Atomic Layer Deposition of TiO2 on Si Window Enables In Situ ATR-SEIRAS Measurements in Strong Alkaline Electrolytes.

The Si window is the most widely used internal reflection element (IRE) for electrochemical attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS), yet local chemical etching on Si by concentrated OH- anions bottlenecks the reliable application of this method in strong alkaline electrolytes. In this report, atomic layer deposition of a 25 nm nonconductive TiO2 barrier layer on the reflecting plane of a Si prism is demonstrated to address this challenge. In situ ATR-SEIRAS measurement on a Au film electrode with the Si/TiO2 composite IRE in 1 M NaOH reveals reversible global spectral features without spectral distortion at 1000-1300 cm-1, in stark contrast to those obtained with a bare Si window. By applying this structured ATR-SEIRAS, ethanol electrooxidation on a Pt/C catalyst in 1 and 5 M NaOH is explored, manifesting that such high pH values prevent the adsorption of as-formed acetate in the C2 pathway but not that of CO intermediate in the C1 pathway.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel benzimidazole derivatives as anti-cervical cancer agents through PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and tubulin inhibition.

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is one of the most attractive therapeutic targets for cervical cancer treatment. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of benzimidazole derivatives and evaluated their anti-cervical cancer activity. Compound 4r exhibited strong antiproliferative activity in different cervical cancer cell lines HeLa, SiHa and Ca Ski, and relative lower cytotoxicity to normal hepatic and renal cell lines LO2 and HEK-293t (IC50 values were at 21.08 µM and 23.96 µM respectively). Its IC50 value was at 3.38 µM to the SiHa cells. Further mechanistic studies revealed that 4r induced apoptosis, arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase, suppressed PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and inhibit the polymerization of tubulin. Molecular docking study suggested that 4r formed key H-bonds action with PI3Kα (PDB ID:8EXU) and tubulin (PDB ID:1SA0). Zebrafish acute toxicity experiments showed that high concentrations of 4r did not cause death or malformation of zebrafish embryos. All these results demonstrated that 4r would be a promising lead candidate for further development of novel PI3K and tubulin dual inhibitors in cervical cancer treatment.

[Simultaneous determination of 43 antibacterials from nine categories in water using automatic sample loading-solid phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

Antibacterials represent a pharmaceutical class that is extensively used and consumed worldwide. The presence of a large number of antibacterial agents in water could result in antibiotic resistance. Thus, the development of a fast, accurate, and high-throughput method to analyze these emerging contaminants in water is necessary. Herein, a method was developed to achieve the simultaneous determination of 43 antibacterials from nine pharmaceutical categories (i.e., sulfonamides, quinolones, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, lincosamides, macrolides, nitroimidazoles, diterpenes, and dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors) in water using automatic sample loading-solid phase extraction (SPE)-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Because the properties of these 43 antibacterials are quite different, the main objective of this work is to develop an extraction procedure that would enable the simultaneous analysis of a wide range of multiclass antibacterials. Given this context, the work presented in this paper optimized the SPE cartridge type, pH, and sample loading amount. Multiresidue extraction was performed as follows. The water samples were filtered through 0.45 µm filter membranes, added with Na2EDTA and NaH2PO4, and pH-adjusted to 2.34 using H3PO4. The solutions were then mixed with the internal standards. An automatic sample loading device fabricated by the authors was used for sample loading, and Oasis HLB cartridges were used for enrichment and purification. The optimized UPLC conditions were as follows: chromatographic column, Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 µm); mobile phases, methanol-acetonitrile (2∶8, v/v) solution containing 0.1% formic acid and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution; flow rate, 0.3 mL/min; injection volume, 10 µL. The compounds were step scanned using an electrospray ionization source in the positive and multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) modes, and analyzed by internal and external standard methods. The results showed that the 43 compounds achieved high linearity in their respective linear ranges, with correlation coefficients (r2) greater than 0.996. The limits of detection (LODs) of the 43 antibacterial agents ranged from 0.004 ng/L to 1.000 ng/L, and their limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.012 ng/L to 3.000 ng/L. The average recoveries ranged from 53.7% to 130.4%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were between 0.9% and 13.2%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of six tap water samples from different districts and six water samples obtained from the Jiangyin section of the Yangtze River and Xicheng Canal. No antibacterial compound was detected in any of the tap water samples, but a total of 20 antibacterial compounds were detected in the river and canal water samples. Among these compounds, sulfamethoxazole showed the highest mass concentrations, ranging from 8.92 to 11.03 ng/L. The types and contents of antibacterials detected in the Xicheng Canal were greater than those found in the Yangtze River, and two kinds of diterpenes, namely tiamulin and valnemulin, were found easily and commonly in water sample. The findings indicate that antibacterial agents are widespread in environmental waters. The developed method is accurate, sensitive, rapid, and suitable for the detection of the 43 antibacterial compounds in water samples.

A 1.1 Mb duplication CNV on chromosome 17 contributes to skeletal muscle development in Boer goats.

The Boer goat is one of the top meat breeds in modern animal husbandry and has attracted widespread attention for its unique growth performance. However, the genetic basis of muscle development in the Boer goat remains obscure. In this study, we identified specific structural variants in the Boer goat based on genome-wide selection signals and analyzed the basis of the molecular heredity of related candidate genes in muscle development. A total of 9 959 autosomal copy number variations (CNVs) were identified through selection signal analysis in 127 goat genomes. Specifically, we confirmed that the highest signal CNV (HSV) was a chromosomal arrangement containing an approximately 1.11 Mb (CHIR17: 60062304-61171840 bp) duplicated fragment inserted in reverse orientation and a 5 362 bp deleted region (CHIR17:60145940-60151302 bp) with overlapping genes (e.g., ARHGAP10, NR3C2, EDNRA, PRMT9, and TMEM184C). The homozygous duplicated HSV genotype (+/+) was found in 96% of Boer goats but was not detected in Eurasian goats and was only detected in 4% of indigenous African goats. The expression network of three candidate genes ( ARHGAP10, NR3C2, and EDNRA) regulating dose transcription was constructed by RNA sequencing. Results indicated that these genes were involved in the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs) and their overexpression significantly increased the expression of SAA3. The HSV of the Boer goat contributed to superior skeletal muscle growth via the dose effects of overlapping genes.

Identification of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs and messenger RNAs involved with muscle development in Dazu black goats through RNA sequencing.

This study aimed to explore the genetic basis of muscle development in goats. The transcriptome dataset for differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of goat muscle at different developmental stages were obtained using RNA-Seq. A total of 447,806,481 and 587,559,465 clean reads in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Dazu black goats between 75d embryonic stage and 1d after birth were generated through Illumina paired-end sequencing, and their mapping rates were 89.82 and 90.99%, respectively. Moreover, 4517 DEGs and 648 DELs were identified, and 4784 lncRNA-mRNA targeting relationships were predicted. Gene function annotation results showed that 4101 DEGs were significantly enriched to 1098 GO terms, and 2014 DEGs were significantly enriched to 40 KEGG pathways, including many GO terms and pathways related to muscle development, such as cell differentiation and Wnt signaling pathway. Then, 10 DELs and 20 DEGs were randomly selected for RT-qPCR verification, and the agreement rate between the verification and RNA-Seq results was 90%, indicating the high reliability of the RNA-Seq data analysis. In conclusion, this study obtained several mRNAs and lncRNAs related to the muscle development of Dazu black goats and identified several targeted regulatory pairs of lncRNA-mRNA. This study may serve as a reference to understand the genetic basis and molecular mechanism of muscle development in goats.

A Catechol-Meter Based on Conventional Personal Glucose Meter for Portable Detection of Tyrosinase and Sodium Benzoate.

In this study, the personal glucose meter (PGM) was first used as a fast and user-friendly meter for analyzing catechol (CA) based on the reduction of the mediator K3[Fe(CN)6] to K4[Fe(CN)6] in the glucose test strip. Then, an easy, low-cost, and convenient PGM-based method for detecting tyrosinase (TYR) activity and sodium benzoate (SBA) was developed on the basis of the TYR-catalyzed reaction. In this method, CA is oxidized to form o-benzoquinone by TYR, thereby reducing the residual amount of CA and the PGM readout. On the other hand, SBA can inhibit the oxidation of CA catalyzed by TYR and increase the residual amount of CA after the enzymatic reaction. Therefore, the activity of TYR is proportional to the difference in the PGM readout of CA, and the concentration of SBA is positively correlated with the residual amount of CA. After the relevant experimental conditions were systematically optimized, the proposed PGM-based method for the detection of TYR and SBA was successfully validated. The liner ranges are 1.0-103.3 U/mL and 6.25-1000 ppm, and the quantification limits are 1.0 U/mL and 6.25 ppm for TYR and SBA, respectively. Moreover, the spiked recovery tests in normal human serum and carbonate beverages (i.e., Cola, Sprite, and Fanta) were performed, and the recoveries (91.6-106.8%) further confirm the applicability of the PGM-based method in real sample analysis.

Multicolor colorimetric assay for copper ion detection based on the etching of gold nanorods.

An effective, selective, and multicolor colorimetric assay for Cu2+ detection based on the regulation of peroxidase-like nanozyme-mediated etching of gold nanorods (Au NRs) is proposed. Cu2+-creatinine complex is selected as the nanozyme that exhibits excellent peroxidase-like activity even in the case of low concentration of Cu2+, which can catalyze 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to produce oxidized TMB (TMB+) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, and TMB+ is oxidized to generate TMB2+ after adding H+, and the TMB2+ can etch Au NRs. The determination of Cu2+ is achieved based on the blue shift of the longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance peak of Au NRs. Under the optimal conditions, the developed colorimetric assay exhibits high sensitivity for the detection of Cu2+ (limit of detection is 0.034 µM) with a wide linear range of 0.05-4.0 µM (R2 = 0.987). The solution shows a rainbow-like color in response to the increase of Cu2+ concentration, which can realize the semi-quantitative detection of Cu2+ by naked eyes. In addition, the developed method exhibits excellent selectivity for Cu2+-detection. The established method was used for the determination of Cu2+ in lake water, soil, and normal human serum with satisfactory recovery of spiked samples.

A Paper-Based Analytical Device Integrated with Smartphone: Fluorescent and Colorimetric Dual-Mode Detection of ß-Glucosidase Activity.

In this work, indoxyl-glucoside was used as the substrate to develop a cost-effective, paper-based analytical device for the fluorescent and colorimetric dual-mode detection of ß-glucosidase activity through a smartphone. The ß-glucosidase can hydrolyze the colorless substrate indoxyl-glucoside to release indoxyl, which will be self-oxidized to generate green products in the presence of oxygen. Meanwhile, the green products emit bright blue-green fluorescence under ultraviolet-visible light irradiation at 365 nm. Fluorescent or colorimetric images were obtained by a smartphone, and the red-green-blue channels were analyzed by the Adobe Photoshop to quantify the ß-glucosidase activity. Under the optimum conditions, the relative fluorescent and colorimetric signals have a good linear relationship with the activity of ß-glucosidase, in the range of 0.01-1.00 U/mL and 0.25-5.00 U/mL, and the limits of detection are 0.005 U/mL and 0.0668 U/mL, respectively. The activities of ß-glucosidase in a crude almond sample measured by the fluorescent and colorimetric methods were 23.62 ± 0.53 U/mL and 23.86 ± 0.25 U/mL, respectively. In addition, the spiked recoveries of normal human serum and crude almond samples were between 87.5% and 118.0%. In short, the paper-based device, combined with a smartphone, can provide a simple, environmentally friendly, and low-cost method for the fluorescent and colorimetric dual-mode detection of ß-glucosidase activity.

Myocarditis complicated by massive right ventricular thrombus and extensive pulmonary embolism: A case report.

An intracardiac thrombus may develop as a consequence of myocarditis, and in rare cases, a dominantly right ventricular thrombus develops, which may impair cardiac function and even cause life-threatening cardiovascular events. We report a 24-year-old man presented with recurrent episodes of palpitation and precordial discomfort after catching a cold 2 months ago. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) revealed a mass attached to the apex of the right ventricle and extensive bilateral pulmonary artery emboli. There was no indication where the thrombi originated from in this young patient without any underlying disease except myocarditis. Pulmonary endarterectomy and embolectomy of pulmonary arteries and right ventricle were performed. Postoperative pathological results confirmed the presence of fibrinous necrosis and hemosiderin deposition. The formation of an intraventricular thrombus is closely related to myocarditis, which can affect individuals of all ages, but especially young people. Thus, patients with myocarditis should be closely monitored and followed up because of the increased risk of extensive thrombosis.

Aspiration as the first-choice procedure for airway management in an infant with large epiglottic cysts: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Epiglottic cysts is a rare but potentially lethal supraglottic airway pathology in infants due to the high risk of cannot intubation or cannot ventilation. Awake fiberoptic intubation appeared to be the safest technique, but it is very challenging in infants with large epiglottic cysts. Even it has the risk of airway loss. We report that cyst aspiration is an effective treatment as the first-choice procedure for airway management in an infant with large epiglottic cysts. CASE SUMMARY: A 46-day-old male infant weighing 2.3 kg presented to the emergency room with difficulty feeding, worsening stridor, and progressive respiratory distress. Epiglottic cysts was diagnosed, but fibro bronchoscopy examination failed, as the fiberoptic bronchoscope was unable to cross the epiglottic cysts to the trachea. The infant was transferred to the operating room for emergency cystectomy under general anesthesia. Spontaneous respiration was maintained during anesthesia induction, and cyst aspiration was performed as the first procedure for airway management under video laryngoscopy considering that the preoperative fibro bronchoscopy examination failed. Then, the endotracheal tube was intubated successfully. Cystectomy was performed uneventfully, and the infant was safely transferred to the intensive care unit after surgery. The infant was extubated smoothly on the third postoperative day and discharged on the eighth day after surgery. On follow-up 1 year after the surgery, a normal airway was found by fibro bronchoscopy examination. CONCLUSION: Epiglottic cyst aspiration can be considered the first procedure for airway management in infants with large epiglottic cysts.

Electrolyte-Layer-Tunable ATR-SEIRAS for Simultaneous Detection of Adsorbed and Dissolved Species in Electrochemistry.

A balanced detection of both adsorbates and dissolved species is very important for the clarification of the electrochemical reaction mechanism yet remains a major challenge for different modes of electrochemical infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Among others, conventional attenuated total reflection-surface-enhanced IR absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) is far less sensitive to low-concentration solution species than to surface species. We report herein an electrochemical wide-frequency ATR-SEIRAS with a novel thin-layer flow cell design, fulfilling the simultaneous detection of the variations of surface and solution species. This setup consists of a silicon wafer (with one side micromachined and the other side metallized), a thin-layer electrolyte structure with tunable thickness and flow rate, and a tilt-correction system based on laser collimation, enabling a well-controlled mass transport within the electrolyte layer and the spectral differentiation of solution species from adsorbates. Using acidic methanol oxidation on a Pt film electrode as a model system, besides SEIRA bands for adsorbed CO and formate intermediates, IR spectral signals for dissolved products CO2, formic acid, and methyl formate can be readily identified for a quiescent electrolyte layer of ∼20 µm, which are otherwise undetected with conventional ATR-SEIRAS, as indicated by the trend of spectral features with increasing thickness or flow rate.

Advances in the clinical application of oxycodone in the perioperative period.

To review the research progress of pure opioid receptor agonist oxycodone. The research progress of oxycodone in terms of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, adverse reactions, clinical application, combined medication and new progress in clinical application was summarized by referring to the literature. Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic thebaine derivative of opioid alkaloids, and is a pure opioid µ and κ receptor agonist. The main action sites are the central nervous system and visceral smooth muscle. Due to its advantages of low adverse reactions, good analgesic effects, and a wide range of safe doses, the drug has been widely used in the control of acute and chronic postoperative pain, as well as malignant and non-malignant pain. Since the end of the 20th century, researchers have begun to formulate antipyretic analgesics, opioid receptor agonists, opioid receptor antagonists, dopamine receptor antagonists and other drugs with oxycodone in different proportions to enhance the analgesic effect. At the same time, it can reduce the dosage of oxycodone and reduce its adverse reactions, so as to achieve the purpose of limiting opioid abuse. With the continuous research on the efficacy and safety of oxycodone in the perioperative period at home and abroad, oxycodone has become the only dual-opioid potent analgesic that can be used in clinical work.

Genetic basis investigation of wattle phenotype in goat using genome-wide sequence data.

In domestic goats, wattles often appear in even numbers, mostly on the neck and a few under the ear. Goat wattle is composed of ectopic cartilage tissue covered by skin and was reported as a dominant inheritance. Thirty-eight goats from two Southwest Chinese breeds were studied to elucidate the genetic basis of wattle phenotype in goat. Their genomes were sequenced for wide-genome selective sweep analysis (WGSA) and a genome-wide association study (GWAS). The WGSA results revealed 500 candidate genes identified by fixation index and π ratio and 261 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways enriched with 195 genes and 38 significantly enriched KEGG items. In particular, three chondrogenesis-related pathways (Wnt, Hippo and MAPK signaling pathways) were found. Among the 500 genes, 474 were enriched to 2855 Gene Ontology items, and four (BMP2, BMP4, RARA and MSX1) were annotated in the regulation and development of chondrogenesis. Four chondrogenesis-related genes (GREM1, NEDD4, ATG7 and ITGA1) were identified from 519 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with a GWAS above the threshold. Six and 11 SNPs on chromosome 10 are located on GREM1 and NEDD4 respectively, and the highest numbers of SNPs on chromosomes 20 and 22 are located on ITGA1 and ATG7 respectively. All of these genes are related to cartilage development. This study identified a series of genes related to chondroplasia by GWAS and WGSA and presented the possibility that wattle inheritance may be influenced by multiple genes. This work provides a new theoretical understanding of the hereditary basis of wattle phenotype.

Geographical contrasts of Y-chromosomal haplogroups from wild and domestic goats reveal ancient migrations and recent introgressions.

By their paternal transmission, Y-chromosomal haplotypes are sensitive markers of population history and male-mediated introgression. Previous studies identified biallelic single-nucleotide variants in the SRY, ZFY and DDX3Y genes, which in domestic goats identified four major Y-chromosomal haplotypes, Y1A, Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, with a marked geographical partitioning. Here, we extracted goat Y-chromosomal variants from whole-genome sequences of 386 domestic goats (75 breeds) and seven wild goat species, which were generated by the VarGoats goat genome project. Phylogenetic analyses indicated domestic haplogroups corresponding to Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, respectively, whereas Y1A is split into Y1AA and Y1AB. All five haplogroups were detected in 26 ancient DNA samples from southeast Europe or Asia. Haplotypes from present-day bezoars are not shared with domestic goats and are attached to deep nodes of the trees and networks. Haplogroup distributions for 186 domestic breeds indicate ancient paternal population bottlenecks and expansions during migrations into northern Europe, eastern and southern Asia, and Africa south of the Sahara. In addition, sharing of haplogroups indicates male-mediated introgressions, most notably an early gene flow from Asian goats into Madagascar and the crossbreeding that in the 19th century resulted in the popular Boer and Anglo-Nubian breeds. More recent introgressions are those from European goats into the native Korean goat population and from Boer goat into Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe. This study illustrates the power of the Y-chromosomal variants for reconstructing the history of domestic species with a wide geographical range.

Steering the Glycerol Electro-Reforming Selectivity via Cation-Intermediate Interactions.

Electro-reforming of renewable biomass resources is an alternative technology for sustainable pure H2 production. Herein, we discovered an unconventional cation effect on the concurrent formate and H2 production via glycerol electro-reforming. In stark contrast to the cation effect via forming double layers in cathodic reactions, residual cations at the anode were discovered to interact with the glycerol oxidation intermediates to steer its product selectivity. Through a combination of product analysis, transient kinetics, crown ether trapping experiments, in situ IRRAS and DFT calculations, the aldehyde intermediates were discovered to be stabilized by the Li+ cations to favor the non-oxidative C-C cleavage for formate production. The maximal formate efficiency could reach 81.3 % under ≈60 mA cm-2 in LiOH. This work emphasizes the significance of engineering the microenvironment at the electrode-electrolyte interface for efficient electrolytic processes.

Investigating genetic diversity and population phylogeny of five Chongqing local chicken populations autosomal using microsatellites.

The genetic diversity and population structures of five Chongqing local chicken populations were investigated using by 24 microsatellite markers. Results revealed that the mean number of alleles (NA) ranged from 7.08 (Daninghe chicken, DN) to 8.46 (Nanchuan chicken, NC). The highest observed heterozygosity (HO) and expected heterozygosity (HE) were observed in DN (HO = 0.7252; HE = 0.7409) and the lowest HO and HE were observed in XS (Xiushan native chicken [XS], HO = 0.5910 and HE = 0.6697). The inbreeding coefficient (FIS) within population ranged from 0.022 (DN) to 0.119 (XS). Among the 24 microsatellite markers, four loci (MCW0111, MCW0016, ADL0278, and MCW0104) deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in all the studied populations. The results of population polygenetic analysis based on Nei's genetic distance and STRUCTURE software showed that the clustering of the five populations was incomplete consistent with geographical distribution. Moreover, a large number of gene flows were widespread among different populations, suggesting that genetic material exchanges occurred due to human activities and migration which was also verified by PCoA. In summary, this study preliminarily showed that Chongqing local chicken populations had rich genetic diversity and remarkable genetic divergence, but still high risk in conversion. These findings would be useful to the management of conservation strategies and the utilization of local chicken populations in further.

Long noncoding RNA Gas5 induces cell apoptosis and inhibits tumor growth via activating the CHOP-dependent endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells.

In recent years, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be important tumor-associated regulatory factors. LncRNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (Gas5) acts as an anti-oncogene in most cancers. Whether Gas5 acts as an oncogene or anti-oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In the present study, the expression and role of Gas5 in HCC were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Lower expression levels of Gas5 were determined in HCC tissues and cells by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Overexpressed Gas 5 lentiviral vectors were constructed to analyze their influence on cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to identify the subcellular localization of Gas5. Protein complexes that bound to Gas5 were isolated from HepG2 cells through pull-down experiments and analyzed by mass spectrometry. A series of novel Gas5-interacting proteins were identified and bioinformatics analysis was carried out. These included ribosomal proteins, proteins involved in protein folding, sorting, and transportation in the ER, some nucleases and protein enzymes involved in gene transcription, translation, and other proteins with various functions.78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) was identified as a direct target of Gas5 by Rip-qPCR and Western blot analysis assay. Gas5 inhibited HepG2 cell growth and induced cell apoptosis via upregulating CHOP to activate the ER stress signaling pathway. Further studies indicated that the knockdown of CHOP by shRNA partially reversed Gas5-mediated apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the ectopic expression of Gas5 inhibited the growth of HCC in nude mice. These findings suggest that Gas5 functions as a tumor suppressor and induces apoptosis through activation of ER stress by targeting the CHOP signal pathway in HCC.

Genome-wide selective detection of Mile red-bone goat using next-generation sequencing technology.

The ecotype population of goats (Capra hircus) was created by long-term artificial selection and natural adaptation. Mile red-bone goat is an indigenous breed with visible red bones, and its special bone structure has received extensive attention. This study aimed to identify genetic variants and candidate genes associated with specific bone phenotypes using next-generation sequencing technology (NGS). The results revealed that 31,828,206 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained from 72 goats (20 Mile red-bone goats and 52 common goats) by NGS. A total of 100 candidate genes were identified on the basis top 1% window interaction from nucleotide diversity (π), π ratio (π A/π B), and pairwise fixation index (F ST). Exactly 77 known signaling pathways were enriched. Specifically, three coding genes (NMNAT2, LOC102172983, and PNLIP) were annotated in the vitamin metabolism signaling pathways, and NCF2 was annotated to the osteoclast (OC) differentiation pathway. Furthermore, 5862 reliable copy number variations (CNVs) were obtained, and 14 and 24 genes were annotated with the top 1‰ CNV based on F ST (>0.490) and V ST (>0.527), respectively. Several pathways related to bone development and metabolism of exogenous substances in vivo, including calcium signaling pathway, OC differentiation, and glycerophospholipid metabolism, were annotated. Specifically, six genes from 19 candidate CNVs, which were obtained by interaction of the top 1‰ CNVs with F ST and V ST, were annotated to mucin-type O-glycan biosynthesis and metabolic pathways. Briefly, the results implied that pseudopurpurin and specific genetic variants work together to contribute to the red-bone color and specific bone structure of Mile red-bone goat. This study is helpful to understanding the genetic basis of the unique bone phenotype of Mile red-bone goats.

The long-term survival outcomes of gastric cancer patients with total intravenous anesthesia or inhalation anesthesia: a single-center retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the type of anesthesia and the survival outcomes of gastric cancer patients is uncertain. This study compared the overall outcome of gastric cancer patients after surgery with total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) or inhalation anesthesia (IHA). METHODS: Clinicopathological variables of gastric cancer patients were retrieved from the database of the Surgical Gastric Cancer Patient Registry in West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Patients were grouped according to whether they received TIVA or IHA during the operation. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to balance the baseline variables, and survival outcomes were compared between these two groups. In addition, studies comparing survival outcomes between TIVA and IHA used for gastric cancer surgery and published before April 20th, 2020, were identified, and their data were pooled. RESULTS: A total of 2827 patients who underwent surgical treatment from Jan 2009 to Dec 2016 were included. There were 323 patients in the TIVA group and 645 patients in the IHA group, with 1:2 PS matching. There was no significant difference in overall survival outcomes between the TIVA and IHA groups before matching the cohort (p = 0.566) or after matching the cohort (p = 0.679) by log-rank tests. In the Cox hazard regression model, there was no significant difference between the TIVA and IHA groups before (HR: 1.054, 95% CI: 0.881-1.262, p = 0.566) or after (HR: 0.957, 95% CI: 0.779-1.177, p = 0.679) PS matching. The meta-analysis of survival outcomes between the TIVA and IHA groups found critical statistical value in the before PS matching cohort (HR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57-0.96 p < 0.01) and after PS matching cohort (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.46-0.94, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Combined with the results of previous studies, total intravenous anesthesia has been shown to be superior to inhalation anesthesia in terms of overall survival for gastric cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment. The selection of intravenous or inhalation anesthesia for gastric cancer surgery should take into account the long-term prognosis of the patient.