A tremendous expansion of copy number in crossbred bulls ( × ).

Crossbreeding between cattle () and yak () exhibits significant hybrid advantages in milk yield and meat production. By contrast, cattle-yak F hybrid bulls are sterile. Copy number variations (CNV) of multicopy gene families in male-specific regions of the mammalian Y chromosome (MSY) affect human and animal fertility. The present study investigated CNV of (), (), (), and () in 5 yak breed bulls ( = 63), cattle-yak F ( = 22) and F ( = 2) hybrid bulls, and Chinese Yellow (CY) cattle bulls ( = 10) by quantitative real-time PCR. showed restricted amplification in yak bulls in that the average geometric mean copy number (CN) was estimated to be 4 copies. The most compelling finding is that there is a tremendous expansion of CN in F hybrids (385 copies; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 351-421) and F hybrids (356 copies) compared with the male parent breed CY cattle (142 copies; 95% CI = 95-211). Copy numbers of and were also extensively expanded on the Y chromosome in yak and CY cattle bulls. The geometric mean CN of and were estimated to be 123 (95% CI = 114-132) and 250 copies (95% CI = 233-268) in yak bulls and 71 (95% CI = 61-82) and 133 (95% CI = 107-164) copies in CY cattle, respectively. Yak and CY cattle have 2 copies of the gene on the Y chromosome. Similarly to gene, the F and F hybrid bulls have higher CN of , , and than CY cattle ( < 0.01). These results indicated that the MSY of yak and cattle-yak crossbred hybrids was fundamentally different from cattle MSY in the context of genomic organization. Based on the model of cattle-yak F and F hybrid bull sterility, the CNV of may serve as a potential risk factor for crossbred bull ( × ) infertility. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine differences in multicopy genes in MSY between yak and cattle-yak bulls.

Myocardial remodeling and bioelectric changes in tachycardia-induced heart failure in dogs.

In this study, electrical and structural remodeling of ventricles was examined in tachycardia-induced heart failure (HF). We studied two groups of weight-matched adult male mongrel dogs: a sham-operated control group (n=5) and a pacing group (n=5) that underwent ventricular pacing at 230 bpm for 3 weeks. Clinical symptoms of congestive HF were observed in both groups. Their hemodynamic parameters were determined and the severity of the HF was evaluated by M-mode echocardiography. Changes in heart morphology were observed by scanning electron and light microscopy. Ventricular action potential duration (APD), as well as the 50 and 90% APD were measured in both groups. All dogs exhibited clinical symptoms of congestive HF after rapid right ventricular pacing for 3 weeks. These data indicate that rapid, right ventricular pacing produces a useful experimental model of low-output HF in dogs, characterized by biventricular pump dysfunction, biventricular cardiac dilation, and non-ischemic impairment of left ventricular contractility. Electrical and structural myocardial remodeling play an essential role in congestive HF progression, and should thus be prevented.

Myocardial remodeling and bioelectric changes in tachycardia-induced heart failure in dogs

In this study, electrical and structural remodeling of ventricles was examined in tachycardia-induced heart failure (HF). We studied two groups of weight-matched adult male mongrel dogs: a sham-operated control group (n=5) and a pacing group (n=5) that underwent ventricular pacing at 230 bpm for 3 weeks. Clinical symptoms of congestive HF were observed in both groups. Their hemodynamic parameters were determined and the severity of the HF was evaluated by M-mode echocardiography. Changes in heart morphology were observed by scanning electron and light microscopy. Ventricular action potential duration (APD), as well as the 50 and 90% APD were measured in both groups. All dogs exhibited clinical symptoms of congestive HF after rapid right ventricular pacing for 3 weeks. These data indicate that rapid, right ventricular pacing produces a useful experimental model of low-output HF in dogs, characterized by biventricular pump dysfunction, biventricular cardiac dilation, and non-ischemic impairment of left ventricular contractility. Electrical and structural myocardial remodeling play an essential role in congestive HF progression, and should thus be prevented.

Development of integrase inhibitors of quinolone acid derivatives for treatment of AIDS: an overview.

HIV-1 integrase (IN), which has no cellular counterpart, has been intensely studied over the past 15 years and has been fully validated as a therapeutic target with the first FDA approved IN inhibitor raltegravir. The quinolone acid GS-9137 (elvitegravir), which most probably will became the next candidate of IN inhibitors, is in the process of enrolling patients in the phase III clinical trials. This review focuses on small-molecules of quinolone acid derivatives, which have the similar pharmacophore of ß-diketoacids, as integrase inhibitors with antiviral activity.

Microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 2 functions downstream of the PAR-3/PAR-6/atypical PKC complex in regulating hippocampal neuronal polarity.

The PAR-3/PAR-6/atypical PKC (aPKC) complex is required for axon-dendrite specification of hippocampal neurons. However, the downstream effectors of this complex are not well defined. In this article, we report a role for microtubule affinity-regulating kinase (MARK)/PAR-1 in axon-dendrite specification. Knocking down MARK2 expression with small interfering RNAs induced formation of multiple axon-like neurites and promoted axon outgrowth. Ectopic expression of MARK2 caused phosphorylation of tau (S262) and led to loss of axons, and this phenotype was rescued by expression of PAR-3, PAR-6, and aPKC. In contrast, the polarity defects caused by an MARK2 mutant (T595A), which is not responsive to aPKC, were not rescued by the PAR-3/PAR-6/aPKC complex. Moreover, polarity was abrogated in neurons overexpressing a mutant of MARK2 with a deleted kinase domain but an intact aPKC-binding domain. Finally, suppression of MARK2 rescued the polarity defects induced by a dominant-negative aPKC mutant. These results suggest that MARK2 is involved in neuronal polarization and functions downstream of the PAR-3/PAR-6/aPKC complex. We propose that aPKC in complex with PAR-3/PAR-6 negatively regulates MARK(s), which in turn causes dephosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins, such as tau, leading to the assembly of microtubules and elongation of axons.

[Mitochondrial DNA sequence variations of Shui ethnic group].

The mtDNA hypervariable segment I sequences (HVS I) were sequenced in 64 Shuis from Guizhou Province. 73 sites were polymorphic in the 495 bp fragment that sequenced, identified 48 different haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis of the haplotypes suggested that there were some ancestral haplotypes in current Shuis, and these haplotypes were also present in Eurasia populations as well as in other ethnic groups. Demographic analysis of the Shuis demonstrated a unimodal distribution that is typical for a population undergone expansion in the past and with a high Tau value, which suggested that the Shui group might be a ancestral population. Combined with the analysis of the reported data, the Shui ethnic group showed a generally similar genetic component with the Zhuang from Guangxi, but it is also different from these typical south populations as Zhuang, Cantonese.

[Clinical observation on effect of Xianlong capsule in treating vascular dementia].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Xianlong Capsule (XLC) in treating vascular dementia (VD) and to explore its therapeutic mechanism. METHODS: The criteria of learning and memory related cholinergic nerve system, oxygen free radical and nitrogen monoxide (NO) in 35 patients with VD treated with XLC and 33 patients treated with hydergine were observed and compared with the normal control group. RESULTS: XLC could lower the acetylcholine esterase activity, increase the acetylcholine content in erythrocytes and plasma and decrease the NO content. No toxic adverse reaction was found in the observation period. CONCLUSION: XLC has definite effect in treating VD in aged patients, the therapeutic mechanism may be related with the actions in strengthening cholinergic nerve system, improving oxygen free radical metabolism, regulating NO and relieving its excitatory neurotoxicity.

[Studies on the localization of NPY-like immuno-reactivity in the nervous system during development of Cynops orientalis].

By immuno-cytochemical method the localization of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the nervous system during embryonic development of Cynops orientalis was studied. The results revealed that NPY was first localized in the peripheral nervous system (late tail-bud stage), and later appeared in the central nervous system (larval stage) where it appeared with the appearance of glial cells. Very probably with the migration of neural crest cells NPY appeared first in the peripheral nervous system and then distributed to the central nervous system.

[Influence of magnetic field on nitric oxide in hypothalamus and its relation to hypothalamic neuroendocrine nuclei].

By employing nitric acid reductase-spectrophotometry and NADPH-diaphorase/AVP cytochemistry technique, the effects of magnetic field on NO in hypothalamus and relations to Paraventricular Nucleus (PVN), Periventricular Nucleus (PEN), Supraoptic Nucleus (SON) and Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) were investigated. It was found that the NADPH-d positive neurons and some NADPH-d/AVP dually stained neurons existed in PVN, PEN, SON, but not in SCN, and the magnetic field induced NO (OD) increase there and the high NO (OD) level lasted for 3 hours. The results suggested that NO (OD) increase after the treatment of magnetic field in hypothalamus may result from strong expression of NOergic neurons in the PVN, PEN and SON. The coexistance of NO and AVP may play important role in the regulation of endocrine and neuroendocrine by the magnetic field.

[Mortality rate of malignant tumors in Yangzhong County].

Complete and reliable data of mortality rate of malignant tumors from 1973 to 1982 in Yangzhong County, Jiangsu Province, China are reported. The annual mortality rate was 271.38/100,000 which is the highest of all counties in China. Among the malignant tumors, the mortality rates of esophageal, stomach, liver and intestinal cancers are 100.77/100,000, 90.25/100,000, 31.25/100,000 and 11.95/100,000, respectively. Moreover, the mortality rates of lung, cervical cancers and leukemia are also rather high. The mortality rate of esophageal cancer in the female is higher than that in the male. There have been no obvious changes in the mortality rates of some chief malignant tumors in the past ten years. For the high mortality rates of various malignancies in Yangzhong county, epidemiological factors should be further investigated.