[Preliminary analysis on the composition of fish and cephalopod in diet of Dosidicus gigas in the high sea of Eastern Pacific Ocean]. / ä¸œå¤ªå¹³æ´‹å ¬æµ·èŒŽæŸ”é±¼é¥µæ–™ä¸­é±¼ç±»å’Œå¤´è¶³ç±»ç»„æˆåˆæ­¥åˆ†æž.

Dosidicus gigas is widely distributed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and plays an important role in the marine ecosystem. In this study, we identified and analyzed 4131 otoliths and 75 beaks from the stomach content residuals of 62 D. gigas samples, which were collected by Chinese squid jigging vessels in the high sea of Eastern Pacific Ocean from June to December 2019. The results showed that the preys of D. gigas included 10 fish species and 4 cephalopod species. Judging from the frequency of appearance and percentage of amount, Vinciguerria lucetia, Diogenichthys laternatus, and Triphoturus mexicanus were the dominant myctophidae prey of D. gigas. Among those preys, V. lucetia was the most important one, as it was found in all D. gigas with different mantle lengths. D. gigas, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, and Onychoteuthis banksii were the dominant cephalopod prey. With the growth of mantle length of D. gigas, the number of prey species, the percentage of cephalopod and myctophidae preys, and the size of preys increased, and thus the trophic level of preys increased as the trophic pattern of preys changed. Our results could provide basic information for evaluating the contribution of different preys in the preying transformation of D. gigas.

MiR-378 Plays an Important Role in the Differentiation of Bovine Preadipocytes.

BACKGROUND: Adipocyte, the main cellular component of white adipose tissue, plays a vital role in energy balance in higher eukaryotes. In recent years, adipocytes have also been identified as a major endocrine organ involved in immunological responses, vascular diseases, and appetite regulation. In farm animals, fat content and categories are closely correlated with meat quality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of endogenous single-stranded non-coding RNA molecules, participate in the regulation of adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis through regulating the transcription or translation of target mRNAs. MiR-378 plays an important role in a number of biological processes, including cell growth, cell differentiation, tumor cell survival and angiogenesis. METHODS: In the present study, bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to identify and validate the target genes of miR-378. In vitro cell transfection, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blot analysis, Oil Red O staining, and triglyceride content measurement were conducted to analyze the effects of miR-378 on bovine preadipocyte differentiation. RESULTS: MiR-378 was induced during adipocyte differentiation. In the differentiated adipocytes overexpressing miR- 378, the volume of lipid droplets was enlarged, and the triglyceride content was increased. Moreover, the mRNA expression levels of the adipocyte differentiation marker genes, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP), were significantly elevated in the differentiated, mature adipocytes. In contrast, the mRNA expression level of preadipocyte factor 1 (Pref-1) was markedly reduced. E2F transcription factor 2 (E2F2) and Ras-related nuclear (RAN)-binding protein 10 (RANBP10) were the two target genes of miR-378. The mRNA expression levels of E2F2 and RANBP10 did not significantly change in bovine preadipocytes overexpressing miR-378. However, the protein expression levels of E2F2 and RANBP10 were markedly reduced. CONCLUSION: MiR-378 promoted the differentiation of bovine preadipocytes. E2F2 and RANBP10 were the two target genes of miR-378, and might involve in the effects of miR-378 on the bovine preadipocyte differentiation.

Health-related quality of life of the rural-China left-behind children or adolescents and influential factors: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Due to sustained export of labor service, the left-behind children/ adolescents in rural areas of China have become a group that can no longer be neglected. However, even up to this day, little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the left-behind children/adolescents, particularly in Midwest China. This study aims at investigating their living condition and analyzing the influential factors of their HRQoL. METHODS: A cross-sectional study based on households was conducted and 1363 children or adolescents from rural areas of 6 provinces in China, among whom 608 were left-behind and 755 were non-left-behind, were enrolled in a multistage sampling. HRQoL was revealed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Differences in scores were analyzed using rank sum tests, and multivariate analyses were conducted with multiple linear regression. RESULTS: There was a total of 608 (44.61%) left-behind children or adolescents, and they scored significantly lower in terms of the HRQoL synthesis scores (F = 6.14, P < 0.05), Physical Functioning (H = 33.18, P < 0.05), Emotional Functioning (H = 24.99, P < 0.05) and Social Functioning (H = 12.24, P < 0.05), compared with the non-left-behind. Multiple linear regressions indicated that age and mother's final academic qualification were in positive correlation with the HRQoL of the left-behind children, while mother's longer migrant working time and less frequent visits, and being reared by uncle/aunt etc., were potential risk factors for the left-behind children. CONCLUSIONS: The HRQoL scores of left-behind children or adolescents were significantly lower than those of their counterparts both in the physical and the psychological domains. Influential factors should be considered when relevant policies are being made and intervening practices are being undertaken in the future, so as to improve the HRQoL of the left-behind children or adolescents.

Paternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 14 and unique exchange of chromosome 7 in cases of spontaneous abortion.

To investigate the involvement of uniparental disomies (UPDs) in spontaneous abortion, the polymorphic patterns of microsatellites on each chromosome were analyzed in 164 cases of abortion. Eighty-three of the 164 cases had chromosomal abnormalities. In 79 of the remaining 81 cases with normal karyotypes, the microsatellite analysis revealed that biparental patterns were present in the informative microsatellites in all chromosomes. In one of the remaining two cases, however, the polymorphic patterns of chromosome 14 appeared to be both of paternal origin. The patterns of the distal of the long arm were homozygous, and those of the remaining region were heterozygous. That is, this fetus had paternal UPD 14, originating from meiosis I nondisjunction. In the other case, the polymorphic patterns of the distal one third of the long arm of chromosome 7 were uniparental (maternal) in origin whereas those of the remaining region of this chromosome were biparental. These findings thus suggested that this chromosome might have originated from chromatid exchange between the long arms of paternal and maternal chromosome 7 at the first mitotic division. Microsatellite analysis, however, produced no evidence of duplication or deletion of any segments. The findings also suggest the possibility that some UPDs may cause spontaneous abortion.

Parental origin and cell stage of non-disjunction of double trisomy in spontaneous abortion.

Using polymorphic analysis of microsatellites, we investigated the parental origin and mechanism of double trisomies seen in cases of spontaneous abortion. We obtained chorionic villi from spontaneous abortions, and peripheral blood from females who experienced abortion and their spouses. Chromosomal analysis of 170 cases revealed four cases with double trisomy. The karyotypes of these cases are 48,XX,+16,+22, 48,XXY,+18, 48,XX,+15,+21 and 48,XX,+2,+5. In the present study, the incidence of double trisomy was 2.4% of spontaneous abortions. Polymorphic analysis of microsatellites indicated that extra chromosomes were all of maternal origin in the four cases of double trisomy. The predominance of maternal origin in cases of double trisomy is similar to cases of single trisomy. The result also indicated that both extra chromosomes in two cases occurred by non-disjunction at the first meiotic division, and extra chromosomes in the other two cases occurred by non-disjunction at the first mitotic division. The mean maternal age in cases of double trisomy was significantly higher than that in cases of single trisomy. These findings suggest the possibility that abnormal separation of two or more chromosomes may occur simultaneously in oogonia, and that this phenomenon may increase in relation to the increase in age of women.