Studies on the embryonic development and larval infection potential of the stomach bot flies, Gasterophilus pecorum.

Endangered Przewalski's horses have faced severe infections from Gasterophilus pecorum (Diptera, Gastrophilidae) in Xinjiang's Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR). This study examines G. pecorum's development and infection patterns in embryonic and larval stages, crucial for understanding horse botfly disease in desert grasslands. For the incubation of G. pecorum fertilized eggs, we established the six distinct temperature gradients: 16 °C, 20 °C, 24 °C, 28 °C, 30 °C, and 32 °C. Using the least squares method, we calculated the correlation between the developmental threshold temperature of the eggs and their cumulative effective temperature. Furthermore, we meticulously recorded the survival duration of the larvae across a spectrum of temperature gradients (-20 °C, -10 °C, 4 °C, 10 °C, 20 °C, and 30 °C) and under varying conditions (dark and light). This method allows us to analyze and interpret the impact of these environmental factors on larval survival durations. 1) The formula for predicting the embryonic development period of G. pecorum was N = (182.7 ± 12.03)/[T-(3.191 ± 1.48)], where the developmental threshold temperature was 3.191 ± 1.48 °C, and the effective accumulated temperature was 182.7 ± 12.03 d°C 2) The model describing the relationship between the embryonic development rate and temperature was: y = 0.0001x2+0.0007x+0.0378, demonstrating a positive correlation between the development rate and temperature (R-sq = 0.989, p < 0.001). 3) Larvae in the dark group exhibited a longer survival time, with the longest being 9 months at 4 °C. The adaptation of G. pecorum's embryonic development to cold temperature, combined with the extended survival period of larvae in the egg state, significantly increases the infection potential of G. pecorum in colder climates. This discovery offers essential insights into the predominance of G. pecorum in the KNR region and provides a crucial biological basis for the prevention of myiasis and the conservation of vulnerable species, such as Przewalski's horses.

Output Formation Containment for Multiagent Systems Under Multipoint Multipattern FDI Attacks: A Resilient Impulsive Compensation Control Approach.

The increasing number of devices and frequent interactions of agents from networked multiagent systems (MASs) exacerbate the risks of potential cyber attacks, especially the different point attacks and multiple pattern attacks. This article considers the output formation-containment problem for MASs under multipoint multipattern false data injection (FDI) attacks. The multipoint describes the attacks simultaneously occurring on the sensors, actuators, and communication channels; the multipattern captures that sensor and actuator attack signals are both continuous deterministic variables, and the communication channel attack signals are intermittent random variables, obeying the Bernoulli distribution. For such compromised MASs, a novel hybrid protocol is proposed, which integrates a state observer, an attack estimator, an impulsive interactor and a compensation controller. Thereinto, the state observer and the attack estimator are constructed to recover the unmeasured system states and the unknown FDI attack signals, respectively; the impulsive interactor is designed to guarantee that the neighbor's signals are transmitted only at impulsive instants, and meanwhile the channel attacks are randomly launched; using the recovered signals, the compensation controller is devised to alleviate the effect of attacks. A sufficient condition is identified, under which the output formation containment is achieved with cooperative uniform ultimate boundedness (UUB). Finally, simulation results are carried out to validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed approach.

Gut microbial community structure and function of Przewalski's horses varied across reintroduced sites in China.

Host-associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness. Therefore, naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts. This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals, as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations. However, little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation. Here, we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) populations in China from three nature reserves (i.e. Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve, KNR; Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve, DXNNR; and Anxi Extreme-arid Desert Nature Reserve, AENR) using 16s rRNA gene and metagenome sequencing. The results showed that the microbial composition and function differed significantly across locations, while a subset of core taxa was consistently present in most of the samples. The abundance of genes encoding microbe-produced enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, especially for glycoside hydrolases, was significantly higher in open-spaced KNR populations than in more confined AENR individuals. This study offers detailed and significant differential characters related to the microbial community and metabolic pathways in various reintroduced sites of Przewalski's horse, which might provide a basis for future microecological and conservation research on endangered reintroduced animals.

Developmental dynamics and survival characteristics of the common horse bot flies (Diptera, Gasterophilidae, Gasterophilus) in desert steppe.

The genus Gasterophilus (Diptera, Gastrophilidae) is an obligate parasite of the equine family that causes widespread myiasis in desert steppe. Based on four common naturally excreted Gasterophilus larvae collected systematically in the Karamaili Ungulate Nature Reserve from March to September 2021, this paper studies the population dynamics and ontogenetic laws of horse flies, and discuss the coexistence pattern and population dynamics prediction of horse flies. The results showed that the Gasterophilus larvae had obvious concentrated development period, and the time of population peaks was different, the earliest was G. nigricornis (late March), followed by G. pecorum-Ⅰ (mid-April), G. nasalis (late April), G. intestinalis (early May), G. pecorum-Ⅱ (mid-August). The order of development threshold temperature "Cnigricornis < Cpecorum-Ⅰ ≤ Cpecorum-Ⅱ < Cnasalis < Cintestinalis" is consistent with the peak order of different larval populations. The life history survival rate (L) was as follows: Lnigricornis (83.97%) ≥ Lintestinalis (81.25%) > Lnasalis (72.42%) ≥ Lpecorum-Ⅱ (71.65%) > Lpecorum-Ⅰ (39.23%). This study combined indoor experiments and field surveys revealed the development of horse fly populations with different life strategies in desert grasslands. Based on the different development threshold temperatures of several horse flies, the staggered population dynamics of Gasterophilus form continuous infection stress on the host. In addition, G. pecorum exhibited a univoltine bimodal population distribution in this area and led to two high-intensity host infections, which is one of the important reasons why it has become the dominant species of myiasis in desert steppe.

Assessment of Adaptation Status of Reintroduced Equus Przewalskii Based on Comparative Analysis of Fecal Bacteria with Those of Captive E. Przewalskii, Domestic Horse and Mongolian Wild Ass.

Intestinal microbiota play an important role in the survival of the host. However, no study to date has elucidated the adjustment of intestinal microbiota of the host during rewilding. Thus, this study aims to describe the intestinal bacterial community of reintroduced Przewalski's horse (RPH) after being released into their original habitat for approximately 20 years in comparison with that of captive Przewalski's horse (CPH), sympatric domestic horse (DH) and Mongolian wild ass (MWA) by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that the prevalent bacterial communities were different among CPHs, RPHs, DHs and MWAs at the family level. NMDS and ANOSIM analysis showed that the pattern of bacterial community composition in captive equines was distinct from that in the wild groups. It is shown that some bacteria had significant differences among different taxa (p < 0.001), such as Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Armatimonadetes, Clostrida, Bacteroidia, Clostridiales, Bacteroidales, Rikenellaceae and Bacteroidales_UCG-001. These bacteria were associated with the transition from in captive to in the wild (CPH and RPH), which reflected the change of environmental conditions. Meanwhile, Proteobacteria, Clostridia, Bacilli, Negativicutes, Gammaproteobacteria, Clostridiales, Bacillales, Selenomonadales, Pseudomonadales and Planococcaceae were the changed groups among RPHs, MWAs and DHs, which are related to feeding habits and diseases. Our results clearly showed the differences between intestinal microbiota in reintroduced animals and wild animals and led us to understand the survival state of reintroduced animals in the wild.

Bird Beta Diversity in Sharp Contrasting Altai Landscapes: Locality Connectivity Is the Influential Factor on Community Composition.

Located on the southwest slope and plain areas of the Altai Mountains in China, this study aims to explore bird composition variation (beta diversity) in mountain landscape (metacommunity M), riparian landscape (metacommunity R), desert landscape (metacommunity D) and across the three landscapes (metacommunity A), and to assess how patch connectivity with environmental and spatial factors influence species distributional patterns across multiple metacommunities. In 78 transect lines over the study area, 9724 detections of 139 bird species were detected. We calculated the beta diversity, its turnover and nestedness components in four metacommunities. We used the variation partitioning method to investigate the relative importance between the environment, spatial variation and locality connectivity in driving bird community composition variation. We found high beta diversities with a small contribution of nestedness components in all four metacommunities. When only a single set of predictors is contained in the model, the predictor that best explains the variation of bird community composition is connectivity in metacommunity M, R and D and spatial predictor in metacommunity A. In all three sets of predictors, 73.8~85.4% of variations of community composition can be explained in the four metacommunities, and connectivity always contributed the most. High beta diversity and a high turnover component imply that regional-scale conservation efforts should be thought of as preserving overall biodiversity. A conservation strategy is to keep stepping-stone habitats with good connectivity in the middle of the riparian landscape. Along with the Altai-Sayan biodiversity ecoregion, the desert and riparian environments are essential for birds residing in the mountainous terrain. Furthermore, they should be regarded as integral parts of the ecoregion.

The Role of Intestinal Microbial Metabolites in the Immunity of Equine Animals Infected With Horse Botflies.

The microbiota and its metabolites play an important role in regulating the host metabolism and immunity. However, the underlying mechanism is still not well studied. Thus, we conducted the LC-MS/MS analysis and RNA-seq analysis on Equus przewalskii with and without horse botfly infestation to determine the metabolites produced by intestinal microbiota in feces and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the immune response in blood and attempted to link them together. The results showed that parasite infection could change the composition of microbial metabolites. These identified metabolites could be divided into six categories, including compounds with biological roles, bioactive peptides, endocrine-disrupting compounds, pesticides, phytochemical compounds, and lipids. The three pathways involving most metabolites were lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites. The significant differences between the host with and without parasites were shown in 31 metabolites with known functions, which were related to physiological activities of the host. For the gene analysis, we found that parasite infection could alarm the host immune response. The gene of "cathepsin W" involved in innate and adaptive immune responses was upregulated. The two genes of the following functions were downregulated: "protein S100-A8" and "protein S100-A9-like isoform X2" involved in chemokine and cytokine production, the toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and immune and inflammatory responses. GO and KEGG analyses showed that immune-related functions of defense response and Th17 cell differentiation had significant differences between the host with and without parasites, respectively. Last, the relationship between metabolites and genes was determined in this study. The purine metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism contained the most altered metabolites and DEGs, which mainly influenced the conversion of ATP, ADP, AMP, GTP, GMP, GDP, UTP, UDP, UMP, dTTP, dTDP, dTMP, and RNA. Thus, it could be concluded that parasitic infection can change the intestinal microbial metabolic activity and enhance immune response of the host through the pathway of purine and pyrimidine metabolism. This results will be a valuable contribution to understanding the bidirectional association of the parasite, intestinal microbiota, and host.

Host feces, olfactory beacon guiding aggregation of intestinal parasites Gasterophilus pecorum (Diptera: Gasterophilidae).

The aim of this study was to identify the aggregation sites and transmission characteristics of Gasterophilus pecorum, the dominant pathogen of endangered equines in desert steppe. Therefore, we tested with a four-arm olfactometer the olfactory response of the G. pecorum adults to the odors that have a great impact on their life cycle, and also investigated the occurrence sites of the adults in the area where the Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) roam frequently during the peak period of G. pecorum infection. The results of four-directional olfactory test showed that the fresh horse feces had a stronger attraction rate on both male (50.4%) and female flies (38.2%). Stipa caucasica, the only oviposition plant where G. pecorum lay eggs, had a better attraction effect on females than that on males. And the attraction rates of S. caucasica to G. pecorum females in the early growth stage (Stipa I) and mid-growth stage (Stipa II) were 32.8% and 36.8%, respectively. In addition, the two-directional olfactory test showed that the attraction rate of males to fresh horse feces (68.90%) was higher than that to Stipa II (31.10%), and females also showed similar olfactory responses. Moreover, in our field investigation, 68.29% of G. pecorum adults were collected from around the horse feces. The results of laboratory test and field investigation implied that the location mechanism of G. pecorum aggregation for mating is related to the orientation of horse feces. The horse feces and the vicinity are the key contamination areas of G. pecorum, and it is also the areas where horses are seriously infected with G. pecorum. Those fresh feces, which gather abundant information about the host, naturally had the greatest chance of contacting with the host; G. pecorum adults create the opportunity to enter directly into the host's mouth and infect the host by laying eggs on S. caucasica, which is the most favorite plant of the host in this area. These characteristics are one of the main reasons why G. pecorum has become the dominant species under the condition of sparse vegetation in desert steppe.

Comparative Analysis of Microbiome Metagenomics in Reintroduced Wild Horses and Resident Asiatic Wild Asses in the Gobi Desert Steppe.

The gut microbiome offers important ecological benefits to the host; however, our understanding of the functional microbiome in relation to wildlife adaptation, especially for translocated endangered species, is lagging. In this study, we adopted a comparative metagenomics approach to test whether the microbiome diverges for translocated and resident species with different adaptive potentials. The composition and function of the microbiome of sympatric Przewalski's horses and Asiatic wild asses in desert steppe were compared for the first time using the metagenomic shotgun sequencing approach. We identified a significant difference in microbiome composition regarding the microbes present and their relative abundances, while the diversity of microbe species was similar. Furthermore, the functional profile seemed to converge between the two hosts, with genes related to core metabolism function tending to be more abundant in wild asses. Our results indicate that sympatric wild equids differ in their microbial composition while harboring a stable microbial functional core, which may enable them to survive in challenging habitats. A higher abundance of beneficial taxa, such as Akkermansia, and genes related to metabolism pathways and enzymes, such as lignin degradation, may contribute to more diverse diet choices and larger home ranges of wild asses.

Analysis on the relationship between winter precipitation and the annual variation of horse stomach fly community in arid desert steppe, Northwest China (2007-2019).

Gasterophilus spp. have been found to be widespread in reintroduced Przewalski's horses in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve (Northwest China). However, data on the annual variation in Gasterophilus infections are lacking. To analyze the epidemiological features and determine the cause of the annual variation in Gasterophilus infections, we treated 110 Przewalski's horses with ivermectin and collected Gasterophilus larvae from fecal samples each winter from 2007 to 2019. All 110 Przewalski's horses studied were found to be infected by Gasterophilus spp., and a total of 141 379 larvae were collected. Six species of Gasterophilus were identified with the following prevalence: G. pecorum (100%), G. nasalis (96.36%), G. nigricornis (94.55%), G. haemorrhoidalis (56.36%), G. intestinalis (59.09%), and G. inermis (3.64%). The mean infection intensity of Gasterophilus spp. larvae in Przewalski's horses was 1285 ± 653. G. pecorum (92.96% ± 6.71%) was the most abundant species. The intensity of Gasterophilus spp. (r = -0.561, P < 0.046) was significantly correlated with winter precipitation. Our findings confirmed that, in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve, gasterophilosis is a severe parasitic disease in Przewalski's horses. Winter precipitation at the beginning of the year can indirectly affect the intensity and composition of Gasterophilus spp. in Przewalski's horses at the end of the year. Therefore, the water-related ecological regulation should be carried out to help reduce the parasite infection of Przewalski's horses.

miR­142­3p targets AC9 to regulate sciatic nerve injury­induced neuropathic pain by regulating the cAMP/AMPK signalling pathway.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of microRNA (miR)­142­3p on neuropathic pain caused by sciatic nerve injury in chronic compression injury (CCI) rats, and further investigate its mechanism. Rat experiments were divided into four parts in the study. In the first part, the rats were divided into the Sham and CCI groups. The expression of miR­142­3p, AC9 and cAMP were detected. In the second part, the rats were divided into the Sham, CCI, miR­142­3p mimic, mimic­negative control (NC), miR­142­3p small interfering RNA (siRNA) and siRNA­NC groups. The expression of cAMP and the levels of AMPK pathway­related proteins were detected. In the third part, the rats were randomly divided into Sham, CCI, AC9 mimic, mi­NC, AC9 siRNA and si­NC groups. Double luciferase reporter assay was used to analyse the targeting relationship between miR­142­3p and AC9. In the fourth part, the rats were divided into the Sham, CCI, miR­142­3p siRNA, AC9 mimic, miR­142­3p siRNA + AC9 siRNA, cAMP activator (Forskolin) and miR­142­3p siRNA + cAMP inhibitor groups. The expression of miR­142­3p was significantly increased while AC9 and cAMP expression significantly decreased in CCI rats. However, AC9 overexpression significantly increased the levels of cAMP protein. Luciferase reporter assay also proved that AC9 is the target gene of miR­142­3p. Moreover, miR­142­3p silencing was found to reduce neuropathic pain in CCI rats by upregulating the expression of AC9. It was also found that cAMP activation can relieve neuropathic pain and promote the expression of AMPK­related proteins in CCI rats. Silencing miR­142­3p can target AC9 to reduce the expression of inflammatory factors and neuropathic pain in CCI rats by increasing the expression of cAMP/AMPK pathway­related proteins.

Adaptive PI Control for Consensus of Multiagent Systems With Relative State Saturation Constraints.

The relative state between neighbors represents the difference of two connected agents' states, and it possesses specific physical meanings in practice. Under this background, the saturation constraints in the relative state inevitably occur. This article studies the consensus problems under the relative state saturation constraints. Novel adaptive proportional-integral (PI) protocols are designed to solve the constrained consensus problem. Specifically, the adaptive coupling weights and the saturation functions are embedded into the proposed protocols, and the former can render the protocols independent of any global topology graph information, while the latter can confine the relative state to stay in its constrained set. Sufficient conditions are identified under which the constrained consensus can be achieved. Considering that the solution matrix is required to be diagonally dominant, an iterative learning-based heuristic algorithm is proposed to seek the diagonally dominant positive-definite solution matrix. For the special case that the input matrix is row full rank, more stringent saturation functions are constructed, and it not only achieves the constrained consensus but also realizes the nonovershoot and shorter settling time associated with edge states. Besides, this result can be applied to preserve connectivity of the communication network. The theoretical analyses are validated by a simulation example.

Output event triggered consensus control of nonlinear multi-agent systems with relative state constraints.

The relative state constraints is inevitable in multi-agent systems(MASs) because of limited sensing capabilities of the sensors. In this paper, the consensus problem of nonlinear MASs with relative state constraints is investigated in an edge perspective. First, the consensus problem is proved to be equivalent to a stabilization problem characterized by the edge dynamics. Then the edge system is confined to a hypercube for the satisfaction of relative constraints. Finally, an output event-triggered control protocol that can exponentially stabilize the edge dynamics with constraints is proposed. Sufficient conditions on system stability are provided, the Singular triggering and the Zeno-behaviour are also excluded. A simple learning-based iterative algorithm is proposed to calculate the diagonally dominant matrix, which is crucial to the controller gain design. The effectiveness of the results is illustrated through numerical examples.

Identification of volatile components from oviposition and non-oviposition plants of Gasterophilus pecorum (Diptera: Gasterophilidae).

Oviposition by Gasterophilus pecorum on shoot tips of Stipa caucasica is a key determinant of its severe infection of the reintroduced Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii). Volatiles in shoots of grasses on which Przewalski's horse feeds, including S. caucasica at preoviposition, oviposition, and postoviposition stages of G. pecorum, S. caucasica, Stipa orientalis, and Ceratoides latens at the oviposition stage, and S. caucasica in various growth periods, were collected by dynamic headspace adsorption and analyzed by automatic thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among five volatiles with highest relative contents under three sets of conditions, caprolactam and 3-hexen-1-ol,(Z)- were common to all samples. Caprolactam was highest in C. latens at oviposition stage of G. pecorum and lowest in S. caucasica at postoviposition stage, and that of 3-hexen-1-ol,(Z)- was lowest in C. latens and highest in S. caucasica at its oviposition stage. Particularly, in S. caucasica during the three oviposition phenological stages of G. pecorum, 3-hexen-1-ol,acetate,(Z)-, 2(5H)-furanone,5-ethyl-, and 3-hexen-1-ol,acetate,(E)- were unique, respectively, to the preoviposition, oviposition, and postoviposition stages; in three plant species during the oviposition stage of G. pecorum, 3-hexen-1-ol,acetate,(Z)-, 3-hexenal, and 1-hexanol were unique to S. orientalis, acetic acid, hexanal, and 2(5H)-furanone,5-ethyl- to S. caucasica, and 1,3,6-octatriene,3,7-dimethyl-, cis-3-hexenyl isovalerate, and acetic acid hexyl ester to C. latens; in S. caucasica, 2-undecanone,6,10-dimethyl- was unique to the early growth period, acetic acid and 2(5H)-furanone,5-ethyl- to the flourishing growth period, and 3-hexen-1-ol,acetate,(Z)- and 1,3,6-octatriene,3,7-dimethyl- to the late growth period. Furthermore, substances specific to S. orientalis and C. latens were also present in S. caucasica, except at oviposition stage. Our findings will facilitate studies on G. pecorum's adaptation to the arid desert steppe and its future control.

An efficiently-designed wideband single-metalens with high-efficiency and wide-angle focusing for passive millimeter-wave focal plane array imaging.

Wide-angle, high-efficiency, wide-band, and ultra-compact focusing blocks are crucial for implementation and future evolution of passive millimeter-wave focal plane array imaging systems. The spherical or doublet metalens can attain high-efficiency, wide-angle field-of-view (FOV) but suffer from fabrication difficulties, complex assembly, and low compactness. Here we present an efficient single-metalens design capable of performing high-efficiency diffraction-limited wideband focusing over a wide-angle FOV. This single-metalens design can greatly mitigate the Seidel aberrations by a rational allocation of amplitude-phase of the electromagnetic waves. A proof-of-concept metalens at millimeter-wave band (33 GHz-37 GHz) confirms the validity of our design.

Bird species diversity in Altai riparian landscapes: Wood cover plays a key role for avian abundance.

AIMS: We aim to understand bird richness and variation in species composition (beta diversity) along a 630 km riparian landscape in the Altai Mountains of China and to test whether vegetation cover is the main explanation of species diversity. METHODS: We selected nine regions along a gradient of natural vegetation change. Bird surveys and environmental measurements were conducted at 10 points in each of the nine regions. We collected environmental land cover variables such as wood cover (area proportion of trees and shrubs with saplings in habitats; here trees are woody plant with a single trunk and higher than 3 m, shrubs and saplings are distinguished from trees by their multiple trunks and shorter height) and tree cover, and two climate factors which were Annual Mean Temperature (AMT) and Annual Precipitation (AP). We used Liner Regression Models to explore the correlation between bird species richness and environmental variables. We used Sørensen's dissimilarity index to measure birds' beta diversity, and quantified the contribution of environmental variables to this pattern using a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). RESULTS: Wood cover was the strongest predictor of overall, insectivore, and omnivore bird richness. Regions with wood cover contained more bird species. Beta diversity was overall high in the studied regions, and turnover components occupied a major part of beta diversity. Wood cover and AP were significant predictors of bird species composition explaining 33.24% of bird beta diversity together. CONCLUSIONS: Wood vegetation including trees, shrubs, and saplings, rather than only trees, contains high bird richness. High beta diversity suggests that expansion of the existing nature reserves is needed in the riparian landscapes to capture the variation in bird species composition. Thus all wood cover in the overall riparian landscapes of Altai Mountains should be protected from farming and grazing to improve bird conservation outcomes. OPEN RESEARCH BADGES: This article has earned an Open Data Badge for making publicly available the digitally-shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at Raw bird data in this study: osf.io/78qcw; Raw environment data: osf.io/qr5cw.

First reports of nasal and traumatic myiasis infection in endangered Przewalski's horses (Equus ferus przewalskii).

Myiasis has great economic and medical importance. However, myiasis in wildlife that is caused by oestroid flies is relatively rarely recorded compared with that in humans and domestic animals. Recently, during our research on the conservation of Przewalski's horse (PH), we observed two new records of oestroid flies parasitizing wildlife in China. The first is the horse nasal bot fly, Rhinoestrus sp. (Diptera: Oestridae), found in a dead PH from Kalamaili Nature Reserve. One morphotype (R. purpureus-like) was identified. The second is the Wohlfahrt's wound myiasis fly, Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner, 1862) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), which was collected from an open wound of a PH in the Wild Horse Breeding Research Centre. These observations extend the records of known hosts of these two oestroid myiasis agents. To the knowledge of the authors, infestation by Rhinoestrus and Wohlfahrtia larvae causing myiasis in wildlife has not been reported in China previously.

Circular RNA circ-PRKCI functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate AKT3 expression by sponging miR-3680-3p in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a new noncoding RNAs and plays an important role in many pathological processes. Recently, studies have shown that circular RNA_PRKCI (circ-PRKCI) regulates cell proliferation and cell migration of tumor cells. Esophageal carcinoma is a highly malignant digestive tract tumor, which is divided into esophageal adenocarcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In this study, we studied whether circ-PRKCI might influence cell proliferation and cell migration in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was performed to detect the relative expression of circ-PRKCI in five cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and five cases of paired adjacent normal tissues. RNA immunoprecipitation assay and Luciferase assay confirm the direct interaction between miR-3680-3p and AKT3 or circ-PRKCI. Ethynyldeoxyuridine assays and cell counting Kit-8 were performed to evaluate the effect of miR-3680-3p or circ-PRKCI on cell proliferation, transwell assays were also performed to detect migration in vitro. We found circ-PRKCI is obviously upregulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and upregulation of circ-PRKCI stimulated cell migration and proliferation of ESCC cells. In the mechanism, we confirm that circ-PRKCI, as a molecular sponge of miR-3680-3p, upregulates the expression of AKT. In conclusion, our current studies have been revealing that circ-PRKCI/miR-3680-3p/AKT3 regulatory network plays an important role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and that provide new insights into the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Genetic diversity of common Gasterophilus spp. from distinct habitats in China.

BACKGROUND: Gasterophilus species are widely distributed around the world. The larvae of these flies parasitize the digestive tract of equids and cause damage, hindering horse breeding and protection of endangered species. However, study of the genetic structure of geographically distinct Gasterophilus populations is lacking. Here, we analyzed the genetic diversity of Gasterophilus pecorum, G. intestinalis, G. nasalis and G. nigricornis from three typical grasslands (meadow, desert and alpine steppes) in China as compared to published sequences from Italy, Poland and China (Daqing and Yili), based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase cox1 and cox2 gene sequences. RESULTS: Haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity of mitochondrial genes was generally high in all Gasterophilus populations. Due to the unique natural climatic conditions of the alpine steppe, there were high levels of genetic differentiation among different geographical populations of G. pecorum and G. nasalis, indicating that environmental variations influenced population genetic structure. Frequent exchanges between meadow and desert steppe Gasterophilus species resulted in low genetic differentiation. The highest exchange rates were found among G. intestinalis populations. Genetic differentiation was only observed on a large geographical scale, which was confirmed by analyzing population genetic structure. Three species, G. pecorum, G. intestinalis and G. nasalis, from meadow steppe showed a high emigration rate, indicating that the direction of Gasterophilus dispersal in China was from east to west. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the four Gasterophilus species have a high level of genetic diversity and different degrees of genetic differentiation and gene flow among different populations of the same species, reflecting their potential to adapt to the environment and the environmental impact on genetic structure. Knowledge of the genetic structure, population history, and migration will help understand the occurrence and prevalence of gasterophilosis and provide a basis for controlling the local spread of Gasterophilus spp.

Historical range, extirpation and prospects for reintroduction of saigas in China.

An assessment of historical distribution patterns and potential reintroduction sites is important for reducing the risk of reintroduction failure of endangered species. The saiga antelope, Saiga tatarica, was extirpated in the mid-20th century in China. A captive population was established in the Wuwei Endangered Wildlife Breeding Centre (WEWBC) in the 1980s. Reintroduction is planned, but so far, no action has been taken. In this study, we delineated the historical distribution and potential reintroduction areas of saigas in China, using a literature review, interviews and predictive modelling. Results suggest that most of the seasonally suitable areas are non-overlapping, and China may have been a peripheral part of the main saiga range. WEWBC is not an ideal reintroduction site due to its low habitat suitability. Furthermore, we infer that two different movement patterns existed historically (regular migration and nomadic wandering). Our results demonstrate the challenges of restoring a free-ranging, self-sustaining saiga population in China. We recommend the setting up of additional breeding centres in protected areas within the potential saiga range in Xinjiang, and the development of a national action plan to provide a framework for the future recovery of the species.