The Complete Genome Sequence of a Bacterial Strain with High Alkalic Xylanase Activity Isolated from the Sludge Near a Papermill.

Many organisms secrete xylanase, an import group of proteins hydrolyzing xylan, and thus are able to use xylan as their carbon source. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of a bacterial strain, YD01, which was isolated from the sludge near the sewage discharge outlet of a papermill and showed high alkalic xylanase activity. Its genome consists of a chromosome and two plasmids. Six rRNA genes, 46 tRNA genes, 3136 CDSs as well as 955 repetitive sequences were predicted. 3046 CDSs were functionally annotated. Phylogenetic analysis on 16S rRNA shows that YD01 is a new species in Microbacterium genus and is taxonomically close to M. jejuense THG-C31T and M. kyungheense THG-C26T. A comparative study on phylogenetic trees of 16S rRNA and xylanase genes suggests that xylanase genes in YD01 may originate from horizontal gene transfer instead of ancestral gene duplication.

Plasma miR-30a-5p as an early novel noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for lung cancer.

Aim: Circulation miRNAs have become increasingly appreciated in the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. This study aims to identify and evaluate plasma miRNA-30a-5p as an early noninvasive biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. Pateints & methods: Expression levels of plasma miRNA 30a-5p were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and area under the curve were used to differentiate malignant from benign tumors and from healthy controls. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression were used to determine survival and prognosis. Results: Our results suggest that the level of miRNA-30a-5p in plasma might be a considerable early novel noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for lung cancer. Conclusion: Prospective studies must be performed to confirm this new early novel noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for lung cancer.

Development of fully automated quantitative capillary electrophoresis with high accuracy and repeatability.

A quantitative capillary electrophoresis (qCE) was developed by utilizing a rotary type of nano-volume injector, an autosampler, and a thermostat with cooling capacity. The accuracy and precision were greatly improved compared with conventional capillary electrophoresis. The 10 nL volume accuracy was guaranteed by the carefully designed nano-injector with an accurate internal loop. The system repeatability (precision) in terms of RSD <0.5% for migration time and 1% for peak area were achieved by using DMSO as a test sample. We believe that this fully automated qCE system has the potential to be employed broadly in quality control and quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry.

Physical performance and life quality in postmenopausal women supplemented with vitamin D: a two-year prospective study.

AIM: To investigate the effects of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on bone turnover marker levels, muscle strength and quality of life in postmenopausal Chinese women. METHODS: A total of 485 healthy postmenopausal Chinese women (63.44±5.04 years) were enrolled in this open-label, 2-year, prospective, community-based trial. The participants were divided into group A, B, C, which were treated with calcium (600 mg/d) alone, calcium (600 mg/d) and cholecalciferol (800 IU/d) or calcium (600 mg/d) and calcitriol (0.25 µg/d), respectively, for 2 years. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, ß-CTX and P1NP were measured, and the muscle strength and quality of life were assessed at baseline and at 12- and 24-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty one participants completed this study. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were significantly increased in group C, but not changed in groups A and B at 24-month follow-up. Serum levels of parathyroid hormone, bone turnover marker ß-CTX and bone formation marker P1NP were significantly decreased in group C, while serum levels of ß-CTX were increased in group A at 24-month follow-up. The participants in group C maintained the grip strength, while those in groups A and B exhibited decreased grip strength at 24-month follow-up. The quality of life for the participants in groups B and C remained consistent, but that in group A was deteriorated at 24-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Supplementation with calcitriol and calcium modifies the bone turnover marker levels, and maintains muscle strength and quality of life in postmenopausal Chinese women, whereas supplementation with cholecalciferol and calcium prevents aging-mediated deterioration in quality of life.

Intense isolated few-cycle attosecond XUV pulses from overdense plasmas driven by tailored laser pulses.

A new scheme to generate an intense isolated few-cycle attosecond XUV pulse is demonstrated using particle-in-cell simulations. By use of unipolarlike or subcycle laser pulses irradiating a thin foil target, a strong transverse net current can be excited, which emits a few-cycle XUV pulse from the target rear side. The isolated pulse is ultrashort in the time domain with duration of several hundred attoseconds. The pulse also has a narrow bandwidth in the spectral domain compared to other XUV sources of high-order harmonics. It has most energy confined around the plasma frequency and no low-harmonic orders below the plasma frequency. It is also shown that XUV pulse of peak field strength up to 8 × 10(12) Vm(-1) can be produced. Without the need for pulse selecting and spectral filtering, such an intense few-cycle XUV pulse is better suited to a number of applications.

Nadolol Attenuates Brain Cell Ferroptosis in Ischemic Stroke Rats by Targeting the HOIL-1/IRP2 Pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Heme-oxidized iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2) ubiquitin ligase-1 (HOIL-1) is believed to contribute to the ubiquitination of IRP2, which facilitates the transcription of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) while preventing the transcription of ferroportin-1 (FPN-1). Bioinformatics analysis predicts that nadolol (a ß-blocker) interacts with the HOIL-1. METHOD: The present study is intended to explore whether nadolol suppresses ferroptosis in the brains of rats suffering from ischemic stroke via targeting the HOIL-1/IRP2 pathway. A rat model of ischemic stroke was established by blocking the middle cerebral artery for 2 h plus 24 h reperfusion, and nadolol (2.5 or 5 mg/kg) was given at 1h after reperfusion. HT22 cells were subjected to 12 h of hypoxia, followed by 24 h of reoxygenation for simulating ischemic stroke, and nadolol (0.1 or 0.25 µM) was administered to the culture medium before reoxygenation. RESULTS: The stroke rats showed evident brain injury (increases in neurological deficit score and infarct volume) and ferroptosis, along with up-regulation of IRP2 and TfR1 while downregulation of HOIL-1 and FPN-1; these phenomena were reversed in the presence of nadolol. In the cultured HT22 cells, hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced LDH release, ferroptosis, and changes in the levels of relevant proteins (IRP2, TfR1, HOIL-1, and FPN-1) were also reversed by nadolol. CONCLUSION: In terms of these findings, it is concluded that nadolol can protect the ischemic rats' brains against ferroptosis by targeting the HOIL-1/IRP2 pathway, thereby preventing intracellular iron overload. Thus, nadolol may be a novel indication for treating patients with ischemic stroke.

Dynamic assessment of lung injury by ultrasound in a case with H7N9 influenza.

H7N9 influenza is a new emerging infection and has high mortality. Both chest radiography and computed tomography (CT) had some limitations in assessing such patients. We performed daily lung ultrasound in a patient with H7N9 influenza. Lung ultrasound and lung ultrasound score showed high consistency with CT and the progression of pneumonia. Ultrasound can be adjutant to chest radiography and CT in caring for patients with H7N9 influenza.

Avermectin induced liver injury in pigeon: mechanisms of apoptosis and oxidative stress.

Extensive use of avermectin (AVM) can result in environment pollution, and it is important to evaluate the potential impact this antibiotic has on ecological systems. Few published literatures have discussed the liver injury mechanisms induced by AVM on birds. In this study, pigeons were exposed to feed containing AVM (0, 20, 40 and 60 mg/kg diet) for 30, 60, 90 days respectively. The results showed that AVM increased the number of apoptosis and the expression level of caspase-3, 8, fas mRNA in the liver of pigeons. Ultrastructural alterations, including mitochondrial damage and chromatin aggregation, become severe with increase exposure dose. Exposure to AVM induced significant changes in antioxidant enzyme {superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)} activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, augmented protein carbonyl (PCO) content and DNA-protein crosslink (DPC) coefficient, in a concentration-dependent manner in the liver of pigeons. Our results show that AVM has toxic effect in pigeon liver, and the mechanism of injury caused by AVM is closely related to apoptosis and oxidative stress.

Effect of atrazine and chlorpyrifos exposure on cytochrome P450 contents and enzyme activities in common carp gills.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) and atrazine (ATR) are the most widely used organophosphate insecticides and triazine herbicides, respectively, worldwide. This study aimed at investigating the effects of ATR, CPF and mixture on common carp gills following 40-d exposure and 40-d recovery experiments. Cytochrome P450 content, activities of aminopyrine N-demethylase (APND) and erythromycin N-demethylase (ERND) and the mRNA levels of the CYP1 family (CYP1A, CYP1B, and CYP1C) were determined. In total, 220 common carps were divided into eleven groups, and each group was treated with a specific concentration of ATR (4.28, 42.8 and 428 µg/L), CPF (1.16, 11.6 and 116 µg/L) or ATR-CPF mixture (1.13, 11.3 and 113 µg/L). The results showed that P450 content and activities of APND and ERND in fish exposed to ATR and mixture were significantly higher than those in the control group. After the 40-d recovery treatment (i.e., depuration), the P450 content and the activities of APND and ERND in fish decreased to the background levels. A similar tendency was also found in the mRNA levels of the CYP1 family (CYP1A, CYP1B, and CYP1C) in common carp gills. The CPF-treated fish showed no significant difference from the control groups, except for a significant CYP1C induction. These results indicated that CYP enzyme levels are induced by ATR but were only slightly affected by CPF in common carp gills. In addition, the ATR and CPF exposure showed an antagonistic effect on P450 enzymes in common carp gills.

Antioxidant response and histopathological changes in brain tissue of pigeon exposed to avermectin.

Avermectins (AVMs) are the active components of some insecticidal and nematicidal products used in agriculture and veterinary medicine for the prevention of parasitic diseases. Residues of AVM drugs or their metabolites in livestock feces have toxic effects on non-target aquatic and terrestrial organisms. In this study, oxidative stress responses and pathological changes on pigeon brain tissues and serum after subchronic exposure to AVM for 30, 60 and 90 days were investigated. The decrease in antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, SOD and glutathione peroxidase, GSH-Px) activities and increase in methane dicarboxylic aldehyde content in a dose-time-dependent manner in the brain and serum of pigeon were observed. The protein carbonyl content, an indicator of protein oxidation, and DNA-protein crosslink coefficient were significantly augmented with dose-time-dependent properties. The microscopic structures of the cerebrum, cerebellum and optic lobe altered obviously, the severity of which increased with the concentration of AVM and exposure time. The results imply that AVM could induce oxidative damage to the brain tissue and serum of pigeon. The information presented in this study is helpful to understand the mechanism of AVM-induced oxidative stress in birds.

Antiangiogenic polyketides from Peperomia dindygulensis Miq.

Two new polyketides: 2Z-(heptadec-12-enyl)-4-hydroxy-3,4,7,8-tetrahydro-2H-chromen-5(6H)-one (1) and 2-(heptadec-12-enyl)-5-hydroxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrochromen- 4-one (2), together with eleven known compounds: 4-hydroxy-2-[(3,4-methylenedioxy- phenyl)tridecanoyl] cyclohexane-1,3-dione (3), oleiferinone (4), 4-hydroxy-2-[(3,4- methylenedioxyphenyl)undecanoyl]cyclohexane-1,3-dione (5), 4-hydroxy-2-[(11-phenyl- undecanoyl)cyclohexane-1,3-dione (6), proctorione C (7), surinone C (8), 5-hydroxy- 7,8,4'-trimethoxyflavone (9), 5-hydroxy-7,8,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone (10), 5-hydroxy- 7,3',4'-trimethoxyflavone (11), 5,8-dihydroxy-7,3',4'-trimethoxyflavone (12) and cepharanone B (13) were isolated from the whole plant of Peperomia dindygulensis Miq. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including 2D-NMR techniques. Compounds 2, 3, 5 and 8 inhibited human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation and compounds 5 and 8 sharply suppressed HUVEC tube formation.

Beneficial effects of a combination of Clostridium cochlearium and Lactobacillus acidophilus on body weight gain, insulin sensitivity, and gut microbiota in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

OBJECTIVES: Species Lactobacillus acidophilus and butyrate producer Clostridium cochlearium have been shown to have potential antiobesity effects. The aim of this study was to show that the combination of C. cochlearium and L. acidophilus (CC-LA) has beneficial effects on body weight control and glucose homeostasis in high-fat diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. METHODS: In this study, thirty-six 6-wk-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to three groups of 12 mice each. The experimental group (CC-LA) was administered with CC-LA mixture and fed ad libitum with a high-fat diet. High-fat diet (HF) control and low-fat diet (LF) control groups were treated with the same dose of sterile water as the CC-LA group. RESULTS: After 17 wk of dietary intervention, the CC-LA group showed 17% less body weight gain than the HF group did (P < 0.01). The CC-LA group also showed significantly reduced incremental area under the curve of oral glucose tolerance test and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance compared with the HF group. The results from 16S rRNA sequencing analysis of gut microbiota showed that the CC-LA administration led to overall increased α-diversity indices, and a significant microbial separation from the HF group. The ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) was reduced from 3.30 in the HF group to 1.94 in the CC-LA group. The relative abundances of certain obesity-related taxa were also decreased by CC-LA administration. CONCLUSION: The present study provided evidence that the CC-LA combination reduced obesity and improved glucose metabolism in high-fat diet-treated DIO mice, potentially mediated by the modulation of gut microbiota.

Secolignans with antiangiogenic activities from Peperomia dindygulensis.

Two new secolignans, peperomins G and H (1 and 2, resp.), were isolated from the whole plant of Peperomia dindygulensis, together with five known secolignans, peperomin A (3), peperomin E (4), peperomin B (5), 2,3-trans-2-methyl-3-{(3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl)[5-methoxy-3,4-(methylenedioxy)phenyl]methyl}butyrolactone (6), 2,3-cis-2-(hydroxymethyl)-3-{bis[5-methoxy-3,4-(methylenedioxy)phenyl]methyl}butyrolactone (7). Their structures and configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 2D-NMR techniques. Antiangiogenic effects of all compounds were evaluated using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) proliferation and tube-formation tests, with compounds 4 and 5 being active in the bioassay. Compounds 4 and 5 induced obvious cell toxicity to HUVEC with IC(50) values of 1.64±0.19 and 8.44±0.4 µM, respectively. Compounds 4 and 5 also exhibited significant HUVEC tube formation-inhibiting activity with IC(50) values of 3.13±0.09 and 6.24±0.12 µM, respectively.

Increased microRNA-30a levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as a diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNA-30a (miRNA-30a) levels have been shown to increase in the plasma of lung cancer patients. Herein, we evaluated the miRNA-30a levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of lung cancer patients as a potential biomarker for lung cancer diagnosis. METHODS: BALF miRNA-30a expression of 174 subjects was quantified using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and compared between lung cancer patients and control patients with benign lung diseases. Moreover, its diagnostic value was evaluated by performing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The relative BALF miRNA-30a expression was significantly higher in the lung cancer patients than in the controls (0.74 ±  0.55 versus 0.07 ±  0.48, respectively, p < 0.001) as well as in lung cancer patients with stage I-IIA disease than in those with stage IIB-IV disease (0.98 ±  0.64 versus 0.66 ±  0.54, respectively, p < 0.05). Additionally, miRNA-30a distinguished benign lung diseases from lung cancers, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.822. ROC analysis also revealed an AUC of 0.875 for the Youden index-based optimal cut-off points for stage I-IIA adenocarcinoma. Thus, increased miRNA-30a levels in BALF may be a useful biomarker for non-small-cell lung cancer diagnosis.

Neohesperidin promotes the osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a common disease in aging populations. However, osteoporosis treatment is still challenging. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of neohesperidin (NEO) in osteoporosis progression and the potential mechanism. METHODS: Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were isolated and treated with different concentrations of NEO (0, 10, 30, 100 µM). Cell proliferation was analyzed by cell count kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. RNA-sequencing was performed on the isolated BMSCs with control and NEO treatment. Differentially expressed genes were obtained by R software. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Alizarin red staining (ARS) were performed to assess the osteogenic capacity of the NEO. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of osteoblast markers. Western blot was used to evaluate the protein levels in BMSCs. RESULTS: NEO treatment significantly improved hBMSC proliferation at different time points, particularly when cells were incubated with 30 µM NEO (P < 0.05). NEO dose-dependently increased the ALP activity and calcium deposition than the control group (P < 0.05). A total of 855 differentially expressed genes were identified according to the significance criteria of log2 (fold change) > 1 and adj P < 0.05. DKK1 partially reversed the promotion effects of NEO on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. NEO increased levels of the ß-catenin protein in BMSCs. CONCLUSION: NEO plays a positive role in promoting osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, which was related with activation of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Anti-osteosarcoma Biological Activity Evaluation and Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequencing of Populus yunnanensis.

Recently, the Populus yunnanensis extract has drawn the attention of most researchers, because of their anti-cancer activity. In this present research, the anti-cancer activity of the Populus yunnanensis extract was measured with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) detection kit on the cancer cells. Then, the inhibitory activity of the Populus yunnanensis extract on the migration and invasion ability of the cancer cells was also determined in this present research with trans-well assay. Subsequently, to reveal the evolutionary genome evolution evaluation of the Populus yunnanensis and other Populus species, the high-throughput Illumina pair-end sequencing was performed and the chloroplast (cp) genome of Populus yunnanensis was determined, and the phylogenetic analysis was finished as wells. The results of the CCK-8 assay indicated that the Populus yunnanensis extract showed inhibitory effect on the cancer cell viability. Besides, the migration and invasion ability of the cancer cell was also reduced by the Populus yunnanensis extract. The complete chloroplast genome sequence results revealed that the Populus yunnanensis has a 156,505 bp circular cp genome. The phylogenetic analysis further revealed that the Populus yunnanensis has closely relationship with Populus simonii.

A Pilot Study of the Effect of Lactobacillus casei Obtained from Long-Lived Elderly on Blood Biochemical, Oxidative, and Inflammatory Markers, and on Gut Microbiota in Young Volunteers.

Probiotic intake has been shown to improve certain physiological health indicators. We aimed to examine effects of Lactobacillus casei LTL1879, obtained from long-lived elderly volunteers, on blood biochemical, oxidative, and inflammatory markers and gut microbiota in twenty healthy, young volunteers. Volunteers were randomly divided into equal probiotic and placebo groups and changes in blood biochemical indicators, oxidative and inflammatory markers, and gut microbiota were examined after three weeks of probiotic intervention. The probiotic group's antioxidant levels were significantly enhanced post-intervention. Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels were significantly increased (p < 0.0001), while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased (p < 0.05), and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) levels increased, but with no significant difference. In addition, Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated (p < 0.05, respectively). Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and Bacteroides expression was significantly reduced (p < 0.05), while Clostridium leptum, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus expression increased (p < 0.05). Volunteer health status was quantified using principal components and cluster analysis, indicating that the probiotic group's overall score was higher than that of the placebo group. The results of this pilot study suggest L. casei LTL 1879 can significantly improve specific immune, oxidative, and gut microbiota characteristics related to health factors.

AST/ALT ratio as a predictor of mortality and exacerbations of PM/DM-ILD in 1 year-a retrospective cohort study with 522 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the associations between aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase ratio (DRR) and mortality in patients with polymyositis/dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease (PM/DM-ILD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study, which included 522 patients with PM/DM-ILD whose DRR on admission were tested at West China Hospital of Sichuan University during the period from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios for mortality in four predefined DRR strata (≤ 0.91, 0.91-1.26, 1.26-1.73, and > 1.73), after adjusting for age, sex, DRR stratum, diagnosis, overlap syndrome, hemoglobin, platelet count, white blood cell count, the percentage of neutrophils, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, albumin, creatine kinase, uric acid/creatinine ratio, triglycerides, or low-density lipoprotein. RESULTS: Higher DRR (> 1.73) was an independent predictor of 1-year mortality in multivariate Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio 3.423, 95% CI 1.481-7.911, p = .004). Patients with higher DRR more often required the use of mechanical ventilation and readmission for acute exacerbation of PM/DM-ILD at 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Higher DRR on admission for PM/DM-ILD patients are associated with increased mortality, risk of mechanical ventilation, and hospitalization in 1-year follow-up. This low-cost, easy-to-obtain, rapidly measured biomarker may be useful in the identification of high-risk PM/DM-ILD patients that could benefit from intensive management.

Fish bone-induced myocardial injury leading to a misdiagnosis of acute myocardial infarction: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Acute chest pain (ACP) is very common among patients presenting to emergency departments. Nevertheless, ACP caused by esophageal foreign body is relatively rarely reported. CASE SUMMARY: A 56-year-old man suffering from chest pain (increased pain for the last 9 h) was admitted to our hospital on October 25, 2015. After undergoing physical examination and laboratory blood testing, he was diagnosed with acute anterior myocardial infarction. Consequently, the patient underwent emergency percutaneous coronary angiography; however, no myocardial infarction signs were observed. Later on, the patient experienced respiration failure and therefore was transferred to intensive care unit. Cardiac ultrasound showed pericardial effusion, which was considered as the cause of shock. He then underwent pericardium puncture drainage and the circulation temporarily improved. Nevertheless, persistent pericardial bleeding, unclear bleeding causes, and clot formation induced poor drainage led to worsening of cardiac tamponade symptoms. Consequently, the patient underwent emergency exploratory thoracotomy, which revealed a fish bone causing pericardial bleeding. The bone was removed, and the damaged blood vessels were mended. Eventually, the patient was discharged in good clinical condition. CONCLUSION: For patients with chest pain, it is necessary to consider the possibility of foreign body in the esophagus or even in the heart. Careful history taking and the corresponding inspection can help to avoid unnecessary damage and safeguard patients from unnecessary pain.

Development and characterization of a guinea pig model for Marburg virus.

The Angolan strain of Marburg virus (MARV/Ang) can cause lethal disease in humans with a case fatality rate of up to 90%, but infection of immunocompetent rodents do not result in any observable symptoms. Our previous work includes the development and characterization of a MARV/Ang variant that can cause lethal disease in mice (MARV/Ang-MA), with the aim of using this tool to screen for promising prophylactic and therapeutic candidates. An intermediate animal model is needed to confirm any findings from mice studies before testing in the gold-standard non-human primate (NHP) model. In this study, we serially passaged the clinical isolate of MARV/Ang in the livers and spleens of guinea pigs until a variant emerged that causes 100% lethality in guinea pigs (MARV/Ang-GA). Animals infected with MARV/Ang-GA showed signs of filovirus infection including lymphocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, and high viremia leading to spread to major organs, including the liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The MARV/Ang-GA guinea pigs died between 7-9 days after infection, and the LD50 was calculated to be 1.1×10-1 TCID50 (median tissue culture infective dose). Mutations in MARV/Ang-GA were identified and compared to sequences of known rodent-adapted MARV/Ang variants, which may benefit future studies characterizing important host adaptation sites in the MARV/Ang viral genome.