[A longitudinal study on the progression and influencing factors of myopia in primary school students from grade one to grade three in Hubei Province].

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal epidemiological characteristics of myopia in primary school students from grade one to grade three in Hubei province, and to analyze the main factors affecting the occurrence and development of myopia, so as to provide the direction and theoretical basis for the prevention and control of myopia in children and adolescents. Methods: Longitudinal study. A total of 13, 244 primary school students from grade one to grade three in 17 prefectures and forest districts of Hubei province were included in the study by means of random stratified cluster sampling. Among them, there were 7, 331 boys and 5, 913 girls with an age of (7.7±1.0) years. The same group of students were followed up for two years from October 2017 to October 2019 to complete three data collections. All included subjects underwent visual acuity examination, which required further automatic computer optometry after using cyclopentolate hydrochloride eye drops if the visual acuity was less than 1.0. In the questionnaire, the general situation and eye behavior of the included subjects were collected. The Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of myopia among different genders,different reproductive history and grades. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the difference in the mean spherical equivalent refraction, and logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of myopia. Results: The prevalence of myopia was 23.10% at baseline in 2017, 28.67% after one year's follow-up and 33.26% after two years' follow-up among primary school students in grade one to grade three in Hubei province. The overall prevalence of myopia increased with time (χ²=307.47, P<0.05). It also increased with the increase of grades. After two years of follow-up, the myopia rate of students in grades one through three was 25.62%, 35.07% and 41.05%, respectively (χ²=200.98, P<0.05). In 2017, the prevalence of myopia was 21.62% in boys and 24.93% in girls, and it increased to 31.20% and 35.69% after 2 years of follow-up, respectively. Both the prevalence of myopia and the spherical equivalent refraction were higher in girls than in boys. Moreover, myopia was associated with parents' myopia (OR=1.17), less time for outdoor activities (OR=1.06), no rest after half an hour's study (OR=1.18), more time for daily exposure to electronic products (OR=1.07), longer time for extracurricular study (OR=1.09), and higher grades (OR=1.78). Children whose parents were more myopic and who ate sweets and fizzy drinks more often had greater levels of myopia. Conclusions: Myopia occurs early in primary school students of grade one to grade three in Hubei province and increases rapidly. More attention should be paid to good habits for eyes, regular screening, outdoor activities and girls. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 749-756).

[Effect of CD4(+) T cell surface CD1d molecules on progression of multiple sclerosis in mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model].

Objective: To investigate the effect of CD1d molecules on the surface of CD4(+) T cells on the progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (experimental, allergic, encephalomyelitis, EAE) mouse models. Methods: EAE model of C57BL/6 mice was established, Splenic cells were isolated at different stages of the progression of the disease.The proportion of CD1d(+) cells on the surface of activated and non activated CD4(+) T cells was detected by flow cytometry. Results: The proportion of CD1d(+) cells in the control group (normal group and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) group), in the peak and recovery period of disease in the EAE group were compared.The proportion of CD1d(+) cells in the control group was (8.98 ±0.36)%, and the proportion of CD1d(+) cells in the peak and recovery period of disease in the EAE group were respectively (2.14±0.15)% and (13.80±0.84)%.The differences were statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Conclusion: The trend of the proportion of CD4(+) T cells expressing CD1d molecules during the course of EAE pathogenesis is verified, which lays a foundation for further study on the interaction between CD4(+) T cells and NKT cells in the progression of EAE models.

[The epidemiology of myopia in primary school students of grade 1 to 3 in Hubei province].

Objective: To investigates the visual condition and myopia status in primary school students of grade 1 to 3 in Hubei province and to further analyze the influencing factors of myopia, so as to provide theoretical basis for prevention and control of myopia. Method: Cross-sectional study. A total of 18 532 primary school students from grade 1-3 in 26 primary schools from 17 prefecture-level cities in Hubei province were included in the study from March 2017 to July 2017, by using a random stratified cluster sampling method. In this study, 16 955 people were actually surveyed, with a response rate of 91.49%. All students' Visual acuity was measured, a further retinoscopy refraction test after application of Cyclopentolate Hydrochloride Eye Drops was conducted for those whose visual acuity was less than 5.0. The general situation and eye behavior of all students were investigated by questionnaires. Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of myopia between different grades, different regions and different genders, as well as the distribution of myopia correlation between different regions, and Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between myopia and related factors. Results: The prevalence of myopia among primary school students of grade 1 to 3 in Hubei province is 24.15% with 12.67% in the first grade, 24.91% in the second grade, 34.95% in the third grade, and the difference was statistically significant (χ(2)=862.28, P<0.05). According to the study, mild myopia is the most prevailing condition among myopia students, with the prevalence rate of mild myopia, moderate myopia and severe myopia being 19.21%,4.29%, and 0.64% respectively, and the difference is statistically significant (χ(2)=155.62, P<0.05). In addition, the prevalence of myopia is different in each region, which was highest in provincial capitals, followed by non-provincial cities, and the lowest in rural areas, with statistically significant difference (χ(2)=539.57, P<0.05). Myopia is generally related to multiple factors, such as the grade, parents' myopia, outdoor activities, continuous closing reading, exposure to electronic products, and extracurricular reading time are related to myopia (P<0.05). Conclusions: Children's myopia is a public health problem that should not be ignored. The prevalence of myopia among 1-3 grade pupils is 24.15% with an increasing tendency with grade. The occurrence of myopia is related to heredity and eye behavior. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2018, 54:756-761).

[High throughput-targeted sequencing panel for exploring radiosensitivity associated genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: To explore radiosensitivity-associated genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by targeted sequencing panel. Methods: The peripheral blood from 22 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients received radiotherapy alone were collected, respectively. The genomic DNA (gDNA) of peripheral blood was extracted and used to create a library of gDNA restriction fragments. The gDNA restriction fragments were hybridized to the HaloPlex probe capture library, which comprises 356 cancer genes selected from the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (Cosmic) database of 2011 updated edition. The sequencing data were aligned by the Genome Analysis Toolkit GATK (version 3.0) and Picar. The single nucleotide polymorphism and inserted-deletion (SNP/InDel) variations were annotated by online database. The pathway enrichment was analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway analysis (IPA). Moreover, according to the short-period curative effect, 22 patients were divided into two groups: the radiation- sensitivity group (CR+ PR) and the radiation-resistant group (PD+ SD). The nonsynonymous mutation sites were statistically analyzed and the genes associated with radiosensitivity of ESCC were screened. Results: More than 97% sequencing reads were aligned to human genome reference sequence and more than 90% sequencing reads were the target sequences. SNP/InDel database annotation results showed that the mutations of 22 cases mainly distributed in exons, and the mutant types were mainly missense and synonymous single nucleotide variant (SNV). There were 23 genes of high-frequency mutation associated with esophageal cancer. Pathway enrichment by IPA showed that 3 pathways were associated with the development of esophageal cancer, which were roles of BRCA1 in DNA damage response pathway, DNA double-strand break repair by non-homologous end joining pathway and ATM signaling pathway. According to the curative effect, five genes including mismatch repair system component (PMS1), fibronectin 1(FN1), mutL homolog 1 (MLH1), B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF), patched 1 (PTCH1) and cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily C member 19 (CYP2C19) were associated with radiosensitivity of ESCC patients.Moreover, the PTCH1 was mutated in all of 22 ESCC patients, while the variations of rs199476092 and rs202111971 sites of PTCH1 were only identified in the radiation-resistant group. Conclusions: We find that the variations of rs199476092 and rs202111971 in the encoding region of PTCH1 gene are significantly associated with radiosensitivity of ESCC patients.

Population genetic diversity and genetic structure of Spodoptera exigua around the Bohai Gulf area of China based on mitochondrial DNA signatures.

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an economically important pest that causes major losses in some main crop-producing areas of China. To control this pest effectively, it is necessary to investigate its population genetic diversity and genetic structure around the Bohai Gulf area of China. In this study, we used two mitochondrial genes, COI (578 bp) and Cytb (724 bp), to investigate its genetic diversity. We obtained 622 COI sequences and 462 Cytb sequences from 23 populations, and 28 and 73 haplotypes, respectively, were identified. Low to moderate levels of genetic diversity (COI: Hd = 0.267 ± 0.023, Pi = 0.00082 ± 0.00010; Cytb: Hd = 0.689 ± 0.018, Pi = 0.00255 ± 0.00029) for the total populations were observed. Phylogenetic and median-joining network analyses indicated no distinct geographical distribution pattern among the haplotypes. Overall, this study revealed that there was significant differentiation among the populations (COI: FST = 0.158, P < 0.001; Cytb: FST = 0.148, P < 0.001). FST values for Shenyang, Baoding, and Funing were significantly different to those for most of the other populations. Finally, unimodal mismatch distribution analysis, combined with negative neutrality test results, showed a recent population expansion of the beet armyworm around the Bohai Gulf area of China.

Haplotypes of qGL3 and their roles in grain size regulation with GS3 alleles in rice.

Grain size is an important trait that directly influences rice yield. The qGL3 and GS3 genes are two putative regulators that play a role in grain size determination. A single rare nucleotide substitution (C→A) at position 1092 in exon 10 of qGL3 might be responsible for variations in grain size. However, little is known about the haplotype variations of qGL3 and their interactions with GS3 during the regulation of grain length and grain weight. In this study, qGL3 haplotype variations were examined in 61 Indica varieties, and the effects of qGL3 and GS3 on grain trait variation in 110 lines were evaluated. Six qGL3 haplotypes were identified, and qGL3-2 was a major haplotype in Indica varieties. Moreover, qGL3-6, a reported key single nucleotide polymorphism, was validated. Our results showed that the mutants qgl3 and gs3 (loss-of-function mutation types of qGL3 and GS3, respectively) had significant effects on grain length and grain weight. However, no significant effects associated with differences in the regulation of grain thickness were observed. The genetic effects of qgl3 on grain phenotypes were stronger than those of gs3. In addition to increased grain length, qgl3 had an evident role in grain width increases. In contrast, gs3 played an opposite role in grain width regulation. These results provided novel insights into grain size control and the functions of qgl3 and gs3 in rice yield improvement.

Analysis of QTLs for panicle exsertion and its relationship with yield and yield-related traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Panicle exsertion (PE) is an important morphological trait that is closely associated with spikelet fertility and grain yield. To understand the genetic basis of PE and its relationships with yield and yield-related traits, a recombinant inbred population consisting of 240 lines derived from a cross between an Indica cultivar 'Kasalath' and a Japonica germplasm 'TD70', was studied over two years. PE was significantly correlated with plant height, heading date (HD), panicle length (PL), and panicle characteristics such as primary branch number, spikelet number per panicle, and spikelet density, but showed poor correlation with yield components. Based on linkage mapping of 141 SSR markers, a total of 38 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were located for 12 investigated traits, with the contribution varying from 6.51 to 8.61%. Among these, four QTL clusters were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, and 6, suggesting the existence of pleiotropic alleles. In some intervals, two loci for PE were collocated with several traits, which is consistent with the correlations observed with phenotypic variations. The PE QTLs with 'Kasalath' alleles and without pleiotropic effects would be valuable for the improvement of PE in 'TD70' and in other rice varieties.

[Glycemic variability and short-term outcome in critically ill].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of blood glucose variability and short-term outcome in critically ill. METHODS: The retrospective study including 552 patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University from January 2013 to March 2015. The initial blood glucose (GluAdm), the first 24 hours average blood glucose(GluMV1d) and glycemic lability index(GLI1d), 72-hour average blood glucose (GluMV3d) and glycemic lability index(GLI3d) were recorded. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was applied to evaluate the association between GluAdm, GLI1d, GLI3d and APACHE Ⅱ score and prognosis. RESULTS: The levels of APACHE Ⅱ, GluAdm, GLI 1d, GLI 3d of nonsurvivors were higher than those of survivors[(23.2±5.2) vs (16.7±4.4), (12.3±5.2)mmol/L vs(9.2±2.2)mmol/L, (23.3±12.2)vs(12.3±11.1), (21.6±19.3)vs(13.2±9.9), P<0.05]; there was no statistically significant difference between GluMV1d and GluMV3d; when ROC was applied, and the area under the curve (AUC) of APACHEⅡ, GLI1d and GLI3d were 0.826±0.035, 0.726±0.052 and 0.786±0.046, which were significantly higher than the GluMV1d and GluMV3d (0.412±0.031, 0.425±0.026, P<0.05) .It is correlated between GluAdm, GLI1d, GLI3d and the 28-day mortality, ICU days and total time of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Blood glucose variability is closely related with the mortality in critical ill patients, GLI1d, GLI3d and APACHEⅡ score of critically ill patients have a similar predictive value in the short-term prognosis.

[Effects of autologous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction on erectile dysfunction of hypertensive rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of autologous adipose stromal vascular fraction (SVF) injection into corpora cavernosa on the hypertension-associated erectile dysfunction (ED) in rats and its possible mechanism. METHODS: Healthy male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at 30-week (n=40) and homologous rats with normal blood pressure (WKY) (n=20) were selected. Noninvasive blood pressure meter was used to measure the systolic blood pressure (SBP) at the tail. Cervical subcutaneous injection of apomorphine was applied to test penile erectile function. The rats with ED were divided into hypertension-associated ED rats treated with autologous SVF injection into corpora cavernosa (ED-SHR-SVF group) (n=8) and hypertension-associated ED rats treated with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) injection into corpora cavernosa (ED-SHR-PBS group) (n=8). The intracavernosal pressure (ICP) was measured in each group. Western blot and RT-PCR were conducted to test protein and mRNA expressions of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in corpora cavernosa. RESULTS: The tail SBP in SHR rats was significantly higher than that in WKY rats ((197.47±6.82) mmHg vs (125.23±4.65) mmHg, P<0.05). The erectile rate in SHR rats was 60% (24/40), and that in WKY rats was 100% (20/20). After 5 V electrical stimulation, the ICP in the ED-SHR-SVF group was significantly higher than in the ED-SHR-PBS group ((83.42±3.21) mmHg vs (52.37±3.11) mmHg, P<0.05). The protein and mRNA expressions of eNOS in the ED-SHR-SVF group were significantly higher than in the ED-SHR-PBS group (0.43±0.03 vs 0.18±0.05, 0.92±0.05 vs 0.41±0.06, both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High blood pressure can cause ED in rats, which could be mitigated by autologous SVF injection. The mechanism may be related to up-regulation of eNOS expression in corpus cavernosa.

First Report of Bacterial Leaf Spot of Rieger Begonia Caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. begoniae in China.

Rieger begonia are collectively referred to as a begonia hybrid group. Its global annual sales is 90,000,000 cutting seedlings. It is one of the top ten potted plants. In the summer of 2011, serious outbreaks of a suspected bacterial leaf spot disease were observed on five Rieger begonia cultivars (Dark Britt, Rebecca, Blitz, Barkos, and Borias). These plants were grown for potted cutting seedling production in commercial nurseries located in Shilin county of Yunnan Province, China. The initial symptoms of the disease were small circular or polygonal water-soaked needle spots on leaf margin that later these spots expanded and joined together, forming bigger inverted V-shaped necrotic specks (4). Yellow-pigmented bacterial colonies were consistently isolated from diseased leaves and stems on NA agar medium and incubated at 28°C. Twelve bacterial strains were isolated and used for further studies. All the isolates were Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, aerobic, and non-sporing. All of the bacterial strains isolated in the present study were identified as Xanthomonas campestris pv. begoniae (Xcb) based on biochemical and physiological identification (Biolog carbon source utilization analysis) and 16S rDNA sequences analysis and further pathogenicity determination (1). The results show that the sequence homology rate of HT1-1 (GenBank Accession No. JN648097) and X. euvesicatoria (syn. X. campestris pv vesicatoria) (GeneBank Accession No. AM039952) is 99%. This strongly suggests that the Rieger begonia isolates belong to X. campestris pv. begoniae (2). For Koch's postulates, 10 surface-disinfected young leaves from five susceptible Rieger begonia plants (cv. Dark Britt) were inoculated by spraying a phosphate-buffered saline suspension of each bacterial isolate (3.0 × 108 CFU/ml) onto the leaves (3). Controls were inoculated similarly with phosphate-buffered saline solution. All inoculated plants were covered with polyethylene bags for 24 h at 25°C and then put in the greenhouse. After inoculation, water-soaked and necrotic symptoms were observed on inoculated Rieger begonia leaves within 7 to 9 days. No symptoms were observed on controls. Bacteria were reisolated and confirmed to be identical to the original isolates by the methods described above. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Xcb causing leaf spot on Rieger begonia plants in China. The infection process of Xcb on Rieger begonia plants and rapid detection of this pathogen are underway. References: (1) M. R. Gillings et al. PNAS 12:102, 2005. (2) C. L. Oliver et al. Plant Dis. 4:96, 2012. (3) H. Ornek et al. New Dis. Rep. 13:40, 2006. (4) O. Pruvost et al. Plant Dis. 4:96, 2012.

First Report of Bacterial Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae on Panax notoginseng.

Panax notoginseng is a species that produces a rare type of Chinese herbal medicine and is cultivated primarily in Yunnan Province. P. notoginseng has a 3-year-long crop cycle before harvest. A new bacterial disease was observed on P. notoginseng plants in the Wenshan Mountain area of Yunnan in 2012. The disease affected primarily leaves. Symptoms were circular or irregular brown leaf spots, surrounded by a yellow halo, located on the edges of the leaves. Eight creamy white pigmented, rounded strains were isolated consistently from leaf spots on Luria-Bertani agar (LB) medium, incubated at 28°C. Three strains (SQYB-1, SQYB-2, SQYB-3) of eight isolates were prepared for further study. Three isolates were purified and characterized: all were gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, aerobic, non-spore forming, and negative for oxidase, potato soft rot, arginine dehydrolase, presence of tyrosinase and urease, nitrate, and fluorescent pigment production. Moreover, they were positive for levan production, presence of catalase, and for tobacco hypersensitivity. All three strains isolated were identified as Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) based on morphology, metabolic profile (Biolog Microbial ID System), and 16S rDNA sequence analysis (1). The metabolic similarity index between experiment strain SQYB-1 and a type of strain Pss was 0.619. The primers of 16S rDNA sequence amplification were 27F/1492R. Before sequencing, we cloned the PCR products. There was 99% homology in 16S rDNA sequences between one isolate, SQYB-1 (NCBI Accession No. JX876901) and Pss (HQ840766), supporting the identification of the P. notoginseng strains as Pss (3). For Koch's postulates, 10 surface-disinfected young leaves on three plants were inoculated with SQYB-1 isolates by spraying a phosphate-buffered saline cell suspension (3.0 × 108 CFU/ml) onto the leaves (4). Controls were inoculated similarly with sterile phosphate-buffered saline. Plants were covered with polyethylene bags for 24 h at 25°C and then transferred to a greenhouse. Circular or irregular brown spots were observed on all bacteria-inoculated leaves within 9 to 14 days after inoculation. No symptoms were observed on controls. Bacteria reisolated from inoculated leaves were identical to the original isolates as determined by the methods described above. The present study indicated that isolate SQYB-1 could independently infect P. notoginseng leaves, which was different from the finding of Luo et al. concerning involvement of Pss in root rot (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae causing bacterial leaf spot on P. notoginseng in China. References: (1) M. R. Gillings et al. PNAS 12:102, 2005. (2) W. F. Luo et al. J. Yunnan Agric. Univ. 14:123, 1999 (in Chinese). (3) C. L. Oliver et al. Plant Dis. 4:96, 2012. (4) H. Ornek et al. New Dis. Rep. 13:40, 2006.

[Analysis of the feasibility and prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA monitoring in detecting gene mutations in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy].

Objective: To explore the prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing in patients with refractory/relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) undergoing chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, and to guide the prevention and subsequent treatment of CAR-T-cell therapy failure. Methods: In this study, 48 patients with R/R DLBCL who received CAR-T-cell therapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine between December 2017 and March 2022 were included. Furthermore, ctDNA testing of 187 lymphoma-related gene sets was performed on peripheral blood samples obtained before treatment. The patients were divided into complete remission and noncomplete remission groups. The chi-square test and t-test were used to compare group differences, and the Log-rank test was used to compare the differences in survival. Results: Among the patients who did not achieve complete remission after CAR-T-cell therapy for R/R DLBCL, the top ten genes with the highest mutation frequencies were TP53 (41%), TTN (36%), BCR (27%), KMT2D (27%), IGLL5 (23%), KMT2C (23%), MYD88 (23%), BTG2 (18%), MUC16 (18%), and SGK1 (18%). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with ctDNA mutation genes >10 had poorer overall survival (OS) rate (1-year OS rate: 0 vs 73.8%, P<0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) rate (1-year PFS rate: 0 vs 51.8%, P=0.011) compared with patients with ctDNA mutation genes ≤10. Moreover, patients with MUC16 mutation positivity before treatment had better OS (2-year OS rate: 56.8% vs 26.7%, P=0.046), whereas patients with BTG2 mutation positivity had poorer OS (1-year OS rate: 0 vs 72.5%, P=0.005) . Conclusion: ctDNA detection can serve as a tool for evaluating the efficacy of CAR-T-cell therapy in patients with R/R DLBCL. The pretreatment gene mutation burden, mutations in MUC16 and BTG2 have potential prognostic value.

Single sevoflurane exposure decreases neuronal nitric oxide synthase levels in the hippocampus of developing rats.

BACKGROUND: The use of general anaesthetics in young children and infants has raised concerns regarding the adverse effects of these drugs on brain development. Sevoflurane might have harmful effects on the developing brain; however, these effects have not been well investigated. METHODS: Postnatal day 7 (P7) Sprague-Dawley rats were continuously exposed to 2.3% sevoflurane for 6 h. We used the Fox battery test and Morris water maze (MWM) to examine subsequent neurobehavioural performance. Cleaved caspase-3 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) were quantified by immunoblotting, and the Nissl staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in the hippocampus. RESULTS: A single 6 h sevoflurane exposure at P7 rats resulted in increased cleaved caspase-3 expression and decreased nNOS levels in the hippocampus, and induced the loss of pyramidal neurones in the CA1 and CA3 subfields of the hippocampus at P7-8. These changes were accompanied by temporal retardation of sensorimotor reflexes. However, neither the Fox battery test at P1-21 nor the MWM test at P28-32 showed differences between the air- and sevoflurane-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although early exposure to sevoflurane increases activated caspase-3 expression and neuronal loss and decreases nNOS in the neonatal hippocampus, it does not affect subsequent neurobehavioural performances in juvenile rats.

Mapping and fine mapping of quantitative trait loci for the number of vertebrae in a White Duroc × Chinese Erhualian intercross resource population.

The number of vertebrae is associated with body size and meat production in pigs. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the number of vertebrae, phenotypic values were measured in 1029 individuals from a White Duroc × Chinese Erhualian intercross F(2) population. A whole genome scan was performed with 194 microsatellite markers in the F(2) population. Four genome-wide significant QTL and eight chromosome-wide significant QTL for the number of vertebrae were identified on pig chromosomes (SSC) 1, 2, 6, 7, 10 and 12. The most significant QTL was detected on SSC7 with a confidence interval of 1 cM, explaining 42.32% of the phenotypic variance in the thoracic vertebral number. The significant QTL on SSC1, 2 and 7 confirmed previous reports. A panel of 276 animals representing seven Western and Chinese breeds was genotyped with 34 microsatellite markers in the SSC7 QTL region. No obvious selective sweep effect was observed in the tested breeds, indicating that intensive selection for enlarged body size in Western commercial breeds did not wipe out the genetic variability in the QTL region. The Q alleles for increased vertebral number originated from both Chinese Erhualian and White Duroc founder animals. A haplotype block of approximately 900 kb was found to be shared by all Q-bearing chromosomes of F(1) sires except for one distinct Q chromosome. The critical region harbours the newly reported VRTN gene associated with vertebral number. Further investigations are required to confirm whether VRTN or two other positional candidate genes, PROX2 and FOS, cause the QTL effect.

Validation of a paternally imprinted QTL affecting pH24h distinct from PRKAG3 on SSC15.

We previously performed a genome scan in a White Duroc × Erhualian F(2) population and identified a QTL on SSC15 with strong effect on pH24h in M. Longissimus dorsi and M. Semimembranous muscle tissue. At that time, the mode of inheritance of this QTL was not clarified, and it was also unclear whether the observed QTL effect was completely or partially caused by mutations in the PRKAG3 gene, which is the only major gene on SSC15 so far known to influence pH24h. In this study, effects of the PRKAG3 gene on meat quality traits were estimated by association analyses. Two substitutions in PRKAG3, p.Ile199Val (p.I199V) and p.Thr30Asn (p.T30N), were found to be segregating in the F(2) population and to significantly affect pH24h and total glycogen in meat, respectively. However, we excluded PRKAG3 as a causative gene for the detected QTL based on the following reasons: (i) the gene was located outside of the QTL confidence interval; (ii) when the PRKAG3 substitution was included as a fixed effect in the QTL model, the F-ratio for the QTL increased rather than decreased; (iii) favourable alleles for pH24h at the QTL and at the PRKAG3 p.I199V locus originated from Erhualian and White Duroc founders, respectively; (iv) more importantly, this QTL showed exclusive maternal expression, differing from the Mendelian expression of PRKAG3. In conclusion, this study is the first to report a maternally-expressed QTL for pH24h on SSC15, which is distinct from PRKAG3.

A genome scan for quantitative trait loci affecting the length of small intestine in a White Duroc x Chinese Erhualian intercross resource population.

The small intestine is a vital organ in animal gastrointestinal system, in which a large variety of nutrients are absorbed. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the length of porcine small intestine, phenotypic values were measured in 1034 individuals at 240 d from a White Duroc x Chinese Erhualian intercross F(2) population. The length of small intestine showed strong correlation with growth traits and carcass length in the F2 population. A whole-genome scan was performed based on 183 microsatellites covering the pig genome in the F(2) population. A total of 10 QTL for this trait were identified on 8 pig chromosomes (SSC), including four 1% genome-wide significant QTL on SSC2, 4, 7 and 8, one 5% genome-wide significant QTL on SSC12, and five 5% chromosome-wide significant QTL on SSC5, 7, 13 and 14. The Erhualian alleles were generally associated with shorter length of the small intestine except the alleles on SSC7 and 13. The QTL on SSC4 overlapped with the previously reported QTL for the length of small intestine. Several significant QTL on SSC2, 8, and 12 were consistent with previous reports. The significant QTL detected on SSC7 was reported for the first time. All QTL identified in this study corresponded to the known region significantly associated with growth traits, supporting the important role of the length of small intestine in pig growth.

Downregulation of lncRNA SNHG7 inhibits proliferation and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through repressing ROCK1.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Downregulation of lncRNA SNHG7 inhibits proliferation and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through repressing ROCK1, by L. Wang, T. Xu, X. Cui, M. Han, L.-H. Zhou, Z.-X. Wei, Z.-J. Xu, Y. Jiang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (14): 6186-6193-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201907_18432-PMID: 31364118" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/18432.

Downregulation of lncRNA SNHG7 inhibits proliferation and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through repressing ROCK1.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have revealed the important role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the progression of tumorigenesis. This study aimed to identify the biological function of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 (SNHG7) in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: LncRNA SNHG7 expressions in NPC cell lines and 50 paired NPC tissue samples were detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Transwell assay, wound healing assay and proliferation assay were conducted to evaluate the in vitro function of SNHG7 in NPC cells. Xenograft model was established for determining the in vivo effect of SNHG7 on tumor formation and metastasis of NPC. The underlying mechanism of SNHG7 in mediating the progression of NPC was explored by RT-qPCR and Western blot. RESULTS: SNHG7 expression was remarkably downregulated in NPC tissues compared with that in adjacent normal samples. Knockdown of SNHG7 attenuated proliferation, invasion and migration of NPC cells. Moreover, tumor size and the number of metastatic nodules were reduced in mice administrated with NPC cells transfected with sh-SNHG7. Knockdown of SNHG7 downregulated ROCK1 at mRNA and protein level. Besides, the expression of ROCK1 in tumor tissues was positively correlated to SNHG7 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Knockdown of SNHG7 inhibits migration, invasion and proliferation of NPC cells through downregulating ROCK1, which may offer a new therapeutic intervention for NPC patients.

CircRNA_0023642 promotes migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by regulating EMT.

OBJECTIVE: Non-coding circular RNAs (circRNAs) have displayed dysregulated expression in various tumor tissues. However, their role in the progression of cancers remains largely unknown. We aimed at examining the expression, functions, and molecular mechanisms of a new circRNA (circRNA_0023642) in gastric cancer (GC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the expression levels of circRNA_0023642 in GC tissues, adjacent normal tissues and cells lines using qRT-PCR. The functional roles of circRNA_0023642 in GC were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and flow cytometric analysis. Western blot was used to analyze the effect of circRNA_0023642 on the expression of EMT-related proteins. RESULTS: We found that circRNA_0023642 was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Functionally, down-regulation of circRNA_0023642 displayed the tumor-inhibitory effects by suppressing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as inducing apoptosis. Mechanically, our results revealed that the abnormal expression of circRNA_0023642 could influence the EMT signaling pathway, which was demonstrated by measuring the expression levels of N-cadherin, vimentin snail, and E-cadherin. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that circRNA_0023642 serves as a metastasis activator by promoting EMT and may represent a novel molecular therapeutic target for GC.