Mollusc aquaculture homogenizes intertidal soft-sediment communities along the 18,400 km long coastline of China

Abstract Aim Molluscs are important grazers, filter and deposit feeders, scavengers and predators, which in turn are food for shorebirds, fish and people. Some species, targeted as human food, have been cultured along the Chinese coast for hundreds of years. To examine whether aquacultural practices have meanwhile affected biodiversity gradients, we measured mollusc community structure along the coast of China in habitats which are intensively used by humans. Location Chinese coast. Methods We sampled 21 intertidal sites spanning 20 latitudinal degrees and 18,400 km of coastline. We assessed alpha diversity to verify whether mollusc communities exhibit the expected biodiversity gradient with latitude and beta diversity gradients with distance. To examine whether human activities such as transportation and culturing could have affected these patterns, we distinguished commercial from non-commercial mollusc species and compared the differences in distribution, density, alpha diversity and beta diversity. Results We found non-commercial species showed the expected biodiversity gradients. Commercial species (a) dominated the intertidal mollusc communities at 19 of the 21 sites and compared with non-commercial species, (b) exhibited wider geographical distributions, (c) showed no significant change in Bray-Curtis index (abundance-based beta diversity) with either geographical or climatic distance, (d) exhibited lower average dissimilarities and (e) did not show a decrease in species richness and Shannon diversity with latitude. Combining all species, trends were the same as for the commercial species. Main conclusions A few cultured species dominated the intertidal mollusc communities in high densities along the Chinese coastline, taking over the ecological roles of the native species but not driving them extinct. In this way, aquacultural practices have exerted a homogenizing influence strong enough to erase basic biodiversity gradients. Since molluscs are food for the growing human population and the shrinking populations of migratory animals, coastal planning and management of both intertidal habitats and the exploitative activities employed need to incorporate these dimensions

Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of an Escherichia coliProduced Bivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: An Interim Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

HPV是一种常见的生殖道感染病毒，高危型HPV持续性感染能够导致几乎所有的宫颈癌，其中HPV 16型和18型危害最大，可导致约70%的宫颈癌。预防性HPV疫苗有望减少甚至最终消灭由疫苗型别导致的宫颈癌，降低HPV相关的疾病负担。该研究是在全国4个中心5个现场的18-45岁健康女性中进行的多中心、随机、双盲、对照（戊肝疫苗）的三期临床试验，该研究结果证实我校自主研发的双价人乳头瘤病毒疫苗（大肠杆菌）具有良好的安全性、免疫原性和免疫持久性，可有效地预防HPV 16型和/或18型相关的宫颈高度癌前病变及持续性感染。 该论文报告了我校和厦门万泰沧海生物技术有限公司自主研发的双价人乳头瘤病毒疫苗（大肠杆菌）三期临床试验的期中分析结果。这是第一个进入临床试验并提交药品注册申请的国产人乳头瘤病毒疫苗（HPV疫苗），有望成为世界上第四个上市的HPV疫苗，受到世界卫生组织和盖茨基金会等国际组织的高度关注。 中国医学科学院肿瘤医院乔友林教授、我校吴婷教授、广西壮族自治区疾病预防控制中心李荣成主任医师、江苏省疾病预防控制中心胡月梅主任医师、北京大学人民医院魏丽惠教授、中国食品药品检定研究院李长贵研究员、中国医学科学院肿瘤医院陈汶教授为该论文的共同第一作者，我校张军教授、夏宁邵教授和中国医学科学院肿瘤医院乔友林教授为该论文的共同通讯作者。【Abstract】Background The high cost and insufficient supply of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have slowed the pace of controlling cervical cancer. A phase 3 clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of a novel Escherichia coli-produced bivalent HPV-16/18 vaccine. Methods A multi-centre, randomized, double-blind trial started on November 22, 2012, in China. In total, 7372 eligible women aged 18-45 years were age-stratified and randomly assigned to receiving 3 doses of the test or control (hepatitis E) vaccine at months 0, 1 and 6. Co-primary endpoints included high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection (over 6 months) associated with HPV-16/18. The primary analysis was performed on a per-protocol susceptible population of individuals who were negative for relevant HPV type-specific neutralizing antibodies (at day 0) and DNA (at day 0 through month 7) and who received 3 doses of the vaccine. This report presents data from a pre-specified interim analysis used for regulatory submission. Results In the per-protocol cohort, the efficacies against high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection were 100.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 55.6% to 100.0%, 0/3306 in the vaccine group vs. 10/3296 in the control group) and 97.8% (95% CI = 87.1% to 99.9%, 1/3240 vs. 45/3246), respectively. The side effects were mild. No vaccine-related serious adverse events were noted. Robust antibody responses for both types were induced and persisted for at least 42 months. Conclusions The Escherichia coli-produced HPV-16/18 vaccine is well tolerated and highly efficacious against HPV-16/18 associated high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection in women.This work was supported by grants from the Chinese National High-tech R&D Program (863 program, 2012AA02A408), the Chinese National Major Scientific and Technological Special Project for “Significant New Drug Development” (2018ZX09308010 and 2012ZX09101316), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81673240 and U1705283), the Fujian Provincial Major Scientific and Technological Project (2015YZ0002), the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS, 2017-I2M-B&R-03, and 2016-I2M-1-019) and Xiamen Innovax. 该研究获得了国家高技术研究发展计划（863计划）、新药创制国家科技重大专项、国家自然科学基金、福建省科技重大专项、中国医学科学院医学与健康科技创新工程基金以及厦门万泰沧海生物技术有限公司的资助

Sonogram Structure and Timing of Duets of Western Black Crested Gibbon in Wuliang Mountain

We studied the sonogram and timing of duets of three groups of Central Yunnan western black crested gibbons ( Nomascus concolor jingdongensis ets was 12.9 min, and females produced 4.6 great calls during one duet bout. The intervals between two successive great calls were generally 115 s. There was no significant difference in the duration and frequency of the duet bouts, but there was significant difference in the number of the great calls and intervals between great calls among groups

Expression and functional analyses of a Kinesin gene GhKIS13A1 from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fiber

Abstract Background Cotton fiber, a natural fiber widely used in the textile industry, is differentiated from single cell of ovule epidermis. A large number of genes are believed to be involved in fiber formation, but so far only a few fiber genes have been isolated and functionally characterized in this developmental process. The Kinesin13 subfamily was found to play key roles during cell division and cell elongation, and was considered to be involved in the regulation of cotton fiber development. Results The full length of coding sequence of GhKIS13A1 was cloned using cDNA from cotton fiber for functional characterization. Expression pattern analysis showed that GhKIS13A1 maintained a lower expression level during cotton fiber development. Biochemical assay showed that GhKIS13A1 has microtubule binding activity and basal ATPase activity that can be activated significantly by the presence of microtubules. Overexpression of GhKIS13A1 in Arabidopsis reduced leaf trichomes and the percentage of three-branch trichomes, and increased two-branch and shriveled trichomes compared to wild-type. Additionally, the expression of GhKIS13A1 in the Arabidopsis Kinesin-13a-1 mutant rescued the defective trichome branching pattern of the mutant, making its overall trichome branching pattern back to normal. Conclusions Our results suggested that GhKIS13A1 is functionally compatible with AtKinesin-13A regarding their role in regulating the number and branching pattern of leaf trichomes. Given the developmental similarities between cotton fibers and Arabidopsis trichomes, it is speculated that GhKIS13A1 may also be involved in the regulation of cotton fiber development

New alkaloids from <i>Polygonatum zanlanscianense</i> Pamp

Sixteen alkaloid compounds were isolated from the dried rhizomes of P. zanlanscianense, including a pair of new enantiomers (R/S)-7'-ethoxy-trans-p-couma-royltyramine (1a/1b) and 14 known compounds (2-14) isolated from this plant for the first time. The structures of new compounds were identified by IR, NMR and MS spectroscopic analysis, and their absolute configurations were determined by comparison of the experimental and calculated ECD data.</p

A novel gene mutation (1292 deletion) in a Chinese family with cerebral cavernous malformations

OBJECTIVE: Hereditary cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are characterized by focal abnormalities of small blood vessels in the brain and consequent hemorrhage and seizures. Previous studies of this type of CCM have mainly reported on this disorder in Hispanic and Caucasian cases. Here, we report on hereditary CCM in a Chinese family further characterized by a novel CCM1 gene mutation. METHODS: We investigated a family of 21 members, of whom 3 died and 16 of the survivors became the subjects of this study by brain magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated abnormal results in 11 members (69% penetrance), including multiple intracranial lesions in seven cases and single lesions in four cases. The clinical manifestation of CCM was found in these cases. The youngest patient was 4 years old. The remaining 5 members were normal. Nucleotide sequencing analysis of the family member representing the index case and other affected members revealed a deletion frameshift mutation of A and T at nucleotides 1292 and 1293 in exon 13 of the CCM1 gene, which resulted in truncated encoding Krev interaction trapped-1 protein. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated a novel hereditary CCM1 gene mutation of 1292delAT, a finding that may contribute to the clarification of the mechanism of the disease