Super amplification enabled by orbital angular momentum in weak measurement.

Weak measurement, which can amplify a weak signal, has shown great significance in precision measurements. The amplification is usually realized through the weak value and the propagation factor. We show that the orbital angular momentum (OAM) can provide another dimension for amplification that is linearly proportional to the OAM number. We employ OAM to measure the spin Hall effect of light and demonstrate that the OAM-enabled amplification is compatible with the weak value amplification and the propagation amplification. This work is probable to promote the application of OAM in precision measurements.

Single Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Revealed the Cell Populations Changes and Cell-Cell Communication in the Liver of a Carnivorous Fish Response to High Carbohydrate Diet.

BACKGROUND: Carnivorous fish have a low carbohydrate utilization ability, and the physiological and molecular basis of glucose intolerance has not been fully illustrated. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to use largemouth bass as a model to investigate the possible mechanism of glucose intolerance in carnivorous fish with the help of snRNA-seq. METHODS: Two diets were formulated, a low carbohydrate diet (LC) and a high carbohydrate diet (HC). The feeding trial lasted for six weeks, then growth performance, biochemical parameters, liver histology, and snRNA-seq were performed. RESULTS: Growth performance of fish was not affected by the HC diet, while liver glucolipid metabolism disorder and liver injury were observed. A total of 13247 and 12848 cells from the liver derived from two groups were isolated and sequenced, and 7 major liver cell types were annotated by the marker genes. Hepatocytes and cholangiocytes were lower, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and immune cells were higher in the HC group compared to the LC group. Re-clustering analysis identified 7 subtypes of hepatocytes and immune cells, respectively. The HSCs showed more cell communication with other cell types, and periportal hepatocytes showed more cell communication with other subtype hepatocytes. Cell-cell communication mainly focused on cell junction related signaling pathways. Uncovered by the pseudotime analysis, midzonal hepatocytes were differentiated into two major branches, biliary epithelial hepatocytes, and hepatobiliary hybrid progenitor. Cell junction and liver fibrosis related genes were highly expressed in HC group, HC diet induced the activation of HSCs, and therefore led to the liver fibrosis of largemouth bass. CONCLUSION: HC diet induced liver glucolipid metabolism disorder and liver injury of largemouth bass，the increase and activation of HSCs might be the main reason for the liver injury. In adaption to HC diet, midzonal hepatocytes differentiated into two major branches, biliary epithelial hepatocytes, and hepatobiliary hybrid progenitors.

Is AI 3D-printed PSI an accurate option for patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip undergoing THA?

BACKGROUND: In traditional surgical procedures, significant discrepancies are often observed between the pre-planned templated implant sizes and the actual sizes used, particularly in patients with congenital hip dysplasia. These discrepancies arise not only in preoperative planning but also in the precision of implant placement, especially concerning the acetabular component. Our study aims to enhance the accuracy of implant placement during Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) by integrating AI-enhanced preoperative planning with Patient-Specific Instrumentation (PSI). We also seek to assess the accuracy and clinical outcomes of the AI-PSI (AIPSI) group in comparison to a manual control group. METHODS: This study included 60 patients diagnosed with congenital hip dysplasia, randomly assigned to either the AIPSI or manual group, with 30 patients in each. No significant demographic differences between were noted the two groups. A direct anterior surgical approach was employed. Postoperative assessments included X-rays and CT scans to measure parameters such as the acetabular cup anteversion angle, acetabular cup inclination angle, femoral stem anteversion angle, femoral offset, and leg length discrepancy. Functional scores were recorded at 3 days, 1 week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22.0, with the significance level was set at α = 0.05. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The AIPSI group demonstrated greater prosthesis placement accuracy. With the aid of PSI, AI-planned THA surgery provides surgeons with enhanced precision in prosthesis positioning. This approach potentially offers greater insights and guidelines for managing more complex anatomical variations or cases.

Muscular lipidomics and transcriptomics reveal the effects of bile acids on lipid metabolism in high-fat diet-fed grouper.

Little information is available on how exogenous bile acids alter lipid metabolism in muscle of fish. In the present study, an 8-week feeding trial were used to investigate the impacts of bile acids on lipid deposition, lipid metabolism, lipidomics, and transcriptomics in muscle of pearl gentian grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × E. lanceolatus♂) fed a high-fat diet (HD). The HD treatment significantly increased the crude lipid content, while bile acids diet (BD) treatment decreased it (p = 0.057). BD treatment significantly decreased triglycerides level and significantly increased phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, and phosphatidylglycerol levels. The contents of TG (17:0/18:2/18:2), TG (17:1/18:2/22:6), PC (6:0/22:1), PC (9:0/26:1), PC (26:1/6:0), PC (17:2/18:2), PE (16:0/18:1), PE (18:0/17:1), PG (18:0/20:5), PG (18:3/20:5), PG (19:0/16:1), and PG (18:0/18:1) in muscle were well response to dietary lipid level and bile acids supplementation. HD and BD groups induced a variety of adaptive metabolic responses in transcriptomics. HD treatment increased the lipogenesis and decreased lipolysis, whereas BD treatment decreased the lipogenesis and increased lipolysis. Present study revealed the improvement of muscular lipid metabolism and lipid composition in response to bile acids administration in pearl gentian grouper.

Pretreatment of hypersaline and high-organic wastewater with a three-dimensional electrocatalytic system: a pilot-scale study.

The three-dimensional electrocatalytic oxidation (3DEO) is a promising electrochemical system in the treatment of refractory wastewater, but still far from large-scale applications. In this work, we prepared 146.5 Kg Ti-Sn-Sb@γ-Al2O3 particle electrodes to construct a 3DEO system for the pretreatment of hypersaline and high-organic wastewater in an industrial park sewage plant, with activated carbon particle electrodes as a comparison. The average COD removal rates of Ti-Sn-Sb@γ-Al2O3 and activated carbon-based 3DEO systems were 24.43 and 48.73%, respectively, and the energy consumption of the two 3DEO systems were 102.8 and 31.4 kWh/Kg COD, respectively. However, compared to the negligible enhancement of wastewater biodegradability in the activated carbon 3DEO system, the Ti-Sn-Sb@γ-Al2O3 3DEO system greatly improved the biochemical index (B/C) from 0.021 to 0.166 (by 690.5%). Due to its superior catalytic capacity, Ti-Sn-Sb@γ-Al2O3 outperforms activated carbon in improving biodegradability as the latter relies mainly on adsorption. The results of this work provide a 3DEO engineering practice experience on the pretreatment of hypersaline and high-organic wastewater.

The effects of sodium butyrate (NaB) combination with soy saponin dietary supplementation on the growth parameters, intestinal performance and immune-related genes expression of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × E. lanceolatus♂).

Soy saponins are generally known to have negative effects on growth and the intestines of aquatic animals, and appropriate levels of sodium butyrate (NaB) may provide some mitigating effects. We investigated the effects of low and high levels of soy saponin and the protective effects of NaB (based on high level of soy saponin) on growth, serum cytokines, distal intestinal histopathology, and inflammation in hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂). The experiment included four groups: fishmeal group (FM, 0.00% saponin and 0.00% NaB), low saponin group (SL, 0.30% saponin and 0.00% NaB), high saponin group (SH, 1.50% saponin and 0.00% NaB) and high saponin with NaB group (SH-NaB, 1.50% saponin and 0.13% NaB). The results showed compared to FM, the final body weight (FBW) and weight gain (WG) were significantly higher and lower in SL and SH, respectively (P < 0.05). Compared to SH, the FBW and WG were significant higher in SH-NaB (P < 0.05). In the serum, compared to FM, the interferon γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) levels in SH were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared to SH, the IFN-γ level was significantly decreased in SH-NaB (P < 0.05). In the distal intestine, based on Alcian Blue-Periodic Acid-Schiff (AB-PAS) observation, the goblet cell/µm was significantly increased and decreased in the SL and SH, respectively, compared to FM. The intestinal diameter/plica height ratio in the SH was significantly higher than those in the FM, SL and SH-NaB (P < 0.05). The NO and ONOO- levels in the SH were significantly higher than that in FM and SL (P < 0.05). At the transcriptional level in the distal intestine, compared to FM, the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor (tnfα), il1ß, interleukin-8 (il8) and ifnγ were significantly up-regulated in the SH (P < 0.05). Compared to the SH, tnfα, il8 and ifnγ were significantly down-regulated in the SH-NaB (P < 0.05). Compared to the FM, the mRNA levels of claudin3, claudin15, zo2 and zo3 were significantly up-regulated in the SL (P < 0.05). The mRNA levels of occludin, claudin3, claudin12, claudin15, zo1, zo2 and zo3 were significantly down-regulated in the SH compared to the FM (P < 0.05). Additionally, compared to the SH, the mRNA levels of occludin, claudin3, claudin12, claudin15, zo1, zo2 and zo3 were significantly up-regulated in the SH-NaB (P < 0.05). After the 7-day Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge test, the survival was significantly higher and lower in the SL and SH, respectively, compared to FM (P < 0.05). Overall, low and high levels of soy saponins had positive and negative effects on growth, disease resistance, serum cytokines, and distal intestinal development and anti-inflammation, respectively, in hybrid grouper. NaB effectively increased disease resistance and improved distal intestinal inflammation in hybrid grouper, but the effects of NaB were mainly observed in improving distal intestinal tight junctions.

The compared study about femoral stem malalignment with or without the special curved rasp during DAA total hip arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the application of a curved rasp on the femoral side is effective in reducing the incidence of stem malalignment in total hip replacement with direct anterior approach (DAA-THA), followed by the analysis of the independent risk factors affecting stem malalignment. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was carried out covering 160 patients undergoing DAA-THA from January 2019 to December 2021, with Tri-Lock (BPS, Depuy) stem applied in all 113 patients were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data of gender, age, body mass index, preoperative diagnoses, Dorr classification, FAR ratio, pelvic morphology ratio, WOMAC scores, were analyzed to explore the independent factors influencing the malalignment of the femoral prosthesis implantation. Then data of patients were divided into group A and group B according to whether the curved rasp was taken during the operation. The chi-square test was performed to compare the incidence of femoral stem malalignment between the two groups. RESULTS: There revealed two independent risk factors: BMI and FAR ratio that affected femoral stem malalignment. The increased BMI was associated with a higher probability of femoral stem malalignment (P<0.05), the probability of malalignment of femoral stem in FAR ratio<1 was 1.15 times higher than that in FAR>1(OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.03-1.28, P<0.05). Further grouping analysis showed that the incidence of femoral stem malalignment in patients with intraoperative application of curved rasp was 27%, while in patients without curved rasp, the incidence of femoral stem malalignment increased significantly to 48.7%(P<0.05). The placement angle of prosthesis in group A was significantly better than that in group B, especially mild femoral stem malalignment (0%) and severe femoral stem malalignment (2.70%), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There found no significant difference in age, gander, intraoperative complications and last follow-up assessment of WOMAC scores between the two groups of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In DAA-THA, BMI and FAR ratio act as the independent risk factors for femoral stem malalignment. Intraoperative use of a curved rasp significantly reduces the incidence of malalignment of the femoral stem.

Evaluation of Phytosterols as an Alternative to Cholesterol in Practical Diets on Growth and Nonspecific Immunity of Litopenaeus vannamei.

This study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of phytosterols as an alternative to cholesterol in practical diets of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei from the perspective of growth and nonspecific immunity. Five diets were formulated to contain different sterol sources and levels. Two diets were supplemented with 1 g/kg cholesterol (LC (low cholesterol)) or phytosterol (LP (low phytosterol)). Other three experimental diets were supplemented with 2 g/kg cholesterol (HC (high cholesterol)), 2 g/kg phytosterol (HP (high phytosterol)), or mixed sterol source (CP, 1 g/kg cholesterol + 1 g/kg phytosterol), respectively. A total of 750 healthy and uniform-sized shrimp (0.52 ± 0.008 g) were randomly distributed into 5 groups with 3 replicates and fed with the five experimental diets for 60 days. Results showed that the growth performance of shrimp was influenced by the sterol levels and supplementation with 2 g/kg sterol level facilitated the growth of shrimp. The inclusion of phytosterol has a cholesterol-lowering effect on shrimp, as evidenced by a reduction in hemolymph cholesterol and triglyceride contents in the HP group. Besides, supplementation with 2 g/kg phytosterol or mixed sterol sources had positive effects on the hemolymph superoxide dismutase, phenol oxidase, and lysozyme as well as hepatopancreas alkaline phosphatase activities, demonstrating that the nonspecific immunity and antioxidative capacity were improved. In conclusion, phytosterols could be an appropriate alternative to partially replace dietary cholesterol in shrimp feeds. This study preliminarily revealed the effects of different sterol sources and levels on the growth and nonspecific immunity of shrimp and provided a basis for further exploration of the mechanism of phytosterol.

Replacement of Dietary Fishmeal with Clostridium autoethanogenum Protein on Lipidomics and Lipid Metabolism in Muscle of Pearl Gentian Grouper.

Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP) is an economical and alternative protein source. Here, three experimental diets were formulated with CAP replacing 0% (CAP-0), 30% (CAP-30), and 60% (CAP-60) of fishmeal to investigate the alterations of structure integrity, fatty acids profiles, and lipid metabolism in the muscle of pearl gentian grouper. With increasing levels of CAP substitution, the percentages of 16 : 0 or 18 : 0 were decreased in triglycerides (TG) and diacylglycerols (DG); 18 : 1 or 18 : 2 was increased at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions in phosphatidylethanolamines; 20 : 5n-3 was increased in TG and DG. The phosphatidylcholines (PC) (18 : 3/20 : 5), PC(22 : 6/17 : 1), and sphingomyelins (d19 : 0/24 : 4) were identified as potential lipid biomarkers between CAP treatments. The CAP-30 treatment enhanced lipolysis and lipogenesis, while the CAP-60 treatment inhibited lipogenesis. In conclusion, fishmeal replacement with CAP affected the lipid characteristics and lipid metabolism, whereas it did not affect the structural integrity and fatty acids profiles in the muscle of pearl gentian grouper.

Effect of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal on lipid and glucose metabolism of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

The present study investigated the effect of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (BSF) on haemolymph biochemical indicators, muscle metabolites as well as the lipid and glucose metabolism of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Four diets were formulated in which the control diet contained 25 % of fishmeal (FM) and 10 % (BSF10), 20 % (BSF20), and 30 % (BSF30) of FM protein were replaced with BSF. Four hundred and eighty shrimp (0·88 ± 0·00 g) were distributed to four groups of three replicates and fed for 7 weeks. Results showed that growth performance of shrimp fed BSF30 significantly decreased compared with those fed FM, but there was no significant difference in survival among groups. The whole shrimp crude lipid content, haemolymph TAG and total cholesterol were decreased with the increasing BSF inclusion. The results of metabolomics showed that the metabolite patterns of shrimp fed different diets were altered, with significant changes in metabolites related to lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism as well as TCA cycle. The mRNA expressions of hk, pfk, pk, pepck, ampk, mcd, cpt-1 and scd1 in hepatopancreas were downregulated in shrimp fed BSF30, but mRNA expression of acc1 was upregulated. Unlike BSF30, the mRNA expressions of fas, cpt-1, fbp and 6pgd in hepatopancreas were upregulated in shrimp fed BSF20. This study indicates that BSF20 diet promoted lipid synthesis and lipolysis, while BSF30 diet weakened ß-oxidation and glycolysis as well as affected the unsaturated fatty acids synthesis, which may affect the growth performance and body composition of shrimp.

Effects of dietary chenodeoxycholic acid supplementation in a low fishmeal diet on growth performance, lipid metabolism, autophagy and intestinal health of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) on growth performance, body composition, lipid metabolism, and intestinal health of juvenile white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei fed a low fishmeal diet. Four practical diets were formulated: HFM (25% fishmeal), LFM (15% fishmeal), LB1 (LFM + 0.04% CDCA), LB2 (LFM + 0.08% CDCA). Each diet was assigned to four tanks with forty shrimp (initial weight 0.33 ± 0.03 g) per tank. The results indicated that the growth performance of shrimp were similar between the four groups; the crude lipid content of shrimp fed the LB2 diet was significantly lower than those fed the HFM diet (P < 0.05). The lipase activity content in hepatopancreatic were significantly higher in the two CDCA supplemented groups than that in LFM group; the contents of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in hemolymph were significantly lower in LFM group, LB1 group and LB2 group than that in HFM group (P < 0.05). The shrimp fed LB1 diet was significantly decreased the intestinal expression levels of tube than those fed in HFM diet; the intestinal gene expression of imd and toll were significantly lower in LB2 group than those in HFM group (P < 0.05). The results of hepatopancreas gene expression suggest that shrimp fed the LFM diet showed significantly upregulated expression levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (srebp), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (acc), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (cpt-1) than those fed the HFM diet; shrimp fed the LB1 diet showed significantly upregulated expression levels of srebp, acc, and AMP-activated protein kinase (ampk) than those fed the HFM diet; shrimp fed the LB2 diet had higher expression levels of srebp, acc, and cpt-1 than those fed the HFM diet (P < 0.05). In the hepatopancreas, the shrimp fed the LFM diet shown significantly up-regulated the expression levels of beclin1 compared to those fed HFM diet; the expression levels of autophagy-related protein13 (atg3), autophagy-related protein 12 (atg12) of in shrimp fed the LB1 diet were significantly higher than those fed the HFM diet; and the expression levels of autophagy-related protein13 (atg13), beclin1, atg3, atg12, autophagy-related protein 9 (atg9) of shrimp fed LB2 diet were significantly higher than those fed the HFM diet (P < 0.05). The atg3 in intestine of shrimp fed the LB2 diet were significantly higher than those fed the HFM diet (P < 0.05). Intestinal mucous fold were damaged, hepatic tubules were disorganized and B cells appeared to be swollen in LFM group. The fold height and width of shrimp fed the diets supplemented with CDCA increased significantly than those fed the LFM diet (P < 0.05), the hepatic tubules were neatly arranged, and R cells increased. In conclusion, supplementary CDCA in a low fishmeal diet promoted lipid metabolism, enhanced autophagy of shrimp, also improved the health of the intestine and hepatopancreas.

Effects of fishmeal replacement by black soldier fly on growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, intestine morphology, intestinal flora and immune response of pearl gentian grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂).

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the influence of partial replacement of fishmeal (FM) by black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) on the growth, distal intestine morphology, intestinal flora, and intestinal immune response of pearl gentian grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂). Four diets were formulated, 0% (0 g kg-1), 10% (50 g kg-1), 20% (100 g kg-1) and 30% (150 g kg-1) fishmeal were replaced with BSF, named as FM, BSF10, BSF20, BSF30, severally. The study found that, with the increasing dietary BSF levels, growth and feed conversion ratio of fish decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Chitinase and trypsin activities were significantly increased with increasing dietary BSF levels (P < 0.05). With the increasing dietary BSF levels, distal intestinal muscularis thickness and mucosal fold length decreased significantly (P < 0.05), as well as total abundance of intestinal flora. The relative abundance of four phyla and six genera among the top 20 genera were significantly affected by dietary BSF levels (P < 0.05). With the increasing dietary BSF levels, the mRNA levels of nf-κbem1, r-cel and il-10 up-regulated significantly (P < 0.05). For fish fed BSF30 diet, the mRNA levels of myd88 and tlr22 were significantly higher than fish fed FM diet (P < 0.05). In conclusion, replacement fishmeal with BSF increased activity of digestive enzymes, but negatively affected growth performance and intestinal health of pearl gentian grouper.

Dietary phosphorus supplementation in the diet of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) alleviated the adverse impacts caused by high Clostridium autoethanogenum protein.

The study evaluated the effects of dietary phosphorus supplementation on the fishmeal replacement with Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP) in the diet of L. vannamei. Four isonitrogenous and isolipid diets were formulated: the PC diet contains 25% fishmeal, the NC, P1 and P2 diets were replaced 40% fishmeal with CAP and supplemented with 0, 0.8 and 1.6% NaH2PO4 respectively (equivalent to dietary phosphorus level of 0.96%, 1.12% and 1.27%). Sampling and V. parahaemolyticus challenge test were conducted after 50-day-feeding (initial shrimp weight 1.79 ± 0.02 g). The results showed that there were no significant differences in the growth performance of shrimp among the 4 groups. The expressions of dorsal in the gut were significantly lower in shrimp fed the P1 and P2 diets than shrimp fed the NC diet and the expression of peroxinectin in the gut was lower in shrimp fed the NC diet than others. The cumulative mortality of shrimp after V. parahaemolyticus challenge was significantly lower in shrimp fed the P2 diet than those fed the NC diet. After the challenge, genes expressions related to the prophenoloxidase activating system (proPO, lgbp, ppaf) were inhibited in the hepatopancreas of shrimp fed NC diet but activated in shrimp fed the P1 diet compared to those fed the PC diet. The AKP and T-AOC activities were higher in shrimp fed the P2 diet than those fed the other diets. The thickness of muscle layer of shrimp fed the P1 diet was thicker than that in the other groups, and significant stress damage happened in the midgut of the shrimp fed the NC diet. The abundance of Pseudoalteromonas, Haloferula and Ruegeria in shrimp fed the P1 diet was higher than those fed the other diets, while Vibrio in shrimp fed the P2 diet was higher than those fed the other diets. This indicated that a low fishmeal diet with dietary phosphorus level of 1.12% could improve the histology, enhance immune response, and increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the gut of shrimp. The low fishmeal diet with dietary phosphorus level of 1.27% could improve disease resistance and antioxidant capacity, but there was a possibility of damage to the gut histology as well as increasing abundance of Vibrio in the gut microbiota of shrimp.

Role of myo-inositol supplementation against toxicity of excessive dietary copper in Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

Raw materials for making dried shrimp (a type of foodstuff) are mostly from farmed shrimp and preliminary findings indicated that head copper (Cu) concentrations in some commercial dried shrimp products exceeded the safe limit specified in pollution-free aquatic products (50 mg/kg), which may influence food safety. Therefore, a 63-day feeding trial was conducted to explore effects of dietary Cu concentrations on accumulation of Cu in tissues, growth performance, immune response and antioxidant status of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Moderating effect of myo-inositol (MI, adding 200 mg/kg diet) on the adverse impacts caused by excessive dietary Cu was also investigated. 600 shrimp (initial weight: 0.89 ± 0.00 g) were divided into five groups: 37.08 mg Cu/kg diet group (control group), 62.57 mg Cu/kg diet group, 125.99 mg Cu/kg diet group, 63.41 mg Cu/kg diet group (supplemented with MI) and 119.19 mg Cu/kg diet group (supplemented with MI). The results showed that dietary Cu concentrations increased from 37.08 to over 62.57 mg/kg, hepatopancreas Cu concentrations raised from 29.04 to 233.43-263.65 mg/kg, and muscle Cu concentrations only increased from 6.22 to 6.99-8.39 mg/kg. Report to control group, excessive Cu concentration (125.99 mg/kg) didn't significantly affect growth performance, but it notably reduced whole body lipid content and immune response, induced oxidative stress and damaged the hepatopancreas structure, which was ameliorated by MI supplementation. The results suggested that consuming shrimp head and its processed products weren't recommended. Cu concentrations of commercial feeds for Pacific white shrimp should be controlled below 62.57 mg/kg. Additionally, MI supplementation mitigated the negative impacts induced by excessive dietary Cu.

Evaluation of Six Novel Protein Sources on Apparent Digestibility in Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

This study is aimed at evaluating the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of six novel protein sources in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), including black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM), Chlorella vulgaris meal (CM), cottonseed protein concentrate (CPC), Tenebrio molitor meal (TM), Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP), and methanotroph (Methylococcus capsulatus, Bath) bacteria meal (BPM). The control diet (CD) was formulated to contain 448.8 g/kg crude protein and 71.8 g/kg crude lipid. Then, six experimental diets were formulated to contain 70% CD and 30% test ingredients. The yttrium oxide was used as an exogenous indicator for apparent digestibility detection. Six hundred and thirty healthy and uniform-sized shrimp (approximately 3.04 ± 0.01 g) were randomly distributed into triplicate groups of 30 shrimp and they were fed three times daily. After the shrimp was acclimating for one week, their feces were collected 2 hours after the morning feeding until sufficient samples were available for compositional analysis to calculate apparent digestibility. The apparent digestibility coefficients for a dry matter of diets (ADCD) and ingredients (ADCI) as well as the apparent digestibility coefficients for crude protein (ADCPro), crude lipid (ADCL), and phosphorus (ADCP) of test ingredients were calculated. Results showed that the growth performance of shrimp fed BSFLM, TM, and BPM diets significantly decreased compared to that fed the CD (P < 0.05), and no significant differences were found among those fed CD, CM, CAP, and CPC diets (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in survival among each group (P > 0.05). As for the diets, results showed that the ADCD of BSFLM, CM, CPC, and TM diets was significantly lower than that of CD, while that of the CAP diet was significantly higher than that of CD (P < 0.05) and there were no significant differences between BPM and CD diets (P > 0.05). As for the test ingredients, the ADCPro and ADCL of BSFLM, CM, CPC, and TM were significantly lower than those of CD in Litopenaeus vannamei (P < 0.05). The ADCPro of CAP was significantly higher than that of CD (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were found in ADCL between CAP and CD (P > 0.05). The ADCPro of BPM was significantly lower than that of CD (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in ADCL between BPM and CD (P > 0.05). The ADCP of CM, CAP, and BPM were significantly higher than that of CD, while that of BSFLM was significantly lower than that of CD (P < 0.05), and no significant differences were found in ADCP between TM and CD (P > 0.05). To conclude, newly developed protein sources such as single-cell protein (CAP, BPM, and CM) showed great potential as a fishmeal alternative, and insect protein meals (TM and BSFLM) were less effective for shrimp compared to the CD. Although the utilization of CPC by shrimp was lower than other protein sources, it had been much improved compared to the untreated cottonseed meal. The present study will contribute to the application of novel protein sources in shrimp feeds.

Farnesoid X receptor regulates PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, lipid metabolism, and immune response in hybrid grouper.

Some diseases related to lipid metabolism increase yearly in cultured fish, and the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a nuclear protein that plays a key role in inflammatory responses and lipid metabolism. However, the roles of FXR in hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × E. lanceolatus♂) remain poorly understood. The main objective of this study was to explore the roles of hepatic FXR in triggering the immune response and the potential functions of FXR in regulating the lipid metabolism. In the present study, the full-length sequence of fxr from hybrid grouper was cloned and characterized for the first time. Upon the Vibrio parahaemolyticus stimulation, the transcriptional level of fxr was rapidly elevated in the head kidney tissue in the early stage of infection. In vivo and vitro, activation of FXR by obeticholic acid (OA) significantly increased the concentrations and mRNA levels of hepatic inflammatory cytokines. These effects were inversed when FXR was inhibited by guggulsterone (GU). Moreover, the activation of FXR to suppress the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway improves hepatic lipid metabolism and reduces hepatic lipid accumulation in vivo and vitro. In addition, the inhibition of FXR activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, decreased the lipolysis and increased the lipogenesis, and subsequently increased the lipid accumulation in fish. These results revealed the positive roles of FXR in triggering immune responses and improving lipid metabolism and accumulation in hybrid grouper.

Dietary Supplementation of Astaxanthin Improved the Growth Performance, Antioxidant Ability and Immune Response of Juvenile Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) Fed High-Fat Diet.

High-fat diet (HFD) usually induces oxidative stress and astaxanthin is regarded as an excellent anti-oxidant. An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary astaxanthin supplementation on growth performance, lipid metabolism, antioxidant ability, and immune response of juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fed HFD. Four diets were formulated: the control diet (10.87% lipid, C), high-fat diet (18.08% lipid, HF), and HF diet supplemented with 75 and 150 mg kg-1 astaxanthin (HFA1 and HFA2, respectively). Dietary supplementation of astaxanthin improved the growth of fish fed HFD, also decreased hepatosomatic index and intraperitoneal fat ratio of fish fed HFD, while having no effect on body fat. Malondialdehyde content and superoxide dismutase activity were increased in fish fed HFD, astaxanthin supplementation in HFD decreased the oxidative stress of fish. The supplementation of astaxanthin in HFD also reduced the mRNA levels of Caspase 3, Caspase 9, BAD, and IL15. These results suggested that dietary astaxanthin supplementation in HFD improved the growth performance, antioxidant ability and immune response of largemouth bass.

Effects of dietary hydrolyzed yeast (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) on growth performance, immune response, antioxidant capacity and histomorphology of juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

An 8 weeks feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with hydrolyzed yeast (HY) (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) on growth performance, hematological parameters, immune response and antioxidant ability of juvenile Nile tilapia. Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets (32% protein and 4% lipid) with different levels (0%, 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%) of HY were formulated. Each diet was randomly assigned to quadruplicate groups of fish (initial body weight 19.1 ±â€¯0.01 g). Results indicated that significantly higher specific growth rate (SGR) and lower feed conversion rate (FCR) were obtained in fish fed 1% HY diet than that of fish fed 0% HY diet (P < 0.05). Fish fed 0.25% HY diet showed the lowest value of hepatopancreas somatic indices (HSI) and significantly lower than that of fish fed 0% HY diet (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, protein and ash in the whole-body content of fish fed 1% HY diet was significantly higher than that of fish fed 0%-0.5% HY diets. Serum immunological parameters showed that the lysozyme (LZM) activity and Complement C3 content were significantly increased by dietary supplementation of 0.5%-1% HY (P < 0.05). However, dietary supplementation with 0.125%-1% HY significantly decreased the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) (P < 0.05). Antioxidant status in serum and liver was significantly enhanced by dietary supplementation of 0.25%-1% HY through the remarkably improved superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity both in serum and liver, the raised total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC) of serum as well as the notably reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the liver (P < 0.05). However, T-AOC in the liver was not significantly influenced among all diet treatments (P > 0.05). Villi height and intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEFs) of mid-intestine were significantly higher in fish fed 0.5%-1% HY diets (P < 0.05). The challenge test demonstrated the enhanced protection against Streptococcus iniae strain by the obtained higher cumulative survival rate. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 1% HY could maintain the better growth performance, nutrient composition as well as immune response and antioxidant capacity for juvenile Nile tilapia.

Effects of dietary mixed probiotics on growth, non-specific immunity, intestinal morphology and microbiota of juvenile pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

This study was conducted to elucidate the effects of dietary mixed probiotics on growth, non-specific immunity, intestinal morphology and microbiota of juvenile pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Juvenile shrimp (initial body weight 1.21 ±â€¯0.01 g) were fed diets containing graded probiotics (F1: 0 mg/kg probiotics; F2: 1000 mg/kg probiotics; F3: 2000 mg/kg probiotics; F4: 4000 mg/kg compound probiotics; F5: 6000 mg/kg probiotics; F6: 8000 mg/kg probiotics) for 8 weeks. The result of this trial showed that the growth performance (SGR, WG, FBW) of shrimp fed diets containing probiotics (F2∼F6) were significantly higher than that of shrimp fed diet without supplemental probiotics (F1) (P < 0.05), and the highest values of the growth performance (SGR, WG, FBW) and lowest FCR were found in shrimp fed the diet containing 2000 mg/kg probiotics. Total antioxidant capacity of shrimp fed diet F2 and F3 were significantly higher than that of shrimp fed the basal diets (P < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase in F4 treatment was significantly higher than that of basal treatment (P < 0.05). Catalase of shrimp in all probiotics supplemented (F2∼F6) treatments were significantly higher than that of the control one (F1) (P < 0.05). Malondialdehyde in F5 groups was significantly lower than that of F1 groups (P < 0.05). Alkline phosphatase and acid phosphatase in F3 treatments were significantly higher than those of the basal one (P < 0.05). Lysozyme of shrimp fed F2∼F6 were significantly higher than that of shrimp fed F1 diet (P < 0.05). The lipase and amylase activities in 2000 mg/kg probiotics groups showed the highest activities and were significantly higher than that of control one (P < 0.05). Intestinal villi height in F3∼F6 treatments were significantly higher than that of control one (P < 0.05). Alpha diversity indices including observed species, chao1, ACE and shannon indices showed that F2 and F3 groups had higher microbial diversity in their intestines, both richness and evenness. PCA plot showed that there was a clear shift of F2 and F3 groups from the control groups in microbial community structure. The dominant phyla in pacific white shrimp are proteobacteria, bacteroidetes and actinobacteria, the dominant genus were algoriphagus and vibrio. As the probiotics increased, the gemmatimonadetes, acidobacteria, deltaproteobacteria and xanthomonadales firstly increased and then decreased, with the highest content in F2 group, which was no significant difference to F3 group (P > 0.05) while significantly higher than other groups (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the supplement of mixed species probiotics can promote growth performance, enhance the non-specific immunity, influence the microbiota of the pacific white shrimps and the recommended optimum dosage in diet of Litopenaeus vannamei was 2000 mg/kg.

Oxidizing Capacity of Iron Electrocoagulation Systems for Refractory Organic Contaminant Transformation.

Iron electrocoagulation (Fe EC) is normally considered as a separation process. Here, we found that Fe(II)-O2 interactions in Fe EC systems could produce reactive oxidants, mainly hydroxyl radicals (•OH), for refractory organic contaminant transformation. Production of reactive oxidants, probed by benzoate conversion to p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HBA), depended on dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and Fe(II) speciation. Measurable levels of DO were required for significant p-HBA production. Fe precipitates evolved from lepidocrocite to magnetite when DO decreased to below the detection limit. Both experiments and kinetic modeling suggest that the main Fe(II) species contributing to reactive oxidants (mainly •OH) production changed from aqueous Fe(II) initially to lepidocrocite-sorbed Fe(II) with progressive precipitates formation. When DO was not measurable at high currents (≥50 mA or 100 mA/L), reactive oxidant production was ineffective because of pH rise and Fe(II) preservation in magnetite, but it could be enhanced drastically by aeration. The reactive oxidants produced at 30 mA (or 60 mA/L) could degrade about 47% of 10 µM aniline and 34% of sulfanilamide within 6 h of Fe EC treatment. Our findings highlight the importance of reactive oxidants for refractory organic contaminants oxidation in Fe EC systems.