Genomics to accelerate genetic improvement in tilapia.

Selective breeding of tilapia populations started in the early 1990s and over the past three decades tilapia has become one of the most important farmed freshwater species, being produced in more than 125 countries around the globe. Although genome assemblies have been available since 2011, most of the tilapia industry still depends on classical selection techniques using mass spawning or pedigree information to select for growth traits with reported genetic gains of up to 20% per generation. The involvement of international breeding companies and research institutions has resulted in the rapid development and application of genomic resources in the last few years. GWAS and genomic selection are expected to contribute to uncovering the genetic variants involved in economically relevant traits and increasing the genetic gain in selective breeding programs, respectively. Developments over the next few years will probably focus on achieving a deep understanding of genetic architecture of complex traits, as well as accelerating genetic progress in the selection for growth-, quality- and robustness-related traits. Novel phenotyping technologies (i.e. phenomics), lower-cost whole-genome sequencing approaches, functional genomics and gene editing tools will be crucial in future developments for the improvement of tilapia aquaculture.

Bayesian genome-wide association analysis for body weight in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

We performed a genome-wide association study to detect markers associated with growth traits in Atlantic salmon. The analyzed traits included body weight at tagging (BWT) and body weight at 25 months (BW25M). Genotypes of 4662 animals were imputed from the 50K SNP chip to the 200K SNP chip using fimpute software. The markers were simultaneously modeled using Bayes C to identify genomic regions associated with the traits. We identified windows explaining a maximum of 3.71% and 3.61% of the genetic variance for BWT and BW25M respectively. We found potential candidate genes located within the top ten 1-Mb windows for BWT and BW25M. For instance, the vitronectin (VTN) gene, which has been previously reported to be associated with cell growth, was found within one of the top ten 1-Mb windows for BWT. In addition, the WNT1-inducible-signaling pathway protein 3, melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein 2, myosin light chain kinase, transforming growth factor beta receptor type 3 and myosin light chain 1 genes, which have been reported to be associated with skeletal growth in humans, growth stimulation during the larval stage in zebrafish, body weight in pigs, feed conversion in chickens and growth rate of sheep skeletal muscle respectively, were found within some of the top ten 1-Mb windows for BW25M. These results indicate that growth traits are most likely controlled by many variants with relatively small effects in Atlantic salmon. The genomic regions associated with the traits studied here may provide further insight into the functional regions underlying growth traits in this species.

Isolation and characterization of halophilic lactic acid bacteria acting as a starter culture for sauce fermentation of the red alga Nori (Porphyra yezoensis).

AIMS: A screening test was conducted for environmental samples to isolate halophilic lactic acid bacteria (HLAB) that can act as a starter in a Nori (Porphyra yezoensis)-sauce culture. METHOD AND RESULTS: After 9 months of incubation of enrichment cultures added with 25 kinds of environmental samples, growth of HLAB-like microorganisms was observed in six cultures salted at a 15% w/w level, including culture samples originally from mesopelagic water taken from 321 m-depth and from mountain snow taken at 2450 m-height. Ten strains were isolated and characterized as Tetragenococcus halophilus based on sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. The isolates were inoculated into a newly prepared Nori-sauce culture and were confirmed to be able to act as a starter culture while three reference strains of T. halophilus obtained from a culture collection could not grow in the same culture. CONCLUSIONS: Halophilic lactic acid bacteria strains that can make growth in a highly salted Nori-sauce culture were isolated from environmental samples for the first time. All the isolates were identified as T. halophilus. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The isolated strains are expected to be utilized as a starter culture for manufacturing fermented seaweed-sauce, which will be the first fermented food products obtained from algae.

Validation of a Simplified SRS-Schwab Classification Using a Sagittal Modifier.

STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter, prospective study of consecutive adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients. OBJECTIVE: To Validate Schwab's classification accuracy for surgical indication, and to evaluate a simplified sagittal modifier. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The SRS-Schwab Radiologic Classification based on clinical impact parameters, offers 27 different sagittal classification possibilities regarding sagittal vertical alignment (SVA), pelvic tilt (PT), and pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL). The high number of classification possibilities makes it complex to use. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were ASD patients, presenting at least 1 criteria: Cobb ≥ 20°, SVA ≥ 5 cm, thoracic kyphosis ≥ 60°, or PT ≥ 25°. A total of 1,004 patients (410 nonoperative and 594 operative) were classified regarding SVA, PT, and PI-LL (0, +, ++), and 27 possibilities were identified. Categories were formed by adding the number of + signs, considering PT, SVA, and PI-LL. Three specific categories were identified: Aligned: 0 +; Moderate deformity: 1 to 3+; and Severe deformity: 4 to 6+. A χ-square test was performed for surgical indication (operated or not) and an analysis of variance was performed to evaluate the relationship between categories and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Probability <.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Significant differences for HRQoL scores and surgical indication were found in the 27 sagittal parameter possibilities. For nonoperative patients, 230 (56.1%) were classified as aligned, 145 (35.4%) as moderate, and 35 (8.5%) as severe. For operative patients, there were 200 (33.7%), 215 (36.2%), and 179 (30.1%) in each respective subgroup. For HRQoL scores and surgical indication, no significant differences were found within each category, but significant differences were found when comparing the subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the correlation between SRS-Schwab classification and surgical indication, it is complex to use, with a total of 27 possibilities regarding sagittal modifiers. This simplification into three categories offers more readability, without losing any significant information, and could replace Schwab sagittal modifiers. In association with other parameters, they could be used for decision-making. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Non-destructive elemental analysis of a carbonaceous chondrite with direct current Muon beam at MuSIC.

Electron- or X-ray-induced characteristic X-ray analysis has been widely used to determine chemical compositions of materials in vast research fields. In recent years, analysis of characteristic X-rays from muonic atoms, in which a muon is captured, has attracted attention because both a muon beam and a muon-induced characteristic X-ray have high transmission abilities. Here we report the first non-destructive elemental analysis of a carbonaceous chondrite using one of the world-leading intense direct current muon beam source (MuSIC; MUon Science Innovative Channel). We successfully detected characteristic muonic X-rays of Mg, Si, Fe, O, S and C from Jbilet Winselwan CM chondrite, of which carbon content is about 2 wt%, and the obtained elemental abundance pattern was consistent with that of CM chondrites. Because of its high sensitivity to carbon, non-destructive elemental analysis with a muon beam can be a novel powerful tool to characterize future retuned samples from carbonaceous asteroids.

Degradation-resistant character of synthetic hydroxyapatite blocks filled in bone defects.

The long-term changes of both the implanted hydroxyapatite (HA) blocks and the bone around them were observed radiologically to investigate the clinical usefulness of HA. HA blocks were used as a space filler in surgically created bone defects of seven cases due to curettage of bone tumours or removal for bone grafts, and they were followed up for 78 to 109 months. Bone formation around HA blocks peaked within 1 year after implantation, and then it faded gradually. However, shapes of HA blocks were rarely changed in all the cases. A clear zone around HA blocks was never observed . HA blocks were biocompatible and demonstrated a character resistant to degradation.

The signaling pathway of cardiotrophin-1 is not activated in hypertrophied ventricles of carnitine-deficient juvenile visceral steatosis (JVS) mice.

Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) is a novel cytokine which is involved in the growth and survival of cardiac cells. We examined whether CT-1 plays a role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy in carnitine-deficient juvenile visceral steatosis (JVS) mice. The CT-1 mRNA level was quantitatively measured by the competitive RT-PCR method. In contrast to other models including spontaneously hypertensive rats, CT-1 mRNA in the ventricles of JVS mice was comparable to the control at 5 days and was less than half the control value at 2 and 8 weeks when the ventricles of the JVS mice were highly hypertrophied. There were no significant differences in CT-1 mRNA levels in the lung, liver, kidney, small intestine and skeletal muscle between the JVS and control mice at 2 weeks. We did not find any difference between JVS and control mice at 2 weeks in the mRNA level of ventricular leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) which binds to the same receptor as CT-1. Furthermore, almost no phosphorylated STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), downstream of the LIF receptor and the gp130 signaling subunit, was observed in the ventricles of JVS and control mice. These data show that the CT-1 signaling pathway does not play a significant role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy in JVS mice. Furthermore, we could not detect any differences in insulin-like growth factor I and II mRNA levels. All these data suggest distinct differences in the mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy between JVS mice and other model animals.

Expression of nm23 antimetastatic gene product in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The nm23 gene has been implicated as a suppressor gene involved in the control of the metastatic process of malignant cells. Reduced levels of nm23 gene product have been found in tumor cells with high metastatic potential such as several types of rodent tumors and human breast, colorectal, and lung carcinoma. This pilot study examines the expression of the nm23 gene product compared with nodal status in 70 consecutive patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. Immunohistochemical staining was carried out on these tumor tissues with a monoclonal antibody to nm23-H1 peptide sequence. The tissues were scored from 0 to 2 by 2 independent observers. Reduced immunoreactivity, grades 0 and 1, was observed in 30 patients with positive nodal status (N = 34, 88%). Strong immunoreactivity, grade 2, was observed in 20 patients with negative nodal status (N = 36, 56%). Reduced expression of nm23 gene product was observed in patients with positive lymph node metastasis (P = 0. 0006, chi(2)). However, no significant differences in survival of these groups based on nm23 expression could be shown with the Kaplan-Meier analysis. This initial finding in the difference of nm23 gene product expression in patients with differing lymph node status is exciting but must be further validated with future studies.

Gunshot wounds to the spine.

Gunshot wounds to the spine are becoming more prevalent, especially in urban areas. Neurologic injury can occur even if the projectile does not penetrate the spinal canal. Initial treatment should consist of stabilizing the patient's medical condition followed by a careful neurologic examination. Spinal stability can be determined from plain radiographs and CT scan, with the overwhelming majority of injuries being stable. Retained bullets rarely cause problems of delayed infection, late neurologic decline, or lead toxicity, eliminating the need for prophylactic bullet removal; however, in the thoracolumbar spine, removal of bullet fragments lodged within the spinal canal has been shown to significantly improve neurologic recovery.

Applications of the voice prosthesis during laryngectomy.

With the recent introduction of the voice prosthesis for alaryngeal speech rehabilitation, its application in the early postlaryngectomy period is gaining acceptance. One hundred twenty-eight patients received a tracheoesophageal puncture and adjunctive pharyngeal constrictor relaxation during laryngectomy. The voice prosthesis was applied as early as 10 days after surgery, and the results of a 9-year experience are presented. Eighty percent of the population achieved a durable voice, and the complications were infrequent. The results support the primary use of tracheoesophageal phonation as a relatively safe and reliable alternative to total laryngectomy alone.

A case of facial diplegia associated with acute bilateral otitis media.

A 32-month-old toddler developed facial diplegia in association with a bout of acute bilateral otitis media. After 28 days of antibiotic therapy and placement of tympanostomy tubes, the patient demonstrated 100% symmetrical recovery. A brief discussion of the pathophysiology is included.

Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis presented transient false positivity for lupus anticoagulant under heparin treatment.

A 24-year-old Japanese man was admitted because of massive haematemesis and melaena with persistent abdominal pain. Markedly bloody ascites and severely oedematous small intestine were recognized, and angiography then revealed superior mesenteric vein thrombosis. After resection of the necrotic small intestine, continuous intravenous infusion of heparin and urokinase was performed. This patient had no familial or personal history of thrombosis. On the 15th day after operation, an initial search for lupus anticoagulant revealed that the prothrombin time (PT) ratio and dilute activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were positive under heparin treatment, without evidence of rheumatic or connective tissue disease. Thrombocytopenia was observed with a nearly normocellular bone marrow. A follow-up examination 1 year later still revealed an increased aPTT. However, all tests for antiphospholipid antibodies had been negative including dilute aPTT for about 2 years since the 15th day after operation. These findings suggest that, in this patient, superior mesenteric vein thrombosis has not been associated with primary antiphospholipid syndrome but is probably idiopathic. Positive tests for lupus anticoagulant in the initial period may be unreliable due to heparin treatment.

Plasma procalcitonin in sepsis and organ failure.

INTRODUCTION: Because the use of procalcitonin (PCT) as a marker of bacterial infection has been advocated, this study was carried out to determine the usefulness of plasma PCT in the early diagnosis and differentiation of patients with non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) from those with sepsis, and the relationship between plasma PCT level and severity of organ failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients with non-septic SIRS (n = 16), sepsis (n = 7) or septic shock (n = 12) were included in this study. PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured and sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was calculated for these patients. Plasma PCT was measured by immunoluminometric assay. RESULTS: The median (minimum, maximum) plasma PCT levels were 0.6 (0.1, 3.4) ng/mL in non-septic SIRS, 5.4 (0.9, 47.7) ng/mL in sepsis and 73.4 (9.6, 824.1) ng/mL in septic shock, and significant differences existed in plasma PCT levels among the three groups. The median (minimum, maximum) CRP levels were 13.8 (0.3, 48.8) mg/dL in non-septic SIRS, 23.3 (1.4, 26.6) mg/dL in sepsis and 17.4 (2.2, 34.1) mg/dL in septic shock, without significant differences among the three groups. A good correlation was found between plasma PCT level and SOFA score (rs = 0.766, P < 0.0001), although no correlation was found between CRP level and SOFA score. CONCLUSIONS: CRP is increased by inflammatory disease as well as infection and is therefore not a good indicator of infection in patients with severe SIRS. On the other hand, PCT is a good indicator of severity of sepsis and organ failure in patients with severe SIRS since PCT levels correlated with sepsis and SOFA scores. PCT level is useful for diagnosis of sepsis and as an indicator of severity of organ failure in patients with SIRS.

Effect of prostaglandin E1 on arterial ketone body ratio in hepatectomy.

We evaluated the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) administration during hepatectomy on arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), which is an indicator of liver function, and on other liver functions in the postoperative period. Eighteen patients were divided into two groups: Continuous intravenous administration of PGE1 (0.02 µg·kg-1·h-1) was started immediately before hepatic resection and ceased at the end of operation in nine patients (PGE1 group); the other nine did not receive PGE1 (control group). After hepatic resection, a significant increase in AKBR was observed in the PGE1 group. However, no change was observed in the control group. In the PGE1 group, total bilirubin and SGOT recovered more rapidly to the preoperative level than in the control group. These findings suggested that PGE1 might have a protective effect on the liver.

Evaluation of continuous intraspinal narcotic analgesia for chronic pain from benign causes.

Intraspinal narcotic analgesia (INA) has been used for chronic pain from nonmalignant causes with moderate success. To ascertain the efficacy of the morphine pump, we reviewed the 2-year results of continuous INA in 18 patients with failed back syndrome or arachnoiditis and intractable, debilitating pain that was unrelieved by conventional means. All patients underwent a trial screening of single-dose intrathecal narcotics with good pain relief. After 2 years, 8 pumps were still functioning, 8 patients had the pump removed or turned off, and 2 patients were lost to follow-up. Our patients averaged 1.4 additional procedures or hospitalizations after initial pump insertion. Overall, only 4 patients had objective evidence of benefit from INA, for a success rate of 25%. Results of this review suggest INA should not be used for the long-term management of chronic pain from nonmalignant causes.

[Effect of hypocapnia on arterial oxygenation during induced hypotension].

We evaluated the effects of hypocapnia on arterial oxygenation during induced hypotension with nitroglycerin (TNG) or prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) in patients undergoing mastectomy. Of the 20 patients studied, 10 belonged to TNG group and 10 belonged to PGE1 group. Mean arterial pressure during induced hypotension was maintained at 70% of the values observed before hypotension. A significant decrease in PaO2 was observed during hypotension under normocapnia (PaCO2 35-40 mmHg) in both groups. In addition, small but significant reduction in PaO2 from 128.5 +/- 23.7 mmHg to 122.5 +/- 25.5 mmHg in TNG group and from 129.9 +/- 11.9 mmHG to 116.7 +/- 15.6 mmHg in PGE1 group were induced by hypocapnia (PaCO2 27-30 mmHg) during hypotension. These findings suggest that usual dose of TNG and PGE1 might not or might partially inhibit hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction.

[Effect of prostaglandin E1 on arterial ketone body ratio during gastrectomy].

We evaluated the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), which is a parameter to indicate the function of the liver cells, in the patients undergoing total or subtotal gastrectomy. Twenty patients were divided into two groups: continuous intravenous administration of PGE1 (0.02 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) was started from 30 minutes after the beginning of the operation in 10 patients, and the remainders did not receive PGE1. AKBR levels at 30 minutes after the beginning of the operation (during the resection of stomach) were significantly lower than those after the resection of stomach in both groups. A significant increase in AKBR caused by the administration of PGE1 was observed during the resection of the stomach in PGE1 group. However, almost no change was observed in AKBR during the resection of the stomach in control group. These findings suggest that the administration of PGE1 has a protective effect on liver which is due mainly to the increase in hepatic blood flow during the resection of stomach.

[Effect of clamping of portal vein on serum potassium level during hepatic resection].

We studied relation between the serum potassium changes and the factors affecting serum potassium level during hepatic resection in 23 patients. Serum potassium concentration became significantly higher after hepatic resection. The magnitude of increase in serum potassium concentration showed a correlation with total clamping time of the right or left portal vein (r = 0.576, P less than 0.01) and also with the amount of blood transfused (r = 0.441, P less than 0.05), but no significant correlation was found with fall in pH and urine output during hepatic resection. These results suggest that the duration of clamping of portal vein play the key role in the increment in serum potassium concentration during hepatic resection.

[Change in arterial ketone body ratio during gastrectomy and mastectomy].

We evaluated the influence of operative procedure on arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), which indicates the function of the liver cells, in patients undergoing gastrectomy or mastectomy. AKBR during the stomach resection was significantly lower than that during the breast resection. A significant reduction in AKBR due to induced hypotension was observed in mastectomy group. SGOT and SGPT increased significantly in gastrectomy group, but unchanged in mastectomy group on the first and the seventh postoperative days. On the first post-operative day, SGOT and SGPT in gastrectomy group were significantly higher than those in mastectomy group. These findings suggest that influence of operative procedure on the liver during gastrectomy is more serious than that during mastectomy.

[Effect of induced hypotension on arterial blood ketone body ratio (AKBR)].

Arterial blood ketone body ratio (AKBR; acetoacetate/beta-hydroxybutyrate) is known as a parameter to indicate the function of the liver cells. We evaluated the effects of induced hypotension with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) or trimetaphan (TMP) on AKBR in patients without liver disease undergoing mastectomy. Almost no change was observed in AKBR before, during and after hypotension with PGE1, but slight diminution was observed during hypotension with TMP. No hepatic dysfunction, however, developed in these patients postoperatively. These findings suggest that usual hypotension with TMP may provoke no postoperative hepatic dysfunction in patients without liver disease. For the patient who required either hypotension of long duration or hypotension with other factors affecting function of liver (surgical procedures, drugs and others), we prefer PGE1 to TMP as a hypotensive drug. We should also adopt PGE1 when cardiovascular control with hypotensive drug is necessary in patients with liver disease.