[The predictive value of microvascular obstruction for adverse left ventricular remodeling after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a prospective study].

Objectives: Microvascular obstruction (MVO) is a specific cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging feature in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the predictive value of MVO in left ventricular adverse remodeling after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: A total of 167 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI in the Chinese PLA General Hospital from 2016 to 2020 were enrolled in this prospective cohort study, the average age of study patients was 57±10 years old, with 151 males (90.4%) and 16 females (9.6%). The patients were divided into the MVO group (n=81) and non-MVO group (n=86) according to the presence or absence of MVO on CMR imaging, respectively. The primary endpoint of the study was the occurrence of left ventricular adverse remodeling, which was defined as an increase in left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV) by >20% at 6 months after primary PCI compared with the baseline. Patients who completed follow-up were diagnosed as left ventricular adverse remodeling or no left ventricular adverse remodeling according to CMR. The baseline data, perioperative data, and related data of end points were compared between the MVO group and non-MVO group. Finally, the predictive value of MVO in left ventricular adverse remodeling was calculated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: In the baseline data, preoperative thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow (χ2=13.74, P=0.003) and postoperative TIMI flow (χ2=14.87, P=0.001) were both obviously decreased in the MVO group. After 6 months of follow-up, the incidence of left ventricular adverse remodeling in the MVO group was significantly higher than that in the non-MVO group [37.0%(27/73) vs. 18.9%(14/74), χ2=5.96, P=0.015]. The left ventricular end systolic volume at 6 months post infarction in the MVO group was significantly larger than that in the non-MVO group [(94±32) vs. (68±20) ml, t=-5.98, P<0.001], as well as the LVEDV [(169±38) vs. (143±29) ml, t=-4.74, P<0.001]. Receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve of MVO size for predicting left ventricular adverse remodeling was 0.637. Conclusion: The risk of left ventricular adverse remodeling is significantly increased in patients with MVO after primary PCI for acute STEMI.

Effects of Early Transplantation of the Faecal Microbiota from Tibetan Pigs on the Gut Development of DSS-Challenged Piglets.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of early transplantation of the faecal microbiota from Tibetan pigs on the gut development of dextran sulphate sodium- (DSS-) challenged piglets. In total, 24 3-day-old DLY piglets were divided into four groups (n = 6 per group); a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was used, which included faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) (from Tibetan pigs) and DSS challenge. The whole trial lasted for 55 days. DSS infusion increased the intestinal density, serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activity, and colonic Escherichia coli count (P < 0.05), and decreased the Lactobacillus spp. count and mRNA abundances of epidermal growth factor (EGF), glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), occludin, mucin 2 (MUC2), regeneration protein IIIγ (RegIIIγ), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the colon (P < 0.05). FMT increased the Lactobacillus spp. count and mRNA abundances of GLP-2, RegIIIγ, and IL-10 in the colon (P < 0.05), and decreased the intestinal density, serum DAO activity, and colonic E. coli number (P < 0.05). In addition, in DSS-challenged piglets, FMT decreased the disease activity index (P < 0.05) and attenuated the effect of DSS challenge on the intestinal density, serum DAO activity, and colonic E. coli number (P < 0.05). These data indicated that the faecal microbiota from Tibetan pigs could attenuate the negative effect of DSS challenge on the gut development of piglets.

[Establishment of the method for measuring upper airway critical closing pressure].

Objective: To establish a noninvasive method for measuring upper airway critical closing pressure (Pcrit), so as to evaluate collapsibility of the upper airway during sleep. Methods: Pcrit was determined through the use of a noninvasive positive/negative pressure (CPAP/CPNP) ventilator(with independent intellectual property rights) during stageⅡ of non-rapid eye movement sleep. For the direct measurement, Pcrit was the pressure below which the upper airway occluded. For the indirect measurement, nasal pressure was plotted against maximum inspiratory flow (Vimax), and linear regression was used to interpolate the pressure (i.e., Pcrit) at which zero flow occurred. Pcrit was attained from 19 subjects without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS), and the correlation between direct and indirect measurement methods was analyzed. Results: Directly measured and indirectly measured Pcrit showed no significant difference [(-7.02±2.74 vs (-7.26±2.96) cmH2O, 1 cmH2O=0.098 kPa; t=1.667, P>0.05] and had a highly significant correlation (r=0.986, P=0.000). Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the mean between-method difference was (0.24±0.53) cmH2O, and 95% limits of agreement ranged from -0.80 to 1.27 cmH2O, and all points except one were within limits of agreement. Conclusion: Pcrit derived from the direct and indirect measurement methods does not differ, and both methods could be used for evaluating the upper airway collapsibility.

Gastric infusion of short-chain fatty acids can improve intestinal barrier function in weaned piglets.

BACKGROUND: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of gastric infusion of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) on gut barrier function in a pig model. In this study, 21 DLY barrows with an average initial body weight of (8.31 ± 0.72) kg were randomly allotted into three treatments: (1) control, (2) infusing low SCFA, S1, (3) infusing high SCFA, S2. The experimental period lasted for 7 days. RESULTS: Gastric infusion of SCFA increased the concentrations of SCFA in serum and digesta, and enhanced the mRNA and protein abundances of SCFA receptors in pig intestine (P < 0.05). Moreover, gastric infusion of SCFA led to alteration of intestinal morphology, elevation of intestinal development-related gene abundances, and decrease of apoptotic cell percentage, as well as reduction of pro-apoptosis gene and protein abundances (P < 0.05). Besides, the jejunal SLC7A1 and ileal DMT1 mRNA abundances in the SCFA infusion groups were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, gastric infusion of SCFA increased the mRNA abundances of Occludin and Claudin-1 in the duodenum and ileum, enhanced Lactobacillus spp counts in the ileal digesta, decreased the mRNA and protein abundances of IL-1ß in the colon, and reduced Escherichia coli count in the ileal digesta (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicated that gastric infusion of SCFA, especially high SCFA concentration, may be beneficial to gut development of piglets via improving gut morphology, decreasing apoptotic cell percentage, and maintaining intestinal barrier function.

Lower expression of prestin and MYO7A correlates with menopause-associated hearing loss.

Objective: This study aimed to test the hearing function and to investigate the effect of estrogen on prestin and MYO7A expression in hair cells of the cochlea in ovariectomized rats. Study design: We compared the hearing function systematically in normal female Sprague-Dawley rats and in ovariectomized rats with or without exogenous ß-estradiol administration by auditory brainstem response measurements and distortion product otoacoustic emissions. In addition, a correlation analysis between the functional parameters and cochlear histology was carried out. Results: There was a significant auditory threshold shift in the high-frequency range in the ovariectomized rats. Prestin and MYO7A expression was lowered in the cochlea of ovariectomized rats. These effects could be recovered by subcutaneous administration of ß-estradiol. Conclusion: Low estrogen levels may lead to reduced expression of prestin and MYO7A in cochlea, leading to a menopause-related hearing loss.

Real-time variations in body temperature of laying hens with increasing ambient temperature at different relative humidity levels.

In order to measure the real-time variations in body temperature with increasing ambient temperature (AT) at different relative humidity (RH) levels, 60 Jinghong laying hens (35-wk-old) were raised in 3 controlled climate chambers (10 cages with 2 birds per chamber). The RH was fixed at one of 3 levels comprising 35, 50, or 85%, and the AT was increased gradually by 1 degree per 0.5 h from 18 to 35°C in the 3 chambers. The core temperature (CT) and surface temperature (ST) of the hens, as well as the AT in the 3 chambers were recorded at 3 min intervals using mini temperature data loggers. The data were analyzed with a broken-line model to determine the inflection point temperature (IPT, the certain AT above which the body temperature of the hens started to change). The experiment was repeated 3 times on 3 d. The IPTs of the laying hens were 23.89 and 25.46°C based on ST and CT at 50% RH, respectively, which indicated that the upper critical temperature of the thermoneutral zone of hens may be a specific temperature between 23.89°C and 25.46°C. The IPTs of the laying hens were 24.11 and 25.20°C based on ST and CT at RH 35%, respectively, and 21.93 and 24.45°C at RH 85%. The RH significantly affected the IPT of ST (P < 0.001). The IPTs were higher at 35 and 50% RH than that at 85% RH (P < 0.05). The coefficients of variation for the IPTs between individual hens were 2.96 to 4.51, and coefficients of variation for the IPTs for the same bird measured on 3 d were 0.69 to 1.59, thereby indicating that this method for estimating the IPTs of hens is stable and repeatable, although more samples are needed. In conclusion, our results indicate that analyzing the real-time variation in body temperature with increasing AT is a reliable method for estimating the IPT to provide an important reference for regulating the temperature in poultry houses.

Oral administration of short chain fatty acids could attenuate fat deposition of pigs.

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the main products of indigestible carbohydrates that are fermented by microbiota in the hindgut. This study was designed to investigate the effects of oral SCFAs administration on the lipid metabolism of weaned pigs. A total of 21 barrows were randomly allocated into three groups, including control group (orally infused with 200 mL physiological saline per day), low dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 20.04 mM, propionic acid 7.71 mM and butyric acid 4.89 mM per day), and high dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 40.08 mM, propionic acid 15.42 mM and butyric acid 9.78 mM per day). The results showed that the average daily feed intake of SCFAs groups were lower than that of control group (P<0.05). Oral administration of SCFAs decreased the concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and insulin (P<0.05), and increased the leptin concentration in serum (P<0.05). The total fat, as well as TC and TG levels in liver, was decreased by oral SCFAs administration (P<0.05). In addition, SCFAs down-regulated the mRNA expressions of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (P<0.05), and enhanced the mRNA expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1α (CPT-1α) in liver (P<0.05). SCFAs also decreased FAS, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor σ mRNA expressions in longissimus dorsi (P<0.05). And in abdominal fat, SCFAs reduced FAS and ACC mRNA expressions (P<0.05), and increased CPT-1α mRNA expression (P<0.05). These results suggested that oral administration of SCFAs could attenuate fat deposition in weaned pigs via reducing lipogenesis and enhancing lipolysis of different tissues.

Modulation of intestine development by fecal microbiota transplantation in suckling pigs.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of early fecal microbiota transplantation on gut development in sucking piglets. A total of 24 3 day-old DLY sucking piglets (2.11 ± 0.15) kg were randomly divided into four groups (TMP, YMP, RMP and control group (CON)), which were transplanted with intact fecal microbiota of Tibetan pig (TP), Yorkshire pig (YP), Rongchang pig (RP), and without transplantation, respectively. The whole trial lasted for 56 d. The results are as follows: when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP and CON had a lower diarrhea index (P < 0.05), TMP and CON had higher GLP-2 and ANG4 mRNA abundances in the ileum (P < 0.05), and the TMP had a higher jejunal villus height: crypt depth and a higher colonic GLP-2 mRNA abundance (P < 0.05). Moreover, when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP had an enhanced DMT1 mRNA abundance in the duodenum (P < 0.05), TMP and CON had a greater lactase activity and a higher DMT1 mRNA abundance in the jejunum (P < 0.05), and CON had a higher γ-GT activity in the jejunum (P < 0.05). The jejunal Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase activity in TMP was higher than that in CON, and the jejunal Na+, K+-ATPase activity in TMP was higher than that in the other three treatments (P < 0.05). Besides, when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP had a lower MDA content and a higher MUC1 mRNA abundance in the jejunum (P < 0.05); CON had a higher SOD activity in the jejunum (P < 0.05), whereas TMP and CON had a higher butyric acid concentration in the colon and a lower LPS content in the serum (P < 0.05). Finally, when compared with the TMP treatment, the other three treatments had an enhanced IL-10 mRNA abundance in the colon (P < 0.05), YMP and CON had higher counts of Escherichia coli in the colonic digesta (P < 0.05), and the CON had lower counts of Lactobacillus spp in the cecal and colonic digesta (P < 0.05). These data indicated that early transplantation of the fecal microbiota from the Yorkshire pigs and Rongchang pigs to DLY suckling piglets would destroy the gut microbiota balance and thus damage intestinal health.

High-velocity deformation of Al0.3CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy: Remarkable resistance to shear failure.

The mechanical behavior of a single phase (fcc) Al0.3CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) was studied in the low and high strain-rate regimes. The combination of multiple strengthening mechanisms such as solid solution hardening, forest dislocation hardening, as well as mechanical twinning leads to a high work hardening rate, which is significantly larger than that for Al and is retained in the dynamic regime. The resistance to shear localization was studied by dynamically-loading hat-shaped specimens to induce forced shear localization. However, no adiabatic shear band could be observed. It is therefore proposed that the excellent strain hardening ability gives rise to remarkable resistance to shear localization, which makes this material an excellent candidate for penetration protection applications such as armors.

Intestinal microbiota could transfer host Gut characteristics from pigs to mice.

BACKGROUND: The present study was conducted to compare the differences in gut microbiota composition and gut-phenotypes among pig breeds, and determine whether these differences would transmit to mice colonized with fecal microbiota of different pig breeds. A total of 24 1-day-old germ-free BALB/C mice were divided into 3 groups (TFM, YFM and RFM), which were transplanted with intact fecal microbiota of Tibetan pig (TP), Yorkshire pig (YP) and Rongchang pig (RP), respectively. RESULTS: Results showed that different pig breeds exhibited distinct gut microbiota profile based on high-throughput pyrosequencing. YP exhibited a lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and apparent genera differences compared with RP and TP, and higher levels of bacteria from Spirochaetes were observed in TP compared with RP and YP (P < 0.05). Transplanted porcine microbiota into GF mice replicated the phenotypes of pig donors. Moreover, the three groups of donor pigs and their mice recipients exhibited different intestinal index and morphology. TP and RP had higher intestinal weight and relative CDX2 mRNA expression in ileum than YP, and longer intestine, higher villus height of duodenum and jejunum were observed in TP compared with YP and RP (P < 0.05). TP exhibited higher GLP-2 mRNA expression in duodenum and jejunum than RP (P < 0.05). Similarly, YFM had lower intestine weight and CDX2 mRNA expression in ileum than TFM and RFM (P < 0.05). The intestine length in TFM was longer than that in RFM, and TFM had higher villus height in duodenum and jejunum and GLP-2 mRNA expression in ileum than the other two groups (P < 0.05). Besides, the digestive and absorptive ability was different among the three groups in donor pigs and mice recipients. YP had higher jejunal lactase and maltase activities than TP and RP, while TP had higher activities of jejunal ATPase, γ-GT, and relative SGLT1 mRNA expression in duodenum and jejunum than YP and RP (P < 0.05). Likewise, YFM had higher jejunal sucrase and maltase activities than TFM and RFM, whereas higher jejunal γ-GT activity and relative SGLT1 mRNA expression in duodenum and ileum were observed in TFM compared with YFM and RFM (P < 0.05). In addition, Tibetan pigs-derived microbiota improved gut barrier in mice recipients. The concentration of MDA in YP was higher than that in TP and RP (P = 0.078), and the relative ZO-1 mRNA expression in ileum in TP was higher than that in YP (P < 0.05). Likely, compared with TFM and RFM, YFM exhibited increasing MDA concentration in jejunum (P = 0.098), and the relative ZO-1 mRNA expression in duodenum and ileum in TFM were higher than that in YFM (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There were huge differences in gut microbiota composition and gut characteristics among pig breeds, and gut microbiota could partially convey host gut characteristics from pigs to mice.

Current status and recent advances of next generation sequencing techniques in immunological repertoire.

To ward off a wide variety of pathogens, the human adaptive immune system harbors a vast array of T-cell receptors (TCRs) and B-cell receptors (BCRs), collectively referred to as the immune repertoire. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) of TCR/BCR genes allows in-depth molecular analysis of T/B-cell clones, providing an unprecedented level of detail when examining the T/B-cell repertoire of individuals. It can evaluate TCR/BCR complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) diversity and assess the clonal composition, including the size of the repertoire; similarities between repertoires; V(D)J segment use; nucleotide insertions and deletions; CDR3 lengths; and amino acid distributions along the CDR3s at sequence-level resolution. Deep sequencing of B-cell and T-cell repertoires offers the potential for a quantitative understanding of the adaptive immune system in healthy and disease states. Recently, paired sequencing strategies have also been developed, which can provide information about the identity of immune receptor pairs encoded by individual T or B lymphocytes. HTS technology provides a previously unimaginable amount of sequence data, accompanied, however, by numerous challenges associated with error correction and interpretation that remain to be solved. The review details some of the technologies and some of the recent achievements in this field.

Study of a novel coating strategy for coronary stents: evaluation of stainless metallic steel coated with VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To access the cytotoxicity and the effect on the endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) differentiation of stainless steel sheets simultaneously coated with VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 316L stainless steel sheets (diameter 6 mm, thickness 1 mm) were divided into the D-H (Bare metal), D-(H-V)10 (VEGF-coated metal) and D-(H-V)10-A (VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody co-coated metal) groups. The cytotoxicity effect of the three groups was measured using MTT assay. Percentage of EPC positive for CD34, CD133 and KDR were detected by flow cytometric assay. Endothelial cells positive for CD31 and VE-Cadherin were also detected by flow cytometric assay. RESULTS: The percentages of isolated cells positive for CD133, CD34 and KDR were 89.9%, 91.3%, and 90.4%, respectively, suggesting that the EPCs were successfully isolated. MTT results showed that the stainless steel sheets coated with VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody have less toxicity on seeded EPCs than single VEGF coating or bare metal. We further found that with VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody co-coating could significantly promote the differentiation of EPCs in vitro when compared with that of single VEGF coating and bare metal. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provided a preliminary evaluation of metallic steel sheet coated with VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody in vitro. Our findings suggest that simultaneously coating the stents with VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody might be a novel research direction for facilitating re-endothelialization in order to reduce ISR after stent implantation.

Immune influence of pregnancy on human H7N9 infection: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: H7N9 infection has raised serious concerns worldwide. Pregnant women were considered to be at a high risk of influenza infection. Normal pregnancy was dependent on T helper (Th) 2 deviation. However, whether pregnancy influences the immune status of influenza H7N9 patients has not been reported. CASE REPORT: Here, we reported a case of pregnant woman in the first trimester with H7N9 infection compared with the two non-pregnant female H7N9 patients for clinical features and relevant immunological changes. We found that there were no differences in plasma levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines between the pregnant and non-pregnant patients, and there was no Th2 deviation in the acute phase. However, the Th2 deviation was recurrent along with the clearance of infection in the H7N9 pregnant patient. CONCLUSION: These cases highlighted that the pregnant patient infected with H7N9 could induce an effective Th1 immune response equal to that of non-pregnant patients with H7N9 virus infection, although the pregnancy itself could lead to a Th2 deviation. These data suggested that pregnant patients could acquire a similar antiviral response for H7N9 infection versus non-pregnant patients.

Analysis of immunity index and immunopathogenesis pattern of lupus nephritis patients.

Joint detection of anti-dsDNA antibodies, anti-U1RNP, anti-SM antibodies, anti-SSA antibodies, anti-ribosomal P protein antibodies, anti-nucleosome antivodies (Anua), anti-histone antibodies (AHA) and antinuclear antibodies brings to the early diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and speculation of renal lesion degree of lupus nephritis patients in order to choose a specific therapeutic schedule. This paper analyzed the abnormal immunology features and connections of each pathological pattern of LN renal biopsy and probed into the essence in order to provide basis for diagnosis, treatment, pathological pattern speculation and forward assessment of LN. We chose 97 cases, treated them with renal biopsy and pathological pattern classification, analyzed pathological pattern distribution, different pathological patterns and the correlation of immunity index with anti-dsDNA antibodies, anti-U1RNP, anti-Sm antibodies, anti-SSA antibodies, anti-ribosomal P protein antibodies, Anua, AHA and ANA of the first renal biopsy were taken as the experiment index. The results showed that the morbidity of the male was distinctly lower than the female and the age of onset was much lower (P < 0.05); pattern I, pattern II, pattern III, pattern IV, pattern V, and pattern VI accounted for 1.0%, 3.1%, 12.4%, 47.4%,16.5%, 15.5%, 4.1%, 0%,respectively; among all the LN patients, there were respectively 59, 43, 28, 52, 51, 48, 36 and 93 cases in which anti-dsDNA antibody, anti-U1RNP antibody, anti-Sm antibody, anti-SSA antibody, anti-ribosomal P protein antibodies, Anua, AHA and ANA had increased and the positive rate was 60.8%, 44.3%, 28.9%, 53.6%, 52.6%, 49.5%, 37.1% and 95.9%, respectively. In conclusion, pattern IV is the most common of all pathological patterns of LN. Among the immunity index, anti- U1RNP antibodies and anti-SSA antibodies are positively correlated with anti-dsDNA antibodies; Anua is positively correlated with anti-dsDNA antibodies and AHA; anti-dsDNA antibodies, anti U1RNP antibodies, anti-Sm antibodies, anti SSA antibodies, AHA, anti-ribosomal P protein antibodies and ANA have no obvious correlation with LN renal lesions degree; Anua level of serum is positively correlated with LN renal lesions degree.

Photochemically crosslinked collagen annulus plug: a potential solution solving the leakage problem of cell-based therapies for disc degeneration.

Intra-disc injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat disc degeneration may lead to unfavorable complications, particularly osteophyte formation. Development of an effective method to block the injection portal, prevent the leakage of injected cells and materials and, hence, prevent osteophyte formation is of the utmost importance before MSC-based therapies can be applied in a clinical setting. Here we seek to alleviate the cell leakage problem and the associated complication osteophyte formation by developing an injectable annulus plug to block the injection portal during intra-disc delivery. Specifically, we fabricated a needle-shaped collagen plug by photochemical crosslinking and successfully delivered it intra-discally, in association with MSCs in collagen microsphere carriers, using a custom-made delivery device. The mechanical performance of the plug and its effectiveness in reducing cell leakage were evaluated ex vivo under compression and in torsion push-out tests. The results demonstrate that the plug survived physiologically relevant loadings and significantly reduced leakage and enhanced retention of the injected materials. Finally, a pilot in vivo study in rabbits was conducted to evaluate the performance of the plug. Microcomputed tomography imaging and histology revealed that the plug significantly reduced osteophyte formation. This work suggests the potential of the annulus plug as an adjunct or annulus closure device for intra-disc delivery of cells and materials.

mBin1b transgenic mice show enhanced resistance to epididymal infection by bacteria challenge.

The mBin1b is a beta-defensin gene identified in the mouse epididymis. In the current report, its expression pattern and antibacterial activities were characterized, and a transgenic (TG) mouse model was developed in which mBin1b was exclusively overexpressed by up to 50-fold over normal levels in the caput epididymis. The experimental animals are healthy with normal reproductive activity, but are more resistant to epididymal infection from Escherichia coli than normal animals. The expression of IL1α and IL1ß in the epididymis was decreased in the TG mice, which suggests that mBin1b has a role in the regulation of inflammatory response in the epididymis.