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Two new species of the family Aoridae, one from the genus Aoroides Walker, 1898, and other from the genus Grandidierella Coutière, 1904, are reported from Korean waters. Aoroides gracilicrus sp. nov. is similar to A. longimerus in having numerous plumose setae on the basis and carpus of gnathopod 1. However, the new species can be distinguished from A. longimerus by the numerous plumose setae on the bases of pereopods 3 and 4 and the slender basis of pereopod 7. Grandidierella naroensis sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to G. pseudosakaensis. However, the new species can be distinguished by the presence of small distal and proximal processes and a large middle process on the carpus of gnathopod 1, and the subovate propodus of gnathopod 1. Both new species are illustrated and compared to related species. A key to species in the family Aoridae from Korean waters is also provided.

Abstract Dietary inclusion effects of various levels of jack mackerel meal (JMM) on growth, feed utilization, biochemical composition, and innate immune response of rockfish were determined. The control (Con) diet included 550 g/kg fish meal (FM). Ten, 30, 50, 100, 200, 400, 600, and 1000 g/kg of JMM were included in the Con diet, referred to as the JMM10, JMM30, JMM50, JMM100, JMM200, JMM400, JMM600, and JMM1000 diets, respectively. Eight hundred and ten fish (initial mean weight of 2.3 g) were distributed into 27 flow‐through tanks. The experimental diets were assigned to triplicate groups of fish. Fish were hand‐fed for 8 weeks. Weight gain of fish fed the JMM400 diet was statistically better than that of fish fed the Con, JMM10, JMM30, JMM50, JMM100, and JMM200 diets. Feed consumption of fish fed the JMM400 diet was statistically higher than that of fish fed the Con, JMM10, JMM30, and JMM50 diets. Dietary inclusion of JMM did not influence feed utilization, biochemical composition, and innate immune responses of fish. In conclusion, inclusion of JMM up to 400 g/kg of FM in diet improved growth and feed consumption of rockfish, and dietary optimum inclusion levels of JMM were estimated to be 396.7 and 403.1 g/kg based on regression analysis of weight gain and feed consumption, respectively.

Incorporating feed stimulants and attractants in low fish meal (FM) diets is a very effective way to improve palatability and increase feed intake and fish growth. This research aims to elucidate the substitution impact of different levels of FM with various plant proteins in diets with jack mackerel meal (JMM) inclusion as feed stimulants on the growth and feed utilization of rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli). A two-way (2 substitution levels [25% and 50%] × 3 substitution sources [corn gluten meal (CGM), soybean protein concentrate (SPC), and corn protein concentrate (CPC)]) ANOVA experimental design was adopted. In total, 525 fish averaging 8.3 g were assigned to 21 tanks (25 juvenile/tank). Seven isoprotetic and isolipidic feeds were formulated. The control (Con) diet contained 55% FM. CGM, SPC, and CPC were replaced for 25% and 50% FM in the Con diet, and then 22% JMM as feed stimulants was included at the cost of FM, named as the CGM25, CGM50, SPC25, SPC50, CPC25, and CPC50 diets, respectively. All diets were assigned to triplicate groups of rockfish. Rockfish were hand-fed to apparent satiation twice a day for 8 weeks. Rockfish fed the 25% FM substitution diets achieved superior (p < 0.0001 for both) weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) compared to rockfish fed the 50% FM substitution diets, while rockfish fed the CGM-replaced diets achieved superior (p < 0.0001 for both) weight gain and SGR compared to rockfish fed the SPC- and CPC-replaced diets. The weight gain and SGR of rockfish fed the Con and CGM25 diets were superior to rockfish fed all other diets. Rockfish fed the 25% FM substitution diets achieved superior (p < 0.0001 for both) feed efficiency (FE) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) compared to rockfish fed the 50% FM substitution diets, while rockfish fed the CGM-replaced diets achieved superior FE and PER compared to rockfish fed the CPC-replaced diets. Rockfish fed the 25% FM substitution diets led to superior (p < 0.0001) protein retention (PR) compared to rockfish fed the 50% FM substitution diets. The biological indices, proximate composition, and amino acid profiles of the whole body, as well as the plasma and serum parameters of rockfish, were not changed by either substitution level or substitution source. In conclusion, the replacement of CGM for 25% FM in the rockfish diet with JMM inclusion can be made without deteriorating growth performance, feed consumption and utilization, biochemical composition, and plasma and serum parameters.

Abstract Reference materials are critical in assay development for calibrating and assessing their suitability. The devasting nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent proliferation of vaccine platforms and technologies has meant that there is even a greater need for standards for immunoassay development, which are critical to assess and compare vaccines’ responses. Equally important are the standards needed to control the vaccine manufacturing processes. Standardized vaccine characterization assays throughout process development are essential for a successful Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) strategy. In this perspective paper, we advocate for reference material incorporation into assays and their calibration to International Standards from preclinical vaccine development through control testing and provide insight into why this is necessary. We also provide information on the availability of WHO international antibody standards for CEPI-priority pathogens.

The production of phytylated chlorophyll a (Chl aP) in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, which uses phytylated bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl aP), is the first step in expanding the light absorption spectra. Unlike the chlorophyll synthase (ChlG) of the Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, ChlGs of angiosperms, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana tabacum, Avena sativa, and Oryza sativa, showed bacteriochlorophyll synthase activity and resistance to inhibition by bacteriochlorophyllide a (BChlide a), geranylgeranylated BChl a (BChl aGG), and BChl aP, collectively called bacteriochlorins. Among the angiosperm ChlGs, N. tabacum ChlG had the highest bacteriochlorophyll synthase activity and resistance to inhibition by bacteriochlorins. Expression of N. tabacum chlG in R. sphaeroides resulted in the formation of free Chl aP in the presence of BChl aP during photoheterotrophic growth, even though reactive oxygen species were generated.

Fish meal (FM) usage in aquafeed is fraught with cost and environmental challenges. Alternatives to FM must be readily available and with adequate protein. This 8-weeks study explored the utilization of tuna by-product meal (TBM) without fermentation as a substitute for FM in diet on growth, feed utilization, chemical composition, plasma chemistry, and non-immune responses of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Four hundred juveniles (initial weight of 14.7 g) were randomly distributed to 20 tanks (20 fish per tank). The control (Con) diet contained 65% FM without replacement, and in the TBM10, TBM20, TBM30, TBM40, and TBM50 diets, FM was substituted with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% TBM, respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish, but quadruplicate groups for the Con and TBM30 diets. Survival was not different among the experimental diets. Superior weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR), feed efficiency ratio (FER) and protein efficiency ratio were observed in fish fed the TBM40 and TBM50 diets to fish fed all other diets. Condition factor of fish fed the TBM40 and TBM50 diets was higher than that of fish fed the Con diet. Feed consumption, chemical composition, and amino acid profiles of the whole body fish, except for the tryptophan content, viscerosomatic and hepatosomatic indices, plasma biochemical parameters, non-specific immune responses were not affected by the experimental diets. In conclusion, FM up to 50% can be replaced with TBM without impairing growth, feed utilization, nutritional composition, plasma chemistry, and non-specific immune responses of olive flounder when 65% FM was included. The greatest weight gain, SGR, and FER of fish were estimated to be 47.1%, 48.6%, and 46.3% of dietary substitution of FM with TBM, respectively.

Abstract The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the dominant predator in Central and South America, but is now considered near‐threatened. Estimating jaguar population size is difficult, due to uncertainty in the underlying dynamical processes as well as highly variable and sparse data. We develop a stochastic temporal model of jaguar abundance in the Peruvian Amazon, taking into account prey availability, under various climate change scenarios. The model is calibrated against existing data sets and an elicitation study in Pacaya Samiria. In order to account for uncertainty and variability, we construct a population of models over four key parameters, namely three scaling parameters for aquatic, small land, and large land animals and a hunting index. We then use this population of models to construct probabilistic evaluations of jaguar populations under various climate change scenarios characterized by increasingly severe flood and drought events and discuss the implications on jaguar numbers. Results imply that jaguar populations exhibit some robustness to extreme drought and flood, but that repeated exposure to these events over short periods can result in rapid decline. However, jaguar numbers could return to stability—albeit at lower numbers—if there are periods of benign climate patterns and other relevant factors are conducive.

2-Oxoglutarate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase from Chlorobaculum tepidum (CtOGOR) is a carbon-fixing enzyme in the reductive TCA cycle that reversibly carboxylates succinyl-CoA to yield 2-oxoglutarate. CtOGOR is a heterotetramer of two large (α = 68 kDa) and two small (β = 38 kDa) subunits. The αβ protomer harbors one thiamine pyrophosphate and two 4Fe-4S clusters. Nonetheless, the enzyme has a considerable oxygen tolerance with a half-life of 143 min at 215 μM dissolved oxygen. Kinetic analyses of the purified recombinant CtOGOR revealed a lower Km for succinyl-CoA than for 2-oxoglutarate. Cellular levels of 2-oxoglutarate and glutamate—a product of glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase—increased more than twofold in the exponential phase compared with the control strain, leading to an approximately >30% increase in the photoautotrophic growth rate. Thus, CtOGOR was successfully produced in Synechocystis, thereby boosting carboxylation, resulting in enhanced photoautotrophic growth.

OBJECTIVES As HIV/AIDS is becoming a chronic disease, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) among people living with HIV/AIDS is rising. Anxiety and depression, which are common among people living with HIV/AIDS, have been linked with CVD. This study investigated the risk of CVD in people living with HIV/AIDS and explored the effects of depression and anxiety on CVD risk. METHODS Data were collected for 457 people enrolled in the Korea Cohort HIV/AIDS study after 2010. Framingham risk scores were calculated to quantify the 10-year risk of developing CVD. Depression and anxiety variables were re-coded as a single combined variable. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for age, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), duration of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positivity after entry into the cohort, and depression/anxiety. RESULTS Participants with both depression and anxiety were 2.28 times more likely than those with neither depression nor anxiety to have moderate/high-risk CVD risk. The 10-year risk of developing CVD was affected by LDL cholesterol, TG, age, and duration of HIV infection. LDL cholesterol and TG levels change according to the duration of HIV infection, and metabolic disorders affect the risk of CVD. Thus, a longer duration of HIV infection is associated with a higher risk of developing CVD. CONCLUSIONS Screenings for depression and anxiety need to be provided regularly to assess the severity of those symptoms. To help decrease their risk of developing CVD, people living with HIV/AIDS should be offered behavioral modification interventions aimed at developing healthy lifestyle habits.

Background COPD patients account for a large proportion of lung transplants; lung transplantation survival benefit for COPD patients is not well established. Methods We identified 4521 COPD patients in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) dataset transplanted from May 2005 to August 2016, and 604 patients assigned to receive pulmonary rehabilitation and medical management in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT). After trimming the populations for NETT eligibility criteria and data completeness, 1337 UNOS and 596 NETT patients remained. Kaplan–Meier estimates of transplant-free survival from transplantation for UNOS, and NETT randomisation, were compared between propensity score-matched UNOS (n=401) and NETT (n=262) patients. Results In propensity-matched analyses, transplanted patients had better survival compared to medically managed patients in NETT (p=0.003). Stratifying on 6 min walk distance (6 MWD) and FEV1, UNOS patients with 6 MWD

Abstract Inclusion effect of soybean meal (SBM) and fermented SBM (FSM) in extruded pellet for juvenile abalone (Haliotis discus) was compared in abalone farm. Dietary inclusion effect of the combined macroalgae (MA) (Undaria pinnatifida and Hizikia fusiforme) and a single Saccharina japonica on abalone was also compared. Three thousand six hundred juvenile abalone were purchased from a private hatchery and acclimated to the experimental conditions for 2 weeks. Six 5-ton flow-through raceway tanks were used, and abalone were randomly distributed into tanks (n = 600 per tank). Three experimental diets were prepared in duplicate. Fish meal, FSM, corn gluten meal, and shrimp meal and wheat flour and dextrin were used as the protein and carbohydrate sources, respectively, in the FSM diet. MA was also included in the FSM diet. FSM and MA in the FSM diet were substituted with SBM at the expense of wheat flour and S. japonica, referred to as the SBM and SJ diets. The experimental diets were pelletized by an extruded pelleter. Water stability of nutrients in the experimental diets was monitored at 12, 24, and 48 h after seawater immersion. The experimental diets were fed to abalone once a day to satiation with a little leftover for 120 days. The retained crude protein and lipid and ash content of the extruded pellets were changed over all period of time. Weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) of abalone fed the SBM diet were greater than those of abalone fed the FSM and SJ diets. Weight gain and SGR of abalone fed the SJ diet were also greater than those of abalone fed the FSM diet. The longest shell length, widest shell width, highest shell height, and greatest soft body weight were obtained in abalone fed the SBM diet, followed by the SJ and FSM diets. Proximates of the soft body of abalone were not different among the experimental diets. In conclusion, SBM was a superior protein source to FSM in extruded pellet for growth performance of abalone. Dietary inclusion of a single S. japonica was superior to the combined inclusion of U. pinnatifida and H. fusiforme in the production of abalone.

Abstract Substitution effect of white radish’ by-product (WRB) and tunic of sea squirt (TSS) for Undaria in feed on growth and carcass composition of abalone was determined. Eight-hundred forty juveniles were distributed into 12 containers. Three formulated diets were prepared in triplicate. A 15% Undaria was included in the control diet. The 15% Undaria was substituted with a same amount of WRB and TSS, referred to as the DRG and TSS diets, respectively. Finally, dry Undaria was also prepared to compare effect of the formulated diets on performance of abalone. The experimental diets were fed to abalone once a day at a satiation level with a little leftover. The feeding trial lasted for 16 weeks. Crude protein, crude lipid, and ash content of the experimental diets changed over all period of time. Higher crude protein and lipid and ash contents retained in all formulated diets compared to the Undaria were observed at 24 and 48 h after seawater immersion. Survival of abalone was not affected by the experimental diets. Weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) of abalone fed the TSS diet was greater than all other diets. Weight gain and SGR of abalone fed the control diet was not different from those of abalone fed the WRB diet. Proximates of the soft body of abalone was affected by the diets. In conclusion, WRB and TSS are the promising feed ingredients to replace Undaria in abalone feed; especially, TSS is superior to either Undaria or WRB. The formulated diets produced improved growth performance of abalone over the single Undaria.

PurposeChloramphenicol and tetracycline are not recommended for treating scrub typhus in pediatric patients because of potential side effects, such as aplastic anemia or tooth discoloration. While clarithromycin has recently been used in adults, few reports have been published on its effects in pediatric patients. We report the clinical profiles of pediatric scrub typhus and the effects of clarithromycin on scrub typhus in children.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed medical records of 56 children with scrub typhus who were admitted between 2004 and 2013 to Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea. Cases were divided into 3 groups based on thetreatment drug (chloramphenicol, azithromycin, and clarithromycin). We compared their clinical manifestations and laboratory findings.ResultsAll patients exhibited fever and rash. Other common clinical manifestations were eschars (66%), lymphadenopathy (48%), upper respiratory symptoms (42%), abdominal pain (32%), and hepatosplenomegaly (14%). Elevated levels of C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, aspartate transaminase, and alanine transaminase were detected in 95%, 96%, 84%, and 77% of patients, respectively. Additionally, decreased platelet and white blood cell levels were observed in 43% and 36% of patients, respectively. There were no statistical differences between the treatment groups in mean age (P=0.114) or sex (P=0.507). However, time to defervescence after the treatments differed significantly, being the shortest in the clarithromycin group (P=0.019). All patients recovered without complications related to the disease or drugs.ConclusionClarithromycin was as effective as chloramphenicol and azithromycin in pediatric scrub typhus patients and may be used as a first-line treatment drug.

Dietary inclusion effect of yacon (YC), ginger (GG) and blueberry (BB) on the growth, feed utilization, body composition and plasma chemistry of olive flounder and immunity test against Streptococcus iniae compared to a commercial probiotic (Lactobacillus fermentum) was investigated. Six hundred fish were randomly distributed into 15, 50 L flow-through tanks (40 fish per tank). Five experimental diets were prepared in triplicates. No additives were added in the control (CON) diet. The commercially available 0.5% L. fermentum and 1% each of YC, GG and BB powder were included instead of an equal amount of water and wheat flour, referred to as the LF, YCP, GGP and BBP diets, respectively. Fish were daily fed with one of the experimental diets for 8 weeks. At the end of the 4 and 8-week feeding trials, fish were artificially infected with S. iniae and the cumulative mortality was monitored for the next 8 days. No differences in growth performance, feed utilization, body composition and plasma chemistry were observed at the end of the 8-week feeding trial. However, the highest cumulative mortality was observed in fish fed the CON diet starting at 42 h until the end of 8-day post observation after the both 4 and 8-week feeding trials. The cumulative mortality of fish fed the YCP, GGP and BBP diets was comparable to the LF diet. Therefore, YC, GG and BB were effective as immunostimulant against S. iniae rather than growth promoter of olive flounder. Keywords: Olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), Yacon, Ginger, Blueberry, Lactobacillus fermentum, Streptococcus iniae

OBJECTIVES To manage evidence-based diseases, it is important to identify the characteristics of patients in each country. METHODS The Korea HIV/AIDS Cohort Study seeks to identify the epidemiological characteristics of 1,442 Korean individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (12% of Korean individuals with HIV infection in 2017) who visited 21 university hospitals nationwide. The descriptive statistics were presented using the Korea HIV/AIDS cohort data (2006-2016). RESULTS Men accounted for 93.3% of the total number of respondents, and approximately 55.8% of respondents reported having an acute infection symptom. According to the transmission route, infection caused by sexual contact accounted for 94.4%, of which 60.4% were caused by sexual contact with the same sex or both males and females. Participants repeatedly answered the survey to decrease depression and anxiety scores. Of the total participants, 89.1% received antiretroviral therapy (ART). In the initial ART, 95.3% of patients were treated based on the recommendation. The median CD4 T-cell count at the time of diagnosis was 229.5 and improved to 331 after the initial ART. Of the patients, 16.6% and 9.4% had tuberculosis and syphilis, respectively, and 26.7% had pneumocystis pneumonia. In the medical history, sexually transmitted infectious diseases showed the highest prevalence, followed by endocrine diseases. The main reasons for termination were loss to follow-up (29.9%) and withdrawal of consent (18.7%). CONCLUSIONS Early diagnosis and ART should be performed at an appropriate time to prevent the development of new infection.

The number of persons infected by HIV/AIDS has consistently increased in Korea since the first case of HIV/AIDS infection in 1985 and reached 15,208 by 2016. About 1,100 new patients with HIV/ AIDS infections have emerged every year since 2013. In Korea, the Korea HIV/AIDS Cohort Study was established for the evidenced-based prevention, treatment, and effective management of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in December 2006. This study monitored 1,438 patients, who accounted for about 10% of all patients with HIV/AIDS in Korea, for 10 years with the following aims: (1) to develop an administrative system for the establishment of a HIV/AIDS cohort-based study; (2) to standardize methodologies and the case report forms; and (3) to standardize multi-cohort data and develop a data cleaning method. This study aims to monitor at least 1,000 patients (excluding those for whom investigation had been completed) per year (estimated number of patients who can be monitored by January 2018: 939). By December 2016, the sex distribution was 93.3% for men, and 6.7% for women (gender ratio, 13.9:1.0), and 98.9% of all participants were Korean. More than 50.0% of the participants were confirmed as HIV positive after 2006. This study reports competitive, long-term research that aimed to develop policies for the prevention of chronic infectious diseases for patients with HIV. The data collected over the last decade will be used to develop indices for HIV treatment and health promotion.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137078.].

Helicobacter pylori genetic variation is a crucial component of colonization and persistence within the inhospitable niche of the gastric mucosa. As such, numerous H. pylori genes have been shown to vary in terms of presence and genomic location within this pathogen. Among the variable factors, the Bab family of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) has been shown to differ within subsets of strains. To better understand genetic variation among the bab genes and to determine whether this variation differed among isolates obtained from different geographic locations, we characterized the distribution of the Bab family members in 80 American H. pylori clinical isolates (AH) and 80 South Korean H. pylori clinical isolates (KH). Overall, we identified 23 different bab genotypes (19 in AH and 11 in KH), but only 5 occurred in greater than 5 isolates. Regardless of strain origin, a strain in which locus A and locus B were both occupied by a bab gene was the most common (85%); locus C was only occupied in those isolates that carried bab paralog at locus A and B. While the babA/babB/- genotype predominated in the KH (78.8%), no single genotype could account for greater than 40% in the AH collection. In addition to basic genotyping, we also identified associations between bab genotype and well known virulence factors cagA and vacA. Specifically, significant associations between babA at locus A and the cagA EPIYA-ABD motif (P

We report vat-based additive manufacturing (or, 3D printing) that leverages protein denaturation as the sole curing mechanism. The approach avoids the use of acrylates, which are often toxic and hazardous materials. Instead, additive manufacturing by protein denaturation uses techniques that enable control over the location of photothermal transduction such that protein aggregation drives the conversion of aqueous resin into solid parts. In this way, we introduce a safe and sustainable approach to production of complex three-dimensional objects that maintain full biodegradability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This letter presents a wide dynamic range (WDR) feature extraction (FE) readout scheme for machine vision applications using CMOS image sensors (CISs). The proposed scheme with the proposed pixel structure has two operating modes, the normal and WDR modes. In the normal operating mode, the proposed CIS captures a normal image with high sensitivity. In addition, as a unique function, a bi‐level image is obtained for real‐time FE even if a pixel is saturated in strong illumination conditions. Thus, compared to typical CISs for machine vison, the proposed CIS can reveal object features that are blocked by light in real time. In the WDR operating mode, the proposed CIS produces a WDR image with its corresponding bi‐level image. A prototype CIS was fabricated using a standard 0.35‐μm 2P4M CMOS process with a 320 × 240 format (QVGA) with 10‐μm pitch pixels. At 60 fps, the measured power consumption was 5.98 mW at 3.3 V for pixel readout and 2.8 V for readout circuitry. The dynamic range of 73.1 dB was achieved in the WDR operating mode.

The 5-year survival rate of kidney cancer drops dramatically from 93% to 15% when it is metastatic. Metastasis constitutes for 30% of kidney cancer cases, in which clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prominent subtype. By sequencing mRNA of ccRCC patient samples, we found that apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) was highly expressed in tumors compared to their adjacent normal tissues. This gene has been previously identified in a large body of kidney disease research and was reported as a potential prognosis marker in many types of cancers. However, the molecular function of APOL1 in ccRCC, especially in metastasis, remained unknown. In this study, we modulated the expression of APOL1 in various renal cancer cell lines and analyzed their proliferative, migratory, and invasive properties. Strikingly, APOL1 overexpression suppressed ccRCC metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. We then explored the mechanism by which APOL1 alleviated ccRCC malignant progression by investigating its downstream pathways. APOL1 overexpression diminished the activity of focal adhesive molecules, Akt signaling pathways, and EMT processes. Furthermore, in the upstream, we discovered that miR-30a-3p could inhibit APOL1 expression. In conclusion, our study revealed that APOL1 play a role as a tumor suppressor in ccRCC and inhibit metastasis, which may provide novel potential therapeutic approaches for ccRCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]