Coexistence of a pectoralis quartus muscle, a supernumerary head of biceps brachii muscle and an accessory head of flexor digitorum profundus muscle

Although anatomical variations in the upper limb are frequent, coexistence of multiple combined variations is rare. During a routine educational dissection at Jeju National University Medical School, three muscular variations were found in a 75-year-old Korean male cadaver, in which a supraclavicular cephalic vein was also found in ipsilateral upper extremity during skinning. Here we describe cha- racteristics of the pectoralis quartus muscle, the supernumerary head of biceps brachii muscle and an accessory head of flexor digitorum profundus muscle, and discuss their coexistence from morphological and embryological points of view.

Search for the Exotic Meson X(5568) with the Collider Detector at Fermilab

A search for the exotic meson X(5568) decaying into the B_{s}^{0}π^{±} final state is performed using data corresponding to 9.6  fb^{-1} from pp[over ¯] collisions at sqrt[s]=1960  GeV recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. No evidence for this state is found and an upper limit of 6.7% at the 95% confidence level is set on the fraction of B_{s}^{0} produced through the X(5568)→B_{s}^{0}π^{±} process.

Short communication: Improving the accuracy of genomic prediction of body conformation traits in Chinese Holsteins using markers derived from high-density marker panels

This study investigated the efficiency of genomic prediction with adding the markers identified by genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a data set of imputed high-density (HD) markers from 54K markers in Chinese Holsteins. Among 3,056 Chinese Holsteins with imputed HD data, 2,401 individuals born before October 1, 2009, were used for GWAS and a reference population for genomic prediction, and the 220 younger cows were used as a validation population. In total, 1,403, 1,536, and 1,383 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP; false discovery rate at 0.05) associated with conformation final score, mammary system, and feet and legs were identified, respectively. About 2 to 3% genetic variance of 3 traits was explained by these significant SNP. Only a very small proportion of significant SNP identified by GWAS was included in the 54K marker panel. Three new marker sets (54K+) were herein produced by adding significant SNP obtained by linear mixed model for each trait into the 54K marker panel. Genomic breeding values were predicted using a Bayesian variable selection (BVS) model. The accuracies of genomic breeding value by BVS based on the 54K+ data were 2.0 to 5.2% higher than those based on the 54K data. The imputed HD markers yielded 1.4% higher accuracy on average (BVS) than the 54K data. Both the 54K+ and HD data generated lower bias of genomic prediction, and the 54K+ data yielded the lowest bias in all situations. Our results show that the imputed HD data were not very useful for improving the accuracy of genomic prediction and that adding the significant markers derived from the imputed HD marker panel could improve the accuracy of genomic prediction and decrease the bias of genomic prediction.

Abdominal wall reconstruction following resection of large abdominal aggressive neoplasms using tensor fascia lata flap with or without mesh reinforcement

PURPOSE

Abdominal wall defects caused by neoplasms with large extended resection defects remain a challenging problem. Autologous flaps, meshes, and component separation techniques are effective in reconstructing these defects. We retrospectively reviewed and assessed the success of reconstruction using tensor fascia lata flap with or without meshes.

METHODS

18 patients with abdominal wall neoplasms were identified during the period from 2007 to 2016. A retrospective review of office charts and hospital records was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 18 patients received corresponding treatment according to the degree of defects, with a mean age of 53.89 ± 14.56 years old, a mean body mass index (BMI) of 22.89 ± 4.09 kg/m², and a mean American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) score of 2.18 ± 0.75. Operative details included the mean defect size (303.44 ± 175.67 cm²), the mean mesh size (265.92 ± 227.99 cm²), and the mean operative time (382.33 ± 180.38 min). Postoperative wound complications were identified in 7 (39%) patients, including incisional infection, edema and thrombus. Neoplasm recurrence was observed in 2 (13%) primary neoplasms patients. No hernias were present in any patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Abdominal wall defects caused by neoplasms should be repaired by autologous flaps combined with or without mesh reinforcement. Most type I defects should be primary sutured; type II or III defects should be repaired well by flaps, with or without mesh; if the incision is infected or contaminated, biological mesh or flaps are the best choice.

Development of a semi-continuous two-stage simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process for enhanced 2,3-butanediol production by Klebsiella oxytoca

Klebsiella oxytoca naturally produces a large amount of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD), a promising chemical with wide industrial applications, along with various by-products. Previously, we have developed a metabolically engineered K. oxytoca ΔldhA ΔpflB strain to reduce the formation of by-products. To improve 2,3-BD productivity and examine the stability of K. oxytoca ΔldhA ΔpflB strain for industrial application, a semi-continuous two-stage simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (STSSF) process was developed. The STSSF with the K. oxytoca ΔldhA ΔpflB mutant using cassava as a carbon source could produce 108 ± 3·73 g_(2,3-BD)  l^-1 with a yield of 0·45 g_(2,3-BD)  g_(glucose)^-1 and a productivity of 3·00 g_(2,3-BD) l^-1  h^-1 . No apparent changes in the final titre, yield and productivity of 2,3-BD were observed for up to 20 cycles of STSSF. Also, microbial contamination and spontaneous mutation of the host strain with potential detrimental effects on fermentation efficiency did not occur during the whole fermentation period. These results strongly underpin that the K. oxytoca ΔldhA ΔpflB mutant is stable and that the STSSF process is commercially exploitable.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

There is growing interest in the production of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) from renewable resources by microbial fermentation because of its wide applications to specialty and commodity chemical industries. Klebsiella oxytoca usually produces 2,3-BD as a major end product during the fermentation of carbohydrates. This is the first study to provide a high-efficiency simultaneous saccharification and 2,3-BD fermentation process. Also, this study proves the stability of a metabolically engineered 2,3-BD overproducing K. oxytoca strain for industrial application.

Combined Forward-Backward Asymmetry Measurements in Top-Antitop Quark Production at the Tevatron

The CDF and D0 experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron have measured the asymmetry between yields of forward- and backward-produced top and antitop quarks based on their rapidity difference and the asymmetry between their decay leptons. These measurements use the full data sets collected in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV. We report the results of combinations of the inclusive asymmetries and their differential dependencies on relevant kinematic quantities. The combined inclusive asymmetry is A_{FB}^{tt[over ¯]}=0.128±0.025. The combined inclusive and differential asymmetries are consistent with recent standard model predictions.

Genomic prediction for growth and reproduction traits in pig using an admixed reference population

This study investigated the efficiency of genomic prediction using an admixed reference population comprising 3 Yorkshire populations with different genetic backgrounds. In total, 2,084 and 1,388 individuals with growth and reproduction records, respectively, were genotyped with a PorcineSNP80 marker panel. The corrected phenotypic values derived from conventional EBV of each population were taken as response variables. Three approaches, that is, a linear genomic BLUP (GBLUP) model, a Bayesian mixture model (BayesR), and single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP), were implemented to predict genomic breeding values. Our results indicated that the accuracy of genomic prediction was increased by enlarging the reference population by admixing different populations. However, the improvement was lower than expected, because the relationships among individuals of different populations were not strong enough. Among the 3 approaches, for reproduction and growth traits, ssGBLUP produced 30 to approximately 38% and 23 to 31%, respectively, higher accuracy than GBLUP. And the ssGBLUP produced 28 to approximately 38% and 18 to approximately 31% higher accuracy than BayesR. In addition, ssGBLUP also yielded lower bias. In most situations, BayesR performed comparably to GBLUP for most traits. Our results indicated ssGBLUP using an admixed reference population is also meaningful for national joint genetic evaluation of Chinese pig breeding.

Intravenous immunoglobulin as adjunct therapy for refractory pyoderma gangrenosum: systematic review of cases and case series

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis. Treatment regimens for refractory cases are nonstandardized. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an emerging treatment with reported success, but the efficacy of IVIG for PG is unknown. In this systematic review of cases and case series, we assessed the efficacy of IVIG for the treatment of PG, as observed at our institution and reported in the literature. A retrospective chart review at two tertiary care hospitals between 2000 and 2015, and literature searches in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science from all years were conducted. In total, there were 49 patients, including 43 patients from 26 articles and six institutional cases. There was complete or partial response in 43 (88%) patients and complete response in 26 (53%) patients. The mean time to initial response to treatment and treatment length were 3·5 (SD 3·3) weeks and 5·9 (SD 7·8) months, respectively. On average, 2·6 treatments had been trialled before IVIG initiation. IVIG was administered with systemic steroids in 43 (88%) cases. Mild adverse events, especially nausea and headache, were reported in 12 (24·5%) patients. Our systematic review suggests a potential role for IVIG as adjuvant therapy for refractory PG. Prospective clinical trials testing the efficacy of IVIG for refractory PG are needed to validate these findings.

[The clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of patients with gout in China]

Objective: To investigate the demographic characteristics, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of patients with gout in China. Methods: Clinical data of 6 814 patients with gout from 100 hospitals in 27 provinces, municipalities or autonomous regions in China were collected and analyzed. Results: (1) The ratio of male to female in patients with gout was 14.7∶1. The mean age of onset was (48.8±15.1) years old. Mean serum urate level was (526.7±132.3) μmol/L. Patients' education background was of U-shaped distribution; (2) Hypertension was the most common comorbidity [15.8%(1 079/6 814)], then overweight or obesity [51.9%(3 536/6 814)]; (3) Alcohol and high-purine food intake were dominant triggering factors in men. The diagnosis of gout was made after onset in majority of patients with cardinal symptom arthralgia. Most patients had the disease less than 5 years, and the longer the course, the more flares in the previous year of entry; (4) Febuxostat was the mostly used urate-lowering medication. 20.7%(1 412/6 814), 10.8%(739/6 814) and 3.9%(265/6 814) of patients were followed up in 4 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks after registration, and 18.9%(267/1 412), 29.1%(215/739) and 38.1%(101/265) of them reached the control target of serum urate levels, respectively. After treatment, patients' liver function was not affected, but serum creatinine levels decreased significantly. Conclusions: The proportion of gout patients who reach target serum urate level is very low. Further steps including education and survey need to be carried on.

[Relationship between exposure to air pollutants during pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy and birth defects in Xi'an, 2013-2015: a case crossover study]

Objective: To understand the levels of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants including nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), PM(10) and PM(2.5), and the relationship between the exposure to air pollutants during pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy and birth defects. Methods: Data on air pollution and birth defects from 2013 to 2015 was collected. A case-crossover design was employed to analyze the exposure-response relationship between traffic-related air pollutants and birth defects. Results: A total of 4 235 pregnant women were studied. During the study period, the daily average concentrations of ambient NO(2), PM(10) and PM(2.5) appeared as 60.83 μg/m(3), 104.94 μg/m(3) and 103.88 μg/m(3), respectively, with the concentration of PM(2.5) larger than the 2(nd) version of Standard National Ambient Air Quality Standard. In addition, there were strong correlations seen between each of the pollutants (P<0.01). After adjustment for the influence of meteorological factors, it was found that the exposure to high level of NO(2) and PM(10) during pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy increased the risk on birth defects (P<0.05). Conclusion: Levels of exposure to adverse environmental factors during pre- pregnancy or early pregnancy could increase the risk of birth defects, suggesting that in these sensitive periods, women should try to avoid being exposed to high concentration of traffic-related air pollutants as NO(2), PM(10) etc. in order to reduce the risk of birth defects.

Intracranial hypertension induced by internal jugular vein stenosis can be resolved by stenting

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterized by abnormally elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) without identifiable etiology. Recently, however, a subset of patients with presumed IIH have been found with isolated internal jugular vein (IJV) stenosis in the absence of intracranial abnormalities.

METHODS

Fifteen consecutive patients were screened from 46 patients suspected as IIH and were finally confirmed as isolated IJV stenosis. The stenotic IJV was corrected with stenting when the trans-stenotic mean pressure gradient (∆MPG) was equal to or higher than 5.44 cmH₂ O. Dynamic magnetic resonance venography, computed tomographic venography and digital subtraction angiography of the IJV, ∆MPG, ICP, Headache Impact Test 6 and the Frisén papilledema grade score before and after stenting were compared.

RESULTS

All the stenotic IJVs were corrected by stenting. ∆MPG decreased and the abnormal collateral veins disappeared or shrank immediately. Headache, tinnitus, papilledema and ICP were significantly ameliorated at 14 ± 3 days of follow-up (all P < 0.01). At 12 ± 5.6 months of outpatient follow-up, headache disappeared in 14 out of 15 patients (93.3%), visual impairments were recovered in 10 of 12 patients (83.3%) and tinnitus resolved in 10 out of 11 patients (90.9%). In 12 out of 15 cases, the Frisén papilledema grade scores declined to 1 (0-2). The stented IJVs in all 15 patients kept to sufficient blood flows on computed tomographic venography follow-up without stenting-related adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-thrombotic IJV stenosis may be a potential etiology of IIH. Stenting seems to be a promising option to address the issue of intracranial hypertension from the etiological level, particularly after medical treatment failure.

Development of an XBP1 agonist, HLJ2, as a potential therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis

There is a severe lack of effective treatments for ulcerative colitis (UC), a recurrent and intractable inflammatory bowel disease. The identification of valid targets and new drugs is an urgent need. In this study, we identified the XBP-1 agonist HLJ2 as a promising treatment candidate. In an in vivo mouse model of DSS-induced colitis, HLJ2 decreased weight loss, colon contracture, disease activity index (DAI), colon mucosa damage index (CMDI) and histopathological index (HI). HLJ2 also decreased myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and reduced production of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. HLJ2 improved intestinal mucosa damage induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and increased the expression of ZO-1 and claudin-1. Fecal 16s rRNA high-throughput sequencing demonstrated a significant improvement in UC intestinal dysbacteriosis in mice treated with HLJ2, including increased abundance of probiotics such as Lachnospiraceae, Prevotellaceae, and Lactobacillaceae. At the same time there was a reduction in the abundance of pathogenic or conditional pathogenic microorganisms such as Bacteroidaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Deferribacteraceae, and Pseudomonadaceae in HLJ2-treated mice compared with untreated mice. Our results demonstrated that the XBP1 agonist HLJ2 inhibits inflammation, regulates the intestinal flora, and protects the intestinal mucosa. It is thus a potential therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis.

[Anterior corneal high-order aberrations in eyes with senile cataract in a Chinese population]

Objective: To investigate the distribution of anterior corneal high-order aberrations (HOAs) in Chinese eyes with cataract and their correlations with age and axial length for the choice of aspheric intraocular lens. Methods: Retrospective study. Six hundred twenty-five Chinese patients with cataract[male: 260, female: 365, age: (71.2±8.0) years] were categorized into 4 groups in accordance with their axial lengths. Anterior corneal HOAs in the central 6- mm zone was measured with an iTrace wavefront analyzer. The correlations between axial length, age and total HOAs, spherical aberration, trefoil aberration, and coma aberration were analyzed using Spearman analysis. The differences in total HOAs, spherical aberration, trefoil aberration, and coma aberration among 4 groups were assessed using the Krusal-Wallis H test. Results: Anterior corneal HOAs showed the nonnormal distribution. The median of corneal total HOAs was 0.666 μm (range 0.246 to 4.115 μm). Medians of coma aberration, spherical aberration and trefoil aberration were 0.313 μm (range 0.015 to 1.879 μm), 0.275 μm (range 0.005 to 1.797 μm) and 0.341 μm (range 0.019 to 2.319 μm), respectively. A significant negative correlation was found between axial length and total HOAs, coma aberration, spherical aberration, trefoil aberration (r=-0.230, -0.235, -0.143, -0.153, P<0.05). But no correlation was found between age and them (r=0.056, 0.045, 0.065, 0.022, P>0.05). Differences in total HOAs, coma aberration, spherical aberration, trefoil aberration were found among various axial groups (H=21.953, 20.665, 15.368, 16.881, P<0.05). Conclusions: Anterior corneal HOAs varied greatly among the majority of the patients. A significant negative correlation was found between axial length and anterior corneal HOAs, but no correlation was found between age and them. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2017, 53: 828-834).

Colitis Is Effectively Ameliorated by (±)-8-Acetonyl-dihydrocoptisine via the XBP1-NF-κB Pathway

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a recurrent, chronic intestinal disease. Available treatments for UC are poor effective and/or cause severe adverse events. X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) have been reported to play important roles in UC. Specifically, deletion or downregulation of XBP1 leads to spontaneous enteritis and results in imbalanced secretion of NF-κB and other proinflammatory cytokines. (±)-8-acetonyl-dihydrocoptisine, i.e., (±)-8-ADC, is a monomer semi-synthesized from coptisine. In vitro, (±)-8-ADC activated the transcriptional activity of XBP1, inhibited expression of NF-κB, and reduced production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated IEC6 cells. Therefore, silencing XBP1 would reduce the inhibition effect of (±)-8-ADC on NF-κB expression and the cytokines secretion in vitro. In a dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mouse model, oral administration of (±)-8-ADC ameliorated weight loss and colon contracture, and decreased the average disease activity index score and pathological damage. Simultaneously, (±)-8-ADC also increased XBP1 expression, and decreased NF-κB expression and secretion of myeloperoxidase, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in the colon. Therefore, (±)-8-ADC may ameliorate UC via the XBP1-NF-κB pathway and should be considered as a therapeutic candidate for UC.