Effects of different dietary energy levels on growth performance, meat quality and nutritional composition, rumen fermentation parameters, and rumen microbiota of fattening Angus steers.

This study investigates the effects of varying energy levels in diets on Black Angus steers, focusing on growth performance, muscle composition, rumen microbial community, and their interrelationships. Twenty-seven Black Angus steers, aged approximately 22 months and weighing 520 ± 40 kilograms, were randomly divided into three groups: low-energy (LE), medium-energy (ME), and high-energy (HE). Each group consisted of nine individuals. The steers were fed diets with energy levels of 6.657 MJ/kg (LE), 7.323 MJ/kg (ME), and 7.990 MJ/kg (HE) following a 14-day pre-feeding period, with a subsequent 90-day main experimental phase. After the 90-day feeding period, both the HE and ME groups exhibited significantly higher average daily weight gain (ADG) compared to the LE group (p < 0.05). The feed-to-weight ratios were lower in the HE and ME groups compared to the LE group (p < 0.05). The HE group showed significantly higher crude fat content in the longissimus dorsi muscle compared to the LE group (p < 0.05), with total fatty acid content in the muscle surpassing that in the ME and LE groups (p < 0.05). As dietary energy levels increased, the diversity of the rumen microbial community decreased (p < 0.05), and significant differences in bacterial community structure were observed between the LE and HE groups (p < 0.05). The results suggest that higher dietary energy levels enhance growth performance and alter muscle composition in Black Angus steers, while also influencing the rumen microbial community. This study contributes to understanding optimal dietary strategies for finishing Angus cattle to improve beef quality, economic returns, and the development of standardized production procedures.

Unraveling the Link: Mendelian Randomization Reveals Causal Relationship Between Selenium and Metabolic Syndrome.

Observational studies have linked selenium and metabolic syndrome (MetS), but the causality remains unclear. Therefore, this study intends to determine the causal relationship between selenium and the risk of MetS and its component features [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference adjusted for BMI (WCadjBMI), triglycerides (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting blood insulin (FBI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)]. This study was designed as the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR), and genetic variants were obtained from the genome-wide association studies. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) was applied as the primary method, and the MR-Egger, weighted median, and MR-PRESSO were supplemented to assess its robustness. The Bonferroni method was used to correct p-values for multiple tests. Genetically incremented selenium level was related to higher odds ratios of developing the MetS (OR = 1.054, 95% CI = 1.016-1.094, p = 0.0049). As for components, significant causal links were identified between selenium and BMI (ß = 0.015, p = 1.321 × 10-5), WCadjBMI (ß = 0.033, p = 2.352 × 10-4), HDL-C (ß = -0.036, p = 1.352 × 10-8), FBG (ß = 0.028, p = 0.001), and FBI (ß = 0.028, p = 0.002). No significant association was discovered for SBP (ß = -0.076, p = 0.218) and DBP (ß = 0.054, p = 0.227). These results were generally supported by the weighted median and MR-PRESSO methods. Our study provided evidence of the causal effect of selenium on MetS risk from the genetic perspective in the European population, and further investigation across diverse populations was warranted.

Postvaccination serosurveillance of foot-and-mouth disease through virus-neutralizing and nonstructural protein antibody tests on pig farms in Taiwan: 2009-2020.

The use of virus-neutralizing (VN) and nonstructural protein (NSP) antibody tests in a serosurveillance program for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) can identify pig herds that are adequately vaccinated, with a high percentage of pigs with VN positive antibody titers; these tests can also help identify pigs with NSP-positivity that have previously been or are currently infected even in vaccinated herds. To identify infected herds and manage infection, the combination of VN and NSP antibody tests was used in Taiwan's serosurveillance program implemented simultaneously with the compulsory FMD vaccination program. The result was the eradication of FMD: Taiwan was recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health as an FMD-free country without vaccination in 2020. Evaluation of the compulsory vaccination program incorporated in the FMD control program in Taiwan revealed that the vaccine quality was satisfactory and the vaccination program was effective during the period of compulsory vaccination (2010-2017). Sound immunological coverage was achieved, with 89.1% of pigs having VN antibody titers exceeding 1:16 in 2016. This level of immunological coverage would be expected to substantially reduce or prevent FMD transmission, which was borne out by the results of the NSP tests. We identified farms having positive NSP reactors (very low annual prevalence) before the cessation of FMD vaccination in July 2018; however, detailed serological and clinical investigations of pigs of all ages in suspect herds demonstrated that no farms were harboring infected animals after the second half of 2013. Thus, the results revealed no evidence of FMD circulation in the field, and Taiwan regained FMD-free status.

Transcriptome analysis of mRNA and miRNA in the development of LeiZhou goat muscles.

The progression of muscle development is a pivotal aspect of animal ontogenesis, where miRNA and mRNA exert substantial influence as prominent players. It is important to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in skeletal muscle development to enhance the quality and yield of meat produced by Leizhou goats. We employed RNA sequencing (RNA-SEQ) technology to generate miRNA-mRNA profiles in Leizhou goats, capturing their developmental progression at 0, 3, and 6 months of age. A total of 977 mRNAs and 174 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed based on our analysis. Metabolic pathways, calcium signaling pathways, and amino acid synthesis and metabolism were found to be significantly enriched among the differentially expressed mRNA in the enrichment analysis. Meanwhile, we found that among these differentially expressed mRNA, some may be related to muscle development, such as MYL10, RYR3, and CSRP3. Additionally,, we identified five muscle-specific miRNAs (miR-127-3p, miR-133a-3p, miR-193b-3p, miR-365-3p, and miR-381) that consistently exhibited high expression levels across all three stages. These miRNAs work with their target genes (FHL3, SESN1, PACSIN3, LMCD1) to regulate muscle development. Taken together, our findings suggest that several miRNAs and mRNAs are involved in regulating muscle development and cell growth in goats. By uncovering the molecular mechanisms involved in muscle growth and development, these findings contribute valuable knowledge that can inform breeding strategies aimed at enhancing meat yield and quality in Leizhou goats.

Risk Factors of Serious Adverse Events for Geriatric Hip Fractures: Is it the Frailty or the Timing?

Objective: Preoperative frailty and surgical waiting times are associated with the occurrence of adverse outcomes in patients with hip fractures. Specifically, we aimed to investigate the influence of frailty status and surgical timing on the risk of serious adverse events during hospitalization. Methods: This study utilized an observational single cohort design and included patients aged ≥60 years with a primary diagnosis of hip fracture. Frailty was assessed using the chart-derived frailty index (CFI), which was calculated based on demographic and routine laboratory variables. The primary outcome of interest was the occurrence of in-hospital serious adverse events. A multivariate logistic regression model was utilized to examine the risk factors influencing outcomes. Results: The study included 427 participants, with a mean age of 80.28 ± 8.13 years and 64.2% of whom were female. Patients with high CFI have more comorbidities (P < .001), lower surgical rates (P = .002), and delayed surgical times (P = .033). A total of 239 patients (56.0%) experienced serious adverse events. The high CFI group had a significantly higher occurrence of serious adverse events compared to the low CFI group (73.4% vs 48.5%, P < .001). After adjusting for surgical timing and covariates, the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that high frailty significantly increased the risk for serious adverse events (OR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.398-4.412), infection (OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.146-3.446), acute heart failure (OR = 3.37, 95% CI 1.607-7.045). However, the timing of surgery did not demonstrate any association with these outcomes. In addition, after adjusting for surgical factors, high CFI remains an independent risk factor for these complications. Conclusions: Frailty serves as a reliable predictor of the probability of encountering severe adverse events while hospitalized for elderly individuals with hip fractures. This method has the potential to pinpoint particular modifiable factors that necessitate intervention, whereas the impact of surgical timing remains uncertain and necessitates additional research.

Broadband angular spectrum differentiation using dielectric metasurfaces.

Signal processing is of critical importance for various science and technology fields. Analog optical processing can provide an effective solution to perform large-scale and real-time data processing, superior to its digital counterparts, which have the disadvantages of low operation speed and large energy consumption. As an important branch of modern optics, Fourier optics exhibits great potential for analog optical image processing, for instance for edge detection. While these operations have been commonly explored to manipulate the spatial content of an image, mathematical operations that act directly over the angular spectrum of an image have not been pursued. Here, we demonstrate manipulation of the angular spectrum of an image, and in particular its differentiation, using dielectric metasurfaces operating across the whole visible spectrum. We experimentally show that this technique can be used to enhance desired portions of the angular spectrum of an image. Our approach can be extended to develop more general angular spectrum analog meta-processors, and may open opportunities for optical analog data processing and biological imaging.

miR-128-3p Regulates Follicular Granulosa Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis by Targeting the Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor.

The proliferation and apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) affect follicle development and reproductive disorders, with microRNAs playing a crucial regulatory role. Previous studies have shown the differential expression of miR-128-3p at different stages of goat follicle development, which suggests its potential regulatory role in follicle development. In this study, through the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, the EDU assay, flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and the dual-luciferase reporter assay, we used immortal human ovarian granulosa tumor cell line (KGN) cells as materials to investigate the effects of miR-128-3p and its predicted target gene growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) on GC proliferation and apoptosis. The results show that overexpression of miR-128-3p inhibited the proliferation of KGN cells, promoted cell apoptosis, and suppressed the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) while promoting that of Bcl-2 associated X protein (BAX). The dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-128-3p bound to the 3' untranslated region sequence of GHSR, which resulted in the inhibited expression of GHSR protein. Investigation of the effects of GHSR on GC proliferation and apoptosis revealed that GHSR overexpression promoted the expression of PCNA and BCL2, enhanced GC proliferation, and inhibited cell apoptosis, whereas the opposite effects were observed when GHSR expression was inhibited. In addition, miR-128-3p and GHSR can influence the expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 protein. In conclusion, miR-128-3p inhibits KGN cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis by downregulating the expression of the GHSR gene.

Maternal history of Alzheimer's disease predisposes to altered serum cholesterol levels in adult offspring.

Controversial findings regarding the association between serum cholesterol levels and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been identified through observational studies. The genetic basis shared by both factors and the causality between them remain largely unknown. The objective of this study is to examine the causal impact of maternal history of AD on changes in serum cholesterol levels in adult offspring. By retrieving genetic variants from summary statistics of large-scale genome-wide association study of maternal history of AD (European-based: Ncase = 27 696, Ncontrol = 260 980). The causal association between genetically predicted maternal history of AD and changes in serum cholesterol levels in adult offspring was examined using the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method. Causal impact estimates were calculated using single-nucleotide polymorphisms in both univariable MR (UMR) and multivariable MR (MVMR) analyses. Additionally, other approaches, such as Cochran's Q test and leave-one-out variant analysis, were employed to correct for potential biases. The results of UMR presented that genetically predicted maternal history of AD was positively associated with hypercholesterolemia (OR = 1.014; 95% CI: 1.009-1.018; p < 0.001), total cholesterol (OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.134-1.466; p < 0.001) and low-density lipoprotein (OR = 1.525; 95% CI: 1.272-1.828; p < 0.001) among adult offspring. Genetic predisposition for maternal history of AD to be negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein (OR = 0.889; 95% CI: 0.861-0.917; p < 0.001). The MVMR analysis remained robust and significant after adjusting for diabetes and obesity in offspring. Sufficient evidence was provided in this study to support the putative causal impact of maternal history of AD on the change of serum cholesterol profile in adult offspring. In clinical practice, priority should be given to the detection and monitoring of cholesterol levels in individuals with a maternal history of AD, particularly in the early stages.

Global rewiring of lipid metabolism to produce carotenoid by deleting the transcription factor genes ino2/ino4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The transcription factor complex INO2 and INO4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae plays a vital role in lipid biosynthesis by activating multiple genes in the biosynthetic pathways of phospholipid, fatty acid, and sterol. Previous studies have reported conflicting results regarding the effects of ino2 and ino4 gene expression levels on target chemicals. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the influence of different ino2 and ino4 expression levels on carotenoid production (e.g., lycopene), which shares a common precursor, acetyl-CoA, with lipid metabolism. Surprisingly, 2.6- and 1.8-fold increase in lycopene yield in the ino2 and ino4 deletion strains were found, respectively. In contrast, ino2 overexpression did not promote lycopene accumulation. Additionally, there was a decrease in intracellular free fatty acids in the ino2 deletion strain. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed a significant downregulation of genes related to lipid biosynthesis in the ino2 deletion strain. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that deletion of transcription factor genes ino2 and ino4 can facilitate lycopene accumulation. These findings hold significant implications for the development of metabolically engineered S. cerevisiae with enhanced carotenoid production.

Proton-Prompted Ligand Exchange to Achieve High-Efficiency CsPbI3 Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

CsPbI3 perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are ideal materials for the next generation of red light-emitting diodes. However, the low phase stability of CsPbI3 QDs and long-chain insulating capping ligands hinder the improvement of device performance. Traditional in-situ ligand replacement and ligand exchange after synthesis were often difficult to control. Here, we proposed a new ligand exchange strategy using a proton-prompted in-situ exchange of short 5-aminopentanoic acid ligands with long-chain oleic acid and oleylamine ligands to obtain stable small-size CsPbI3 QDs. This exchange strategy maintained the size and morphology of CsPbI3 QDs and improved the optical properties and the conductivity of CsPbI3 QDs films. As a result, high-efficiency red QD-based light-emitting diodes with an emission wavelength of 645 nm demonstrated a record maximum external quantum efficiency of 24.45% and an operational half-life of 10.79 h.

Experimental study of modified Tavis-Cummings model with directly-coupled superconducting artificial atoms.

The Tavis-Cummings model is intensively investigated in quantum optics and has important applications in generation of multi-atom entanglement. Here, we employ a superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamic system to study a modified Tavis-Cummings model with directly-coupled atoms. In our device, three superconducting artificial atoms are arranged in a chain with direct coupling through fixed capacitors and strongly coupled to a transmission line resonator. By performing transmission spectrum measurements, we observe different anticrossing structures when one or two qubits are resonantly coupled to the resonator. In the case of the two-qubit Tavis-Cummings model without qubit-qubit interaction, we observe two dips at the resonance point of the anticrossing. The splitting of these dips is determined by Δ λ=2g12+g32, where g1 and g3 are the coupling strengths between Qubit 1 and the resonator, and Qubit 3 and the resonator, respectively. The direct coupling J12 between the two qubits results in three dressed states in the two-qubit Tavis-Cummings model at the frequency resonance point, leading to three dips in the transmission spectrum. In this case, the distance between the two farthest and asymmetrical dips, arising from the energy level splitting, is larger than in the previous case. The frequency interval between these two dips is determined by the difference in eigenvalues (Δ λ=ε 1+-ε 1-), obtained through numerical calculations. What we believe as novel and intriguing experimental results may potentially advance quantum optics experiments, providing valuable insights for future research.

Development of platensimycin, platencin, and platensilin overproducers by biosynthetic pathway engineering and fermentation medium optimization.

The platensimycin (PTM), platencin (PTN), and platensilin (PTL) family of natural products continues to inspire the discovery of new chemistry, enzymology, and medicine. Engineered production of this emerging family of natural products, however, remains laborious due to the lack of practical systems to manipulate their biosynthesis in the native-producing Streptomyces platensis species. Here we report solving this technology gap by implementing a CRISPR-Cas9 system in S. platensis CB00739 to develop an expedient method to manipulate the PTM, PTN, and PTL biosynthetic machinery in vivo. We showcase the utility of this technology by constructing designer recombinant strains S. platensis SB12051, SB12052, and SB12053, which, upon fermentation in the optimized PTM-MS medium, produced PTM, PTN, and PTL with the highest titers at 836 mg L-1, 791 mg L-1, and 40 mg L-1, respectively. Comparative analysis of these resultant recombinant strains also revealed distinct chemistries, catalyzed by PtmT1 and PtmT3, two diterpene synthases that nature has evolved for PTM, PTN, and PTL biosynthesis. The ΔptmR1/ΔptmT1/ΔptmT3 triple mutant strain S. platensis SB12054 could be envisaged as a platform strain to engineer diterpenoid biosynthesis by introducing varying ent-copalyl diphosphate-acting diterpene synthases, taking advantage of its clean metabolite background, ability to support diterpene biosynthesis in high titers, and the promiscuous tailoring biosynthetic machinery. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Implementation of a CRISPR-Cas9 system in Streptomyces platensis CB00739 enabled the construction of a suite of designer recombinant strains for the overproduction of platensimycin, platencin, and platensilin, discovery of new diterpene synthase chemistries, and development of platform strains for future diterpenoid biosynthesis engineering.

Design of a dual-responding genetic circuit for high-throughput identification of L-threonine-overproducing Escherichia coli.

L-threonine is a crucial amino acid that is extensively employed in the realms of food, animal feed and pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, the lack of an appropriate biosensor has hindered the establishment of a robust high-throughput screening (HTS) system for the identification of the desired strains from random mutants. In this study, a dual-responding genetic circuit that capitalizes on the L-threonine inducer-like effect, the L-threonine riboswitch, and a signal amplification system was designed for the purpose of screening L-threonine overproducers. This platform effectively enhanced the performance of the enzyme and facilitated the identification of high L-threonine-producing strains from a random mutant library. Consequently, pathway optimization and directed evolution of the key enzyme enhanced L-threonine production by 4 and 7-fold, respectively. These results demonstrate the potential of biosensor design for dynamic metabolite detection and offer a promising tool for HTS and metabolic regulation for the development of L-threonine-hyperproducing strains.

NLRP3 activation in macrophages promotes acute intestinal injury in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis.

BACKGROUND: Macrophages are involved in various immune inflammatory disease conditions. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of macrophages in regulating acute intestinal injury in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). METHODS: CD68, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3), cysteine aspartate-specific protease-1 (caspase-1), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in paraffin sections of intestinal tissues from NEC and control patients were detected with immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blot. Hypertonic pet milk, hypoxia and cold stimulation were used to establish a mouse (wild type and Nlrp3-/-) model of NEC. The mouse macrophage (RAW 264.7) and rat intestinal epithelial cell-6 lines were also cultured followed by various treatments. Macrophages, intestinal epithelial cell injuries, and IL-1ß release were determined. RESULTS: Compared to the gut "healthy" patients, the intestinal lamina propria of NEC patients had high macrophage infiltration and high NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1ß levels. Furthermore, in vivo, the survival rate of Nlrp3-/- NEC mice was dramatically improved, the proportion of intestinal macrophages was reduced, and intestinal injury was decreased compared to those of wild-type NEC mice. NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1ß derived from macrophages or supernatant from cocultures of macrophages and intestinal epithelial cells also caused intestinal epithelial cell injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Macrophage activation may be essential for NEC development. NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1ß cellular signals derived from macrophages may be the underlying mechanism of NEC development, and all these may be therapeutic targets for developing treatments for NEC.

Association between dietary flavonoid intake and depressive symptoms: A cross-sectional research.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between dietary flavonoid intake and depression symptoms in American adults. METHODS: Data sets were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2017-2018 survey cycles. Both males and females aged 18 years and older with complete information about dietary flavonoid intake (isoflavones, anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavanones, flavones, and flavonols), depression symptoms, and covariates were included. Logistic regression models were conducted to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of single dietary flavonoid subclass intake on depression, and the restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were utilized to explore the corresponding dose-response relationships. Additionally, we implemented the weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and quantile g-computation (qgcomp) models to estimate the mixed effects of six flavonoid subclasses and identify the predominant types. RESULTS: After multivariable adjustments, people with higher consumption of flavanones (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.52-0.90, p = 0.008), flavones (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.46-0.87, p = 0.007), flavonols (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.49-0.89, p = 0.008), and total flavonoids (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50-0.95, p = 0.024) had lower odds of depression symptoms. Meanwhile, significant dose-response relationships were supported by the RCS models. However, no obvious associations between isoflavones, anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, and the odds of suffering from depression symptoms were found by the logistic regression models and RCS models. As for the mixed effect, the WQS and qgcomp models both demonstrated that the mixture of six flavonoid subclasses was inversely related to the odds ratios of depression symptoms, and flavones, flavanones, and anthocyanidins were the top 3 contributors. CONCLUSION: Our study implied dietary flavonoid intake was associated with the decreased probability of depression symptoms in U.S. adults, among which flavones, flavanones, and anthocyanidins may occupy the predominant roles.

Relationship between dietary carotenoid intake and sleep duration in American adults: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between dietary carotenoid intake and sleep duration. METHODS: Adults enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2018 without missing information on dietary carotenoid intake (α-carotene, ß-carotene, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthin), sleep duration, and covariates were included. Participants' carotenoid consumption was divided into three groups by quartiles and sleep duration was grouped as short (< 7 h/night), optimal (7-8 h/night), and long (> 8 h/night). Multinominal logistic regression was constructed to examine the association between dietary carotenoid intake and sleep duration. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression was further utilized to explore their dose-response relationship. The weighted quantile sum (WQS) model was adopted to calculate the mixed and individual effect of 5 carotenoid sub-types on sleep duration. RESULTS: Multinominal logistic regression presented that people with higher intakes of α-carotene, ß-carotene, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthin were less likely to sleep too short or too long. Consistent with the findings from multinominal logistic regression, the RCS models suggested a reverse U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and carotenoid intakes. The mixed effects were also significant, where ß-cryptoxanthin and lutein + zeaxanthin were the top 2 contributors associated with the decreased risks of short sleep duration, while ß-carotene, α-carotene, and ß-cryptoxanthin were the main factors related to the lower risk of long sleep duration. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that the American adults with optimal sleep duration were associated with more dietary carotenoid intake, in comparison to short or long sleepers.

Accurate prediction of biliary atresia with an integrated model using MMP-7 levels and bile acids.

BACKGROUND: Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare fatal liver disease in children, and the aim of this study was to develop a method to diagnose BA early. METHODS: We determined serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), the results of 13 liver tests, and the levels of 20 bile acids, and integrated computational models were constructed to diagnose BA. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated that MMP-7 expression levels, as well as the results of four liver tests and levels of ten bile acids, were significantly different between 86 BA and 59 non-BA patients (P < 0.05). The computational prediction model revealed that MMP-7 levels alone had a higher predictive accuracy [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.966, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.942, 0.989] than liver test results and bile acid levels. The AUC was 0.890 (95% CI 0.837, 0.943) for liver test results and 0.825 (95% CI 0.758, 0.892) for bile acid levels. Furthermore, bile levels had a higher contribution to enhancing the predictive accuracy of MMP-7 levels (AUC = 0.976, 95% CI 0.953, 1.000) than liver test results. The AUC was 0.983 (95% CI 0.962, 1.000) for MMP-7 levels combined with liver test results and bile acid levels. In addition, we found that MMP-7 levels were highly correlated with gamma-glutamyl transferase levels and the liver fibrosis score. CONCLUSION: The innovative integrated models based on a large number of indicators provide a noninvasive and cost-effective approach for accurately diagnosing BA in children. Video Abstract (MP4 142103 KB).

Transcriptome analysis reveals pituitary lncRNA, circRNA and mRNA affecting fertility in high- and low-yielding goats.

The pituitary gland serves as the central endocrine regulator of growth, reproduction, and metabolism and plays a crucial role in the reproductive process of female animals. Transcriptome analysis was conducted using pituitary gland samples from Leizhou goats with varying levels of fecundity to investigate the effects of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), circular RNA (circRNA), and mRNA regulation on pituitary hormone secretion and its association with goat fecundity. The analysis aimed to identify lncRNAs, circRNAs, and mRNAs that influence the fertility of Leizhou goats. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on differentially expressed lncRNAs, circRNAs, and mRNAs and revealed considerable enrichment in pathways, such as regulation of hormone secretion, germ cell development, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion. The pituitary lncRNAs (ENSCHIT00000010293, ENSCHIT00000010304, ENSCHIT00000010306, ENSCHIT00000010290, ENSCHIT00000010298, ENSCHIT00000006769, ENSCHIT00000006767, ENSCHIT00000006921, and ENSCHIT00000001330) and circRNAs (chicirc_029285, chicirc_026618, chicirc_129655, chicirc_018248, chicirc_122554, chicirc_087101, and chicirc_078945) identified as differentially expressed regulated hormone secretion in the pituitary through their respective host genes. Additionally, differential mRNAs (GABBR2, SYCP1, HNF4A, CBLN1, and CDKN1A) influenced goat fecundity by affecting hormone secretion in the pituitary gland. These findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying pituitary regulation of fecundity in Leizhou goats.

Advances in the Discovery and Engineering of Gene Targets for Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Recombinant Strains.

Carotenoids are naturally occurring pigments that are abundant in the natural world. Due to their excellent antioxidant attributes, carotenoids are widely utilized in various industries, including the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries, and others. Plants, algae, and microorganisms are presently the main sources for acquiring natural carotenoids. However, due to the swift progress in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, along with the continuous and thorough investigation of carotenoid biosynthetic pathways, recombinant strains have emerged as promising candidates to produce carotenoids. The identification and manipulation of gene targets that influence the accumulation of the desired products is a crucial challenge in the construction and metabolic regulation of recombinant strains. In this review, we provide an overview of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, followed by a summary of the methodologies employed in the discovery of gene targets associated with carotenoid production. Furthermore, we focus on discussing the gene targets that have shown potential to enhance carotenoid production. To facilitate future research, we categorize these gene targets based on their capacity to attain elevated levels of carotenoid production.