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The incidence of infections by pathogenic microorganisms, coupled with the experimental manifestation of infections, refers to a regular phenomenon in aquaculture species. A number of environmental changes generally give rise to traumatic scenarios, and activating the transient provocative reactions in the gut normally constitutes a factor to the anatomical and efficient intestinal diseases. These infections have frequently given birth to the momentous economic chaos in aquaculture sector. Putting efforts into resolving this issue, the inclusion of antibiotics in the diets of aquaculture species has been introduced either as growth promoters or the stimulation of the immune system against diseases. Nevertheless, both the fears and discussions of consumers and scientists over the antibiotic-resistant microbes and drug remains in meat have resulted into contentious views concerning the uses of antibiotics. This has resulted into forbidding the use of human antibiotics as growth promotants in the diet of animal since the year 2006 by the European Union; also, subsequent to that, in the year 2013, the United States also initiated a plan for the removal of human antibiotics in the diet as growth promotants. Making use of the prebiotics, synbiotics and probiotics as an alternative has proven as improving not just the growth but also the immunity and maintenance of intestine health of cultured species. They are administered in the feeds of culture species for the purpose of stimulating the good health, safeguarding the intestine against pathogenic microorganisms and reducing the inflammation. In the current investigation, we throw discussion on the present uses, together with the limitations and future directions, the immunomodulatory exploit of probiotics, synbiotics and prebiotics, which triggering directly or enhancing the non-specific immune structure of aquaculture species.

Recognized for its traditional roles, estrogen is ever-present in all vertebrates, regulates reproduction by binding and activating estrogen receptors (ERs), and also controls several functions of vertebrates, including reproductive immune, and central nervous systems. In order to access any other possible functions of the estrogen receptors in the development of the juvenile Hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus â™€× Epinephelu polyphekadion ♂), full-length of ERs cDNA sequences were isolated and analyses were found to be 2391 bp for hgERα, 2626 bp for gERb1 and 2339 bp for hgERb2, respectively. The results of amino acid and phylogenetic analysis revealed that each hgER was grouped in consistent taxonomic groups of perciformes and demonstrated great evolutional conservation in functional domains. Real-time PCR examination discovered that the receptors expressed in all tissues examined, though, at a different level, the ERα mRNA level expressed higher than ERβ1, and ERβ2 in tissues examined. The ERα mRNA level of expression was found to be highest in the tissue of the heart, followed by muscle, and liver. The ERβ1 mRNA level was greatest in heart tissue, trailed by liver and muscle and ERβ2 was highest in the heart trailed by stomach and liver. The minimal expression was recorded in the kidney, the gill, and the brain for ERα, ERβ1, and ERβ2 respectively. These results put forward that steroid hormone estrogen receptors might be playing a significant part in the controlling of social behavior complexity, plasticity behavior, and the assessment of a gratifying inducement in Hybrid grouper. Key words: Estrogen receptors, Real-time POR, tissue expression, hybrid grouper.

BackgroundThere have been reports of increasing azole resistance in Candida tropicalis, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Here we report on the epidemiology and antifungal susceptibility of C. tropicalis causing invasive candidiasis in China, from a 9-year surveillance study.MethodsFrom August 2009 to July 2018, C. tropicalis isolates (n = 3702) were collected from 87 hospitals across China. Species identification was carried out by mass spectrometry or rDNA sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility was determined by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute disk diffusion (CHIF-NET10–14, n = 1510) or Sensititre YeastOne (CHIF-NET15–18, n = 2192) methods.ResultsOverall, 22.2% (823/3702) of the isolates were resistant to fluconazole, with 90.4% (744/823) being cross-resistant to voriconazole. In addition, 16.9 (370/2192) and 71.7% (1572/2192) of the isolates were of non-wild-type phenotype to itraconazole and posaconazole, respectively. Over the 9 years of surveillance, the fluconazole resistance rate continued to increase, rising from 5.7 (7/122) to 31.8% (236/741), while that for voriconazole was almost the same, rising from 5.7 (7/122) to 29.1% (216/741), with no significant statistical differences across the geographic regions. However, significant difference in fluconazole resistance rate was noted between isolates cultured from blood (27.2%, 489/1799) and those from non-blood (17.6%, 334/1903) specimens (P-value < 0.05), and amongst isolates collected from medical wards (28.1%, 312/1110) versus intensive care units (19.6%, 214/1092) and surgical wards (17.9%, 194/1086) (Bonferroni adjusted P-value < 0.05). Although echinocandin resistance remained low (0.8%, 18/2192) during the surveillance period, it was observed in most administrative regions, and one-third (6/18) of these isolates were simultaneously resistant to fluconazole.ConclusionThe continual decrease in the rate of azole susceptibility among C. tropicalis strains has become a nationwide challenge in China, and the emergence of multi-drug resistance could pose further threats. These phenomena call for effective efforts in future interventions.

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is an important cultured marine fish species in southern China. It is characterized by fast growth. Due to the effects of climate change on water oxygen levels and seawater temperatures, the understanding of the influence of environmental changes on cobia culture has become important. In this study, to explore the stress and adaptability of cobia under hypoxia-reoxygenation conditions, the fish were exposed to an oxygen-deficient environment with dissolved oxygen (DO) level of 2.64 ± 0.25 mg/L. Serum liver function target, lipid metabolism-related enzymes and the serum antioxidant capability were detected in cobia under acute hypoxic stress after which fish returned to normal DO level (6.34 ± 0.15 mg/L) at 8, 24 and 48 h. Conventional paraffin sectioning and hematoxylin and eosin (H-E) staining were used to observe gill and liver tissues of cobia by electron microscopy. After hypoxic stress, the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in cobia decreased. Under acute hypoxic stress, the gill patches of the fish were contracted and slightly curved. Liver disorder and vacuoles appeared between liver tissues. After reoxygenation, SOD and catalase (CAT) were recovered to the level of the control group with time, and all peaks appeared. The gill and liver of fish were also recovered with time. The results showed that hypoxic stress could cause oxidative damage to cobia.

Environmental hypoxia affects the survival and development of organisms. It is also an important environmental factor that leads to oxidative damage. Hypoxia is a condition in which tissues are deprived of oxygen; reoxygenation is the phenomenon in which hypoxic tissues are exposed to oxygen. Hypoxia-reoxygenation is vital in pathogenesis, where the production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant disparity significantly contribute to disease progression, and it is one of the most common physiological stressors in the aquaculture industry. In this study, the full length of complementary DNA (cDNA) of the manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) gene of healthy cobia Rachycentron canadum was analysed using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to measure the expression levels of Mn-SOD mRNAs in various tissues (heart, muscle, brain, liver, kidney, gill, intestine, and spleen). The 2–ΔΔCT method was used to performed the expression analysis. The experimental data were analysed using SPSS ver. 19.0 ( https://spss.software.informer.com/19.0/ ). P

Large-scale fish farming faces many environmental stresses, which affect their immune systems, growth performance, and physiological homeostasis, resulting in increase in their susceptibility to infections. Some of the most common bacterial infections of cobia fish (Rachycentron canadum) include streptococcosis, vibriosis, furunculosis and mycobacteriosis, and pastelleurosis. Probiotics could be helpful in reducing or limiting the incidence of severe disease infections or outbreaks. Therefore, the present study aimed to isolate the indigenous bacterial species from healthy cobia fish and then selected 3 strains, including Bacillus sp. RCS1 (MW560712), Pantoea agglomerans RCS2 (MW560713), and Bacillus cereus RCS3 (MW560714) from the gut of juvenile’s cobia having advantageous assets or positive characteristics. Their analysis indicated the presence of similar biochemical profiles and all could effectively utilize carbon sources. The biosafety assessment did not show any pathological symptoms after 10 days of injecting the fish with isolated bacteria. The results showed that all the isolated bacteria in the present study had low auto-aggregation capacity within the first 3 h of incubation. The isolated bacteria showed strong tolerance when exposed to a range of pH. Although asymmetrically, a slow rise in the growth of isolated bacteria was observed within the pH range of 1–8 for RC1, 1–7 for RC2, and 1–6 for RC3. The antagonistic effects of isolated bacterial strains on the development of pathogens, including Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio harveyi, Streptococcus iniae, and Streptococcus agalactiae, were investigated using Luria-Bertani (LB) agar plates. All the isolated bacteria exhibited inhibitory effects against the pathogens, including V. alginolyticus, V. harveyi, S. iniae, and S. agalactiae. These isolated bacteria were characterized with a wide range of antagonistic activities, non-hemolytic activities, high survivability after heat-treatments and safety confidence, and antibiotic susceptibility. Generally, the characteristics displayed by these strains indicated that they could be used as potential probiotics in the aquaculture industry.

At present, due to the influence of global warming, seasonal change, diurnal variation, and eutrophication of the water body, hypoxia has become one of the major factors limiting the stable development of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) culture. In this study, the miRNAs involved in hypoxia stress were screened, and the target genes of miRNAs were annotated and analyzed. The results showed that a total of 184 conservative microRNA (miRNA) and 121 newly predicted miRNA were obtained by sequencing the liver of control (C) and hypoxic (dissolved oxygen, DO (2.64 ± 0.25) mg/L; 3 h) (S) groups. The pathways involved in energy metabolism included starch and sucrose metabolism (ko00500), glycosaminoglycan degradation (ko00531), and galactose metabolism (ko00052). The results indicate that the body maintains physiological activities by regulating some important pathways at the transcriptional level under hypoxia stress, such as the conversion of aerobic metabolism and anaerobic metabolism, the reduction of energy consumption, and the promotion of red blood cell proliferation to maintain the homeostasis of the body.

Background COVID-19 continuously threated public health heavily. Present study aimed to investigate the lymphocyte subset alterations with disease severity, imaging manifestation, and delayed hospitalization in COVID-19 patients. Methods Lymphocyte subsets was classified using flow cytometry with peripheral blood collected from 106 patients. Results Multivariate logistic regression showed that chest tightness, lymphocyte count, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase were the independent predictors for severe COVID-19. The T cell, CD4+ T cell and B cell counts in severe patients were significantly lower than that in mild patients (p = 0.004, 0.003 and 0.046, respectively). Only the T cell count was gradually decreased with the increase of infiltrated quadrants of lesions in computed tomography (CT) (p = 0.043). The T cell, CD4+ T cell, and CD8+ T cell counts were gradually decreased with the increase of infiltrated area of the maximum lesion in CT (p = 0.002, 0.003, 0.028; respectively). For severe patients, the counts of T cell, CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell gradually decreased with the increased delayed hospitalization (p = 0.001, 0.03, and + T cell gradually decreased with the increased delayed hospitalization (both p p = 0.007, and 0.002, respectively). For mild patients, only the NK cell count was gradually decreased with the increased delayed hospitalization (p = 0.012). Conclusion T lymphocyte and its subset negatively correlated with disease severity, CT manifestation and delayed hospitalization. The counts of lymphocyte subset were changed more profound than their proportions.

Background The dogma that urine is sterile in healthy individuals has been overturned by recent studies applying molecular-based methods. Mounting evidences indicate that dysbiosis of the urinary microbiota is associated with several urological diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of the urinary microbiome of patients with calcium-based kidney stones and compare it with those of healthy individuals. Method We collected bladder urine samples from 22 adult male patients with calcium-based kidney stones and 21 age-matched healthy controls by transurethral catheterization. For kidney stone patients, paired renal pelvis urine was also collected via ureteral catheter using aseptic technique. The V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was sequenced, and the urinary microbiota was analyzed by kidney stone status and specimen-type. Results The diversity of the urinary microbiota in kidney stone patients was significantly lower than that of healthy controls based on the Shannon and Simpson index (P

The feeding habits and growth of larvae and juveniles under artificial culture conditions were examined using the ecological method of simple random sampling to better understand the feeding characteristic of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) during the early development stage. The results showed that cobia larvae had a good foraging capability. After three days of the hatch (DAH), the larvae began feeding, and the feeding incidence was 70%. Feeding incidence was 100% in the case of juveniles. Feed intake of larvae and juveniles increases with increased body mass and could be expressed using the binomial equation (R2 = 0.9188). The digestive tract fullness coefficient of 3–24-day-old larvae and juveniles fluctuated from 0.1% to 1.0%. The larvae and juveniles of cobia were satiated within 1 h. The digestion time of larvae to rotifers and copepods was between 0.5 and 1.5 h and 0.5–2 h, respectively, while that of juveniles was 1–3 h. The daily feeding rates of larvae and juveniles were 61.38% (5-day-old), 54.18% (10-day-old), and 24.85% (24-day-old), and could be used as a reference for the daily feeding (%) of both larval and juvenile stages of cobia. The feeding patterns of larvae and juveniles showed a circadian rhythm, suggesting that they were fed during the day. The average daily growth rate of full-length larvae and juveniles aged 3 to 24 days was 35.90%, with an average daily weight gain rate of 56.97%. The relationship among total length, body mass, and age were expressed using a quadratic equation of one variable (R2 > 0.90) and a power function (R2 > 0.90) for the regression equation of body mass and full length. This study provides useful insights on the early development stage, and a reference for large-scale production of cobia larvae and juveniles.

Hypoxia is one of the most frequently arising stressors in aquaculture. Hypoxia causes huge financial losses and degradation of resources. However, the response of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) to hypoxia stress is not completely understood. In this study, the effects of hypoxia on the intestinal microflora of juvenile cobia were investigated. The diversity and structure of microflora after 4 weeks of hypoxia stress were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing technology. A total of 210 fish were divided into two treatment groups, namely, hypoxic stress and normoxic control groups, with 3 replicates per group and 35 fish per replicate. The results showed that the richness and diversity of intestinal microflora increased significantly first and subsequently decreased significantly after invitation of the hypoxia stress (P

With improvements in endoscopy and laser technology, flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) has been a viable treatment option for large renal stones. Here, we share our experience of the FURS treatment for renal stones 2 cm or greater.We evaluated 251 consecutive patients who underwent FURS and holmium laser lithotripsy for renal stones 2 cm or greater between January 2015 and April 2019. Stone size was defined as the longest axis on non-contrast computed tomography. Data were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records. Patient demographics, stone clearance rates and perioperative complications were evaluated.There were 165 male patients and 86 female patients with an average age of 46.9 years (range 22-80 years). Mean stone size was 2.7 cm and the average number of procedures was 1.4 (range 1-5). The stone-free rate at the end of the first, second and third procedure was 61.9%, 82.9%, and 89.5%, respectively. The final stone-free rate decreased as stone size grows, and it was only 58.3% for kidney stones larger than 4 cm after an average of 2.3 procedures. The lowest clearance rates were observed in lower calyx calculi (87.2%) and multiple calyx calculi (83.5%). The overall complication rate was 15.1%, and the most common complication was postoperative fever (9.6%). One patient required blood transfusion, owing to postoperative coagulation disorders induced by urosepsis.Single or staged FURS is a practical treatment option for the renal stones sized 2 to 4 cm with acceptable efficacy and safety. Stone clearance rate of FURS treatment is mainly affected by stone size and location.

This study applies the oxygen/recycled flue gas (O2/RFG) combustion technology for waste incineration in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed incinerator to investigate the effects of different RFG percentages and O2 concentrations on the emission characteristics of organic pollutants (PAHs, phenol and benzene hydrocarbons). Experimental results show that most PAHs with high-ring structures were present in solid-phase and most low-ring PAHs were present in gas-phase. The major compounds of benzene and phenol hydrocarbons were benzene, toluene, trichlorobenzene and 2,4-dinitrophenol, phenol, dichlorophenol, respectively. As the O2 concentration in feed gas was increased from 21% to 40%, the emissions of solid- and gas-phase PAHs and phenol compounds were decreased but not for benzene compounds. Increasing RFG percentages would decrease the emissions of gas-phase PAHs, benzene and phenol compounds, but increased those of solid-phase pollutants. The best operating conditions of such O2/RFG combustion system to reduce the emissions of PAHs and phenol compounds were 40% O2, 35% RFG, and that for benzene compounds was 21% O2, 75% RFG. Comparing with conventional air combustion system, the best diminution efficiencies of PAHs, benzene and phenol compounds at such O2/RFG conditions were 59.54%, 70.97% and 52.60%, respectively. With proper feed gas compositions and RFG percentages, the combustion efficiency and destruction efficiency of organic pollutants can be improved by this O2/RFG combustion technology.