Comparative analysis of the blood transcriptomes between wolves and dogs

Dogs were domesticated by human and originated from wolves. Their evolutionary relationships have attracted much scientific interest due to their genetic affinity but different habitats. To identify the differences between dogs and wolves associated with domestication, we analysed the blood transcriptomes of wolves and dogs by RNA-Seq. We obtained a total of 30.87 Gb of raw reads from two dogs and three wolves using RNA-Seq technology. Comparisons of the wolf and dog transcriptomes revealed 524 genes differentially expressed genes between them. We found that some genes related to immune function (DCK, ICAM4, GAPDH and BSG) and aerobic capacity (HBA1, HBA2 and HBB) were more highly expressed in the wolf. Six differentially expressed genes related to the innate immune response (CCL23, TRIM10, DUSP10, RAB27A, CLEC5A and GCH1) were found in the wolf by a Gene Ontology enrichment analysis. Immune system development was also enriched only in the wolf group. The ALAS2, HMBS and FECH genes, shown to be enriched by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis, were associated with the higher aerobic capacity and hypoxia endurance of the wolf. The results suggest that the wolf might have greater resistance to pathogens, hypoxia endurance and aerobic capacity than dogs do.

Clinical Complications of Combined Phacoemulsification and Vitrectomy for Eyes with Coexisting Cataract and Vitreoretinal Diseases

Purpose

To discuss the intraoperative and postoperative complications of combining phacoemulsification and foldable intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with pars plana vitrectomy in eyes with significant cataract and coexisting vitreoretinal diseases.

Methods

This retrospective study consisted of 186 eyes of 149 patients with various vitreoretinal abnormalities and visually significant cataracts. Vitreoretinal surgery was combined with clear corneal phacoemulsification and foldable IOL implantation. Main outcome measures were the intraoperative and postoperative complications at from 6 to 56 months.

Results

The most common intraoperative complication was iatrogenic retinal hole (5.3%), transient corneal edema (3.2%), and posterior capsule break (2.1%). The most common postoperative complication was posterior capsule opacification (21.5%) and elevated intraocular pressure (9.7%), macular edema (8.1%), fibrinous reaction (6.9%), vitreous hemorrhage (3.7%), posterior synechiae (3.7%), and recurrent retinal detachment (3.2%). Postoperatively, in 162 eyes (87.1%), visual acuity improved by 3 lines or more on the Snellen chart. In 14 eyes (7.5%), vision remained within 3 lines of preoperative levels and in 10 eyes (5.3%), vision had decreased at the last follow-up.

Conclusions

Postoperative complications did not increase significantly in the combined phacoemulsification and vitreoretinal surgery. Combined vitreoretinal surgery and phacoemulsification with foldable IOL implantation is safe and effective in treating vitreoretinal abnormalities coexisting with cataract. Based on extensive experience with the combined procedure, the authors suggest that combined surgery is recommended in select patients having simultaneous vitreoretinal pathologic changes and cataract.

Taurine attenuates acrylamide-induced apoptosis via a PI3K/AKT-dependent manner

As a potent neurotoxic agent, acrylamide (ACR) is formed in food processing at higher temperature. Taurine (TAU), a nonessential amino acid, is used to cure neurodegenerative disorders, followed by activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway. In this article, we certified that antiapoptotic efficacy of TAU in vivo and vitro. ACR-treated rats received TAU by drinking water 2 weeks after ACR intoxication. The results showed that in treated rats, TAU alleviated ACR-induced neuronal apoptosis, which was associated with the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. TAU attenuated apoptosis caused by ACR through observing terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells, measure of protein expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase 3 activity. TAU-induced antiapoptotic effect is PI3K/AKT-dependent, which was proved in ACR-intoxicated ventral spinal cord 4.1 cells in the presence of AKT inhibitor, MK-2206. Therefore, our results demonstrated that TAU-attenuated ACR-induced apoptosis in vivo through a PI3K/AKT-dependent manner provided new sights in the molecular mechanism of TAU protection against ACR-induced neurotoxicity.

RNA-sequencing study of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in sporadic Ménière's disease patients: possible contribution of immunologic dysfunction to the development of this disorder

To date, the pathogenesis of Ménière's disease (MD) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the possible relationship between potential immune system-related genes and sporadic MD. The whole RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology was used to analyse the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of three MD patients and three control individuals. Of 366 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 154 genes were up-regulated and 212 genes were down-regulated (|log₂ fold change| > 1 and P < 0·05). Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis illustrated that immune relevant factors played a key role in the pathogenesis of MD. Of 366 DEGs, we focused upon analysing the possible immune-related genes, among which the significantly up-regulated genes [glutathione S-transferase mu 1 (GSTM1), transmembrane protein 176 (TMEM176)B, TMEM176A] and down-regulated genes [solute carrier family 4 member (SLC4A)10 and SLC4A1] especially drew our attention. The mRNA expression levels of GSTM1, TMEM176B, TMEM176A, SLC4A1 and SLC4A10 were analysed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The serum concentration of GSTM1, TMEM176B and SLC4A10 proteins were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Considering the results of qRT-PCR and ELISA, it was noteworthy that GSTM1 exhibited the highest fold change between two groups, which was consistent with the deep sequencing results by RNA-seq. In conclusion, our study first offers a new perspective in MD development on the basis of RNA expression patterns, suggesting that immune factors might be involved in the MD pathogenesis. Remarkably, GSTM1 might be a possible candidate gene for the diagnostic biomarker of MD and provides the basis for further biological and functional investigations.

Effect of VEGF on neuronal degeneration and interaction between Alzheimer's disease biomarkers

The article "Effect of VEGF on neuronal degeneration and interaction between Alzheimer's disease biomarkers" by H.-C. Yuan, C.-W. Jiang, L.-Y. Hou, Y.-B. Lv, X.-Z. Feng, L.-F. Guo, G. Sun, K. Liu, Y.-J. Liu, B. Xu, C.-Y. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2017; 21 (16): 3649-3657 has been withdrawn.

Long-term blood glucose monitoring with implanted telemetry device in conscious and stress-free cynomolgus monkeys

AIMS

Continuous blood glucose monitoring, especially long-term and remote, in diabetic patients or research is very challenging. Nonhuman primate (NHP) is an excellent model for metabolic research, because NHPs can naturally develop Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) similarly to humans. This study was to investigate blood glucose changes in conscious, moving-free cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) during circadian, meal, stress and drug exposure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Blood glucose, body temperature and physical activities were continuously and simultaneously recorded by implanted HD-XG telemetry device for up to 10 weeks.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Blood glucose circadian changes in normoglycemic monkeys significantly differed from that in diabetic animals. Postprandial glucose increase was more obvious after afternoon feeding. Moving a monkey from its housing cage to monkey chair increased blood glucose by 30% in both normoglycemic and diabetic monkeys. Such increase in blood glucose declined to the pre-procedure level in 30 min in normoglycemic animals and >2 h in diabetic monkeys. Oral gavage procedure alone caused hyperglycemia in both normoglycemic and diabetic monkeys. Intravenous injection with the stress hormones, angiotensin II (2 μg/kg) or norepinephrine (0.4 μg/kg), also increased blood glucose level by 30%. The glucose levels measured by the telemetry system correlated significantly well with glucometer readings during glucose tolerance tests (ivGTT or oGTT), insulin tolerance test (ITT), graded glucose infusion (GGI) and clamp.

CONCLUSION

Our data demonstrate that the real-time telemetry method is reliable for monitoring blood glucose remotely and continuously in conscious, stress-free, and moving-free NHPs with the advantages highly valuable to diabetes research and drug discovery.

MiR-222 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting ETS1

OBJECTIVE

The lung adenocarcinoma is a type of lung cancer. This research is to investigate the effects of miR-222 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of the lung adenocarcinoma cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

At the beginning, MiR-222 and the controls were transfected to the lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 for CCK-8 proliferation, transwell migration and Matrigel invasion, and then observed the effect of miR-222 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells. The miR-222 target was regulated by ETS1 downwards to participate in the regulation of the process by using the luciferase reporter assay, the Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and the Western blotting.

RESULTS

According to CCK-8 proliferation assay, the Transwell migration and the Matrigel invasion assay, it discovered that MiR-222 can promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of the lung adenocarcinoma cells. Luciferase reporter assay, RT-qPCR and Western blot assay showed that miR-222 could regulate the expression of ETS1 downwards and ETS1 participated in the regulation of the process CONCLUSIONS: ETS1 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting the regulated miR-222 downwards.

Strain softening of nano-scale fuzzy interfaces causes Mullins effect in thermoplastic polyurethane

The strain-induced softening of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPUs), known as the Mullins effect, arises from their multi-phase structure. We used the combination of small- and wide- angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) during in situ repeated tensile loading to elucidate the relationship between molecular architecture, nano-strain, and macro-scale mechanical properties. Insights obtained from our analysis highlight the importance of the ‘fuzzy interface’ between the hard and soft regions that governs the structure evolution at nanometre length scales and leads to macroscopic stiffness reduction. We propose a hierarchical Eshelby inclusion model of phase interaction mediated by the ‘fuzzy interface’ that accommodates the nano-strain gradient between hard and soft regions and undergoes tension-induced softening, causing the Mullins effect that becomes apparent in TPUs even at moderate tensile strains.

Her-2 expression regulated by downregulation of miR-9 and which affects chemotherapeutic effect in breast cancer

This study aimed to identify microRNAs (miRs), the deregulated expression of which leads to the activation of oncogenic pathways in human breast cancer (BC). miRs are classes of endogenous, small, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression aberrantly in human tumor tissues. A total of 39 out of 123 tumoral and matched uninvolved peritumoral breast specimens from 3 independent subsets of patients were analyzed for the expression of 851 human miRs using an Agilent platform. The remaining 84 samples were used to validate miRs differentially expressed between tumoral and matched peritumoral specimens by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Animal assay was further used to test the role of miR-9 and Her-2 in the pathogenesis of BC. All 39 matched samples were analyzed by unsupervised cluster analysis. This analytical approach identified a signature of miRs (miR-9, miR-148a, miR-31, miR-375, miR-21, miR-135b, miR-196a and miR-196b) that were significantly modulated between tumoral and peritumoral tissues in both subsets of patients. Her-2 protein staining increased in tumoral specimens when miR-9 downregulation correlated with the prognostic value. The ectopic expression of miR-9 inhibited the colony-forming ability, migration and tumor engraftment of BC cells. miR-9 targeted the Her-2 messenger RNA and increased responsiveness of BC cells to docetaxel (DOC) or cyclophosphamide treatment. The ectopic expression of Her-2 protein counteracted the miR-9 proapoptotic activity in response to DOC. These findings suggested that the modulation of aberrant expression of miR-9, which in turn induces oncogenic Her-2 protein activity, might hold promise for preventive and therapeutic management of BC.

Geographical and ethnic distribution of MTHFR gene polymorphisms and their associations with diseases among Chinese population

Numerous studies have investigated the distribution of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and their associations with diseases in China. In this study we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of these studies (715 eligible studies in total).Results revealed that the frequencies of the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms varied markedly in different areas and ethnicities, and even showed geographical gradients. The MTHFR C677T polymorphism was significantly associated with 42 clinical disorders (p < 0.05), mostly relating to the diseases of circulatory system, birth defects and cancers. The association of the A1298C polymorphism with three diseases (coronary heart disease, breast cancer and neural tube defects fathers) was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, according to the Venice criteria, only the associations of the C677T polymorphism with breast and ovarian cancers were assessed as having strong epidemiological credibility. This is the first study to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current status and gaps in genetic epidemiological study of the two polymorphisms in China, and its findings may be useful for medical and public health practices. Future studies are warranted to focus on the interactions of MTHFR genes with environmental exposure and with other genes, and to improve their methodological quality and reporting of findings.

Factors affecting the quality of life among Chinese rural general residents: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

The brief version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) is widely used for evaluating the personal subjective quality of life (QOL) of patients and particular populations. However, in the absence of sufficient studies among the general population, normative data for WHOQOL-BREF remain scarce. To fill this gap, the present study explored more sociodemographic and health-related factors affecting the QOL.

STUDY DESIGN

In total, 11,351 participants aged ≥35 years in rural areas of Liaoning Province were screened with a stratified cluster multistage sampling scheme in 2012-2013. Anthropometric measurements, laboratory examinations, and self-reported information on disease history were collected by trained personnel. Depression symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

METHODS

Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to explore the association between multiple factors and QOL.

RESULTS

Females and single/widowed subjects had lower QOL scores than males and married/cohabiting subjects, respectively. Total QOL scores and scores for each domain decreased as age increased, but a positive correlation was found between age and the environmental domain score. Participants with higher annual incomes, education levels, and activity levels had higher QOL scores. In the regression model, the coefficient for stroke was -2.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] -2.64, -1.71) for the total QOL score. For a one-level increase in depression level, the total QOL score decreased by 5.62 (95% CI -5.83 to -5.42), physical domain score decreased by 1.63 (95% CI -1.69 to -1.58), and psychological domain score decreased by 1.81 (95% CI -1.87 to -1.75).

CONCLUSIONS

Socio-economic status including marital status is highly related to QOL. Regarding chronic diseases, stroke is an important factor of QOL and depressive symptoms have a strong negative relationship with QOL.

[Effects of different carbohydrates on the simulation of human intestinal bacterial flora with in vitro culture]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the optimal growth condition of human fecal bacterial flora in vitro by comparing the effect of different carbohydrates as cultural media.

METHODS

Three fecal samples (1, 2, 3) were collected and inoculated into a single-stage chemostat system, in which starch medium (VI) and starch polysaccharide medium(XP) were used. Samples were collected for bacterial genomic DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis. Bacterial composition and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) were then analyzed.

RESULTS

The single stage chemostat system reached steady after operating 8 days, when evaluated by the PCR-DGGE. Bacterial 16s rRNA high-throughput sequencing showed that the intestinal bacteria of these three volunteers was mainly composed of four bacterial phyla, namely, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. When the influence of bacterial abundance was considered, the similarity of bacterial composition between the original fecal samples to the harvested flora after culture was 0.847, 0.825, 0.968 in VI medium and 0.927, 0.926, 0.836 in XP medium, respectively. The similarity was decreased to 0.553, 0.580, 0.623 with VI medium and 0.617, 0.520, 0.574 with XP medium, when the number of bacterial species was considered. The variation of host individual also influenced the simulation. VI medium favored fecal sample 3, while XP medium more benefited sample 1 and 2. Bacteroides and Lachnospiraceae_incertae_sedis grew in both VI and XP medium. However, some species were only detected in VI medium and some were specifically found in the XP medium. The SCFA concentration in fermenters was 15-35 mmol/L, mainly propionate and butyrate.

CONCLUSIONS

The chemostat system works for stimulating human gut bacterial flora in vitro. The bacterial composition is affected by different carbohydrate in the culture medium yet with close simulation higher than 80%.

Myostatin in black Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata): full-length cDNA cloning and age-dependent mRNA expression compared with IGF-I

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and myostatin (MSTN) are a pair of critical positive and negative growth regulators. The aim of the current study was to examine the age-dependent and muscle-specific expression of IGF-I and MSTN mRNAs in black Muscovy ducks in order to understand their roles in regulating the postnatal muscle growth of domestic ducks. The full-length cDNA of the black Muscovy duck MSTN gene was cloned and the age-dependent mRNA expression profile was compared with that of the IGF-I mRNA in skeletal muscles. The cDNA sequence of the MSTN gene was 1128 bp in length and encodes 375 amino acids, with more than 94.9% homology with poultry MSTN genes, and 83.0-92.0% homology with that of human and mammals (accession: KR006339.1). The IGF-I and MSTN mRNA expression exhibited opposite trends in age-dependency and in different muscles: IGF-I mRNA level was high in the early postnatal stage and low in the late mature stage, corresponding positively to growth; while the MSTN mRNA was low in the early stage, increased gradually and reached the highest level in mature muscles, and was negatively related to muscle growth. In the breast muscles, IGF-I mRNA was much higher than in the leg muscles; the opposite effect was seen in MSTN mRNA. These data suggest that the relative expression levels of IGF-I and MSTN are essential determinants in the temporal and muscle-specific regulation of postnatal skeletal muscle growth in Muscovy duck and possibly in other poultry species as well.