Variations in gut bacterial communities of hooded crane (Grus monacha) over spatial-temporal scales.

BACKGROUND: Microbes have been recognized as important symbionts to regulate host life. The animal gut harbors abundance and diverse bacteria. Numerous internal and external factors influence intestinal bacterial communities, including diet, seasonal fluctuations and habitat sites. However, the factors that influence the gut bacterial communities of wild bird is poorly characterized. METHODS: By high-throughput sequencing and statistical analysis, we investigated the variations in gut bacterial communities of the hooded cranes at three wintering stages in Caizi (CZL) and Shengjin Lake (SJL), which are two shallow lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain. RESULTS: Our results revealed significant differences in gut bacterial community structure and diversity among different sampling sites and wintering stages. Seasonal changes have a significant impact on the gut microbe composition of hooded cranes in the two lakes. ANOSIM analysis demonstrated that the samples in CZL had greater differences in the gut bacterial composition than that in SJL. Our data showed strong evidence that the host's gut filtering might be an important factor in shaping bacterial community according to mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD). The PICRUSt analysis showed that the predicted metagenomes associated with the gut microbiome were carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism over the entire wintering period at the two lakes. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that both seasonal changes and habitat sites have significant impact on the gut bacterial communities of hooded cranes. In addition, predictive function of gut microbes in hooded cranes varied over time. These results provide new insights into the gut microbial community of the cranes, which serves as a foundation for future studies.

The gut microbiome of hooded cranes (Grus monacha) wintering at Shengjin Lake, China.

Gut microbes of animals play critical roles in processes such as digestion and immunity. Therefore, identifying gut microbes will shed light on understanding the annual life of animal species, particularly those that are threatened or endangered. In the present study, we conducted nucleotide sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA genes of gut microbiome of the hooded cranes (Grus monacha) wintering at Shengjin Lake, China, by Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology. We acquired 503,398 high-quality sequences and 785 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from 15 fecal samples from different cranes, representing 22 phyla that were dominated by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. A total of 305 genera were identified that were dominated by Clostridium, Lysinibacillus, and Enterobacter. The core gut microbiome comprised 26 genera, including many probiotic species such as Clostridium, Bacillus, Cellulosilyticum, and Cellulomonas that could catabolize cellulose. The findings reported here contribute to our knowledge of the microbiology of hooded cranes and will likely advance efforts to protect waterbirds that inhabit Shengjin Lake Reserve during winter.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus (Ciconiiformes: Charadriidae).

The Grey-headed Lapwing (Vanellus cinereus) is a Vanellus bird belonging to the group Ciconiiformes, which breeds in northeast China and Japan. In this study, we sequenced its complete mitochondrial genome by PCR-based method. The mitochondrial DNA is packaged in a compact 17,135 based pair (bp) circular molecule with A + T content of 55.14%. It contains 37 typical mitochondrial genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs and 22 tRNAs and a non-coding control region (D-loop). All protein-coding genes are initiated by ATG codon, except for the COI gene and ND5 gene starting with GTG codon, and ND3 uses ATC codon. TAA is the most frequent stop codon. All tRNAs possess the classic cloverleaf secondary structure except for tRNA(Ser(AGY)) and tRNA(Leu(CUN)), which lack the ''DHU'' stem. The D-loop is a 1563 bp long A + T-rich region, which is located between tRNA(Glu) and tRNA(Phe).

Complete mitochondrial genome of White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata swinhoei (Passeriformes: Estrildidae).

White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata is a small passerine bird from the family of waxbill "finches" (Estrildidae), which are close relatives of the true finches (Fringillidae) and true sparrows (Passeridae). In this study, we determined the mitogenome of Lonchura striata swinhoei by the PCR-based method. The mitogenome (16 813 bp) comprises 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA, two rRNA genes, and a control region. Gene order is identical to most of the other passerine birds. The DNA base composition is A, 31.70%; C, 13.70%; T, 31.40%, and G, 23.20%. All protein-coding genes start with a typical ATN codon except for the gene COI that uses GTG as the start codon. Conventional stop codon (TAA) has been assigned to seven of the PCGs, COIII, and ND4 terminate with T-. Both neighbor-joining and Bayesian analyses support that Lonchura striata swinhoei has close relative with Taeniopygia guttata.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Spotted Munia Lonchura punctulata topela (Passeriformes: Estrildidae).

Spotted Munia Lonchura punctulata is a sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. In this study, we used PCR-based method to determine the complete mitochondrial genome of Lonchura punctulata topela. The mitochondrial genome of Spotted Munia is a 16 824-bp circular molecule, which contains 37 typical mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs, and 22 tRNAs) and a 1247-bp A + T- rich region. The gene arrangement pattern is identical to Taeniopygia guttata and Passer montanus. All the start codons of PCGs are typical ATG, except for the COI and ND3 genes. TAN is the most frequent stop codon, and TAN and T- are also found very common. The non-coding region contains some inter-genic spacers and a control region. The phylogenetic trees from the Bayesian and neighbor-joining analyses, based on the complete mtDNA of 12 Passeriformes species, share similar topologies and high node support values. Lonchura punctulata topela has close relative with Taeniopygia guttata.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Charadriiformes: Laridae).

The Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus is a waterbird, which breeds from north-east North America and across much of Europe and Asia. In this study, we determined its complete mitochondrial DNA sequence by PCR-based approach. The complete mtDNA sequence is 16,807 bp in size. The overall-based composition was 30.8% A, 31.1% T, 14.2% C, 24.0% G, with an A + T content (54.8%) rich feature. The mitochondrial genome consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region. All protein coding genes use the typical intiation codon ATN, except for COI. TAN is the most frequent stop codon, and AGG and T- - are also occurred very common. The tRNA(Ser(AGN)) and tRNA(Lys(CUN)) lacked the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm and formed a simple loop.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Grey nightjar Caprimulgus jotaka (Caprimulgiformes: Caprimulgidae).

The Grey nightjar Caprimulgus jotaka is a species of migratory nightjar found in East Asia. In this study, we determined its complete mtDNA by PCR-based method. The mitochondrial genome of Caprimulgus jotaka is a 17,536 bp circular molecule with the A + T content of 53.82%, which contains 37 typical mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs and 22 tRNAs) and a non-coding control region (D-loop). All protein-coding genes are initiated by ATG codon, except for the ND1 gene starts with GTG codon, and ND3 uses ATA codon. TAA is the most frequent stop codon. All tRNAs possess the classic cloverleaf secondary structure except for tRNA(Ser(AGY)) and tRNA(Leu(CUN)), which lacks the ''DHU'' stem. The D-loop is a 1969 bp long AT-rich region, which located between tRNA(Glu) and tRNA(Phe).

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Predatory carp Chanodichthys erythropterus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae).

Predatory carp Chanodichthys erythropterus is a small-sized economic cyprinid fish distributed in East Asia. We sequenced its complete mitochondrial genome by PCR-based method. The mitochondrial DNA is packaged in a compact 16,629 base pair (bp) circular molecule with A + T content of 56.1%. It contains 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and the non-coding control region (D-loop). All PCGs are initiated by ATG codons, except for COI, which uses GTG as its start codon. Of the 13 PCGs, 12 stop with TAA and TAG, while Cyt b uses incomplete termination codon T. All tRNAs possess the classic cloverleaf secondary structure except for tRNA(Ser)(AGN), which lacks the ''DHU'' stem.

Agonist-like autoantibodies against calcium channel in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

The calcium channel may be an important target in the autoimmune pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The presence and function of serum autoantibodies against calcium channels (CC-AAbs) in patients with DCM were studied. Calcium-channel AAbs were detected in 80 patients with DCM and 80 controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Calcium-channel AAbs were further purified by affinity chromatography for characterization by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Voltage-clamp experiments were performed to identify the function of CC-AAbs. The presence of CC-AAbs was shown effectively by ELISA, and CC-AAbs were able specifically to bind to the calcium channel on the myocyte, confirmed by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Calcium currents were enhanced by CC-AAbs on Xenopus oocytes expressing human Ca(V)1.2 channels, which suggested CC-AAbs in patients with DCM were agonist-like. Our results suggest there are novel agonist-like CC-AAbs in patients with DCM. Calcium-channel AAbs might play an important role in the pathogenesis of DCM.

Arrhythmogenic autoantibodies against calcium channel lead to sudden death in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: Calcium channel plays an important role in the autoimmune pathogenesis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Autoantibodies have emerged as a new upstream target of sudden death in DCM. We sought to validate the hypothesis that autoantibodies against l-type calcium channel (CC-AAbs) are arrhythmogenic and lead to sudden death in patients with DCM. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated sudden death and ventricular arrhythmias in 80 patients with DCM in a prospective, case follow-up survey. During a follow-up of 32 (SD 8) months, CC-AAbs-positive patients not only had a higher incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) but also a higher incidence of sudden death than CC-AAbs-negative patients (for VT: 59.0 vs. 24.4%, P = 0.002 and for sudden death: 20.5 vs. 4.9%, P = 0.045). Further univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the occurrence of CC-AAbs was the strongest independent predictor for sudden death (odds ratio: 10.20, 95% confidence interval: 2.43-36.78, P = 0.0027). Experimental studies in ex vivo systems using affinity-purified CC-AAbs from patients demonstrated that CC-AAbs were able to induce VT by prolongation of action potential duration (APD) and triggered activity by early afterdepolarization (EAD). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge that there is a high incidence of sudden death and VT in CC-AAbs-positive patients with DCM. Furthermore, experimental data from ex vivo systems suggest that CC-AAbs might induce VT by prolongation of APD and triggered activity by EAD.

Improved cardiac performance by rosuvastatin is associated with attenuations in both myocardial tumor necrosis factor-alpha and p38 MAP kinase activity in rats after myocardial infarction.

INTRODUCTION: Statins have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to investigate whether rosuvastatin has favorable effect on ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI), whether this effect is associated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha expression and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway and, furthermore, whether there is close correlation between gene expression of TNF-alpha and activity of p38 MAP kinase. METHODS AND RESULTS: Adult male Wistar rats with acute MI were randomly divided into 2 groups: (1) rosuvastatin-treated group (MI-R) receiving rosuvastatin 20 mg/kg once daily, and (2) infarcted group (MI) receiving saline, when compared with sham-operated control group. Four weeks later, echocardiography, hemodynamics and Van Gieson staining were applied to evaluate left ventricular remodeling and cardiac function. Myocardial gene expression of TNF-alpha and activity of p38 MAP kinase were analyzed by real time-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. The results demonstrated that increased TNF-alpha gene expression in noninfarcted areas was accompanied by activation of p38 MAP kinase pathway. Moreover, treatment of rosuvastatin markedly improved ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in rats, which was associated with attenuations in both TNF-alpha gene expression and p38 MAP kinase activity in myocardium without changes in serum lipid levels. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of rosuvastatin was able to improve cardiac remodeling and cardiac function after acute MI, which was associated with attenuations in both expression of TNF-alpha and activity of p38 MAP kinase in myocardium.

A cross-sectional descriptive study of pressure ulcer prevalence in a teaching hospital in China.

Surveying pressure ulcer (PU) prevalence is a common practice in some western countries and has served as a tool to improve prevention policies and procedures. Although attention on PU prevention has increased in China, no PU prevalence baseline information is available to help guide care. To obtain this baseline information, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a 3,000-bed teaching hospital in Wuhan. On the morning of the study, trained clinicians audited the total hospital patient population (61 nursing units, 2,913 inpatients) using the PU survey tool designed by National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. The majority of the patients (1,648, 56.6) were male, average patient age was 43.91 (+/-21.20) years, range 1 to 94 years. The overall PU prevalence rate was 1.8% (52 patients/79 ulcers). The hospital-acquired prevalence rate was 1.54% (0.82% when Stage I ulcers were excluded). Prevalence rates were highest in the ICU (45.5%) and most ulcers (53.2%) were located in the sacral-coccyx area. The results of this study suggest that overall PU prevalence rates are low compared to data from other countries. Differences in patient acuity, average patient length-of-stay, and prevention practices may explain these observations. The results of this study can guide hospital prevention efforts and serve as a benchmark for PU prevalence studies in China.

Nursing-related patient safety events in hospitals.

To explore the method of identifying nursing-related patient safety events, types, contributing factors and evaluate consequences of these events in hospitals of China, incident report program was established and implemented in 15 patient units in two teaching hospitals of China to get the relevant information. Among 2935 hospitalized patients, 141 nursing-related patient safety events were reported by nurses. Theses events were categorized into 15 types. Various factors contributed to the events and the consequence varied from no harm to patient death. Most of the events were preventable. It is concluded that incident reporting can provide more information about patient safety, and establishment of a program of voluntary incident reporting in hospitals of China is not only urgent but also feasible.

Nursing-related Patient Safety Events in Hospitals / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

To explore the method of identifying nursing-related patient safety events,types,contributing factors and evaluate consequences of these events in hospitals of China,incident report program was established and implemented in 15 patient units in two teaching hospitals of China to get the relevant information.Among 2935 hospitalized patients,141 nursing-related patient safety events were reported by nurses.Theses events were categorized into 15 types.Various factors contributed to the events and the consequence varied from no harm to patient death.Most of the events were preventable.It is concluded that incident reporting can provide more information about patient safety,and establishment of a program of voluntary incident reporting in hospitals of China is not only urgent but also feasible.