Neo-sex chromosome evolution shapes sex-dependent asymmetrical introgression barrier.

Sex chromosomes play a special role in the evolution of reproductive barriers between species. Here we describe conflicting roles of nascent sex chromosomes on patterns of introgression in an experimental hybrid swarm. Drosophila nasuta and Drosophila albomicans are recently diverged, fully fertile sister species that have different sex chromosome systems. The fusion between an autosome (Muller CD) with the ancestral X and Y gave rise to neo-sex chromosomes in D. albomicans, while Muller CD remains unfused in D. nasuta. We found that a large block containing overlapping inversions on the neo-sex chromosome stood out as the strongest barrier to introgression. Intriguingly, the neo-sex chromosome introgression barrier is asymmetrical and sex-dependent. Female hybrids showed significant D. albomicans­biased introgression on Muller CD (neo-X excess), while males showed heterosis with excessive (neo-X, D. nasuta Muller CD) genotypes. We used a population genetic model to dissect the interplay of sex chromosome drive, heterospecific pairing incompatibility between the neo-sex chromosomes and unfused Muller CD, neo-Y disadvantage, and neo-X advantage in generating the observed sex chromosome genotypes in females and males. We show that moderate neo-Y disadvantage and D. albomicans specific meiotic drive are required to observe female-specific D. albomicans­biased introgression in this system, together with pairing incompatibility and neo-X advantage. In conclusion, this hybrid swarm between a young species pair sheds light onto the multifaceted roles of neo-sex chromosomes in a sex-dependent asymmetrical introgression barrier at a species boundary.

Divergent island hybrids mixed waves of ancient gene flow.

In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Salter et al. (2023) discovered that the Cuban Northern Bobwhite subspecies, Colinus virginianus cubanensis (Gould, 1850), is an ancient hybrid population formed due to historical hybridization potentially brought by waves of historical human migration. This study revealed a complex mixture of gene flow from distinct spatiotemporal origins underlying a seemingly semi-independent evolutionary trajectory. Hybridization can be more common and complex than we thought.

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) in Chinese pregnant women: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study addresses the scarcity of research on nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) in China. It aims to explore the current NVP status in the country using validated questionnaires, analyze associated factors, and provide a useful reference for future research. The study also compares results from different assessment tools. METHODS: Online questionnaires were utilized to gather data from 535 pregnant women across 24 provinces. Demographic, pregnancy, and NVP-related information were collected. NVP severity was assessed using Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) and the Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (RINVR) scales. Ordinal logistic regression identified factors linked to NVP severity. Differences between PUQE and RINVR assessments were compared. RESULTS: NVP prevalence exceeded 90%, with 96.1% assessed by PUQE and 90.8% by RINVR. Incidence decreased from nausea to retching and vomiting. Severe NVP correlated with reduced gestational weight gain, younger age, fewer gestational weeks, and living in North (all P values < 0.05). There was moderate consistency between PUQE and RINVR assessments. The NVP prevalence assessed by the PUQE is higher than that assessed by the RINVR in the same population. However, the proportion of NVP levels above moderate assessed by RINVR is greater than that assessed by PUQE. CONCLUSIONS: NVP is highly prevalent among Chinese pregnant women, with nausea being predominant. RINVR assessments may be better able to identify severe NVP, thereby improving the low treatment rates for severe NVP.

Validation of the phenol red thread test in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the validation of phenol red thread (PRT) test in a Chinese population by evaluating the intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility, determining correlations between the PRT test and other dry eye disease (DED) parameters including tear meniscus height (TMH) and Schirmer I test, and testing the accuracy of diagnosing DED when using the PRT test alone. METHODS: A total of 108 eyes were involved in this prospective and diagnostic study, and were divided into two groups (with and without DED). Each subject underwent a series of ocular surface examinations, including Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, non-invasive tear breakup time (NIBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH) assessment, PRT test, fluorescein tear breakup time (FBUT), corneal fluorescein staining and Schirmer I test. RESULTS: In the experimental group and the control group, the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) of the repeatability were 0.747 and 0.723, respectively (all P < 0.05). The ICCs of the reproducibility in both groups were 0.588 and 0.610, respectively (all P < 0.05). The PRT test correlated weakly with the Schirmer I test and the tear meniscus height, with Spearman coefficients of 0.385 and 0.306, respectively (all P < 0.05). The PRT test is available to diagnose DED, with an area under the curve of 0.806 and a Youden index of 0.556 at the cutoff point of 8.83 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The PRT test can provide patients a comfortable, timesaving and less irritating approach to screening and diagnosing DED compared to Schirmer I test.

Antibiotic cocktail-induced gut microbiota depletion in different stages could cause host cognitive impairment and emotional disorders in adulthood in different manners.

Gut microbiota depletion may result in cognitive impairment and emotional disorder. This study aimed to determine the possible association between host gut microbiota, cognitive function, and emotion in various life stages and its related underlying mechanisms. Seventy-five neonatal mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 15 per group). Mice in the vehicle group were administered distilled water from birth to death, and those in the last four groups were administered antibiotic cocktail from birth to death, from birth to postnatal day (PND) 21 (infancy), from PND 21 to 56 (adolescence), and from PND 57 to 84 (adulthood), respectively. Antibiotic exposure consistently altered the gut microbiota composition and decreased the diversity of gut microbiota. Proteobacteria were the predominant bacteria instead of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes after antibiotic exposure in different life stages. Long-term and infant gut microbiota depletion resulted in anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, memory impairments, and increased expression of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor α1 of adult mice. Long-term antibiotic exposure also significantly decreased serum interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-10, and corticosterone of adult mice. Gut microbiota depletion in adolescence resulted in anxiety-like behaviors, short-term memory decline, decreased serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ), mRNA expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1A, and neuropeptide Y receptor Y2 in the prefrontal cortex of adult mice. Antibiotic exposure in adulthood damaged short-term memory and decreased serum IL-10, IFN-γ, and increased γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptor 1 mRNA expression of adult mice. These results suggest that antibiotic-induced gut microbiota depletion in the long term and infancy resulted in the most severe cognitive and emotional disorders followed by depletion in adolescence and adulthood. These results also suggest that gut microbes could influence host cognitive function and emotion in a life stage-dependent manner by affecting the function of the immune system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and the expression of neurochemicals in the brain.

Parental Population Range Expansion before Secondary Contact Promotes Heterosis.

AbstractPopulation genomic analysis of hybrid zones is instrumental to our understanding of the evolution of reproductive isolation. Many temperate hybrid zones are formed by the secondary contact between two parental populations that have undergone postglacial range expansion. Here, we show that explicitly accounting for historical parental isolation followed by range expansion prior to secondary contact is fundamental to explaining genetic and fitness patterns in these hybrid zones. Specifically, ancestral population expansion can result in allele surfing, where neutral or slightly deleterious mutations drift to high frequency at the expansion front. If these surfed deleterious alleles are recessive, they can contribute to substantial heterosis in hybrids produced at secondary contact, counteracting negative effects of Bateson-Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities (BDMIs) and hence weakening reproductive isolation. When BDMIs are linked to such recessive deleterious alleles, the fitness benefit of introgression at these loci can facilitate introgression at the BDMIs. The extent to which this occurs depends on the strength of selection against the linked deleterious alleles and the distribution of recombination across the chromosome. Finally, surfing of neutral loci can alter the expected pattern of population ancestry; thus, accounting for historical population expansion is necessary to develop accurate null genomic models of secondary contact hybrid zones.

[Protective effect and mechanism of Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 on long-term colitis in mice which exposed to antibiotic in early life].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effect and mechanism of Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 of improving the gut microbiota disorder caused by antibiotic exposurein early life, and the possible protection of inflammatory bowel disease in adulthood in mice. METHODS: 80 newborn mice were randomly divided into 3 groups, a blank control group(n=40), a ceftriaxone exposure group(n=20), a Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 intervention group(n=20). After birth, they were respectively treated with saline, ceftriaxone(100 mg/kg), and ceftriaxone(100 mg/kg) + TMC3115(1×10~9CFU/d) for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, half of each group was randomly sacrificed, and the rest were normally fed to 6 weeks. At 6 weeks, the blank control group was randomly divided into a negative control group(n=10) and a colitis model group(n=10). The negative control group drunk pure water freely, and the other three groups were added 3% DSS to the drinking water for 4 days to induce colitis. At 6 weeks and 4 days, the remaining mice were sacrificed. The weight change, spleen coefficient, gut microbiota analysis based on second-generation sequencing and serum tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6(IL-6), and interleukin-10(IL-10)levels of the mice at 3 weeks and after DSS intervention were recorded. In addition, the colon length and inflammation pathology score of the mice after DSS intervention were also measured. RESULTS: At 3 weeks, compared with the control, antibiotic exposure in the early life inhibited the weight gain and reduced the diversity and uniformity of the gut microbiota of the mice(P<0.05). The intervention of TMC3115 under antibiotic exposure during this period increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium in the intestines(P<0.05), and the effect still existed after DSS stimulation in adulthood, laying the foundation for TMC3115 to exert long-term benefits. After DSS stimulation in adulthood, mice showed significant weight gain inhibition, colon length shorteningand inflammation pathology scoreincrease compared with the negative control(P<0.05), showed the inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)model was successfully constructed. The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus in the Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 intervention group increased compared with the ceftriaxone exposure group(P<0.05), while the relative abundance of harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Clostridium, and Desulfovibrio decreased(P<0.05). Furthermore, the mice exposed to antibiotic in early life produced a stronger immune response, but the mice which received TMC3115 intervention at the same time had a significant decrease in serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels and increase in IL-10 level compared with the mice which only interfered with antibiotics(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Antibiotic exposure in early life is a negative factor for long-term inflammatory bowel disease, and TMC3115 has preventive significance for long-term inflammatory bowel disease under the background of antibiotic exposure. The mechanism of TMC3115 may be to adjust the gut microbiota and balance the immune system.

[Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 Promotes Early Life Intestinal Microbiota Building to Alleviate Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease].

Objective: To investigate the effects of using Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 in early life on intestinal microbiota and immune functions and the long-term impact on inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: Fourteen pregnant BALB/c mice were purchased and 84 newborn BALB/c mice were subsequently obtained. Then, the newborn mice were randomly assigned to a normal saline (NS) group and a TMC3115 group, given via oral gavage normal saline and TMC3115, respectively, at a daily volume of 0.2 mL for each mouse. About 42 mice were assigned to each group. The gavage was stopped after 3 weeks. At this point, half of the mice in each group were sacrificed, and then the remaining mice in each group were randomly divided into NS-water group, NS-DSS group, TMC3115-water group, and TMC3115-DSS group, with about 10 mice in each group. The mice were given regular feed until the end of week 6 when they were given 3% dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) ad libitum for 4 days to establish the enteritis model, while the non-modeling groups were given pure water ad libitum. The experiment ended after 6 weeks and 4 days. The weekly body mass changes of the mice were documented. The intestinal tissue at the end of the experiment and the fecal samples, spleen and serum of the mice at 3 weeks and at the end of the experiment were collected to determine the pathology scores of colonic inflammation, the composition of fecal gut microbiota, spleen organ index and the mass concentration of serum cytokines. Results: 1) At the end of the experiment, the inflammatory pathology score was significantly lower in the TMC3115-DSS group compared with that of the Saline-DSS group ( P<0.05), with less disruption of colonic crypt structures and other structures, less inflammatory infiltration, and more intact epithelial structures. 2) At 3 weeks, in comparison with those of the NS group, the relative abundance of Bifidobacteriumwas significantly higher in the feces of the TMC3115 ( P<0.05), the relative abundance of both Enterococcusand Staphylococcuswas lower ( P<0.05), the splenic organ index was significantly higher ( P<0.05), and interleukin (IL)-10 was significantly decreased ( P<0.05), while there was no significant change in IL-6 or TNF-α ( P>0.05). At the end of the experiment, in comparison with those of the NS-DSS group that undergone DSS induction, the TMC3115-DSS group had reduced relative abundance of Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus tumefaciens and Escherichia/ Shigellain the feces ( P<0.05), while the splenic organ index was significantly higher ( P<0.05), and there were no significant changes in IL-6 or TNF-α ( P>0.05). Conclusion: The use of TMC3115 in early life promotes the construction of gut microbiota in neonatal mice, thereby producing a long-term effect that alleviates colitis in mice, but the mechanisms involved are still not fully understood.

Exogenous GM1 Ganglioside Attenuates Ketamine-Induced Neurocognitive Impairment in the Developing Rat Brain.

BACKGROUND: A prolonged exposure to ketamine triggers significant neurodegeneration and long-term neurocognitive deficits in the developing brain. Monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) can limit the neuronal damage from necrosis and apoptosis in neurodegenerative conditions. We aimed to assess whether GM1 can prevent ketamine-induced developmental neurotoxicity. METHODS: Postnatal day 7 (P7) rat pups received 5 doses of intraperitoneal ketamine (20 mg/kg per dose) at 90-minute intervals for 6 hours. Cognitive functions, determined by using Morris water maze (MWM) including escape latency (at P32-36) and platform crossing (at P37), were compared among the ketamine-exposed pups treated with or without exogenous GM1 (30 mg/kg; n = 12/group). The effect of GM1 on apoptosis in hippocampus was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and activated caspase 3 measurement. The hippocampal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), along with the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT) and extracellular signal-related kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), was detected by western blotting (n = 6/group). Anti-BDNF antibody (2 µg per rat) administered before GM1 treatment was applied to determine the neuroprotective mechanisms of GM1. RESULTS: The rats receiving ketamine exposure experinced cognitive impairment in MWM test compared to the control rats, indicated by prolonged escape latency at P34 (P = .006), P35 (P = .002), and P36 (P = .005). However, in GM1-pretreated rats, ketamine exposure did not induce prolonged escape latency. The exogenous GM1 increased the platform-crossing times at P37 (3.00 ± 2.22 times vs 5.40 ± 1.53 times, mean ± standard deviation; P = .041) and reduced the hippocampal TUNEL-positive cells and cleaved-caspase 3 expression in ketamine-exposed young rats. Ketamine decreased BDNF expression and phosphorylation of AKT and ERK in the hippocampus, whereas exogenous GM1 blocked these ketamine-caused effects. However, for the ketamine-exposed rat pups receiving exogenous GM1, compared to immunoglobulin Y (IgY) isotype control, the BDNF-neutralizing antibody treatment counteracted the exogenous GM1-induced improvement of the escape latency at P36 (41.32 ± 12.37 seconds vs 25.14 ± 8.97 seconds, mean ± standard deviation; P = .036), platform-crossing times at P37 (2.16 ± 1.12 times vs 3.92 ± 1.97 times, mean ± standard deviation; P < .036), apoptotic activity, as well as AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the hippocampus of ketamine-challenged young rats. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the exogenous GM1 acts on BDNF signaling pathway to ameliorate the cognitive impairment and hippocampal apoptosis induced by ketamine in young rats. Our study may indicate a potential use of GM1 in preventing the cognitive deficits induced by ketamine in the young per se.

Cross-decades stability of an avian hybrid zone.

Hybrid zones are particularly valuable for understanding the evolution of partial reproductive isolation between differentiated populations. An increasing number of hybrid zones have been inferred to move over time, but in most such cases zone movement has not been tested with long-term genomic data. The hybrid zone between Townsend's Warblers (Setophaga townsendi) and Hermit Warblers (S. occidentalis) in the Washington Cascades was previously inferred to be moving from northern S. townsendi southwards towards S. occidentalis, based on plumage and behavioural patterns as well as a 2000-km genetic wake of hermit mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in coastal Townsend's Warblers. We directly tested whether hybrid zone position has changed over 2-3 decades by tracking plumage, mtDNA and nuclear genomic variation across the hybrid zone over two sampling periods (1987-94 and 2015-16). Surprisingly, there was no significant movement in genomic or plumage cline centres between the two time periods. Plumage cline widths were narrower than expected by neutral diffusion, consistent with a 'tension zone' model, in which selection against hybrids is balanced by movement of parental forms into the zone. Our results indicate that this hybrid zone is either stable in its location or moving at a rate that is not detectable over 2-3 decades. Despite considerable gene flow, the stable clines in multiple phenotypic and genotypic characters over decades suggest evolutionary stability of this young pair of sister species, allowing divergence to continue. We propose a novel biogeographic scenario to explain these patterns: rather than the hybrid zone having moved thousands of kilometres to its current position, inland Townsend's met coastal Hermit Warbler populations along a broad front of the British Columbia and Alaska coast and hybridization led to replacement of the Hermit Warbler plumage with Townsend's Warbler plumage patterns along this coastline. Hence, hybrid zones along British Columbia and Alaska moved only a short distance from the inland to the coast, whereas the Hermit Warbler phenotype appears stable in Washington and further south. This case provides an example of the complex biogeographic processes that have led to the distribution of current phenotypes within and among closely related species.

[Role of miR-21 in rat hepatic oval cell proliferation and activation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible mechanisms of miR-21-mediated regulation of proliferation and activation of hepatic oval cells. METHODS: The 2-acetamidofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) method was applied to generate hepatic oval cell activation model in male Sprague-Dawley rats; after the 7 days of 2-AAF/PH or PH alone (control), the rats were sacrificed at 0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 72 h and 168 h. Expression of miR-21 was detected by real-time PCR and differences between groups were evaluated using the two-sample t-test. Differential transcription of miR-21 target genes was assessed bioinformatically, and with western blotting to detect changes in protein expression of the target gene. RESULTS: The rat hepatic oval cell activation model was successfully established.The 2-AAF/PH rats showed miR-21 expression beginning to increase at 12 h, peaking at 24 h, and decreasing thereafter until an increase at 168 h.For the control group, the miR-21 expression began to increase at 6 h, until 24 h when expression began steadily declining to reach the original level.Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed expression of miR-21 that was significantly less at 6 h (P=0.039, t =3.029) and significantly more at 24 h and 168 h (P=0.026, t =-3.433 and P=0.007, t =-5.105). Among the predicted target genes of miR-21 were WW domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (WWD), Smad family member 7 (Smad7), and polybromo-1 (Pbrm1).Smad7 protein expression began to decrease at 6 h in the control group, until reaching its minimum at 24 h when it increased; in the experimental group, SMAD7 expression increased at 6 h, then began to decrease with the minimum detected at 168 hour.In the control group, the Smad7 mRNA expression decreased slightly at 6 h, then began to increase, reaching its peak at 24 h when the expression fell to the original level. In the experimental group, the Smad7 mRNA expression began to increase at 6 h and reached its peak at 24 h when it decreased; the expression was little more than its original level at 168 h.Smad7 protein expression was negatively correlated with miR-21, and Smad7 mRNA expression was positively correlated with miR-21 but negatively correlated with Smad7 protein expression. CONCLUSION: miR-21 may play a vital role in the activation and proliferation of hepatic oval cells.As a target gene of miR-21, Smad7 might be involved in the process.

CTCF regulates global chromatin accessibility and transcription during rod photoreceptor development.

Chromatin architecture facilitates accurate transcription at a number of loci, but it remains unclear how much chromatin architecture is involved in global transcriptional regulation. Previous work has shown that rapid depletion of the architectural protein CTCF in cell culture strongly alters chromatin organization but results in surprisingly limited gene expression changes. This discrepancy has also been observed when other architectural proteins are depleted, and one possible explanation is that full transcriptional changes are masked by cellular heterogeneity. We tested this idea by performing multi-omics analyses with sorted post-mitotic mouse rods, which undergo synchronized development, and identified CTCF-dependent regulation of global chromatin accessibility and gene expression. Depletion of CTCF leads to dysregulation of ∼20% of the entire transcriptome (>3,000 genes) and ∼41% of genome accessibility (>26,000 sites), and these regions are strongly enriched in euchromatin. Importantly, these changes are highly enriched for CTCF occupancy, suggesting direct CTCF binding and transcriptional regulation at these active loci. CTCF mainly promotes chromatin accessibility of these direct binding targets, and a large fraction of these sites correspond to promoters. At these sites, CTCF binding frequently promotes accessibility and inhibits expression, and motifs of transcription repressors are found to be significantly enriched. Our findings provide different and often opposite conclusions from previous studies, emphasizing the need to consider cell heterogeneity and cell type specificity when performing multi-omics analyses. We conclude that the architectural protein CTCF binds chromatin and regulates global chromatin accessibility and transcription during rod development.

Efficacy of far infrared functional glasses in the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction-related dry eye.

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)-related dry eye disease (DED) is a significant subtype of DED. In this research, we investigate the effectiveness of far infrared (FIR) functional glasses in the treatment of MGD-related DED. According to the TFO DEWS II diagnostic criteria, 61 eyes with MGD-related DED were included. All participants wore functional FIR glasses throughout the day for a period of 4 weeks and were followed up three times during the treatment. All subjects were followed up thoroughly in accordance with the DED clinical examination procedure. Ultimately, the treatment's impact was assessed. We found the Visual Analogue Scale and Ocular Surface Disease Index scores after FIR treatment were significantly lower than the baseline values (p < 0.05). Compared with the baseline, fluorescein tear breakup time and corneal fluorescein staining score after FIR treatment were significantly improved (p < 0.05). The eyelid margin signs, meibum quality, and meibomian gland expressibility after the 4-week treatment were significantly better than those at baseline (p < 0.05). We can see that wearing the FIR functional glasses significantly relieves the symptoms and signs of patients. We believe FIR therapy could be considered as a new method of MGD-related DED.

A molecularly defined orbitofrontal cortical neuron population controls compulsive-like behavior, but not inflexible choice or habit.

Habits are familiar behaviors triggered by cues, not outcome predictability, and are insensitive to changes in the environment. They are adaptive under many circumstances but can be considered antecedent to compulsions and intrusive thoughts that drive persistent, potentially maladaptive behavior. Whether compulsive-like and habit-like behaviors share neural substrates is still being determined. Here, we investigated mice bred to display inflexible reward-seeking behaviors that are insensitive to action consequences. We found that these mice demonstrate habitual response biases and compulsive-like grooming behavior that was reversible by fluoxetine and ketamine. They also suffer dendritic spine attrition on excitatory neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Nevertheless, synaptic melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), a factor implicated in compulsive behavior, is preserved, leading to the hypothesis that Mc4r+ OFC neurons may drive aberrant behaviors. Repeated chemogenetic stimulation of Mc4r+ OFC neurons triggered compulsive and not inflexible or habitual response biases in otherwise typical mice. Thus, Mc4r+ neurons within the OFC appear to drive compulsive-like behavior that is dissociable from habitual behavior. Understanding which neuron populations trigger distinct behaviors may advance efforts to mitigate harmful compulsions.

Dietary ferulic acid improves growth performance of broilers via enhanced intestinal antioxidant capacity and barrier function.

Objective: In this study, the effects of dietary ferulic acid (FA) on the growth traits, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal barrier function of broilers were investigated. Methods: In total, 192 male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allocated to one of three dietary groups (8 replicates of 8 birds each): control (CON) group (basal diet), FA100 group (basal diet + 100 mg/kg FA), or FA200 group (basal diet + 200 mg/kg FA). The duration of the feeding trial was 42 days. Results: higher average daily gain (ADG) and lower feed to gain (F/G) ratio during day 0 to day 21 were found in the FA100 and FA200 groups, while higher ADG and lower F/G during day 21 to day 42 were only found in FA200 group, compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). Serum levels of MDA and DAO on day 21 were lower in the FA100 and FA200 groups and those on day 42 were lower in the FA200 group, while GSH-Px level in the FA100 and FA200 groups on day 21 and that in the FA200 group on day 42 were increased (p < 0.05). On day 21, jejunal GSS expression was upregulated in the FA200 group (p < 0.05), while jejunal and ileal expression of NRF2 and Occludin as well as ileal expression of GPX1 and ZO1 were increased in the FA100 and FA200 groups compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). On day 42, mRNA expression of GSS, NRF2, SOD1, and GPX1 in the jejunum and ileum as well as Claudin2 in the jejunum and Occludin in the ileum were increased in the FA200 group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Dietary FA addition could improve the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and gut integrity of broilers. The current findings provided evidences that the adoption of FA can be as nutrition intervention measure to achieve high-efficient broiler production for poultry farmers.

Association between nutritional status assessed by a digital self-administered tool (R+ dietitian) and clinicopathologic factors in cancer patients: A comprehensive analysis.

Objective: Malnutrition is prevalent among cancer patients, smartphone-based self-administered nutritional assessment tools offer a promising solution for effective nutritional screening. This study aims to retrospectively analyze the relationships between nutritional status evaluated by the digital tool (R+ Dietitian) and clinicopathologic factors of cancer patients. Methods: Cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into two subgroups based on age, Nutritional Risk Screening-2002, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form, body mass index, and hospital stays for comparison. Correlation and regression analysis were used to comprehensively assess the relationship between nutritional status and clinicopathologic factors. Findings: A total of 535 hospitalized cancer patients (58.32 ± 11.24 years old) were recruited. Patients identified with nutritional risk assessed by R+ Dietitian were significantly older, had lower body weight, lower body mass index, greater weight loss, and longer hospital stays (all of above, P < 0.01). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that serum prealbumin concentration (odds ratio: 0.992, 95% confidence interval: 0.987-0.997, P = 0.001), weight loss (odds ratio: 7.309, 95% confidence interval: 4.026-13.270, P < 0.001), and body mass index < 18.5 (odds ratio: 5.882, 95% confidence interval: 2.695-12.821, P < 0.001) predicted nutritional risk indicated by Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 score ≥3. Hemoglobin concentration (odds ratio: 0.983, 95% confidence interval: 0.970-0.996, P = 0.011), weight (odds ratio: 1.111, 95% confidence interval: 1.056-1.169, P < 0.001), weight loss (odds ratio: 7.502, 95% confidence interval: 4.394-12.810, P < 0.001), body mass index (odds ratio: 0.661, 95% confidence interval: 0.564-0.775, P < 0.001), and energy intake (odds ratio: 0.996, 95% confidence interval: 0.995-0.997, P < 0.001) predicted nutritional risk indicated by Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form score ≥4. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form scores ≥3 (b = 2.032, P = 0.008) were significantly associated with longer hospital stays. Conclusions: The nutritional risks assessed by R+ Dietitian accurately reflected the characteristics of malnutrition in cancer patients and predicted hospital stay and cost, indicating the applicability of R+ Dietitian to improving the efficiency of nutritional management for cancer patients.

Delivery room resuscitation intensity and associated neonatal outcomes of 24+0-31+6 weeks' preterm infants in China: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to review current delivery room (DR) resuscitation intensity in Chinese tertiary neonatal intensive care units and to investigate the association between DR resuscitation intensity and short-term outcomes in preterm infants born at 24+0-31+6 weeks' gestation age (GA). METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. The source population was infants born at 24+0-31+6 weeks' GA who were enrolled in the Chinese Neonatal Network 2019 cohort. Eligible infants were categorized into five groups: (1) regular care; (2) oxygen supplementation and/or continuous positive airway pressure (O2/CPAP); (3) mask ventilation; (4) endotracheal intubation; and (5) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The association between DR resuscitation and short-term outcomes was evaluated by inverse propensity score-weighted logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 7939 infants included in this cohort, 2419 (30.5%) received regular care, 1994 (25.1%) received O2/CPAP, 1436 (18.1%) received mask ventilation, 1769 (22.3%) received endotracheal intubation, and 321 (4.0%) received CPR in the DR. Advanced maternal age and maternal hypertension correlated with a higher need for resuscitation, and antenatal steroid use tended to be associated with a lower need for resuscitation (P < 0.001). Severe brain impairment increased significantly with increasing amounts of resuscitation in DR after adjusting for perinatal factors. Resuscitation strategies vary widely between centers, with over 50% of preterm infants in eight centers requiring higher intensity resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: Increased intensity of DR interventions was associated with increased mortality and morbidities in very preterm infants in China. There is wide variation in resuscitative approaches across delivery centers, and ongoing quality improvement to standardize resuscitation practices is needed.

Character displacement of egg colors during tinamou speciation.

The divergence of reproductive traits frequently underpins the evolution of reproductive isolation. Here we investigated whether tinamou (Tinamidae) egg colorations function as mating signals that diverged as character displacement (mating signal character displacement hypothesis). We tested three evolutionary predictions behind the hypothesis: (a) egg colors coevolve with known mating signals; (b) signal divergence is associated with divergent habitat adaptation; and (c) sympatric tinamou species with similar songs have different egg colors as character displacement during speciation. We found support for all three predictions. In particular, egg colors coevolved with songs; songs and egg colors coevolved with habitat partitioning; and tinamou species that were likely sympatric with similar songs tended to have different egg colors. In conclusion, the mating signal character displacement hypothesis is well supported in which egg colors serve as mating signals that undergo character displacement during tinamou speciation.

Dynamic changes and formation of key contributing odorants with amino acids and reducing sugars as precursors in shiitake mushrooms during hot air drying.

The dynamic variations in key contributing odorants, amino acids and reducing sugars in shiitake mushrooms during hot-air drying were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass (HPLC-MS/MS) and ion chromatography (IC). The potential precursors were explored by the partial least squares-discriminant analysis and Pearson correlation analysis, and Met, Cys, and ribose were considered as the possible precursors of dimethyl trisulfide and lenthionine. The verification experiments in the absence and presence of shiitake mushroom matrix further confirmed that Met and its interaction with ribose both contributed to generating dimethyl trisulfide. The polynomial nonlinear fitting curve could better represent the dose-effect relationships of Met and Met-ribose to produce dimethyl trisulfide with R2 of 0.9579 and 0.9957. Conversely, ribose, Cys or Cys-ribose were verified to be unable to form the key contributing odorants. Collectively, the results provided a method to reveal precursors and generation pathway of odorants.

Effects of Dried Blueberry Pomace and Pineapple Pomace on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dried blueberry pomace (BP) and pineapple pomace (PP) on the growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 10 replicates per treatment group and 8 birds per replicate (4 males and 4 females). The three groups were the control (CON) group, the 3% BP group, and 3% PP group. The entire trial period lasted 42 days. The results show that the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed-to-gain ratio of the BP group and the PP group were not significantly different from those in the CON group (p > 0.05). Adding BP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver and giblets (p < 0.05). Adding PP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver, while the proportion of gizzard significantly increased (p < 0.05). The pH24h and L* of breast muscles were significantly lower in the PP group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). The water-holding capacity of the leg muscles in the BP group and the PP group was significantly lower than that in the CON group (p < 0.05). The crude protein content of breast muscle and the ether extract content of leg muscle in the BP group were significantly lower than those in the CON group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of 3% BP and PP to broiler chickens' diets had no adverse effects on growth performance or meat quality.