Measurement of the Electron Antineutrino Oscillation with 1958 Days of Operation at Daya Bay

We report a measurement of electron antineutrino oscillation from the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment with nearly 4 million reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} inverse β decay candidates observed over 1958 days of data collection. The installation of a flash analog-to-digital converter readout system and a special calibration campaign using different source enclosures reduce uncertainties in the absolute energy calibration to less than 0.5% for visible energies larger than 2 MeV. The uncertainty in the cosmogenic ^{9}Li and ^{8}He background is reduced from 45% to 30% in the near detectors. A detailed investigation of the spent nuclear fuel history improves its uncertainty from 100% to 30%. Analysis of the relative ν[over ¯]_{e} rates and energy spectra among detectors yields sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0856±0.0029 and Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.471_{-0.070}^{+0.068})×10^{-3}  eV^{2} assuming the normal hierarchy, and Δm_{32}^{2}=-(2.575_{-0.070}^{+0.068})×10^{-3}  eV^{2} assuming the inverted hierarchy.

[Curcumin induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in human gastric cancer cells with different degree of differentiation]

Objective: To investigate the effect of curcumin on the apoptosis and autophagy of human gastric cancer cells with different degree of differentiation. Methods: Gastric cancer cell lines BGC-823 and MKN-28 were treated with curcumin at different concentrations. The effect of curcumin on cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Autophagy status was analyzed by acridine orange staining. The expression levels of apoptotic and autophagy-related proteins were detected by Western blot. Results: The cell viability of BGC-823 and MKN-28 was inhibited by curcumin in a time- and dose-dependent manner. At 48 h after treatment, the IC(50) value of BGC-823 (15.18 μmol/L) was close to that of MKN-28 (15.84 μmol/L), and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.513). Meanwhile, flow cytometry showed that curcumin induced the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot results showed that the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins bax, active-caspase-3 and active-caspase-9 was significantly increased in BGC-823 and MKN-28 cells, whereas that of the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2 was strikingly reduced. In addition, the formation of acidic vesicular organelles in cytoplasm, conversion of LC3-Ⅰ to LC3-Ⅱ and increased levels of autophagy-related proteins Beclin1, Atg7 and Atg5-Atg12 were observed in curcumin-treated cells. Moreover, activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway was also significantly suppressed after curcumin treatment. Blocking autophagy by adding the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) significantly promoted the apoptotic cell death induced by curcumin. Conclusions: Curcumin induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in human gastric cancer cells in vitro. Curcumin combined with autophagy inhibitor may provide a more effective strategy for its clinical application.

Systems pharmacology-based exploration reveals mechanisms of anti-steatotic effects of Jiang Zhi Granule on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is in parallel with the obesity epidemic, accounts for a large amount of all chronic liver disease. Jiang Zhi Granule (JZG), a clinically used herbal formula, is developed in accordance with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pathogenesis for treating patients with NAFLD. In previous studies, the anti-steatotic effects of JZG against NAFLD have been demonstrated, and in this study, a systems pharmacology approach was used to explore the pharmacological mechanisms of JZG by predicting the active compounds within the herbal formula and their corresponding therapeutic targets. Its therapeutic efficacy was confirmed in the beginning of this study, and JZG was shown to significantly improve hepatic dysfunction and lipid droplet accumulation in PA-treated hepatocytes. Systems pharmacology was then performed to identify the active compounds in as well as to predict the therapeutic targets of this Chinese herbal prescription. Enrichment analyses indicated that the mechanisms of the anti-steatotic effects of JZG against NAFLD might be associated with lipid droplet degradation via autophagy, and a series of in vitro and in vivo validation experiments was subsequently performed to confirm that JZG could activate autophagy though the mTOR signalling to improve NAFLD.

Integrated analysis of hepatic mRNA and miRNA profiles identified molecular networks and potential biomarkers of NAFLD

To enhance our understanding of molecular mechanisms and mine novel biomarkers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), RNA sequencing was performed to gain hepatic expression profiles of mRNAs and miRNAs in NAFLD and normal rats. Using DESeq with thresholds of a two-fold change and a false discovery rate (FDR) less than 0.05, 336 mRNAs and 21 miRNAs were identified as differentially expressed. Among those, 17 miRNAs (e.g., miR-144-3p, miR-99a-3p, miR-200b-3p, miR-200b-5p, miR-200c-3p, etc.) might serve as novel biomarkers of NAFLD. MiRNA target genes (13565) were predicted by the miRWalk database. Using DAVID 6.8, the intersection (195 genes) of differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNA-predicted target genes were enriched in 47 gene ontology (GO) terms and 28 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Using Cytoscape, pathway interaction and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed, and hub genes (e.g., Abcg8, Cyp1a1, Cyp51, Hmgcr, etc.) associated with NAFLD were obtained. Moreover, 673 miRNA-mRNA negative regulatory pairs were obtained, and networks were constructed. Finally, several representative miRNAs and mRNAs were validated by real-time qPCR. In conclusion, potential molecular mechanisms of NAFLD could be inferred from integrated analysis of mRNA and miRNA profiles, which may indicate novel biomarkers of NAFLD.

Oral administration of short chain fatty acids could attenuate fat deposition of pigs

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the main products of indigestible carbohydrates that are fermented by microbiota in the hindgut. This study was designed to investigate the effects of oral SCFAs administration on the lipid metabolism of weaned pigs. A total of 21 barrows were randomly allocated into three groups, including control group (orally infused with 200 mL physiological saline per day), low dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 20.04 mM, propionic acid 7.71 mM and butyric acid 4.89 mM per day), and high dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 40.08 mM, propionic acid 15.42 mM and butyric acid 9.78 mM per day). The results showed that the average daily feed intake of SCFAs groups were lower than that of control group (P<0.05). Oral administration of SCFAs decreased the concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and insulin (P<0.05), and increased the leptin concentration in serum (P<0.05). The total fat, as well as TC and TG levels in liver, was decreased by oral SCFAs administration (P<0.05). In addition, SCFAs down-regulated the mRNA expressions of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (P<0.05), and enhanced the mRNA expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1α (CPT-1α) in liver (P<0.05). SCFAs also decreased FAS, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor σ mRNA expressions in longissimus dorsi (P<0.05). And in abdominal fat, SCFAs reduced FAS and ACC mRNA expressions (P<0.05), and increased CPT-1α mRNA expression (P<0.05). These results suggested that oral administration of SCFAs could attenuate fat deposition in weaned pigs via reducing lipogenesis and enhancing lipolysis of different tissues.

Elevated serum A20 is associated with severity of chronic hepatitis B and A20 inhibits NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response

A20 is a powerful suppressor for inflammatory response. This study aims to determine A20 level in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and analyze its association with the disease severity. The role of A20 in inflammatory response was further investigated in vivo and in vitro. Our results showed significantly higher A20 in both serum and liver tissues in CHB patients than in health controls. Serum A20 level was positively correlated with ALT, AST and TNF-α. To induce hepatitis with inflammation and liver injury, mice were injected intraperitoneally with D-galactosamine (D-GalN), resulting in rapid increase of A20 in serum and liver tissues. Consistently, HepG2 and Huh-7 cells exposed to Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or D-GalN were promoted to express A20. Moreover, overexpression or knockdown of A20 inhibited or increased TNF-α secretion separately. A20 significantly reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines expression and down-regulated phospho-IκBα and phospho-p65 in both cells. In conclusion, elevated A20 expression is involved in the severity of CHB, suggesting A20 to be a possible serological biomarker for the disease prognosis. Additionally, the inflammatory response is attenuated by A20 through inhibiting NF-κB activity, which partially contributes to the hepato-protective function of this molecule. Thus, up-regulating A20 might be a potential strategy for preventing the progress of CHB.

Dietary pea fibre alters the microbial community and fermentation with increase in fibre degradation-associated bacterial groups in the colon of pigs

This study was attempted to investigate the influence of dietary pea fibre (PF) on the community and quantity of colonic bacteria of piglets and finisher pigs using pyrosequencing data and real-time PCR. The concentration of acetate in colonic digesta from PF-fed piglets was significantly higher than that from control (p < .05). Feeding PF diet to finisher pigs increased the ratio of acetate to total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) but decreased the ratio of butyrate, as compared with the control pigs (p < .05 in both cases). The lower ratio of butyrate in samples from finisher pigs receiving PF suggested that this dietary fibre did not favour butyrate production in the hindgut. Supplementation of PF to piglets reduced abundance of Bacteroidetes, as compared with control animals. However, PF had opposite effects in finisher pigs, higher abundance of Bacteroidetes but lower of Firmicutes. Lactobacillus and Prevotella were found as the predominant genera in PF piglets. Prevotella accounted for nearly half of the total bacteria in the colon of finisher pigs in the PF group, but only one-third in the control animals. Quantitative PCR showed that Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes were significantly increased in the colon of PF piglets (p < .05) as compared with control animals, but decreased in PF finisher pigs. Bacteroidetes-Prevotella-Porphyromonas and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans which are involved in degradation of dietary fibres were more abundant in the PF finisher pigs than in the controls (p < .05), suggesting mutualism between host and its gut microbes.

Modulation of intestine development by fecal microbiota transplantation in suckling pigs

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of early fecal microbiota transplantation on gut development in sucking piglets. A total of 24 3 day-old DLY sucking piglets (2.11 ± 0.15) kg were randomly divided into four groups (TMP, YMP, RMP and control group (CON)), which were transplanted with intact fecal microbiota of Tibetan pig (TP), Yorkshire pig (YP), Rongchang pig (RP), and without transplantation, respectively. The whole trial lasted for 56 d. The results are as follows: when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP and CON had a lower diarrhea index (P < 0.05), TMP and CON had higher GLP-2 and ANG4 mRNA abundances in the ileum (P < 0.05), and the TMP had a higher jejunal villus height: crypt depth and a higher colonic GLP-2 mRNA abundance (P < 0.05). Moreover, when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP had an enhanced DMT1 mRNA abundance in the duodenum (P < 0.05), TMP and CON had a greater lactase activity and a higher DMT1 mRNA abundance in the jejunum (P < 0.05), and CON had a higher γ-GT activity in the jejunum (P < 0.05). The jejunal Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase activity in TMP was higher than that in CON, and the jejunal Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity in TMP was higher than that in the other three treatments (P < 0.05). Besides, when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP had a lower MDA content and a higher MUC1 mRNA abundance in the jejunum (P < 0.05); CON had a higher SOD activity in the jejunum (P < 0.05), whereas TMP and CON had a higher butyric acid concentration in the colon and a lower LPS content in the serum (P < 0.05). Finally, when compared with the TMP treatment, the other three treatments had an enhanced IL-10 mRNA abundance in the colon (P < 0.05), YMP and CON had higher counts of Escherichia coli in the colonic digesta (P < 0.05), and the CON had lower counts of Lactobacillus spp in the cecal and colonic digesta (P < 0.05). These data indicated that early transplantation of the fecal microbiota from the Yorkshire pigs and Rongchang pigs to DLY suckling piglets would destroy the gut microbiota balance and thus damage intestinal health.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of early fecal microbiota transplantation on gut development in sucking piglets.

Excess of dietary montmorillonite impairs growth performance, liver function, and antioxidant capacity in starter pigs

Montmorillonite (MMT) is widely used as a mycotoxin adsorbent in animal feeds, but its safety remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the safety of MMT supplementation in diets fed to starter pigs. A total of 120 32-d-old piglets (initial weight, 8.0 ± 0.9 kg) were randomly allotted into dietary treatments with graded MMT levels (0 [FS 0], 0.5% [FS 0.5], 1.0% [FS 1.0], 2.5% [FS 2.5], and 5.0% [FS 5.0]) with 6 replicate pens per treatment and 4 pigs per pen. All diets were fed for 28 d. As the MMT level increased, ADG and G:F changed in a linear and quadratic manner, while ADFI was linearly decreased ( > 0.05). Compared with FS 0, ADG, ADFI, and G:F of pigs in FS 1.0 increased ( < 0.05). However, the ADFI in pigs of FS 5.0 was lower than that in pigs of FS 0 ( < 0.05). The relative liver weight activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) changed in a linear and quadratic manner ( < 0.05). Compared with FS 0, pigs in FS 2.5 and FS 5.0 had a greater serum ALT ( < 0.05), while AST activity significantly increased in pigs of FS 5.0 ( < 0.05). Dietary MMT supplementation decreased serum Mg content in a linear and quadratic manner ( < 0.05), while Zn and Cu contents were linearly decreased ( < 0.05). Serum Zn and Cu contents of pigs in FS 0.5, FS 2.5, and FS 5.0 groups were lower than those in the control. Pigs fed with 2.5% and 5% MMT showed hepatic histopathological changes, including swelling, granular and vesicular degeneration, and apparent vacuolar degeneration. In addition, the content of serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) decreased in a linear and quadratic manner ( < 0.05). Compared to the control, 5.0% MMT significantly increased piglets' serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and decreased GSH-PX activity ( < 0.05). T-AOC concentration in the pigs fed 2.5% and 5.0% MMT was lower than that in the control group ( < 0.05). Serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity changed in a quadratic manner ( < 0.05). Piglets in FS 1.0 showed a higher SOD activity when compared with the control ( < 0.05). These results indicate that supplementation of MMT higher than 1.0% can negatively affect liver structure and serum mineral content, and 5.0% MMT supplementation would also decrease feed intake, aggravate liver damage, and reduce the antioxidant capacity of starter pigs. Therefore, excess supplementation of MMT is not safe in starter pigs.

Orbital-dependent charge dynamics in MnP revealed by optical study

Unconventional superconductivity often emerges at the border of long-range magnetic orders. Understanding the low-energy charge dynamics may provide crucial information on the formation of superconductivity. Here we report the unpolarized/polarized optical conductivity study of high quality MnP single crystals at ambient pressure. Our data reveal two types of charge carriers with very different lifetimes. In combination with the first-principles calculations, we show that the short-lifetime carriers have flat Fermi sheets which become gapped in the helimagnetic phase, causing a dramatic change in the low-frequency optical spectra, while the long-lifetime carriers are anisotropic three-dimensional like which are little affected by the magnetic transitions and provide major contributions to the transport properties. This orbital-dependent charge dynamics originates from the special crystal structure of MnP and may have an influence on the unconventional superconductivity and its interplay with helimagnetism at high pressures.

Lingguizhugan decoction improves non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by altering insulin resistance and lipid metabolism related genes: a whole trancriptome study by RNA-Seq

Lingguizhugan decoction, a classic traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), however, the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. In the present study, we compared the phenotype of the normal rats (fed with chow diet), high-fat-diet (HFD) induced NAFLD rats and Lingguizhugan decoction (LGZG, comprises four Chinese herbs: Poria, Ramulus Cinnamomi, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, and Radix Glycyrrhizae.) intervened rats, and detected whole genome gene expression by RNA-Seq. Our results demonstrated that LGZG decoction attenuated phenotypic characteristics of NAFLD rats. RNA-Seq data analysis revealed that gene expression profiles exerted differential patterns between different groups. 2690 (1445 up-regulated, 1245 down-regulated) genes in NAFLD versus (vs) normal group, 69 (16 up-regulated, 53 down-regulated) genes in LGZG vs NAFLD group, and 42 overlapped (12 up- regulated, 30 down-regulated) genes between NAFLDvs normal group and LGZG vs NAFLD group were identified as differentially expressed. GO, pathway enrichment and PPI networks analysis of the overlapped genes revealed that LGZG decoction might attenuate NAFLD possibly by affecting insulin resistance and lipid metabolism related pathways (e.g., PI3K-Akt, AMPK). Differentially expressed genes involved in these pathways such as Pik3r1, Foxo1, Foxo3, Scd1, Col3a1 and Fn1 might be candidate targets for treating NAFLD.

[Evaluation of endometriosis fertility index in follow-up treatment of endometriosis combined with infertility patients after laparoscopic surgery]

Objective: To explore the application of endometriosis fertility index (EFI) in guidance after laparoscopic surgery of endometriosis patients combined with infertility and to explore methods to improve pregnancy rate in different EFI groups. Methods: A prospective research was done in endometriosis patients combined with infertility in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital from January 2010 to June 2011, after laparoscopic surgery, these 146 patients were divided into 3 groups by EFI score. Using different pregnancy guidance, these patients had 5 years follow-up. Results: (1) The 5 years overall pregnancy rate was 89.0% (130/146). The pregnancy rate was 95.7% (45/47) in EFI≥9 group, 92.8% (77/83) in EFI 5-8 group and 8/16 in EFI≤4 group, three groups were all reach satisfactory pregnancy rate; the rate of the first two groups had no statistically significance (P=0.498), but had significant difference with the last group (P<0.01). (2) In EFI≥5 patients, pregnancy rate was the highest in 6 months after operation; in EFI≥9 group, the pregnancy rate was 66.7% (30/45), and EFI 5-8 group was 50.6% (39/77). (3) EFI≥9 group had the highest natural pregnancy rate [83.6% (46/55)], natural pregnancy rate was significant statistical different in different EFI groups (P=0.001). Conclusions: EFI score is a useful evaluation in predicting and guiding pregnancy in endometriosis patients combined with infertility after laparoscopic surgery. EFI score guidance, strict post-operation management and positive pregnancy scheme could significantly improve the pregnancy rate of endometriosis patients with infertility.

Idarubicin-intensified haploidentical HSCT with GvHD prophylaxis of ATG and basiliximab provides comparable results to sibling donors in high-risk acute leukemia

We designed a novel haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) system using idarubicin (IDA) intensified conditioning regimens and combination of antithymocyte globulin and basiliximab for GvHD prophylaxis. The outcomes of 110 high-risk acute leukemia patients undergoing haplo-HSCT were compared with 69 contemporaneous high-risk patients receiving HLA-matched sibling transplantation using uniform IDA-intensified regimens. The relapse incidence of haplo-HSCT was 23.4%, and 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) achieved 62.9%, 59.1%, respectively. The cumulative incidences of II-IV and III-IV aGvHD were 28.6 and 14.3%, while limited and extensive cGvHD were 19.4, 13.8%. All these results were equivalent to those of concurrent identical sibling transplantation. Three-year OS and DFS for patients in advance stage reached 48.5, 47.3%. Furthermore, the relapse, 3-year OS of positive minimal residual disease (MRD) patients did not differ from negative MRD patients (18.9% vs 11.5%, 63.6% vs 69.6%), indicating our intensified haplo-HSCT technique could circumvent the dismal prognosis of MRD. These data provide reinforcing evidence that our haplo-HSCT system could dramatically improve the survival of high-risk acute leukemia with low relapse and acceptable transplantation-related mortality, and might be a promising therapeutic option for high-risk patients.

Involvement of PKA signalling in anti-inflammatory effects of chitosan oligosaccharides in IPEC-J2 porcine epithelial cells

Weaning is characterized by intestinal inflammation, which is a big challenge in pig industry. Control of intestinal inflammation is important for improvement of growth performance and health. Therefore, the study was focused on the anti-inflammatory activity of low-molecular-weight chitosan oligosaccharide (LCOS) in a porcine small intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2). The results showed that TNF-α, as inflammation inducer, significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of IL-8 and MCP-1. Afterwards, LCOS significantly attenuated mRNA expression of IL-8 and MCP-1 induced by TNF-α in the cells. Mannose (MAN), as ligand of mannose receptor, had no effect on the anti-inflammatory activity of LCOS, which suggested that mannose receptor may not involve in the anti-inflammatory activity of LCOS in IPEC-J2 cells. Interestingly, N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide 2HCl hydrate (H89), as PKA (protein kinase A)-specific inhibitor, reversed the mRNA expression of IL-8 when co-cultured with LCOS. Furthermore, LCOS concentration dependent downregulated the mRNA expression of claudin-1 compared with TNF-α treatment. However, the trans-epithelial electric resistance (TEER) was not affected by LCOS when co-cultured with TNF-α in 3 hr. In conclusion, LCOS have a potent anti-inflammatory activity, and as a feed additives, may be useful for the inhibition of inflammatory process in weaning period of pigs with intestinal inflammation occurring.

Critical Velocity in the Presence of Surface Bound States in Superfluid ^{3}He-B

A microelectromechanical oscillator with a gap of 1.25  μm was immersed in superfluid ^{3}He-B and cooled below 250  μK at various pressures. Mechanical resonances of its shear motion were measured at various levels of driving force. The oscillator enters into a nonlinear regime above a certain threshold velocity. The damping increases rapidly in the nonlinear region and eventually prevents the velocity of the oscillator from increasing beyond the critical velocity which is much lower than the Landau critical velocity. We propose that this peculiar nonlinear behavior stems from the escape of quasiparticles from the surface bound states into the bulk fluid.

Stimulation of intestinal growth with distal ileal infusion of short-chain fatty acid: a reevaluation in a pig model

18 barrows with average initial body weight of 30.72 (±1.48) kg fitted with a T-cannula in the terminal ileum were randomly allotted to 3 treatments to determine the underlying mechanisms of the regulation of SCFAs on intestinal development in a pig model.

Anomalous Damping of a Microelectromechanical Oscillator in Superfluid ^{3}He-B

The mechanical resonance properties of a microelectromechanical oscillator with a gap of 1.25  μm was studied in superfluid ^{3}He-B at various pressures. The oscillator was driven in the linear damping regime where the damping coefficient is independent of the oscillator velocity. The quality factor of the oscillator remains low (Q≈80) down to 0.1T_{c}, 4 orders of magnitude less than the intrinsic quality factor measured in vacuum at 4 K. In addition to the Boltzmann temperature dependent contribution to the damping, a damping proportional to temperature was found to dominate at low temperatures. We propose a multiple scattering mechanism of the surface Andreev bound states to be a possible cause for the anomalous damping.

Identification of sex-specific urinary biomarkers for major depressive disorder by combined application of NMR- and GC-MS-based metabonomics

Women are more vulnerable to major depressive disorder (MDD) than men. However, molecular biomarkers of sex differences are limited. Here we combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)- and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomics to investigate sex differences of urinary metabolite markers in MDD, and further explore their potential of diagnosing MDD. Consequently, the metabolite signatures of women and men MDD subjects were significantly different from of that in their respective healthy controls (HCs). Twenty seven women and 36 men related differentially expressed metabolites were identified in MDD. Fourteen metabolites were changed in both women and men MDD subjects. Significantly, the women-specific (m-Hydroxyphenylacetate, malonate, glycolate, hypoxanthine, isobutyrate and azelaic acid) and men-specific (tyrosine, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, N-methylnicotinamide, indoxyl sulfate, citrate and succinate) marker panels were further identified, which could differentiate men and women MDD patients from their respective HCs with higher accuracy than previously reported sex-nonspecific marker panels. Our findings demonstrate that men and women MDD patients have distinct metabonomic signatures and sex-specific biomarkers have promising values in diagnosing MDD.

[Hot research topics on cardiovascular diseases in occupational population: a bibliometric analysis]

Objective: To investigate the literature characteristics and research topics on cardiovascular diseases in the occupational population quantitatively via a bibliometric analysis, and to provide a reference for the selection of research directions. Methods: A search strategy was developed according to the words in Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) , and PubMed database was searched for articles on cardiovascular diseases in the occupational population published from 2006 to 2015. The information of published year, authors, journals, and MeSH words was extracted, frequently used MeSH words were screened out, and a cluster analysis was performed for frequently used MeSH words. Results: A total of 1 272 articles were found, and about 150 articles were published annually from 2011 to 2015. Most articles were published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and the author Tohr Nilsson had the highest number of published articles. The influencing factors mainly included occupational mental stress, smoking, and working system, and the health outcomes attracting the most attention were hypertension, hand-arm vibration, ischemic heart disease, and myocardial infarction. The articles were clustered into 5 types, and 5 hot topics were summarized. Conclusion: The bibliometric analysis of cardiovascular diseases in occupational population shows that hypertension and hand-arm vibration are hot research topics, which can provide a reference to researchers.

Effects of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and leukemia-inhibitory factor on the behavior of two calf testis germline stem cell colony types

Germline stem cells are the only such capable of transmitting genetic information in vivo. The isolation and culture of these cells in vitro provide a unique model to understand sperm differentiation and hence, spermatogenesis and male fertility. In this study, we isolated, purified, and cultured germline stem cells from the testes of newborn calves. Moreover, we investigated the effects of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) on their proliferation. Male calf germline stem cells were found to be pluripotent, and able to form grape-like and embryonic stem cell (ES)-like colonies when cultured. GDNF promoted proliferation of the former, whereas LIF induced growth of the latter. The grape-like colonies retained their germline stem cell characteristics, whereas the ES-like colonies demonstrated more primitive attributes. This investigation established a male calf germline stem cell culture model that may serve as a foundation for further studies aiming to understand the properties of such cells.