Population structure and selection signal analysis of indigenous sheep from the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert.

Analyzing the genetic diversity and selection characteristics of sheep (Ovis aries) holds significant value in understanding their environmental adaptability, enhancing breeding efficiency, and achieving effective conservation and rational utilization of genetic resources. In this study, we utilized Illumina Ovine SNP 50 K BeadChip data from four indigenous sheep breeds from the southern margin of the Taklamakan Desert (Duolang sheep: n = 36, Hetian sheep: n = 74, Kunlun sheep: n = 27, Qira black sheep: n = 178) and three foreign meat sheep breeds (Poll Dorset sheep: n = 105, Suffolk sheep: n = 153, Texel sheep: n = 150) to investigate the population structure, genetic diversity, and genomic signals of positive selection within the indigenous sheep. According to the Principal component analysis (PCA), the Neighbor-Joining tree (NJ tree), and Admixture, we revealed distinct clustering patterns of these seven sheep breeds based on their geographical distribution. Then used Cross Population Extended Haplotype Homozygosity (XP-EHH), Fixation Index (FST), and Integrated Haplotype Score (iHS), we identified a collective set of 32 overlapping genes under positive selection across four indigenous sheep breeds. These genes are associated with wool follicle development and wool traits, desert environmental adaptability, disease resistance, reproduction, and high-altitude adaptability. This study reveals the population structure and genomic selection characteristics in the extreme desert environments of native sheep breeds from the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, providing new insights into the conservation and sustainable use of indigenous sheep genetic resources in extreme environments. Additionally, these findings offer valuable genetic resources for sheep and other mammals to adapt to global climate change.

YAP nuclear translocation induced by HIF-1α prevents DNA damage under hypoxic conditions.

Maladaptive repair of acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a high risk of developing chronic kidney disease deemed irremediable even in present days. When AKI arises from ischemia-reperfusion injury, hypoxia usually plays a major role. Although both hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and yes-associated protein (YAP) have been proven to promote renal cell survival under hypoxia, there is a lack of research that studies the crosstalk of the two and its effect on kidney repair. In studying the crosstalk, CoCl2 was used to create a mimetic hypoxic environment. Immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays were performed to verify protein interactions. The results show that HIF-1α interacts with YAP and promotes nuclear translocation of YAP at a high cell density under hypoxic conditions, suggesting HIF-1α serves as a direct carrier that enables YAP nuclear translocation. This is the first study to identify HIF-1α as a crucial pathway for YAP nuclear translocation under hypoxic conditions. Once translocated into a nucleus, YAP protects cells from DNA damage and apoptosis under hypoxic conditions. Since it is unlikely for YAP to translocate into a nucleus without HIF-1α, any treatment that fosters the crosstalk between the two holds the potential to improve cell recovery from hypoxic insults.

General anesthesia alters the diversity and composition of the lung microbiota in rat.

BACKGROUND: The lung microbiome plays a crucial role in human health and disease. Extensive studies have demonstrated that the disturbance of the lung microbiome influences immune response, cognition, and behavior. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of general anesthetics on lung microbiome. METHODS: Eight-week-old male SD rats received a continuous intravenous infusion of propofol or inhalation of isoflurane for 4 h. 16S rRNA gene amplification from BALF samples was used to investigate the changes in the lung microbiome after interventions. We further performed neurobehavioral assessments to find the differential strains' association with behavior disorder after isoflurane anesthesia. RESULTS: The absolute and relative quantitation of 16S rRNA sequencing data showed that isoflurane altered the diversity and abundance of the lung microbiome in rats more than propofol. Elusimicrobia increased significantly in the isoflurane group. Both EPM and OFT results showed that rats exhibited depression-like behaviors after inhalation of isoflurane. In addition, significant differences were found in the COG/KO/MetaCyc/KEGG pathway enrichment analyses among the groups. CONCLUSION: Continuous inhalation of isoflurane changed the diversity and composition of the lung microbiota in rats, resulting in post-anesthesia depression.

Stellate Ganglion Block Improves Postoperative Sleep Quality and Analgesia in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative impaired sleep quality and pain are associated with adverse outcomes. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) has shown promising results in enhancing sleep quality and alleviating neuropathic pain. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ultrasound-guided SGB on postoperative sleep quality and pain in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. METHODS: This study is a parallel-group randomized controlled clinical trial with two groups: SGB and control. Fifty female patients undergoing breast cancer surgery were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive preoperative ultrasound-guided single-injection SGB (SGB group) or just an ultrasound scan (control group). All participants were blinded to the group assignment. The primary outcome was postoperative sleep quality, assessed by the St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire and actigraphy 2 days postoperatively. The secondary outcome was postoperative pain, measured by the visual analog scale. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients completed the study, with 23 patients in the control group and 25 in the SGB group. The postoperative St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire scores were significantly higher in the SGB group than in the control group on 1 day postoperative (30.88 ± 2.44 versus 27.35 ± 4.12 points, P = 0.001). The SGB also increased the total sleep time and sleep efficiency (main actigraphy indicators) during the first two postoperative nights. Compared with the control group, preoperative SGB reduced postoperative pain and the incidence of breast cancer-related lymphedema (20% versus 52.2%, P = 0.02, odds ratio 0.229, 95% confidence interval 0.064-0.821). There were no adverse events related to SGB. CONCLUSION: Preoperative ultrasound-guided SGB improves postoperative sleep quality and analgesia in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. SGB may be a safe and practical treatment to enhance the postoperative quality of life in patients with breast cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100046620, principal investigator: Kai Zeng, date of registration: 23 May 2021).

BRD4 and PIN1 gene polymorphisms are associated with high pulse pressure risk in a southeastern Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: BRD4 and PIN1 have been described to be involved in inflammation and vascular endothelial cell dysfunction, which in turn may increase pulse pressure. HYPOTHESIS: Genetic mutations within the BRD4 and PIN1 genes could affect the risk of high pulse pressure. METHODS: A total of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (BRD4: rs4808278; PIN1: rs2233678, rs2287838, and rs2233682) were genotyped in a cohort of 666 hypertensive patients and 232 normotensive controls with Chinese Han origin. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) was used to screen the best interaction combination among the four SNPs within the BRD4 and PIN1 genes and diabetes. Logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the odds ratio (ORs) (95% confidence interval (CI)) for the association between the four SNPs. RESULTS: Adjusted for age, weight, waist circumference, drinking, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes, high pulse pressure risk was significantly higher for carriers with the rs4808278-TT genotype in BRD4 than those with wild genotypes (OR: 0.400, 95% CI: 0.217-0.737, P* < 0.05). However, we did not find any significant association of rs2233678, rs2287838, and rs2233682 in PIN1 with high pulse pressure susceptibility after covariate adjustment. GMDR analysis indicated a significant three-locus model (P = 0.0107) involving rs4808278, rs2233678, and diabetes, the cross-validation consistency of the three-locus models was 9/10, and the testing accuracy was 57.47%. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic mutations within BRD4 (rs4808278) could affect the susceptibility to high pulse pressure in a southeastern Chinese population.