Genome-wide association study identifies multiple loci influencing duck serum biochemical indicators in the laying period

1. Laying performance is an important economic trait in poultry. The blood is essential in transporting nutrients to the yolk and albumen and is necessary for egg formation.2. This study calculated the phenotypic relationships of duck egg quality, egg production efficiency and 22 serum parameters in the egg-laying stage. Using a variety of methodologies, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was carried out to uncover the genetic foundations of the 22 serum biochemical markers of laying ducks.3. Spearman correlation coefficients between the egg production (226-329 per day) and the serum parameters were all weak, being less than 0.3. This analysis was done on 22 serum parameters, with total protein (TP), total triglycerides (TG), calcium (Ca) and phosphorous (P) having the highest correlation coefficients (r = 0.56-0.88). The coefficients for blood markers, such as total cholesterol (CHOL), total bilirubin (TBIL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) varied from 0.70-0.94.4. Based on single-marker single-trait genome-wide analyses by a mixed linear model program of EMMAX, nine candidate genes were associated with enzyme traits (AST/ALT aspartate transaminase/glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, creatine kinase) and 19 candidate genes were associated with metabolism and protein-related serum parameters (glucose, total bile acid, uric acid (UA), albumin (ALB).5. The mvLMM (multivariate linear mixed model) of GEMMA software was used to carry out multiple trait integrated GWAS. Two candidate genes were found in the TP-TG-CA-P analysis and seven candidate genes in the CHOL_LDL-C_HDL-C_TBIL study. There was a high genetic correlation between the two groups.

Effect of leech-centipede medicine on improving erectile function in diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction rats via PDE5 signalling pathway-related molecules

CONTEXT

The leech and centipede granules have good curative effects on many diabetic vascular diseases, including diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction (DIED).

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of leech and centipede on erectile function in rats with diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction and its possible mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty male Sprague-Dawley DIED rats were randomly divided into the model group (Group M), low-dose group (Group DD), high-dose group (Group DG) and tadalafil group (Group T) (n = 6); diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin. Apomorphine was used to induce diabetic erectile dysfunction. The 'leech-centipede' granules (0.15 and 0.6 g/kg) were intragastrically administered in the DD and DG groups for 8 weeks. Blood glucose, serum insulin, testosterone, cGMP levels and protein expression changes were measured in each group.

RESULTS

After 8 weeks, the erectile function of rats in the DG group significantly improved (1.26 ± 0.73). Penis tissue cGMP levels were higher in the DG group (1.48 ± 0.11) than in the M group (0.58 ± 0.15). Protein and mRNA expression levels of NOS were significantly higher (0.77 ± 0.05; 0.61 ± 0.02) but those of PDE5 (0.43 ± 0.05; 0.61 ± 0.03) were lower in the DG group than in the M group (0.37 ± 0.06; 0.51 ± 0.01; 0.78 ± 0.06; 0.81 ± 0.04).

CONCLUSION

The leech-centipede can improve erectile dysfunction in DIED rats by regulating the expression of cGMP, NOS, and PDE5-related molecules in the PDE5 pathway. This study provides a potential mechanism for the treatment of DIED with leech-centipede.

Comparison of body size and reproductive hormones in high- and low-yielding Wulong geese

Wulong geese are renowned for their egg-laying and reproductive abilities. This work investigated the potential of using body size traits in the selection and breeding of high-yielding Wulong geese. A total of forty 479day-old female geese (high-yielding geese, n = 20; low-yielding geese, n = 20) were selected to evaluate the relationship between body weight, body size trait indicators, serum reproductive hormones, and biochemical indicators. The results showed that serum estradiol (E2), glucose (GLU), and triglyceride (TG) concentrations, together with pubic spacing and abdominal circumference were significantly higher in high-yielding geese (P < 0.01), whereas the opposite was true for neck circumference, neck length, and tibial circumference. In addition, the serum testosterone (T) concentration and body weight were higher in high-yielding geese (P < 0.05). Neck circumference and neck length were negatively correlated with E2 and TG (P < 0.01); while pubic spacing and abdominal circumference were positively correlated with E2, GLU, and TG (P < 0.01), the highest correlation coefficient was 0.777 between TG and pubic spacing; T was also strongly associated with neck circumference (P < 0.01). In conclusion, high-yielding Wulong geese can be selected through neck circumference, neck length, pubic spacing, and abdominal circumference.

Effects of HuoxueJiangtang decoction alone or in combination with metformin on renal function and renal cortical mRNA expression in diabetic nephropathy rats

CONTEXT

HuoxueJiangtang decoction (ZY) is a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

The protective effect of ZY on renal injury in diabetic nephropathy rats was investigated in this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty 4-week-old SPF Wistar male rats were selected to construct diabetic nephropathy model rats (DN) group by continuous high-fat feeding for 4 weeks, followed by a tail vein injection of 30 mg/kg streptozotocin for 1 week. The experimental rats were divided into six groups of 10 rats: normal (control), DN, DN + ZY, DN + metformin, DN + metformin + ZY, and DN + metformin + captopril (positive control) groups. Among the groups, 6.25 g/kg ZY, 250 mg/kg metformin, and 17.5 mg/kg captopril were given to the rats by gavage once a day for 16 weeks. Blood glucose, dietary behaviour, biochemical indicators, and gene expression changes were measured in each group.

RESULTS

Metformin + ZY treatment significantly lowered blood glucose, water intake, urine total protein, urine albumin, urine volume, serum triglyceride, and serum cholesterol levels in the DN group. The pathological changes of kidney tissue showed that the DN + metformin + ZY group had a protective effect on kidney tissue damage. And ZY and metformin + ZY treatments repaired the expression of genes in the DN group.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The ZY and metformin combined treatment showed a clear therapeutic effect on kidney damage in DN. This study provides a potential mechanism for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy with ZY combined with metformin.

Challenges and Lessons Learned in Generating and Interpreting NHANES Nutritional Biomarker Data

For the past 45 y, the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC has carried out nutrition surveillance of the US population by collecting anthropometric, dietary intake, and nutritional biomarker data, the latter being the focus of this publication. The earliest biomarker testing assessed iron and vitamin A status. With time, a broad spectrum of water- and fat-soluble vitamins was added and biomarkers for other types of nutrients (e.g., fatty acids) and bioactive dietary compounds (e.g., phytoestrogens) were included in NHANES. The cross-sectional survey is flexible in design, and biomarkers may be measured for a short period of time or rotated in and out of surveys depending on scientific needs. Maintaining high-quality laboratory measurements over extended periods of time such that trends in status can be reliably assessed is a major goal of the testing laboratories. Physicians, health scientists, and policy makers rely on the NHANES reference data to compare the nutritional status of population groups, to assess the impact of various interventions, and to explore associations between nutritional status and health promotion or disease prevention. Focusing on the continuous NHANES, which started in 1999, this review uses a "lessons learned" approach to present a series of challenges that are relevant to researchers measuring biomarkers in NHANES and beyond. Some of those challenges are the use of multiple related biomarkers instead of a single biomarker for a specific nutrient (e.g., folate, vitamin B-12, iron), adhering to special needs for specimen collection and handling to ensure optimum specimen quality (e.g., vitamin C, folate, homocysteine, iodine, polyunsaturated fatty acids), the retrospective use of long-term quality-control data to correct for assay shifts (e.g., vitamin D, vitamin B-12), and the proper planning for and interpretation of crossover studies to adjust for systematic method changes (e.g., folate, vitamin D, ferritin).

Protective mechanism of Xuebijing injection against heat stroke in rats

This study aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of Xuebijing injection (XBJ) against heat stroke (HS) in rats. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control (NC), normal saline-treated HS (NS-HS) and XBJ-treated HS (XBJ-HS) groups. At 47 and 57 min from the initiation of heat stress (42.5–43.5°C), the plasma levels of certain cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α], biochemical indicators (creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase) and coagulation indicators (activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, fibrinogen degradation products and D-dimer) were detected, and microscopy of the liver tissue of the rats was conducted. At 47 and 57 min after the initiation of the heat stress, the levels of the cytokines, coagulation indicators and biochemical indicators in the NS-HS group were significantly higher than those in the NC group (P<0.05). In the NS-HS group, the levels of the aforementioned indices were significantly reduced compared with those in the NC and NS-HS groups (P<0.05). In the NS-HS group, serious liver cell congestion, nuclear swelling and central vein dilation were visible, along with the appearance of bubbles in the liver tissue. In the XBJ-HS group, only a small number of congestive liver cells were identified, with occasional nuclear swelling but no bubbles, which was similar to the observations in the NC group. Early intervention treatment of HS with XBJ is able to reduce the systemic inflammatory response and coagulation activity and decrease the tissue ischemia and injury degree, thus extending the survival time of rats with HS.

Assessing vitamin status in large population surveys by measuring biomarkers and dietary intake - two case studies: folate and vitamin D

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provides the most comprehensive assessment of the health and nutrition status of the US population. Up-to-date reference intervals on biomarkers and dietary intake inform the scientific and public health policy communities on current status and trends over time.

The main purpose of dietary assessment methods such as the food-frequency questionnaire, food record (or diary), and 24-hr dietary recall is to estimate intake of nutrients and, together with supplement usage information, describe total intake of various foods or nutrients. As with all self-reporting methods, these tools are challenging to use and interpret. Yet, they are needed to establish dietary reference intake recommendations and to evaluate what proportion of the population meets these recommendations. While biomarkers are generally expensive and, to some degree, invasive, there is no question as to their ability to assess nutrition status. In some cases biomarkers can also be used to assess intake or function, although rarely can one biomarker fulfill all these purposes. For example, serum folate is a good indicator of folate intake, red blood cell (RBC) folate is a good status indicator, and plasma total homocysteine is a good functional indicator of one-carbon metabolism.

Using folate and vitamin D – two vitamins that are currently hotly debated in the public health arena – as two case studies, we discuss the complexities of using biomarkers and total intake information to assess nutrition status. These two examples also show how biomarkers and intake provide different information and how both are needed to evaluate and set public health policy. We also provide guidance on general requirements for using nutrition biomarkers and food and supplement intake information in longitudinal, population-based surveys.