Identification, functional analysis of chitin-binding proteins and the association of its single nucleotide polymorphisms with Vibrio parahaemolyticus resistance in Penaeus vannamei.

Chitin-binding proteins (CBPs) play pivotal roles in numerous biological processes in arthropods, including growth, molting, reproduction, and immune defense. However, their function in the antibacterial immune defense of crustaceans remains relatively underexplored. In this study, twenty CBPs were identified and characterized in Penaeus vannamei.

Deletion of the foxO1 gene reduces hypoxia tolerance in zebrafish embryos by influencing erythropoiesis.

FoxO1 (Forkhead box O1) belongs to the evolutionarily conserved FoxO subfamily and is involved in diverse physiologic processes, including apoptosis, cell cycle, DNA damage repair, oxidative stress and cell differentiation. FoxO1 plays an important role in regulating the hypoxia microenvironment such as cancers, but its role in hypoxia adaptation remains unclear in animals. To understand the function of foxO1 in hypoxia response, we constructed foxO1a and foxO1b mutant zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Genome-wide analysis of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter in Penaeus vannamei and identification of two ABC genes involved in immune defense against Vibrio parahaemolyticus by affecting NF-κB signaling pathway.

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters have crucial roles in various biological processes such as growth, development and immune defense in eukaryotes. However, the roles of ABC transporters in the immune system of crustaceans remain elusive. In this study, 38 ABC genes were systematically identified and characterized in Penaeus vannamei.

6His-tatritin promotes antimicrobial defense via regulating immune ability and intestinal microbial community in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella).

Antimicrobial peptides are small, cationic, and amphiphilic peptides found in most organisms, and many of these peptides have broad antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative, -positive bacteria and fungi. In the present study, a derivative of antimicrobial peptide Tatritin, 6His-Tatritin, was designed and expressed by Pichia pastoris using a constitutive vector pGAPZαA with the promoter of pGAP. The 6His-Tatritin had a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity based on the Oxford cup method and the micro broth dilution test.

Development and validation of tools for predicting the risk of death and ICU admission of non-HIV-infected patients with pneumonia.

Introduction: The mortality rate of non-HIV-infected pneumonia (PCP) is high. This research aimed to develop and validate two clinical tools for predicting the risk of death and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in non-HIV-infected patients with PCP to reduce mortality.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2012 and 2021.

Characterization of myogenic regulatory factors, myod and myf5 from Megalobrama amblycephala and the effect of lipopolysaccharide on satellite cells in skeletal muscle.

Myod and Myf5 are muscle-specific basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors that play essential roles in regulating skeletal muscle development and growth. In order to investigate potential function of myod and myf5 of Megalobrama amblycephala, an economically important freshwater fish species, in the present study, we characterized the sequences and expression profiles of M. amblycephala myod and myf5.

Identification of a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide From the Ancient Marine Arthropod Chinese Horseshoe Crab, .

Humoral immunity is the first line of defense in the invertebrate immune system, and antimicrobial peptides play an important role in this biological process. A novel antimicrobial peptide, termed Tatritin, was identified and characterized in hemolymph of Chinese horseshoe crab, , infected with Gram-negative bacteria transcriptome analysis. Tatritin was significantly induced by bacterial infection in hemolymph and gill.

The mechanism of Megalobrama amblycephala muscle injury repair based on RNA-seq.

Skeletal muscle myogenesis and injury-induced muscle regeneration contribute to muscle formation. Skeletal muscle stem cells, termed satellite cells (SCs), proliferate to repair injured muscle. To identify the molecular mechanism of regeneration after muscle injury as well as the genes related to muscle development in fish, in this study, the immunohistochemistry and the high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis were performed after Megalobrama amblycephala muscle was injured by needle stab.

miR-731 modulates the zebrafish heart morphogenesis via targeting Calcineurin/Nfatc3a pathway.

Background: Zebrafish miR-731 is orthologous of human miR-425, which has been demonstrated to have cardio-protective roles by a variety of mechanisms. The miR-731 morphants show pericardium enlargement, and many DEGs (differentially expressed genes) are enriched in 'Cardiac muscle contraction' and 'Calcium signaling pathway', implying that miR-731 plays a potential role in heart function and development. However，the in vivo physiological role of miR-731 in the heart needs to be fully defined.

Transcriptomic analysis of gills in nitrite-tolerant and -sensitive families of Litopenaeus vannamei.

Nitrite stress is a major environmental factor that limits aquatic animal growth, reproduction and survival. Even so, some shrimps still can withstand somewhat high concentrations of nitrite environment. However, few studies have been conducted about the tolerance molecular mechanism of Litopenaeus vannamei in the high concentration nitrite.

Lymphocyte subset analysis to evaluate the prognosis of HIV-negative patients with pneumocystis pneumonia.

Objectives: We analysed the peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients infected with pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) to determine the relationships between the levels of different types of lymphocytes and the prognosis of patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed HIV-negative patients with PCP diagnosed in our department. All the eligible patients underwent lymphocyte subset analysis on admission.

Immune Responses to Gram-Negative Bacteria in Hemolymph of the Chinese Horseshoe Crab, .

Chinese horseshoe crab, , is an ancient marine arthropod with a long evolutionary history. As a kind of living fossil species, the pathogen defenses of horseshoe crabs entirely depend on the innate immune system. Although, there are abundant immune molecules found in the horseshoe crab hemolymph, the biological mechanisms underlying their abilities of distinguishing and defending against invading microbes are still unclear.

Zebrafish miR-462-731 is required for digestive organ development.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as important regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression, play important roles in the occurrence and function of organs. In this study, morpholino (MO) knockdown of miR-462/miR-731 was used to investigate the potential mechanisms of the miR-462-731 cluster during zebrafish liver development. The results showed significant reduction of digestive organs, especially liver and exocrine pancreas after the miR-462/miR-731 knockdown, and those phenotypes could be partially rescued by corresponding miRNA duplex.

Integrated analysis of physiological, transcriptomic and metabolomic responses and tolerance mechanism of nitrite exposure in Litopenaeus vannamei.

Nitrite accumulation in aquatic environments is a potential risk factor that disrupts multiple physiological functions in aquatic animals. In this study, the physiology, transcriptome and metabolome of the control group (LV-C), nitrite-tolerance group (LV-NT) and nitrite-sensitive group (LV-NS) were investigated to identify the stress responses and mechanisms underlying the nitrite tolerance of Litopenaeus vannamei. After LV-NT and LV-NS were subjected to nitrite stress, the hemocyanin contents were significantly decreased, and hepatopancreas showed severe histological damage compared with LV-C.

High initial (1, 3) Beta-d-Glucan concentration may be a predictor of satisfactory response of c aspofungin combined with TMP/SMZ for HIV-negative patients with moderate to severe Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of combination therapy of caspofungin and TMP/SMZ (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) in moderate to severe pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) in patients without human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and the relationship between therapeutic effect and plasma (1, 3) Beta-d-Glucan (BDG) levels.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed HIV-negative patients with PJP diagnosed in our department, who were treated with combination therapy of caspofungin and TMP/SMZ or monotherapy of TMP/SMZ during a six and a half year period.

Results: A total of 126 moderate to severe PJP patients were enrolled in the study.

Stress response and tolerance mechanisms of ammonia exposure based on transcriptomics and metabolomics in Litopenaeus vannamei.

Ammonia, one of the major limiting environment factors in aquaculture, may pose a threat to the shrimp growth, reproduction and survival. In this study, to understand molecular differences of transcriptomic and metabolomic responses and investigate the tolerance mechanisms underlying ammonia stress in Litopenaeus vannamei, ammonia-tolerant family (LV-AT) and ammonia-sensitive family (LV-AS) of these two extreme families were exposed to high-concentration (NHCl, 46 mg/L) ammonia for 24 h. The comparative transcriptome analysis between ammonia-treated and control (LV-C) groups revealed involvement of immune defense, cytoskeleton remodeling, antioxidative system and metabolic pathway in ammonia-stress response of L.

Zebrafish miR-462-731 regulates hematopoietic specification and pu.1-dependent primitive myelopoiesis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play significant roles in both embryonic hematopoiesis and hematological malignancy. Zebrafish miR-462-731 cluster is orthologous of miR-191-425 in human which regulates proliferation and tumorigenesis. In our previous work, miR-462-731 was found highly and ubiquitously expressed during early embryogenesis.

The molecular characterization, expression pattern and alternative initiation of Megalobrama amblycephala Hif prolyl hydroxylase Phd1.

HIF prolyl hydroxylase 1 (PHD1) functions in prolyl hydroxylation on mammal hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF), important transcription factors involved in hypoxia, however the roles of Phd1 in fish remain unclear. In this study, the full-length cDNA and promoter sequences of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) phd1 gene were isolated by a modified RACE strategy. The phd1 cDNA was 2672 bp for encoding 481 amino acid residues.

Imaging Findings of Common Opportunistic Infections and Malignant Tumors in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Patients.

The incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has gradually increased in recent years.HIV mainly destroys the body's immune system,leading to decreased body resistance and thus the development of a variety of opportunistic infections and neoplastic diseases,especially in the digestive system. However,the clinical manifestations,laboratory findings,and physical examination results of these conditions are not specific.

The zebrafish miR-125c is induced under hypoxic stress hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and functions in cellular adaptations and embryogenesis.

Hypoxia is a unique environmental stress. Hypoxia inducible factor-lα (HIF-lα) is a major transcriptional regulator of cellular adaptations to hypoxic stress. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as posttranscriptional gene expression regulators occupy a crucial role in cell survival under low-oxygen environment.

Copper impairs zebrafish swimbladder development by down-regulating Wnt signaling.

Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are used widely in different fields due to their attractive and effective abilities in inhibiting bacteria and fungi, but little information is available about their biological effects and potential molecular mechanisms on fish development. Here, CuNPs and copper (II) ions (Cu) were revealed to inhibit the specification and formation of three layers of zebrafish embryonic posterior swimbladder and impair its inflation in a stage-specific manner. CuNPs and Cu were also revealed to down-regulate Wnt signaling in embryos.

Effect of Low Temperature on Globin Expression, Respiratory Metabolic Enzyme Activities, and Gill Structure of Litopenaeus vannamei.

Low temperature frequently influences growth, development, and even survival of aquatic animals. In the present study, physiological and molecular responses to low temperature in Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated. The cDNA sequences of two oxygen-carrying proteins, cytoglobin (Cygb) and neuroglobin (Ngb), were isolated.

Delays in HIV diagnosis and associated factors among patients presenting with advanced disease at a tertiary care hospital in Beijing, China.

Delayed diagnosis of HIV infection is associated with advanced immunosuppression and increased risk of onward transmission. Little data exists regarding factors associated with diagnostic delays among patients presenting with advanced HIV disease in China. Medical records of patients with HIV/AIDS hospitalized at a 2000-bed tertiary hospital in Beijing, China between 1997 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed.