The impact of serum testosterone level to reflect age-related multi-organ functions.

The aim of this study is to examine the correlation between aging, serum total testosterone and biomarkers of multiple organ functions in men. The participants consisted of 12,547 outpatients, whose serum testosterone level was measured. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine whether biomarkers including hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin (ALB), creatinine (Cre), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose (Glu), C-reactive protein (CRP), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values were associated with serum total testosterone concentration. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between total testosterone and Hb, Hct, LH, FSH, ALP, ALB, TG, HDL-C, AST, ALT, Glu, and CRP. In addition, significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between Hb, Hct, LH, FSH, ALP, ALB, TG and HDL-C associated with [age × testosterone]. This large-scale study provided new insights into correlations between serum testosterone and biomarkers associated with age-related diseases, suggesting that testosterone is especially important for maintaining homeostasis in aging males. Thus, hypogonadism in elderly patients may be associated with multiple organ dysfunctions.

Circular RNA circPRMT5 is upregulated in breast cancer and is required for cell proliferation and migration.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the role of cyclic protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (circPRMT5) in the occurrence and development of breast cancer (BC). METHODS: A total of 90 BC patients who underwent radical mastectomy and 40 age-matched healthy female controls were recruited in the Second People's Hospital of China Three Gorges University, Yichang Second People's Hospital from 2017 to 2020. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of circPRMT5 in BC tissues, serum, normal breast cell line (MCF-10A), and BC cell line (T47D, MCF-7, BT549, Hs-578T, and MDA-MB-231, MDAMB-468). The associations between circPRMT5 expression level and age, tumor size, degree of differentiation, TNM stage, distant metastasis, estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status were analyzed. BC cell lines with circPRMT5 knockdown or overexpression were subject to CCK-8 cell proliferation assay, and transwell cell invasion/migration assay. RESULTS: CircPRMT5 expression in BC tissue was higher than that in adjacent normal breast tissue. Consistently, the expression level of circPRMT5 was also elevated in serum samples collected from BC patients when compared with healthy controls. And in multiple breast cancer cell lines, circPRMT5 was upregulated as compared to normal breast epithelial MCF-10A cells. CircPRMT5 expression level was correlated with tumor size, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis distant metastasis, but no correlation was observed with ER, PR, HER2 status. Overexpression of circPRMT5 promoted the proliferation, invasion, and migration of MCF7 cells; while the knockdown of circPRMT5 inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. DISCUSSION: CircPRMT5 seems to act as an oncogene in the progression of BC. Our data suggest that CircPRMT5 may be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis evaluation, and targeted therapy of breast cancer.

Hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α) reduced inflammation in spinal cord injury via miR-380-3p/ NLRP3 by Circ 0001723.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous system trauma. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of HIF-1α on inflammation in spinal cord injury (SCI) to uncover the molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammation. RESULTS: HIF-1α was reduced in SCI model rats and HIF-1α activation reduced TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-18 levels in SCI model rats. Meanwhile, Circ 0001723 expression was down-regulated and miR-380-3p expression was up-regulated in SCI model rats. In vitro model, down-regulation of Circ 0001723 promoted TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-18 levels, compared with control negative group. However, over-expression of Circ 0001723 reduced TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-18 levels in vitro model. Down-regulation of Circ 0001723 suppressed HIF-1α protein expressions and induced NLRP3 and Caspase-1 protein expressions in vitro model by up-regulation of miR-380-3p. Next, inactivation of HIF-1α reduced the pro-inflammation effects of Circ 0001723 in vitro model. Then, si-NLRP3 also inhibited the pro-inflammation effects of Circ 0001723 in vitro model via promotion of autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that HIF-1α reduced inflammation in spinal cord injury via miR-380-3p/ NLRP3 by Circ 0001723.

Does anxiety influence the prognosis of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation? A preliminary propensity score matching analysis.

PURPOSE: Previous reports revealed a correlation between psychological problems and spinal surgery. There is a lack of knowledge on the effect of anxiety on the percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) outcome at the two year follow-up. The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in anxiety after PTED among patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), to compare the effect of anxiety on the prognosis using propensity score matching analysis, and to identify the related parameters of anxiety. METHODS: A total of 145 patients with LDH requiring PTED surgery were included. Twenty-six LDH patients with anxiety were matched with 26 control patients utilizing propensity score matching analysis. The demographic and peri-operative data were collected and analyzed. A correlation analysis was utilized. RESULTS: Both groups achieved significant improvements in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for pain, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores for neurological deficit, and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores for quality of life. A statistical difference was detected between the pre-operative and the post-operative Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale scores in the anxiety cohort. However, the difference between the anxiety group and the control group was statistically significant in the aforementioned parameters. The VAS, JOA, ODI and the SF-36 scores, and the disease duration were associated with pre-operative anxiety. CONCLUSION: PTED may provide significant improvements in clinical outcomes and symptoms of anxiety. A negative impact on the patient's prognosis may be caused by the presence of anxiety. Pain severity, neurological deficit, disease duration, and quality of life were associated with anxiety.

Refracture of osteoporotic vertebral body concurrent with cement fragmentation at the previously treated vertebral level after balloon kyphoplasty: a case report.

Kyphoplasty has been shown to provide symptomatic relief of vertebral compression fractures refractory to medical therapy. However, few reports have focused on refracture of cemented vertebrae after kyphoplasty. The presence of cemented vertebrae refracture concurrent with cement fragmentation is an extremely rare condition. We reported an 86-year-old man with a T12 osteoporotic compression fracture undergoing the kyphoplasty treatment. The patient postoperatively continued to have back pain at the same level. The solid lumped polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) mass and inadequate use and insufficient filling of PMMA cement were observed in postoperative radiographs and magnetic resonance image (MRI) examination. He refused to receive the surgical intervention, but had not strict compliance with oral anti-osteoporotic medications. Ten months postoperatively, refracture of osteoporotic vertebral body concurrent with cement fragmentation occurred at the previously kyphoplasty-treated vertebral level. Bone mineral analysis showed severe osteoporosis with a T-score of -4.0. The patient finally obtained therapeutic benefit of pain relief and bony union of T12 vertebral body by consistently adhering to anti-osteoporotic medication treatment. This case illustrated that patients who underwent kyphoplasty to treat osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with intravertebral fracture should be strictly followed up and supervised in their anti-osteoporotic medication treatment. The interdigitation injection pattern of PMMA and sufficient PMMA filling with trabeculae in the kyphoplasty procedure also might prevent refracture of the cemented vertebrae concurrent with PMMA fragmentation.

Kyphoplasty versus vertebroplasty in the treatment of painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: two-year follow-up in a prospective controlled study.

A total of 112 patients with a single-level osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture who did not respond to conservative therapy were included and allocated to either kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty treatment. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to assess back pain and disability. Anterior, midline, posterior vertebral body heights, and kyphotic angle at the fractured vertebra were measured for radiographic evaluation. Clinical and radiographic follow-up examinations were performed postoperatively at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. Complications and patient satisfaction with the surgical procedure were also recorded. The follow-up rate was 73.3% in the kyphoplasty group and 80.8% in the vertebroplasty group (P = 0.737). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with regard to improvement in VAS and ODI scores (P > 0.05) at all postoperative intervals. Both treatment groups achieved marked vertebral height restoration and kyphotic angle reduction, but the radiographic parameters were significantly better in the kyphoplasty group (P < 0.05). The incidence of asymptomatic cement leakage per treated vertebrae in the kyphoplasty group was 11.4% versus 31% in the vertebroplasty group (P < 0.001). Three adjacent level fractures in the kyphoplasty group and 2 in the vertebroplasty group occurred during 2-year follow-up, and no difference in patient satisfaction was detected between the 2 groups. Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty achieved similar improvement of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction at 2 years after surgery, albeit kyphoplasty had more ability to markedly reduce vertebral deformity and resulted in less cement leaks compared with vertebroplasty.

[Analyses of segment motor function in patients with degenerative lumbar disease on the treatment of WavefleX dynamic stabilization system].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the changes of range-of-motion (ROM) in patients with degenerative lumbar disease on the treatment of WavefleX dynamic stabilization system and examine the postoperative lumbar regularity and tendency of ROM. METHODS: Nine patients with degenerative lumbar disease on the treatment of WavefleX dynamic stabilization system were followed up with respect to ROMs at 5 timepoints within 12 months. Records of ROM were made for instrumented segments, adjacent segments and total lumbar. RESULTS: Compared with preoperation, ROMs in non-fusional segments with WavefleX dynamic stabilization system decreased statistical significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) at different timepoints; ROMs in adjacent segments increased at some levels without wide statistical significance. The exception was single L3/4 at Month 12 (P < 0.05) versus control group simultaneously at the levels of L3/4, L4/5 and L5/S1, ROMs decreased at Months 6 and 12 with wide statistical significance (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). ROMs in total lumbar had statistical significant decrease (P < 0.01) in both group of non-fusional segments and hybrid group of non-fusion and fusion. The trends of continuous augments were observed during follow-ups. Statistically significant augments were also acquired at 4 timepoints as compared to control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The treatment of degenerative lumbar diseases with WavefleX dynamic stabilization system may limit excessive extension/inflexion and preserve some motor functions. Moreover, it can sustain physiological lordosis, decrease and transfer disc load in adjacent segments to prevent early degeneration of adjacent segment. Trends of motor function augment in total lumbar need to be confirmed during future long-term follow-ups.

Study on the Friction and Wear Properties of Multiple Rare-Earth-Oxide-Reinforced Resin-Based Friction Materials.

Aiming to solve the problem of thermal decay of resin-based friction materials at high temperatures, rare-earth-lanthanum-oxide-/cerium-oxide-reinforced resin-based friction plates were prepared using a hot-pressing molding process. The effect of lanthanum/cerium oxide with different contents on the mechanical and tribological properties of the resin-based friction of materials was studied, and its mechanism was explored. The result shows that lanthanum/cerium oxide improves the mechanical and tribological properties of materials so that the coefficient of friction of the specimen is more stable on adding lanthanum/cerium oxide at 5% and 1%. Lanthanum/cerium oxide improves antidegradation properties of resin-based material and reduces the high-temperature wear rate by enhancing the interfacial effect so that the wear form of the specimen changes from predominantly adhesive wear to predominantly abrasive wear.

Comparison of Growth Performance and Plasma Metabolomics between Two Sire-Breeds of Pigs in China.

The Yorkshire pigs, renowned for their remarkable growth rate, low feed conversion ratio (FCR), and high meat production, emerge as a novel preference for paternal breeding. In this study, we found that purebred paternal Yorkshire pigs (PY) surpass the purebred Duroc breed in terms of growth rate. Specifically, purebred PY attain a weight of 100 kg at an earlier age compared to purebred Duroc (Male, 145.07 vs. 162.91; Female, 145.91 vs. 167.57; p-value < 0.01). Furthermore, different hybrid combinations suggest that offspring involving purebred PY exhibit superior growth performance. Compared with purebred Duroc, the offspring of purebred PY have an earlier age in days (173.23 vs. 183.54; p-value < 0.05) at the same slaughter weight. The changes of plasma metabolites of 60-day-old purebred boars in the two sire-breeds showed that 1335 metabolites in plasma were detected. Compared with Duroc, 28 metabolites were down-regulated and 49 metabolites were up-regulated in PY. Principal component analysis (PCA) discerned notable dissimilarities in plasma metabolites between the two sire-breeds of pigs. The levels of glycerol 3-phosphate choline, cytidine, guanine, and arachidonic acid increased significantly (p-value < 0.05), exerting an impact on their growth and development. According to our results, PY could be a new paternal option as a terminal sire in three-way cross system.

A Comparative Study on the Growth Performance and Gut Microbial Composition of Duroc and Yorkshire Boars.

The intestinal microbiota is required for maintaining the development and health of the host. However, the gut microbiota contributing to the regulation of the growth performance and health of Duroc and Yorkshire boars remains largely unknown. In this study, we first evaluated the difference in the growth performance between Duroc and Yorkshire boars when their body weight reached 100 kg. Relative to Duroc boars, Yorkshire boars weighed 100 kg at a younger age and exhibited a significantly lower backfat thickness and eye muscle area. Microbial analysis of the fecal samples revealed a marked difference in gut microbiota composition between the two pig models and remarkably increased α-diversity in Yorkshire boars compared to Duroc boars. Further analysis indicated that Bacteroidota, Prevotellaceae, and Ruminococcaceae might be associated with the growth performance and lean meat rate of Yorkshire boars. Taken together, these results highlight that Yorkshire boars exhibit a faster growth rate and higher lean meat rate compared to Duroc boars, and these differences may be attributed to the influence of the gut microbiota, thereby providing valuable insight into optimizing pig breeding systems and selecting terminal paternal sires to enhance overall productivity and quality.

Effects of dietary L-Citrulline supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, and fecal microbial composition in finishing pigs.

Gut microbiota play an important role in the gut ecology and development of pigs, which is always regulated by nutrients. This study investigated the effect of L-Citrulline on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and its potential regulatory mechanism. The results showed that 1% dietary L-Citrulline supplementation for 52 days significantly increased final weight, liveweight gain, carcass weight, and average backfat and markedly decreased drip loss (p < 0.05) of finishing pigs compared with the control group. Microbial analysis of fecal samples revealed a marked increase in α-diversity and significantly altered composition of gut microbiota in finishing pigs in response to L-Citrulline. In particular, these altered gut microbiota at the phylum and genus level may be mainly involved in the metabolic process of carbohydrate, energy, and amino acid, and exhibited a significant association with final weight, carcass weight, and backfat thickness. Taken together, our data revealed the potential role of L-Citrulline in the modulation of growth performance, carcass characteristics, and the meat quality of finishing pigs, which is most likely associated with gut microbiota.

Short-term dietary choline supplementation alters the gut microbiota and liver metabolism of finishing pigs.

Choline is an essential nutrient for pig development and plays a role in the animal's growth performance, carcass characteristics, and reproduction aspects in weaned pigs and sows. However, the effect of choline on finishing pigs and its potential regulatory mechanism remains unclear. Here, we feed finishing pigs with 1% of the hydrochloride salt of choline, such as choline chloride (CHC), under a basic diet condition for a short period of time (14 days). A 14-day supplementation of CHC significantly increased final weight and carcass weight while having no effect on carcass length, average backfat, or eye muscle area compared with control pigs. Mechanically, CHC resulted in a significant alteration of gut microbiota composition in finishing pigs and a remarkably increased relative abundance of bacteria contributing to growth performance and health, including Prevotella, Ruminococcaceae, and Eubacterium. In addition, untargeted metabolomics analysis identified 84 differently abundant metabolites in the liver between CHC pigs and control pigs, of which most metabolites were mainly enriched in signaling pathways related to the improvement of growth, development, and health. Notably, there was no significant difference in the ability of oxidative stress resistance between the two groups, although increased bacteria and metabolites keeping balance in reactive oxygen species showed in finishing pigs after CHC supplementation. Taken together, our results suggest that a short-term supplementation of CHC contributes to increased body weight gain and carcass weight of finishing pigs, which may be involved in the regulation of gut microbiota and alterations of liver metabolism, providing new insights into the potential of choline-mediated gut microbiota/metabolites in improving growth performance, carcass characteristics, and health.

Recursive state estimation for a class of nonlinear uncertain coupled complex networks subject to random link failures and packet disorders.

This paper is concerned with the recursive state estimation (RSE) problem under minimum mean-square error sense for a class of nonlinear complex networks (CNs) with uncertain inner coupling, random link failures and packet disorders. Firstly, a set of random variables obeying the Bernoulli distribution is adopted to characterize whether there are connections between different network units, i.e., there is no random link failure when the random variable is equal to 1, otherwise the random link failure occurs. In addition, the inner coupling strength is assumed to be varying within a given interval and the phenomenon of packet disorders caused by the random transmission delay (RTD) is also taken into account. In our study, the nonlinearity satisfies the continuously differentiable condition, which can be linearized by resorting to the Taylor expansion. The focus of the addressed RSE problem is on the design of an RSE approach in the mean-square error sense such that, for all uncertain inner coupling, random link failures and packet disorders, a suboptimal upper bound of the state estimation error covariance is obtained and minimized by parameterizing the state estimator gain with explicit expression form. Furthermore, a sufficient condition with respect to the uniform boundedness of state estimation error in mean-square sense is elaborated. Finally, a numerical experiment is introduced to demonstrate the validity of the presented RSE approach.

Correlations between Personality Traits, Patient-Reported Outcome, and Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms in Men with Different Premature Ejaculation Syndromes.

Although the personality traits (PT), patient-reported outcome (PRO), and chronic prostatitis (CP) symptoms in premature ejaculation (PE) have been evaluated, there was no study to assess their correlations in men with different PE syndromes. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlations between the PT, PRO, and CP symptoms in men with different PE syndromes. Between January 2019 and January 2021, a cross-sectional field study was conducted in our andrology clinic. Men with the complaints of PE were divided into lifelong PE (LPE), acquired PE (APE), variable PE (VPE), and subjective PE (SPE). All subjects were required to complete a verbal questionnaire with the PRO, National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R). Finally, 479 men with the complaints of PE and 365 without the complaints of PE were enrolled. The incidence of PE syndromes in PE complaint group was as follows: LPE 16.70%, APE 48.85%, VPE 11.27%, and SPE 23.17%. Mean ages in PE complaint group were 42.53 ± 12.25 years. In the PE complaint group, the novelty seeking (NS) scores were strongest correlated with the personal distress and quality of life (QOL). The harm avoidance (HA) scores were strongest correlated with the severity of PE and pain syndromes. The self-transcendence (ST) scores were strongest correlated with the satisfaction with sexual intercourse and QOL. In addition, strongest association between the total scores of NIH-CPSI and the NS or ST scores was also found in the APE group. The HA scores were also strongest correlated with the total scores of NIH-CPSI in SPE. Strongest association between the total scores of NIH-CPSI and the NS/TI or ST/CI scores was also found in the APE group. The HA/TI scores were also strongest correlated with the total scores of NIH-CPSI in SPE.

BGIG10116_34868: A Newly Discovered Gene Regulating Ejaculation Function.

Ejaculation is a complex biphasic process involving a series of neurophysiological activities, such as the contraction of a large number of muscle groups and the ejaculation of semen from the urethra anterior. Due to the complexity of the process, many related factors have not been fully clarified, resulting in ejaculation dysfunction. As a common ejaculation dysfunction, lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is a problem for many people. Notably, gene polymorphism might play an important role in the etiology of LPE. However, the quest for identifying the actual genetic loci that contribute to LPE etiology has not been successful. Due to discrepancies in the design and methods of research, the correlation of most reports was not obtained in subjective replication experiments, and the conclusions may be inconsistent. In our study, three groups of ejaculation rats, namely, "rapid, normal, and delayed," were selected based on the animal model of premature ejaculation (PE) in rats and the theory of ejaculation. Among them, the rats in the "rapid" ejaculation group can be used to stimulate humans with PE. Subsequently, we used the rat brain tissue for whole-transcriptome sequencing to screen the differential genes among the three groups. We tried to identify the actual genetic loci that contribute to PE etiology and provide a theoretical basis for the targeted therapy of PE.

Identifying Long Non-coding RNA of Prostate Cancer Associated With Radioresponse by Comprehensive Bioinformatics Analysis.

Although radiotherapy is greatly successful in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa), radioresistance is still a major challenge in the treatment. To our knowledge, this study is the first to screen long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with radioresponse in PCa by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Bioinformatics methods were used to identify the differentially expressed lncRNAs and protein-coding genes (PCGs) between complete response (CR) and non-complete response (non-CR) groups in radiotherapy. Statistical methods were applied to identify the correlation between lncRNAs and radioresponse as well as lncRNAs and PCGs. The correlation between PCGs and radioresponse was analyzed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The three online databases were used to predict the potential target miRNAs of lncRNAs and the miRNAs that might regulate PCGs. RT-qPCR was utilized to detect the expression of lncRNAs and PCGs in our PCa patients. A total of 65 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 468 differentially expressed PCGs were found between the two groups of PCa. After the chi-square test, LINC01600 was selected to be highly correlated with radioresponse from the 65 differentially expressed lncRNAs. Pearson correlation analysis found 558 PCGs co-expressed with LINC01600. WGCNA identified the darkred module associated with radioresponse in PCa. After taking the intersection of the darkred module of WGCNA, differentially expressed PCGs between the two groups of PCa, and the PCGs co-expressed with LINC01600, three PCGs, that is, JUND, ZFP36, and ATF3 were identified as the potential target PCGs of LINC01600. More importantly, we detected the expression of LINC01600 and three PCGs using our PCa patients, and finally verified that LINC01600 and JUND were differentially expressed between CR and non-CR groups, excluding ZFP36 and ATF3. Meantime, the potential regulation ability of LINC01600 for JUND in PCa cell lines was initially explored. In addition, we constructed the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network of LINC01600-miRNA-JUND. In conclusion, we initially reveal the association of LINC01600 with radioresponse in PCa and identify its potential target PCGs for further basic and clinical research.

Association Between Lifelong Premature Ejaculation and Polymorphism of Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2 Gene in the Han Population.

INTRODUCTION: Premature ejaculation (PE) is widely regarded as one of the most common sexual dysfunctions in men. The neurobiogenesis of PE is complex and involves the serotoninergic (5-HT) system. AIM: In this study, we investigated whether polymorphisms in the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) gene were associated with lifelong PE (LPE). METHODS: A total of 121 men diagnosed with LPE were recruited from our outpatient clinics and 94 healthy controls from the health examination center. Intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) was measured using a stopwatch. The PE diagnostic tool (PEDT) data were collected at the same time. All subjects with LPE and healthy controls were genotyped for polymorphisms in the TPH2 gene. Allele and genotype frequencies of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were compared between the patients and controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome measures are IELT and PEDT to diagnose LPE. The association of LPE with TPH2 gene polymorphisms in these areas was investigated. RESULTS: The IELT, PEDT scores, and education levels in the LPE group were significantly different from those in the control group. Statistically significant differences were found in the SNPs of SNV019 and rs4290270. The frequencies of the G allele and G/A genotype of SNV019 were significantly higher in the patients with LPE than in the controls (P = .045 and .037, respectively). The A allele and A/A genotype of rs4290270 were more frequent in the patients with LPE than in the controls (P = .037 and .049, respectively). In the dominant model of inheritance, the SNV019 polymorphism in the patients with LPE was significantly different from that in the controls (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 2.936 [1.066-8.084], P = .037). In men with LPE, there was no statistically significant association between genotype and median IELT. CONCLUSION: The SNPs SNV019 and rs4290270 of the TPH2 gene seemed to be associated with LPE in the Han population. Men with the A allele of SNV019 or the T allele of rs4290270 may be less likely to suffer from LPE. Fu X, Zhang X, Jiang T, et al. Association Between Lifelong Premature Ejaculation and Polymorphism of Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2 Gene in the Han Population. Sex Med 2020;8:223-229.

Neuroprotective effects of rapamycin on spinal cord injury in rats by increasing autophagy and Akt signaling.

Rapamycin treatment has been shown to increase autophagy activity and activate Akt phosphorylation, suppressing apoptosis in several models of ischemia reperfusion injury. However, little has been studied on the neuroprotective effects on spinal cord injury by activating Akt phosphorylation. We hypothesized that both effects of rapamycin, the increased autophagy activity and Akt signaling, would contribute to its neuroprotective properties. In this study, a compressive spinal cord injury model of rat was created by an aneurysm clip with a 30 g closing force. Rat models were intraperitoneally injected with rapamycin 1 mg/kg, followed by autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine 2.5 mg/kg and Akt inhibitor IV 1 µg/kg. Western blot assay, immunofluorescence staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay were used to observe the expression of neuronal autophagy molecule Beclin 1, apoptosis-related molecules Bcl-2, Bax, cytochrome c, caspase-3 and Akt signaling. Our results demonstrated that rapamycin inhibited the expression of mTOR in injured spinal cord tissue and up-regulated the expression of Beclin 1 and phosphorylated-Akt. Rapamycin prevented the decrease of bcl-2 expression in injured spinal cord tissue, reduced Bax, cytochrome c and caspase-3 expression levels and reduced the number of apoptotic neurons in injured spinal cord tissue 24 hours after spinal cord injury. 3-Methyladenine and Akt inhibitor IV intervention suppressed the expression of Beclin-1 and phosphorylated-Akt in injured spinal cord tissue and reduced the protective effect of rapamycin on apoptotic neurons. The above results indicate that the neuroprotective effect of rapamycin on spinal cord injury rats can be achieved by activating autophagy and the Akt signaling pathway.

Author Correction: Comparison of Four Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Medicinal and Ornamental Meconopsis Species: Genome Organization and Species Discrimination.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Comparison of Four Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Medicinal and Ornamental Meconopsis Species: Genome Organization and Species Discrimination.

High-throughput sequencing of chloroplast genomes has been used to gain insight into the evolutionary relationships of plant species. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes of four species in the Meconopsis genus: M. racemosa, M. integrifolia (Maxim.) Franch, M. horridula and M. punicea. These plants grow in the wild and are recognized as having important medicinal and ornamental applications. The sequencing results showed that the size of the Meconopsis chloroplast genome ranges from 151864 to 153816 bp. A total of 127 genes comprising 90 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes were observed in all four chloroplast genomes. Comparative analysis of the four chloroplast genomes revealed five hotspot regions (matK, rpoC2, petA, ndhF, and ycf1), which could potentially be used as unique molecular markers for species identification. In addition, the ycf1 gene may also be used as an effective molecular marker to distinguish Papaveraceae and determine the evolutionary relationships among plant species in the Papaveraceae family. Futhermore, these four genomes can provide valuable genetic information for other related studies.