A ten-week culture trial in juvenile large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) (10.80 ± 0.10 g) was conducted to assess the impact of supplementing heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus (HLA) on growth performance, intestinal digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant capacity and inflammatory response. Five iso-nitrogenous (42% crude protein) and iso-lipidic (12% crude lipid) experimental feeds with different levels of HLA (0.0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.8%) were prepared. They were named FO (control group), HLA0.1, HLA0.2, HLA0.4 and HLA0.8, respectively. The results indicated that HLA addition had no impact on survival (P > 0.05). In this experiment, the final body weight, weight gain rate and specific growth rate showed a quadratic regression trend, initially increasing and subsequently decreasing with the increasing in HLA levels, and attained the peak value at 0.2% HLA supplemental level (P < 0.05). In contrast to the control group, in terms of digestive ability, amylase, lipase and trypsin exhibited a notable linear and quadratic pattern, demonstrating a substantial increase when 0.1%-0.2% HLA was added in the diets (P < 0.05). Notably, elevated levels of catalase (CAT) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were observed in the liver when adding 0.1%-0.2% HLA, and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly decreased and the liver exhibited a notable upregulation in the mRNA expression levels of nrf2, cat, sod2, and sod3 (P < 0.05). Additionally, the mRNA levels of genes associated with tight junctions in the intestines (zo-1, zo-2 and occludin) exhibited a significant upregulation when 0.2% HLA was added in the feed (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of mRNA expression for proinflammatory genes in the intestines including tnf-α, il-1ß, il-6 and il-8 exhibited a quadratic regression trend, characterized by an initial decline followed by subsequent growth (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the levels of mRNA expression for genes linked to anti-inflammatory responses in the intestines (including il-10, tgf-ß, and arg1) exhibited a quadratic regression pattern, initially increasing and subsequently decreasing (P < 0.05). Compare with the control group, the levels of tnf-α, il-1ß and il-8 expression were notably downregulated in all HLA addition groups (P < 0.05). When 0.2% HLA was added, the expression levels of il-10, tgf-ß and arg1 in the intestinal tract were markedly increased (P < 0.05). Overall, the supplementation of 0.2% HLA in the feed has been shown to enhance the growth performance. The enhancement was attributed to HLA's capacity to improve antioxidant function, intestinal barrier integrity, and mitigate inflammatory responses. This research offers a scientific foundation for the utilization of HLA in aquaculture.
During October 2022, enteric redmouth disease (ERM) affected Chinese sturgeons at a farm in Hubei, China, causing mass mortality. Affected fish exhibited characteristic red mouth and intestinal inflammation. Investigation led to isolation of a prominent bacterial strain, zhx1, from the internal organs and intestines of affected fish. Artificial infection experiments confirmed the role of zhx1 as the pathogen responsible for the deaths. The primary pathologic manifestations consisted of degeneration, necrosis, and inflammatory reactions, resulting in multiple organ dysfunction and death. Whole-genome sequencing of the bacteria identified zhx1 as Yersinia ruckeri, which possesses 135 drug-resistance genes and 443 virulence factor-related genes. Drug-susceptibility testing of zhx1 demonstrated high sensitivity to chloramphenicol and florfenicol but varying degrees of resistance to 18 other antimicrobial drugs. Identifying the pathogenic bacteria associated with ERM in Chinese sturgeons establishes a theoretical foundation for the effective prevention and control of this disease.
Fish Diseases , Fishes , Yersinia Infections , Yersinia ruckeri , Yersinia Infections/veterinary , Yersinia Infections/microbiology , Yersinia Infections/epidemiology , Animals , China/epidemiology , Fish Diseases/microbiology , Fish Diseases/epidemiology , Yersinia ruckeri/genetics , Fishes/microbiology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Whole Genome Sequencing , Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Sortase A (SrtA) is responsible for anchoring surface proteins to the cell wall, and has been identified as a promising target developing anti-infective drugs of Gram-positive bacteria. The aim of the study was to identify inhibitors of Streptococcus agalactiae (S. agalactiae) SrtA from natural compounds to overcome the spread of antibiotic resistance in aquaculture. Here, we found that the MIC of fraxetin against S. agalactiae was higher than 256 µg/mL, indicating that fraxetin had no anti- S. agalactiae activity. But fraxetin could dose-dependently decrease the activity of SrtA in vitro at concentrations ranging between 4-32 µg/mL by a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay. Moreover, the inhibition of SrtA by fraxetin decreased the anchoring of surface proteins with the LPXTG motif to the cell wall by detecting the immunofluorescence change of serine-rich repeat protein 1 (Srr1) on the bacterial cell surface. The results of fibronectin binding and cell adhesion assays indicated that fraxetin could significantly decrease the adhesion ability of S. agalactiae in a dose-dependent manner. The results were further proven by immunofluorescence staining. Animal challenge results showed that treatment with fraxetin could reduce the mortality of tilapia infected with S. agalactiae to 46.67%, indicating that fraxetin could provide a significant amount of protection to tilapia by inactivating SrtA. Taken together, these findings provided a novel inhibitor of S. agalactiae SrtA and a promising candidate for treating S. agalactiae infections in aquaculture.
Single lanthanide (Ln) ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) exhibit great potential for biomolecule sensing and counting. Plasmonic structures can improve the emission efficiency of single UCNPs by modulating the energy transferring process. Yet, achieving robust and large-area single UCNP emission modulation remains a challenge, which obstructs investigation and application of single UCNPs. Here, we present a strategy using metal nanohole arrays (NHAs) to achieve energy-transfer modulation on single UCNPs simultaneously within large-area plasmonic structures. By coupling surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) with higher-intermediate state (1D2 â 3F3, 1D2 â 3H4) transitions, we achieved a remarkable up to 10-fold enhancement in 800 nm emission, surpassing the conventional approach of coupling SPPs with an intermediate ground state (3H4 â 3H6). We numerically simulate the electrical field distribution and reveal that luminescent enhancement is robust and insensitive to the exact location of particles. It is anticipated that the strategy provides a platform for widely exploring applications in single-particle quantitative biosensing.
Here, this study reports single-band red upconversion emission in ß-Ba2ScAlO5: Yb3+/Er3+ phosphor by doping Mn2+. The optimum concentration of Mn2+ ions in ß-Ba2ScAlO5: Yb3+/Er3+ phosphor was 0.20. The intensity of red and green emissions is increased by 27.4 and 19.3 times, respectively. Compared with the samples without Mn2+ ions, the red-green integral strength ratio of ß-Ba2ScAlO5: Yb3+/Er3+/Mn2+ sample was significantly increased by 28.4 times, reaching 110.9. The UCL mechanism was explored by analyzing the down-conversion luminescence spectra, absorption spectra, UCL spectra, and upconversion fluorescence lifetime decay curves of Yb3+/Er3+/Mn2+ co-doped ß-Ba2ScAlO5. The enhancement of upconversion red light is achieved through energy transfer between defect bands and Er3+ ions, as well as energy transfer between Mn2+ ions and Er3+ ions. In addition, the Mn2+ doped ß-Ba2ScAlO5: Yb3+/Er3+ red UCL phosphors have great potential for ambient temperature sensing in the 298-523 K temperature range. The maximum sensitivity of ß-Ba2ScAlO5: Yb3+/Er3+/Mn2+ phosphor as a temperature sensor at 523 K is 0.0247 K-1.
Microscopy has been pivotal in improving the understanding of structure-function relationships at the nanoscale and is by now ubiquitous in most characterization labs. However, traditional microscopy operations are still limited largely by a human-centric click-and-go paradigm utilizing vendor-provided software, which limits the scope, utility, efficiency, effectiveness, and at times reproducibility of microscopy experiments. Here, a coupled software-hardware platform is developed that consists of a software package termed AEcroscopy (short for Automated Experiments in Microscopy), along with a field-programmable-gate-array device with LabView-built customized acquisition scripts, which overcome these limitations and provide the necessary abstractions toward full automation of microscopy platforms. The platform works across multiple vendor devices on scanning probe microscopes and electron microscopes. It enables customized scan trajectories, processing functions that can be triggered locally or remotely on processing servers, user-defined excitation waveforms, standardization of data models, and completely seamless operation through simple Python commands to enable a plethora of microscopy experiments to be performed in a reproducible, automated manner. This platform can be readily coupled with existing machine-learning libraries and simulations, to provide automated decision-making and active theory-experiment optimization to turn microscopes from characterization tools to instruments capable of autonomous model refinement and physics discovery.
Sulfamethoxazole is a widely used antimicrobial drug used to treat bacterial diseases in aquaculture. To understand the gene expression in channel catfish liver after treatment with sulfamethoxazole, in this study, the treatment group received sulfamethoxazole (100 mg/kg bw), which was administered orally once, and samples were taken at 5 h, 12 h, and 6 d after the administration of sulfamethoxazole, while the control group was orally administered sterile water. To further identify potentially significant genes, a transcriptome analysis using RNA-seq was carried out. More than 50 million high-quality reads were found. After filtering and quality analysis, these reads were identified as 54,169,682, 51,313,865, 51,608,845, and 49,333,491. After counting 23,707 of these transcripts for gene expression, it was discovered that 14,732 of them had genes with differential expression. Moreover, we found that the annotation with the most GO variation was "cellular process" (1616 genes), "metabolic process" (1268 genes), "binding" (1889 genes), and "catalytic activity" (1129 genes). KEGG pathways showed that the "metabolic pathway" was the pathway that was significantly enriched in both experimental groups when comparing the experimental groups: 5 h and 12 h (128 genes); 5 h and 6 d (332 genes); and 12 h and 6 d (348 genes). Also, UDP- glucuronosyltransferase (ugt), which is associated with glucuronidation, and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2C1-like (ugt2a1) showed significant upregulation. Carboxylesterase 5A-like (ces3), which promotes fatty acyl and cholesteryl ester metabolism, and the glutathione transferase family were upregulated in the expression of sulfamethoxazole metabolism in the liver, which significantly affected the metabolic effects of the drug. Meanwhile, dypd, uck2b, and rrm2, which are related to nucleotide synthesis and metabolism, were upregulated. Our study extends the knowledge of gene expression in drug metabolism in channel catfish and further provides insight into the molecular mechanism of sulfamethoxazole metabolism.
Investigating the dynamic response patterns and failure modes of concrete gravity dams subjected to strong earthquakes is a pivotal area of research for addressing seismic safety concerns associated with gravity dam structures. Dynamic shaking table testing has proven to be a robust methodology for exploring the dynamic characteristics and failure modes of gravity dams. This paper details the dynamic test conducted on a gravity dam model on a shaking table. The emulation concrete material, featuring high density, low dynamic elastic modulus, and appropriate strength, was meticulously designed and fabricated. Integrating the shaking table conditions with the model material, a comprehensive gravity dam shaking table model test was devised to capture the dynamic response of the model under various dynamic loads. Multiple operational conditions were carefully selected for in-depth analysis. Leveraging the dynamic strain responses, the progression of damage in the gravity dam model under these diverse conditions was thoroughly examined. Subsequently, the recorded acceleration responses were utilized for identifying dynamic characteristic parameters, including the acceleration amplification factor in the time domain, acceleration response spectrum characteristics in the frequency domain, and modal parameters reflecting the inherent characteristics of the structure. To gain a comprehensive understanding, a comparative analysis was performed by aligning the observed damage development with the identified dynamic characteristic parameters, and the sensitivity of these identified parameters to different levels of damage was discussed. The findings of this study not only offer valuable insights for conducting and scrutinizing shaking table experiments on gravity dams but also serve as crucial supporting material for identifying structural dynamic characteristic parameters and validating damage diagnosis methods for gravity dam structures.
BACKGROUND: To compare the clinical effects between wrist arthroscopy-assisted open reduction plus internal fixation, using the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) as an example, and simple open reduction plus internal fixation in the treatment of distal radius fractures (DRFs). The study aims to assess the efficacy of arthroscopic-assisted open reduction and internal fixation in treating distal radius fractures. METHODS: The study utilized a retrospective cohort research approach, involving 60 patients treated at Binzhou Medical University Hospital between August 2021 and October 2022. These patients met the specified criteria and underwent two distinct surgical procedures for DRFs. Prior to surgery, thorough communication was established with the patients to elucidate the advantages, risks, and associated costs of wrist arthroscopy, and informed consent was obtained. Subsequent to the surgeries, postoperative follow-up was conducted to evaluate the variances between the two treatment modalities. Postoperative analysis and assessment encompassed the patients' Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores, Cooney wrist scores, grip strength of the affected limb (in comparison with the healthy side), wrist range of motion, and the frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy usage. RESULTS: No surgical complications were observed among all patients. They were followed up for an average duration of (12.1 ± 1.3) months postoperatively, during which all fractures healed successfully. Within the treatment group, arthroscopy detected 14 cases of TFCC tears during the operation, all of which were repaired under a microscope. Conversely, physical examination identified three cases of TFCC injury in the control group, which were treated via incision and suture. At the 3-month postoperative mark, the treatment group exhibited significantly superior comprehensive scores for wrist pain, grip strength, and wrist range of motion compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Cooney's comprehensive wrist joint scoring yielded the following results: treatment group - excellent in 21 cases, good in five cases, and moderate in four cases; control group - excellent in 16 cases, good in nine cases, and moderate in five cases. CONCLUSION: Wrist arthroscopy-assisted surgery facilitates precise reduction of the articular surface and alleviation of intraarticular congestion. Moreover, it enables evaluation and repair of concurrent intra-articular injuries such as TFCC tears and other tissue injuries, thereby reducing the likelihood of chronic wrist pain. Consequently, this technique should be deemed valuable in clinical practice owing to its outstanding clinical efficacy.
Radius Fractures , Triangular Fibrocartilage , Wrist Fractures , Wrist Injuries , Humans , Triangular Fibrocartilage/surgery , Triangular Fibrocartilage/injuries , Wrist , Arthroscopy/methods , Retrospective Studies , Wrist Injuries/surgery , Radius Fractures/surgery , Wrist Joint/surgery , Treatment Outcome , Pain
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The mechanism by which Y. ruckeri infection induces enteritis in Chinese sturgeon remains unclear, and the efficacy of drug prevention and control measures is not only poor but also plagued with numerous issues. We conducted transcriptomic and 16â¯S rRNA sequencing analyses to examine the differences in the intestinal tract of hybrid sturgeon before and after Y. ruckeri infection and florfenicol intervention. Our findings revealed that Y. ruckeri induced the expression of multiple inflammatory factors, including il1ß, il6, and various chemokines, as well as casp3, casp8, and multiple tumor necrosis factor family members, resulting in pathological injury to the body. Additionally, at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota increased, while the abundance of Plesiomonas and Cetobacterium decreased at the genus level, altering the composition of the intestinal flora. Following florfenicol intervention, the expression of multiple apoptosis and inflammation-related genes was down-regulated, promoting tissue repair. However, the flora became further dysregulated, increasing the risk of infection. In conclusion, our analysis of the transcriptome and intestinal microbial composition demonstrated that Y. ruckeri induces intestinal pathological damage by triggering apoptosis and altering the composition of the intestinal microbiota. Florfenicol intervention can repair pathological damage, but it also exacerbates flora imbalance, leading to a higher risk of infection. These findings help elucidate the molecular mechanism of Y. ruckeri-induced enteritis in sturgeon and evaluate the therapeutic effect of drugs on intestinal inflammation in sturgeon.
Enteritis , Fish Diseases , Oncorhynchus mykiss , Thiamphenicol/analogs & derivatives , Yersinia Infections , Animals , Yersinia ruckeri/genetics , Yersinia Infections/microbiology , Fish Diseases/pathology , Fishes , Inflammation
Fish physiological health is often negatively impacted by high-temperature environments and there are few studies on how dietary lipids affect fish growth and physiology when exposed to heat stress. The main objective of this research was to examine the impact of dietary lipid levels on growth and physiological status of juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) and determine if dietary lipid concentration could alleviate the possible adverse effects of heat stress. Five diets containing 6.81%, 9.35%, 12.03%, 14.74%, and 17.08% lipid, respectively, were formulated and fed to turbot (initial weight 5.13 ± 0.02 g) under high-temperature conditions (24.0-25.0 °C). Meanwhile, the diet with 12.03% lipid (considered by prior work to be an optimal dietary lipid level) was fed to turbot of the same size at normal temperature. Results suggested that, among the different dietary lipid levels under high-temperature conditions, fish fed the optimal lipid (12.03%) exhibited better growth compared to non-optimal lipid groups, as evidenced by higher weight gain and specific growth rate. Simultaneously, the optimal lipid diet may better maintain lipid homeostasis, as attested by lower liver and serum lipid, along with higher liver mRNA levels of lipolysis-related genes (pgc1α, lipin1, pparα, lpl and hl) and lower levels of synthesis-related genes (lxr, fas, scd1, pparγ, dgat1 and dgat2). Also, the optimal lipid diet might mitigate oxidative damage by improving antioxidant enzyme activity, decreasing malondialdehyde levels, and up-regulating oxidation-related genes (sod1, sod2, cat, gpx and ho-1). Furthermore, the optimal lipid may enhance fish immunity, as suggested by the decrease in serum glutamic-oxalacetic/pyruvic transaminase activities, down-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes and up-regulation of anti-inflammation genes. Correspondingly, the optimal lipid level suppressed MAPK signaling pathway via decreased phosphorylation levels of p38, JNK and ERK proteins in liver. In summary, the optimal dietary lipid level facilitated better growth and physiological status in turbot under thermal stress.
Antioxidants , Flatfishes , Animals , Antioxidants/metabolism , Lipid Metabolism , Flatfishes/physiology , Temperature , Diet , Dietary Fats , Immunity , Dietary Supplements/analysis , Animal Feed/analysis
The rapid advancement and widespread implementation of digital technology have created opportunities for the e-commerce transformation of agricultural wholesale markets. The building of e-commerce platforms in this process is of utmost importance and should be approached methodically. This article analyzes the interests and behavioral choices of the agricultural wholesale markets, local government, and wholesalers by establishing a tripartite evolutionary game model. It applies replicator dynamics equations to describe the evolutionary strategies of each party. The findings of the study indicate that the behavioral choices of agricultural wholesale markets, local government, and wholesalers are influenced by their initial intentions. Furthermore, there exists a degree of alignment between the choices made by agricultural wholesale markets and wholesalers. The building of e-commerce platforms by agricultural wholesale markets can be facilitated through direct and indirect government subsidies; this also motivates wholesalers to adopt and utilize these platforms. Agricultural wholesale markets may further incentivize wholesalers to utilize their own e-commerce platforms by offering additional benefits. On the other hand, if the agricultural wholesale markets demonstrate strong initial inclinations toward using third-party e-commerce platforms. In this scenario, the local government has the potential to promote the widespread use of these platforms by providing both direct and indirect financial incentives to these markets, as well as actively encouraging wholesalers to participate in them. This study presents policy recommendations for agricultural wholesale markets and local government to support the effective implementation of e-commerce platforms in the agricultural wholesaler markets and facilitate a smooth transition to e-commerce in agricultural wholesale markets.
Agriculture , Commerce , Local Government
Halide perovskites are crystalline semiconductors with exceptional optoelectronic properties, rapidly developing toward large-scale applications. Lead (II) (Pb2+ ) is the core element used to prepare halide perovskites. Pb2+ can displace key 2+ elements, including calcium, zinc and iron, that regulate vital physiological functions. Sn2+ can replace Pb2+ within the perovskite structure and, if accidentally dispersed in the environment, it readily oxidizes to Sn4+ , which is compatible with physiological functions and thus potentially safe. The 3+ salt bismuth (III) (Bi3+ ) is also potentially safe for the same reason and useful to prepare double perovskites. Here, this work studies the biotoxicity of Pb, Sn, and Bi perovskites in mice for the first time. This work analyses histopathology and growth of mice directly exposed to perovskites and investigate the development of their offspring generation. This study provides the screening of organs and key physiological functions targeted by perovskite exposure to design specific studies in mammalians.
Inorganic Chemicals , Lead , Titanium , Animals , Mice , Lead/toxicity , Calcium Compounds/toxicity , Oxides/toxicity , Mammals
This study aims to determine the mass balance of robenidine hydrochloride (ROBH) in the body of Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). ROBH was administered orally at a dose of 20 mg/kg; following drug administration, the water samples were collected at predetermined time points (12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 h), the experimental fish were executed after the water samples were obtained at 168 h, and the tissue samples were collected separately from the bones. The water and tissue samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) for concentrations of ROBH and its potential major metabolites, 4-chlorohippuric acid (PCHA) and 4-chlorobenzoic acid (PCBA). The tissue samples were prepared using a modified QuEChERS procedure; the water samples were prepared using a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) procedure. The results show that the recovery rate of ROBH in fish is very low, less than 2% of the total amount of the drug, and the recovery in water can reach 80.7% of the total amount of the drug. The content of PCBA accounted for 42.4% of the total amount of the drug; the content of ROBH accounted for 38.3% of the total amount of the drug. The content of PCHA accounted for less than 1% of the total amount of the drug. The results show that, after a single administration, ROBH is rapidly metabolized in vivo and excreted in the form of ROBH as well as metabolite PCBA. ROBH and PCBA can be used as the main targets for the metabolism detection of ROBH in Channel catfish.
The broad adoption of machine learning (ML)-based autonomous experiments (AEs) in material characterization and synthesis requires strategies development for understanding and intervention in the experimental workflow. Here, we introduce and realize a post-experimental analysis strategy for deep kernel learning-based autonomous scanning probe microscopy. This approach yields real-time and post-experimental indicators for the progression of an active learning process interacting with an experimental system. We further illustrate how this approach can be applied to human-in-the-loop AEs, where human operators make high-level decisions at high latencies setting the policies for AEs, and the ML algorithm performs low-level, fast decisions. The proposed approach is universal and can be extended to other techniques and applications such as combinatorial library analysis.
Aeromonas hydrophila is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause a number of infectious diseases in fish and is widely distributed in aquatic environments. Antibiotics are the main approach against A. hydrophila infections, while the emergence of resistant bacteria limits the application of antibiotics. Here, quorum-sensing (QS) was defined as the target and the inhibitory effects of neem oil against QS of A. hydrophila was studied. The results showed that neem oil could dose-dependently reduce aerolysin, protease, lipase, acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), biofilm and swarming motility at sub-inhibitory concentrations. Results of real-time PCR demonstrated that neem oil could down-regulate the transcription of aerA, ahyI and ahyR. Moreover, neem oil showed significant protections to A549 cells and a fish infection model. Taken together, these results indicated that neem oil could be chosen as a promising candidate for the treatment of A. hydrophila infections.
Biofilms , Quorum Sensing , Animals , Aeromonas hydrophila , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
Nanoscale ferroelectric 2D materials offer the opportunity to investigate curvature and strain effects on materials functionalities. Among these, CuInP2S6 (CIPS) has attracted tremendous research interest in recent years due to combination of room temperature ferroelectricity, scalability to a few layers thickness, and ferrielectric properties due to coexistence of 2 polar sublattices. Here, we explore the local curvature and strain effect on polarization in CIPS via piezoresponse force microscopy and spectroscopy. To explain the observed behaviors and decouple the curvature and strain effects in 2D CIPS, we introduce the finite element Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire model, revealing strong changes in hysteresis characteristics in regions subjected to tensile and compressive strain. The piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) results show that bending induces ferrielectric domains in CIPS, and the polarization-voltage hysteresis loops differ in bending and nonbending regions. These studies offer insights into the fabrication of curvature-engineered nanoelectronic devices.
