Morphology,ontogeny and molecular phylogeny of a new brackish water ciliate Bakuella subtropica sp. n. (Ciliophora,Hypotricha) from southern China

This paper investigates the morphology, ontogenesis and small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene-based phylogeny of a new urostylid ciliate, Bakuella subtropica sp. n., discovered from the estuary of the Pearl River in Guangzhou, southern China. The new species is diagnosed by its elongate body, one buccal and one parabuccal cirrus, midventral complex comprised of 9–23 midventral pairs and one or two midventral rows extending to four fifths of body length, yellow-brown to yellow-greenish cortical granules and an estuary habitat. Its main ontogenetic features are: (1) in the proter, the parental adoral zone of membranelles is completely renewed by new structures and old midventral pairs join the formation of frontal-midventral-transverse cirral anlagen (FVT-anlagen); (2) in the opisthe, the oral primordium originates apokinetally, FVT-anlagen are formed besides and some old midventral cirri join the formation; (3) the anlagen for marginal rows and dorsal kineties develop intrakinetally; and (4) the numerous macronuclear nodules fuse into a single mass before dividing. Based on the SSU rDNA sequences, phylogenetic analyses show a close relationship between Bakuella subtropica sp. n., Apobakuella and Neobakuella, forming a clade separated from the other genera in the family Bakuellidae. Available morphological and ontogenetic data challenge the monophyly of Bakuellidae.     

Morphology of three new marine Frontonia species (Ciliophora; Peniculida) with note on the phylogeny of this genus

Members of the ciliate genus Frontonia are common colonizers of periphytic communities in aquatic biotopes. Recent studies indicate that their species diversity is higher than previously supposed. In this study the morphology and infraciliature of three new species, Frontonia sinica spec. nov., F. pusilla spec. nov., and F. elegans spec. nov., isolated from coastal waters of China, were investigated using live observation and silver impregnation methods. Frontonia sinica differs from its congeners by the following combination of characters: ellipsoidal body, about 116 somatic and five or six vestibular kineties, peniculi 1 and 2 four-rowed, peniculus 3 two-rowed, and a single contractile vacuole. Frontonia pusilla has about 72 somatic kineties, four-rowed peniculi 1 and 2, a two-rowed peniculus 3, and two contractile vacuoles. Frontonia elegans has 73 somatic kineties, four-rowed peniculi 1 and 2, a three-rowed peniculus 3, and two contractile vacuoles. In the present work, six new small-subunit rRNA gene sequences of six Frontonia species are used to construct the phylogenetic trees. Our phylogenetic analysis supports that the genus Frontonia may be paraphyletic. Meanwhile, no pattern of correlation could be found between the structures of peniculi and the phylogenetic relationships of Frontonia species in the present study.     

Reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation for hematological malignancies: current status and the future

Reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation (RIST) has opened a new era for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). It was developed based on the knowledge that graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect is the main anti-tumor effect in allogeneic HSCT. Because RIST is associated with less morbidity and mortality, it can be applied to many patients who could not undergo conventional HSCT. Experiences in the last decade clarified many issues related to RIST. For example, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in RIST may differ in character compared to conventional HSCT. Also, it is now known that intensity of conditioning is important in disease control, and the optimal regimens may be different for each disease or for each disease status. There are still many unsolved questions, and large prospective randomized trials are necessary to resolve these.     

Improvement of nutritional quality of cultured sobaity sea bream,Sparidentex hasta (Valenciennes) muscle by preharvest feeding of finisher feeds

A 6‐month long study was conducted to improve the nutritional quality of the cultured sobaity bream, Sparidentex hasta by feeding them finisher feeds containing high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at the last two months of the grow‐out stage so that the muscle DHA level be increased at par to the wild. A grow‐out feed used from the beginning until the end of the trial was considered as the control (Diet 1). Experimental diets 2 and 3 were formulated to contain 9.0% DHA (e.g. 1.68 g DHA/100 g feed) and 10.5% DHA (2.20 g DHA/100 g feed), by incorporating high DHA tuna oil into a sea bream grow‐out diet. For comparison, a commercial finisher feed (Diet 4) from Skretting, Italy was also used. The results of this study demonstrated that fish fed DHA enriched finisher diets resulted in significantly (p < .05) better growth, feed utilization and higher muscle eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA content compared to those fed grow‐out diet. The muscle DHA and EPA of fish fed finisher diets were also higher than those of the whole year average DHA and EPA content of wild sobaity. An organoleptic evaluation showed no significant (p > .05) differences between sensory attributes of muscle from cultured and wild sea bream. The results of the study demonstrated that feeding finisher feed enriched with DHA at the later part of the grow‐out operation, the n‐3 PUFA levels of cultured sobaity can cost‐effectively be increased at par to the wild.     

Designing an immunoinformatic vaccine for peri-implantitis using a structural biology approach

ObjectivesPeri-implantitis is a destructive inflammatory process that affects the soft and hard tissues around dental implants. porphyromonas gingivalis, an anaerobic gram-negative bacterium, appears to be the main culprit. Since there is no efficient and specific vaccine to treat peri-implantitis, the goal of our research has been to develop a multi-epitope vaccination utilizing an immunoinformatics approach that targeted P. gingivalis type I fim A.Materials and methodsP. gingivalis peptides 6JKZ and 6KMF are suitable for vaccine development. B- and T-cell epitopes from 6KMF and 6JKZ were detected and evaluated based on critical factors to produce a multi-epitope vaccine construct. It was assessed based on allergenicity, antigenicity, stability. The vaccine's dual major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I and MHC-II) binding epitopes allowed it to reach a larger population. P. gingivalis fimbriae induce immune subversion through TLR -CXCR4 receptor complex pathway. The ClusPro 2.0 server was used to do the molecular docking using TLR2 - CXCR4 and vaccine epitopes as receptor and ligand respectively.ResultsThe designed vaccine was non-allergenic and had a high antigenicity, solubility, and stability. The 3D structure of the vaccine revealed strong interaction with CXCR4(TLR2) using molecular docking. The vaccine-CXCR4 interface was more consistent, possibly because the vaccination has a higher affinity for the CXCR4-TLR2 complex.ConclusionThis study details the vaccine's distinct and sustained interaction with the CXCR4(TLR2) immunological receptor and its consistent and effective utterance in the bacterial system. As a result, our vaccine formulation will evoke a significant memory response and induce an adaptive immune response against P. gingivalis.     

Protective effects of cinnamon powder against hyperlipidemia and hepatotoxicity in butter fed female albino mice

A butter-enriched high-fat diet changes lipid metabolism, resulting in fat storage, hyperlipidemia and obesity. Effects of cinnamon powder were investigated in butter-fed mice. 40 Swiss Albino mice, aged 28 to 30 days, were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A was an untreated control group (n = 8) and another group (n = 32) was a butter-treated group fed 10% butter. In the fifth week, mice of the butter-fed group were further divided into four equal groups: B, C, D, and E (n = 8), fed 10% butter with cinnamon 200 mg, 400 mg, and 600 mg powder per liter drinking water, respectively for 10 weeks. The butter-fed group was gained the most weight. Cinnamon supplementation significantly normalized weight gain and had no harmful effects on hematological parameters. Butter supplementation significantly increased total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) whereas, cinnamon powder significantly reduced TC, LDL-c and glucose levels. In butter-fed mice, a significant increase was observed in the liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels with subsequent fat deposition in the liver. Excitingly, these enzymes were decreased and no fat depositions were observed in the liver of cinnamon-treated mice. Applying different concentrations of cinnamon powder improved the lipid profile in butter-fed female albino mice.     

Biogas manufacture from co-digestion of untreated primary sludge with raw chicken manure under anaerobic mesophilic environmental conditions

This work aimed to co-digest various wastes to assess the best combination of all mixing ratio, also at choosing the best ratio between untreated primary sludge (UPS) singly from two sources, (South valley University (SUPS) and Abu tesht wastewater station (AUPS) and raw chicken manure (RCM) and comparing the results in either case. The co-digestions of untreated primary sludge from Abu tesht wastewater treatment stations with different levels of raw chicken manure (0:100, 10:90, 30:70, 50:50, 90:10, and 100:0) to obtain the best mixtures. Also, co-digestion of untreated primary sludge from south valley university with different levels of raw chicken manure at the same ratios, to obtain the best mixtures. Batch digestion tests were applied in 2.5 L digester with a working volume of 2.0 L. The samples in triplicates were separately loaded into the digesters locally fabricated and kept for 20 days as a retention period and diluted with the same amount of water. Mesophilic under 35 °C was adopted for untreated primary sludge as well as mixtures with raw chicken manure based on total solids (TS) and volatile solid (VS) proportions. The average biogas yields from AUPS/RCM mixture obtained ranged from 8570 to 5600 ml, by the following descending order, 10: 90 > 90:10 and so on >100:0, and the average biogas yields from SUPS/RCM obtained ranged from 6330 to 5635 ml, in the order of 90: 10 > 10:90 and so on >100:0. The results showed highest biogas yield from AUPS/RCM and SUPS/RCM mixtures with mixing ratio of 10:90 and 90:10, respectively, however, the lowest biogas production detected in separate digestion of AUPS and SUPS. The results indicated that co-digestion between the sludge and raw chicken manure could increase total biogas production volume, enhance sludge treatment process, and produce eco-friendly sludge because of co-digestion process than separate processing of each feedstock.