Vibrio paucivorans sp. nov. and Vibrio qingdaonensis sp. nov., two marine bacteria.

Two Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile, rod-shaped and flagellated marine bacteria, designated strains DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T, were isolated from the surface sediments of the Bohai sea and Qingdao coastal seawater, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA genes, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), phylogenomic analysis of single-copy gene families and whole-genome data placed DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T within the genus Vibrio. DBSS07T was most closely related to Vibrio aestivus M22T, with 97.51 % sequence similarity, whereas ZSDZ65T was most closely related to Vibrio variabilis R-40492T with 97.58 % sequence similarity. DBSS07T grew with 1-7 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3 %), at 16-37 °C (optimum 28 °C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0); whereas ZSDZ65T grew with 1-5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 2 %), at 16-32 °C (optimum 28 °C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 8.0). Both strains shared the same major fatty acid components (more than 10 % of total fatty acids) of summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c or/and C16 : 1ω6c), with different proportions. The DNA G+C contents of DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T were 44.7 and 44.3 %, respectively. On the basis of the results of polyphasic analysis, DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T are considered to represent novel species within the genus Vibrio, for which the names V. paucivorans sp. nov. (type strain, DBSS07T = KCTC 82896T= MCCC 1K06284T) and V. qingdaonensis sp. nov. (type strain, ZSDZ65T = KCTC 82893T = MCCC 1K06289T) are proposed, respectively.

First detection and phylogenetic analysis of porcine circovirus 3 in female donkeys with reproductive disorders.

BACKGROUND: PCV3 is a pathogen associated with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS)-like clinical signs, reproductive failure, and cardiac and multiorgan inflammation, which was newly identified in 2016 in sows in USA. Recently, PCV3 has also been identified from several non-porcine species like (cattle, dog, wild boar, deer, mice and ticks). However, PCV3 infection in donkey is not well established. Since 2019, 300 blood samples were collected from female donkey, which was characterized by abortion and sterility, in Liaocheng city of China. RESULTS: In the present study, an investigation of PCV3 in donkey blood samples was undertaken employing by real time PCR. Positive rates of PCV3 in donkeys reach to 21.0 %. In addition, one full-length PCV3 genome sequence was obtained, and it had a highest identity with porcine circovirus 3 PCV3/CN/Nanjing2017 strain and is clustered to PCV3a genotype based on ORF2 sequences. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of detection of PCV3 from female donkeys presenting reproductive failure in large-scale donkey farms, China. In addition, the PCV3 strain identified in this study shared the closest relationship with those from porcine, suggesting that PCV3 may be transmitted from pigs to donkeys. Totally, PCV3 infection in donkey should be concerned although the association between it and reproductive failure are not better understood.

A Preliminary Study on the Improvement of Gangue/Tailing Cemented Fill by Bentonite: Flow Properties, Mechanical Properties and Permeability.

Backfill mining has significant advantages in safe mining, solid waste utilization and ecological environmental protection, but solid waste materials (tailings, gangue and coal gasification slag, etc.), as derivative residues of the chemical and metallurgical industries, contain a large number of heavy metal elements, which is posing great challenges to the underground environment after backfill. In order to study the feasibility of bentonite for reducing the permeability of gangue/tailing sand cemented backfill body, relevant tests were carried out from the basic performance index, flow performance and mechanical properties of paste backfill materials. The test results show that bentonite has a significant effect on the water secretion rate of cemented fillers, and also promotes the improvement of slump and diffusion diameter of backfill slurry. The enhancement effect of mechanical properties in the early stage is not obvious, mainly concentrated in the middle and late stages of specimen curing. With the increase of bentonite content, the 28-day uniaxial compressive strength increased from 7.1 MPa and 7.9 MPa to 8.7 MPa and 9.0 MPa, respectively. Bentonite is filled between the pores of the cemented backfill with its fine particles and water swelling, which can reduce the porosity and permeability of the gangue and tailings cemented backfill. Therefore, on the premise of satisfying the flow and mechanical properties of paste backfill, bentonite can be used to improve the permeability of cemented backfill and reduce the leaching and migration of heavy metal ions.

Genomic analysis and chitinase characterization of Vibrio harveyi WXL538: insight into its adaptation to the marine environment.

Chitin, the most abundant bio-polymer in seawater, may be utilized by various microorganisms as a carbon source. Vibrios have been regarded as one of the main groups of chitin consumers in the marine carbon cycle and chitinase producers. The organisms are widely distributed in the aquatic environment. However, the co-working mechanism between their chitinases, and whether the chitinase's diversity contributes to their adaption to the environment, needs to be further elucidated. Here, we obtained a chitinolytic strain, Vibrio harveyi WXL538 with eight putative chitinase-coding genes. Five of the genes, i.e., Chi4733, Chi540, Chi4668, Chi5174, and Chi4963, were overexpressed and validated, in which Chi4668, Chi4733 and Chi540 were purified and characterized. The result of Chi4668 was described in our previous study. Endo-chitinase Chi4733 degraded colloidal chitin to produce (GlcNAc)2 and minor (GlcNAc)3. The enzymatic activity of Chi4733 was 175.5 U mg-1 and Kcat/Km was 54.9 s-1 M-1. Chi4733 had its maximum activity at 50°C and pH 4-6, activated by Sr2+, Co2+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ and inhibited by Al3+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, and SDS. Exo-chitinase Chi540 degraded colloidal chitin to (GlcNAc)2. The enzymatic activity of Chi540 was 134.5 U mg-1 and Kcat/Km was 54.9 s-1 M-1. Chi540 had its maximum activity at 60°C and pH 6-8, was activated by Sr2+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ but inhibited by K+, Ba2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, SDS and urea. Whole genome analysis of V. harveyi WXL538 and characterization of its chitinase can provide a better understanding of its adaptability to the changing marine environment.

Nickel nanocrystal/nitrogen-doped carbon composites as efficient and carbon monoxide-resistant electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reactions.

High-performance electrocatalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are the key to advance the application of direct methanol fuel cells. Pt-Based electrocatalysts for the MOR are limited due to their high cost, low stability and poor resistance to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The development of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for the MOR with high activity and good stability is desired, but it remains a challenge. Herein, we report a simple strategy to prepare nickel nanocrystals embedded in a nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (Ni/N-C composite) by pyrolysis of Ni-coordinated polyaniline-poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels. These in situ generated Ni nanocrystals serve as active electrocatalysts for the MOR, while the nitrogen-doped carbon matrix serves as a conductive support to facilitate electron transfer and also to protect the active Ni nanocrystals. The optimal Ni/N-C@500 electrocatalyst shows a high MOR activity of 147 mA cm-2 at 1.66 V vs. the RHE in alkaline methanol solution, which is outstanding among Ni-based MOR electrocatalysts. Ni/N-C@500 also shows better stability than the Pt/C catalyst in the long-term MOR test at high current densities. Upon CO poisoning, Ni/N-C@500 retains 85% of its MOR activity, far exceeding the performance of the Pt/C catalyst (61% retention). Owing to its facile synthesis, outstanding activity and high stability, the Ni/N-C@500 composite is promising as a low-cost, efficient and CO-resistant electrocatalyst for the MOR.

Adipose-tissue derived porcine mesenchymal stem cells efficiently ameliorate CCl4-induced acute liver failure in mice.

Adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) may be an attractive therapeutic source for acute liver injury because of their high accessibility and non-invasiveness. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potentials of porcine ADMSCs for acute liver failure (ALF). The morphology, differentiation potential, expression patterns of cell surface markers and liver-specific genes were compared between the ADMSCs derived from the pigs with or without ALF. For therapeutic studies, the expanded porcine ADMSCs from either ALF pig (ALF-ADMSCs) or healthy control pig (Nor-ADMSCs) of passage 3 were transplanted into CCl4-induced ALF mice, and the liver histology and functional tests were performed at days 1, 7, 14, and 21 after cell transplantation. ALF-ADMSCs expressed higher mRNA level of hepatic growth factor (HGF) than the Nor-ADMSCs. Both ALF-ADMSCs and Nor-ADMSCs improved liver histology, functions, and mouse survival rate. Higher level of porcine hepatocyte-specific genes was seen in the livers of ALF-ADMSCs transplanted mice as compared to the Nor-ADMSCs transplanted mice. In particular, ALF-ADMSCs transplanted mice expressed significantly higher level of albumin and cytokeratin 18 in the liver tissues as compared to the Nor-ADMSCs transplanted mice. ALF-ADMSCs might be superior to Nor-ADMSCs in the treatment of ALF as the former possesses stronger hepatic differentiation potential.

Incidence of Inadvertent Intraoperative Hypothermia and Its Risk Factors in Patients Undergoing General Anesthesia in Beijing: A Prospective Regional Survey.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia (core temperature <360 C) is a recognized risk in surgery and has adverse consequences. However, no data about this complication in China are available. Our study aimed to determine the incidence of inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia and its associated risk factors in a sample of Chinese patients. METHODS: We conducted a regional cross-sectional survey in Beijing from August through December, 2013. Eight hundred thirty patients who underwent various operations under general anesthesia were randomly selected from 24 hospitals through a multistage probability sampling. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to explore the risk factors of developing hypothermia. RESULTS: The overall incidence of intraoperative hypothermia was high, 39.9%. All patients were warmed passively with surgical sheets or cotton blankets, whereas only 10.7% of patients received active warming with space heaters or electric blankets. Pre-warmed intravenous fluid were administered to 16.9% of patients, and 34.6% of patients had irrigation of wounds with pre-warmed fluid. Active warming (OR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.26-0.81), overweight or obesity (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.28-0.56), high baseline core temperature before anesthesia (OR = 0.08, 95% CI 0.04-0.13), and high ambient temperature (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.79-0.98) were significant protective factors for hypothermia. In contrast, major-plus operations (OR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.32-3.04), duration of anesthesia (1-2 h) (OR = 3.23, 95% CI 2.19-4.78) and >2 h (OR = 3.44, 95% CI 1.90-6.22,), and intravenous un-warmed fluid (OR = 2.45, 95% CI 1.45-4.12) significantly increased the risk of hypothermia. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia in Beijing is high, and the rate of active warming of patients during operation is low. Concern for the development of intraoperative hypothermia should be especially high in patients undergoing major operations, requiring long periods of anesthesia, and receiving un-warmed intravenous fluids.