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Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) is a highly pathogenic double-stranded DNA virus, and the fatality rate of SGIV-infected grouper is more than 90%. Up to now, there is no effective methods to control the disease. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) might play an important role in individual growth and development, immune regulation and other life processes. In this study, lncRNAs were identified in Epinephelus coioides, an important economic aquaculture marine fish in China and Southeast Asia, and the regulatory relationships of lncRNAs and mRNA response to SGIV infection were analyzed. A total of 11,678 lncRNAs were identified and classified from the spleen and GS (grouper spleen) cells. 105 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) were detected during SGIV infection. The lncRNAs and the regulated mRNAs were analyzed using co-expression network, lncRNA target gene annotation and GO enrichment. At 24 and 48 h after SGIV infection, 118 and 339 lncRNA-mRNA pairs in GS cells were detected, and 728 and 688 differentially expressed lncRNA-mRNA pairs in spleen were obtained, respectively. GO and KEGG were used to predict the DE lncRNAs' target genes, and deduce the DE lncRNAs-affected signaling pathways. In GS cells, lncRNAs might participate in cell part, binding and catalytic activity; and lncRNAs might be involved in immune system process and transcription factor activity in spleen. These data demonstrated that lncRNAs could regulate the expression of immune-related genes response to viral infection, and providing a new insight into understanding the complexity of immune regulatory networks mediated by lncRNAs during viral infection in teleost fish.

Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) in mammals is a multifunctional protein. In this study, PCSK9 of marine fish Epinephelus coioides was characterized. The full-length cDNA of E. coioides PCSK9 was 2458 bp in length containing 185 bp 5' UTR, 263 bp 3' UTR and 2010 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 669 amino acids with the predicted molecular weight of 71 kDa and the theoretical PI of 6.6. Similar to other members of PCSK9 family, E. coioides PCSK9 has three conserved domains: Inhibitor_ I9 super family, Peptidases_ S8_ PCSK9_ Proteinase K_ like, and PCSK9_ C-CRD super family. E. coioides PCSK9 mRNA could be detected in all the tissues examined by real-time quantitative PCR, with the highest expression in the brain, followed by skin, trunk kidney, head kidney, intestine, blood, liver, spleen, gill, muscle and heart. E. coioides PCSK9 was distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. The expression of E. coioides PCSK9 was significantly upregulated during Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) infection. Upregulated PCSK9 could significantly affect the activities of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) promoter, SGIV-induced apoptosis, and the expressions of the key SGIV genes (ICP18, LITAT, MCP, and VP19) and the E. coioides proinflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α). The results illustrated that E. coioides PCSK9 might be involved in the pathogen infection by regulating the innate immune response.

Exocyst complex component 3 Sec6 of mammals, one of the components of the exocyst complex, participates in numerous cellular functions, such as promoting cell migration and inhibiting apoptosis. In this study, the Sec6 was obtained from Epinephelus coioides, an economically important cultured fish. The full length of E. coioides Sec6 was 2655 bp including a 245 bp 5' UTR, a 154 bp 3' UTR, and a 2256 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 751 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 86.76 kDa and a theoretical pI of 5.57. Sec6 mRNA was detected in all the tissues examined, but the expression level is different in these tissues. Using fluorescence microscopy, Sec6 were distributed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. After SGIV infection, the expression of E. coioides Sec6 was significantly up-regulated in both trunk kidney and spleen response to Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), an important pathogens of E. coioides. Sec6 could increase the SGIV-induced cytopathic effects (CPE), the expression of the SGIV genes VP19, LITAF, MCP, ICP18 and MCP, and the viral titers. Besides, E. coioides Sec6 significantly downregulated the promoter of NF-κB and AP-1, and inhibited the SGIV-induced apoptosis. The results demonstrated that E. coioides Sec6 might play important roles in SGIV infection.

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are important for maintaining protein homeostasis and cell survival. In this study, Hsp27 of Epinephelus coioides, an economically important marine fish in China and Southeast Asian countries, was characterized. E. coioides Hsp27 contains the consered ACD_HspB1_like domain and three p38 MAPK phosphorylation sites, located at Thr-13, Thr-60 and Ser-167. E. coioides Hsp27 was distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus, its mRNA was detected in all 14 tissues examined, and its expression was up-regulated after challenge with Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), an important E. coioides pathogen. Over-expression of E. coioides Hsp27 significantly upregulated the expressions of the key SGIV genes (VP19, LITAF, MCP, and ICP18), downgraded the expressions of the E. coioides immune factors (IRF3, IRF7, ISG15, and TRAF6) and proinflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-8), downgraded the activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), and substantially inhibited the cell apoptosis induced by SGIV infection. These data illustrated that E. coioides Hsp27 might be involved in SGIV infection by negatively regulating the innate immune response.

Objective To discuss the possible effects of microRNA-141 (miR-141) in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) via targeting death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1). Methods An SIC mouse model was constructed by abdominal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and divided into control, LPS, LPS + pre-miR-141, and LPS + anti-miR-141 groups. Hemodynamic indicators and heart function indexes of mice were detected. ELISA was used to determine the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, while TUNEL staining to observe the apoptosis of myocardial cells of mice, as well as qRT-PCR and Western blotting to clarify the expression of miR-141 and DAPK1. Lastly, in vitro experiment was also conducted on the primary neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (NRVCMs) to validate the results. Results Mice in the LPS group, as compared to the control group, had lower left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular fractional shortening, left ventricular systolic pressure, and ±dp/dt, but a higher left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, while the serum expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and cTn-T was up-regulated evidently with the increased apoptotic index of myocardial tissues. However, miR-141 and Bcl-2/Bax were down-regulated with elevated DAPK1 and cleaved caspase-3. The above changes were ameliorated in mice from the LPS + pre-miR-141 group relative to the LPS group, while those in the LPS + anti-miR-141 group were further deteriorated. In vitro experiment showed that miR-141 overexpression could reduce the apoptosis of LPS-induced NRVCMs and the levels of inflammatory cytokines with the increased cell viability. Conclusion MiR-141 could decrease inflammatory response and reduce myocardial cell apoptosis by targeting DAPK1, thereby playing the promising protective role in SIC.

Objective The purpose of this study is to uncover the controversial problems and review the safety of extracranial-intracranial arterial bypass (EC-IC arterial bypass) in the treatment of moyamoya disease. Methods Published randomized controlled clinical trials were searched from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of science without date or language limitations until September 2016. Meta-analysis was performed as recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration of trials. Results In total 2 studies were included by strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The result of meta-analysis showed that surgical group had a greater reduction of the primary end points (OR [0.35], 95% CI [0.15, 0.84], I = 0%) than that of the nonsurgical group. Conclusion Surgical therapy significantly lowers incidence of the primary end points (including rebleeding attack; completed stroke resulting in significant morbidity; mortality from any medical cause and requirement for bypass surgery fora nonsurgical patient as determined by a registered neurologist) compared with nonsurgical therapy. High-quality randomized controlled trials are required to confirm this conclusion.

Background The present meta-analysis aimed to summarize the inconsistent findings on the association of apolipoprotein M gene (ApoM) rs805296 polymorphism with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), and to obtain a more authentic result about this topic. Material/Methods A total of 7 available articles were identified through electronic databases – PubMed, EMBASE, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) – and their useful data were carefully extracted. The relationship between ApoM rs805296 polymorphism and CAD risk was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), which were calculated using the fixed- or random-effects model, according to the degree of heterogeneity. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test, sensitivity test, and publication bias examination were also performed in this meta-analysis. Results According to the pooled results, ApoM rs805296 polymorphism conferred an increased risk of CAD under all the genetic contrasts: CC versus TT, CC + TC versus TT, CC versus TT+TC, C versus T, and TC versus TT (OR=2.13, 95% CI=1.16–3.91; OR=1.80, 95% CI=1.50–2.17; OR=1.91, 95% CI=1.04–3.51; OR=1.72, 95% CI=1.45–2.04; OR=1.78, 95% CI=1.47–2.15). Conclusions ApoM rs805296 polymorphism may be a risk factor for developing CAD.

This paper proposes that arrays of spatio-temporal data matrix was constructed by the arrays of the received signal delayed in time gradient, Meanwhile, applying the method of ESPIRT to get the twiddle factor of the received signal array element and the array element of the time and the space, finally get the final information of Doppler frequency and the information of arrival angle though applying least squares method.

In this paper, the basis function of TDCS system (Transform Domain Communication System) is used to design cognitive radar transmitter waveform. Based on the noise environment, the waveform can be adjusted adaptively. Then after clipping to reduce the PAPR (Peak to Average Power Ratio) of radar echo signal, the obtained signal is used as the next launch of the radar signal. The cognitive radar transmitter requires a nonlinear waveform to improve the efficiency of radar transmitter power amplifier, so reducing the PAPR of signal is essential. This paper presents the gray complementary sequence is applied to TDCS communication systems, and then it needs to reduce PAPR of signals by clipping. Proven, PAPR of the transmitted signal is maintained at about 3.25dB, and the signal has a low probability of intercept, high anti-interference ability and distant target detection range.

It has been demonstrated that mature cells could switch their fate by the technologies for reprogramming, such as somatic cell nuclear transfer and induced pluripotent stem cells. Recently, this conclusion was further confirmed. It was found that mature differentiated cells could be directly converted into other somatic cells or progenitors with some defined transcription factors. This technology is called lineage reprogramming, which provides an attractive novel alternative to regenerative medicine and animal biotechnology. It is a more convenient and more effective system with less ethical issues. Moreover, lineage reprogramming technology could also facilitate researches on regulation of gene expression. This review highlights the procedures of reprogramming, its characteristics, and significant promise in biomedical applications.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a commonly encountered disease that greatly endangers human beings. Its clinical symptoms in Chinese medicine are mainly chest distress, heart region pain, palpitation, and shortness of breath, and the disease is considered belonging to the categories of Xiong-bi (胸痹) and cardialgia. The pathogenesis of CHD is very complex (1) , and lots of materials have illustrated that thrombosis plays an important role in the genetic and developing process of CHD. Thrombosis is closely related with vascular endothelial injury, platelet activation, and the blood coagulation-fibrinolytic system, and detection of thrombosis-associated factors, including von Willebrand factor (vWF), D-dimer, and fibrinogen (Fg), can help in understanding the severity of the hyper-coagulative manner and the probable occurrences of thrombosis and thrombo-embolism, benefit the diagnosis and judgment of prognosis and clinical efficacy in CHD patients, and provide a scientific theoretical and experimental basis for enriching and developing Chinese medicine syndrome typing of CHD.

Wei Liu1,*, Jun-yu Peng2,*, Fen Li1, Hong-yan Sun3, Ying Ding1, Jing He1, Yi Liu11College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha; 2NeX Eco-Agriculture Technologies, Inc, Chenzhou, Hunan; 3Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology of Guangdong Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: In this study, methods for the in vitro microculture of Histomonas meleagridis were defined to lay the foundation for further study of its diagnosis, life cycle, and pathogenic mechanism.Methods: After serial dilutions of H. meleagridis, a single parasite was taken and cultured at 40°C. Its proliferation was checked by microscopy, and an 18S rRNA gene fragment of H. meleagridis was amplified using specific primers (Hmf/Hmr) and sequenced. The sequences were assembled manually and aligned using the Clustal X 1.81 program.Results: Two tubes showed proliferation of parasites and, after infection with parasites from these tubes, acute histomoniasis was rapidly induced in turkeys. 18S rRNA gene fragments of the two strains were 492 and 495 base pairs in length, respectively, and the sequence homologies with known H. meleagridis sequences were both 99.4%. Sequence homology between these two strains was 99.6%, and the variation between the two sequences and Trichomonas was more than 20%.Conclusion: We conclude that microculture can produce high-purity and highly pathogenic H. meleagridis. Keywords: Histomonas meleagridis, microculture technology, polymerase chain reaction, identification&nbsp