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The vasa gene is specifically expressed in the germ cell lineage, and its expression has been used to study germline development in many organisms, including fishes. In this study, we cloned and characterized vasa as Efu-vasa in the brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus). Efu-vasa contained predicted regions that shared consensus motifs with the vasa family in teleosts, including arginine- and glycine-rich repeats, ATPase motifs, and a DEAD box. Phylogenetic-tree construction using various DEAD-box proteins confirmed that Efu-vasa was clustered in the vasa family. Efu-vasa mRNA was detectable only in gonads, by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) during early gonad development in larvae were characterized by histological examination and in situ hybridization using an Efu-vasa antisense probe. Migrating PGCs were found in larvae at 9-21 days post-hatching, and rapid proliferation of PGCs was initiated in 36 days post-hatching. These findings provide a valuable basis for optimizing the developmental stages for germ cell transplantation in order to produce surrogate broodstock, which may help in the production of larvae of large and endangered grouper species.

The effects of water treated with an electromagnetic field (EMF) were investigated on two biological systems, humans and plants. Purified de-ionised water was treated by (1) boiling, (2) exposure to microwave radiation, and (3) low frequency electromagnetic oscillation molecular resonance effect technology (MRET), before being used to prepare media for culturing human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from three healthy females. Our results indicated that PBMC culture in MRET-activated medium showed significantly less oxidative metabolism when compared to media prepared from other types of water. As for the effects on soybean, our results indicated that both MRET- and microwave-treated water greatly enhanced the length of the root. These results suggested that electromagnetic-treated water can have diverse biological effects on both animal and plant cells. Since these effects are related to the 'Memory of Water', hypothesis which has been suggested as an explanation of the action of high homeopathic dilutions, our finding warrant a further investigation on the mechanisms of various types of physically conditioned water on specific cellular activities.

Primary series vaccination with BNT162b2 followed by a booster 5 months later has been recommended for healthy adolescents. We aimed to describe the immunogenicity in a fractional dose of BNT162b2. Adolescents aged 12–18 years were randomized into six arms for primary series administration: 3wPZ30/30 (reference group), 3wPZ30/20, 3wPZ20/20, 6wPZ30/30, 6wPZ30/20, and 6wPZ20/20 µg. A booster was given at 5 months after the second dose using either 10 or 15 µg of BNT162b2. Immunogenicity following vaccination was determined by IgG against receptor-binding domain (anti-S-RBD IgG;BAU/mL), surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT;%inhibition) and pseudovirus neutralization (pVNT;ID50) against Omicron. Non-inferiority criteria were defined as a lower boundary of the geometric mean ratio (GMR) being greater than 0.67. From September to October 2021, 118 adolescents with a median age (IQR) of 14.9 years (13.9–16.7) were enrolled. Fourteen days after the primary series, the geometric means (GMs) of anti-S-RBD IgG (BAU/mL) were 3090 (95%CI 2761–3460) in 3wPZ30/30. The GMRs of anti-S-RBD were: 0.80 (95% CI 0.67–0.97) in 3wPZ30/20; 1.00 (95%CI 0.83–1.20) in 3wPZ20/20; 1.37 (95% CI 1.13–1.65) in 6wPZ30/30; 1.24 (95% CI 1.02–1.50) in 6wPZ30/20; and 1.36 (1.13–1.64) in 6wPZ20/20. After a booster dose with 15 ug (n = 24) of BNT162b2, sVNT and pVNT against Omicron variant were 91.6 (95%CI 88.4–94.9) and 331 (95% CI 221–495), respectively. In the group that received 10 µg of BNT162b2 (n = 25), sVNT was 85.6 (95%CI 80.0–91.6) and pVNT was 397 (95%CI 267–590). Healthy adolescents had good immune responses to the fractional dose regimen of BNT162b2 and this may be considered as an alternative option.