Transcriptome and proteome revealed the differences in 3 colors of earlobe in Jiangshan Black-bone chicken.

The earlobe is a featherless, exposed thickening located beneath the ear canal of chickens, which plays a visual signaling role in age, performance, mental vitality, reproduction, and other aspects. However, despite its importance, there have been few studies on the color differences and formation mechanisms of chicken earlobes, particularly the structurally blue earlobes characteristic of the Jiangshan black-bone chicken. In this study, we explored the physiological mechanisms that may influence the formation of differently colored earlobes using 3 types of earlobes from Jiangshan black-bone chickens: light peacock green (Green group), dark peacock green (Blue group), and dark reddish purple (Black group). All 3 earlobe colors exhibited positive melanin Masson-Fontana staining, and the thickness of collagen fibers in the dermis decreased in the order of Green, Blue, and Black groups. A total of 1,953 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the 3 earlobes through mRNA sequencing, among which the GO term "collagen trimer" was significantly enriched in DEGs between groups. Additionally, 716 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the 3 earlobes using 4D-DIA proteomics, with the term "collagen fibril organization" being significantly enriched in DEPs between the Green and Black groups. Integrated analysis of transcriptome and proteome data revealed that 12 DEGs and DEPs were commonly differentially expressed between the Green and Black groups, including the gene LUM (corneal keratan sulfate proteoglycan), which was significantly enriched in the "collagen fibril organization" GO term. In conclusion, our study suggests that LUM plays a crucial role in the formation of peacock green earlobes in Jiangshan black-bone chickens. The high level of LUM in peacock green (Green and Blue groups) may affect collagen nanostructures, leading to a stronger effect of melanin-supported dermal collagen on the production of non-iridescent structural colors through coherent scattering, resulting in a bright structural blue color in Jiangshan black-bone chickens. In contrast, the low expression of LUM in dark reddish purple (Black group) reduces the reflection of non-iridescent structural colors, making the earlobe color appear almost black, similar to melanin.

Healthy Aging at Family Mealtimes: Associations of Clean Cooking, Protein Intake, and Dining Together with Mental Health of Chinese Older Adults amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

The present study aims to examine whether multiple dietary factors affect the mental health of older adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposes an integrative dietary framework that highlights environmental, nutritional, and social aspects of diet for healthy aging. Based on a sample of 7858 Chinese older adults, the associations between diet and depressive symptoms, along with the rural-urban divide, were examined using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Overall, protein intake (incidence-rate ratio [IRR] = 0.89, p < 0.001), frequency of family dining together (IRR = 0.98, p < 0.001), and using tap water for cooking (IRR = 0.92, p < 0.01) were associated with lower incidence rates of depressive symptoms among older adults. Among rural older adults, frequency of family dining together (IRR = 0.97, p < 0.001) and tap water use (IRR = 0.89, p < 0.001) were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. However, urban residents who had a higher frequency of family dining together (IRR = 0.98, p < 0.05) and protein intake (IRR = 0.81, p < 0.001) exhibited fewer depressive symptoms. The findings revealed multifaceted dietary pathways towards healthy aging, which call for policies and interventions that improve diet quality for community-dwelling older adults.

Dexamethasone induce osteoblast apoptosis in a duration- and dose-dependent manner.

OBJECTIVES: Osteoblasts play an important role in the process of osteogenesis and prevention of osteonecrosis. Dexamethasone, a type of glucocorticoids (GCs), induce apoptosis of osteoblasts and lead to the occurrence of non-traumatic osteonecrosis. This study aimed to explore the effects of different doses and duration of Dexamethasone on osteoblast apoptosis of rats in vitro. METHODS: Proliferation and apoptosis of osteoblasts after Dexamethasone treatment were detected using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and FITC-Annexin V/PI staining. The expressions of caspase-3 and -9 in osteoblasts after Dexamethasone treatment were analyzed using western blotting and qRT-PCR. Dexamethasone remarkably inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of osteoblasts in a dose-and duration-dependent manner. RESULTS: As the intervention time extended, the expression of caspase-3 mRNA and caspase-9 mRNA in different Dexamethasone groups gradually increased in a duration-dependent manner. With the same time of intervention (12h, 24h, 48h), the expression of caspase-3 and -9 mRNA gradually increased in a dose-dependent manner. After treated with 5 * 10-8M, 5 * 10-7M, 5 * 10-6M and 5 * 10-5M Dexamethasone for 24 hours, the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and -9 protein increased in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone can induce osteoblast apoptosis in a duration- and dose-dependent manner.

Effects of posterior scleral reinforcement in pathological myopia: a 3-year follow-up study.

PURPOSE: To assess the effects of posterior sclera reinforcement (PSR) in refractive outcomes, choroidal thickness (CT), and retinal thickness (RT) during a 3-year follow-up in eyes with pathological myopia. METHODS: Thirty-eight eyes of 26 adults with pathological myopia who underwent PSR (the PSR group) and 30 eyes of 18 adults with matched age and myopia who did not receive PSR treatment (the control group) were followed up with measurements of axial length (AL), spherical equivalent (SE), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), CT, and RT at baseline, 1 and 3 months, and 1, 2, and 3 years postoperatively. Data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance and independent-samples t test. RESULTS: In the PSR group, AL, SE, BCVA, and CT were tending to be relatively stable and no statistically significant changes were found during the follow-up (all P > 0.05). In contrast, in the control group, compared with the measurements taken at baseline, AL, SE, BCVA, and CT altered gradually from 1 month onward to 3 years postoperatively. At 2-year and 3-year follow-ups, significant differences in AL, SE, BCVA, and CT were noted between the PSR group and the control group (all P < 0.05). RTs of the center subfield and the inner ring were equal to the baseline in the control group; however, RTs of the center subfield at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years postoperatively significantly slightly reduced compared with those at the baseline in the PSR group (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The effects of PSR in restraining eyeball elongation, stabilizing vision, and strengthening the structure of posterior pole are more prominent 2 years or more postoperatively compared with the natural progression of pathological myopia.