Integrative transcriptomic analysis reveals a broad range of toxic effects of triclosan on coral Porites lutea.

Triclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial agent commonly used in personal care products. However, little is known about its toxicity to corals. Here, we examined the acute toxic effects (96 h) of TCS at different levels to the coral Porites lutea.

Rapid adsorptive removal of emerging and legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from water using zinc chloride-modified litchi seed-derived biochar.

The present study successfully synthesized a novel biochar adsorbent (M-L-BC) using litchi seed modified with zinc chloride for PFASs removal in water. M-L-BC greatly enhanced removal of all examined PFASs (>95 %) as compared to the pristine biochar (<40 %). The maximum adsorption capacity was observed for PFOS, reaching 29.

Simultaneous determination of trace marine lipophilic and hydrophilic phycotoxins in various environmental and biota matrices.

An efficient and sensitivity approach, which combines solid-phase extraction or ultrasonic extraction for pretreatment, followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, has been established to simultaneously determine eight lipophilic phycotoxins and one hydrophilic phycotoxin in seawater, sediment and biota samples. The recoveries and matrix effects of target analytes were in the range of 61.6-117.

Parabens and their metabolite in a marine benthic-dominated food web from the Beibu gulf, South China Sea: Occurrence, trophic transfer and health risk assessment.

Parabens are of particular concern due to their ubiquity in aquatic environments and endocrine-disrupting effects. However, information on their bioaccumulation and trophic magnification is limited. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive survey to investigate the occurrence, bioaccumulation and trophic magnification of parabens and their metabolite 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HB) in a marine food web from the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea.

Differential Impairment of Thalamocortical Structural Connectivity in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Aims: The thalamus is a major relay station that modulates input from many cortical areas and a filter for sensory input and is involved in the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, it still remains unclear whether all thalamocortical networks are affected or whether there is selective vulnerability. In this study, we aimed to study the selective vulnerability of different thalamocortical structural connections in ALS and to test the hypothesis of a specific impairment in motor-related thalamocortical connectivity.

Artificial induction of genetic competence in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens isolates.

Objectives: To induce natural genetic competence in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens isolates through overexpression of the master regulator, ComK, from B. subtilis (ComK ).

Results: Plasmid pUBXC carrying the xylose-inducible comK expression cassette was constructed using plasmid pUB110 as a backbone.

Amplitude of low-frequency oscillations in Parkinson's disease: a 2-year longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Neuroimaging studies have found that functional changes exist in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in patients with PD are task-related and cross-sectional. This study investigated the functional changes observed in patients with PD, at both baseline and after 2 years, using resting-state fMRI.

The complete mitochondrial genome of black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes (Mustela, Mustelinae).

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes, is determined for the first time. This mitogenome is 16,556 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 1 control region (D-loop). The overall base composition is A (32.

[A study of 152 cases of pulmonary fungal infection: reevaluation of the microbiological spectra].

Objective: To investigate the microbiological spectra and clinical outcome of patients with pulmonary fungal infections.

Methods: All the cases of clinically diagnosed pulmonary fungal infection from January 2002 to June 2006 were reevaluated according to the definitions of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycosis Study Group (EORTC/MSG), and the etiology of the patients were analyzed.

Results: Pulmonary fungal disease was classified as proven (n = 38), probable (n = 24), possible (n = 35) and colonization (n = 55).