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Ikzf1 is a Kruppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor that plays indispensable roles in T and B cell development. Although the function of Ikzf1 has been studied extensively, the molecular mechanism underlying T lymphopoiesis remains incompletely defined during the embryonic stage. Here we report that the genetic ablation of ikzf1 in mutant zebrafish resulted in abrogated embryonic T lymphopoiesis. This was ascribed to impaired thymic migration, proliferation, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). Ccr9a and Irf4a, two indispensable factors in T lymphopoiesis, were the direct targets of Ikzf1 and were absent in the ikzf1 mutants. Genetic deletion of either ccr9a or irf4a in the corresponding mutant embryos led to obvious T cell development deficiency, which was mainly caused by disrupted thymic migration of HSPCs. Restoration of ccr9a in ikzf1 mutants obviously promoted HSPC thymus homing. However, the HSPCs then failed to differentiate into T cells. Additional replenishment of irf4a efficiently induced HSPC proliferation and T cell differentiation. Our findings further demonstrate that Ikzf1 regulates embryonic T lymphopoiesis via Ccr9 and Irf4 and provide new insight into the genetic network of T lymphocyte development.

Myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (Mypt1) is the regulatory subunit of myosin phosphatase which dephosphorylates the light chain of myosin II to inhibit its contraction. Although biochemical properties of Mypt1 have been characterized in detail, its biological functions in organisms are not well understood. The zebrafish mypt1 sq181 allele was found defective in the ventral pancreatic bud and extrapancreatic duct development, resulting in dysplasia of exocrine pancreas. In mypt1 sq181 mutant, the early growth of the ventral pancreatic bud was initiated but failed to expand due to impaired cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis. As Mypt1 is essential for cell migration, the loss-of-function of Mypt1 in the mutant disrupted the lateral plate mesoderm migration during gut looping, therefore, altering the Bmp2a expression pattern within it, and eventually leading to impaired Bmp signaling in the adjacent exocrine pancreas. Overexpression of bmp2a could rescue the development of exocrine pancreas, suggesting that the impaired Bmp2a signaling is responsible for the pancreatic development defects. Bmp2a has been reported to promote the early specification of the ventral pancreatic bud, and our study reveals that it continues to serve as a cell proliferation/survival signal to ensure pancreatic bud growth properly in zebrafish.

Genome editing by the well-established CRISPR/Cas9 technology has greatly facilitated our understanding of many biological processes. However, a complete whole-genome knockout for any species or model organism has rarely been achieved. Here, we performed a systematic knockout of all the genes (1333) on Chromosome 1 in zebrafish, successfully mutated 1029 genes, and generated 1039 germline-transmissible alleles corresponding to 636 genes. Meanwhile, by high-throughput bioinformatics analysis, we found that sequence features play pivotal roles in effective gRNA targeting at specific genes of interest, while the success rate of gene targeting positively correlates with GC content of the target sites. Moreover, we found that nearly one-fourth of all mutants are related to human diseases, and several representative CRISPR/Cas9-generated mutants are described here. Furthermore, we tried to identify the underlying mechanisms leading to distinct phenotypes between genetic mutants and antisense morpholino-mediated knockdown embryos. Altogether, this work has generated the first chromosome-wide collection of zebrafish genetic mutants by the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, which will serve as a valuable resource for the community, and our bioinformatics analysis also provides some useful guidance to design gene-specific gRNAs for successful gene editing.

The mechanisms that ensure fertilization of egg by a sperm are not fully understood. In all teleosts, a channel called the ‘micropyle’ is the only route of entry for sperm to enter and fertilize the egg. The micropyle forms by penetration of the vitelline envelope by a single specialized follicle cell, the micropylar cell. The mechanisms underlying micropylar cell specification and micropyle formation are poorly understood. Here, we show that an effector of the Hippo signaling pathway, the Transcriptional co-activator with a PDZ-binding domain (Taz), plays crucial roles in micropyle formation and fertilization in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Genome editing mutants affecting taz can grow to adults. However, eggs from homozygous taz females are not fertilized even though oocytes in mutant females are histologically normal with intact animal-vegetal polarity, complete meiosis and proper ovulation. We find that taz mutant eggs have no micropyle. Taz protein is specifically enriched in mid-oogenesis in the micropylar cell located at the animal pole of wild type oocyte, where it might regulate the cytoskeleton. Taz protein and micropylar cells are not detected in taz mutant ovaries. Our work identifies a novel role for the Hippo/Taz pathway in micropylar cell specification in zebrafish, and uncovers the molecular basis of micropyle formation in teleosts., Author summary In many fish, sperm enters eggs through a specialized channel called the ‘micropyle’. The micropyle is formed by a special follicle cell, the ‘micropylar cell’, which sits on the top of the developing egg during oogenesis, and forms the sperm entry canal. The underlying mechanisms of this process are unknown. We find that Taz, an effector of an important signaling pathway, the Hippo pathway, is specifically enriched in micropylar cells in zebrafish, and regulates formation of the micropyle. Loss of Taz function in females results in no micropylar cells, failure to form a micropyle on eggs, which are consequently, not fertilized. Our study identifies a new role for the Hippo/Taz pathway in cell fate specification in the ovary, and reveals a potential mechanism for forming the sperm entry port. Similar mechanisms might operate in other fish as well.

Suspended mariculture has significantly influences on the benthic sediment. However, our understanding on how bacterial communities respond to mariculture induced changes in redox profiles is limited. In present study, sediments from two maricultures and reference areas were collected and incubated for 28 day. The results indicated that the dominant pathway of organic matter mineralization in the sediment varied from groups, in the reference, it was the iron reduction, but in the two mariculture groups it was the SO42− reduction. Remarkable changes of bacteria community were recorded in the aerobic zone, where the abundances of 14 OTUs belonging to Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria were significantly higher than that in oxidation and anaerobic zones. However, 4 keystone OTUs were strictly anaerobic and belonging to Desulfobacteraceae (n = 3) and Marinilabiaceae (n = 1). The main environmental drivers determining sediment bacterial distribution were the particle organic carbon, dissolve oxygen, NO3−, and moisture content.

As a member of Sciaenidae, Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis) generate sounds using sonic muscles to drive the swim bladder. In this study, the drumming sounds of Chinese bahaba in two groups differing in body size were recorded in an indoor aquarium and an outdoor pond. A piecewise exponential oscillation function was developed to synthesize the signals with a good agreement. Statistical comparisons found that the oscillation frequency and damping coefficient (part 1) of synthesized signals from larger-sized fish were lower. The results suggest that the acoustic characteristics of Chinese bahaba signals are related to fish morphology as the physiological age alters.

Phytoplankton biomass and production coupled with environmental parameters were investigated in northwestern South China Sea during the South China Sea Open Cruise by R/V “ Shiyan 3 ” in September 2009. Both satellite and in situ data indicated that cold eddy decreased sea surface temperature and enhanced Primary production (PP) around Xisha Island adjacent sea. Nutricline, thermocline and chlorophyll a contour line were coincident generally in the eastern part of the Y area, indicating the impact of hydrological processes on ecological and environmental profiles. PP decreased with the increasing water depth in the euphotic layer, and the maximum value appeared in the surface layer. The surface PP value was 0.59 mgC m −3 h −1 and the integrated primary production (IPP) was 250 mgC m −2 d −1 at Y2, slightly lower than that at X5, with the surface PP value of 0.66 mgC m −3 h −1 and the IPP value of 259.33 mgC m −2 d −1 . The descend range of IPP in Y area was higher than the ascensional range in X area, indicating that the impact of cold eddy on phytoplankton biomass and production was more obvious than the impact of the warm eddy in this study.

Urban rail transit is the construction project under the planning and huge investment of the government. How to effectively conduct investment regulation and control becomes the core question that the government departments are concerned about. In this paper, the relations among government, owner and contractor are studied and the static and dynamic game model is built for behaviors among each subject from the perspective of governmental investment regulation through game theory. Game analysis result shows: (1) the lower the governmental regulation cost the heavier the government's punishment for the owner due to its fail in due diligence and the more the owner's possibility of strict scrutiny; (2) the higher the owner's examination the less willing the owner to conduct narrow examination and the more contractor’s possibility to choose fraudulent conducts; (3) In case of higher income of owner and contractor under their collusion strategy and lower cost of governmental regulation, the owner and contractor can adopt collusion strategy while the government can adopt regulatory strategy. In case of lower income of owner and contractor under their collusion strategy and higher cost of governmental regulation, the owner and contractor should not adopt collusion strategy while the government should adopt regulatory strategy. The research result provides theoretical basis for the government to formulate relevant policies for investment regulation of urban rail transit project.

Spatial patterns of planktonic ciliate communities were studied to monitor marine water quality during winter, spring, summer, and autumn of 2014 in Daya Bay, South China Sea. A total of 41 species, with eight dominant species, were identified. Multivariate and univariate analyses demonstrated that spatial taxonomic pattern of planktonic ciliate communities was significantly correlated with environmental condition; ciliate abundance, species diversity, and species richness were significantly correlated with NO3– and salinity or temperature. Additionally, two dominant species (Tintinnopsis minuta Wailes, 1925 and Tintinnopsis beroidea Stein, 1867) were significantly positively correlated with nutrients, particularly with nitrogen nutrients. Three dominant species (Strombidium conicum (Lohmann, 1908) Wulff, 1919; Spirotontonia turbinata (Song & Bradbury, 1998) Agatha, 2004; Laboea strobila Lohmann, 1908) showed more sensitivity to salinity, whereas Mesodinium rubrum (Lohmann, 1908) was significantly correlated with temperature. Our findings suggest that planktonic ciliate communities can be considered a favorable bioindicator of marine water quality.

Ciliates are very important components in most marine ecosystem. They are trophic link between the microbial food web and grazing food chain. In this study, ciliates were collected from 11 sites in the southern South China Sea (SCS) during August 25 to September 28, 2011. Their composition and distribution at the surface and 75 m deep depth of the ocean were studied. A total of 30 species belonging to 22 genera were identified, and 22 species of 15 genera were Tintinnids. Eutintinnus fraknoii and E. stramentus were the most common species. The other dominants were strombidiids ciliates including Strombidium conicum and S. globosaneum, which were followed by the tide form, Mesodinium pulex. Ciliates abundance ranged from 46 ind L-1 to 368 ind L-1 in the open sites, 46–368 ind L-1 at surface and 73–198 ind L-1 at 75 m deep layer. In the Yongshu reef, ciliates abundance ranged from 167 ind L-1 to 365 ind L-1 in the water column, similar to that in Sanya coral reef waters. Ciliates composition showed obvious difference between surface and 75 m deep layer at station S2 (P < 0.05), while no similar result was observed at other sites. At 75 m deep layer, salinity was negatively related to mixed layer depth (P < 0.05), but positively to chlorophyll a concentration (P < 0.05), indicating that the change of vertical mixing in water column influenced vertical distribution of ciliates in the southern SCS.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare lymphoid neoplasm with indolent clinical process. However, we presented here a rare case of FDCS in aggressive pace. The case was a 48-year-old female complaining of dysphagia for half a year. She was found gastric fundus bulge under gastroscopy and diagnosed as low-differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma in the local hospital. After three courses of chemotherapy with paclitaxel combined with oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil, PET-CT showed progressive disease (PD) with not only gastric bulk but also invasion to the liver and multiple lymph nodes in the abdomen. The patient was admitted to the Department of Surgery of our hospital. Total gastrectomy and liver tumor resection were performed and postoperative pathology demonstrated FDCS. The patient was transferred to our department for chemotherapy. After three courses of CHOP, PET-CT showed tumor in the anastomotic site, partial liver resection margin and left adrenal gland. The patient was sent for radiotherapy. After radiation, PET-CT demonstrated PD and the puncture of left supraclavicular lymph node confirmed FDCs. Thalidomide and prednisone were given orally. At the same time, the whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed, based on which therapy response index (TRI) was analyzed by Cellworks software. According to TRI, the regimen of etoposide, carboplatin, bendamustine and chidamide was chosen for the patient. After the chemotherapy, the patient developed repeated vomiting and diarrhea. Abdominal CT showed intussusception and intestinal obstruction. She was sent for gastrointestinal surgery to relieve obstruction and postoperative pathology again confirmed FDCS. However, her abdominal pain and diarrhea occurred again one month after operation. The patient was discharged voluntarily and went to local hospital for supportive care. During a year from the onset to abandon of tumor therapy, the case was administered operation, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The regimens of chemotherapy included paclitaxel-based chemotherapy for solid tumors, CHOP for lymphoma, and formulated regimen according to the analysis of WES. However, all of these therapeutic strategies were unable to control the progress of her disease. Hitherto, there is no guideline or consensus to guide the treatment of FDCS. The diagnosis and treatment process of this relapsed and refractory case can provide reference for clinicians to manage FDCS. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. OffLabel Disclosure: FDCS of this case was in the aggressive manner. Routine therapeutic strategies, including operation, radiotherapy and chemotherapy based on paclitaxel or CHOP, were not able to control the progress. Therefore, the whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed, based on which therapy response index (TRI) was analyzed by Cellworks software. According to TRI, the regimen of etoposide, carboplatin, bendamustine and chidamide was chosen for the patient under the consent of her and her family for off-label use.

The physiological responses of aquaculture organisms (e.g., oyster and seaweed) have the potential to affect seawater carbon fluxes and subsequently are affected by these seawater changes. In this study, a laboratory experiment and a field mesocosm experiment were carried out in Daya Bay, southern China. In the laboratory experiment, Portuguese oyster Magallana angulata and the brown seaweed Sargassum hemiphyllum were mono-cultured in 20-L transparent glass bottles for 24 h. Water sample were collected at four incubation time points (i.e. 0 h, 4 h, 12 h and 24 h) to examine their physiological responses across the incubation period. The results showed that the oyster calcification rate was not significantly changed among 4 h, 12 h and 24 h. On the other hand, during the 24 h incubation time, the oyster respiration rate, seawater pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and CO32– concentration were significantly declined, but the seawater CO2 concentration was increased. For the seaweed, from 0 h to 12 h, seawater CO2 and HCO3– concentrations were significantly declined. However, the seawater pH and DO concentration were increased. In the field experiment, oyster and seaweed were cultured in mesocosm bags. The effects of different culture models of M. angulata and S. hemiphyllum (i.e. oyster monoculture, seaweed monoculture and oyster-seaweed co-culture) on seawater CO2‑carbonate system and air-sea CO2 flux (FCO2) were investigated after 24 h incubation. The results showed that DIC, HCO3– and CO2 concentrations and the partial pressure of CO2 in co-culture bags were significantly lower than the control bags (without any culture organisms) and oyster bags, indicated that S. hemiphyllum can effectively absorb the CO2 released by the oysters. The negative values of air-sea FCO2 in the co-culture bags represent a CO2 sink from the atmosphere to the sea. These results demonstrated that aquaculture organism monoculture could result in a stress for itself, and there could be an interspecies mutual benefit for both M. angulata and S. hemiphyllum in the co-culture system. The negative environmental impacts of mono-trophic oyster aquaculture in this view could be mediated with the multi-trophic inclusion of seaweed.

The hepatopancreatic duct (HPD) system links the liver and pancreas to the intestinal tube and is composed of the extrahepatic biliary duct, gallbladder and pancreatic duct. Haematopoietically-expressed-homeobox (Hhex) protein plays an essential role in the establishment of HPD, however, the molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here we show that zebrafish hhex-null mutants fail to develop the HPD system characterized by lacking the biliary marker Annexin A4 and the HPD marker sox9b. The mutant HPD system is replaced by an intrahepatic intestinal tube characterized by expressing the intestinal marker fatty-acid-binding–protein 2a (fabp2a). Cell lineage analysis showed that this intrahepatic intestinal tube is not originated from hepatocytes or cholangiocytes. Further analysis revealed that cdx1b and pdx1 were expressed ectopically in the intrahepatic intestinal tube and knockdown of cdx1b and pdx1 restored the expression of sox9b in the mutant. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation analysis shows that Hhex binds to the promoters of pdx1 and cdx1b genes to repress their expression. We therefore propose that Hhex, Cdx1b and Pdx1 form a genetic network governing the patterning and morphogenesis of the HPD and digestive tract systems in zebrafish.

Hippo pathway regulates cell proliferation and differentiation. Yes-associated protein (Yap) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (Taz) are effectors of Hippo pathway. The function of Yap/Taz in embryonic liver development has yet to be reported. Here yap1 and taz were found expressed in liver and other digestive organs in zebrafish embryos, and knockout of yap1 or taz did not lead to visible defects during embryogenesis. Interestingly, Taz was significantly increased in yap1 mutants, which may account for their normal development, albeit losing Yap1. However, yap1−/−; taz+/- embryos exhibited smaller digestive organs, and more than half of them showed bilateral livers and pancreas and non-looped intestines. Further analysis revealed that the disrupted gene function in yap1−/−; taz+/- embryos did not disturb liver bud formation, but instead impaired cell proliferation in liver and movement of the neighboring lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). Overexpression of wild type yap1 or taz could rescue the defective liver phenotypes in yap1−/−; taz+/- embryos, indicating that Yap1 cooperate with Taz to regulate the liver development. In addition, Yap1 was found to function in a Tead-dependent manner in the liver development. Our results suggest that Yap1/Taz regulate LPM movement and promote cell proliferation to ensure proper liver development in zebrafish.

Planktonic community structure was investigated during outbreak of harmful Phaeocystis globosa bloom in a subtropical bay, the Maowei Sea, South China Sea. The phytoplankton assemblage was numerically dominated by colonial P. globosa, with its abundance ranging from 1.23 × 108 to 11.12 × 108 cells m−3 and contributing nearly 90 % to the total abundance. Totally 66 mesozooplankton (>169 µm) and 19 ciliates species were recorded, with the densities ranged from 169 to 1633 ind m−3 and 74 to 1118 cells L−1, respectively. The dominant species for mesozooplankton were Copepoda (larvae), Bestiola sinicus, B. amoyensis, Macrura (larvae) and Acartia spinicauda, respectively. The ciliate assemblage was numerically dominated by Codonella rapa, Strombidium globosaneum and Mesodinium rubrum. During the bloom, P. globosa seemed to be negatively affected by the nutrient phosphate significantly (p

Ascidians are globally important members of marine fouling communities. We meas- ured in situ biodeposition rates of Ciona intestinalis and Styela clava, common biofoulers of aqua- culture infrastructure, in Sanggou Bay, northern China, during September. Ascidian numbers were recorded within a scallop Chlamys farreri farming zone to assess biodeposit loading. Both ascidians were most abundant on lantern nets and scallop shells in August and September. The average densities of C. intestinalis and S. clava in the farming zone in September were approxi- mately 329 and 22 ind. m −2 , respectively, and their biodeposition rates were 32.1 and 121.2 mg dry material ind. �1 d �1 , respectively. Total daily biodeposit production by ascidians in September within the scallop farming zone may amount to 13.24 g m �2 , with daily organic matter, C, N, and P biodeposition rates of 1.88, 0.94, 0.11, and 0.98 × 10 �2 g m �2 , respectively. The predicted daily biodeposit production by C. intestinalis and S. clava within the scallop farming zone in the bay during September was 105.9 t dry material, 7.52 t C, 0.86 t N, and 0.078 t P. By comparison, drop- off to the sea floor was approximately 143.0 t of dry matter for an entire growing season, which would be a relatively small input if averaged on a daily basis. However, some of the drop-off is expected to occur as a short-duration pulse of material (e.g. during cleaning), which may be rela- tively important in terms of benthic effects. The results suggest that the biodeposition processes and drop-off of C. intestinalis and S. clava may play an important role in coupling material fluxes from the water column to the seabed.

A facile method for the preparation of flexible semiconductor/polymer composite films with a CdS and ZnS particle layer on their surface has been developed. The as-prepared composite films were used as building blocks to fabricate a photo-catalytic cell. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl methacrylate (BMA) were copolymerized via free radical polymerization. BMA was used to tune the flexibility of the films. Allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) and N-allylmethylamine (AMA) were used as functional monomers to coordinate with Cd2+/Zn2+ ions. Cd2+/Zn2+ ions were chemically bonded to the PMMA-BMA-AMS (PMBS) or PMMA-BMA-AMA (PMBA) films. By addition of a thioacetamide (TAA) solution, S2− ions were gradually released and combined with Cd2+/Zn2+ ions to form CdS/ZnS particles. Accordingly, CdS/PMBA, ZnS/PMBA, CdS/PMBS and ZnS/PMBS films were prepared. The composite films were characterized and used to fabricate a photo-catalytic cell. The well-designed cell showed excellent performance in the degradation of the pollutant methyl blue (MB). Also, this cell could be used repeatedly just by rinsing with water after use.

This paper represents the first effort to study the environmental Sr and Ca signatures in otolith of spinyhead croaker Collichthys lucidus, an economically important sciaenid fish in China, by means of Electron Probe Microanalysis. Results from life-history transect analyses and X-ray intensity maps suggested that all croakers in this study collected from the Yangtze River Estuary were estuarine-resident individuals, in contrast to previous reports that C. lucidus is a marine fish. However, the high Sr core suggested that the stimulation of relatively high salinity water seemed to be required for spawning, embryogenesis and early larval growth of C. lucidus.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy. This disease remains incurable as nearly all patients will relapse and become refractory to established MM therapy. Thus, new treatment option for relapsed or refractory (R/R) MM is needed, particularly those with different mechanisms of action. One such approach is to inhibit histone deacetylase (HDAC) and produce synergistic anti-myeloma activity via mechanisms of epigenetic modulations. In 2015, panobinostat was approved by US FDA as the first HDACi to treat R/R MM in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone. Bisthianostat is a novel bisthiazole-based HDACi evolved from the thiazole-thiazoline cap group in natural product Largazole (Nan et al., ACS Med Chem Lett. 2014). It is orally available and displayed inhibition against a series of MM cell lines. Here we presented preliminary in-human findings from CH-020PI study, an ongoing phase 1 study of bisthianostat. (Trial registered at ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT03618602) Methods: CH-020PI is a first-in-human study to investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of bisthianostat in R/R MM patients. It is a single center, open-label, single arm, dose escalating phase I study. A standard 3+3 cohort design with 100mg as the starting dose was used to determine the maximum tolerated dose of bisthianostat. This study comprised two phases: a pharmacokinetics phase and an expansion phase. In the pharmacokinetics phase, a single-dose of bisthianostat was administered on day 1, and then multiple-dose was administered on a twice-weekly schedule for 4 consecutive weeks. Patients in the expansion phase received continuous bisthianostat twice weekly until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicities. Results: Until 30 June 2019, 8 patients were enrolled at 3 dose levels from 100 to 400mg. The median age at enrollment was 62 years (range, 51-70 years). The median number of previous lines of therapy was 5 (range, 2-6). Per protocol, all of 8 patients were evaluable for pharmacokinetics, toxicities and efficacy. In the pharmacokinetic evaluation, for all the 8 patients tested at day 1, the peak concentration of bisthianostat was reached within 2.3 hours; half life time were around 4 hours; bisthianostat uptake represented by AUClast were in good proportion to the level of dose as 100, 200 and 400mg, respectively. Similar results were observed at day 28. Any grade hematological treatment-related adverse events (AEs) occurred in 4 of 8 patients (50%), while grade 3/4 hematological AEs occurred in 2 (25%) patients. Any grade non-hematological treatment-emergent AEs were observed in 3 (37.5%) patients; no grade 3/4 non-hematological AEs were reported. No patient discontinued the treatment of bisthianostat due to AEs. Except patient 007 (200mg cohort) experienced a grade 2 nausea, no patients experienced diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. It is worthy to note that gastrointestinal toxicity is common with the use of panobinostat, a FDA-approved HDAC inhibitor. Overall single-agent efficacy was modest, and stable disease (SD) was observed in 4 (50%) patients. At the time of data cut-off for statistical analysis, no dose-limiting toxicity has been observed. Conclusions: Bisthianostat proved to be well absorbed and tolerated. It exhibited modest anti-tumor efficacy in our cohort of heavily pretreated patients with R/R MM. This phase I clinical trial is currently ongoing, and future trials should compare different doses and schedules of the combination in order to optimize the treatment tolerability and enhance its efficacy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The temporal variation and spatial distribution of plankton ciliate communities were investigated in Shen’ao Bay, South China Sea. In all, 35 species belonging to 17 genera and 7 orders were identified. The number of ciliate species was lower in spring than in summer, whereas ciliate abundance was higher in spring than in summer. Spatially, the number of ciliate species and ciliate abundance were higher in the oyster–algae mixed culture area and non-aquaculture area, and lower in the caged fish culture area. Multivariate and univariate analyses demonstrated that ciliate communities were associated with environmental factors (e.g. temperature, chlorophyll (Chl)-a, nutrient levels). In addition, two dominant species, namely Mesodinium rubrum and Tintinnopsis beroidea, were significantly positively correlated with Chl-a. Three dominant species, namely Strombidium globosaneum, Tintinnopsis minuta and Strombidium conicum, showed more sensitivity to dissolved oxygen, pH and chemical oxygen demand, whereas Tintinnopsis parvula and Tintinnopsis chinglanensis were significantly related to NO2–. Ciliate species diversity, species evenness and species richness were higher in the oyster–algae mixed culture area and non-aquaculture area and lower in the caged fish culture area. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that the ciliate community is significantly correlated with its aquatic habitat and the dominant species can be considered a favourable bioindicator of the marine water environment.

Obviously increased phytoplankton biomass and primary production was observed via both in situ investigation and remote sensing analysis in the northern South China Sea during typhoon Koppu's intrusion in September 2009. Sea surface temperature declined in both coastal and offshore area when Koppu arrived. In the offshore waters, stratification was weakened due to vertical mixing and sea surface temperature distribution pattern changed after the Koppu's arrival. The in situ data showed that extreme high primary production (PP) value (35 mgC m(-3) h(-1)) appeared near the Dan'gan Island indicating a potential algal bloom around the southern coastal waters of Hong Kong. Obviously increased nutrient loadings were also observed in the near-shore surface waters shortly after the typhoon's arrival. According to both in situ observation and remote sensing results, it is suggested that PP in the offshore water was stimulated by extra vertical nutrient transport induced by Koppu; while the enhanced phytoplankton biomass and potential bloom along the coastal was mostly contributed by the increased Pearl River discharge after rainfall, which was also regulated by the typhoon event. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesozooplankton are key components of coastal ecosystems, linking the microbial food web to the classic food chain. In this study, species composition and abundance of mesozooplankton is studied for the Daya Bay in April (spring) and October (fall), 2006. A total of 27 species of mesozooplankton were identified in spring and 58 species in fall. Dominant species were Oithona tenuis, Flaccisagitta enflata, Penilia avirostris and Centropages tenuiremis in spring, shifting to Microsetella norvegica, Oithona tenuis and Parvocalanus crassirostris in fall. Higher mesozooplankton abundance was found at Aotou Cove and Dapeng'ao Cove compared to other stations, indicating the influence of eutrophication on mesozooplankton community in the Daya Bay. The outbreak of Noctiluca scintillans bloom in spring reduced the species diversity and abundance of mesozooplankton.

Interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-8 is a critical transcription factor involved in the pathogenesis of myeloid neoplasia. However, the underlying mechanisms in vivo are not well known. Investigation of irf8-mutant zebrafish in this study indicated that Irf8 is evolutionarily conserved as an essential neoplastic suppressor through tight control of the proliferation and longevity of myeloid cells. Surviving irf8 mutants quickly developed a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN)-like disease with enhanced output of the myeloid precursors, which recurred after transplantation. Multiple molecules presented notable alteration and Mertk signaling was aberrantly activated in the hematopoietic cells in irf8 mutants. Transgenic mertk overexpression in Tg(coro1a:mertk) zebrafish recapitulated the myeloid neoplasia-like syndrome in irf8 mutants. Moreover, functional interference with Mertk, via morpholino knockdown or genetic disruption, attenuated the myeloid expansion phenotype caused by Irf8 deficiency. Therefore, Mertk signaling is a critical downstream player in the Irf8-mediated regulation of the progression of myeloid neoplasia. Our study extends the understanding of the mechanisms underlying leukemogenesis.

Emergency granulopoiesis occurs in response to severe microbial infection. However, whether and how other blood components, particularly monocytes/macrophages and their progenitors, including hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), participate in the process and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we challenged zebrafish larvae via direct injection of Escherichia coli into the bloodstream, which resulted in systemic inoculation with this microbe. The reaction of hematopoietic cells, including HSPCs, in the caudal hematopoietic tissue was carefully analysed. Both macrophages and neutrophils clearly expanded following the challenge. Thus, emergency myelopoiesis, including monopoiesis and granulopoiesis, occurred following systemic bacterial infection. The HSPC reaction was dependent on the bacterial burden, manifesting as a slight increase under low burden, but an obvious reduction following the administration of an excessive volume of bacteria. Pu.1 was important for the effective elimination of the microbes to prevent excessive HSPC apoptosis in response to stress. Moreover, Pu.1 played different roles in steady and emergency monopoiesis. Although Pu.1 was essential for normal macrophage development, it played suppressive roles in emergency monopoiesis. Overall, our study established a systemic bacterial infection model that led to emergency myelopoiesis, thereby improving our understanding of the function of Pu.1 in this scenario.

// Mingge Zhou 1 , Yumei Chen 1 , Honghui Huang 2 , Xiang Zhou 1 , Jianjun Liu 1 , Gang Huang 1 1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China 2 Department of Hematology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Correspondence to: Gang Huang, email: huang2802@163.com Jianjun Liu, email: nuclearj@163.com Keywords: DLBCL, prognosis, PET/CT, TLG, MTV Received: September 18, 2016 Accepted: October 14, 2016 Published: November 07, 2016 ABSTRACT Purpose : We evaluated the prognostic value of total lesion glycolysis (TLG) measured in baseline 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET/CT) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). Methods: A total of 91 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans before R-CHOP therapy. Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) was measured with the marginal threshold of normal liver mean standard uptake value (SUVmean) plus 3 standard deviations (SD). TLG was the sum of the products of MTV and SUVmean in all measured lesions. The predictive value was estimated by Log-rank test and Cox-regression analysis. Results: Median follow-up was 30 months (range, 5-124 months). The 5-year estimated progression-free survival (PFS) of the low and high TLG group were 83% and 34%, respectively (p

Background Significant attention has been directed toward the high incidence of malignant tumours that occur post-transplantation. However, there are few reports of myeloid sarcomas (MSs) following renal transplantation. Case presentation This case report describes a 26-year-old male patient who presented with repeatedly high creatinine levels and hydronephrosis six months post-renal transplantation. Surgical pathology revealed ureteral MS; however, the tumour recurred following resection. Bone marrow biopsy indicated that the patient also had acute promyelocytic leukaemia. The tumour was treated with local radiotherapy, and the leukaemia was treated with systemic chemotherapy. The patient’s conditions were satisfactory at the one-year follow-up. Conclusions This report is the first to describe a ureteral MS post-renal transplantation. Our findings suggest that surgical resection combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy can help control the status of patients with this condition.

// Min-Yue Zhang 1, * , Gui-Qi Zhu 2, 3, * , Ke-Qing Shi 2, 4 , Ji-Na Zheng 2, 3 , Zhang Cheng 2, 3 , Zhuo-Lin Zou 5 , Hong-Hui Huang 1 , Fang-Yuan Chen 1 , Ming-Hua Zheng 2, 4 1 Department of Hematology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200127, China 2 Department of Hepatology, Liver Research Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China 3 School of the First Clinical Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China 4 Institute of Hepatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China 5 Department of Infection Diseases, the First Hospital of Jiaxing, Jiaxing 314000, China * Co-first authors, these author contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Ming-Hua Zheng, e-mail: zhengmh@wmu.edu.cn Fang-Yuan Chen, e-mail: chenfangyuan62@163.com Keywords: hepatitis B virus reactivation, chemotherapy, nucleos(t)ide analogues prophylaxis, network meta-analysis, indirect comparison Received: February 28, 2016 Accepted: April 02, 2016 Published: April 21, 2016 ABSTRACT Objectives: Currently, no consensus exists regarding the optimal oral prophylactic regimens for hepatitis B surface antigen seropositive patients undergoing chemotherapy. We aimed to compare the efficacy of oral nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs), including lamivudine, entecavir, adefovir, telbivudine and tenofovir, for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation and its related morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic HBV (CHB) infection. Results: Fifty-two eligible articles consisting of 3892 participants were included. For HBV reactivation, prophylactic treatment with NAs were all significantly superior to no prophylaxis, with odds ratio (OR) from 0.00 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00~0.04) for the most effective intervention (tenofovir) to 0.10 (95% CI 0.06~0.14) for the least effective intervention (lamivudine). For secondary outcomes, prophylaxis with NAs also significantly outperformed observation. The results suggested that entecavir reduced the risk of HBV related hepatitis (predicted probability, 83%), HBV related death (68%) and all causes of hepatitis (97%) most efficaciously. It ranked second in decreasing all causes of death (34%). Materials and Methods: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library database were searched for controlled trials up to March 31, 2015. Primary outcome was the incidence of HBV reactivation. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of HBV-related hepatitis and death, all causes of hepatitis and death. Network meta-analysis combined direct and indirect evidence to estimate ORs for the clinical outcomes. A mean ranking and the probability of optimal therapeutic regime was obtained for each treatment based on clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Available evidence suggests that prophylatic therapy with tenofovir and entecavir may be the most potent interventions in prevention of HBV reactivation and HBV-related morbidity and mortality for CHB infection patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Four marine bacterial strains P1, P5, N5 and N21 were isolated from the surface water and sediment of Mirs Bay in southern Chinese coast using the liquid infection method with 48-well plates. These bacteria were all shown to have algicidal activities against Skeletonema costatum. Based on morphological observations, biochemical tests and homology comparisons by 16S rDNA sequences, the isolated strains P1, P5, N5 and N21 were identified as Halobacillus sp., Muricauda sp., Kangiella sp. and Roseivirga sp., respectively. Our results showed that bacterial strain P1 killed S. costatum by release of heat labile algicide, while strains P5, N5 and N21 killed them directly. The algicidal processes of four bacterial strains were different. Strains P1, N5 and N21 disrupted the chain structure and S. costatum appeared as single cells, in which the cellular components were aggregated and the individual cells were inflated and finally lysed, while strain P5 decomposed the algal chains directly. We also showed that the algicidal activities of the bacterial strains were concentration-dependent. More specifically, 10 % (v/v) of bacteria in algae showed the strongest algicidal activities, as all S. costatum cells were killed by strains N5 and N21 within 72 h and by strains P1 and P5 within 96 h. 5 % of bacteria in algae also showed significant algicidal activities, as all S. costatum were killed by strains N5, P5 and N21 within 72, 96 and 120 h, respectively, whereas at this concentration, only 73.4 % of S. costatum cells exposed to strain P1 were killed within 120 h. At the concentration of 1 % bacteria in algae, the number of S. costatum cells continued to increase and the growth rate of algae upon exposure to strain N5 was significantly inhibited.

Degradation of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in the presence of nitrous acid (HNO 2 ) under irradiation of 365 nm ultraviolet (UV) was studied for the first time. The influence of initial conditions including pH value, NaNO 2 concentration, MC-LR concentration and UV intensity were studied. MC-LR was degraded in the presence of HNO 2 ; enhanced degradation of MC-LR was observed with 365 nm UV irradiation, caused by the generation of hydroxyl radicals through the photolysis of HNO 2 . The degradation processes of MC-LR could well fit the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Mass spectrometry was applied for identification of the byproducts and the analysis of degradation mechanisms. Major degradation pathways were proposed according to the results of LC–MS analysis. The degradation of MC-LR was initiated via three major pathways: attack of hydroxyl radicals on the conjugated carbon double bonds of Adda, attack of hydroxyl radicals on the benzene ring of Adda, and attack of nitrosonium ion on the benzene ring of Adda.

A month-long investigation of phytoplankton biomass and primary production (PP) was carried out during a harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Daya Bay, China, in 2003. During the bloom, the phytoplankton community was dominated by Scrippsiella trochoidea and Chattonella marina. The phytoplankton biomass (Chi a) and PP reached peak levels of 519.21 mg m(-3) and 734.0 mgC m(-3) h(-1), respectively. Micro-phytoplankton was the key contributor to Chi a and PP in a cage-culture area and in the adjacent HAB-affected waters, with percentages of up to 82.91% and 84.94%, respectively. The HAB had complicated relationships with hydrological and meteorological factors in Daya Bay. However, the water around the cage-culture area always showed statistically greater phytoplankton biomass and nutrient loadings than in adjacent waters, suggesting that this was the "trigger area" of the bloom. The spatial and temporal distribution of diverse HABs in Daya Bay, their ecological characteristics, and their environmental impacts are also discussed in this paper. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Both the intestine and liver develop from the endoderm, yet little is known how these two digestive organs share and differ in their developmental programs, at the molecular level. A classical forward genetic screen, with no gene bias, is an effective way to address this question by examining the defects of the intestine and liver in obtained mutants to assess mutated genes responsible for the development of either organ or both. We report here such a screen in zebrafish. ENU was used as the mutagen because of its high mutagenic efficiency and no site preference. Embryos were collected at 3.5 dpf for RNA whole mount in situ hybridization with a cocktail probe of the intestine marker ifabp and the liver marker lfabp to check phenotypes and determine their parental heterozygosis. A total of 52 F2 putative mutants were identified, and those with general developmental defects were aborted. To rule out non-inheritable phenotypes caused by high mutation background, F2 putative mutants were outcrossed with wild type fish and a re-screen in F3 generations was performed. After complementation tests between F3 mutants with similar phenotypes originating from the same F2 families, a total of 37 F3 mutant lines originated from 22 F2 families were identified after screening 78 mutagenized genomes. Classification of mutant phenotypes indicated that 31 out of the 37 mutants showed defects in both the intestine and liver. In addition, four "intestine specific mutants" and two "liver specific mutants" showed selectively more severe phenotype in the intestine and liver respectively. These results suggested that the intestine and liver share a substantial number of essential genes during both organs development in zebrafish. Further studies of the mutants are likely to shed more insights into the molecular basis of the digestive system development in the zebrafish and vertebrate.

The mechanisms underlying gut development, especially peristalsis, are widely studied topics. However, the causes of gut peristalsis-related diseases, especially Opioid-Induced Bowel Dysfunction (OIBD) disorder, have not been well defined. Therefore, our study used zebrafish, a popular model for studying both gut development and peristalsis, and DCFH-DA, a dye that clearly labels the live fish gut lumen, to characterize the formation process of gut lumen as well as the gut movement style in vivo. By applying Loperamide Hydrochloride (LH), the μ-opioid receptor-specific agonist, we established an OIBD-like zebrafish model. Our study found that acetylcholine (ACh) was a key transmitter that derepressed the phenotype induced by LH. Overall, the study showed that the antagonistic role of ACh in the LH-mediated opioid pathway was evolutionarily conserved; moreover, the OIBD-like zebrafish model will be helpful in the future dissection of the molecular pathways involved in gut lumen development and pathology.

To evaluate efficacy of dexmedetomidine in preventing shivering after general anesthesia in women undergoing laparoscopic surgery.Eighty patients scheduled for laparoscopic gynecological surgery were randomized into dexmedetomidine group (n=40) and control group (n=40) to receive 1.0 µg/kg dexmedetomidine or an equal volume of saline slowly injected (for over 10 min) at 30 min before the anticipated completion of surgery. The postoperative incidences of shivering and the side effects were recorded.The patients in the control group showed a significantly higher postoperative incidence of shivering (37.5%) than those in dexmedetomidine group (P0.05). Heart rate and mean arterial pressure showed significant variations postoperatively in dexmedetomidine group (P0.05), which had a significantly greater sedation score (P0.05), a higher incidence of dry mouth (P=0.000), but a significantly lower incidence of nausea and vomiting than the control group (P0.05).Dexmedetomidine can lower the incidence of shivering after general anesthesia for laparoscopic gynecological surgery.

Objective: Application of high-throughput genomics technology to analysis the differences in lncRNA/mRNA expression profiles between the patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and reactive hyperplasia of lymph node (RLN), and between different disease states of DLBCL, in order to explore the role of the aberrantly expressed lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of DLBCL. Materials and methods: Tumor tissue samples from five newly diagnosed DLBCL, 3 relapsed DLBCL patients and 4 samples of RLN were collected. Agilent Human lncRNA/mRNA Microarray (4×180K) was used to profile differentially expression of lncRNA/mRNAs. Bioinformatics methods were performed for data analysis, including screening of differentially expressed lncRNA/mRNAs, gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and lncRNA/mRNA co-expression network construction. Portion of dysregulated lncRNAs from the microarray data analysis was selected for validation using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: (1) In patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL, compared to RLN, a total of 5,806 dysregulated lncRNAs were identified (P (2) In patients with primary refractory DLBCL, compared with chemo-sensitive patients, a total of 425 dysregulated lncRNAs were identified(P (3) In patients with relapsed DLBCL, compared with newly diagnosed patients, a total of 605 dysregulated lncRNAs were identified(P (4) Fourteen dysregulated lncRNAs expressions were analyzed in the same sample series using qRT-PCR to validate the microarray analysis results. In all but one lncRNA, consistent trend of expression changes was observed in two methods. Conclusions: In patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL versus RLN, and between different disease states of DLBCL, the lncRNA/mRNA expression profiles were significantly altered. Differentially expressed mRNAs are involved in a number of biological functions and signaling pathways. It prompt lncRNA may play an important role in the mechanism of occurrence, drug resistance and relapse of DLBCL. The above results provide the theory basis for the further study on the role of differentially expressed lncRNA in the development of DLBCL and its potential application as the possible biomarkers of early diagnosis and prognosis. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Base on the 201 groups of data that accepted in the last ten years, a 3 layer (3,8,1) BP artificial neural network model on quickly predicting chlorophyll-a concentration in marine cage fish farming area was established. The model was established in software MATLAB7.1 (MATTrix LABoratory) using BP network. Three field accurate measurement parameters (water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen) was as the input variable and chlorophyll-a was the output in our model. In most condition the forecast results was closely to the actual data when using this model. Its prediction accuracy was significantly higher than the linear regression equation. For the reason that the data used in building model which has some question and the complexity of predicting chlorophyll-a content, there existed some error between forecast value and actual value when using this model in several sets of data. This article put forward the methods to consummate the model in the next step.

The sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota is a good candidate for aquaculture, for large-scale production of this sea cucumber, it is imperative to know the effects of salinity on its physiological performance. In this study, ingestion, oxygen consumption and ammonium excretion rates of the adult sea cucumber H.leucospilota (16.98 +/- 1.14g, wet weight) at various salinity levels (18, 23, 28, 33 and 38PSU) were studied in the laboratory. The species were acclimated for 1week at the desired salinity before testing, and were fed with sediment from their natural habitat during this period. Results showed that the minimum ingestion rate (0.02 +/- 0.01gg(-1)d(-1)) at a salinity of 18PSU was significantly lower than those observed at salinities of 28, 33 and 38PSU, and there was no significant difference among the values at 23, 28, 33 and 38PSU. The maximum value of oxygen consumption rate recorded at a salinity of 28PSU was significantly higher than the minimum at 18PSU, no significant differences were observed among other treatments. The ammonium excretion rates of H. leucospilota also changed significantly in response to salinity variations, the maximum value observed at a salinity of 28PSU (0.09 +/- 0.03Mg(-1)h(-1)) being nearly five times higher than the minimum value at a salinity of 38PSU (0.02 +/- 0.01Mg(-1)h(-1)). The O:N ratio varied as a function of salinity. Lower O:N ratios (

A critical independent non-dimension power which control dynamic balance of oxygen in cage fish farming waters is derived from 6 variables of Dissolved oxygen (DO), Saturation of DO, Characteristic depth of fish, Oxygen restoring coefficient and Diffusion coefficient of O2 based on the method of dimensional analysis. Based on the critical independent non-dimension power, a simple carrying capacity assessing model for cage fish farming is developed. Applying this model in cage fish farms in Zhelin Bay and Baisha Bay in Guangdong coast, China, and the results show that theoretic carrying capacity in the two farm in extreme condition are about 10,791 tones and 329 tones, respectively. While the actual carrying capacity estimated based on data from sampling inquiry to fish men in Zhelin Bay was 14,600 tonnes in August 2008, exceeded 3,089 tonnes of the theoretic carrying capacity value and equal to 12,038 cultured cages, and that actual carrying capacity in Baisha Bay was 370 tonnes in September 2007, exceeded 41 tonnes of the theoretic carrying capacity value and equal to 410 cultured cages. It is obvious that marine fish culture cages are both over density in Zhelin Bay and Baisha Bay.

Marine cage fish farming has grown dramatically during the last three decades in coastal counties worldwide, however, its adverse environmental impact has already led to growing concerns. The control of carrying capacity is a key problem for cage fish farming. Based on the fish stock and eco-environment survey data in a cage fish farm area and its vicinity in Dapeng Ao Cove, Daya Bay, South China from June 2001 to October 2004 on a seasonal basis, an Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) is used to learn and model the nonlinear relationships among the fish stock, surveyed biological and physicochemical factors. The ANFIS well simulate the effect of fish stock on the environmental factors of dissolved oxygen in water (DO), organic carbon content in sediment (SOC) and sulfide content in sediment (SSC). The computed theoretic maximum carrying capacity values were about 389∼545t in different season within the restrict criteria of DO>5mg/L, SOC

The present study evaluated the single and mixed toxicities of commonly used antifouling biocides (copper pyrithione, Sea nine 211, dichlofluanid, tolylfluanid, and Irgarol 1051) on the early embryogenesis of sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Their toxicities were quantified in terms of the median effective concentration (EC50) reducing the embryogenesis success by 50%. For individual biocides to the embryos, the toxicity was in order of copper pyrithione > Sea nine 211 > tolylfluanid > dichlofluanid > Irgarol 1051. The toxicities of mixture (binary, ternary, quaternary, and quinary) of compounds, evaluated by toxic unit, additivity index, and mixture toxicity index, showed that the copper pyrithione–Sea nine 211 combination was the most toxic with the EC50 value of 7.87 nM in all mixtures. Synergistic enhancements of toxicity were observed for all mixtures except the combination of tolylfluanid–Sea nine 211, revealing antagonistic effect. Both the concentration addition and independent action concepts failed to accurately predict the mixture toxicities of the antifouling combinations; thus, a new log KOW-based model was developed to predict the combined toxicities of these antifouling chemicals, which were capable of predicting the mixture toxicities of antifouling biocides (R2 = 0.33). Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:692–703. © 2011 SETAC

The co-existence of de novo myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) prior to therapy is an extremely unusual finding. We report here a case of co-existent de novo MDS-refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia and T-cell NHL, including clinical features, histopathological findings, molecular assessment, treatment course and outcomes. Other cases from the literature showing co-existence of both disorders are also reviewed; to date 19 similar cases have been reported. Among all cases (including the present patient), eight cases were diagnosed with de novo MDS and NHL simultaneously, which were considered to be true coincidences. The mechanisms responsible for the appearance of co-existence have not yet been ascertained, however in the present case a common chromosomal abnormality (20q deletion) was found in bone marrow and lymph node preparations. We conclude, therefore, that the co-existent de novo MDS and T-cell NHL seen in the present case may have a common origin.

Water pollution is becoming the major factor damaging the sustainable development of aquaculture and the quality security of aquatic product in China. This paper introduces a decision support system for evaluating and managing quality risk contaminated by water pollution. The architecture, main components and their functions, especially a series of risk evaluation methods and models are described. At present, the system is in pilot in the city of Beijing in China. The stage achievements in developing the system are summarized.

Using the data from the 4 seasonal survey cruises in Beibu Gulf carried out from 1998-1999, this study analyzed the taxonomic composition, the spatial distribution of the abundance and diversity of phytoplankton as well as the relationship between the abundance and the nutrients such as dissolved inorganic nitrate (DIN), dissolved phosphate (IP) and silicate (Si) by using the methods of GIS interpolation and grid regression analysis model. 382 species of phytoplankton were identified in the study with most of them being diatoms. The abundances in all seasons showed the same spatial distribution with the dense areas focusing on the northern coastal waters of the gulf, while in the southern part and from the gulf mouth to the open sea, the abundances were quite lower. The results of the grid regression analyses on the abundance of phytoplankton with the nutrients showed that in autumn there existed a weak positive relationship with DIN (R2=0.270), while in summer and winter it showed the weak negative relationship with IP (R2=0.304 in summer and 0.327 in winter), and also in summer a medium positive relationship with the variation of Si was found (R2=0.478). The N:P ratio in most of the gulf ranged from 0-15 with the average of about 13.8, and the analysis showed that the impact by the N:P ratio on phytoplankton caused the variation of diversity rather than the abundance.

Phylogenetic analysis is widely used to determine evolution and function of gene, to identify the genus of bacteria based on gene sequences. Phylogenetic trees showing the evolutionary relationship of 32 Vibrios based on gyrB and 16S rRNA gene sequences are compared, the validity and the reliability of phylogenetic trees were studied in this paper. The result showed that gyrB gene sequences were reliable at determining relationships of vibrios. 16S rRNA gene sequences are appropriate for describing phylogenetic relationships between genera or between some distantly related bacterium. It is useful to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of vibrios combining gyrB with 16S rRNA gene sequences.

Hematopoiesis is a complex process which gives rise to all blood lineages in the course of an organism's lifespan. However, the underlying molecular mechanism governing this process is not fully understood. Here we report the isolation and detailed study of a newly identified zebrafish ugly duckling (Udu) mutant allele, Udusq1. We show that loss-of-function mutation in the udu gene disrupts primitive erythroid cell proliferation and differentiation in a cell-autonomous manner, resulting in red blood cell (RBC) hypoplasia. Positional cloning reveals that the Udu gene encodes a novel factor that contains 2 paired amphipathic α-helix–like (PAH-L) repeats and a putative SANT-L (SW13, ADA2, N-Cor, and TFIIIB–like) domain. We further show that the Udu protein is predominantly localized in the nucleus and deletion of the putative SANT-L domain abolishes its function. Our study indicates that the Udu protein is very likely to function as a transcription modulator essential for the proliferation and differentiation of erythroid lineage.