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.

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.

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.