Two different autorefractors for vision screening in children and adolescents.

AIM: To compare the consistency of two autorefractors (Tianle RM-9000 and Topcon KR-800) for school-age myopia children, and to provide a basis for largescale data analysis and comparison. METHODS: The refractive error in 909 subjects (age 4-18y) were measured using both autorefractors without cycloplegia. The data were analyzed using Fourier decomposition and the correlation coefficients, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman limits of agreement (LoA) for each parameter were calculated. RESULTS: There was a strong correlation between the spherical equivalent (SE), sphere diopter (DS), and cylinder diopter (DC) readings of the Tianle RM-9000 and those of the Topcon KR-800, with correlation coefficient values of 0.98, 0.98 and 0.83 and ICC values of 0.99, 0.99 and 0.93, respectively. However, the correlation coefficients and ICC values of J0 and J45 were unreliable (R=-0.004, -0.034; both ICC<0.10). Bland-Altman analysis revealed that SE, DS, and DC measured by the Tianle RM-9000 were significantly biased toward myopia compared with the Topcon KR-800, and the mean differences were -0.072, -0.026, -0.091 D, respectively (all P<0.01). The minimum absolute value of the difference within the 95% LoA for SE, DS, and DC was 0.63 D, 0.50 D, 0.62 D, respectively; all these values were in the clinically acceptable range. For J0 and J45, the mean differences were close to zero (P=0.43, 0.84); however, the 95% LoA were relatively wide (J0 SD: 0.53; 95%CI: -1.00, 1.10; J45 SD: 0.52; 95%CI: -1.00, 1.00). CONCLUSION: The two autorefractors are consistent with each other, as the differences in SE, DS, and DC were within the clinically acceptable range. Readers can compare the data measured by either device in different studies and use the two devices in the same study to generate a dataset that can be analyzed together. However, the J0 and J45 vectors are unreliable and should not be used to assess astigmatism.

A biomarker panel of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and serum amyloid A is a predictor of sepsis in severe trauma patients.

Severe trauma could induce sepsis due to the loss of control of the infection, which may eventually lead to death. Accurate and timely diagnosis of sepsis with severe trauma remains challenging both for clinician and laboratory. Combinations of markers, as opposed to single ones, may improve diagnosis. We compared the diagnostic characteristics of routinely used biomarkers of sepsis alone and in combination, trying to define a biomarker panel to predict sepsis in severe patients. This prospective observational study included patients with severe trauma (Injury severity score, ISS = 16 or more) in the emergency intensive care unit (EICU) at a university hospital. Blood samples were collected and plasma levels of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and serum amyloid A (SAA) were measured using commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. A total of 100 patients were eligible for analysis. Of these, 52 were diagnosed with sepsis. CRP yielded the highest discriminative value followed by PCT. In multiple logistic regression, SAA, CRP, and PCT were found to be independent predictors of sepsis. Bioscore which was composed of SAA, CRP, and PCT was shown to be far superior to that of each individual biomarker taken individually. Therefore, compared with single markers, the biomarker panel of PCT, CRP, and SAA was more predictive of sepsis in severe polytrauma patients.

Assessing the phylogenetic relationship among varieties of Toona ciliata (Meliaceae) in sympatry with chloroplast genomes.

Toona ciliata is an endangered species due to over-cutting and low natural regeneration in China. Its genetic conservation is of an increasing concern. However, several varieties are recognized according to the leaf and flower traits, which complicates genetic conservation of T. ciliata. Here, we sequenced the whole chloroplast genome sequences of three samples for each of four varieties (T. ciliata var. ciliata, T. ciliata var. yunnanensis, T. ciliata var. pubescens, and T. ciliata var. henryi) in sympatry and assessed their phylogenetic relationship at a fine spatial scale. The four varieties had genome sizes ranged from 159,546 to 159,617 bp and had small variations in genome structure. Phylogenomic analysis indicated that the four varieties were genetically well-mixed in branch groups. Genetic diversity from the whole chloroplast genome sequences of 12 samples was low among varieties (average π = 0.0003). Besides, we investigated genetic variation of 58 samples of the four varieties in sympatry using two markers (psaA and trnL-trnF) and showed that genetic differentiation was generally insignificant among varieties (Ф st = 0%-5%). Purifying selection occurred in all protein-coding genes except for the ycf2 gene that was under weak positive selection. Most amino acid sites in all protein-coding genes were under purifying selection except for a few sites that were under positive selection. The chloroplast genome-based phylogeny did not support the morphology-based classification. The overall results implicated that a conservation strategy based on the T. ciliata complex rather than on intraspecific taxon was more appropriate.

Label recovery and label correlation co-learning for multi-view multi-label classification with incomplete labels.

Multi-view multi-label learning (MVML) is an important paradigm in machine learning, where each instance is represented by several heterogeneous views and associated with a set of class labels. However, label incompleteness and the ignorance of both the relationships among views and the correlations among labels will cause performance degradation in MVML algorithms. Accordingly, a novel method, label recovery and label correlation co-learning for M ulti-V iew M ulti-L abel classification with inco M plete L abels (MV2ML), is proposed in this paper. First, a label correlation-guided binary classifier kernel-based is constructed for each label. Then, we adopt the multi-kernel fusion method to effectively fuse the multi-view data by utilizing the individual and complementary information among multiple views and distinguishing the contribution difference of each view. Finally, we propose a collaborative learning strategy that considers the exploitation of asymmetric label correlations, the fusion of multi-view data, the recovery of incomplete label matrix and the construction of the classification model simultaneously. In such a way, the recovery of incomplete label matrix and the learning of label correlations interact and boost each other to guide the training of classifiers. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that MV2ML achieves highly competitive classification performance against state-of-the-art approaches on various real-world multi-view multi-label datasets in terms of six evaluation criteria.

Reduced Graphene Oxide Derived from Low-Grade Coal for High-Performance Flexible Supercapacitors with Ultrahigh Cyclability.

Preparation of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) from abundant and inexpensive low-grade coal is regarded as one of the most promising methods for utilizing this resource in a high-value and environmentally sustainable manner. As the main precursor for the fabrication of RGO, graphene oxide (GO) can be extracted from low-grade coal such as lignite, but its size is just in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers, which limits its practical application. Herein, we demonstrate that large-size RGO sheets can be prepared in large quantities by the pretreatment of lignite using the high temperature-high pressure (HTHP) method. The RGO electrode after the reduction reaction by 50 mM NaBH4 at 105 °C features porosity and high conductivity, which can facilitate high electrochemical reaction efficiency. Thus, we also demonstrate the use of lignite-derived RGO for supercapacitor electrode materials with high performance. The lignite-derived RGO supercapacitor can deliver outstanding volumetric capacitance (30.6 F cm-3), high energy density (4.2 mW h cm-3), excellent flexibility (79.5% retention of the initial capacitance at 180° bending), and a long lifespan (112.3% retention of the initial capacitance after 20,000 cycles). It is believed that the proposed large-size RGO based on reasonable optimization of inferior lignite will offer a new prospect for next-generation energy storage applications.

Effects of dietary supplementation with N-carbamylglutamate on maternal endometrium and fetal development during early pregnancy in Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats.

This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) on maternal endometrium and fetal development during early pregnancy of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats. Forty-eight pregnant Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats (average age 3 years old, average lactation parity 2, and average body weight 43.81 ± 2.66 kg) were randomly allocated to three groups: a basal diet (control group, n = 16), a basal diet plus 0.30-g NCG/d (NCG1 group, n = 16), and a basal diet plus 0.40-g NCG/d (NCG2 group, n = 16). All of the does were housed in individual pens and the NCG treatment was conducted from Days 0 to 90 of pregnancy. At Days 17 and 90 of pregnancy, six representative pregnant does in each group were slaughtered. The current study results demonstrated that maternal NCG administration during early pregnancy effectively increased the arginine family of amino acids and the glucogenic amino acids concentrations and promoted the mRNA expression of osteopontin (OPN), αv and ß3 integrins, and endometrial development of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats. The supplementation improved the fetal brown adipose tissue (BAT) stores and the mRNA expression of UCP-1 and BMP7, thereby helping to the fetal early development.

Flavonoids in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury: Therapeutic effects and mechanisms.

Ischemic heart diseases are one of the major causes of death worldwide. Effective restoration of blood flow can significantly improve patients' quality of life and reduce mortality. However, reperfusion injury cannot be ignored. Flavonoids possess well-established antioxidant properties; They also have other benefits that may be relevant for ameliorating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). In this review, we focus on flavonoids with cardiovascular-protection function and emphasize their pharmacological effects. The main mechanisms of flavonoid pharmacological activities against MIRI involve the following aspects: a) antioxidant, b) anti-inflammatory, c) anti-platelet aggregation, d) anti-apoptosis, and e) myocardial-function regulation activities. We also summarized the effectiveness of flavonoids for MIRI.

[Differences in the tolerance and accumulation of arsenate in the consortia with various proportions of Chlorella salina and Bacillus subtilis]. / 不同比例盐生小球藻-æž¯è‰èŠ½å­¢æ†èŒå ±ç”Ÿä½“å¯¹ç ·é ¸ç›è€æ€§åŠå¯Œé›†å·®å¼‚.

We constructed consortia of Chlorella salina and Bacillus subtilis with various alga-bacterium ratios (1:0, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4). After being treated with arsenate [As(Ⅴ)] for 7 d, we measured the growth, As accumulation, adsorption and absorption, and As speciation transformation of consortia. Results showed that the chlorophyll content, dry weight, and specific growth rate of the symbiont increased significantly with increasing B. subtilis ratio after the As(Ⅴ) treatment, being 1.81 mg·L-1, 125.0 mg, and 0.28 mg·L-1·d-1 under the condition of the alga-bacterium ratio being 1∶4 and As(Ⅴ) being 750 µg·L-1, respectively. The accumulation and absorption of As by the consortia decreased with the bacterial proportion increasing from 1:0 to 1:4. As accumulation changed with the As concentration, with a dominance of absorption under 75-150 µg·L-1 As(Ⅴ) and a dominance of adsorption under 300-750 µg·L-1As(V). There were As(Ⅴ) and As(Ⅲ) in the consortia. When the proportion of bacteria increased, the rate of As(Ⅴ) reduction enhanced (up to 12.6%). Our results indicated that the increases of B. subtilis improved As(Ⅴ) tolerance and reduction, but decreased the As(Ⅴ) accumulation by the symbiont.

[Evolution Characteristics and Driving Factors of Denitrification Community Based on Network Analysis in the Process of Spring Thermal Layer Formation in Zhoucun Reservoir].

Combined with on-site water quality investigation and nirS gene high-throughput sequencing technology, the evolution characteristics and influencing factors of the denitrification community during the formation of spring thermal stratification in Zhoucun Reservoir were analyzed. The results show that the water body stratification gradually formed during this period, and the environmental factors (NO3-, NH4+, TN, TOC, BOD5, permanganate index, TP, Fe, and Mn) showed significant differences (P<0.01); nitrogen showed a significant decline process. High-throughput sequencing provided 8703 OTU, which were divided into three phyla and eight major genera, proteobacteria accounted for the largest proportion with 45.27%-78.90%. The α-diversity except for the Simpson index showed that the ACE index, Chao index, Shannon index, and coverage index showed significant differences (P<0.05). The principal coordinate analysis showed the denitrification community exhibited significant differences in the spring, which was consistent with adonis result (P<0.001); network analysis (OTU-OTU) showed that there were seven main modules in this period, including 316 edges of 131 nodes, and the proportion of positive correlation edges was 95.25%. Network analysis (OTU-environmental factors) showed that there were five modules in this period, including 329 edges of 140 nodes, and the proportion of positive correlation edges was 51.98%. Sixty-two indicator OTU and 28 keystone OTU were obtained based on the indicator OTU analysis and network analysis. RDA and mantel test analysis indicated that T, DO, NO3-, TN, TOC, BOD5, and TP were the main environmental factors driving the denitrifying bacterial community structure and the key denitrifying OTU evolution in spring. Our results will provide technical support for the migration and transformation of nitrogen in reservoir water and pollution control.

Effects of photoperiod on circadian clock genes in skin contribute to the regulation of hair follicle cycling of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats.

This study investigated how the effects of photoperiod on circadian clock genes in the skin contribute to the regulation of hair follicle cycling of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats. Twenty-four female (non-pregnant) Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats aged 1 - 1.5 years old with similar live weights (mean, 20.36 ± 2.63 kg) were randomly allocated into two groups: a natural daily photoperiod group (NDPP group:10 - 16 hr Light, n = 12) and a short daily photoperiod group (SDPP group: 7 hr Light:17 hr Dark, n = 12). All goats were housed in individual pens from May 15 to October 15, 2015 and were fed the same diets. We detected the mRNA expression of brain and muscle arnt-like protein-1 (Bmal1), circadian locomotor output control kaput (Clock), cryptochrome-1 (Cry1), period homolog-1 (Per1) and Rev-erbα genes in the goat skin. ANOVA revealed a significant 24 hr (10:00 hr, 14:00 hr, 18:00 hr, 22:00 hr, 02:00 hr, 06:00 hr, 10:00 hr) variation between the SDPP and NDPP groups for three months (July, September, and October). In summary, the current results confirm that an intrinsic oscillating molecular clock exists in goat skin, and that the clock is important for potential timing mechanisms at the anagen phase of hair follicles, which would contribute to the regulation mechanisms of hair follicle cell proliferation.

Identifying Acetylation Protein by Fusing Its PseAAC and Functional Domain Annotation.

Acetylation is one of post-translational modification (PTM), which often reacts with acetic acid and brings an acetyl radical to an organic compound. It is helpful to identify acetylation protein correctly for understanding the mechanism of acetylation in biological systems. Although many acetylation sites have been identified by high throughput experimental studies via mass spectrometry, there still are lots of acetylation sites need to be discovered. Computational methods have showed their power for identifying acetylation sites with informatics techniques which usually reduce experiment cost and improve the effectiveness and efficiency. In fact, if there is an approach can distinguish the acetylated proteins from the non-acetylated ones, it is no doubt a very meaningful and effective method for this issue. Here, we proposed a novel computational method for identifying acetylation proteins by extracting features from the conservation information of sequence via gray system model and KNN scores based on the information of functional domain annotation and subcellular localization. The authors have performed the 5-fold cross-validation on three datasets along with much analysis of features and the Relief feature selection algorithm. The obtained accuracies are all satisfactory, as the mean performance, the accuracy is 77.10%, the Matthew's correlation coefficient is 0.5457, and the AUC value is 0.8389. These works might provide useful insights for the related experimental validation, and further studies of other PTM process. For the convenience of related researchers, the web-server named "iACetyP" was established and is accessible at http://www.jci-bioinfo.cn/iAcetyP.

Photo-controlled reversible secondary self-assembly of supramolecular nanosheets and their drug delivery behavior.

Supramolecular nano-drug delivery systems with stimuli-responsive features have attracted extensive attention in photodynamic therapy. In this work, a new kind of photo-controlled reversible two dimensional (2D) nanosheet was constructed by cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8])-mediated ternary complexation with lanthanide complexes, azobenzene quaternary ammonium salt and sodium dodecyl sulfonate, which exhibited rapid morphological transformation and high drug loading capacities. The constructed supramolecular secondary self-assembly system has become a very promising candidate as a drug nanocarrier.

Effects of photoperiod on nutrient digestibility, hair follicle activity and cashmere quality in Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of photoperiod on nutrient digestibility, hair follicle (HF) activity and cashmere quality in Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats. METHODS: Twenty-four female (non-pregnant) Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats aged 1 to 1.5 years old with similar live weights (mean, 20.36±2.63 kg) were randomly allocated into two groups: a natural daily photoperiod group (NDPP group:10 to 16 h light, n = 12) and a short daily photoperiod group (SDPP group: 7 h light:17 h dark, n = 12). All the goats were housed in individual pens and fed the same diets from May 15 to October 15, 2015. The digestibility of crude protein (CP), dry matter (DM), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were measured in different months, along with secondary hair follicle (SHF) activity, concentration of melatonin (MEL), and cashmere quality. RESULTS: Although there was no significant difference in the live weights of goats between the SDPP and NDPP groups (p>0.05), the CP digestibility of goats in the SDPP group was significantly increased compared to the NDPP group in July, September, and October (p<0.05). For the DM and NDF digestibility of goats, a significant increase (p<0.05) was found during in September in the SDPP group. Furthermore, compared to the NDPP group, the SHF activity in July, the MEL concentration in July, and the cashmere fiber length and fiber weight in October were significantly increased in the SDPP group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The cashmere production of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats was increased without obvious deleterious effects on the cashmere fibers in the SDPP group (metabolizable energy, 8.34 MJ/kg; CP, 11.16%; short daily photoperiod, 7 h light:17 h dark).

[Cell suspension examination versus histopathological technique in detecting sperm in the testis tissue of non-obstructive azoospermia patients undergoing testicular sperm aspiration].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical selection and application of cell suspension examination (CSE) or histopathological technique (HPT) in detecting sperm in the testis tissue obtained by testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). METHODS: Totally, 1 006 NOA patients underwent TESA and their testis tissues were subjected to CSE or HPT for sperm detection. Based on the results of CSE, the testicular tissue samples were divided into groups A (with sperm, n = 567) and B (without sperm, n = 439) and the results were compared with those of HPT. RESULTS: HPT showed 508 cases with but 59 without sperm in group A, and 403 with and 36 without sperm in group B. The consistency rate of CSE with that of HPT was 90.56% (Kappa =0.809), and CSE exhibited a significantly higher rate of sperm detection than HPT (56.36% vs 54.08%, P=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: CSE combined with HPT for detecting sperm in the testis tissue of NOA patients undergoing diagnostic TESA helps clinical diagnosis and treatment. The results of CSE have a decisive significance for assisted reproductive therapy, while those of HPT may provide some definite etiological evidence for drug therapy or surgery.

[Effects of Seasonal Asymmetric Warming on Soil CO2 Release in Karst Region].

Seasonal asymmetric warming is one of the distinguishing features of global warming. However, if this feature is not considered in studying the effects of global changes on terrestrial ecosystems, it might probably cause misunderstanding of these studies. The releasing features of soil CO2 in Karst regions under various warming scenarios were simulated following a four-year continuous warming period using infrared radiators. A total of six treatments was arranged:no warming (ambient temp, CK); symmetric warming (ambient plus 2.0℃ full year, SW); and, lowly, moderately, highly, and extremely asymmetric warming (ambient plus 2.5℃/1.5℃, 3.0℃/1.0℃, 3.5℃/0.5℃, and 4.0℃/0℃ in the winter-spring/summer-autumn seasons, respectively, LAW, MAW, HAW, and EAW). The results showed that compared to CK, soil CO2 efflux in all the warming plots significantly increased by 0.26 µmol·(m2·s)-1, or 17.41%. In the winter-spring seasons, soil CO2 efflux in the warming treatments increased by 0.23 µmol·(m2·s)-1. The Q10 values ranged from 1.53 to 3.24 with an average of 2.23 under the scenario of warming up by 2.0℃. The warming-induced contribution of CO2 efflux in the summer-autumn seasons (80%) was obviously higher than that in the winter-spring seasons (20%) in the SW treatment, whereas the mean contribution in the summer-autumn seasons (46%) was closer to that in the winter-spring seasons (54%) in the asymmetric warming treatments. Both soil CO2 efflux and Q10 showed a tendency towards decrease with the increase in the asymmetry of warming under the five warming scenarios. The soil CO2 efflux in the SW treatment was significantly (P<0.05) higher than those in the MAW, HAW, and EAW treatments. The Q10 values in the summer-autumn seasons was larger than those in the winter-spring seasons under each warming treatment or across all warming treatments, which was probably related to soil water content, soil microbe, dissolved inorganic carbon, and vegetation growth. The results revealed that it may potentially overestimate the effects of global warming on soil CO2 releasing subject to symmetric warming.

[Short-term Mechanism of Warming-induced Stability for Organic Carbon in the Karst Plateau Soil].

Elucidating the mechanisms of warming-induced stability for soil organic C is one of the keys for evaluating the tendency of soil C sources/sinks in projected global warming models. Organic C densities in soil, and soil physical and biochemical fractions, under different warming scenarios in the Karst Plateau were investigated following a 4-yr continuous warming using infrared radiators, via density fractionation and acid hydrolysis. Six treatments were arranged: no warming (ambient temp, CK); symmetric warming (ambient+2.0℃ full year); and lowly, moderately, highly, and extremely asymmetric warming (ambient+2.5℃/1.5℃, 3.0℃/1.0℃, 3.5℃/0.5℃, and 4.0℃/0℃ in winter-spring/summer-autumn seasons, respectively; LAW, MAW, HAW, and EAW). The moderately asymmetric warming was highly similar to a multi-year warming scenario in the study region. The results showed there were no significant differences in soil organic C densities in the surface layer (0-15 cm) among the warming treatments, with a range of 1.95 kg·m-2 to 2.02 kg·m-2, which is insignificantly different to the CK (1.94 kg·m-2). There were no significant differences in the C density of light and heavy fractions, and the recalcitrant heavy-fraction among the warming treatments, and between the warming and no warming treatments. The average recalcitrant C density of the light fraction in the warming treatments was 1.18 times higher than the CK, with a significantly higher recalcitrant C density of the light fraction in the symmetric warming, and lowly and moderately asymmetric warming treatments, compared to that of the CK. The recalcitrant C density and recalcitrant C index of the light fraction showed a tendency to decrease as the asymmetry of warming increased under the five warming scenarios. Warming had negligible effects on the organic C density in soil, and soil physical and biochemical fractions in the subsurface layer (15-30 cm). The results revealed that in the short-term, warming may increase the recalcitrance of non-protected C in the Karst Plateau soil. This is not necessarily an over- or underestimation of the effects of global warming on soil organic C density and the capacity of soil to protect C when subjected to symmetric warming, but may potentially overestimate the recalcitrance of organic C in the non-protected fraction of the surface layer (0-15 cm).

[Clinical analysis of 15 851 children at risk of inherited metabolic diseases].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of urine gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the screening of children at risk of inherited metabolic diseases (IMD), and to identify the disease spectrum of IMD and the clinical characteristics of children with IMD. METHODS: The clinical data of 15 851 children at risk of IMD who underwent urine GC-MS in the Tianjin Children's Hospital between February 2012 and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: In the 15 851 children, 5 793 (36.55%) were detected to have metabolic disorders. A total of 117 (0.74%) children were confirmed to have IMD, including 77 cases of methylmalonic acidemia (65.8%). The clinical manifestations of confirmed cases in the neonatal period mainly included jaundice, metabolic acidosis, abnormal muscular tension, feeding difficulty, poor response, and lethargy or coma. The clinical manifestations of confirmed cases in the non-neonatal period mainly included delayed mental and motor development, metabolic acidosis, convulsion, recurrent vomiting, and anemia. CONCLUSIONS: GC-MS is an effective method for the screening for IMD in children at risk. Methylmalonic acidemia is the most common IMD. The clinical manifestations of IMD are different between the confirmed cases in the neonatal and non-neonatal periods.

Berberine alleviates oxidative stress in rats with osteoporosis through receptor activator of NF-kB/receptor activator of NF-kB ligand/osteoprotegerin (RANK/RANKL/OPG) pathway.

Previous studies suggested that oxidative stress is related to the onset and development of osteoporosis. Moreover, it was demonstrated that berberine has a protective effect against oxidative stress-induced injuries. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of action of berberine on rats with induced osteoporosis. Sixty 8-week-old female Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following 6 groups: control saline-treated, osteoporosis saline-treated, 3 osteoporosis berberine-treated groups (Ber 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg/body weight, respectively), and osteoporosis alendronate-treated (ALD) group. Osteoporosis was induced by bilateral ovariectomy. All treatments were performed for 8 weeks. The bone mineral density (BMD), serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin, calcium, phosphorus, superoxide dismutase (SOD), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) level was determined in the rat femur tissue. The gene and protein expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blot, respectively. The BMD, SOD and GSH⁃Px levels, and the expression of OPG were significantly lower in osteoporosis compared to control group (all p < 0.05). The serum levels of osteocalcin, ALP, and MDA, and the expression of RANKL were significantly higher in osteoporosis compared to control group (all p < 0.05). Berberine, especially the high doses of berberine, effectively increased SOD, GSH⁃Px, and OPG levels as well as decreased serum osteocalcin, ALP, MDA and RANKL levels in berberine-treated osteoporosis groups (all p < 0.05). To conclude, oxidative stress may promote the development of osteoporosis in rats through the RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway. The antioxidative effect of berberine reduces the development of osteoporosis in rats to some extent.

The Gene Variants of Maternal/Fetal Renin-Angiotensin System in Preeclampsia: A Hybrid Case-Parent/Mother-Control Study.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a common pregnancy-related complication, and polymorphisms in angiotensinogen (AGT), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) are believed to contribute to PE development. We implemented a hybrid study to investigate the influence of maternal and fetal ACE I/D, ACE G2350A, AGT M235T, AGT T174M, and AT1R A1166C polymorphisms on PE in Han Chinese women. Polymorphisms were genotyped in 1,488 subjects (256 patients experiencing PE, along with their fetuses and partners, and 360 normotensive controls with their fetuses). Transmission disequilibrium tests revealed that ACE I/D (P = 0.041), ACE G2350A (P = 0.035), and AT1R A1166C (P = 0.018) were associated with maternal PE. The log-linear analyses revealed that mothers whose offspring carried the MM genotype of AGT M235T had a higher risk of PE (OR = 1.54, P = 0.010), whereas mothers whose offspring carried the II genotype of ACE I/D or the GG genotype of ACE G2350A had a reduced risk (OR = 0.58, P = 0.039; OR = 0.47, P = 0.045, respectively). Our findings demonstrate that fetal ACE I/D, ACE G2350A, AGT M235T, and AT1R A1166C polymorphisms may play significant roles in PE development among pregnant Han Chinese women.