Hydroxypropyl-Beta Cyclodextrin Barrier Prevents Respiratory Viral Infections: A Preclinical Study.

The emergence and mutation of pathogenic viruses have been occurring at an unprecedented rate in recent decades. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has developed into a global public health crisis due to extensive viral transmission. In situ RNA mapping has revealed angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression to be highest in the nose and lower in the lung, pointing to nasal susceptibility as a predominant route for infection and the cause of subsequent pulmonary effects. By blocking viral attachment and entry at the nasal airway using a cyclodextrin-based formulation, a preventative therapy can be developed to reduce viral infection at the site of entry. Here, we assess the safety and antiviral efficacy of cyclodextrin-based formulations. From these studies, hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) and hydroxypropyl gamma-cyclodextrin (HPGCD) were then further evaluated for antiviral effects using SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes. Efficacy findings were confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection of Calu-3 cells and using a K18-hACE2 murine model. Intranasal pre-treatment with HPBCD-based formulations reduced viral load and inflammatory signaling in the lung. In vitro efficacy studies were further conducted using lentiviruses, murine hepatitis virus (MHV), and influenza A virus subtype H1N1. These findings suggest HPBCD may be used as an agnostic barrier against transmissible pathogens, including but not limited to SARS-CoV-2.

SIR Flat CAP (Safety In Radiology - Flat-Packed Compact Airborne Precaution): A Low-Cost, Portable, Negative-Pressure Isolation Barrier Shield for Protecting Frontline Healthcare Workers.

Introduction Multiple barrier shields have been described since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of these are bulky and designed for use in the main anesthetic or radiology departments. We developed a portable, negative-pressure barrier shield designed specifically for portable ultrasound examinations. A novel supine cough generation model was developed together with a reverse qualitative fit test to simulate real-world aerosol droplet generation and dispersion for evaluating the effectiveness of the barrier shield. We report the technical specifications of this design, named "SIR Flat CAP" from Safety In Radiology - Flat-packed Compact Airborne Precaution, as well as its performance in reducing the spread of droplets and aerosols.  Methods The barrier shield was constructed using 1 mm acrylic panels, clear packing tape, foam double-sided tape, and surgical drapes. Negative pressure was provided via hospital wall suction. A supine cough generation model was developed to simulate cough droplet dispersal. A reverse qualitative fit test was used to assess for airborne transmission of microdroplets. Results The supine cough generation model was able to replicate similar results to previously reported supine human cough generation dispersion. The use of the barrier shield with negative-pressure suction prevented the escape of visible droplets, and no airborne microdroplets were detected by reverse qualitative fit testing from the containment area. Conclusions The barrier shield significantly reduces the escape of visible and airborne droplets from the containment area, providing an additional layer of protection to front-line sonographers.

Potential protective effects of the water-soluble Chinese propolis on experimental ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of Chinese water-soluble propolis (WSP) on the inflammatory response and oxidative stress (OS) of colonic mucosa in rats with ulcerative colitis. METHODS: Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was employed to establish the ucerative colitis (UC) rat model. Forty-eight male rats were arbitrarily separated into six groups, namely control, UC, low-dose water-soluble propolis (L-WSP), medium-dose water-soluble propolis (M-WSP), high-dose water-soluble propolis (H-WSP), and sulfasalazine (Sulfa). In this study, we adopted a method of pre-administration and reconstruction of the model that assessed the water-soluble propolis mediated protection against DSS-induced UC rats. Moreover, we examined the body weight (BW), disease activity index (DAI), bloody stool, colon length, and intestinal mucosal injury index of rats. In addition, using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, we assessed indicators, such as, colonic myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-9 (IL-9), tumor necrosis factor-ɑ (TNF-ɑ), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels. RESULTS: The pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, as well as OS, was increased in the model rats. However, upon WSP intervention, both pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and OS reduced dramatically, and the therapeutic effect was dose-dependent. CONCLUSION: WSP downregulates OS by enhancing the function of endogenous antioxidant enzymes like SOD and GSH-Px, that inhibit neutrophil activity, as well as diminish pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-ɑ, IL-6, and IL-9, along with mechanisms that attenuate intestinal inflammation in UC rat model.

The view of Hong Kong parents on secondary use of dried blood spots in newborn screening program.

BACKGROUND: Residual dried blood spots (rDBS) from newborn screening programmes represent a valuable resource for medical research, from basic sciences, through clinical to public health. In Hong Kong, there is no legislation for biobanking. Parents' view on the retention and use of residual newborn blood samples could be cultural-specific and is important to consider for biobanking of rDBS. OBJECTIVE: To study the views and concerns on long-term storage and secondary use of rDBS from newborn screening programmes among Hong Kong Chinese parents. METHODS: A mixed-method approach was used to study the views and concerns on long-term storage and secondary use of rDBS from newborn screening programmes among Hong Kong Chinese parents of children 0-3 years or expecting parents through focus groups (8 groups; 33 participants) and a survey (n = 1012, 85% mothers) designed with insights obtained from the focus groups. We used framework analysis to summarise the themes as supportive factors, concerns and critical arguments for retention and secondary use of rDBS from focus group discussion. We used multiple logistic regression to assess factors associated with support for retention and secondary use of rDBS in the survey. RESULTS: Both in focus groups and survey, majority of parents were not aware of the potential secondary use of rDBS. Overall secondary use of rDBS in medical research was well accepted by a large proportion of Hong Kong parents, even if all potential future research could not be specified in a broad consent. However parents were concerned about potential risks of biobanking rDBS including leaking of data and mis-use of genetic information. Parents wanted to be asked for permission before rDBS are stored and mainly did not accept an "opt-out" approach. The survey showed that parents born in mainland China, compared to Hong Kong born parents, had lower awareness of newborn screening but higher support in biobanking rDBS. Higher education was associated with support in rDBS biobanking only among fathers. CONCLUSION: Long-term storage and secondary use of rDBS from newborn screening for biomedical research and a broad consent for biobanking of rDBS are generally acceptable to Hong Kong parents given their autonomy is respected and their privacy is protected, highlighting the importance of an accountable governance and a transparent access policy for rDBS biobanks.

Retrospective study of visualized ultra-mini percutaneous nephrolithotripsy vs. flexible ureterorenoscopy for nephrolithiasis patients with 1.5-2.5 cm kidney stones and without hydronephrosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of visualized ultra-mini percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (VUMP) and flexible ureterorenoscopy (FURS) in the treatment of nephrolithiasis patients with 1.5-2.5 cm kidney stones and without hydronephrosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 143 nephrolithiasis patients without hydronephrosis (from April 2017 to March 2021) were collected and analyzed, including 65 cases in the VUMP group and 78 cases in the FURS group. The general clinical data, operation time, hospitalization time, recent stone-free rate (RSFR), long-term stone free rate (four weeks after operation, LSFR), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Bruggermann comfort score (BCS), and surgical complications of the two groups were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: In the VUMP group, the operation time (49.14 ± 9.28 vs. 60.23 ± 9.45, p < 0.001), postoperative white blood cell count (11.05 ± 2.43 vs. 13.57 ± 2.71, p < 0.05) and BCS score (1.72 ± 0.80 vs. 2.81 ± 0.85, p < 0.001) were significantly lower than those of the FURS group, but the postoperative hemoglobin (8.25 ± 5.04 vs. 4.05 ± 3.07, p < 0.05), hospital stay (5.72 ± 1.75 vs. 3.12 ± 1.09, p < 0.001) and VAS score (3.18 ± 1.36 vs. 2.08 ± 1.28, p < 0.001) were significantly higher than those of the FURS group. Besides, the VUMP group was significantly higher than the FURS group in RSFR (90.32% vs. 72.22%, p < 0.05) and LSFR (95.38% vs. 85.89%, p < 0.05). The systemic inflammatory response syndrome rate (3.07% vs. 14.10%, p = 0.037) and total complications (9.23% vs. 20.51%, p = 0.032) were significantly lower in the VUMP group than in the FURS group. CONCLUSIONS: Both VUMP and FURS are safe and effective in the treatment of nephrolithiasis patients with 1.5-2.5 cm kidney stones and without hydronephrosis, and the former is preferable for higher SFR, shorter operation time and lower complication rate.

The role of vitamin C in pneumonia and COVID-19 infection in adults with European ancestry: a Mendelian randomisation study.

BACKGROUND: High dose vitamin C infusion has been proposed to treat critically ill patients, including patients with pneumonia and severe COVID-19. However, trials have shown mixed findings. Here we assessed the unconfounded associations of vitamin C with COVID-19 and pneumonia using the Mendelian randomisation approach. METHODS: This is a separate-sample Mendelian randomisation study using publicly available data. We applied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were associated with plasma vitamin C, in a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) as genetic instruments to the GWAS of severe COVID-19, COVID-19 hospitalisation and any infection in the COVID-19 host genetics initiative and the GWAS of pneumonia in the UK Biobank, to assess whether people with genetically predicted higher levels of plasma vitamin C had lower risk of severe COVID-19 and pneumonia. RESULTS: Genetically predicted circulating levels of vitamin C was not associated with susceptibility to severe COVID-19, COVID-19 hospitalisation, any COVID-19 infection nor pneumonia. Similar results were obtained when a weighted median and MR-Egger methods were used. CONCLUSIONS: Mendelian randomisation analysis provided little evidence for an association of genetically predicted circulating levels of vitamin C with COVID-19 or pneumonia and thus our findings provided little support to the use of vitamin C in prevention and treatment in these patients, unless high dose vitamin C infusion has therapeutic effects via different biological pathways.

Effectiveness of a childbirth massage programme for labour pain relief in nulliparous pregnant women at term: a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: The effect of massage for pain relief during labour has been controversial. This study investigated the efficacy of a programme combining intrapartum massage, controlled breathing, and visualisation for non-pharmacological pain relief during labour. METHODS: This randomised controlled trial was conducted in two public hospitals in Hong Kong. Participants were healthy low-risk nulliparous Chinese women ≥18 years old whose partners were available to learn massage technique. Recruitment was performed at 32 to 36 weeks of gestation; women were randomised to attend a 2-hour childbirth massage class at 36 weeks of gestation or to receive usual care. The primary outcome variable was the intrapartum use of epidural analgesia or intramuscular pethidine injection. RESULTS: In total, 233 and 246 women were randomised to the massage and control groups, respectively. The use of epidural analgesia or pethidine did not differ between the massage and control groups (12.0% vs 15.9%; P=0.226). Linear-by-linear analysis demonstrated a trend whereby fewer women used strong pharmacological pain relief in the massage group, and a greater proportion of women had analgesic-free labour (29.2% vs 21.5%; P=0.041). Cervical dilatation at the time of pethidine/epidural analgesia request was significantly greater in the massage group (3.8 ± 1.7 cm vs 2.3 ± 1.0 cm; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of a massage programme appeared to modulate pain perception in labouring women, such that fewer women requested epidural analgesia and a shift was observed towards the use of weaker pain relief modalities; in particular, more women in the massage group were analgesic-free during labour.

Changes in connexin 43 in inflammatory skin disorders: Eczema, psoriasis, and Steven-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis.

BACKGROUND: Connexin 43 (Cx43) plays a central role in the inflammatory response and wound healing. Targeting Cx43 expression reduces inflammation in a variety of injuries. The expression pattern of Cx43 has not been described for many inflammatory skin diseases. OBJECTIVES: To describe the expression patterns of Cx43 in eczema, psoriasis, Steven-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis. METHODS: Archival skin biopsies from patients with eczema, psoriasis, and Steven-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrosis were identified and examined, with sister sections stained for Cx43 and imaged by confocal microscopy. All samples were compared to age and site-matched normal skin controls. RESULTS: Epidermal Cx43 is reduced in acute eczema, absent in regions of spongiosis, and is highly elevated in subacute and chronic eczema. In plaque psoriasis, Cx43 is overexpressed in areas with psoriasiform hyperplasia with a fish-scale-like appearance but is lost in regions surrounding neutrophil microabscesses. Cx43 staining is strong in the neutrophils within these microabscesses. In SJS/TEN, Cx43 expression is elevated in areas bordering normal tissue but is rapidly lost in areas of keratinocyte necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic changes in Cx43 levels are seen in inflammatory skin diseases and may represent future potential therapeutic targets.

[Differences in spatial distribution of medicinal plant resources in Yinshan region of Inner Mongolia].

Yinshan Mountains stands on the southern edge of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, which stretches 1 200 km from east to west and 50 to 100 km from north to south. The rich and varied topographic environment of the Yinshan Mountains has created a variety of vegetation floras, which also makes the species of medicinal plant resources in this area unevenly distributed. Therefore, studying the spatial distribution difference of medicinal plant resources among various banners, counties, and districts in the Yinshan area is of great significance to formulate the protection policy and promote the industry development of medicinal plant. This study is based on the fourth national survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources in Inner Mongolia, regarding the results of the third national survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources. The species of medicinal plant resources in the Yinshan area around 31 banners, counties and districts were counted in detail. Then, using exploratory spatial data analysis(ESDA), trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation, geographical detector and other geostatistical analysis methods to analyze the differences in the spatial distribution of medicinal plant resources of the Yinshan area in Inner Mongolia. After discussing and analyzing the experimental results to account for the reasons for the overall trend of change and the degree of aggregation, the author further put forward relevant constructive suggestions. The results show that the areas with the most abundant and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources in the Yinshan area are located in Guyang county, Shiguai District of Baotou city, Tutou right banner, and Tuoketuo county; the higher richness and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources is in Wulate front banner, Wulate middle banner, Wulate back banner; areas with relatively low abundance and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources located in Qingshan district of Baotou city, Saihan district and Yuquan district of Hohhot city; areas with the lowest abundance and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources are located in Xincheng district and Huimin district of Hohhot city. It can be concluded that the horizontal distribution difference of multiple ecological factors, the special wetland environment of the river, the vertical difference of elevation, the farmland and other factors have an important influence on the richness of the medicinal plant resources species.

Tobacco use and other aspects related to smoking among school-going adolescents aged 13-15 years in Malaysia: Analysis of three cross-sectional nationally representative surveys in 2003, 2009 and 2016.

INTRODUCTION: Periodic surveys on tobacco use patterns and other aspects of tobacco use among school-going adolescents in Malaysia provide information on the effectiveness of anti-smoking measures implemented. However, such information is limited in Malaysia. We investigated the prevalence of smoking and other related aspects among middle-secondary school students in Malaysia from the years 2003-2016 to fill this gap. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2003, GYTS 2009, and the Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Survey among Malaysia Adolescents (TECMA) 2016. The surveys employed multistage sampling to select representative samples of adolescents attending secondary school in Malaysia. Data were collected using a pre-validated self-administered anonymous questionnaire adopted from the GYTS. RESULTS: Between 2003 and 2016, major changes occurred in which there were reductions in the prevalence of ever smoking, current smoking, and susceptibility to smoking. Reductions were also observed in exposure to SHS in public places and in the home. The proportion of school-going adolescents who support a ban on smoking in public places increased between 2013 to 2016, and there was a significant reduction in the proportion of respondents that were offered 'free' cigarettes by tobacco company representatives. However, there was no difference in the proportion of adolescents who initiated smoking before the age of 10 years and current smokers seeking advice to quit smoking across the time period. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the smoking policies and measures have been effective in reducing smoking prevalence, secondhand smoke exposure, and access to cigarettes, among school-going adolescents in Malaysia. However, measures to reduce smoking initiation and increase smoking cessation need to be strengthened to reduce the burden of smoking-related diseases in Malaysia in the long-term.

Malaysian adolescents' exposure to secondhand smoke in the car of their parents/guardians: A nationwide cross-sectional school-based study.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the prevalence of children's exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in the car of their parents/guardians and the associated factors. METHODS: A self-administered validated questionnaire was used to obtain data from the nationally representative samples of school-going adolescents aged 11-19 years in Malaysia. Prevalence rates were computed and chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression were conducted. RESULTS: Of the participants, 23.3% reported exposure to SHS at least once in the car of their parents/guardians during the last 7 days before the survey. The prevalence and likelihood of SHS exposure were significantly higher in Malays, descendants of natives of Sabah and Sarawak, schools in rural areas, females, and current smokers. However, age group and knowledge on the harmful effects of SHS were not significant after adjusting for confounding effects. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of school-going adolescents were exposed to secondhand smoke in the car of their parents/guardians. This highlights the need for effective tobacco control measures to include health promotion and smoke-free car regulations to be introduced to prevent severe health hazards and to reduce smoking initiation among non-smoking adolescents.

Imperatorin ameliorates learning and memory deficits through BDNF/TrkB and ERK/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling in prenatally-stressed female offspring.

Prenatal stress (PS) can lead to impaired spatial learning and memory in offspring. Imperatorin (IMP) is a naturally occurring furanocoumarin with many pharmacological properties. However, the effects of IMP on cognitive impairment induced by PS and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the protective effect of IMP treatment after PS on learning and memory deficits in female offspring at postnatal 60 days. After treating prenatally-stressed offspring with IMP (15 and 30 mg/kg) for 28 days, we found that IMP increased body weight and ameliorated spatial learning and memory and working memory deficits in female offspring rats. Meanwhile, hippocampal Glu and serum corticosterone levels in prenatally-stressed offspring were significantly decreased after IMP administration. Additionally, IMP treatment significantly increased BDNF, TrkB, CaMKII, and CREB mRNA expression in the hippocampus of offspring rats. Furthermore, PS-mediated induction of RKIP protein and mRNA expression and glucocorticoid receptor protein expression in the hippocampus of offspring rats were significantly decreased by IMP treatment, and the protein expression of BDNF and TrkB and relative levels of p-EKR/ERK, p-CaMKIIα/CaMKIIα, and p-CREB/CREB were remarkably increased after IMP treatment. Taken together, IMP can ameliorate PS-induced learning and memory deficits through BDNF/TrkB and ERK/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

State-wide utilization and performance of traditional and cell-free DNA-based prenatal testing pathways: the Victorian Perinatal Record Linkage (PeRL) study.

OBJECTIVES: To perform individual record linkage of women undergoing screening with cell-free DNA (cfDNA), combined first-trimester screening (CFTS), second-trimester serum screening (STSS), and/or prenatal and postnatal cytogenetic testing with the aim to (1) obtain population-based estimates of utilization of prenatal screening and invasive diagnosis, (2) analyze the performance of different prenatal screening strategies, and (3) report the residual risk of any major chromosomal abnormality following a low-risk aneuploidy screening result. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of women residing in the state of Victoria, Australia, who underwent prenatal screening or invasive prenatal diagnosis in 2015. Patient-funded cfDNA referrals from multiple providers were merged with state-wide results for government-subsidized CFTS, STSS and invasive diagnostic procedures. Postnatal cytogenetic results from products of conception and infants up to 12 months of age were obtained to ascertain cases of false-negative screening results and atypical chromosomal abnormalities. Individual record linkage was performed using LinkageWizTM . RESULTS: During the study period, there were 79 140 births and 66 166 (83.6%) women underwent at least one form of aneuploidy screening. Linkage data were complete for 93.5% (n = 61 877) of women who underwent screening, and of these, 73.2% (n = 45 275) had CFTS alone, 20.2% (n = 12 486) had cfDNA alone; 5.3% (n = 3268) had STSS alone, 1.3% (n = 813) had both CFTS and cfDNA, and < 0.1% (n = 35) had both STSS and cfDNA. CFTS had a combined sensitivity for trisomies 21 (T21), 18 (T18) and 13 (T13) of 89.57% (95% CI, 82.64-93.93%) for a screen-positive rate (SPR) of 2.94%. There were 12 false-negative results in the CFTS pathway, comprising 10 cases of T21, one of T18 and one of T13. cfDNA had a combined sensitivity for T21, T18 and T13 of 100% (95% CI, 95.00-100%) for a SPR of 1.21%. When high-risk cfDNA results for any chromosome (including the sex chromosomes) and failed cfDNA tests were treated as screen positives, the SPR for cfDNA increased to 2.42%. The risk of any major chromosomal abnormality (including atypical abnormalities) detected on prenatal or postnatal diagnostic testing after a low-risk screening result was 1 in 1188 for CFTS (n = 37) and 1 in 762 for cfDNA (n = 16) (P = 0.13). The range of chromosomal abnormalities detected after a low-risk cfDNA result included pathogenic copy-number variants (n = 6), triploidy (n = 3), rare autosomal trisomies (n = 3) and monosomy X (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: Our state-wide record-linkage analysis delineated the utilization and clinical performance of the multitude of prenatal screening pathways available to pregnant women. The sensitivity of cfDNA for T21, T18 and T13 was clearly superior to that of CFTS. While there was no statistically significant difference in the residual risk of any major chromosomal abnormality after a low-risk CFTS or cfDNA result, there were fewer live infants diagnosed with a major chromosomal abnormality in the cfDNA cohort. These data provide valuable population-based evidence to inform practice recommendations and health policies. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The predictive value of cervical shear wave elastography in the outcome of labor induction.

INTRODUCTION: Bishop score, the traditional method to assess cervical condition, is not a promising predictive tool of the outcome of labor induction. As an objective assessment tool, many cervical ultrasound measurements have been proposed to represent the individual components of the Bishop score, but none of them can measure the cervical stiffness. Cervical shear wave elastography is a novel tool to assess the cervical stiffness quantitatively. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 475 women who required labor induction were studied prospectively. Prior to routine digital assessment of the Bishop score, transvaginal sonographic measurement of cervical length, posterior cervical angle, angle of progression and shear wave elastography was performed. Shear wave elastography measurement was made at the inner, middle and outer regions of the cervix to assess homogeneity. Association of labor induction outcomes including the overall cesarean section and subgroups of cesarean section for failure to enter active phase, with cervical sonographic parameters and the Bishop score, were assessed using multivariate regression analyses. The predictive accuracy of the outcomes using models based on ultrasound measurement and the Bishop score was compared using the area under the receiver-operating characteristics curves. RESULTS: Among 475 women, 82 (17.3%) required cesarean section. Shear wave elasticity was significantly higher in the inner cervical region than in other regions, indicating a greater stiffness (P < 0.001). Both inner cervical shear wave elasticity and cervical length were independent predictors of overall cesarean section (respective adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] 1.338 [1.001-1.598] and 1.717 [1.077-1.663]) and cesarean section for failure to enter active phase (respective adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] 1.689 [1.234-2.311] and 2.556 [1.462-4.467]), after adjusting for other covariates. Outcome prediction models using inner cervical shear wave elasticity and cervical length, had increased area under curve compared with models using the Bishop score (0.888 vs 0.819, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The cervix is not a homogenous structure, with the inner cervix having the highest stiffness, which is an independent predictor of overall cesarean section, and specifically for those indicated because of failure to enter active phase. Models based on shear wave elastography and cervical length had higher predictive accuracy than models based on the Bishop score.

Correction to: In utero exposure to gestational diabetes and adiposity: does breastfeeding make a difference?

In the original version of this article, the Publisher incorrectly listed the affiliation of the author, G.M. Leung. The correct affiliation for this author should be: School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.

An Integrated Analysis of Cashmere Fineness lncRNAs in Cashmere Goats.

Animal growth and development are regulated by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, the functions of lncRNAs in regulating cashmere fineness are poorly understood. To identify the key lncRNAs that are related to cashmere fineness in skin, we have collected skin samples of Liaoning cashmere goats (LCG) and Inner Mongolia cashmere goats (MCG) in the anagen phase, and have performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approach on these samples. The high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses identified 437 novel lncRNAs, including 93 differentially expressed lncRNAs. We also identified 3,084 differentially expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) out of 27,947 mRNAs. Gene ontology (GO) analyses of lncRNAs and target genes in cis show a predominant enrichment of targets that are related to intermediate filament and intermediate filament cytoskeleton. According to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, sphingolipid metabolism is a significant pathway for lncRNA targets. In addition, this is the first report to reveal the possible lncRNA-mRNA regulatory network for cashmere fineness in cashmere goats. We also found that lncRNA XLOC_008679 and its target gene, KRT35, may be related to cashmere fineness in the anagen phase. The characterization and expression analyses of lncRNAs will facilitate future studies on the potential value of fiber development in LCG.

Breastfeeding in Infancy and Lipid Profile in Adolescence.

OBJECTIVES: Breast milk has higher cholesterol than formula. Infants who are breastfed have different cholesterol synthesis and metabolism in infancy than infants who are formula fed. Little is known as to whether breastfeeding is associated with subsequent lipid profile, independent of adiposity. We assessed the association of breastfeeding in early infancy with lipid profile and adiposity at ∼17.5 years in a setting where exclusive breastfeeding is not associated with higher socioeconomic position. METHODS: We used multivariable linear regression with multiple imputation and inverse probability weighting to examine the associations of contemporaneously reported feeding in the first 3 months of life (exclusive breastfeeding [7.5%], mixed feeding [40%], or always formula feeding [52%]) with lipids and adiposity at ∼17.5 years in 3261 participants in the Hong Kong Chinese birth cohort Children of 1997, adjusting for sex, birth weight, gestational weeks, parity, pregnancy characteristics, parents' highest education, mother's place of birth, and age at follow-up. RESULTS: Exclusive breastfeeding, but not mixed feeding at 0 to 3 months, compared with formula feeding was associated with lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol but not with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at ∼17.5 years. BMI and fat percentage measured by bioimpedance did not differ by type of infant feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Exclusive breastfeeding in early infancy may promote a healthier lipid profile in late adolescence through mechanisms unrelated to adiposity, implicating its potential long-term benefits for cardiovascular health.