Edible Bird's Nest Attenuates Menopause-Related Bone Degeneration in Rats via Increaing Bone Estrogen-Receptor Expression / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the mechanistic basis for the attenuation of bone degeneration by edible bird's nest (EBN) in ovariectomized rats.@*METHODS@#Forty-two female Sprage-Dawley rats were randomized into 7 groups (6 in each group). The ovariectomized (OVX) and OVX + 6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN and OVX +estrogen groups were given standard rat chow alone, standard rat chow +6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN, or standard rat chow +estrogen therapy (0.2mg/kg per day), respectively. The sham-operation group was surgically opened without removing the ovaries. The control group did not have any surgical intervention. After 12 weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken for serum estrogen, osteocalcin, and osteoprotegerin, as well as the measurement of magnesium, calcium abd zinc concentrations. While femurs were removed from the surrounding muscles to measure bone mass density using the X-ray edge detection technique, then collected for histology and estrogen receptor (ER) immunohistochemistry.@*RESULTS@#Ovariectomy altered serum estrogen levels resulting in increased food intake and weight gain, while estrogen and EBN supplementation attenuated these changes. Ovariectomy also reduced bone ER expression and density, and the production of osteopcalcin and osteorotegerin, which are important pro-osteoplastic hormones that promote bone mineraliztion and density. Conversely, estrogen and EBN increased serum estrogen levels leading to increased bone ER expression, pro-osteoplastic hormone production and bone density (all P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#EBN could be used as a safe alternative to hormone replacement therapys for managing menopausal complications like bone degeneration.

Polymorphism of D10S1248, D2S441, D1S1677 in Hunan Han population / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To establish a multiplex set including D10S1248, D2S441, D1S1677 and to investigate the genetic polymorphism of the three miniSTR in Hunan Han population.@*METHODS@#Three miniSTR loci of 186 unrelated individuals were amplified with different multiplex fluorescence-labeled primers. The amplified products were analyzed by ABI 310 Genetic Analyzer to identify genotype.@*RESULTS@#Each locus was successfully genotyped. Among the 186 individuals investigated, 9, 7 and 7 alleles, as well as 21, 19 and 15 genotypes were detected at D10S1248, D2S441 and D1S1677, respectively. No significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed. The excluding probability of paternity and the discrimination power were 0,465, 0.491 and 0.361, as well as 0.886, 0.899 and 0.818 for D10S1248, D2S441 and D1S1677, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The miniSTR multiplex set can benefit forensic analysis of degraded samples. It has shown good polymorphism in Hunan Han population and can be used in personal identification and paternity test.

Construction of standard allelic ladder of miniSTR loci by molecular cloning / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the genetic polymorphism of five miniSTR loci (D9S2157, D9S1122, D10S1435, D12ATA63, D2S1776) in Hebei Han population and to construct standard allelic ladders.@*METHODS@#Polymorphism of the five miniSTR loci in 120 unrelated individuals was analyzed by fluorescence PCR and ABI 310 Genetic Analyzer. Molecular cloning technique was employed to construct standard allelic ladder of the 5 loci.@*RESULTS@#Of the five miniSTR loci, 8, 8, 7, 5 and 8 alleles were found, respectively. The polymorphism information component were 0.790, 0.720, 0.750, 0.630 and 0.850, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The five loci have relatively abundant polymorphic information and their standard allelic ladders constructed by molecular cloning technique are useful in forensic science.