Genomic structure analysis and construction of DNA fingerprint for four sheep populations.

The Yongdeng Qishan sheep (QS) is a sheep population found locally in China. To gain in-depth knowledge of its population characteristics, three control groups were chosen, comprising the Lanzhou fat-tailed sheep (LFT), TAN sheep (TAN), and Minxian black fur sheep (MBF), inhabiting the nearby environments. This study genotyped a total of 120 individuals from four sheep populations: QS, LFT, TAN, and MBF. Using Specific-Locus Amplified Fragment Sequencing, we conducted genetic diversity, population structure, and selective sweep analysis, and constructed the fingerprint of each population. In total, there were 782 535 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variations identified, with most being situated within regions that are intergenic or intronic. The genetic diversity analysis revealed that the QS population exhibited lower genetic diversity compared to the other three populations. Consistent results were obtained from the principal component, phylogenetic tree, and population structure analysis, indicating significant genetic differences between QS and the other three populations. However, a certain degree of differentiation was observed within the QS population. The linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns among the four populations showed clear distinctions, with the QS group demonstrating the most rapid LD decline. Kinship analysis supported the findings of population structure, dividing the 90 QS individuals into two subgroups consisting of 23 and 67 individuals. Selective sweep analysis identified a range of genes associated with reproduction, immunity, and adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia. These genes hold potential as candidate genes for marker-assisted selection breeding. Additionally, a total of 86 523 runs of homozygosity (ROHs) were detected, showing non-uniform distribution across chromosomes, with chromosome 1 having the highest coverage percentage and chromosome 26 the lowest. In the high-frequency ROH islands, 79 candidate genes were associated with biological processes such as reproduction and fat digestion and absorption. Furthermore, a DNA fingerprint was constructed for the four populations using 349 highly polymorphic SNPs. In summary, our research delves into the genetic diversity and population structure of QS population. The construction of DNA fingerprint profiles for each population can provide valuable references for the identification of sheep breeds both domestically and internationally.

Sleep initiation patterns and their influence on sleep quality in infants and young children. / å©´å¹¼å„¿å ¥ç¡æ–¹å¼åŠå ¶å¯¹ç¡çœ è´¨é‡çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the current status of sleep initiation patterns, influencing factors for sleep initiation patterns, and the influence of sleep initiation patterns on sleep quality in infants and young children. METHODS: A total of 521 infants and young children, aged 0-35 months, who underwent physical examination at the outpatient service of the Department of Growth and Development in Shenzhen Bao'an Women's and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Jinan University were enrolled as subjects. A self-designed questionnaire and Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire were used to collect the information on family background, parenting behaviors, and sleep quality in the past one week. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors for sleep initiation patterns. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of sleep initiation patterns on the number of nighttime awakenings. RESULTS: Among the 521 infants and young children, 258 (49.5%) were breastfed/bottle fed to initiate sleep, 62 (11.9%) were rocked/held to initiate sleep, 39 (7.5%) slept independently, and 162 (31.1%) initiated sleep accompanied by parents. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the children with breastfeeding and a younger age were more likely to be breastfed/bottle fed to initiate sleep (P<0.05) and that the children with a younger age were also more likely to be rocked/held to initiate sleep (P<0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that sleep initiation with breastfeeding/bottle feeding significantly increased the number of nighttime awakenings (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Most infants and young children initiate sleep by being breastfed/bottle fed, rocked/held, or accompanied. The sleep initiation pattern is associated with the age of children and whether they are still breastfeeding. Sleep initiation with breastfeeding/bottle feeding can increase the number of nighttime awakenings. io.

MiRNA-122-5p inhibitor abolishes angiotensin II-mediated loss of autophagy and promotion of apoptosis in rat cardiofibroblasts by modulation of the apelin-AMPK-mTOR signaling.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as essential regulators that could have pivotal roles in cardiac homeostasis and pathological remodeling of various cardiovascular diseases. We previously demonstrated that miRNA-122-5p overexpression exacerbated the process of vascular hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction in hypertensive rats and rat aortic adventitial fibroblasts. However, the exact roles and underlying mechanisms of miRNA-122-5p in myocardial fibroblasts remain largely unknown. In this work, neonatal rat cardiofibroblasts (CFs) were isolated and primarily cultured from the hearts of 2- to 3-d-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Stimulation of angiotensin II (Ang II) resulted in marked increases in cellular proliferation and migration and levels of collagen I, collagen III, CTGF, and TGF-ß1 in cultured CFs. Furthermore, Ang II led to promoted expression of P62, Bax, and phosphorylated mTOR as well as downregulation of LC3II, beclin-1, and AMPK-phosphorylated levels, thereby contributing to imbalance of autophagy and apoptosis, and cellular injury in CFs, which were significantly ameliorated by treatment with miRNA-122-5p inhibitor. These changes were associated with decreased levels of collagen I, collagen III, CTGF, and TGF-ß1. Furthermore, Ang II-induced loss of autophagy and promotion of apoptosis in CFs were prevented by the treatment with Pyr1-apelin-13 or AMPK agonist AICAR or mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, respectively. In contrast, administration of miRNA-122-5p mimics and autophagy inhibitor 3-methylademine reversed beneficial roles of Pyr1-apelin-13. Collectively, these data indicated that miRNA-122-5p is an essential regulator of autophagy and apoptosis in rat CFs via the apelin/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway, which may be potentially used as a therapeutic target in myocardial fibrosis and related diseases.

Elabela prevents angiotensin II-induced apoptosis and inflammation in rat aortic adventitial fibroblasts via the activation of FGF21-ACE2 signaling.

Apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis contribute to vascular remodeling and injury. Elabela (ELA) serves as a crucial regulator to maintain vascular function and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertensive vascular remodeling. This study aims to explore regulatory roles and underlying mechanisms of ELA in rat aortic adventitial fibroblasts (AFs) in response to angiotensin II (ATII). In cultured AFs, exposure to ATII resulted in marked decreases in mRNA and protein levels of ELA, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as well as increases in apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular migration, which were partially blocked by the exogenous replenishment of ELA and recombinant FGF21, respectively. Moreover, treatment with ELA strikingly reversed ATII-mediated the loss of FGF21 and ACE2 levels in rat aortic AFs. FGF21 knockdown with small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly counterbalanced protective effects of ELA on ATII-mediated the promotion of cell migration, apoptosis, inflammatory, and oxidative injury in rat aortic AFs. More importantly, pretreatment with recombinant FGF21 strikingly inhibited ATII-mediated the loss of ACE2 and the augmentation of cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory injury in rat aortic AFs, which were partially prevented by the knockdown of ACE2 with siRNA. In summary, ELA exerts its anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant effects in rat aortic AFs via activation of the FGF21-ACE2 signaling. ELA may represent a potential candidate to predict vascular damage and targeting the FGF21-ACE2 signaling may be a promising therapeutic intervention for vascular adventitial remodeling and related disorders.

The Elabela-APJ axis: a promising therapeutic target for heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is a growing epidemic with high morbidity and mortality at an international scale. The apelin-APJ receptor pathway has been implicated in HF, making it a promising therapeutic target. APJ has been shown to be activated by a novel endogenous peptide ligand known as Elabela (ELA, also called Toddler or Apela), with a critical role in cardiac development and function. Activation of the ELA-APJ receptor axis exerts a wide range of physiological effects, including depressor response, positive inotropic action, diuresis, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and anti-remodeling, leading to its cardiovascular protection. The ELA-APJ axis is essential for diverse biological processes and has been shown to regulate fluid homeostasis, myocardial contractility, vasodilation, angiogenesis, cellular differentiation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, cardiorenal fibrosis, and dysfunction. The beneficial effects of the ELA-APJ receptor system are well-established by treating hypertension, myocardial infarction, and HF. Additionally, administration of ELA protects human embryonic stem cells against apoptosis and stress-induced cell death and promotes survival and self-renewal in an APJ-independent manner (X receptor) via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway, which may provide a new therapeutic approach for HF. Thus, targeting the ELA-APJ axis has emerged as a pre-warning biomarker and a novel therapeutic approach against progression of HF. An increased understanding of cardiovascular actions of ELA will help to develop effective interventions. This article gives an overview of the characteristics of the ELA-apelin-APJ axis and summarizes the current knowledge on its cardioprotective roles, potential mechanisms, and prospective application for acute and chronic HF.

A nitrogen-doped NiCo2S4/CoO hollow multi-layered heterostructure microsphere for efficient oxygen evolution in Zn-air batteries.

Exploring highly effective and low-cost non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical for renewable energy conversion and metal-air batteries. Herein, a novel and high-efficient OER catalyst was reported with nitrogen-doped oxide/sulfide heterostructures (named N-NiCo2S4/CoO microsphere). The N-NiCo2S4/CoO microsphere was synthesized by annealing NiCo-BTC MOF to a multi-layered hollow structure of NiCo2O4 microspheres, followed by the direct vulcanization in the presence of NH4HCO3, resulting in an oxide/sulfide heterojunction. Benefiting from the nitrogen doping, the abundant multi-layered hollow heterostructure and the interfaces between multiple components, the N-NiCo2S4/CoO microsphere exhibited excellent OER activity with a low overpotential of 227 mV at 10 mA cm-2. The Zn-air battery based on the N-NiCo2S4/CoO + Pt/C catalyst displayed excellent cycling stability after 900 cycles at a large current density of 5 mA cm-2, where the commercial RuO2 + Pt/C-based battery exhibited a big drop after only 30 cycles, suggesting its great application prospects as power source devices.

MicroRNA-122 aggravates angiotensin II-mediated apoptosis and autophagy imbalance in rat aortic adventitial fibroblasts via the modulation of SIRT6-elabela-ACE2 signaling.

Abnormal aortic adventitial fibroblasts (AFs) play essential roles in the development of vascular remodeling and disorders. Previous studies revealed that microRNA-122 (miR-122) levels were elevated in the aortic adventitia of hypertensive rats with vascular injury. Here, we aim to evaluate the biological effects and underlying mechanisms of miR-122 in rat AFs. Exposure to angiotensin II (ATII) in rat AFs resulted in decreased levels of sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), elabela (ELA), and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Additionally, stimulation with ATII contributed to a decline in autophagic flux and obvious increases in cellular migration, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, which were exacerbated by the transfection of miR-122-5p mimic but were rescued by miR-122-5p inhibitor, exogenous replenishment of ELA, and recombinant adeno-associated virus expressing SIRT6 (rAAV-SIRT6), respectively. Moreover, stimulation with miR-122-5p mimic led to a marked reduction in the levels of SIRT6 and ELA in rat AFs, which were elevated by stimulation with rAAV-SIRT6. Furthermore, miR-122-5p inhibitor-mediated pro-autophagic, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic effects in rat AFs were partially suppressed by 3-methyladenine, SIRT6 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and ELA siRNA, which were linked with the downregulation in the protein levels of LC3-II, beclin-1, and ACE2 and the upregulation of p62 expression and bax/bcl-2 ratio. Our findings indicated that miR-122-5p inhibition prevented ATII-mediated loss of autophagy, and the promotion of apoptosis and oxidative stress via activating the SIRT6-ELA-ACE2 signaling. MiR-122-5p may be a novel predictive biomarker of adventitial injury, and targeting the SIRT6-ELA-ACE2 signaling may have the potential therapeutic importance of controlling vascular remodeling and disorders.

Gender Differences in Hypertension.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for global mortality and morbidity and remains the major preventable cause of cardiovascular diseases. Gender differences in risk factors and awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension have been well established in humans. There are significant differences in epidemiology and clinical characteristic of hypertension between men and women. Moreover, gender differences are linked with several specific types of hypertension, including postmenopausal hypertension, white coat hypertension, masked hypertension, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Gender differences have been implicated in the prevalence and determinants of hypertension and prehypertension whereas the control rate is similar between men and women taking antihypertensive medication. Importantly, distinct roles of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2/Apelin signaling, sex hormone, endothelin-1, and sympathetic nervous activity contribute to sex differences in blood pressure control. This review summarizes gender differences in clinical features and determinants of hypertension and the underlying mechanisms responsible for hypertension.

Differential responses of plasma membrane aquaporins in mediating water transport of cucumber seedlings under osmotic and salt stresses.

It has long been recognized that inhibition of plant water transport by either osmotic stress or salinity is mediated by aquaporins (AQPs), but the function and regulation of AQPs are highly variable among distinct isoforms and across different species. In this study, cucumber seedlings were subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG) or NaCl stress for duration of 2 h or 24 h. The 2 h treatment with PEG or NaCl had non-significant effect on the expression of plasma membrane AQP (CsPIPs) in roots, indicating the decrease in hydraulic conductivity of roots (Lpr ) and root cells (Lprc ) measured in these conditions were due to changes in AQP activity. After both 2 h and 24 h PEG or NaCl exposure, the decrease in hydraulic conductivity of leaves (Kleaf ) and leaf cells (Lplc ) could be attributed to a down-regulation of the two most highly expressed isoforms, CsPIP1;2 and CsPIP2;4. In roots, both Lpr and Lprc were further reduced after 24 h PEG exposure, but partially recovered after 24 h NaCl treatment, which were consistent with changes in the expression of CsPIP genes. Overall, the results demonstrated differential responses of CsPIPs in mediating water transport of cucumber seedlings, and the regulatory mechanisms differed according to applied stresses, stress durations and specific organs.

[Efficacy of iodine-131 in treating hyperthyroid heart disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of iodine-131 therapy for hyperthyroidism complicated hyperthyroid heart disease(HHD) induced by Graves' disease or Plummer disease. METHODS: Totally 40 HHD cases who were confirmed in our department from 2009 to 2010 were enrolled in this study. All patients received serum thyroid hormones and associated antibodies tests, 12-lead electrocardiogram, and/or thyroid imaging before and after iodine-131 therapy to access the treatment effectiveness. RESULTS: Among 31 patients with HHD due to Graves' disease and 9 due to Plummer disease, iodine-131 treatment resulted in euthyroidism in 15 and 5 patients and hypothyroid in 7 and 2 patients, while 9 and 2 remain hyperthyroid, respectively.Serum free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone were statistically significant(P<0.05) before and after iodine-131 therapy, while no significant difference for serum thyrotrophin receptor antibody, antithyroid peroxidase autoantibody, and anti-thyroglobulin antibody.Atrial fibrillation was the most common cardiac complication of hyperthyroidism(n=25, 62.5%) .The remission rate after iodine-131 treatment was 76.0%. CONCLUSION: Iodine-131 therapy can effectively and timely control hyperthyroid in HHD patients.

Plant hydraulics and photosynthesis of 34 woody species from different successional stages of subtropical forests.

It is important to understand the ecophysiological characters of plants when exploring mechanisms underlying species substitution in the process of plant succession. In the present study, we selected 34 woody species from different stages of secondary succession in subtropical forests of southern China, and measured their hydraulic conductivity, gas exchange rates, leaf nutrients and drought-tolerance traits such as xylem resistance to cavitation, turgor loss point and carbon isotope ratio. Principal component analysis revealed that early-, mid- and late-successional species were significantly separated along axis 1, which was strongly associated with hydraulic-photosynthetic coordination. In contrast to species distributed in late-successional forest, early-successional species had the highest hydraulic conductivity, net photosynthetic rates, photosynthetic nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiencies, but had the lowest photosynthetic water-use efficiency. However, changes of the measured drought-tolerance traits of the 34 species along the succession did not demonstrate a clear trend - no significant correlations between these traits and plant successional stages were found. Moreover, the trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety was not identified. Taken together, our results suggested that hydraulic efficiency and photosynthetic function, rather than drought tolerance, play an important role in species distributions along plant succession in subtropical forests.

[Effects of salinity and betaine on BHMT mRNA expression in Lateolabrax japonicus].

Betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT, EC 2.1.1.5) catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from betaine to homocysteines (Hcy) to form dimethylglycine and Met, respectively. A full-length cDNA of the BHMT in Lateolabrax japonicus was amplified using RT-PCR and SMART RACE methods. The cDNA of the BHMT in L. japonicus is 1 461 bp in size, with 72 bp 5'-UTR, 183 bp 3'-UTR and 1206 bp ORF, encoding a protein of 401 amino acids with a molecular weight of 44.32 kD and pI 7.21. The sequence analysis indicated that the deduced amino acid sequence of BHMT shared high identity (77%-93%) with nine other species; the highest was 93% with Perca flavescens. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to characterize the expression of BHMT in ten tissues including muscle, heart, eye, brain, gill, liver, intestine, kidney, adipose tissue and spleen. The results showed that BHMT is only expressed in the liver, intestines and kidney. BHMT mRNA in these three tissues declined after the fish were transferred from sea water to a higher salinity environment and induced when transferred to a lower salinity environment. BHMT gene in liver, intestine and kidney can also be induced after intraperitoneal injection of betaine. Our results show that betaine can induce the transcription of BHMT in fish, and BHMT play pivotal roles in adaptation to osmotic change.

A study on pollen allergens in China.

OBJECTIVE: Allergic disease caused by airborne pollen is a major health problem in China. Intensive study on pollen allergens can be of great help for preventing and treating pollinosis. Four aspects of the study on pollen allergens in China including major allergic pollen in our country, analysis and purification of pollen allergen composition, recombinant pollen allergens and clinical application of pollen allergens are described in this paper.

[Induction of insulin resistance induced by PI-3K inhibitor in porcine granulosa cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biological effects of insulin resistance (IR) on the porcine granulosa cells which is induced by wortmannin, the PI-3K inhibitor and mediated by key molecules including GLUT4 and MAPK during insulin signaling. METHODS: The model of IR porcine granulosa cell was established in in vitro culture by treatment of wortmannin, and was assessed the amount of 3H glucose uptake as well as medium glucose levels by glucose oxidase method. The protein and mRNA expression of GLUT4 and MAPK were evaluated by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR respectively. RESULTS: The glucose intake was decreased by 40% with treatment of wortmannin at 1.5 micromol/L (P<0.05). GLUT4 and MAPK were localized mainly to cytoplasm of granulose cells. When granulosa cells were insulin resistant, the expression of GLUT4 was down-regulated whereas MAPK was up-regulated as compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Wortmannin treatment can lead to decreased expression of GLUT4 and increase of IR granulose cells. This metabolic phenotype could induce increased expression of MAPK and mitogenic potential, indicating the cross-talk between two pathways of insulin signaling within ovarian cells.

[Determination of constituents of polysaccharide and contents of saccharide from Mongolian medicine Agari-8].

The water soluble polysaccharide was extracted from Agari-8, and the contents of the water soluble polysaccharide were determined by phenyl hydrate-sulfuric acid method. The average recovery was 101.80%. The RSD was 0. 92Y. The components of the water soluble polysaccharide were identified by gas chromatography with: arabinose, xylose, mannose and glucose in the molar ratio of 0.40 : 0.10 : 5.67 : 22.78. Their IR and UV spectra were studied.

[Determination of constituents of polysaccharide and the content of saccharide in Mongolian medicine Garidi-15].

The present paper introuduces the method, with which the water-soluble polysaccharide was extracted with hot water from Garidi-15, the products were further purified with column chromatography on SephadexC-25, and the contents of water soluble polysaccharide were determined by phenyl hydrate-sulfuric acid method. The average recovery was 100.50%, and RSD was 0.82%. The components of water soluble polysaccharide were identified by gas chromatography as xylose, mannose, galactose and glucose in the molar ratio of 1.03 : 1.26 : 0.77 : 2.30. The water soluble polysaccharide was identified by IR spectrum and UV(200-400 nm) scanning spectrum. The IR spectrum indicates that there are characteristic absorption peaks of polysaccharides at 3 417.46, 2 928.65, 1 742.86, 1 643.69, 1 149.78, 1 078.19, 1 022.56 and 834.57 cm(-1), of which there are absorption peaks of pyranose at 1 078.19 and 1 022.56 cm(-1), and contain one characteristic absorption peak of alpha-pyranose indican band at 834.57 cm(-1). The UV scanning spectrum shows the obvious polysaccharide absorption peak at 280 nm, and indicates the existence of C=O bond.

Progress of integrative Chinese and Western medicine in treating polycystic ovarian syndrome caused infertility.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most popular diseases that cause menstrual dysfunction and infertility in women. The present paper is a brief retrospection on the progress in treatment of PCOS caused infertility with integrative Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM). It can be seen from these materials that using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) recipes formulated by Shen-replenishing herbs or acupuncture to reinforce Gan-Shen, regulate Chong-Ren Channels in treating PCOS, stable clinical efficacy could be obtained, with less adverse reaction, though the effect initiated somewhat late. Whereas, when Shen-replenishing recipe and acupuncture are combined with hormone or ovulation promoting drugs of Western medicine, the above-mentioned shortcomings would be overcome. So, this combined therapy is frequently used in clinical practice.