Whole-genome resequencing reveals new mutations in candidate genes for Beichuan-white goat prolificacya.

In this study, we evaluated the copy number variation in the genomes of two groups of Beichuan-white goat populations with large differences in litter size by FST method, and identified 1739 genes and 485 missense mutations in the genes subject to positive selection. Through functional enrichment, ITGAV, LRP4, CDH23, TPRN, RYR2 and CELSR1 genes, involved in embryonic morphogenesis, were essential for litter size trait, which received intensive attention. In addition, some mutation sites of these genes have been proposed (ITGAV: c.38C > T; TPRN: c.133A > T, c.1192A > G, c.1250A > C; CELSR1: c.7640T > C), whose allele frequencies were significantly changed in the high fecundity goat group. Besides, we found that new mutations at these sites altered the hydrophilicity and 3D structure of the protein. Candidate genes related to litter size in this study and their missense mutation sites were identified. These candidate genes are helpful to understand the genetic mechanism of fecundity in Beichuan white goat, and have important significance for future goat breeding.

Effect of direct-fed microbials on growth performance, blood biochemical indices, and immune status of female goats.

The effect of direct-feed microbial (DFM) treatment on body weight, serum biochemical indexes, serum immunoglobulins, and serum cytokines was studied. The study was a completely randomized design with 20 growing females Beichuan white goats, weighing 25.11 ± 1.96 kg, divided into two groups of 10 goats per treatment. Goats were offered (1) 10 mL saline solution (Control group) (2) or 10 mL microbials solution (DFM group) on days 0 and 7 for two times. No effect on final body weight and body size was observed between DFM and control group (p > 0.05). DFM treatment had greater serum total protein, globulin, and albumin/globulin ratio than the control treatment (p < 0.05). The concentrations of IgA, IgG, IgM, INF-γ, and IL-2 in DFM group were significantly higher than those in the control group on days 7, 14, and 21 (p < 0.05), and the highest content was detected on day 14 of the experiment. The concentrations of IgA, IgG, IgM, IL-2, INF-γ, INF-α, IL-4, and IL-5 in DFM group on day 14 were higher than those on day 0 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, DFM enhanced serum immunoglobulins and cytokines without affecting body weight, body size, and normal serum metabolism.

Effects of lactation number and litter size on the chemical composition and immune components of goat colostrum.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the number of lactations and litter size on the chemical composition, immunoglobulins, and cytokines of goat colostrum. The experiment was conducted at the Animal Research Base, Mianyang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, from February to March 2021. After delivery, 48 colostrum samples were obtained every 24 h by manual milking from both udders. The contents of colostrum proteins, IgA, and IgM increased markedly up to 48 h postpartum, reaching 250 and 1250 µg/mL, respectively (p < 0.01 compared with 0 h). However, the total Ig and IgG contents dropped quickly at 48 h postpartum to around 4.5 and 6 mg/mL, respectively, and continued to do so until 96 h postpartum (p < 0.01). As for litter size, the colostrum DM, fat, total Ig, IgG, INF-γ, and IL-2 of twin-birth goats were higher than those of single-birth goats at 0 h postpartum. Moreover, the colostrum of multiparous goats contained higher total Ig, IgA, IgG, and INF-γ concentrations than that of primiparous goats at 0 h postpartum (p < 0.01). However, the colostrum INF-α and IL-5 contents of multiparous goats were lower than those of primiparous goats at 0 h postpartum (p < 0.05). Available information indicates that colostrum secretion takes place until 48 h postpartum and that the effect of litter size and lactation number on colostrum quality is observed at 0 h postpartum.

Study on the Relationship Between Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Cell Count, Th1/Th2 Cytokines and Pulmonary Function in Patients with Cough Variant Asthma.

Objective: This study aimed to compare lung function and airway inflammation among cough variant asthma (CVA), chronic cough and classical asthma (CA) and investigate the relationship between these indicators and their possible mechanisms of action in the progression of CVA to CA. Methods: 36 patients with chronic cough, 39 patients with CA, and 57 patients with CVA were included in this study. Pulmonary function tests, bronchial provocation tests and FeNO tests were performed. The patients' bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected, the cells in BALF were counted, and the levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines were detected. Results: The neutrophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils in BALF in the CA and CVA groups were significantly higher than those in the chronic cough group. Also, they were negatively correlated with FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC and positively correlated with IgE and FeNO. The expression of Th2-related cytokines was increased in CVA and CA patients, and it was positively correlated with FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC and negatively correlated with IgE and FeNO, while the results of Th1-related cytokines were the opposite of those for Th2-related cytokines. Conclusion: CVA differs from asthma and chronic cough in terms of Th1/Th2 cytokines and lung function and provides a reference for understanding the disease mechanism of early clinical progression of CVA to CA.

Association of growth differentiation factor-15 level with adverse outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease: A meta-analysis.

Background and aims: Studies on the association between growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) level and adverse outcomes have yielded conflicting results in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of baseline GDF-15 level with adverse outcomes in stable CAD patients. Methods: Two authors independently searched PubMed and Embase databases from inception to May 31, 2021 for available studies that investigated the association of baseline GDF-15 level with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in stable CAD patients. Pooled multivariable adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated for the highest vs. the lowest GDF-15 level. Results: Seven studies that involved 28,765 stable CAD patients were identified and analyzed. The meta-analysis showed that the highest GDF-15 level was associated with higher risk of MACEs (HR 1.42; 95% CI 1.29-1.57; p < 0.001), cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.64: 95% CI 1.25-2.14; p < 0.001), and all-cause mortality (HR 2.01; 95% CI 1.67-2.42; p < 0.001) when compared the lowest GDF-15 level. Moreover, the values of GDF-15 level in predicting MACEs were consistently observed in each named subgroup. Conclusions: Elevated blood GDF-15 level is an independent predictor of MACEs, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality in stable CAD patients. The baseline GDF-15 level may play an important role in the risk stratification of stable CAD patients.

LncRNA MACC1-AS1 Promotes Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Proliferation by Downregulating PTEN.

Background: MACC1-AS1 is an oncogenic lncRNA in gastric cancer, which interacts with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to promote cancer development. AMPK is known to interact with phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Therefore, MACC1-AS1 may also have associations with PTEN. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between MACC1-AS1 and PTEN in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Materials and Methods: This study recruited 64 LUAD patients admitted to The First People's Hospital of Wenling City. Gene and protein expression levels were determined by qPCR and western blot, respectively. Cell transfections were performed to assess gene interactions. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Results: MACC1-AS1 was upregulated in LUAD and inversely correlated with the expression of PTEN. High expression levels of MACC1-AS1 in LUAD tissues were closely correlated with poor survival rate of LUAD patients. In LUAD cells, overexpression of MACC1-AS1 led to decreased expression of PTEN and increased proliferation rate of LUAD cells, while MACC1-AS1 silencing led to increased expression of PTEN and decreased proliferation rate of LUAD cells. Furthermore, overexpression of PTEN attenuated the effects of overexpressing MACC1-AS1. Conclusions: The authors' results demonstrated that MACC1-AS1 promoted cell proliferation by downregulating PTEN in LUAD cells.

Virulence gene profiling and molecular characterization of hospital-acquired Staphylococcus aureus isolates associated with bloodstream infection.

A better understanding of virulence gene profiling and molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates associated with bloodstream infection (BSI) may provide further insights related to clinical outcomes with these infections. We analyzed 89 S. aureus isolates including 37 MRSA isolates (41.6%) recovered from 89 adult patients with BSI from 4 hospitals in Zhejiang province, eastern China. Thirty-five (94.6%) of MRSA isolates and 4 (7.7%) of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) isolates were resistant to multiple antimicrobials. All isolates harbored at least 2 of 22 possible virulence genes, including sdrC (92.1%), icaA (89.9%), hla (80.9%), clf (69.7%), sea (68.5%), sdrD (67.4%), hlb (67.4%), sdrE (65.2%), sei (51.7%), seg (50.6%), and cna (50.6%). Forty-four (49.4%) of all S. aureus BSI isolates, including 23 (62.2%) of MRSA isolates, harbored ≥10 of the virulence genes evaluated in this study. Sixteen (43.2%) MRSA isolates and 5 (9.6%) MSSA isolates harbored the gene encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). Collective genes for pvl, sdrE, sed, seg, and sei among MRSA isolates were significantly more frequent relative to MSSA isolates (P < 0.05). A total of 22 sequence types (STs), including novel ST2184, ST2199, and ST2200, and 33 spa types, including novel spa types t9530 and t9532, were identified among S. aureus BSI isolates, among which ST188 (15.7%) and ST7 (15.7%), and t091 (12.4%) and t189 (12.4%), seldom noted for Chinese isolates previously, were major STs and spa types, respectively. In contrast to previous reports, no predominant clones were found in the present study. Among the MRSA isolates, although ST239-MRSA-SCCmecIII, predominant clone in China, still represented the most common clone, it only accounted for 18.9%. However, ST188-MRSA- SCCmecIV seldom reported before accounted for 10.8%. Among the MSSA isolates, ST7-MSSA represented the most common clone (23.1%), followed by ST188-MSSA and ST630-MSSA (9.6% each). In conclusion, simultaneous carriage of multiple virulence genes and genetically considerable diversity were common among S. aureus BSI isolates. Furthermore, MRSA isolates exhibited more frequent carriage of superantigen genes and pvl relative to MSSA isolates. Taken together, there are distinctive virulence gene profiling and molecular characteristic among S. aureus isolates associated with bloodstream infection in China.

Outbreak of pulmonary infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates harbouring blaIMP-4 and blaDHA-1 in a neonatal intensive care unit in China.

Outbreaks caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae producing carbapenemases and other ß-lactamases have been reported. Four neonates admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a Chinese hospital developed respiratory infection while receiving intensive care. In all four cases, multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae was isolated from multiple respiratory specimens, leading to additional characterization of these organisms and investigation of the local environment in the NICU. Multiple ß-lactamase genes, including bla(TEM-1), bla(IMP-4), bla(DHA-1) and bla(CTX-M-14), as well as the quinolone resistance gene qnrB4, were harboured by transferable plasmids from all four clinical isolates. Furthermore, PFGE confirmed that three of the four clinical isolates from the patients and three K. pneumoniae isolates collected from the hands of health-care workers and an incubator in the NICU belonged to the same PFGE cluster, indicating that an outbreak due to multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae carrying bla(IMP-4) and bla(DHA-1) occurred in this NICU. As far as is known, this is the first report of the co-existence of bla(IMP-4) and bla(DHA-1) in the same K. pneumoniae isolate. These data suggest that additional precautions are needed to prevent outbreaks of infection caused by multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae resulting from environmental exposure in NICUs.