Effects of Continuous Quality Improvement on Complication Rate and Treatment Outcome of Extremely Premature Infants.

Background: Extremely premature infants (EPIs) are those less than 32 weeks of gestational age. Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal death and poor prognosis, accounting for 25% of neonatal deaths, with extremely premature births accounting for 50% of all premature deaths. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) improves patient outcomes by changing and optimizing clinical practice including increasing participation of neonatologists in prenatal consultation, maintenance of normal body temperature in preterm infants, early use of pulmonary surfactant, reduction of mechanical ventilation time and intensive breastfeeding to reduce clinically avoidable adverse events. Objective: The risk of death and disability is high for very preterm infants, with a mortality rate of 30-50% and a risk of at least 20-50% for survivors. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CQI on the incidence of complications and treatment outcomes in very preterm infants. Design: This was a retrospective study. Setting: This study was conducted in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province. Participants: A total of 140 EPIs born in our hospital and transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit between August 1, 2020, and July 31, 2022, were enrolled. The EPIs were divided into two groups: before improvement (n=79, 56.4%) and after improvement (n=61, 43.6%) according to the week of birth, and the gestational age ranged from 26 weeks to 26 weeks 6 days into the 26 weeks group. Interventions: From August 2021, the hospital implemented the CQI method, which included neonatologists' participation in consultations before birth, the care of a professionally trained resuscitation team after birth, and the introduction of transport heating tanks and ventilators during transport. Primary Outcome Measures: (1) Apgar score (2) body weight (3) duration of invasive ventilation (4) length of stay (5) treatment expense (6) incidence of complications and (7) survival rate of EPIs. Results: The application of CQI methods resulted in significant improvements in body weight (1305 g vs 1404 g) and duration of invasive ventilation (4.64 d vs 7.40 d) in EPIs (P = .036 and P = .040), reduced the time of invasive mechanical ventilation decreased significantly, from 7.4 days to 4.64 days (P < .01), increased the median temperature of newborn infants (36.2°C vs 35.7°C) (P = 0), increased the proportion of newborn infants with a temperature greater than 36°C (67.2% vs 35.4%) (P < .001), reduced the incidence of complications in EPIs (32.79% vs 45.57%) (P < .05). Conclusion: The application of the CQI approach significantly increases the body temperature, improves the incidence of complications of EPIs, and is conducive to the survival of EPIs. Our study may provide a clinical reference for management of EPIs.

A left-sided destroyed lung in a 11-year-old girl: A rare sequela after Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is one of the most common causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children, usually experiencing a favorable prognosis.Cases of M. pneumoniae infection resulting in respiratory failure, severe pulmonary or extrapulmonary sequelae, and death are relatively rare.Currently, no cases related to a destroyed lung with Mycoplasma-associated infection have been reported.Therefore, we report a case of a destroyed lung in an 11-year-old girl with Mycoplasma-associated infection.

Controlled release of curcumin from gelatin hydrogels by the molecular-weight modulation of an oxidized dextran cross-linker.

Controlled drug delivery could minimize side effects while maintaining a high local dose. Herein, a hydrogel carrier was prepared by forming dynamic imine bonds between gelatin and oxidized dextran (ODex) of different molecular weights (Mw = 10, 70, and 150 kDa). The morphology, thermal stability, rheology, mechanical properties, and swelling properties of the hydrogels and the controlled release of curcumin were characterized. When dextran with a higher Mw was used, the ODex contained more aldehyde groups, which led to a higher degree of cross-linking, considerably shorter gel time, decreased hydrogel porosity, and well-controlled release of curcumin. In addition, the cross-linked hydrogels exhibited not only high thermal stability but also excellent mechanical properties. However, because the matrix was hydrophilic, the swelling properties of the hydrogels were not significantly affected by the Mw of ODex. These observations suggest an approach for designing nutrient delivery carriers with improved controlled release.

Metabolism response mechanism in the gill of Oreochromis mossambicus under salinity, alkalinity and saline-alkalinity stresses.

Saline-alkalinity is one of the important ecological parameter that has an impact function on the physiological metabolism, osmoregulation, survival, growth, development and distribution of teleost fish. Oreochromis mossambicus, a species of euryhaline that can withstand a wide variety of salinities, may be used as a research model animal in environmental studies. In order to detect the metabolism responses and mechanisms of different osmotic stresses tolerance in the gills of O. mossambicus, in present study, the metabolic responses of O. mossambicus subjected to salinity (25 g/L, S_S), alkalinity (4 g/L, A_S) and saline-alkalinity stress (salinity: 25 g/L, alkalinity: 4 g/L; SA_S) with the control environment (freshwater, C_S) were investigated by LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics. The metabolism results indicated that numerous metabolites were identified between the stress groups and the control group. In addition, under three osmotic stresses, the amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, levels of amino acids, osmolytes and energy substances, such as L-lysine, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acids, creatine and taurine, were significantly affected and changed in the metabolism of the gills of O. mossambicus. The metabolism data indicated that signal transduction and regulation pathways, including FoxO signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway and prolactin signaling pathway, were enriched in the gill during adaptation to high salinity, alkalinity and saline-alkalinity stress. The results of this study provide more comprehensive and reliable data for the osmotic pressure regulation mechanism and biological response of euryhaline teleost, and provide reliable scientific basis for the breeding and research of high salinity tolerance population, and further promote the development and utilization of saline-alkalinity water resources.

Metabolism responses in the intestine of Oreochromis mossambicus exposed to salinity, alkalinity and salt-alkalinity stress using LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics.

Multiple abiotic stresses are imposed on fish as a result of unprecedented changes in temperature and precipitation patterns in recent decades. It is unclear how teleosts respond to severe ambient salinity, alkalinity, and saline-alkalinity in terms of their metabolic and molecular osmoregulation processes. The metabolic reactions in the intestine of Oreochromis mossambicus under salinity (25 g/L, S_C), alkalinity (4 g/L, A_C), and saline-alkalinity (salinity: 25 g/L & alkalinity: 4 g/L, SA_C) stresses were examined in this research utilizing LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics. The findings demonstrated that the three osmotic-stressed groups' metabolic profiles were considerably different from those of the control group. Osmolytes, energy sources, free amino acids, and several intermediate metabolites were all synthetically adjusted as part of the osmoregulation associated with the salinity, alkalinity, and saline-alkalinity stress. Following osmotic stress, osmoregulation-related pathways, including the mTOR signaling pathway, TCA cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, etc., were also discovered in the intestine of O. mossambicus. Overall, our findings can assist in better comprehending the molecular regulatory mechanism in euryhaline fish under various osmotic pressures and can offer a preliminary profile of osmotic regulation.

Comparison of the physical stabilities and oxidation of lipids and proteins in natural and polyphenol-modified soybean protein isolate-stabilized emulsions.

Oil-in-water emulsions are widely used in the food industry; however, lipids are often easily oxidized, which may adversely affect food quality. Herein, we investigated the effects of alkali treatment, free radical induction, and carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)/N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-mediated synthetic methods on the structures and antioxidant properties of soy protein isolate (SPI)-gallic acid (GA) conjugates and the physical stabilities and protein-lipid co-oxidation properties of the resulting emulsions. These three methods are well established; however, their effects on the same protein-phenolic compound system have not been directly compared. Additionally, the co-oxidation of proteins and oils in emulsions remains unexplored. Alkali treatment yielded superior antioxidant properties compared to those obtained using free radicals or EDC/NHS, as this method was more likely to yield CS bonds and resulted in an increased quantity of grafted GA. Spectroscopic analysis showed that alkali treatment promoted GA oxidation and thereby increased GA-protein interactions and the quenching of tryptophan fluorescence. Correspondingly, EDC/NHS-mediated conjugation retained the activity of the hydroxyl groups of GA to the largest extent. Moreover, the grafting of GA improved the physical and oxidative stabilities of the emulsions. In particular, EDC/NHS-mediated conjugation produced an emulsion with optimal oxidative stability owing to its effective inhibition of lipid and protein oxidation. Conversely, the conjugates synthesized via alkali treatment and free radical induction displayed less inhibition of lipid oxidation and promoted protein oxidation. In conclusion, optimized protein-phenolic compound conjugates for use in developing nutritional fortification products with longer shelf lives can be obtained by using appropriate synthetic methods.

Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellite Analyses Showed Panmixia between Temporal Samples in Endangered Anguilla japonica in the Pearl River Basin (China).

The Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) is a commercially important species in East Asia, the abundance of which has rapidly decreased in recent decades. The fishery resource in the Pearl River basin has mainly deteriorated due to overexploitation and habitat degradation. Knowledge on its genetic status is indispensable for resource management. In this study, we explored the temporal genetic structure of A. japonica on the basis of the concatenated sequences of two mitochondrial fragments (mtDNA) and eight microsatellite markers. A total of nine temporal samples (N = 127) were collected during 2019 and 2021 from Jiangmen City, China, which is located in the Pearl River estuary. mtDNA sequence analysis showed a high level of haplotype diversity, and yielded 124 haplotypes with ranging from 9 to 19 in temporal samples. All microsatellite loci were polymorphic among each of the nine temporal samples, with 150 alleles identified across all samples. Pairwise FST values were low and nonsignificant according to both mtDNA and microsatellite markers. STRUCTURE analysis showed that all temporal samples were not clearly differentiated from each other. The yielded outcomes supported a panmictic pattern in different temporal A. japonica samples. Therefore, our results call for the management of A. japonica as a single unit and joint conservation strategy of the species, since overexploitation in any region will decrease its global resource.

Different interactions driving the binding of soy proteins (7S/11S) and flavonoids (quercetin/rutin): Alterations in the conformational and functional properties of soy proteins.

The purpose of this research was to comparatively investigate the interactions between bioactive flavonoids (quercetin and rutin) and two predominant soy proteins (ß-conglycinin and glycinin), and the structural and functional properties of their complexes. The binding affinities of quercetin/rutin toward 7S/11S were structure-dependent, in that rutin had a higher binding affinity than that of quercetin, and 11S exhibited higher affinity toward quercetin/rutin than that of 7S. The interactions in the 7S/11S-quercetin complexes were driven by van der Waals forces and hydrogen-bonding interactions, whereas the 7S/11S-rutin complexes exhibited hydrophobic interactions. Binding to quercetin or rutin altered the secondary structures (decrease in the α-helix and random coil contents and increase in the ß-sheet content), decreased the surface hydrophobicity and thermal stability, and enhanced the antioxidant capacity of 7S and 11S. These findings provide valuable information that can facilitate the design of custom-tailored protein-flavonoid macromolecules.

Emulsions co-stabilized by soy protein nanoparticles and tea saponin: Physical stability, rheological properties, oxidative stability, and lipid digestion.

Herein, the effects of the concentration (0.1%-1.0%, w/v) and addition sequence of tea saponin (TS) on the physical stability, oxidative stability, rheological properties, and in vitro digestion of the emulsions stabilized by heat-induced soy protein isolate nanoparticles (SPs) were investigated. The results revealed that the concentration and addition sequence of TS have significant impact on the microstructure, stability, rheological properties, and in vitro digestion of the emulsions. TS was shown to not only fill the interfacial gaps but also adsorb on the particle surfaces, contributing to interfacial wettability. With increasing TS concentration, interfacial tension decay is clearly observed. Further, TS endows the droplets with electrostatic repulsion and steric resistance, preventing their flocculation, coalescence, and oxidation. Finally, in vitro digestion experiments demonstrated that the presence of TS delayed the lipid digestion of the emulsions.

Effects of different surfactants on the conjugates of soybean protein-polyphenols for the preparation of ß-carotene microcapsules.

In this study, we investigated the spray-drying microencapsulation of ß-carotene in oil co-stabilized by soy protein isolate-epigallocatechin-3-gallate conjugate (SPE) and small molecule surfactants [sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and tea saponin (TS)] of different concentrations [0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% (w/v)], as a prospective approach to stabilize ß-carotene. The results show that different surfactant types and concentrations significantly affect the encapsulation efficiency, water dispersibility, microstructure, and digestion of the microcapsules. Interactions between the surfactants and the SPE at the interface were found to include both synergistic and competitive effects, and they depended on the surfactant type and concentration. Moreover, the addition of SDS and TS before spray drying significantly improved the microencapsulation performance of the microcapsules and the water dispersion behavior of the corresponding spray-dried powders. The highest encapsulation efficiency was achieved for the SPE-0.1TS-encapsulated ß-carotene microcapsules. In contrast, the addition of CTAB was not conducive to microcapsule formation, resulting in poor encapsulation efficiency, water dispersibility, thermal stability, ß-carotene retention rate, and oxidation stability. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion results revealed that the addition of CTAB promotes the release of ß-carotene and improves the bioaccessibility of ß-carotene. In contrast, except for SPE-1.0SDS, the addition of SDS and TS inhibited ß-carotene release and reduced ß-carotene bioaccessibility. This study demonstrated that this novel ß-carotene encapsulation formulation can overcome stability limitations for the development of ß-carotene supplements with a high bioaccessibility.

Gene structure, SNP screening and growth correlation analysis of the preproinsulin gene in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus).

The preproinsulin gene encodes a precursor protein of insulin, which is the most important hormone for lowering blood glucose levels and promoting the synthesis of glycogen, fat and protein. To explore the correlation between polymorphisms in the preproinsulin gene and growth traits in grass carp, the preproinsulin gene sequence, measuring a total of 5708 bp, was identified in the grass carp genome. The sequence includes a promoter, two introns and three exons, and encodes a 108-aa protein. A total of three SNPs were identified, including SNP1 (g.-2661C>G) in the promoter and SNP2 (g.1305G>C) and SNP3 (g.1682G>A) in intron 2. The correlation between SNPs and growth traits in grass carp was analysed by a general linear model (GLM). The results indicated that no genotype in each single SNP, SNP1 with SNP2, or SNP1 with SNP3 was related to rapid growth and low fatness, respectively. While eight genotypes of SNP1, SNP2 and SNP3 were combined into six types of effective diplotypes, the H5 diplotype was significantly superior to the other diplotypes (P<0.05) concerning body weight, body length, body height and body width, and its fatness was lower than those of the other diplotypes, except for H6 diplotype. This result indicated that the H5 diplotype of the preproinsulin gene in grass carp may be a candidate molecular marker for selecting fast-growing and low-fatness grass carp.

A multi-center survey on the postpartum mental health of mothers and attachment to their neonates during COVID-19 in Hubei Province of China.

BACKGROUND: There is an emerging literature on the mental health of both pre- and post-partum mothers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: As of April 1, 2020, 23 mothers confirmed with COVID-19, 15 mothers suspected with COVID-19 but with negative polymerase chain reaction tests, and 33 mothers without COVID-19 (Control Group) were recruited for a study from Hubei Province in China. The Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS), the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale were applied to investigate the attachment of mothers to their neonates and the postpartum mental health of mothers within the first 3 months after delivery (between 20 to 89 days). RESULTS: The period of mother-child separation among the confirmed group (33.9±20.9 days) was significantly longer than that of suspected group (16.7±12.2 days) and control group (10.7±8.4 days). The total score of the MPAS in mothers confirmed with COVID-19 (45.5±4.2) was significantly lower (indicating less mother-child attachment) than that in the suspected (50.5±4.7) and control (48.8±4.6) groups. A negative correlation was noted between the mother-child separation time and the MPAS scores, including the subscale scores of attachment (MPAS acore: Spearman's ρ =-0.33, 95% CI: -0.095 to -0.538, P=0.005; Subscale score of attachment: Spearman's ρ =-0.40, 95% CI: -0.163 to -0.592, P=0.001). The incidence of postpartum anxiety in the confirmed, suspected and control groups was 4.3%, 6.7% and 12.1%, respectively; and the incidence of postpartum depression was 39.1%, 33.3% and 30.3%, respectively. No significant difference was found with regards to maternal postpartum anxiety and depression among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased mother-child attachment found among mothers confirmed with COVID-19, indicates that further intervention is needed to ensure mother-child interaction to appropriately develop attachment. Mother-child attachment experienced disruption due to prolonged mother-child separation necessitated by the COVID-19 management protocol, which needs to be revised to reduce prolonged mother-child separation. Additionally, mothers with and without COVID-19 suffered a high incidence of depression, which warrants further mental health investment for pregnant mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Identification and Characterization of Osmoregulation Related MicroRNAs in Gills of Hybrid Tilapia Under Three Types of Osmotic Stress.

Researchers have increasingly suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and protein translation in organs and respond to abiotic and biotic stressors. To understand the function of miRNAs in osmotic stress regulation of the gills of hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus ♀ × Oreochromis urolepis hornorum ♂), high-throughput Illumina deep sequencing technology was used to investigate the expression profiles of miRNAs under salinity stress (S, 25‰), alkalinity stress (A, 4‰) and salinity-alkalinity stress (SA, S: 15‰, A: 4‰) challenges. The results showed that 31, 41, and 27 upregulated and 33, 42, and 40 downregulated miRNAs (P < 0.05) were identified in the salt stress, alkali stress, and saline-alkali stress group, respectively, which were compared with those in the control group (C). Fourteen significantly differently expressed miRNAs were selected randomly and then validated by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. On the basis of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, genes related to osmoregulation and biosynthesis were enriched in the three types of osmotic stress. In addition, three miRNAs and three predicted target genes were chosen to conduct a quantitative polymerase chain reaction in the hybrid tilapia and its parents during 96-h osmotic stress. Differential expression patterns of miRNAs provided the basis for research data to further investigate the miRNA-modulating networks in osmoregulation of teleost.

Short-term developmental outcomes in neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 from Wuhan, China.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging disease. The consequences of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in infants remain unknown. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 have adverse brain development. METHODS: This multicenter observational study was conducted at two designated maternal and children's hospitals in Hubei Province, mainland China from February 1, 2020 to May 15, 2020. Neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 were enrolled. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and volumes of grey and white matters, and physical growth parameters were observed at 44 weeks corrected gestational age. RESULTS: Of 72 neonates born to mothers with COVID-19, 8 (11%) were diagnosed with COVID-19, 8 (11%) were critically ill, and no deaths were reported. Among the eight neonates that underwent brain MRI at corrected gestational age of 44 weeks, five neonates were diagnosed with COVID-19. Among these five neonates, three presented abnormal MRI findings including abnormal signal in white matter and delayed myelination in newborn 2, delayed myelination and brain dysplasia in newborn 3, and abnormal signal in the bilateral periventricular in newborn 5. The other three neonates without COVID-19 presented no significantly changes of brain MRI findings and the volumes of grey matter and white matter compared to those of healthy newborns at the equivalent age (P > 0.05). Physical growth parameters for weight, length, and head circumference at gestational age of 44 weeks were all above the 3rd percentile for all neonates. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 had abnormal brain MRI findings but these neonates did not appear to have poor physical growth. These findings may provide the information on the follow-up schedule on the neonates exposed to SARS-CoV-2, but further study is required to evaluate the association between the abnormal MRI findings and the exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Effect of lipase incorporation on gelling properties of catfish (Clarias lazera) surimi and its mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Recently, fatty fish have been utilized as a potential approach for the fabrication of surimi products, with the yield of fatty fish surimi being > 10 000 tons in 2019. However, the gelling properties of catfish surimi can be influenced by intermuscular lipid. Lipase could effectively enhance the gel quality of catfish surimi gels, although the chemical forces involved in gel formation and alteration in lipid and protein oxidation status are not well understood. The present study investigated the gelation-enhancing effects of lipase on catfish surimi based on changes in chemical oxidation interactions. RESULTS: The addition of 7.5 g kg-1 lipase significantly increased the hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bond contents, both of which facilitated gel formation, in surimi gels. The 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance and carbonyl concentrations demonstrated that lipase promoted lipid and protein oxidations. Furthermore, an appropriate dose of malondialdehyde accelerated protein oxidation, thereby resulting in the covalent cross-linking of proteins. Consequently, the gel strength increased from 55.72 to 127.71 g × cm with lipase contents of up to 7.5 g kg-1 , and strong chemical cross-linking and a compact network were observed via sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and scanning electron microscopy. However, excessive oxidation led to the degeneration of the gel matrix. A schematic mechanism, mainly based on the chemical changes, is proposed. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed the gelation mechanism of catfish surimi gels with lipase, and suggested that lipase treatments may be an effective approach for improving the textural properties of fatty fish surimi gels. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antibacterial activity and main action pathway of benzyl isothiocyanate extracted from papaya seeds.

The development of natural antimicrobial agents has attracted long-term attention due to the increasing demand for food preservation. Papaya, a widely cultivated nutritious tropical fruit, has benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) as one of the most important secondary metabolites in its seeds. And the antibacterial activity of BITC toward different strains and the main antibacterial pathway remain unclear. The current study focused on characterizing the antibacterial effect and exploring the major bacteriostatic pathway of BITC. BITC was shown to have a broad-spectrum antibacterial effect, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1 µL/mL for Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Aspergillus niger, and 0.5 µL/mL for Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Penicillium citrinum. Additionally, BITC was identified to affect the integrity of the biological oxidation system rather than the permeability or morphology of cell membranes. Furthermore, BITC was found not only to affect ATP production but also to hinder a series of important chemical reactions of the coenzymes involved in the transfer of hydrogen ions in the respiratory chain. The bacteriostatic pathway of BITC was shown to be implicated in an incomplete respiratory chain and the deregulation of the metabolism system. These results indicate the potential of BITC as a natural preservative in the food industry. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: BITC is present in papaya seeds and can be extracted and purified. Exploring its antibacterial activity and main action pathway may facilitate its application as a new bacteriostatic agent in food industry.

DNA methylation of the prkaca gene involved in osmoregulation in tilapia hybrids (Oreochromis mossambicus × Oreochromis hornorum).

Prkaca consists of the catalytic subunit alpha protein kinase A (PKA), which is involved in many cellular processes. In this study, the cDNA and genomic sequences of prkaca in tilapia hybrids (Oreochromis mossambicus × Oreochromis hornorum) were cloned and analysed. The results showed the prkaca gene consists of 11 exons and 10 introns, and its protein contains 351 amino acid residues and is clustered with Oreochromis niloticus, Maylandia zebra and Haplochromis burtoni first in a phylogenetic tree. Amino acid alignment indicates that prkaca shares the highest identity (100%) to Oreochromis niloticus, Maylandia zebra and Haplochromis burtoni. Two CpG islands of prkaca were found by MethPrimer software, and 32 CG sites were found in the proximal promoter. The methylation level of prkaca in the hybrids (0.31%) was significantly lower than that of their parents (0.94% and 3.43%) in kidney tissue (P < 0.05). The gene expression levels and DNA methylation levels of prkaca in muscle and kidney tissues of the tilapia hybrids were detected by quantitative real-time PCR and bisulfite sequencing PCR and showed a negative correlation under saline-alkali stress. The results of this research demonstrated that DNA methylation levels and prkaca mRNA expression levels were inversely correlated under saline-alkali stress, implying that heterosis is likely accompanied by DNA methylation alterations. This research provides new clues for further investigations of DNA methylation and heterosis in hybrid fish.

The physicochemical properties of chitosan prepared by microwave heating.

The aim of this study was to compare the physicochemical properties of chitosan prepared by microwave and water bath heating with an equivalent quantity of heat intake. The structure and physicochemical properties of the chitosan obtained by these two methods were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The FTIR and XRD patterns show that there was no significant difference in the structure of chitosan produced by the two heat sources. The results showed that chitosan with 73.86% deacetylation was successfully prepared by microwave heating within 60 min, while a longer time of 180 min was required for the preparation of chitosan with the same deacetylation degree (74.47%) using the conventional heating method under the same heating rate. Even under the same temperature conditions, microwave technology can greatly reduce the reaction time by approximately 1/3, while the chitosan produced by microwaves can obtain relatively low molecular weight and viscosity. These results showed that microwaves may efficiently promote complete chemical reactions by the friction heating mechanism generated by molecular vibration beyond a rapid heating source, turning into a more efficient, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly method for the further use of rigid shrimp shells and highly crystalline crustacean materials.

Clinical analysis of 10 neonates born to mothers with 2019-nCoV pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: The newly identified 2019-nCoV, which appears to have originated in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in central China, is spreading rapidly nationwide. A number of cases of neonates born to mothers with 2019-nCoV pneumonia have been recorded. However, the clinical features of these cases have not been reported, and there is no sufficient evidence for the proper prevention and control of 2019-nCoV infections in neonates. METHODS: The clinical features and outcomes of 10 neonates (including 2 twins) born to 9 mothers with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection in 5 hospitals from January 20 to February 5, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Among these 9 pregnant women with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection, onset of clinical symptoms occurred before delivery in 4 cases, on the day of delivery in 2 cases, and after delivery in 3 cases. In most cases, fever and a cough were the first symptoms experienced, and 1 patient also had diarrhea. Of the newborns born to these mothers, 8 were male and 2 were female; 4 were full-term infants and 6 were born premature; 2 were small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants and 1 was a large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infant; there were 8 singletons and 2 twins. Of the neonates, 6 had a Pediatric Critical Illness Score (PCIS) score of less than 90. Clinically, the first symptom in the neonates was shortness of breath (n=6), but other initial symptoms such as fever (n=2), thrombocytopenia accompanied by abnormal liver function (n=2), rapid heart rate (n=1), vomiting (n=1), and pneumothorax (n=1) were observed. Up to now, 5 neonates have been cured and discharged, 1 has died, and 4 neonates remain in hospital in a stable condition. Pharyngeal swab specimens were collected from 9 of the 10 neonates 1 to 9 days after birth for nucleic acid amplification tests for 2019-nCoV, all of which showed negative results. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal 2019-nCoV infection may have adverse effects on newborns, causing problems such as fetal distress, premature labor, respiratory distress, thrombocytopenia accompanied by abnormal liver function, and even death. However, vertical transmission of 2019-nCoV is yet to be confirmed.

Transcriptomic response to three osmotic stresses in gills of hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus female × O. urolepis hornorum male).

BACKGROUND: Osmotic stress is a widespread phenomenon in aquatic animal. The ability to cope with salinity stress and alkaline stress is quite important for the survival of aquatic species under natural conditions. Tilapia is an important commercial euryhaline fish species. What's more tilapia is a good experimental material for osmotic stress regulation research, but the molecular regulation mechanism underlying different osmotic pressure of tilapia is still unexplored. RESULTS: To elucidate the osmoregulation strategy behind its hyper salinity, alkalinity and salinity-alkalinity stress of tilapia, the transcriptomes of gills in hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus ♀ × O. urolepis hornorum ♂) under salinity stress (S: 25‰), alkalinity stress(A: 4‰) and salinity-alkalinity stress (SA: S: 15‰, A: 4‰) were sequenced using deep-sequencing platform Illumina/HiSeq-2000 and differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified. A total of 1958, 1472 and 1315 upregulated and 1824, 1940 and 1735 downregulated genes (P-value < 0.05) were identified in the salt stress, alkali stress and saline-alkali stress groups, respectively, compared with those in the control group. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were conducted in the significant different expression genes. In all significant DEGs, some of the typical genes involved in osmoregulation, including carbonic anhydrase (CA), calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) II (CAMK2), aquaporin-1(AQP1), sodium bicarbonate cotransporter (SLC4A4/NBC1), chloride channel 2(CLCN2), sodium/potassium/chloride transporter (SLC12A2 / NKCC1) and other osmoregulation genes were also identified. RNA-seq results were validated with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), the 17 random selected genes showed a consistent direction in both RNA-Seq and qPCR analysis, demonstrated that the results of RNA-seq were reliable. CONCLUSIONS: The present results would be helpful to elucidate the osmoregulation mechanism of aquatic animals adapting to saline-alkali challenge. This study provides a global overview of gene expression patterns and pathways that related to osmoregulation in hybrid tilapia, and could contribute to a better understanding of the molecular regulation mechanism in different osmotic stresses.