RESUMO
Previous studies have shown that BMPR1B promotes follicular development and ovarian granulosa cell proliferation, thereby affecting ovulation in mammals. In this study, the expression and polymorphism of the BMPR1B gene associated with litter size in small-tail Han (STH) sheep were determined. The expression of BMPR1B was detected in 14 tissues of STH sheep during the follicular phase as well as in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of monotocous and polytocous STH sheep during the follicular and luteal phases using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Sequenom MassARRAY® single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technology was also used to detect the polymorphism of SNPs in seven sheep breeds. Here, BMPR1B was highly expressed in hypothalamus, ovary, uterus, and oviduct tissue during the follicular phase, and BMPR1B was expressed significantly more in the hypothalamus of polytocous ewes than in monotocous ewes during both the follicular and luteal phases ( P < 0.05 ). For genotyping, we found that genotype and allele frequencies of three loci of the BMPR1B gene were extremely significantly different ( P < 0.01 ) between the monotocous and polytocous groups. Association analysis results showed that the g.29380965A > G locus had significant negative effects on the litter size of STH sheep, and the combination of g.29380965A > G and FecB (Fec - fecundity and B - Booroola; A746G) at the BMPR1B gene showed that the litter size of AG-GG, AA-GG, and GG-GG genotypes was significantly higher compared with other genotypes ( P < 0.05 ). This is the first study to find a new molecular marker affecting litter size and to systematically analyze the expression of BMPR1B in different fecundity and physiological periods of STH sheep.
RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the imaging features of dysbaric osteonecrosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The imaging appearances of four patients with dysbaric osteonecrosis caused by diving, were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In four cases with dysbaric osteonecrosis including case 1 with stage I, case 2 with stage II, case 3 and case 4 with stage III, there were a case with the lesion in a bone and other 3 cases with lesions in multiple bones,and a case with the lesion in unilateral bone and 3 cases with the lesions in lateral bones. (1) The juxta-articular lesions: there were 10 long bones with the head lesions, including 6 humerus with the head lesions and 4 femurs with the head lesions in 4 cases. In four cases, 10 sclerosis lesions appeared in the heads of long bones, each case had a "snow-capped" sclerosis lesion for case 2, case 3 and case 4. There were 7 small radiolucent lesions and a large radiolucent lesion involved in femur neck. The ringlike, linear, bending and punctuate calcification lesions were found on CT films of case 2. The osseous collapse in one femur head and the fragmentations in three femur heads could be seen in case 3 and case 4; 2 crescent signs can be seen in the bilateral femur heads of case 4 with secondary osteoarthritis in left hip joint. (2) The diaphyseal and metaphyseal lesions: the X ray film of case 4 showed the streak and irregular calcifications in the shaft of right humerus; there are strip calcifications in diaphyseal and metaphyseal of the left humerus on MPR coronal view in case 2.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The diagnosis of dysbaric osteonecrosis suggested that the increased bone density or sclerosis lesions appeared in the heads of long bones, and osteonecrosis lesions were found in multiple bones or lateral bones.</p>
