Molecular characterization, cytoprotective, DNA protective, and immunological assessment of peroxiredoxin-1 (Prdx1) from yellowtail clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii).

Peroxiredoxin-1 (Prdx1) is a thiol-specific antioxidant enzyme that detoxifies reactive oxygen species (ROS) and regulates the redox status of cells. In this study, the Prdx1 cDNA sequence was isolated from the pre-established Amphiprion clarkii (A. clarkii) (AcPrdx1) transcriptome database and characterized structurally and functionally. The AcPrdx1 coding sequence comprises 597 bp and encodes 198 amino acids with a molecular weight of 22.1 kDa and a predicted theoretical isoelectric point of 6.3. AcPrdx1 is localized and functionally available in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells. The TXN domain of AcPrdx1 comprises two peroxiredoxin signature VCP motifs, which contain catalytic peroxidatic (Cp-C52) and resolving cysteine (CR-C173) residues. The constructed phylogenetic tree and sequence alignment revealed that AcPrdx1 is evolutionarily conserved, and its most closely related counterpart is Amphiprion ocellaris. Under normal physiological conditions, AcPrdx1 was ubiquitously detected in all tissues examined, with the most robust expression in the spleen. Furthermore, AcPrdx1 transcripts were significantly upregulated in the spleen, head kidney, and blood after immune stimulation by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly (I:C)), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and Vibrio harveyi injection. Recombinant AcPrdx1 (rAcPrdx1) demonstrated antioxidant and DNA protective properties in a concentration-dependent manner, as evidenced by insulin disulfide reduction, peroxidase activity, and metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO) assays, whereas cells transfected with pcDNA3.1(+)/AcPrdx1 showed significant cytoprotective function under oxidative and nitrosative stress. Overexpression of AcPrdx1 in fathead minnow (FHM) cells led to a lower viral copy number following viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) infection, along with upregulation of several antiviral genes. Collectively, this study provides insights into the function of AcPrdx1 in defense against oxidative stressors and its role in the immune response against pathogenic infections in A. clarkii.

Molecular features, antioxidant potential, and immunological expression assessment of thioredoxin-like protein 1 (TXNL1) in yellowtail clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii).

Thioredoxin-like protein 1 (TXNL1) is a redox-active protein belonging to the thioredoxin family, which mainly controls the redox status of cells. The TXNL1 gene from Amphiprion clarkii (AcTXNL1) was obtained from a pre-established transcriptome database. The AcTXNL1 is encoded with 289 amino acids and is predominantly localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. The TXN domain of AcTXNL1 comprises a34CGPC37 motif with redox-reactive thiol (SH-) groups. The spatial distribution pattern of AcTXNL1 mRNA was examined in different tissues, and the muscle was identified as the highest expressed tissue. AcTXNL1 mRNA levels in the blood and gills were significantly increased in response to different immunostimulants. In vitro antioxidant capacity of the recombinant AcTXNL1 protein (rACTXNL1) was evaluated using the ABTS free radical-scavenging activity assay, cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity assay, turbidimetric disulfide reduction assay, and DNA nicking protection assay. The potent antioxidant activity of rAcTXNL1 exhibited a concentration-dependent manner in all assays. Furthermore, in the cellular environment, overexpression of AcTXNL1 increased cell viability under H2O2 stress and reduced nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Collectively, the experimental results revealed that AcTXNL1 is an antioxidant and immunologically important gene in A. clarkii.

Innovative accumulative risk assessment strategy of co-exposure of As and Pb in medical earthworms based on in vivo-in vitro correlation.

Recent studies on risks assessment of heavy metal(loid) are usually based on their total concentrations. Nevertheless, such an analysis does not assess their real amounts absorbed by human body. To scientifically assess the health risks, in this study medical earthworms were analyzed for relative bioavailability (RBA) of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) using a multiple gavage mouse model with liver, kidneys, brain, and leg bones as biomarkers for the first time. Metal(loid) bioaccessibility was determined using in vitro physiologically based extraction (PBET) assay. We are the first to develop a novel accumulative health risk assessment strategy by combinational analyzing bioavailability of heavy metal(loid) levels to calculate target organ toxicity dose (TTD) modification of the HI and total cancer risk (TCR), which has capacity to evaluate the health risks of co-exposure of Pb and As in medical earthworms. As a result, As-RBA ranged from 7.2% to 45.1%, and Pb-RBA ranged from 16.1% to 49.8%. Additionally, As and Pb bioaccessibility varied from 6.7% to 48.3% and 7.8% to 52.5%, respectively. Moreover, strong in vivo-in vitro correlations (IVIVCs) were observed between metal-RBA and bioaccessibility, indicating the robustness of the in vitro PBET assay to predict metal-RBA in medical earthworms. The refined accumulative assessment strategy revealed that when adjusted by heavy metal(loid) bioavailability, the TTD modification of HI method typically exhibited an acceptable health risk caused by the co-exposure of Pb and As for cardiovascular, hematological, neurological, and renal system. The TCR levels associated with exposure to Pb and As due to the ingestion of medical earthworms were also acceptable after adjustment by bioavailability. Collectively, our innovation on accumulative risk assessment based on in vivo-in vitro correlation provides a novel approach engaging in assessing the risks due to co-exposure of As and Pb in medical earthworms.

The association of COVID-19 nexus on China's economy: A financial crisis or a health crisis?

This paper analyses the interaction between the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), unemployment rate, stock market, consumer confidence index (CCI), and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) index in China within a time-frequency framework. We compare the changes in economic indicators during the global financial crisis (GFC) and study the different impacts of the two events on China's economy. An unprecedented impact of COVID-19 shocks on the unemployment rate, CCI, EPU index, and stock market volatility over the low frequency bands is uncovered by applying the coherence wavelet method to China monthly data. The COVID-19 effect on the stock market volatility and the EPU index is substantially higher than on the unemployment rate and the CCI. On the contrary, the GFC's impact on the unemployment rate is much greater than that on the EPU index and CCI. Additionally, the impact of the GFC on the economy is more cyclical in the long-term, while the COVID-19 pandemic is a short-term shock with a relatively short oscillation cycle. This study concludes that the economic impact of COVID-19 will not spread into a financial crisis for China and believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is more of a health event than an economic crisis for Chinese economy.

COVID-19: Short-Term Influence on China's Economy Considering Different Scenarios.

Recently, most countries have entered the outbreak period of the novel coronavirus epidemic. This sudden outbreak has caused a huge impact on the global economy, which has intensified the division of globalization and the recession of the global economy. Although the epidemic situation in China has gradually stabilized, the severe situation in the world still inevitably impacts China's economy. Based on the uncertainty of future epidemic, this paper sets up three scenarios to analyze the impact of the epidemic on China's economy. The first is that in June, the epidemic both at home and abroad is under control without rebound; the second is that the domestic epidemic is basically controlled but the foreign situation is not effectively controlled; the third is that the epidemic situation in China has a serious rebound due to the influence of the imported cases from abroad, which destroy the economy again. At the same time, some corresponding guidelines are put forward for the recovery of economy, and to minimize the economic losses as well as accelerate the pace of national economic recovery. In addition, it is believed that these suggestions may have certain reference value to other countries.

Crude Oil Price Fluctuation Analysis Under Considering Emergency and Network Search Data.

With the rapid development of the global economy, crude oil is becoming more and more prominent in terms of national stability. However, oil prices dramatically fluctuate during emergencies. Meanwhile, network search data have been widely used for prediction during the era of big data. Herein, a suggestion is introduced for improving the traditional case analysis. An autoregressive distributed lag model is established, considering emergency and network search data. Moreover, a network attention index of specific emergencies is used to explain fluctuations of the oil price and the influence of this attention is analyzed. Results show: 1) major emergencies have a significant short-term impact on the international oil market and a remarkable influence on the cumulative abnormal return of an event window, and 2) market attention can aggravate fluctuations of oil prices. It is found that the individual network attention paid to each of four emergencies has a significant impact on oil prices. The network attention related to Hurricane Katrina and the Libyan war has positive effects on oil prices. However, the effects of network attention paid to the subprime crisis and the Mexico oil spill of 2010 are negative. The attention paid to the subprime crisis has both the greatest and the longest lasting impact.

Diabetic nephropathy research in China: Data analysis and review from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

As the largest funding agency of natural science of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has made great efforts in promoting the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN) research in recent years. The aim of the current study is to summarize the diabetic nephropathy research in China by analyzing NSFC-funded projects. Data on all projects in the DN field funded by NSFC from 1986 to 2013 were collected. The funding tendency, funding areas, and hotspots in the DN field, and major research institutions, were analyzed. As one output of this support, outstanding research groups in China, and their representative studies, are also highlighted. From 1986 to 2013, the NSFC has funded a total of 248 projects in the DN field, with a total funding amount of 91.5 million RMB (US$14.9 million). A rapid increase could be seen in the past 5 years, with an average annual 30% increase in projects numbers and a 52% increase in funding amount. All fields in DN research have been covered by the NSFC, including etiology, pathophysiology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Along with increased funding of the DN research, there has been a growth in the papers published in Science Citation Index journals by Chinese scholars. In the past decade, the funding scale and funding budget have increased dramatically. Benefiting from this, DN research in China has also made considerable progression.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi genotypes in children in Northeast China and assessment of risk of zoonotic transmission.

The prevalence (7.5%, 19/255) and genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in children of various age categories and clinical presentations were determined herein. The co-occurrence of the known genotypes (CS-4, EbpC, and Henan-IV) in children and pigs in the same study area, the phylogenetic characterization of novel genotypes (NEC1 to NEC5), and the assessment of potential risk factors associated with zoonotic transmission robustly suggested that pigs could be a significant source of human E. bieneusi infections in northeast China.