Renocila richardsonae Williams & Bunkley-Williams, 1992 (Isopoda: Cymothoidae), a parasite of Japanese goatfish, Upeneus japonicus off Sarawak, South China Sea

@#Renocila richardsonae Williams & Bunkley-Williams, 1992 is recorded for the first time from Sarawak coastal waters. During a survey of marine fishes at depth of 200 metres in South China Sea, off the coast of Sarawak from 3° to 5°N and 110° to 111°E, five specimens of Renocila richardsonae were collected from Japanese goatfish, Upeneus japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782) (Mullidae) with average prevalence of 17% and mean intensity of one isopod per fish from examination of 64 fish. The isopod was observed to cause tissue damage on the site of attachment to the host.

Study on the relationship between habitat factors and the distribution / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To explore the relationship between the distribution characteristics and the habitat factors of the invasive B. straminea in South China. Methods From October 2016 to August 2017, the breeding condition and habitat factors of B. straminea were investigated in the rivers of Shenzhen and its adjacent areas in the dry season, normal season and wet reason. The generalized additive model (GAM) was used to study the main habitat factors affecting the distribution density of B. straminea. Results The distribution characteristics of B. straminea showed obvious aggregation and unevenness in space. In terms of time, the density of snails was the highest in the dry season, followed by the normal water season and the least in the wet season. The GAM model analysis showed that the main habitat factors affecting the distribution density of B. straminea were water depth, water temperature, flow velocity, dissolved oxygen, and total phosphorus. When the flow velocity and water temperature were 0.25 m / s and 26 °C, respectively, the largest distribution density of snails might appear. The distribution density of B. straminea was positively correlated with dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus. Conclusion B. straminea is suitable to live in the water environment with poor water quality. In the future, the monitoring should be strengthened to provide reference for the prevention and control of the spread of the snails.

Usage of Chinese Herbs in Cancer Patients in Southern China: A Survey / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the use of Chinese medicine (CM) in cancer patients in southern China.@*METHODS@#A total of 1,950 cancer patients finished questionnaires in four provinces in southern China. The survey included socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of participants, dosage forms, efficacy, and side effects.@*RESULTS@#The study results showed that cancer patients with higher education (>12 years) were more likely to accept the treatment of Chinese herbs. There were 54.61% (1,065 cases) of patients chose Chinese herbs for the initial treatment and 14.46% (282 cases) chose Chinese herbs as monotherapy. Most patients (54.51%, 1,063 cases) continuously used CM for more than 6 months, and a few of them (212 cases) used CM for up to 3 years. All kinds of dosage forms of CM had been used, including CM decoction, CM patent prescription and CM injection. Concerning the efficacy in the view of patients, 40.31% (786 cases) believed that it would be effective to take Chinese herbs before they starting the anti-cancer treatment, and the percentage increased to 81.08% after 1-month CM treatment. The effect of Chinese herbs was mainly demonstrated by symptom relief and improvement of quality of life, and 8.31% (162 cases) of patients experienced control of tumor growth and decreased tumor markers. Furthermore, only 14.31% (279 cases) participants reported that they experienced side effects during CM treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#This large scale investigation reflects the current situation of domestic CM usage objectively and comprehensively, which might provide new ways for cancer treatment.

A new briarane-type diterpenoid from the South China Sea gorgonian Junceella fragilis / 药学学报

The chemical constituents of gorgonian Junceella fragilis Ridley, collected from Ximao Island, the South China Sea, were investigated. A new briarane-type diterpenoid, named fragilide Y (1), together with five known compounds (2–6), namely fragilide D (2), cholesterol (3), ergosterol peroxide (4), 2'-deoxythymidine (5) and cis-thyminenol (6), were isolated from the acetone extract of J. fragilis. The structure of the new compound 1 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, while the known compounds were identified by comparison with the reported data. In bioassay, none of these compounds displayed obvious anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic effects.

Shotgun metagenomic analysis of microbial communities in the surface waters of the Eastern South China Sea

Aims: The South China Sea (SCS) harbours a rich biodiversity. However, few studies have been published on its diverse communities, particularly its microbial counterparts. As key players behind many of the vital processes carried out in the ocean, microbes are the focus of this study, placing particular emphasis on community composition, structure, and function. Methodology and results: By employing next generation shotgun sequencing technologies (Illumina HiSeq2000), we assessed the taxonomic structure and functional diversity of the prokaryotic communities in surface waters collected from 3 representative sites in the Eastern SCS: Sarawak (Kuching), Sabah (Kota Kinabalu), and Philippines (Manila). Comparisons were undertaken to similar studies from coastal and open ocean environments. All 3 locations were dominated by members of the Proteobacteria (Alpha- and Gamma-) and Cyanobacteria (Synechococcus sp. and Prochlorococcus sp.). The highest proportion of Gammaproteobacteria was found in Sarawak, representing an approximate 20% of total sequences. Archaeal assemblages were made up largely of Euryarchaeota and unclassified sequences, while Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota were present in much smaller proportions, except in the Philippines where Thaumarchaeota made up almost 40% of the entire taxa. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The majority of the microbial communities adhered to a core set of functional genes across the different locations. However, differences existed particularly in Sarawak waters which are hypothesized to be due to local environmental parameters such as riverine influence. The results obtained from this study provide the first comparison of prokaryotic communities in the surface waters of the eastern SCS and will serve as a good platform for prospective studies in the field of environmental science.

Spectrum of fungal keratitis change in South China / 中华实验眼科杂志

Background Fungal keratitis has a high incidence in China and its clinical treatment is very difficult,and its etiology diagnosis and appraisal is the premise to improve the prognosis of disease.With the changes of regional environment and climate in recent years,whether the spectrum of fungal keratitis change in South China is remarkable.Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate recent pathogenic distribution of fungal keratitis in South China area.Methods The consecutive fungal culture resuhs of 3 350 purulent keratitis at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from January 2009 to December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.The positive rate of fungal culture,genus or species distribution,seasonal distribution and different term distribution were analyzed.Results The culture-positive rate was 31.34％ in this study (1 050/3 350),and the average culture-positive number was 175 strains per year.In the positive fungus,the highest positive rate was Fusarium SP (32.10％,337/1 050),and followed by Aspergillus SP (25.71％,270/1 050),Heminthosporium SP (14.29 ％,150/1 050) and Mucor SP (9.14％,96/1 050).The fungal culture-positive rate was 36.05％ (367/1 018) in 2009 to 2010,32.45％ (324/1 014) in 2011 to 2012,and 26.86％ (354/1 318) in 2013 to 2014,respectively,with a significant difference among the three periods (x2 =22.37,P＜0.01),showing a decreasing tendency of incidence.Two hundreds and sixtyone strains were isolated from January to March (31.15 ％,261/838),182 strains from April to June (25.53 ％,182/713),237 strains from July to September (30.00％,237/790),370 strains from October to December (36.67％,370/1 009),showing a statistically significant difference among them (x2 =25.19,P ＜ 0.01).The number of infectious strains was most during October to December and fewest during April to June.Conclusions The leading pathogenic fungi of fungal keratitis is Fusarium SP and followed by Aspergillus SP,Helminthosporium SP,Mucor SP in turn.Fungal keratitis is usually prevalent from October to December,and its incidence is still rising in Chinese mainland recently.However,the increasing tendency in South China has been prevented in recent six years.

Sequence Analysis of Mitochondrial Genome of Toxascaris leonina from a South China Tiger

Toxascaris leonina is a common parasitic nematode of wild mammals and has significant impacts on the protection of rare wild animals. To analyze population genetic characteristics of T. leonina from South China tiger, its mitochondrial (mt) genome was sequenced. Its complete circular mt genome was 14,277 bp in length, including 12 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 2 non-coding regions. The nucleotide composition was biased toward A and T. The most common start codon and stop codon were TTG and TAG, and 4 genes ended with an incomplete stop codon. There were 13 intergenic regions ranging 1 to 10 bp in size. Phylogenetically, T. leonina from a South China tiger was close to canine T. leonina. This study reports for the first time a complete mt genome sequence of T. leonina from the South China tiger, and provides a scientific basis for studying the genetic diversity of nematodes between different hosts.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of 27 children with Prader-Willi syndrome in South China / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To understand the clinical and molecular characteristics of children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in South China.Methods Clinical and molecular data of children diagnosed as PWS by Methylation-specific PCR(MS-PCR) and/or Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization(Array-CGH)in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from November 2012 to November 2014 were analyzed.Results A total of 27 children diagnosed as PWS were included in this study,including 21 cases diagnosed by Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (Array-CGH) and 13 cases diagnosed by methylation-specific PC R (MS-PCR).Within the 27 cases,13 cases were male(48.1％) and 14 cases were female(51.9％).The age on diagnosis was from 16 days to 16 years old.MS-PCR was performed in 13 cases,7 cases of them also performed Array-CGH,both of them showed a 174 bp fragment from the methylated allele and a 100 bp fragment from the unmethylated allele.Array-CGH analysis was performed in 21 cases,paternal deletion in 18 cases and mean interstitial deletions measure (5.48 ± 0.51) Mb in size,paternal duplication in 2 cases,loss of heterozygosity measure approximately 79.58 Mb in 1 case.Eighteen simple chromosome deletion cases were divided into 6 Del Ⅰ and 12 Del Ⅱ according to the location of Array-CGH and query the database to DECIPHER(Database of Chromosomal Imbalance and Phenotype in Humans Using Ensembl Resources).The major phenotype included central hypotonia and feeding difficulty in all cases (100.0％),hypogonadism in 25 cases (92.6％),weak crying in 22 cases(81.5％),and hypopigmentation in 22 cases(81.5％).Fourteen cases beyond 1 year old had varied degrees of development disability and behavioral and psychiatric disturbance:speech articulation defects in 13 cases(92.9％),hyperphagia and weight gain too fast in 13 cases(92.9％) when they were between 1 to 6 years old[(2.80 ± 1.32) years old],and obesity in 12 cases (85.7％).Conclusions For PWS children in South China,there is no statistically significant difference in the clinical manifestation between Del Ⅰ and Del Ⅱ.PWS children in South China have typical clinical characteristics,which can be used as a further screening indication to implement molecular diagnostics.

Isolation and phylogenetic analysis of hemagglutinin gene of H9N2 influenza viruses from chickens in South China from 2012 to 2013

As part of our ongoing influenza surveillance program in South China, 19 field strains of H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses (AIVs) were isolated from dead or diseased chicken flocks in Guangdong province, South China, between 2012 and 2013. Hemagglutinin (HA) genes of these strains were sequenced and analyzed and phylogenic analysis showed that 12 of the 19 isolates belonged to the lineage h9.4.2.5, while the other seven belonged to h9.4.2.6. Specifically, we found that all of the viruses isolated in 2013 belonged to lineage h9.4.2.5. The lineage h9.4.2.5 viruses contained a PSRSSRdownward arrowGLF motif at HA cleavage site, while the lineage h9.4.2.6 viruses contained a PARSSRdownward arrowGLF at the same position. Most of the isolates in lineage h9.4.2.5 lost one potential glycosylation site at residues 200-202, and had an additional one at residues 295-297 in HA1. Notably, 19 isolates had an amino acid exchange (Q226L) in the receptor binding site, which indicated that the viruses had potential affinity of binding to human like receptor. The present study shows the importance of continuing surveillance of new H9N2 strains to better prepare for the next epidemic or pandemic outbreak of H9N2 AIV infections in chicken flocks.

Fatty acid composition indicating diverse habitat use in coral reef fishes in the Malaysian South China Sea

BACKGROUND: In order to understand feeding ecology and habitat use of coral reef fish, fatty acid composition was examined in five coral reef fishes, Thalassoma lunare, Lutjanus lutjanus, Abudefduf bengalensis, Scarus rivulatus and Scolopsis affinis collected in the Bidong Island of Malaysian South China Sea. RESULTS: Proportions of saturated fatty acids (SAFA) ranged 57.2% 74.2%, with the highest proportions in fatty acids, the second highest was monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) ranged from 21.4% to 39.0% and the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was the lowest ranged from 2.8% to 14.1%. Each fatty acid composition differed among fishes, suggesting diverse feeding ecology, habitat use and migration during the fishes' life history in the coral reef habitats. CONCLUSIONS: Diets of the coral fish species might vary among species in spite of that each species are living sympatrically. Differences in fatty acid profiles might not just be considered with respect to the diets, but might be based on the habitat and migration.

Medical rescue action for large number of the sick and wounded in maritime disaster at sea / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of medical rescue of the Maritime Medical Team (Corps) for mass sick and wounded in maritime disaster so as to improve the medical rescue capacity for maritime disasters.Method The construction of maritime medical teams (corps) constituted with various numbers of 10, 15,50 and 120 team members, and the development of algorithm in practice were reviewed. In 68 maritime disasters from January 2003 to December 2009, 937 wounded were rescued by first-aid at sea. The patients were classified and given cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation, emergency operation, complication prevention, comprehensive treatment for seawater immersion wound and rapidly referred to hospitals. Results Of 937 patients, 872 survived (93%) and 65 died (7%). Of the dead, 16 died in one hour (25%), 43 died in 24 hours after injury (66%),andofthem, 61died of trauma (94% ) , 2 died of drowning and 1 died of poisoning. Conclusions Besides a good command of the features of mass sick and wounded, organization and program, treatment strategies and measures, the timely and effective assignment for on-site first aid at sea and safe transfer were very important for medical rescue of mass patients in maritime disaster. After the practice of maritime medical team (corps) in medical rescue during maritime disaster, the rapid response capability, cooperation and the quality of rescue were improved, and the experience of medical service of marine medical team (corps) was enriched.

Study on the contents of nutrition ingredients and elements of limit quantity in eight species of shellfish in south China sea / 中国海洋药物

In this paper,the contents of nutrition ingredients and five elements of limit quan- tity in eight species of shellfish in South China Sea were studied. It was found that the contents of Cd was high and Ag,As Cu and Ph were general low in comparison with hygiene criterions.

Screening of Marine Mold Activity and Having Antifungi Primary Research / 微生物学通报

More than one hundred strains of marine molds have been isolated from the sediment and the sample of seawater collected from the South China Sea. By the first screening, more than 30 strains of marine molds which can inhibit tested fungi such as Candida albicans and Fursarium sp. were obtained.The results of the second screening showed those strains designed as B 4#-6、B 4#-3、1-B 6-6、1-B 6-10-5、1-B 6-22、C 2#-5、A 2-9 and 1-B 6-10 can produced extracelluar antifungi metabolic products and the crude extract of the strains 1-B 6-10-5 and B 4#-3 can inhibit the growth of many other species of fungi.