Effects of dietary supplementation of Gracilaria lemaneiformis-derived sulfated polysaccharides on the growth, antioxidant capacity, and innate immunity of rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus).

The dietary supplementation of red seaweed-derived polysaccharides has been shown to be beneficial to fish and shellfish aquaculture. However, the function of red seaweed (Gracilaria lemaneiformis)-extracted polysaccharide (GLP) on the health status of rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus) is still unknown. This study explored the influences of GLP on growth performance, antioxidant activity, and immunity of rabbitfish. Herein, the fish were fed commercial pelleted feed incorporated with the diverse amount of GLP: 0 (control), 0.10 (GLP0.10), and 0.15 g kg-1 (GLP0.15) for 60 days. The results demonstrated that dietary GLP0.15 significantly elevated FBW and WG, while feed utilization efficiency improved (reduced feed conversion ratio and increased protein efficiency ratio) upon GLP0.10 treatment, regarding the control (P < 0.05). Also, dietary administration of GLP0.15 suggestively improved the serum acid phosphatase and lysozyme activity as well as hepatic total antioxidant capacity, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activity. In contrast, GLP0.15decreased the serum alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and malonaldehyde activity when compared to the control (P<0.05). Moreover, the lipase (36.08 and 16.46 U/mgprot in GLP0.10 and GLP0.15, respectively) and amylase (0.43 and 0.23 U/mgprot in GLP0.10 and GLP0.15, respectively) activity recorded the maximum values than the control (8.61 and 0.13 U/mgprot, respectively).Further, the intestinal morphometry was developed (such as increased villus length, width, and area) in the fish fed with a GLP-supplemented diet compared to the control. The KEGG pathway analysis unveiled that several differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in control vs. GLP0.10 and control vs. GLP0.15 were associated with metabolic or immune-associated pathways like antigen processing and presentation, phagosome, complement and coagulation cascades, and platelet activation. The DEGs, namely C3, f5, fgb, MHC1, and cfb, were evaluated in control vs. GLP0.10 and C3 and MHC1 in control vs. GLP0.15, suggesting their possible contributions to GLP-regulated immunity. Additionally, the cumulative mortality of rabbitfish after the Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge was lower in both GLP0.10 (8.88%) and GLP0.15 (11.11%) than in control (33.33%) (P<0.05). Thus, these findings direct the potential use of GLP as an immunostimulant and growth promoter in rabbitfish aquaculture.

Serum hepatitis B viral (HBV) DNA is a predictive biomarker for survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients with chronic HBV infection.

Purpose: To study the association between pretreatment serum hepatitis B viral (HBV) DNA copy numbers and clinical outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with chronic HBV infection. Patients and methods: We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of NSCLC HBV (+) patients between January 2008 and December 2010. The HBV DNA copy numbers and other prognostic factors including albumin (ALB), C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) were obtained before any antitumor treatment. Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test were used to calculate prognostic significance. A multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was modeled to analyze the independent prognostic factors for NSCLC HBV (+) patients. All independent prognostic factors in the Cox multivariable analysis were used to build a nomogram. The predictive accuracy of HBV DNA, TNM stage and nomogram was evaluated with the concordance index (C-index) and time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, and simultaneously compared with traditional TNM staging system respectively. Results: A total of 188 patients were recruited in this study; the median age was 56 years, and the median overall survival (OS) was 34 months. Cox multivariate analysis results showed independent factors for OS including TNM stage (P=0.028), treatment (P=0.002), HBV DNA (P<0.001), and GPS (P=0.026). The nomogram model for survival was built based on four prognostic factors. The C-index for HBV DNA was 0.67, 0.69 for TNM stage, and 0.76 for the nomogram model. There was no statistical difference between HBV DNA and TNM stage (P=0.48). However, the C-index values of nomogram model were statistically higher both than HBV DNA (0.76 vs 0.67, P<0.001), and TNM stage (0.76 vs 0.69, P<0.001). Conclusion: Pretreatment serum HBV DNA copy numbers can act as a prognostic marker of survival for NSCLC patients with chronic HBV infection.

Fusobacterium nucleatum Aggravates the Progression of Colitis by Regulating M1 Macrophage Polarization via AKT2 Pathway.

Disordered intestinal flora and discordant immune response are associated with the development of ulcerative colitis (UC). Recent work has described the ability of macrophages to undergo repolarization toward a proinflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype in response to particular bacterium-derived signals. Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum, Fn) is a species of intestinal commensal bacteria with potential pathogenicity, but its association with UC and how it may contribute to progression of UC is largely unknown. In this study, we provide new evidence that F. nucleatum accumulated heavily in the intestine of UC patients and was accompanied by the secretion of IFN-γ and the skewing of M1 macrophages. Mechanistically, our data showed that F. nucleatum aggravated dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in the production of Th1-related cytokines IFN-γ through the AKT2 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. To further confirm the disease-relevance of these shifts in macrophage repolarization in response to F. nucleatum, stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were transferred into recipient mice with DSS colitis. This transfer resulted in increased disease activity and inflammatory cytokine production. Taken together, we show clearly that F. nucleatum can promote the progression of UC via proinflammatory M1 macrophage skewing, and targeting F. nucleatum or AKT2 signaling may be a viable means of blocking development of UC.

A Fluorescent Coumarin-Based Probe for the Fast Detection of Cysteine with Live Cell Application.

A new coumarin-based fluorescent probe, containing an allylic esters group, has been designed and synthesized for sensing cysteine in physiological pH. In this fluorescent probe, the coumarin was applied as the fluorophore and an allylic esters group was combined as both a fluorescence quencher and a recognition unit. The probe can selectively and sensitively detect cysteine (Cys) over homocysteine, glutathione, and other amino acids, and has a rapid response time of 30 min and a low detection limit of 47.7 nM. In addition, the probe could be applied for cell imaging with low cytotoxicity.