CmERF1 acts as a positive regulator of fruits and leaves growth in melon (Cucumis melo L.).

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important horticultural and economic crop. ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR1 (ERF1) plays an important role in regulating plant development, and the resistance to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, developmental biology, molecular biology and biochemical assays were performed to explore the biological function of CmERF1 in melon. Abundant transcripts of CmERF1 were found in ovary at green-yellow bud (GYB) and rapid enlargement (ORE) stages. In CmERF1 promoter, the cis-regulatory elements for indoleacetic acid (IAA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA), light and low temperature responses were found. CmERF1 could be significantly induced by ethylene, IAA, MeJA, SA, ABA, and respond to continuous light and low temperature stresses in melon. Ectopic expression of CmERF1 increased the length of siliqua and carpopodium, and expanded the size of leaves in Arabidopsis. Knockdown of CmERF1 led to smaller ovary at anthesis, mature fruit and leaves in melon. In CmERF1-RNAi #2 plants, 75 genes were differently expressed compared with control, and the promoter regions of 28 differential expression genes (DEGs) contained the GCC-box (AGCCGCC) or DRE (A/GCCGAC) cis-acting elements of CmERF1. A homolog of cell division cycle protein 48 (CmCDC48) was proved to be the direct target of CmERF1 by the yeast one-hybrid assay and dual-luciferase (LUC) reporter (DLR) system. These results indicated that CmERF1 was able to promote the growth of fruits and leaves, and involved in multiple hormones and environmental signaling pathways in melon.

Epidemiology of tuberculosis among children in Beijing, China, 2012-2021.

Data on epidemiology trends of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) are limited in China. So, we investigated the clinical and epidemiological profiles in diagnosed TB disease and TB infection patients at Beijing Children's Hospital. Of 3 193 patients, 51.05% had pulmonary TB (PTB) and 15.16% had extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). The most frequent forms of EPTB were TB meningitis (39.05%), pleural TB (29.75%), and disseminated TB (10.33%). PTB patients were significantly younger and associated with higher hospitalization frequency. Children aged 1-4 years exhibited higher risk of PTB and TB meningitis, and children aged 5-12 years had higher risk of EPTB. The proportion of PTB patients increased slightly from 40.9% in 2012 to 65% in 2019, and then decreased to 17.8% in 2021. The percentage of EPTB cases decreased from 18.3% in 2012 to 15.2% in 2019, but increased to 16.4% in 2021. Among EPTB cases, the largest increase was seen in TB meningitis. In conclusion, female and young children had higher risk of PTB in children. TB meningitis was the most frequent forms of EPTB among children, and young children were at high risk of TB meningitis. The distribution of different types of EPTB differed by age.

Size-Resolved Molecular Characterization of Water-Soluble Organic Matter in Atmospheric Particulate Matter from Northern China.

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) affects visibility, climate, biogeochemical cycles and human health. Water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) is an important component of PM. In this study, PM samples with size-resolved measurements at aerodynamic cut-point diameters (Dp) of 0.01-18µm were collected in the rural area of Baoding and the urban area of Dalian, Northern China. Non-targeted analysis was adopted for the characterization of the molecule constitutes of WSOM in different sized particles using Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Regardless of the location, the composition of WSOM in Aitken mode particles (aerodynamic diameter < 0.05 µm) was similar. The WSOM in accumulation mode particles (0.05-2 µm) in Baoding was predominantly composed of CHO compounds (84.9%), which were mainly recognized as lignins and lipids species. However, S-containing compounds (64.2%), especially protein and carbohydrates species, accounted for most of the WSOM in the accumulation mode particles in Dalian. The CHO compounds (67.6%-79.7%) contributed the most to the WSOM in coarse mode particles (> 2 µm) from both sites. Potential sources analysis indicated the WSOM in Baoding were mainly derived from biomass burning and oxidation reactions, while the WSOM in Dalian arose from coal combustion, oxidation reactions, and regional transport.

Genetic spectrum of Chinese children with cystic fibrosis: comprehensive data analysis from the main referral centre in China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a heterogeneous disease with a diverse genetic spectrum among populations. Few patients with CF of Chinese origin have been reported worldwide. The objective of this study is to characterise the genotypic features of CF in Chinese children. METHODS: We recruited and characterised the genetic manifestations of 103 Chinese children with CF in Beijing Children's Hospital from 2010 to 2022. Whole-exome sequencing were performed to define the genotypes. Meanwhile, other 99 genetically confirmed patients with Chinese origin described in 45 references were also summarised. RESULTS: 158 different variants including 23 novel observations were identified after sequencing. The majority of CFTR variants (82.3%) in Chinese have been observed only once or twice. 43.7% of the variants were only identified in patients of Chinese origin. The c.2909G>A(p.Gly970Asp), c.1766+5G>T and c.1657C>T(p.Arg553X) were the most frequent variants among Chinese patients, with allele frequency of 12.1%, 5.4% and 3.6%, respectively. The first two variants both showed significant Chinese ethnic tendency, while the latter one most likely came from Europeans for historical reasons. They also demonstrated significant differences in geographical distribution. c.1521_1523delCTT(p.F508del) was rarely observed in patients of pure Chinese origin, with an allele frequency of 1.8%. Two de novo variants (c.960dupA[p.Ser321IlefsX43] and c.2491-2A>G) and two deep-intronic variants (c.3718-2477C>T and c.3874-4522A>G) were identified, which were also quite rare among Chinese. CONCLUSIONS: The genetic spectrum of CF in Chinese is unique and quite different from that observed in Caucasians. The geographical distributions of the most frequent variants were reported for the first time.

[Effect and mechanism of Dahuang Zhechong Pills in improving liver aging in rats by regulating ROS-mediated PI3K/Akt/FoxO4 signaling pathway].

Recent studies have shown that the occurrence and development of common liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, are related to liver aging(LA). Therefore, to explore the effect and mechanism of Dahuang Zhechong Pills(DHZCP), a traditional classic prescription in improving LA with multiple targets, the present study randomly divided 24 rats into a normal group, a model group, a DHZCP group, and a vitamin E(VE) group, with six rats in each group. The LA model was induced by continuous intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose(D-gal) in rats. For the LA model rats, the general situation was evaluated by aging phenotype and body weight(BW). LA was assessed by the pathological characteristics of hepatocyte senescence, hepatic function indexes, the staining characteristics of phosphorylated histone family 2A variant(γ-H2AX), and the expression levels of cell cycle arrest proteins(P21, P53, P16) and senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP) in the liver. The activation of the reactive oxygen species(ROS)-mediated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)/forkhead box protein O4(FoxO4) signaling pathway was estimated by hepatic ROS expression feature and the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules in the PI3K/Akt/FoxO4 signaling pathway. The results showed that after the treatment with DHZCP or VE for 12 weeks, for the DHZCP and VE groups, the characterized aging phenotype, BW, pathological characteristics of hepatocyte senescence, hepatic function indexes, relative expression of ROS in the liver, protein expression levels of key signaling molecules including p-PI3K, p-Akt, and FoxO4 in the liver, staining characteristics of γ-H2AX, and the protein expression levels of P16, P21, P53, interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in the liver were improved, and the effects of DHZCP and VE were similar. Based on the D-gal-induced LA model in rats, this study demonstrates that DHZCP can ameliorate LA with multiple targets in vivo, and its effects and mechanism are related to regulating the activation of the ROS-mediated PI3K/Akt/FoxO4 signaling pathway in the liver. These findings are expected to provide new pharmacological evidence for the treatment of DHZCP in aging-related liver diseases.

Effects of cottonseed meal on growth performance, liver redox status, and serum biochemical parameters in goslings at 1 to 28 days of age.

BACKGROUND: Cottonseed meal (CSM), a relatively rich source of protein and amino acids, is used as an inexpensive alternative to soybean meal (SBM) in poultry diets. However, the toxicity of free gossypol in CSM has been a primary concern. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of CSM on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, and liver redox status in goslings at 1 to 28 days of age. Three hundred 1-day-old male goslings were randomly divided into 5 groups (10 goslings/pen, 6 replicate pens/group) and subjected to a 28-day experiment. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated such that 0% (control), 25% (CSM25), 50% (CSM50), 75% (CSM75), and 100% (CSM100) of protein from SBM was replaced by protein from CSM. The free gossypol contents in the five diets were 0, 56, 109, 166, and 222 mg/kg, respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that dietary CSM was associated with linear decreases in body weight, average daily feed intake and average daily gain and linear increases in the feed-to-gain ratio from 1 to 28 days of age (P < 0.001). As the dietary CSM concentration increased, a numerical increase was found in the mortality of goslings. According to a single-slope broken-line model, the breakpoints for the average daily gain of dietary free gossypol concentration on days 1 to 14, 15 to 28, and 1 to 28 occurred at 23.63, 14.78, and 18.53 mg/kg, respectively. As the dietary CSM concentration increased, serum albumin (P < 0.001) concentrations decreased linearly and serum uric acid (P = 0.011) increased linearly. The hydroxyl radical scavenging ability (P = 0.002) and catalase (P < 0.001) and glutathione peroxidase (P = 0.001) activities of the liver decreased linearly with increasing dietary CSM. However, dietary CSM did not affect the concentrations of reactive oxygen metabolites, malondialdehyde, or protein carbonyl in the liver. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing dietary CSM increased the concentration of free gossypol and altered the composition of some amino acids in the diet. A high concentration of CSM reduced the growth performance of goslings aged 1 to 28 days by decreasing feed intake, liver metabolism, and antioxidant capacity. From the primary concern of free gossypol in CSM, the tolerance of goslings to free gossypol from CSM is low, and the toxicity of free gossypol has a cumulative effect over time.

The effect of different dietary levels of sodium and chloride on performance, blood parameters and excreta quality in goslings at 29 to 70 days of age.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the appropriate levels of dietary sodium (Na+ ) and chloride (Cl- ) for 29- to 70-day-old goslings and to investigate the effects of different levels of Na+ and Cl- on the growth performance, water consumption, blood parameters and excreta quality of goslings to provide a reference for the healthy production of goslings. In Experiment 1, a total of 432 29-day-old male Jiangnan White goslings were randomly allotted to nine treatments according to a 3 × 3 factorial design, with six pens containing eight birds per treatment. The goslings were fed diets with three concentrations of Na+ (0.10%, 0.15% and 0.20%) and three concentrations of Cl- (0.15%, 0.20% and 0.25%). The experimental period was 42 days. In Experiment 2, a total of 24 70-day-old Jiangnan White goslings were selected for four treatments (0.10% Na+  × 0.15% Cl- ; 0.10% Na+  × 0.25% Cl- ; 0.20% Na+  × 0.15% Cl- and 0.20% Na+  × 0.25% Cl- ) and housed separately in metabolic cages. The faeces were collected for 3 consecutive days. In Experiment 1, the average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed/gain (F/G) ratio of goslings were unaffected by the treatments. However, low levels of Na+ and Cl- significantly reduced the water consumption of goslings in the later growth period (p < 0.05). The average water consumption of goslings fed with 0.10% Na+  × 0.15% Cl- was significantly lower than that of the goslings fed with 0.20% Na+  × 0.25% Cl- (56 days, 1304.2 ml vs. 1471.7 ml; 63 days, 1452.8 ml vs. 1610.8 ml; 70 days, 1540.0 ml vs. 1775.4 ml; p < 0.05). The interaction between Na+ and Cl- (Na+  × Cl- ) had a significant impact on the blood haemoglobin (HGB) and haematocrit (HCT) levels in the goslings (p < 0.05). HGB increased linearly with increasing levels of Na+ . HGB and HCT first increased and then decreased with increasing levels of Cl- . In Experiment 2, Na+ and Cl- levels had significant effects on the excreta moisture content (p < 0.05). Goslings fed with 0.10% Na+  × 0.15% Cl- had a low moisture content of 5.58% compared to the goslings fed with 0.20% Na+  × 0.25% Cl- (87.51% vs. 93.09%; p < 0.05). The levels of dietary Na+ had a significant effect on the retention ratio of Na (p < 0.05), with the value for the 0.20% Na+ group being significantly higher than that for the 0.10% Na+ group (p < 0.05). In summary, different levels of Na+ and Cl- did not affect the growth of goslings. To reduce the water consumption and moisture content of excreta, the Na+ and Cl- levels in the diet can be as low as 0.10% and 0.15%, respectively.

Prognosis and treatment of 46 Chinese pediatric cystic fibrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Since public awareness of cystic fibrosis (CF) has increased, more children have been diagnosed with CF in China. This study aimed to investigate medical and other challenges faced by pediatric CF patients in China. METHOD: Treatments and treatment outcomes were retrospectively analyzed for 46 pediatric CF patients diagnosed from August 2009 to June 2019. Pre- and post-treatment results were compared using independent samples t-test. RESULTS: Of 46 pediatric CF study patients, four died and five were lost to follow-up. Thirty-seven patients were monitored for 0.03 to 9.21 years; patients exhibited fewer attacks of respiratory tract infections after diagnosis (4.49 ± 2.13 episodes/year before diagnosis vs 1.97 ± 1.87 times/year after 1-year treatment, p < 0.05), significantly reduced sputum production and experienced 1.62 ± 1.71 exacerbations/year. Patient mean body mass index was 16.87 ± 3.53 and pancreatic malfunction persisted in 15 patients. For 17 children, no significant differences in lung function were found at follow-up as compared to lung function at diagnosis (FEV1: 82.45% ± 16.56% vs 75.26% ± 22.34%, FVC: 87.18% ± 13.64% vs 86.99% ± 19.95%, FEF75%: 46.51% ± 28.78% vs 36.63% ± 24.30%, P = 0.27, 0.97, 0.20, respectively). Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17/27) and bronchiectasis (22/22) were found during follow-up evaluation. Twenty-four patients (64.8%) maintained good adherence to therapies. Overall, azithromycin and tobramycin treatments were administered for 0.5-62 months and 0.5-48 months, respectively, and triggered no obvious adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: No obvious declines in clinical presentation or lung function were found in Chinese pediatric CF patients after receiving standard therapeutic and active treatments, although malnutrition and low compliance were persistent challenges.

STING-Associated Vasculopathy with Onset in Infancy in Three Children with New Clinical Aspect and Unsatisfactory Therapeutic Responses to Tofacitinib.

PURPOSE: STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) is a new rare auto-inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study is to report new cases and summarize the manifestations and outcome of SAVI. METHODS: We made a retrospective analysis of three pediatric patients diagnosed with SAVI between March 2016 and July 2018 in Beijing Children's Hospital. RESULTS: Three patients comprised one boy and two girls. The median age of onset was 4 months. All patients had the same de novo heterozygous mutation (c.463G>A, p. V155M) of TMEM173. All patients presented with interstitial lung disease and one coexisted with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Rashes were presented in two patients. Other clinical manifestations include febrile attacks, failure to thrive, arthritis, myositis, cerebrovascular involvement, ureteral calculus, gastroesophageal reflux, and malnutrition. Ground-glass opacities were the most common features of chest computed tomography, followed with cysts and reticular opacities. Transbronchial lung biopsy was performed in one patient revealing pulmonary vasculitis. Skin biopsy was performed in one patient with changes of vasculitis. All patients were treated with corticosteroids and two patients received combined treatment of tofacitinib. The therapeutic effects of tofacitinib were limited on interstitial lung disease in both patients and were poor on rashes in one patient. One patient under the treatment of tofacitinib died. CONCLUSIONS: New clinical aspect of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is first reported to be associated with SAVI. Unsatisfactory therapeutic effects of tofacitinib are observed in this study and further evaluations are needed.

The effect of different dietary levels of sodium and chloride on performance and blood parameters in goslings (1-28 days of age).

A total of 702 1-day-old male Jiangnan White goslings were used to study the effects of varying levels of Na+ and Cl- on their growth performance and blood parameters. In this experiment, goslings were randomly allotted to nine treatments, with six pens per treatment in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, and fed diets with three concentrations of added Na+ (0.10%, 0.15% and 0.20%) and three concentrations of added Cl- (0.15%, 0.20% and 0.25%). The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the sensitivity of goslings to Na+ and Cl- during brooding to determine the appropriate levels of Na+ and Cl- in their feed. The results are as follows: (a) Different levels of Na+ and Cl- in the diet, especially low Na+ and Cl- , significantly affected the body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and feed/gain ratio (F/G) of the 28-day-old goslings (p < .05). But Na+  × Cl- has no significant effect on water consumption (p > .05). (b) Serum concentrations of urea increased linearly with Na+ content (p < .05). Serum concentrations of creatinine (CR) and uric acid (UA) increased linearly with Cl- content (p < .05). (c) Na+  × Cl- has a significant impact on the serum sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl; p < .05). The content of serum Na and Cl increased linearly with increasing levels of Na+ and Cl- . These results show that low levels of Na+ and Cl- had significant adverse effects on the growth of 1- to 28-day-old goslings. The results of the experiment support a recommendation to supplement the diet of goslings with 0.20% Cl- and not <0.15% Na+ .

Effects of vitamin A supplementation in the diet of breeding geese on offspring intestinal tissue morphology and immune performance.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of maternal and offspring dietary vitamin A (VA) supplementation on early body weight, digestive tract function and immune function in goslings were studied. METHODS: Yangzhou geese (180 d old) were randomly divided into 5 experimental groups of 15 females and 3 males (the males were kept until slaughter). Eggs were collected for hatching during the peak laying period. A total of 96 goslings were selected from each treatment group (each fed a basic diet supplemented with 0, 4,000, 8,000, 12,000 or 16,000 IU/kg VA) and randomly divided into 2 groups, with 6 replicates in each group and 8 goslings in each replicate. The gosling diet was supplemented with 0 or 9,000 IU/kg VA. RESULTS: i) Villus length, villus width and the muscle thickness of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum were increased and the crypt depth was reduced after adding 12,000 IU/kg VA to the goslings' diet (p<0.05). Adding 9,000 IU/kg VA to the offspring diet increased the length of the duodenal villi and width of the ileum and decreased the crypt depth of the ileum (p<0.05). ii) Supplementing the maternal diet with 12,000 IU/kg VA increased immune organ weight, the immune organ index and immunoglobulin content in goslings (p<0.05). The bursa weight and immunoglobulin G content of offspring were higher in the 9,000 IU/kg VA supplementation group than in the group with no supplementation (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Offspring growth and development were affected by the amount of VA added into maternal diet. The negative effect of maternal VA deficiency on offspring can be compensated by adding VA to the offspring diet. Continued VA supplementation in the offspring diet after excessive VA supplementation in the maternal diet is unfavorable for gosling growth and development.

High Mycoplasma pneumoniae loads and persistent long-term Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA in lower airway associated with severity of pediatric Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: An increased number of refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia (MPP) cases have been reported. However the duration of MP infection in lower airway and the course of anti-MP treatment remains unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 94 MPP children. Patients were classified into two groups. The long-term group (Group LT) was defined as bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) remained MP-positive by PCR after 30 days of the disease course. The non-long-term group (Group NLT) was defined as BALF became MP-negative by PCR within 30 days of disease and patients who only needed one bronchoscopy lavage therapy. MP loads, clinical outcomes were analyzed along with other clinical measurements. RESULTS: The average levels of inflammatory markers such as C reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase in Group LT were significantly higher than those in Group NLT. Airway and lung damage in Group LT were more severe than Group NLT. 28 patients developed necrotizing pneumonia and 8 patients developed pulmonary embolism in Group LT. Mean maximum MP loads in BALF were 107.46 ± 0.93 and 104.86 ± 0.93 in Groups LT and NLT, respectively. There was persistent MP DNA in Group LT, even lasted for 120 days. One severe MPP patient in Group LT had MP-associated bloodstream infection. After 3 months of follow-up, chest imaging revealed incomplete absorption of pulmonary consolidation in 33 patients of Group LT [including 13 airway obliterans (AO) patients] and in 7 patients of Group NLT (including 2 AO patients). CONCLUSION: MP loads of BALF were associated with the subsequent duration of MP DNA in lower airway. High MP loads and persistent long-term MP DNA in lower airway were associated with severity of pediatric MPP.

Improving image quality with model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm for chest CT in children with reduced contrast concentration.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in improving the image quality of chest CT in children with reduced concentration contrast medium (CM). METHODS: Fifty-six children (median age of 4 years) who received low-dose enhanced chest CT were enrolled as the study group and compared with the control group of 56 children. Both groups used the automatic tube current modulation to achieve age-based noise index values of 11-15 HU. The study group used 100 kVp and reduced CM concentration of 270 mgI/ml, and the images in this group were reconstructed with 50% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and MBIR. The control group used 120 kV and standard CM of 320 mgI/ml, and the images in this group were reconstructed with ASIR only. Subjective image quality and objective image quality of the three image sets were evaluated. The subjective quality included overall image noise, enhancement degree, lesion (including mediastinum mass, pulmonary space-occupying lesions, and parenchymal infiltrative lesions) conspicuity, and beam-hardening artifacts. The objective quality included the measurement of noise in the left ventricle and back muscle to calculate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of ventricle. RESULTS: There was no difference in radiation dose between the study (CTDIvol of 1.79 ± 1.45 mGy) and control (1.68 ± 0.92 mGy) groups (p = 0.65). However, the study group used 19.7% lower CM dose than the control group (5.84 ± 2.69 vs. 7.27 ± 3.80 gI), and the enhancement in all images met the diagnostic requirements. MBIR reduced image noise by 58.6% and increased SNR and CNR by 143.6% and 165.7%, respectively, compared to ASIR images in the control group. The two ASIR image sets had similar image quality. CONCLUSION: MBIR improved the image quality of low-radiation-dose chest CT in children at 19.3% reduced CM dose.

Deep sequencing identification of miRNAs in pigeon ovaries illuminated with monochromatic light.

BACKGROUND: The use of light of different wavelengths has grown popular in the poultry industry. An optimum wavelength is believed to improve pigeon egg production, but little is known about the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the effects of monochromatic light on ovarian pigeon function. Herein, we harvested ovaries from pigeons reared under monochromatic light of different wavelength and performed deep sequencing on various tissues using an Illumina Solexa high-throughput instrument. RESULTS: We obtained 66,148,548, 67,873,805, and 71,661,771 clean reads from ovaries of pigeons reared under red light (RL), blue light (BL), and white light (WL), respectively. We identified 1917 known miRNAs in nine libraries, of which 524 were novel. Three and five differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in BL vs. WL and RL vs. WL groups, respectively. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was used to validate differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-200, miR-122, and miR-205b). In addition, 5824 target genes were annotated as differentially expressed miRNAs, most of which are involved in reproductive pathways including oestrogen signalling, cell cycle, and oocyte maturation. Notably, ovarian miR-205b expression was significantly negatively correlated with its target 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD11B1). CONCLUSIONS: miRNA-mRNA network analysis suggests that miR-205b targeting of HSD11B1 plays a key role in the effects of monochromatic light on pigeon egg production. These findings indicate that monochromatic light shortens the oviposition interval of pigeons, which may be useful for egg production and pigeon breeding.

Hypersensitive Pneumonitis: an Initial Presentation of Chronic Granulomatous Disease in a Child.

Hypersensitive pneumonitis (HP) is a rare initial presentation of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), especially in children. CGD presenting as HP may result from exposure to inhaled environmental antigens and be induced by excessive production of inflammatory cytokines due to loss of reactive oxygen species production. We herein describe a 2-year-old boy with CGD caused by a mutation in CYBB gene, who initially presented with HP. The patient developed dry cough, progressive dyspnea, and fever after playing in dusty air in a factory that produced plastic materials containing isocyanates. The patient's symptoms and radiological abnormalities did not improve after antigen avoidance, but disappeared after corticosteroid therapy. Because HP is uncommon in children, we should consider the possibility of CGD in children who present with HP. A prompt diagnosis of CGD is essential to enable initiation of prophylactic antibacterial and antifungal therapies.

A comparative research on obesity hypertension by the comparisons and associations between waist circumference, body mass index with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and the clinical laboratory data between four special Chinese adult groups.

BACKGROUND: The obesity-hypertension pathogenesis is complex. From the phenotype to molecular mechanism, there is a long way to clarify the mechanism. To explore the association between obesity and hypertension, we correlate the phenotypes such as the waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SB), and diastolic blood pressure (DB) with the clinical laboratory data between four specific Chinese adult physical examination groups (newly diagnosed untreated just-obesity group, newly diagnosed untreated obesity-hypertension group, newly diagnosed untreated just-hypertension group, and normal healthy group), and the results may show something. OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanisms from obesity to hypertension by analyzing the correlations and differences between WC, BMI, SB, DB, and other clinical laboratory data indices in four specific Chinese adult physical examination groups. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2012 to July 2014, and 153 adult subjects, 34 women and 119 men, from 21 to 69 years, were taken from four characteristic Chinese adult physical examination groups (newly diagnosed untreated just-obesity group, newly diagnosed untreated obesity-hypertension group, newly diagnosed untreated just-hypertension group, and normal healthy group). The study was approved by the ethics committee of Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention. WC, BMI, SB, DB, and other clinical laboratory data were collected and analyzed by SPSS. RESULTS: Serum levels of albumin (ALB)，alanine aminotransferase (ALT), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), uric acid (Ua), and TC/HDLC (odds ratio) were statistically significantly different between the four groups. WC statistically significantly positively correlated with BMI, ALT, Ua, and serum levels of glucose (GLU), and TC/HDLC, and negatively with ALB, HDLC, and serum levels of conjugated bilirubin (CB). BMI was statistically significantly positively related to ALT, Ua, LDLC, WC, and TC/HDLC, and negatively to ALB, HDLC, and CB. DB statistically significantly positively correlated with ALP, BMI, and WC. SB was statistically significantly positively related to LDLC, GLU, serum levels of fructosamine (FA), serum levels of the total protein (TC), BMI, and WC. CONCLUSION: The negative body effects of obesity are comprehensive. Obesity may lead to hypertension through multiple ways by different percents. GGT, serum levels of gamma glutamyltransferase; ALB, serum levels of albumin; ALT, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase; LDLC, serum levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, serum levels of triglyceride; HDLC, serum levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol; FA, serum levels of fructosamine; S.C.R, serum levels of creatinine; IB, serum levels of indirect bilirubin; ALP, serum levels of alkaline phosphatase; CB, serum levels of conjugated bilirubin; UREA, Urea; Ua, serum levels of uric acid; GLU, serum levels of glucose; TC, serum levels of the total cholesterol; TB, serum levels of the total bilirubin; TP, serum levels of the total protein; TC/HDLC, TC/HDLC ratio.

Effects of dietary fiber levels on cecal microbiota composition in geese.

OBJECTIVE: This study shows the effects of dietary fiber levels on cecal microbiota composition in geese at day 70 according to pyrosequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. METHODS: A total of 468 1-day-old healthy male Yangzhou goslings with similar body weight were randomly divided into 3 groups with 6 replicates per group and 26 geese per replicate. Geese were fed diets with fiber levels of 2.5% (low fiber level diet, Group I) and 6.1% (Group III) during days 1-70, respectively, or 4.3% for days 1-28 and 6.1% for days 29-70 (Group II). RESULTS: Low fiber level diet decreased body weight, average daily gain during, increased lower feed conversation rate of geese during day 1 to 70 (p<0.05). Low fiber level diet decreased the total operational taxonomic units, Chao1 index and Shannon index, whereas increased the Simpson index of cecal microbiota in geese at day 70. Low fiber level diet decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Paraprevotella in cecum of geese at day 70. The similarity of cecal microbiota between low fiber level diet group and other groups was smaller. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the low fiber level diet decreased diversity of microbiota, and relative abundance of some beneficial microbiota in cecum of geese at day 70, implying that the low fiber level diet has negative influence on performance by altering the diversity and population of cecal microbiota in geese.

[Regression analysis of serum bone metabolic markers and traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with CKD-MBD].

To analyze the interdependent relationship between serum bone metabolic markers and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with chronic kidney disease (stages 3 and 4)-related mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD), in order to provide the objective basis for exploring the rules of TCM syndrome differentiation in patients with CKD-MBD. The retrospective survey was conducted to collect 105 cases with CKD (stages 3 and 4)-MBD. General clinical indexes, frequency of TCM syndromes and distribution of TCM syndrome type were investigated. Furthermore, serum bone metabolic markers, including calcium (Ca2+), phosphonium (P3+), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), procollagen type 1 amino-N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and ß-crosslaps (ß-CTX) were analyzed, respectively. Meanwhile, bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed. And then, the multivariate regression analysis was performed for serum bone metabolic markers and TCM syndromes. The results showed that the general clinical features of the 105 patients included old age, hypertension, fracture, loss of bone mass and mild abnormalities of serum bone metabolic markers. High-frequency TCM syndromes were related to Yang deficiency in Spleen and Kidney, Qi deficiency in Spleen and Kidney and blood stasis. Moreover, Yang deficiency in Spleen and Kidney and blood stasis were found as the most frequent characteristics of the distribution of TCM syndromes type. The clinical characteristics of patients with the syndrome type of Yang deficiency in Spleen and Kidney were probably old age, increase in TCM syndrome scores and abnormalities in iPTH and P1NP. In addition, the interdependent relationship between abnormality in Ca2+ and syndromes of hair loss, tooth shake and sexual dysfunction, abnormality in P3+ and syndromes of aches in waist and knees, abnormality in iPTH and syndromes of soreness and weakness in waist and knees, lassitude, fatigue and extreme chilliness, abnormality in ALP and syndromes of loose stools, abnormality in P1NP and syndromes of fear of chills, tendency of warmth and loose stools, and abnormality in ß-CTX and syndromes of chills and pain in waist and knees. In general, among the 105 cases with CKD (stages 3 and 4)-MBD were clinically characterized by mild changes in serum bone metabolic markers; And their main TCM syndrome was the deficiency in spleen and kidney. Serum bone metabolic markers with mild changes have an interdependent relationship with main TCM syndromes, and can be considered as an objective syndrome factor of TCM syndrome differentiation.

[Effects and mechanisms of UCG ameliorating renal interstitial fibrosis by regulating TGF-ß1/SnoN/Smads signaling pathway in renal failure rats].

This study was aimed to demonstrate preliminarily the effects and mechanisms of uremic clearance granule (UCG) ameliorating renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) by regulating transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1/SnoN/Smads signaling pathway in vivo. Fifteen rats were randomly divided into 3 groups：the normal group,the model group and the UCG group. The rats with renal failure were induced by intragastric administration of adenine and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). After modeling,the rats in the UCG group and in the other groups were intervened by intragastric administration of UCG and distilled water respectively during 3 weeks. The body weight and 24 h urinary protein excretion (Upro) in all rats were tested after drug administration. All rats were killed after drug administration for 3 weeks,blood and kidneys were collected and weighted,kidney appearance and renal morphological characteristics were observed. In addition,serum biochemical indices and the protein expressions of TGF-ß1,SnoN,phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) and Smad7 in the kidney were evaluated respectively. The results indicated that,after the intervention of UCG,the general state of health,kidney appearance,serum creatinine (Scr),blood urea nitrogen (BUN),uric acid (UA),albumin (Alb),Upro and renal morphological change in model rats were improved in different degrees,respectively. Moreover,UCG down-regulated the protein expressions of TGF-ß1 and p-Smad2/3,and up-regulated the protein expressions of SnoN and Smad7 in the kidney. In conclusion,UCG reduces extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and delays the progression of renal failure via possibly multi-targeting at regulating TGF-ß1/SnoN/Smads signaling pathway in vivo.

A new index to identify risk of multi-trigger wheezing in infants with first episode of wheezing.

OBJECTIVE: Identification of young children who are likely to have multi-trigger wheezing is very important for early diagnosis and treatment of asthma. We investigate an index for predicting multi-trigger wheezing in infants with first episode of wheezing. METHODS: One-hundred twenty-eight infants (2-20 months) with first episode of wheezing were followed for two years. Personal and family history of atopic diseases was recorded. Wheezing severity was evaluated using the Preschool Respiratory Assessment Measure. Sputum samples were collected from patients, stained with hematoxylin and eosin and studied by optical microscopy. The largest Creola body in sputum was located and the number of shed exfoliated airway epithelial cells (EAECs) counted. Recurrent wheezing was observed and classified as multi-trigger wheezing or non-multi-trigger wheezing. The predictive value of EAECs, family or personal history of atopic disease and the severity of wheezing for subsequent development of multi-trigger wheezing was analyzed. RESULTS: Better predictive performance was achieved by considering the three measures together than by considering each separately. Receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that an index combining wheezing severity score of 9495 sputum EAECs and a family or personal history of atopic disease had a sensitivity of 95.1%, specificity of 74.2%, a positive predictive value of 58.6% and a negative predictive value of 93.6% for prediction of multi-trigger wheezing. CONCLUSION: For infants with first episode of wheezing, wheezing severity score, family or personal history of atopic disease and number of EAECs in sputum can predict future multi-trigger wheezing.