Protective effects of calcium against cadmium-induced toxicity in juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus).

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the dominant metal pollutants present in the aquatic environment that affects ion homeostasis, oxidative stress (OS) and immune responses of aquatic organisms. Given the physicochemical similarities between Cd2+ and calcium (Ca2+) ions, their antagonism may facilitate the mitigation of Cd-induced toxicity. To better understand the role of Ca in protecting against Cd-induced toxicity in teleosts, juvenile grass carp were exposed to Cd (measured concentration 3 µg/L) and a gradient of Ca concentrations (measured concentration 1.5 mg/L, 2.5 mg/L, 3.0 mg/L, and 3.5 mg/L in the control (CTL) group, low calcium (LCA) group, medium calcium (MCA) group, and high calcium (HCA) group, respectively) for 30 days. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) data analyses showed that simultaneous exposure to Ca impaired the accumulation of Cd in all tested tissues. Besides, Ca addition maintained the plasma ion (Na+, K+, Cl-) homeostasis, alleviated Cd-induced oxidative stress (OS), and regulated the activities and transcriptional levels of ATPase. Furthermore, transcriptional heatmap analysis demonstrated that several indicator genes for OS and calcium signaling pathway were found to be significantly modulated by Ca addition. This work delineates a protective effect of Ca against Cd-induced toxicity in grass carp, providing new insight into the possible solutions to Cd pollution issues in aquaculture industry.

Design and simulation of a gripper structure of cluster tomato based on manual picking behavior.

Picking robot technology plays an important role in the rapid promotion of precision agriculture. The development of a successful robot gripper is critical for the final promotion and industrialization of the tomato picking robot. This paper investigated the cluster tomato picking strategy and the gripper structure design based on this strategy to address the problem of poor adaptability of the existing gripper design in the cluster tomato picking scene. Starting from the research on the behavior of artificially picking cluster tomatoes, the grasping method, finger structure parameters and picking movement pattern of the human hand are analyzed. The evaluation criteria of the gripper are summarized, a simplified mathematical model of the gripper is established, and the picking strategy under the model of the gripper is proposed. Furthermore, according to the simplified gripper model, a rigid-flexible coupling gripper structure is designed, and the gripping simulation analysis is carried out. According to the simulation results, the gripper can smoothly grab medium and large tomatoes with diameter of 65∼95 mm. The peak force and fluctuation force of tomato with different sizes during grasping were less than the tomato's minimum damage force. The gripper has adaptability and stability characteristics, providing technical support for gripper manufacturing and the construction of a picking system for a tomato picking robot.

RNA-sequencing identifies differentially expressed genes in T helper 17 cells in peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis.

Innate and adaptive immune factors play significant roles in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. T helper 17 (Th17) cells, a pro-inflammatory T cell subset, were considered to contribute to the progression of endometriosis lesions. However, the regulatory mechanisms of Th17 cells in endometriosis remain unidentified, partially due to the difficulty in recovering live Th17 cells from endometriosis patients. In this study, by flow cytometry analysis of a set of chemokine receptors including CXCR3, CCR4, CCR10, and CCR6, live RORγt-and-IL-17A-expressing Th17 cells were enriched from peritoneal fluid (PF) of patients with different stages of endometriosis for the first time, RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) of these PF Th17 cells revealed significantly up-regulated genes and down-regulated genes in stage I-II and stage III-IV endometriosis, compared with their counterparts in normal PF. In conclusion, this study provides a novel method to isolate live Th17 cells from endometriosis patients, unveils an array of differentially expressed genes in endometriosis Th17 cells, and offers valuable gene expression profile information for endometriosis clinical research.

Identification of the Hub Genes Associated with the Prognosis of Ovarian Cancer Patients via Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis and Experimental Validation.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify the hub genes associated with prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer by using integrated bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. METHODS: Four microarray datasets (GSE12470, GSE14407, GSE18521 and GSE46169) were analyzed by the GEO2R tool to screen common differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, the (KEGG) pathway and Reactome pathway enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) construction, and the identification of hub genes were performed. Furthermore, we performed the survival and expression analysis of the hub genes. In vitro functional assays were performed to assess the effects of hub genes on ovarian cancer cell proliferation, caspase-3/7 activity and invasion. RESULTS: A total of 89 common DEGs were identified among these four datasets. The KEGG and Reactome pathway results showed that the DEGs were mainly associated with cell cycle, mitotic and p53 signaling pathway. A total of 20 hub genes were identified from the PPI network by using sub-module analysis. The survival analysis revealed that high expression of six hub genes (AURKA, BUB1B, CENPF, KIF11, KIF23 and TOP2A) were significantly correlated with shorter overall survival and progression-free survival of patients with ovarian cancer. Furthermore, the expression of the six hub genes were validated by the GEPIA database and Human Protein Atlas, and functional studies revealed that knockdown of KIF11 and KIF23 suppressed the SKOV3 cell proliferation, increased caspase-3/7 activity and attenuated invasive potentials of SKOV3 cells. In addition, knockdown of KIF11 and KIF23 up-regulated E-cadherin mRNA expression but down-regulated N-cadherin and vimentin mRNA expression in SKOV3 cells. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that six hub genes were up-regulated in ovarian cancer tissues and may predict poor prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. KIF11 and KIF23 may play oncogenic roles in ovarian cancer cell progression via promoting ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion.

Biota-sediment metal accumulation and human health risk assessment of freshwater bivalve Corbicula fluminea in Dongting Lake, China.

In this study, we analyzed the concentrations of metals in sediments and Corbicula fluminea in China's Dongting Lake to assess the suitability of C. fluminea as an effective biomonitor of metal contamination in sediments and food safety. We analyzed the biota-accumulation capacity by calculating the biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) and assessed the potential human health risk of metals exposure via consumption of C. fluminea using the target hazard quotient (THQ) and total target hazard quotient (TTHQ). The results showed that the average concentrations of As (31.93 mg kg-1), Cd (5.54 mg kg-1), Cr (105.50 mg kg-1), Cu (32.53 mg kg-1), and Zn (207.89 mg kg-1) in sediments were higher than their respective standard set by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China. The sediment metals, which were mainly anthropogenic in origin, were at high levels and pose a relatively high ecological risk. Cadium (Cd) showed very high potential ecological risk levels and should be included in the prior pollutants list in the studied area. The mean levels of As (0.81 mg kg-1) in C. fluminea were 1.62-times higher than that set by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. BSAF values of the soft tissues of C. fluminea were between 0.05 and 2.14, with higher values for Cu (2.14), Cd (1.77), Zn (1.60), and Ni (1.27). Soft tissues of C. fluminea were able to reflect spatial differences in Sr within sediments around Dongting Lake. The results indicated that C. fluminea could be an potential biomonitor for sediment metals assessment in biomonitoring programs, especially for Cu, Cd, Zn, Ni, and Sr. The mean values for THQ and TTHQ of all the analyzed metals were below 1.0, indicating that the intake of metals via comsumption of C. fluminea does not result in an appreciable risk to human health.

Evaluating a 5-year metal contamination remediation and the biomonitoring potential of a freshwater gastropod along the Xiangjiang River, China.

Effective remediation of heavy metal pollution in aquatic systems is desired in many regions, but it requires integrative assessments of sediments, water, and biota that can serve as robust biomonitors. We assessed the effects of a 5-year metal contamination remediation along the Xiangjiang River, China, by comparing concentrations of trace metals in water and surface sediments between 2010-2011 and 2016. We also explored the trace metal biomonitoring potential of a freshwater gastropod (Bellamya aeruginosa). Metal concentrations in water (means and ranges) dropped over time to within permissible limits of drinking water guidelines set by China, USEPA, and WHO in 2016. Although sediment means and ranges of Cd, Pb, Zn, and Mn also diminished with remediation, those for Cr and Cu slightly increased, and all six metals retained concentrations higher than standards set by China. All metals in sediments could also be associated with anthropogenic inputs using a hierarchical clustering analysis, and they generate high potential ecological risks based on several indices, especially for Cd and As. The bio-sediment accumulation factors of all measured trace metals in gastropod soft tissues and shells were lower than 1.0, except for Ca. Trace metal contents in gastropods were positively correlated with those in water and surface sediments for As (soft tissues) and Cr (shells). Collectively, our results do not yet highlight strong beneficial effects of 5-year remediation and clearly illustrate the heavy metal pollution remaining in Xiangjiang River sediment. Additional physical, chemical, and biological measurements should be implemented to improve sediment quality. We further conclude that gastropod soft tissues and shells can be suitable biomonitors of spatial differences in some heavy metals found within river sediments (e.g., As, Cr).

Effects of Cadmium Exposure on Metal Accumulation and Energy Metabolism of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).

Effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure on metal accumulation and energy metabolism of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) were studied during 14 days. The results showed that Cd accumulated in tissues of silver carp significantly with time and Cd concentration, as the order: liver > kidney > gill > muscle. The levels of muscle glycogen, triglyceride, and plasma triglyceride decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The levels of muscle protein, plasma glucose and lactate significantly increased during the first 8 days, and then all significantly decreased (p < 0.05). No significant alternations were observed in muscle cortisol, ATP and plasma protein (p > 0.05). The results indicate that the tissues' Cd concentrations and energy metabolism were altered by the presence of waterborne Cd, and silver carp mobilizes the muscle energy stores to cope with the increased energy demands for detoxication and repair mechanism induced by the exposure to waterborne Cd.

Overexpression of Hsa-miR-320 Is Associated With Invasion and Metastasis of Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common malignant tumor of female genital organs which ranks the third morbidity. We aimed to provide a better understanding of the mechanism of invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer. The ovarian cancer samples were downloaded from GEO. Then clustering was performed to classify the stage of miRNAs based on the difference of prognosis and metastasis. Furthermore, the miRNAs model was build and the survival analysis processes was performed to observe the influence on prognosis, invasion and metastasis. At last, miRNAs co-expression network was built to explore the core miRNAs and the risk classification model was built to perform the risk assessment based on these core miRNAs. A total of 17 significantly differential expressed miRNAs were obtained. Functional enrichment of 1,488 target genes, pathways like cell cycle, focal adhesion, and pathways in cancer, which are closely related to the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells were highly enriched, this indicate that these miRNAs are related to the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. The co-expressed network shows that the high expression of hsa-miR-320 indicated negative prognosis and high risk of metastasis. In conclusion, the expression level of hsa-miR-320 is highly related to the migration and invasion of cancer. The high expression of hsa-miR-320 directly indicated negative prognosis and high risk of metastasis. These findings reveal that hsa-miR-320 may serve as an important therapeutic target in ovarian cancer therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3654-3661, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Protective Effects of Calcium on Cadmium Accumulation in Co-Cultured Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Triangle Sail Mussel (Hyriopsis cumingii).

Discovering cost effective strategies to reduce cadmium (Cd) uptake is of great concern for consumer food safety in the aquaculture industry. This study investigated the protective effects of calcium (Ca) on Cd uptake in co-cultured silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and triangle sail mussel (Hyriopsis cumingii). The results show that Ca-depending on its applied concentration-caused a significant decrease in the Cd uptake into muscle (by 48 %-72 %), gills (by 51 %-57 %), liver (by 52 %-81 %) and kidney (by 54 %-81 %) of silver carp (p < 0.001), as well as foot (by 8 %-32 %) and visceral mass (by 40 %-47 %) of triangle sail mussels (p < 0.05). The results indicate that Ca treatment is an effective means of reducing Cd accumulation in aquaculture. Since Ca is often used to increase the quality of pearls produced by triangle sail mussel, the quality of co-cultured edible fish might improve as a consequence of the potentially reduced Cd uptake.

Effects of Acute Exposure to Sublethal Waterborne Cadmium on Energy Homeostasis in Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).

Effects of acute exposure to sublethal waterborne cadmium (Cd) on energy homeostasis in filter-feeding fishes have rarely been studied. The response patterns of energy substances were investigated in juvenile silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) exposed to sublethal waterborne Cd for 96 h. The results showed the 96hLC50 of Cd on juvenile silver carp was 1.723 mg/L. Sublethal acute exposure of Cd significantly affected the energy homeostasis of juvenile silver carp, including increase in plasma glucose and lactate, and decrease in plasma triglyceride, muscle glycogen and triglyceride and liver glycogen. The results indicated that glycogen and triglyceride prior to protein were mobilized to meet the increased demands for detoxication and repair mechanism to sublethal waterborne Cd exposure, and glycogen level depleted faster and restored slower in the liver than in the white muscle in juvenile silver carp.

Netrin-1 protects against L-Arginine-induced acute pancreatitis in mice.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common inflammatory disease mediated by damage to acinar cells and subsequent pancreatic inflammation with infiltration of leukocytes. The neuronal guidance protein, netrin-1, has been shown to control leukocyte trafficking and modulate inflammatory responses in several inflammation-based diseases. The present study was aimed toward investigating the effects of netrin-1 in an in vivo model of AP in mice. AP was induced in C57BL/6 mice by administration of two intraperitoneal injections of L-Arginine (4 g/kg). Mice were treated with recombinant mouse netrin-1 at a dose of 1 µg/mouse or vehicle (0.1% BSA) intravenously through the tail vein immediately after the second injection of L-Arginine, and every 24 h thereafter. Mice were sacrificed at several time intervals from 0 to 96 h after the induction of pancreatitis. Blood and tissue samples of pancreas and lung were collected and processed to determine the severity of pancreatitis biochemically and histologically. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that netrin-1 was mainly expressed in the islet cells of the normal pancreas and the AP model pancreas, and the pancreatic expression of netrin-1 was down-regulated at both the mRNA and protein levels during the course of AP. Exogenous netrin-1 administration significantly reduced plasma amylase levels, myeloperoxidase activity, pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and pancreas and lung tissue damages. Furthermore, netrin-1 administration did not cause significant inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B activation in the pancreas of L-Arginine-induced AP. In conclusion, our novel data suggest that netrin-1 is capable of improving damage of pancreas and lung, and exerting anti-inflammatory effects in mice with severe acute pancreatitis. Thus, our results indicate that netrin-1 may constitute a novel target in the management of AP.

Suspected osteoma in an eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus roratus).

A 7-month-old, male eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus roratus) was presented with a slow-growing mass over the chest and localized self-trauma to the area. Repeated sternal trauma secondary to an improper wing trim was observed in this case before development of the lesion. Surgical excision of the mass was performed for diagnostic and treatment purposes. On histopathologic examination, the mass was characterized by well-differentiated trabecular bone surrounded by a thin layer of periosteum. These findings were consistent with, but not exclusive to, a diagnosis of osteoma. This benign bone lesion is rare in human and veterinary medicine, with even fewer reports of this condition in avian patients. Trauma to the sternum from falling because of wing clipping was the most likely inciting cause in this parrot.