ABSTRACT To effectively develop and utilize high-quality Tianfu broilers, this study evaluated the morphological and structural characteristics of the immune organs of such broilers with different strains (HS1 and HS2) at different developmental stages and analyzed the distribution of mast cells by toluidine blue staining. Moreover, the localization and expression of immunoglobulin, complement C3, C4 and CD3 in immune organs were also detected. The results showed that although there was no significant difference in the development of immune organs in the HS1 and HS2, the number of lymphatic follicles and capsule thickness in the spleen and bursa of Fabricius in HS1 were greater than those in HS2. Additionally, the number of mast cells in the spleen of HS1 was greater at Day 1 and Day 21 and was significantly higher than that of HS2 (p<0.05); the number of mast cells in the bursa of Fabricius reached 9.17 on Day 7, which was significantly higher than that of HS2 (p<0.05). Moreover, the serum IgA and IgM levels in HS1 were higher than those in HS2 on Day 14 and 21 (p<0.05). In addition, the complement C3 content in HS1 was significantly or extremely significantly higher than that in HS2 on Days 1, 14 and 21 (p<0.01, p<0.05), respectively, but significantly lower than in HS2 on Day 7 (p<0.05). These results indicated that the disease resistance of the HS1 line was stronger than that of the HS2 line, which lays a foundation for future disease- resistance breeding of Tianfu broilers.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of tirofiban on new cerebral microhemorrhage after mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: In total, 203 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated by mechanical thrombectomy in our department of neurology were enrolled as the research objects. The patients were divided into two groups: the patients who used tirofiban within 24 h after surgery were assigned to the study group (78 subjects), while patients who did not use tirofiban were assigned to the conventional group (125 subjects). Magnetic resonance imaging was used to detect new-onset cerebral microbleeds in patients with stroke after surgery. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, modified ranking scale, and activity of daily living scale were used to assess the prognosis of patients, and the general data and the occurrence of adverse effects between two groups were compared to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban. RESULTS: The proportion of atrial fibrillation in the research group was significantly lower than that in the conventional group. The research group had a much lower rate of new-onset cerebral microbleeds than the conventional group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of adverse reactions between the two groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of tirofiban in mechanical thrombectomy of patients with acute ischemic stroke has high safety, effectively reduces the occurrence of new cerebral microhemorrhage, and provides a guarantee for patient safety.

ABSTRACT Background: Different from the traditional right ventricular pacing, the left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is accomplished with deeper lead implantation and more attempts. However, myocardial damage is unclear in LBBAP. Objective: The objective of the study was to observe the change of troponin T and explore possible factors associated with greater myocardial damage in LBBAP. Methods: Patients with an indication for pacemaker implantation underwent attempts for LBBAP by transventricular septal method. Levels of troponin T were determined before operation, 12 h and 1 week after the operation. Parameters of intraoperation and follow-up were recorded and analyzed. Results: In total, successful LBBAP was achieved in 126 patients. The levels of troponin T increased significantly at 12 h after the operation compared with those before operation (96.45 ± 11.07 [69.06] vs. 16.59 ± 1.84 [11.92] ng/L, p < 0.001), while there were no significant differences between pre- and post-operative levels at 1 week. Correlation and regression analysis showed that only the number of attempts was an independent factor related to the change of troponin T. During 1 year of follow-up, LBBAP was safe and feasible with few complications. Conclusions: Myocardial damage of LBBAP was clinically significant. The number of attempts was an independent factor related to the myocardial damage.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze the relations of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) and brain-type fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP) with postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-five patients who underwent spinal surgery were enrolled in this study. According to whether patients had POCD within 5 days after surgery, the participants were divided into POCD group and non-POCD group. Before surgery and 6 h after surgery, the serum H-FABP and B-FABP contents were detected. RESULTS: There were 33 (26.4%) patients in POCD group, and 92 (73.60%) patients in non-POCD group. After surgery, the serum H-FABP and B-FABP contents in POCD group were significantly higher than those before surgery, respectively (p<0.05), and those in non-POCD group were significantly lower than those before surgery, respectively (p<0.05). After surgery, the serum H-FABP and B-FABP contents in POCD group were significantly higher than those in non-POCD group, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The serum H-FABP and B-FABP contents are positively related to the occurrence of POCD in elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery.

ABSTRACT Purpose To explore the role and molecular mechanisms of neuroprotective effects of octreotide in alcohol-induced neuropathic pain. Methods Male Wistar rats were employed and were administered a chronic ethanol diet containing 5% v/v alcohol for 28 days. The development of neuropathic pain was assessed using von Frey hair (mechanical allodynia), pinprick (mechanical hyperalgesia) and cold acetone drop tests (cold allodynia). The antinociceptive effects of octreotide (20 and 40 µg·kg–1) were assessed by its administration for 28 days in ethanol-treated rats. ANA-12 (0.25 and 0.50 mg·kg–1), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) receptor blocker, was coadministered with octreotide. The sciatic nerve was isolated to assess the biochemical changes including hydrogen sulfide (H2S), cystathionine β synthase (CBS), cystathionine γ lyase (CSE), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), BDNF and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Results Octreotide significantly attenuated chronic ethanol-induced neuropathic pain and it also restored the levels of H2S, CBS, CSE, BDNF, Nrf2 and decreased TNF-α levels. ANA-12 abolished the effects of octreotide on pain, TNF-α, BDNF, Nrf2 without any significant effects on H2S, CBS, CSE. Conclusions Octreotide may attenuate the behavioral manifestations of alcoholic neuropathic pain, which may be due to an increase in H2S, CBS, CSE, BDNF, Nrf2 and a decrease in neuroinflammation.

ABSTRACT To investigate the hypothesis that APS can attenuate E. coli-induced microvascular dysfunction in chicken intestine, 60 0-day old male chickens were divided into three groups with 5 replications of 4 chicks. Chicken in the APS group were treated with 15 mg APS daily while the others were given 0 mg APS for 6 days. Then all 7-day old chicken were injected intraperitoneally by E. coli, except for the chicken in the control group. After 4 h, all chicken’s intestinal samples were collected to detect gene expressions involved in inflammatory factors and adhesion molecules. Results showed that APS attenuated the signs of edema and hemorrhage in 7-day old chicken intestinal mucosa which were induced by E. coli injection. Consistently, APS significantly reduced the increasing mRNA levels of inflammatory factors such as Tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin (IL) -1β and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) (p<0.05), the same results were observed in vascular adhesion molecules such as E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Moreover, we observed that APS supplementation in water suppressed significantly (p<0.05) the decline of reparative factors such as epithelial growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in E. coli injected group. Furthermore, supplementation with APS substantially blocked (p<0.05) the increase in Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and Nuclear factor (NF)-κB mRNA abundance (p=0.087) induced by E. coli infection. This study indicated that microvascular injured chicken intestine induced by E. coli would be attenuated with feeding APS, and the mechanism of repairing were probably mediated through TLR4-NF-κB signal pathways.

ABSTRACT Chinese indigenous chicken breeds are geographically widespread, and a total of 116 indigenous chicken breeds are listed as Chinese national genetic resources. However, these indigenous chicken breeds are facing serious challenges as declining population and germplasm degeneration because lots of commercial chicken breeds had been introduced. In this study, the genetic variations of eleven Chinese indigenous chicken breeds of Sichuan province and three commercial chicken breeds were investigated based on the partial mitochondrial DNA D-loop of 487bp in length. 147 individuals from 14 breeds were examined and 34 haplotypes were observed. Genetic diversity analysis showed that the highest haplotype diversity level was found in Dahen Chicken (DH) population, while the Arbor Acres Chicken (WF) and Roman layer (RM) showed lower genetic diversity levels. The long-term artificial selection may lead to reduced nucleotide diversity. Genetic population differentiation analysis indicated that most of the variation (80.80%) was attributed to variations among breeds. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these individuals were divided into four distinct genetic clades, including cluster A, B, C and D. Eighteen haplotypes were classified as cluster A, eight haplotypes were classified as cluster B, five haplotypes were classified as cluster C and three haplotypes were classified as cluster D. There was no breed-specific clade. Our study firstly identified the population’s genetic structure of Chinese indigenous chickens and the most important commercial breeds in Sichuan province, though the genetic diversity of indigenous breeds did not suffer obvious decrease, but could be helpful for efficient artificial breeding selection and genetic resources conservation.

ABSTRACT The melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene plays a key role in controlling the deposition of melanin. In mammals, the MC1Rgene is regarded as a major candidate gene in the control of melanin formation. In domestic animals, the MC1R gene mainly controls the expression of coat, skin, and plumage color in mammals and birds. In order to breed chickens with dark-green shank faster, we screened the molecular markers for shank color in a HS chicken population by exploring the relationship between polymorphism of the MC1R gene and three different shank colors (light green, dark green and yellow). Two primer pairs for code region of the MC1R gene were designed in the basic of chicken genomic sequence. DNA sequencing was performed to detect the polymorphisms and PCR was used to amplify DNA fragment. Sequences analysis indicated that 7 SNPs were predominant the three HS chicken populations with different shank color, including g.18,287,945C>T, g.18,288,088T>C, g.18,288,150G>A, g.18,288,303A>G, g.18,288,512G>A, g.18,288,513T>C, and g.18,288,520A>C. Association analysis revealed that the dark-green shank population showed moderate polymorphism, whereas the light-green shank population showed low polymorphism among overall 7 SNPs and that SNP6 (g.18,288,513T>C) may be significantly associated with three different shank colors in HS chickens. The haplotype CTGGACA had the largest haplotype frequencies, accounting for 56.22%, and the haplotype combination H1H1 is mainly distributed in the dark-green shank population, and may be used as molecular maker for marker-assisted selection of shank color in HS chickens.

This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and factors for survival of patients who underwent early-start peritoneal dialysis (PD) within 24 h after catheter insertion three years after PD. This study was conducted from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. All adult patients who were diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and underwent PD for the first time within 24 h after catheter insertion in our hospital were included. All patients with PD were followed-up until they withdrew from PD, switching to hemodialysis, were transferred to other medical centers, underwent renal transplantation, died or were lost to follow-up, or continued to undergo dialysis until the end of the study period. The follow-up observation lasted three years. The number of eligible patients was 110, and switching to hemodialysis and death were the main reasons for patients to withdraw from PD. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year technical survival rates of patients were 89.1, 79.1, and 79.1% respectively, while the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 90, 81.8, and 81.8%, respectively. The Charlson comorbidity index, age, hemoglobin, serum albumin, diabetic nephropathy, chronic glomerulonephritis, and hypertensive renal damage were independent risk factors that affected the prognosis of PD patients. Under the condition of ensuring the quality of the PD catheter insertion, early-start PD within 24 h after catheter insertion is a safe treatment approach for ESRD patients.

ABSTRACT The effects of boriding and boronitrocarburising surface treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AISI 4130 steel have been investigated. Pack boriding was carried out at 1223 K for 5 h and 8 h, while the double treatment of boronitrocarburising consisted of salt bath nitrocarburising at 853 K for 6 h followed by pack boriding at the same temperature and times as the boriding treatment. Microstructure examination of the borided and boronitrocarburised layers was carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopy, and phase identification was obtained using X-ray diffraction. Vickers hardness, wear and corrosion weight loss tests were used to evaluate the mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of superhard phases such as FeB, Fe2B, CrB, MnB and MnB2, indicating that pack boriding surface treatment conducted at 1223 K for 8 h exhibited the highest hardness, low coefficient of friction and the greatest wear resistance. Boronitrocarburising treatment, on the other hand, caused a reduction in both the depth of iron borides zone and mechanical properties compared to the boriding surface treatment. These recommended treatments offer to industrialists a particular contribution and interest in the development of these steels, which can be applied in various fields.

The influence of homogenization treatment on microstructure evolution of Mg-5.8Zn-0.5Zr-1.0Yb (mass fraction, %) alloy was investigated under different annealing temperatures and holding times. Results indicated a severe dendritic segregation in the as-cast ingot. Zn and Yb segregate remarkably at the grain boundary and Zr appears in the form of precipitates. The Mg-Zn binary eutectic phases and a new ternary phase Mg-Zn-Yb are mainly distributed at dendrite boundaries. After homogenization, most of the eutectic phases dissolve into the matrix, except for a small amount of Mg-Zn-Yb phase. The area fractions of residual secondary phase decrease from 5.54% in the as-cast alloy to 0.59% in the well-homogenized sample. Microhardness test indicates that with the increasing temperature and holding time, microhardness value decreased sharply within the first stage of homogenization and then increased steadily to the local maximum value at 380 ºC and 12 h, followed by a slight reduction. Basing on the comprehensive analysis on microstructure and mechanical properties, the homogenization treatment at 380 ºC for 12 h is preferable.

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and analyse its risk factors using the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups’ diagnostic criteria. Method: Pregnant women (n = 650) were selected for our study. The related risk factors of GDM were collected using a questionnaire. The 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was done from the 24th to the 28th week of their gestation. Their blood glucose levels were measured. Results: The GDM prevalence was 32.8%. Age, pre-pregnancy weight, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain, weight at birth and triglycerides in the GDM group were significantly higher than that of the normal glucose tolerance group (p < 0.05). The correlation analyses revealed that: age, pre-pregnancy weight, weight gain during pregnancy, the weights of the pregnant women at delivery, family history of diabetes, birth times, previous history of adverse pregnancy and hypertriglyceridaemia, were significantly correlated with the development of GDM (p < 0.05). Stratified analyses showed that the prevalence of GDM increased gradually with age and increased pre-pregnancy BMI. The pregnant women with a history of multiple pregnancies and previous adverse pregnancy had a significantly increased risk of developing GDM. Multiple stepwise regression analyses data indicated that prepregnancy weight, weight gain during pregnancy, family history of diabetes, previous adverse pregnancy, and hypertriglyceridaemia were the independent risk factors that contributed to the development of GDM in the pregnant women. Conclusion: The use of newly defined criteria has increased the apparent prevalence rate of GDM in the pregnant women we studied. Intervention treatment should be administered if the risk factors for GDM are established in order to reduce the incidence of GDM in pregnant women.

RESUMEN Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la prevalencia de la diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG) y analizar sus factores de riesgo usando los criterios de diagnóstico de la Asociación Internacional de Grupos de Estudio de Diabetes y Embarazo. Método: Seis cientos cincuenta mujeres embarazadas (n = 650) fueron seleccionadas para nuestro estudio. Los factores de riesgo relacionados de la DMG se recogieron utilizando un cuestionario. La prueba de tolerancia de glucosa oral de 75 g se realizó de la semana 24 a la semana 28 de la gestación. Se midieron los niveles de glucosa en sangre. Resultados: La prevalencia de DMG fue del 32.8%. La edad, índice de masa corporal antes del embarazo (IMC), peso antes del embarazo, aumento de peso gestacional, peso al nacer y los triglicéridos en el grupo de DMG fueron significativamente mayores que en el grupo de tolerancia normal a la glucosa (p < 0.05). Los análisis de correlación revelaron que la edad, el peso antes del embarazo, el aumento de peso durante el embarazo, el peso de las mujeres embarazadas en el parto, los antecedentes familiares de diabetes, los tiempos de nacimiento, los antecedentes de embarazo adverso, y la hipertrigliceri-demia, se correlacionaban significativamente con el desarrollo de la DMG (p < 0.05). Los análisis estratificados mostraron que la prevalencia de DMG aumenta gradualmente con la edad y el mayor IMC antes del embarazo. Las mujeres embarazadas con antecedentes de embarazos múltiples y embarazos anteriores adversos tenían un riesgo significativamente mayor de desarrollar DMG. Nuestros datos del análisis de regresión múltiple paso a paso indicaron que el peso antes del embarazo, el aumento de peso durante el embarazo, los antecedentes familiares de diabetes, los embarazos adversos anteriores, y la hipertrigliceridemia eran factores de riesgo independientes que contribuían al desarrollo de la DMG en las mujeres embarazadas. Conclusión: El uso de los criterios definidos recientemente aumentó la prevalencia aparente de DMG en las mujeres embarazadas que estudiamos. Si se determina que existen factores de riesgo de DMG, debe administrarse un tratamiento de intervención con el fin de reducir la incidencia de DMG en las mujeres embarazadas.

ABSTRACT The effects of rheum on serum parameters in a taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) rat model were investigated using pathological and biochemical tests, and a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabonomic strategy. Healthy rats and rats with AP were either treated with rheum (7.5% at a dose of 1.5 g/kg) or left untreated. Serum samples were collected from the AP and rheum-treated groups at 6, 12, and 24 h after treatment. The effect of rheum on pathological changes in the pancreatic was investigated to validate the AP model. We obtained 1H NMR spectra and analyzed the results using the partial least squares discriminant method. The results of the pathological and metabolic analyses revealed an amelioration of multiple metabolic abnormalities and an increase in the aerobic respiration ratio after treatment, compared with the AP groups. These results were attributed to improvements in energy supply and the elimination of metabolic products. The study also promoted NMR-based metabonomic analysis as a feasible method of assessing traditional Chinese drugs.

Abstract Background CCL2 was up-regulated in neurons and involved in microglia activation and neurological decline in mice suffering from hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, no data exist concerning the effect of neuron-derived CCL2 on microglia activation in vitro. Methods The rats were pretreated with CCL2 receptor inhibitors (INCB or C021, 1 mg/kg/day i.p.) for 3 days prior to thioacetamide (TAA) administration (300 mg/kg/day i.p.) for inducing HE model. At 8 h following the last injection (and every 4 h after), the grade of encephalopathy was assessed. Blood and whole brains were collected at coma for measuring CCL2 and Iba1 expression. In vitro, primary neurons were stimulated with TNF-α, and then the medium were collected for addition to microglia cultures with or without INCB or C021 pretreatment. The effect of the medium on microglia proliferation and activation was evaluated after 24 h. Results CCL2 expression and microglia activation were elevated in the cerebral cortex of rats received TAA alone. CCL2 receptors inhibition improved neurological score and reduced cortical microglia activation. In vitro, TNF-α treatment induced CCL2 release by neurons. Medium from TNF-α stimulated neurons caused microglia proliferation and M1 markers expression, including iNOS, COX2, IL-6 and IL-1β, which could be suppressed by INCB or C021 pretreatment. The medium could also facilitate p65 nuclear translocation and IκBα phosphorylation, and NF-κB inhibition reduced the increased IL-6 and IL-1β expression induced by the medium. Conclusion Neuron-derived CCL2 contributed to microglia activation and neurological decline in HE. Blocking CCL2 or inhibiting microglia excessive activation may be potential strategies for HE.

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To investigate the potential effects of pretreatment with allopurinol on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) in a rat model. METHODS: Twenty four rats were subjected to right kidney uninephrectomy were randomly distributed into the following three groups (n=8): Group A (sham-operated group); Group B (ischemic group) with 30 min of renal ischemia after surgery; and Group C (allopurinol + ischemia group) pretreated with allopurinol at 50 mg/kg for 14 days. At 72 h after renal reperfusion, the kidney was harvested to assess inflammation and apoptosis. RESULTS: Pretreatment with allopurinol significantly improved renal functional and histological grade scores following I/R injury (p<0.05). Compared with Group B, the expression levels of caspase-3 and Bax were markedly reduced in Group C, meanwhile, whereas expression of bcl-2 was clearly increased (p<0.05). A newly described marker of inflammation, High Mobility Group Box 1(HMGB1), showed reduced expression in Group C (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment with allopurinol had a protective effect on kidney ischemia/reperfusion injury, which might be related to the inhibition of HMGB1 expression.