Raw frozen Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) as an alternative feed source for cuttlefish Sepiella japonica in artificial breeding systems

The study aims to evaluate the feasibility of completely replacing raw frozen shrimp Palaemon gravieri diets with raw frozen Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the diets of cuttlefish Sepiella japonica. To address the knowledge gap, we conducted a 60‐day feeding trial. At the end of the experiment (day 60), the cuttlefish Sepiella japonica eating Palaemon gravieri (SJP) grew significantly faster than those eating Euphausia superba (SJE), with the specific growth rate (SGR)SJP (7.92%) > (SGR)SJE (7.09%). Approximately 33.3% and 20.0% mortality was observed in the SJE and SJP, during the course of the experiment respectively. Some important fatty acids (i.e. n‐3 and n‐6 PUFAs) were elevated in SJE with respect to SJP. Replacement of Antarctic krill increased the diversity of the gut microbiome composition in the SJE group. Fluoride accumulated in the ink sac and cuttlebone of cuttlefish in SJE. Overall, these findings imply that PUFA‐rich Antarctic krill could replace P. gravieri shrimp for feeding cuttlefish S. japonica

Contamination and mobile colistin resistance gene analysis for Salmonella isolated from retail chickens in Ji'nan

ObjectiveTo investigate the contamination of Salmonella in retail chickens in Ji’nan city from 2020 to 2021， and to explore the prevalence of the mobile colistin resistance gene （mcr） among these Salmonella isolates.MethodsFrom December 2020 to November 2021， 260 retail chicken samples were collected in Ji’nan City， and Salmonella was isolated and confirmed according to GB 4789.4—2016 “National food standard - Food microbiological examination： Salmonella”. Serotype identification and mcr gene screening were performed for all Salmonella isolates by polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. The drug resistance of mcr gene-positive strains was tested by micro-broth dilution method.ResultsA total of 61 in 260 retail chicken samples were positive for Salmonella detection with the contamination rate of 23.46% （61/260）. The highest contamination rate was 53.33% （32/60） for samples collected in autumn. One hundred and three Salmonella strains were isolated， 56 of which were Salmonella Enteritidis， accounting for 54.37% （56/103）. Two Salmonella Indiana， isolated from two separate chicken wing samples collected from different regions， were positive for mcr-1 gene， with a positive rate of 1.94% （2/103）. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that both of the two mcr-1-harboring Salmonella Indiana were multi-drug resistant， and one of them was concurrently resistant to all 12 categories of tested drugs， including carbapenems and polymyxins.ConclusionThere was a certain degree of Salmonella contamination in retail chickens in Jinan from 2020 to 2021， and the contamination rate of the samples collected in autumn was higher than in any other seasons. Salmonella Enteritidis was the predominant serotype. It should be of concern that a Salmonella isolate carried mcr-1 gene with severe multidrug resistance to both colistin and carbapenems， indicating that the surveillance for Salmonella in the whole chain of chicken production should be strengthened continuously， to provide important basic data for the prevention and control of foodborne diseases

The relationship between urinary selenium levels and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A nested case–control study

BackgroundSelenium (Se) is an essential trace element for the human body. Serum Se and urinary Se are also biomarkers to assess Se exposure status. However, studies focusing on the association between urinary Se and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are rare.ObjectiveTo investigate the association between urinary Se and the risk of GDM.MethodsA nested case–control study based on a prospective birth cohort in Wuhan, China, which focuses on the effects of prenatal environmental factors exposure on pregnant women and children’s health was conducted. Two hundred and twenty-six cases and 452 controls were included. Maternal urine samples were collected before GDM diagnosis, and the urinary Se levels were determined. We assessed the association of urinary Se with GDM by conditional logistic regression with maternal urinary Se level as a categorical variable, and estimated the association between Se and glucose levels by multiple linear regression. The potential modifier roles of maternal age and fetal sex have also been assessed.ResultsLower urinary level of Se was significantly associated with a higher risk of GDM (OR = 2.35 for the tertile 1, 95% CI:1.36-4.06; adjusted OR = 1.79 for the tertile 2, 95%CI:1.09-2.95; p for trend = 0.01). Fetal sex had an interaction with Se in the association with GDM. The association was more pronounced among pregnant women with female fetuses than with male fetuses.DiscussionOur study suggested a significant negative association between urinary Se and the risk of GDM, and this association may vary depending on the fetal sex

First identification of canine adenovirus 1 in mink and bioinformatics analysis of its 100 K protein

IntroductionAnimal trade favors the spreading of emerging canine adenovirus 1 (CAdV-1) in mink. Because the 100K protein is not exposed to the viral surface at any stage, it can be used to differentiate the vaccine from wild virus infection. However, no related research has been conducted. This study aimed to find evidence of CAdV-1 in mink and predict the character of the 100K protein in the current circulating CAdV-1 strain of mink.MethodIn this experiment, the identification of CAdV-1, the phylogenetic tree, homology, and bioinformatics analysis of 100K were conducted.ResultsThe results showed that the CAdV-1 was identified in the mink and that its Fiber was located in a separate branch. It was closely related to strains isolated from Norwegian Arctic fox and Red fox. 100K was located in a separate branch, which had the closest genetic relationship with skunks, porcupines, raccoons, and hedgehogs and a far genetic relationship with the strains in dogs. 100K protein is an unstable and hydrophobic protein. It had evidence of selective pressure and recombination, 1 glycosylation site, 48 phosphorylation sites, 60 dominant B cell epitopes, and 9 peptides of MHC-I and MHC-II. Its subcellular localization was mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. The binding sites of 100K proteins were DBP proteins and 33K proteins.DiscussionThe stains in the mink were different from fox. The exploration of its genomic characteristics will provide us with a deeper understanding of the prevention of canine adenovirus

Transient low T3 syndrome in patients with COVID-19: a new window for prediction of disease severity

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship of low T3 syndrome with disease severity in patients with COVID-19.MethodsThe clinical data of 145 patients with COVID-19 were retrospectively collected, and patients were divided into a low T3 group and a normal T3 group. Logistic regression models were used to assess predictive performance of FT3. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the use of low T3 syndrome in predicting critical disease. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to analyze the impact of low T3 syndrome on mortality.ResultsThe prevalence of low T3 level among COVID-19 patients was 34.48%. The low T3 group was older, and had lower levels of hemoglobin, lymphocytes, prealbumin, and albumin, but higher levels of white blood cells, neutrophils, CRP, ESR, and D-dimer (all p<0.05). The low T3 group had greater prevalences of critical disease and mortality (all p <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the Lymphocytes, free T3 (FT3), and D-dimer were independent risk factors for disease severity in patients with COVID-19. ROC analysis showed that FT3, lymphocyte count, and D-dimer, and all three parameters together provided reliable predictions of critical disease. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed the low T3 group had increased mortality (p<0.001). Six patients in the low T3 group and one patient in the normal T3 group died. All 42 patients whose T3 levels were measured after recovery had normal levels after discharge.ConclusionPatients with COVID-19 may have transient low T3 syndrome at admission, and this may be useful for predicting critical illness

Clinical Syndromes and Genetic Screening Strategies of Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma

Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) are rare neuroendocrine tumors that originate from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, and paragangliomas (PGLs) are extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas. These can be mainly found in clinical syndromes including multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) syndrome, neurofibromatosis-1 (NF-1) and familial paraganglioma (FPGL). PCCs and PGLs are thought to have the highest degree of heritability among human tumors, and it has been estimated that 60% of the patients have genetic abnormalities. This review provides an overview of the clinical syndrome and the genetic screening strategies of PCCs and PGLs. Comprehensive screening principles and strategies, along with specific screening based on clinical symptoms, biochemical tests and immunohistochemistry, are discussed

Immediate response of paddy soil microbial community and structure to moisture changes and nitrogen fertilizer application

Water and fertilizer managements are the most common practices to maximize crop yields, and their long-term impact on soil microbial communities has been extensively studied. However, the initial response of microbes to fertilization and soil moisture changes remains unclear. In this study, the immediate effects of nitrogen (N)-fertilizer application and moisture levels on microbial community of paddy soils were investigated through controlled incubation experiments. Amplicon sequencing results revealed that moisture had a stronger influence on the abundance and community composition of total soil bacteria, as well as ammonia oxidizing-archaea (AOA) and -bacteria (AOB). Conversely, fertilizer application noticeably reduced the connectivity and complexity of the total bacteria network, and increasing moisture slightly exacerbated these effects. NH4+-N content emerged as a significant driving force for changes in the structure of the total bacteria and AOB communities, while NO3−-N content played more important role in driving shifts in AOA composition. These findings indicate that the initial responses of microbial communities, including abundance and composition, and network differ under water and fertilizer managements. By providing a snapshot of microbial community structure following short-term N-fertilizer and water treatments, this study contributes to a better understanding of how soil microbes respond to long-term agriculture managements

Mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a noninferior modality to standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy for the management of 20-40 mm renal calculi: A Multicenter randomized controlled trial

Background: High quality of evidence comparing mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPNL) with standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (sPNL) for the treatment of larger-sized renal stones is lacking. Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of mPNL and sPNL for the treatment of 20–40 mm renal stones. Design, setting, and participants: A parallel, open-label, and noninferior randomized controlled trial was performed at 20 Chinese centers (2016–2019). The inclusion criteria were patients 18–70 yr old, with normal renal function, and 20–40 mm renal stones. Intervention: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy PNL was performed using either 18 F or 24 F percutaneous nephrostomy tracts. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The primary outcome was the one-session stone-free rate (SFR). The secondary outcomes included operating time, visual analog pain scale (VAS) score, blood loss, complications as per the Clavien-Dindo grading system, and length of hospitalization. Results and limitations: The 1980 intention-to-treat patients were randomized. The mPNL group achieved a noninferior one-session SFR to the sPNL group by the one-side noninferiority test (0.5% [difference], p < 0.001). The transfusion and embolization rates were comparable; however, the sPNL group had a higher hemoglobin drop (5.2 g/l, p < 0.001). The sPNL yielded shorter operating time (–2.2 min, p = 0.008) but a higher VAS score (0.8, p < 0.001). Patients in the sPNL group also had longer hospitalization (0.6 d, p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in fever or urosepsis occurrences. The study's main limitation was that only 18F or 24F tract sizes were used. Conclusions: Mini mPNL achieves noninferior SFR outcomes to sPNL, but with reduced bleeding, less postoperative pain, and shorter hospitalization. Patient summary: We evaluated the surgical outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy using two different sizes of nephrostomy tracts in a large population. We found that the smaller tract might be a sensible alternative for patients with 20–40 mm renal stones. This multicenter, parallel, open-label, and noninferior randomized controlled trial showed that mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy achieved noninferior stone-free rate with advantages of reduced blood loss, less postoperative pain, and shorter hospitalization. Mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy should be considered a sensible alternative treatment of 20–40 mm renal stones.grants from high-level development funding of Guangzhou Medical Universit

Genomic Insights Into the Admixture History of Mongolic- and Tungusic-Speaking Populations From Southwestern East Asia

As a major part of the modern Trans-Eurasian or Altaic language family, most of the Mongolic and Tungusic languages were mainly spoken in northern China, Mongolia, and southern Siberia, but some were also found in southern China. Previous genetic surveys only focused on the dissection of genetic structure of northern Altaic-speaking populations; however, the ancestral origin and genomic diversification of Mongolic and Tungusic–speaking populations from southwestern East Asia remain poorly understood because of the paucity of high-density sampling and genome-wide data. Here, we generated genome-wide data at nearly 700,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 26 Mongolians and 55 Manchus collected from Guizhou province in southwestern China. We applied principal component analysis (PCA), ADMIXTURE, f statistics, qpWave/qpAdm analysis, qpGraph, TreeMix, Fst, and ALDER to infer the fine-scale population genetic structure and admixture history. We found significant genetic differentiation between northern and southern Mongolic and Tungusic speakers, as one specific genetic cline of Manchu and Mongolian was identified in Guizhou province. Further results from ADMIXTURE and f statistics showed that the studied Guizhou Mongolians and Manchus had a strong genetic affinity with southern East Asians, especially for inland southern East Asians. The qpAdm-based estimates of ancestry admixture proportion demonstrated that Guizhou Mongolians and Manchus people could be modeled as the admixtures of one northern ancestry related to northern Tungusic/Mongolic speakers or Yellow River farmers and one southern ancestry associated with Austronesian, Tai-Kadai, and Austroasiatic speakers. The qpGraph-based phylogeny and neighbor-joining tree further confirmed that Guizhou Manchus and Mongolians derived approximately half of the ancestry from their northern ancestors and the other half from southern Indigenous East Asians. The estimated admixture time ranged from 600 to 1,000 years ago, which further confirmed the admixture events were mediated via the Mongolians Empire expansion during the formation of the Yuan dynasty