Impact of different dietary fibre sources on production performance, bacterial composition and metabolites in the caecal contents of rabbits.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different dietary fibre sources on growth performance, gastrointestinal tract development, caecal fermentation and bacterial composition in the caecal contents of rabbits. A total of 120 35-day-old weaned Minxinan black rabbits were divided into three groups and fed a diet composed of peanut straw powder (Group A), alfalfa powder (Group B) and soybean straw powder (Group C) as the main fibre source. The final body weight and average daily gain in Group B were higher than those in Group C, and the average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio in Group A were lower than those in Group C (p < 0.05). The relative weights of the stomach, small intestine and caecum of rabbits in Group C were higher than those in Groups of B and A, and the relative weights of the caecal contents in Group C were lower than those in Groups A or B (p < 0.05). The pH value and propionic acid, butyric acid and valeric acid concentrations in the caecum of Group C were lower than those in the caecum of Groups A or B, and the concentration of acetic acid in the caecum was lower (p < 0.05). The dominant microbes in the caecal contents of Minxinan black rabbits were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria at the phylum level, and the number of species, Chao1 index and ACE index measured was different between the B-C and A-C groups (p < 0.05). Different dietary fibre sources could affect the growth performance, gastrointestinal tract development and intestinal microbiota of rabbits, and the nutritional value of alfalfa powder was better than that of peanut straw and soybean straw.

Development of ZnO/selenium nanoparticles embedded chitosan-based anti-bacterial wound dressing for potential healing ability and nursing care after paediatric fracture surgery.

The current study was aimed at the assessment of the effect of chitosan-ZnO/Selenium nanoparticles scaffold on infected wound healing and care of paediatric surgery treatment. The nanoparticle scaffolds were developed from sources such as chitosan (CS), different concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO), and Selenium (SeNPs) nanoparticles by freeze-drying method. The structural and chemical properties of nanoparticles were investigated by UV-Vis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and phase identification by x-ray diffraction analysis. The surface morphology of CS, chitosan-ZnO (CS-ZnO) and chitosan-ZnO/SeNPs was analysed using a scanning electron microscope. The incorporation of ZnO and SeNPs along with CS polymer induces antioxidant and antimicrobial functions. The bacterial susceptibility to nanoparticle scaffolds against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus showed the excellent antibacterial effects of ZnO and SeNPs. In-vitro studies of fibroblast of NIH 3 T3 and HaCaT cell lines revealed the biocompatibility, cell adhesion, cell viability, and proliferation of scaffold in the wound site. Also, results of in-vivo studies strongly enhanced collagen synthesis, re-epithelialization, and rapid wound closure. Thus, the synthesised chitosan-ZnO/SeNPs nanoparticle scaffold resulted in significant improvement in histopathological indices in the full thickness of wound healing after nursing care of paediatric fracture surgery.

Rational design and chemical modification of TEAD coactivator peptides to target hippo signaling pathway against gastrointestinal cancers.

Human Hippo signaling pathway has been recognized as a new and promising therapeutic target of gastrointestinal cancers, which is regulated by the intermolecular recognition between the TEA domain (TEAD) transcription factor and its prime coactivators. The coactivator proteins adopt two hotspot sites, namely α-helix and Ω-loop, to interact with TEAD. Here, we demonstrate that both the α-helix and Ω-loop peptides cannot maintain in structured state when splitting from the full-length coactivator proteins; they exhibit a large intrinsic disorder in free state that prevents the coactivator peptide recognition by TEAD. Rational design is used to optimize the interfacial residues of coactivator α-helix peptides, which can effectively improve the favorable direct readout effect upon the peptide binding to TEAD. Chemical modification is employed to constrain the free α-helix peptide into native ordered conformation. The method introduces an all-hydrocarbon bridge across i and i + 4 residues to stabilize the helical structure of a free coactivator peptide, which can considerably reduce the unfavorable indirect readout effect upon the peptide binding to TEAD. The all-hydrocarbon bridge is designed to point out of the TEAD-peptide complex interface, which would not disrupt the direct intermolecular interaction between the TEAD and peptide. Therefore, the stapling only improves peptide affinity, but does not alter peptide specificity, to TEAD. Affinity assay confirms that the binding potency of coactivator α-helix peptides is improved substantially by >5-fold upon the rational design and chemical modification. Structural analysis reveals that the optimized/stapled peptides can form diverse nonbonded interactions such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic contacts with TEAD, thus conferring stability and specificity to the TEAD-peptide complex systems.

DNA methylation and histone acetylation are involved in Wnt10b expression during the secondary hair follicle cycle in Angora rabbits.

Secondary hair follicles (SHFs) in the Angora rabbit exhibit classic cyclic hair development, but the multiple molecular signals involved in hair cycling are yet to be explored in detail. In the present study, we investigated the expression pattern, methylation and histone H3 acetylation status of Wnt10b, as a molecular signal participating in hair cycling, during the SHF cycle in the Angora rabbit. Expression of Wnt10b at the anagen phase was significantly higher than that at both the telogen and catagen phases, suggesting that Wnt10b might serve as a critical activator during cyclic transition of SHFs. Methylation frequency of the fifth CpG site (CpG5-175 bp) in CpG islands at the anagen phase was lower than that at both the catagen and telogen phases. The methylation status of the CpG5 site was negatively correlated with Wnt10b expression. This indicated that the methylation of CpG5 might participate in Wnt10b transcriptional suppression in SHFs. Furthermore, histone H3 acetylation status in the regions-256~-11 bp and 98 ~ 361 bp were significantly lower at both the catagen and telogen phases than at the anagen phase. The histone H3 acetylation level was significantly positively correlated with Wnt10b expression. This confirmed that histone acetylation was likely involved in upregulating Wnt10b transcription in SHFs. Additionally, potential binding to the transcription factors ZF57 and HDBP was predicted within the CpG5 site. In conclusion, our findings reveal the epigenetic mechanism of Wnt10b transcription and provide a new insight into epigenetic regulation during the SHF cycle in the Angora rabbit.

The functions of ocu-miR-205 in regulating hair follicle development in Rex rabbits.

BACKGROUND: Hair follicles are an appendage of the vertebrate epithelium in the skin that arise from the embryonic ectoderm and regenerate cyclically during adulthood. Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are the key dermal component of the hair follicle that directly regulate hair follicle development, growth and regeneration. According to recent studies, miRNAs play an important role in regulating hair follicle morphogenesis and the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of hair follicle stem cells. RESULTS: The miRNA expression profile of the DPCs from Rex rabbits with different hair densities revealed 240 differentially expressed miRNAs (|log2(HD/LD)| > 1.00 and Q-value≤0.001). Among them, ocu-miR-205-5p was expressed at higher levels in DPCs from rabbits with low hair densities (LD) than in rabbits with high hair densities (HD), and it was expressed at high levels in the skin tissue from Rex rabbits (P < 0.05). Notably, ocu-miR-205 increased cell proliferation and the cell apoptosis rate, altered the progression of the cell cycle (P < 0.05), and modulated the expression of genes involved in the PI3K/Akt, Wnt, Notch and BMP signalling pathways in DPCs and skin tissue from Rex rabbits. It also inhibited the phosphorylation of the CTNNB1 and GSK-3ß proteins, decreased the level of the noggin (NOG) protein, and increased the level of phosphorylated Akt (P < 0.05). A significant change in the primary follicle density was not observed (P > 0.05), but the secondary follicle density and total follicle density (P < 0.05) were altered upon interference with ocu-miR-205-5p expression, and the secondary/primary ratio (S/P) in the ocu-miR-205-5p interfered expression group increased 14 days after the injection (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, ocu-miR-205 promoted the apoptosis of DPCs, altered the expression of genes and proteins involved in the PI3K/Akt, Wnt, Notch and BMP signalling pathways in DPCs and skin from Rex rabbits, promoted the transition of hair follicles from the growth phase to the regression and resting phase, and altered the hair density of Rex rabbits.

Heat stress decreased hair follicle population in rex rabbits.

The aim of this study was conducted to investigate the effect of heat stress on the hair follicle population and related signalling pathways in rex rabbits. Forty-eight rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: one group in a high ambient environment (32 ± 2°C, heat stress) and the other group with normal temperature (20 ± 2°C, control). The results show that heat stress decreased the body weight gain and feed conversion rate, rabbit hair length and hair follicle density (p < 0.05). Besides, heat stress suppressed the gene expression of noggin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and IGF-1 receptor and protein expression of phosphorylated mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) in rabbit skin (p < 0.05), while stimulated significantly the gene expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and BMP4 (p < 0.05). Heat exposure did not alter significantly the gene expression of alkaline phosphatase, versican and hepatocyte growth factor compared with the control (p > 0.05). In conclusion, noggin-BMP, IGF-1 and mTOR signalling pathways may be associated with the process of heat stress-repressing hair follicle development.

Effects of Wnt10b on dermal papilla cells via the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway in the Angora rabbit.

Wnt10b is a member of Wnt family that plays a variety of roles in biological functions, including those in the development of hair follicles. To investigate the effect of Wnt10b on hair growth in the Angora rabbit and to determine the underlying molecular mechanism, we cultured dermal papilla (DP) cells with exogenous Wnt10b in vitro. We observed the expressions of downstream critical gene ß-catenin and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) in Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. The levels of ß-catenin mRNA and protein were higher in the Wnt10b group of DP cells than in the Control group, and the mRNA level of LEF1 in the Wnt10b group was higher than in the Control group. Moreover, translocation of ß-catenin from cytoplasm to nucleus was activated in the Wnt10b group. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of the hair follicle-regulatory genes, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and the protein activity of ALP was also upregulated in the Wnt10b group compared to their corresponding levels in the Control group. These data suggest that Wnt10b could activate the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway to induce DP cells in the Angora rabbit. In addition, the proliferation of DP cells was significantly promoted when cultured with Wnt10b for 48 and 72 hr, suggesting that Wnt10b plays a pivotal role in the proliferation and maintenance of DP cells in vitro. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Wnt10b may promote hair follicle growth in Angora rabbit through the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway that promotes the proliferation of DP cells.

A Primary Cerebellar Glioblastoma Multiforme Mimicking Vestibular Schwannoma.

Cerebellar glioblastoma multiforme (cGBM) is rare in adults, accounting for <1% of all patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The accurate diagnosis of cGBM is important for establishing a suitable therapeutic schedule. However, the diagnosis of cerebellar GBM is not usually suspected preoperatively because of its rarity. Generally, patients with cGBMs typically presented with symptoms of raised intracranial pressure, and infrequently cerebellar symptoms such as gait ataxia and disequilibrium. Nevertheless, the authors reported a cGMB patient, with his clinical presentations and imaging characteristics mimicking a vestibular schwannoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported patient with cGBM mimicking a vestibular schwannoma. Furthermore, the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for cGBM were broadly investigated.

Multi-residue fluorescent microspheres immunochromatographic assay for simultaneous determination of macrolides in raw milk.

A rapid, reliable, sensitive, and quantitative multi-residue fluorescent microspheres immunochromatographic assay (FMCA) was developed for simultaneous detection of four macrolides in raw milk. The IC50 value of the optimized FMCA was 1.36, 1.22, 1.01, and 1.39 ng/mL for erythromycin (ERY), spiramycin (SPI), tilmicosin (TIM), and tylosin (TYL), respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) for the four macrolides was 0.13 ng/mL. The recoveries of ERY, SPI, TIM, and TYL from spiked raw milk ranged from 91.8-109.2, 89.6-114.4, 84.8-111.6, and 85.8-115.2%, respectively, with coefficients of variation (CVs) of 5.4-11.3, 7.9-15.7, 6.2-13.7, and 3.2-14.9%, respectively. The whole testing process was completed within 20 min. The antibody-mixed labeled method was successfully applied to the FMCA, which greatly simplified the operation steps and saved a lot of time. Compared with the immunogold chromatographic assay (IGCA), the FMCA is more sensitive and stable and has less antibody consumption. A parallel analysis in blind raw milk samples was conducted by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); the results showed good correlation (r(2) = 0.99) between the two methods. Therefore, the developed multi-residue FMCA is reliable and can be easily applied to other antibiotics or other contaminants.

Hair Follicle Development of Rex Rabbits Is Regulated Seasonally by Wnt10b/ß-Catenin, TGFß-BMP, IGF1, and EGF Signaling Pathways.

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of different skinning seasons on the fur quality and hair follicle development of Rex rabbits. A total of 80,150-day-old Rex rabbits were slaughtered on 15 July 2022 (summer), 15 October 2022 (autumn), 15 January 2023 (winter), and 15 April 2023 (spring) in Shandong Province (10 males and 10 females in each season). The results show that the skin weight, skin area, skin thickness, and hair follicle density of the Rex rabbits (at 150 days of age) were lower in summer than in winter (p < 0.05). Moreover, the coat length was shorter in summer than in spring, autumn, and winter (p < 0.05). The shoulder fat weight, perirenal fat weight, and perigastric fat weight of the Rex rabbits in winter were higher than those in summer (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the leptin levels in serum were higher in winter than in summer in the Rex rabbits (p < 0.05). In terms of serum biochemistry, the glucose levels were higher in autumn and winter than in spring and summer (p < 0.05). The cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) in summer had higher values than in winter in the Rex rabbits (p < 0.05). In winter, the expression of the Wnt10b, catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1), glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3ß), insulin like growth factor I (IGF-I), Type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) genes was higher (p < 0.05), and the expression of the dickkopf-1 (DDK1), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFß-1), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) genes was lower than in summer (p < 0.05). In summer, the heat shock 70 kDa protein (HSP70) expression and CTNNB1 protein phosphorylation levels in skin tissue were higher than in spring, autumn, and winter (p < 0.05). In winter, Wnt10b protein expression was higher (p < 0.05), and GSK-3ß protein phosphorylation levels were lower than in spring, autumn, and winter (p < 0.05). These results show that the skinning season can affect the production performance and hair follicle development of Rex rabbits. Compared with other seasons, the quality of skin from rabbits slaughtered in winter is better. Seasons may regulate hair follicle development via the Wnt10b/ß-catenin, TGFß-BMP, IGF1, and EGF signaling pathways in Rex rabbits.

Diagnostic performance of circulating cell-free DNA for hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: We aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials & methods: After a systematic literature search bivariate linear mixed models were used to integrate sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio. The area under receiver operating characteristics curves of the included studies was used to estimate the diagnostic value. Results: Thirty-eight articles enrolled in quantitative synthesis. In overall analysis the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and area under receiver operating characteristics curves for cfDNA in distinguishing HCC patients from healthy controls were 0.54, 0.90, 5.23, 0.51, 10.27 and 0.82, respectively. Conclusion: This study suggests that cfDNA has a promising diagnostic accuracy in detection of HCC.

Two-Dimensional Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks as Highly Efficient Electrocatalysts for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LiSBs) which are expected to fulfill the increasing demands of high-density energy storage have been under intensive investigation. However, the development of LiSBs is facing many obstacles, such as the poor electronic conductivity of sulfur, shuttling effects of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), sluggish Li2S decomposition, and low discharging/charging efficiency. Suitable electrocatalysts that can solve the above problems are promising in the development of LiSBs. Herein, 13 two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of nitrogen-, sulfur-, and oxygen-coordinated transition-metal (TM) atoms (Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) are selected and constructed to reveal the structure-activity relationship of 2D MOFs in terms of the electrocatalytic performance. Among all the 2D MOFs investigated, Cu3(HITP)2, Zn3(HITP)2, and Cu3(C18H9O3N3)2 offer moderate binding strength to LiPSs, which effectively suppresses Li2Sn dissolution and shuttling. Cu3(HITP)2 exhibits good electrical conductivity, a low Gibbs free energy barrier, effective electrocatalytic ability for Li2S decomposition, and a high sulfur loading amount. A descriptor φ is proposed to correlate the binding energies of the 2D MOFs to the coordination environment and the electronegativity of the TM atoms in the LiPSs via an implicit volcano plot. These findings are helpful for understanding the electrocatalytic effect of 2D MOFs in LiSBs and represent a promising approach for the development of future LiSBs.

Pyridoxine regulates hair follicle development via the PI3K/Akt, Wnt and Notch signalling pathways in rex rabbits.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of pyridoxine on the development of hair follicles in Rex rabbits and the underlying molecular mechanism. Two hundred 3-month-old Rex rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups and fed diets supplemented with 0, 5, 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg pyridoxine. The hair follicle density on the dorsal skin and the gene and protein expression levels of components of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB or Akt), Wnt, Notch and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling pathways were measured. In addition, free hair follicles were isolated from Rex rabbits and cultured with pyridoxine in vitro to measure hair shaft growth. Furthermore, dermal papilla cells (DPC) were isolated from the skin of Rex rabbits and cultured with pyridoxine in vitro to measure the gene and protein expression levels of components of the PI3K/Akt, Wnt, Notch and BMP signalling pathways. The results showed that the addition of dietary pyridoxine significantly increased the total follicle density, secondary follicle density, and secondary-to-primary ratio (S/P, P < 0.05), that the growth ratio of hair stems was promoted by pyridoxine in basic culture medium, and that the growth length of tentacle hair follicles cultured in the pyridoxine group was longer than that in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, pyridoxine changed the DPC cycle progression and promoted cell proliferation, and appropriate concentrations of pyridoxine (10 and 20 µmol/L) significantly inhibited cell apoptosis (P < 0.05). Pyridoxine significantly affected the gene expression of components of the PI3K/Akt, Wnt and Notch signalling pathways in the skin and DPC of Rex rabbits (P < 0.05), increased the levels of phosphorylated catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1) and Akt, and decreased the level of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3ß) (P < 0.05). Therefore, the molecular mechanism by which pyridoxine promotes hair follicle density in Rex rabbits probably occurs through activation of the PI3K/Akt, Wnt and Notch signalling pathways, prolonging hair follicle growth and delaying the onset of telogen.

Isolation, culture and growth characteristics of dermal papilla cells from Rex rabbits.

Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) is the key dermal component of the hair follicle that directly regulates hair follicle development, growth and regeneration. Successfully isolated and cultured DPCs of Rex rabbit could provide a good model for the study of hair follicle development mechanism in vitro. Skin samples were collected from 30-day old Rex rabbits and separated by combination of Dispase II and Collagenase D, separation, culture, and purification of DPCs. The morphology of DPCs in vitro was observed and the growth curve was drawn, the number of DPCs presented progressive increase in a logarithmic model between the 4th day and the 7th day. The results of immune chemical and immune fluorescence shown that α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and versican were positive in cells. Growth character of the passages 3 (P3), P6, P9 and P12 DPCs were observed using MTT at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, 120 h and 144 h. The cell density of P12 was lower than P3 (P < 0.05); the flow cytometric analysis showed that DPCs at resting state/first gap (G0/G1) stage of P3 was higher than P12 (P < 0.05), and second gap/mitosis (G2/M) stage of P3 was lower than P12 (P < 0.05). However, the DPCs of P12 present triangular or short fusiform, retaining their unique aggregative growth characteristics. This results shown that the DPCs properties of P12 from Rex rabbits, still fit functional research in vitro. In conclusion, we successfully established the culturing condition of DPCs from Rex rabbits, and provide a material for studying the molecular mechanism of hair follicle development.

[The immune enhancement of the C3 to the Escherichia coli vaccine].

C3b was separated and purified from the SPF chicken serum. It was linked with E. coli antigen by the glutaral. 11 days aged SPF chicken were immunized by the complex antigen and the chickens of control group were immunised by the FCA- E. coli antigen . They were boosted at the age of 18 day. The immune response was monitored by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) for anti-E. coli anitibody. The ELISA results indicated that during the early several weeks, IgG titers elicited by FCA (FCA-E. coli) were higher than those elicited by C3 (C3b-E. coli), but decreased rapidly after a peak around the end of 4th week from being immunized. Chickens immunized with C3b always gave increased response, and the IgG titers were equal to that of FCA at the end of 5th week from being immunized and then higher and higher than that of FCA. Thus the adjuvant effect of C3b is different from that of FCA, it could induce production of memory cell and make the antigens stimulate immune cells consistently and stably.