Characteristics of pathology and transcriptome profiling reveal features of immune response of acutely infected and asymptomatic infected of carp edema virus in Koi

Koi sleepy disease (KSD) is a high mortality and infection viral disease caused by carp edema virus (CEV), which was a serious threat to aquaculture of common carp and export trade of Koi worldwide. Asymptomatic infection is an important cause of the difficulty in preventing KSD and its worldwide spread, because asymptomatic infection can be activated under appropriate condition. However, the understanding of the molecular correlates of these infections is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the pathology change, enzyme activity, immunoglobulin activity, host and viral gene expression differences in acutely infected and cohabiting asymptomatic Koi infected with CEV. Healthy Koi were used as a control. The gross pathology, histopathology and ultrastructural pathology showed the difference and characteristics damage to the tissues of Koi under different infection conditions. Periodic Acid-Schiff stain (PAS), enzyme activity and immunoglobulin activity revealed changes in the immune response of gill tissue between acutely infected, asymptomatic infected and healthy Koi. A total of 111 and 2484 upregulated genes and 257 and 4940 downregulated genes were founded in healthy Koi vs asymptomatic infected Koi and healthy Koi vs acutely infected Koi, respectively. Additionally, 878 upregulated genes and 1089 downregulated genes were identified in asymptomatic vs. acutely infected Koi. Immune gene categories and their corresponding genes in different comparison groups were revealed. A total of 3, 59 and 28 immune-related genes were identified in the group of healthy Koi vs asymptomatic infected Koi, healthy Koi vs acutely infected Koi and asymptomatic infected Koi vs acutely infected Koi, respectively. Nineteen immune-related genes have the same expression manner both in healthy Koi vs acutely infected Koi and asymptomatic Koi vs acutely infected Koi, while 9 immune-related genes were differentially expressed only in asymptomatic Koi vs acutely infected Koi, which may play a role in viral reactivation. In addition, 8 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were validated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), and the results were consistent with the RNA-Seq results. In conclusion, the data obtained in this study provide new evidence for further elucidating CEV-host interactions and the CEV infection mechanism and will facilitate the implementation of integrated strategies for controlling CEV infection and spread

Establish and apply ISI pathological method to evaluate the intestinal health of largemouth bass (<em>Micropterus salmoides</em>) and channel catfish (<em>Ictalurus punctatus</em>) challenged with <em>Aeromonas hydrophila</em>

Gut health is essential for animal growth because it can absorb nutrients more efficiently, promote growth, and protect the body from invasion by pathogenic microorganisms. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, water quality, nutrition level, pathogen, net fishing, and so on will affect the gut health of aquatic animals. Intestinal diseases in aquatic animals were often not easily detected, making them difficult to prevent and control. Therefore, establishing a stable and scientific evaluation standard of gut health was of great significance. This study evaluated the effects of gross pathological and histological parameters of largemouth bass and channel catfish infected by Aeromonas hydrophila. A total of 150 largemouth bass and 150 channel catfish were randomly divided into 5 groups: 1 control group (NC) and 4 challenge groups (CH, fish were infected with A. hydrophila by intraperitoneal injection with a concentration of 200 µL 1x108 CFU/mL, 1x107 CFU/mL, 1x106 CFU/mL, and 1x105 CFU/mL, respectively). After the challenge, largemouth bass' gross pathological and histological changes were observed on the 2nd, 6th, 9th, 12th, and 14th days. In contrast, channel catfish's gross pathological and histological changes were observed on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, and 15th day. In this study, regarding the “I See Inside” (ISI) methodology of poultry, a pathological evaluation method of fish intestinal health was established to comprehensively evaluate the intestinal health status of fish by gross pathological and histopathological score. In gross pathology, it was scored by the body surface and intestinal lesions. In histology, it was a metric evaluation of histological alterations in the intestine, converting macroscopic and microscopic alterations into numbers and then scoring. Each evaluation parameter sets up an “influence factor” (IF) according to the degree of influence of its pathological changes on intestinal function. The final score was the sum of the IF product and this parameter's score. The results of two kinds of fish showed that the gross pathological and histopathological scores correlated with the infection dose and time. And the significant difference in the score between the enteritis and control groups was observed. The results showed that the higher score, the more serious the pathological changes of fish infected by A. hydrophlia. From this, it can be concluded that the pathological evaluation method established can be used to evaluate the gut health of fish

A Pectic Polysaccharide from Sijunzi Decoction Promotes the Antioxidant Defenses of SW480 Cells

Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) is a formula used for the treatment of spleen deficiency and gastrointestinal diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Polysaccharides are reported to be the main components of SJZD responsible for its bio-functions. However, highly purified and clearly characterized polysaccharides from SJZD are not well described. Here we obtained a purified polysaccharide (SJZDP-II-I) from SJZD using ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Structure analysis by FT-IR and NMR identified SJZDP-II-I as a typical pectic polysaccharide with homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan type I regions and arabinogalactan type I and II as side chains. In vitro studies indicated that SJZDP-II-I treatment could significantly enhance the total antioxidant capacity of SW480 cells, resulting from the promoted expressions of antioxidant enzymes and their master regulator PGC-1α, which would be valuable for further research and applications

Modeling Accumulated Volume of Landslides Using Remote Sensing and DTM Data

Landslides, like other natural hazards, such as avalanches, floods, and debris flows, may result in a lot of property damage and human casualties. The volume of landslide deposits is a key parameter for landslide studies and disaster relief. Using remote sensing and digital terrain model (DTM) data, this paper analyzes errors that can occur in calculating landslide volumes using conventional models. To improve existing models, the mechanisms and laws governing the material deposited by landslides are studied and then the mass balance principle and mass balance line are defined. Based on these ideas, a novel and improved model (Mass Balance Model, MBM) is proposed. By using a parameter called the “height adaptor”, MBM translates the volume calculation into an automatic search for the mass balance line within the scope of the landslide. Due to the use of mass balance constraints and the height adaptor, MBM is much more effective and reliable. A test of MBM was carried out for the case of a typical landslide, triggered by the Wenchuan Earthquake of 12 May 2008