Glucocorticoid receptor expression in the tonsils of children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.

The expression of glucocorticoid receptor-α and -ß (GR-α and GR-ß) in the tonsil tissues of children with and without obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) was evaluated. A total of 30 children with OSAHS who underwent tonsillectomy in the Navy General Hospital from June 2012 to June 2014 were enrolled as the experimental group, and 30 non-OSAHS children were enrolled as the control group. The diagnosis of OSAHS was confirmed by preoperative sleep monitoring. The expression of GR-α and GR-ß in tonsil tissues was detected using western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. GR-α and GR-ß were both expressed in the tonsil tissues of OSAHS and non-OSAHS patients. The expression of GR-α in the tonsil tissues of OSAHS children was significantly lower than that in the tonsil tissues of non-OSAHS children, while the expression of GR-ß in the tonsil tissues was similar between the two groups of children. Since it has been reported that GR-α expression is correlated to glucocorticoid therapy sensitivity, the sensitivity of children with OSAHS to glucocorticoid treatment may be lower than that in children who do not have OSAHS. However, the function of GR in children with OSAHS still requires further investigation.

Association of AGTR1 gene A1166C polymorphism with the risk of heart failure: a meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the A1166C polymorphism in the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) gene and heart failure (HF) risk using meta­analysis. The PubMed database was searched, and data were extracted independently by two reviewers. Odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the associations. Statistical analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software. The results of the meta­analysis showed no significant association between the AT1R A1166C polymorphism and HF risk (AA vs CC: OR = 0.72, 95%CI = 0.31-1.68; AA vs AC: OR = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.52-1.18; dominant model: OR = 1.37, 95%CI = 0.92-2.04; recessive model: OR = 0.73, 95%CI = 0.30-1.75). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the results also showed no significant association between A1166C polymorphism and susceptibility to HF in both Caucasian and Asian populations. In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that the A1166C polymorphism in AT1R may not be associated with susceptibility to HF. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm these conclusions.

Analysis of genetic diversity of salt-tolerant alfalfa germplasms.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA technology was used to analyze the genetic diversity of 25 salt-tolerant alfalfa varieties using 30 different primers. Results showed that the percentage of polymorphic loci between single-plant DNA was 81.52%, and that between mixed DNA of various varieties was 61.65%. Compared to the mixed DNA samples, single-plant DNA samples can better reveal the level of genetic variation among and between alfalfa varieties. The gene differentiation coefficients of 18 Chinese salt-tolerant alfalfa varieties and 7 American salt-tolerant alfalfa varieties were 0.271 and 0.152, respectively, showing that the exchange of genes between Chinese salt-tolerant alfalfa germplasms was more frequent than that of American germplasms. As a topical cross-pollinated plant, the genetic structure of biological populations of alfalfa was directly linked to its breeding system. According to the analysis of genetic distance (GD), 25 varieties can be divided into 9 groups, among which, the GD of Tumu No. 1 and Tumu No. 2 was the shortest (0.148), and the GD of Jieda No. 1 and Tumu was the longest (0.786). The analysis of genetic diversity of salt-tolerant alfalfa germplasms provided a theoretical basis for the creation of an alfalfa salt-tolerant core germplasm repository and for the selection and breeding of new salt-tolerant varieties.

Expression characteristics of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in guinea pig ovaries during the estrous cycle.

We investigated the expression characteristics of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in the ovaries of normal adult guinea pigs during the estrous cycle. The estrous cycle was classified according to the appearance of the vaginal orifice and by vaginal exfoliated cell smears. Guinea pigs that had experienced at least two normal estrous cycles were selected. Ovaries were collected from guinea pigs at proestrus or metestrus (N = 6). The expression characteristics of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), MMP-2, and MMP-9 were investigated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that MMP-2, MMP-9, and StAR were significantly expressed in the granulosa and thecal cells of the ovarian atretic follicles during proestrus, and were strongly expressed in the corpus luteum during metestrus.

Changes in cyclic GMP level and phosphodiesterase activity during follicular development in the rat ovary.

Guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), as a second messenger, plays potential roles in ovarian functions. To elucidate the role of phosphodiesterase (PDE) in cGMP signaling during ovarian follicular development, the present study was conducted to investigate ovarian cGMP level and cGMP-PDE activity by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in postnatal rats, immature rats during gonadotropin-primed follicular development, ovulation and luteinization, adult rats during normal estrous cycle, and aged rats that spontaneously developed persistent estrus (PE). All four rat models were confirmed by histological examination of one ovary, and the other ovary was used for RIA. In postnatal rats, cGMP level was high at birth and decreased dramatically by Day 5, and then, it increased maximally at Day 10 and declined at Day 21. However, cGMP-PDE activity did not significantly change during Days 1 to 10, but increased significantly on Day 21. In immature female rats, cGMP level markedly decreased upon treatment with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG), while cGMP-PDE activity did not show any significant changes; however, ovarian cGMP level and cGMP-PDE activity increased after injection of an ovulatory dose of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for induction of ovulation and luteinization. In adult rats during normal estrous cycle, cGMP level was high on proestrus and metestrus days, while cGMP-PDE activity was high on estrus day. In PE rats, ovarian cGMP level was similar to that in adult rats on estrus and diestrus days but lower than that on proestrus and metestrus days; ovarian cGMP-PDE activity was lower than that on estrus days but similar as the other estrous cycle days. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between ovarian cGMP level and cGMP-PDE activity during normal estrous cycles in the adult rat (r = -0.7715, N = 16, P < 0.05), but not in the postnatal rat (r = -0.1055, N = 20, P > 0.05). Together, the results of our present study indicated that ovarian cGMP levels were not dependent on cGMP-PDE activity during early postnatal development, but highly dependent on cGMP-PDE activity in the adult rat. This implies that mechanisms of cGMP signaling involved in ovarian functions are stage-specific in the rat.