Phellinus linteus activates Treg cells via FAK to promote M2 macrophage polarization in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent malignant tumor worldwide. Within HCC's tumor microenvironment, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a critical role. Regulatory T cells (Treg) modulate the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages , but the relationship between FAK, Treg cells, and macrophages remains underexplored. Phellinus linteus (PL) shows promise as a treatment for HCC due to its pharmacological effects. This study aimed to explore the relationship between FAK and Treg-macrophages and to assess whether PL could exert a protective effect through the FAK process in HCC. Initially, C57BL/6-FAK-/- tumor-bearing mice were utilized to demonstrate that FAK stimulates HCC tumor development. High dosages (200 μM) of FAK and the FAK activator ZINC40099027 led to an increase in Treg (CD4+CD25+) cells, a decrease in M1 macrophages (F4/80+CD16/32+, IL-12, IL-2, iNOS), and an increase in M2 macrophages (F4/80+CD206+, IL-4, IL-10, Arg1, TGF-β1). Additionally, FAK was found to encourage cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition while inhibiting apoptosis in HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells. These effects were mediated by the PI3K/AKT1/Janus Kinase (JAK)/ signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK)/Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling pathways. Furthermore, PL exhibited a potent antitumor effect in vivo in a dose-dependent manner, reducing FAK, Treg cells, and M2 macrophages, while increasing M1 macrophages. This effect was achieved through the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/JAK/STAT3, and p38/JNK pathways. Overall, our findings suggest that FAK promotes HCC via Treg cells that polarize macrophages toward the M2 type through specific signaling pathways. PL, acting through FAK, could be a protective therapy against HCC.

Regulation of Meat Duck Activeness through Photoperiod Based on Deep Learning

The regulation of duck physiology and behavior through the photoperiod holds significant importance for enhancing poultry farming efficiency. To clarify the impact of the photoperiod on group-raised duck activeness and quantify duck activeness, this study proposes a method that employs a multi-object tracking model to calculate group-raised duck activeness. Then, duck farming experiments were designed with varying photoperiods as gradients to assess this impact. The constructed multi-object tracking model for group-raised ducks was based on YOLOv8. The C2f-Faster-EMA module, which combines C2f-Faster with the EMA attention mechanism, was used to improve the object recognition performance of YOLOv8. Furthermore, an analysis of the tracking performance of Bot-SORT, ByteTrack, and DeepSORT algorithms on small-sized duck targets was conducted. Building upon this foundation, the duck instances in the images were segmented to calculate the distance traveled by individual ducks, while the centroid of the duck mask was used in place of the mask regression box's center point. The single-frame average displacement of group-raised ducks was utilized as an intuitive indicator of their activeness. Farming experiments were conducted with varying photoperiods (24L:0D, 16L:8D, and 12L:12D), and the constructed model was used to calculate the activeness of group-raised ducks. The results demonstrated that the YOLOv8x-C2f-Faster-EMA model achieved an object recognition accuracy (mAP@50-95) of 97.9%. The improved YOLOv8 + Bot-SORT model achieved a multi-object tracking accuracy of 85.1%. When the photoperiod was set to 12L:12D, duck activeness was slightly lower than that of the commercial farming's 24L:0D lighting scheme, but duck performance was better. The methods and conclusions presented in this study can provide theoretical support for the welfare assessment of meat duck farming and photoperiod regulation strategies in farming.

A Multicenter Study on Deep Learning for Glioblastoma Auto-Segmentation with Prior Knowledge in Multimodal Imaging

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

A precise radiotherapy plan is required to ensure accurate delineation of gross tumor volumes (GTV) and clinical target volumes (CTV1 and CTV2) of glioblastomas (GBMs). However, traditional manual delineation is labor intensive and highly dependent on oncologists' experience. To construct and evaluate a deep learning-based automatic delineation method using prior knowledge in multimodal medical imaging to automate precise GTV, CTV1 and CTV2 contouring in GBM patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively collected the CT and MRI scans of 55 eligible patients with histologically proven high-grade glioma (HGG) from an institute, these scans were performed with non-enhanced CT (CT), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1C) and T2-FLAIR (T2F) sequences. We proposed a two-stage automatic segmentation framework (PKMI-Net) for GTV, CTV1 and CTV2 based on deep learning using prior knowledge in multimodal medical imaging, and its segmentation performance was evaluated with dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Harsdorff distance (HD95), average surface distance (ASD) and relative volume difference (RVD). To further investigate the generalizability of our method, we designed and conducted two evaluation strategies (Mix and Cross) on four multicenter datasets (including 55 patients, 37 patients, 21 patients and 35 patients).

RESULTS

The evaluation results with an 11-patient test set from the single institute were summarized in Table 1, the proposed method demonstrated the best accuracy in segmenting, respectively, GTV, CTV1 and CTV, achieving a DSC of 0.94, 0.95 and 0.92; HD95 of 2.07 mm, 1.18 mm and 3.80 mm; ASD of 0.69 mm, 0.39 mm and 1.13 mm and RVE of 5.50%, 3.97% and 9.68%. In the multicenter evaluation, the segmentation performance of our method implemented with the Cross strategy was comparable to that with the Mix strategy, demonstrating that our method had high and stable generalizability across multicenter datasets in automatically segmenting GTV, CTV1 and CTV2.

CONCLUSION

Our proposed method achieved promising results in automatically segmenting gliomas across various datasets, which could improve the quality and efficiency of glioblastoma radiotherapy.

Pose Estimation and Behavior Classification of Jinling White Duck Based on Improved HRNet

In breeding ducks, obtaining the pose information is vital for perceiving their physiological health, ensuring welfare in breeding, and monitoring environmental comfort. This paper proposes a pose estimation method by combining HRNet and CBAM to achieve automatic and accurate detection of duck's multi-poses. Through comparison, HRNet-32 is identified as the optimal option for duck pose estimation. Based on this, multiple CBAM modules are densely embedded into the HRNet-32 network to obtain the pose estimation model based on HRNet-32-CBAM, realizing accurate detection and correlation of eight keypoints across six different behaviors. Furthermore, the model's generalization ability is tested under different illumination conditions, and the model's comprehensive detection abilities are evaluated on Cherry Valley ducklings of 12 and 24 days of age. Moreover, this model is compared with mainstream pose estimation methods to reveal its advantages and disadvantages, and its real-time performance is tested using images of 256 × 256, 512 × 512, and 728 × 728 pixel sizes. The experimental results indicate that for the duck pose estimation dataset, the proposed method achieves an average precision (AP) of 0.943, which has a strong generalization ability and can achieve real-time estimation of the duck's multi-poses under different ages, breeds, and farming modes. This study can provide a technical reference and a basis for the intelligent farming of poultry animals.

Differential energy expenditure is involved in the difference in activity levels between the Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) and the Roborovskii hamster (P. roborovskii)

The Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) shows calm behavior, while the Roborovskii hamster (P. roborovskii) exhibits hyperactivity. Even though they belong to the same genus, Phodopus, these two species are quite different. The current study investigated the relationship between energy expenditure and the markedly different levels of activity shown by these hamsters. Roborovskii hamsters showed significantly higher energy expenditure than Djungarian hamsters under both feeding and fasting conditions during darkness. Roborovskii hamsters showed a repeated increase and decrease in energy expenditure under the feeding condition; however, this changed under the fasting condition, during which the repeated increase and decrease in energy expenditure corresponded to the repeated active and sleeping conditions. Djungarian hamsters had a tendency to keep their energy expenditure constant during the fasting condition, while Roborovskii hamsters moved around a lot to find food. The respiratory quotient (RQ) values in Djungarian hamsters were relatively constant. However, Roborovskii hamsters showed a wide variation in RQ. In particular, the RQ value declined immediately before a dark phase commenced, indicating a switchover from the utilization of glucose to that of lipids as a substrate for energy production. In conclusion, Djungarian hamsters and Roborovskii hamsters showed different behavioral patterns that were related to differences in energy metabolism.

Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Stage II Endometrial Cancer: Selective De-intensification of Adjuvant Treatment

AIMS

Risk stratification, including nodal assessment, allows for selective de-intensification of adjuvant radiotherapy in stage II endometrial cancer. Patterns of treatment and clinical outcomes, including the use of reduced volume 'mini-pelvis' radiotherapy fields, were evaluated in a population-based study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All patients diagnosed with pathological stage II endometrial cancer between 2000 and 2014, and received adjuvant radiotherapy in a regional healthcare jurisdiction were reviewed. Registry data were supplemented by a comprehensive review of patient demographics, disease characteristics and treatment details. The Charlson Comorbidity Score was calculated. Survival and recurrence data were analysed.

RESULTS

In total, 264 patients met the inclusion criteria. Most patients had endometrioid histology (83%); 41% of patients had International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians grade 1 disease. Half (49%) had surgical nodal evaluation; 11% received chemotherapy. Most patients (59%) were treated with full pelvic radiotherapy fields ± brachytherapy. Seventeen per cent of patients received mini-pelvis radiotherapy ± brachytherapy, whereas 24% received brachytherapy alone. Five-year recurrence-free survival was 87% for the entire cohort, with no significant difference by adjuvant radiotherapy approach. Only one patient receiving mini-pelvis radiotherapy ± brachytherapy recurred in the pelvis but outside of the mini-pelvis field. Recorded late toxicity rates were highest for full pelvis radiotherapy + brachytherapy.

CONCLUSION

Risk stratification in a real-world setting allowed for selective de-intensification of adjuvant radiation with equivalent outcomes for stage II endometrial cancer. Mini-pelvis radiotherapy combined with brachytherapy is effective in highly selected patients, with the potential to decrease toxicity without compromising local control. Brachytherapy should be considered in low-risk stage II patients.

Thermal manipulation modifies embryonic growth, hepatic free amino acid concentrations, and hatching performance in layer-type chicks

Thermal manipulation (TM) of incubation temperature has been demonstrated to alter metabolism and post-hatch thermotolerance in broiler strains (meat-type chickens). Fewer reports were focused on layer-type chickens and there was no report on amino acid metabolism during TM in layer-type embryos. In this study, we investigated the effects of TM on embryonic development, hepatic amino acid metabolism, and hatching performance in layer-type chickens. Fertilized eggs were incubated under control thermoneutral temperature (CT, 37.6°C) and TM with high temperature (TMH, 39°C, 8 h/day) or low temperature (TML, 20°C, 1 h/day) from embryonic day (ED) 8 to ED 15. The embryonic weight and relative embryonic weight (yolk-free embryonic weight to the initial egg weight) significantly declined in the TML group at ED 13 (P < 0.01) and ED 16 (P < 0.0001), and were significantly increased (P < 0.001) in the TMH group at ED 16, in comparison with the embryos in the CT group. The concentrations of all hepatic free amino acids were significantly increased (P < 0.01) with embryonic development. Interestingly, TMH and TML caused similar effects on hepatic amino acid metabolism, in which most of the essential and non-essential amino acids were significantly declined (P < 0.05) under TM treatments at ED 13 but not affected at ED 16. Until hatching, TML, but not TMH, caused a significant (P < 0.05) delay (31-38 min/day from ED 8) in incubation duration. The hatchability in the TML group was lower than the other two groups, which indicated that 20°C as cold stimulation was not suitable for layer embryos. The body weight, yolk weight, yolk-free body mass, and chick quality were not affected by TM treatments. However, the relative weight of the liver, but not the heart, was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) at hatching by TML treatment. In conclusion, TML, but not TMH, caused to delay in embryogenesis and affected the internal organ of chicks at hatch. Similar changes in amino acid metabolism under TMH and TML indicated that thermal stress induced by both high and low extreme ambient temperatures influences embryonic amino acid metabolism in a similar fashion in layer-type embryos.

Laser-Arc Hybrid Cladding of Al-Mg Alloy Coating on AZ80 Mg Alloy: Effect of Laser Beam Oscillations Amplitude

The effect of beam oscillating amplitude on the microstructure and performance of AZ80 Mg alloy cladded with Al-Mg alloy coating by laser-arc hybrid welding was studied. The penetration depth decreases significantly while welds are widened because of the increase in the oscillating area of a laser beam. Alloy segregation and keyhole-induced porosity can be suppressed by the laser beam oscillation. With the increase in the oscillating amplitude, the Al distribution becomes uniform in the weld seam because of the rapid and fierce stirring by the oscillating laser. However, the diluting of the cladded Al alloy restrains the formation of the brittle Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase, and then causes the weakening of hardness and wear resistance of the cladded layer. Considered comprehensively, the optimized oscillating amplitude was 1 mm, which can produce the weld seam with good appearance, fewer segregation and porosity defects, and acceptable hardness and wear resistance.

Oral Administration of L-Citrulline Changes Brain Free Amino Acid and Monoamine Metabolism in Heat-Exposed Broiler Chickens

High ambient temperatures (HT) in summer are becoming more severe due to global warming, leading to severe adverse effects on poultry production. Recently, we have reported that oral administration of L-citrulline (L-Cit) can minimize hyperthermia in chickens under HT. However, whether oral L-Cit can enter the brain, the center for thermoregulation, has not been studied. We investigated the effects of oral administration of L-Cit on free amino acids and monoamines in the diencephalon region of the brain of heat-exposed broilers. Broilers were treated with L-Cit (40 mmol/20 ml/bird), then moved to a chamber at HT (30 ± 1°C) or to a thermoneutral temperature (CT: 22 ± 1°C) chamber for 2 h. Control groups were given methyl cellulose solution and placed in the CT or HT chambers. After 2 h of exposure to HT, there were increased brain concentrations of Cit in comparison with concentrations in broilers exposed to CT, whereas brain ornithine (Orn) concentrations were decreased, and arginine (Arg) concentrations were not changed. Interestingly, oral administration of L-Cit increased brain concentration of Cit, Arg, and Orn under both CT and HT. Tryptophan and its metabolite, serotonin (5-HT) concentrations were lower in the brain under HT than under CT. HT did not change brain concentrations of tyrosine, but dopamine (DA, a metabolite of tyrosine) concentrations decreased, and methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG, a metabolite of DA) concentrations increased in comparison with CT. Oral administration of L-Cit decreased brain concentrations of both tryptophan and tyrosine under CT and HT without changing 5-HT; however, DA levels declined under HT. Moreover, MHPG concentrations increased. In conclusion, these results suggest that metabolism of amino acids and metabolism of DA can be enhanced in the brain by oral administration of L-Cit. Metabolic changes in the brain in response to oral administration of L-Cit may influence the thermoregulatory center in the brain, leading to a reduction in body temperature and conferring thermotolerance in heat-exposed broiler chickens.

Antibiotic resistance of fecal carriage of Escherichia coli from pig farms in China: a meta-analysis

Fecal carriage of bacteria is a major source of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and a public health risk, but the antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in Chinese pig farms remains a major gap in the available literature. Our goal was to conduct a meta-analysis of studies reporting antibiotic resistance of fecal carriage of E. coli from pig farms in China, calculating the pooled resistance rates and summarizing factors associated with it. We searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies published in English up to February 28, 2021. We also searched bibliographic indices and corresponded with the authors. We chose ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracycline, ampicillin, and florfenicol from five major types of antibiotics to comprehensively evaluate the resistance rate of E. coli. We used a random-effects model and Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation to calculate the resistance rate and 95% confidence interval. Among the 120 retrieved manuscripts, 16 studies (1985 E. coli isolates) were deemed eligible for our analysis. The combined resistance rate of E. coli from feces was 58.8% (95% CI: 45.3-71.7%) to ciprofloxacin, 54.3% (95% CI: 35.3-72.6%) to gentamicin, 91.0% (95% CI: 83.1-96.7%) to tetracycline, 81.4% (95% CI: 62.0-95.1%) to ampicillin, and 65.4% (95% CI: 33.9-90.9%) to florfenicol. In conclusion, fecal carriage of E. coli in Chinese pig farms shows high resistance to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracycline, ampicillin, and florfenicol. Subgroup analysis showed that the resistance of E. coli to antibiotics was closely related to the sample size and the health condition of the pigs. Specifically, ESBL-producing E. coli has a higher ratio of resistance to other antibiotics. Future collection of antibiotic resistance and other information in pig farms should be more precise and depend on local surveys.

In ovo Feeding of L-Leucine Improves Antioxidative Capacity and Spleen Weight and Changes Amino Acid Concentrations in Broilers After Chronic Thermal Stress

L-Leucine (L-Leu) was demonstrated to confer thermotolerance by in ovo feeding in broiler chicks and chickens in our previous studies. However, the L-Leu-mediated roles in recovering from the detrimental effects of heat stress in broilers are still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of L-Leu in ovo feeding on the growth performance, relative weight of organs, serum metabolites and antioxidant parameters, and gene expression profiles in broiler chickens after chronic heat stress. Fertilized broiler eggs (Ross 308) were subjected to in ovo feeding of sterile water (0.5 mL/egg) or L-Leu (69 μmol/0.5 mL/egg) on embryonic day 7. After hatching, the male chicks were separated and used for the current study. All chickens were subjected to thermal stress exposure from 21 to 39 days of age and 1 week of recovery from 40 to 46 days of age. The results showed that in ovo feeding of L-Leu did not affect the body weight gain or relative weight of organs under chronic heat stress; however, the serum glutathione peroxidase was significantly increased and serum malondialdehyde was significantly decreased by L-Leu at 39 days of age. After 1 week of recovery, in ovo feeding of L-Leu significantly improved the relative spleen weight at 46 days of age. Subsequent RNA-seq analysis in the spleen showed that a total of 77 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 62 upregulated DEGs and 15 downregulated DEGs. Aspartic-type endopeptidase and peptidase activities were upregulated after recovery in the L-Leu group. The expression of genes related to B cell homeostatic proliferation and vestibular receptor cell differentiation, morphogenesis and development was downregulated in the L-Leu group. Moreover, the concentrations of serum catalase, total antioxidative capacity, isoleucine and ammonia were significantly decreased by L-Leu in ovo feeding after recovery. These results suggested that L-Leu in ovo feeding promoted the recovery of antioxidative status after chronic heat stress in broiler chickens.

TBHQ alleviates pyroptosis and necroptosis in chicken alveolar epithelial cells induced by fine particulate matter from broiler houses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from poultry houses has adverse effects on the health of animals and workers. Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), an antioxidant, is widely used in feed additives. The present study investigated the effects of TBHQ on broiler house PM2.5-induced damage in chicken primary alveolar epithelial cells (AECII) extracted from 16-day-old chicken embryos using the method of differential adhesion. AECII were exposed to PM2.5 and TBHQ alone or in combination, and then, cell membrane integrity, pyroptosis, and necroptosis were detected. Our results showed that PM2.5 from broiler houses caused cell rupture and loss of cell membrane integrity. This result was confirmed by the obvious increases in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and propidium iodide (PI)-positive cells compared to the control group. In addition, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the expression levels of pyroptosis-related genes (NLRP3, IL-18, IL-1β) and necroptosis-related genes (RIPK3) were also significantly enhanced. However, TBHQ significantly inhibited intracellular ROS, improved cell viability, and reduced the release of LDH and the number of PI-positive cells compared to those in the PM2.5 group. The expression levels of pyroptosis-related genes (Caspase-1, NLRP3, IL-18, IL-1β) and necroptosis-related genes (RIPK3) were also significantly decreased in the co-treatment group. In summary, these results indicated that TBHQ can alleviate PM2.5-mediated cell pyroptosis and necroptosis in chicken AECII and provide a basis for overcoming the danger that air pollutants from broiler houses pose to the health of chickens.

Salt glands play a pivotal role in the salt resistance of four recretohalophyte Limonium Mill. species

Limonium Mill. plants are typical recretohalophytes, as they withstand salt stress by secreting excess salt onto the leaf surface through salt glands. However, little is known on the salinity thresholds of these plants and the function of salt glands in salt tolerance. Here, we investigated the salinity thresholds of salt tolerance of the Limonium species L. aureum (Linn.) Hill, L. gmelinii (Willd.) Kuntze, L. otolepis (Schrenk) Kuntze and L. sinuatum (L.) Mill grown with various concentrations of NaCl. The salinity thresholds of L. otolepis, L. aureum, L. sinuatum and L. gmelinii were 300, 350, 400 and 420 mm NaCl, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated that total dry weight, chlorophyll content and intercellular CO₂ concentration were highly positively correlated with the total fresh weights of all four Limonium species and could therefore be used as indicators of plant salt tolerance. Furthermore, as the salt gland density on the leaf surface increased, the rate of salt secretion per salt gland also increased, allowing more Na⁺ to be secreted from the plant. Redundancy discriminant analysis indicated that salt gland density, Na⁺ content and Na⁺ secretion rate per salt gland were positively correlated with salt concentration. These observations support the notion that salt glands play important roles in the adaptation of Limonium species to high salinity conditions.

Characterization of CwlC, an autolysin, and its role in mother cell lysis of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) has been proven to efficiently control mosquitoes, of which many species are important vectors of human disease. The larvicidal action is attributed to the parasporal crystals formed in the sporulating cells and released upon cell autolysis. In this study, a sporulation-specific cwlC gene that encodes an N-acetylmuramoyl-_L -alanine amidase was characterized in Bti strain Bt-59. CwlC was the only cell wall hydrolase in Bti found to contain both MurNAc-LAA and Amidase02_C domains. A recombinant CwlC-His protein was able to digest the Bacillus cell wall. Deletion of the cwlC gene delayed Bti mother cell lysis without impacting vegetative growth or insecticidal efficacy. Transcriptional analyses indicated that cwlC was expressed at the late sporulation stage and was controlled by SigK. Two other cell wall hydrolase genes, cwlB and cwlE, with high expression levels at T₁₄ in Bt-59, were also identified. Like cwlC, cwlB expression was controlled by SigK; in contrast, cwlE was found not to be under the control of this sigma factor and unlike the other two, its gene was found to be plasmid encoded.

Neuropeptide Y modifies a part of diencephalic catecholamine but not indolamine metabolism in chicks depending on feeding status

The role of the monoaminergic system in the feeding behavior of neonatal chicks has been reported, but the functional relationship between the metabolism of monoamines and appetite-related neuropeptides is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the changes in catecholamine and indolamine metabolism in response to the central action of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in different feeding statuses and the underlying mechanisms. In Experiment 1, the diencephalic concentrations of amino acids and monoamines following the intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of NPY (375 pmol/10 μl/chick), saline solution under ad libitum, and fasting conditions for 30 min were determined. Central NPY significantly decreased L-tyrosine concentration, the precursor of catecholamines under feeding condition, but not under fasting condition. Central NPY significantly increased dopamine metabolites, including 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid (HVA). The concentration of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol was significantly reduced under feeding condition, but did not change under fasting condition by NPY. However, no effects of NPY on indolamine metabolism were found in either feeding status. Therefore, the mechanism of action of catecholamines with central NPY under feeding condition was elucidated in Experiment 2. Central NPY significantly attenuated diencephalic gene expression of catecholaminergic synthetic enzymes, such as tyrosine hydroxylase, L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, and GTP cyclohydrolase I after 30 min of feeding. In Experiment 3, co-injection of α-methyl-L-tyrosine, an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase with NPY, moderately attenuated the orexigenic effect of NPY, accompanied by a significant positive correlation between food intake and HVA levels. In Experiment 4, there was a significant interaction between NPY and clorgyline, an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A with ICV co-injection which implies that co-existence of NPY and clorgyline enhances the orexigenic effect of NPY. In conclusion, central NPY modifies a part of catecholamine metabolism, which is illustrated by the involvement of dopamine transmission and metabolism under feeding but not fasting conditions.

Design of an electric-driven nonvolatile low-energy-consumption phase change optical switch

Traditional optical switches relying on the weak, volatile thermo-optic or electro-optic effects of Si or SiN waveguides show a high consumption and large footprint. In this paper, we reported an electric-driven phase change optical switch consisting of a Si waveguide, Ge₂Sb₂Te₅(GST) thin film and graphene heater suitable for large-scale integration and high-speed switching. The reversible transition between the amorphous and crystalline states was achieved by applying two different voltage pulses of 1.4 V (SET) and 4 V (RESET). The optical performance of the proposed switch showed a high extinction ration of 44-46 dB in a wide spectral range (1525-1575 nm), an effective index variation of Δn_eff = 0.49 and a mode loss variation of Δα = 15 dBμm^-1at the wavelength of 1550 nm. In thermal simulations, thanks to the ultra-high thermal conductivity of graphene, the proposed switch showed that the consumption for the SET process was only 3.528 pJ with a 1.4 V pulse of 5 ns, while a 4 V pulse of 1.5 ns was needed for RESET process with a consumption of 1.05 nJ. Our work is helpful to analyze the thermal-conduction phase transition process of on-chip phase change optical switches, and the design of the low-energy-consumption switch is conducive to the integrated application of photonic chips.

Oral administration of L-citrulline changes the concentrations of plasma hormones and biochemical profile in heat-exposed broilers

We examined the effects of oral administration of L-citrulline (L-Cit) on plasma metabolic hormones and biochemical profile in broilers. Food intake, water intake, and body temperature were also analyzed. After dual oral administration (20 mmol/head/administration) of L-Cit, broilers were exposed to a high ambient temperature (HT; 30 ± 1°C) chamber for 120 min. Oral administration of L-Cit reduced (p < .001) rectal temperature in broilers. Food intake was increased (p < .05) by heat stress, but it was reduced (p < .05) by L-Cit. Plasma levels of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine, which initially increased (p < .0001) due to heat stress, were reduced (p < .01) by oral administration of L-Cit. Plasma insulin levels were increased by heat exposure (p < .01) and oral L-Cit (p < .05). Heat stress caused a decline (p < .05) in plasma thyroxine. Plasma lactic acid (p < .05) and non-esterified fatty acids (p < .01) were increased in L-Cit-treated heat-exposed broilers. In conclusion, our results suggest that oral L-Cit can modulate plasma concentrations of major metabolic hormones and reduces food intake in broilers.

Dynamic variations in serum amino acid and the related gene expression in liver, ovary, and oviduct of pigeon during one egg-laying cycle

The present study was carried to investigate dynamic variations in serum amino acid (AA) contents and the relative mRNA abundance of the AA transporters and AA synthesis-related enzymes in liver, ovary and oviduct of pigeons during one egg-laying cycle (ELC). In experiment 1, seventy laying pigeons (American Silver King) were randomly divided into 14 groups by different days of one ELC (DELC) and arranged as a 2 × 7 factorial design, which included 2 ages (6-mo-old or 12-mo-old) and 7 DELCs. For experiment 2, 35 six-mo-old laying pigeons (American Silver King) were randomly divided into 7 groups by different DELCs and immediately treated with a 12-h fasting. Dynamic variations in serum AAs were detected during one ELC, characterized by high levels of Lys, Met, Leu, Phe, Tyr, Asp, Ser, Glu, Ala, and TAA on day 1 (D1) of one ELC (P < 0.05). Fasting caused obvious decreases in serum levels of Leu, Ile, Val, Phe, Tyr, and TAA from day 2 (D2) to day 7 (D7) (P < 0.05). Relative organ weights of ovary and oviduct increased to the peak values on day 13 (D13) (P < 0.05). Serum calcium decreased to the lowest level on day 4 (D4) (P < 0.05) and serum total triglyceride was kept in a high level on D1, D7, day 10 (D10), and D13 (P < 0.05). Relative mRNA expression of the AA synthesis genes and the AA transport genes exhibited different variation patterns in liver, ovary and oviduct, but Pearson correlation test showed the percentage of positive r values with significant differences were much higher in oviduct than those in liver or ovary. In conclusion, dynamic variations of serum AAs during one ELC were positively related with the expression of the AA transport genes and AA synthesis genes in oviduct, suggesting the upregulated serum AAs might be necessary to meet the AAs requirement for egg white formation in pigeon.

Dysregulated metabolism and behaviors by disrupting gut microbiota in prenatal and neonatal mice

The live microbiota ecosystem in the intestine plays a critical role in maintaining the normal physiological and psychological functions in both animals and human beings. However, the chronic effect of microbiota disturbances during prenatal and neonatal developing periods on animal's health remains less studied. In the current study, pregnant ICR mice were fed with an antibiotic diet (7-g nebacitin [bacitracin-neomycin sulphate 2:1]/kg standard diet) from day 14 of conception, and their offspring were provided with the same diet till the termination of the experiments. Dams treated with antibiotics showed increased body weight along with enlarged gut. Antibiotic-treated offspring revealed decreased bodyweight, increased food, water, and sucrose intake. Administration of antibiotics affected corticosterone responsivity to acute 20 min restraint challenge in male pups. In behavior tests, female pups showed decreased movement in open field while male pups revealed decreased latency to open arms in elevated plus maze test and immobility time in tail suspension test. Together, these results suggested that early antibiotic exposure may impact on the food intake, body weight gain, and emotional behavior regulation in mice.

Subpolar North Atlantic western boundary density anomalies and the Meridional Overturning Circulation

Changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, which have the potential to drive societally-important climate impacts, have traditionally been linked to the strength of deep water formation in the subpolar North Atlantic. Yet there is neither clear observational evidence nor agreement among models about how changes in deep water formation influence overturning. Here, we use data from a trans-basin mooring array (OSNAP-Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program) to show that winter convection during 2014-2018 in the interior basin had minimal impact on density changes in the deep western boundary currents in the subpolar basins. Contrary to previous modeling studies, we find no discernable relationship between western boundary changes and subpolar overturning variability over the observational time scales. Our results require a reconsideration of the notion of deep western boundary changes representing overturning characteristics, with implications for constraining the source of overturning variability within and downstream of the subpolar region.

Relaxation capacity of cartilage is a critical factor in rate- and integrity-dependent fracture

Articular cartilage heals poorly but experiences mechanically induced damage across a broad range of loading rates and matrix integrity. Because loading rates and matrix integrity affect cartilage mechanical responses due to poroviscoelastic relaxation mechanisms, their effects on cartilage failure are important for assessing and preventing failure. This paper investigated rate- and integrity-dependent crack nucleation in cartilage from pre- to post-relaxation timescales. Rate-dependent crack nucleation and relaxation responses were obtained as a function of matrix integrity through microindentation. Total work for crack nucleation increased with decreased matrix integrity, and with decreased loading rates. Critical energy release rate of intact cartilage was estimated as 2.39 ± 1.39 to 2.48 ± 1.26 kJ m-2 in a pre-relaxation timescale. These findings showed that crack nucleation is delayed when cartilage can accommodate localized loading through poroviscoelastic relaxation mechanisms before fracture at a given loading rate and integrity state.

Tunable interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in symmetrical Au/[Fe/Au]n multilayers

The interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (i-DMI) has been exploited in as-made symmetrical Au/[Fe/Au]n structures. By tailoring the chirality of the i-DMI at the Au/Fe interface, an overall enhancement of the i-DMI can be obtained in such a symmetrical structure. Furthermore, the tunability of the i-DMI was realized by changing the stacking number n. Compared to the top of Fe, a large tensile stress at the bottom of Fe due to lattice mismatch was responsible for the chirality change in the sub/Au/Fe system. Layer-resolved DMI calculations revealed that the sign of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) energy was changed for Au near the interface of Au/Fe under tensile stress, subsequently reversing the chirality of the i-DMI from left-handed to right-handed. Our findings provide a simplest way to tune the i-DMI in a multilayer system, further benefiting the application of skyrmion-based devices.

Potential Role of Amino Acids in the Adaptation of Chicks and Market-Age Broilers to Heat Stress

Increased average air temperatures and more frequent and prolonged periods of high ambient temperature (HT) associated with global warming will increasingly affect worldwide poultry production. It is thus important to understand how HT impacts poultry physiology and to identify novel approaches to facilitate improved adaptation and thereby maximize poultry growth, health and welfare. Amino acids play a role in many physiological functions, including stress responses, and their relative demand and metabolism are altered tissue-specifically during exposure to HT. For instance, HT decreases plasma citrulline (Cit) in chicks and leucine (Leu) in the embryonic brain and liver. The physiological significance of these changes in amino acids may involve protection of the body from heat stress. Thus, numerous studies have focused on evaluating the effects of dietary administration of amino acids. It was found that oral l-Cit lowered body temperature and increased thermotolerance in layer chicks. When l-Leu was injected into fertile broiler eggs to examine the cause of reduction of Leu in embryos exposed to HT, in ovo feeding of l-Leu improved thermotolerance in broiler chicks. In ovo injection of l-Leu was also found to inhibit weight loss in market-age broilers exposed to chronic HT, giving rise to the possibility of developing a novel biotechnology aimed at minimizing the economic losses to poultry producers during summer heat stress. These findings and the significance of amino acid metabolism in chicks and market-age broilers under HT are summarized and discussed in this review.

[Surgical site infection after abdominal surgery in China: a multicenter cross-sectional study]

Objective: Surgical site infection (SSI) can markedly prolong postoperative hospital stay, aggravate the burden on patients and society, even endanger the life of patients. This study aims to investigate the national incidence of SSI following abdominal surgery and to analyze the related risk factors in order to provide reference for the control and prevention of SSI following abdominal surgery. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted. Clinical data of all the adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery in 68 hospitals across the country from June 1 to 30, 2020 were collected, including demographic characteristics, clinical parameters during the perioperative period, and the results of microbial culture of infected incisions. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI within postoperative 30 days, and the secondary outcomes were ICU stay, postoperative hospital stay, cost of hospitalization and the mortality within postoperative 30-day. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors of SSI after abdominal surgery. Results: A total of 5560 patients undergoing abdominal surgery were included, and 163 cases (2.9%) developed SSI after surgery, including 98 cases (60.1%) with organ/space infections, 19 cases (11.7%) with deep incisional infections, and 46 cases (28.2%) with superficial incisional infections. The results from microbial culture showed that Escherichia coli was the main pathogen of SSI. Multivariate analysis revealed hypertension (OR=1.792, 95% CI: 1.194-2.687, P=0.005), small intestine as surgical site (OR=6.911, 95% CI: 1.846-25.878, P=0.004), surgical duration (OR=1.002, 95% CI: 1.001-1.003, P<0.001), and surgical incision grade (contaminated incision: OR=3.212, 95% CI: 1.495-6.903, P=0.003; Infection incision: OR=11.562, 95%CI: 3.777-35.391, P<0.001) were risk factors for SSI, while laparoscopic or robotic surgery (OR=0.564, 95%CI: 0.376-0.846, P=0.006) and increased preoperative albumin level (OR=0.920, 95%CI: 0.888-0.952, P<0.001) were protective factors for SSI. In addition, as compared to non-SSI patients, the SSI patients had significantly higher rate of ICU stay [26.4% (43/163) vs. 9.5% (514/5397), χ(2)=54.999, P<0.001] and mortality within postoperative 30-day [1.84% (3/163) vs.0.01% (5/5397), χ(2)=33.642, P<0.001], longer ICU stay (median: 0 vs. 0, U=518 414, P<0.001), postoperative hospital stay (median: 17 days vs. 7 days, U=656 386, P<0.001), and total duration of hospitalization (median: 25 days vs. 12 days, U=648 129, P<0.001), and higher hospitalization costs (median: 71 000 yuan vs. 39 000 yuan, U=557 966, P<0.001). Conclusions: The incidence of SSI after abdominal surgery is 2.9%. In order to reduce the incidence of postoperative SSI, hypoproteinemia should be corrected before surgery, laparoscopic or robotic surgery should be selected when feasible, and the operating time should be minimized. More attentions should be paid and nursing should be strengthened for those patients with hypertension, small bowel surgery and seriously contaminated incision during the perioperative period.

[Risk factors for surgical site infection after emergency abdominal surgery: a multicenter cross-sectional study in China]

Objective: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common infectious complication after emergency abdominal surgery (EAS). To a large extent, most SSI can be prevented, but there are few relevant studies in China. This study mainly investigated the current situation of SSI occurrence after EAS in China, and further explored risk factors for SSI occurrence. Methods: Multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted. Clinical data of patients undergoing EAS in 33 hospitals across China between May 1, 2019 and June 7, 2019 were prospectively collected, including perioperative data and microbial culture results from infected incisions. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI after EAS, while the secondary outcomes were postoperative hospital stay, ICU occupancy rate, length of ICU stay, hospitalization cost, and mortality within postoperative 30 days. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of SSI after EAS. Results: A total of 660 EAS patients aged (47.9±18.3) years were enrolled in this study, including 56.5% of males (373/660). Forty-nine (7.4%) patients developed postoperative SSI. The main pathogen of SSI was Escherichia coli [culture positive rate was 32.7% (16/49)]. As compared to patients without SSI, those with SSI were more likely to be older (median 56 years vs. 46 years, U=19 973.5, P<0.001), male [71.4% (35/49) vs. 56.1% (343/611), χ(2)=4.334, P=0.037] and diabetes [14.3% (7/49) vs. 5.1% (31/611), χ(2)=5.498, P=0.015]; with-lower preoperative hemoglobin (median: 122.0 g/L vs. 143.5 g/L, U=11 471.5, P=0.006) and albumin (median: 35.5 g/L vs. 40.8 g/L, U=9452.0, P<0.001), with higher blood glucose (median: 6.9 mmol/L vs. 6.0 mmol/L, U=17 754.5, P<0.001); with intestinal obstruction [32.7% (16/49) vs. 9.2% (56/611), χ(2)=25.749, P<0.001], with ASA score 3-4 [42.9% (21/49) vs. 13.9% (85/611), χ(2)=25.563, P<0.001] and with high surgical risk [49.0% (24/49) vs. 7.0% (43/611), χ(2)=105.301, P<0.001]. The main operative procedure resulting in SSI was laparotomy [81.6%(40/49) vs. 35.7%(218/611), χ(2)=40.232, P<0.001]. Patients with SSI experienced significantly longer operation time (median: 150 minutes vs. 75 minutes, U=25 183.5, P<0.001). In terms of clinical outcome, higher ICU occupancy rate [51.0% (25/49) vs. 19.5% (119/611), χ(2)=26.461, P<0.001], more hospitalization costs (median: 44 000 yuan vs. 15 000 yuan, U=24 660.0, P<0.001), longer postoperative hospital stay (median: 10 days vs. 5 days, U=23 100.0, P<0.001) and longer ICU occupancy time (median: 0 days vs. 0 days, U=19 541.5, P<0.001) were found in the SSI group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the elderly (OR=3.253, 95% CI: 1.178-8.985, P=0.023), colorectal surgery (OR=9.156, 95% CI: 3.655-22.937, P<0.001) and longer operation time (OR=15.912, 95% CI:6.858-36.916, P<0.001) were independent risk factors of SSI, while the laparoscopic surgery (OR=0.288, 95% CI: 0.119-0.694, P=0.006) was an independent protective factor for SSI. Conclusions: For patients undergoing EAS, attention should be paid to middle-aged and elderly patients and those of colorectal surgery. Laparoscopic surgery should be adopted when feasible and the operation time should be minimized, so as to reduce the incidence of SSI and to reduce the burden on patients and medical institutions.

Design of low loss 1 × 1 and 1 × 2 phase-change optical switches with different crystalline phases of Ge2Sb2Te5 films

On-chip photonics devices relying on the weak, volatile thermo-optic or electro-optic effects of silicon usually suffer from high insertion loss (IL) and a low refractive index coefficient. In this paper, we designed two novel 1 × 1 and 1 × 2 phase-change optical switches based on a signal-mode Si waveguide integrated with a Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) top clad layer, respectively. The three-state switch including amorphous GST (a-GST), face centered cubic crystalline phase (FCC-GST) and hexagonal crystalline phase (HCP-GST) operated by utilizing the dramatic difference in the optical constants between the amorphous and two crystalline phases of GST. In the case of the 1 × 1 optical switch, an extinction ratio (ER) of 8.9 dB and an extremely low IL of 0.8 dB were achieved using an optimum GST length of only 2 μm. While for the 1 × 2 optical switch, low ILs in the range of 0.15 ∼ 0.35 dB for both 'cross' (a-GST) and 'bar' (FCC-GST and HCP-GST) states were also obtained. Additionally, we found that both ILs and mode losses of the switch with HCP-GST were about half lower than those with FCC-GST, which means FCC-GST could be instituted by HCP-GST in the traditional ovonic switch with the consideration of low loss. This research provides the fundamental understanding for the realization of low loss and non-volatile Si-GST hybrid optical switches, with potential for future communication networks.

Early detection of Niemann-pick disease type C with cataplexy and orexin levels: continuous observation with and without Miglustat

Study objectives

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) is an autosomal recessive and congenital neurological disorder characterized by the accumulation of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids. Symptoms include hepatosplenomegaly, vertical supranuclear saccadic palsy, ataxia, dystonia, and dementia. Some cases frequently display narcolepsy-like symptoms, including cataplexy which was reported in 26% of all NPC patients and was more often recorded among late-infantile onset (50%) and juvenile onset (38%) patients. In this current study, we examined CSF orexin levels in the 10 patients of NPC with and without cataplexy, which supports previous findings.

Methods

Ten patients with NPC were included in the study (5 males and 5 females). NPC diagnosis was biochemically confirmed in all 10 patients, from which 8 patients with NPC1 gene were identified. We compared CSF orexin levels among NPC, narcoleptic and idiopathic hypersomnia patients.

Results

Six NPC patients with cataplexy had low or intermediate orexin levels. In 4 cases without cataplexy, their orexin levels were normal. In 5 cases with Miglustat treatment, their symptoms stabilized or improved. For cases without Miglustat treatment, their conditions worsened generally. The CSF orexin levels of NPC patients were significantly higher than those of patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy and lower than those of patients with idiopathic hypersomnia, which was considered as the control group with normal CSF orexin levels.

Discussion

Our study indicates that orexin level measurements can be an early alert of potential NPC. Low or intermediate orexin levels could further decrease due to reduction in the neuronal function in the orexin system, accelerating the patients’ NPC pathophysiology. However with Miglustat treatment, the orexin levels stabilized or improved, along with other general symptoms. Although the circuitry is unclear, this supports that orexin system is indeed involved in narcolepsy-cataplexy in NPC patients.

Conclusion

The NPC patients with cataplexy had low or intermediate orexin levels. In the cases without cataplexy, their orexin levels were normal. Our study suggests that orexin measurements can serve as an early alert for potential NPC; furthermore, they could be a marker of therapy monitoring during a treatment.

[Clinical value of intact parathyroid hormone levels on the first day after total thyroidectomy on prediction for permanent hypoparathyroidism]

Objective: To examine the value serum calcium and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels measured on the first day after total thyroidectomy on prediction for permanent hypoparathyroidism. Methods: Totally 546 patients with thyroid cancer and benign thyroid lesions who underwent total thyroidectomy at Department of General Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University from February 2008 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 158 males and 388 females aging (50.9±13.2) years (range: 19.0 to 79.2 years). Serum calcium and iPTH levels were collected before surgery, on the first day and 6 months after surgery. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between each data and the occurrence of permanent hypoparathyroidism after surgery.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive power of iPTH for postoperative occurrence of permanent hypoparathyroidism. Results: Among the 546 cases of total thyroidectomy, 22 cases of permanent hypoparathyroidism occurred, with an incidence of 4.0% (22/546). Multivariate analysis showed that iPTH levels on the first day after total thyroidectomy (OR=2.932, 95%CI: 1.129 to 7.616, P=0.027) and serum calcium levels (OR=2.584, 95%CI: 1.017 to 6.567, P=0.046) were independent prognosis factors for postoperative permanent hypoparathyroidism. When the threshold value of iPTH at 24 hours after total thyroidectomy was 5.51 ng/L, the AUC was 0.956 (95%CI: 0.936 to 0.972, P=0.000), sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 85.1%, positive predictive value was 22%, negative predictive value was 100%. When the threshold value of serum calcium at 24 hours after total thyroidectomy was 1.93 mmol/L, the AUC was 0.733 (95%CI: 0.694 to 0.770, P=0.000), sensitivity was 63.6%, specificity was 78.1%, positive predictive value of 10.8% and negative predictive value of 98.1%. Conclusions: Serum iPTH and calcium levels on the first day after total thyroidectomy were related to the occurrence of permanent hypoparathyroidism postoperatively. The predictive value of iPTH level is higher than that of serum calcium level.

1002 Endorsement Of Sleep Problems Indexes Autism Severity In Children And Adolescents: Evidence From A Large Community Sample

Introduction

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience sleep problems. A reliance on case-control studies rather than dimensional samples limit our ability to understand how sleep problems distinguish diagnosis and severity of ASD. To address this need, we present preliminary findings from a large community sample of individuals with heterogeneous autism phenotypes.

Methods

All participants (≤ 21 years) were selected from the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART) (final n= 977; 233F; 11.27±4.13 years), a public-private-academic registry of families in Rhode Island affected by ASD-like symptoms. Participants completed the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition to confirm the presence of diagnosable ASD. Each caretaker also completed dimensional measures of functional impairment: Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd edition and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (2nd/3rd editions). Caretakers were asked whether the participant suffered current/past sleep problems: yes/no. All analyses are adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, caregiver education, and scale-version (e.g., 2nd/3rd ed., where applicable).

Results

Endorsement of sleep problems distinguished ASD diagnosis: a confirmed diagnosis of ASD was associated with greater prevalence of sleep problems compared to ASD diagnosis (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.05,2.38; p = .028). Across the sample, endorsement of sleep problems was associated with impairments in adaptive behavior (b = -4.73; 95% CI: -7.47,-2.00045; p = .001) and social responsiveness (b = 6.72; 95% CI: 3.27,10.16; p &lt; .001).

Conclusion

These data from a heterogenous community sample provide evidence for a link of sleep to the phenomenology of ASD. While the search for better diagnostic indicators of ASD continues, we recommend that clinicians consider a brief assessment of sleep behaviors of patients with such neurodevelopmental conditions as autism.

Support

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute at Brown University. K01MH109854 (JMS), NIGMS Advance CTR (JMS). KNAW Ter Meulen Grant (MEKV).

Disruption of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver and small intestine in chicken embryos in ovo exposed to glyphosate

Glyphosate is the active component of several commercial formulations as in Roundup®. The present study was investigated the toxic effects of pure glyphosate or Roundup® on the liver and small intestine of chick embryos. On day 6, a total of 180 fertile eggs injected with deionized water (control group), 10 mg pure glyphosate, or 10 mg of the active ingredient glyphosate in Roundup®/kg egg mass. The results showed an increase in relative weights of the liver in embryos that treated with Roundup®. Furthermore, oxidative stress was observed in the embryos treated with glyphosate or Roundup®, increased total superoxide dismutase, and content of malondialdehyde in the liver and intestine; moreover, decrease of glutathione peroxidase in the liver with increased in the intestine compared with the control. Besides, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase was increased in Roundup® group compared with other groups. Moreover, histopathological alterations in the liver and intestine tissues were observed in treated groups. Suppression of hepatic CYP1A2, CYP1A4, CYP1B1, and MDR1 mRNA expression after exposed to Roundup®. Furthermore, inhibition of CYP1A4 in the duodenum, CYP1A4, and MRP2 in the jejunum in embryos exposed to glyphosate or Roundup®. In addition, glyphosate treatment caused an increase of CYP3A5, CYP1C1, and IFNY mRNA expression in the jejunum and CYP1A2 expression in the ileum, while IFN-Y gene increase in embryos treated with Roundup®. In conclusion, in ovo exposure to glyphosate caused histopathological alterations and induced oxidative stress in the liver and small intestines. Moreover, the expression of cytochrome P450, MDR1, and MRP2 transporters was also modulated in the liver and small intestines for chick embryos.

Gm6377 suppressed SP 2/0 xenograft tumor by down-regulating Myc transcription

PURPOSE

Disturbed process of B-cell differentiation into plasmablasts (PBs)/plasma cells (PCs) is involved in multiple myeloma (MM). New strategies will be required to eliminate the MM cell clone for a long-term disease control. Because of its PB-like characteristics, the mus musculus myeloma SP 2/0 cell line was used in this study to search novel targets for PBs/PCs.

METHODS/PATIENTS

Affymetrix microarrays and RNA-sequencing assays were used to search a novel different molecule (Gm6377) between PBs/PCs and mature B cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8), flow cytometry (FACS), xenograft mouse model, and the luciferase reporter system were used to assess the effect of Gm6377 on SP 2/0 cell proliferation, cell cycle, tumor growth, and Myc promoter activation, respectively.

RESULTS

We found that B cells expressed a high level of Gm6377 mRNA, whereas Gm6377 mRNA was decreased in PCs. In addition, SP 2/0 cells also expressed low levels of Gm6377 mRNA. Critically, Gm6377 overexpression suppressed SP 2/0 cell proliferation but not cell cycle. Furthermore, Gm6377 overexpression suppressed tumor progression in the SP 2/0 xenograft mouse model. Finally, we found that Gm6377 suppressed SP 2/0 cell proliferation by reducing the activation of the Myc promoter.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that Gm6377 suppresses myeloma SP 2/0 cell growth by suppressing Myc. Thus, modulation of Gm6377 may be a potential therapeutic way to treat MM.

[Investigation of treatment and analysis of prognostic risk on enterocutaneous fistula in China: a multicenter prospective study]

Objective: To investigate the diagnosis and treatment for enterocutaneous fistula (ECF) in China, and to explore the prognostic factors of ECF. Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted based on the Registration System of Chinese Gastrointestinal Fistula and Intra-Abdominal Infections to collect the clinical data of ECF patients from 54 medical centers in 22 provinces/municipalities from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The clinical data included patient gender, age, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, underlying diseases, primary diseases, direct causes of ECF, location and type of ECF, complications, treatment and outcomes. All medical records were carefully filled in by the attending physicians, and then re-examined by more than two specialists. The diagnosis of ECF was based on the clinical manifestations, laboratory/imaging findings and intraoperative exploration. Results: A total of 1521 patients with ECF were enrolled, including 1099 males and 422 females, with a median age of 55 years. The top three primary diseases of ECF were malignant tumors in 626 cases (41.2%, including 540 gastrointestinal tumors, accounting for 86.3% of malignant tumors), gastrointestinal ulcers and perforations in 202 cases (13.3%), and trauma in 157 cases (10.3%). The direct causes of ECF were mainly surgical operation in 1194 cases (78.5%), followed by trauma in 156 (10.3%), spontaneous fistula due to Crohn's disease in 92 (6.0%), radiation intestinal injury in 41 (2.7%), severe pancreatitis in 20 (1.3%), endoscopic treatment in 13 (0.9%) and 5 cases (0.3%) of unknown reasons. All the patients were divided into three groups: 1350 cases (88.7%) with simple ECF, 150 (9.9%) with multiple ECF, and 21 (1.4%) with combined internal fistula. Among the patients with simple ECF, 438 cases (28.8%) were jejuno-ileal fistula, 313 (20.6%) colon fistula, 170 (11.2%) rectal fistula, 111 (7.3%) duodenal fistula, 76 (5.0%) ileocecal fistula, 65 (4.3%) ileocolic anastomotic fistula, 55 (3.6%) duodenal stump fistula, 36 (2.4%) gastrointestinal anastomotic fistula, 36 (2.4%) esophagogastric/esophagojejunal anastomotic fistula, 29 (1.9%) gastric fistula and 21 (1.4%) cholangiopancreatiointestinal. Among all the simple ECF patients, 991 were tubular fistula and 359 were labial fistula. A total of 1146 patients finished the treatment, of whom 1061 (92.6%) were healed (586 by surgery and 475 self-healing) and 85 (7.4%) died. A total of 1043 patients (91.0%) received nutritional support therapy, and 77 (6.7%) received fistuloclysis. Infectious source control procedures were applied to 1042 patients, including 711 (62.0%) with active lavage and drainage and 331 (28.9%) with passive drainage. Among them, 841 patients (73.4%) underwent minimally invasive procedures of infectious source control (replacement of drainage tube through sinus tract, puncture drainage, etc.), 201 (17.5%) underwent laparotomy drainage, while 104 (9.1%) did not undergo any drainage measures. A total of 610 patients (53.2%) received definitive operation, 24 patients died within postoperative 30-day with mortality of 3.9% (24/610), 69 (11.3%) developed surgical site infection (SSI), and 24 (3.9%) had a relapse of fistula. The highest cure rate was achieved in ileocecal fistula (100%), followed by rectal fistula (96.2%, 128/133) and duodenal stump fistula (95.7%,44/46). The highest mortality was found in combined internal fistula (3/12) and no death in ileocecal fistula. Univariate prognostic analysis showed that primary diseases as Crohn's disease (χ(2)=6.570, P=0.010) and appendicitis/appendiceal abscess (P=0.012), intestinal fistula combining with internal fistula (χ(2)=5.460, P=0.019), multiple ECF (χ(2)=7.135, P=0.008), esophagogastric / esophagojejunal anastomotic fistula (χ(2)=9.501, P=0.002), ECF at ileocecal junction (P=0.012), non-drainage/passive drainage before the diagnosis of intestinal fistula (χ(2)=9.688, P=0.008), non-drainage/passive drainage after the diagnosis of intestinal fistula (χ(2)=9.711, P=0.008), complicating with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) (χ(2)=179.699, P<0.001), sepsis (χ(2)=211.851, P<0.001), hemorrhage (χ(2)=85.300, P<0.001), pulmonary infection (χ(2)=60.096, P<0.001), catheter-associated infection (χ(2)=10.617, P=0.001) and malnutrition (χ(2)=21.199, P<0.001) were associated with mortality. Multivariate prognostic analysis cofirmed that sepsis (OR=7.103, 95%CI:3.694-13.657, P<0.001), complicating with MODS (OR=5.018, 95%CI:2.170-11.604, P<0.001), and hemorrhage (OR=4.703, 95%CI: 2.300-9.618, P<0.001) were independent risk factors of the death for ECF patients. Meanwhile, active lavage and drainage after the definite ECF diagnosis was the protective factor (OR=0.223, 95%CI: 0.067-0.745, P=0.015). Conclusions: The overall mortality of ECF is still high. Surgical operation is the most common cause of ECF. Complications e.g. sepsis, MODS, hemorrhage, and catheter-associated infection, are the main causes of death. Active lavage and drainage is important to improve the prognosis of ECF.

Light-at-night exposure affects brain development through pineal allopregnanolone-dependent mechanisms

The molecular mechanisms by which environmental light conditions affect cerebellar development are incompletely understood. We showed that circadian disruption by light-at-night induced Purkinje cell death through pineal allopregnanolone (ALLO) activity during early life in chicks. Light-at-night caused the loss of diurnal variation of pineal ALLO synthesis during early life and led to cerebellar Purkinje cell death, which was suppressed by a daily injection of ALLO. The loss of diurnal variation of pineal ALLO synthesis induced not only reduction in pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a neuroprotective hormone, but also transcriptional repression of the cerebellar Adcyap1 gene that produces PACAP, with subsequent Purkinje cell death. Taken together, pineal ALLO mediated the effect of light on early cerebellar development in chicks.

An acute increase in water temperature can increase free amino acid concentrations in the blood, brain, liver, and muscle in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Water temperature directly affects the body temperature in fish, so increasing water temperatures in oceans and rivers will lead to increases in fish body temperatures. Whilst a range of responses of fish to increases in water temperature have been measured, amino acid metabolism in a fish under high water temperature (HT) conditions has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an acute increase in water temperature on oxygen consumption, plasma cortisol concentrations, and free amino acid concentrations in plasma and several tissues in goldfish (Carassius auratus). Oxygen consumption and plasma cortisol concentrations were increased in goldfish exposed to HT (30 ± 1 °C) for 200 min compared with goldfish at a control water temperature (CT 17 ± 1 °C). Oxygen consumption and plasma cortisol concentrations in both groups of fish combined were positively correlated. When goldfish were exposed to HT for 300 min oxygen consumption and plasma concentrations of 15 free amino acids were increased compared with goldish at CT. Concentrations of several free amino acids were increased to varying extents in the brain, liver, and muscle tissues. In conclusion, an acute increase in water temperature affected amino acid metabolism differently in the brain, liver, and muscle tissues. Goldfish will be a useful species for further studies of the possible roles of various amino acids in the brain, muscle, and liver during acute increases in water temperature in fish.

L-Leucine increases the daily body temperature and affords thermotolerance in broiler chicks

OBJECTIVE

Heat stress poses an increasing threat for poultry production. Some amino acids have been found to play critical roles in affording thermotolerance. Recently, it was found that in ovo administration of L-leucine (L-Leu) altered amino acid metabolism and afforded thermotolerance in heat-exposed broiler chicks.

METHODS

In this study, two doses (35 and 70 μmol/egg) of L-Leu were administered in ovo on embryonic day 7 to determine their effect on rectal temperature (RT), body weight (BW) and thyroid hormones at hatching. Changes in RT, BW, and thermotolerance in post-hatched chicks were also analyzed.

RESULTS

It was found that in ovo administration of L-Leu dose-dependently reduced RT and plasma thyroxine (T4) level just after hatching. In post-hatched neonatal broiler chicks, however, the higher dose of L-Leu administered in ovo significantly increased RT without affecting BW gain. In chicks that had been exposed to heat stress, the RT was significantly lowered by in ovo administration of L-Leu (high dose) in comparison with the control chicks under the same high ambient temperature (HT: 35°C±1°C, 120 min).

CONCLUSION

In ovo administration of L-Leu in a high dose contributed to an increased daily body temperature and afforded thermotolerance under HT in neonatal broiler chicks.