Eimeria labbeana is a major pathogen of pigeon coccidiosis,causing damage to the intes-tinal epithelial cells of pigeons,which leads to gut injury,diarrhea,decreased production perform-ance,and even death.There have been no research on the pathogen characteristics of isolated strains in China.In this study,1 008 fecal samples were collected from nine cities in Zhejiang Prov-ince,including Hangzhou,Ningbo,Wenzhou,Shaoxing,Huzhou,Jinhua,Quzhou,Taizhou and Lishui.The samples were examined using the McMaster counting method to quantify oocysts per gram of feces,and coccidia species in positive samples were identified through microscopy.Patho-gens were isolated and purified with methods of single oocyst pickout under the microscopy and passage in coccidia-free pigeon,followed by a detailed study of their characteristics.Our findings demonstrated an overall infection rate of 55.8％(562/1 008)for pigeon coccidia in the surveyed ar-eas,with E.labbeana present across all farms.A strain of E.labbeana isolated from Zhejiang was successfully obtained and designated E.labbeana-ZJ.PCR identification and sequence alignment showed that this Zhejiang isolate shared a 99.67％similarity in the 18S rRNA gene sequence with the Australian strain(KT305927.1)and clustered into a small subgroup.Pathogenicity and oocyst shedding patterns were assessed through animal infection experiments,revealing a 4 days latent period,with peak infection occurring on the 8th day.Following infection,notable clinical symptoms emerged,with significant intestinal damage,and changes in body weight,indicating moderate path-ogenicity.The results enriched the epidemiological survey data of pigeon coccidiosis in China,and provide a new basis for further research and effective control measures against pigeon coccidiosis.

Eimeria labbeana is a major pathogen of pigeon coccidiosis,causing damage to the intes-tinal epithelial cells of pigeons,which leads to gut injury,diarrhea,decreased production perform-ance,and even death.There have been no research on the pathogen characteristics of isolated strains in China.In this study,1 008 fecal samples were collected from nine cities in Zhejiang Prov-ince,including Hangzhou,Ningbo,Wenzhou,Shaoxing,Huzhou,Jinhua,Quzhou,Taizhou and Lishui.The samples were examined using the McMaster counting method to quantify oocysts per gram of feces,and coccidia species in positive samples were identified through microscopy.Patho-gens were isolated and purified with methods of single oocyst pickout under the microscopy and passage in coccidia-free pigeon,followed by a detailed study of their characteristics.Our findings demonstrated an overall infection rate of 55.8％(562/1 008)for pigeon coccidia in the surveyed ar-eas,with E.labbeana present across all farms.A strain of E.labbeana isolated from Zhejiang was successfully obtained and designated E.labbeana-ZJ.PCR identification and sequence alignment showed that this Zhejiang isolate shared a 99.67％similarity in the 18S rRNA gene sequence with the Australian strain(KT305927.1)and clustered into a small subgroup.Pathogenicity and oocyst shedding patterns were assessed through animal infection experiments,revealing a 4 days latent period,with peak infection occurring on the 8th day.Following infection,notable clinical symptoms emerged,with significant intestinal damage,and changes in body weight,indicating moderate path-ogenicity.The results enriched the epidemiological survey data of pigeon coccidiosis in China,and provide a new basis for further research and effective control measures against pigeon coccidiosis.

Optical cochlear implant has been occuring as a new cochlear implant which utilizes laser pulses to stimulate hearing. Compared to electronic cochlear implant, it has demonstrated higher spatial selectivity and less radiation scattering, which could lead to higher fidelity cochlear prostheses. At present, most investigations have focused on experiments in vivo. Although a lot of exciting results have been obtained, the mechanisms of laser stimulation is still open. In this paper, a brief review on the recent new findings of optical cochlear implant is given, and possible mechanisms are discussed. In the end, new experimental proposals are suggested which could help to explore the mechanisms of laser-cochlea stimulation.
Cochlear Implantation ; Cochlear Implants ; Hearing Loss ; rehabilitation ; Humans ; Lasers ; Optics and Photonics

Objective To determine the inhibitory effect of a synthetic hexa-peptide GGWSHW (G peptide) derived from thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) on TGF-? activation induced by angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ) in cultured human renal tubular epithelial cells. Methods Human proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2) was cultured in vitro, untreated HK-2 cells were acted as normal control group. HK-2 cells were then stimulated by Ang Ⅱ for 1-24 hours (Ang Ⅱ stimulation group),so that optimal dosage and duration could be chosen.One hour prior to induction,HK-2 cells were pretreated with 10 ?mol/L peptide G (G peptide treated group)or losartan (losartan treated group), the blocker of I type receptor of Ang Ⅱ was acted as inhibitory control.The mRNA and protein levels of TSP1,TGF-?1,FN and PAI-1 were measured by RT-PCR and Western blot. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry were performed to detect the presence of TSP1, TGF-?1 and co-positive expression of two protein, respectively.The concentrations of total and active TGF-?1 as well as FN and PAI-1 in cell culture supematants were measured by ELISA. Additionally, the expression of Smad2 and p-Smad2 was also examined for the bioactivity of TGF-?1 signaling protein. Results Ang Ⅱ enhanced the expression of TSP1 and TGF-?1 in a temporal-spatial dependent manner. The optimal dosage and duration were 1 ?mol/L and 6 hours,for TSP1,and 0.1 ?mol/L and 12 hours for TGF-?1 respectively.Comparing with untreated HK-2,the co-expression of TSP1 and TGF-?1 induced by A Ⅱ showed a increase of 5.4 folds.In addition,the protein level of p-Smad2 was elevated remarkedly, the mRNA level of FN and PAI-1 was up-regulated by 3 and 1.5 folds, and the concentration was increased by 2.0 and 1.9 folds respectively. Peptide G had less effect on the expression of TSP1 and TGF-?1,whereas it significantly reduced the secretion of active TGF-?1,though total level of TGF-?1 remained up-regulated. Furthermore,comparing with losartan treated group, p-Smad2 expression was reduced by 28.9%, the mRNA level of FN and PAI-1 was decreased by 34.5% and 26% respectively,and the protein levels were reduced by 11.0% and 8.9% respectively. Conclusion The inhibitory peptide derived from TSP1 effectively suppresses TGF-?1 activation through a competitive mechanism and also reduces the secretion of FN and PAI-1 associated with fibrosis.