Prognostic value of nocturnal blood pressure dipping on cardiovascular outcomes in Chinese patients with hypertension in primary care.

Meta-analyses showed that non-dipping of nocturnal blood pressure on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was associated with adverse cardiovascular prognosis. However, these prognostic studies were mainly conducted in Caucasian and Japanese populations. Whether this association applies to Chinese patients remained uninvestigated. A total of 1199 Chinese patients with hypertension undergoing ABPM between January 2012 and December 2014 were recruited retrospectively from five public hypertension referral clinics in Hong Kong. Patients were followed up for a mean 6.42 years for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and all-cause mortality. Time to event of different dipping patterns was compared by Kaplan-Meier curves. Hazard ratios (HR) were obtained by Cox proportional hazard models with patient demographics and confounding factors adjusted in multivariate regression. A total of 163 end point events occurred in the period. Normal dipping was observed in 446 patients (37.2%), non-dipping in 490 (40.9%), reverse dipping in 161 (13.4%), and extreme dipping in 102 (8.5%). Kaplan-Meier analyses showed inferior survival in non-dippers and reverse dippers for total cardiovascular events and coronary events but not cerebrovascular events. After adjusting for confounding factors, Cox regressions showed HRs 1.166 (CI 0.770-1.764) and 1.173 (CI 0.681-2.021) in non-dippers and reverse dippers for total cardiovascular events, and HRs 1.320 (CI 0.814-2.141) and 1.476 (CI 0.783-2.784) for coronary events. Nocturnal blood pressure non-dipping, and to a greater extent reverse dipping, demonstrated adverse cardiovascular prognosis in a cohort of Chinese patients with hypertension in Hong Kong. Further focused studies on cerebrovascular events and reverse dippers were warranted to refine risk stratification.

Survey of genetic structure of geese using novel microsatellite markers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to create a set of microsatellite markers with high polymorphism for the genetic monitoring and genetic structure analysis of local goose populations. METHODS: Novel microsatellite markers were isolated from the genomic DNA of white Roman geese using short tandem repeated probes. The DNA segments, including short tandem repeats, were tested for their variability among four populations of geese from the Changhua Animal Propagation Station (CAPS). The selected microsatellite markers could then be used to monitor genetic variability and study the genetic structures of geese from local geese farms. RESULTS: 14 novel microsatellite loci were isolated. In addition to seven known loci, two multiplex sets were constructed for the detection of genetic variations in geese populations. The average of allele number, the effective number of alleles, the observed heterozygosity, the expected heterozygosity, and the polymorphism information content were 11.09, 5.145, 0.499, 0.745, and 0.705, respectively. The results of analysis of molecular variance and principal component analysis indicated a contracting white Roman cluster and a spreading Chinese cluster. In white Roman populations, the CAPS populations were depleted to roughly two clusters when K was set equal to 6 in the Bayesian cluster analysis. The founders of private farm populations had a similar genetic structure. Among the Chinese geese populations, the CAPS populations and private populations represented different clads of the phylogenetic tree and individuals from the private populations had uneven genetic characteristics according to various analyses. CONCLUSION: Based on this study's analyses, we suggest that the CAPS should institute a proper breeding strategy for white Roman geese to avoid further clustering. In addition, for preservation and stable quality, the Chinese geese in the CAPS and the aforementioned proper breeding scheme should be introduced to geese breeders.

Efficient SNP Discovery by Combining Microarray and Lab-on-a-Chip Data for Animal Breeding and Selection.

The genetic markers associated with economic traits have been widely explored for animal breeding. Among these markers, single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) are gradually becoming a prevalent and effective evaluation tool. Since SNPs only focus on the genetic sequences of interest, it thereby reduces the evaluation time and cost. Compared to traditional approaches, SNP genotyping techniques incorporate informative genetic background, improve the breeding prediction accuracy and acquiesce breeding quality on the farm. This article therefore reviews the typical procedures of animal breeding using SNPs and the current status of related techniques. The associated SNP information and genotyping techniques, including microarray and Lab-on-a-Chip based platforms, along with their potential are highlighted. Examples in pig and poultry with different SNP loci linked to high economic trait values are given. The recommendations for utilizing SNP genotyping in nimal breeding are summarized.

Age-related changes in semen quality characteristics and expectations of reproductive longevity in Duroc boars.

Quadratic fitting was used to regress semen characteristics of 1441 samples consisting of 12-month collection from 58 Duroc boars against animal age varied from 10 to 80 months. Data was divided into two groups of cool (14.0-22.7 degrees C, RH 81.5%) and hot season (22.9-29.9 degrees C, RH 86.6%), to test effects of age, season and their interactions. Results revealed that young boars of around 1 year old could endure the hot season. The endurance gradually diminished as animals grew. In the hot season animals exhibited peak performance at age around 33 month and it remained for 1 month, while cool-season kept boars could last for 48 months from 16 months old onward. The reproductive longevity should be 51 month in a subtropical environment and it may extend to 70 month if heat stress can be avoided. The estimated total sperm contribution of a Duroc boar would be 1.8 times more when kept below 22 degrees C than in a natural subtropical environment. It is concluded that to maintain Duroc boars as semen donor to at least 4 years of age is feasible in a subtropical environment and boar longevity could reach 6 years old if well kept in a temperate region.