Complete mitochondrial genome of the giant triton snail Charonia tritonis (Tonnoidea: Charoniidae).

The giant triton snail, Charonia tritonis (Linnaeus, 1758), crucial for coral reef ecosystems as a primary predator of the crown-of-thorns sea star, is experiencing a significant decline due to overfishing for its ornamental shell, underscoring the urgent need for conservation and deeper understanding of its role within marine biodiversity. This study presents the first complete mitogenome sequence of C. tritonis. Spanning 15,346 bp, the C. tritonis mitogenome comprises 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of 88 Littorinimorpha mitogenomes confirms C. tritonis and C. lampas are grouped together within the family Charoniidae as a sister group to the remaining Tonnoidea families. This research not only enhances the taxonomic classification and conservation efforts for marine gastropods but also serves as a vital reference for future evolutionary and genetic studies within the Caenogastropoda.

Straw-Derived Activated Carbon Decorated with Ag3PO4 for Organic Pollutant Removal by a Circular Degradation Mechanism: Adsorption and Photocatalysis.

The escalating problem of water pollution has become an urgent concern, as it significantly undermines people's quality of life and overall public health. The increasing severity of water pollution represents a global challenge, with profound implications for human society. In this study, hydrothermal carbonization coupled with alkaline activation was utilized to repurpose barley straw into activated carbon (AC) as an absorbent. Silver phosphate (Ag3PO4) was synthesized as a potent photocatalyst. Subsequent ultrasound-assisted loading integrated the robust adsorptive capabilities of the AC with the advanced photocatalytic efficiency of silver phosphate, resulting in a superior composite material (AC/Ag3PO4) and implementing a novel "absorption-photocatalysis" active circular degradation strategy to remove hazardous organics in water. Comprehensive characterization assays confirmed the successful synthesis and incorporation of Ag3PO4 onto the AC scaffold. The composite with a Ag3PO4 concentration of 3 wt % exhibited a high methylene blue (MB) removal efficiency of 99.4% within 100 min. The reaction rate of this composite surpassed that of standalone AC by a factor of 2.89. Furthermore, cyclic regeneration studies via adsorption-desorption methodologies revealed the composite's resilience and sustained performance. The MB removal efficiency was maintained at 85.5% over five consecutive cycles, demonstrating the composite's remarkable stability. The integration of adsorptive and photocatalytic functionalities within a single system mitigates potential secondary pollution arising during the AC's desorption phase and enhances the organic contaminant removal efficiency. Moreover, the utilization of this integrated material reduces the quantity of chemicals and energy required for conventional adsorption water treatment techniques, as the material harnesses sunlight or alternative light sources to catalyze contaminant decomposition. This reduces the dependence on chemical treatment agents, contributing to resource conservation and alleviating environmental burdens. This pioneering approach offers a novel paradigm for addressing pollutant challenges in aqueous environments.

TS-LCD: Two-Stage Loop-Closure Detection Based on Heterogeneous Data Fusion.

Loop-closure detection plays a pivotal role in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). It serves to minimize cumulative errors and ensure the overall consistency of the generated map. This paper introduces a multi-sensor fusion-based loop-closure detection scheme (TS-LCD) to address the challenges of low robustness and inaccurate loop-closure detection encountered in single-sensor systems under varying lighting conditions and structurally similar environments. Our method comprises two innovative components: a timestamp synchronization method based on data processing and interpolation, and a two-order loop-closure detection scheme based on the fusion validation of visual and laser loops. Experimental results on the publicly available KITTI dataset reveal that the proposed method outperforms baseline algorithms, achieving a significant average reduction of 2.76% in the trajectory error (TE) and a notable decrease of 1.381 m per 100 m in the relative error (RE). Furthermore, it boosts loop-closure detection efficiency by an average of 15.5%, thereby effectively enhancing the positioning accuracy of odometry.

Intestinal microbiota and gene expression alterations in leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) under enteritis.

Enteritis poses a significant threat to fish farming, characterized by symptoms of intestinal and hepatic inflammation, physiological dysfunction, and dysbiosis. Focused on the leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) with an enteritis outbreak on a South China Sea farm, our prior scrutiny did not find any abnormalities in feeding or conventional water quality factors, nor were any specific pathogen infections related to enteritis identified. This study further elucidates their intestinal flora alterations, host responses, and their interactions to uncover the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms and facilitate effective prevention and management strategies. Enteritis-affected fish exhibited substantial differences in intestinal flora compared to control fish (P = 0.001). Notably, norank_f_Alcaligenaceae, which has a negative impact on fish health, predominated in enteritis-affected fish (91.76 %), while the probiotic genus Lactococcus dominated in controls (93.90 %). Additionally, certain genera with pathogenesis potentials like Achromobacter, Sphingomonas, and Streptococcus were more abundant in diseased fish, whereas Enterococcus and Clostridium_sensu_stricto with probiotic potentials were enriched in control fish. At the transcriptomic level, strong inflammatory responses, accompanied by impaired metabolic functions, tissue damage, and iron death signaling activation were observed in the intestines and liver during enteritis. Furthermore, correlation analysis highlighted that potential pathogen groups were positively associated with inflammation and tissue damage genes while presenting negatively correlated with metabolic function-related genes. In conclusion, dysbiosis in the intestinal microbiome, particularly an aberrantly high abundance of Alcaligenaceae with pathogenic potential may be the main trigger for this enteritis outbreak. Alcaligenaceae alongside Achromobacter, Sphingomonas, and Streptococcus emerged as biomarkers for enteritis, whereas some species of Lactococcus, Clostridium_sensu_stricto, and Enterococcus showed promise as probiotics to alleviate enteritis symptoms. These findings enhance our understanding of enteritis pathogenesis, highlight intestinal microbiota shifts in leopard coral grouper, and propose biomarkers for monitoring, probiotic selection, and enteritis management.

Evaluation of immunogenicity and protective efficacy of outer membrane vesicles from Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Choleraesuis.

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are membranous structures frequently observed in Gram-negative bacteria that contain bioactive substances. These vesicles are rich in bacterial antigens that can activate the host's immune system, making them a promising candidate vaccine to prevent and manage bacterial infections. The aim of this study was to assess the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of OMVs derived from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and S. Choleraesuis, while also focusing on enhancing OMV production. Initial experiments showed that OMVs from wild-type strains did not provide complete protection against homologous Salmonella challenge, possible due to the presence of flagella in the purified OMVs samples, which may elicit an unnecessary immune response. To address this, flagellin-deficient mutants of S. Typhimurium and S. Choleraesuis were constructed, designated rSC0196 and rSC0199, respectively. These mutants exhibited reduced cell motility and their OMVs were found to be flagellin-free. Immunization with non-flagellin OMVs derived from rSC0196 induced robust antibody responses and improved survival rates in mice, as compared to the OMVs derived from the wild-type UK-1. In order to enhance OMV production, deletions of ompA or tolR were introduced into rSC0196. The deletion of tolR not only increase the yield of OMVs, but also conferred complete protection against homologous S. Typhimurium challenge in mice. Collectively, these findings indicate that the flagellin-deficient OMVs with a tolR mutation have the potential to serve as a versatile vaccine platform, capable of inducing broad-spectrum protection against significant pathogens.

Synergistic adsorption and photocatalysis study of TiO2 and activated carbon composite.

The discharge of organic pollutants by the textile and dyeing industries presents an escalating threat to aquatic environments, necessitating the development of effective remediation strategies. This study introduces the utilization of graphite-like structured activated carbon (AC), derived from highland barley straw-a biomass unique to the Plateau regions of China, including Tibet, Qinghai, and Gansu-as a support material for the TiO2 catalyst. TiO2/AC composites with different TiO2 loadings were synthesized by ultrasonic impregnation. The TiO2/AC composites were found to be polycrystalline materials composed of anatase and rutile phases. The TiO2 nanoparticles are well-dispersed over the surface of the AC. The photocatalytic activity of these composites was evaluated through their capacity to degrade a methylene blue (MB) solution upon irradiation. It was observed that the inclusion of TiO2 increases the number of adsorption sites and active sites for methylene blue, with the photocatalytic activity being notably higher at a 3-wt% TiO2 loading, achieving a remarkable 99.6 % degradation efficiency for 100 mg/L MB within 100 min. The experimental kinetic data for the photocatalytic process follow the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Furthermore, TiO2/AC retains high photocatalytic activity after five reaction cycles. This research provides valuable insights into the application of biomass-derived materials for the purification of water, offering a sustainable solution to both pollution and agricultural waste challenges in Plateau areas of China.

Ti3C2 mediates the NiFe-LDH layered electrocatalyst to enhance the OER performance for water splitting.

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a very complex process with slow reaction kinetics and high overpotential, which is the main limitation for the commercial application of water splitting. Thus, it is of necessary to design high-performance OER catalysts. NiFe based layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDHs) have recently gained a lot of attention due to their high reaction activity and simple manufacturing process. In this study, a novel electrocatalyst based on NiFe-LDH was constructed by introducing Ti3C2, which was utilized to modulate the structural and electronic properties of the electrocatalysts. Structural examinations reveal that the Ti3C2 of 2D structure successfully dope the NiFe-LDHs nanosheets, forming NiFe-LDH/Ti3C2 heterojunctions. Firstly, the heterojunction substantially reduces the charge transfer resistance, promoting the electron migration between the LDH nanosheets. Secondly, theoretical calculations demonstrate that the energy barrier between the rate-determining step from *OH to *O is lowered, favoring the formation of the reaction intermediates and thus the occurrence of OER. As a result, the composite electrocatalyst exhibits a low overpotential of 334 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 and a small Tafel slope of 55 mV/dec, which are superior to those of the NiFe-LDH by 11.2 % and 38.5 %, respectively. This study provides inspiration for promoting the performances of NiFe based electrocatalysts by utilizing 2D materials.

EFNet: enhancing feature information for 3D object detection in LiDAR point clouds.

With the development of autonomous driving, there has been considerable attention on 3D object detection using LiDAR. Pillar-based LiDAR point cloud detection algorithms are extensively employed in the industry due to their simple structure and high real-time performance. Nevertheless, the pillar-based detection network suffers from significant loss of 3D coordinate information during the feature degradation and extraction process. In the paper, we introduce a novel framework with high performance, termed EFNet. The EFNet uses the Enhancing Pillar Feature Module (EPFM) to provide more accurate representations of features from two directions: pillar internal space and pillar external space. Additionally, the Head Up Module (HUM) is utilized in the detection head to integrate multi-scale information and enhance the network's information perception ability. The EFNet achieves impressive results on the nuScenes datasets, namely, 53.3% NDS and 42.4% mAP. Compared to the baseline PointPillars, EFNet improves 8% NDS and 11.9% mAP. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework can effectively improve the network's accuracy while ensuring deployability.

Strain-Specific Benefits of Bacillus Probiotics in Hybrid Grouper: Growth Enhancement, Metabolic Health, Immune Modulation, and Vibrio harveyi Resistance.

In the realm of modern aquaculture, the utilization of probiotics has gained prominence, primarily due to their ability to enhance growth, boost immunity, and prevent diseases in aquatic species. This study primarily investigates the efficacy of Bacillus subtilis strains, both host-derived and from other sources, in influencing fish growth, immunity, lipid metabolism, and disease resistance. Employing a 42-day feeding trial, we divided hybrid grouper into four distinct groups: a control group on a basal diet and three experimental groups supplemented with 1 × 108 CFU/g of different Bacillus subtilis strains-BS, 6-3-1, and HAINUP40. Remarkably, the study demonstrated that the 6-3-1 and HAINUP40 groups exhibited significant enhancements across key growth parameters: final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR), feed intake (FI), feed efficiency ratio (FER), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The investigation into lipid metabolism revealed that the 6-3-1 strain upregulated seven metabolism-related genes, HAINUP40 affected four metabolism-related genes, and the BS strain influenced two metabolism-related genes, indicating diverse metabolic impacts by different strains. Further, a notable reduction in liver enzymes AST and ALT was observed across all supplemented groups, implying improved liver health. Noteworthy was the BS strain's superior antioxidative capabilities, positively affecting all four measured parameters (CAT, GSH-Px, MDA). In the sphere of immune-related gene expression, the BS strain significantly decreased the expression of both inflammation and apoptosis-related genes, whereas the HAINUP40 strain demonstrated an upregulation in these genes. The challenge test results were particularly telling, showcasing improved survival rates against Vibrio harveyi infection in the BS and 6-3-1 groups, unlike the HAINUP40 group. These outcomes highlight the strain-specific nature of probiotics and their varying mechanisms of action within the host. In conclusion, this study reveals that probiotic strains, varying by source, demonstrate unique, strain-specific effects in promoting growth and modulating immunity in hybrid grouper. This research highlights the promise of tailored probiotic applications in improving aquaculture practices. Such advancements contribute to more sustainable and efficient fish farming methods.

Cross-and-Diagonal Networks: An Indirect Self-Attention Mechanism for Image Classification.

In recent years, computer vision has witnessed remarkable advancements in image classification, specifically in the domains of fully convolutional neural networks (FCNs) and self-attention mechanisms. Nevertheless, both approaches exhibit certain limitations. FCNs tend to prioritize local information, potentially overlooking crucial global contexts, whereas self-attention mechanisms are computationally intensive despite their adaptability. In order to surmount these challenges, this paper proposes cross-and-diagonal networks (CDNet), innovative network architecture that adeptly captures global information in images while preserving local details in a more computationally efficient manner. CDNet achieves this by establishing long-range relationships between pixels within an image, enabling the indirect acquisition of contextual information. This inventive indirect self-attention mechanism significantly enhances the network's capacity. In CDNet, a new attention mechanism named "cross and diagonal attention" is proposed. This mechanism adopts an indirect approach by integrating two distinct components, cross attention and diagonal attention. By computing attention in different directions, specifically vertical and diagonal, CDNet effectively establishes remote dependencies among pixels, resulting in improved performance in image classification tasks. Experimental results highlight several advantages of CDNet. Firstly, it introduces an indirect self-attention mechanism that can be effortlessly integrated as a module into any convolutional neural network (CNN). Additionally, the computational cost of the self-attention mechanism has been effectively reduced, resulting in improved overall computational efficiency. Lastly, CDNet attains state-of-the-art performance on three benchmark datasets for similar types of image classification networks. In essence, CDNet addresses the constraints of conventional approaches and provides an efficient and effective solution for capturing global context in image classification tasks.

Two-Dimensional SnS Mediates NiFe-LDH-Layered Electrocatalyst toward Boosting OER Activity for Water Splitting.

NiFe-layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDHs), as promising electrocatalysts, have received significant research attention for hydrogen and oxygen generation through water splitting. However, the slow oxidation kinetics of NiFe-LDH, due to the limited number of active sites and the low conductivity, hinders the improvement of the water-splitting efficiency. Therefore, to overcome the obstacles, two-dimensional (2D) SnS was first explored to tailor the prepared NiFe-LDH via the hydrothermal method. A NiFe-LDH/SnS heterojunction is built, which is observed from the microstructural investigations. SnS incorporation could greatly improve the conductivity of the NiFe-LDH sheets, which was reflected by the reduced charge transfer resistance. Moreover, SnS layers modulated the electronic environment around the active sites, favoring the adsorption of intermediates during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process, which was verified by density functional theory calculations. A synergistic effect induced by the NiFe-LDH/SnS heterostructure promoted the OER activities in electrical, electronic, and energetic aspects. Consequently, the as-prepared NiFe-LDH/SnS electrocatalyst greatly improved the electrocatalytic performance, exhibiting 20% and 27% reductions in the overpotential and Tafel slope compared with those of pristine NiFe-LDH, respectively. The results provide a strategy for regulating NiFe-based electrocatalysts by using emerging 2D materials to enhance water-splitting efficiency.

Optimum placement of distributed generation resources, capacitors and charging stations with a developed competitive algorithm.

This study presents a novel approach for the optimal placement of distributed generation (DG) resources, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and shunt capacitors (SC) in power distribution systems. The primary objective is to improve power efficiency and voltage profiles while considering practical and nonlinear constraints. The proposed model combines competitive search optimization (CSO) with fuzzy and chaotic theory to develop an efficient and effective solution. The use of fuzzy theory in the model enables the identification of optimal locations for DG sources and SCs, leading to significant enhancements in power index, generation, power losses, and system voltage. Moreover, the proposed fuzzy method is employed to determine the best locations for EV charging stations, further optimizing the overall system performance. The theoretical analysis demonstrates substantial improvements in both accuracy and convergence speed, highlighting the robustness of the proposed approach. In addition, the utilization of chaos theory enhances the local search optimization process, making the proposed method more efficient in finding high-quality solutions. To validate the performance of the model, extensive simulations are conducted on a 69-bus distribution system and various test functions. The results consistently reveal the superiority of the proposed method compared to other conventional optimization techniques. The key contribution of this study lies in its development of a comprehensive and efficient approach for the optimal placement of DG, EV charging stations, and SCs in power distribution systems. The integration of CSO, fuzzy theory, and chaotic theory enables the simultaneous consideration of multiple objectives and constraints, resulting in enhanced power dissipation reduction and voltage profile improvement. The obtained results demonstrate the practical applicability and superiority of the proposed method, which can significantly benefit power system planners and operators in real-world scenarios.

Strain-Specific Benefits of Bacillus on Growth, Intestinal Health, Immune Modulation, and Ammonia-Nitrogen Stress Resilience in Hybrid Grouper.

In the dynamic field of intensive aquaculture, the strategic application of probiotics has become increasingly crucial, particularly for enhancing resistance to environmental stressors such as ammonia-nitrogen. Over a 42-day period, this study investigated the effects of different probiotic strains-Bacillus subtilis (BS, 6-3-1, and HAINUP40)-on the health and resilience of hybrid groupers. Each strain, distinct in its origin, was assessed for its influence on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune gene expressions, and ammonia-nitrogen stress response in the hybrid grouper. The experimental design included a control group and three experimental groups, each supplemented with 1 × 108 CFU/g of the respective probiotic strains, respectively. Our results demonstrated notable differences in growth parameters, including final body weight (FBW) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The 6-3-1 strain, originating from grouper, exhibited significant improvements in growth, oxidative capacity, and intestinal health. Conversely, the BS strain achieved the highest survival rates under ammonia-nitrogen stress, indicating its superior ability to regulate inflammatory responses despite its less pronounced growth-promoting effects. The HAINUP40 strain was distinguished for its growth enhancement and improvements in intestinal health, though it also showed significant activation of inflammatory genes and decreased resistance to ammonia-nitrogen stress after extended feeding. The uniqueness of this study lies in its detailed examination of the strain-specific effects of probiotics on fish in the context of ammonia-nitrogen stress, a significant challenge in contemporary aquaculture. The research revealed that host-derived probiotics, particularly the 6-3-1 strain, provided more comprehensive benefits for growth performance and stress resilience. In contrast, the BS and HAINUP40 strains exhibited varying efficiencies, with BS excelling in stress resistance and HAINUP40 promoting growth and gut health. In conclusion, this study underscores the complex roles of different probiotic strains in aquaculture, contributing to the understanding of probiotic applications and presenting new approaches to address the challenges of intensive farming.

Serum alpha-fetoprotein response as a preoperative prognostic indicator in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with salvage hepatectomy following conversion therapy: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: This study evaluates the efficacy of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) response as a surrogate marker for determining recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) who undergo salvage hepatectomy following conversion therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and anti-PD-1 antibody-based regimen. Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 74 patients with uHCC and positive AFP (>20 ng/mL) at diagnosis, who underwent salvage hepatectomy after treatment with TKIs and anti-PD-1 antibody-based regimens. The association between AFP response-defined as a ≥ 80% decrease in final AFP levels before salvage hepatectomy from diagnosis-and RFS post-hepatectomy was investigated. Results: AFP responders demonstrated significantly better postoperative RFS compared to non-responders (P<0.001). The median RFS was not reached for AFP responders, with 1-year and 2-year RFS rates of 81.3% and 70.8%, respectively. In contrast, AFP non-responders had a median RFS of 7.43 months, with 1-year and 2-year RFS rates at 37.1% and 37.1%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified AFP response as an independent predictor of RFS. Integrating AFP response with radiologic tumor response facilitated further stratification of patients into distinct risk categories: those with radiologic remission experienced the most favorable RFS, followed by patients with partial response/stable disease and AFP response, and the least favorable RFS among patients with partial response/stable disease but without AFP response. Sensitivity analyses further confirmed the association between AFP response and improved RFS across various cutoff values and in patients with AFP ≥ 200 ng/mL at diagnosis (all P<0.05). Conclusion: The "20-80" rule based on AFP response could be helpful for clinicians to preoperatively stratify the risk of patients undergoing salvage hepatectomy, enabling identification and management of those unlikely to benefit from this procedure.

Electronic and magnetic properties of transition-metal-doped monolayer B2S2 within GGA + U framework.

Considering the significant role of magnetism induction in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials, we systematically investigate the effects of various dopants from the 3d and 4d transition metal (TM) series, including Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag and Cd, on the electronic and magnetic properties of monolayer B2S2 through first-principles calculations. The calculated formation energies indicate that substitutional doping at the B site with various TM atoms could be achieved under S-rich growth conditions. What matters is that with the exception of systems doped with Cu, Tc, and Ag elements, which exhibit non-magnetic semiconductor properties, all other doped systems demonstrate magnetism. Specifically, the Cr-, Ni- and Pd-doped monolayers are magnetic half-metals, while the rest are magnetic semiconductors. We have also performed calculations of magnetic couplings between two TM atoms with an impurity concentration of 3.12%, revealing the prevalence of weak magnetic coupling in the majority of the magnetic systems examined. Moreover, the monolayers doped with Cr, Zr and Pd atoms exhibit ferromagnetic ground states. These findings strongly support the high potential for inducing magnetism in the B2S2 monolayer through B-site doping.

Salmonella typhimurium Vaccine Candidate Delivering Infectious Bronchitis Virus S1 Protein to Induce Protection.

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is a highly infectious viral disease of chickens which causes significant economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. An effective vaccine against IB is urgently needed to provide both biosafety and high-efficiency immune protection. In this study, the S1 protein of the infectious bronchitis virus was delivered by a recombinant attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vector to form the vaccine candidate χ11246(pYA4545-S1). S. typhimurium χ11246 carried a sifA- mutation with regulated delayed systems, striking a balance between host safety and immunogenicity. Here, we demonstrated that S1 protein is highly expressed in HD11 cells. Immunization with χ11246(pYA4545-S1) induced the production of antibody and cytokine, leading to an effective immune response against IB. Oral immunization with χ11246(pYA4545-S1) provided 72%, 56%, and 56% protection in the lacrimal gland, trachea, and cloaca against infectious bronchitis virus infection, respectively. Furthermore, it significantly reduced histopathological lesions in chickens. Together, this study provides a new idea for the prevention of IB.

Oral Immunization with Attenuated Salmonella Choleraesuis Expressing the FedF Antigens Protects Mice against the Shiga-Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Challenge.

Edema disease (ED) is a severe and lethal infectious ailment in swine, stemming from Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). An efficient, user-friendly, and safe vaccine against ED is urgently required to improve animal welfare and decrease antibiotic consumption. Recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines (RASV) administered orally induce both humoral and mucosal immune responses to the immunizing antigen. Their potential for inducing protective immunity against ED is significant through the delivery of STEC antigens. rSC0016 represents an enhanced recombinant attenuated vaccine vector designed for Salmonella enterica serotype Choleraesuis. It combines sopB mutations with a regulated delay system to strike a well-balanced equilibrium between host safety and immunogenicity. We generated recombinant vaccine strains, namely rSC0016 (pS-FedF) and rSC0016 (pS-rStx2eA), and assessed their safety and immunogenicity in vivo. The findings demonstrated that the mouse models immunized with rSC0016 (pS-FedF) and rSC0016 (pS-rStx2eA) generated substantial IgG antibody responses to FedF and rStx2eA, while also provoking robust mucosal and cellular immune responses against both FedF and rStx2eA. The protective impact of rSC0016 (pS-FedF) against Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli surpassed that of rSC0016 (pS-rStx2eA), with percentages of 83.3%. These findings underscore that FedF has greater suitability for vaccine delivery via recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines (RASVs). Overall, this study provides a promising candidate vaccine for infection with STEC.

Long-Term Phellodendri Cortex Supplementation in the Tiger Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus): Dual Effects on Intestinal Health Revealed by Transcriptome Analysis.

The tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), an important mariculture fish in Southeast Asia, faces increasing health issues in recent years. Phellodendri Cortex (PC) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that exhibits a variety of beneficial effects on tiger groupers. The effects of PC, however, varies with the period of dietary intervention. This study aims to investigate the long-term effects of 1% PC supplementation on tiger groupers, focusing on growth, immunity, disease resistance, and intestinal gene expression. The tiger groupers (with an initial mean weight of 27.5 ± 0.5 g) were fed with a diet of Phellodendri Cortex supplementation and a control diet for 8 weeks. Our results indicate that the long-term PC supplementation did not affect growth or Vibrio disease resistance in tiger groupers. However, the transcriptome analysis revealed potential damage to the structural and functional integrity of the groupers' intestines. On the other hand, anti-inflammatory and cathepsin inhibition effects were also observed, offering potential benefits to fish enteritis prevention and therapy. Therefore, long-term PC supplementation in grouper culture should be applied with caution.

Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis vector outperforms alum as an adjuvant, increasing a cross-protective immune response against Glaesserella parasuis.

The adjuvant and/or vector significantly affect a vaccine's efficacy. Although traditional adjuvants such as alum have contributed to vaccine development, deficiencies in the induction of cellular and mucosal immunity have limited their further promotion. Salmonella vectors have unique advantages for establishing cellular and mucosal immunity due to mucosal pathways of invasion and intracellular parasitism. In addition, Salmonella vectors can activate multiple innate immune pathways, thereby promoting adaptive immune responses. In this work, the attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) vector rSC0016 was used to deliver the conserved protective antigen HPS_06257 of Glaesserella parasuis (G. parasuis), generating a novel recombinant strain rSC0016(pS-HPS_06257). The rSC0016(pS-HPS_06257) can express and deliver the HPS_06257 protein to the lymphatic system of the host. In comparison to HPS_06257 adjuvanted with alum, rSC0016(pS-HPS_06257) significantly increased TLR4 and TLR5 activation in mice as well as the levels of proinflammatory cytokines. In addition, rSC0016 promoted a greater degree of maturation in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) than alum. The specific humoral, mucosal, and cellular immune responses against HPS_06257 in mice immunized with rSC0016(pS-HPS_06257) were significantly higher than those of HPS_06257 adjuvanted with alum. HPS_06257 delivered by the S. Choleraesuis vector induces a Th1-biased Th1/Th2 mixed immune response, while HPS adjuvanted with alum can only induce a Th2-biased immune response. HPS_06257 adjuvanted with alum only causes opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) responses against a homologous strain (G. parasuis serotype 5, GPS5), whereas rSC0016(pS-HPS_06257) could generate cross-OPA responses against a homologous strain and a heterologous strain (G. parasuis serotype 12, GPS12). Ultimately, HPS_06257 adjuvanted with alum protected mice against lethal doses of GPS5 challenge by 60 % but failed to protect mice against lethal doses of GPS12. In contrast, mice immunized with rSC0016(pS-HPS_06257) had 100 % or 80 % survival when challenged with lethal doses of GPS5 or GPS12, respectively. Altogether, the S. Choleraesuis vector rSC0016 could potentially generate an improved innate immune response and an improved adaptive immunological response compared to the traditional alum adjuvant, offering a novel concept for the development of a universal G. parasuis vaccine.