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Mudanjiang is a major producer of black wood ear (Auricularia heimuer) mushrooms in China. It has been estimated that more than 1.5 million tons of spent substrates of A. heimuer (SSA) are produced each year. Most of these are discarded or burned and have become an important source of pollution, which urgently merits research to find appropriate uses for them. To explore the feasibility of SSA as a substrate for cultivating Lepista sordida mushrooms, experiments were conducted to assess the effects of the addition of 0, 40%, 73%, and 98% SSA on the days required for the mycelia to fully colonize the substrate and initiate primordia, biological efficiency (BE), yield, and composition of the chemical biomass of the L. sordida fruiting bodies. The yield of fruiting bodies with 0, 40%, 73%, and 98% SSA supplementation for three flushes was 3.90 ± 0.74 kg m−2, 4.06 ± 0.77 kg m−2, 4.03 ± 0.62 kg m−2, and 4.51 ± 0.65 kg m−2, respectively. The addition of 98% SSA significantly delayed the number of days for the mycelia to fully colonize and form primordia by 6 and 3 d, respectively. This treatment also significantly increased the yield and BE by 15.64% compared with that of the control group. The crude polysaccharide content of 25.64 ± 0.38 g 100 g−1 was higher in the samples grown on the 98% SSA substrate, which was shown to increase by 78.93% compared with that of the control substrate with 73% corn straw (14.33 ± 0.03 g 100 g−1). The content of crude protein of 51.10 ± 0.08 g 100 g−1 was higher in the samples grown on the 40% SSA substrate, which increased by 11.14% compared with the protein content of the control group. This study reveals that SSA would be a good substrate for the cultivation of L. sordida and is an efficient, promising, and cost-effective substrate additive that can improve the quality and yield of these mushrooms, while substantially reducing the problems of disposing of SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucommiae Folium (Duzhongye) is a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history of use in China. However, its quality‐marker in Chinese Pharmacopoeia is poorly defined nowadays. The study, therefore, conducted an ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole‐orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry analysis to obtain accurate data. The obtained data were then compared with the authentic standards library using Xcalibur 4.1 software package and TraceFinder General Quan. Through the comparison, the study has putatively identified 26 bioactive compounds, which include 17 flavonoid derivatives (catechin, quercetin 3‐gentiobioside, quercetin 3‐O‐β‐D‐glucose‐7‐O‐β‐D‐gentiobioside, taxifolin, myricetin 3‐O‐galactoside, myricitrin, hyperoside, rutin, isoquercitrin, quercetin 3‐O‐β‐xylopyranoside, quercitrin, isorhamnetin 3‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside, quercetin, kaempferol, S‐eriodictyol, S‐naringenin, and phloridzin), four caffeoylquinic acids (neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid A, and isochlorogenic acid C), two alkaloids (vincamine and jervine), one lignan (pinoresinol), one xanthone (cowaxanthone B), and one steroid (cholesteryl acetate). Of these, flavonoid isoquercitrin is recommended as the new and additional pharmacopeia quality‐marker candidate, which can not only overcome the unreliability of old quality‐marker but also recognize the possible counterfeit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Eicosapentaenoic acid in its ethyl ester form is the single active component of icosapent ethyl (IPE). This study was a phase III, multi-center trial assessing the safety and efficiency of IPE for treating very high triglyceride (TG) in a Chinese cohort. Methods: Patients having TG levels (5.6–22.6 mmol/L) were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive a treatment of oral intake of 4 g or 2 g/day of IPE, or placebo. Before and after 12 weeks of treatment, TG levels were assessed and the median was calculated to determine the change between the baseline and week 12. In addition to examining TG levels, the impact of such treatments on other lipid changes was also investigated. The official Drug Clinical Trial Information Management Platform has registered this study (CTR20170362). Results: Random assignments were performed on 373 patients (mean age 48.9 years; 75.1% male). IPE (4 g/day) lowered TG levels by an average of 28.4% from baseline and by an average of 19.9% after correction for placebo (95% CI: 29.8%-10.0%, P < 0.001). In addition, plasma concentration of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, and VLDL-TG remarkedly reduced after IPE (4 g/day) treatment by a median of 14.6%, 27.9%, and 25.2%, respectively compared with participants in placebo group. Compared to the placebo, neither 4 nor 2 g of IPE daily elevated LDL-C levels with statistical significance. IPE was well tolerated by all the treatment groups. Conclusions: IPE at 4 g/day dramatically lowered other atherogenic lipids without a noticeable increase in LDL-C, thereby decreasing TG levels in an exceptionally high-TG Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Simple Summary: This study investigated the family structure, parent–child pair and inbreeding coefficient of a Tan sheep breeding farm in Ningxia, China. The results can be used as the theoretical basis for selecting excellent breeding stock and making an apposite mating plan; furthermore, it can provide an important scientific basis for the conservation and reproduction of Tan sheep germplasm resources. Tan sheep is a special breed of locally protected sheep in China, one of the best quality meat sheep in the world. Due to the unclear pedigree of the rams on the Ningxia Tan sheep breeding farm, we investigated 74 rams in the field and explored a new method for family division. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood of breeding rams. Using Plink software, GCTA tools and R language, we analyzed the genetic structure, kinship, and inbreeding coefficient of the breeding sheep, which revealed the genetic relationship between the individuals. The results showed that there was no obvious clustering phenomenon in the PCA, and the genetic background of the samples was similar. The G matrix and IBS distance matrix indicated that most individuals were far away from each other. Paternity testing identified 24 pairs of unknown parent–child pairs, and all the Tan sheep could be divided into 12 families, which provided a reference for sheep breeding. The average inbreeding coefficient based on the ROH of this population was 0.049, so there was a low degree of inbreeding and the rams in the field were able to maintain high genetic diversity. Overall, we explored a more accurate method through paternity and kinship analysis; it provides a scientific basis for pedigree construction, which has an important application value for Tan sheep breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate conditions can significantly alter the vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) in many of Earth's ecosystems, although specifics of NPP–climate condition interactions, especially time-lag responses on seasonal scales, remain unclear in ecologically sensitive forest–grassland ecotones. Based on the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and meteorological datasets, we analyzed the relationship between NPP and precipitation, temperature, and drought during the growing season (April–August), considering the time-lag effect (0–5 months) at the seasonal scale in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China from 2000 to 2018. The results revealed a delayed NPP response to precipitation and drought throughout the growing season. In April, the precipitation in the 4 months before (i.e., the winter of the previous year) explained the variation in NPP. In August, the NPP in some areas was influenced by the preceding 1~2 months of drought. The time-lag effect varied with vegetation type and soil texture at different spatial patterns. Compared to grass and crop, broadleaf forest and meadow exhibited a longer legacy of precipitation during the growing season. The length of the time-lag effects of drought on NPP increased with increasing soil clay content during the growing season. The interaction of vegetation types and soil textures can explain 37% of the change in the time-lag effect of the NPP response to PPT on spatial pattern. Our findings suggested that preceding precipitation influences vegetation growth at the early stages of growth, while preceding drought influences vegetation growth in the later stages of growth. The spatial pattern of the time lag was significantly influenced by interaction between vegetation type and soil texture factors. This study highlights the importance of considering the time-lag effects of climate conditions and underlying drivers in further improving the prediction accuracy of NPP and carbon sinks in temperate semiarid forest–grassland ecotones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane distillation (MD) has unique advantages in the treatment of high-salt wastewater because it can make full use of low-grade heat sources. The high salinity mine water in western mining areas of China is rich in Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42− and HCO3−. In the MD process, the inorganic substances in the feed will cause membrane fouling. At the same time, low surface tension organic substances which could be introduced in the mining process will cause irreversible membrane wetting. To improve the anti-fouling and anti-wetting properties of the membrane, the PVDF omniphobic membrane in this paper was prepared by electrospinning. The water contact angle (WCA) can reach 153°. Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was then used for treating high-salinity mine water. The results show that, compared with the unmodified membranes, the flux reduction rate of the omniphobic membrane was reduced by 34% in 20 h, showing good anti-fouling property. More importantly, the omniphobic membrane cannot be wetted easily by the feed containing 0.3 mmol/L SDS. The extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (XDLVO) theory was used to analyze the free energy of the interface interaction between the membrane and pollutants, aiming to show that the omniphobic membrane was more difficult to pollute. The result was consistent with the flux variation in the DCMD process, providing an effective basis for explaining the mechanism of membrane fouling and membrane wetting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Synthetic ammonia is not only the basis of the fertilizer industry in China but also has the highest energy consumption and pollution emissions in the chemical industry. The objective of this study was to conduct a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of ammonia production based on different raw materials to identify the crucial processes and parameters and to provide suggestions for clean and sustainable development of the ammonia industry in China. Methods: Based on actual industrial data, this study comprehensively evaluated the resource consumption and pollution emissions caused by different raw material routes and coal-to-ammonia technologies from a life cycle perspective according to the LCA standards ISO 14040 series and using the CML 2001 method and identified the key environmental impact categories and stage contributions. In addition, the effects of various input parameters on the environmental burden were specified through sensitivity analysis. Accordingly, suggestions for improving the environmental performance of ammonia production are proposed. Results: The environmental burdens of the coal-based and coke oven gas-based routes were 1.43 and 1.7 times higher than that of the natural gas-based route, respectively. The significant differences were mainly reflected in the greenhouse effect, acidification, and fossil energy depletion. Advanced coal-to-ammonia technology, represented by coal water slurry gasification, showed a lower environmental burden than the traditional intermittent gasification technology, especially in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption. The GHG emissions involved in producing ammonia decreased from 3.88 to 2.18 kg per 1 kg of ammonia, and energy consumption decreased by approximately 17%, from 5.69 to 4.71 MJ. Conclusions: Coal is the main raw material used for ammonia production in China, and the results showed that the application of advanced coal gasification with energy-saving technologies can effectively improve the environmental performance of synthetic ammonia production in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising membrane separation technique used to treat industrial wastewater. When coupled with cheap heat sources, MD has significant economic advantages. Therefore, MD can be combined with solar energy to realize the large-scale and low-cost treatment of highly mineralized mine water in the western coal-producing region of China. In this study, highly mineralized mine water from the Ningdong area of China was subjected to vacuum MD (VMD) using polyvinylidene fluoride hollow-fiber membranes. The optimal operation parameters of VMD were determined by response surface optimization. Subsequently, the feasibility of VMD for treating highly mineralized mine water was explored. The fouling behavior observed during VMD was further investigated by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). Under the optimal parameters (pressure = − 0.08 MPa, temperature = 70 °C, and feed flow rate = 1.5 L/min), the maximum membrane flux was 8.85 kg/(m2 h), and the desalination rate was 99.7%. Membrane fouling could be divided into three stages: membrane wetting, crystallization, and fouling layer formation. Physical cleaning restored the flux and salt rejection rate to 94% and 97% of the initial values, respectively; however, the cleaning interval and cleaning efficiency decreased as the VMD run time increased. SEM–EDS analysis revealed that the reduction in flux was caused by the precipitation of CaCO3. The findings also demonstrated that the membrane wetting could be attributed to the formation of NaCl on the cross section and outer surface of the membrane. Overall, the results confirm the feasibility of MD for treating mine water and provide meaningful guidance for the industrial application of MD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lurgi gasification technology has attracted significant commercial interest in China owing to its suitability for production of synthetic natural gas (SNG). However, hazardous trace elements (HTEs) in Lurgi gasification ash have the potential risk of contaminating surface and groundwater. In this paper, the HTEs in ash with different particle sizes from Lurgi gasifier and the HTEs concentrations of leachates were investigated by using an ICP-MS (Thermo Fisher, ELEMENT2/XR) and a direct mercury analyzer (DMA 80). Moreover, the mass loading (f(x)) and ecological risk index (RI) was introduced to evaluate the risk level of HTEs in Lurgi gasification ash with different particle sizes. The content of Be, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba, Pb, U and As in fine ash (<3 mm) accounts for 40–55% of the total content. HTEs are more likely to concentrate in the fine ash with a particle size of less than 3 mm and a large specific surface area in the Lurgi gasifier. The pH range of the leachate is from 8.2 to 10.1. As and Cd presented the highest leachability, and more than 85.9% of As and over 54.1% of Cd in the ash were transferred into the leachate. The concentration of As, Cd, Be and Cr in the leachate is negatively correlated with the ash particle size, while Pb is positively correlated. The mass loading index of Lurgi ash with particle size of 3 ~ 6mm is the smallest, less than 10%. And the ecological risk index (RI) of Lurgi gasification ash increased with the decrease of particle size, but all of them were at low-risk level. However, in some cases, the leached concentrations of arsenic exceed the allowable limit of the secondary groundwater standard in China. • Twelve HTEs were evaluated to assess the potential hazard of these solid wastes when disposed. • HTEs are more likely to be concentrated in the fine ash with a particle size of less than 3 mm. • The ecological risk index (RI) was introduced to evaluate the risk level of HTEs in Lurgi gasification ash. • Distribution and leachability of hazardous trace elements (HTEs) in ash with different particle sizes are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for H 2 increases rapidly with the gradual recognition of the potential of H 2 as an important secondary energy. At present, coal gasification is the main way to obtain hydrogen on a large scale and at a low cost in China. The underground coal gasification (UCG), as a kind of in-situ utilization technology that can exploit the unreachable deep coal resources, could become an alternative H 2 production pathway. This paper presents comparative study of energy utilization and resource consumption in H 2 production by UCG and typical surface coal gasification (SCG) technology, namely Lurgi fixed bed gasification, with 1.2 billion Nm3/a throughput of H 2 as example, to offer corresponding data support. The efficiency and the amount of resources consumed in constructing and operating each coal-to-hydrogen system under different conditions have been researched from exergetic point of view, which is not reported in existing literatures. In this paper, the exergy efficiency is calculated to be 40.48% and 40.98% for hydrogen production using UCG and SCG. The result indicates the competitiveness of UCG in the field of hydrogen production comparing with widely used coal gasification technology. The resource consumption is measured by cumulative exergy consumption (CExC), which is 8.17E+10 MJ and 6.57E+10 MJ for H 2 production from UCG and SCG. The result shows that although the H 2 production from UCG has higher CExC, it can significantly reduce the resource consumption of equipment comparing with H 2 production from SCG, indicating its advantage in total investment. It is found that the exergy efficiency increases with the rise in H 2 O-to-O 2 and O 2 -to-CO 2 ratio, while the value of CExC decreases with the appreciation of H 2 O-to-O 2 ratio yet increases as the O 2 -to-CO 2 ratio rises. In addition, the sensitivity analysis of production capacity reveals that the exergy efficiency gap and CExC gap between hydrogen production by UCG and SCG diminishes at smaller scale production capacities, showing that UCG is more suitable for small-scale hydrogen production. • A resource consumption comparison of H 2 production from UCG and SCG is conducted. • Exergy is analyzed with 1.2 billion Nm3/a throughput of H 2 as example. • Exergy efficiency of UCG-H 2 reaches 40.48%, comparable to 40.98% for SCG-H 2. • UCG-H 2 significantly reduces CExC of equipment compared to SCG-H 2. • Effects of key operational parameters on system's performances are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extremely low nucleotide diversity of modern horse Y-chromosome has been reported, and only poor phylogenetic resolution could be resulted from limited Y-chromosome markers. In this study, three types of horse Y-chromosome markers, including Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), copy number variants (CNVs), and allele-specific CNVs, were developed by screening more than 300 male horses from 23 indigenous Chinese horse populations and 4 imported horse breeds. Fourteen segregating sites including a novel SNP in the AMELY gene were found in approximately 53 kb of male-specific Y-chromosome sequences. CNVs were detected at 11 of 14 sites, while allele-specific CNVs at 6 polymorphic sites in repeated fragments were also determined. The phylogenetic analyses with the SNPs identified in this study and previously published 51 SNPs obtained mainly from European horses showed that indigenous Chinese horses exhibit much deeper divergence than European and Middle Eastern horses, while individuals of Chinese horses with the C allele of the AMELY gene constituted the most ancient group. Via SNPs, CNVs, and allele-specific CNVs, much higher diversity of paternal lines can be detected than those identified with merely SNPs. Our results indicated that there are ancient paternal horse lines preserved in southwestern China, which sheds new light on the domestication and immigration of horses, and suggest that the priorities of the conservation should be given to the ancient and rare paternal lines. These three marker types provided finer phylogenetic resolution of horse patrilineal lines, and the strategies used in the present study also provide valuable reference for the genetic studies of other mammalian patrilineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Phenotypic characters and ISSR markers in forty nine potato onion cultivars (Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum G. Don) were investigated. Twenty three phenotypic characters, including sprouting time, plant height, spherical index, and yield, were investigated. Cluster analysis separated forty nine cultivars into five groups (D = 0.52). 143 polymorphic amplified bands, with an average of 8.41 polymorphic bands per primer, were obtained from seventeen ISSR primers. The number of polymorphic bands detected with each primer ranged from 6 to 12, with an average of 8.82. The percentage of polymorphisms was 93.5%. Genetic similarity varied from 0.4969 to 0.8616, the average value of the effective number of alleles, Nei's genetic diversity and Shannon's information index was 1.4716, 0.3072 and 0.4590, respectively. Forty nine varieties were classified into six groups according to the ISSR (D = 0.72). These results showed that two methods combined were accuracy for characterization of the genetic diversity and identification of potato onion cultivars. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Coalfield fires are hazardous to the environment and human health as a result of the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The incomplete combustion processes of the Ulanqab lignite from Inner Mongolia of northern China during coalfield fires were simulated in a tubular furnace, and 16 US Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutant PAHs in the flue gas were absorbed and analyzed. The results indicate that incomplete combustion results in a clear increase in PAH emission compared with other combustion methods; this is attributed to the formation of species with two and three benzene rings, such as naphthalene, acenaphthylene, and acenaphthene. Benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and benz[a]anthracene make a large contribution to the toxicity equivalent value (TEQ), although they make up a small proportion of the PAHs. With temperature increasing, the total PAH yield peak occurs at 800°C with a yield of 923.41mg/kg at an air/coal ratio of 1m3/kg. As the air/coal ratio increases, the amount of PAHs varies with the addition of oxygen. At a ratio of 2m3/kg, the minimum PAH yield of 486.07mg/kg occurs at 800°C and the maximum concentrations of the most toxic species, benzo[a]pyrene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene, are found. Increasing the coal particle size from 0.25 to 20mm results in a significant growth of both the yields and TEQs of the PAH species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The accurate estimation of forest biomass is important to evaluate the structure and function of forest ecosystems, estimate carbon sinks in forests, and study matter cycle, energy flow, and the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems. Biomass additivity is a desirable characteristic to predict each component and the total biomass since it ensures consistency between the sum of the predicted values of components such as roots, stems, leaves, pods, and branches and the prediction for the total tree. In this study, 45 Robinia pseudoacacia L. trees were harvested to determine each component and the total biomass in the Loess Plateau of western Shanxi Province, China. Three additive systems of biomass equations of R. pseudoacacia L., based on the diameter at breast height (D) only and on the combination of D and tree height (H) with D2H and DbHc, were established. To ensure biomass model additivity, the additive system of biomass equations considers the correlation among different components using simultaneous equations and establishes constraints on the parameters of the equation. Seemingly uncorrelated regression (SUR) was used to estimate the parameters of the additive system of biomass equations, and the jackknifing technique was used to verify the accuracy of prediction of the additive system of biomass equations. The results showed that (1) the stem biomass contributed the most to the total biomass, comprising 51.82% of the total biomass, followed by the root biomass (24.63%) and by the pod and leaf biomass, which accounted for the smallest share, comprising 1.82% and 2.22%, respectively; (2) the three additive systems of biomass equations of R. pseudoacacia L. fit well with the models and were effective at making predictions, particularly for the root, stem, above-ground, and total biomass (R2adj > 0.812; root mean square error (RMSE) < 0.151). The mean absolute error (MAE) was less than 0.124, and the mean prediction error (MPE) was less than 0.037. (3) When the biomass model added the tree height predictor, the goodness of fit R2adj increased, RMSE decreased, and the accuracy of prediction was much improved. In particular, the additive system, which was developed based on DbHc combination prediction factors, was the most accurate. The additive system of biomass equations established in this study can provide a reliable and accurate estimation of the individual biomass of R. pseudoacacia L. in the Loess region of western Shanxi Province, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amanita fuliginea (A. fuliginea) poisoning is an uncommon and potentially fatal amatoxin exposure. We present 3 cases of severe A. fuliginea poisoning associated with thrombocytopenia in China. Three patients consumed foraged A. fuliginea and developed nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. They were transferred from primary clinics to our hospital 19–39 h after mushroom ingestion. They all presented with acute hepatic injury, coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia (6-41 × 109/L), and positive fecal occult blood. Intravenous fluids and antioxidants were administered immediately after admission. Fibrinogen and platelets were given to patients A, B and C. Patient A developed fulminant liver failure and died on day 5 after mushroom exposure. Patients B and C recovered and were discharged on days 11 and 9, respectively. The main targets of A. fuliginea poisoning are the liver and digestive tract. To our knowledge this is the first report of thrombocytopenia associated with A. fuliginea ingestion. • Amanita fuliginea poisoning is uncommon and not well described in western literature. • Thrombocytopenia associated with A. fuliginea ingestion was presented in the case series for the first time. • Liver and digestive tract were main targets of A. fuliginea poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper represents the fundamental report of the survey of genome-wide changes of four Chinese indigenous donkey breeds, Dezhou (DZ), Guangling (GL), North China (NC), and Shandong Little donkey (SDL), and the findings will prove usefully for identification of biomarkers that perhaps predict or characterize the growth and coat color patterns. Three genomic regions in CYP3A12 , TUBGCP5 , and GSTA1 genes, were identified as putative selective sweeps in all researched donkey populations. The loci of candidate genes that may have contributed to the phenotypes in body size ( ACSL4 , MSI2 , ADRA1B , and CDKL5 ) and coat color patterns ( KITLG and TBX3 ) in donkey populations would be found in underlying strong selection signatures when compared between large and small donkey types, and between different coat colors. The results of the phylogenetic analysis, F ST , and principal component analysis (PCA) supported that each population cannot clearly deviate from each other, showing no obvious population structure. We can conclude from the population history that the formation processes between DZS and NC, GL, and SDL are completely different. The genetic variants discovered here provide a rich resource to help identify potential genomic markers and their associated molecular mechanisms that impact economically important traits for Chinese donkey breeding programs.

Background: Gut microbiota plays a significant role in host survival, health, and diseases; however, compared to other livestock, research on the gut microbiome of donkeys is limited., Results: In this study, a total of 30 donkey samples of rectal contents from six regions, including Shigatse, Changdu, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Dezhou, were collected for metagenomic sequencing. The results of the species annotation revealed that the dominant phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and the dominant genera were Bacteroides, unclassified&#95;o&#95;Clostridiales (short for Clostridiales) and unclassified&#95;f&#95;Lachnospiraceae (short for Lachnospiraceae). The dominant phyla, genera and key discriminators were Bacteroidetes, Clostridiales and Bacteroidetes in Tibet donkeys (Shigatse); Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Clostridiales in Tibet donkeys (Changdu); Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Tenericutes in Qinghai donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Negativicutes in Yunnan donkeys; Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Fibrobacteres in Xinjiang donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Firmicutes in Dezhou donkeys. In the functional annotation, it was mainly enriched in the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis of carbohydrate metabolism, and the abundance was the highest in Dezhou donkeys. These results combined with altitude correlation analysis demonstrated that donkeys in the Dezhou region exhibited strong glucose-conversion ability, those in the Shigatse region exhibited strong glucose metabolism and utilization ability, those in the Changdu region exhibited a strong microbial metabolic function, and those in the Xinjiang region exhibited the strongest ability to decompose cellulose and hemicellulose., Conclusion: According to published literature, this is the first study to construct a dataset with multi-regional donkey breeds. Our study revealed the differences in the composition and function of gut microbes in donkeys from different geographic regions and environmental settings and is valuable for donkey gut microbiome research., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Eldecalcitol is a novel active vitamin D 3 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 derivative used in the treatment of osteoporosis. To investigate and compare the pharmacokinetic and bioequivalent profiles of two eldecalcitol soft capsule formulations at a single dose of 0.75 µg in healthy Chinese volunteers, we conducted a randomized single-dose, open-label, two-period crossover study under fasting and fed conditions. Eligible subjects were randomly assigned to receive reference eldecalcitol soft capsules or test capsules in the first treatment period and to receive another formulation in the second period. Serial blood samples were collected for pharmacokinetic analysis. Adverse events were recorded. In total, 28 healthy subjects were enrolled in the fasting trial and 30 subjects were enrolled in the fed trial. The geometric mean ratios of the test formulation to the reference formulation for C max , AUC 0-t , and AUC 0-∞ were 94.2%, 94.0%, and 103.3%, respectively, under fasting conditions and 100.1%, 97.3%, and 96.0%, respectively, under fed conditions. No severe adverse events were observed. The results showed that the test and reference eldecalcitol formulations were bioequivalent and well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects under fasting and fed conditions., (© 2022 The Authors. Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Rivaroxaban is a direct factor Xa inhibitor used for the management of thromboembolic disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetic profile, and bioequivalence of a generic and a branded rivaroxaban formulation (Xarelto) under fasted and fed conditions in healthy Chinese volunteers. An open-label, randomized, single-dose, 4-period complete, and replicate crossover study in healthy Chinese volunteers was performed. A single oral dose of 20 mg of 2 rivaroxaban formulations was administered to 72 healthy volunteers, with 36 in the fasted group and 36 consuming a high-fat diet. The evaluated pharmacokinetic parameters, including maximum rivaroxaban concentration, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) from time 0 to the last measurable concentration, and AUC from time 0 to infinity, were assessed for BE. The plasma concentrations of rivaroxaban were measured by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. The geometric mean ratios with 90% confidence intervals of the maximum rivaroxaban concentration, AUC from time 0 to the last measurable concentration, and AUC from time 0 to infinity were all within the range of 80% to 125% under fasted and fed conditions. The within-subject variability of the test and reference products was compared, and the upper limit of the 90% confidence intervals for the test-to-reference ratio of the within-subject variability was <2.5, which indicated that the rivaroxaban test and the rivaroxaban reference formulation were bioequivalent. No serious adverse events were reported during either fasted or fed conditions of the study., (© 2021, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

To investigate the genetic diversity of Chinese indigenous horses and determine the genetic status of extant horse breeds, novel Y chromosomal microsatellite markers and known Y chromosomal SNPs and mtDNA loop sequences, were employed to study the genetic diversity levels of 13 Chinese indigenous horse populations and four introduced breeds. Sixteen Y-chromosomal microsatellite markers, including seven newly identified loci, were used in the genotyping. The results showed that 4 out of the 16 loci were highly polymorphic in Chinese indigenous horse populations, in which the polymorphisms of 3 loci, ECAYP12, ECAYP13, and ECAYCAU3, were first reported in the present study. The polymorphic Y chromosomal microsatellite markers result in 19 haplotypes in the studied horses and formed 24 paternal lines when merged with the 14 Y chromosomal SNPs reported previously. The haplotypes CHT18 and SS24 harboring AMELY gene mutation were the ancestral haplotypes, and other haplotypes were derived from them by one or more mutation steps. The horse populations in mountainous and remote areas of southwestern China have the most ancient paternal lines, which suggests that ancient paternal lines preserved in local populations attributed to less human interventions. Our results also showed that the northern local breeds had higher mtDNA diversity than the southern ones in China. The frequency of haplogroup B, F, and G of mtDNA in Chinese indigenous horses has declined in recent years, and some breeds are in endangered status mainly due to small population sizes. Urgent actions should be taken to conserve the genetic diversity of the indigenous horse populations, especially the rare paternal lines. Our findings help to elucidate the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of Chinese domestic horses, which will facilitate the conservation of the indigenous horses in the future., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Genetics Society of America.)

The Debao pony is a well-known dwarf horse breed in China. High-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) gene is regarded as one of the important candidate genes regulating body height in horses. The aim of this study was to study the association between mutations in HMGA2 gene and withers height in Debao ponies. The polymorphisms in all exons and partial introns of the HMGA2 gene were screened with sequencing across 180 Debao ponies. And the association between the DNA variants and withers height was analyzed. Seven genetic variants were identified in HMGA2 gene, including six novel variants. Among them, six mutations were located in two closed linked blocks. The three novel variants (In1-1, E5-1, and E5-2) in the 1st intron and the fifth exon and a known mutation (In1-2) had significant association with withers height in Debao ponies. These results suggest that the four variants have the potential to be used as genetic markers for dwarf horse breeding activities., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)