Identification of candidate genes for chicken early- and late-feathering

Previous studies suggest that prolactin receptor (Prlr) is a potential causative gene for chicken early- (EF) and late-feathering (LF) phenotypes. In this study, we evaluated candidate genes for this trait and determined the expression of 3 genes, including Prlr, sperm flagellar protein 2 (Spef2), and their fusion gene, in the skins of one-day-old EF and LF chicks using RT-qPCR. Data indicated that Prlr expression in the skin did not show significant difference between EF and LF chicks, suggesting Prlr may not be a suitable candidate gene. In contrast, Spef2 expression in the skin displayed a significant difference between EF and LF chicks (P < 0.01), suggesting that Spef2 may be a good candidate gene for chicken feathering. Moreover, dPrlr/dSpef2, the fusion gene, was also a good candidate gene as it was expressed only in LF chicks. However, the expression of the fusion gene was much lower than that of Prlr Additionally, using strand-specific primers, we found that the fusion gene was transcribed in 2 directions (one from dPrlr promoter, another from dSpef2 promoter), which could result in the formation of a double strand RNA. In conclusion, both Spef2 and the fusion gene are good candidate genes for chicken feathering, but Prlr is not. The research on the function and regulation of the candidate genes will help elucidate the molecular basis of the chicken feathering trait.

Primary Graft Dysfunction After Zero-Mismatch Kidney Transplantation Secondary to Early Biopsy-Proven Acute Cell-Mediated Rejection: Case Report

We report a case of primary renal allograft dysfunction and early acute cell-mediated rejection after a 12/12 HLA antigen zero-mismatch (0MM) transplant. The recipient was a 40-year-old white man who was highly allosensitized, with a calculated panel reactive antibody score of 100%. In posteroperative day 1 the recipient remained anuric and underwent dialysis because of hyperkalemia. Graft biopsy showed early acute cellular rejection, Banff grade 2B. No evidence of antibody-mediated rejection was observed. To our knowledge, this case is the 1st to report early cell-mediated rejection after 12/12 HLA antigen 0MM kidney transplantation. This case suggests that highly sensitized candidates are at high immunologic risk even in the context of 0MM kidney transplantation.

Atomic-Scale Interfacial Magnetism in Fe/Graphene Heterojunction

Successful spin injection into graphene makes it a competitive contender in the race to become a key material for quantum computation, or the spin-operation-based data processing and sensing. Engineering ferromagnetic metal (FM)/graphene heterojunctions is one of the most promising avenues to realise it, however, their interface magnetism remains an open question up to this day. In any proposed FM/graphene spintronic devices, the best opportunity for spin transport could only be achieved where no magnetic dead layer exists at the FM/graphene interface. Here we present a comprehensive study of the epitaxial Fe/graphene interface by means of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The experiment has been performed using a specially designed FM₁/FM₂/graphene structure that to a large extent restores the realistic case of the proposed graphene-based transistors. We have quantitatively observed a reduced but still sizable magnetic moments of the epitaxial Fe ML on graphene, which is well resembled by simulations and can be attributed to the strong hybridization between the Fe 3d_z2 and the C 2p_z orbitals and the sp-orbital-like behavior of the Fe 3d electrons due to the presence of graphene.

What childhood obesity prevention programmes work? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Previous reviews of childhood obesity prevention have focused largely on schools and findings have been inconsistent. Funded by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health, we systematically evaluated the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention programmes conducted in high-income countries and implemented in various settings. We searched MEDLINE®, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL®, ClinicalTrials.gov and the Cochrane Library from inception through 22 April 2013 for relevant studies, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and natural experiments, targeting diet, physical activity or both, and conducted in children aged 2-18 in high-income countries. Two reviewers independently abstracted the data. The strength of evidence (SOE) supporting interventions was graded for each study setting (e.g. home, school). Meta-analyses were performed on studies judged sufficiently similar and appropriate to pool using random effect models. This paper reported our findings on various adiposity-related outcomes. We identified 147 articles (139 intervention studies) of which 115 studies were primarily school based, although other settings could have been involved. Most were conducted in the United States and within the past decade. SOE was high for physical activity-only interventions delivered in schools with home involvement or combined diet-physical activity interventions delivered in schools with both home and community components. SOE was moderate for school-based interventions targeting either diet or physical activity, combined interventions delivered in schools with home or community components or combined interventions delivered in the community with a school component. SOE was low for combined interventions in childcare or home settings. Evidence was insufficient for other interventions. In conclusion, at least moderately strong evidence supports the effectiveness of school-based interventions for preventing childhood obesity. More research is needed to evaluate programmes in other settings or of other design types, especially environmental, policy and consumer health informatics-oriented interventions.

A genetic coding variant rs72474224 in GJB2 is associated with clinical features of psoriasis vulgaris in a Chinese Han population

Our recent targeted sequencing study identified a missense single-nucleotide polymorphism rs72474224 (c.324C>T) in GJB2. To investigate the correlation between rs72474224 (c.324C>T) and subphenotypes of psoriasis, genotype data for rs72474224 (c.324C>T, p.Val37Ile) was analyzed in 9946 cases and 9906 controls. The additive model provided the best fit for rs72474224 (P = 7.34 × 10(-9)). The genotypic and allelic frequency distributions were associated with plaque psoriasis in case-only (Pgenotype = 2.67 × 10(-3), Pallele = 6.22 × 10(-4)) and subphenotype-control (Pgenotype = 1.58 × 10(-11), Pallele = 8.16 × 10(-12)) analyses. No other significant difference was found in case-only analyses. Rs72474224 in GJB2 is preferentially associated with plaque psoriasis in Chinese population and might contribute to the complexity of psoriasis clinical features.

Folic acid attenuates dexamethasone-induced placental growth restriction

OBJECTIVE

Intrauterine glucocorticoid (GC) exposure is associated with disturbances in feto-placental growth. This study aimed to investigate whether folic acid supplementation can prevent dexamethasone (Dex)-induced feto-placental growth restriction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Female C57BL/6J mice were subject to four different treatments, respectively: normal drinking water plus saline injection (NN), normal drinking water plus Dex injection (ND), drinking water supplemented with folic acid plus saline injection (FN), and drinking water supplemented with folic acid plus Dex injection (FD). Folic acid (100 µg/L) was administrated since 2 weeks before the mating and throughout pregnancy. Dex injection (100 µg/kg•d) was performed from E12.5 to E16.5. The placentas were collected at E17.5.

RESULTS

The parameters including placental and fetal weight, the maximum placental diameter, volume of junctional and labyrinthine zones, and vascular density in the ND group were significantly smaller compared to the NN group. Except the maximum placental diameter, each of the above parameters in the FD group was significantly larger compared to the ND group. The levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) protein, and endothelial growth factor A, C (VEGFA, VEGFC) and placental growth factor (PIGF) mRNAs were significantly lower in the ND group compared to NN group. The VEGFA and PIGF mRNA level in the FD group was significantly higher than that in the ND group, as well as VEGFA and VEGFC protein level.

CONCLUSIONS

Folic acid may attenuate Dex-induced restriction on placental growth by elevating the expression of VEGFA and PIGF, and further raising vascular density.

Measuring extension of the lumbar-pelvic-femoral complex with the EOS® system

INTRODUCTION

Sagittal balance of the coxofemoral joint in standing position and its extension capacity determine hip/spine adaptation, especially in relation to pelvic retroversion, which may be age-associated or follow either spinal arthrodesis or vertebral osteotomies. The concept of extension reserve is essential for assessing posterior hip impingement. The global visualization of the lumbar-pelvic-femoral complex obtained by EOS(®) imaging enables this sagittal analysis of both the subpelvic region and lumbar spine by combining the reference standing position and the possibility of dynamic tests.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We studied 46 patients and their 92 hips. The EOS(®) radiography was performed in neutral standing position and with one foot on a step, alternately the right and left feet. Pelvic incidence, sacral slope, pelvic version, and femoral version were measured twice by two operators. The global extension reserve (GER) was defined by the sum of the intrinsic extension reserve (allowed by the hips, IER) and the extrinsic extension reserve (allowed by the spine, EER). The IER for each hip corresponds to the difference in the sacrofemoral angle (SFA) for each of the two positions. The EER was measured by the difference in the sacral slope. A descriptive study was performed, together with studies of inter- and intra-observer reproducibility, right/left symmetry, and an analysis according to age, sex, and BMI.

RESULTS

The mean femoral version in the reference position was 11.7° (SD 14.3°). The reproducibility of the SFA measurement was statistically verified. The IER (mean 8.8°), EER (mean -0.7°), and GER (mean 8.2°) all differed significantly between the two sides for each patient and were not associated with age, sex, or BMI.

DISCUSSION

The femoral axis is not perpendicular to the ground in neutral position, contrary to the conventional view of this position. The measurements proposed for dynamic sagittal analysis of the hip are reproducible and make it possible to identify the IER within the GER of the spinal-pelvic-femoral complex.

CONCLUSION

The assessment of the lumbar-pelvic-femoral complex by EOS imaging makes it possible to define the intrinsic and extrinsic extension reserves to describe the reciprocal adaptive capacities of the hips and spine.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Time course of clinical and neuroradiological effects of delayed-release dimethyl fumarate in multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF, also known as gastro-resistant DMF), demonstrated efficacy and safety in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in the 2-year, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 DEFINE and CONFIRM trials. A post hoc analysis of integrated data from DEFINE and CONFIRM was conducted to determine the temporal profile of the clinical and neuroradiological effects of DMF.

METHODS

Eligible patients were randomized to receive placebo, DMF 240 mg twice (BID) or three times (TID) daily or glatiramer acetate (GA; reference comparator; CONFIRM only) for up to 96 weeks. Patients in the GA group were excluded from this analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 2301 patients were randomized and received treatment with placebo (n = 771) or DMF BID (n = 769) or TID (n = 761). DMF significantly reduced the annualized relapse rate beginning in weeks 0-12 (BID, P = 0.0159; TID, P = 0.0314); the proportion of patients relapsed beginning at week 10 (BID, P = 0.0427) and week 12 (TID, P = 0.0451); and the proportion of patients with 12-week confirmed disability progression beginning at week 62 (BID, P = 0.0454) and week 72 (TID, P = 0.0399), compared with placebo. These effects were sustained throughout the 2-year study period. DMF significantly reduced the odds of having a higher number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions by 88% (BID) and 75% (TID) and the mean number of new or enlarging T2 lesions by 72% (BID) and 67% (TID), from the first post-baseline magnetic resonance imaging assessment at 24 weeks (all P < 0.0001 versus placebo).

CONCLUSIONS

In phase 3 clinical trials, DMF demonstrated rapid and sustained clinical and neuroradiological efficacy in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

White-matter tract integrity in late-life depression: associations with severity and cognition

BACKGROUND

Although significant changes in both gray and white matter have been noted in late-life depression (LLD), the pathophysiology of implicated white-matter tracts has not been fully described. In this study we examined the integrity of specific white-matter tracts in LLD versus healthy controls (HC).

METHOD

Participants aged ⩾60 years were recruited from the community. The sample included 23 clinically diagnosed individuals with LLD and 23 HC. White-matter integrity metrics [fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD)] were calculated in the bilateral cingulum and uncinate fasciculus. Depression severity was measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Composite scores for learning and memory and executive function were created using standardized neuropsychological assessments.

RESULTS

White-matter integrity was lower in LLD versus HC in the bilateral cingulum and right uncinate fasciculus (p⩽0.05). In the whole sample, depression severity correlated with integrity in the bilateral cingulum and right uncinate fasciculus (p ⩽0.05). In patients, depression severity correlated with the integrity of the left uncinate fasciculus (p = 0.03); this tract also correlated with executive function (p = 0.02). Among HC, tract integrity did not correlate with depression scores; however, learning and memory correlated with integrity of the bilateral uncinate fasciculus and bilateral cingulum; executive function correlated with the right uncinate and left cingulum (p ⩽0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

White-matter tract integrity was lower in LLD than in HC and was associated with depression severity across all participants. Tract integrity was associated with cognition in both groups but more robustly among HC.

KIR and HLA interactions are associated with control of primary CMV infection in solid organ transplant recipients

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a major source of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant recipients. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors(KIR) are genetically polymorphic natural killer(NK) cell receptors important in antiviral responses. A retrospective, single-center cohort study was performed to study the interaction of KIR genotype and primary control of CMV infection after transplantation.Time to first CMV viremia was determined for a cohort of 531 CMV serology donor positive/recipient negative solid organ transplant recipients. Of the KIR genes,KIR2DL3 and KIR2DS2 were most strongly associated with time to CMV viremia in random survival forest analysis. As KIR2DL3 and KIR2DS2 both interact with HLA-C1, these interactions were evaluated. Seventy six recipients were found to be positive for both KIR2DL3 and KIR2DS2 and expressed only HLA-C1 antigens in both recipient and donor. These patients had a substantially reduced hazard of CMV viremia in the first year after solid organ transplantation (hazard ratio 0.44, 95% CI 0.27–0.72, p=0.0012). In KIR2DL3+/KIR2DS2+/HLA-C1/1 recipients who received an organ from a non-C1/1 donor, this protective effect was not observed. These results improve our understanding of human NK cell function in primary CMV infection after transplant.

Kinetics of serological responses in influenza A(H7N9)-infected patients correlate with clinical outcome in China, 2013

The novel avian influenza A(H7N9) infection has recently emerged to cause severe respiratory illness in China. The objectives of this study were to define the kinetics of the antibody responses in patients with influenza A(H7N9) disease and to correlate these kinetics with clinical outcome. Serial serum samples were obtained at intervals of three to four days from 18 patients with virologically confirmed A(H7N9) disease in Shanghai. We determined the kinetics of the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) and A(H7H9) pseudotype neutralisation antibody (Nab) responses and correlated these with clinical outcomes. Most patients had robust serological responses by both HI and Nab tests. Taking into account censoring due to time of testing and death, the median time from onset of illness to Nab titre ≥1:40 was 14 days (95% confidence interval (CI): 11–18 days) in the fatal cases and 10.5 days (95% CI: 7–12) in the survivors (p=0.003). The two groups did not differ in initial Nab titres, but the rate of increase in Nab titres was significantly faster for survivors by approximately 10-fold per 15 days (p=0.007). Early and rapid induction of Nab was correlated significantly with better clinical outcome.

Behavioral response of grape root borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) neonates to grape root volatiles

Grape root borer, Vitacea polistiformis (Harris), is an oligophagous and potentially destructive pest of grape in commercial vineyards throughout much of the eastern United States. Larvae feed on vine roots, although little is known about their below-ground interactions with host plants. The behavioral response of groups of grape root borer neonates to stimuli from host and nonhost roots was evaluated in single and paired stimuli bioassays in which stimuli were presented in opposing wells attached to the bottom of petri dish arenas. Stimulus sources included root pieces and root headspace volatiles from 3309 and 420-A grape rootstocks (host) and apple (nonhost) and ethanol-based extracts of 3309 and 420-A roots. In single stimulus assays, significantly more larvae were recovered from wells containing grape roots, apple roots, grape extracts, and grape root volatiles than from control wells, but there was no significant response to volatiles collected from the headspace of apple roots. In paired stimuli assays, significantly more larvae were recovered from wells containing grape than apple roots. There was no difference in larval distribution between wells when 420-A and 3309 roots were presented simultaneously, although a significantly greater response to 3309 than 420-A root extract was recorded. When soil was added to the assays, significantly more larvae were recovered from wells containing grape roots than from those containing only soil, but this response was not detected in assays using buried apple roots. These results are discussed in relation to the plant-insect interactions between grape root borer larvae and their Vitaceae hosts.