Determination and prediction of standardized ileal amino acid digestibility of wheat in broilers.

This experiment evaluated the standard ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) in 8 different sources of wheat fed to broilers and established prediction equations based on the chemical properties of wheat. A total of five hundred forty 1-day-old broilers were tested in 2 stages (from d 10 to 13 and from d 25 to 28). On d 13, 324 broilers were randomly assigned to 9 diets (6 replicate cages, 6 broilers per cage); on d 28, 216 broilers were randomly assigned to 9 diets (6 replicate cages, 4 broilers per cage). The 9 experimental diets included 8 test diets and 1 nitrogen-free diet. Titanium dioxide was added as an exogenous indicator at 0.5% of the diet. In 8 wheat samples, the mean values of total amino acids (TAA), dispensable amino acids (DAA), and indispensable amino acids (IAA) were 12.16% (CV 13.70%), 7.97% (CV 15.49%), and 4.20% (CV 11.47%). On d 13, the lowest SID of AA was Lys (86.71%), and the highest was Pro (97.98%). On d 28, the lowest SID of AA was His (81.31%), and the highest was Pro (96.83%). There was an effect of wheat source on the SID of AA except for Trp (P < 0.05); the broiler age had an effect on the SID of AA except for Tyr (P < 0.05); the SID of most AA were higher at d 13 compared to d 28. At d 13, the SID of AA was correlated with CP, NDF, and ST (P < 0.05). At d 28, the SID of AA was correlated with EE, Ash, ADF, and NDF (P < 0.05). The R2 value of stepwise regression equations to predict the SID of AA at d 13 was highest for Leu (R2 = 0.972), lowest for Asp (R2 = 0.785); at d 28 was highest for Gly (R2 = 0.995), lowest for His (R2 = 0.678). In conclusion, this experiment showed that the chemical properties of wheat can be used to establish accurate equations for predicting the SID of AA. This made it more efficient to obtain the SID of AA for wheat.

Development and validation of a novel nomogram to predict chronic total occlusion before coronary angiography.

OBJECTIVE: Some previous studies have analyzed potential predictors related to the high incidence rate of coronary artery disease (CAD) and established a relevant nomogram for CAD in patients before coronary angiography (CAG). Nevertheless, there are still few models to predict chronic total occlusion (CTO). In this study, we aimed to construct a risk model and nomogram that could effectively predict the probability of CTO before CAG. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, the derivation set (n=1,105) and the validation set (n=368), which included patients with CAG diagnosis of CTO, were collected. A statistical difference test was performed for clinical, demography, echocardiography, medication history, laboratory indexes, and angiography. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine the independent risk factors that affect the diagnosis of CTO. A nomogram was established and validated based on the independent predictors. The area under the curve (AUC), the calibration curve, and the decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the nomogram. RESULTS: The incidence of CTO within CAD was 21.5%. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that risk factors for gender (male), neutrophil percentage (NE%), hematocrit (HCT), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), ejection fraction (EF), troponin I (TnI), and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were independent predictors of CTO. A nomogram was constructed incorporating these independent predictors with good discrimination (0.746 in the C-index) and external validation (0.741 in the C-index). The calibration curves and the DCA showed the reliability and accuracy of this clinical prediction model. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram, composed of gender, NE%, HCT, TC, HDL, EF, TnI, and NT-proBNP, can be used for the prediction of CTO in CAD patients, which opens a great possibility of enriching the means to predict the prognosis of these patients in clinical practice. More studies are needed to validate the effectiveness of this nomogram in other populations.

Ultrafast temporal-spatial dynamics of amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition in Ge2Sb2Te5 thin film triggered by multiple femtosecond laser pulses irradiation.

Studies have shown that the crystallization phase state of Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) can be reversibly modulated by femtosecond (fs) laser multiple pulses, which have excellent applications in reconfigurable multi-level operation fields. In this study, the temporal-spatial crystalline evolution dynamics of amorphous GST film is investigated during two fs laser pulses excitation through a pump-probe shadowgraph imaging technique. A quasi-amorphous phase state, which is different from that in the initial as-deposited amorphous GST, is emerged through the first fs laser pulse excitation with a pulse energy lower than crystallization threshold. The experimental results reveal that a crystallization enhancement effect can be induced through the second pulse excitation based on this quasi-amorphous surface structure. The stimulative cluster generated in the quasi-amorphous reduces the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition threshold for the second fs laser pulse irradiation. The spatially-resolved phase-transition threshold extension effect in a horizontal direction is proposed with the increasing pulse number to summarize the mechanism of the crystallization enhancement effect. The specific-grain-appearance (coarse grains and fine grains representing different phase transition approach) distributed area induced by single and double fs laser pulses irradiation are experimentally demonstrated corresponding to threshold extension theory.

Cloning and stress response analysis of the PeDREB2A and PeDREB1A genes in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis).

Moso bamboo is a large woody bamboo with the highest ecological, economic, and cultural value among all bamboos in Asia. However, environmental stress influences its growth and development and limits its geographic distribution. Therefore, improving its resistance to environmental stress is extremely important. Dehydration responsive element binding (DREB) transcription factors perform an important role in the regulation of stress-related genes, enhancing the resistance of plants to abiotic stress. In the current study, two novel DREB genes, PeDREB2A and PeDREB1A (Gene ID No. PH01000046G1730 and PH01000668G0350), were isolated from moso bamboo and the sequences were identified and characterized (coding sequence lengths were 795 and 825 bp, respectively). The PeDREB2A and PeDREB1A proteins were estimated to have typical AP2/ERF domains, molecular weights of 28.96 and 28.84 kDa, and isoelectric points of 9.47 and 5.34, respectively. RT-PCR analysis revealed that PeDREB2A and PeDREB1A were tissue-specific genes, expressed in leaves, young stems, and roots, with similar expression levels in leaves and young stems. qRT-PCR analysis of leaves demonstrated that PeDREB2A transcription levels rapidly accumulate following exposure to drought and salt stress, peaking at 12 and 0.5 h, respectively, but only low expression levels were observed under cold stress. PeDREB1A exhibited a strong response to cold stress, reaching a peak in expression 3 h after exposure, but demonstrated only a slight response to drought and salt stress. In roots, PeDREB2A was down-regulated, and PeDREB1A was initially upregulated but then declined, under stress conditions. Two plant expression vectors, pCAMBIA2300- CaMV35S-PeDREB2A and pCAMBIA2300-CaMV35S-PeDREB1A were also successfully constructed.

Relationships between patient knowledge and the severity of side effects, daily nutrient intake, psychological status, and performance status in lung cancer patients.

AIM: We aimed to assess the relationships of patient education with the severity of treatment-induced side effects, daily calorie and protein intake, psychological status, and performance status in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: The study patients were divided into an intervention (n = 62) and a control group (n = 110). The patients in the intervention group were provided with information about treatment, diet, and rehabilitation during chemotherapy. The patients in the control group were not specially provided with that information. RESULTS: We observed significant differences between the intervention and control groups with respect to low daily protein intake (54.84% vs. 70.00%, p = 0.046), prevalence of depression (51.61% vs. 70.91%, p = 0.011), prevalence of severe side effects of treatment (14.52% vs. 37.27%, p = 0.002), and good performance status (75.81% vs. 55.45%, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that educating patients about cancer treatment and rehabilitation can lead to increased protein intake, a lower prevalence of depression, lesser side effects from cancer treatments, and improved performance status.

Replantation of the testis: report of a case.

To our knowledge there has been no report to date of successful testis replantation after complete traumatic severance of the funiculus within the scrotum. We report a case in which both funiculi were cut completely (one of which was severed 0.8 cm. proximal to the upper pole of the testis, and the other just at the junction of the funiculus and the testis). We successfully rejoined the testis with the funicular stump to the proximal cut end of the right side using a microsurgical technique. The total ischemia period of the replanted testis was 6 hours. The penis was erect 4 days postoperatively and blood testosterone level was within the normal range. At testicular biopsy 120 days postoperatively the germ cells could be seen in various stages of development and the appearance of the Leydig cells was normal.

[Preliminary study on differentiating colon carcinoma from adenoma by monoclonal antibody Hb3].

Using HT-29 colonic cancer cell line as the immunogen, monoclonal antibody Hb3 was generated, which can react to colonic carcinoma and several colonic cancer cell lines. In this paper, formalin fixed tissue sections of the human colonic cancer and adenoma were tested by indirect immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibody Hb3. In 20 colonic cancers, 16 belonged to well and moderately differentiated carcinoma, 4 to poorly differentiated carcinoma and mucoid adenocarcinoma. All of the former reacted to monoclonal antibody Hb3 but no reaction was seen in the latter. The positive rate was 80%. By the same method, 20 colonic adenomas were also studied. 19 were negative except one, a papillo-adenoma with dysplasia, which was weakly positive. The results indicate that monoclonal antibody Hb3 can be used in differentiating colonic carcinoma from adenoma and as an effective indicator of the malignant change of colonic adenoma.