Molecular characterization, antibacterial and immunoregulatory activities of liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 in black rockfish, Sebastes schlegelii.

LEAP2 (liver expression antimicrobial peptide 2), is an antimicrobial peptide widely found in vertebrates and mainly expressed in liver. LEAP2 plays a vital role in host innate immunity. In teleosts, a number of LEAP2 homologs have been reported, but their in vivo effects on host defense are still limited. In this study, a LEAP2 homolog (SsLEAP2) was identified from black rockfish, Sebastes schlegelii, and its structure, expression as well as biological functions were analyzed. The results showed that the open reading frame of SsLEAP2 is 300 bp, with a 5'- untranslated region (UTR) of 375 bp and a 3' - UTR of 238 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence of SsLEAP2 shares the highest overall identity (96.97%) with LEAP2 of Sebastes umbrosus. SsLEAP2 possesses conserved LEAP2 features, including a signal peptide sequence, a prodomain and a mature peptide, in which four well-conserved cysteines formed two intrachain disulphide domain. The expression of SsLEAP2 was highest in liver and could be induced by experimental infection with Listonella anguillarum, Edwardsiealla piscicida and Rock bream iridovirus C1 (RBIV-C1). Recombinant SsLEAP2 (rSsLEAP2) purified from Escherichia coli was able to bind with various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Further analysis showed that rSsLEAP2 could enhance the respiratory burst activity, and induce the expression of immune genes including interleukin 1-ß (IL-1ß) and serum amyloid A (SAA) in macrophages; additionally, rSsLEAP2 could also promote the proliferation and chemotactic of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs). In vivo experiments indicated that overexpression of SsLEAP2 could inhibit bacterial infection, and increase the expression level of immune genes including IL-1ß, tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 13B (TNF13B) and haptoglobin (HP); conversely, knock down of SsLEAP2 promoted bacterial infection and decreased the expression level of above genes. Taken together, these results suggest that SsLEAP2 is a novel LEAP2 homolog that possesses apparent antibacterial activity and immunoregulatory property, thus plays a critical role in host defense against pathogens invasion.

Healthcare professionals' and consumers' knowledge, attitudes, perspectives, and education needs in oncology pharmacogenomics: A systematic review.

Clinical implementation of pharmacogenomic (PGx)-guided prescribing in oncology lags behind research evidence generation. We aimed to identify healthcare professionals' (HCPs) and consumers' knowledge, attitudes, perspectives, and education needs to inform strategies for implementation of scalable and sustainable oncology PGx programs. Systematic review of original articles indexed in EMBASE, EMCARE, MEDLINE, and PsycInfo from January 2012 until June 2022, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. PROSPERO registration number CRD42022352348. Of 1442 identified studies; 23 met inclusion criteria with 87% assessed high quality. Of these, 52% reported on HCPs, 35% on consumers, and 13% on both HCPs and consumers. Most were conducted in the United States (70%) and included multiple cancer types (74%). Across studies, HCPs and consumers mostly perceived value in PGx, however, both groups reported barriers to utilization, including cost, lack of consistent recommendations across guidelines, and limited knowledge among HCPs; test accuracy, clear testing benefits, and genomic information confidentiality among consumers. HCPs and consumers value and want to engage in PGx strategies in oncology care, however, are inhibited by unmet needs and practice and knowledge gaps. Implementation strategies aimed at addressing these issues may best support increased PGx uptake in oncology practice.

Fischer's base-triggered formal (3+2) cycloadditions with 3-isothiocyanato oxindoles as acceptor-donor synthons.

Herein, previously unreported Fischer's base reactants serving as useful 2C building blocks in (3+2) cycloaddition reactions to build a library of bispiro[Fischer's base-oxindole] hybrids are described. These structurally intriguing products containing three adjacent quaternary stereocentres were smoothly afforded in up to 82% yield and >20 : 1 dr under catalyst-free conditions. Notably, the present protocol firstly employs 3-isothiocyanato oxindole serving as an acceptor and then as a donor in the formal (3+2) cycloadditions, allowing practical, straightforward access to structurally diverse cycloadducts. This work expands the applicability scope of 3-isothiocyanato oxindoles, which have been limited to behaving as donor/acceptor-based synthons in cycloadditions in previous work.

Awareness of tobacco control policies and anti-tobacco attitudes and behaviors among school personnel.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent smoking is a serious public health concern, and the role of personnel in reducing students'tobacco use has been proven. Anti-tobacco policies are strong factors for tobacco control but most are newly implemented in China. This study aimed to examine the awareness of anti-tobacco policies among school personnel in a southern city of China, and assess its influence on personnel's anti-tobacco attitudes and behaviors towards students. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2017 and January 2018 in schools of Shanghai, China. A total of 3194 subjects from 33 schools were selected by a two-stage stratified cluster randomized sampling design. Prevalence of anti-tobacco policy awareness is presented. Crude (ORs) and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between policy awareness and anti-tobacco attitudes or behaviors. RESULTS: In all, 22.4% of surveyed participants knew four or five polices presented in the survey and 13.0% of personnel knew none of these policies. Most of the participants fully support prohibiting indoor (94.6%) and outdoor (86.3%) smoking in public places, bans on tobacco advertising (90.9%), and printing warning pictures on cigarette boxes (89.5%). Less than half of the personnel had taken action to stop students from smoking (45.7%), encourage students to quit smoking (42.4%) or participated in relevant educational activities held by schools (37.4%) in the previous year. The school personnel's anti-tobacco attitudes (AOR=1.28; 95% CI: 1.21-1.36) and behaviors (AOR=1.10; 95% CI: 1.03-1.17) were strengthened with increasing level of policy awareness. CONCLUSIONS: The involvement of school personnel can be an important part of intervention to improve anti-tobacco campaigns on campus. The study calls for the implementation of projects or activities to improve anti-tobacco policy awareness in the school environment as part of school tobacco control strategy.

Rab2A regulates the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease downstream of AMPK-TBC1D1 axis by stabilizing PPARγ.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects approximately a quarter of the population worldwide, and persistent overnutrition is one of the major causes. However, the underlying molecular basis has not been fully elucidated, and no specific drug has been approved for this disease. Here, we identify a regulatory mechanism that reveals a novel function of Rab2A in the progression of NAFLD based on energy status and PPARγ. The mechanistic analysis shows that nutrition repletion suppresses the phosphorylation of AMPK-TBC1D1 signaling, augments the level of GTP-bound Rab2A, and then increases the protein stability of PPARγ, which ultimately promotes the hepatic accumulation of lipids in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that blocking the AMPK-TBC1D1 pathway in TBC1D1S231A-knock-in (KI) mice led to a markedly increased GTP-bound Rab2A and subsequent fatty liver in aged mice. Our studies also showed that inhibition of Rab2A expression alleviated hepatic lipid deposition in western diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice by reducing the protein level of PPARγ and the expression of PPARγ target genes. Our findings not only reveal a new molecular mechanism regulating the progression of NAFLD during persistent overnutrition but also have potential implications for drug discovery to combat this disease.

[Beak morphological growth characteristic of Gonatopsis borealis in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean]. / 西北太平洋北方拟黵乌贼角质颚外部形态生长特性.

Beak is one of the most hard tissues in cephalopods, which is important in the study of fishery ecology. We analyzed the morphological growth characteristics of 268 beaks of Gonatopsis borealis collected in the Northwest Pacific Ocean from September to November of 2018 by Chinese jigging fishing fleets. Results from the principal component analysis showed that the upper hood length (UHL), upper crest length (UCL), upper rostrum length (URL), lower hood length (LHL), lower crest length (LCL) and lower rostrum length (LRL) could be used as the morphological characteristic parameters to study the morphological growth of beak. Results from the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that there was no significant difference both in the relationships between the morphological characteristic parameters versus mantle length (ML) or body weight (BW) for males and females. The relationships between ML and UHL, LHL were best described by power functions but by logarithm function for UCL, URL, LCL, and linear function for LRL respectively. The relationships between BW and UHL, UCL, URL, LCL, LRL were best described by logarithm functions but power function for LHL based on the result of the Akaike's information criterion. The results of growth models for the morphological parameters in this study provided scientific basis for the stock assessment in further research.

Altered amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and regional cerebral blood flow in females with primary dysmenorrhea: a resting-state fMRI and arterial spin labeling study.

Purpose: The current study aimed to explore the central mechanism of primary dysmenorrhea (PD) by investigating the alterations in resting state amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) between PD patients and healthy controls (HCs). Patients and methods: A total of 34 female subjects including 20 PD patients and 14 HCs underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and arterial spin labeling technique (ASL) MRI during menstrual phase. Subsequently, the differences in ALFF and CBF were compared in the two groups. The visual analog scores for pain (VAS-P) and for anxiety (VAS-A) were applied to assess cramping pain and related symptoms in PD patients. Finally, Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to analyze relationships between the neuroimaging findings and clinical characteristics. Results: Compared to HCs, PD patients had decreased ALFF in the right cerebellum posterior lobe, right middle temporal gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, right hippocampus, right brainstem and left parietal lobe. In addition, elevated CBF values were observed in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and right superior temporal gyrus. There was no significant correlation between ALFF, CBF values and clinical characteristics including onset age of dysmenorrhea, VAS-A, and VAS-P in PD patients. Conclusion: The preliminary alterations of ALFF and CBF values in PD patients were observed in different pain-related brain regions, which were involved in multiple dimensions of pain and pain modulation. The combination of rs-fMRI and ASL MRI might provide complementary information for a better understanding of the central mechanism in PD.

[Element composition in the statoliths of Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis squid in Xisha islands waters of South China Sea]. / ä¸­å›½å—æµ·è¥¿æ²™ç¾¤å²›æµ·åŸŸé¸¢ä¹Œè´¼è€³çŸ³å ƒç´ ç»„æˆ.

Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis is the most important cephalopods fishery resource of the South China Sea, which supported the falling-net fishery of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan Provinces of China. Understanding the fisheries biology is essential for sustainable exploitation and management of this squid. Statolith is one of the most important hard tissues of cephalopods which were widely used in the research of fisheries biology and ecology. Elements of 20 statoliths of S. oualaniensis collected in the Xisha islands waters of South China Sea during May to August by the falling-net fishery of 2017 were analyzed with Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for different sexes, different hatching groups, and history stages. The results showed that the statolith of the S. oualaniensis contained 55 elements, with calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), silicon (Si),magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), iron (Fe), barium (Ba) and boron (B) being the top ten abundant elements. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there was no significant difference in all element distributions between sexes for the most abundant ten elements. Significant differences existed in the contents of Si, Sr, Mg, Na and K but no significant difference was found in the contents of Ca, P, B, Fe and B between different hatching groups. There were significant differences in the contents of Sr, Na, P, K, Si, Mg, B and Ba, but no significant difference in the contents of Ca and Fe in the statoliths among different growth zones. Our results suggested that Sr, Na, K and Mg were probably the best four elements for life history reconstruction and examining population structure of the S. oualaniensis.

Brumimicrobium salinarum sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and orange-coloured strain, designated LHR20T, was isolated from a marine solar saltern. The novel strain LHR20T was able to grow at 15-40 °C (optimum 33-37 °C), at pH 6.5-9.5 (optimum pH 7.5-8.0) and with 2.0-11.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 4.0-5.0 %). MK-6 was the sole respiratory quinone, and the major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The predominant polar lipids of strain LHR20T were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), aminolipid (AL), glycolipid (GL1) and two unidentified lipids (L1, L2). The genomic DNA G+C content was 35.0 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain LHR20T was a member of the genus Brumimicrobium and its closest relative was Brumimicrobium mesophilum JCM 14063T (97.5 % sequence similarity). The average nucleotide identity value between strain LHR20T and B. mesophilum JCM 14063T was 73.7 %. This evidence from phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses suggests that strain LHR20T represents a novel species of the genus Brumimicrobium. Therefore, the name Brumimicrobium salinarum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LHR20T (=KCTC 62372T=MCCC 1H00247T).

Market power in auction and efficiency in emission permits allocation.

This paper analyzes how to achieve the cost-effectiveness by initial allocation of CO2 emission permits when a single dominant firm in production market has market power in auction, and compare two prevalent allocation patterns, mixed allocation and single auction. We show how the firm with market power may manipulate the auction price, thereby this leads to fail to achieve cost-effective solution by auction unless the total permits for allocation equal to the effective emissions cap. Provided that the market power firm receives strictly positive free permits, the effective emissions cap of mixed allocation is larger than that of single auction. The production market share of dominant firm is increasing with the free permits it holds. Finally, we examine the compliance costs and welfare of mixed allocation and single auction, the result show that the former is preferred to the later when policy makers consider economic welfare without welfare cost due to CO2 emissions.

Feasibility of human T-lymphotropic virus type I screening using pooled sera.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) seroprevalence rate among volunteer blood donors in Taiwan is low. To study the feasibility of HTLV-I enzyme immunoassay (EIA) screening using pooled sera, we prospectively compared its sensitivity to that of the routine test for each donor. METHODS: HTLV-I EIA tests for each serum sample and a pooled-sera test with 50 samples from voluntary donated blood samples were performed concurrently to assess the effectiveness and cost savings of this screening method. RESULTS: Of 135,606 blood samples from volunteer donors tested for HTLV-I infection, 60 samples (0.044%) were HTLV-I EIA-positive using the routine method. Among these, the positive results were confirmed by Western blot in 22 samples (36.7%). In the pooled-sera test, 17 of 2,713 pooled samples were EIA-positive and these results were all confirmed by Western blot. Five of the 22 (22.7%) EIA-positive samples had a false-negative result in the pooled-sera test. Serial dilution in these five cases revealed that the maximum dilution before loss of sensitivity was 8-fold for two specimens and 16-fold for three specimens. CONCLUSION: In this study, the 50-pooled sera test had higher specificity (100%), but lower sensitivity (77.3%), than the routine HTLV-I screening. Our results suggest that use of a pooling method with five samples would leave a reasonable safety margin and be feasible for HTLV-I mass screening in areas with low seroprevalence for HTLV-I infection.