Increased expression of a novel splice variant of the complement component 4 (C4A) gene in mastitis-infected dairy cattle

The complement system helps in the direct lysis of invading pathogens and modulates phagocytic, humoral and cellular immune responses. Complement 4 is a critical component in complement activity and protection against many bacterial pathogens because it is essential to classical and lectin activation pathways. We used reverse transcription and PCR to investigate alternative splicing and expression of the complement component 4 (C4A) gene in Chinese Holstein cattle. The PCR products were cloned and sequenced. A novel splice variant involving intron 10 was identified, which we named C4A-AS. To examine how C4A gene activity is affected by bovine mastitis, six Chinese Holstein cattle were divided into healthy (non-mastitic) and Staphylococcus aureus-induced mastitic groups. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed that the C4A-complete and C4A-AS transcripts are expressed at significantly different levels in healthy cows, while there were no significant differences in the mastitic group (P = 0.257). Expression of C4A-AS increased significantly when mastitis developed. We also examined the expression of C4A-complete and C4A-AS in several tissues (liver, heart, spleen, lung, kidney, tongue, and muscle). The two transcripts were expressed in all of these tissues but there were no significant differences in expression between healthy and mastitic cows. We therefore conclude that the C4A-complete transcript is the main transcript under normal physiological conditions, while C4A-AS is augmented when mastitis develops.

First observation of the M1 transition ψ(3686)→γη(c)(2S)

Using a sample of 106×10(6) ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, we have made the first measurement of the M1 transition between the radially excited charmonium S-wave spin-triplet and the radially excited S-wave spin-singlet states: ψ(3686)→γη(c)(2S). Analyses of the processes ψ(3686)→γη(c)(2S) with η(c)(2S)→K(S)(0)K(±)π(∓) and K(+)K(-)π(0) give an η(c)(2S) signal with a statistical significance of greater than 10 standard deviations under a wide range of assumptions about the signal and background properties. The data are used to obtain measurements of the η(c)(2S) mass (M(η(c)(2S))=3637.6±2.9(stat)±1.6(syst) MeV/c(2)), width (Γ(η(c)(2S))=16.9±6.4(stat)±4.8(syst) MeV), and the product branching-fraction (B(ψ(3686)→γη(c)(2S))×B(η(c)(2S)→KKπ)=(1.30±0.20(stat)±0.30(syst))×10(-5)). Combining our result with a BABAR measurement of B(η(c)(2S)→KKπ), we find the branching fraction of the M1 transition to be B(ψ(3686)→γη(c)(2S))=(6.8±1.1(stat)±4.5(syst))×10(-4).

Effect of chito-oligosaccharide on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, intestinal morphology and cecal microflora in weaned pigs

A total of 180 weanling pigs (21 ± 3 d of age; 5.98 ± 0.04 kg) were used to investigate the effect of chito-oligosaccharide (COS) on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, intestinal morphology, and cecal microflora. Based on initial BW, gender and litter, the pigs were given 5 treatments during a 14-d feeding experiment, including a basal diet (control), 3 diets with COS supplementation (200, 400, or 600 mg/kg), and a diet with colistin sulfate (CSE) supplementation (20 mg/kg). Six randomly selected pigs from each treatment were used to collect serum, duodenal, jejunal, ileal, and cecal samples on d 7 and 14 postweaning. From d 1 to 7 postweaning, pigs fed COS or CSE had greater ADG and ADFI compared with the control pigs. From d 1 to 14, diets with either 400 or 600 mg/kg COS, or 20 mg/kg CSE increased (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F compared with the control diet. No significant differences were observed in ADG, ADFI, and G:F between the pigs fed COS and CSE. Pigs fed either 400 or 600 mg/kg COS, or 20 mg/kg CSE had less (P < 0.05) diamine oxidase (DAO) in the serum, but greater concentration of (P < 0.05) DAO in jejunal mucosa, than the control pigs on d 7 postweaning. Treatments did not affect villous height and crypt depth of the duodenum, jejunum, or ileum. Pigs fed COS at 400 mg/kg had greater (P < 0.05) concentration of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in the cecum than pigs fed the control diet and CSE diet on d 7 postweaning. Supplementation of COS or CSE decreased (P < 0.05) the population of cecal Staphylococcus aureus compared with the control diet on d 7 postweaning. The number of cecal Bifidobacteria in pigs fed 600 mg/kg COS was greater (P < 0.05) than that of pigs fed the control diet or CSE diet on d 14 postweaning. No significant differences were observed in Escherichia coli counts in the cecum among treatments. The present results indicate that dietary supplementation of COS at 400 or 600 mg/kg promotes growth performance and improves gut barrier function, increases the population of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, and decreases S. aureus in the cecum of weanling pigs.

Magnetoelectrically coupled polariton excitation in a plasmonic crystal composed of nanorod dimers

In this work, the long wavelength optical properties of a plasmonic crystal, composed of gold nanorod dimers arranged parallel, have been studied. Due to the strong coupling between incident light and the oscillation of free electrons inside nanorod dimers, the magnetically induced and/or magnetoelectrically coupled plasmonic polaritons can be excited. A theoretical demonstration has been proposed and coupled equations that show similar profiles to the Huang-Kun equations for ionic crystals have been deduced, indicating the constitutive abnormalities and polaritonic bandgap effect. The analogy between the magnetoelectrically coupled metamaterials and ionic crystals may shed light on physical explanations, as well as constitutive parameter retrieval, for the magnetoelectric metamaterials.

Role of monokine induced by interferon-γ in liver injury induced by hepatitis B virus in mice

The chemokine monokine induced by interferon-γ (Mig) is involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells and liver injury during hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. HBV protein X contributes to Mig expression in vitro by activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB; however, the molecular mechanisms by which HBV induces Mig expression in vivo are unknown. In this paper, we established a mouse model for HBV study by tail vein injection of HBV genome-containing adenovirus vectors. Host immune response to the secreted hepatitis B surface antigen and e antigen was detected and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was elevated at different time points. We also demonstrated that peripheral and intrahepatic Mig expression was increased after Ad-HBV infection. This was followed by inflammatory cell migration and formation of inflammatory foci in the liver. In addition, NF-κB p65 subunit translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were to some extent phosphorylated after HBV injection. Following tail vein injection of Mig siRNA/in vivo-jetPEI-Gal complex, Mig expression was partially suppressed, inflammatory cell migration was inhibited, serum level of ALT were reduced. In conclusion, through NF-κB activation, HBV induced Mig expression in vivo, which recruited peripheral inflammatory cells to the liver and resulted in liver damage. Phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt, ERK and JNK but not p38 might involved in the molecular mechanisms underlying HBV induced Mig expression in vivo.

Value of three-dimensional hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography with SonoVue in the assessment of tubal patency

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the accuracy of transvaginal three-dimensional hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography using SonoVue (3D SonoVue-HyCoSy) in the assessment of Fallopian tubal patency.

METHODS

We recruited 75 infertile patients undergoing 3D SonoVue-HyCoSy before standard diagnostic laparoscopy with chromotubation (lap and dye). Tubal patency was assessed by automated 3D coded contrast imaging (3D SonoVue-HyCoSy), and the findings were compared with the results of lap and dye.

RESULTS

For detecting tubal patency among the 150 Fallopian tubes assessed, 3D SonoVue-HyCoSy had a sensitivity of 93.5%, specificity of 86.3%, positive and negative predictive values of 87.8% and 92.6%, respectively, and diagnostic accuracy of 90.0%. The test-positive rates of 3D SonoVue-HyCoSy vs lap and dye were not significantly different (82/150 vs 77/150, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

3D SonoVue-HyCoSy should be considered clinically valuable as a practical, non-invasive, primary investigatory tool for evaluating tubal patency.

Ovine prion protein genotype frequencies in northwestern China

Anti-scrapie breeding programs have been initiated to screen for scrapie-resistant sheep based on ovine prion protein gene (PRNP) genotypes at codons 136, 154 and 171 in many countries, especially European Union member states. However, investigation of sheep PRNP genotypes is limited in China, despite the large number of sheep breeds. We analyzed 432 sheep of five different breeds from farms in northwestern China, using PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis (PCR-SSCP); the corresponding haplotypes of different PRNP alleles were cloned. PRNP allele genotyping was done by amplification refractory mutation system-PCR (ARMS-PCR), according to the haplotype clones of each PRNP allele. The validity of ARMS-PCR was checked by PCR-SSCP. Another 325 unknown PRNP genotypes of other sheep breeds were analyzed according to the established ARMS-PCR. Genotype frequencies of 757 sheep were analyzed with these two methods to evaluate susceptibility to scrapie in northwestern China. Relevant mutations were also detected at other sites. Both methods were effective for ovine PRNP allele genotyping, and the results of the analysis completely coincided. Scrapie-resistant genotypes were found to be uncommon, indicating a high risk for ovine scrapie in northwest China. In addition to codons 136, 154 and 171, we found numerous new mutations; nearly half of them were previously unreported. These sheep populations have a high degree of polymorphism at the PRNP locus.

Plasma amyloid-β oligomers level is a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis

Amyloid beta (Aβ), especially Aβ oligomers, is important in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. We studied plasma Aβ(40), Aβ(42), and Aβ oligomers levels in 44 AD patients and 22 non-demented controls. Cognitive functions were assessed by Chinese version of mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Abbreviated Metal Test (AMT), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog). Plasma Aβ monomers and oligomers levels were measured by ELISA. We found that the median plasma Aβ(40) and Aβ(42) levels were similar between AD and controls, and without significant correlation with cognition. Plasma Aβ oligomers level was higher in AD than controls (642.54 ng/ml [range 103.33-2676.93] versus 444.18 ng/ml [range 150.19-1311.18], p=0.047), and negatively correlated with cognition. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the highest tertile of Aβ oligomers levels showed an increased risk of AD than the combined group of middle and lowest tertiles (OR=8.85, p=0.013), after adjustment of gender, age and APOE4 genotype. Increased plasma Aβ oligomers level was associated with decreased MMSE and AMT scores (p=0.037, p=0.043, respectively) and increased ADAS-cog score (p=0.036), suggesting negative correlation with cognitive function. We concluded that plasma Aβ oligomers level is an useful biomarker for AD diagnosis.

Measurements of the mass and width of the η(c) using the decay ψ(3686)→γη(c)

The mass and width of the lowest-lying S-wave spin singlet charmonium state, the η(c), are measured using a data sample of 1.06×10(8) ψ(3686) decays collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring. We use a model that incorporates full interference between the signal reaction, ψ(3686)→γη(c), and a nonresonant radiative background to describe the line shape of the η(c) successfully. We measure the η(c) mass to be 2984.3±0.6±0.6 MeV/c(2) and the total width to be 32.0±1.2±1.0 MeV, where the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic.

WE-E-213CD-04: CT to Cone-Beam CT Deformable Registration With Simultaneous Intensity Correction

PURPOSE

To develop and validate a robust CT to cone-beam (CBCT) deformable image registration algorithm that can handle CBCT artifacts and intensity inconsistency, and thus can yield accurate registration results.

METHODS

We propose a new algorithm called Deformation with Intensity Simultaneously Corrected (DISC). DISC distinguishes itself from the original demons by performing an intensity correction procedure on the CBCT image at every iteration step of demons registration. Specifically, the intensity correction of a voxel in CBCT is achieved by matching the first and the second moments of the image intensities inside a patch around this voxel with those on the CT image. It is expected that such a strategy can remove artifacts in the CBCT image, as well as ensuring the intensity consistency between the two modalities and hence facilitating the registration process. DISC is implemented on computer graphics processing units (GPUs) using the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) programming environment. The performance of DISC has been qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated on a simulated patient case and six head-and- neck cancer patient data.

RESULTS

Visual inspection shows that original demons distorts the tissues after registration, especially in regions which are heavily degraded by artifacts. DISC, on the other hand, can effectively register CT and CBCT image even in regions contaminated by severe artifacts. The intensity corrected CBCT that extracted from the last iteration of DISC is artifact-free and has similar histogram distribution with the deformed CT.

CONCLUSIONS

We have developed a robust CT to CBCT deformable image registration method that properly deals with the CBCT artifacts and intensity inconsistency, and thus yields accurate registration results. This work is supported in part by the University of California Lab Fees Research Program, the Master Research Agreement from Varian Medical Systems, Inc., and the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.30970866).

Liver regeneration after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The liver has a remarkable capacity to regenerate after injury or resection. The aim of this review is to outline the mechanisms and factors affecting liver regeneration after liver transplantation.

METHODS

Relevant studies were reviewed using Medline, PubMed and Springer databases.

RESULTS

A variety of cytokines (such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α), growth factors (like hepatocyte growth factor and transforming growth factor-α) and cells are involved in liver regeneration. Several factors affect liver regeneration after transplantation such as ischemic injury, graft size, immunosuppression, steatosis, donor age and viral hepatitis.

CONCLUSION

Liver regeneration has been studied for many years. However, further research is essential to reveal the complex processes affecting liver regeneration, which may provide novel strategies in the management of liver transplantation recipients and donors.

First observation of η(1405) decays into f(0)(980)π0

The decays J/ψ → γ π+ π- π0 and J/ψ → γ π0 π0 π0 are analyzed using a sample of 225×10(6) J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector. The decay of η(1405) → f(0)(980)π0 with a large isospin violation is observed for the first time. The width of the f(0)(980) observed in the dipion mass spectra is anomalously narrower than the world average. Decay rates for three-pion decays of the η' are also measured precisely.

Meta-analysis: the use of carbon dioxide insufflation vs. room air insufflation for gastrointestinal endoscopy

BACKGROUND

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) insufflation has been proposed as an alternative to air insufflation to distend the lumen in gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy.

AIM

To perform a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which CO(2) insufflation was compared with room air insufflation in GI endoscopy.

METHODS

Electronic and manual searches were combined to search RCTs. After methodological quality assessment and data extraction, the efficacy and safety of CO(2) insufflation were systematically assessed.

RESULTS

Twenty-one RCTs [13 on colonoscopy, four on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), two on double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE), one on oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, and one on flexible sigmoidoscopy] were identified. For colonoscopy, CO(2) insufflation resulted lower postprocedural pain intensity, and increased the proportion of patient without pain at 1 h (RR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.37-2.47) and 6 h (RR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.14-1.44) postprocedure. For ERCP, the pain-releasing effect of CO(2) insufflation was not obvious (SMD: -1.48, 95% CI: -3.56, 0.59). CO(2) insufflation revealed no consistent advantages in the RCTs of DBE, but was shown as safe as air insufflation in oesophagus/stomach endoscopic submucosal dissection in one study. pCO(2) level showed no significant variation during these procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with air insufflation, CO(2) insufflation during colonoscopy causes lower postprocedural pain and bowel distension without significant pCO(2) variation. More RCTs are needed to assess its advantages in other GI endoscopic procedures.

Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of osteonecrosis of the jaw: integrated analysis from three blinded active-controlled phase III trials in cancer patients with bone metastases

BACKGROUND

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) has been reported in patients receiving bisphosphonates for metastatic bone disease. ONJ incidence, risk factors, and outcomes were evaluated in a combined analysis of three phase III trials in patients with metastatic bone disease receiving antiresorptive therapies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with bone metastases secondary to solid tumors or myeloma were randomly assigned to receive either s.c. denosumab (120 mg) or i.v. zoledronic acid (4 mg) every 4 weeks. On-study oral examinations were conducted by investigators at baseline and every 6 months. Oral adverse events were adjudicated by an independent blinded committee of dental experts.

RESULTS

Of 5723 patients enrolled, 89 (1.6%) patients were determined to have ONJ: 37 (1.3%) received zoledronic acid and 52 (1.8%) received denosumab (P = 0.13). Tooth extraction was reported for 61.8% of patients with ONJ. ONJ treatment was conservative in >95% of patients. As of October 2010, ONJ resolved in 36.0% of patients (29.7% for zoledronic acid and 40.4% for denosumab).

CONCLUSIONS

In this combined analysis of three prospective trials, ONJ was infrequent, management was mostly conservative, and healing occurred in over one-third of the patients. Educating physicians about oral health before and during bone-targeted therapy may help reduce ONJ incidence and improve outcomes.

Observation of electron-antineutrino disappearance at Daya Bay

The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment has measured a nonzero value for the neutrino mixing angle θ(13) with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. Antineutrinos from six 2.9 GWth reactors were detected in six antineutrino detectors deployed in two near (flux-weighted baseline 470 m and 576 m) and one far (1648 m) underground experimental halls. With a 43,000 ton-GWth-day live-time exposure in 55 days, 10,416 (80,376) electron-antineutrino candidates were detected at the far hall (near halls). The ratio of the observed to expected number of antineutrinos at the far hall is R=0.940±0.011(stat.)±0.004(syst.). A rate-only analysis finds sin(2)2θ(13)=0.092±0.016(stat.)±0.005(syst.) in a three-neutrino framework.