0.16). Different monitoring sites within the same coral region were heterogeneous with regards to all above indexes. Moreover, we reviewed and discussed potential disturbances that threaten the health of the Xisha Islands’ corals. It is crucial to identify severely afflicted areas and find successful methods to better manage coral reef health in this region.

BackgroundIn a previous study, a total of 568 differentially expressed proteins including the signal peptidase SPC21 were identified from lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and paired normal lung tissues. In this study, the role of SPC21 in LUAD progression was investigated.MethodsThe relationships and protein-protein interaction network of proteins differentially expressed between paired LUAD samples and adjacent normal tissues samples were identified via the String and Pajek software, respectively. The expression levels of the hub protein SPC21 were analyzed in 84 LUAD-normal paired tissues via immunohistochemistry. The prognostic value of SPC21 mRNA was investigated in 478 LUAD patients from TCGA and GTEx datasets. siRNAs were used in A549 and NCI-H1299 cells to knockdown SPC21. The SPC21 biological function was evaluated using the CCK-8, EdU, plate colony formation, transwell, wound healing, and adhesion assays.ResultsPatients with lower SPC21 mRNA levels tended to have worse prognosis (overall survival) than those with higher mRNA levels. SPC21 expression was significantly downregulated in LUAD tumor tissues compared with that in paired normal tissues (P < 0.001). Functionally, SPC21 knockdown promoted cell growth, migration, and invasion. Further analyses showed that SPC21 inactivated Akt signaling, and the Akt inhibitor MK-2206 blocked the tumor-promoting effects of SPC21 knockdown.ConclusionsSPC21 plays a tumor suppressor role in LUAD cells by targeting the PTEN-PI3K/Akt axis and might be used as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target in LUAD patients.

Sexual growth dimorphism is a common phenomenon in teleost fish and has led to many reproductive strategies. Growth- and sex-related gene research in teleost fish would broaden our understanding of the process. In this study, transcriptome sequencing of shortfin scad Decapterus macrosoma was performed for the first time, and a high-quality reference transcriptome was constructed. After identification and assembly, a total of 58,475 nonredundant unigenes were obtained with an N50 length of 2,266 bp, and 28,174 unigenes were successfully annotated with multiple public databases. BUSCO analysis determined a level of 92.9% completeness for the assembled transcriptome. Gene expression analysis revealed 2,345 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the female and male D. macrosoma, 1,150 of which were female-biased DEGs, and 1,195 unigenes were male-biased DEGs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in biological processes including protein synthesis, growth, rhythmic processes, immune defense, and vitellogenesis. Then, we identified many growth- and sex-related genes, including Igf, Fabps, EF-hand family genes, Zp3, Zp4 and Vg. In addition, a total of 19,573 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were screened and identified from the transcriptome sequences. The results of this study can provide valuable information on growth- and sex-related genes and facilitate further exploration of the molecular mechanism of sexual growth dimorphism.

PurposeCognitive impairment (CI) is very common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cerebral structural and functional abnormalities have been reported in cognitively impaired patients with COPD, and the neurovascular coupling changes are rarely investigated. To address this issue, arterial spin labeling (ASL) and resting-state blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI techniques were used to determine whether any neurovascular changes in COPD patients.MethodsForty-five stable COPD patients and forty gender- and age-matched healthy controls were recruited. Furthermore, resting-state BOLD fMRI and ASL were acquired to calculate degree centrality (DC) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) respectively. The CBF-DC coupling and CBF/DC ratio were compared between the two groups.ResultsCOPD patients showed abnormal CBF, DC and CBF/DC ratio in several regions. Moreover, lower CBF/DC ratio in the left lingual gyrus negatively correlated with naming scores, lower CBF/DC ratio in medial frontal cortex/temporal gyrus positively correlated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), visuospatial/executive and delayed recall scores.ConclusionThese findings may provide new potential insights into neuropathogenesis of cognition decline in stable COPD patients.

Background Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a disease of high prevalence in old age, and its incidence gradually increases with increasing age. There were few studies about differences in the circulatory system in the incidence of AAA, mainly because younger patients with AAA are fewer and more comorbid nonatherosclerotic factors. Method We induced AAA in ApoE−/− male mice of different ages (10 or 24 weeks) and obtained plasma samples. After the top 14 most abundant proteins were detected, the plasma was analyzed by a proteomic study using the data-dependent acquisition (DDA) technique. The proteomic results were compared between different groups to identify age-related differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the circulation that contribute to AAA formation. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analyses were performed by R software. The top 10 proteins were determined with the MCC method of Cytoscape, and transcription factor (TF) prediction of the DEPs was performed with iRegulon (Cytoscape). Results The aortic diameter fold increase was higher in the aged group than in the youth group (p < 0.01). Overall, 92 DEPs related to age and involved in AAA formation were identified. GO analysis of the DEPs showed enrichment of the terms wounding healing, response to oxidative stress, regulation of body fluid levels, ribose phosphate metabolic process, and blood coagulation. The KEGG pathway analysis showed enrichment of the terms platelet activation, complement and coagulation cascades, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, carbon metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, and ECM-receptor interaction. The top 10 proteins were Tpi1, Eno1, Prdx1, Ppia, Prdx6, Vwf, Prdx2, Fga, Fgg, and Fgb, and the predicted TFs of these proteins were Nfe2, Srf, Epas1, Tbp, and Hoxc8. Conclusion The identified proteins related to age and involved in AAA formation were associated with the response to oxidative stress, coagulation and platelet activation, and complement and inflammation pathways, and the TFs of these proteins might be potential targets for AAA treatments. Further experimental and biological studies are needed to elucidate the role of these age-associated and AAA-related proteins in the progression of AAA.