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In the electrolyte containing Nd2O3 particles with different concentrations, the micro - arc oxidation technology was used to prepare the coatings on the surface of 2A12 aluminum alloy. The effects of Nd2O3 particles with different concentrations on the hardness, thickness and adhesion strength between the micro - arc oxidation coating and the substrate were studied, which provided a theoretical basis for the preparation of the coatings with good performance on the surface of 2A12 aluminum alloy by micro - arc oxidation. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X - ray diffraction (XRD) and X - ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the cross section morphology and phase composition of the coatings. TT - 230 eddy current thickness tester, HVS - 1000 digital Vickers hardness tester and MFT - 4000 multi - functional material surface performance tester were used to test the coating thickness, hardness, and adhesion strength, respectively. Results showed that the coatings were mainly composed of α - Al2O3, γ - Al2O3 and SiO2 phases. With the increase of Nd2O3 particle concentration, the hardness, thickness, and adhesion strength between the coating and the substrate performed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Moreover, when Nd2O3 particle concentration was 0.3 g/L, the micro hardness, thickness, and adhesion strength between the coating and the substrate reached the maximum value of 576.38 HV, 8.17 μm and 16.7 N. In summary, adding Nd2O3 was an effective method to enhance the properties of 2A12 aluminum alloy micro - arc oxidation coating, and the optimal concentration was 0.3 g/L.

Objective To investigate the effects of 5-lipoxygenase activating protein (FLAP) inhibitor MK886 on the proliferation and apoptosis of human esophageal carcinoma cell lines (KYSE-150 and TE-3) and to explore the potential mechanism. Methods KYSE-150 and TE-3 cells were treated with MK886(2.5,5,10,20,40 and 80 μmol/L). xCELLigence RTCA system was used to to detect the half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)of MK886. The expressions of proteins with apoptosis and autophagy were detected by Western blot and cell cycles were detected by flow cytometry. Results MK886 decreased the proliferation of human esophageal carcinoma cells(KYSE-150 and TE-3) (both P＜0.05).IC50 of MK886 in KYSE-150 group was 29.11 μmol/L and in TE-3 group of 27.47 μmol/L.The proportion of G0/G1 phase was increased(both P＜0.001)However, in the group treated with concentrations of MK886 50 μmol/L,G2/M phase was increased(P＜0.05). The expression of cleaved-caspase-3 and LC-3A/B-Ⅱwere increased with MK886 (both P＜0.001). Conclusions MK886 inhibits proliferation of human esophageal carcinoma cell lines and induces apoptosis.

The lattice parameter, local magnetic moment and the relative stability of ferromagnetic bcc and antiferromagnetic fcc phases structure of Fe52T2(T=Cr,Mn,Co,Ni) alloys were studied by first principles method based on density functional theory. The results show that the dependence of lattice parameters and bulk modulus on the d shell electron number of dopant elements cannot be simply explained by the d band filling image. This fact suggests that there is a strong magneto-structural coupling effect in FeT alloys. For FeT alloys, the ferromagnetic bcc phase is more stable compared with the fcc phase. The antiferromagnetic phase is tetragonal with c/a ratio about 1.07, and this phase structure can be a metastable state. The change of lattice structure leads to redistribution of electrons, and thus results in different magnetic order and local magnetic moment.

This study aimed to explore the genetic basis of muscle development in goats. The transcriptome dataset for differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of goat muscle at different developmental stages were obtained using RNA-Seq. A total of 447,806,481 and 587,559,465 clean reads in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Dazu black goats between 75d embryonic stage and 1d after birth were generated through Illumina paired-end sequencing, and their mapping rates were 89.82 and 90.99%, respectively. Moreover, 4517 DEGs and 648 DELs were identified, and 4784 lncRNA-mRNA targeting relationships were predicted. Gene function annotation results showed that 4101 DEGs were significantly enriched to 1098 GO terms, and 2014 DEGs were significantly enriched to 40 KEGG pathways, including many GO terms and pathways related to muscle development, such as cell differentiation and Wnt signaling pathway. Then, 10 DELs and 20 DEGs were randomly selected for RT-qPCR verification, and the agreement rate between the verification and RNA-Seq results was 90%, indicating the high reliability of the RNA-Seq data analysis. In conclusion, this study obtained several mRNAs and lncRNAs related to the muscle development of Dazu black goats and identified several targeted regulatory pairs of lncRNA–mRNA. This study may serve as a reference to understand the genetic basis and molecular mechanism of muscle development in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared and analyzed the genetic diversity and population structure of exon 2 of the DQB1 gene and 13 autosomal neutral microsatellite markers from 14 Chinese goat breeds to explore the potential evolutionary mechanism of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). A total of 287 haplotypes were constructed from MHC-DQB1 exon 2 from 14 populations, and 82 nucleotide polymorphic sites (SNPs, 31.78%) and 172 heterozygous individuals (79.12%) were identified. The FST values of the microsatellites and MHC-DQB ranged between 0.01831–0.26907 and 0.00892–0.38871, respectively. Furthermore, 14 goat populations showed rich genetic diversity in the microsatellite loci and MHC-DQB1 exon 2. However, the population structure and phylogenetic relationship represented by the two markers were different. Positive selection and Tajima's D test results showed the occurrence of a diversified selection mechanism, which was primarily based on a positive and balancing selection in goat DQB. This study also found that the DQB sequences of bovines exhibited trans-species polymorphism (TSP) among species and families. In brief, this study indicated that positive and balancing selection played a major role in maintaining the genetic diversity of DQB, and TSP of MHC in bovines was common, which enhanced the understanding of the MHC evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AMH, KISS1R and GDF9 genes play a vital role in human and animal reproduction and might be used as the genetic markers for the reproduction traits selection. The aim of this study was to screen the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the AMH, KISS1R and GDF9 genes and to determine the correlations between these SNPs and the litter size in goats. Nine single SNPs within these genes were used for genotyping of the 190 Dazu black goat populations by SNaPshot technique. The polymorphisms of nine SNPs within these genes were detected in Dazu black goats. The significant correlation was observed between one SNP (g.89172108A > C) within the AMH gene and the litter size of second born in Dazu black goats (p < 0.05). The SNP was located in exon 4 (XM_018050765.1) of the AMH gene and was one nonsynonymous substitution, which resulted in a change of an amino acid from Glutamine to Proline (Gln38Pro). These results suggested that the nonsynonymous SNP g.89172108A > C of AMH gene could be used as a potential genetic marker for Marker-assisted selection (MAS) in goats breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the relative Copy number variation (CNV) associated with the litter size of Dazu black goats based on the unpublished CNV analytical results of our previously published sequencing data, in which the litter-size groups were classified into extreme low- and high-yield groups. Firstly, to compare the existence of valuable CNV in Dazu black goats with different fertility levels with mixed pools. We obtained 4992 and 4888 CNVs from the HY and LY, which overlapping 1461 genes, and classified on the original CNV type. Three genes [LOC108633278, PPP1R12A, and YIPF4] were observed in the intersection between the HY deletion and the LY duplication groups. Secondly, on individuals level, we identified a novel candidate CNV (Chr1_50215501, FST = 0.148, VST = 0.347) from 214 autosomal credible CNVs to be significant with litter size in the Dazu black goat, which located in the CBLB gene. This finding indicates the CBLB gene may affect the litter size of the Dazu black goats through structural variations, and Chr1_50215501 can be an effective genetic marker for marker-assisted selection breeding, and this study was also helps understand the molecular mechanism related to the goat litter size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Litter size is a key indicator of production performance in livestock. However, its genetic basis in goats remains poorly understood. In this work, a genome‐wide selection sweep analysis (GWSA) on 100 published goat genomes with different litter rates was performed for the first time to identify candidate genes related to kidding rate. This analysis was combined with the public RNA‐sequencing data of ovary tissues (follicular phase) from high‐ and low‐yielding goats. A total of 2278 genes were identified by GWSA. Most of these genes were enriched in signaling pathways related to ovarian follicle development and hormone secretion. Moreover, 208 differentially expressed genes between groups were obtained from the ovaries of goats with different litter sizes. These genes were substantially enriched in the cholesterol and steroid synthesis signaling pathways. Meanwhile, the weighted gene co‐expression network was used to perform modular analysis of differentially expressed genes. The results showed that seven modules were reconstructed, of which one module showed a very strong correlation with litter size (r = −0.51 and p‐value <0.001). There were 51 genes in this module, and 39 hub genes were screened by Pearson's correlation coefficient between core genes > 0.4, correlation coefficient between module members > 0.80 and intra‐module connectivity ≥5. Finally, based on the results of GWSA and hub gene Venn analysis, seven key genes (ACSS2, HECW2, KDR, LHCGR, NAMPT, PTGFR and TFPI) were found to be associated with steroid synthesis and follicle growth development. This work contributes to understanding of the genetic basis of goat litter size and provides theoretical support for goat molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding and TCM prescription of pèi lián má huáng for patients with simple obesity due to spleen deficiency and dampness. Method: A total of 100 patients with the condition were selected. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, 50 cases in each group. TCM herbal formula, pèi lián má huáng, was prescribed for the control group. The same prescription was given to the treatment group, in addition to acupoint catgut embedding. There were 50 healthy check-ups selected as the normal group. The body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, the index of TC, TG and LDL-C were compared among the three groups before and after the treatment. Results: After treatment, the index of BMI and waist-to-hip ratio decreased in the control and treatment groups, and the treatment group showed lower BMI and waist-to-hip ratio than the control group (P < 0.05); the index of TC, TG and LDL-C decreased in the control and treatment groups, and the treatment group showed lower TC, TG and LDL-C than the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: For patients with simple obesity due to spleen deficiency and dampness, the acupoint catgut embedding and TCM prescription of pèi lián má huáng can reduce the index of BMI and improve the blood lipid level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primarily metabolic abnormality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the defect in gluconeogenesis and glucose uptake. Itraconazole (ITCZ) is a traditional azole drug with anti-fungal and anticancer properties. However, limited attention has been directed towards the contribution of ITCZ to hepatic gluconeogenesis and glucose uptake in T2DM. The present study aimed to investigate the potential effects of ITCZ on hepatic gluconeogenesis and glucose uptake as well as the underlying mechanisms. No obvious change in cell viability was detected by MTT assay in HepG2 cells with ITCZ treatment at gradually increasing concentrations. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the phosphorylation level of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was significantly elevated by ITCZ treatment at ≥5 µg/ml (P<0.05). Moreover, ITCZ repressed the gluconeogenesis of HepG2 cells, as evidenced by the dose-dependently increased glycogen synthase kinase 3β phosphorylation level and a notably decreased glucose production rate (P<0.05). Simultaneously, the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) in HepG2 cells was reduced by ITCZ in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.001). Furthermore, a 2-deoxyglucose uptake assay revealed that the glucose uptake of HepG2 cells was notably enhanced, accompanied by the ITCZ dose-dependent upregulation of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4) (P<0.05). Conversely, silencing of AMPK by small interfering RNA resulted in an increase of ITCZ-reduced gluconeogenesis and inhibition of ITCZ-induced glucose uptake with relative upregulation of PEPCK and G6Pase and downregulation of GLUT4 in the presence of 50 µg/ml ITCZ (P<0.05). Overall, the results indicated that AMPK has an important role in regulating ITCZ-induced glucose uptake by stimulating GLUT4 in HepG2 cells. Therefore, ITCZ may become a promising candidate for T2DM therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]