Microbial diversity in raw milk and traditional fermented dairy products (Hurood cheese and Jueke) from Inner Mongolia, China

Hurood cheese (HC) and Jueke (Jk) are 2 traditional fermented dairy products produced from raw milk (RM) in the Inner Mongolia region of China. They have a long history of production and consumption. The microbial compositions of RM, HC, and Jk vary greatly, and are influenced by their geographical origins and unique processing methods. In this study, 2 batches of RM, HC, and Jk samples were collected (April and August 2015) from the Zhenglan Banner, a region located in the southern part of Inner Mongolian belonging to the Xilingol league prefecture. The bacterial and fungal diversities of the samples were determined by 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis, respectively. A total of 112 bacterial and 30 fungal sequences were identified, with Firmicutes and Ascomycota being the predominant phyla for bacteria and fungi, respectively. Lactococcus and Lactobacillus were identified as the main bacterial genera, whereas Kluyveromyces was the predominant fungus identified in the 3 dairy products. Different bacterial and fungal compositions were observed in RM, HC, and Jk samples collected at different times. These results suggested that time of production may be an important factor influencing the microbial diversity present in RM, HC, and Jk.

[Effects of wild-type PTEN overexpression and its mutation on F-actin in activated hepatic stellate cells]

Objective: To investigate the effect of overexpression of wild-type phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) deleted on chromosome 10 and its mutant G129E (exhibiting the activity of protein phosphatase and losing the activity of lipid phosphatase) on F-actin in activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) cultured in vitro. Methods: The activated hepatic stellate cell-T6 (HSC-T6) cells were cultured in vitro, and activated HSCs were transfected with adenovirus that carried wild-type PTEN gene and G129E gene using transient transfection. The HSCs were divided into the following groups: control group, which was transfected with DMEM medium instead of virus solution; Ad-GFP group, which was transfected with the empty adenovirus vector with the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP); Ad-PTEN group, which was transfected with the recombinant adenovirus with wild-type PTEN gene and GFP expression; Ad-G129E group, which was transfected with the recombinant adenovirus with G129E gene and GFP expression. Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR were used to measure the protein and mRNA expression of PTEN in activated HSCs; under a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM), phalloidine labeled with the fluorescein tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC) was used to observe the morphology of HSCs, distribution and fluorescence intensity of F-actin, and changes in pseudopodia and stress fibers, and a calcium fluorescence probe (Rhod-2/AM) was used to measure the changes in Ca(2+) concentration in HSCs. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the least significant difference test was used for comparison between two groups. Results: Wild-type PTEN and G129E genes were highly expressed in activated HSCs. In the control group and the Ad-GFP group, HSCs had a starlike or polygonal shape, F-actin was reconfigured and formed a large number of stress fibers which stretched across the whole cell, and layered pseudopodia were seen around the cell. In the Ad-PTEN group and the Ad-G129E group, the HSCs had a fusiform shape, F-actin was mainly seen around the cell, a small number of stress fibers were seen inside the cell, and layered pseudopodia around the cell disappeared. The Ad-PTEN group and the Ad-G129E group had significant reductions in the fluorescence intensity of F-actin compared with the control group and the Ad-GFP group (357.67±13.39/377.25±14.55 vs 961.87±27.33/954.68±20.71, F = 1783.486, P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences between the Ad-PTEN group and the Ad-G129E group, as well as between the control group and the Ad-GFP group (P > 0.05). The Ad-PTEN group and the Ad-G129E group had significant reductions in the relative concentration of Ca(2+) compared with the control group and the Ad-GFP group (251.60±90.88/352.18±146.01 vs 1953.95±132.99/1937.57±115.17, F = 834.988, P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences between the Ad-PTEN group and the Ad-G129E group, as well as between the control group and the Ad-GFP group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The overexpressed wild-type PTEN and its mutant G129E can significantly inhibit the formation and reconfiguration of cytoskeletal protein F-actin and reduce the concentration of Ca2+ in activated HSCs in vitro. In addition, there are no significant differences in the above effects between wild-type PTEN and G129E.

[Treatment of the mid and distal segment humeral fractures through modified posterior approach]

OBJECTIVE

To summarize clinical result of the modified posterior approach for the treatment of the mid and distal segment humeral fractures.

METHODS

Between January 2006 and December 2010, 26 patients with the mid and distal segment humeral fractures were treated with the open reduction and plate fixation by the modified posterior approach including 17 males and 9 females with an average of (37.1±1.5) years old ranging from 24 to 50 years old. The time from humeral fractures to operation were from 8 hours to 6 days with an average of (3.3±0.6) d. The elbow function were assessed by Morrey-Bryan.

RESULTS

There was no procedure related complications occurred. No neurologic injury and wound infection after operation occurred. All patients were followed up from 22 to 48 months with an average of (30.1±1.6) months. The humeral fractures were confirmed healing. The clinical results of Morrey and Bryan were excellent in 19 cases (94.6±1.8), good in 7 cases (86.5±1.2).

CONCLUSIONS

The modified posterior approach avoided injury of triceps muscle and improved postoperative triceps function. The technique may be particularly useful in the treatment of the mid and distal segment humeral fractures.

Hand reconstruction using heterotopic replantation of amputated index and little fingers

In cases of severe segmental injury across the hand and wrist, but one or other fingers are still in peak condition, the fingers can be selected for replantation at the forearm bones to restore pinch function. Here we reported an unusual case with a severe crush-avulsion amputated injury to the right hand caused by a machine accident. We conducted hand reconstruction using heterotopic replantation of the amputated index and little fingers. During 19 months follow-up, the bone union healed well with satisfactory outcome. The interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joint of the fingers after the heterotopic replantation had a good holding activity. This is a worthwhile procedure and the patient is satisfied with the result. The major disadvantage of this method is the poor appearance of the reconstructed fingers.

Repair of a soft tissue defect of medial malleolus with cross-leg bridge free transfer of anterolateral thigh muscle flap: a case report

A 38-year-old man sustained a traffic accident injury to his right medial malleolus and leg. It was an open fracture of the right tibia and fibula accompanied by a large soft tissue defect of the right medial malleolus sized 12 cm multiply 4 cm. Doppler examination revealed that the tibialis posterior vessel was occluded due to thrombosis. The anterior tibial artery was patent. Three weeks after injury, the left anterolateral thigh muscle flap was harvested and transplanted to the right medial malleolus defect area for repair of the soft tissue defect, and an end-to-side anastomosis was performed between the posterior tibial vessel of the contralateral leg and the muscle flap's vascular pedicle. A split thickness free skin graft was used to cover the muscle flap and around the flap's vascular pedicle. The vascular pedicle was cut off after 28 days and the muscle flap survived completely. After 3-year follow-up postoperatively, the right tibia and fibula fractures were confirmed healing radiologically. The posterior tibial artery of contralateral leg was patent by clinical and Doppler examinations. This technique can be used to preserve the flow and patency of recipient arteries.

Two novel ATP2C1 mutations in patients with Hailey-Hailey disease and a literature review of sequence variants reported in the Chinese population

Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD) is an autosomal dominant disorder in which the ATP2C1 gene has been implicated. Many mutations of this gene have been detected in HHD patients. To analyze such mutations in HHD and summarize all those identified in Chinese patients with this disease, we examined four familial and two sporadic cases and searched for case reports and papers by using the Chinese Biological Medicine Database and PubMed. HHD diagnoses were made based on clinical features and histopathological findings. Polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing of the ATP2C1 gene were performed using blood samples from HHD patients, unaffected family members, and 120 healthy individuals. Three mutations were identified, including the recurrent mutation c.2126C>T (p.Thr709Met), and two novel missense mutations, c.2235_2236insC (p.Pro745fs*756) and c.689G>A (p.Gly230Asp). Considering our data, 81 different mutations have now been reported in Chinese patients with HHD. In cases of misannotation or duplication, previously published mutations were renamed according to a complementary DNA reference sequence. These mutations are scattered throughout the ATP2C1 gene, with no evident hotspots or clustering. It is of note that some reported "novel" mutations were in fact found to be recurrent. Our findings expand the range of known ATP2C1 sequence variants in this disease.

Identification of target genes for adenohypophysis-prefer miR-7 and miR-375 in cattle

In this study, expression levels of miRNAs (miRNAs), miR-375 and miR-7, were detected in different tissues of cattle to determine whether adenohypophysis-prefer or exclusively expressed miRNAs, and target genes could be predicted by TargetScan, RNA22, and other software. Target genes related to pituitary function or reproductive traits were identified using a dual-luciferase assay. miR-375 and miR-7 were expressed differently in various tissues. miR-375 and miR-7 showed higher expression in the adenohypophysis, and there was a significant difference compared with expression in other tissues (P < 0.01). The binding sites for miR-7 were the mRNAs of bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II (BMPR2), prostaglandin F2 receptor negative regulator, gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor, follicle-stimulating hormoneβ, somatostatin receptor 1, and interleukin-1β by bioinformatic analysis; similarly, the mRNAs of BMPR2 and leptin contained binding sites for miR-375, suggesting that these genes are affected by miR-7 or miR-375. Dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-7 regulated prostaglandin F2 receptor negative regulator expression, while miR-375 regulated BMPR2 expression. The mutated plasmid and miRNA mimics were used to co-transfect NIH3T3 cells; luciferase reporter assays showed that the inhibition of luciferase activity in the wild-type cells dramatically decreased from 75 to 26% with a 3-5-nucleotide mismatch mutation into the seed region of miR-7. miR-375 had nearly lost the ability to inhibit luciferase activity, suggesting that GTCTTCC is the site of interaction between miR-7 and the prostaglandin F2 receptor negative regulator sequence and that GAACAAA is the site of interaction between miR-375 and the BMPR2 sequence.

Development of novel and polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci from Haliotis ovina

Twelve microsatellite loci were developed from Haliotis ovina by the magnetic bead hybridization method. Genetic variability was assessed using 30 individuals from 3 wild populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 5, and the polymorphism information content ranged from 0.1228 to 0.6542. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.0000 to 0.7778 and 0.1288 to 0.6310, respectively. These loci should provide useful information for genetic studies such as genetic diversity, pedigree analysis, construction of genetic linkage maps, and marker-assisted selection breeding in H. ovina.

Meta-analysis on postoperative complications of wristband acupoint pressure therapy

Through searching database such as MEDLINE, CNKI, etc., this paper assesses the effect of wristband acupoint pressure, acting on the neiguan acupoint, to relieve postoperative complications of adults (mainly nausea and vomiting) using nine randomized controlled trials (RCT) and RevMan5.0. In the experimental group, acupoint pressure wristband effectively reduced the incidence rate of postoperative vomiting by acting on the neiguan point, compared to the placebo control group (RR=0.50, 95% CI: 0.37~0.66, P < 0.01). As to the incidence rate of postoperative nausea, there was no statistical significance between the experimental group and the placebo control group (RR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.72~1.00, P < 0.05). It was revealed that the application of acupoint pressure wristband on neiguan point in postoperative care could effectively relieve postoperative vomiting; while postoperative vomiting was not relieved distinctly. Therefore, researchers are required to carry out more reliable RCT test for further study and discussion, and nurses can bring in acupoint pressure wristband for researches on its effectiveness and adaptability.

Monoxides of small terbium clusters: a density functional theory investigation

To investigate the effect of oxygen atom on the geometrical structures, electronic, and magnetic properties of small terbium clusters, we carried out the first-principles calculations on TbnO (n = 1-14) clusters. The capping of an oxygen atom on one trigonal-facet of Tbn structures is always favored energetically, which can significantly improve the structural stability. The far-infrared vibrational spectroscopies are found to be different from those of corresponding bare clusters, providing a distinct signal to detect the characteristic structures of TbnO clusters. The primary effect of oxygen atom on magnetic properties is to change the magnetic orderings among Tb atoms and to reduce small of local magnetic moments of the O-coordinated Tb atoms, both of which serve as the key reasons for the experimental magnetic evolution of an oscillating behavior. These calculations are consistent with, and help to account for, the experimentally observed magnetic properties of monoxide TbnO clusters [C. N. Van Dijk et al., J. Appl. Phys. 107, 09B526 (2010)].

[Repair of-limb soft tissue defect with free deep inferior epigastric perforator flap]

OBJECTIVE

To report the clinical application results of free deep inferior epigastric perforator flap in the repair of soft tissue defect.

METHODS

From January 2006 to January 2012,13 patients with soft tissue defect (7 cases in leg and 6 cases in forearm) underwent reconstruction with a free deep inferior epigastric perforator flap. There were 9 males and 4 females, aged from 21 to 45 years old with an average of 33 years. Soft tissue defect in the extremities were from 7 cm x 17 cm to 8 cm x 26 cm. The medial branch and lateral brangh flaps were 7 cases and 6 cases respectively. The donor site was closed directly.

RESULTS

One patient developed small wound dehiscence, which spontaneous healed at one month after surgery. All the flaps had survived completely. Follow-up period ranged from 1.8 to 4.0 years with the mean of 2.8 years postoperatively. Satisfactory clinical results were obtained in 12 cases. A good contour was confirmed at the recipient area.

CONCLUSION

The free deep inferior epigastric perforator flap for the extremities defects of soft tissue is a good option. This technique is safe and reliable, and can decrease the injury of donor site.

[Application of selective nerve root blocks in limited operation of the lumbar spine]

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the clinical application result of the selective nerve root blocks in limited operation of the lumbar spine.

METHODS

From January 2008 to October 2012,68 patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis with multiple levels were underwent the selective nerve root blocks in limited operation of the lumbar spine,including 47 males and 21 females with an average age of 56 years old ranging from 45 to 80. After never roots blocks,64 cases were positive for limited operation of the lumbar spine; the other 4 cases were negative and abort the operation.

RESULTS

The nerve roots block operation smoothly and no complications related to the nerve roots block occurred. There was no neurologic injury complication in this study. Follow-up period ranged from 16 to 45 months postoperatively (means, 32 months). The recovery effect was calculated with Macnab scores, the result was excellent in 44 cases, good in 18 cases, poor in 1.

CONCLUSION

Operative treatment for lumbar spinal canal stenosis with multiple levels is focused on the areas causing symptomate neural compression rather than prophylactic decompression at areas of nonsymptomatic disease. Application of selective nerve root blocks can accurately judge the responsible vertebral body and pain source and improve the curative effect of limited operation of the lumbar spine

Expression, production, and renaturation of a functional single-chain variable antibody fragment (scFv) against human ICAM-1

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is an important factor in the progression of inflammatory responses in vivo. To develop a new anti-inflammatory drug to block the biological activity of ICAM-1, we produced a monoclonal antibody (Ka=4.19×10⁻⁸ M) against human ICAM-1. The anti-ICAM-1 single-chain variable antibody fragment (scFv) was expressed at a high level as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. We refolded the scFv (Ka=2.35×10⁻⁷ M) by ion-exchange chromatography, dialysis, and dilution. The results showed that column chromatography refolding by high-performance Q Sepharose had remarkable advantages over conventional dilution and dialysis methods. Furthermore, the anti-ICAM-1 scFv yield of about 60 mg/L was higher with this method. The purity of the final product was greater than 90%, as shown by denaturing gel electrophoresis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell culture, and animal experiments were used to assess the immunological properties and biological activities of the renatured scFv.

Emergence of antiferromagnetic ordering in Tbn (n = 2-33) clusters

Using the density functional theory (DFT) under both frameworks of the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), we show that the anomalous magnetic moment of Tbn (n = 2-20, 22, 33) clusters found in recent experiment [J. Appl. Phys. 2010, 107, 09B526] is due to the antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic couplings between Tb atoms in clusters. The local spin magnetic moment of Tb atoms is in the range 5.1-5.7 μ(B), which is faintly influenced by the cluster sizes, geometrical structures, and spin arrangements. Emphasis is made on the Tb13 cluster to eliminate the large magnetic discrepancy between the experiment and calculation. Geometrical evolution shows that the square-antiprism motif with one centered atom is competitive with the icosahedral motif for small Tb clusters n = 9-12, whereas the close packed icosahedral growth is clearly favored for large clusters n = 13-20, 22, 33. The clusters containing 4, 7, 10, 13, and 19 atoms are found to be more stable than their neighboring sizes, in agreement with the early mass spectral measurements. The electronic properties including the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, ionization potentials, electron affinities, and electric dipole moments are calculated, and more importantly, the variational trends of the magnetic moment and electric dipole moment qualitatively fit well with the experimental observations.

Anatomical information for intercostobrachial nerve preservation in axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer

This study aimed to provide additional anatomical information for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) through in vivo anatomy studies of intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN) preservation in order to provide theoretical and practical experience for clinicians. A total of 156 patients with breast cancer underwent ALND at the Department of Gynecology of Baotou Tumor Hospital between June 2009 and March 2010. The origin, destination, main source, length, branch type, and direction of ICBN in axilla were observed, as well as its relationship with adjacent major blood vessels and nerves within the axilla. There were 120 cases of single trunk, 23 cases of double trunks, 9 cases of multiple trunks, and 4 cases without trunks in 156 patients with ICBN preservation. The transverse diameter at the origin of the ICBN was 1.89 ± 0.44 mm with a length of 94.45 ± 12.08 mm; the distances were 77.19 ± 21.04 mm, 29.34 ± 6.73 mm, 90.04 ± 13.13 mm, and 28.63 ± 13.01 mm from origin to the inferior margin at the midpoint of the clavicle, inferior margin of the axillary vein, the bottom of axilla, and branch point, respectively. The identification, dissection, and preservation of ICBN was simple and easy in a modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer and breast-conserving surgery, which only took 10-20 min, but effectively reduced the incidence of post-mastectomy pain syndrome and significantly improved the quality of life for patients after surgery.

[Repairing soft tissue defect coverage in lower leg with a bridge shaped medial hemisleus muscle flap transplantation]

OBJECTIVE

To summarize clinical application results of repairing soft tissue defect in lower leg with a bridge shaped medial hemisleus muscle flap pedicle transplantation.

METHODS

From January 2008 to January 2012,12 patients with soft-tissue defect in lower leg underwent reconstruction with a bridge shaped medial hemisleus muscle flap pedicle transplantation. There were 8 males and 4 females with an average age of 34 years old ranging from 22 to 50 years old. Time after injury was from 2 to 12 weeks (means, 3.5 weeks ). The immediate coverage of the muscle flaps were performed by a meshed split-thickness skin graft. The donor site was closed directly.

RESULTS

All the muscle flaps had survived completely. Follow-up period ranged form 1.8 to 4.0 years (means, 2.8 years) postoperatively. The tibia and fibula fractures were confirmed healing. A good contour was confirmed at the recipient area. The results were evaluated with LEM questionnaire, excellent results were obtained in 6 cases, good in 5 cases and fair in 1 case. Satisfactory clinical results were obtained in 11 cases.

CONCLUSION

This technique is particularly useful for repairing soft tissue defect in the injured leg when only one vessel remains, and can reduce injury to donor site.

Butyrate promotes the recovering of intestinal wound healing through its positive effect on the tight junctions

Postweaning diarrhea is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in weanling piglets. Feeding sodium butyrate to weanling piglets decreased the incidence of diarrhea, but the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. The present study was to evaluate the effect of sodium butyrate on diarrhea in relation to wound healing of intestinal barrier using IPEC-J2 cell model. Cultured cells were scratched to induce wound and then were treated with 4 mM sodium butyrate. The results showed that supplementation of the cells with sodium butyrate significantly promoted the process of wound healing, indicating the protective effects of butyrate on the intestinal mucosa. Butyrate treatment enhanced mRNA expression of the intestinal mucosal tight junction proteins occludin and zonula occluden protein-1 (P < 0.05), which suggested that the promotion of wound healing by butyrate is related to the maintenance of the function of the intestinal barrier. In addition, in the butyrate-treated group, intestinal total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (P < 0.05), two of the main antioxidant enzymes, as well as glutathione (P < 0.05), one of the nonenzymatic antioxidant components, were enhanced whereas the malondialdehyde level, a marker of free radical mediated lipid peroxidation injury, was decreased (P < 0.05) compared with the control group. Collectively, these results indicate that dietary sodium butyrate might, at least partly, play an important role in recovering the intestinal tight junctions having a positive effect on maintaining the gut integrity.

Dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus fermentum I5007 improves the anti-oxidative activity of weanling piglets challenged with diquat

AIMS

To determine the effects of Lactobacillus fermentum I5007 on the redox state of piglets oxidatively stressed with diquat.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Twenty-four, 28-day-old barrows were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design experiment with the main effects being Lact. fermentum supplementation and diquat challenge. Half of the pigs (n = 12) were orally administered with 20 ml of a solution containing 10(8 ) CFU ml(-1) of Lact. fermentum each morning of the 21-day trial, while the remainder received saline. On day 8, these two groups were further subdivided so that half of the pigs in each group (n = 6) were intraperitoneally injected with 10 mg kg(-1) BW diquat, while the remainder received saline. The diquat-injected pigs had significantly poorer performance and increased levels of plasma cortisol, adrenaline, carbonyl and malondialdehyde. Lactobacillus fermentum supplementation significantly increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione and increased the ability to inhibit superoxide anion production in liver and muscle.

CONCLUSIONS

Lactobacillus fermentum improved the anti-oxidative defence system and alleviated damage caused by diquat.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Lactobacillus fermentum has the potential to alleviate oxidative stress and improve weaning pig performance.

[Percutaneous vertebroplasty complications]

Percutaneous vertebroplasty(PVP), among various other options,has become a mainstay in the management of osteoporotic compression vertebral fractures. The purpose of this article is to review complications arising from the procedure and describes methods to minimize them. Complications can be classified as mild,which may include a temporary increase in pain; transient hypotension and cement leakage in the intervertebral disc space or into paravertebral soft tissues, moderate, including infection; extravasation of cement into the foraminal or epidural space and severe such as cement leakage in the paravertebral veins, leading to pulmonary embolism, cardiac perforation, cerebral embolism or even death.