the net effects of dietary consumption on the potential neurodevelopmental effects of largemouth bass (Micropterus Salmoides, simplify as bass) cultured in China, especially when the bait of largemouth bass is changed from iced trash fish to formulated feed. A total of three bait group bass samples were collected from main producing areas during harvest period, including formulated feed group, iced trash fish group, and both group (converting from iced trash fish to formulated feed). Net neurodevelopment value (expressed as intelligence quotient or IQ) was calculated using FAO/WHO deterministic methods and probabilistic assessment model. The results showed net IQ of largemouth bass fed by the three baits groups all showed positive or beneficial neurodevelopmental effects, with the values of 1.55 ± 0.97 (formulated feed group), 3.17 ± 1.76 (iced trash fish group), and 2.65 ± 1.29 (both group) respectively. Bass samples fed with ice trash fish showed the highest neurodevelopmental effect. The present study suggested that more valuable formulated feed should be developed to improve the quality of cultured largemouth bass.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age. Cryptotanshinone (CRY) has been shown to be effective in reversing reproductive disorders, but whether it can be used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome remains unclear. We aimed to explore whether the mechanism of cryptotanshinone (CRY) in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can be driven via regulating ferroptosis. A rat model of PCOS was established by daily injection of human chorionic gonadotropin and insulin for 22 days. An in vitro model of ischemia-reperfusion (IR) of granulosa cells was established. The in vitro and rat models of PCOS were subjected to different treatments including ferroptosis activators and inhibitors, CRY, and MAPK inhibitor. Oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring the activities of SOD, MDA, and GSH-PX. Total body weight and ovarian weight, as well as the levels of LH and the LH to FSH ratio, significantly increased in rats with PCOS, compared with controls. The expression of Bax was increased in PCOS tissues while PGC1α, NFR1, GPX4, catalase p-ERK, and Bcl-2 were all downregulated. Ferroptosis activator, erastin, had effects similar to those of PCOS while the contrary was found with CRY and ferroptosis inhibitor treatment groups. In vitro, CRY inhibited oxidative stress, MMP, and NF-κB and activated MAPK/ERK signaling by regulating ferroptosis. Overall, this study indicated that CRY protects against PCOS-induced damage of the ovarian tissue, via regulating oxidative stress, MMP, inflammation, and apoptosis via regulating ferroptosis.

Polyculture operations in freshwater aquaculture ponds can disrupt microbial communities. High-throughput sequencing was used to assess the impact of polyculture operations on bacterial and three sub-microeukaryote communities (fungi, zooplankton, and eukaryotic phytoplankton) in Penaeus vannamei aquaculture ponds containing oriental river prawns and giant freshwater prawns, respectively. The results showed that the bacterial community was less sensitive than the microeukaryote communities to both the polyculture activity and environmental variations. The polyculture of giant freshwater prawns rather than oriental river prawns was the primary factor affecting the beta diversity of the three sub-microeukaryote communities. This may be due to the larger biomass of the polyculture varieties of giant freshwater prawns compared with oriental river prawns. The polyculture activity of giant freshwater prawns with a higher density and that of oriental river prawns with a lower density increased the stochasticity of the community assembly of the three sub-microeukaryote communities. It also affected the topological properties of the microbial communities, including greater correlations between ecosystem elements, and reducing the correlations among zooplanktons. The eukaryotic phytoplankton was the only microbial community that could also be explained by nutrient variation (mainly the total nitrogen). This highlights the potential role of the eukaryotic phytoplankton as a suitable indicator of the effects of nutrient input into ecosystems.

To comprehensively investigate the effects of exposure to legal doses of sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), fishes were exposed to diets supplemented with different doses of SMZ (NS, normal feed; LS, 20 mg/kg·day; MS, 200 mg/kg·day; and HS, 1000 mg/kg·day) for 4 weeks and then fed with normal feed for 4 weeks. General SMZ accumulation, growth performance, intestinal short-chain fatty acids, intestinal flora diversity, composition, and function were systemically evaluated. Results indicated that the SMZ accumulation in O. niloticus muscles, intestinal contents, and aquaculture environment positively correlated to the exposure dose. The growth performance, measured by weight increase, was MS>LS>NS, while HS antibiotics retarded the growth. SMZ-exposed O. niloticus had an increased number of fat particles in the liver and a change in the content of intestinal SCFAs. Moreover, SMZ exposure changed the biological diversity of the intestinal flora and subsequently induced microbiota dysbiosis, primarily inhibiting the growth of Fusobacteria, especially in HS group. Overall, exposure to higher SMZ doses than the recommended ones impair general intestinal functions and provokes health risk in fish. This study highlights the importance of rational and regulated use of SMZ in aquaculture.

Long noncoding RNA taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) is considered to be involved in postischemic cerebral inflammation, whereas polysialic acid (polySia, PSA), the product of St8sia2, constitutes polysialylated neural adhesion cell molecule (PSA-NCAM) in both mice and humans and that cerebral PSA-NCAM level is elevated in neuronal progenitor cells in response to transient focal ischemia. Herein, we aim to identify novel miRNAs that bridge the functions of St8sia2 and TUG1 in ischemia-associated injuries. In both in vivo (C57BL/6J mouse ischemia/reperfusion, I/R model) and in vitro (mouse neuroblastoma N2A cell oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation, OGD model) settings, we observed upregulated TUG1 and St8sia2 after the induction of ischemic injury, accompanied by reduced miR-3072-3p expression. We performed siRNA-induced TUG1 knockdown combined with the induction of ischemic injury; the results showed that inhibiting TUG1 expression led to the reduced infarct area and improved neurological deficit. Through bioinformatics analysis, miR-3072-3p was found to target both St8sia2 and TUG1, which was subsequently verified by the luciferase reporter system and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation assay. Also, the addition of miR-3072-3p mimic/inhibitor resulted in reduced/elevated St8sia2 expression at the protein level. Further studies revealed that in both in vivo and in vitro settings, TUG1 bound competitively to miR-3072-3p to regulate St8sia2 expression and promote apoptosis. In summary, targeting the TUG1/miR-3072-3p/St8sia2 regulatory cascade, a novel cascade we identified in cerebral ischemia injury, may render feasible therapeutic possibilities for overcoming cerebral ischemic insults.

To investigate the effect of chiral pesticide fenvalerate (FV) on the micro-ecological environment of aquaculture pond sediment, we used an indoor static experiment to observe the effects of FV added at different concentrations with different chiral isomers on the changes in the sediment bacterial community. The 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technique was used to conduct sequencing and analysis of the bacterial community structure as well as changes in aquaculture pond sediments after 4 weeks of cultivation. The results showed that the microbial alpha diversity indices (Sobs and Shannon indices) of the treated groups were significantly lower than those of the control group after 4 weeks (P

Fenvalerate (FV) is widely used in aquaculture because of their broad spectrums and high efficiency. However, little is known regarding the elimination of FV influenced by environment factors in aquaculture water, especially its cis-trans isomers (cis-FV and trans-FV). In the present study, factors influencing the aquaculture environment (open type, temperature, pH and light) were selected, and the elimination dynamics of FV and its cis-trans isomers in aquaculture water using orthogonal experiments were investigated. The results showed that the half-life and elimination rate range of FV were 4.75-11.95 days and 65-93%, respectively, while those of trans-FV were 4.60-11.82 days and 67-93% and those of cis-FV were 4.94-12.04 days and 64-92%, respectively. The elimination rate of trans-FV was better than that of cis-FV. Additionally, analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the orthogonal experimental data indicated that the environmental factors of open type, temperature, and pH significantly influenced the elimination rate of cis- and trans-FV (P

The genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus) is cultured widely for production of freshwater fish in China, while streptococcosis, likely related to pathogenic infections, occurs frequently in juvenile, mother, and operated GIFT. The gut microbiota plays an important role in nutrient digestibility in animals, and resveratrol (RES) has been used in feed for different freshwater fish species. Therefore, understanding changes in the tilapia gut microbiota across different concentrations of dietary RES supplementation is extremely important. The gut microbiota population in tilapia at 45 d after supplementation with different concentrations (0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 g/kg) of dietary RES was assessed by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. A total of 5445 operational taxonomic units were identified from all samples, and 14 phyla and 81 families were identified from all fecal samples. The bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes were significantly enriched in the 0.025 g/kg RES group when compared with the controls. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria were the most dominant three phyla in all samples. With the increasing concentrations, the proportion of beneficial microbial taxa (Acetobacteraceae and Methylobacteriaceae) increased, whereas the proportion of harmful microbial taxa decreased, eg. Streptococcaceae except for 0.1 g/kg RES groups. RES did not affect the richness and diversity in tilapia gut microbiota. These findings provide information on the diversity and differences in GIFT gut microbiota database, and may contribute to developing strategies for management of diseases and long-term sustainability of O. niloticus culture.

The GIFT (Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia) tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, is cultured widely for the production of freshwater fish in China. Streptococcosis, which is related to pathogenic infections, occurs frequently in juvenile and adult female GIFT individuals. Resveratrol (RES) has been used in feed to control these infections in freshwater tilapia. To address the effects of RES on tilapia, we used high-throughput RNA sequencing technology (RNA-Seq, HiSeq. 2500) to explore the global transcriptomic response and specific involvement of hepatic mRNA of juvenile O. niloticus fed with diets containing different concentrations of (0, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1g/kg) RES. A total of > 24,513,018 clean reads were generated and then assembled into 23,244 unigenes. The unigenes were annotated by comparing them against non-redundant protein sequence (Nr), non-redundant nucleotide (Nt), Swiss-Prot, Pfam, Gene Ontology database (GO), Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, and 12,578 unigenes were annotated to the GO database. A total of 1444 (0.025g/kg RES), 1526 (0.05g/kg RES), and 3135 (0.1g/kg RES) genes were detected as significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs), when compared with the controls. A total of 6 (0.025 vs 0.05g/kg RES), 19 (0.025 vs 0.1g/kg RES), and 124 (0.05 vs 0.1g/kg RES) genes were detected as significant DEGs. Six genes, including dnah7x1, sox4, fam46a, hsp90a, ddit4, and nmrk2, were associated with an immune response. These findings provide information on the innate immunity of GIFT and might contribute to the development of strategies for the effective management of diseases and long-term sustainability of O. niloticus culture.

Antibiotics are widely used in aquaculture and therefore may be present as a dietary risk in cultured aquatic products. Using the Tai Lake Basin as a study area, we assessed the presence of 15 antibiotics in 5 widely cultured aquatic species using a newly developed dietary risk ranking approach. By assigning scores to each factor involved in the ranking matrices, the scores of dietary risks per antibiotic and per aquatic species were calculated. The results indicated that fluoroquinolone antibiotics posed the highest dietary risk in all aquatic species. Then, the total scores per aquatic species were summed by all 15 antibiotic scores of antibiotics, it was found that Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) had the highest dietary risks. Finally, the most concerned antibiotic category and aquatic species were selected. This study highlighted the importance of dietary risk ranking in the production and consumption of cultured aquatic products around Tai Lake.

As the most important fishery medicines, sulfonamides are widely used to prevent diseases caused by pathogens in aquaculture. However, relatively little is known about the residues and dietary risks associated with cultured fish around Tai Lake. In the present study, a sampling strategy for a complete aquaculture period was conducted. Specifically, 12 selected sulfonamide antibiotics were measured among 116 fish samples recruited from four sampling periods, four species, four areas, and 18 fish ponds. All 12 antibiotics were detected at detection frequencies of 4.31–28.45%. Total sulfonamides were detected in 77.59% of the fish samples, with 57.76% of fish samples containing from 0.1 to 10 μg kg−1. Sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), sulfamethazine (SDD), and sulfamonomethoxine (SMM) were the main types of antibiotics used, and these were present at high concentrations (>100 μg kg−1) with high occurrences, especially in the middle of the aquaculture season. Dietary assessment showed that residual antibiotics in all fish that were being sent to market were far below the maximum residue limit (MRL) of total sulfonamides and that there was almost no risk associated with fish consumption. The results of the present study will facilitate development of effective measures to produce safe aquatic products and meaningful suggestions for consuming aquatic products.

Dietary supplementation with rutin may have some pharmacological qualities including anti-inflammatory effects. Kupffer cell activation resulted in increased transcription of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the pro- and anti-inflammatory activities in juvenile freshwater tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, in response to 0.1 or 0.3 g/kg dietary supplementation of rutin. Results showed that hepatic IgM, anti-inflammatory-cytokines, and pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly decreased in groups treated with high doses of rutin. Hepatic IgM and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IFN-γ) transcripts were significantly decreased, whereas the transcripts of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNFα and IL-1β were significantly decreased, whereas IL-8 was significantly increased. The number of Kupffer cells in rutin-treated groups was significantly decreased, and scanning electron micrographs showed that rutin enriched the number of gut microvilli and secretion pits. With the phenomena of cell apoptosis occurred in the rutin groups, the present study demonstrated that optimum levels of rutin may be beneficial but excessive level may cause liver impairment, which may be absorbed by the gut and then transported to the liver.

OBJECTIVES Thymic carcinoma (TC) and thymic carcinoid (TCD) are aggressive thymic epithelial neoplasms with a poor prognosis. Due to rarity, little is known about their comparative clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes and patterns of relapse. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed on 287 patients with TC and 56 patients with TCD who were treated at the Shanghai Chest Hospital between February 2003 and April 2014. Patient demographics, tumour stage, treatment, pathologic findings and postoperative outcomes were compared between the two tumour types using both multivariable Cox regression analysis and propensity-matched analysis. RESULTS Compared to patients with TC, significantly more patients with TCD were male, had larger tumours, and displayed a greater proportion of lymph node metastases. However, overall survival was similar (60.7% 5-year survival for TC, 80.7% for TCD, P = 0.159), as was disease-free survival (41.1% 5-year survival for TC, 37.6% for TCD, P = 0.696) and patterns of relapse. Multiple Cox regression analysis identified younger patients [hazard ratio (HR) 1.018; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.000-1.035; P = 0.047], more completeness of resection (HR 1.424; 95% CI 1.105-1.836; P = 0.006), adjuvant radiotherapy (HR 0.455; 95% CI 0.276-0.751; P = 0.002), and no adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 1.799; 95% CI 1.017-3.183; P = 0.044) as independent factors predicting better overall survival. Completeness of resection (HR 1.258; 95% CI 1.022-1.548; P = 0.031) and TNM stage (HR 1.479; 95% CI 1.107-1.977; P = 0.008) were independent predictors of disease-free survival. Propensity matching produced 46 patients in each group and no significant difference on overall survival or disease-free survival was found. CONCLUSIONS Patients with TCD have discrete features but share a similar clinical course to those with TC. The importance of complete resection in both of these thymic malignancies is emphasized. Further investigation at multiple centers with the longer follow-up data is required to substantiate our conclusion.

OBJECTIVES Our goal was to assess the influence of working hours and working at night on intraoperative complications on surgeons conducting video-assisted pulmonary resections. METHODS We identified all patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in Shanghai Chest Hospital from January 2015 to April 2017. Univariable and multivariable logistic analyses were used to analyse independent risk factors for intraoperative complications. A 1:4 propensity score matching analysis was conducted to verify those results. RESULTS A total of 15 767 patients who underwent VATS pulmonary resection were included in this study. Among them, 15 280 patients (96.1%) were operated on during daytime working hours and 487 (3.1%) at night. A total of 203 (1.3%) intraoperative complications occurred. Vascular injury was the main cause of intraoperative complications, accounting for 92.1% (187/203). Multivariable logistic regression indicated that age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43–1.98; P CONCLUSIONS The incidence of intraoperative complications from VATS pulmonary resection performed during night hours was significantly higher than that performed during working hours. In the present labour environment, thoracic surgeons should avoid night-time surgery whenever possible.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging contaminants that pose a potential risk to human health worldwide. In this study, a metagenomic analysis was performed to investigate the distribution of ARGs in paddy field ecosystems, crayfish monoculture pond ecosystems, and rice-crayfish cultivation field ecosystems. The results showed that MacB and BcrA are two dominant ARGs, and macrolide is the dominant antibiotic not only in the water, but also in the sediment and gut of crayfish, in both the crayfish monoculture and the rice-crayfish cultivation ecosystems. Meanwhile, some lower-abundance ARGs in the water and sediment of crayfish cultivation ecosystems were significantly different in their abundance than those in rice paddy fields, and the ARGs in crayfish culture system and rice paddy fields showed even higher dissimilarities of diversity. Comprehensive analysis with redundancy analysis（RDA）and the distribution of dominant ARGs showed that the dissimilarity was related to the higher concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll a (Chla), permanganate index (CODMn), and nitrate in the water of rice paddy fields, and was related to the higher contents of N, P, K, and organic matter (OM) in the sediment of rice paddy fields. The source trackers of ARGs within the crayfish cultivation ponds and the rice-crayfish cultivation fields showed that the sediment in crayfish cultivation ponds mainly played the role of the 'sink' for ARGs, and the water and gut of crayfish mutually contributed to the high rates of ARGs. The ARG contribution rates of crayfish gut and sediment decreased and increased, respectively, in rice-crayfish cultivation fields and in crayfish monoculture ponds, which might be related to the lower crayfish biomass and the lower water depth in rice-crayfish cultivation fields.

Male tilapia were exposed to sub-lethal methomyl concentrations of 0, 0.2, 2, 20 or 200 μg/L for 30 d, and were subsequently cultured in methomyl-free water for 18 d. Relative transcript abundance of steroidogenic genes involved in the HPGL axis of male tilapia was examined at 30 d in the exposure test and at 18 d in the recovery test. The results revealed that low concentrations of methomyl (0.2 and 2 μg/L) did not cause significant changes in gene mRNA levels in the HPGL axis of male tilapia; thus, we considered 2 μg/L concentrations as the level that showed no apparent adverse endocrine disruption effects. However, higher concentrations of methomyl (20 and 200 μg/L) disrupted the endocrine system and caused significant increase in the levels of GnRH2, GnRH3, ERα, and ERβ genes in the hypothalamus, GnRHR and FSHβ genes in the pituitary, CYP19a, FSHR, and ERα genes in the testis, and VTG and ERα genes in the liver, and significantly decreased the levels of LHR, StAR, 3β-HSD, and ARα genes in the testis and LHβ gene in the pituitary, leading to changes in sex steroid hormone and vitellogenin levels in the serum and ultimately resulting in reproductive dysfunction in male tilapia. The recovery tests showed that the toxicity effect caused by 20 μg/L methomyl was reversible; however, the toxicity effect at 200 μg/L of methomyl was irreversible after 18 d. Therefore, we concluded that 200 μg/L was the threshold concentration for methomyl-induced irreversible endocrine disruption in male tilapia.

Antibiotics are widely used to improve the health and yields of farmed animals, including fish, but their use is accompanied by undesirable ecological effects. Relatively little is known about the water-body burden of antibiotics and their influence on primary productivity in aquaculture ecosystem. In this study, antibiotics usage within 24 fishponds, covering 4 areas, sampled 5 times, and having 5 fish species, was investigated surrounding Tai Lake in China. The study analyzed 15 antibiotics (including 5 sulfonamides, 2 quinolones, 3 β-lactams, 3 tetracyclines, 1 amphenicol, and 1 macrolide), and all of them were detected in water samples, with a detection frequency of 2-60%. Sulfonamides were the most prevalent, and concentrations of sulfamethoxazole, sulfamonomethoxine, and florfenicol being over 2000 ng L(-1) in some samples, while the other antibiotics levels ranged from ND (no detection) to 551.18 ng L(-1). Significant differences were observed in antibiotic burden among different regions for total antibiotics, sulfonamides, quinolones, and amphenicols; among time points for quinolones, β-lactams, and tetracyclines; and among species for quinolones and macrolides. Furthermore, basing on the risk quotient (RQ) method, the assessment revealed that florfenicol was of highest risk to algae with RQ values exceeding 0.1, while macrolide erythromycin posed the second highest risk. The partial correlation coefficient between total antibiotics and chlorophyll (a) was -0.035 that clearly indicated total antibiotics were detrimental to green algae growth, while the nutrient input and other physical - chemical factors were much more beneficial. Overall, holistic far-reaching measures of antibiotics control are recommended to preserve aquaculture ecosystem health.

Here we used RNA-Seq to explore the transcriptomic response and specific involvement of hepatic mRNA of juvenile Oreochromis niloticus (GIFT) as a result of dietary resveratrol supplementation (0.05 g/kg RES). More than 24,513,018 clean reads were reference genome guided assembly into 23,417 unigenes. 12,596 unigenes (29.64%) were annotated to GO database. There were 5, 179 and 1526 genes significantly differentially expressed genes at 15, 30 and 45 d respectively, and 8 KEGG pathways were enriched associated with this immune response. Hyperemia and compressed hepatic sinusoid, fibrosis of liver cell and abnormal hepatic epidermal cell revealed by H&E and SEM analysis respectively. Genes related with cytokine production (il12rb2, scfr), immune system (ig8l, hlfl, cd226, prf1l), autophagy regulation (atg4b), foxo signaling (ccnb2), steroid hormone biosynthesis (cyp3a40), fatty acid metabolism (scd1), metabolism (cacna1b) have been significantly decreased, while genes associated with such pathways above (leap-2, prdx4, mb, homer1, mif, sat1, cytbc1_8) and the pathway of protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum (cne1, tram1) have been significantly increased. These findings suggested RES activated some immune and biological process-related genes to enhance GIFT's innate immunity. It also suggested high concentration addition or long-time administration may bring negative effect in tilapia liver.

Tilapia were exposed to 0, 0.2, 2, 20, 200 µg/L methomyl for 30 days, and then transferred to methomyl-free water for 18 days. Caspase-8 in serum, apoptosis rate, microstructure and ultra-microstructure of testis were checked after methomyl exposure and at 18 days after transferring to methomyl-free water. There were no significant changes in Caspase-8 activity, apoptosis rate, and tissue structure in testis exposed to 0.2 and 2 µg/L compared with control. However, when tilapia exposed to 20 and 200 µg/L, the Caspase-8 activity and apoptosis rate were induced significantly, and tissue damage happened compared with the control. Thus it would appear 2 µg/L methomyl might be considered as the no observed adverse effect level. Recovery data showed that the effects produced by lower concentration of 20 µg/L were reversible but not at the higher 200 µg/L concentration.

OBJECTIVES Thymomas are rare, and information regarding their surgical outcomes and possible prognostic factors is limited. In this study, we aimed to determine the clinicopathological characteristics of thymoma and estimate independent predictors of both overall and disease-free survival in thymoma patients. METHODS We carried out a retrospective review of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors in 761 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed thymoma treated in Shanghai Chest Hospital between January 2001 and December 2011. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and evaluated with log-rank tests. Multivariable analysis was performed using the Cox regression model. RESULTS Complete follow-up information was available for 544 patients. The overall survival rate was 92.8% at 5 years and 90.5% at 10 years. The 5- and 10-year disease-free survival was 87.9 and 82.1%, respectively. On multiple Cox regression analysis, the Masaoka-Koga clinical stage [odds ratio (OR), 2.057; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.454-2.911; P < 0.01] and sex (OR, 2.244; 95% CI, 1.115-4.519; P = 0.02) were found to be independent predictors of overall survival. The Masaoka-Koga clinical stage (OR, 2.127; 95% CI, 1.487-3.042; P < 0.01) and completeness of resection (OR, 2.935; 95% CI, 1.410-6.109; P < 0.01) predicted disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS The four-tiered Masaoka-Koga clinical stage is the most important prognostic factor, predicting not only overall survival but also disease-free survival after thymoma resection. Completeness of resection predicts disease-free survival, and the World Health Organization histological classification may not have significant prognostic implications.

OBJECTIVES: In 2014, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)/International Thymic Malignancies Interest Group (ITMIG) launched a worldwide Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) staging proposal for the next edition of thymic tumours. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the proposed new staging system specific to the thymic well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (TWDNC). METHODS: From November 2003 to July 2014, 61 consecutive patients were enrolled in this study with pathologically confirmed TWDNC in Shanghai Chest Hospital. Clinical and pathological data were retrospectively reviewed. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier and log-rank tests. Validity evaluation was addressed by Cox proportional hazards regression model, after adjusting for potential confounders and visually assessing the distinction of curves generated based on the staging system of Masaoka–Koga and the proposed TNM ones. RESULTS: Thymic carcinoids made up 4% of total thymic tumours in our institution. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and the diseasefree survival (DFS) rate were 72 and 41%, respectively. Neither Masaoka–Koga staging system nor the proposed TNM system showed ordered appropriateness visually in survival curves and the prognostic demarcation between stages was poor on both OS and DFS. CONCLUSIONS: The IASLC/ITMIG suggested that the TNM and Masaoka-Koga staging systems fail to predict the clinical course of TWDNC patients. Collaborative effort is needed in the future staging validation as ITMIG recommended.

Archaea, like the bacterial communities are gradually being realized as key players in the biogeochemical progress of water ecosystems. In this study, tilapia aquaculture ponds were used for an in-depth understanding of archaeal community compositions in water and surface sediment. Some of the main functions, as well as the communities' response patterns, to time variations, pond differences and some physio-chemical parameters were investigated. The results revealed the dominant phylum in both the water and surface sediment, as Euryarchaeota, while, the most abundant classes were: Halobacteria and Methanomicrobia respectively. Significant differences in the archaeal community compositions in the water and surface sediment, were observed in the early stages of cultivation, which became minimal at the later stage of the GIFT tilapia cultivation. Additionally to the differences in the most abundant classes, more OTUs were observed in water samples than in surface sediment samples. The methane generation could be attributed to the large proportion of methanogens found in both pond water and in the surface sediment. Furthermore, the archaeal community compositions in water and the surface sediment were shaped mainly by temporal variations and pond differences respectively. In the pond water, the archaeal community compositions were highly co-related to the concentration changes of ammonia, sulfate and total nitrogen; while in the surface sediment, the correlation to the content changes was significant in total phosphorus. The archaeal community compositions in surface sediment should be considered as an indicator for future environmental capacity studies in aquaculture.

An increase in nutrient input may disturb the bacterioplankton communities in freshwater aquaculture ponds during the peak period of culture. Water samples were collected from ponds of three cultivated species. After the samples were filtered and total DNA was extracted, Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to profile the spatiotemporal distributions in bacterioplankton communities, the belt diversity, and the influencing factors during this period of time. The results showed that Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla. Biological differences in cultivated species were the main influencing factors that shaped bacterioplankton communities. Monthly variations and thermal stratification provided little and no contribution to bacterioplankton communities, respectively. CODmn, Chla, and TN were the most appropriate parameters to describe the environmental interpretation of bacterial ordinations, and CODmn was the predominant factor. In addition, the higher similarity between CODmn and Chla, shown by clustering analysis, indicated that the algae-bacteria symbiotic system may have an important role in material circulation in freshwater aquaculture pond water during the peak period of culture. The present study has helped to elucidate the biological characteristics of aquaculture tail water, and enriched the basic data provided by bacterioplankton studies.

Aquaculture ponds represent ecologically relevant environments to study the community composition and diversity of methanogenic assemblages, as well as their interactions with cultivated species and chemical indicators. In this study, aquaculture ponds with crab (Eriocheir sinensis), oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense), perch (Micropterus salmonides) and Wuchang fish (Parabramis pekinensis) were sampled, and Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the methanogenic communities. The results revealed that the abundant methanogenic orders in surface sediment were Methanomicrobiales, Methanosarcinales and Methanocellales. The relative abundance of Methanocellales was higher in crab and prawn ponds as compared to other ponds. Methanogenic 16S rRNA gene abundance and beta diversity of the community was affected by the cultivated species. Methanogenic communities in aquaculture ponds with higher contents of total nitrogen and organic matter had decreased species richness, while those with higher contents of ammonia and nitrite had an overall decreased abundance of methanogens and their respective diversities. Overall, in addition to the differences in cultivated species, the consequent differences in farming practices including the types and amounts of feeds used, the contents of total nitrogen, organic matter, ammonia and nitrite could all influence the methanogenic community in surface sediment of aquaculture ponds.

Tilapia were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of 0, 0.2, 2, 20 or 200 μg/L for 30 days, then transferred to methomyl-free water for 18 days. E2 , T, 11-KTand VTG in serum were examined. There were no significant changes in all the parameters in serum of tilapia exposed to 0.2 μg/L and 2 μg/L methomyl compared to the control. However, 20 μg/L and 200 μg/L have the potential to disrupt the endocrine system of male tilapia, as shown by its ability to increase VTG and E2 and decrease T and 11-KT in serum. Thus it would appear the no observed adverse effect level for sexual steroid hormones of methomyl is lower than 2 μg/L. Recovery data showed that the effects produced by 20μg/L were reversible but not at 200μg/L. Furthermore, the sensitivity of above parameters to methomyl followed the order of VTG>E2 >11-KT>T>GSI, suggesting VTG being the better biomarkers.

Bacterial community compositions in the surface sediment of tilapia ponds and their responses to pond characteristics or seasonal variations were investigated. For that, three ponds with different stocking densities were selected to collect the samples. And the method of Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to amplify the bacterial 16S rRNA genes. A total of 662, 876 valid reads and 5649 operational taxonomic units were obtained. Further analysis showed that the dominant phyla in all three ponds were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria. The phyla Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Chlorobi, and Spirochaetae were also relatively abundant. Among the eight phyla, the abundances of only Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Spirochaetae were affected by seasonal variations, while seven of these (with the exception of Acidobacteria) were affected by pond differences. A comprehensive analysis of the richness and diversity of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, and of the similarity in bacterial community composition in sediment also showed that the communities in tilapia pond sediment were shaped more by pond differences than by seasonal variations. Linear discriminant analysis further indicated that the influences of pond characteristics on sediment bacterial communities might be related to feed coefficients and stocking densities of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT).

OBJECTIVES Chest computed tomography (CT) scanning has been widely utilized in thymoma identification and staging as well as in follow-up monitoring for recurrence. However, the relationship between some CT imaging features and pathological types, clinical stage, completeness of resection, or prognosis in thymoma has not been well explored. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed preoperative CT imaging for 238 thymoma patients, who had undergone thymectomy from October 2007 to December 2011. All CT parameters were assessed in each case based on clinical and pathological data. Survival analysis was performed by using the Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests. RESULTS Tumour contours (P = 0.008), homogeneity (P = 0.009), degree of enhancement (P = 0.013), fat plane obliteration with adjacent structures (P < 0.001), the presence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy (P = 0.010), irregular infiltration into the lung (P = 0.012) and tumour shape (P = 0.007) were associated with the World Health Organization (WHO) histological classification. Lobulated or irregular tumour contours (P < 0.001), presence of calcifications (P = 0.002), infiltration of surrounding fat (P < 0.001), irregular infiltration into the lung (P < 0.001), irregular infiltration into vascular (P < 0.001), more abutment of vessels (P < 0.001) and pulmonary changes adjacent to the tumour (P < 0.001) were associated with the more advanced Masaoka-Koga clinical stage. Tumour contours (P < 0.001), infiltration of surrounding fat (P = 0.008), irregular infiltration into the lung (P < 0.001) and degree of abutment of vessel circumference (P = 0.001) were associated with completeness of resection. With multivariate analysis, no CT image features could reliably predict on the overall or disease-free survival rate. CONCLUSIONS CT imaging does have some features, which are significantly correlated with the WHO classification, the Masaoka-Koga clinical staging and the completeness of resection, although it has no definite role to evaluate preoperatively the survival rate of thymoma patients.

Although human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G gene polymorphism is low, it may influence levels of protein expression and, in some cases, has been associated with pregnancy diseases. Apart from the 23 HLA-G alleles, including a null allele known as HLA-G*0105N, a 14-bp deletion or insertion in the 3'UT region also contributes to the HLA-G gene polymorphism. In order to discover any correlation between the 14-bp deletion polymorphism and pregnancy diseases, we isolated the genomic DNA from 24 recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA) patients and 88 normal fertile control individuals using the salted out method. Exon-8 of HLA-G gene of the two groups was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, respectively, and analyzed by electrophoresis on 9% nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel and stained with ethidium bromide. Differences between the two groups were compared using the chi(2) test. The results were there was no significant difference in allelic frequencies of 14-bp deletion polymorphism between normal control and RSA patients; frequency of -14 bp/+14 bp heterozygotes was significantly increased in RSA patients as compared with normal fertile controls. Our results are similar to a study of Indian women but contradictory to a study of Danish women. This discrepancy may be due to ethnic differences.

Hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), the rate-limiting enzyme of mevalonate pathway, has been involved in the tumorigenesis of several tumor types. Our previous study has showed that statin, the inhibitor of HMGCR, inhibited the tumorigenecity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in vitro and in vivo. However, the function of HMGCR in the carcinogenesis of ESCC cells remains unknown. In this study, we have observed the up-regulation of HMGCR in ESCC tissues compared with the paired normal tissues. Over-expression of HMGCR in ESCC cells promoted cell growth and migration, while knockdown of the expression of HMGCR inhibited the growth, migration and colony formation of ESCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that oncogene Myc positively regulated the expression of HMGCR. Taken together, our study revealed the pivotal function of HMGCR and mevalonate pathway in the progression of ESCC and supported the clinical application of statin.