[Status and related factors on the drinking behavior among primary and secondary students in China rural middle and western regions in 2019].

Objective: To analyze the daily drinking behavior and related factors of primary and middle school students in the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students (NIPRCES) pilot regions. Methods: Multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select one to three national pilot counties in 22 provinces in central and western China where the NIPRCES was implemented in 2019. According to different feeding patterns, two primary schools and two middle schools were selected as key monitoring schools. One or two classes were selected from grade 3 to grade 9. The student questionnaire was used to collect the basic information and daily drinking behavior. Taking whether the drinking water ≥5 cups every day as the dependent variable, multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of drinking behavior among students. Results: A total of 27 374 students were included. On average, primary and middle school students in the regions where NIPRCES was implemented had 3.9 cups of water every day. Logistic regression model showed that boys (OR=1.230, P<0.001), primary school students (OR=1.379, P<0.001), father worked outside the home (OR=1.169, P<0.001), both parents worked outside the home (OR=1.228, P<0.001), non-resident students (OR=1.142, P<0.001), the school in the village (OR=1.638, P<0.001) or township (OR=1.358, P<0.001), school feeding (OR=1.252, P<0.001), the school building with flush toilets (OR=1.384, P<0.001) and the central regions (OR=1.300, P<0.001) students were more likely to drink ≥5 cups water every day. Conclusion: The water consumption of primary and middle school students in the pilot regions of NIPRCES is low, and their drinking behaviors are affected by many factors.

[Overweight and obesity status and its associated factors among primary and secondary school students in China rural middle and western regions].

Objective: To analyze the overweight and obesity status of students in the national pilot counties of the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2019 and its associated factors. Methods: In 2019, a multi-stage cluster random sampling method was used to select about 40 students from each grade in primary and secondary schools in China's central and western regions where the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students was implemented. The height and weight of the children were measured using height or weight scales. The school questionnaire and county questionnaire were used to investigate the associated factors. A Chi-square test was used for comparison between groups. The logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the associated factors. Results: In 2019, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among rural primary and secondary school students aged 6-15 years in central and western China 2019 was 11.5%. It was higher for boys (13.1%) than that for girls (9.8%), higher in central (14.3%) than that in the west (9.9%) and higher for elementary school students (12.4%) than that for secondary school students (9.5%, all P<0.001). The logistic regression showed that boys (OR=1.388), primary school students (OR=1.271), students without other dietary subsidies(OR=1.037), schools in rural areas (OR=1.133), schools with enterprise-based feeding mode (OR=1.043), schools without the provision of lunch (OR=1.143), schools without the provision of dinner (OR=1.122), and schools without providing drinking water (OR=1.015) were positively associated with overweight and obesity among students (P<0.05). Schools with snack shops (OR=0.952) were negatively associated with overweight and obesity among students (P<0.001). Conclusion: A certain proportion of primary and secondary school students in rural areas of central and western China are overweight and obese. The prevalence is not only related to children's gender, school section and county area but also related to school meals, whether schools provide drinking water and other factors.

[Growth retardation of children and its influencing factors in the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2019].

Objective: To understand the growth retardation among primary and secondary school students in areas covered by the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students and its influencing factors to provide evidence for improving the nutrition status of rural students in China. Methods: The multi-stage cluster random sampling method selected 1 550 969 primary and secondary school students aged 6-15 years from China's central and western regions. The ratio of male and female students was balanced. The height was measured, and the growth retardation of students was determined according to the Screening Criteria for School-age Children and Adolescents malnutrition (WS/T 456-2014), from the school and county questionnaire survey related factors. The number of cases and percentages described the growth retardation of students, and the χ2 test was used for comparison between groups. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze students' growth retardation factors. Results: In 2019, the growth retardation rate of primary and secondary school students in areas covered by the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students was 5.7% (88 631/1 550 969), the growth retardation rate in the western part (7.1%, 66 167/927 954) was higher than that in the central part (3.7%,19 511/533 973) with difference statistically significant (P<0.001). The growth retardation rate of the boys (6.3%,50 665/803 851) were higher than that of girls (5.1%, 37 966/747 118), the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The growth retardation rate of primary school students in central China was 3.9%(14 914/380 598), higher than that of junior middle school students (3.0%,4 597/153 375, P<0.001). In contrast, the growth retardation rate of the western junior high school students (7.2%, 21 494/297 217) were higher than that of elementary school students (7.1%, 44 673/630 737), with a difference statistically significant (all P=0.009). Multi-factor logistic regression results showed that, in high income area (OR=0.829, 95%CI: 0.816-0.842, P<0.001), parents providing part of the meal cost (OR=0.948, 95%CI: 0.931-0.965, P<0.001), enterprises providing meals (OR=0.845, 95%CI: 0.805-0.887, P<0.001), schools providing milk (OR=0.780, 95%CI: 0.767-0.793, P<0.001), health education courses (OR=0.702, 95%CI: 0.682-0.723, P<0.001) and other local nutrition improvement efforts (OR=0.739, 95%CI: 0.720-0.758, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with the occurrence of growth retardation, The growth retardation rate of the students was lower. Conclusions: There appeared significant regional, gender, and age differences in the growth retardation rate of primary and middle school students in areas covered by the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students. Appropriate food supply in schools, health education courses, and parental participation in nutritional improvement was related to children's lower growth retardation rate.

[Anemia prevalence and its influencing factors among students involved in the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2019].

Objective: To analyze anemia prevalence and its influencing factors of students involved in the Nutritional Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2019. Methods: From the 2019 surveillance system of the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students, 47 297 primary and middle school students aged 6-17 were included in the study. Hemoglobin level was tested according to the criteria of WHO 2011. Anemia prevalence of different genders, ages, and regions was analyzed. Results: The average hemoglobin level was 135.19 g/L, with the prevalence of anemia as 8.7% in the children aged 6-17. The prevalence of anemia was 10.0% in girls, higher than that in boys (7.4%). The prevalence rates in western and central areas were 9.8% and 7.1%, respectively. From northwest, southwest, central and south, east, north to northeast areas of China, the anemia rate appeared gradually decreasing (10.2%, 9.7%, 8.3%, 7.5%, 5.7% and 3.5%). The anemia prevalence rates were 8.0%, 8.3%, and 10.9% in children from the 6-, 11-, and 14-17 years age groups, respectively. Logistic regression models revealed that students from schools not using catering software (OR=1.482, 95%CI:1.296-1.694,P<0.001), schools not serving lunch (OR=1.241, 95%CI:1.103-1.395,P<0.001), and from relatively low-income families (OR=1.297, 95%CI:1.211-1.389, P<0.001) showed as risk factors for anemia. After supplementing students' dietary factors, the results showed that students who ate meat three or more times a week had a lower risk of anemia (OR=0.907, 95%CI:0.832-0.989, P=0.026). Conclusions: The Nutritional Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students had an essential impact on improving the anemia prevalence of primary and middle school students. Family income, school location, economic factors, school feeding, and students' diet programs all impacted the prevalence of anemia.

[Status and influencing factors on the leftover school meals among students the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2019].

Objective: To analyze the situation and influencing factors of school meals leftover among primary and secondary school students in the area of the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students, improve the quality of school meals, develop healthy dietary behavior, and reduce food waste. Methods: In 2019, among the 50 monitoring counties that implemented the Compulsory Education Student Nutrition Improvement Program, two primary schools and two junior schools were randomly selected according to different food supply patterns.This study randomly selected one or two classes from grade 3 to grade 9. Basic information and school meals of 26 778 students were collected by using a student questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of leftovers rate. Results: 54.93% (14 709) of students wasted school meals, in which the highest rate was the staple food, with the main reason as "not in favor". 11.87% (1 743) of the students wasted school meals 6-7 days a week, with 54.20% (7 957) of students wasted but in less amount. The leftover rate of staple food was the highest (29.78%), followed by vegetables and meat. The main reason of leftovers was that they didn't like this kind of food (33.52%). The rate of school meal waste was higher for girls (OR=1.19,95%CI:1.13-1.25), junior high school students (OR=1.17, 95%CI: 1.11-1.25), resident students (OR=1.06, 95%CI: 1.00-1.12), lower economic level (OR=1.06, 95%CI: 1.00-1.12), parents working outside their houses (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.13-1.30), health education classes (OR=1.70, 95%CI: 1.40-2.06), company-based meals (OR=1.89, 95%CI: 1.71-2.07) and school meals were not as good as home food(OR=1.89, 95%CI: 1.78-2.00)(P<0.05). Conclusions: It is common for poor rural primary and middle school students in central and western China to waste school meals, and the reasons were affected by many factors. Reducing food waste requires the joint efforts of individuals, families, schools and society.

Functional microRNA screening for dietary vitamin E regulation of abdominal fat deposition in broilers.

1. Functional microRNA (miRNA) screening for abdominal fat tissue with different dietary vitamin E (VE) levels was performed to reveal miRNAs, genes and metabolic pathways involved in abdominal fat deposition in broilers. 2. A total of 240, one-day-old healthy female chicks were randomly allocated into five dietary treatments containing either 0, 20, 50, 75 or 100 IU DL-α-tocopherol acetate. The sequencing of miRNAs from abdominal fat tissues was performed. The target genes of miRNAs were predicted and enrichment analysis for these genes was performed. Diets supplemented with 50 IU VE significantly diminished abdominal fat deposition in broilers at day 35 of age. 3. A total of 29 miRNAs were differentially expressed between control and 50 IU VE treatment. Ten of the 23 target genes were enriched in four signalling pathways: tight junction, SNARE interactions in vesicular transport, regulation of autophagy and proteasome. 4. This study identified miRNA, target genes and pathways in dietary VE treatment for broilers, providing new insights into the miRNA regulation of abdominal fat deposition in broilers.

Genome-wide association study identifies loci linked to serum electrolyte traits in Chinese Holstein cattle.

We aimed to identify QTL for serum electrolyte traits by performing a GWAS of calcium, chloride, sodium, potassium and magnesium ion concentrations in Chinese Holstein cattle. We detected five SNPs that had significant associations with calcium ion concentrations and identified GATA2 from Bos taurus chromosome (BTA)22 as having the highest significance. Among the genes with significant results, we speculate that TMEM123 might be related to calcium channel proteins according to the functions of the TMEM family.

[Associations between milk intake at breakfast and nutritional status of students attending the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2016].

Objective: To investigate the association between milk intake at breakfast and nutritional status of students attending the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students (NIPRCES) in 2016, and to provide basic data for improving the nutritional status of the poor rural pupils. Methods: Using the multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method, 22 315 students from grade three to nine from primary and junior high schools were randomly selected from the 50 key counties under the monitor programs, in 22 provinces of NNIPRCS. Questionnaire was used. Among all the students, with equal number of genders, morning fasting height and weight were measured by trained investigators. Status of nutrition was classified as malnutrition, normal, overweight/obesity, by age-specific height and BMI. Multivariate linear and logistic regression methods were used to analyze the relationship between milk consumption and the status of nutrition of the students. Results: Only 31.4% of the students that were on the monitoring programs would drink milk at breakfast. Proportions of milk intake at breakfast were higher in students from the western regions, in lower grades and in girls (P<0.05). The proportions of malnutrition and overweight/obesity were 11.0% and 10.0% respectively. After controlling factors as gender, age, ethnicity, region of residency and types of parental employment, students who drank milk at breakfast showed an average height of 0.4 cm taller than those who did not drink milk (P=0.001). However, no significant relationships were noticed between milk intake at breakfast and weight, malnutrition or overweight/obesity. Conclusion: Milk intake at breakfast seemed associated with the height of the students under study, suggesting that this program can be promoted, especially in students from the poor rural areas.

[Anemia status and related factors among left-behind children in poverty-stricken rural areas, in China, 2016].

Objective: To explore the prevalence of anemia and related factors among left-behind children in poverty-stricken rural areas in China, to provide basic information for anemia prevention and treatment for children. Methods: Data from the National Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2016 were used to express the prevalence of anemia among left-behind children. By using the multistage stratified random cluster sampling method, left-behind children of the 6-17-years-old in poverty-stricken rural areas were recruited in this study. Blood hemoglobin concentration of these students was determined by cyanmethemoglobin method. Anemia was judged by the WHO recommended standard and combined with the sea level elevation correction standard. Frequencies of food intake were collected through questionnaires. Data was then available for analysis including the level of hemoglobin and anemia rates. Relationship between anemia and food intakes as well as other influential factors was also analyzed. Results: The overall anemia prevalence (AP) was 11.6% among the participants. Rates of AP among the 6-, 7-, 15- and 16-17-years-old were 21.1%, 18.0%, 20.6% and 17.3%, respectively. Rates of AP among left-behind girls of 10-11-years-old and the 13-15-years-old were significantly higher than those in boys at the same age (P<0.01) group. Factors including: being girls (OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.23-1.45), at grade 7 to 9 (OR=1.47, 95%CI:1.30-1.67) and mother being migrant worker (OR=1.32, 95%CI:1.16- 1.50) had higher proportions of getting anemia. Factors as living in the western area (OR=0.85, 95%CI: 0.78-0.93), taking breakfast every day (OR=0.70, 95%CI: 0.64-0.76), having meat more than twice per week (OR=0.84, 95%CI: 0.75-0.93) and having two kinds of vegetables per day (OR=0.85, 95%CI: 0.75-0.96) appeared protective. Conclusions: Prevalence of anemia in left-behind children from the poverty-stricken rural areas was high, including junior middle school students from grade 7 to 9 at the early stage of youth development, girls and children with mothers as migrant workers. Anemia should be reduced by promoting the protective factors as having breakfast, increasing intakes of meat and fresh vegetables.

[One case of the infratemporal fossa hydatid invading maxillary sinus].

Summary Male, 43 years old, Tibetan. Main reason: left eyesight impaired for one month. Nasal sinus CT: the 47 mm×44 mm cystic low density shadows can be seen in the left infratemporal fossa, the maxillary sinus cavity reduced under the pressurebase. The patient had the internal and external nasal endoscopic sinus resection of the left fossa.The patient's left eye sight recovered after the operation.Two weeks after the operation, the sinus was re-examined for CT, showing that the left inferior fossa was removed, but there was no significant difference in the maxillary sinus structure. Sixteen months after the operation, the CT showed that the left maxillary sinus is back to normal after absorbing the bone tissue.

[Nasal endoscopic treatment in one case of infratemporal fossa hydatid invaded the orbit and skullbase].

PATIENT: male, 43 years old, Tibetan, married. Chief complaint: visual impairment of the left eye for one month. No significant abnormalities observed in nasal endoscopy. Sinus CT: the 47 mm×44 mm cystic low density shadows can be seen in the left infratemporal fossa, which is separated inside, and parts of the lesions have invaded into the orbit and skull base. DIAGNOSIS: the left infratemporal fossa hydatid invaded the orbit and skull base. Under the guidance of general anesthesia navigation, the patient underwent sinusotomy on the left infratemporal fossa and the left eyesight recovered after operation. CT examination showed that the left temporal lobe tumor has been cleared.

Arterial spin labelling MRI for detecting pseudocapsule defects and predicting renal capsule invasion in renal cell carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate prospectively the performance of combining morphological and arterial spin labelling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting pseudocapsule defects in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and to predict renal capsule invasion confirmed histopathologically. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients with suspicious renal tumours underwent MRI. Renal ASL imaging was performed and renal blood flow was measured quantitatively. The diagnostic performance of T2-weighted images alone, and a combination of T2-weighted and ASL images for predicting renal capsule invasion were assessed. RESULTS: Twenty renal lesions were evaluated in 20 patients. All lesions were clear cell RCCs (ccRCCs) confirmed at post-surgical histopathology. Fifteen ccRCCs showed pseudocapsule defects on T2-weighted images, of which 12 cases showed existing blood flow in defect areas on perfusion images. To predict renal capsule invasion, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 100%, 71.4%, 86.7%, 100%, respectively, for T2-weighted images alone, and 92.3%, 100%, 100%, 87.5%, respectively, for the combination of T2-weighted and ASL images. CONCLUSION: ASL images can reflect the perfusion of pseudocapsule defects and as such, the combination of T2-weighted and ASL images produces promising diagnostic accuracy for predicting renal capsule invasion.

[Study on breakfast consumption of children aged from 6-17 in China in 2010-2012].

Objective: To investigate breakfast status and influencing factors among children aged 6-17 in China in 2010-2012. Methods: Data were collected from China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance in 2010-2012. By using multi-stage stratified sampling and population proportional stratified random sampling method, the research objects were 29 393 children, who aged 6 to 17 y from 150 sites in 31 provinces in mainland China. The information of breakfast frequency and the numbers of breakfast dinning out (in restaurant and at schools) in the past week with seven days were collected by questionnaire; and compared by different ages, genders and areas. Results: During the past week, 91.1% (26 776/29 393) of the children aged 6 to 17 y had their breakfast daily, and 94.6% (13 457/14 221) of children aged 6 to 11 y was higher than 87.8% (13 319/15 172) of children aged 12 to 17 y, the highest proportion of the children never eat breakfast (0 time in the past week) found in poor rural areas was 3.6% (189/5 261), the ratio of big cities, small-medium cities and normal rural areas was 1.1% (77/7 104), 0.6% (51/8 361), and 0.6% (54/8 667), respectively (P<0.001). The rate of boys and girls ate their breakfast daily in the past week were 91.3% (13 481/14 761), and 90.9% (13 295/14 632), respectively (P>0.05). Totally 42.2% (12 398/29 393) of children ate breakfast outside-home (the restaurant and the school) in the past week, the percentage of children aged 12 to 17 y and poor rural areas was higher, 50.9% (7 722/15 172), and 52.4% (2 756/5 261), respectively (P<0.001). 42.1% (6 208/14 761) boys and 42.3% (6 190/14 632) girls ate their breakfast outside-home (P>0.05). The place of most school-age children eat outside-home was school, the ratio was 32.2% (9 477/29 393). Conclusion: It was common for school-aged children in China to skip breakfast during their daily lives, especially in poor rural areas and older children, lots of school-aged children ate breakfast outside-home, and most of them ate breakfast in school.

Enhanced SOCS3 in osteoarthiritis may limit both proliferation and inflammation.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that is characterized by localized inflammatory and secondary proliferative changes. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is elevated during OA development. We investigated the effects of this protein on human chondrocyte survival in OA and the inflammatory response together with the mechanisms of these effects. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knock down the expression of SOCS3 in interleukin(IL)-1ß-induced primary human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. We found that siRNA-mediated SOCS3 knock-down in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes increased production of IL-1ß-induced prostaglandin E2, cell growth, transcript level and nuclear translocation of cyclin D1. Silencing of SOCS3 resulted in altered expression of nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) and cyclooxygenase (COX2). Our findings indicate that enhanced SOCS3 could have contradictory influences on OA development. SOCS3 might protect damaged joints by its anti-inflammatory effect and by inhibition of over-augmented cartilage tissue repair, which could exhibit inhibitory properties for joint inflammation, abnormal chondrocyte clustering and osteophyte formation in OA. On the other hand, SOCS3 might reduce chondrocyte growth response, which would delay repair of subchondral cancellous bone damage in OA owing to its anti-proliferation effect. The anti-inflammation and growth inhibition effects exhibited by enhanced SOCS3 in OA appear to be related to its capacity to down-regulate expression levels of NF-κB and COX2.

[Prognostic value of a logistic regression model based on keratin 18 in patients with HBV-related liver failure].

Objective: To investigate the association between serum keratin 18 (K18) level and prognosis in patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Methods: A total of 120 patients who visited Department of Hepatology in Fuzhou Infectious Disease Hospital and were diagnosed with HBV-related ACLF from December 2012 to March 2014 were enrolled and followed up for 3 months. The patients were divided into death group and survival group. The serum levels of K18 fragments (M30 and M65) were measured and related laboratory data were collected to analyze the differences in M30, M65, M30/M65, and other laboratory markers. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to screen out independent risk factors for death in patients with HBV-related ACLF, and the corresponding logistic regression model (LRM) was established. Another 51 patients with HBV-related ACLF from April to October, 2014 were enrolled; M30 and M65 were measured and related clinical data were collected to calculate LRM value and validate the diagnostic value of LRM. Results: The 120 patients with HBV-related ACLF were followed up for 3 months, and 40 of them died, resulting in a mortality rate of 33.3%. Compared with the survival group, the death group had significantly higher age, percentage of neutrophils, blood ammonia, international normalized ratio, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, and M65, as well as significantly lower prothrombin time activity and alpha-fetoprotein level. The death group also had significantly higher incidence rates of underlying diseases and complications such as diabetes, liver cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), pulmonary infection, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and hepatorenal syndrome than the survival group. Age, HE, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, direct bilirubin (DBil), and M30/M65 were independent risk factors for the prognosis of patients with HBV-related ACLF. The model established was LRM = 0.061 × age + 0.69 × HE + 4.11 × upper gastrointestinal bleeding + 3.201 × ln(DBil) - 3.875 × ln(M30/M65) - 24.248. The 51 patients with HBV-related ACLF were followed up for 3 months, and the LRM value and MELD score were calculated. The areas under the ROC curve for the LRM model and MELD score were 0.889 and 0.858, respectively, and there was no significant difference between them (Z = 0.417, P > 0.05). Conclusion: M30/M65 ratio has a high value in the diagnosis of HBV-related ACLF, and the LRM model containing M30/M65 ratio can well predict the short-term outcome of patients with HBV-related ACLF.

Increased intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity correlates with off-treatment sustained response to nucleos(t)ide analogues in e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.

Finite treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) remains a great challenge for chronic hepatitis B in the clinic. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity and the NAs off-treatment outcomes in a prospective cohort. Eighteen HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B who achieved the cessation criteria underwent liver biopsy, and stopped treatment thereafter. Patients were followed up prospectively for 1 year. The reverse transcriptase (RT) gene of intrahepatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) was cloned and sequenced. Intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity and specific gene mutations were analysed using bioinformatic methods. Ten patients achieved sustained response, and eight patients developed viral relapse. The intrahepatic quasispecies Shannon entropy and nucleotide diversity within either RT or the surface (S) region of patients with sustained response were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of patients who had a viral relapse. Intrahepatic quasispecies Shannon entropy at the nucleotide level predicted the sustained off-treatment response (area under receiver operating characteristics curve 0.925; 95% CI 0.807-1.000; p 0.003). More positive selection sites and N-glycosylation mutations within the S region were found in patients with sustained response than in the patients with viral relapse (p < 0.01). Most of the positive selection sites in patients with sustained response were located in reported HLA-I-restricted or HLA-II-restricted epitopes. Intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity at the end of treatment was correlated with off-treatment outcomes in HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B. More immune escape mutations were found within the S region in patients with sustained response. The higher intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity indicated a more robust immune control over HBV, which in turn maintained a sustained response after withdrawal of NAs.

Investigation of TG gene variants and their effects on growth, carcass composition, and meat quality traits in Chinese steers.

Thyroid hormones play an important role in regulating metabolism and can affect metabolism-related traits such as fat deposition. The thyroglobulin (TG) gene produces the precursor of thyroid hormones and has been proposed as a candidate gene for a quantitative trait locus with an effect on fat deposition. In this study, we identified 4 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5' flanking region of the TG gene using a DNA sequencing method. The SNP marker association analysis indicated that the T1355C SNPs were significantly associated with meat percentage (P < 0.05). A significant association between the G1356A polymorphism and live weight and loin muscle area was also detected (P < 0.05). However, no significant association was found between 4 SNPs and the other growth, carcass composition, and meat quality traits including intramuscular fat. The results of this study suggest that TG gene-specific SNPs may be a useful marker for growth traits in marker-assisted selection programs in beef cattle.

Calcium oxalate toxicity in renal epithelial cells: the mediation of crystal size on cell death mode.

The cytotoxicity of calcium oxalate (CaOx) in renal epithelial cells has been studied extensively, but the cell death mode induced by CaOx with different physical properties, such as crystal size and crystal phase, has not been studied in detail. In this study, we comparatively investigated the differences of cell death mode induced by nano-sized (50 nm) and micron-sized (10 µm) calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) to explore the cell death mechanism. The effect of the exposure of nano-/micron-sized COM and COD crystals toward the African green monkey renal epithelial (Vero) cells were investigated by detecting cell cytoskeleton changes, lysosomal integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), apoptosis and/or necrosis, osteopontin (OPN) expression, and malondialdehyde (MDA) release. Nano-/micron-sized COM and COD crystals could cause apoptosis and necrosis simultaneously. Nano-sized crystals primarily caused apoptotic cell death, leading to cell shrinkage, phosphatidylserine ectropion, and nuclear shrinkage, whereas micron-sized crystals primarily caused necrotic cell death, leading to cell swelling and cell membrane and lysosome rupture. Nano-sized COM and COD crystals induced much greater cell death (sum of apoptosis and necrosis) than micron-sized crystals, and COM crystals showed higher cytotoxicity than the same-sized COD crystals. Both apoptosis and necrosis could lead to mitochondria depolarization and elevate the expression of OPN and the generation of lipid peroxidation product MDA. The amount of expressed OPN and generated MDA was positively related to cell injury degree. The physicochemical properties of crystals could affect the cell death mode. The results of this study may provide a basis for future studies on cell death mechanisms.

Polymorphism of MyoD1 and Myf6 genes and associations with carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle.

Myogenic determination factor 1 (MyoD1) and myogenic factor 6 (Myf6) genes belong to the myogenic differentiation (MyoD) gene family, which play key roles in growth and muscle development. The study aimed to investigate the effects of variants in cattle MyoD1 and Myf6 on carcass and meat traits. We screened single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of both genes in 8 cattle populations, including Simmental, Angus, Hereford, Charolais, Limousin, Qinchuan, Luxi, and Jinnan by sequencing. The G782A locus was identified in exon 1 of MyoD1 (MyoD1-BglI) as well as the T186C locus in exon 1 of Myf6 (Myf6-ApaLI). For the two SNPs, the A allele was significantly more frequent than the B allele in the populations tested. The χ(2) test showed that the MyoD1-BglI locus conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the 8 populations, as did the Myf6-ApaLI locus, with the exception of the Simmental population (P > 0.05). Association analysis revealed that the MyoD1-BglI locus was significantly associated with loin muscle area (LMA) (P < 0.05), and the Myf6-ApaLI locus was significantly associated with carcass length (CL) (P < 0.05). Animals with BB and AB genotypes for the MyoD1-BglI locus had larger LMAs compared to animals with AA genotype. Individuals with BB genotype had longer CLs compared to those with AA and AB genotypes. We conclude that the two SNPs might provide useful genetic markers, opening up new possibilities for cattle breeding and improvements in gene-assisted selection.