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Larmichthys crocea (L. crocea) is an economically important fish species mainly distributed off the coast of China. In this study, 11 L. crocea samples of different body lengths were collected from aquaculture cages in the East China Sea to measure the acoustic target strength (TS). Using the Kirchhoff-Ray mode (KRM) model, the directional TS of L. crocea was measured at frequencies of 70 kHz, 120 kHz, and 200 kHz. Furthermore, the relationships between TS and body length were determined using the least squares method and the standard b20 equation. The results showed that the TS of L. crocea varied with tilt angle, frequency, and body length. For tilt angles ranging from (−5°, 15°), the equation for fitting TS and body length using the least squares method were TS = 32.99·log10L − 87.36 (70 kHz), TS = 33.26·log10L − 87.77 (120 kHz), and TS = 39.46·log10L − 95.51 (200 kHz). They were expressed in the standard b20 equation as TS = 20·log10L − 71.16 (70 kHz), TS = 20·log10L − 71.23 (120 kHz), and TS = 20·log10L − 71.24 (200 kHz). For tilt angles ranging from (0°, 10°), the equation for fitting TS and body length using the least squares method is TS = 28.69·log10L − 81.71 (70 kHz), TS = 32.30·log10L − 86.44 (120 kHz), and TS = 45.87·log10L − 103.73 (200 kHz). They were expressed in the standard b20 equation as TS = 20·log10L − 70.88 (70 kHz), TS = 20·log10L − 71.10 (120 kHz), and TS = 20·log10L − 71.48 (200 kHz). Moreover, the 18–300 kHz spectral curve showed a decreasing trend in the frequency range from 18 kHz to 30 kHz, while maintaining relatively stable fluctuations in the other frequency ranges. These findings offer a comprehensive understanding of the scattering characteristics of L. crocea and provide a reliable reference of TS for the fishery acoustic assessment of L. crocea.

Abstract Background Recent findings elucidated hepatic PPARγ functions as a steatogenic-inducer gene that activates de novo lipogenesis, and is involved in regulation of glucose homeostasis, lipid accumulation, and inflammation response. This study delved into a comprehensive analysis of how PPARγ signaling affects the exercise-induced improvement of insulin resistance (IR) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), along with its underlying mechanism. Methods Chronic and acute swimming exercise intervention were conducted in each group mice. IR status was assessed by GTT and ITT assays. Serum inflammatory cytokines were detected by Elisa assays. PPARγ and its target genes expression were detected by qPCR assay. Relative protein levels were quantified via Western blotting. ChIP-qPCR assays were used to detect the enrichment of PPARγ on its target genes promoter. Results Through an exploration of a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced IR and NAFLD model, both chronic and acute swimming exercise training led to significant reductions in body weight and visceral fat mass, as well as hepatic lipid accumulation. The exercise interventions also demonstrated a significant amelioration in IR and the inflammatory response. Meanwhile, swimming exercise significantly inhibited PPARγ and its target genes expression induced by HFD, containing CD36, SCD1 and PLIN2. Furthermore, swimming exercise presented significant modulation on regulatory factors of PPARγ expression and transcriptional activity. Conclusion The findings suggest that swimming exercise can improve lipid metabolism in IR and NAFLD, possibly through PPARγ signaling in the liver of mice.

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of butylphthalide combined with donepezil versus butylphthalide monotherapy for the treatment of vascular dementia. Methods Randomized controlled trials were searched in electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Wan Fang, and China Biology Medicine from inception to 29 November 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the papers and extracted data from the included studies. The data were processed using RevMan5.4 statistical software. Results Nine randomized controlled trials (n = 1024) were included in this meta-analysis. Regarding the primary outcomes, compared with butylphthalide monotherapy, combined butylphthalide and donepezil treatment exhibited significantly greater total clinical efficacy (relative risk = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [1.17, 1.31]) and did not increase the adverse event rate (relative risk = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [0.91, 2.14]). Regarding the secondary outcomes, the meta-analysis results for the Mini-Mental State Examination, abilities of daily living, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores and the interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and superoxide dismutase blood levels all supported combined butylphthalide and donepezil treatment. Conclusion Butylphthalide combined with donepezil may be a better treatment strategy than donepezil alone for the treatment of vascular dementia in clinical practice.

Naturally occurring nontrivial protein topologies not only draw increasing attention on the relationships between topology and protein function, but also stimulate research endeavors in harnessing topology as a unique dimension for protein engineering. However, artificial design and synthesis of protein topologies is still in its infancy with successes only on a few simple topologies and its development is limited by the small number of intertwined protein motifs known to date. Herein, we report a systematic framework for the discovery of symmetric intertwined protein motifs from Protein Data Bank. The symmetric protein assemblies were screened based on their calculated Gauss linking number to assess their extent of chain intertwining. Then, the potential of such symmetric intertwined motifs in designing complex protein topologies is evaluated based on several parameters, including buried surface area, N-C terminal distances and so on, giving rise to a library of premium intertwined motifs useful for protein topology engineering. Taking C2 assemblies for example, the potential biological significances of chain intertwining in protein architectures are also discussed based on the analysis of their postulated biological functions. With an expanded toolbox of intertwined motifs, the design space of topological proteins would be greatly expanded to enable a broader scope for the application of protein topology engineering.

Abstract Background Gliomas are highly complex and heterogeneous tumors, rendering prognosis prediction challenging. The advent of deep learning algorithms and the accessibility of multi-omic data represent a new approach for the identification of survival-sensitive subtypes. Herein, an autoencoder-based approach was used to identify two survival-sensitive subtypes using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and DNA methylation (DNAm) data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. The subtypes were used as labels to build a support vector machine model with cross-validation. We validated the robustness of the model on Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) dataset. DNAm-driven genes were identified by integrating DNAm and gene expression profiling analyses using the R MethylMix package and carried out for further enrichment analysis. Results For TCGA dataset, the model produced a high C-index (0.92 ± 0.02), low brier score (0.16 ± 0.02), and significant log-rank p value (p

Studies on the demersal fish composition of the East Antarctic nearshore region are very scarce due to the harsh physical geography of the East Antarctic region, which is covered in ice and snow year round, leading to a scarcity of scientific surveys. Based on the data from the bottom trawl survey conducted by the 37–38th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE) program in the Cosmonaut Sea, East Antarctica, the species of demersal fishes were identified, and the demersal fish composition and the characteristics of depth distribution were examined and analyzed. The basic biological information of highly abundant species was analyzed. The results from 97 individuals sampled within 30–60° E, south of −65° S, indicate that the fishes belong to 5 orders, 11 families, 19 genera, and 23 species. Most of the species are found in Myctophidae and Bathydraconidae, and the most common species is Macrourus whitsoni (Macrouridae). Macrourus whitsoni and Prionodraco evansii have a high abundance in the survey. Macrourus whitsoni has body lengths of 144–662 mm and body weights of 17.3–1425.1 g, and Prionodraco evansii has body lengths of 90.18–134.33 mm and body weights of 4.9–20.7 g. The length–weight relationships for Macrourus whitsoni and Prionodraco evansii are y=0.00002x2.748 and y=0.000006x3.353, respectively. All the Macrourus whitsoni samples were found in waters deeper than 1000 m, with the highest number of individuals captured at depths of 1500–2000 m. Prionodraco evansii was found only at stations less than 250 m deep. These results complement the demersal fish composition and distribution data of the Cosmonaut Sea, East Antarctica. These data can provide valuable basic information for characterizing regional assemblages and delineating zoogeographic boundaries.

BackgroundThe diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is complex and there are no biomarkers for early identification. Many studies have reported altered gut microbiota in patients with PD compared with healthy individuals. However, results from previous studies vary across countries.AimsThe aim of this study was to identify gut microbiota biomarkers that could be used as a marker for the diagnosis of PD.MethodsFirstly, the differential gut microbiota was obtained by meta-analysis, and then the results of meta-analysis were validated through metagenomic cohort. Finally, the ROC curve was drawn based on the metagenomic validation results.ResultsThe meta-analysis showed a lower relative abundance of Prevotellaceae (p < 0.00001) and Lachnospiraceae (p = 0.002), and a higher of Ruminococcaceae (p < 0.00001), Christensenellaceae (p = 0.03), Bifidobacteriaceae (p < 0.00001), and Verrucomicrobiaceae (p = 0.23) in patients with PD. Only Bifidobacteriaceae was also at high levels in the validation cohort of the metagenome. Meanwhile, three species from the Bifidobacteriaceae, including Scardovia_inopinata (p = 0.022), Bifidobacterium_dentium (p = 0.005), and Scardovia_wiggsiae (p = 0.024) were also high. The ROC curve showed that the three species (71.2%) from Bifidobacteriaceae had good predictive efficiency for PD.ConclusionElevated Bifidobacteriaceae may be associated with PD. Elevated three species from the Bifidobacteriaceae, including Scardovia_inopinata, Bifidobacterium_dentium and Scardovia_wiggsiae may provide new potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of PD.

ABSTRACT Aims/Introduction Few people have reported whether there are sex differences in blood lipids and lipid ratios in type 2 diabetic foot (T2DF) patients in China. This study attempts to identify the contribution to sex‐specific differences in blood lipids and lipid ratios in these patients. Materials and Methods In this case–control study, we explore 306 patients with T2DF as the study group and 306 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus as the control group. Patients were diagnosed according to the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes–2014 (American Diabetes Association). Blood lipid and lipid ratios were determined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Results We studied male patients with T2DF who were aged 68.00 years (18.00 years) and females who were aged 73.50 years (19.00 years); 61.76% of the patients were men. Men had higher body mass index and glycated hemoglobin levels than women. Compared with type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, T2DF patients had significant differences in total cholesterol/high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol/HDL‐C and apolipoprotein (apo)B/apoA‐I ratios. HDL‐C, triglyceride, apoA‐I and apoB/apoA‐I ratio showed cardiovascular disease risk in men, whereas total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, apoB, and the low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol/HDL‐C and total cholesterol/HDL‐C ratios were better predictors in women. The apoB/apoA‐I ratio odds ratio values were 2.18 (95% confidence interval 1.17–4.41) and 2.14 (95% confidence interval 1.14–4.00) in male patients with T2DF before and after adjusting for age, respectively (P

Sexual growth dimorphism is a common phenomenon in teleost fish and has led to many reproductive strategies. Growth- and sex-related gene research in teleost fish would broaden our understanding of the process. In this study, transcriptome sequencing of shortfin scad Decapterus macrosoma was performed for the first time, and a high-quality reference transcriptome was constructed. After identification and assembly, a total of 58,475 nonredundant unigenes were obtained with an N50 length of 2,266 bp, and 28,174 unigenes were successfully annotated with multiple public databases. BUSCO analysis determined a level of 92.9% completeness for the assembled transcriptome. Gene expression analysis revealed 2,345 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the female and male D. macrosoma, 1,150 of which were female-biased DEGs, and 1,195 unigenes were male-biased DEGs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in biological processes including protein synthesis, growth, rhythmic processes, immune defense, and vitellogenesis. Then, we identified many growth- and sex-related genes, including Igf, Fabps, EF-hand family genes, Zp3, Zp4 and Vg. In addition, a total of 19,573 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were screened and identified from the transcriptome sequences. The results of this study can provide valuable information on growth- and sex-related genes and facilitate further exploration of the molecular mechanism of sexual growth dimorphism.

Dongshan Bay is located on the west side of the Taiwan Strait, which had abundant fishery resources in the past. With the increase in fishing pressure, resources have declined. To restore the fishery resources in Dongshan Bay and to increase fishing yield, much enhancement and release work has been carried out in Dongshan Bay. The yellowfin seabream, Acanthopagrus latus (Houttuyn, 1782), is an important enhancement species in Dongshan Bay that is also frequently captured. Due to yearly progress in enhancement and release, it is necessary to study the current status of the genetic diversity of yellowfin seabream in Dongshan Bay. The results show that all yellowfin seabream populations have high genetic diversity, which is mainly related to its breeding habits and growth rate, and this ensures a large recruitment stock in the natural seas. The current population has differentiated from the historical population due to a change in genetic structure, and many historical haplotypes have been lost. The results of this study provide a reference for fishery management departments to formulate management measures and conservation policies specifically for yellowfin seabream. In particular, yellowfin seabream is a hermaphroditic and protandrous species. Targeting an older age group as the main fishing subject is not conducive to its breeding protection and resource growth, and therefore, fishing of an older age group should be restricted in fishery production.

Some cephalopods are important fishery resources, with some major economic species living in pelagic waters, possessing short life history cycles, and responding strongly to environmental changes. The analysis of cephalopod community species composition, catch distribution, and their relationship with environmental factors in important marine areas can provide a basic reference for cephalopod biogeography and resource development and utilization. In this study, based on the cephalopod survey data in the spring of 2015 and summer of 2016 in the Pacific Ocean, we analyzed the cephalopod species composition, diversity index (the Margalef richness index, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, and Pielou uniformity index), main contributing species, and catch distribution in the two seasons of spring and summer in the Pacific Ocean. We also analyzed the relationship between cephalopod catch, each diversity index, and environmental factors in each season using the GAM model. The results show that 18 species of cephalopods were captured in the spring and summer, the Margalef richness index, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, and Pielou uniformity index in summer was higher than that in spring; the average catch biomass in spring was significantly higher than that in summer. The main contributing species in spring was Todarodes pacificus, while the main contributing species in summer was Ommastrephes bartramii. The interaction of the “longitude” and “latitude” has a great impact on cephalopod catch biomass in spring, and “sea surface temperature” has a great impact on cephalopod catch biomass in summer. The results of the study can provide a basic reference for the study of cephalopod diversity and resource development and utilization in the Pacific Ocean.

Fisheries management policies (FMPs) have been implemented in coastal countries to ensure a sustainable supply of seafood and the recovery of species diversity. Because of the depletion of fishery stocks, China has introduced a series of FMPs since 1995, including a seasonal fishing moratorium (SFM), a zero-growth strategy, and a minimum mesh size for fishing nets. Here, we built two mass balance models for 1997–2000 (M1997) and 2018–2019 (M2018) using Ecopath with Ecosim 6.6 to illustrate the interannual changes over the past two decades in the East China Sea (ECS). We then simulated two dynamic scenarios from 1997 to 2018, SFM (M2018SFM) and no SFM (M2018no-SFM), to test the role of the SFM under fishing pressure in the ECS. Ecopath showed that the ECS ecosystem is becoming more mature, although it is still unstable, featuring lower total primary production/total respiration, longer cycles, faster organic material circulation speed, and a higher omnivorous degree. This suggests a slow recovery for the ECS ecosystem in the past two decades. The biomass of fish in the ECS—especially the planktivores, dominated by small-sized Benthosema pterotum—significantly increased in M2018 versus M1997, but there were fewer medium- and large-sized fish. The keystone species switched from the planktivores/piscivores dominated by Decapterus maruadsi in M1997 to planktivores in M2018. Ecosim illustrated that the SFM has positive effects on fishery resources recovery, especially for commercial fishes (i.e., large yellow croakers and hairtails), as reflected by the significantly higher predicted biomass of fish in M2018SFM compared to M2018no-SFM and M1997, although the bioaccumulation was consumed by the intense fishing pressure after the SFM. However, the M2018SFM prediction for nektons was still lower than the actual value, especially for planktivores, which display a sharp increase in biomass. This should be partly attributable to the policy of the minimum mesh size (

BackgroundPatients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at high risk of developing heart failure and anemia, which is defined as type 4 cardiorenal-anemia syndrome (CRAS). CRAS aggravates the deterioration of both kidney and heart function, ultimately resulting in a high mortality. This study aims to examine the efficacy and safety of roxadustat in the treatment of type 4 CRAS.Methods and DesignThis study is designed as a randomized, open-label, controlled trial. A total of 68 patients diagnosed with type 4 CRAS will be randomly divided into roxadustat group and erythropoietin with a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the roxadustat group will receive roxadustat with an initial dose of 70 or 100 mg three times a week, and participants in the erythropoietin group will receive subcutaneous injection of erythropoietin for 24 weeks, to maintain a hemoglobin ranging from 100 to 120 g per liter. The primary outcome is the change in heart function, including brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), 6-min walk test (6-WT), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Secondary outcomes to be assessed include death, cardiovascular events, hospitalization regarding heart failure, Minnesota Heart Failure Quality of life scale (MLHFQ) score, New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function grade, echocardiographic parameters including left ventricular diastolic diameter and volume (LVDD and LVDV) and ventricular mass (LVM), anemia related parameters, inflammatory parameters, and safety assessments.ConclusionThe findings of this study will provide potential evidence for roxadustat in CRAS management.Trial RegistrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ID: ChiCTR2100050031. Registered on 16 August 2021.

Decapterus macarellus and D. macrosoma are economically important pelagic fish species that are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical seas. The two species are often mistakenly identified due to their morphological similarities as described in the Chinese literature on fish identification. In this study, D. macarellus and D. macrosoma samples were collected in the Eastern Indian Ocean and the South China Sea and reidentified using morphological and DNA barcoding techniques. The characteristics that distinguish the two species primarily include the scute coverage of the straight portion of the lateral line (the most indicative characteristic for classification), the shape of the predorsal scaled area and its location relative to the middle axis of the eye, and the shapes of the posterior margin of the maxilla and the posterior margin of the operculum. The results revealed a large number of misidentified sequences among the homologous cytochrome oxidase (COI) sequences of the two species in the NCBI database and that the genus Decapterus may include cryptic species. In terms of genetic structure, the Sundaland has not blocked genetic exchange between D. macarellus populations in the South China Sea and the Eastern Indian Ocean, giving rise to a high level of genetic diversity. In this study, we made corrections to the Chinese classification standards for D. macarellus and D. macrosoma and the erroneous reference sequences in the NCBI database, thereby providing accurate reference points for the future exploration of cryptic species in the genus Decapterus.

Clinical indicators do not adequately predict the long-term prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The low-density lipoprotein (LDL)/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio is expected to be a reliable predictor of the long-term prognosis of these patients. This study aimed to explore the correlation between the LDL/HDL ratio and long-term prognosis in STEMI patients undergoing PCI. Patients with confirmed STEMI who underwent PCI in 7 hospitals in China from January 2009 to December 2011 were enrolled. Information about clinical endpoints, including all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events, was collected. Overall, 915 patients were included for analysis, the average follow-up time was 112.2 months. According to the LDL/HDL ratio, the patients were divided into 3 groups using the three-quantile method: low (LDL/HDL≤1.963), medium (1.963

In this study, we conducted two surveys in the central and southern parts of the South China Sea, in autumn 2012 and spring 2013. Six juvenile tuna species were caught in each survey. Gradient forest analysis (GFA) and a generalized additive model (GAM) were used to analyze the relationship between the catch per unit effort (CPUE) for the juvenile tuna species and six sea temperature indices for the South China Sea. In the GFA, the temperature difference between the sea surface and 50 m depth (D50) showed the highest importance to CPUE than other indices, which indicates that D50 was the best predictor of the abundance of juvenile tuna species. The GAM analysis showed that lower deep-water temperature, a shallow mixed layer depth, and a higher difference in temperature between the surface and deeper water were associated with increased CPUE. The results indicate that a relatively rapid decrease in vertical water temperature is favorable for the aggregation of juvenile tuna. These results contribute to understanding of the distribution mechanism of juvenile tuna species in the South China Sea and provide a scientific basis for the rational development and utilization of tuna resources.

Thermal management has become a crucial issue for the rapid development of electronic devices, and thermal interface materials (TIMs) play an important role in improving heat dissipation. Recently, carbon−based TIMs, including graphene, reduced graphene oxide, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with high thermal conductivity, have attracted great attention. In this work, we provide graphene−carbon nanotube composite films with improved electrical and thermal conductivities. The composite films were prepared from mixed graphene oxide (GO) and CNT solutions and then were thermally reduced at a temperature greater than 2000 K to form a reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/CNT composite film. The added CNTs connect adjacent graphene layers, increase the interlayer interaction, and block the interlayer slipping of graphene layers, thereby improving the electrical conductivity, through−plane thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties of the rGO/CNT composite film at an appropriate CNT concentration. The rGO/CNT(4:1) composite film has the most desired properties with an electrical conductivity of ~2827 S/cm and an in−plane thermal conductivity of ~627 W/(m·K). The produced rGO/CNT composite film as a TIM will significantly improve the heat dissipation capability and has potential applications in thermal management of electronics.

The Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) fishery is the largest fishery in the Southern Ocean, and it has been operating for over 45 years. In the past decade, the spatial distribution of the krill fishery has focused on the Bransfield Strait off the Antarctic Peninsula (subarea 48.1). However, the high fishing effort and climate change have placed great pressure on krill resources in this region, and conservation concerns have been raised. Because aging krill is difficult and uncertain, we developed an integrated size-structured model to estimate the fishing mortality, recruitment and spawning biomass of krill. The results indicated that in 1992–2011, the average spawning biomass of krill ranged from 1.14 × 106 to 1.45 × 106 tons, the estimated biomass of the maximum sustainable yield (BMSY) ranged from 3.96 × 105 to 4.90 × 105 tons and the estimated average recruitment ranged from 2.3 × 1012 to 5.03 × 1012 individuals in the research area. We explored the effect of different data weighting schemes for the length data on the assessment output. However, our estimates also have uncertainties. In addition, an attempt was made to analyze the correlation between model-estimated recruitment and mature biomass with climate change. Future stock assessments of krill resources should be comprehensive and multimethod, and the management of krill resources should be based on science that considers the demand of fishing communities and ecosystem protection.

Hepatocellular carcinoma results in a high risk of second primary malignancies and has prominent morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of effective treatment and prognosis is poor. Therefore, effective drugs need to be discovered. Carrimycin is a 16-member macrolide antibiotic with anticancer activity, and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I is a main component. The aim of this study was to determine the anti-tumor effects of carrimycin and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I on hepatocellular carcinoma through in vivo and in vitro experiments. In vitro, changes in cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were analyzed by MTT, colony formation, EdU labeling, wound-healing, matrigel transwell invasion, and flow cytometric assays using SK-Hep1, Hep3B, SNU-354, SNU-387 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to detect the effects of carrimycin and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I on the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Nude mice were subcutaneously transplanted with SK-Hep1 cells or C57BL/6J mice were orthotopically transplanted with hepatocarcinoma H22 cells. Tumor volume, pathological changes in tumor tissues, and the concentration of VEGF in mouse serum were measured after treatments. Carrimycin and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I dose-dependently inhibited hepatocellular carcinoma cell viability, colony formation, and DNA replication. These agents markedly suppressed migration and invasion and promoted apoptosis of the cell lines. Western blotting and RT-PCR demonstrated that carrimycin and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I reduced VEGF and PD-L1 protein and mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo studies further confirmed that carrimycin and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I could significantly inhibit tumor growth, tumor histopathological alterations, and the concentration of VEGF in both mouse tumor models. These results show that carrimycin and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I promoted apoptosis and inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Therefore, our discovery suggests anti-tumor capacity for carrimycin and monomeric isovalerylspiramycin I and provides data on potential new drugs for inhibiting hepatocellular carcinoma.

The Ninety East Ridge is a submarine north–south oriented volcanic ridge in the eastern Indian Ocean. Surface-layer ichthyoplankton collected in this area from September to October were identified by combined morphological and molecular (DNA barcoding) techniques, and their species composition, diversity, and abundance, and correlations with environmental variables were described. Collections comprised 109 larvae and 507 eggs, which were identified to 37 taxa in 7 orders, 20 families, and 27 genera, and were dominated by the order Perciformes and species Vinciguerria sp., Oxyporhamphus micropterus, and Decapterus macarellus. Species abundances at each station and of each species were relatively low, suggesting that this area or the time of sampling were not of major importance for fish spawning. Waters above Ninety East Ridge had lower species diversity but higher species richness than waters further offshore. A generalized additive model revealed that high abundance of ichthyoplanktonic taxa occurred in areas with low sea surface height and high sea surface salinity, temperature, and chlorophyll a concentration. Of these, sea surface height was most correlated with ichthyoplankton abundance. We provided baseline data on surface-dwelling ichthyoplankton communities in this area to aid in development of pelagic fishery resources in waters around the Ninety East Ridge.

Objective: Adenomatous polyposis coli 2 (APC2) is a colorectal cancer (CRC) tumor-suppressor gene. The progression of several kinds of cancer is closely associated with Forkhead box O4 (FOXO4). However, the function of FOXO4 in CRC is unclear. This study focused on the role of FOXO4 and the relationship between FOXO4 and APC2 in CRC migration and metastasis.Methods: The expressions of FOXO4, APC2, and p(S37)-β-catenin were detected in CRC tissues by immunohistochemistry, and their correlation was analyzed using the Spearman coefficient. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was used to test whether FOXO4 binds and regulates APC2 as a transcription factor. Either FOXO4 overexpression or APC2 knockdown was performed in CRC cell lines. The roles of FOXO4 and APC2 were investigated in CRC migration and metastasis.Results: FOXO4 was downregulated in CRC tissues compared with normal tissues and positively correlated with APC2 and p(S37)-β-catenin. FOXO4 could combine the promoter region of APC2 to upregulate its expression and increase the phosphorylated degradation of β-catenin. Stemness genes (CD133, ABCG1, and SOX2) were inhibited by FOXO4 overexpression in SW620 and HCT116 cell lines. Overexpressed FOXO4 suppressed epithelial–mesenchymal transition and the migration of CRC cell lines and metastasis of HCT116 in both the spleen and liver of nude mice, which was reversed by APC2 knockdown.Conclusion: This research demonstrates that overexpressed FOXO4 inhibits the migration and metastasis of CRC cells by enhancing the APC2/β-catenin axis, suggesting that FOXO4 is a potential therapeutic target of CRC.

Gastrointestinal dysfunction plays an important role in the occurrence and development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study investigates the composition of the gut microbiome using shotgun metagenomic sequencing in PD patients in central China. Fecal samples from 39 PD patients (PD group) and the corresponding 39 healthy spouses of the patients (SP) were collected for shotgun metagenomics sequencing. Results showed a significantly altered microbial composition in the PD patients. Bilophila wadsworthia enrichment was found in the gut microbiome of PD patients, which has not been reported in previous studies. The random forest (RF) model, which identifies differences in microbiomes, reliably discriminated patients with PD from controls; the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.803. Further analysis of the microbiome and clinical symptoms showed that Klebsiella and Parasutterella were positively correlated with the duration and severity of PD, whereas hydrogen-generating Prevotella was negatively correlated with disease severity. The Cluster of Orthologous Groups of protein database, the KEGG Orthology database, and the carbohydrate-active enzymes of gene-category analysis showed that branched-chain amino acid–related proteins were significantly increased, and GH43 was significantly reduced in the PD group. Functional analysis of the metagenome confirmed differences in microbiome metabolism in the PD group related to short-chain fatty acid precursor metabolism.

The blockchain is a ledger of accounts and transactions that are written and stored by all participants. It promises a reliable source of truth about the state of farms, inventories and contracts in agriculture, where the collection of such information is often incredibly costly. The blockchain technology can track the provenance of food and thus helps create trustworthy food supply chains and build trust between producers and consumers. As a trusted way of storing data, it facilitates the use of data-driven technologies to make farming smarter. In addition, jointly used with smart contracts, it allows timely payments between stakeholders that can be triggered by data changes appearing in the blockchain This article examines the applications of blockchain technology in food supply chains, agricultural insurance, smart farming, transactions of agricultural products for both theoretical and practical perspectives. We also discuss the challenges of recording transactions made by smallholder farmers and creating the ecosystem for utilizing the blockchain technology in the food and agriculture sector.

Abstract Peer effects in innovation adoption decisions have been extensively studied. However, the underlying mechanisms of peer effects are generally not explicitly accounted for. Gaps in this knowledge could lead to misestimation of peer effects and inefficient interventions. This study examined the role of two mechanisms—sharing experiences (namely, experience effect) and externalities—in the adoption of an agricultural innovation. By referring to the diffusion process of a new crop in Chinese villages, we developed a simulation model that incorporated experience effect and externality effect on a multiplex network. The model allowed us to estimate the influence of each specific effect and to investigate the interplay of the positive and negative directions of the effects. The main results of simulation experiments were the following: (1) a negative externality effect in the system caused the diffusion of innovation to vary around a middle-level rate, which resulted in a fluctuating diffusion curve rather than a commonly found S-shaped one; (2) in the case of full diffusion, experience effect significantly shaped the diffusion process at the early stage, while externality effect mattered more at the late stage; and (3) network properties (i.e. connectivity, transitivity, and network distance) imposed indirect influence on diffusion through specific peer effects. Overall, our study illustrated the need to understand specific causal mechanisms when studying peer effects. Simulation methods such as agent-based modelling provide an effective approach to facilitate such understanding.

Empirical studies on social diffusions are often restricted by the access to data of diffusion and social relations on the same objects. We present a set of first-hand data that we collected in ten rural villages in central China through household surveys. The dataset contains detailed and comprehensive data of the diffusion of an innovation, the major social relationships and the household level demographic characteristics in these villages. The data have been used to study peer effects in social diffusion using simulation models, “Peer Effects and Social Network: The Case of Rural Diffusion in Central China” [1]. They can also be used to estimate spatial econometric models. Data are supplied with this article. Keywords: High-value crop, Diffusion, Social networks, Rural China, Household survey

Background: The aim of this study was to observe the effect of intensive statin therapy on symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis. Methods: overall, 120 patients with symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis were admitted to the Xiangyang No.1 People’s Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, China from January 2010 to May 2013. They were randomly divided into three groups and were given different doses of atorvastatin orally for 1 year or more, and followed up for 12 months. The three groups were assessed for clinical end-point event rates and changes in cerebral blood flow value before and after treatment to assess the effectiveness of intensive statin therapy. Results: The incidence rates of end-point cerebrovascular events in the low-dose group (10 mg/d), the general-dose group (20 mg/d) and the intensive treatment group (40 mg/d) were 26.3%, 13.5% and 5.4% respectively during the 12-month follow-up after treatment. There was a significant difference between the low dose group and the intensive treatment group (P

Lycodes polaris is one of the most widely distributed and abundant eelpout species on the Arctic continental shelves with full mitogenome information unavailable. In this paper, complete mitochondrial genome of L. Polaris was determined with 16,595 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 non-coding regions (origin of light strand replication and control region). All the protein-coding genes choose ATG as start codon in addition to that COI using GTG. Most genes use TAA or TAG as the stop codon while three others ended with incomplete stop codons. Phylogenetic relationship of L. polaris was also reconstructed. Our result will provide important basis for further studies of L. polaris.

The complete mitochondrial genome was determined for Arctic staghorn sculpin Gymnocanthus tricuspis (Reinhardt, 1830), which is considered an important part of Arctic food webs. The mitogenome sequence is 16,570 bp in length containing 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and 2 non-coding regions consist of control region (CR) and light-strand replication origin (OL). The overall base composition of the mitogenome was estimated to be A 23.2%, T 29.0%, C 28.8%, and G 19.0%. The complete mitochondrial genome data will provide useful genetic information for future genetic variation identification and genetic diversity evaluation of this important species in Arctic Ocean.

Lycodes brevipes is one of the representative species of zoarcid fishes with little genetic information. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of L. brevipes was sequenced by long PCR and primer walking methods. The mitogenome is a circular molecule of 16,537 bp in length including the structure of 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and two non-coding regions (origin of light strand replication and control region). The present study also revealed the phylogenetic relationship of this species at the molecular level using NJ algorithm. The mitogenome of L. brevipes provides essential genetic data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses.

Myoxocephalus scorpius (Linnaeus, 1758) is the second abundant fish species in coastal Arctic ecosystems with very less genetic information. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of M. scorpius was sequenced with 16,626 bp in length, including the structure of 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and two non-coding regions (origin of light strand replication and control region). All the protein-coding genes use ATG as start codon except COI using GTG. Most of them have TAA or TAG as the stop codon while COII, ND4, and Cyt b use T–. Phylogenetic tree involving all the available Arctic fish was also reconstructed and can provide further genetic analysis for this species.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is an important chemokine at multiple phases of atherosclerosis in animals, but human studies are few and inconsistent. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of serum MCP-1 with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and determine whether this biomarker can add secondary prognostic value to standard risk predictors.MCP-1 was measured at baseline in 1411 CAD patients who were 40-85 years of age. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association of MCP-1 levels with death risk.During a median follow-up of 3.3 years, 117 deaths were recorded, 88 of which were due to CVD. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios across tertiles of MCP-1 were 1.51 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.89-2.58), 1.00, and 2.11 (95% CI 1.31-3.40) for all-cause mortality, and 1.50 (95% CI 0.80-2.81), 1.00, and 2.21 (95% CI 1.27-3.87) for CVD mortality. The addition of serum MCP-1 to the fully adjusted model increased the C-index by 0.009 (p