Study of iodine transport and thyroid hormone levels in the human placenta under different iodine nutritional status.

Iodine and thyroid hormones (TH) transport in the placenta are essential for fetal growth and development, but there is little research focus on the human placenta. The research aimed to investigate iodine and TH transport mechanisms in the human placenta. The placenta was collected from sixty healthy pregnant women. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), serum iodine concentration (SIC), placenta iodine storage (PIS) and the concentration of serum and placenta TH were examined. Five pregnant women were selected as insufficient intake (II), adequate intake (AI) and above requirements intake (ARI) groups. Localisation/expression of placental sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) and Pendrin were also studied. Results showed that PIS positively correlated with the UIC (R = 0·58, P < 0·001) and SIC (R = 0·55, P < 0·001), and PIS was higher in the ARI group than that in the AI group (P = 0·017). NIS in the ARI group was higher than that in the AI group on the maternal side of the placenta (P < 0·05). NIS in the II group was higher than that in the AI group on the fetal side (P < 0·05). In the II group, NIS on the fetal side was higher than on the maternal side (P < 0·05). Pendrin was higher in the II group than in the AI group on the maternal side (P < 0·05). Free triiodothyronine (r = 0·44, P = 0·0067) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (r = 0·75, P < 0·001) between maternal and fetal side is positively correlated. This study suggests that maternal iodine intake changes the expression of NIS and Pendrin, thereby affecting PIS. Serum TH levels were not correlated with placental TH levels.

Mechanism of multi-organ compensation under different iodine intake in pregnant rats: results from a repeated-measures study of iodine metabolism.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the differences in iodine metabolism and expression of NIS and Pendrin in pregnant rats under different iodine nutritional status. METHODS: Female Wistar rats were divided into four groups: low iodine (LI), normal iodine (NI), ten fold high iodine (10HI), and fifty fold high iodine (50HI). The intervention began after one week of adaptive feeding. Iodine metabolism experiments were performed beginning on the 15th day of pregnancy. 24-h iodine intake and excretion were calculated. The concentrations of iodine in urine, fecal, thyroid, and placenta were measured by ICP-MS. PCR and Western Blot were used to detect the mRNA levels and cell membrane protein of sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) and Pendrin in the small intestine, thyroid, kidney, and placenta. RESULTS: Fecal iodine excretion (FIE) and urinary iodine excretion (UIE) in the 50HI group were significantly higher than those in the NI group (P < 0.05). The NIS protein and mRNA in the kidney and small intestine have an upward trend in iodine deficiency and a downward trend in iodine excess. Thyroid and placental iodine storage in the 50HI group were significantly higher than those in the NI group (P < 0.05). NIS, Pendrin protein, and mRNA in the thyroid and placenta tend to increase when iodine is deficient and decrease when there is excess. CONCLUSION: Iodine excretion and iodine stores in the placenta and thyroid gland are positively correlated with iodine intake. NIS and Pendrin are also regulated by iodine intake.

The closed-loop control method based on dual-port adaptive internal model control for fine image stabilization of space telescopes.

In view of the complex working environment of space astronomical telescopes, the influence of various disturbance sources on the imaging quality cannot be ignored. This paper focuses on compensating for the space telescope line-of-sight (LOS) deviation and suppressing the low-frequency disturbance problem in astronomical observation. A closed-loop control method based on dual-port adaptive internal model control (AIMC) for the fine image stabilization system (FISS) was proposed. To be specific, the fine guidance sensor (FGS) as the high-precision detection unit of the FISS calculates the telescope LOS deviation and sends it to the controller unit in real time. The controller unit drives the large-aperture fast steering mirror (FSM), which performs high-precision two-dimensional rotation to compensate for the telescope LOS deviation, according to the dual-port AIMC control algorithm. Moreover, the dual-port AIMC control method adds an AIMC loop on the basis of the feedback loop and adjusts the filter parameters adaptively according to the target angular velocity of the FSM, achieving higher disturbance suppression capability. The experimental results verify that the control method proposed can effectively compensate for the LOS deviation and suppress the composite frequency disturbance. In the 0-8 Hz frequency band, the power spectral density integral values of the star centroid deviation in the X and Y directions of the FGS are, respectively, suppressed by 97.38% and 98.38%.

GC-biased gene conversion drives accelerated evolution of ultraconserved elements in mammalian and avian genomes.

Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) are the most conserved regions among the genomes of evolutionarily distant species and are thought to play critical biological functions. However, some UCEs rapidly evolved in specific lineages, and whether they contributed to adaptive evolution is still controversial. Here, using an increased number of sequenced genomes with high taxonomic coverage, we identified 2191 mammalian UCEs and 5938 avian UCEs from 95 mammal and 94 bird genomes, respectively. Our results show that these UCEs are functionally constrained and that their adjacent genes are prone to widespread expression with low expression diversity across tissues. Functional enrichment of mammalian and avian UCEs shows different trends indicating that UCEs may contribute to adaptive evolution of taxa. Focusing on lineage-specific accelerated evolution, we discover that the proportion of fast-evolving UCEs in nine mammalian and 10 avian test lineages range from 0.19% to 13.2%. Notably, up to 62.1% of fast-evolving UCEs in test lineages are much more likely to result from GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC). A single cervid-specific gBGC region embracing the uc.359 allele significantly alters the expression of Nova1 and other neural-related genes in the rat brain. Combined with the altered regulatory activity of ancient gBGC-induced fast-evolving UCEs in eutherians, our results provide evidence that synergy between gBGC and selection shaped lineage-specific substitution patterns, even in the most constrained regulatory elements. In summary, our results show that gBGC played an important role in facilitating lineage-specific accelerated evolution of UCEs, and further support the idea that a combination of multiple evolutionary forces shapes adaptive evolution.

Structural variation and introgression from wild populations in East Asian cattle genomes confer adaptation to local environment.

BACKGROUND: Structural variations (SVs) in individual genomes are major determinants of complex traits, including adaptability to environmental variables. The Mongolian and Hainan cattle breeds in East Asia are of taurine and indicine origins that have evolved to adapt to cold and hot environments, respectively. However, few studies have investigated SVs in East Asian cattle genomes and their roles in environmental adaptation, and little is known about adaptively introgressed SVs in East Asian cattle. RESULTS: In this study, we examine the roles of SVs in the climate adaptation of these two cattle lineages by generating highly contiguous chromosome-scale genome assemblies. Comparison of the two assemblies along with 18 Mongolian and Hainan cattle genomes obtained by long-read sequencing data provides a catalog of 123,898 nonredundant SVs. Several SVs detected from long reads are in exons of genes associated with epidermal differentiation, skin barrier, and bovine tuberculosis resistance. Functional investigations show that a 108-bp exonic insertion in SPN may affect the uptake of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by macrophages, which might contribute to the low susceptibility of Hainan cattle to bovine tuberculosis. Genotyping of 373 whole genomes from 39 breeds identifies 2610 SVs that are differentiated along a "north-south" gradient in China and overlap with 862 related genes that are enriched in pathways related to environmental adaptation. We identify 1457 Chinese indicine-stratified SVs that possibly originate from banteng and are frequent in Chinese indicine cattle. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the unique contribution of SVs in East Asian cattle to environmental adaptation and disease resistance.

A sheep pangenome reveals the spectrum of structural variations and their effects on tail phenotypes.

Structural variations (SVs) are a major contributor to genetic diversity and phenotypic variations, but their prevalence and functions in domestic animals are largely unexplored. Here we generated high-quality genome assemblies for 15 individuals from genetically diverse sheep breeds using Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) high-fidelity sequencing, discovering 130.3 Mb nonreference sequences, from which 588 genes were annotated. A total of 149,158 biallelic insertions/deletions, 6531 divergent alleles, and 14,707 multiallelic variations with precise breakpoints were discovered. The SV spectrum is characterized by an excess of derived insertions compared to deletions (94,422 vs. 33,571), suggesting recent active LINE expansions in sheep. Nearly half of the SVs display low to moderate linkage disequilibrium with surrounding single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and most SVs cannot be tagged by SNP probes from the widely used ovine 50K SNP chip. We identified 865 population-stratified SVs including 122 SVs possibly derived in the domestication process among 690 individuals from sheep breeds worldwide. A novel 168-bp insertion in the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of HOXB13 is found at high frequency in long-tailed sheep. Further genome-wide association study and gene expression analyses suggest that this mutation is causative for the long-tail trait. In summary, we have developed a panel of high-quality de novo assemblies and present a catalog of structural variations in sheep. Our data capture abundant candidate functional variations that were previously unexplored and provide a fundamental resource for understanding trait biology in sheep.

Effects of maternal iodine nutritional status on neurodevelopmental and cognitive function of rat offspring.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effect of maternal iodine status on the brain development of offspring in rats. Since in human studies, the interference of environmental factors and other nutrients cannot be removed. Materials and methods: A total of 48 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: low iodine (LI), normal iodine (NI), 10-fold high iodine (10HI), and 50-fold high iodine (50HI). The rats were killed on the 15th day of pregnancy and lactation after collecting 24-h urine. The iodine concentration in 24-h urine, blood, and placenta of pregnant rats, and 24-h urine, milk, blood, and mammary glands of lactating rats was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The thyroid hormone of pregnant and lactating rats was detected by chemiluminescence. The offspring were subjected to the Morris water maze on the 10th day after birth. Serum was collected to detect the thyroid hormone of offspring. The protein expression of neuroendocrine-specific protein (NSP)-A and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the offspring brain were studied. Results: Iodine storage in the placenta during pregnancy and mammary glands during lactation was positively correlated with iodine intake, and iodine storage in the placenta and mammary glands in the 50HI group was significantly higher than that in the NI group (P = 0.045 and P = 0.040). Compared with the NI group, the offspring thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level was significantly higher in the 10HI group (P = 0.046), and the FT4 level was significantly lower in the 50HI group (P = 0.032). The Morris water maze showed that LI and 50HI groups required longer time and distance to find the platform than the NI group (P < 0.001). The platform crossing numbers in the LI and 50HI groups decreased significantly (P < 0.001). The expression of NSP-A in offspring brain was lower in the 10HI and 50HI groups than in the NI group (P = 0.026 and P = 0,008). BDNF expression levels were significantly lower in the LI, 10HI, and 50HI groups than in the NI group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Maternal iodine intake affects iodine storage in the placenta and lactating mammary gland, which in turn affects thyroid function and BDNF and NSP-A expression in the offspring.

Mechanisms of Sodium/Iodide Symporter-Mediated Mammary Gland Iodine Compensation during Lactation.

This research aimed to investigate the compensation mechanism of iodine deficiency and excess in the mammary gland during lactation. Female rats were divided into the low iodine group (LI), the normal iodine group (NI), the 10-fold high iodine group (10HI) and the 50-fold high iodine group (50HI). We measured the iodine levels in the urine, blood, milk, and mammary gland. The protein expression of sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), DPAGT1, and valosin-containing protein (VCP) in the mammary gland was also studied. The 24-hour urinary iodine concentration, serum total iodine concentration, serum non-protein-bound iodine concentration, breast milk iodine concentration, and mammary gland iodine content in the 50HI group were significantly higher than those in the NI group (p < 0.05). Compared with the NI group, NIS expression in the 50HI group significantly decreased (p < 0.05). DAPGT1 expression was significantly higher in the LI group than in the NI group (p < 0.05). The expression level of VCP was significantly increased in the 10HI and 50HI groups. In conclusion, milk iodine concentration is positively correlated with iodine intake, and the lactating mammary gland regulates the glycosylation and degradation of NIS by regulating DPAGT1 and VCP, thus regulating milk iodine level. However, the mammary gland has a limited role in compensating for iodine deficiency and excess.

Modification of alternative splicing in bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos using engineered CRISPR-Cas13d.

Animal cloning can be achieved by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), but the resulting live birth rate is relatively low. We previously improved the efficiency of bovine SCNT by exogenous melatonin treatment or by overexpression of lysine-specific demethylase 4D (KDM4D) and 4E (KDM4E). In this study, we revealed abundant alternative splicing (AS) transitions during fertilization and embryonic genome activation, and demonstrated abnormal AS in bovine SCNT embryos compared with in vitro fertilized embryos. We used the CRISPR-Cas13d RNA-targeting system to target cis-elements of ABI2 and ZNF106 pre-mRNA to modify AS, thus reducing the ratio of abnormal-isoform SCNT embryos by nearly 50% and achieving a high survival rate (11%-19%). These results indicate that this system may provide an efficient method for bovine cloning, while also paving the way for further improvements in the efficiency of SCNT.

Adaptive compound control based on generalized Bouc-Wen inverse hysteresis modeling in piezoelectric actuators.

This paper focuses on the study of the dynamic hysteresis compensation and control of piezoelectric actuators so as to improve the swing accuracy of the piezoelectric fast steering mirror mechanism in the photoelectric compound-axis control system. Moreover, in view of the rate dependence and asymmetry of piezoelectric hysteresis, and the complex inversion process of the generalized Bouc-Wen hysteresis model, the Hammerstein dynamic inverse hysteresis model of the piezoelectric actuator is established. To be specific, the static nonlinearity and rate dependence of the piezoelectric inverse hysteresis are represented by the generalized Bouc-Wen inverse model and the auto-regressive exogenous model, respectively, and the parameters of the model are identified by the adaptive beetle swarm optimization algorithm. In the process of the open-loop feedforward compensation, the dynamic positioning accuracy of the piezoelectric actuator is greatly affected by various disturbances and the uncertainty of the hysteresis compensation model. In this context, a compound control strategy that combines the feedforward compensation with the single-neuron adaptive proportion-integration-differentiation control is proposed based on the Hammerstein dynamic inverse hysteresis model of the piezoelectric actuator. The experimental results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control strategy.

Establishment of an Efficient Immortalization Strategy Using HMEJ-Based bTERT Insertion for Bovine Cells.

Immortalized cell lines have been used in a wide range of applications in research on immune disorders and cellular metabolic regulation due to the stability and uniformity of their cellular characteristics. At present, the investigation into molecular functions and signaling pathways within bovine cells remains largely limited by the lack of immortalized model cells. Current methods for immortalizing bovine cells are mainly restricted to the ectopic expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) through transient transfection or virus-mediated delivery, which have defects in efficiency and reliability. In this study, we identified bovine TERT (bTERT) as a novel potent biofactor for immortalizing bovine cells with great advantages over hTERT, and established an efficient and easily manipulated strategy for the immortalization of bovine primary cells. Through the homology-mediated end-joining-based insertion of bTERT at the ROSA26 locus, we successfully generated immortalized bovine fetal fibroblast cell lines with stable characteristics. The observed limitation of this strategy in immortalizing bovine bone marrow-derived macrophages was attributed to the post-translational modification of bTERT, causing inhibited nuclear localization and depressed activity of bTERT in this terminally differentiated cell. In summary, we constructed an innovative method to achieve the high-quality immortalization of bovine primary cells, thereby expanding the prospects for the future application of immortalized bovine model cell lines.

HMEJ-based safe-harbor genome editing enables efficient generation of cattle with increased resistance to tuberculosis.

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been used in a wide range of applications in the production of gene-edited animals and plants. Most efforts to insert genes have relied on homology-directed repair (HDR)-mediated integration, but this strategy remains inefficient for the production of gene-edited livestock, especially monotocous species such as cattle. Although efforts have been made to improve HDR efficiency, other strategies have also been proposed to circumvent these challenges. Here we demonstrate that a homology-mediated end-joining (HMEJ)-based method can be used to create gene-edited cattle that displays precise integration of a functional gene at the ROSA26 locus. We found that the HMEJ-based method increased the knock-in efficiency of reporter genes by eightfold relative to the traditional HDR-based method in bovine fetal fibroblasts. Moreover, we identified the bovine homology of the mouse Rosa26 locus that is an accepted genomic safe harbor and produced three live-born gene-edited cattle with higher rates of pregnancy and birth, compared with previous work. These gene-edited cattle exhibited predictable expression of the functional gene natural resistance-associated macrophage protein-1 (NRAMP1), a metal ion transporter that should and, in our experiments does, increase resistance to bovine tuberculosis, one of the most detrimental zoonotic diseases. This research contributes to the establishment of a safe and efficient genome editing system and provides insights for gene-edited animal breeding.

The Value of Photo Biological Regulation Based on Nano Semiconductor Laser Technology in the Treatment of Hypertension Fundus Disease.

With the development of nanometer semiconductor laser technology, due to the wide range of photobiological regulation and non-invasive advantages, it is widely used in clinical research, including reducing pain, accelerating wound healing, nerve injury repair and regeneration. Increase tissue blood flow, improve anxiety and depression, and treat Parkinson's and retinal diseases. However, in many studies, the role of photobiological regulation is still controversial. There are two main problems, one is that the mechanism of photo biological regulation is not fully understood, and the other is that the specific parameters are not uniform in different treatments, such as wavelength density, power density, pulse, treatment timing, and number of treatments. In this paper, through the second question, the parameters of low-energy near-infrared light (810 nm semiconductor laser) in the treatment of fundus diseases are the main research objects. Based on understanding the parameters of low-energy lasers, cyan blue is irradiated with different energy near-infrared light. Data analysis of the actual energy obtained after the retina of the rabbit and observation and research on the cell morphology of each layer of the retina, to obtain relatively safe treatment parameters for the retina, provide theoretical data for near-infrared light in the treatment of clinical fundus disease, and make it safer to use in clinical treatment.

CircRNA Circ_0001721 Promotes the Progression of Osteosarcoma Through miR-372-3p/MAPK7 Axis.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common bone tumor. Many studies have reported that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an important role in the development of a variety of human cancers. However, the underlying mechanism of circ_0001721 in regulating osteosarcoma progression remains unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the levels of circ_0001721, miR-372-3p, and mitogen-activated protein kinase 7 (MAPK7) in osteosarcoma tissues and cells. Besides, glycolysis was investigated by glucose consumption, lactate production and hexokinase II (HK2) protein level. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and flow cytometry, separately. Cell migration and invasion were determined by transwell assay. Moreover, the protein levels of HK2 and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were determined by Western blot analysis. The relationship between miR-372-3p and circ_0001721 or MAPK7 was predicated by starbase v3.0 and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay or RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Murine xenograft model was established to investigate the role of circ_0001721 in vivo. RESULTS: The levels of circ_0001721 and MAPK7 were upregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cells, while miR-372-3p was downregulated. Knockdown of circ_0001721 inhibited glycolysis, cell proliferation, cell migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and promoted apoptosis. Circ_0001721 was validated as a sponge of miR-372-3p and mediated glycolysis, cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and EMT of osteosarcoma cells through miR-372-3p. MAPK7 was a target of miR-372-3p and overexpression of MAPK7 attenuated anti-cancer role of miR-372-3p in OS cells. Further studies revealed that circ_0001721 regulates MAPK7 expression via sponging miR-372-3-p. Finally, knockdown of circ_0001721 inhibited tumor progression in vivo. CONCLUSION: Circ_0001721 promoted osteosarcoma development through the miR-372-3p/MAPK7 axis.

[Relationship between obesity and lumbar disc herniation in adolescents].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between obesity and lumbar disc herniation in adolescents. METHODS: From January 2018 to July 2019, 581 patients (337 males, 244 females) with lumbar disc herniation were included in the surgical treatment. According to the age classification standard of the World Health Organization, they were divided into two groups:the adolescent group, 235 cases (145 males, 90 females), age 14 to 44 years old with an average of (32.2±7.3) years. The middle-aged and elderly group, 346 cases (192 males, 154 females), age 45 to 85 years old with an average age of (58.7± 9.8) years. At the time of admission, the same trained investigator measured height, waist circumference and hip circumference with tape measure and weight with electronic scale. All the data were measured twice and the average value was taken and recorded. The body mass index and the waist-hip ratio were calculated. According to each parameter standard, the patients were divided into normal, overweight and obese. The proportion of obese people in different age groups was calculated and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The normal of the BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio of the young patients were 78(33.2%), 91 (38.7%) and 85(36.2%) respectively;104(44.3%), 95(40.4%), 99(42.1%) were overweight, 53(22.5%), 49(20.9%), 51 (21.7%) were obese. The normal of the BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio of the middle-aged and old patients were 145 (41.9%), 138 (39.9%) and 147 ( 42.5%) respectively;153 (44.2%), 162 (46.8%), 155 (44.8%) were overweight, 48 (13.9%), 46 (13.3%), 44 (12.7%) were obese. Among the three parameters, the proportion of obese people in the adolescent group was higher than that in the middle-aged group, and the difference was significant (χ2 was 8.836, 6.228 7, 8.536 3 respectively, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: For adolescent patients, obesity may increase the load of lumbar disc, affect its metabolism and accelerate its degeneration. For adolescent, obesity is a more significant risk factor of lumbar disc herniation, so it is more important to control weight and prevent obesity in adolescent to reduce the incidence of lumbar disc herniation.

Vapocoolant spray versus placebo spray/no treatment for reducing pain from intravenous cannulation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous cannulation is a routine procedure in hospitalized patients, and pain can occur during the cannulation process. Vapocoolant spray is an advantageous analgesic alternative for intravenous cannula insertion. OBJECTIVES: The objective of our meta-analysis is to compare the effectiveness of vapocoolant spray and placebo spray/no treatment for pain reduction during intravenous cannulation. DESIGN: A meta-analysis to identify evidence from randomized controlled trials. METHODS: We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data for publications before January 2018. The outcomes measured included pain during intravenous cannulation, patients' anxiety due to the spray, first attempt success rate, technical ease of the attempt, adverse events, and participant satisfaction. RESULTS: We included 11 studies with 1410 patients. The meta-analysis results showed that vapocoolant spray significantly decreased pain during intravenous cannulation compared with placebo spray or no treatment in both adults and children. In addition, vapocoolant spray significantly increased the technical ease of the attempt and participants' satisfaction. However, patients' anxiety due to spray, first attempt success rate, and adverse events were not associated with vapocoolant spray. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that vapocoolant spray significantly decreased pain during intravenous cannulation when compared with placebo spray or no treatment in both adults and children. We recommend the use of vapocoolant spray during intravenous cannulation to decrease pain. Future research may help to unify pain measurement standards. Patients' anxiety due to spray and technical ease of the attempt should be explored in future research.

MicroRNA-27b Modulates Inflammatory Response and Apoptosis during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses a significant global health threat. MicroRNAs play an important role in regulating host anti-mycobacterial defense; however, their role in apoptosis-mediated mycobacterial elimination and inflammatory response remains unclear. In this study, we explored the role of microRNA-27b (miR-27b) in murine macrophage responses to M. tuberculosis infection. We uncovered that the TLR-2/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway induced the expression of miR-27b and miR-27b suppressed the production of proinflammatory factors and the activity of NF-κB, thereby avoiding an excessive inflammation during M. tuberculosis infection. Luciferase reporter assay and Western blotting showed that miR-27b directly targeted Bcl-2-associated athanogene 2 (Bag2) in macrophages. Overexpression of Bag2 reversed miR-27b-mediated inhibition of the production of proinflammatory factors. In addition, miR-27b increased p53-dependent cell apoptosis and the production of reactive oxygen species and decreased the bacterial burden. We also showed that Bag2 interacts with p53 and negatively regulates its activity, thereby controlling cell apoptosis and facilitating bacterial survival. In summary, we revealed a novel role of the miR-27b/Bag2 axis in the regulation of inflammatory response and apoptosis and provide a potential molecular host defense mechanism against mycobacteria.

H3K9 demethylase KDM4E is an epigenetic regulator for bovine embryonic development and a defective factor for nuclear reprogramming.

Aberrant epigenetic reprogramming often results in developmental defects in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos during embryonic genome activation (EGA). Bovine eight-cell SCNT embryos exhibit global hypermethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 tri- and di-methylation (H3K9me3/2), but the intrinsic reason for this remains elusive. Here, we provide evidence that two H3K9 demethylase genes, lysine-specific demethylase 4D (KDM4D) and 4E (KDM4E), are related to active H3K9me3/2 demethylation in in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos and are deficiently expressed in cloned embryos at the time of EGA. Moreover, KDM4E plays a more crucial role in IVF and SCNT embryonic development, and overexpression of KDM4E can restore the global transcriptome, improve blastocyst formation and increase the cloning efficiency of SCNT embryos. Our results thereby indicate that KDM4E can function as a crucial epigenetic regulator of EGA and as an internal defective factor responsible for persistent H3K9me3/2 barriers to SCNT-mediated reprogramming. Furthermore, we show that interactions between RNA and KDM4E are essential for H3K9 demethylation during EGA. These observations advance the understanding of incomplete nuclear reprogramming and are of great importance for transgenic cattle procreation.

Single Cas9 nickase induced generation of NRAMP1 knockin cattle with reduced off-target effects.

BACKGROUND: The CRISPR-Cas9 system is a widely utilized platform for transgenic animal production in various species, although its off-target effects should be addressed. Several applications of this tool have been proposed in model animals but remain insufficient for transgenic livestock production. RESULTS: Here, we report the first application of single Cas9 nickase (Cas9n) to induce gene insertion at a selected locus in cattle. We identify the main binding sites of a catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) protein in bovine fetal fibroblast cells (BFFs) with chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq). Subsequently, we demonstrate that a single Cas9n-induced single-strand break can stimulate the insertion of the natural resistance-associated macrophage protein-1 (NRAMP1) gene with reduced, but still considerable, off-target effects. Through somatic cell nuclear transfer, we finally obtain transgenic cattle with increased resistance to tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results contribute to the development of CRISPR-Cas9 system for agriculture applications.

The status of professional identity and professional self-efficacy of nursing students in China and how the medical documentaries affect them: A quasi-randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Professional identity and self-efficacy are important for the education and career development of students. However, how to improve these factors among Chinese nursing students needs further study. This quasi-randomized control trial was designed to explore the effect of medical documentaries on professional self-efficacy and identity among nursing students in Chinese technical schools. METHODS: A total of 277 nursing students were enrolled in this study and divided into an experimental group (n = 135) and a control group (n = 142). The experimental group was invited to watch Chinese medical documentaries, whereas the control group remained on a waiting list. A self-designed general questionnaire, along with professional identity and professional self-efficacy questionnaires, was completed by the nursing students. RESULTS: No significant change in professional self-efficacy was observed (-3.55 ± 14.23, P = 0.173) in the experimental group, while professional identity significantly declined (-6.24 ± 12.85, P = 0.002) after the intervention. No significant change was found in the two aspects in the control group. CONCLUSION: Medical documentaries negatively affect professional identity but do not affect professional self-efficacy. Further researches should be conducted to explore the real reasons.