Publications by authors named "Hong-Thih Lai"

Color preference assay is a test for an animal's innate and adaptive response to differentiate colors and can be used as an endpoint for psychoactive activity evaluation. Several color preference test methods in aquatic animals that can be used to perform behavioral screening have been established. However, the color preference test conditions have yet to be extensively studied and standardized in aquatic invertebrates.

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The transparent appearance of fish embryos provides an excellent assessment feature for observing cardiovascular function in vivo. Previously, methods to conduct vascular function assessment were based on measuring blood-flow velocity using third-party software. In this study, we reported a simple software, free of costs and skills, called OpenBloodFlow, which can measure blood flow velocity and count blood cells in fish embryos for the first time.

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In this paper, we review the effects of large-scale neonicotinoid contaminations in the aquatic environment on non-target aquatic invertebrate and vertebrate species. These aquatic species are the fauna widely exposed to environmental changes and chemical accumulation in bodies of water. Neonicotinoids are insecticides that target the nicotinic type acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the central nervous systems (CNS) and are considered selective neurotoxins for insects.

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  • Artificial sweeteners are commonly used to reduce calorie intake and prevent obesity, but their environmental release has significantly increased.
  • The study investigates the effects of eight artificial sweeteners on zebrafish cardiovascular performance at a concentration relevant to environmental exposure.
  • Findings suggest that while artificial sweeteners generally appear safe, certain sweeteners like saccharine may increase heart rate and dopamine levels, indicating potential effects on cardiovascular physiology.
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Recently, medaka has been used as a model organism in various research fields. However, even though it possesses several advantages over zebrafish, fewer studies were done in medaka compared to zebrafish, especially with regard to its behavior. Thus, to provide more information regarding its behavior and to demonstrate the behavioral differences between several species of medaka, we compared the behavioral performance and biomarker expression in the brain between four medaka fishes, , , , and .

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As a nicotinoid neurotoxic insecticide, imidacloprid (IMI) works by disrupting nerve transmission via nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Although IMI is specifically targeting insects, nontarget animals such as the freshwater shrimp, , could also be affected, thus causing adverse effects on the aquatic environment. To investigate IMI toxicity on nontarget organisms like , their physiology (locomotor activity, heartbeat, and gill ventilation) and biochemical factors (oxidative stress, energy metabolism) after IMI exposure were examined.

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Water fleas are a good model for ecotoxicity studies, and were proposed for this purpose by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, due to their easy culture, body transparency, and high sensitivity to chemical pollution. Cardiovascular function parameters are usually used as an indicator of toxicity evaluation. However, due to the nature of the heart and blood flow, and the speed of the heartbeat, it is difficult to perform precise heartbeat and blood flow measurements with a low level of bias.

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  • * Zebrafish and water flea daphnia were used in this research to assess pesticide toxicity by monitoring changes in locomotor activity after exposure to 12 types of pesticides.
  • * The study found that daphnia exhibited reduced movement (hypo-activity), while zebrafish showed increased movement (hyper-activity) in response to the same pesticides, indicating different sensitivities and responses between the two species.
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  • Rising energy demands and the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions have boosted solar power projects globally, with floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems emerging as a solution for areas with limited land.
  • A dynamic model simulating biochemical processes in milkfish ponds covered by FPV was validated against real data and evaluated for ecological impacts, finding that while fish production may slightly decline due to lower oxygen levels, the energy generation from FPV is significant.
  • The study suggests that utilizing FPV on Taiwan's aquaculture ponds could exceed the government's solar power target, advocating for updated regulations to maximize the benefits of this new technology.
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The residues of lincomycin (LIN), an antibiotic administered to aquatic animals, are often detected in aquatic environments. This study investigated effects of three environmental factors, sunlight, microbial activity, and temperature, on declines of spiked LIN in waters and sediment slurry samples collected from freshwater tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and marine shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) culture ponds. The results showed that sunlight, temperature, and microbial activity all accelerated LIN transformation in the water and slurry samples.

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  • The study developed a quick bioassay to measure xeno-estrogen pollution in Taiwan's rivers using male prawns (Macrobrachium nipponense) that produce vitellogenin (VTG) in response to these pollutants.
  • The method involved creating a calibration curve to correlate VTG levels with varying concentrations of 17β-estradiol over time, establishing that the VTG response stabilized after 10 days except at the highest exposure level.
  • The findings indicated widespread pollution in Taiwan's rivers, with concentrations of xeno-estrogens detected in the middle and lower reaches, highlighting significant environmental concerns.
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Danofloxacin is an antibacterial drug of the fluoroquinolone group developed for therapeutic purposes in veterinary medicine. The studies described here include investigations of the residues following a single dose or multiple doses of danofloxacin. Residue depletion studies were performed to determine residues in plasma and tissues of saltwater tilapia fish (Oreochromis mossambicus) after a single oral administration of danofloxacin at the dose of 10 mg/kg body weight and also after daily dose of 10 mg/kg body weight for five consecutive days.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute and chronic toxicity of sulfamonomethoxine (SMM) to aquatic organisms to evaluate its impact at different trophic levels in the ecosystem. Regarding the growth inhibition of microalgae, SMM exhibited 72-h median effective concentration (EC50) values of 5.9mgL(-1) for freshwater Chlorella vulgaris and 9.

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  • - This study is the first to explore how to effectively oxidize two sulfonamide antibiotics, sulfadimethoxine (SDM) and sulfamonomethoxine (SMM), using a new laccase and different mediators.
  • - Optimal conditions for the laccase-mediator system varied by mediator but generally included specific pH levels and temperatures, with ABTS and VLA having lower toxicity during processing compared to SIR.
  • - The laccase demonstrated stability and resistance to dialysis, making it suitable for reuse in the oxidation process, which is advantageous for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
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In this study, the transformation of sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs, 50 mg L(-1)) was investigated in systems consisting of a fungal laccase (6 IU) and six mediators (1mM). The results illustrate that the laccase had limited effect on the removal of sulfadimethoxine and sulfamonomethoxine. However, laccase oxidation with the mediators (LMS) led to significant declines of the SAs.

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  • The study investigated how different types of light (natural, visible, and ultraviolet), microbial activity, and oxygen levels affect the breakdown of sulfonamide antibiotics in shrimp pond water and sediment.
  • Results indicated that exposure to natural light and microbial activity significantly reduced the concentration of these antibiotics, with half-lives decreasing in non-sterile samples compared to sterilized ones.
  • Ultraviolet light was found to degrade the antibiotics much faster than visible light, and anaerobic conditions in sediment also enhanced the degradation process, particularly involving certain types of bacteria.
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This study investigated the effects of light (visible light - 5800 lux, 24h) or dark regime and aerobic or anaerobic condition on the decay of added oxolinic acid (OA) at 5, 10 and 20 mg L(-1) in eel pond sediment. An asymptotic decaying exponential model C(t)=C(min)+C(o) × exp (-k × t) was used to facilitate quantitative approach to OA transformation, where C(t) is the concentration of OA after t days, C(min) the estimated level-off concentration of OA residue, C(o) the concentration of added OA and k the decaying coefficient. OA decayed faster under light (C(min)=4.

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Enrofloxacin (ENR) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) are two fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics widely used to treat diseases of human beings and cultured animals. These two FQs are usually detected in the effluent of municipal sewage plants and related aquatic environments. The purpose of this study was to understand the fates of ENR and CIP in aquaculture pond water and a sediment slurry in a laboratory-scale experiment.

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Bacterial adherence to epithelial cells is a key virulence trait of pathogenic bacteria. The type 1 fimbriae and the P-fimbriae of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) have both been described to be important for the establishment of urinary tract infections (UTI). To explore the interactions between the host and bacterium responsible for the different environments of UPEC invasion, we examined the effect of pH and osmolarity on UPEC strain J96 fimbrial expression, and subsequent J96-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression in different uroepithelial cells.

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Oxolinic acid (OA) and flumequine (FLU) are two of the quinolone antibiotics (QAs) that are widely used in aquaculture. The purpose of this study was to understand the fates of OA and FLU in waters and sediment slurries from aquaculture ponds in a laboratory experiment. Waters and sediments were sampled from an eel (Anguilla japonica) pond and a shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) pond.

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This study investigated the growth inhibition effects of three phenicol antibiotics on microalgae used in aquaculture. Different dose levels of chloramphenicol (CAP), florfenicol (FF), and thiamphenicol (TAP) were added to cultures of one freshwater green alga, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, and two marine algae, Isochrysis galbana and Tetraselmis chui. For the two marine algae, FF showed higher toxicity levels (EC50, 1.

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