The Effects of Dietary n-3 Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids on Growth, Antioxidant Capacity, Immunity, and Oxylipin Profiles in Acipenser dabryanus.

Currently, the effects of dietary levels of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and serum oxylipin profiles of female F2-generation Yangtze sturgeon remain unknown. A total of 75 Yangtze sturgeons, an endangered freshwater fish species, with an average body weight of 3.60 ± 0.83 kg, were randomly allocated to 15 concrete pools, with each dietary group represented by 5 fish per pool. The fish were fed five different experimental diets containing various levels of n-3 HUFAs (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.4%). After a feeding period of 5 months, no significant differences in the growth performances of the fish were observed among the five dietary groups (p > 0.05). However, we did note that the serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), and total cholesterol (TCHO) exhibited a marked increase in the fish that consumed higher dietary n-3 HUFA levels (p < 0.05). Conversely, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities showed a notable decrease as dietary n-3 HUFA levels increased (p < 0.05). Serum antioxidant indices, such as the activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), were significantly higher in the 2.4% HUFA group compared to the 0.5% HUFA group. Additionally, muscle antioxidant indices, including total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), and SOD activity, exhibited notable increases as dietary n-3 HUFA levels increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as dietary n-3 HUFA levels increased (p < 0.05). In relation to immune indices, only serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) and muscle complement 3 (C3) were found to be influenced by dietary n-3 HUFA levels (p < 0.05). A total of 80 oxylipins were quantified, and our subsequent K-means cluster analysis resulted in the classification of 62 oxylipins into 10 subclasses. Among the different n-3 HUFA diets, a total of 14 differential oxylipins were identified in the sera. These findings demonstrate that dietary supplementation with n-3 HUFAs exceeding a 1.0% level can enhance antioxidant capacity and regulate serum lipid metabolism, potentially through modulation of oxylipins derived from ARA, DHA, and EPA. These insights provide novel perspectives on the mechanisms underlying these observations.

Structural optimization of pyrrolopyrimidine BTK inhibitors based on molecular simulation.

CONTEXT: BTK is a critical regulator involved in the proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of B cells. BTK inhibitors can effectively alleviate various diseases such as tumors, leukemia, and asthma. During this study, a range of novel BTK inhibitors were designed using 3D-QSAR, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. METHODS: We selected 41 pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives as BTK inhibitors to structure a 3D-QSAR model. Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity index analysis (CoMSIA) were adopted to research the connection between the pharmacological activities and chemical structures of the compounds. The CoMFA model (q2 = 0.519, R2 = 0.971), CoMSIA model (q2 = 0.512, R2 = 0.990), and external validation demonstrated excellent predictive performance and reliability of the 3D-QSAR model. We designed eight novel molecules with higher inhibitory activities according to the three-dimensional equipotential fields and explored the interactions between the compounds and BTK by molecular docking, which showed that the novel molecules had higher binding affinities with BTK than the template molecule 18. Then, the results of molecular docking were further verified by MD simulation, which showed that amino acid residues such as Leu528, Val416, and Met477 played vital parts in the interaction, and the binding free energy analysis showed that the novel molecules had higher stability with BTK. Finally, the ADME/T properties were predicted for all of the novel compounds, and the results showed that the majority of them had favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Therefore, this study provides strong support for the development of novel BTK inhibitors.

Transcriptome Analyses Reveal Expression Profiles of Morphologically Undifferentiated and Differentiated Gonads of Yangtze Sturgeon Acipenser dabryanus.

Sturgeon is known as a primitive fish with the ZZ/ZW sex determination system and is highly prized for its valuable caviar. Exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying gonadal differentiation would contribute to broadening our knowledge on the genetic regulation of sex differentiation of fish, enabling improved artificial breeding and management of sturgeons. However, the mechanisms are still poorly understood in sturgeons. This study aimed to profile expression patterns between female and male gonads at morphologically undifferentiated and early differentiated stages and identify vital genes involved in gonadal sex differentiation of sturgeons. The sexes of Yangtze sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) juveniles were identified via the sex-specific DNA marker and histological observation. Transcriptome analyses were carried out on female and male gonads at 30, 80 and 180 days post-hatching. The results showed that there was a total of 17 overlapped DEGs in the comparison groups of between female and male gonads at the three developmental stages, in which there were three DEGs related to ovarian steroidogenesis, including hsd17b1, foxl2 and cyp19a1. The three DEGs were highly expressed in the female gonads, of which the expression levels were gradually increased with the number of days after hatching. No well-known testis-related genes were found in the overlapped DEGs. Additionally, the expression levels of hsd17b1 and cyp19a1 mRNA were decreased with the knockdown of foxl2 mRNA via siRNA. The results further suggested that foxl2 should play a crucial role in the ovarian differentiation of sturgeons. In conclusion, this study showed that more genes involved in ovarian development than testis development emerged with sexually dimorphic expression during early gonadal sex differentiation, and it provided a preliminary understanding of the molecular regulation on gonadal differentiation of sturgeons.

Evaluation of Serum NLRC4 as a Potential Prognostic Biochemical Marker in Humans with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Involvement of NLR CARD domain containing 4 (NLRC4) in neuroinflammation has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prognostic role of serum NLRC4 in severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI). Methods: In this prospective cohort study including 140 sTBI patients and 140 controls, serum NLRC4 levels were quantified. Follow-up time was 180 days after trauma and poor prognosis was designated as extended Glasgow outcome scale (GOSE) scores of 1-4. Severity correlations and prognosis associations were determined under multivariate models. Results: Enhanced serum NLRC4 levels after sTBI, in comparison to controls (median, 0.8 ng/mL versus 0.1 ng/mL; P < 0.001), were independently correlated with Glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores (ß, -0.091; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.161-0.021; P = 0.011), Rotterdam computed tomography (CT) scores (ß, 0.136; 95% CI, 0.024-0.248; P = 0.018), serum C-reactive protein levels (ß, 0.016; 95% CI, 0.002-0.030; P = 0.025) and 180-day GOSE scores (ß, -0.906; 95% CI, -1.632-0.180; P = 0.015); and were independently predictive of 180-day death (odds ratio, 4.307; 95% CI, 1.706-10.879; P = 0.014)), overall survival (hazard ratio, 2.360; 95% CI, 1.118-4.981; P = 0.040) and poor prognosis (odds ratio, 6.705; 95% CI, 2.889-15.561; P = 0.016). Under receiver operating characteristic curve, combination of serum NLRC4 levels, GCS scores and Rotterdam CT scores had significantly higher death predictive ability than Rotterdam CT scores (P = 0.040), but not than GCS scores (P = 0.070); and exhibited substantially higher predictive capability for poor prognosis than Rotterdam CT scores (P < 0.001) and GCS scores alone (P = 0.023). Conclusion: There is a dramatical elevation of serum NLRC4 levels after sTBI, which has strong correlation with severity and inflammation, and is significantly associated with long-term death and poor outcome, substantializing serum NLRC4 as an inflammatory, prognostic biomarker in sTBI.

Effectiveness assessment of using water environmental microHI to predict the health status of wild fish.

Aquatic wildlife health assessment is critically important for aquatic wildlife conservation. However, the health assessment of aquatic wildlife (especially aquatic wild animals) is difficult and often accompanied by invasive survey activities and delayed observability. As there is growing evidence that aquatic environmental microbiota could impact the health status of aquatic animals by influencing their symbiotic microbiota, we propose a non-invasive method to monitor the health status of wild aquatic animals using the environmental microbiota health index (microHI). However, it is unknown whether this method is effective for different ecotype groups of aquatic wild animals. To answer this question, we took a case study in the middle Yangtze River and studied the water environmental microbiota and fish gut microbiota at the fish community level, population level, and ecotype level. The results showed that the gut microHI of the healthy group was higher than that of the unhealthy group at the community and population levels, and the overall gut microHI was positively correlated with the water environmental microHI, whereas the baseline gut microHI was species-specific. Integrating these variations in four ecotype groups (filter-feeding, scraper-feeding, omnivorous, and carnivorous), only the gut microHI of the carnivorous group positively correlated with water environmental microHI. Alcaligenaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Achromobacter were the most abundant groups with health-negative-impacting phenotypes, had high positive correlations between gut sample group and environment sample group, and had significantly higher abundance in unhealthy groups than in healthy groups of carnivorous, filter-feeding, and scraper-feeding ecotypes. Therefore, using water environmental microHI to indicate the health status of wild fish is effective at the community level, is effective just for carnivorous fish at the ecotype level. In the middle Yangtze River, Alcaligenaceae, Enterobacteriaceae (family level), and Achromobacter (genus level) were the key water environmental microbial groups that potentially impacted wild fish health status. Of course, more data and research that test the current hypothesis and conclusion are encouraged.

Physical Simulation of Ultrasonic Imaging Logging Response.

Ultrasonic imaging logging can visually identify the location, shape, dip angle and orientation of fractures and holes. The method has not been effectively applied in the field; one of the prime reasons is that the results of physical simulation experiments are insufficient. The physical simulation of fracture and hole response in the laboratory can provide a reference for the identification and evaluation of the underground geological structure. In this work, ultrasonic scanning experiments are conducted on a grooved sandstone plate and a simulated borehole and the influence of different fractures and holes on ultrasonic pulse echo is studied. Experimental results show that the combination of ultrasonic echo amplitude imaging and arrival time imaging can be used to identify the fracture location, width, depth and orientation, along with accurately calculating the fracture dip angle. The evaluated fracture parameters are similar to those in the physical simulation model. The identification accuracy of the ultrasonic measurement is related to the diameter of the radiation beam of the ultrasonic transducer. A single fracture with width larger than or equal to the radiation beam diameter of the ultrasonic transducer and multiple fractures with spacing longer than or equal to the radiation beam diameter can be effectively identified.

Screening of bioflocculant and cellulase-producing bacteria strains for biofloc culture systems with fiber-rich carbon source.

The biofloc technology (BFT) system has been widely applied in the shrimp and fish culture industry for its advantages in water-saving, growth improvement, and water quality purification. However, The BFT system usually takes a long time to establish, and the extra carbon source input increases the maintenance cost of the system. In this study, we aimed to develop a low-cost and high-efficient BFT system for Litopenaeus vannamei by applying bacteria that could promote the formation of BFT and utilize cheap carbon sources. Three bioflocculant-producing bacteria strains (M13, M15, and M17) have been screened from a cellulolytic strain collection. All three strains have been identified as Bacillus spp. and can use sugarcane bagasse (SB) as a carbon source, which is a cheap byproduct of the sucrose industry in the tropic area of China. Compared to sucrose, the addition of SB and the three strains could improve the biofloc formation rate, biofloc size distribution, ammonia removal rate, and the growth performance of the shrimps. These results suggest that the bioflocculant and cellulase-producing bacteria strains could promote the biofloc formation and the growth of shrimps by using SB as an economic substitute carbon source in the BFT shrimp culture system.

Pathogenicity of Plesiomonas shigelloides and Citrobacter freundii isolated from the endangered Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis).

Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) is an indigenous species of China and is listed as a critically endangered species. Recently, second filial generations of Chinese sturgeon in the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute suffered from a severe disease. In this study, two kinds of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from diseased sturgeon and identified as Plesiomonas shigelloides and Citrobacter freundii, based on 16S rDNA gene sequence alignment analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that P. shigelloides was resistant to ampicillin, penicillin, midecamycin, oxacillin, and clindamycin; and sensitive to tocefatriaxone, piperacillin, cefoperazone, cefazolin, and ciprofloxacin. C. freundii was resistant to ampicillin, penicillin, midecamycin, oxacillin, and clindamycin; and sensitive to chloramphenicol, cefuroxime, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and ceftazidime. The median lethal dose (LD50) values of P. shigelloides and C. freundii were 4.50 × 103 colony forming units (CFU)/g and 3.20 × 103 CFU/g, respectively. Clinical symptoms of challenged sturgeons were the same as those of naturally infected sturgeons. Histopathological examination disclosed severe damage in the viscera of P. shigelloides and C. freundii-infected sturgeons. This is the first report suggesting that P. shigelloides infection is associated with mortality of Chinese sturgeon. The results of this study revealed the pathogenesis and severe pathogenicity of P. shigelloides and C. freundii in cultured Chinese sturgeon, and offer insights into the prevention and treatment of bacterial infection caused by P. shigelloides and C. freundii in cultured sturgeons.

Combining virtual screening and in vitro evaluation for the discovery of potential CYP11B2 inhibitors.

Aim: To search for highly bioactive hits for CYP11B2 inhibitors by virtual screening and in vitro evaluation. Materials & methods: Virtual screening of potential CYP11B2 inhibitors was performed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Compound activity was determined by in vitro evaluation using MTT and ELISA assays. Results & conclusion: Based on the results of molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation, nine lead hits were selected for in vitro biochemical testing. All hits in in vitro experiments had lower inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and certain inhibitory effects on aldosterone secretion. These hits may be excellent candidates for CYP11B2 inhibitors.

Evaluating the Impact of Metro Interior Noise on Passenger Annoyance: An Experimental Study.

The operation of a large-scale metro system creates problematic interior noise; the impact of this noise on passengers and drivers is a subject of increasing concern. To investigate the quantitative relationship between metro interior noise and passengers' annoyance, this study analyzed questionnaires on passenger annoyance completed by 118 volunteers. The feedback from the questionnaire concerned eleven metro lines in Beijing. To test the interior noise levels, the volunteers were divided into two groups: A and B. The volunteers in group A took the same metro train as the testers, whereas those in group B took different trains. A total of 2080 noise annoyance samples from metro tunnel sections were collected and analyzed. Finally, the exposure-response relationship between interior noise and passenger annoyance was obtained by fitting these data with a logistic function. The results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between the average subjective annoyance and the averaged equivalent sound pressure level. The fitting result was better for group A than for group B. For the mixed samples of two groups, the fitting result was greatly affected by the contribution of group A. To provide an acoustically comfortable environment, metro interior noise should not exceed 84-85 dB(A).

Effects of Chinese medicine herbal residues on antibiotic resistance genes and the bacterial community in chicken manure composting.

The use of livestock manure is an important way for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to enter the environment, and composting is an effective method for removing ARGs from livestock manure. In this study, different volume ratios of Chinese medicinal herbal residues (CMHRs) were added to laboratory-scale chicken manure composting to evaluate their effects, if any, on the behavior of ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and the bacterial community. At the end of the composting period, the composition of the microbial community changed. Firmicutes decreased and Bacteroidetes increased. The most striking effect was that the relative abundance of the 21 ARGs and 5 MGEs detected decreased by varying degrees in the different treatments (except for sulI and intI1). The removal rate of the ARGs increased with the increased addition of CMHRs. The correlations between transferase genes (tnpA and tnpA-02) and ARGs were significant (p < 0.05); therefore, transposons play an important role in the horizontal gene transfer of ARGs in chicken manure. The results imply that CMHRs would be an effective bulking agent for the removal of ARGs from chicken manure composting.

The effect of surgical approach on the outcomes and prognosis of high-risk histologic endometrioid carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: High-risk histologic endometrioid carcinomas include poorly differentiated endometrial carcinoma (PDEC), uterine clear cell carcinoma (UCCC), uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS), and uterine papillary serous carcinomas (UPCS). The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the effect of open surgery and minimally invasive surgery on the prognosis of patients with high-risk endometrial cancer tissue types. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate 57 UCS or UPCS, 53 UCCC, and 110 PDEC patients receiving initial treatment at the Department of Gynecology in Shaanxi Provincial Tumor hospital and the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University between February 2010 and January 2015. Prognostic factors were determined using univariate/multivariate analysis, and survival rates were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox regression model was adopted to assess the independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty patients who met the criteria were included in this study. At the end of follow-up period, 94 patients were still alive. Univariate analysis found that the survival time of the patients was related to staging, adjuvant therapy, and surgical approach. Multivariate analysis revealed that surgical approach, staging, pathology, and adjuvant therapy were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive surgery has a shorter survival time compared to open surgery in women with PDEC, UCCC, UCS, and UPCS. Multivariate analysis confirmed that staging, pathological type, surgical approach, and postoperative adjuvant therapy are independent risk factors for prognosis and affect the survival of women with PDEC, UCCC, UCS, and UPCS.

Humidity- and Water-Responsive Torsional and Contractile Lotus Fiber Yarn Artificial Muscles.

Materials that dynamically respond to their environment have diverse applications in artificial muscles, soft robotics, and smart textiles. Inspired by biological systems, humidity- and water-responsive actuators that bend, twist, and contract have been previously demonstrated. However, more powerful artificial muscles with large strokes and high work densities are needed, especially those that can be made cost-effectively from eco-friendly materials. We here derive such muscles from naturally abundant lotus fibers. A coiled lotus fiber yarn muscle provides a large, reversible tensile stroke of 38% and a work capacity during contraction of 450 J/kg, which is 56 times higher than that of natural skeletal muscles and higher than that for any other reported natural fiber muscles. In addition, highly twisted lotus fiber yarn muscles provide a fully reversible torsional stroke of 200°/mm of muscle length and a peak rotation speed of 200 rpm, with a generated specific torque of 488 mN·m/kg for a 2.5 cm long muscle. Potential applications of these lotus fiber yarn muscles are demonstrated for a weight-lifting artificial limb and a smart textile.

Molecular characterization and expression profiles of six genes involved in vitellogenic deposition and hydrolysis of Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) suggesting their transcriptional regulation on ovarian development.

Ovary development of Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) in controlled breeding has been reported to respond to dietary lipid levels. However, the corresponding molecular regulatory mechanism about ovary development of Chinese sturgeon is still unclear. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of vitellogenic deposition and hydrolysis, six key genes, namely, vtgr (vitellogenin receptor), atp6v1c1 (Vacuolar H+-ATPase subunit c1), atp6v1h (Vacuolar H+-ATPase subunit h), ctsb (cathepsin B), ctsd (cathepsin D) and ctsl (cathepsin L) involved in vitellogenic deposition and hydrolysis of Chinese sturgeon were cloned and characterized, and their spatio-temporal mRNA expression profiles as well as transcriptional responses to dietary lipid level were investigated. The full-length cDNA sequences of these six genes showed similar domain structure to their respective orthologous genes from other vertebrates. Tissue-specific expression patterns of these genes were observed in ovary, liver, muscle, spleen, brain, gill, intestine, heart, stomach and kidney. Ovarian expression level of vtgr was the highest in stage II, and ctsl expression was the highest in stage IV, while the mRNA expressions of other 4 genes were the highest in stage III. The increase of dietary lipid level promoted ovary development and elevated the expressions of vtgr, atp6v1c1, atp6v1h, ctsb and ctsd in the ovary. The results of the present study indicated that these genes are crucial for vitellogenic deposition, and provided a preliminary understanding on the molecular regulation of vitellogenic deposition and hydrolysis during ovary development of Chinese sturgeon.

Metacognitive training: a useful complement to community-based rehabilitation for schizophrenia patients in China.

BACKGROUND: The traditional general practitioner-based model (community-based rehabilitation [CBR]) for Chinese schizophrenia patients lacks sufficient content, usefulness, and theoretical basis for rehabilitation. Based on previous research, we postulate that Metacognitive Training (MCT) is effective in the community for schizophrenic patients. METHOD: A randomized controlled, assessor-blinded trial was conducted. A total of 124 schizophrenia patients were recruited from Ningbo China and were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. A general practitioner (GP) training plan was carried out before intervention. Intervention and control groups received two CBR follow-ups once a month, while the intervention group, received an additional eight once-a-in-week session of MCT. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) were the primary outcome instruments, while the Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) was the secondary outcome instrument. RESULTS: In the post-treatment between-groups assessment, the patients in the intervention group showed significantly more reductions on PSYRATS delusions, PSYRATS total, PANSS P6, PANSS core delusions, PANSS positive, PANSS negative, PANSS general and PANSS total, and a significant improvement in SQLS psychosocial aspect. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides preliminary evidence for the usefulness of MCT as a complementary measure for community-based rehabilitation of schizophrenia patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, ISRCTN17333276 . Registered 09 August 2020 - Retrospectively registered.

Efficacy of clomifene citrate for the treatment of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: A protocol of systematic review.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of clomifene citrate (CC) for the treatment of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: In this study, we will comprehensively search MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, ACMD, PsycINFO, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for original articles published from their inceptions to the January 1, 2020 without language restrictions. All studies will undergo relevance and a design selecting process. Data from qualified studies will be collected by 2 independent authors. Additionally, we will conduct a risk of bias evaluation using a Cochrane risk of bias tool. We will undertake statistical analysis utilizing RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: This study will summarize the up-to-date evidence to investigate the efficacy and safety of CC for the treatment of patients with PCOS. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will provide helpful evidence of CC for the treatment of patients with PCOS, as well as may help develop treatment guidelines. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020162818.

Metabolomics and gene expressions revealed the metabolic changes of lipid and amino acids and the related energetic mechanism in response to ovary development of Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis).

Captive breeding has been explored in Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) for species protection. However, gonad development from stage II to IV of cultured female broodstocks is a handicap. This study aimed to explore the physiological and metabolic changes during the ovary development from stage II to IV of female Chinese sturgeon and the related energy regulatory mechanism, which may be helpful to address the developmental obstacle. The results showed that the oocyte volume increased and the muscle lipid content decreased with the ovary development. Ovarian RNA levels of most genes related to lipid and amino acid metabolism were higher in stage II and III than in stage IV. Serum contents of differential metabolites in arginine, cysteine, methionine, purine, tyrosine, lysine, valine, leucine and isoleucine metabolism pathways peaked at stage III, while the contents of sarcosine, alanine and histidine, as well as most oxylipins derived from fatty acids peaked at stage IV. These results indicated the more active amino acids, lipid metabolism, and energy dynamics of fish body in response to the high energy input of ovary developing from stage II to III, and the importance of alanine, histidine, taurine, folate and oxylipins for fish with ovary at stage IV.

Adjusting the Prerelease Gut Microbial Community by Diet Training to Improve the Postrelease Fitness of Captive-Bred Acipenser dabryanus.

As one of the most important tool for biodiversity restoration and endangered species conservation, reintroduction has been implemented worldwide. In reintroduction projects, prerelease conditioning could effectively increase postrelease fitness and survival by improving animals' adaptation to transformation from artificial to natural environments. However, how early-life diet training affects individuals' adaptation, fitness, and survival after release remains largely unknown. We hypothesized that early-life diet training would adjust the host's gut microbial community, the gut microbial community would influence the host's diet preference, and the host's diet preference would impact its adaptation to diet provision transformation and then determine postrelease fitness and survival. To verify this hypothesis, we investigated the growth characteristics and gut microbes of Yangtze sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) trained with natural and formula diets at both the prerelease and postrelease stages. The results showed that (1) the gut microbial communities of the individuals trained with a natural diet (i.e., natural diet group) and formula diet (i.e., formula diet group) evolved to the optimal status for their corresponding diet provisions, (2) the individuals in the natural diet group paid a lower cost (i.e., changed their gut microbial communities less) during diet transformation and release into the natural environment than did the individuals in the formula diet group, and (3) the gut microbes in the natural diet group better supported postrelease fitness and survival than did the gut microbes in the formula diet group. The results indicated that better prerelease diet training with more appropriate training diets and times could improve the reintroduction of Yangtze sturgeon by adjusting the prerelease gut microbial community. Because a relationship between diet (preference) and gut microbes is common in animals from insects (such as Drosophila melanogaster) to mammals (such as Homo sapiens), our hypothesis verified by the case study on Yangtze sturgeon applies to other animals. We therefore encourage future studies to identify optimal training diets and times for each species to best adjust its prerelease gut microbial community and then improve its postrelease fitness and survival in reintroduction projects.

Thyroid disruption and developmental toxicity caused by Cd2+ in Schizopygopsis younghusbandi larvae.

In recent years, the adverse effects of cadmium (Cd2+) on aquatic systems have attracted much attention because Cd2+ can induce endocrine disorders and toxicity in aquatic organisms at low levels. However, its effects on the thyroid system in native fish in Lhasa are still unclear. In the present study, Schizopygopsis younghusbandi larvae were exposed to Cd2+ (0.25, 2.5, 25 or 250 µg/L) for 7 or 14 days to determine its toxic effects on thyroid function. The results showed that whole-body total T4 and T3 levels were significantly decreased, which was accompanied by the significant upregulation of the expression of the dio1 and dio2 genes after exposure to Cd2+ for 7 or 14 days. Genes related to thyroid hormone synthesis (crh and tshß) were upregulated after both 7 and 14 days of Cd2+ exposure, possibly due to the negative feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis caused by a decrease in thyroid hormone. In addition, survival rates and body lengths were reduced after treatment with Cd2+. This suggests that Cd2+ caused developmental toxicity in Schizopygopsis younghusbandi larvae. An integrated assessment of biomarker response (IBR) showed that there were dose-dependent and time-dependent effects of Cd2+ exposure on Schizopygopsis younghusbandi larvae. Schizopygopsis younghusbandi larvae were sensitive to Cd2+, which caused adverse effects at a concentration as low as 2.5 µg/L. In summary, the results indicated that Cd2+ causes thyroid disruption and developmental toxicity in Schizopygopsis younghusbandi larvae and that wild Schizopygopsis younghusbandi larvae living in the Lhasa River are at potential ecological risk.

High-resolution Chest CT Features and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Infected with COVID-19 in Jiangsu, China.

BACKGROUND: A pneumonia associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recently emerged in China. It was recognized as a global health hazard. METHODS: 234 inpatients with COVID-19 were included. Detailed clinical data, chest HRCT basic performances and certain signs were recorded Ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, fibrosis and air trapping were quantified. Both clinical types and CT stages were evaluated. RESULTS: Most patients (approximately 90%) were classified as common type and with epidemiologic history. Fever and cough were main symptoms. Chest CT showed abnormal attenuation in bilateral multiple lung lobes, distributed in the lower and/or periphery of the lungs (94.98%), with multiple shapes. GGO and vascular enhancement sign were most frequent seen, followed by interlobular septal thickening and air bronchus sign as well as consolidation, fibrosis and air trapping. There were significant differences in most of CT signs between different stage groups. The SpO2 and OI were decreased in stage IV, and the CT score of consolidation, fibrosis and air trapping was significantly lower in stage I (P<0.05). A weak relevance was between the fibrosis score and the value of PaO2 and SpO2 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical performances of patients with COVID-19, mostly with epidemiologic history and typical symptoms, were critical valuable in the diagnosis of the COVID-19. While chest HRCT provided the distribution, shape, attenuation and extent of lung lesions, as well as some typical CT signs of COVID-19 pneumonia.