Exotic Animal Practice in East Asia: A Retrospective Study of Species Distribution and Their Common Diseases at 2 Exotics-only Veterinary Clinics in the East Asia Region.

The objective of this clinical retrospective study was to analyze the prevalence and distribution of different avian and exotic animals presented to 2 exotics-only veterinary hospital in Hong Kong and Taiwan over a 1 year period. Exotic companion mammals, predominated by rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that were often diagnosed with fractures, were the most commonly presented group of patients in the hospital in Hong Kong while second most of that in Taiwan, with dental disease being commonly presented in the species. This study provided a general overview of avian and exotic patients presented to exotics-only practices in the East Asia region.

Effect of different injection rates and doses of contrast medium on the image quality of computed tomographic angiography in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus).

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a common cardiovascular disease in parrots but the antemortem diagnosis is challenging. In human medicine, computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been used widely for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. By adjusting the injection rate and total dose of contrast medium, the image quality can be improved. To test the effects of different injection conditions on the image quality of major arteries, 10 African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) were used. Three injection rates (0.3, 0.4, 0.5 mL/s) and three doses (740, 370, 222 mg of iodine/bird) were tested while the other variables of the studies were fixed. RESULT: A higher injection dose led to a significantly higher attenuation, image noise and diameter, with a lower signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio of the six major arteries. The 370 mg of iodine/bird group showed significantly better subjective image quality. Furthermore, with increasing injection rates, the prevalence of heterogeneity decreased. However, we found an increased risk of injection failure for the 0.5 mL/s groups. CONCLUSION: We recommend a combination of 370 mg of iodine/bird with 0.4 mL/s for clinical use to achieve better image quality for CTA.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Paragonimus skrjabini Complex from Yunnan, China: A Brief Report.

PURPOSE: To perform environmental sampling and molecular identification of Paragonimus in endemic regions, which may help in minimizing transmission among humans. METHODS: Mountain crabs from the genus Potamiscus were collected and the encysted metacercariae were extracted and subjected to morphological identification, followed by animal inoculation in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. After 112 days of infection, animals were killed and adult worms were extracted from lungs and muscles. The morphology of adult worms was characterized by microscopy and molecular identification was done by polymerase chain reaction, followed by sequencing of cox1 and ITS2 genes. Phylogenetic analysis was done by maximum parsimony method. RESULTS: A total of 447 crabs were captured from the streams of Tongchang Town, Jinping County, Yunnan Province, China. The infection rate was found to be 41% (186 out of 447 crabs). The metacercariae of Paragonimus skrjabini was identified by the characteristics round or spherical encysted form measuring 410 to 460 × 400 to 460 µm. After animal infection in SD rats, adults were presumptively confirmed to be P. skrjabini, which was also confirmed by gene amplification and sequence analysis of cox1 and ITS2 regions. Paragonimus skrjabini clustered with previously reported P. skrjabini from Yunnan and Vietnam. The confidence values of their branches were > 95%. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS2 region revealed two distinct clusters with distinct geographical grouping. Phylogenetic analysis with the combined data sets reiterated the geographical grouping with P. skrjabini from Yunnan clustering with strains from Vietnam. CONCLUSION: Metacercariae of P. skrjabini was discovered in freshwater crabs in Yunnan province, China, and the strains were phylogenetically related to P. skrjabini from Vietnam.

Disseminated Candidiasis and Candidemia Caused by Candida palmioleophila in a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas).

A sub-adult green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was rescued and treated for carapace and plastron shell fractures. The turtle was kept dry-docked for the first 2 months with a placement of a long-term jugular central venous catheter (CVC). Pain management, aggressive antibiotic and anthelmintic therapy, fluid therapy, force feeding, and wound debridement were provided to manage the shell fractures and control bacteremia. Human albumin was administered to treat severe hypoalbuminemia. On day 59, small budding yeasts were noted on the blood smears. Candidemia was confirmed by blood culture, as the yeasts were identified as Candida palmioleophila by the molecular multi-locus identification method. The CVC was removed, and the patient was treated with itraconazole. Although the carapace and plastron wounds had epithelized by 5.5 months after the rescue, the turtle died unexpectedly by 7.5 months. The postmortem examination revealed numerous necrogranulomas with intralesional yeasts, morphologically compatible with Candida spp., in joints, bones, brain, and lungs, suggestive of disseminated candidiasis. We describe a rare case of candidemia in the veterinary field. To our knowledge, this is the first report of candidiasis caused by C. palmioleophila in a reptile. The present results should improve veterinary medical care and, therefore, enhance the conservation of endangered sea turtle species.

Dynamic transcriptome landscape of Paragonimus proliferus developmental stages in the rat lungs.

Paragonimus proliferus, a lung fluke of the genus Paragonimus, was first reported in Yunnan province, China. P. proliferus can infect Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and cause lung damage, but there is still no direct evidence of human infection. Until now, there has been a lack of studies on P. proliferus parasitism and development in mammalian lung tissue. The aim of this study was to perform transcriptomic profiling of P. proliferus at different developmental stages. SD rats were infected with P. proliferus metacercariae obtained from crabs; worms isolated from the lungs at different time points as well as metacercariae were subjected to whole transcriptome sequencing. Overall, 34,403 transcripts with the total length of 33,223,828 bp, average length of 965 bp, and N50 of 1833 bp were assembled. Comparative analysis indicated that P. proliferus, similar to other Paragonimus spp., expressed genes related to catabolism, whereas P. proliferus-specific transcripts were related to the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis, sensitivity to bacteria, and immune response. Transcriptional dynamics analysis revealed that genes involved in the regulation of catabolism and apoptosis had stable expression over the P. proliferus life cycle, whereas those involved in development and immune response showed time-dependent changes. High expression of genes associated with immune response corresponded to that of genes regulating the sensitivity to bacteria and immune protection. We constructed a P. proliferus developmental model, including the development of the body, suckers, blood cells, reproductive and tracheal systems, lymph, skin, cartilage, and other tissues and organs, and an immune response model, which mainly involved T cells and macrophages. Our study provides a foundation for further research into the molecular biology and infection mechanism of P. proliferus.

Analysis of the misdiagnosis of 8 adult cases of paragonimiasis with lung masses as the main manifestation in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical characteristics of adult cases of paragonimiasis with lung masses as the main manifestation in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, analyze the causes of misdiagnosis, and improve the levels of clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical data and diagnosis and treatment of 8 adult cases of paragonimiasis with lung masses as the main manifestation that were diagnosed in the Oncology Department of People's hospital of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture from July 2014 to July 2019. RESULT: All 8 patients were from epidemic paragonimiasis areas and had a confirmed history of consuming uncooked freshwater crabs. The clinical manifestations were mainly fever, dry cough, and chest pain. The disease durations were long, and peripheral blood eosinophil counts were elevated. The cases had been misdiagnosed as pneumonia or pulmonary tuberculosis. After years of anti-inflammatory or anti-tuberculosis treatment, the symptoms had not improved significantly. Patients eventually sought treatment from the oncology department for hemoptysis. Chest computed tomography showed patchy consolidation in the lungs, with nodules, lung masses, and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: Paragonimiasis is a food-borne parasitic disease. Early clinical manifestations and auxiliary examination results are nonspecific. The parasite most often invades the lungs, and the resulting disease is often misdiagnosed as pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, or lung cancer (Acta Trop 199: 05074, 2019). To avoid misdiagnosis, clinicians should inquire, in detail, about residence history and history of unclean food and exposure to infected water and make an early diagnosis based on the inquired information and imaging examination results. For patients who have been diagnosed with pneumonia or pulmonary tuberculosis and whose symptoms do not improve significantly after anti-inflammatory or anti-tuberculosis treatments, their epidemiological history should be traced to further conduct differential diagnosis and avoid misdiagnosis.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Paragonimus Species Isolated from Freshwater Crabs in Southern Yunnan, China.

Paragonimus species are highly prevalent in various regions of China. The study's objective is to isolate and identify Paragonimus from natural habitats and compare the phylogenetic diversity of Paragonimus in southern Yunnan province, China. Metacercariae of Paragonimus was isolated from crabs, and morphologic identification was performed by microscopy. Metacercariae were injected into experimental Paragonimus free Sprague Dawley rats. After 114 days, adult worms and eggs were isolated from multiple organs. Morphologic identification confirmed the initial identification. DNA was extracted from 5 adult worms, and molecular characterization was performed by amplification and sequencing of CO1 and ITS2 regions, followed by phylogenetic analysis. Out of 447 crabs captured, 186 crabs were found to be infected. A total of 4 species of Paragonimus was observed from naturally infected crabs. Paragonimus microrchis (2), Paragonimus heterotremus (1), Paragonimus proliferus (1), and Paragonimus skrjabini (1) were isolated and identified. A total of 32 sequences were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and 5 sequences generated in the study were used for phylogenetic analysis. In the phylogenetic tree of the CO1 gene, Paragonimus proliferus, Paragonimus heterotremus, and Paragonimus skrjabini were clustered with the same species, and the confidence values of their branches were >95%. A congruent phylogenetic relationship was observed with the ITS2 phylogenetic tree. In the phylogenetic tree constructed with the combined dataset of CO1 and ITS2 datasets, Paragonimus proliferus, Paragonimus heterotremus, and Paragonimus skrjabini clustered with the same species, and their branch confidence values were >94%. Paragonimus microrchis clustered with Paragonimus bangkokensis in both datasets. Phylogenetic analysis revealed robustness of the double loci method as against the single-locus method with either CO1 or ITS2 alone. Paragonimus species isolated from the southern Yunnan province, China, was phylogenetically diverse, and the analysis revealed the clustering of multiple species of Paragonimus isolated from different geographic locations.

A tree shrew model for steroid-associated osteonecrosis.

Osteonecrosis is a common human disease in orthopedics. It is difficult to treat, and half of patients may need artificial joint replacement, resulting in a considerable economic burden and a reduction in quality of life. Hormones are one of the major causes of osteonecrosis and high doses of corticosteroids are considered the most dangerous factor. Because of the complexity of treatment, we still need a better animal model that can be widely used in drug development and testing. Tree shrews are more closely related to primates than rodents. As such, we constructed a successful tree shrew model to establish and evaluate steroid-associated osteonecrosis (SAON). We found that low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) combined with high-dose methylprednisolone (MPS) over 12 weeks could be used to establish a tree shrew model with femoral head necrosis. Serum biochemical and histological analyses showed that an ideal model was obtained. Thus, this work provides a useful animal model for the study of SAON and for the optimization of treatment methods.

Nanoparticulate vacuolar ATPase blocker exhibits potent host-targeted antiviral activity against feline coronavirus.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), caused by a mutated feline coronavirus, is one of the most serious and fatal viral diseases in cats. The disease remains incurable, and there is no effective vaccine available. In light of the pathogenic mechanism of feline coronavirus that relies on endosomal acidification for cytoplasmic entry, a novel vacuolar ATPase blocker, diphyllin, and its nanoformulation are herein investigated for their antiviral activity against the type II feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). Experimental results show that diphyllin dose-dependently inhibits endosomal acidification in fcwf-4 cells, alters the cellular susceptibility to FIPV, and inhibits the downstream virus replication. In addition, diphyllin delivered by polymeric nanoparticles consisting of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PEG-PLGA) further demonstrates an improved safety profile and enhanced inhibitory activity against FIPV. In an in vitro model of antibody-dependent enhancement of FIPV infection, diphyllin nanoparticles showed a prominent antiviral effect against the feline coronavirus. In addition, the diphyllin nanoparticles were well tolerated in mice following high-dose intravenous administration. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of diphyllin and its nanoformulation for the treatment of FIP.

Oxygen microprofiles within the sediment-water interface studied by optode and its implication for aeration of polluted urban rivers.

To reveal the detailed vertical oxygen distribution at the sediment-water interface (SWI) and its relation with the oxygen consumption processes during and after aeration of polluted urban rivers, experimental systems constructed with collected sediment and in situ overlying water from a polluted urban river were aerated above or beneath the sediment-water interface 12 h a day for 15 days and left nonaerated for the following 10 days. The results showed that aeration of water or sediment both increased dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in the SWI, characterized by shifts in a "decrease-increase-decrease" manner during around 3 h for the aeration of water treatment (AW) and 6 h for the aeration of sediment treatment (AS). The oxygen penetration depth for AS experiments was between 0.66 and 4.16 mm with an average of 1.79 mm, significantly higher than that for AW experiments; however, the oxygen dissipation constant (mm-1) measuring the decay rate of DO near the SWI was greater for the AW experiments than the AS experiments. During the 10-day nonaeration period, the accumulation of nitrate in both the overlying water and sediment was greatly increased concomitantly with the higher oxygenation in AS experiments. From the nitrogen removal viewpoint, these results suggest that the SWI needs moderate oxygenation which enables nitrate and nitrite to be removed by denitrification rather than to be totally nitrified and accumulate as would result from the conventional practice by singly elevating DO concentrations.

Experimental signature of topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes on ß-Bi2Pd thin films.

The search for Majorana fermions in topological superconductors is one of paramount research targets in physics today. Using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy, we here report the signature of topologically nontrivial superconductivity on a single material of ß-Bi2Pd films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The superconducting gap associated with spinless odd-parity pairing opens on the surface and appears much larger than the bulk one due to the Dirac-fermion enhanced parity mixing of surface pair potential. Zero bias conductance peaks, probably from Majorana zero modes supported by such superconducting states, are identified at magnetic vortices. The superconductivity exhibits resistance to nonmagnetic defects, characteristic of time-reversal-invariant topological superconductors. Our study reveals ß-Bi2Pd as a prime platform to generate, manipulate and braid Majorana zero modes for quantum computation.

High-Temperature Superconductivity in Single-Unit-Cell FeSe Films on Anatase TiO_{2}(001).

We report on the observation of high-temperature (T_{c}) superconductivity and magnetic vortices in single-unit-cell FeSe films on anatase TiO_{2}(001) substrate by using scanning tunneling microscopy. A systematic study and engineering of interfacial properties has clarified the essential roles of substrate in realizing the high-T_{c} superconductivity, probably via interface-induced electron-phonon coupling enhancement and charge transfer. By visualizing and tuning the oxygen vacancies at the interface, we find their very limited effect on the superconductivity, which excludes interfacial oxygen vacancies as the primary source for charge transfer between the substrate and FeSe films. Our findings have placed severe constraints on any microscopic model for the high-T_{c} superconductivity in FeSe-related heterostructures.

[Effect of Carbon and Nitrogen Forms on Decomposition of Organic Matter in Sediments from Urban Polluted River].

To reveal the controlling mechanism of urban polluted river,four trophic level urban river was studied. The change of distribution of organic matter and nitrogen in the sediment was studied while the organic matter was disposed. High level of organic matter is the significant feature of urban city rivers. the humin (HM) was the major fraction of humus, accounting for more than 65% of OM. The most proportion of the total nitrogen (TN) was organic nitrogen which accounted for more than 50%. The amount of organic matter removal increased after the sediment adsorbed the saturated ammonia, which suggested ammonia as the main limited factor for the decomposition of organic matter. The most of Ammonia was adsorbed onto unstable humins. The HM was more stable than other organic matter which was disposed by Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

The complete mitochondrial genome of David's myotis, Myotis davidii (Myotis, Vespertilionidae).

In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of David's myotis, Myotis davidii. The genome is found to be 17,531 bp in length and has a base composition of A (33.8%), G (13.2%), C (23.2%), and T (29.8%). Similar to other bats, it contains a typically conserved structure including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 1 control region (D-loop). Most of the genes are encoded on H-strand, except for the ND6 subunit gene and 8 tRNA genes. All protein-coding genes start with an ATG codon except for ND2, ND3 and ND5, which initiate with ATT or ATA instead, and terminate with the typical stop codon (TAA/TAG) or a single T (T-) or an unexpected codon of AGA. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence provided here would be useful for further phylogenetic analysis and population genetic studies in M. davidii.

Mapping the Electronic Structure of Each Ingredient Oxide Layer of High-T\{c} Cuprate Superconductor Bi{2}Sr{2}CaCu{2}O{8+δ}.

Understanding the mechanism of high transition temperature (T{c}) superconductivity in cuprates has been hindered by the apparent complexity of their multilayered crystal structure. Using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we report on layer-by-layer probing of the electronic structures of all ingredient planes (BiO, SrO, CuO{2}) of Bi{2}Sr{2}CaCu_2}O{8+δ} superconductor prepared by argon-ion bombardment and annealing technique. We show that the well-known pseudogap (PG) feature observed by STM is inherently a property of the BiO planes and thus irrelevant directly to Cooper pairing. The SrO planes exhibit an unexpected van Hove singularity near the Fermi level, while the CuO{2} planes are exclusively characterized by a smaller gap inside the PG. The small gap becomes invisible near T{c}, which we identify as the superconducting gap. The above results constitute severe constraints on any microscopic model for high T{c} superconductivity in cuprates.

Effects of gentiana scabra bage on expression of hepatic type I, III collagen proteins in Paragonimus skrjabini rats with liver fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of gentiana scabra bage on the expression of hepatic collagen proteins in Paragonimus skrjabini rats with liver fibrosis. METHODS: Immunohistochemical technique was used to observe the changes of content of hepatic type I, III collagen proteins in Paragonimus skrjabini rats with liver fibrosis before and after the gentiana scabra bage treatmeat. RESULTS: Comparing with the model group, changes of hepatic type I and type III collagen proteins in gentiana scabra bage treated group were significantly weakened. CONCLUSIONS: Gentiana scabra bage treatment can reduce the content of hepatic type III and type I collagen protein significantly in Paragonimus skrjabini rats with liver fibrosis, thereby, playing the role against hepatic fibrosis.

EGF-induced C/EBPß participates in EMT by decreasing the expression of miR-203 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a developmental program that is associated with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) progression and metastasis. Recently, C/EBPß has been reported to be an EMT inducer in cancer. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report for the first time, that the truncated CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein ß (C/EBPß) LIP isoform is abnormally overexpressed and correlated with cancer metastasis in clinical specimens of human ESCC. Furthermore, we demonstrate that C/EBPß LIP mediates epithelial growth factor (EGF)-induced EMT and increases migration and invasion of esophageal cancer cells in a manner that is dependent on miR-203 inactivation. Finally, we identified miR-203 as a direct target of C/EBPß LIP. Disruption of C/EBPß LIP attenuated the EGF-mediated decrease in miR-203, whereas overexpression of C/EBPß LIP alone markedly suppressed miR-203. In addition, we demonstrated that C/EBPß LIP inhibited miR-203 transcription by directly interacting with a conserved distal regulatory element upstream of the miR-203 locus, and in doing so, orchestrated chromatin remodeling. In conclusion, our results have revealed a new regulatory mechanism that involves C/EBPß-LIP-mediated downregulation of miR-203, which plays a key role in EMT and metastasis.

Transcriptional regulation of miR-146b by C/EBPß LAP2 in esophageal cancer cells.

Recent clinical study indicated that up-regulation of miR-146b was associated with poor overall survival of patients in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, the underlying mechanism of miR-146b dysregulation remains to be explored. Here we report that miR-146b promotes cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis in esophageal cancer cell lines. Mechanismly, two C/EBPß binding motifs are located in the miR-146b promoter conserved region. Among the three isoforms of C/EBPß, C/EBPß LAP2 positively regulated miR-146b expression and increases miR-146b levels in a dose-dependent manner through transcription activation of miR-146b gene. Together, these results suggest a miR-146b regulatory mechanism involving C/EBPß, which may contribute to the up-regulation of miR-146b in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

[Estimate the abatement rate of septic tank sewage outfall soil on nitrogen pollutants of typical farmer household sewage].

The surface soil on sewage outfall and effluent of farmer household septic tank were collected in situ from the typical region of plain river network areas in Taihu Lake Basin, and the typical rainfall (summer 30 mm . times-1, winter 5 mm times -1), temperature (summer 27 degrees C, winter 5 degrees C ) condition and pollutant load were artificial simulated by indoor simulation soil column experiments for estimating nitrogen abatement rate of rural sewage treated by the outfall soil and exploring the abatement rule in different seasons and weather process (7 days before the rain, 3 rainy days, 7 days after the rain). Results showed that: there was the significant difference (P <0.05) in abatement/increase rate of outfall soil on nitrogen between summer and winter. The TN abatement rate, NO-3 -N increase rate of summer showed a significant difference (P <0.01) among different weather processes, but the NH+4 -N abatement rate of summer and the TN, NH+4 -N abatement rate, NO -N increase rate of winter were not significant (P > 0. 05). Therefore, the TN, NH+4 -N abatement rate, NO-3 -N increase rate need to be divided by seasons, TN abatement rate, NO-3 -N increase rate of summer need to be divided by the weather process, which were 38.5% , - 25.0% , 46. 0% and 478. 1%, 913.8%, 382. 0% , before the rain, in rainy day, after the rain, respectively; while the NH+4 -N abatement rate of summer and the TN, NH+4 -N abatement rate, NO-3 -N increase rate of winter do not need to be divided by weather process, were 91.7% , 50.4% , 85.5% and 276.0% , respectively. In the summer, the TN abatement rate in different weather processes was not correlated with NH+4 -N abatement rate, but significantly negative correlated with NO-3 -N increase rate. In the winter, the stable accumulation of TN in soil was an important reason of the TN abatement rate which had no significant difference and kept a high level among different weather processes, and it was closely related to the stable accumulation of NH+4 -N in soil.

Surface plasmon resonance of Au-Cu bimetallic nanoparticles predicted by a quasi-chemical model.

Au-Cu alloys are functional materials with nonlinear optical applications. However, the optical properties of such alloys are difficult to predict due to the random mixing of materials. In this paper, we present a quasi-chemical model to simulate the optical properties of Au-Cu alloy systems based on the mixing of Gibbs free energy. This model is also able to predict the position of the surface plasmon resonance peaks for Au-Cu alloy nanoparticles. The model can be applied to predict the optical properties of alloy systems in the fields of plasmonics and nanophotonics.