Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of brain glioma before postoperative radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of brain glioma before postoperative radiotherapy, and to provide reference for the delineation of postoperative radiotherapy target area. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on 106 cases of brain glioma confirmed by surgery and pathology in our hospital, including 70 cases of high-grade glioma (HGG) and 36 cases of low-grade glioma (LGG). The MRI images of the lesions within 1 month before and after surgery were analyzed, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the near and far tumor areas were measured, respectively, and the corresponding rADC values were calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of residual tumors of postoperative HGG and LGG was 0, 15.7% (0/36, 11/70), respectively. The incidence of postoperative reactive enhancement was 11.0% and 52.9% (4/36 and 37/70), respectively. About 30.6% and 81.4% (11/36 and 57/70) of patients with adjacent meningeal enhancement were found in the operative area. CONCLUSIONS: The MRI images of HGG and LGG before postoperative radiotherapy had certain characteristics, providing a favorable guidance for the delineation of the target area of radiotherapy and the formulation of treatment plan.

THBS1 facilitates colorectal liver metastasis through enhancing epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

OBJECTIVE: Liver metastasis is one of the major causes of cancer-related death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of this study was to identify specific molecules which are involved in colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we employed TMT (tandem mass tags)-labeling combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology to do comparative analyses of proteomics between the primary tumor specimens derived from colorectal cancer patients with or without liver metastasis. Pathway enrichment analyses were performed using DAVID database. The crucial molecules were identified through protein-protein interaction network. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to analyze the expression of THBS1 (thrombospondin-1) in CRC tissues. Finally, transwell cell migration and invasion assays were performed to explore the roles of THBS1 in CRC cell migration and invasion. RESULTS: We found that the expression of 311 proteins was dysregulated in CRLM using quantitative proteomics. Among these proteins, we identified FN1, TIMP1, THBS1, POSTN and VCAN as five crucial proteins in CRLM by analysis in silico. IHC assay revealed that increased THBS1 expression was significantly correlated with liver metastasis as well as poor prognosis of CRC patients. GEO data analysis also suggests that upregulated mRNA level of THBS1 is also associated with shorter overall survival of CRC patients. Moreover, THBS1 depletion inhibited migration and invasion of CRC cells through attenuating epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Co-expression analyses with TCGA data indicated that THBS1 is co-expressed with mesenchymal markers, including Vimentin, N-cadherin, Snail1 and Twist1 in CRC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: By collecting the omics data with functional studies, the present results reveal that THBS1 facilitates colorectal liver metastasis through promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This understanding of molecular roles of THBS1 in CRLM may be promising to develop targeted therapies to prolong survival in CRC patients.

Dosimetry study of 18F-FMISO + PET/CT hypoxia imaging guidance on intensity-modulated radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: This study was to evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous integrated boost on tumor hypoxia area by studying the dosimetric change of hypoxia imaging guidance on intensity-modulated radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Five NSCLC patients with large hypoxic volume participated in this study. FDG PET/CT images were fused with CT localization images to delineate gross tumor volume. FMISO PET/CT images were fused with CT localization images to delineate hypoxic biological target volume (BTV) (tissue maximum ratio ≥ 1.3) by threshold. BTV was irradiated with 72, 78 and 84 Gy, respectively, 30 times. The dosimetry differences were compared in target volume and organ at risk between simultaneous integrated boost plans and conventional radiotherapy plans. RESULTS: Dosages on BTV of NSCLC hypoxic area were increased to 72, 78 and 84 Gy, respectively, by simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiation therapy. There was no obvious difference in dosage distributions on original target volume compared with those in conventional radiotherapy. Dosages on main organ at risk in chest met the dosimetric constraint, and there was no significant difference compared with those in conventional radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: It is feasible in dosiology that the dosages in NSCLC hypoxic area were added to 72, 78 and 84 Gy by simultaneous integrated boost with the guidance of 18F-FMISO PET/CT.

Expression of immune genes in skin of channel catfish immunized with live theronts of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate differential expression of innate and adaptive immune genes, including immunoglobulin, immune cell receptor, cytokine, inflammatory protein, toll-like receptors (TLR) and recombination-activating gene (RAG) in skin from channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus after immunization with live theronts of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) by intraperitoneal injection. The immunized catfish showed significantly higher survival rate (95%) than those of mock-immunized control fish (0% survival) after the theront challenge. The gene expression of innate immune system, such as cytokines (IL-1ß type a, IL-1ß type b, IFN-γ, TGF1-ß and TNF-α) and inflammatory proteins (NF-kB and iNOS 2), showed significant upregulation at day 1 (D1) post-immunization. Expression of TLR genes exhibited a rapid increase from hour 4 (h4) to D10 post-immunization. Genes of the adaptive response, such as the cell receptor MHC I, CD8+ , CD4+ and TCR-α, showed upregulation at D1, D6 and D10. The TCR-ß expression increased rapidly at h4 and remained upregulated until D10. Immunoglobulin IgM upregulation was detected from h4 until D2 while IgD expression was increased from D1 until D10. Rapid upregulation of innate and adaptive immune genes in skin of catfish following live theront vaccination was demonstrated in this study ultimately resulting in significant protection against Ich infection.

Retraction RETRACTION of "Efficacy and safety of nucleoside analogues in preventing vertical transmission of the hepatitis B virus from father to infant", by L.-H. Cao, P.-L. Zhao, Z.-M. Liu, S.-C. Sun, D.-B. Xu, J.-D. Zhang and Z.-H. Shao - Genet. Mol. Res. 14 (4): 15539-15546 (2015).

The retracted article is: Cao L-H, Zhao P-L, Liu Z-M, Sun S-C, et al. (2015). Efficacy and safety of nucleoside analogues in preventing vertical transmission of the hepatitis B virus from father to infant. Genet. Mol. Res. 14: 15539-15546. The article published in Genetics and Molecular Research 14 (4): 15539-15546 (2015) is a very good paper, but it appears that the authors' group submitted this manuscript to multiple journals, which is ethical misconduct. This manuscript (similar language and identical data) was published in the Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine Journal prior to being submitted to GMR. There are parts copied from "Efficacy and safety of nucleoside analogs on blocking father-to-infant vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus", by Li-Hau Cao, Pei-Li Zhao, Zhi-Min Liu, Shao-Chun Sun, et al. Exp. Ther. Med. 9 (6): 2251-2256 (2015) - DOI: 10.3892/etm.2015.2379. The GMR editorial staff was alerted and after a thorough investigation, there is strong reason to believe that the peer review process was failure. Also, after review and contacting the authors, the editors of Genetics and Molecular Research decided to retract this article in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The authors and their institutions were advised of this serious breach of ethics.

Protective effect of quercetin on acute lung injury in rats with sepsis and its influence on ICAM-1 and MIP-2 expression.

This study aimed to explore the protective effect of quercetin on acute lung injury (ALI) in rats with sepsis and the related mechanism. Rats were administered different doses of quercetin intraperitoneally, and blood samples and lung tissue were collected at 24 h after treatment. Arterial blood gases, lung water content, protein content, and cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured. Morphological changes in lung tissue pathology were observed under a light microscope. Serum intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) levels were detected and ICAM-1 and MIP-2 mRNA expression in lung tissue was determined. Compared with that in the control model group, arterial blood gases, lung water content, protein content, and cell counts in BALF improved in the high- and low-dose quercetin groups (P < 0.05), with maximal improvement observed for the high-dose quercetin (P < 0.05). Lesions on the lungs improved in the high- and low-dose quercetin groups than those in the control model group, and the high-dose quercetin group showed better improvement than the low-dose group (P < 0.05). Compared with that in the sham-operated group, both serum and lung tissue ICAM-1 and MIP-2 expression increased significantly in the model group (P < 0.05). The quercetin groups presented lower ICAM-1 and MIP-2 expression than the control model group, with the lowest expression observed in the high-dose group (P < 0.05). Quercetin may protect against ALI in rats with sepsis by inhibiting ICAM-1 and MIP-2 expression.

Molecular characterization, tissue expression profile, and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the periostin gene in swine.

Periostin, also called osteoblast-specific factor 2, is an important regulator of bone, cardiac development, and wound healing. A recent study revealed that periostin plays an important role in tumor development and is upregulated in a wide variety of cancers. However, little is known about periostin in swine. Therefore, the cDNA sequence of the porcine periostin gene was obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). One C/T single nucleotide polymorphism anchored in intron 9 was identified and genotyped by PCR-RFLP-HaeIII. In Daweizi, Shaziling, Ningxiang, Taoyuan, Wuzhishan, Landrace, and Yorkshire pigs, the C allele was dominant, while the T allele was dominant in the Duroc pig. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that the periostin gene was expressed in all examined tissues from 25-day-old Shaziling and Yorkshire piglets, with mRNA expression in the longissimus dorsi muscle being the highest in these two breeds, and that in the kidney and lungs being the lowest. There was a significant difference in periostin gene expression in the intestines, heart, and spleen (P < 0.05). These findings might contribute to our understanding of the function of periostin in swine.

Molecular characterization and tissue expression profile of porcine Ephrin-B2.

Ephrin-B2 (EFNB2) is a signaling molecule that plays an important role in cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration in humans. However, little is known about this molecule in pigs. In order to investigate whether EFNB2 is associated with the skeletal muscle in pigs, we cloned the full-length cDNA of EFNB2 (GenBank accession No. KF500033) from the longissimus dorsi muscle of Yorkshire pigs by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The results indicated that its full-length cDNA comprises 1991 bp, with an open reading frame of 1002 bp, a 5' end of 88 bp, and a 3' end of 901 bp. We analyzed the homology of porcine EFNB2 with sequences from other species, and the phylogenetic tree showed that pig EFNB2 was most closely related to that from sheep, followed by domestic cats and wolf, with mackerel being the most distantly related. Porcine EFNB2 is a water-soluble protein with a theoretical molecular weight of 36,928.1 Da, an isoelectric point of 8.98, and a hydrophilic transmembrane-spanning region. It contains 19 glycosylation sites and eight phosphorylation sites. The tertiary structure of the EFNB2 protein showed a forniciform helix structure. The porcine EFNB2 gene was expressed in ten different tissues from 25-day-old Shaziling and Yorkshire piglets, with the highest expression observed in the longissimus dorsi. These results lay the foundation for further study on the EFNB2 gene in pigs.

Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide and neuron-specific enolase: useful predictors of response to chemotherapy and survival in patients with small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was (1) to evaluate and predict the value of ProGRP and NSE in therapy and survival; (2) as well as to investigate the correlation between the ProGRP mRNA expression in peripheral blood and serum ProGRP protein. METHODS: The study included 122 patients with SCLC without prior therapy. The serum levels of ProGRP and NSE were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and eletro-chemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively. The expression of ProGRP mRNA was detected by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Distribution of serum levels of ProGRP, NSE and ProGRP mRNA differed significantly according to tumor size, disease stage and distant metastasis (all P < 0.05), and no association was found between them and gender or age (both P > 0.05). After two courses of chemotherapy, patients of remission and stable groups showed a marked decrease in ProGRP and NSE concentrations (P < 0.05). The ProGRP concentration of patients in progression group was significantly higher than pretreatment level (P < 0.05), while NSE concentration was not. A linear nonparametric (Spearman) correlation test revealed that there was a significant correlation between ProGRP mRNA expression in peripheral blood and serum ProGRP protein level (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis found a statistically significant association of survival with disease stage, distant metastasis, ProGRP and NSE (P < 0.05). Gender, age and tumor size were not prognostic factors (P > 0.05). Multiple Cox regression model analysis found that only disease stage and NSE were significant predictors (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study has found that there is a potential role for ProGRP and NSE in both therapy monitoring and predicting survival in SCLC patients.

Serum human epididymis protein 4 is associated with the treatment response of concurrent chemoradiotherapy and prognosis in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

AIM: To investigate the role of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). METHODS: A total of 218 patients with LA-NSCLC were enrolled. All patients underwent CRT. The treatment response to CRT was evaluated. The prognosis analysis was performed using relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival [1]. RESULTS: Our data show that the serum HE4 can discriminate patients who respond well to CRT from those who respond poorly. Higher serum HE4 had dramatically increased risk of being non-responders to CRT. Serum HE4 level is also associated with prognosis of patients after CRT. Patients with high HE4 level had shorter RFS and OS compared to those with low HE4 level. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that serum HE4 may be a useful prognostic biomarker for LA-NSCLC patients who underwent CRT.

Efficacy and safety of nucleoside analogues in preventing vertical transmission of the hepatitis B virus from father to infant.

We examined the efficacy and safety of nucleoside analogues in preventing the vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from father to infant. We included 201 patients who visited the liver clinic of our hospital. The patients were positive for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), HBeAg, anti-HBc, and HBV DNA; 189 patients (94%) had abnormal liver function. In all couples, the fathers were HBV DNA-negative and had normal liver function, and the mothers were anti-HB-positive before pregnancy. The control group comprised 188 couples who visited our hospital during the same time period. The fathers in the control group were positive for HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBc, and HBV DNA. The mothers were HBsAg-negative and anti-HBs-positive. No infants in the case group were HBsAg-positive and HBV DNA-positive, and all were anti-HBs-positive, indicating that father to infant HBV vertical transmission was prevented in the case group. In the control group, 147 of 188 newborns (78.2%) were anti-HBs-positive at birth, 28 (14.9%) were HBV DNA-positive, and 19 (10.1%) were HBsAg-positive. A significant difference was observed between the two groups. No statistically significant difference was observed in the gestational age, birth weight, birth length, 1-min and 8-min Apgar score, jaundice, other internal and surgical diseases, delivery mode, and other birth information between the neonates born to couples in the case and control groups; there were no fetal malformations and stillbirths in the two groups. Our results showed that administration of antiretroviral therapy to HBV DNA-positive fathers before pregnancy can cause a decrease in the viral load and prevent father to infant HBV vertical transmission. The use of antiviral nucleoside analogues before pregnancy was safe in fathers, and the fathers who wanted children could continue to use anti-viral therapy. The sample size in our study was small, and further studies with a large sample size and longer follow-up time are required for determining the use of nucleoside analogues from the point view of prenatal and postnatal care.

Detection and characterization of carbendazim resistance in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates from oilseed rape in Anhui Province of China.

Stem rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a devastating disease of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in Anhui Province of China. The fungicide carbendazim (methyl benzimidazole-2-yl carbamate; MBC) has been used to control this fungal disease since the 1980s. In the present study, 74 isolates of S. sclerotiorum from 13 regions of Anhui were collected, and the sensitivities of these isolates to MBC were examined to monitor fungicide resistance. We found that 22 of the 74 isolates showed resistance to MBC, indicating that S. sclerotiorum has developed resistance in parts of Anhui Province. PCR assays and DNA sequence analysis showed that isolates with high MBC resistance had a point mutation at position 198 in the ß-tubulin gene that caused a glutamic acid-to-alanine change in the protein. The ß-tubulin gene in low-resistance isolates did not have the mutation. These results indicate that the mutation in ß-tubulin gene may be associated with high MBC resistance in S. sclerotiorum. The present study also found no correlation between MBC resistance and pathogenicity of S. sclerotiorum isolates, suggesting that the pathogenicity of S. sclerotiorum isolates on oilseed rape did not vary with MBC resistance status.

Screening potential SSR markers of the anadromous fish Coilia nasus by de novo transcriptome analysis using Illumina sequencing.

RNA-Seq technology has been widely applied to transcriptomics, genomics, molecular marker development, and functional gene studies. In the genome, microsatellites are simple sequence repeats (SSR) with a high degree of polymorphism that are used as DNA markers in many molecular genetic studies. Using traditional methods such as magnetic bead enrichment, only a few microsatellite markers have been isolated. Coilia nasus is an anadromous, small-to-moderately sized fish species that is famous as an important fishery resource. Here, we have identified a large number of microsatellites from the fish brains by using Illumina sequencing. About 20 million Illumina reads were assembled into 148,845 unigenes. A total of 13,038 SSR motifs were identified via analysis of 3,958,293,117 (3.96 Gb) nucleotides to produce a comprehensive transcript dataset for the C. nasus brain, including mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, and penta-repeat motifs. The most abundant type of repeat motif was di-nucleotide (42.97%), followed by mono-nucleotide (38.86%), tri-nucleotide (16.21%), tetra-nucleotide (1.83%), and penta-nucleotide (0.05%) repeat units, which is similar to the results obtained in studies in other species. These data provide a base of sequence information to improve molecular-assisted markers to study C. nasus genetic diversity.

Molecular characterization, chromosome mapping, and expression profile of porcine CDC16.

Cell division cycle16 (CDC16) is a core component among the eight protein subunits of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). APC is a cyclin degradation system that governs the exit of cells from mitosis. Not much information is available for CDC16 in pig. In this study, a 2284-bp cDNA of porcine CDC16 was obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Porcine CDC16 was assigned to SSC11 q11-17, and was determined to be significantly linked with SW1452 by using somatic cell hybrid panel and radiation hybrid panel. One novel A/G SNP anchored in intron 7 of the gene was genotyped by restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism-Csp6I. In five pig breeds, Shaziling, Taoyuan, Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire, the A allele frequency was dominant. Quantitative PCR revealed that porcine CDC16 was expressed in ten selected tissues of 25-day-old Shaziling and Yorkshire piglets, and that the mRNA expression of CDC16 in longissimus dorsi muscle of Shaziling was higher than that of Yorkshire. Expression levels of CDC16 were highest in longissimus dorsi muscle followed by that in pancreas. CDC16 protein was detected in longissimus dorsi muscle of 25-day-old Shaziling and Yorkshire piglets by immunohistochemistry with abundant protein expression index (P > 0.05). This study provides an insight into the role of porcine CDC16 in the formation of meat.

Significance of Ebp1 and p53 protein expression in cervical cancer.

In this study, the ErbB3-binding protein (Ebp1) and p53 protein expression in cervical cancer tissues, and its significance in the prognosis of the disease was investigated. Ebp1 and p53 protein expression was detected by immunohistochemical analysis in cervical cancer tissues (N = 60) and normal tissues adjacent to the cancer tissues (N = 60). The rates of positive Ebp1 and p53 protein expression were 35.0 and 60.0%, respectively. Ebp1 and p53 were overexpressed in cervical cancer tissues, compared to normal tissues (P < 0.05). Ebp1 and p53 protein expression was not correlated with age, tumor size, or family tumor history (P > 0.05). However, high levels of expression of Ebp1 and p53 were positively correlated with the TNM stage and lymphatic metastasis in cervical cancer patients (P < 0.05). The combined determination of Ebp1 and p53 expression levels in cervical cancer patients could support the effective prediction of metastatic potential and patient prognosis.

Effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the ATP-binding cassette B1 gene on the clinical outcome of traumatic brain injury.

The critical role of ATP-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1) in the function of the blood-brain barrier led us to conducted this prospective study in order to investigate the clinical outcome of patients suffering from severe traumatic brain injury. A total of 182 patients with traumatic brain injury were included in our study. Genotyping of ABCB1 C3435T and G2677T/A was conducted using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Using multivariate-logistic regression analysis, we found that patients carrying the CT+CC genotype of ABCB1 C3435T were more likely to have a better neurological outcome when compared with the TT genotype (odds ratio = 2.71, 95% confidence interval = 1.12-6.86). However, no significant association was found between the G2677T/A polymorphism and outcome of traumatic brain injury patients. Our study provides important information regarding the prognostic value of ABCB1 C3435T, and the ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism may be used as a predictive marker for the outcome of traumatic brain injury patients.

Pathway-based network analysis of myeloma tumors: monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance, smoldering multiple myeloma, and multiple myeloma.

Although many studies have been carried out on monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significances (MGUS), smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), and multiple myeloma (MM), their classification and underlying pathogenesis are far from elucidated. To discover the relationships among MGUS, SMM, and MM at the transcriptome level, differentially expressed genes in MGUS, SMM, and MM were identified by the rank product method, and then co-expression networks were constructed by integrating the data. Finally, a pathway-network was constructed based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis, and the relationships between the pathways were identified. The results indicated that there were 55, 78, and 138 pathways involved in the myeloma tumor developmental stages of MGUS, SMM, and MM, respectively. The biological processes identified therein were found to have a close relationship with the immune system. Processes and pathways related to the abnormal activity of DNA and RNA were also present in SMM and MM. Six common pathways were found in the whole process of myeloma tumor development. Nine pathways were shown to participate in the progression of MGUS to SMM, and prostate cancer was the sole pathway that was involved only in MGUS and MM. Pathway-network analysis might provide a new indicator for the developmental stage diagnosis of myeloma tumors.

Ebp1 protein expression in cervical cancer tissue and its significance.

The objectives of this study were to observe the changes in expression of ErbB-3 binding protein (Ebp1) in cervical cancer and to investigate their clinic significance. We detected the expression level of Ebp1 in cancerous and adjacent tissues from 56 patients with cervical cancer. We identified 21 Ebp1 positive samples (37.5%) from among the 56 cervical cancer tissue samples and 5 Ebp1 positive samples (8.9%) in the corresponding adjacent tissues; the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). No statistically significant (P > 0.05) differences in the rates of positive Ebp1 expression were found between patients under 60 years of age and those equal to or over this age. No statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were found between patients whose tumor diameters were under 5 cm and those with tumor diameters over 5 cm. No statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) in the Ebp1 positive rates were found among the cervical cancer samples when stratified by grade (I, II, or III). Together, these results demonstrate that Ebp1 protein expression is upregulated in cervical cancer tissues but is not related to clinical pathologic factors such as patient age or tumor size or differentiation level, suggesting that Ebp1 plays an important role in the genesis and growth process of cervical cancer.

Efficacy of combined hepatitis B immunoglobulin and hepatitis B vaccine in blocking father-infant transmission of hepatitis B viral infection.

The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of combined immunization of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and hepatitis B vaccine (HBVac) in blocking father-infant transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Newborns positive at birth for blood HBV sur-face antigen (HBsAg) and/or HBV DNA were selected and immunized with HBIG combination HBVac. At 7 months, HBV markers and HBV DNA of each neonate were measured using electrochemiluminescence with the Cobas-e-411 Automatic Electrochemiluminescence Immuno-assay Analyzer and fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Among all 7-month-old subjects, the negative conversion rates of HBV DNA and HBsAg were 48/61 (78.7%) and 19/41 (46.3%), respectively. Therefore, this study demonstrated that prompt combination injection of HBIG and HBVac can protect some of the HBV DNA- and/ or HBsAg-positive newborns from HBV.

Characterization of porcine GAS6 cDNA gene and its expression analysis in weaned piglets.

The growth arrest-specific 6 gene (GAS6) is a member of the family of plasma vitamin K-dependent proteins, which are able to bind to phospholipids using an N-terminal gamma-carboxyglutamic acid domain. A recent report has demonstrated that the GAS6 gene can promote fat deposition and is associated with an increased number of fat cells in mice. In order to investigate whether GAS6 expression is associated with meat quality in pigs, a 2382-bp cDNA sequence of the porcine GAS6 gene (GenBank accession No. KC526197) was first obtained using rapid amplification of cDNA ends from porcine longissimus dorsi tissue. One A/G single nucleotide polymorphism anchored in exon 12 was genotyped using the marker PCR-RFLP-BglI, and the G allele was dominant in the pig breeds tested. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that the porcine GAS6 gene was expressed in all tissues examined in weaned male Shaziling (SZL) and Yorkshire (YS) weanling piglets, and mRNA expression of GAS6 in the longissimus dorsi tissue of SZL piglets was significantly higher than that in YS piglets (P < 0.05). The GAS6 protein was likely to be a membrane protein and was detected in longissimus dorsi tissue from SZL and YS piglets using immunohistochemistry, with an abundant protein expression index (P > 0.05). The results imply that the GAS6 gene can be considered a potential candidate for meat quality trait selection and fat deposition in pigs.