ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with different levels of nano-selenium (NS) on growth performance, antioxidant activity, biochemical parameters, and selenium content in Landes geese. A total of 120 80-week-old healthy Landes geese (4.44±0.03 kg) were randomly assigned to three groups, each with four replicates of 10 birds. The control birds were fed a basal diet without further dietary supplementation (0.0 mg/kg of NS) and the two experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with dietary NS at 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg of feed. The results demonstrated that NS dietary supplementation had no significant effect on growth performance. Increased total superoxide dismutase activity in serum, breast muscle and liver, glutathione peroxidase level in serum and liver, and catalase in breast muscle and liver were observed for both NS supplemented groups. Additionally, reduced malondialdehyde in serum, breast muscle, and liver was detected in both NS-supplemented groups. Compared with the control, the birds fed diets supplemented with NS had lower concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in serum, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was increased. Furthermore, increased selenium, especially in the liver, was found in groups with dietary supplementation of NS. These findings suggest the supplementation of NS in diets can improve antioxidant status, biochemical parameters, and tissue selenium content, although it has no significant effect on growth performance of Landes geese.

Abstract In this research, a total of 47 samples from five types of fermented soybeans were selected. The physicochemical parameters, biogenic amines (BAs) and bioactive compounds such as isoflavones, total phenolic (TPC) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were investigated. The results showed that the contents of isoflavones ranged from 598.06 mg/kg to 2725.03 mg/kg in all samples and it varied from 598.96 mg/kg to 2241.67 mg/kg in Semen Sojae Preparatum (SSP) which was higher than other types of fermented soybeans. The maximum variation of GABA content was found in Aspergillus-type douchi (AD) samples. The maximum value of TPC in SSP was 4.53 g/kg. For BAs, the indicator of spoilage, 4.26% of fermented soybeans samples may lead to histamine poisoning and 42.55% of samples with total BAs contents exceeding 100 mg/kg may be harmful to human body. It indicated that different types of fermented soybeans had various bioactive compounds and BAs, so different fermented soybeans could be selected according to bioactive substances. This finding could provide comprehensive information of health beneficial compounds and BAs risks of fermented soybeans. It could guide consumers to select healthy, nutritious and safety fermented soybeans.

Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested that systemic metabolic abnormalities are closely related to psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and indirect bilirubin (IBIL), two essential active substances in hepatic metabolism that have been demonstrated as an oxidative and anti-oxidative factor respectively, have been proved to be involved in oxidative stress damage and inflammation in several human diseases. However, their role in PsA remains unclear. Methods In this retrospective comparative cohort study, a case group of 68 PsA patients and a control group of 73 healthy volunteers from the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University were enrolled. Serum GGT, IBIL, GGT/IBIL ratio and C-reactive protein (CRP), a well applied bio-marker of systemic inflammatory in PsA, were compared between the two groups. Furthermore, the relationship of GGT, IBIL and GGT/IBIL with CRP were explored in PsA patients. Finally, the patients were divided into high inflammation group and low inflammation group according to the median value of CRP. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used for the association of systemic inflammation level with GGT, IBIL and GGT/IBIL. Results Compared with healthy controls, PsA patients exhibited significantly higher serum GGT, GGT/IBIL, and CRP levels and lower IBIL levels. Serum GGT and GGT/IBIL were positively correlated with CRP, whereas IBIL were negatively correlated with CRP. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that serum GGT was a risk factor for high CRP in PsA, whereas IBIL was a protective factor. Furthermore, GGT/IBIL was a better indicator of high CRP condition in PsA patients than either GGT or IBIL alone, as determined by the receiver operating characteristic curves. Conclusion GGT and IBIL may participate in the pathogenesis of PsA. Additionally, GGT, IBIL and the balance of the two may reflect systemic inflammation mediated by oxidative stress events related to metabolic abnormalities to a certain extent.

Abstract Background: Heart failure (HF) management has markedly improved, but a clinically meaningful improvement in functional capacity and quality of life is perhaps more important for patients than living longer. Objective: This study aimed to review the improvement in quality of life with sacubitril/valsartan in patients with HF and reduced/preserved ejection fraction (EF) from prospective clinical trials. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies published from inception to July 2021. A total of 6 clinical trials and 16854 patients with HF were included. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in KCCQ clinical summary score. The secondary outcomes were scores in other domains of KCCQ, the occurrence of serious adverse events (AEs), and overall mortality. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Treatment of sacubitril/valsartan showed significantly higher KCCQ-CSS compared to the control (WMD=0.975, 95% CI: 0.885, 1.064, p<0.001; I2=94.8%, pheterogeneity<0.001). A significant decrease in the mortality rate was observed in the sacubitril/valsartan group compared to the control group (RR=0.895, 95%CI:0.831, 0.965, p=0.004; I2=43.6%, pheterogeneity=0.150). Nevertheless, no significant reduction in the occurrence of serious AEs was found among HF patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan compared to the control group (RR=0.950, 95%CI: 0.879, 1.027, p<0.001; I2=68.1%, pheterogeneity=0.024). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that sacubitril/valsartan might significantly improve the HRQL compared to other treatments according to the results in KCCQ-CSS and some subdomains in the KCCQ index during the follow-up in patients with HF.

Resumo Fundamento: O manejo da insuficiência cardíaca (IC) tem melhorado acentuadamente, mas uma melhora clinicamente significativa na capacidade funcional e na qualidade de vida talvez seja mais importante para os pacientes do que viver mais. Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivo revisar a melhora na qualidade de vida com sacubitril/valsartan em pacientes com IC e fração de ejeção (FE) reduzida/preservada a partir de ensaios clínicos prospectivos. Métodos: PubMed, Embase e Cochrane Library foram pesquisados em busca de ensaios clínicos randomizados (ECRs) e estudos de coorte prospectivos publicados desde o início até julho de 2021. Um total de 6 ensaios clínicos e 16.854 pacientes com IC foram incluídos. O desfecho primário foi a alteração da linha de base na pontuação do resumo clínico do KCCQ. Os desfechos secundários foram pontuações em outros domínios do KCCQ, ocorrência de eventos adversos graves (EAs) e mortalidade geral. Valores de p < 0,05 foram considerados estatisticamente significativos. Resultados: O tratamento de sacubitril/valsartan mostrou KCCQ-CSS significativamente maior em comparação com o controle (DMP=0,975, IC 95%:0,885, 1,064, p<0,001; I2=94,8%, pheterogeneidade<0,001). Uma diminuição significativa na taxa de mortalidade foi observada no grupo sacubitril/valsartan em comparação com o grupo controle (RR=0,895, IC 95%: 0,831, 0,965, p=0,004; I2=43,6%, pheterogeneidade=0,150). No entanto, nenhuma redução significativa na ocorrência de EAs graves foi encontrada entre pacientes com IC tratados com sacubitril/valsartan em comparação com o grupo controle (RR=0,950, IC 95%: 0,879, 1,027, p<0,001; I2=68,1%, pheterogeneidade= 0,024). Conclusões: Nosso estudo demonstrou que o sacubitril/valsartan pode melhorar significativamente a QVRS em comparação com outros tratamentos de acordo com os resultados do KCCQ-CSS e alguns subdomínios do índice KCCQ durante o acompanhamento em pacientes com IC.

ABSTRACT As a common problem in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production, lodging will not only increase harvest costs and reduce rice production, but also affect rice taste seriously and reduce its commercial value. There is still a lack of systematic research on the effect of lodging resistance of rice after returning wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw to the field. The study evaluated the effects of continuous straw returning and different fertilizer input levels on the lodging resistance of rice stalks based on years of experiments, using a split zone design with two factors including full return of straw to the field and straw removal, and three fertilization levels (conventional fertilization, 50% of conventional fertilization and no fertilization) under each factor, for a total of six treatments. Results suggested that under the same level of chemical fertilizer application, treatments of straw returning significantly increased stalk flexural resistance up to 33.74% as well as decreased the lodging index by a maximum of 33.86% compared with straw removal. Decrease of chemical fertilizer application increased significantly stalk flexural resistance, while decreased significantly lodging index. Rice plant height, center of gravity height, internode length, stem wall thickness and internode dry weight were main factors that influence rice lodging resistance. Compared with straw removal, straw returning combined with chemical fertilizers applying could significantly increase rice yield up to 19.62%. The increase in rice yield increased the risk of rice lodging. The continuous return of straw to the field combined with the application of chemical fertilizers reduced the risk of rice lodging to a certain extent, and meanwhile it achieved successive annual increase in rice production, which has a good promotion prospect.

ABSTRACT Purpose To investigate the relationship between atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and CXC chemokine receptor type 2 (CXCR2). Methods Mouse AAA model was established by embedding angiotensin-II pump (1000 ng/kg/min) in ApoE-/- mice. Mice were received SB225002, a selective CXCR2 antagonist, for treatment. Blood pressure was recorded, and CXCR2+ macrophages were examined by flow cytometry analysis. Terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was performed to detect cell apoptosis of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Macrophages were isolated from ApoE-/- mice and treated with Ang II and/or SB225002. Dihydroethidium staining was carried out to determine reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to determine the production of IL-1β and TNF-α. The corresponding gene expressions were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blot, and immunohistochemistry staining. Results We found that Ang II activated the expression of CXCR2 in monocytes during the formation of AAA. Inhibition of CXCR2 significantly reduced the size of AAA, attenuated inflammation and phenotypic changes in blood vessels. Ang II-induced macrophages exhibited elevated ROS activity, and elevated levels of 1β and TNF-α, which were then partly abolished by SB225002. Conclusions CXCR2 plays an important role in AAA, suggesting that inhibiting CXCR2 may be a new treatment for AAA.

Abstract The mechanisms by which GnIH regulates the steroid synthesis pathway in duck granulosa cells remain poorly understood. In this study, we measured steroid hormone secretion by ELISA and reproduction-associated gene expression by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) in duck granulosa cells treated with different concentrations of GnIH (0, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL) for 24 h. The genome-wide expression profiles of GnIH-treated cells (0 and 10 ng/mL) were evaluated by high-throughput RNA sequencing. Compared with untreated cells, the secretion of the steroid hormones E2, E1, P4, and T was downregulated, with that of E1 and P4 reaching statistical significance (P<0.05); in contrast, the secretion of ACV and INH was significantly upregulated (P<0.05) after treatment with 10 and 100 ng/mL GnIH. The expression of encoding steroidogenic proteins and enzymes genes (STAR, CYP11A1, CYP17A1, CYP19A1, and 3-β-HSD) and encoding gonadotropin receptors genes (FSHR, LHR) were significantly declined (P<0.05) in the 10 and 100 ng/mL GnIH treatments. Transcriptome sequencing identified 348 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 253 upregulated and 95 downregulated genes. The DEGs were mainly involved in cell growth and death, immune response, and steroid biosynthesis pathways. We identified four novel DEGs (MROH5, LOC113840576, SDR42E1, and LOC113841457) with key roles in the regulation of steroid hormone biosynthesis. Our study revealed changes in gonadal steroid hormone secretion and steroid biosynthesis pathway-related gene expression in duck granulosa cells under the inhibitory effect of GnIH. These data contribute to our understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying reproduction in ducks.

RESUMEN En este estudio se establece el modelo de predicción de la productividad zonal en los pozos horizontales fracturados en reservorios compactos con base en un modelo físico de pozos horizontales fracturados para estudiar el regimen de filtración en reservorios compactos no convencionales. Los autores utilizaron la transformación conforme y el método de reiteración para resolver el problema. Se estudió la optimización de los parámetros de producción en pozos horizontales fracturados en comparación con los métodos de Fan Zifei y de Ning Zhengfu. Además, se analizaron los efectos de la presión inicial de la inclinación y el complejo de fracturas en la productividad de los pozos horizontales con el índice de fracturamiento. El análisis de regresión multivariante se utilizó para clasificar la importancia de los factores influenciadores. Los resultados muestran que la presión inicial de la inclinación tiene el mayor impacto en la capacidad. El ejemplo de aplicación de pozos horizontales fracturados en el reservorio compacto de Lucaogou muestra que el modelo de productividad zonal que se estableció en este estudio puede usarse para predecir la productividad inicial en estos pozos. De este modo, a través del análisis teórico y la simulación numérica, el modelo de predicción de productividad de pozos horizontales fracturados tiene una significancia para el desarrollo efectivo de reservorios compactos.

ABSTRACT The zonal productivity prediction model of volume fractured horizontal wells in tight reservoirs is established in this study based on the physical model of volume fractured horizontal wells to study the near-well seepage law of volume fractured horizontal wells in unconventional tight reservoirs. The conformal transformation and iteration method are used to solve the problem. Compared with Fan Zifei's and Ning Zhengfu's method, the optimization of fractured horizontal wells' production parameters is studied. The effects of starting pressure gradient and fracture cluster number on horizontal wells' productivity with volume fracturing are analyzed. Multivariate regression analysis is used to rank the importance of influencing factors. The results show that the starting pressure gradient has the most significant impact on capacity. The application example of volume fractured horizontal wells in Lucaogou tight reservoir shows that the zonal productivity model established in this study can be used to predict the initial productivity of volume fractured horizontal wells. Thus, through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, the productivity prediction model of horizontal wells with volume fracturing has certain guiding significance for the effective development of tight reservoirs.

Abstract TBX5 has been linked to Holt-Oram syndrome, with congenital heart defect (CHD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) being two major cardiac phenotypes. However, the prevalence of a TBX5 variation in patients with CHD and AF remains obscure. In this research, by sequencing analysis of TBX5 in 178 index patients with both CHD and AF, a novel heterozygous variation, NM_000192.3: c.577G>T; p.(Gly193*), was identified in one index patient with CHD and AF as well as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), with an allele frequency of approximately 0.28%. Genetic analysis of the proband’s pedigree showed that the variation co-segregated with the diseases. The pathogenic variation was not detected in 292 unrelated healthy subjects. Functional analysis by using a dual-luciferase reporter assay system showed that the Gly193*-mutant TBX5 protein failed to transcriptionally activate its target genes MYH6 and NPPA. Moreover, the mutation nullified the synergistic transactivation between TBX5 and GATA4 as well as NKX2-5. Additionally, whole-exome sequencing analysis showed no other genes contributing to the diseases. This investigation firstly links a pathogenic variant in the TBX5 gene to familial CHD and AF as well as BAV, suggesting that CHD and AF as well as BAV share a common developmental basis in a subset of patients.

Abstract Gynostemma yixingense, an important medicinal member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is an endemic herbaceous species distributed in East China. It is morphologically similar to the plants in the same genus, which resulted in some confusion in identification and application. Meanwhile, there are still some controversies in taxonomy. Herein, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of G. yixingense was obtained by Illumina paired-end sequencing technology and compared to other chloroplast genome sequences of congeneric species. The complete chloroplast genome of G. yixingense is 157,910 bp in length with 36.94% GC content and contains a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,791 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,635 bp and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,242 bp. The whole genome contains 133 unique genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes and one pseudogene. In addition, 74 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified, most of which were A/T rich. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that G. yixingense had the closest relationship to G. laxiflorum. The result of this study provided an important theoretical basis for chloroplast genome and phylogenetic analysis of G. yixingense.

RESUMO: Para resolver o problema que os nós do caule são difíceis de identificar no processo de corte automático de sementes de cana-de-açúcar, é proposto, neste artigo, um método para identificar os nós do colmo da cana-de-açúcar com base nos pontos extremos da função de projeção vertical. Em primeiro lugar, a fim de reduzir a influência da luz no processamento da imagem, a imagem de cor RGB foi convertida em imagem de cor HSI, e a imagem de componente S do espaço de cores HSI é extraída como um objeto de pesquisa. Em seguida, o método Otsu foi usado para binarizar o mapa do componente S, e a operação morfológica fechada foi usada para preencher os espaços da imagem binária, e a projeção horizontal da imagem binária foi usada para separar a cana de açúcar do fundo. Finalmente, a posição do caule de cana-de-açúcar foi preliminarmente determinada através da tomada contínua do derivado da função de projeção vertical da imagem binária, e a soma do valor pixel local da coluna de pixel suspeito foi comparada para determinar ainda mais o nódulo da cana-de-açúcar. Os resultados experimentais mostram que a taxa de reconhecimento do nó de haste única foi de 100%, o desvio padrão foi inferior a 1.1 mm. A precisão da identificação simultânea de nós de haste dupla foi de 98%, o desvio padrão foi menor que 1.7 mm. A precisão da identificação simultânea dos três nós de haste é de 95%, o desvio padrão foi inferior a 2.2 mm. Comparado com os outros métodos introduzidos neste artigo, o método proposto possui maior reconhecimento e precisão.

ABSTRACT: In order to solve the problem that the stem nodes are difficult to identify in the process of sugarcane seed automatic cutting, a method of identifying the stem nodes of sugarcane based on the extreme points of vertical projection function is proposed in this paper. Firstly, in order to reduce the influence of light on image processing, the RGB color image is converted to HSI color image, and the S component image of the HSI color space is extracted as a research object. Then, the S component image is binarized by the Otsu method, the hole of the binary image is filled by morphology closing algorithm, and the sugarcane and the background are initially separated by the horizontal projection map of the binary image. Finally, the position of sugarcane stem is preliminarily determined by continuously taking the derivative of the vertical projection function of the binary image, and the sum of the local pixel value of the suspicious pixel column is compared to further determine the sugarcane stem node. The experimental results showed that the recognition rate of single stem node is 100%, and the standard deviation is less than 1.1 mm. The accuracy of simultaneous identification of double stem nodes is 98%, and the standard deviation is less than 1.7 mm. The accuracy of simultaneous identification of the three stem nodes is 95%, and the standard deviation is less than 2.2 mm. Compared with the other methods introduced in this paper, the proposed method has higher recognition and accuracy.

RESUMO: Depois de usar o método conhecido como escala de cinza para plantas de milho, a diferença de escala de cinza entre diferentes partes da planta é grande ou a diferenciação do solo não é alta, a precisão do trajeto de navegação é baixa e a velocidade é lenta. Neste trabalho foi proposto um novo método de extração da linha de referência de navegação para campos de milho, que é usado para controlar a caminhada de robôs agrícolas. Os métodos de projeto incluem: segmentação de imagem, extração de ponto de navegação e encaixe de linha de navegação. A segmentação por imagem é baseada na separação de culturas e solos com base no novo fator de escala de cinza combinado com a filtragem mediana, método de Otsu e operação morfológica. A extração de pontos de navegação é baseada em um mapa de projeção vertical de imagem de dois valores para obter a área de interesse, e as coordenadas do ponto de navegação são determinadas por cálculo do ponto central relativo no pixel branco da linha amostral na área de interesse. O fator de escala de cinza melhorado nesta pesquisa irá extrair o centro da entre linha de plantio alvo com uma taxa de precisão de 92%. A precisão de extração da linha de navegação é mais de 90%. O erro máximo foi de 5cm quando o experimento de rastreamento de navegação em tempo foi é realizado em campos de milho.

ABSTRACT: Focusing on the problem that corn plant in different growth periods is grayed out by known methods, the gray scale difference of different part is large or the soil discrimination degree is not high, the navigation path is low in accuracy and speed. This paper proposed a new method for extracting cornfield navigation baselines, which is used to control walking of agricultural robots. Design method included image segmentation, navigation point extraction, and navigation path fitting. Image segmentation is based on a new grayscale factor combined with median filtering, OSTU method and morphological operations to achieve the separation of crops and soil. The extraction of the navigation point is based on the binary image vertical projection map to obtain the region of interest, and the navigation point coordinates are determined by calculating the relative center point of the white pixel points of the sampling line in the region of interest. The Hough transform is used to fit the navigation point obtained by the vertical projection map to determine the navigation path, and then the control parameters are obtained. The gray scale factor that is improved in this paper combined with the vertical projection map can extract the target ridge with an accuracy rate of 92%, and the accuracy of extracting the navigation line is more than 90%. When conducting navigation tracking experiments in corn field, the maximum error is 5cm.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women around the world. However, the underlying mechanism involved in cervical cancer progression is incompletely known. In the present study, we determined the role of glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) in tumorigenesis of cervical cancer. According to the GEO database, we found that GPNMB expression was significantly higher in cervical cancer than in normal cervix epithelium. A similar pattern was observed in GPNMB expression in cultured cervical cancer cells and normal cervical epithelial cells. Compared with the control, GPNMB knockdown significantly decreased the proliferation and migration capacity, but enhanced the apoptosis capacity of SiHa and HeLa cells. Additionally, the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were aberrantly increased in SiHa and HeLa cells compared with normal cervical epithelial cells, whereas their activities were strongly inhibited by GPNMB siRNA. Furthermore, Wnt/β-catenin signaling was activated by GPNMB in SiHa and HeLa cells. Increased MMP-2/MMP-9 expression was suppressed by Dkk-1, inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, while it was enhanced by stimulator BIO. The proliferation, migration, and apoptosis capacity of HeLa cells were found to be affected by Dkk-1 and BIO to different extents. In conclusion, we demonstrated that GPNMB contributed to the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer, at least in part, by regulating MMP-2/MMP-9 activity in tumor cells via activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling. This might be a potential therapeutic target for treating human cervical cancer.

Infection is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the newborn and preterm neonates due to immuno-incompetence in these patients. Administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) provides immunoglobulin G (IgG) that can protect the body from infection. In theory, morbidity and mortality due to infections in newborns and preterm infants could be reduced by the administration of IVIG. Two meta-analyses were evaluated comparing IVIG to treat various infection versus conventional treatments. The results showed that IVIG is not effective as an adjunctive treatment for suspected or proven infections in neonates.

La infección es la causa principal de la mortalidad y de la morbilidad entre los recién nacidos y los neonatos prematuros debido a la incompetencia inmunológica de estos pacientes. El suministro de inmunoglobulina por vía intravenosa brinda la inmunoglobulina G que protege al cuerpo humano de las infecciones. En términos teóricos, la morbilidad y la mortalidad por infecciones en recién nacidos y en bebés prematuros, podrían reducirse si se administra inmunoglobulina G intravenosa. Se evaluaron dos meta-análisis que comparaban el uso de la inmunoglobulina G intravenosa para tratar diversas infecciones con los tratamientos convencionales. Los resultados demostraron que dicha inmunoglobulina no es eficaz como tratamiento adyuvante para combatir sospechas de infección o infecciones comprobadas en los recién nacidos.