Brassinosteroid signals cooperate with katanin-mediated microtubule severing to control stamen filament elongation.

Proper stamen filament elongation is essential for pollination and plant reproduction. Plant hormones are extensively involved in every stage of stamen development; however, the cellular mechanisms by which phytohormone signals couple with microtubule dynamics to control filament elongation remain unclear. Here, we screened a series of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants showing different microtubule defects and revealed that only those unable to sever microtubules, lue1 and ktn80.1234, displayed differential floral organ elongation with less elongated stamen filaments. Prompted by short stamen filaments and severe decrease in KTN1 and KTN80s expression in qui-2 lacking five BZR1-family transcription factors (BFTFs), we investigated the crosstalk between microtubule severing and brassinosteroid (BR) signaling. The BFTFs transcriptionally activate katanin-encoding genes, and the microtubule-severing frequency was severely reduced in qui-2. Taken together, our findings reveal how BRs can regulate cytoskeletal dynamics to coordinate the proper development of reproductive organs.

A novel PGPR strain, Streptomyces lasalocidi JCM 3373T, alleviates salt stress and shapes root architecture in soybean by secreting indole-3-carboxaldehyde.

While soybean (Glycine max L.) provides the most important source of vegetable oil and protein, it is sensitive to salinity, which seriously endangers the yield and quality during soybean production. The application of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) to improve salt tolerance for plant is currently gaining increasing attention. Streptomycetes are a major group of PGPR. However, to date, few streptomycetes has been successfully developed and applied to promote salt tolerance in soybean. Here, we discovered a novel PGPR strain, Streptomyces lasalocidi JCM 3373T, from 36 strains of streptomycetes via assays of their capacity to alleviate salt stress in soybean. Microscopic observation showed that S. lasalocidi JCM 3373T does not colonise soybean roots. Chemical analysis confirmed that S. lasalocidi JCM 3373T secretes indole-3-carboxaldehyde (ICA1d). Importantly, IAC1d inoculation alleviates salt stress in soybean and modulates its root architecture by regulating the expression of stress-responsive genes GmVSP, GmPHD2 and GmWRKY54 and root growth-related genes GmPIN1a, GmPIN2a, GmYUCCA5 and GmYUCCA6. Taken together, the novel PGPR strain, S. lasalocidi JCM 3373T, alleviates salt stress and improves root architecture in soybean by secreting ICA1d. Our findings provide novel clues for the development of new microbial inoculant and the improvement of crop productivity under salt stress.

Ferric Chloride-Mediated Transacylation of N-Acylsulfonamides.

Transacylation of N-acylsulfonamides, which replaces the N-acyl group with a new one, is a challenging and underdeveloped fundamental transformation. Herein, a general method for transacylation of N-acylsulfonamides is presented. The transformation is enabled by coincident catalytic reactivities of FeCl3 for nonhydrolytic deacylation of N-acylsulfonamides and subsequent acylation of the resultant sulfonamides and can be conducted either stepwise or in a one-pot manner. GaCl3 and RuCl3·xH2O are similarly effective for the reaction. This method is mild, efficient, and operationally simple. A variety of functional groups such as halogeno, keto, nitro, cyano, ether, and ester are well tolerated, providing the transacylation products in good to excellent yields.

Phosphine-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Regioselective Addition of Cyclopropenones with Amides.

A series of amides, including α-bromo hydroxamates, N-alkoxyamides, and N-aryloxyamides, were subjected to phosphine-catalyzed ring-opening O-selective addition with cyclopropenones, producing various special α,ß-unsaturated esters containing oxime ether motif, in moderate to excellent yields, with high regioselectivity, and exclusive O-selectivity. The methodology is highly atom-economical, with simple operation procedures, and compatible with a wide substrate scope (more than 44 examples).

Dietary cholesterol intervention could alleviate the intestinal injury of Oreochromis niloticus induced by plant-based diet via the intestinal barriers.

This study aims to explore the effects of supplementing cholesterol in plant-based feed on intestinal barriers (including physical barrier, chemical barrier, immune barrier, biological barrier) of GIFT strain tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were prepared as follows: plant-based protein diet (Con group) containing corn protein powder, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, and rapeseed meal, with the addition of cholesterol at a level of 0.6 % (C0.6 % group), 1.2 % (C1.2 % group), and 1.8 % (C1.8 % group), respectively. A total of 360 fish (mean initial weight of (6.08 ± 0.12) g) were divided into 12 tanks with 30 fish per tank, each treatment was set with three tanks and the feeding period lasted 9 weeks. Histological analysis revealed that both the C0.6 % and C1.2 % groups exhibited a more organized intestinal structure, with significantly increased muscle layer thickness compared to the Con group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in the C1.2 % group, there was a significant up-regulation of tight junction-related genes (claudin-14, occludin, zo-1) compared to the Con group (P < 0.05). 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine staining results also demonstrated a notable enhancement in intestinal cell proliferation within the C1.2 % group (P < 0.05). Regarding the intestinal chemical barrier, trypsin and lipase activities were significantly elevated in the C1.2 % group (P < 0.05), while hepcidin gene expression was considerably down-regulated in this group but up-regulated in the C1.8 % group (P < 0.05). In terms of the intestinal immune barrier, inflammation-related gene expression levels (tnf-α, il-1ß, caspase 9, ire1, perk, atf6) were markedly reduced in the C1.2 % group (P < 0.05). Regarding the intestinal biological barrier, the composition of the intestinal microbiota indicated that compared to the Con group, both the 0.6 % and 1.2 % groups showed a significant increase in Shannon index (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant increase in the abundance of Firmicutes and Clostridium in the C1.2 % group (P < 0.05). In summary, supplementation of 1.2 % cholesterol in the plant-based diet exhibits the potential to enhance intestinal tight junction function and improve the composition of intestinal microbiota, thereby significantly promoting tilapia's intestinal health.

One-pot synthesis of N-sulfonylamidines from N-acylsulfonamides enabled by a metal triflate-mediated nonhydrolytic N-deacylation.

A triflate salt-catalyzed nonhydrolytic method for the deacylation of N-acylsulfonamides and subsequent one-pot condensation of the newly formed sulfonamides with N,N-dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal to provide N-sulfonylamidines is presented. A range of aliphatic and aromatic N-acylsulfonamides bearing various N-acyl groups such as acetyl, propionyl, butyrl, isobutyryl, octanoyl, benzoyl, 2-phenylacetyl, and sterically hindered pivaloyl are readily transformed into the corresponding N-sulfonylamidines in good to excellent yields. A variety of functional groups including halogeno, keto, nitro, cyano, hydroxyl, ether, and carboxylic ester are tolerated intact.

Molecular cloning and gene expression of acc2 from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and the regulation of glucose metabolism by ACCs inhibitor.

BACKGROUND: Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) catalyzes the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA. Malonyl-CoA, which plays a key role in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, is not only a substrate for fatty acid synthesis but also an inhibitor of the oxidation pathway. ACC exists as two isoenzymes that are encoded by two different genes. ACC1 in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) has been cloned and sequenced. However, studies on the cloning, tissue distribution, and function of ACC2 in grass carp were still rare. METHODS AND RESULTS: The full-length cDNA of acc2 was 8537 bp with a 7146 bp open reading frame encoding 2381 amino acids. ACC2 had a calculated molecular weight of 268.209 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.85. ACC2 of the grass carp shared the closest relationship with that of the common carp (Sinocyclocheilus grahami). The expressions of acc1 and acc2 mRNA were detected in all examined tissues.  The expression level of acc1 was high in the brain and fat but absent in the midgut and hindgut. The expression level of acc2 in the kidney was significantly higher than in other tissues, followed by the heart, brain, muscle, and spleen. ACCs inhibitor significantly reduced the levels of glucose, malonyl-CoA, and triglyceride in hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the function of ACC2 was evolutionarily conserved from fish to mammals. ACCs inhibitor inhibited the biological activity of ACCs, and reduced fat accumulation in grass carp.

A networked iron and nitrogen-doped ZIF-8/MWCNTs heterostructure for oxygen reduction reaction.

Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) is commonly used as an ideal precursor for non-noble metal catalysts because of its high specific surface area, ultra-high porosity, and N-rich content. Upon pyrolyzing ZIF-8 at 900 °C in Ar, the resulting material, referred to as Z8, displayed good activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Then the ZIF-8 was mixed with various conductive carbon materials, such as multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Acetylene black (ACET), Vulcan XC-72R (XC-72R), and Ketjenblack EC-600JD (EC-600JD), to form Z8 composites. The Z8/MWCNTs composite exhibited enhanced ORR activity owing to its network structure, meso-/microporous hierarchical porous structure, improved electrical conductivity, and graphitization. Subsequently, iron and nitrogen co-doping is achieved through the pyrolysis of a mixture comprising Fe, N precursor, and ZIF-8/MWCNTs, which is denoted as FeN-Z8/MWCNTs. The intrinsically high electrical conductivity of MWCNTs facilitated efficient electron transfer during the ORR, while the meso-/microporous hierarchical porous structure and network structure of Fe, N co-doped ZIF-8/MWCNTs promoted oxygen transport. The presence of Fe-containing species in the catalyst acted as activity centers for ORR. This strategy of preparing Z8 composites and modifying them with Fe, N co-doping offers an insightful approach to designing cost-effective electrocatalysts.

Replacing soybean meal with fermented rapeseed meal in diets: potential effects on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and liver and intestinal health of juvenile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

This study aims to evaluate the effects of substituting soybean meal with fermented rapeseed meal (FRM) on growth, antioxidant capacity, and liver and intestinal health of the genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus). A total of 450 tilapia (7.22 ± 0.15 g) were fed with five experimental diets, including a basal diet containing 40% soybean meal (CP0), which was subsequently replaced by 25% (CP25), 50% (CP50), 75% (CP75), and 100% (CP100) FRM in a recirculated aquiculture system for 9 weeks (30 fish per tank in triplicates). The results showed that the weight gain, specific growth rate, feed intake, feed efficiency, hepatosomatic index, and viscerosomatic index of fish in both CP75 and CP100 groups were significantly lower than those in CP0 group (P < 0.05). The fish in CP100 group had the lower content of muscle crude protein while the higher level of muscle crude lipid (P < 0.05). Activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase along with total triglyceride in CP100 group were significantly higher than those in CP0 group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the contents of liver protease, amylase, and lipase among five groups (P > 0.05). The activities of liver total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase exhibited the increased tendency with the increase of FRM replacement levels from 25 to 50% (P < 0.05), while then significantly decreased from 75 to 100% (P < 0.05). Histological morphology indicated that the fish in between CP75 and CP100 groups had poor liver and intestine health. Intestinal microbial diversity analysis showed that the relative abundance of Cetobacterium and Alcaligenaceae in both CP75 and CP100 groups were lower than that in other three groups. In conclusion, the maximum replacement level of soybean meal with FRM in the diet was determined to be 50% without compromising the growth performance, antioxidant status, and liver and intestinal health of tilapia under the current experimental conditions. The observed decrease in food intake and subsequent retarded growth performance in the CP75 and CP100 groups can be attributed directly to a reduction in feed palatability caused by FRM.

Building Ultrastrong, Tough and Biodegradable Thermoplastic Elastomers from Multiblock Copolyesters via a "Reserve-Release" Crystallization Strategy.

Simultaneously attaining high strength and toughness has been a significant challenge in designing thermoplastic elastomers, especially biodegradable ones. In this context, we present a class of biodegradable elastomers based on multiblock copolyesters that afford extraordinary strength, toughness, and low-strain resilience despite expedient chemical synthesis and sample processing. With the incorporation of the semi-crystalline soft block and the judicious selection of block periodicity, the thermoplastic materials feature low quiescent crystallinity ("reserve") albeit with vast potential for strain-induced crystallization ("release"), resulting in their significantly enhanced ultimate strength and energy-dissipating capabilities. Moreover, a breadth of mechanical responses of the materials - from reinforced elastomers to shape-memory materials to toughened thermoplastics - can be achieved by orthogonal variation of segment lengths and ratios. This work and the "reserve-release" crystallization strategy herein highlight the double crystalline multiblock chain architecture as a potential avenue towards reconciling the strength-toughness trade-off in thermoplastic elastomers and can possibly be extended to other biodegradable building blocks to deliver functional materials with diverse mechanical performances.

Verticillium dahliae Asp1 regulates the transition from vegetative growth to asexual reproduction by modulating microtubule dynamic organization.

Verticillium dahliae is a devastating pathogenic fungus that causes severe vascular wilts in more than 400 dicotyledonous plants. The conidiation of V. dahliae in plant vascular tissues is the key strategy for its adaptation to the nutrient-poor environment and is required for its pathogenicity. However, it remains unclear about the regulatory mechanism of conidium production of V. dahliae in vascular tissues. Here, we found that VdAsp1, encoding an inositol polyphosphate kinase, is indispensable for the pathogenicity of V. dahliae. Loss of VdAsp1 function does not affect the invasion of the host, but it impairs the colonization and proliferation in vascular tissues. The ΔVdAsp1 mutant shows defective initiation of conidiophore formation and reduced expression of genes associated with the central developmental pathway. By live-cell imaging, we observed that some of ΔVdAsp1 mutant hyphae are swollen, and microtubule arrangements at the apical region of these hyphae are disorganized. These results indicate that VdAsp1 regulates the transition from vegetative growth to asexual reproduction by modulating microtubule dynamic organization, which is essential for V. dahliae to colonize and proliferate in vascular tissues. These findings provided a potential new direction in the control of vascular wilt pathogen by targeting conidium production in vascular tissues.

Role of creatine supplementation on the myofibre characteristics and muscle protein synthesis of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus).

To assess the role of dietary creatine on myofibre characteristics and protein synthesis in muscle, we fed grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus, initial body weight: 88·47 ± 1·44 g) creatine-supplemented diets (1·84, 5·91, 8·48 and 15·44 g/kg diet) for 8 weeks. Creatine supplementation did not affect growth performance, but significantly increased creatine contents in muscle and liver. At 8·48 g/kg, creatine decreased the activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase in serum and improved hardness and chewiness of muscle due to shorter myofibre mean diameter, higher myofibre density and the frequencies of the diameters of classes I and III and collagen content, longer sarcomere length and upregulated mRNA levels of slow myosin heavy chains. Creatine supplementation upregulated the mRNA expressions of myogenic regulatory factors. The 8·48 g/kg creatine-supplemented diet significantly increased the contents of protein, total amino acids (AA), essential AA and free flavour AAs in muscle, the protein levels of insulin-like growth factor I, myogenic differentiation antigen and PPAR-γ coactlvator-1α in muscle and stimulated the phosphorylation of target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway in muscle. In summary, 8·48 mg/kg creatine improved fish health and skeletal muscle growth and increased hardness and protein synthesis in muscle of grass carp by affecting myofibre characteristics and the TOR signalling pathway. A second-order regression model revealed that the optimal dietary creatine supplementation of grass carp ranges between 8·48 and 12·04 g/kg.

Dietary Cholesterol Requirements of Large Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).

To investigate the dietary cholesterol requirements of large red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), crayfish (initial body weight: 13.49 ± 0.22 g) were hand-fed six diets containing 2.47 (C0), 4.27 (C1), 6.80 (C2), 8.77 (C3), 11.74 (C4), and 14.24 (C5) g/kg cholesterol. After 8 weeks of feeding, the maximum weight gain rate and specific growth rate occurred in group C4. The lowest feed conversion ratio was observed in group C3. Total flesh percentage increased significantly by 15.33% in group C2 compared to group C0. The increase in dietary cholesterol resulted in significant quadratic trends in concentrations of crude protein and lipid in muscle and whole body; cholesterol and free fatty acid in hemolymph, hepatopancreas, and muscle; activities of lipase and amylase in hepatopancreas and intestine; and total antioxidant capacity and catalase activity in hepatopancreas. Group C3 experienced a noteworthy increase in hemolymph glucose and total protein content compared to group C0. Additionally, malondialdehyde content and superoxide dismutase activity in hepatopancreas displayed significant linear and quadratic trends. The optimal dietary cholesterol level for large P. clarkii is between 7.42 and 10.93 g/kg, as revealed by the quadratic regression analysis.

The Requirement and Protective Effects of Dietary Protein against Chronic Ammonia Exposure in Juvenile Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Ammonia is a key risk factor in intensive aquaculture systems. This experiment is aimed at investigating the influence of dietary protein levels on genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus) under chronic ammonia stress. GIFT juveniles of 4.00 ± 0.55 g were exposed to high ammonia level at 0.88 mg/L and fed with six diets comprising graded protein levels at 22.64%, 27.26%, 31.04%, 35.63%, 38.47%, and 42.66% for 8 weeks. The fish in negative control was fed the diet with 31.04% protein in normal water (0.02 mg ammonia/L water). Our results showed that high ammonia exposure (0.88 mg/L) caused significant decrease in fish growth performance, hematological parameters, liver antioxidant enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase), and gill Na+- and K+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (Na+/K+-ATP) activity. When fish were under high ammonia exposure, the weight gain rate, special growth rate, feed efficiency, and survival rate elevated significantly with dietary protein supplementation increase to 35.63%, whereas protein efficiency ratio, hepatosomatic index, and viscerosomatic index showed a decreased tendency. Dietary protein administration significantly enhanced crude protein but reduced crude lipid contents in the whole fish. Fish fed diets with 35.63%-42.66% protein had higher red blood cell counts and hematocrit percentage than fish fed 22.64% protein diet. The values of serum biochemical indices (lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase), hepatic antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), and gill Na+/K+-ATP activity were all elevated with the increment of dietary protein. Moreover, histological analysis indicated that dietary protein administration could prevent the ammonia-induced damages in fish gill, kidney, and liver tissues. Based on weight gain rate as a response criterion, the optimal dietary protein requirement for GIFT juveniles under chronic ammonia stress was 37.9%.

SLC7A5 expression is up-regulated in peripheral blood T and B lymphocytes of systemic lupus erythematosus patients, associating with renal damage.

Metabolic reprogramming of immune cells has been proven to be important for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aims to understand the role of SLC7A5, an amino acid transporter, in SLE. We analyzed SLC7A5 mRNA expression of SLE patients compared to healthy controls using GEO database, and found that it was increased in CD4+ T cells and CD19+ B cells. We then confirmed the expression up-regulation using flow cytometry and found that the proportion of SLC7A5+ cells and its expression were increased in peripheral blood T and B cells from SLE patients. Importantly, SLC7A5 expression in T and B cells was positively correlated with blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Therefore, we conclude that SLC7A5, up-regulating in circulating T and B cells, correlates with kidney function, suggesting its potential role in mediating renal damage in SLE, which provides novel insight into SLE pathogenesis and provides a potential biomarker for disease.

Genome-wide analysis of VPE family in four Gossypium species and transcriptional expression of VPEs in the upland cotton seedlings under abiotic stresses.

Vacuolar processing enzymes (VPEs) play important roles in plant development, programmed cell death, and the responsiveness to biotic and abiotic stresses. To characterize the VPEs in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), the VPE gene family within four Gossypium species, consisting of G. hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii, together with Arabidopsis thaliana, was comparatively analyzed at the genome-wide level. As a result, a total of 43 VPEs were identified, including 13 GhVPEs, 12 GbVPEs, 7 GaVPEs, and 7 GrVPEs, which are evenly distributed with one gene on a chromosome from four Gossypium species, respectively. The phylogenetic tree showed that the identified VPEs within the four Gossypium species could be categorized into ß-type, δ-type, and γ-type VPE clades. Collinearity analysis presented 36 of intraspecies VPE-pairs and 152 of interspecies VPE-pairs, respectively, which are included in synteny blocks on chromosome. These results indicate that VPE duplication events have accorded well with the whole genome duplication. And expression profiles of GhVPEs in G. hirsutum seedlings demonstrated that the GhVPEs from the same clade are not necessarily identical in the pattern of transcriptional expression. Upon abiotic stresses (i.e., waterlogging and salt treatments), three GhVPEs (i.e., Ghir_A05G004610, Ghir_A09G011870, and Ghir_D09G011410) were significantly upregulated in their expression amounts, respectively. The GhVPE genes that presented inducible expression under some abiotic stresses may be applied to the improvement of resilience to abiotic stresses for the cultivated cottons.

Loss of microRNA-147 function alleviates synovial inflammation through ZNF148 in rheumatoid and experimental arthritis.

MicroRNA-147 (miR-147) had been previously found induced in synoviocytes by inflammatory stimuli derived from T cells in experimental arthritis. This study was designed to verify whether loss of its function might alleviate inflammatory events in joints of experimental and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Dark Agouti (DA) rats were injected intradermally with pristane to induce arthritis, and rno-miR-147 antagomir was locally administrated into individual ankle compared with negative control or rno-miR-155-5p antagomir (potential positive control). Arthritis onset, macroscopic severity, and pathological changes were monitored. While in vitro, gain or loss function of hsa-miR-147b-3p/hsa-miR-155-5p and ZNF148 was achieved in human synovial fibroblast cell line SW982 and RA synovial fibroblasts (RASF). The expression of miRNAs and mRNAs was detected by using RT-quantitative PCR, and protein expression was detected by using Western blotting. Anti-miR-147 therapy could alleviate the severity, especially for the synovitis and joint destruction in experimental arthritis. Gain of hsa-miR-147b-3p/hsa-miR-155-5p function in TNF-α stimulated SW982 and RASF cells could upregulate, in contrast, loss of hsa-miR-147b-3p/hsa-miR-155-5p function could downregulate the gene expression of TNF-α, IL-6, MMP3, and MMP13. Hence, such alteration could participate in synovial inflammation and joint destruction. RNAi of ZNF148, a miR-147's target, increased gene expression of TNF-α, IL-6, MMP3, and MMP13 in SW982 and RASF cells. Also, mRNA sequencing data showed that hsa-miR-147b-3p mimic and ZNF148 siRNA commonly regulated the gene expression of CCL3 and DEPTOR as well as some arthritis and inflammation-related pathways. Taken together, miR-147b-3p contributes to synovial inflammation through repressing ZNF148 in RA and experimental arthritis.

Chemoselective Cleavage of Acylsulfonamides and Sulfonamides by Aluminum Halides.

The chemoselective cleavage of C-N bonds of amides, sulfonamides, and acylsulfonamides by aluminum halides is described. AlCl3 and AlI3 display complementary reactivities toward N-alkyl and N-acyl moieties. N-Alkylacylsulfonamides, secondary N-(tert-butyl)sulfonamides, and tertiary N-(tert-butyl)amides undergo N-dealkylation upon treatments with AlI3 generated in situ from aluminum and iodine in acetonitrile. In contrast, AlCl3 preferentially cleaves N-acyl groups of tertiary and secondary sulfonamides.

Effects of phytase supplementation of high-plant-protein diets on growth, phosphorus utilization, antioxidant, and digestion in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).

Fish meal is increasingly being replaced by plant protein raw materials, meanwhile, it brings phytic acid, which combines with phosphorus to form phytate phosphorus and leads to a low utilization rate of phosphorus in shrimp. To solve this problem, this study investigated the effects of phytase supplementation on growth performance, phosphorus utilization, antioxidants, and digestion in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Crayfish (initial mean weight: 8.69 ± 0.15 g, N = 324) were randomly divided into six groups each with three replicates of 18 individuals each, and hand-fed for 8 weeks with one of six experimental diets (50 and 490 g kg-1 animal and plant protein raw material, respectively): negative control (NC; 11.0 g kg-1 phosphorus), positive control (PC; 15 g kg-1 NaH2PO4 added to NC; 14.7 g kg-1 phosphorus), and phytase supplementation diets (P1-P4: 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 g kg-1 phytase added to NC, respectively). The feeding trial was performed in a micro-flow water culture system. P2 showed a significantly higher weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio, and protein retention efficiency (PRE) but showed the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) than other groups. Broken-line regression analyses using WGR, FCR, and PRE as evaluation indices showed that the optimal dietary phytase supplementation level was 0.233, 0.244, and 0.303 g kg-1, respectively. P2 showed the highest crude protein content of whole crayfish and abdominal muscle, and phosphorus deposition rate, which was significantly higher than that in NC and PC. P3 showed the highest calcium and phosphorus contents in whole crayfish and phosphorus content in abdominal muscle, and calcium and inorganic phosphorus content in serum, which were significantly higher than those in NC. P3 showed significantly lowest serum alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase activities, malondialdehyde content in hepatopancreas, and highest catalase activity, which were significantly lower and higher, respectively, than those in NC and PC. In summary, the addition of 0.2-0.4 g kg-1 phytase significantly improves the growth performance, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activity, and antioxidant of P. clarkii, which has a similar effect to the direct addition of NaH2PO4 at 15 g kg-1 to the feed.

[Methimazole Tablets-Induced Algospasm: Two Cases Report].

Here, we reported two cases with hyperthyroidism who complained of myalgia and muscle cramps during treatment with methimazole tablets (or Thyrozol, the brand name). One case experienced muscle cramps after taking Thyrozol for 6 months, and by this time the patient's thyroid function had returned to normal. In the other case, pain caused by muscular cramps began after the patient took Thyrozol for two weeks and the patient's thyroid function had not returned to normal yet at the time. In both cases, pain caused by muscle cramps appeared while the patients were taking Thyrozol. The myalgia persisted in spite of a reduction in the Thyrozol dose, but was significantly relieved with the discontinuation of Thyrozol. Myalgia and muscle cramps did not recur after the patients were switched to methimazole ointment. There was a strong temporal association between oral administration of Thyrozol and pain caused by muscle cramps, which may indicate that myalgia and muscle cramps are adverse reactions of Thyrozol. Looking into the relevant literature on the topic, we explored in this report the possible mechanisms of the onset of muscle cramps associated with Thyrozol, and compared the adverse reactions of two different formulations of methimazole, intending to provide more clinical experience for the treatment of hyperthyroidism and the management of rare adverse reactions related to antithyroid drugs.