Latest Issue
Issue 8 ， 2019
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Zn metabolism of monogastric species and consequences for the definition of feeding requirements and the estimation of feed Zn bioavailability
Abstract：A major goal of mineral nutrition research is to provide information of feed zinc (Zn) utilization efficiency and gross Zn requirements as affected by changing rearing conditions. This can be achieved only by applying precise experimental models that acknowledge the basic principles of Zn metabolism. This review article summarizes the most important aspects of Zn homeostasis in monogastric species, including molecular aspects of Zn acquisition and excretion. Special emphasis is given to the role of the skeleton as well as the exocrine pancreas for animal Zn metabolism. Finally, we discuss consequences arising from these physiological principles for the experimental design of trials which aim to address questions of Zn requirements and bioavailability.Keywords：Monogastric species;Zinc metabolism;Requirement;Bioavailability;Experimental modelling- 10
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Estrogen modulation of visceral pain
Abstract：It is commonly accepted that females and males differ in their experience of pain. Gender differences have been found in the prevalence and severity of pain in both clinical and animal studies. Sex-related hormones are found to be involved in pain transmission and have critical effects on visceral pain sensitivity. Studies have pointed out the idea that serum estrogen is closely related to visceral nociceptive sensitivity. This review aims to summarize the literature relating to the role of estrogen in modulating visceral pain with emphasis on deciphering the potential central and peripheral mechanisms.Keywords：Estrogen;Visceral pain;Hyperalgesia;Ovariectomization- 115
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Published：2022-01-05
Review
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DNA sequences homologous to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the extrachromosomal circular DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HCV-negative subjects#
Abstract：Objective:This study aimed to investigate DNA sequences that are substantially homologous to the corresponding RNA sequence sections of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). These DNA sequences are present in the whole DNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCV-negative subjects. We presumed that these experimentally proven 5'-noncoding region (5'-NCR) homologous DNA sequences could be contained in the extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) fraction as part of the whole cellular DNA.Methods:Home-made polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with whole cellular and isolated eccDNA, nucleotide basic local alignment search tool (BLASTn) alignments, and tests for patterns of methylation in selected sequence sections were performed.Results:The PCR tests revealed DNA sequences of up to 320 bp that broadly matched the corresponding sequence sections of known HCV genotypes. In contrast, BLASTn alignment searches of published HCV 5'-NCR sequences with human genome databases revealed only sequence segments of up to 36 bp of the 5'-NCR. The composition of these sequences shows missing base pairs, base pair mismatches as well as complete homology with HCV reference sequences. These short sequence sections are present in numerous copies on both the same and different chromosomes. The selected sequence region within the DNA sequences of the 5'-NCR revealed a broad diversity of individual patterns of methylation.Conclusions:The experimental results confirm our assumption that parts of the HCV 5'-NCR genomic RNA sequences are present at the DNA level in the eccDNA fraction of PBMCs. The tests for methylation patterns therein revealed individual methylomes which could represent an epigenetic feature. The respective sequence section might be subject to genetic regulation.Keywords：Hepatitis C virus (HCV);5'-Non-coding region (5'-NCR);Human genome;Extrachromosomal DNA;Circular DNA;Pattern of methylation- 132
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Bionic mechanical design and 3D printing of novel porous Ti6Al4V implants for biomedical applications
Abstract：In maxillofacial surgery, there is a significant need for the design and fabrication of porous scaffolds with customizable bionic structures and mechanical properties suitable for bone tissue engineering. In this paper, we characterize the porous Ti6Al4V implant, which is one of the most promising and attractive biomedical applications due to the similarity of its modulus to human bones. We describe the mechanical properties of this implant, which we suggest is capable of providing important biological functions for bone tissue regeneration. We characterize a novel bionic design and fabrication process for porous implants. A design concept of “reducing dimensions and designing layer by layer” was used to construct layered slice and rod-connected mesh structure (LSRCMS) implants. Porous LSRCMS implants with different parameters and porosities were fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). Printed samples were evaluated by microstructure characterization, specific mechanical properties were analyzed by mechanical tests, and finite element analysis was used to digitally calculate the stress characteristics of the LSRCMS under loading forces. Our results show that the samples fabricated by SLM had good structure printing quality with reasonable pore sizes. The porosity, pore size, and strut thickness of manufactured samples ranged from (60.95±0.27)% to (81.23±0.32)%, (480±28) to (685±31) μm, and (263±28) to (265±28) μm, respectively. The compression results show that the Young’s modulus and the yield strength ranged from (2.23±0.03) to (6.36±0.06) GPa and (21.36±0.42) to (122.85±3.85) MPa, respectively. We also show that the Young’s modulus and yield strength of the LSRCMS samples can be predicted by the Gibson-Ashby model. Further, we prove the structural stability of our novel design by finite element analysis. Our results illustrate that our novel SLM-fabricated porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds based on an LSRCMS are a promising material for bone implants, and are potentially applicable to the field of bone defect repair.Keywords：Layered slice and rod-connected mesh structure (LSRCMS);Porous Ti6Al4V implant;Bone defect repair;Selective laser melting (SLM);Mechanical properties;Finite element analysis- 19
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Phosphorylation residue T175 in RsbR protein is required for efficient induction of sigma B factor and survival of
Listeria monocytogenes under acidic stressAbstract：Listeria monocytogenes is an important zoonotic foodborne pathogen that can tolerate a number of environmental stresses. RsbR, an upstream regulator of the sigma B (SigB) factor, is thought to sense environmental challenges and trigger the SigB pathway. In Bacillus subtilis, two phosphorylation sites in RsbR are involved in activating the SigB pathway and a feedback mechanism, respectively. In this study, the role of RsbR in L. monocytogenes under mild and severe stresses was investigated. Strains with genetic deletion (ΔrsbR), complementation (C-ΔrsbR), and phosphorylation site mutations in the rsbR (RsbR-T175A, RsbR-T209A, and RsbR-T175A-T209A) were constructed to evaluate the roles of these RsbR sequences in listerial growth and survival. SigB was examined at the transcriptional and translational levels. Deletion of rsbR reduced listerial growxth and survival in response to acidic stress. Substitution of the phosphorylation residue RsbR-T175A disabled RsbR complementation, while RsbR-T209A significantly upregulated SigB expression and listerial survival. Our results provide clear evidence that two phosphorylation sites of RsbR are functional in L. monocytogenes under acidic conditions, similar to the situation in B. subtilis.Keywords：Listeria monocytogenes;RsbR;Sigma B (Sig B) factor;Phosphorylation- 111
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Adult sacrococcygeal teratoma: a retrospective study over eight years at a single institution
Abstract：Objective:To determine the clinical, imaging, and histological features, and surgical resection modalities and outcomes of adult sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT).Methods:Adult patients with histopathologically diagnosed SCT were enrolled in our hospital between August 2010 and August 2018. Each patient’s characteristics and clinical information were reviewed.Results:There were 8 patients in the study (2 males, 6 females) with a median age of 34 years (range, 18–67 years). The time to clinical symptoms was 14 d to 35 years, with a median time of 4 years. Six patients presented with symptoms of sacrococcygeal pain, and four with signs of sacrococcygeal mass and ulceration in the sacrococcygeal region. Six patients were evaluated using a combination of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All patients showed a presacral tumor with heterogeneous intensity on CT images. All patients underwent surgical treatment, including 6 parasacral, 1 transabdominal, and 1 combined anterior-posterior surgery cases. Seven patients were histopathologically diagnosed with benign mature SCT, and have shown no recurrence. One patient had malignant SCT, with recurrence at 84 months after surgery. After a second surgery, the patient had no recurrence within 6 months follow-up after re-resection.Conclusions:Our retrospective study demonstrated: (1) adult SCT is difficult to diagnose because of a lack of typical clinical symptoms and signs; (2) a combination of CT and MRI examination is beneficial for preoperative diagnosis; (3) the choice of surgical approach and surgical resection modality depends on the size, location, and components of the tumor, which can be defined from preoperative CT and MRI evaluation; (4) most adult SCTs are benign; the surgical outcome for the malignant SCT patient was good after complete resection. Even for the patient with recurrent malignant SCT, the surgical outcome was good after re-resection.Keywords：Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT);Clinical features;Computed tomography (CT);Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);Surgical resection modality- 27
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Eyelid margin cleaning using Deep Cleaning Device for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction-associated dry eye: a preliminary investigation
Abstract：Objective:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of eyelid margin cleaning using Deep Cleaning Device for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction-associated dry eye.Methods:This was a prospective, randomized, open-label, investigator-masked, and self-controlled study. We randomly assigned one eye of patients with meibomian gland dysfunction-associated dry eye to the treatment group, and the other eye to the control group. Both groups received artificial tears and lid warming; the treatment group received an additional one-time in-office eyelid margin cleaning using Deep Cleaning Device. Non-invasive tear break-up time (NITBUT) and tear meniscus height (TMH) of each eye, and Standard Patient Evaluation for Eye Dryness II (SPEED II) score of each patient were evaluated before and at one week after treatment.Results:Thirty eyes of 15 patients were enrolled. No adverse effects occurred during the treatment. Compared with the baseline values, the SPEED score decreased significantly at one week after treatment (mean±95% confidence interval, 11.00±0.99 vs. 5.67±1.67, P<0.0001), the NITBUT-first in the treatment group increased significantly at one week after treatment ((4.74±1.27) s vs. (7.49±2.22) s, P=0.01). The NITBUT-first was significantly longer in the treatment group ((7.49±2.22) s) than in the control group ((5.17±0.91) s) at one week after treatment (P=0.042). No significant differences were found in other tear film parameters between the two groups.Conclusions:Eyelid margin cleaning using the novel Deep Cleaning Device is a convenient, effective, and safe treatment for patients with meibomian gland dysfunction-associated dry eye.Keywords：Eyelid margin cleaning;Deep Cleaning Device;Meibomian gland dysfunction;Dry eye- 44
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Published：2022-01-05
Article
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Coexistence of proangiogenic potential and increased MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 levels in the plasma of patients with critical limb ischemia#
Abstract：The objective of this study was to assess the angiogenic potential expressed as a quotient of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), as an indicator of proangiogenic activity, and the circulating receptors (soluble VEGF receptor protein R1 (sVEGFR-1) and sVEGFR-2), as indicators of the effect of angiogenic inhibition, depending on the concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 and their tissue inhibitor 1 (TIMP-1) and TIMP-2 in the plasma of patients with lower extremity artery disease (LEAD). These blood parameters in patients with intermittent claudication (IC) and critical limb ischemia (CLI) were compared for select clinical and biochemical features. Stimulation of angiogenesis in the plasma of individuals with LEAD was evident as indicated by the significant increase in VEGF-A concentration along with reduced inhibition depending on circulating receptors sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2. Critical ischemia was associated with higher VEGF-A, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 concentrations than in the case of IC.Keywords：Intermittent claudication;Critical limb ischemia;Vascular endothelial growth factor;Metalloproteinase- 16
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in hepatotoxicity induced by
Ageratina adenophora in mice#Abstract：Ageratina adenophora is a noxious plant and it is known to cause acute asthma, diarrhea, depilation, and even death in livestock (Zhu et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2017). A. adenophora grows near roadsides and degraded land worldwide (He et al., 2015b). In the areas where it grows, A. adenophora is an invasive species that inhibits the growth of local plants and causes poisoning in animals that come in contact with it (Nie et al., 2012). In China, these plants can be found in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing, and other southwestern areas (He et al., 2015a) and they have become a dominant species in these local regions. It threatens the native biodiversity and ecosystem in the invaded areas and causes serious economic losses (Wang et al., 2017). It has been reported that A. adenophora can grow in the northeast direction at a speed of 20 km per year in China (Guo et al., 2009). Because of the damage caused by A. adenophora, it ranks among the earliest alien invasive plant species in China (Wang et al., 2017).Keywords：Ageratina adenophora;Hepatotoxicity;Mitochondrial dysfunction;ATPase;Mitochondrial DNA- 15
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Published：2022-01-05
Correspondence
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