Biosynthesis and Isotopic Routing of Dietary Protein by Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka): Evidence from Compound-Specific Carbon Stable Isotope Analysis

Selenium toxicity and bioaccumulation in selenium-enriched fly (Chrysomya megacephala) maggots

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for human health, and as a potential animal feed, the Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) fly is rich in protein and fat. By using different concentrations of sodium selenite (0, 30, 50, 70 mg kg^-1), the possibility of biological Se enrichment in C. megacephala (Fabricius) maggots (CMMs) was investigated. The accumulation, Se speciation, enzymatic activity, and concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and cadmium (Cd) in the maggots were also determined. Transcriptomics was also used to investigate the mechanism of the Se response to CMM genes. The results showed that the CMMs had a survival rate of > 80% at Se exposure concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 mg kg^-1. The optimal concentration of sodium selenite for CMM growth was 50 mg kg^-1, and the weight, protein content, and total Se accumulation of the larvae (10.8 g, 53.5%, and 72.6 ± 3.36 mg kg^-1 (DW), respectively) were considerably higher than the control and other exposure doses (p < 0.05). In addition, Se improved the ability of maggots to absorb Cu and Zn, decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid peroxidation, but improved the antioxidant activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX). Furthermore, Se negatively affected the absorption of Cd and Cr. According to the transcriptomic findings, Se supplementation can boost protein synthesis and control both antioxidant and non-antioxidant enzyme activity in CMMs. Therefore, our findings showed that Se-enriched CMMs may counteract the toxicity of Cd and Cr, and Se is an effective supplement for improving the consumption safety of cultured animals fed containing CMMs.

Bibliometric Analysis of Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China: Development, Differences, and Trends Directions

Background

Marine traditional Chinese medicine (MTCM) is a class of traditional medicine that has antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. Bibliometric approaches were used in this study to conduct systematic research in order to gain a complete picture of MTCM research around the world.

Methods

CiteSpace and NoteExpress software were utilized as tools to examine the information about authors, sources, keywords, etc. Chinese publications were collected from the CNKI, VIP, and WANFANG databases; English publications were collected from the Web of Science database.

Results

A total of 10080 publications were screened, and the search volume of Chinese literature is greater than that of English literature; Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China, and Jeju National University, South Korea, published a greater number of articles than other institutions; the scholars Zhaohui-Zhang and Youjin-Jeon have published the highest number of articles in the world. MTCM of shells was often researched for inorganic elements, and data mining methods were applied frequently; MTCM of animals was commonly used for antifatigue and was taken authenticity identification owing to the scarcity of resources; scholars conducted the most research on MTCM of plants, this category usually for antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant purposes, and the mechanisms of action were studied in depth. The Chinese literature has undertaken a multifaceted research study based on the theories of processing and the nature of TCM. In the English literature, in-depth studies have been done from the perspectives of the mechanism of action, the extraction and purification of active substances, etc.

Conclusions

According to the analysis of keywords, different medicinal parts present their own special research directions, and different research hotspots have also emerged under different medical theories. The development of MTCM is moving in the direction of standardization and modernization, thanks to the development of cross-disciplinary research as well as the use of several new technologies and statistical techniques.

Diversity of epiphytic bacterial communities on male and female Sargassum thunbergii

The epiphytic bacteria are the most abundant microorganisms on marine macroalga. However, there are few studies on the distribution of these epiphytic bacteria on male and female Sargassum thunbergii. In this study, the composition and diversity of epiphytic bacterial communities on male and female S. thunbergii were investigated by using the traditional culture-based method and 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the dominant bacterial phyla and genera were the same on both male and female S. thunbergii. However, there were significant differences in the relative abundance of epiphytic bacteria at the genus level. Furthermore, male and female S. thunbergii had their own indicative species and specific bacteria. In addition, the predicted functions of the epiphytic bacteria mainly differed in transport and metabolism, environmental adaptation and spore development. This study enriches the baseline knowledge of epiphytic bacteria related to dioecious algae and paves the way for further studies of the relationships between epiphytic microbial communities and the sex of algae.

OUP accepted manuscript

Stable isotope analysis of teeth and bones is regularly applied by archeologists and paleoanthropologists seeking to reconstruct diets, ecologies, and environments of past hominin populations. Moving beyond the now prevalent study of stable isotope ratios from bulk materials, researchers are increasingly turning to stable isotope ratios of individual amino acids to obtain more detailed and robust insights into trophic level and resource use. In the present article, we provide a guide on how to best use amino acid stable isotope ratios to determine hominin dietary behaviors and ecologies, past and present. We highlight existing uncertainties of interpretation and the methodological developments required to ensure good practice. In doing so, we hope to make this promising approach more broadly accessible to researchers at a variety of career stages and from a variety of methodological and academic backgrounds who seek to delve into new depths in the study of dietary composition.