[Metabarcoding Profiling of Phytoplankton Communities Associated with Algal Blooms and Determining Related Drivers in Baiyangdian Lake].

Phytoplankton are the main cause of algal blooms. To identify bloom algae and assess the risks of the algal blooms in Baiyangdian Lake, a survey on 373 sites was conducted in August 2020. The phytoplankton were studied via both morphological-based density counting and metabarcoding profiling. Then, the bloom degree was classed according to algae density, and the relationship between the community of bloom algae and environmental variables were modeled to determine key factors constraining spatial variation in bloom algae communities. The results showed that more than 95% of the sampling sites were free from the risk of algal blooms(phytoplankton density<2×106 cells·L-1), and only five sites had a slight risk of algal blooms. A total of 90 species with potential of algal blooming were detected, including 20 dominant species, which were mainly affiliated with Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, and Euglenophyta. Communities of bloom algae significantly varied among different regions(P<0.05). Total phosphorus(TP), total nitrogen(TN), and ammonia nitrogen(NH4+-N) were the key factors significantly affecting the spatial variation in algal bloom communities. At the phylum level, these key factors were significantly positively correlated with Chlorophyta, whereas at the species level, species in Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta responded significantly to these key factors. Thus, our findings suggested that nutrient levels were significantly related to bloom algae communities, and we proposed that controlling the input of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and regulating the hydrological process of the lake would be effective management techniques to prevent algal blooms in Baiyangdian Lake.

Treatment efficacy of Lianhua Qingwen capsules for eraly-stage COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically determine the effect of Lianhua Qingwen Capsules on the early antiviral and anti-inflammatory action against COVID-19 (Coronavirus 2019) and its applicational value in the treatment of COVID-19. METHODS: The clinical data of 66 early-mid-stage COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Guangzhou between January 2020 and April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients receiving Lianhua Qingwen Capsule treatment were assigned to the observation group (n=33) and those given conventional therapy were included in the control group (n=33). The two groups were compared in terms of clinical effects and main symptom (fever, cough and fatigue) disappearance rate. RESULTS: In comparison with the control group, 1) the total effective rate was significantly higher in the observation group (P<0.05); 2) the disappearance rates of fever, cough and fatigue were statistically higher in the observation group; 3) the treatment time was significantly shorter and patient recovery was significantly better in the observation group; 4) the laboratory index levels [white blood cell (WBC), interleukin-6 (IL-6), serum amyloid A (SAA)] were better in the observation group. CONCLUSION: Lianhua Qingwen Capsules can significantly improve the total effective rate for COVID-19 patients, as well as shorten the hospital stay and treatment time, which is worth of promotion in the clinic.

Amycolicicoccus subflavus gen. nov., sp. nov., an actinomycete isolated from a saline soil contaminated by crude oil.

Two novel actinomycetes, designated DQS3-9A1(T) and DQS3-9A2, were isolated from a saline soil contaminated with crude oil in the Shengli Oilfield in China. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the two strains were most closely related to Mycobacterium species (92.7-94.9 % similarities), and formed a distinct lineage in the suborder Corynebacterineae . In addition, the major sugars in the cell wall, arabinose and galactose, supported the affiliation of strain DQS3-9A1(T) with members of the family Mycobacteriaceae. However, strain DQS3-9A1(T) did not contain mycolic acids and MK-8 (85.5 %) was the major menaquinone for both isolates. The major cellular fatty acids for strain DQS3-9A1(T) were C(16 : 0) (20.5 %), 10-methyl C(17 : 0) (19.3 %), 10-methyl C(18 : 0) (16.1 %), summed feature 3 (11.4 %), C(15 : 0) (11.3 %), C(17 : 0) (5.0 %) and C(17 : 1)omega8c (5.0 %). The polar lipids of strain DQS3-9A1(T) consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol and an unknown glucosamine-containing phospholipid. These chemotaxonomic data indicated that strain DQS3-9A1(T) differs from the present members of the suborder Corynebacterineae. Therefore, the creation of Amycolicicoccus subflavus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed, with DQS3-9A1(T) (=DSM 45089(T)=CGMCC 4.3532(T)) as the type strain.