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Background The 2015 MERS outbreak in South Korea was the largest event outside of the Middle East. Under such circumstances, individuals tend to resort to non-conventional solutions such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to manage health. Thus, this study aims to examine characteristics of CAM use among outpatients in a community hospital setting during the 2015 MERS outbreak and to assess potential predictors of CAM use during the epidemic. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 331 patients (response rate: 82.75%) at a community hospital located in Seoul, South Korea. The survey instrument included 36 questions on the use of CAM, demographic characteristics, health status, and respondents’ perceptions and concerns about MERS infection. Chi-square test and logistic regression were conducted for data analysis using SPSS ver. 21.0., and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses. Results 76.1% of respondents used one or more types of CAM modalities during the MERS outbreak. Consumption of easily accessible modalities such as multivitamin (51.2%) and food products (32.1%) was most popular, and the majority of CAM users relied on mass media (52.4%) and the internet (27.4%) to obtain information on CAM. The use of CAM was associated with age between 40 and 49, age over 50, prior CAM use, and dissatisfaction with the government response to the MERS outbreak. Conclusions CAM was commonly used by outpatients during the 2015 MERS outbreak in Korea, and mass media was the main source of information. Establishing a media platform is of paramount importance to provide reliable information and ensure the safety of its use.

In pigs, litter size is typically defined as the total number of piglets born (TNB) or the number of piglets born alive (NBA). Increasing pig litter size is of great economic interest as a means to increase productivity. The capacity of the uterus is a critical component of litter size and may play a central role in prolificacy. In this study, we investigated litter-size-related epigenetic markers in uterine tissue from Berkshire pigs with smaller litter size groups (SLGs) and larger litter size groups (LLGs) using genome-wide bisulfite sequencing (GWBS). A total of 3269 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified: 1566 were hypermethylated and 1703 hypomethylated in LLG compared to SLG. The zona pellucida binding protein (ZPBP) gene was significantly hypomethylated in the LLG promoter region, and its expression was significantly upregulated in uterine tissue. Thus, the methylation status of ZPBP gene was identified as a potential indicator of litter size. Furthermore, we verified its negative correlation with litter size traits (TNB and NBA) in whole blood samples from 172 Berkshire sows as a blood-based biomarker by a porcine methylation-specific restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PMP) assay. The results suggest that the methylation status of the ZPBP gene can serve as a valuable epigenetic biomarker for hyperprolific sows.

Background: There are limited data on the use of herbal medicines (HM) among breastfeeding mothers, despite the fact that knowledge of the possible benefits or harms of HM use has a direct relationship with the health of infants, especially in resource-limited countries. The study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with HM use among breastfeeding mothers in Tanzania.Methods: The study followed a cross-sectional design using a structured survey questionnaire. Survey participants were recruited from the reproductive and child health clinic at Uhuru health center in Morogoro, Tanzania. The survey instrument comprised of 34 questions, including demographic information, the pattern of HM use during breastfeeding, and women’s perceptions of HM. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for data analysis using SPSS ver. 24.0.Results: The majority of the respondents (53.8%) used HM during breastfeeding. The most commonly used HM was black pepper (Piper nigrum L.; 80.0%), followed by pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo L.; 18.0%). About one-third (27.5%) of HM users discussed their use with their healthcare providers. In addition, higher education levels and low breastmilk supply were identified as potential predictors of HM use.Conclusion: The practice of HM use among breastfeeding mothers in Tanzania is popular to ease breastfeeding difficulties. However, the issue of the safety or effectiveness of HM is still an unknown agenda. This awakens the need to evaluate HM’s safety, efficacy, and quality through pharmacological studies for scientific evidence. Lastly, a clinical guideline should be developed in healthcare settings to promote open dialogues between the healthcare providers and mothers to ensure the safe use of HM.

BackgroundTraditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) is commonly used in South Asian countries such as Nepal. There are various causes and contributing factors for patients with cancer to consider using T&CM. However, little is known about the use of T&CM among the cancer population in this region.MethodsThe study followed a cross-sectional design using a structured survey questionnaire. Survey participants were recruited from two National hospitals in Kathmandu, Nepal. The survey instrument comprised 30 questions, including variables on demographics, use of T&CM, and perceived level of disease severity, and cancer treatment. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for data analysis using SPSS ver. 23.0.ResultsOf 908 participants, 31.6% used one or more modalities of T&CM after a cancer diagnosis. The most commonly used T&CM was Ayurveda (46.5%), followed by yoga (32.4%). About 46% of T&CM users discussed their use with their doctors. The main source of information on T&CM was their family members and relatives (55.7%). Cancer type (head and neck cancer OR: 2.30, CI: 1.23–4.29; abdominal cancer OR: 2.69, CI: 1.47–4.95; lung cancer OR: 5.88, CI: 2.69–12.89), cancer stage (Stage I OR: 1.92¸CI: 1.14–3.25; Stage II OR: 1.76, CI: 1.06–2.94), and the patients’ self-rated disease severity (high perceived severity OR: 1.50, CI: 1.05–2.16) were strong predictors of T&CM use.ConclusionThis study underlined that despite the widespread use of T&CM among cancer patients in Nepal, most patients obtained information on T&CM from informal sources and did not disclose their use to physicians. To ensure the safe use of T&CM modalities, physicians should integrate questions on T&CM use into routine patient assessments in order to facilitate active communication and improve the quality of care.

Background Pregnant women’s disclosure of herbal medicine (HM) use to their health care providers during pregnancy is crucial, as misuse of HM can have a detrimental effect on both pregnant woman and the fetus. However, the lack of disclosure of HM use to physicians remains a public health concern in developing countries such as Nepal. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 postpartum women admitted at Maternity and Women’s Hospital located in Kathmandu, Nepal. The survey instrument included 30 questions on the use of HM during pregnancy, sociodemographic and health characteristics, and pregnancy outcomes. Chi-square test and logistic regression were conducted for data analysis using SPSS ver. 21.0., and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses. Results 60.3% of respondents used at least one herbal remedy during their previous pregnancy, and the overall disclosure rate of HM use to healthcare providers was 54.6%. Women with secondary education level and four or more antenatal care visits were more likely to disclose their HM use to healthcare providers. Conclusions This study highlights that despite the popular use of HM among pregnant women in Nepal, most women obtained HM-related information from informal sources and did not disclose their HM use to physicians. To ensure the safe use of HM, physicians should integrate questions regarding patients’ HM use into their routine patient assessments to facilitate active communication and improve the quality of care.

Measuring nicotine metabolites is the most objective method for identifying smoke exposure. Liquid chromatography--tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) can measure multiple metabolites and is sensitive enough to detect low concentrations of metabolites. Therefore, we developed a simple and high-throughput method for measuring nicotine, cotinine, trans-3ʹ-hydroxycotinine (3-OH cotinine), nornicotine and anabasine for population-based studies using LC–MS-MS. Each 30 µL of urine sample was diluted with 90 µL of acetonitrile containing five deuterated internal standards. Chromatographic separation used a C18 column, and LC–MS-MS analysis was performed with a multiple reaction monitoring mode. The chromatographic run time for each sample was 6.5 min. The method was validated by evaluating selectivity, interference, limit of detection, lower limit of quantification, precision, accuracy, linearity, extraction recovery, matrix effect and carryover according to guidelines. Our methods required a short preparation time (∼20 min) while simultaneously measuring five markers for smoking status. No endogenous or exogenous interference was found. Our method showed excellent precision and accuracy: within-run coefficient of variation (CV) 2.9–9.4%, between-run CV 4.8–8.7% and bias −10.1 to 5.3%. Linear dynamic ranges were 1–10,000 ng/mL for nicotine, nornicotine and anabasine; 2–5,000 ng/mL for cotinine and 5–15,000 ng/mL for 3-OH cotinine. Extraction recovery was consistent (87–109%) across concentrations. No significant matrix effect or carryover was observed. The validated method was applied to 849 urine samples. In samples from the 125 current smokers, nicotine, cotinine, 3-OH cotinine, nornicotine and anabasine were detected in 97.6, 99.2, 98.4, 96.8 and 87.2%, respectively. No markers were detected in 93.9% of 609 nonsmokers. The overlapping detection of multiple markers made it possible to identify the smoking status even in current smokers with a low concentration of cotinine. Our LC–MS-MS method using a simple sample preparation technique is sensitive and effective for screening of smoking status in the general population.

Litter size is an important trait in the pig industry. Therefore, a lot of effort has been put into improving this trait. DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic modification present in unique DNA sequences. Alterations in methylation can affect transcription and phenotypic variation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of DNA methylation on litter size. Methylation-specific restriction enzymes are simple and useful tools for detecting DNA methylation status. We used a pair of methylation-sensitive isoschizomers, which have the same recognition site, HpaII and MspI. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4) is a key regulator of ovarian follicular development and fetal growth in eutherian mammals. In this study, we discovered that IGFBP4 was hyper-methylated in the uterus tissue of a larger litter size group using bisulfite sequencing, and validated the positive relationship between the methylation status of IGFBP4 and the total number born of pigs using the porcine methylation-specific restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PMP) assay. We suggest that the IGFPB4 gene can be used as a prognostic biomarker for hyperprolific sows and that the PMP assay is a useful tool for methylation status screening.

Litter size is an economically important trait in the pig industry. We aimed to identify genetic markers associated with litter size, which can be used in breeding programs for improving reproductive traits. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Berkshire pigs in the N-acetyltransferase 9 (NAT9) and Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 3 (MAP3K3) genes were from RNA sequencing results, and already exist in the databank (NCBI), and were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A total of 272 Berkshire sows were used to examine the genotype, and their association with litter size traits was analyzed. The NAT9 SNP was located in chromosome 12 exon 640 mRNA (A > G) and the MAP3K3 SNP was located in chromosome 12 intron 11 (80, C > T). Association analysis indicated that the GG genotype of NAT9 and the CT genotype of MAP3K3 had the highest values for litter size traits. The GG genotype expressed higher levels of NAT9 mRNA in the endometrium than the other genotypes did, and a positive correlation was found between litter size traits and NAT9, but not MAP3K3 expression level. These results indicate that the NAT9 and MAP3K3 can be used as candidate genes applicable in breeding program for the improvement of litter size traits in Berkshire pigs.

The electron transfer flavoprotein α subunit gene (ETFA) encodes a protein that forms part of the ETF enzyme. This enzyme is normally active in mitochondria, the energy-producing centres of cells, to donate electrons derived from fatty acid oxidation to ETF- ubiquinone oxidoreductase. In the present study, we identified a non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (nsSNP) (rs321948383, c.569G > A) in the porcine ETFA gene and analyzed the association between this nsSNP and meat quality traits in 405 Berkshire pigs. The pigs with rs321948383 G/G had a higher meat quality from the aspects of meat colour (L*, p = 0.013), water-holding capacity (p = 0.001), drip loss (p = 0.000), carcass temperatures (T1, p = 0.000; T4, p = 0.000; T12, p = 0.000; T24, p = 0.001), and pH24 (p = 0.014). Therefore, this nsSNP (c.569G > A) could play an important role in improving the meat quality of pigs.

Background and aims Intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) is one of the most common causes of stroke, especially in Asians. Hyperuricemia has been associated with an increased risk of comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome or cardiovascular diseases. However, there are few studies focusing on the association between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and asymptomatic ICAS. The aim of this study was to explore the association between SUA and the prevalence of ICAS in middle-aged Korean health screening examinees. Methods and results A cross-sectional study was performed on 9417 males and 7755 females who underwent a comprehensive health examination including transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography. The association of SUA and ICAS was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. The prevalence of ICAS among the total examinee population was 3.55%. In females, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio for ICAS was 1.52 (confidence interval 1.13–2.04) in the 3rd quartile of SUA and 1.45 (1.05–2.00) in the highest quartile, compared to the reference (P for trend 0.008). This trend was evident in all clinically relevant subgroups evaluated, including women with low inflammation status. SUA was not significantly associated with the prevalence of ICAS among males. In a sensitivity analysis, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of middle cerebral artery stenosis in females was 1.60 (1.09–2.37) in the highest quartile compared to the reference (P for trend 0.023). Conclusions Higher SUA level was associated with increased risk of ICAS among middle-aged females but not males. A further cohort study is warranted to elucidate the effect of SUA on asymptomatic ICAS.

Postmortem pH is a main factor influencing the meat quality in pigs. This study investigated the association of postmortem pH with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fourth member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family (DHRS4), the first member of serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G (complement inhibitor) (SERPING1), and the apolipoprotein R precursor (APOR) genes in Berkshire pigs. The study included 437 pigs, and genotyping was conducted using the GoldenGate Assay (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). DHRS4, SERPING1, and APOR polymorphisms were significantly associated with pH45 or pH24 (p

Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among infertile women is popular in many countries, including Korea. Previous research has repeatedly found more than half of infertile women surveyed use CAM therapies for fertility enhancement and overall well-being. However, there is currently little evidence to support this practice, and this raises the question of infertile women’s experiences in the uptake of those modalities and sociodemographic and psychological factors associated with CAM use. Thus, this study aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of infertile women with regard to their use of CAM in Korea. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 263 infertile women attending infertility specialty clinics in Seoul, Korea, in June 2012. The survey instrument included 47 questions on the use of CAM, demographic characteristics, health status, and infertility related factors such as duration and type of infertility, experience and satisfaction of conventional treatment, and self-perceived severity of infertility condition. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results Among 286 respondents (response rate, 95.3%), a total of 263 women were included in the final analysis. 63.5% of respondents used one or more types of CAM modalities during infertility treatment. The utilization of CAM was associated with employment status, duration of infertility treatment, and self-perceived severity of the disease. The most commonly used CAM modalities were multivitamin and herbal medicine, and differences in types of CAM modalities used were found between the group with a higher rating of self-perceived disease severity and the lower perceived severity group. Conclusions High prevalence of CAM use among infertile women was observed in Korea. Our findings support that infertile women’s own understanding of their illness and physical condition influences self-care behavior such as CAM use. This calls for an urgent need for further in-depth study of the clinical effects of popular CAM modalities among infertile women when used in conjunction with conventional treatment.

Corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) is a plasma transport protein that has glucocorticoid-binding activity. In the present study, we identified CBG gene expression in several tissues of four pig breeds: Berkshire, Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire. Expression of CBG mRNA was detected in the liver of all four breeds, and was the highest in Berkshire pigs. We also found single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CBG gene from Berkshire pigs, including SNP c.919G>A, which corresponds to 307G>R. We analyzed the relationships between this CBG variant and various meat-quality traits. The SNP was significantly associated with backfat thickness, post-mortem pH24h, meat color [CIE a* (redness), CIE b* (yellowness)], water-holding capacity, fat content, moisture content, protein content, cooking loss, and shear force. However, the effects differed by gender: the values were significantly associated with almost all traits in gilts, whereas only cooking loss and shear force were shown significantly in barrows. The variant G allele was associated with decreases in backfat thickness, post-mortem pH24h, CIE a*, fat content, and cooking loss, but with increases in CIE b*, water-holding capacity, moisture content, protein content, and shear force. Because the general correlation between meat-quality traits were not validated in the present study, we suggest that certain SNP might be used in the restrictive application to distinguish meat-quality traits.

In pigs, litter size is typically defined as the total number of piglets born (TNB) or the number of piglets born alive (NBA). Increasing pig litter size is of great economic interest as a means to increase productivity. The capacity of the uterus is a critical component of litter size and may play a central role in prolificacy. In this study, we investigated litter-size-related epigenetic markers in uterine tissue from Berkshire pigs with smaller litter size groups (SLGs) and larger litter size groups (LLGs) using genome-wide bisulfite sequencing (GWBS). A total of 3269 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified: 1566 were hypermethylated and 1703 hypomethylated in LLG compared to SLG. The zona pellucida binding protein (ZPBP) gene was significantly hypomethylated in the LLG promoter region, and its expression was significantly upregulated in uterine tissue. Thus, the methylation status of ZPBP gene was identified as a potential indicator of litter size. Furthermore, we verified its negative correlation with litter size traits (TNB and NBA) in whole blood samples from 172 Berkshire sows as a blood-based biomarker by a porcine methylation-specific restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PMP) assay. The results suggest that the methylation status of the ZPBP gene can serve as a valuable epigenetic biomarker for hyperprolific sows.

In the present study, we examined the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of leptin (LEP), skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (GYS1), myogenic differentiation 1 (MYOD1), and myogenic factor 5 (MYF5) genes on economic trait association in pigs. LEP/HindIII, MYOD1/DdeI, MYF5/FokI, and GYS1/FokI genotypes were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) from 466 pigs comprised of Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire breeds. The LEP/HindIII polymorphism differed significantly with respect to average daily gain (ADG) in Duroc pigs (P

Epoxide hydrolase 1 (EPHX1) plays an important role in both the activation and detoxification of exogenous chemicals. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis showed that the highest level of EPHX1 expression occurred in Berkshire liver, which is an organ that plays a key role in detoxification. We examined EPHX1 SNPs to analyze effect on increased expression of EPHX1 gene in Berkshire liver by total of 192 pigs of a pure Berkshire line (males = 97; females = 95). As a result, two nonsynonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) of EPHX1 were found from c.685TG and c.776C T, and located in 5th and 6th exons, respectively, which constitute the A/b hydrolase 1 domain of epoxide hydrolase. The nsSNP c.685T G was significant differences in meat color, protein content, collagen content, and pH24 hr. Especially, T and G alleles of the nsSNP c.685T G were significantly associated with CIE a*/CIE b* and protein content/pH24 hr, respectively. The nsSNP c.776C T was significant differences in drip loss and protein content. Among meat quality traits to associate with SNPs, the protein content was only significantly associated with sex. Therefore, it is suggested that nsSNP c.685T G in EPHX1 gene is a potential to apply as appropriate DNA markers for improvement of porcine economic traits.

Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the most reliable molecular biology technique for assessment of mRNA expression levels. However, to obtain the accurate RT-qPCR results, the expression levels of genes of interest should be normalized with appropriate reference genes and optimal numbers of reference genes. In this study, we assessed the expression stability of 15 well-known candidate reference genes (ACTB, ALDOA, B2M, GAPDH, HPAR1, HSPCB, PGK1, POLR2G, PPIA, RPL4, RPS18, SDHA, TBP, TOP2B, and YWHAZ) in seven body tissues (liver, lung, kidney, spleen, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine) of Berkshire, Landrace, Duroc, and Yorkshire pigs using three excel-based programs, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper. Combination analysis of these three programs showed that the stable and appropriate reference genes are PPIA, TBP, and HSPCB in Berkshire pigs; PPIA, TBP, RPL4, and RPS18 in Landrace pigs; PPIA and TBP in Duroc pigs; and PPIA, TOP2B, RPL4, and RPS18 in Yorkshire pigs. Because the four pig breeds had different suitable reference genes, the selection of appropriate reference genes is essential in RT-qPCR analyses. Taken together, our data could help to select reliable reference genes for the normalization of expression levels of various target genes in pigs.

Litter size is among the most important traits in swine breeding. However, information on the genetics of litter size in pigs is lacking. In this study, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 and 3 (IGFBP2 and IGFBP3) genes in Berkshire pigs and analyzed their association with litter size traits. The IGFBP2 SNP was located on chromosome 15 intron 2 (455, A T) and the IGFBP3 SNP was on chromosome 18 intron 2 (53, A G). The AT type of IGFBP2 and the GG type of IGFBP3 had the highest values for all litter size traits including total number born (TNB), number of pigs born alive, and breeding value according to TNB. Homozygous GG pigs expressed higher levels of IGFBP3 mRNA in the endometrium than pigs of other genotypes, and a positive correlation was observed between litter size traits and IGFBP3 but not IGFBP2 expression level. These results suggest that SNPs in the IGFBP2 and the IGFBP3 gene are useful biomarkers for increasing the reproductive productivity of Berkshire pigs.

Bromodomain-containing protein 2 (BRD2) is a nuclear serine/threonine kinase involved in transcriptional regulation. We investigated the expression and association of the BRD2 gene as a candidate gene for meat quality traits in Berkshire pigs. BRD2 mRNA was expressed at relatively high levels in muscle tissue. Statistical analysis revealed that the c.1709G>C polymorphism of the BRD2 gene was significantly associated with carcass weight, meat color (a*, redness), protein content, cooking loss, water-holding capacity, carcass temperatures 4, 12 and 24 h postmortem, and the 24 h postmortem pH in 384 Berkshire pigs. Therefore, this polymorphism in the porcine BRD2 gene may be used as a candidate genetic marker to improve meat quality traits in pigs.

Background High prevalence of herbal medicines used in pregnancy and the lack of information on their safety is a public concern. Despite this, no significant research has been done regarding potential adverse effects of using herbal medicines during pregnancy, especially among developing Asian countries. Methods Cross-sectional studies were searched up to year 2016 on PubMed/Medline and EMBASE, the data were extracted and quality of studies was assessed using the quality appraisal tool. The findings are reported in accordance to the PRISMA checklist (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). Classification on safety of identified herbal medicines was done based on current scientific literature. Results This study included eight cross-sectional studies (2729 participants) from seven different Asian countries, of which 1283 (47.01%) women used one or more herbal medicines during pregnancy. Peppermint (22.8%), aniseed (14.7%), olibanum (12.9%), flixweed seed (12.2%) and ginger (11.5%) were the most frequently used herbal medicines. Out of the 33 identified herbal medicines, 13 were classified as safe to use, five as use with caution, eight were potentially harmful to use in pregnancy and information on seven herbal medicines was not available in the current literature. Conclusions Several herbal medicines identified in this review were classified to be potentially harmful or the information regarding safety in pregnancy was missing. It is recommended that contraindicated herbal medicines should be avoided and other herbals should be taken under supervision of a qualified health care practitioner. The classification regarding safety of herbal medicines in pregnancy can be utilized to create awareness on prevention of adverse effects. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12906-017-1995-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Increasing litter size is of great interest to the pig industry. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression, resulting in livestock phenotypes such as disease resistance, milk production, and reproduction. We classified Berkshire pigs into two groups according to litter size and estimated breeding value: smaller (SLG) and larger (LLG) litter size groups. Genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression were analyzed using placenta genomic DNA and RNA to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with litter size. The methylation levels of CpG dinucleotides in different genomic regions were noticeably different between the groups, while global methylation pattern was similar, and excluding intergenic regions they were found the most frequently in gene body regions. Next, we analyzed RNA-Seq data to identify DEGs between the SLG and LLG groups. A total of 1591 DEGs were identified: 567 were downregulated and 1024 were upregulated in LLG compared to SLG. To identify genes that simultaneously exhibited changes in DNA methylation and mRNA expression, we integrated and analyzed the data from bisulfite-Seq and RNA-Seq. Nine DEGs positioned in DMRs were found. The expression of only three of these genes (PRKG2, CLCA4, and PCK1) was verified by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, we observed the same methylation patterns in blood samples as in the placental tissues by PCR-based methylation analysis. Together, these results provide useful data regarding potential epigenetic markers for selecting hyperprolific sows.

Bone health has been associated with oxidative stress and antioxidants have received interest to this end. Serum uric acid (SUA), an end product of purine metabolism in humans, has recently shown antioxidant properties regarding bone health, but there are conflicting results. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between SUA levels and lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) in clinically apparently healthy males aged 40–60 years. We performed a cross-sectional study of 6588 Korean males who completed a health-screening program from January 2011 to December 2014. Of the study participants, the mean age was 48.2 ± 10.7 years. Multiple regression analyses resulted in a significant positive association with lumbar spine BMD across SUA quintiles in a dose–response manner after adjusting for various confounding factors (p = 0.013); for each 1 mg/dl increase of SUA, BMD rose by 0.0054 g/cm2 (p = 0.004). Stratified analyses revealed that this association between SUA and lumbar spine BMD was consistently observed across all clinically relevant subgroups. The present study demonstrated a positive association in males between SUA and lumbar spine BMD, suggesting that SUA could have a profitable effect on bone metabolism.

This study was done to examine correlation between pork color and texture traits for entrepreneurial decision-making. Most traits between both factors had significant correlations, but presented low correlation values. The first correlation in the results of canonical correlation analysis (CCA) maintained relatively high values of 47.9. The value was positive and negative contributions for hardness and gumminess, respectively. Loadings of color traits were more influenced by lightness and whiteness. However, influence of variance in texture trait showed only 7.6% with color trait. The result indicates that there is no direct influence between pork color and texture, but an indirect influence. Therefore, we suggest that consumers and distributors as well as producers apply indirect criteria rather than directly assessing texture quality by pork color.