[Annual review of bronchiectasis research in 2023].

This review focuses on the latest advances in bronchiectasis from October 1st, 2022 to September 30th, 2023, including the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, comorbidities, and management of bronchiectasis in order to provide a reference in clinical diagnosis and treatment, and future research of bronchiectasis for domestic peers.

[The surgical management of axillary lymph node disease in breast cancer patients].

The precise assessment and management of the axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer is crucial for regional control, disease staging, selection of adjuvant chemotherapy strategies, and prediction of prognosis, with a general downward trend in surgical management. For early breast cancer with negative axillary lymph node metastases, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has replaced axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) as the criterion for axillary status measurement. Patients can be exempted from ALND if they have negative SLNB results. However, it remains to be carefully decided in China whether patients with one or two positive nodes in SLNB can be spared from ALND. However, consensus has been met that patients who meet the criteria of the Z0011 study can be exempted from ALND. For breast cancer patients with positive axillary lymph nodes metastases at the beginning of treatment, the clearance of lymph node disease can be achieved by neoadjuvant therapy, with a reduced rate of complications related to ALND. In particular, there are still many debates associated with SLNB after neoadjuvant therapy, such as whether patients who remain axillary lymph node positive can be spared from ALND. Exploratory and validation studies related to the SLNB avoidance criteria are still controversial. In the future, clinicians should consider the characteristics of patients, the risk of recurrence, and adjuvant treatment regimens to develop individualized axillary lymph node management.

[Changes and clinical significance of erythrocyte lifespan in megaloblastic anemia].

Objective: To investigate the lifespan of erythrocytes in megaloblastic anemia (MA) patients. Methods: A prospective cohort study analysis. Clinical data from 42 MA patients who were newly diagnosed at the Department of Hematology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital from January 2021 to August 2021 were analyzed, as were control data from 24 healthy volunteers acquired during the same period. The carbon monoxide breath test was used to measure erythrocyte lifespan, and correlations between erythrocyte lifespan and laboratory test indexes before and after treatment were calculated. Statistical analysis included the t-test and Pearson correlation. Results: The mean erythrocyte lifespan in the 42 newly diagnosed MA patients was (49.05±41.60) d, which was significantly shorter than that in the healthy control group [(104.13±42.62) d; t=5.13,P=0.001]. In a vitamin B12-deficient subset of MA patients the mean erythrocyte lifespan was (30.09±15.14) d, and in a folic acid-deficient subgroup it was (72.00±51.44) d, and the difference between these two MA subsets was significant (t=3.73, P=0.001). The mean erythrocyte lifespan after MA treatment was (101.28±33.02) d, which differed significantly from that before MA treatment (t=4.72, P=0.001). In MA patients erythrocyte lifespan was positively correlated with hemoglobin concentration (r=0.373), and negatively correlated with total bilirubin level (r=-0.425), indirect bilirubin level (r=-0.431), and lactate dehydrogenase level (r=-0.504) (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Erythrocyte lifespan was shortened in MA patients, and there was a significant difference between a vitamin B12-deficient group and a folic acid-deficient group. After treatment the erythrocyte lifespan can return to normal. Erythrocyte lifespan is expected to become an informative index for the diagnosis and treatment of MA.

[Progress in the effect of human epididymis protein 4 on sperm maturation].

Human epididymis protein 4(HE4) is a secretory glycoprotein found in human distal epididymis epithelial cells. It is often used in the early diagnosis, efficacy evaluation and monitoring of ovarian cancer, and also has been considered as an effective serum marker for many other types of cancer. However, its function in the process of sperm maturation is not fully unknown. The maturation of sperm in epididymis is characterized by the acquisition of motility and fertilization. As a member of the whey acid protein (WAP) family, several studies proposed the importance of HE4 in the maturity of sperm in epididymis. This article reviews the effect of HE4 on spermatozoa maturation in epididymis, which provides basis for the evaluation of male reproductive ability, early detection, early diagnosis and pathogenesis of male infertility.

Protein-protein interaction network and potential drug target candidates of Streptococcus suis.

AIMS: This study aimed to explore potential drug targets of Streptococcus suis at the system level. METHODS AND RESULTS: A homologous protein mapping method was used in the construction of a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of S. suis, which presented 1147 non-redundant interaction pairs among 286 proteins. The parameters of PPI networks were calculated and showed scale-free network properties. In all, 41 possibly essential proteins identified from 47 highly connected proteins were selected as potential drug target candidates. Of these proteins, 30 were already regarded as drug targets in other bacterial species. Six transporters with high connections to other functional proteins were identified as probably not essential but important functional proteins. Afterward, the subnetwork centred with cell division protein FtsZ was used in confirming the PPI network through bacterial two-hybrid analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The predicted PPI network covers 13·04% of the proteome in S. suis. The selected 41 potential drug target candidates are conserved between S. suis and several model bacteria. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The predictions included proteins known to be drug targets, and a verifying experiment confirmed the reliability of predicted interactions. This work is the first to present systematic computational PPI data for S. suis and provides potential drug targets, which are valuable in exploring novel anti-streptococcus drugs.

[Considerations on the standardized diagnosis and treatment of iron-deficiency anemia].

The prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is high in China, especially among children, the elderly and pregnant women. It can be associated with a variety of diseases involving major systems, and even cause irreversible damage to the immune and nervous system. It is noteworthy that only less than 20% of the IDA population have access to timely treatment. This requires attention towards the standardized diagnosis and treatment of IDA with multidisciplinary collaboration. This article reviews the recent research updates of IDA, revealing the new findings in the harms of IDA, current challenges in the treatment of IDA, and the latest research and development progress of intravenous iron. The aim is to provide guidance and suggestions on timely diagnosis and proper treatment of IDA.

Performance of Arma chinensis reared on an artificial diet formulated using transcriptomic methods.

An artificial diet formulated for continuous rearing of the predator Arma chinensis was inferior to natural prey when evaluated using life history parameters. A transcriptome analysis identified differentially expressed genes in diet-fed and prey-fed A. chinensis that were suggestive of molecular mechanisms underlying the nutritive impact of the artificial diet. Changes in the diet formulation were made based on the transcriptome analysis and tested using life history parameters. The quantity of pig liver, chicken egg, tuna fish, biotin, nicotinamide, vitamin B6, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin C, L-glutamine, and sucrose was reduced, and wheat germ oil, calcium pantothenate and folic acid were increased. Ecuadorian shrimp was added as a partial substitute for tuna fish. Several parameters improved over six generations, including increased egg viability, and decreased egg and adult cannibalism. Additionally, several parameters declined, including longer developmental times for 2nd-5th instars, and decreased nymphal weights. The improvements in life history parameters support the use of transcriptome analyses to help direct formulation improvements. However, the decline in some parameters suggests that additional information, e.g., proteomic data, may be useful as well to maximize diet formulations.

[Analysis of occupational health surveillance for workers on offshore platforms].

Objective: To understand the status of occupational health surveillance for workers on offshore platforms. Methods: The research period was from 2014 to 2016. From 2014 to 2016, a cross-sectional survey method was adopted to select 429 people for offshore oil production, drilling and operation platforms and their first-line workers to conduct workplace occupational hygiene. Investigation, occupational hazard factor testing, occupational health check of workers, collation and statistical analysis of surveys and test data, and comparison of occupational health surveillance among workers of different types of offshore platforms. Results: From 2014 to 2016, the results of chemical harmful factors detection of occupational diseases in the offshore platform were in line with the national occupational health exposure limit requirements. The noise of some platform posts exceeded the standard, such as: oil platform oil, oil and oil and gas processing workers, diesel engines for drilling and working platforms. Worker noise exceeds national occupational health limits p[L(ex, 8 h)>85 dB(A)].There was a statistically significant difference in the occupational health of workers on the same platform with the age and length of service (P<0.05). Conclusion: Workers on different platforms at sea may be subject to different levels of occupational health damage, and the occupational hazards brought by noise to platform workers are particularly prominent.

Perioperative nursing intervention on patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric stromal tumor resection.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of perioperative nursing intervention on patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric stromal tumor resection. Sixty patients with gastric stromal tumor were selected from our hospital and evenly divided into group A and group B. Patients in both groups underwent laparoscopic resection. Patients in group A were given conventional nursing intervention before and after surgery, while those in group B were given comprehensive nursing intervention. Various indicators were compared between the two groups. The amount of bleeding of group B was less than that of group A, and the first anal exsufflation of group B was also earlier than that of group A; the differences had statistical significance (p less than 0.05). Patients in group B felt less pain than patients in group A; except for 72 h after surgery, difference of pain degree between group A and B had statistical significance in other periods (p less than 0.05); the number of cases with complications and categories of complications of group B were less than those of group A, and the difference had statistical significance (p less than 0.05). The efficacy satisfaction of group B was also higher than that of group A, and the difference was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). Perioperative nursing intervention is beneficial and positive and has bright development prospects.

[Clinical study on blocking mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus with high viral load and HBeAg positivity during pregnancy in Guizhou province].

Objective: To observe the efficacy and safety related measures by blocking mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus with high viral load and HBeAg positivity during pregnancy in Guizhou province. Methods: Outpatient and inpatient cases of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Obstetrics of Guizhou Medical University Affiliated Hospitals from May 2016 to July 2017 were retrospectively divided into intervention group, non-intervention group and non- hepatitis B pregnant women group; with 75 cases in each group. HBsAg and HBeAg were positive in the intervention group. Pregnant women with HBV DNA ≥10(6) IU/ml were treated with anti-HBV therapy for 24 to 28 weeks of gestation until delivery. According to oral drugs, they were divided into tenofovir (TDF) group or telbivudine (LDT) group, non-intervention group (HBsAg and HBeAg positive), HBV DNA positive pregnant women, pregnant women with no anti-HBV drugs, non-hepatitis B pregnant women (normal pregnant women without HBV infection). Infants and young children born to the three groups of women were immunized with the national viral hepatitis B action plan. The gestational weeks and Apgar scores at birth, delivery mode, feeding mode, sex and 7-months-old age were observed and counted. Serum hepatitis B markers (HBVM) and HBV DNA were quantitatively detected. HBVM was detected by time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA), and HBV DNA was detected by real-time PCR (FQ-PCR). The changes of liver parameters, HBsAg, HBeAg, HBV DNA, adverse drug reactions and treatment response of pregnant intervention group before medication (12-24 weeks of gestation), 4 weeks of medication (28-32 weeks of gestation), 36-40 weeks of gestation (36-40 weeks of gestation) were statistically calculated. A t-test was used to compare the data between the measurements. Data measurements within the groups were analyzed using rank -sum test. Results: In the intervention group, therapeutic medications showed no differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between TDF group and LDT group, including liver parameters, HBsAg, HBeAg and log10HBV DNA level. Compared with pre-treatment (TDF group: 4.84 ± 2.01; LDT group: 5.08 ± 1.99), TDF and LDT were significantly lower at the end of pregnancy (TDF group: 3.06 ± 0.66; LDT group: 3.51 ± 1.20). P < 0.05); and the treatment response rate was 100%. There were no serious adverse events in the intervention group. Infants and young children (7-months-old) in the intervention group had negative HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA. The mother-to-child transmission rate of HBV was zero, with blocking rate of 100%. In addition, both infants and young children had different degrees of hepatitis B protective antibodies (anti-HBs, M: 144.33), and their antibody titers were higher than that of non-intervention group (anti-HBs, M: 65.91) and non-hepatitis B pregnant women (anti-HBs, M: 58.43). The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05), and there was no significant correlation between the use of antiviral and the way of delivery and feeding. Outcomes of mother-to-child transmission of HBV infection in infants and young children (7-months-old) delivered by three groups of pregnant women in the non-intervention groups had 20.0% (15/75)/ 17.3% (13/75) HBsAg/HBeAg positivity rate, and 17.3% (13/75) HBV DNA positivity rate. Overall, mother-to-child transmission rate of HBV infection was 20% (15/75). Furthermore, the relationship between mother's HBV DNA load and infant HBV infection in the non-intervention group showed mother's HBV DNA ≥10(6) IU/ml. Conclusion: In the non-intervention group, mother-to-child transmission of HBV occurred, and infected mothers HBV DNA was ≥106 IU/ml before delivery. This suggests that HBeAg positive and high load HBV DNA replication were independent risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. Therefore, prenatal drug intervention and postpartum standard immune blockade are necessary for high-risk pregnant women with hepatitis B to achieve zero mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in real- clinical practice.

[PAHs exposure and occupational health risk assessment of workers in coal tar pitch factory].

Objective: To Investigation of industrial sites involving coal tar pitch to detect PAHs in the occupational environment and to assess their occupational health risks to workers. Methods: Taking coal tar pitch enterprises as the research object, and making the occupational health field investigation and inspection. Detecting the 16 PAHs in the samples by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) , analyze the PAHs exposed dose of the workers in the place, and using cumulative toxic equivalent quantity method, loss of life expectancy method and carcinogenic risk factor method to assessment worker's occupational health risk. Results: In the 15 posts involved, Some workers' exposed to the total concentration of PAHs is higher than others, the maximum exposure concentration is 1931.45ng/m3. There are different hazard risk levels in different working post due to different processes.The lifetime risk of workers is significantly higher than the acceptable range. Some workers has higher carcinogenic risk and workers' life expectancy loss is up to 1033.95 hours. Conclusion: Part of the coal tar pitch workers exposed to higher concentrations of PAHs, and beyond the occupational exposure limits.And there is a high occupational health risk due to high exposure to PAHs.

Network based subcellular proteomics in monocyte membrane revealed novel candidate genes involved in osteoporosis.

In this study, label-free-based quantitative subcellular proteomics integrated with network analysis highlighted several candidate genes including P4HB, ITGB1, CD36, and ACTN1 that may be involved in osteoporosis. All of them are predicted as significant membrane proteins with high confidence and enriched in bone-related biological process. The results were further verified in transcriptomic and genomic levels. INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease mainly characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD). As the precursors of osteoclasts, peripheral blood monocytes (PBMs) are supported to be important candidates for identifying genes related to osteoporosis. We performed subcellular proteomics study to identify significant membrane proteins that involved in osteoporosis. METHODS: To investigate the association between monocytes, membrane proteins, and osteoporosis, we performed label-free quantitative subcellular proteomics in 59 male subjects with discordant BMD levels, with 30 high vs. 29 low BMD subjects. Subsequently, we performed integrated gene enrichment analysis, functional annotation, and pathway and network analysis based on multiple bioinformatics tools. RESULTS: A total of 1070 membrane proteins were identified and quantified. By comparing the proteins' expression level, we found 36 proteins that were differentially expressed between high and low BMD groups. Protein localization prediction supported the notion that the differentially expressed proteins, P4HB (p = 0.0021), CD36 (p = 0.0104), ACTN1 (p = 0.0381), and ITGB1 (p = 0.0385), are significant membrane proteins. Functional annotation and pathway and network analysis highlighted that P4HB, ITGB1, CD36, and ACTN1 are enriched in osteoporosis-related pathways and terms including "ECM-receptor interaction," "calcium ion binding," "leukocyte transendothelial migration," and "reduction of cytosolic calcium levels." Results from transcriptomic and genomic levels provided additional supporting evidences. CONCLUSION: Our study strongly supports the significance of the genes P4HB, ITGB1, CD36, and ACTN1 to the etiology of osteoporosis risk.

[Effect of platycodin D on radiosensitivity of human hepatoma cell line and related mechanisms of action].

Objective: To investigate the effect of platycodin D on the radiosensitivity of human hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and SMMC-7721 and related mechanisms of action. Methods: MTT assay was used to analyze the effect of different concentrations of platycodin D with different treatment times on cell viability. The cells were pretreated with 5 µg/ml platycodin D for 24 hours followed by X-ray irradiation at different radiation doses. Colony-forming assay was used to measure the radiosensitizing effect of platycodin D on cells. The quasi-threshold dose (Dq), mean lethal dose (Do), extrapolation number (N), sensitizer enhancement ratio (SER), and survival fraction (SF) at different radiation doses were calculated, and the multi-target single-hit model was used to fit the cell survival curve according to the formula SF = l-(l-e(-D/D0))N. Flow cytometry was used to investigate the distribution of cell cycle, and Western blotting was used to measure the changes in the protein expression of phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (pPI3K), phosphorylated protein kinase (pAkt), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and phosphorylated nuclear factor inhibiting protein (pIκBα). A one-way analysis of variance, the t-test, or the least significant difference test was used for statistical analysis based on the type of data. Results: Platycodin D reduced the viability of HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells in a dose-dependent manner; the IC50 value for HepG2 cells was 24.2 ± 0.61 µg/ml at 24 hours and 7.68 ± 0.46 µg/ml at 48 hours, and that for SMMC-7721 cells was 23.8 ± 0.57 µg/ml at 24 hours and 8.63 ± 0.86 µg/mL at 48 hours. After the combined treatment with platycodin D and irradiation, there were significant reductions in Dq (P = 0.002), Do (P = 0.002), and N value (P = 0.003), the survival curve markedly shifted to the left, and SER was 1.347 ± 0.04 in HepG2 cells and 1.418 ± 0.05 in SMMC-7721 cells. In addition, platycodin D significantly inhibited the increase in the proportion of cells in G2/M phase, the increases in the protein expression of pPI3k (P = 0.002), pAkt (P = 0.003), and NF-κB (P = 0.002), and the reduction in the protein expression of pIκBα (P = 0.003). Conclusion: Platycodin D can increase the radiosensitivity of HepG2 or SMMC-7721 cells, possibly by enhancing the growth inhibition effect of irradiation and inhibiting the activation of the PI3k/Akt and NF-κB pathways.

Biodegradation of phthalate esters by newly isolated Rhizobium sp. LMB-1 and its biochemical pathway of di-n-butyl phthalate.

AIMS: To isolate a novel strain that could degrade many kinds PAEs efficiently and investigate the DBP-degrading pathway in this strain. METHODS AND RESULTS: Based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence, the strain was identified as Rhizobium sp. This strain, named LMB-1, can also utilize phthalates, such as DEHP, DMP, DBP and DEP. During the degradation of DBP, six possible metabolites, diethyl phthalate, mono-ethyl phthalate, di-methyl phthalate, mono-methyl phthalate, phthalic acid and tartaric acid, were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, and the degradation pathway of DBP was also identified in this study. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, strain LMB-1, identified as Rhizobium sp., was found to be capable of efficiently degrading PAEs, and it was determined that the strain degraded DMP completely within 45 h. DEP, DMP, MEP, MMP, PA and tartaric acid were detected during the course of DBP degradation by LMB-1. We propose that this strain could completely degrade DBP or other PAEs. Our results offer a novel and potential candidate, Rhizobium sp. LMB-1, for use in the bioremediation of cultivated soil contaminated by PAEs. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report concerning the complete degradation of phthalate esters by Rhizobium sp.

Proteomic research on diapause-related proteins in the female ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata L.

In the experiments reported here, we used the female ladybird Coccinella septempunctata L. as a model to identify diapause-associated proteins using proteomics technology. Our results indicated that protein expression patterns of diapausing and nondiapausing individuals were highly differentiated. A total of 58 spots showed significant differences in abundance (Ratio > 2 and P < 0.05) according to two-dimensional electrophoresis and GE Image Scanner III analysis. Sixteen protein spots were further investigated using mass spectrometry. Eight proteins were characterized, including chaperones and proteins involved in glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Among these proteins, five proteins were upregulated in diapausing female adults, including a chaperone (Symbionin symL), malate dehydrogenase (putative), two proteins linked to lipid metabolism (unknown and conserved hypothetical protein) and phosphoglyceromutase (partial). By contrast, isocitrate dehydrogenase (RH49423p), fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (AGAP001942-PA), and a putative medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase were downregulated. These results contribute to the understanding of diapause mechanisms of the ladybird C. septempunctata and may suggest methods for improving the application of this natural enemy insect.

Association between XRCC1 polymorphisms and laryngeal cancer susceptibility in a Chinese sample population.

Laryngeal cancer is the major malignant tumor affecting the upper respiratory tract. Previous studies have reported on the association between XRCC1 genetic polymorphisms and risk of laryngeal cancer, but with conflicting results. In this study, we attempted to assess the association between XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln polymorphisms and risk of laryngeal cancer in a Chinese population. A total of 126 laryngeal cancer patients and 254 control subjects were recruited to this study from the Second Medical College of Jinan University between December 2013 and May 2015. The XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His, and Arg399Gln polymorphic sites were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Our results revealed a significant association between the AA genotype of XRCC1 Arg280His [odds ratio (OR) = 2.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.29-4.87, P = 0.01] and an increased risk of laryngeal cancer susceptibility compared to the GG genotype. Moreover, the A allele showed a higher risk of laryngeal cancer susceptibility compared to the G allele (OR = 1.63, 95%CI = 1.19-2.50, P = 0.002). In conclusion, the results of our study suggest that the AA genotype and A allele of the XRCC1 Arg280His polymorphism are associated with an increased laryngeal cancer risk in a Chinese population.

[Comparison of embryotoxicity of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate using mouse and human embryonic stem cell test models in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a mouse embryonic stem cell test (mEST) model and human embryonic stem cell test (hEST) model, to evaluate the embryotoxicity of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). METHODS: We developed mEST and hEST models according to the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative METHODS (ECVAM). We used penicillin G (PN-G) as the standard negative reference and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as the standard positive reference, respectively, to verify validity of the models. Based on model validity, mouse embryonic stem cells D3 (mESC-D3), mouse Balb/c-3T3 (3T3), and human embryonic stem cells H9 (hESC-H9) were administered different concentrations of DEHP (15.6, 31.2, 62.5, 125.0, 250.0, 500.0, and 1 000.0 µg/ml) for 7 days. A cell counting Kit-8 was used to detect the 50% inhibitory proliferation concentration (IC50) of mESC-D3 cells, 3T3 cells, and hESC-H9 with DEHP. mESC-D3 and hESC-H9 were treated with DEHP (15.6, 31.2, 62.5, 125.0, 250.0 µg/ml, and 500.0 µg/ml) for 10 days based on the cytotoxicity results. At day 10, the expression of cardiomyocyte differentiation gene alpha-myosin heavy chain (α-MHC) was detected by real-time PCR and the 50% inhibition of cardiomyocycte differentiation (ID50) determined. Based on the values of IC50 and ID50, functions Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅱ could be calculated by three linear discriminant functions in the EST model and the embryotoxicity of DEHP described by comparing the three functions. RESULTS: Nontrophoblast lineage both ES cells were cultured under optimal conditions and highly expressed hESC markers OCT4 , SSEA4, and TRA-1-60. The embryoid bodies formed were uniform in size and shape, and these results were highly repeatable. The PN-G and 5-FU results coincided with the prediction by ECVAM. Validation of our EST models was satisfactory. RESULTS of the three endpoints of DEHP in mEST were 197.3 µg/ml (IC50 3T3), 210.0 µg/ml (IC50 D3) and 246.8 µg/ml (ID50 D3). DEHP was evaluated to be a nonembryotoxic compound based on values of function Ⅰ (7.78), function Ⅱ (7.58) and function Ⅲ (-7.79). The three endpoints of DEHP in hEST were 195.4 µg/ml (IC50 3T3), 184.8 µg/ml (IC50 D3), and 84.3 µg/ml (ID50). By comparing the values of function Ⅰ (3.21), function Ⅱ (5.77), and function Ⅲ (-6.46), DEHP was evaluated to be weakly embryotoxic. CONCLUSION: DEHP was determined to be a nonembryotoxic compound by mEST and weakly embryotoxic by hEST. Therefore, hEST is a more sensible model for the evaluation of DEHP embryotoxicity.

Performance and Cost Comparisons for Continuous Rearing of Arma chinensis (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae) on a Zoophytogenous Artificial Diet and a Secondary Prey.

The impact of a zoophytogenous, insect-free artificial diet and a secondary prey, pupae of Chinese oak silk moth Antheraea pernyi (Guérin-Méneville) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), on the developmental rate, life history parameters, and fertility was examined for F6, F9, and F12 consecutive generations for domesticated Arma chinensis (Fallou) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). This study showed that when fed an insect-free artificial diet during both the nymphal and adult stages, developmental times were prolonged, and fecundity, egg viability, net reproductive rates (R0), and intrinsic rates of increase (rm) declined. As a result, the cost to rear A. chinensis on the artificial diet approached 1.7 times the cost of rearing A. chinensis on pupae of A. pernyi. Future diet improvements should attempt to reduce developmental time, increase fecundity, and egg viability and use less costly nutrient sources.

Effects of tryptophan supplementation on growth performance, antioxidative activity, and meat quality of ducks under high stocking density.

High stocking density (STD) could affect duck welfare and production. The objective of our study was to investigate whether dietary tryptophan (TRP) supplementation could alleviate the detrimental effects of high STD on ducks. White Pekin ducks at 4 to 6 wk of age were raised at 11 birds/m(2) and fed diets containing 0.18, 0.48, 0.78, or 1.08% TRP for 21 d. Growth performance, concentrations of TRP and metabolites in the blood and hypothalamus, antioxidative activities in serum and tissue, meat quality, serum uric acid, and urea nitrogen were measured. Weight gain and feed efficiency were significantly improved by TRP supplementation at ≥ 0.48 and ≥ 0.78% (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). Serum TRP, hypothalamic TRP, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacitic acid (5-HIAA), and 5-HIAA/5-HT were also increased significantly (P < 0.01). These increases plateaued at 0.48% TRP, and no further improvement was obtained by adding more TRP to the diet. Dietary TRP supplementation significantly increased levels of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) in serum; GSH-Px in liver; and GSH-Px and CAT in breast muscle (P < 0.05). Malondialdehyde levels in breast muscle decreased (P < 0.001). Drip loss of breast muscle and pH decline at 45 min postmortem were reduced by TRP supplementation (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Meat color was similar among different treatments (P > 0.05). Breast muscle shear force was increased significantly when dietary TRP level increased to 1.08% (P < 0.01). For ducks raised at 11 birds/m², dietary TRP supplementation could alleviate stress and improve growth performance, antioxidative activity, and meat quality.