Temperature regulates circadian rhythms of immune responses in red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

As an ectothermic animal, crayfish immunity and their resistance to pathogen can be significantly affected by environmental factors such as light and temperature. It has been found for a long time that multiple immune parameters of animals and human are circadian-regulated by light-entrained circadian rhythm. Whether temperature also affects the immune rhythm of animals still remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of temperature cycles on the rhythm of crayfish immunity and their resistance. Survival experiments demonstrated that temperature cycles of 24 °C and 18 °C effectively entrained the circadian rhythm of crayfish resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila in constant dark. After being exposed to temperature cycles, the crayfish injected at different time points exhibited significant difference in resistance to A. hydrophila. Bacterial growth and total hemocyte count (THC) also showed circadian variation in crayfish subjected to temperature cycles, but phenoloxidase (PO) activity didn't show rhythmic change under the same conditions. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that basal expression of crustin1 and astacidin in crayfish subjected to temperature cycles was circadian-rhythmic, but induced expression by A. hydrophila didn't show the same rhythm. In contrast, crayfish maintained at constant temperature showed completely arrhythmic in bacterial resistance, immune parameters mentioned above and the expression of antimicrobial peptides. The results present here collectively indicated that temperature cycles entrained circadian rhythm of some immune parameters and shaped crayfish resistance to bacteria.

Subulura halli (Ascaridida: Subuluridae) from the endangered great bustard Otis tarda Linnaeus (Aves: Gruiformes) in China.

Subulurid nematodes identified as Subulura halli Barreto, 1918 were collected from the endangered bird Otis tarda Linnaeus (Gruiformes: Otididae) in China. A detailed redescription of the hitherto poorly known species is presented using both light and, for the first time, scanning electron microscopy. Previously unreported and erroneous morphological features of taxonomic significance are revealed. This species can be readily distinguished from its congeners by the relatively long oesophagus (1.47-1.92 mm long, representing 10.6-16.9% of body length), the number and arrangement of male caudal papillae (11 pairs in total, arranged as five pairs of precloacal and six pairs of postcloacal papillae), the equal length of spicules (1.35-1.52 mm long, representing 10.7-13.7% of body length) and the presence of a small medioventral, precloacal papilla in the male.

Morphological variability and molecular characterisation of Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) pleuronectidis (Yamaguti, 1935) (Ascaridida: Cucullanidae) from the flatfish Pleuronichthys cornutus (Temminck & Schlegel) (Pleuronectiformes: Pleuronectidae) in the East China Sea.

Cucullanid nematodes identified morphologically as Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) pleuronectidis (Yamaguti, 1935) were collected from the ridged-eye flounder Pleuronichthys cornutus (Temminck & Schlegel) (Pleuronectiformes: Pleuronectidae) in the East China Sea. Their examination using light microscopy and, for the first time, scanning electron microscopy, revealed several important, but previously unreported morphological features and the presence of remarkable morphological differences in the intestinal caecum and deirids among some individuals. Consequently, specimens of D. pleuronectidis were characterised using molecular methods by sequencing and analysing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA to test whether the present material with broad range of morphological variability, represents a complex of sibling species or a single species. The results of molecular analyses proved that the differences in the intestinal ceacum and deirids should be considered as intraspecific variation and that the nematode material collected from P. cornutus in the East China Sea represented a single species, D. pleuronectidis. These new morphological and genetic data contributed to an accurate diagnosis of this hitherto insufficiently known nematode and also indicated that a more rigorous study based on morphological and genetic data with broader representation of the Cucullanidae is required to assess whether the traditionally used diagnostic character of absence or presence of intestinal ceacum is of generic importance in distinguishing Dichelyne and Cucullanus.

The applied research on the intra-abdominal pressure monitoring in early enteral nutrition in patients with severe pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the applied value of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) monitoring in early enteral nutrition (EEN) in patients with severe pneumonia. METHODS: 96 patients with severe pneumonia who underwent EEN treatment in our hospital from June 2017 to June 2019 were selected. According to the random number table method, they were divided into a control group (48 patients) and an observation group (48 patients). The control group was treated using the conventional EN method, and the observation group was treated using the intra-abdominal pressure monitoring besides the conventional EN method. The incidence of EN intolerance, the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APECHEll) scores, the positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) value, mechanical ventilation time, EN implementation days, length of stay in ICU, the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, mortality, and the incidence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the incidence of EEN intolerance in the observation group was significantly reduced. The results of univariate analysis showed that, in the EN intolerance group, the IAP, the PEEP value and APACHEII scores after 3 days of EEN implementation were higher than the EEN tolerance group, indicating a influencing factor of EEN intolerance (P<0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that IAP value was a risk factor for EEN intolerance (P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis result for IAP to predict EEN tolerance showed that the area under the curve for IAP value to predict EN tolerance was 0.856, the optimal cut-off value was 10.73 mmHg, the sensitivity was 95.10%, and the specificity was 89.60%. CONCLUSION: The intra-abdominal pressure monitoring during the EEN in patients with severe pneumonia is a preferred method to guide the patients' EEN.

Application of intra-abdominal pressure monitoring in early enteral nutrition after abdominal surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of intra-abdominal pressure monitoring in early enteral nutrition therapy after abdominal surgery. METHODS: 164 patients who underwent elective abdominal surgery in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were selected and divided into an observation group and a control group according to the random number table method, with 82 cases in each group. On the basis of conventional enteral nutrition nursing, the control group received conventional gastric residual monitoring, and the observation group received intra-abdominal pressure monitoring. The clinical treatment effect, intra-abdominal pressure, incidence of intra-abdominal hypertension, APACHE-II score, and enteral nutrition tolerance were compared. Correlation of early enteral nutrition intolerance and intra-abdominal pressure was analyzed in the ROC curve. RESULTS: The time of abdominal pain relief, adjusted enteral nutrition, and hospitalization were significantly shorter in the observation group (P < 0.05). The intra-abdominal pressure, intra-abdominal hypertension rate, and APACHE-II scores were comparable before treatment (P > 0.05) and all were significantly reduced after treatment in the two groups (P < 0.05). After treatment, the above items were significantly lower in the observation group (P < 0.05). The enteral nutrition's tolerance level of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the early enteral nutrition tolerance of patients after abdominal surgery was correlated with the level of intra-abdominal pressure (P < 0.05). The ROC reveled that the baseline level of intra-abdominal pressure and the average level of intra-abdominal pressure 3 days before enteral nutrition were of diagnostic values in predicting the intolerance during enteral nutrition. CONCLUSION: Intraperitoneal pressure monitoring can significantly improve patients' symptoms, and it should be accurately measured for doctors to make timely diagnoses and provide proper treatments.