Exploration of the Polymorphism Distribution of Bovine HMGA2 Gene in Worldwide Breeds and Its Associations with Ovarian Traits.

The high-mobility group AT-hook 2(HMGA2) gene has been widely studied in the context of cancer and animal growth. However, recently, several studies have uncovered its critical role in cell proliferation. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) further suggests that the HMGA2 gene is a candidate gene in fertility, indicating its connection not only to growth traits but also to reproduction, specifically ovarian traits. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the distribution of the HMGA2 gene in 54 bovine breeds worldwide, identify important short fragment variants (indels), and investigate the relationship between HMGA2 and ovarian development. The dataset included genotypic information from a bovine population of 634 individuals (n = 634). After genotyping and analyzing four selected loci, we found that one out of four loci, rs133750033 (P4-D22-bp), was polymorphic. Our results also reveal that this indel of HMGA2 is significantly associated with certain ovarian traits (p < 0.05). Specifically, it has connection with ovarian length (p = 0.004) and ovarian height (p = 0.026) during diestrus. Additionally, we discovered a higher expression of the HMGA2 gene in Asian cattle breeds. In summary, this study suggests that HMGA2 has the potential to serve as an animal fertility testing marker gene. Moreover, these findings contribute to a more promising outlook for the bovine industry.

Spatio-Temporal Interpolated Echo State Network for Meteorological Series Prediction.

Spatio-temporal series prediction has attracted increasing attention in the field of meteorology in recent years. The spatial and temporal joint effect makes predictions challenging. Most of the existing spatio-temporal prediction models are computationally complicated. To develop an accurate but easy-to-implement spatio-temporal prediction model, this paper designs a novel spatio-temporal prediction model based on echo state networks. For real-world observed meteorological data with randomness and large changes, we use a cubic spline method to bridge the gaps between the neighboring points, which results in a pleasingly smooth series. The interpolated series is later input into the spatio-temporal echo state networks, in which the spatial coefficients are computed by the elastic-net algorithm. This approach offers automatic selection and continuous shrinkage of the spatial variables. The proposed model provides an intuitive but effective approach to address the interaction of spatial and temporal effects. To demonstrate the practicality of the proposed model, we apply it to predict two real-world datasets: monthly precipitation series and daily air quality index series. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves a normalized root-mean-square error of approximately 0.250 on both datasets. Similar results are achieved on the long short-term memory model, but the computation time of our proposed model is considerably shorter. It can be inferred that our proposed neural network model has advantages on predicting meteorological series over other models.

Genus Distribution of Bacteria and Fungi Associated with Keratitis in a Large Eye Center Located in Southern China.

PURPOSE: To investigate the genus distribution of bacteria and fungi associated with keratitis in a large eye center located in Southern China and to compare the results with existing data from other areas in China. METHODS: All results of corneal microbiological examinations from 2009 to 2013 of patients who had been clinically diagnosed with bacterial or fungal keratitis were obtained chronologically and anonymously from the microbiology database at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center. Smear/culture data were reviewed and analyzed. Antibiotic resistance of the harvested bacteria was also evaluated. RESULTS: Of 2973 samples, the microbial detection rate was 46.05%; in which 759 eyes (25.5%) were positive for bacteria, 796 eyes (26.8%) were positive for fungi, and 186 eyes (6.3%) were co-infected with both fungi and bacteria. The most common type of bacteria isolated was Staphylococcus epidermidis (31.9%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.4%). The most common type of fungus was Fusarium species (29.3%), followed by Aspergillus species (24.1%). For the bacteria harvested, mean antibiotic resistance was chloromycetin (34.6%), cephalosporins (20.0%), fluoroquinolones (18.6%), and aminoglycosides (10.5%). CONCLUSION: The genus distribution of organisms detected in keratitis cases in the largest eye center located in Southern China differs from those in other areas in China. In Southern China during the time period studied, S. epidermidis and Fusarium sp. were the most common pathogens of infectious keratitis. Monitoring the changing trend of pathogens as well as antibiotic resistance are warranted.

A SURGICAL APPROACH TO LARGE SUBRETINAL HEMORRHAGE USING PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY AND 360° RETINOTOMY.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the surgical approach of pars plana vitrectomy combined with 360° retinotomy and silicon oil tamponade in the treatment of patients with large subretinal hemorrhage. METHODS: Prospective, nonrandomized, and noncomparative case series study. Consecutive patients with breakthrough vitreous hemorrhage and massive subretinal hemorrahge were recruited to have combined surgery of pars plana vitrectomy with 360° retinotomy and silicone oil temponade. The main outcomes were best-corrected visual acuity, retina status, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (21 eyes) were included. The mean follow-up was 19.9 ± 7.4 months. The mean preoperative thickness of subretinal hemorrhage was 4.25 ± 0.69 mm. All the patients were observed to have choroidal neovascularization during the surgical procedure. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (Snellen equivalent) significantly improved from preoperatively 2.64 (hand movement) to 1.73 (7/400), 1.50 (6/200), 1.51 (6/200), and 1.45 (7/200) at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months after the initial surgery, and final follow-up. Postoperative complications included temporary higher intraocular pressure, silicone oil emulsification, lens opacification, epimacular membrane, retinal pigment epithelium loss, and subretinal fibrosis. At the end of the follow-up, retinas were all reattached without any recurrence of choroidal neovascularization. CONCLUSION: Pars plana vitrectomy combined with retinotomy and silicone oil tamponade is effective for eyes with breakthrough vitreous hemorrhage and massive subretinal hemorrahge.

A rat model of autologous oral mucosal epithelial transplantation for corneal limbal stem cell failure.

PURPOSE: To establish an animal model of autologous oral mucosa grafting for limbal stem cell deficiency. METHODS: The study was carried from August to October 2012. Fourteen SD rats were randomly and evenly allocated to study group A and control group B. Limbal stem cell deficiency was established by alkali burn in the right eye of each rat in both groups. Rats in group A received autologous oral mucosa strip transplantation following the chemical burn. Rats in group B did not receive surgery after the chemical burn. Topical antibiotics and dexamethasone were used in all rats. Corneal clarity, corneal fluorescein staining, oral mucosal graft survival, and complications at postoperative days 1, 3, 7, 14 were observed. RESULTS: The oral mucosa strip graft was detached in one rat in group A. Reepithelialization was observed starting from the graft position and was completed within 14 days in the remaining 6 eyes in group A. However, persistent corneal epithelium defect was observed in all eyes in group B, among which corneal melting and perforation was observed in 2 eyes and corneal opacification with neovascularization was observed in the remaining 5 eyes. CONCLUSION: Autologous oral mucosa strip grafting for limbal stem cell deficiency can be achieved by a rat model following chemical burn. The fate of the transplanted oral mucosal epithelial cells warrants further study.