Comparison of different animal models for estimating genetic parameters for early growth traits and reproductive traits in Tianmu Sainuo sheep.

As the economic level of individuals rises, so too does the demand for mutton. Enhancing the breeds of mutton sheep not only boosts production efficiency and economic benefits but also fosters the sustainable growth of the mutton sheep breeding industry. Thus, this study examines the early growth and reproductive traits of Tianmu Sainuo sheep, analyzing the genetic interactions among these traits to furnish a theoretical foundation for refining breeding strategies and expediting the genetic advancement of this breed. The investigation compiled 29,966 data entries, involving 111 sires for birth weight (BWT) and 113 for other metrics. The data encompassed 10,415 BWT records from 1,633 dams, 12,753 weaning weight (WWT) records from 1,570 dams, 12,793 average daily gain (ADG) records from 1,597 dams, and 13,594 litter size (LS) records from 1,499 dams. Utilizing the GLM procedure in SAS 9.2 software, the study analyzed the non-genetic influences on lamb BWT, WWT, ADG, and LS. Concurrently, DMU software estimated the variance components across various animal models for each trait. Employing the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and likelihood ratio test (LRT), six models were tested, incorporating or excluding maternal inheritance and environmental impacts, to identify the optimal model for deriving genetic parameters. The findings reveal that birth year (BY), birth quarter (BQ), birth type (BT), age of mother (AM), and birth sex (BS) exerted significant impacts on BWT, WWT, and ADG (p < 0.01). Additionally, BQ and AM significantly influenced LS (p < 0.01). The most accurate genetic evaluation model determined the heritability of BWT, WWT, ADG, and LS to be 0.0695, 0.0849, 0.0777, and 0.1252, respectively.

Association between high-altitude polycythemia and hypertension: a cross-sectional study in adults at Tibetan ultrahigh altitudes.

The study aimed to evaluate the association between high-altitude polycythemia and hypertension in adults residing on Anduo County's plateau, which is located 4700 meters above sea level. A total of 387 individuals participated in the cross-sectional survey conducted between April and May of 2021. Interviews, physical inspections, and laboratory tests were employed to gather information about all of the subjects. The association between high-altitude polycythemia and hypertension was assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. The average age of the 387 participants was 32.6 ± 6.3 years. Of these participants, 260 (67%) were male. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 27.1% (57/380). When stratified by gender, the prevalence was 12.6% (16/127) in females and 34.2% (89/260) in males. The overall prevalence of high-altitude polycythemia was 19.6% (76/387). When stratified by gender, the prevalence was 26.2% (68/260) in males and 6.3% (8/127) in females. During logistic regression analysis, we found that participants with elevated hemoglobin per 10 g/L had a 26% greater risk of hypertension (adjusting for odds ratio [OR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.44). Additionally, high-altitude polycythemia greatly increased the risk of hypertension in comparison to non-high-altitude polycythemia (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.66-5.44, P < 0.001). The consistency of the results was further demonstrated by stratified and interaction analyses, showing that Hans individuals had a higher risk of hypertension. High-altitude polycythemia is positively associated with hypertension in adults residing at Tibetan ultrahigh altitudes. The results of the investigation may aid in the planning of future research and guide the development of targeted healthcare practices for high-altitude populations, particularly among Han Chinese residents of the Tibetan Plateau.

Cumulative inequality in social determinants of health in relation to depression symptom: An analysis of nationwide cross-sectional data from U.S. NHANES 2005-2018.

Social determinants of health (SDoH) have been linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate whether the accumulation of unfavorable SDoH is associated with depression symptom. Data was gathered from a representative population participating in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning from 2005 to 2018. Self-reported SDoH were operationalized according to the criteria outlined in Healthy People 2030, with a cumulative measure of unfavorable SDoH calculated for analysis. The presence of depression symptom was identified using the Patient Health Questionnaire in a representative sample of 30,762 participants (49.2 % males) representing 1,392 million non-institutionalized U.S. adults, with 2,675 (8.7 %) participants showing depression symptom. Unfavorable SDoH were found to be significantly and independently associated with depression symptom. Individuals facing multiple unfavorable SDoHs were more likely to experience depression symptom (P for trend < 0.001). For instance, a positive association was observed in participants exposed to six or more unfavorable SDoHs with depression symptom (AOR = 3.537, 95 % CI: 1.781, 7.075, P-value < 0.001). The findings emphasize that the likelihood of developing depression symptom significantly increases when multiple SDoHs are present, compared to just a single SDoH.

Outdoor gardening activity with different frequency and duration may be associated with reduction of total and cause-specific mortality risk for general U.S. adults: Findings from the NHANES.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Engaging in recommended levels of physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced overall and cause-specific mortality rates. Our study aims to examine the relationship between gardening-specific PA and all-cause and cause-specific mortality based on representative U.S. adults. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 13,812 adults representing 663.5 million non-institutionalized U.S. adults were included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Self-reported gardening activity (GA) was assessed by a validated questionnaire, and outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality and mortality specific to certain causes. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using survey-multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. During a median follow-up period of 16.8 years (Interquartile range = 14.8-18.7), there were 3,476 deaths. After adjusting for potential covariates, we found that participants exposed to GA were more likely to have a lower risk of total mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.76 (0.68, 0.85), P-value < 0.001], cancer-specific mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.81 (0.67, 0.99), P-value < 0.05], cardiovascular disease mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.65 (0.53, 0.80), P-value < 0.001], and respiratory disease mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.66 (0.45, 0.98), P-value < 0.05], compared to those without GA exposure. Furthermore, engaging in GA more frequently and for longer durations was significantly associated with a lower total mortality risk. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that engaging in GA is associated with a decreased risk of overall and cause-specific mortality. However, further longitudinal or interventional studies are needed to investigate the potential benefits of GA.

Contribution of individual and cumulative social determinants of health underlying gender disparities in periodontitis in a representative US population: A cross-sectional NHANES study.

AIM: To examine the impact of both individual and cumulative social determinants of health (SDoH) on the likelihood of developing periodontitis, while also exploring any gender disparities in this relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of self-reported SDoH domains and sub-items based on Healthy People 2030 were obtained from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 1999 and 2014. Logistic regression models, weighted by survey responses, were used to examine the relationship between SDoH (including eight sub-items and the cumulative number of unfavourable SDoH) and periodontitis. The results were further analysed by gender. RESULTS: A total of 18,075 participants (8867 males and 9208 females) were included in the main analysis, of which 5814 (32.2%) had periodontitis. The study found that certain unfavourable SDoH were individually associated with higher odds of periodontitis, and the cumulative number of unfavourable SDoH was positively linked to the odds of developing periodontitis. Furthermore, males exposed to more unfavourable SDoH appeared to be more susceptible to developing periodontitis than females. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that unfavourable SDoH, especially when they accumulate, are associated with an increased odds of periodontitis and contribute to gender disparities within the U.S.

Sexual orientation disparities in the prevalence of suicidal ideation among U.S adults aged 20 to 59 years: Results from NHANES 2005-2016.

Existing studies have been limited in providing nationally representative data on the relationship between sexual orientation and suicidal ideation (SI) among adults in the U.S. particularly in terms of gender and racial differences. To fill this research gap, we conducted a study using data from the NHANES conducted between 2005 and 2016. Survey-weighted logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between sexual orientation and SI risk. Additionally, we performed further analysis by stratifying the data based on demographic variables and performed sensitivity analysis to ensure the reliability of our findings. This study included a weighted sample of 16,564 adults, representing a noninstitutionalized U.S population of 840.1 million. The overall age-adjusted prevalence of SI was found to be 3.5 %. After adjusting for relevant covariates, the study revealed that individuals who identified as something else, homosexual, and bisexual had a higher prevalence risk of suicidal ideation (SI) compared to heterosexual participants. Additionally, the study found that heterosexual participants were 74.4 % less likely to experience SI compared to bisexual individuals. These findings highlight the urgent requirement for inclusive and supportive prevention strategies to effectively address SI among adult sexual minorities in the U.S.

Synergistic impact of co-exposures to whole blood metals on chronic kidney disease in general US adults: a cross­sectional study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2020.

The impact of exposure to metals on chronic kidney disease (CKD) has only been investigated in two-way or single metal interactions in previous studies. We investigated the associations between five single metals in blood and their mixed exposure and CKD by using the machine learning approach. Relevant data were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2011-2020), and the level of five metals in blood detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was considered as exposures, namely, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), total mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), and selenium (Se). The correlations between individual metal and metal mixtures and CKD were then evaluated by survey-multivariable logistic regression (SMLR), generalized weighted quantile sum (WQS), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). Altogether, our study included 12,412 participants representing 572.6 million non-institutionalized US adults. Several single metals with the high quartile of exposure showed a positive association with the CKD ratio including Cd [(AOR = 1.873, 95% CI: 1.537, 2.284), Q4], Pb [(AOR = 1.559, 95% CI: 1.295, 1.880), Q4], and total Hg [(AOR = 1.169, 95% CI: 1.018, 1.343), Q2], while Mn [(AOR = 0.796, 95% CI: 0.684, 0.927), Q2] and Se [(AOR = 0.805, 95% CI: 0.664, 0.976), Q4] were negatively associated with the CKD ratio. In light of the positive fit of the WQS regression model, a significantly positive correlation was found between mixed metals and CKD (AOR = 1.373, 95% CI: 1.224, 1.539) after full covariate adjustment, and a similar finding was also detected in the BKMR model. Our study revealed that each single metal including Cd, Pb, and total Hg might have a positive association with CKD while this association was negative for both Mn and Se. The five metals might have a positive joint effect on CKD.

Whether weekend warrior activity and other leisure-time physical activity pattern reduce the risk of depression symptom in the representative adults? A population-based analysis of NHANES 2007-2020.

BACKGROUND: The rapid pace of life nowadays has seen a gradual increase in public involvement in weekend warrior (WW), a physical activity (PA) pattern that allows people to exercise once or twice a week, the recommended moderate-to-vigorous PA per week, since regular PA takes much time. We aim at exploring the effect of WW activity and other PA patterns on depression symptoms in U.S adults. METHODS: The level of PA was measured by self-reporting activity patterns, (inactive, insufficiently active, WW and regularly active). Participants with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores above 10 are considered to have depression symptoms. RESULTS: A weighted sample of 23,258 participants representing 1049.8 million non-institutionalized U.S adults aged from 20 to 80. Compared with the inactive group, general adults who met the PA guidelines with PA once or twice per week [WW, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.790, 95%CI: 0.638, 0.987] or more frequent PA [Regularly active, (AOR = 0.761, 95%CI: 0.671, 0.864)], were inversely associated with depression symptoms, while the association has not been observed in adults with insufficiently active PA (AOR = 0.892, 95%CI: 0.783, 1.017). Increase in minutes, sessions and intensity of PA in regularly active and WW groups brought additional benefits for depression symptoms. CONCLUSION: WW and other equivalent PA intensities patterns may be sufficient to reduce the risk of depression symptom. With the same recommended levels of PA, whether spread over the week or done in fewer days, adults may achieve the same benefits.

Joint effect of whole blood metals exposure with dyslipidemia in representative US adults in NHANES 2011-2020.

With little knowledge on the joint effects of metal exposure on dyslipidemia, we aimed to investigate the relationship between exposure to metal and dyslipidemia among US adults based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Based on the five NHANES waves (2011-2020), we selected five metals in blood as exposure, namely, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), total mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), and selenium (Se), which were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Survey-multivariable logistic regression, generalized weighted quantile sum (WQS), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were performed to determine whether dyslipidemia was associated with single metals or mixed metals. Our study included 12,526 participants aged from 20 to 80, representing 577.1 million non-institutionalized US adults. We found a positive association between several metals including Pb [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.332, 95%CI: 1.165, 1.522], total Hg (AOR = 1.264, 95%CI: 1.120, 1.427), Mn (AOR = 1.181, 95%CI: 1.046, 1.334), and Se (AOR = 1.771, 95%CI: 1.576, 1.992) and dyslipidemia. According to the WQS approach, metal mixtures were positively associated with dyslipidemia (AOR: 1.310, 95%CI: 1.216, 1.411) after a full-model adjustment. As is shown in the BKMR model, mixed metals tended to be positively associated with dyslipidemia ratios in a significant manner. Females, non-Hispanic White populations, people aged over 60, and those who did a little physical activity had a greater risk for dyslipidemia. Our findings suggest metals including Cd, Pb, Hg, Mn, and Se and their combinations may adversely affect dyslipidemia among US adults. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, it is possible that reverse causation may exist.

The role of memory T cells in Echinococcus granulosus-induced sensitization.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in memory T cells and the related factors in mice by the establishment of a BALB/c mouse model of Echinococcus granulosus-induced sensitization. METHODS: A sensitized BALB/c mouse model was established by intraperitoneal injection of E. granulosus. A control group (CTRL), a nonsensitized group infected with E. granulosus (CE), and a sensitized group infected with E. granulosus (ANPC) were set up. The pathological changes in lung tissue in mice, the change in memory T cells (CD4 Tm), and the change in peripheral blood nucleated interleukin-23 (IL-23) were detected using HE staining, flow cytometry, and liquid-phase multiple protein quantification techniques, respectively. RESULTS: The individual percentage of mouse memory T cells was 9.14 ± 0.45, 25.23 ± 0.17, and 13.29 ± 0.32 in the CTRL, CE, and ANPC groups, respectively. The percentage of memory T cells in the ANPC group was higher than that in the CTRL group (t = 18.410, p < .001) but lower than that in the CE group (t = -80.147, p < .001). The levels of IL-23 in peripheral blood of mice in the CTRL, CE, and ANPC groups were 225.76 ± 27.16, 359.21 ± 28.67, and 215.69 ± 22.69, respectively. The level of IL-23 in peripheral blood of mice in the ANPC group was lower than that in the CE group (t = 9.609, p < .001), and there was no statistical difference with the CTRL group (t = 0.697, p = .502). CONCLUSION: In the BALB/c mouse model of E. granulosus-induced sensitization, the expression of IL-23 in peripheral blood increased, and the memory T cell proliferated and became activated; there was a decrease in the content of IL-23 in peripheral blood and number of activated memory T cells in the sensitization group infected with E. granulosus. The E. granulosus-induced allergic reaction was related to IL-23 and the activation of memory T cells.

Biomarkers of organophosphate insecticides exposure and asthma in general US adults: findings from NHANES 1999-2018 data.

The limited evidence linking exposure to organophosphate insecticides (OPIs) and asthma in the general population prompted us to investigate this association. Our study focused on US adults and utilized representative samples from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). From the 7 NHANES waves (1999-2018), we detected OPIs exposure using the urinary concentrations of six metabolites of dialkyl phosphates (DAPs). To evaluate the relationship between these OPIs and asthma, we employed three statistical methods: survey-multivariable logistic regression (SMLR), generalized weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). Stratified analyses were done based on the relevant variable subgroups, and sensitivity analyses were carried out to evaluate the robustness of findings. A total of 6009 adults aged from 20 to 85 years old, representing the 313.5 million adults in the non-institutionalized US population, were included in our analyses. Among them, 842 participants were determined as asthma patients with an age-adjusted prevalence of 14.2%. Our results showed that dimethyl phosphate (DMP) (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) = 1.471, 95% CI: 1.086, 1.993), diethyl phosphate (DEP) (AOR = 1.453, 95% CI: 1.118, 1.888), dimethyl thiophosphate (DMTP) (AOR = 1.454, 95% CI: 1.071, 1.973), and dimethyl dithiophosphate (DMDTP) (AOR = 1.478, 95% CI: 1.119, 1.953) had a positive correlation with asthma in adults. This association was stronger in females, non-Hispanic White populations and those with a small amount of physical activity. Our study findings indicated that exposure to OPIs may elevate the risk of asthma in US general adults. Specifically, females, individuals from non-Hispanic White backgrounds, and those with lower levels of physical activity are more susceptible to developing asthma when exposed to OPIs.

Findings of indoor air pollution and childhood obesity in a cross-sectional study of Chinese schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution exposures are increasingly suspected to influence the development of childhood adiposity, especially focusing on outdoor exposure, but few studies investigated indoor exposure and childhood obesity. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the association between exposure to multiple indoor air pollutants and childhood obesity in Chinese schoolchildren. METHODS: In 2019, we recruited 6499 children aged 6-12 years from five Chinese elementary schools in Guangzhou, China. We measured age-sex-specific body mass index z score (z-BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) on standard procedures. Four different indoor air pollution (IAP) exposures, including cooking oil fumes (COFs), home decoration, secondhand smoke (SHS), and incense burning, were collected by questionnaire and then converted into an IAP exposure index with four categories. Association between indoor air pollutants and childhood overweight/obesity as well as four obese anthropometric indices were assessed by logistic regression models and multivariable linear regression models, respectively. RESULTS: Children exposed to ≥3 types of indoor air pollutants had higher z-BMI (coefficient [ß]:0.142, 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.011-0.274) and higher risk of overweight/obesity (odd ratio [OR]:1.27, 95%CI:1.01-1.60). And a dose-response relationship was discovered between the IAP exposure index and z-BMI as well as overweight/obesity (pfor trend<0.05). We also found that exposure to SHS and COFs was positively associated with z-BMI and overweight/obesity (p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a significant interaction between SHS exposure and COFs on the higher risk of overweight/obesity among schoolchildren. Boys appear more susceptible to multiple indoor air pollutants than girls. CONCLUSIONS: Indoor air pollution exposures were positively associated with higher obese anthropometric indices and increased odds of overweight/obesity in Chinese schoolchildren. More well-designed cohort studies are needed to verify our results.

Euphejolkinolide A, a new ent-abietane lactone from Euphorbia peplus L. with promising biological activity in activating the autophagy-lysosomal pathway.

A new ent-abietane diterpenoid, named Euphejolkinolide A (1), was isolated from the whole plant of Euphorbia peplus L. Its structure, including absolute configurations, was determined by spectroscopic analyses and was corroborated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. This new compound was assessed for its activity to induce lysosome biogenesis through Lyso-Tracker Red staining, in which compound 1 could significantly induce lysosome biogenesis. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated a direct correlation between the observed lysosome biogenesis and the transcriptional activation of the lysosomal genes after treatment with the compound 1. Moreover, compound 1 promoted autophagic flux by upregulating LC3-II and downregulating SQSTM1 in both human microglia cells and U251 cells, which is required for cellular homeostasis. Further results suggested 1 induced lysosome biogenesis and autophagy which was mediated by TFEB (transcription factor EB). The structure activity relationships (SAR) analysis suggested that the carbony1 at C-7 in 1 might be a key active group. Overall, the current data suggested that 1 could be a potential compound for lysosome disorder therapy by induction of autophagy.

Dual-energy computed tomography iodine uptake in differential diagnosis of inflammatory and malignant pulmonary nodules.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of iodine uptake parameters using dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) in discriminating inflammatory nodules from malignant tumors. METHODS This retrospective study included 116 solid pulmonary nodules from 112 patients who were admitted to our hospital between January and September 2018. All nodules were confirmed by surgery or puncture. The degree of enhancement of a single-section region of interest was evalu ated. After total tumor volume-of-interest segmentation, the mean iodine density of the whole tumor was measured. Meanwhile, iodine uptake parameters, including total iodine uptake vol ume, total iodine concentration, vital iodine uptake volume, and vital iodine concentration, were calculated, and a predictive model was established. The overall ability to discriminate between inflammatory and malignant nodules was analyzed using an independent samples t-test for normally distributed variables. The diagnostic accuracy and prognostic performance of DECT parameters were evaluated and compared using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and logistic regression analysis. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the prognostic factors and goodness-of-fit of the whole tumor mean iodine and iodine uptake parameters for discriminating malignant nodules. RESULTS There were 116 non-calcified nodules, including 64 inflammatory nodules and 52 malignant nodules. The degree of enhancement in malignant nodules was significantly lower than that in inflammatory nodules (P=.043). All iodine uptake parameters in malignant nodules were signifi cantly higher than those in inflammatory nodules (P < .001). The area under the receiver operat ing curve value, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the established model based on iodine uptake parameters were 0.803, 76.72%, 82.69%, and 84.37%, respectively, which exhibited bet ter diagnostic performance than the degree of enhancement on weighted average images with respective values of 0.609, 59.48%, 61.54%, and 59.38%. CONCLUSION The iodine uptake parameters of DECT exhibited better diagnostic accuracy in discriminating inflammatory nodules from malignant nodules than the degree of enhancement on weighted average images.

Identification and Mechanism of Action of the Global Secondary Metabolism Regulator SaraC in Stereum hirsutum.

DNA methylation is an important factor in the regulation of gene expression. In analyzing genomic data of Stereum hirsutum FP-91666, we found a hypothetical bifunctional transcription regulator/O6Meguanine-DNA methyltransferase (named SaraC), which is widely present in both bacteria and fungi, and confirmed that its function in bacteria is mainly for DNA reparation. In this paper, we confirmed that SaraC has the function of DNA binding and demethylation through surface plasma resonance and reaction experiments in vitro. Then, we achieved the overexpression of SaraC (OES) in S. hirsutum, sequenced the methylation and transcription levels of the whole-genome, and further conducted untargeted metabolomics analyses of the OES transformants and the wild type (WT). The results confirmed that the overall-methylation levels of the transformants were significantly downregulated, and various genes related to secondary metabolism were upregulated. Through comparative untargeted metabolomic analyses, it showed that OES SA6 transformant produced a greater number of hybrid polyketides, and we identified 2 novel hybrid polyketides from the fermentation products of SA6. Our results show that overexpression SaraC can effectively stimulate the expression of secondary-metabolism-related genes, which could be a broad-spectrum tool for discovery of metabolites due to its cross-species conservation. IMPORTANCE Fungi are one of the important sources of active compounds. However, in fungi, most of the secondary metabolic biosynthetic gene clusters are weakly expressed or silenced under conventional culture conditions. How to efficiently excavate potential new compounds contained in fungi is becoming a research hot spot in the world. In this study, we found a DNA demethylation protein (SaraC) and confirmed that it is a global secondary metabolism regulator in Stereum hirsutum FP-91666. In the past, SaraC-like proteins were mainly regarded as DNA repair proteins, but our findings proved that it will be a powerful tool for mining secondary metabolites for overexpression of SaraC, which can effectively stimulate the expression of genes related to secondary metabolism.

Extracts of Knoxia roxburghii (Spreng.) M. A. Rau Induce Apoptosis in Human MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells via Mitochondrial Pathways.

Knoxia roxburghii (Spreng.) M. A. Rau (KR) is a plant clinically used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of cancer. The study objectives were to examine the effects of KR extracts, petroleum ether (PET), ethyl acetate (EtoAc), butanol (n-BuOH), and H2O-soluble fractions (HSF) of the 75% EtOH extraction on A549 (non-small cell lung cancer), HepG2 (liver cancer), HeLa (cervical cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer), and L02 (normal hepatocyte) cells. It was found that HSF exhibited the strongest cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells, and was accompanied by reduced mitochondrial transmembrane potential, increased levels of intra-cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activated caspases, and upregulated pro-apoptotic and downregulated anti-apoptotic proteins. LC-MS analysis further showed that HSF primarily consisted of calycosin, aloe emodin, rein, maackiain, asperuloside, orientin, vicenin-2, and kaempferide, which have been mostly reported for anti-tumor activity in previous studies. In summary, the current study illustrated the effect, mechanism, and the potential major active components of KR against breast cancer.

StTCP15 regulates potato tuber sprouting by modulating the dynamic balance between abscisic acid and gibberellic acid.

The major stages of the potato life cycle are tuber dormancy and sprouting, however, there is still known very little of the mechanisms that control these processes. TCP (Theosinte branch I, Cycloidea, proliferationcell factors 1 and 2) transcription factors play a key role in plant growth and dormancy related developmental processes. Previous researches demonstrated that TCP transcription factor StTCP15 had a function in the promotion of dormancy. To elucidate the function of StTCP15 gene, it was cloned from potato cultivar "Desiree," which encodes a polypeptide consisting of 414 amino acids and is mainly found in the nucleus. The potato tubers of StTCP15 overexpression lines sprouted in advance, while the potato tubers of StTCP15 down-regulated expression lines showed delayed sprouting. In addition, it was also found that overexpression lines of StTCP15 extremely significantly reduced the ratio of abscisic acid (ABA)/gibberellic acid (GA3), while the superoxide dismutase activity decreased, and the activity of peroxidase and catalase increased compared with the wild type. The opposite result was found in the down-regulated expression lines of StTCP15 gene. Three interacting proteins, StSnRK1, StF-Box and StGID1, were screened by Yeast two-hybrid, and verified by Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation and Split-luciferase, indicating that StTCP15 could affect ABA and GA3 signaling pathways to regulate potato tuber dormancy and sprouting. Together, these results demonstrated that StTCP15 regulated potato tuber dormancy and sprouting by affecting the dynamic balance between ABA and GA3. The result could provide some information on the molecular mechanism of StTCP15 regulating potato tuber dormancy and sprouting.

Potential Indicators of Mitochondrial Structure and Function.

Mitochondria regulate a range of important physiological and biochemical cellular processes including apoptotic cell death, energy production, calcium homeostasis, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolism. Given their role as the 'engines' of cells, their dysfunction is associated with a variety of disease states. Exploring the relationship between mitochondrial function and disease can reveal the mechanism(s) of drug activity and disease pathology. In this review, we summarized the methods of evaluating the structure and function of mitochondria, including the morphology, membrane fluidity, membrane potential, opening of the membrane permeability transition pore, inner membrane permeabilization, mitochondrial dynamics, mitophagy, oxidative stress, energy metabolism-related enzymes, apoptotic pathway related proteins, calcium concentration, DNA copy number, oxygen consumption, ß-oxidation-related genes and proteins, cardiolipin content, and adenosine triphosphate content. We believe that the information presented in this review will help explore the pathological processes of mitochondria in the occurrence and development of diseases, as well as the activity and mechanism of drugs, and the discovery of new drugs.

Study on Management of Blood Transfusion Therapy in Patients with Hereditary Spherocytosis.

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a chronic hemolytic disorder caused by inherited defects in the red blood cell membrane. This study discusses the treatment strategy for the decline in hemoglobin level in three HS probands with moderately severe or severe hemolysis and summarizes the appropriate laboratory tests that help improve clinical management of blood transfusion in HS patients. Three probands who were diagnosed with HS in our hospital and their family members were included in this study. Clinical data of the three families were reviewed to summarize their hematopoietic characteristics. DNA from all family members of the 3 HS probands was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced by the Sanger method to assess genetic relation for HS. Based on the sequencing results, the type of mutated membrane protein in each proband was analyzed using the eosin-5'-maleimide (EMA) binding test and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The hemoglobin level was reduced in all 3 probands after different levels of infection. The fluorescence of EMA-labeled red blood cell (RBC) was decreased. DNA sequencing showed that His54Pro, Leu1858Val, and 6531-12C>T compound heterozygous mutations were present in the SPTA1 gene of patient I-1, Arg344Gln and c.609+86G>A heterozygous mutations were present in the SLC4A1 gene of patient II-1, and Leu2032Pro homozygous mutation was present in the SPTB gene of patient III-1. SDS-PAGE results demonstrated that the concentration of band 3 was reduced in II-1, whereas the levels of the corresponding mutant proteins in the other probands were unchanged. The family members of the respective patients presented mutations in major genes causing HS. The Leu2032Pro mutation identified in patient III-1 is a new missense mutation of the SPTB gene in the Chinese population that has never been reported in literature previously. The presence or absence of acute or chronic infections is a critical deciding factor for the treatment and clinical management of HS patient via blood transfusion. For patients with infections, hemoglobin concentration can be restored once the infection is controlled, thus obviating the need for proper infection control before blood transfusion.