Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG triggers intestinal epithelium injury in zebrafish revealing host dependent beneficial effects.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), the well-characterized human-derived probiotic strain, possesses excellent properties in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, immunoregulation and defense against gastrointestinal pathogens in mammals. Here, we demonstrate that the SpaC pilin of LGG causes intestinal epithelium injury by inducing cell pyroptosis and gut microbial dysbiosis in zebrafish. Dietary SpaC activates Caspase-3-GSDMEa pathways in the intestinal epithelium, promotes intestinal pyroptosis and increases lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-producing gut microbes in zebrafish. The increased LPS subsequently activates Gaspy2-GSDMEb pyroptosis pathway. Further analysis reveals the Caspase-3-GSDMEa pyroptosis is initiated by the species-specific recognition of SpaC by TLR4ba, which accounts for the species-specificity of the SpaC-inducing intestinal pyroptosis in zebrafish. The observed pyroptosis-driven gut injury and microbial dysbiosis by LGG in zebrafish suggest that host-specific beneficial/harmful mechanisms are critical safety issues when applying probiotics derived from other host species and need more attention.

Lung Ultrasound Score as a Predictor of Failure to Wean COVID-19 Elderly Patients off Mechanical Ventilation: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: The lung ultrasound score was developed for rapidly assessing the extent of lung ventilation, and it can predict failure to wean various types of patients off mechanical ventilation. Whether it is also effective for COVID-19 patients is unclear. Methods: This single-center, prospective, observational study was conducted to assess the ability of the 12-region lung ultrasound score to predict failure to wean COVID-19 patients off ventilation. In parallel, we assessed whether right hemidiaphragmatic excursion or previously published predictors of weaning failure can apply to these patients. Predictive ability was assessed in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: The mean age of the 35 patients in the study was (75 ± 9) years and 12 patients (37%) could not be weaned off mechanical ventilation. The lung ultrasound score predicted these failures with an AUC of 0.885 (95% CI 0.770-0.999, p < 0.001), and a threshold score of 10 provided specificity of 72.7% and sensitivity of 92.3%. AUCs were lower for previously published predictors of weaning failure, and right hemidiaphragmatic excursion did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusion: The lung ultrasound score can accurately predict failure to wean critically ill COVID-19 patients off mechanical ventilation, whereas assessment of right hemidiaphragmatic excursion does not appear helpful in this regard. Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05706441.

Magnolin alleviated DSS-induced colitis by inhibiting ALOX5-mediated ferroptosis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and incurable disorder associated with higher cancer risk and currently faces unsatisfactory treatment outcomes. Ferroptotic cells secrete damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that recruit and activate immune cells, particularly macrophages. Magnolin has excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but its effect on IBD has not yet been clearly understood. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanism of magnolin in IBD. For this purpose, in vivo and in vitro colitis models were established using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), followed by optimization of magnolin concentration 2.5 µg/mL in vitro and 5 mg/kg in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis identified potential magnolin target sites and evaluated ferroptosis-associated gene expressions. Body weight, food intake, disease activity index (DAI), pathological changes, and inflammation levels were assessed. The effect of magnolin on ferroptosis and macrophages was evaluated using quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunofluorescent staining, flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and western blotting. Results indicated that magnolin at a lower dose (5 mg/kg) alleviated DSS-induced colitis symptoms and reduced inflammation in mice. The bioinformatics analysis showed arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5) as a potential magnolin target. Furthermore, magnolin inhibited the expression of ALOX5 with no effect on GPX4. Moreover, magnolin regulated macrophage differentiation into the M2 phenotype and suppressed pro-inflammatory factors, that is, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (IL-6 and TNFα). These results suggested that magnolin possesses significant therapeutic potential in treating IBD by suppressing ALOX5-mediated ferroptosis, inhibiting M1 while promoting M2 macrophages, which is envisaged to provide novel strategies for treating IBD.

Preparation of the monoclonal antibody against Nile tilapia Igλ and study on the Igλ+ B cell subset in Nile tilapia.

Immunoglobulins (Igs) are important effector molecules that mediate humoral immunity. A typical Ig consists of two heavy and two light chains. In teleosts, three Ig heavy chain isotypes (Igµ, Igδ and Igτ) and three Ig light chain isotypes (Igκ, Igλ and Igσ) have been identified. Compared to the heavy chains, teleost Ig light chains have been poorly studied due to the lack of antibodies. In this study, a mouse anti-Nile tilapia Igλ monoclonal antibody (mAb) was prepared, which could specifically recognize Igλ in serum and Igλ+ B cells in tissues. Further, the composition of IgM+ and Igλ+ B cell subsets was analyzed using this antibody and a mouse anti-tilapia IgM heavy chain mAb. The ratio of IgM+Igλ+ B cells to total IgM+ B cells in head kidney and peripheral blood was about 30%, while that in spleen was about 50%; the ratio of IgM-Igλ+ B cells to total Igλ+ B cells in head kidney and peripheral blood was about 45%, while that in spleen was about 25%. The IgM-Igλ+ B cells was speculated to be IgT+ B cells. Finally, we detected an increase in the level of specific antibodies against the surface antigen-Sip of Streptococcus agalactiae in serum after S. agalactiae infection, indicating that mouse anti-tilapia Igλ mAb can be used to detect the antibody level after immunization of Nile tilapia, which lays a foundation for the evaluation of immunization effect of tilapia vaccine.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 regulates blood-brain barrier permeability in epileptic mice.

Destruction of the blood-brain barrier is a critical component of epilepsy pathology. Several studies have demonstrated that sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 contributes to the modulation of vascular integrity. However, its effect on blood-brain barrier permeability in epileptic mice remains unclear. In this study, we prepared pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus models and pentylenetetrazol-induced epilepsy models in C57BL/6 mice. S1P1 expression was increased in the hippocampus after status epilepticus, whereas tight junction protein expression was decreased in epileptic mice compared with controls. Intraperitoneal injection of SEW2871, a specific agonist of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1, decreased the level of tight junction protein in the hippocampus of epileptic mice, increased blood-brain barrier leakage, and aggravated the severity of seizures compared with the control. W146, a specific antagonist of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1, increased the level of tight junction protein, attenuated blood-brain barrier disruption, and reduced seizure severity compared with the control. Furthermore, sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 promoted the generation of interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α and caused astrocytosis. Disruption of tight junction protein and blood-brain barrier integrity by sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 was reversed by minocycline, a neuroinflammation inhibitor. Behavioral tests revealed that sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 exacerbated epilepsy-associated depression-like behaviors. Additionally, specific knockdown of astrocytic S1P1 inhibited neuroinflammatory responses and attenuated blood-brain barrier leakage, seizure severity, and epilepsy-associated depression-like behaviors. Taken together, our results suggest that astrocytic sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 exacerbates blood-brain barrier disruption in the epileptic brain by promoting neuroinflammation.

Study about the combination strategy of Bacillus subtilis wt55 with AiiO-AIO6 to improve the resistance of zebrafish to Aeromonas veronii infection.

Disease problems will seriously restrict the sustainable development of aquaculture, and the environmental-friendly prevention strategies are urgently needed. Probiotics and quorum-quenching enzyme are innovative strategies to control bacterial diseases. Firstly, the bacteriostatic activity of Bacillus subtilis wt55 strain and quenching enzyme AiiO-AIO6 on the growth of Aeromonas veronii were tested in vitro, and the results showed wt55 inhibit the growth of A. veronii, but AiiO-AIO6 did not. Then, the synergistic effects of simple combination of B. subtilis wt55 and AiiO-AIO6 were evaluated next. The results showed this combination could improve the survival rate and significantly reduce the number of invasive A. veronii in gut after challenge compared to the other groups, corresponding to the lower intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity. One of its effect mechanisms is the combination could inhibit the growth of A. veronii in vitro; the other is direct immersion of germ-free zebrafish proved AiiO-AIO6 did not directly regulate the innate immune response of the host, but wt55 did it, and the simple combination group could significantly reduce the expression of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), increase the expression of lysozyme gene; and the third is intestinal microbiota also plays a regulatory role: the gut microbiota from combination group could significantly inhibit the expression of IL-1ß and NF-κB, and increased the expression of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and lysozyme. Given the effectiveness of this simple combination, a B. subtilis quorum-quenching recombinant expression strain in which AiiO-AIO6 was surface displayed on the spores and secreted by vegetative cells was built. The results showed that the survival rate after challenge was lower than that of the group treated with AiiO-AIO6 or wt55 alone, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokine IL-1ß and NF-κB were significantly higher. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of B. subtilis and AiiO-AIO6 simple combination and established an efficient B. subtilis expression system.

Surface-Displayed Amuc_1100 From Akkermansia muciniphila on Lactococcus lactis ZHY1 Improves Hepatic Steatosis and Intestinal Health in High-Fat-Fed Zebrafish.

Fatty liver and intestinal barrier damage were widespread in most farmed fish, which severely restrict the development of aquaculture. Therefore, there was an urgent need to develop green feed additives to maintain host liver and intestinal health. In this study, a probiotic pili-like protein, Amuc_1100 (AM protein), was anchored to the surface of Lactococcus lactis ZHY1, and the effects of the recombinant bacteria AM-ZHY1 on liver fat accumulation and intestinal health were evaluated. Zebrafish were fed a basal diet, high-fat diet, and high-fat diet with AM-ZHY1 (108 cfu/g) or control bacteria ZHY1 for 4 weeks. Treatment with AM-ZHY1 significantly reduced hepatic steatosis in zebrafish. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) detection showed that the expression of the lipogenesis [peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors (PPARγ), sterol regulatory element-binding proteins-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1)] and lipid transport genes (CD36 and FABP6) in the liver were significantly downregulated (p < 0.05), indicating that AM-ZHY1 could reduce liver fat accumulation by inhibiting lipid synthesis and absorption. Moreover, supplementing AM-ZHY1 to a high-fat diet could significantly reduce serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, indicating that liver injury caused by high-fat diets was improved. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and interleukin (IL)-6 in the liver decreased significantly (p < 0.05), while IL-1ß and IL-10 did not change significantly in the AM-ZHY1 group. Compared to the high-fat diet-fed group, the AM-ZHY1 group, but not the ZHY1 group, significantly increased the expression of intestinal tight junction (TJ) proteins (TJP1a, claudina, claudin7, claudin7b, claudin11a, claudin12, and claudin15a; p < 0.05). Compared to the high-fat diet group, the Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria were significantly reduced and increased in the AM-ZHY1 group, respectively. In conclusion, the recombinant bacteria AM-ZHY1 has the capacity to maintain intestinal health by protecting intestinal integrity and improving intestinal flora structure and improving fatty liver disease by inhibiting lipid synthesis and absorption. This study will lay a foundation for the application of AM protein in improving abnormal fat deposition and restoring the intestinal barrier in fish.

miR-21 protects against lipopolysaccharide-stimulated acute kidney injury and apoptosis by targeting CDK6.

BACKGROUND: Septic acute kidney injury (AKI) causes a sharp deterioration of renal function, and it is a major reason for mortality in intensive care units. Although miR-21 has been proven to be dysregulated in patients with sepsis, the evidence is scarce concerning its role in mediating cellular apoptosis in AKI. METHODS: Mice were injected intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish septic AKI model, miR-21 mimic and inhibitor were used to manipulate the expression of miR-21, the creatinine levels were detected by a creatinine assay kit, the renal cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT assay, flow cytometry assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) fluorescence staining, the renal function was evaluated by renal histology and tubular injury score, western blot analysis was used to detect the target protein levels. Several bioinformatics tools were performed to show the downstream target of miR-21, and further confirmed by luciferase reporter assay and caspase-3 activity assay. RESULTS: miR-21 silencing was able to promote renal function and decrease LPS-stimulated renal cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, and it could decrease the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 activity. On the contrary, miR-21 overexpression had the opposite effects. Cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) was confirmed as a target gene of miR-21 and was associated with renal cell apoptosis. Moreover, miR-21 was also found to be up-regulated in septic AKI. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidences suggest that miR-21 has a potential application in treating septic AKI.

Identification and characterization of two mannan-binding lectin associated proteins in lectin complement pathway of grass carp.

The lectin pathway of complement activation is an important component of the innate immune response, which must be tightly controlled to maintain immune homeostasis. However, its control mechanisms have not been investigated in detail in bony fish. In this study, we identified and characterized two novel, phylogenetically conserved mannan-binding lectin (MBL)-associated proteins (MAps) of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), CiMAp27 and CiMAp39, which were truncated, alternatively-spliced forms of grass carp MBL-associated serine proteases (MASPs), CiMASP1 and CiMASP2, respectively. Gene expression profiling showed that both CiMAp27 and CiMAp39 were upregulated by low doses of Aeromonas hydrophila, and inhibited by high doses, which lead to the inference that these genes acted as immune factors in antibacterial defense. Sequence analysis showed that CiMAp27 lack a catalytic domain but retains two domains (CUB1-EGF) involved in the association with MBL, while CiMAp39 retained four domains (CUB1-EGF-CUB2-CCP1). Not only the two CiMASPs but also the CiMAps were detected in grass carp serum. Furthermore, both recombinant CiMASPs (rCiMASPs) and recombinant rCiMAps (rCiMAps) interacted with recombinant MBL and the two CiMAps competed with CiMASPs for binding to MBL, and hence inhibited downstream C4 binding. These results indicated that CiMAps acted as competitive inhibitors in the lectin complement pathway of grass carp.

Aeromonas hydrophila suppresses complement pathways via degradation of complement C3 in bony fish by metalloprotease.

Aeromonas hydrophila is a pathogen that causes high mortality in the grass carp. The complement system, as a frontline defence of innate immunity, plays an important role in the immune response against pathogens. However, the immunity evasion mechanism of A. hydrophila against the complement system of grass carp remains unclear. In this study, we described an additional mechanism used by A. hydrophila GD18 to evade the complement system and survive in grass carp serum. First, A. hydrophila evaded the bactericidal activity of grass carp serum. Second, the haemolytic activity assays showed that A. hydrophila obviously suppressed the alternative pathway, which depended on preventing the formation or disabling the function of the membrane-attack complex (MAC). Further research indicated that A. hydrophila targeted complement C3, the central component of the three complement pathways, and degraded it in the grass carp serum, leading to the inhibition of the complement pathways, which resulted in the serum-resistance of A. hydrophila. Furthermore, cleavage analyses showed that extracellular proteases (ECPases) of A. hydrophila efficiently cleaved purified C3 as well as C3 in grass carp serum. Finally, protease inhibitor studies and mass spectrum analysis identified the secreted metalloprotease elastase (AhE), which was present in large amounts in crude ECPases, as the central molecule responsible for C3 cleavage. Compared to wild strain GD18, the AhE knockout, Δahe was dramatically reduced in the ability of serum resistance. Our findings suggested that A. hydrophila escaped serum-killing by suppressing the complement pathways via the degradation of complement C3 in bony fish, which was related to secreted metalloproteases.

Additional femoral nerve block analgesia does not reduce the chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty: A retrospective study in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Femoral nerve block analgesia was deemed to the gold standard for acute pain management after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). But effect on chronic pain management is not investigated fully. We conducted a retrospective study to explore the effect of single-injection femoral nerve block on postsurgical chronic pain.All medical records of patients undertaking TKA between January, 2013 and June, 2014 were reviewed via the Docare anesthesia database. Patients who administrated with the self-controlled intravenous analgesia were assigned to group P. Patients who received a single-injection femoral never block combined with patient self-controlled intravenous analgesia were assigned to group N + P. The visual analog scale (VAS) score before surgery, the first postoperative day (POD 1), POD 2, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery were extracted from medical records. Pain score was compared over these 2 groups to investigate treatment outcomes.In all, 470 patients met the selection criteria for group P and 266 patients met the selection criteria for group N + P. Compared with group P, the VAS score decreased significantly in group N + P at POD 1 (P < .001), and the same was observed at POD 2 (P < .001); the moderate to severe pain incidence rate decreased significantly in group N + P at POD 1 (P < .01) and POD 2 (motion, P < .001). The rescued anesthesia rate reduced significantly in group N + P in POD 1 (P = .001), whereas no difference was found in POD 2 (P = .864). No difference was found at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery (all P > .05).The single-injection femoral nerve block could relieve the acute postsurgical pain in a short period of time. But no evidence was found that it could reduce the chronic pain between 3 and 12 months after TKA.

Oral vaccination of tilapia against Streptococcus agalactiae using Bacillus subtilis spores expressing Sip.

Streptococcus agalactiae infections are becoming an increasing problem in aquaculture because of significant morbidity and mortality, which restricts the healthy development of tilapia aquaculture. To seek safe and effective prevention measures, a Bacillus subtilis GC5 surface displayed vaccine was prepared and applied orally in tilapia. The study first showed that recombinant spores can engraft in the tilapia intestine. Then, the effect of protection and the immune responses were evaluated. The results of ELISA showed that Sip-specific antibody in the sera of GC5-Sip-immunized fish can be detected after the first oral administration when compared to the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) control group, and the levels of specific IgM gradually strengthened with boosting, so does the specific antibody against bacteria, proving that humoral immunity was induced. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results showed that the immune-related gene expression of the gut and spleen exhibited a different rising trend in the GC5-Sip group, revealing that innate immune response and local as well as systemic cellular immunity were induced. The outcome of fish immunized with GC5-Sip spores provided a relative percent survival (RPS) of 41.7% against S. agalactiae and GC5 group had an RPS of 24.2%, indicating that GC5-Sip was safe and effective in protecting tilapia against bacterial infection. Our study demonstrated that the oral administration of B. subtilis spores expressing Sip could cause an effective immune response and offer good resistance to bacterial infection. Our work may lead to the development of new ideas for immunoprophylaxis against S. agalactiae infection.

Space qualified microwave source for cold atom clock operating in orbit.

The space cold atom clock (CAC) suffers more degradation of frequency stability from the local oscillator noise compared with fountain clocks operating on the ground because of the larger dead time of the clock cycle. Therefore, low phase noise is required for the microwave source of the space CAC in addition to robustness, compactness, and adaptability to the space environment. This paper presents the design and measurements of a low-phase-noise space qualified microwave source for the cold atom clock experiment in space CAC operating in the Tiangong-2 Chinese space laboratory. At frequencies near the carrier, a phase noise level of 10-6.7 × f -1.5 rad2/Hz (f is the Fourier frequency) is achieved. This guarantees a frequency stability of 1.4 × 10-13 τ -1/2 (τ is the average time in seconds) for the typical space CAC operation cycle.

In-orbit operation of an atomic clock based on laser-cooled 87Rb atoms.

Atomic clocks based on laser-cooled atoms are widely used as primary frequency standards. Deploying such cold atom clocks (CACs) in space is foreseen to have many applications. Here we present tests of a CAC operating in space. In orbital microgravity, the atoms are cooled, trapped, launched, and finally detected after being interrogated by a microwave field using the Ramsey method. Perturbing influences from the orbital environment on the atoms such as varying magnetic fields and the passage of the spacecraft through Earth's radiation belt are also controlled and mitigated. With appropriate parameters settings, closed-loop locking of the CAC is realized in orbit and an estimated short-term frequency stability close to 3.0 × 10-13τ-1/2 has been attained. The demonstration of the long-term operation of cold atom clock in orbit opens possibility on the applications of space-based cold atom sensors.

Comparative study of the immunoprotective effect of two DNA vaccines against grass carp reovirus.

Grass carp reovirus II (GCRV II) causes severe hemorrhagic disease with high mortality in grass carp, Cyenopharyngodon idellus. DNA vaccination has been proven to be a very effective method in conferring protection against fish viruses. However, DNA vaccines for GCRV II have not yet been conducted on grass carp. In the current work, we vaccinated grass carp with a DNA vaccine consisting of the segment 6 (pC-S6; encoding VP4) or 10 (pC-S10; encoding NS38) of GCRV II and comparatively analyzed the immune responses induced by these two vaccines. The protective efficacy of pC-S6 and pC-S10, in terms of relative percentage survival (RPS), was 59.9% and 23.1% respectively. This suggests that pC-S6 and pC-S10 DNA vaccines could increase the survival rate of grass carp against GCRV, albeit with variations in immunoprotective effect. Immunological analyses indicated the following. First, post-vaccination (pv), both pC-S6 and pC-S10 up-regulated the expression of interferon (IFN-1), Mx1, IL-1ß, and TNF-α. However, CD4 and CD8α were up-regulated in the case of pC-S6 but not pC-S10. Second, comparing non-vaccinated and pC-S10-vaccinated fish, the T cell response related genes, such as CD4, CD8α, and GATA3, were elevated in pC-S6-vaccinated fish at 48 h post-challenge (pc). Third, pC-S6 and pC-S10 induced similar patterns of specific antibody response pv. However, only anti-VP4 IgM in the sera of surviving fish infected with GCRV was significantly increased pc compared with that pre-challenge. Taken together, these results indicate that pC-S6 promotes both innate (IFN-1 and Mx1 induction) and adaptive (T cell and specific antibody response) immunity pv and that the induction of a memory state promptly primes the immune response upon later encounters with the virus, whereas pC-S10 only induces the type I IFN-related response pv and a lower inflammatory response pc.

Long-term antibacterial performances of biodegradable polylactic acid materials with direct absorption of antibiotic agents.

In this study, polylactic acid (PLA) disks with antibacterial performances were prepared using 3D printing technology combined with direct adsorption of the antibiotic agents in solution baths. The effects of the layer thicknesses for the building of the 3D printing PLA disks and the amounts of antibiotic agents absorbed onto the sample surfaces on their antibacterial activities were investigated. The antibiotic agent release profiles from the samples surface into the buffer solution show that the antibacterial performances of these samples can reach up to 28 days. With a decrease in the concentration of antibiotic agent in the solution bath, the amount of antibiotic agent adsorbed on the sample surfaces also decreases, but their antibacterial performances can still maintain at least 7 days. In the bioactivity tests of the various organisms, the release amount of antibiotic agent from the sample can inhibit E. coli and S. aureus for over 80% up to 28 days. In the antibacterial activity tests, a PLA disk with suitable antibiotic agents covering its surface has a good inhibitory effect on the growth ability of S. aureus of less than 50% in six hours.

A comparative study of surgical outcomes using a Colorado microdissection needle versus standard-size needle electrocautery in one-stage hypospadias repair using a transverse preputial island flap.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the surgical outcomes of a Colorado microdissection needle (CMN) with that of a standard-size electrocautery needle in one-stage hypospadias repair using a transverse preputial island flap (TPIF). METHODS: The records of patients who received hypospadias repair from September 2012 to October 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into a group that received repair using a CMN and those in which a standard-size electrocautery needle was used. Data collected and compared included age, types of hypospadias, duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative edema and complications. RESULTS: There were 51 patients in the CMN group and 44 in the standard needle group, and the groups were similar with respect to age and type of hypospadias. The median surgery time for the CMN group was significantly shorter than that of the standard group (15.7 minutes vs. 20.6 minutes, respectively, P<0.001). At postoperative day 7 and day 30, the CMN group had significantly less patients with edema than the standard needle group (31.4% vs. 65.9%, P<0.01; and 37.3% vs. 79.5%, P<0.001, respectively). The overall complication rate has no significant difference between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of CMN for tissue dissection and separation in hypospadias repair can facilitate foreskin degloving, shape the flap in a more efficient way, and help maintain adequate blood supply for the new urethra and its skin coverage.

[Studies on difference of chemical compositions in plant species of Tripterygium genus].

We studied the content of chemical compositions and correlation among species of Tripterygium genus by principal component analysis(PCA) and variance analysis(ANOVA), and we also studied the difference among the 3 species.Using [BMIm]PF6 ionic liquid-based ultrasonic-assisted extraction, we determined the contents of 11 compounds including wilforgine, wilforzine, triptophenolide, wilforine, triptoquinone A, triptolide, tripterin, egallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, and epicatechin in 28 batches of the Tripterygium species by HPLC and PCA. Partial least squares analysis (PLS) and ANOVA were also performed to verify the results.The analysis results of PCA and PLS showed that three species of Tripterygium genus were clustered into three regions respectively, and triptoquinone A was the important factor which affected the aggregation of these three species.There was a significant difference among the contents of 11 chemical components in the three species(P<0.000 1).These results indicated that there was a certain correlation between the chemical compositions and the classification of the species, and the difference of the chemical compositions among the three species was obvious. In this work, the content determination method is rapid and accurate, and the analysis method is simple and convenient, which provides a reference for the classification, the efficacy and the toxicity of the species.

Left Habenula Mediates Light-Preference Behavior in Zebrafish via an Asymmetrical Visual Pathway.

Habenula (Hb) plays critical roles in emotion-related behaviors through integrating inputs mainly from the limbic system and basal ganglia. However, Hb also receives inputs from multiple sensory modalities. The function and underlying neural circuit of Hb sensory inputs remain unknown. Using larval zebrafish, we found that left dorsal Hb (dHb, a homolog of mammalian medial Hb) mediates light-preference behavior by receiving visual inputs from a specific subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) through eminentia thalami (EmT). Loss- and gain-of-function manipulations showed that left, but not right, dHb activities, which encode environmental illuminance, are necessary and sufficient for light-preference behavior. At circuit level, left dHb neurons receive excitatory monosynaptic inputs from bilateral EmT, and EmT neurons are contacted mainly by sustained ON-type RGCs at the arborization field 4 of retinorecipient brain areas. Our findings discover a previously unidentified asymmetrical visual pathway to left Hb and its function in mediating light-preference behavior. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

[Evaluation of genetic diversity and population structure of genus Tripterygium based on SSR markers].

The genus Tripterygium is an immune suppressor in the Chinese traditional medicines. Due to the habitat destruction and anthropogenic over-exploitation, the wild genus Tripterygium plants have decreased dramatically in recent years or even been endangered. It is critical to evaluate and protect genus Tripterygium wild resource. In this research, simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers were applied to the investigation of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of 28 populations for genus Tripterygium (396 samples from 9 provinces in China). We found a high level of genetic diversity (percentage of polymorphic loci PPL = 77.29%, Shannon's information index I = 0.639 4; Nei's expected heterozygosity H = 0.359 9) and high genetic differentiation among the populations (gene flow N_m = 0.228 7). Based on Nei's genetic distance, the phylogenic tree of populations was constructed and 28 populations were divided into 6 clusters according to STRUCTURE clustering analysis. T. hypoglaucumwas was mainly divided into 3 clusters, including Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou- Chongqing. T. regelii was separated to cluster 4, while T. wilfordii was divided into two clusters: the transition type LQ and NY were divided into cluster 5, and the others were in cluster 6. These results provide a theory basis for the conservation of wild resource, research of genetic polymorphism and molecular marker for assisted breeding of genus Tripterygium.