Altered structural covariance of the striatum in functional dyspepsia patients

BACKGROUND

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is thought to be involved in dysregulation within the brain-gut axis. Recently, altered striatum activation has been reported in patients with FD. However, the gray matter (GM) volumes in the striatum and structural covariance patterns of this area are rarely explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the GM volumes and structural covariance patterns of the striatum between FD patients and healthy controls (HCs).

METHODS

T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were obtained from 44 FD patients and 39 HCs. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was adopted to examine the GM volumes in the two groups. The caudate- or putamen-related regions identified from VBM analysis were then used as seeds to map the whole brain voxel-wise structural covariance patterns. Finally, a correlation analysis was used to investigate the effects of FD symptoms on the striatum.

KEY RESULTS

The results showed increased GM volumes in the bilateral putamen and right caudate. Compared with the structural covariance patterns of the HCs, the FD-related differences were mainly located in the amygdala, hippocampus/parahippocampus (HIPP/paraHIPP), thalamus, lingual gyrus, and cerebellum. And significant positive correlations were found between the volumes in the striatum and the FD duration in the patients.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

These findings provided preliminary evidence for GM changes in the striatum and different structural covariance patterns in patients with FD. The current results might expand our understanding of the pathophysiology of FD.

Linkage Disequilibrium Estimation of Chinese Beef Simmental Cattle Using High-density SNP Panels

Linkage disequilibrium (LD) plays an important role in genomic selection and mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL). In this study, the pattern of LD and effective population size (N_e) were investigated in Chinese beef Simmental cattle. A total of 640 bulls were genotyped with IlluminaBovinSNP50BeadChip and IlluminaBovinHDBeadChip. We estimated LD for each autosomal chromosome at the distance between two random SNPs of <0 to 25 kb, 25 to 50 kb, 50 to 100 kb, 100 to 500 kb, 0.5 to 1 Mb, 1 to 5 Mb and 5 to 10 Mb. The mean values of r² were 0.30, 0.16 and 0.08, when the separation between SNPs ranged from 0 to 25 kb to 50 to 100 kb and then to 0.5 to 1 Mb, respectively. The LD estimates decreased as the distance increased in SNP pairs, and increased with the increase of minor allelic frequency (MAF) and with the decrease of sample sizes. Estimates of effective population size for Chinese beef Simmental cattle decreased in the past generations and N_e was 73 at five generations ago.

Visualizing cerebral veins in fetal brain using susceptibility-weighted MRI

AIM

To explore the feasibility of two-dimensional (2D) susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in the visualization of cerebral veins in the foetal brain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-two pregnant healthy women (gestational age: 19-37 weeks, mean: 28.5 ± 7.1 weeks) underwent SWI examination using a 1.5 T MRI system. Two neurologists independently analysed all magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. The relationship between the veins detected and the gestational age was investigated. The prominence of veins was assessed using a categorical score.

RESULTS

In total, 167 veins were detected by SWI in 29 subjects with a symmetric hemisphere distribution (p > 0.05). An additional vein was detected by SWI biweekly from 24 weeks of gestation. Most veins of Galen and internal cerebral veins on SWI images were prominent, whereas others were faint or moderate.

CONCLUSION

SWI appears to be a feasible method of detecting cerebral veins in the foetal brain.

Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor overexpression in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma: a meta-analysis

The prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) remains controversial. Eligible studies that investigated the association between survival in EAC and the expression status of EGFR were identified by an electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the impact of EGFR overexpression on clinicopathological parameters or overall survival (OS) in EAC. A total of seven studies including 1028 patients were subjected to the final analysis. The overall results suggested that overexpression of EGFR was significantly correlated with not only the depth of invasion, lymph node status, and tumors stage of EAC, with a pooled odds ratio of 2.99 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-8.35; Z = 2.09; P = 0.037), 3.05 (95% CI: 1.77-5.27; Z = 4.00; P < 0.001), and 5.37 (95% CI: 2.49-11.57; Z = 4.29; P < 0.001), respectively, but also the poorer OS with a pooled hazard ratio of 2.20 (95% CI: 1.47-3.31; Z = 3.79; P < 0.001). Overexpression of EGFR correlates with not only the clinicopathological features, but also the worse OS, and it might be useful as a predictive biomarker in clinical practice, yet the clinicopathological and prognostic role of EGFR in EAC still needs further confirmation by well-designed prospective studies.

TREM-2 promotes macrophage-mediated eradication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa via a PI3K/Akt pathway

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM-2) is a cell surface receptor abundantly expressed on myeloid lineage cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells. It is reported that TREM-2 functions as an inflammatory inhibitor in macrophages and dendritic cells. However, the role of TREM-2 in bacterial killing remains unclear. This study explored the role of TREM-2 in bacterial eradication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), a Gram-negative bacterium which causes various opportunistic infections. Phagocytosis assay assessed by flow cytometry suggested that TREM-2 was not involved in the uptake of PA by macrophages, while bacterial plate count data showed that TREM-2 was required for macrophage-mediated intracellular killing of PA. Moreover, our results demonstrated that TREM-2 promoted macrophage killing by enhancing reactive oxygen species (ROS), but not nitric oxygen (NO) production. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine, a ROS scavenger, diminished the TREM-2-mediated intracellular killing of PA. To further investigate the underlined mechanisms of TREM-2-promoted bacterial killing, we examined the activation of downstream mitogen-activated protein kinases and PI3K/Akt pathway. Western blot data showed that silencing of TREM-2 inhibited phosphorylation of Akt, but not ERK, JNK or P38. In addition, pretreatment with PI3K active product PIP3 DiC16 reversed the elevation of intracellular bacterial load in TREM-2-silenced macrophages, while PI3K inhibitor wortmannin restored the decline of bacterial load in TREM-2-overexpressed macrophages. These data together suggested that the TREM-2-mediated bacterial killing is dependent on the activation of PI3K/Akt signalling, which may provide a better understanding of the host antibacterial immune defence.

Efficacy and safety of gabapentin for treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common type of neuropathic pain occurring after resolution of herpes zoster rash. Although gabapentin is a widely used treatment, some disagreements exist about its efficacy and safety. Meta-analysis was performed to better evaluate the efficacy and safety of gabapentin for management of PHN.

METHODS

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of gabapentin to treat PHN were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases. Searches were restricted to studies published in English.

RESULTS

Seven trials involving a total of 2039 participants were identified. Pooled analysis showed that gabapentin reduced PHN-related pain significantly more than placebo (mean difference, MD=-0.89, 95% CI -1.58 to -0.18, P<0.001). Gabapentin reduced pain below baseline by at least 50% in significantly more patients than did placebo (RR=1.59, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.88, P<0.001). Gabapentin was significantly more likely than placebo to lead patients to rate their global impression of change as "much improved" or "very much improved" (RR=1.82, 95% CI 1.41 to 2.35, P=0.003). Gabapentin also improved sleep quality significantly more than did placebo (MD=-0.62, 95% CI -0.67 to -0.57, P<0.001). On the other hand, patients given gabapentin were significantly more likely to experience dizziness, somnolence, peripheral edema, ataxia or gait disturbance and diarrhea. Subgroup analysis on formulation of gabapentin showed that gabapentin enacarbil had similar efficacy of pain relief with other formulations while it may be superior to others in term of compliance and safety.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis indicates that gabapentin is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with PHN.

Genetic diversity of the Chinese traditional herb Blumea balsamifera (Asteraceae) based on AFLP markers

Blumea balsamifera is a commercially important medicinal herb in China and other parts of Asia. It is used to produce borneol. This plant grows in the wild, but resources have diminished greatly in recent years. We examined the genetic diversity of this species to help develop conservation strategies; 35 plants from five provinces were analyzed using AFLPs. Eight AFLP primer combinations generated 1367 fragments, giving a mean of 172 fragments per primer combination. Polymorphism in the germplasm analysis was found for 1360 (99.48%) of the fragments, of which 264 (19.27%) fragments were unique (accession specific) and 423 (25.33%) of the fragments were rare (present in less than 10% of the accessions). The polymorphic fragments were used to group the accessions in a UPGMA phenogram. Most grouping was geographical. In general, accessions coming from Guizhou and Guangxi showed higher diversities as these accessions were scattered in different groups. The genetic distance estimated by Jaccard similarity coefficient index showed low variability among genotypes (coefficient value ranged from 0.60 to 0.95). More attention should be given to the study and conservation of the biodiversity of this economically important genus.

Long interspersed nucleotide acid element-1 ORF-1 protein promotes proliferation and invasion of human colorectal cancer LoVo cells through enhancing ETS-1 activity

The human proto-oncogene long interspersed nucleotide acid element-1 (LINE-1) open reading frame-1 protein (ORF-1p) is involved in the progress of several cancers. The transcription factor ETS-1 can mediate the transcription of some downstream genes that play specific roles in the regulation of cancerous cell invasion and metastasis. In this study, the effects of LINE-1 ORF-1p on ETS-1 activity and on the proliferation and invasion of human colorectal cancer LoVo cells were investigated. Results showed that the overexpression of LINE-1 ORF-1p enhanced the transcription of ETS-1 downstream genes and increased their protein levels, and downregulation of the LINE-1 ORF-1p level by small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced the transcriptional activation of ETS-1. In addition, overexpression of LINE-1 ORF-1p promoted LoVo cell proliferation and anchor-independent growth, and a knockdown of the LINE-1 protein level by siRNA reduced the proliferation and anchor-independent growth ability of LoVo cells. In vivo data revealed that LINE-1 ORF-1p overexpression increased LoVo tumor growth in nude mice, whereas the siRNA knockdown of endogenous LINE-1 ORF-1p expression decreased LoVo cell growth in nude mice. Therefore, LINE- 1 ORF-1p could promote LoVo cell proliferation and invasion both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that it might be a useful molecular target for the treatment of human colorectal cancer.

GANRA-5 protects both cultured cells and mice from various radiation types by functioning as a free radical scavenger

The radio-protective effects of the oxazolone derivative chemical compound 4-(4-methoxy-3-methoxyphenyl-methyl)-2-phenyl- 5(4H)-oxazolone (GANRA-5) against different types of radiation including X-rays, carbon ion beams, microwaves and ultraviolet light (UV) were studied. Cell proliferation/cytotoxicity assay and colony-forming assay were conducted to evaluate the toxicity of GANRA-5. To test its influence on the induction of double-stranded break (DSB) formation and genomic instability, γH2AX focus-forming assay as well as cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay was utilized. Our results indicate that GANRA-5 exhibits low toxicity, while providing high radio-protective effects for MRC-5 cells against different types of radiation. We also found that GANRA-5 acts as a free radical scavenger. Our animal studies provided evidence that GANRA-5 significantly increases the survival rate of mice after X-ray irradiation. Analyses of hemogram, visceral index and detection of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the viscera indicate both low toxicity of GANRA-5, combined with its ability to shield radiation risk. In conclusion, our results suggest that GANRA-5 has the potential to be used as a safe and efficient radio-protectant.

TNFα-activated stromal COX-2 signalling promotes proliferative and invasive potential of colon cancer epithelial cells

OBJECTIVES

Up to now it has been unclear whether stromal/epithelial interaction affects progression of colon cancer. This study was designed to examine effects of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-activated stromal cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) signalling on proliferation and invasiveness of colon cancer epithelial cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA and protein were determined by real-time PCR and western blotting and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) was assayed by radioimmunoassay. Cell proliferation and invasiveness were determined by transwell chamber assays and protein kinase C (PKC) was assayed by Biotrak(™) PKC Assay System.

RESULTS

Our results indicated that TNFα, a powerful inflammatory cytokine, strongly promoted COX-2 expression and PGE2 production in colon cancer-associated fibroblasts. Using in vitro assays for estimating proliferative and invasive potential, we discovered that activation of stromal COX-2 signalling significantly promoted proliferation and invasiveness of colon cancer epithelial cells. In addition, selective COX-2 inhibitor N-[2-(Cyclohexyloxy)-4-nitrophenyl]methanesulfonamide, blocked such proliferative and invasive effects on the cancer epithelial cells. In this process, PKC was involved in activation of COX-2 signalling in the fibroblasts.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that activation of stromal COX-2 signalling by TNFα played a major role in promoting proliferation and invasiveness of colon cancer epithelial cells.

Immune cells link obesity-associated type 2 diabetes and periodontitis

The clinical association between obesity-associated type 2 diabetes (T2D) and periodontitis, coupled with the increasing prevalence of these diseases, justifies studies to identify mechanisms responsible for the vicious feed-forward loop between systemic and oral disease. Changes in the immune system are critical for both obesity-associated T2D and periodontitis and therefore may link these diseases. Recent studies at the intersection of immunology and metabolism have greatly advanced our understanding of the role the immune system plays in the transition between obesity and obesity-associated T2D and have shown that immune cells exhibit similar functional changes in obesity/T2D and periodontitis. Furthermore, myeloid and lymphoid cells likely synergize to promote obesity/T2D-associated periodontitis despite complexities introduced by disease interaction. Thus the groundwork is being laid for researchers to exploit existing models to understand immune cell dysfunction and break the devastating relationship between obesity-associated T2D and oral disease.

NT-proBNP plays an important role in the effect of ibuprofen on preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to clarify the role of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, (NT-proBNP) in ibuprofen on preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Preterm infants with PDA were enrolled in the present study. Patients were randomized into two groups: ibuprofen group received oral ibuprofen 10 mg/kg, followed by 5 mg/kg after 24 and 48 h, and the placebo group received the same volume of 5% glucose. PDA and NT-proBNP were detected during 24 hours, 3 and 7 days of age.

RESULTS

The results indicated that babies who received oral ibuprofen had higher PDA closure at 7 days after treatment (p < 0.05). Significantly decrease of NT-proBNP was found in ibuprofen group than the placebo group at 3 and 7 days (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, the favorable effects of ibuprofen on PDA in premature infants maybe mediated in part by the reduction of NT-proBNP level.

The role of plasma cell-free DNA detection in predicting preoperative chemoradiotherapy response in rectal cancer patients

In the present study, we studied the relationship between plasma cell-free DNA and the effect of preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer. The concentration, KRAS mutation and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status of cell-free DNA were measured by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. The response to chemoradiotherapy was assessed using tumor regression grading (TRG) scores. The cell-free DNA concentrations in patients with rectal cancer (n=34) were significantly higher compared to healthy controls (n=10). The 400-base pair (bp) DNA concentration, 400-/100-bp DNA ratio decreased significantly after chemoradiotherapy in the good response group. The incidence of KRAS mutation decreased significantly after chemoradiotherapy in both good and poor response groups. Higher MGMT promoter methylation status at baseline DNA was associated with a better tumor response. Therefore, cell-free DNA detection may be useful in evaluating the effect of preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer.

Abstract P1-08-24: High tumor RNA disruption is associated with increased survival in patients with locally advanced breast cancer

Background: We recently reported that epirubicin/docetaxel treatment of locally advanced breast cancer patients in the MA.22 clinical trial reduced tumor RNA integrity and that low mid-treatment tumor RNA integrity was associated with a pathologic complete response (pCR) post-treatment [Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 119:347-356]. A novel method for detection of chemotherapy-dependent loss of RNA integrity, the RNA disruption assay (RDA), has since been developed, which stratifies RNA disruption into 3 zones. Zone 1 represents drug effect inadequate to obtain a pCR [RNA disruption index (RDI) ≤ 10, NPV&gt;0.99]. Zone 2, an intermediate zone (RDI &gt;10 and ≤35) had 1 pCR in our study, while Zone 3 (RDI &gt;35) had the most pCRs (n = 7).

Methods: We have now evaluated the relationship between tumor RNA disruption and both treatment response and patient survival in all evaluable MA.22 patients (n = 85). RNA was isolated from 2-3 tumor biopsies/patient prior to and after 3 (Schedule A) or 4 (Schedule B) cycles of chemotherapy at 3- or 2-weekly intervals, respectively. RNA quality was assessed on an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and RNA disruption quantified using RDA.

Results: Chemotherapy exposure reduced maximum tumor RNA content from 197 ± 24 ng/μl (mean ± standard error) pre-treatment to 94.0 ± 12.8 ng/μl mid-treatment, with maximum tumor RDI values increasing from 26.0 ± 5.8 to 88.1 ± 19.1 (p&lt;0.01 for both observations by Sign test). At the time of assessment, there were similar numbers of deceased patients across tumor RDA zones 1, 2, and 3 mid-treatment (7, 8, and 9 patients, respectively). In contrast, there were 2.9-fold more living patients with tumors in RDA zone 3 (29) than in zone 1 (10). Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly greater (by 23.6 months) for zone 3 patients (56.9 ± 5.6 months) compared to zone 1 patients (33.3 ± 6.8 months) (p = 0.0096 by Mann Whitney Wilcoxon Test for this and all subsequent statistical tests). Living patients with tumor RDA values in zone 3 exhibited 24.5 months greater DFS than living patients with tumors in zone 1 (68.2 ± 5.5 months versus 43.7 ± 9.5 months, respectively; p = 0.015). Given their high frequency within the patient population, we were also able to conclude that greater DFS (an additional 28.6 months) could be seen for patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) tumors in zone 3 (59.2 ± 7.2 months) compared to patients with similar tumors in zone 1 (30.6 ± 6.3 months; p = 0.0088). Living patients with ER+ tumors in zone 3 had even greater DFS (+42.5 months) compared to living patients with ER+ tumors in zone 1 (71.8 ± 5.8 months versus 29.3 ± 8.7 months, respectively; p = 0.0012). There were also 2.5-fold more living patients with ER+ tumor RDA values in zone 3 (15) than in zone 1 (6). None of the above significant differences were observed when pre-treatment tumor RDI values or pre-treatment patient characteristics were assessed. Irrespective of breast tumor receptor subtype, chemotherapy-dependent RNA disruption mid-treatment was typically higher in patients that achieved a pCR post-treatment than for patients that did not.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that tumor RNA disruption measurements during treatment will be highly useful to predict response and survival for locally advanced breast cancer patients. Our data demonstrate that non-responding patients (zone 1 by RDA) have considerably reduced DFS with very little chance of achieving a pCR. Such patients can be spared the toxicities associated with continuing an ineffective regimen and can be considered quickly for alternate treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy, or other anti-cancer drugs. The impact of treatment schedule and dose on RDA's ability to predict patient response and survival is currently being assessed.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P1-08-24.

Polymorphism of SREBP1 is associated with beef fatty acid composition in Simmental bulls

The sterol regulatory element binding factor 1 gene (SREBP1) plays an important role in the biosynthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol, and in lipid metabolism. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of genetic polymorphisms of SREBP1 on the fatty acid composition of muscle and carcass traits in Simmental bulls and Snow Dragon black cattle. The 84-bp insertion/deletion (indel) in intron 5 of the bovine SREBP1 gene was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction to investigate its associations with traits. The results showed that the 84-bp indel in intron 5 was significantly associated with palmitoleic acid (C16:1), stearic acid (C18:0), saturated fatty acids (SFA), triglycerides (TAG), and the C16 index in Simmental bulls (P < 0.05). Cattle with the LL genotype had higher palmitic acid (C16:1), triglycerides, and C16 index but lower stearic acid (C18:0) and SFA compared to those with the LS genotype (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the 84-bp indel of SREBP1 could be used as a genetic marker for selecting Simmental breeding stock for healthier fatty acid composition.

Chinese urban-rural disparity in pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination coverage rate and associated determinants: a cross-sectional telephone survey

OBJECTIVES

The present study aimed to examine the differences in pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination coverage rate between urban and rural areas in China, and to explore factors associated with any urban-rural differences.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Data were derived from a cross-sectional telephone survey performed in seven urban and two rural areas soon after the pandemic peak in China, concerning pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination and associated knowledge, attitudes and practices among the general population in China. A total of 10 669 participants aged 18 years and above participated in the study.

RESULTS

Vaccination amongst rural residents was less than urban residents (8.9% vs 11.2%, P = 0.002). Among those who have not been immunized, 82.2% of rural respondents showed a willingness to get vaccinated against A/H1N1, significantly higher than that of urban respondents (55.3%). The major barrier to vaccination was reported as 'not being informed to get vaccination', of which there was a greater proportion in rural than urban population (71.9% vs 68.8%, P = 0.009). The analysis revealed a number of factors which contribute to this disparity: previous experience of vaccination against flu, degree of awareness of the free vaccination policy, and sociodemographic differences between urban and rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant discrepancies existed in the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination coverage rate and associated determinants, as well as the intention to get vaccinated between urban and rural residents. To improve the effectiveness of similar vaccination programmes in the future, campaigns for rural people need to be specifically tailored to address disparities in uptake.

Competition between antiferromagnetism and ferromagnetism in Sr2RuO4 probed by Mn and Co doping

Spin-triplet superconductivity in Sr₂RuO₄ has attracted enormous interest. Like other unconventional superconductors, superconductivity in Sr₂RuO₄ is in close proximity to magnetic instability. Undoped Sr₂RuO₄ exhibits incommensurate antiferromagnetic (AFM) fluctuations, which can evolve into static, short-range AFM order via Ti doping. Moreover, weak ferromagnetic (FM) coupling in Sr₂RuO₄ has also been suggested by NMR/neutron scattering experiments and studies on Ca_2−xSr_xRuO₄ and Sr_2−yLa_yRuO₄, implying orbital dependent magnetism. We report bulk static, short-range FM order in Sr₂RuO₄ triggered by <2% Co doping, showing superconductivity in Sr₂RuO₄ is much closer to FM instability than previously reported in Ca_2−xSr_xRuO₄. We also find Mn doping can effectively establish incommensurate AFM order, with T_N ~ 50 K for 3% Mn doping. These new results place Sr₂RuO₄ in a unique situation where superconductivity lies directly on the borderline of two distinct magnetic states, highlighting the important role of competing magnetic fluctuations in determining superconducting properties of Sr₂RuO₄.

Effects of the probiotic Arthrobacter sp. CW9 on the survival and immune status of white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

The probiotic Arthrobacter sp. CW9 isolated from guts of white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) was used to improve the survival rate, growth rate and immune status of white shrimp (P. vannamei). Arthrobacter sp. CW9 was added to the saline rearing water at 0, 10(5), 10(6) and 10(7) CFU ml(-1) once every 5 days during the 24-day breeding experiment. The probiotic group had significantly higher survival rates, mean shrimp weights, phenoloxidase activity, phagocytic activity and clearance efficiency compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Therefore, Arthrobacter sp. CW9 has both probiotic and immunostimulatory properties.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study demonstrates that Arthrobacter sp. CW9 has both probiotic and immunostimulatory properties. Such new strain therefore represents an alternative to the use of white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) culture. New bacterial having both probiotic and immunostimulatory properties are the major novelty of this study. The results are of industrial relevance.