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The Yellow River Delta possesses lots of characteristic medicinal plants due to its high salinity and high alkaline environment and Limonium sinense is an iconic plant. However, there are very few studies on L. sinense and its chemical constituents have not been investigated in recent ten years. In the present study, the chemical constituents and bioactivities of L. sinense were fully studied for the first time. UPLC-MS/MS method combined with database comparison identified 109 compounds mainly including flavonoids, alkaloids and polyphenols. In addition, the potential bioactivities of L. sinense were considerated as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-tumor, hepatoprotective and hpyerglycemic activities based on these identified compounds and their related literature. Furthermore, four derivatives of 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid and butenolide including two new ones (1 and 2) were isolated from the whole plants of L. sinense. Their structures, including the absolute configurations, were determined by the analysis of comprehensive spectroscopic data. All isolates were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity. Compound 1 exhibited moderate anti-inflammatory activity with IC 50 value of 37.5±1.2 μM on NO production level., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Two new triterpenoids (1-2), along with six known analogues (3-8) were obtained from the dried whole plant of Leptopus clarkei. Compound 1 is a 3,4-seco-lupane-type triterpenoid, and compound 2 is a phenylpropanoid-conjugated pentacyclic triterpenoid possessing trans-p-coumaroyl unit attached to oleanane-type skeleton. This is the first report on chemical investigation of the L. clarkei, and the triterpenoid derivatives were found in this plant for the first time. The structures of the new compounds were unequivocally elucidated by HRESIMS and 1D/2D NMR data. Additionally, the isolated compounds were evaluated for theircytotoxicities against four cancer cell lines including HepG2, MCF-7, A549 and HeLa. Notably, compound 2 exhibited the most significant antiproliferative activity with IC 50 less than 20 μM for four cancer lines., (© 2023 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

The high expression or mutation of SHP2 can induce cancer, so targeting SHP2 has become a new strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, we used the previously reported SHP2 allosteric inhibitor IACS-13909 as a lead drug for structural derivation and modification, and synthesized three SHP2 inhibitors. Among them, 1 H -pyrazolo[3,4- b ]pyrazine derivative 4b was a highly selective SHP2 allosteric inhibitor, with an IC 50 value of 3.2 nM, and its inhibitory activity was 17.75 times than that of the positive control IACS-13909. The cell proliferation experiment detected that compound 4b would markedly inhibit the proliferation of various cancer cells. Interestingly, compound 4b was highly sensitive to KRAS G12C -mutant non-small cell lung cancer NCI-H358 cells, with an IC 50 value of 0.58 μM and its antiproliferative activity was 4.79 times than that of IACS-13909. Furthermore, the combination therapy of compound 4b and KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib would play a strong synergistic effect against NCI-H358 cells. The western blot experiment detected that compound 4b markedly downregulated the phosphorylation levels of ERK and AKT in NCI-H358 cells. Molecular docking study predicted that compound 4b bound to the allosteric site of SHP2 and formed H-bond interactions with key residues Thr108, Glu110, Arg111, and Phe113. In summary, this study aims to provide new ideas for the development of SHP2 allosteric inhibitors for the treatment of KRAS G12C mutant non-small cell lung cancer.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

A large number of extracts of medicinal plants or natural products shows beneficial to combat obesity. In the present work, a new flavonoid named (2 S ,1″ R ,2″ R )-4'-hydroxy-7-methoxy-6-(1,2,3-trihydroxy-3-methyl-butyl)-flavanone ( 1 ), along with seven known compounds ( 2-8 ) were isolated from the seeds of Cullen corylifolium. Their structures, including the absolute configurations, were determined by the analysis of comprehensive spectroscopic data and computational calculation methods. All isolates were evaluated for their diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) inhibitory activity. Compounds 1-4 exhibited different level of DGAT1 inhibitory activity with IC 50 values ranging from 28.2 ± 1.1 to 127.3 ± 1.9 μM. In addition, 45 flavonoids which be evaluated for DGAT inhibitory activity were summarised and potential structure-activity relationships were discussed.

Background: The awareness and willingness to use doxycycline-based syphilis chemoprophylaxis among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China remain largely unknown., Methods: We recruited MSM online from Nanjing, Wuhan and Changsha between August and October of 2021, collected data from online survey, analyzed their data using descriptive statistics, and constructed binary logistic regression for factors associated with awareness and willingness to use chemoprophylaxis for syphilis and HIV., Results: Of 725 participants (44.0% of which resided in Nanjing, 37.7% in Changsha, and 18.3% in Wuhan), a majority were under 25 years of age; 62.2% had college degrees; 11.3% were HIV positive; and 5.10% had prior syphilis infection. Only 28.83% of participants had heard of syphilis chemoprophylaxis before. Odds of knowing syphilis chemoprophylaxis were higher in those who think it is necessary to have syphilis chemoprophylaxis versus those who think it is unnecessary (P = 0.002), and were higher in those whose acquaintance had chemoprophylaxis experience before (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, those who had no previous doxycycline using history, or had positive attitude were more likely to be willing to accept syphilis chemoprophylaxis (P = 0.009, P < 0.001). Over two-thirds (67.8%) of participants preferred the PEP mode in syphilis chemoprophylaxis, and side-effects of drugs remains their most worrying aspect., Conclusions: We observed elevated interest in syphilis chemoprophylaxis in MSM in our investigational areas, indicating that the combination of HIV and syphilis chemoprophylaxis in China is promising., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Our present and previous phytochemical investigations on Leptopus lolonum have resulted in the isolation of almost 30 phenylpropanoid-conjugated pentacyclic triterpenoids (PCPTs). During the continuous study on PCPTs, this kind of triterpenoid ester is considered as a natural product with low toxicity because of it's widely distribution in natural plants and edible fruits including kiwi fruit, durian, jujube, pawpaw, apple and pear. In the present work, we report the isolation, structural elucidation and cytotoxic evaluation of four new PCPTs (1-4) which obtained from L. lolonum. In addition, the possible biosynthesis pathway for 28-norlupane triterpenoid and potent effect of phenylpropanoid moiety for increasing the cytotxic effect of triterpenoids were also discussed. Among these compounds, compound 1 exhibited the highest cytotoxic effect on HepG2 cells with IC 50 value of 11.87 μM. Further flow cytometry and western blot analysis demonstrated that 1 caused G1 cell cycle arrest by up-regulated the expression of phosphorylated p53 protein in HepG2 cells and induced cell apoptosis via MAPK and Akt pathways. These results emphasized the potential of PCPTs as lead compounds for developing anti-cancer drugs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Most of Euphorbiaceae plants are considered as folk medicinal plants because of their various pharmacological effects. However, there are eight Leptopus genus plants which belong to Euphorbiaceae have never be investigated. Thus, four Leptopus genus plants were collected to study their chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. In the present work, the cytotoxicities of the extracts of four Leptopus genus plants were evaluated before phytochemical experiments. And nine new phenylpropanoid-conjugated pentacyclic triterpenoids, along with twenty-two known compounds were isolated from the whole plants of Leptopus lolonum. The structures of these new compounds were unequivocally elucidated by HRESIMS and 1D/2D NMR data. All triterpenoids were screened for their cytotoxicities against four cancer cell lines including HepG2, MCF-7, A549 and HeLa. Among these isolates, the triterpenoid with a phenylpropanoid unit showed increasing cytotoxicity on cancer cells, which suggested the importance of the phenylpropanoid moiety., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Two new furofuran lignans were isolated from the stems of Acanthopanax senticosus, along with seven known compounds. Their structures were all determined by spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods. All the isolates were evaluated for in vitro inhibitory activity against DGAT1 and DGAT2. Compounds 1 and 2 were found to exhibit selective inhibitory activity on DGAT1 with IC 50 values 89.5 ± 1.5 and 57.5 ± 1.3 µM, respectively.

The herbicide Quizalofop-P-ethyl (QpE) exerts toxic effects in fish, but limited information is currently available on its effects on the endocrine system. In the current study, adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to different concentrations (0, 2, 20, 200μg/L) of QpE for 30days. In males, QpE exposure significantly increased plasma estradiol (E2) and vitellogenin (VTG) levels, concomitant with up-regulation of hepatic esr1 and vtg gene expression. In females, plasma sex hormone levels and VTG concentrations were not altered significantly, but an increased expression of hepatic esr1 in addition to decreased expression of hepatic vtg, esr2a and esr2b was observed. Marked histological lesions were also observed in the gonads of both males and females. Moreover, QpE exposure significantly increased transcriptional profiles of some genes in the HPG axis and liver in males, while the majority of these genes were down-regulated in females. Docking studies showed QpE forming stable interactions with the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of zebrafish ESR1 and ESR2a, suggesting QpE may bind to estrogen receptors (ESRs). This study for the first time reveals QpE as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) disrupting the zebrafish endocrine system in a sex-specific manner, whereby it increases estrogen axis activity in males and slightly decreases estrogen axis activity in females, which may be accounted for by QpE regulating steroidogenesis and/or activating ESR(s)., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Chinese crude drug Mori Cortex Radicis (the root cortex of Morus species) has been used as a folk medicine to treat hypertension, diabetes, as well as in expectorant, diuretic agents. This investigation aims to study the anti-hyperlipidemia effects of Mori Cortex Radicis (MCR) extracts in hyperlipidemic rat models and the potential therapeutic activities of compounds isolated from the extracts., Materials and Methods: The effects of MCR on hypolipidemic parameters were investigated using Wistar rats induced by high-lipid emulsion. Sixty healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: normal group, hyperlipidaemia model group, simvastatin, and high-, medium- and low-dose MCR extracts. After four weeks, body weight, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high and low-density lipoproteins (HDL, LDL), as well as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured. To further investigation, four major active compounds were isolated from extracts through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and their diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) inhibitory activity was evaluated., Results: MCR dose-dependently reduced serum TC, TG, LDL-C, inhibited the activity of ALT, AST, and increased HDL-C. Furthermore, in vitro biochemistry tests revealed that four active isolates showed moderate inhibitory activity against DGAT1 with IC50 values ranging from 62.1 ± 1.2 to 99.3 ± 2.3 µM., Conclusions: The results demonstrated that MCR could effectively ameliorate hyperlipidaemia and inhibit DGAT1 that a key enzyme closely related to hyperlipidaemia and type 2 diabetes. It may provide a new pharmacological basis for treating hyperlipidaemia and related diseases using MCR., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Four new sesqui-lignans, (7R, 7'R, 7″S, 8S, 8'S, 8″S)-4',5″-dihydroxy-3,5,3',4″-tetramethoxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxy-4,8″-oxy-8,8'-sesquineo-lignan-7″,9″-diol (1), (7R, 7'R, 7″S, 8S, 8'S, 8″S)-4',3″-dihydroxy-3,5,3',5',4″-pentamethoxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxy-4,8″-oxy-8,8'-sesquineo-lignan-7″,9″-diol (2), (7R, 7'R, 7″S, 8S, 8'S, 8″S)-3',4″-dihydroxy-3,5,4',5″-tetramethoxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxy-4,8″-oxy-8,8'-sesquineo-lignan-7″,9″-diol (3) and acanthopanax A (7) together with three known compounds (4-6) were isolated from the EtOAc-soluble extract of Acanthopanax senticosus. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and physicochemical analyses. All the isolates were evaluated for in vitro inhibitory activity against DGAT1 and DGAT2. Among them, compounds 1-6 were found to exhibit selective inhibitory activity on DGAT1 with IC50 values ranging from 61.1 ± 1.3 to 97.7 ± 1.1 μM and compound 7 showed selective inhibition of DGAT2 with IC50 value 93.2 ± 1.2., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Two new lignans were isolated from Saururus chinensis, along with eight known compounds. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and physico-chemical analyses. All the isolates were evaluated for in vitro inhibitory activity against DGAT1 and DGAT2. Among them, compounds 2, 3, 5 and 7 were found to exhibit selective inhibitory activity on DGAT1 with IC50 values ranging from 44.3±1.5 to 87.5±1.3μM., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tebuconazole is a chiral triazole fungicide used as raceme in a variety of agricultural applications. Earlier studies showed that tebuconazole is toxic to many non-target aquatic organisms but relative data for tebuconazole enantiomers are lacking. Thus, goal of this study was to evaluate and compare the toxicity of rac- and S-tebuconazole with Daphnia magna at both acute and chronic levels according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines 202 and 211 respectively, to provide some guidelines for optimizing chiral pesticides application and management. The exposure concentrations were 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 10 mg L(-1) for both rac- and S-tebuconazole and their 48-h EC(50) values to D. magna were 3.53 (3.32-3.78) and 2.74 (2.33-3.10) mg L(-1) respectively, indicating that these both are medium toxic to D. magna with no significant toxicity difference at acute level. In chronic test, <24-h old D. magna were exposed to 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, and 0.40 mg L(-1) of rac- and S-tebuconazole with one blank and one solvent control for 21 days according to OECD guideline 211. Four developmental (molting rate, days to the 1st and 3rd brood, and body length) and five reproductive (size of the 1st and 3rd brood, number of broods, and number of neonates) parameters for each D. magna were determined. Results showed that both rac- and S-tebuconazole significantly reduced the reproduction and impacted the development of D. magna at concentrations of 0.05 mg L(-1) or higher. Furthermore, S-tebuconazole was more toxic than raceme, and the difference between effects on the same parameters induced by rac- and S-tebuconazole was statistically significant. These results demonstrated that the chronic toxicity of S-tebuconazole might be underestimated in general use, and further studies should focus more on the biological behaviors of enantiomers and not just the raceme of tebuconazole and other chiral pesticides in the environment.

Background: Genital warts (GW) are the most common sexually transmitted infections. To date, few studies using a human papillomavirus (HPV)-specific questionnaire have focused on the impact of quality of life (QoL) among patients with GW in developing countries. The origins of GW related psychosocial burdens and variations between genders were poorly characterized as well., Methods: A hospital-based survey was conducted in Beijing and Nanjing of China in 2008. Eligible patients aged 18-65 who had a diagnosis of GW within 3 months were recruited. Demographic information, HPV knowledge, and assessment of psychosocial burden were collected by the HPV Impact Profile (HIP). The HIP examined 7 specific psychosocial domains by 29 items: (1) worries and concerns, (2) emotional impact, (3) sexual impact, (4) self-image, (5) partner and transmission, (6) interactions with physicians, and (7) control/life impact. HIP scores are reversely relates to the subjects' QoL, by which a higher score indicating a heavier psychosocial burden., Results: Patients with GW experienced heavier psychosocial burdens than those of the general population, and females experienced heavier burdens than males (male vs. female: 49.20 vs.51.38, P < 0.001). "Self Image" and "Sexual Impact" were the two domains that affected patients the most, with mean HIP scores of 63.09 and 61.64, respectively. Women suffered heavier psychosocial burdens than men in the domain of "Worries and Concerns" (female vs. male: 54.57 vs. 42.62, P < 0.001), but lower psychosocial burdens in the domains of "Sexual Impact" (female vs. male: 59.16 vs. 65.26, P < 0.001) and "Interactions with Doctors" (female vs. male: 34.40 vs. 41.97, P < 0.001). Patients from Nanjing suffered a higher psychosocial burden than those of Beijing, especially in domains of "Emotional Impact", "Sexual Impact", "Partner and Transmission", and "Interactions with Doctors"., Conclusions: Patients with GW suffered heavy psychological burden, and self-image and sexual-related concern were the primary cause of burdens. It's important to change the current biomedical model to bio-psycho-social model, and establish psychosocial support systems. The distinctions of origins of psychosocial burden between genders identified will be informative for prevention of GW and control efforts in China and other similar settings.

Background: Information on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with genital warts (GW) in populations in mainland China is still limited. The aim of the study was to use a generic instrument to measure the impact of genital warts on HRQoL in men and women in this setting., Methods: A multi-centre hospital-based cross-sectional study across 18 centers in China was conducted to interview patients using the European quality of life-5 dimension (EQ-5D) instrument; respondents' demographic and clinical data were also collected., Results: A total of 1,358 GW patients (612 men, 746 women) were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 32.0 ± 10.6 years. 56.4% of the patients reported some problems in the dimension of Anxiety/Depression (highest), followed by Pain/Discomfort (24.7%) and Mobility (3.5%). The overall visual analogue scale (VAS) score of the study population was found to be 65.2 ± 22.0, and the EQ-5D index score was found to be 0.843 ± 0.129 using Japanese preference weights (the Chinese preference was unavailable yet). Patients with lower VAS means and EQ-5D index scores were more often female, living in urban area, and suffering multiple GW (all p values < 0.05), but the values did not differ notably by age (p values > 0.05)., Conclusions: The HRQoL of patients with GW was substantially lower, compared to a national representative general population in China (VAS = ~80); the findings of different subgroups are informative for future GW prevention and control efforts.

Land use change resulted in land degradation is a focus of research on global environmental changes and plays a significant role in the stability and economic development of oases in arid regions of China. Jinta Oasis, a typical oasis of temperate arid zone in northwestern China, was investigated to assess land-use change dynamics during 1988-2003 with the aid of satellite remote sensing and GIS, and to explore the interaction between these changes and oasis environment. Six land-use types were identified, namely: cropland, forestland, grassland, water, urban or built-up land, and barren land. The results indicate that cropland, urban/built-up land, and barren land increase greatly by 30.03, 13.35, and 15.52 km(2), respectively; but grassland and forestland areas decrease rapidly by 58.06, and 1.76 km(2), respectively. These results also show that obvious widespread changes in land-use occur within the whole oasis over the study period and result in severe problems of environmental degradation (i.e. land desertification, decline of groundwater, and vegetation degeneracy).

Objective: To perform an comparative proteome analysis of human papillomavirus-infected cervical specimens and to investigate different expressions between high- and low-risk genotypes., Methods: The cervical specimens were divided into two groups (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia group and condyloma acuminatum group) according to their genotypes. Using comparative proteome technology, high-risk human papillomavirus-infected cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, low-risk human papillomavirus-infected condyloma acuminatum, and normal cervical intraepithelial tissue were compared. The differential expression protein spots were identified by mass spectrometry., Results: Totally 26 differential spots were selected and analyzed, and 22 peptide mass fingerprints (PMF) maps were obtained by MALDI-TOF-MS. Eighteen proteins were preliminarily identified after searching the NCBInr database. The function information of these 18 proteins mainly involved cell metabolism, signal transduction, cell secretion, cell cytoskeleton construction, cell proliferation, and apoptosis., Conclusion: The proteomic expressions after the cervical infection of high- or low-risk genotype of human papillomavirus are obviously different.

Objective: To compare the specificity and sensitivity of two genotyping approaches for human papillomavirus (HPV)., Method: HPV DNA was amplified and detected in clinical specimens by polymerase chain reaction in a pair of universal primers MY09/11, and then genotyped with either sequencing method or liquid chip hybridization method (luminex method)., Result: Sequencing method obtained precise genotyping results in single-type HPV infection, while luminex method obtained accurate genotyping results in multiple-type HPV infection., Conclusion: A combined method using both sequencing and luminex method is suitable for the genotyping of HPV-infected specimens.

Water environmental degradation is a major issue in the Heihe River Basin belonging to the inland river basin of temperate arid zone in northwestern China. Mankind's activities, such as dense population and heavy dependence on irrigated agriculture, place immense pressure on available and limited water resources during the last century, especially the recent five decades. An investigation on the water environmental degradation in the Heihe River Basin and analysis of its causation were conducted. The results indicated that water environmental changes in the whole basin were tremendous mostly in the middle reaches, which reflected in surface water runoff change, decline of groundwater table and degeneration of surface water and groundwater quality. Some new forms of management based on traditional and scientific knowledge must be introduced to solve problems of water environmental degradation in the Heihe River Basin.

Objective: To compare the composite grafts of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) from different sources with autoskin., Methods: Six local white mini pigs were employed for the experiment. The pigs were randomly divided into four groups according to different skin grafts, i.e. A (human ADM with razor thin autoskin), B (porcine ADM with razor thin autoskin), C (razor thin autoskin only), and D (split thickness autoskin) as control. The survival rate, the contraction degree of the grafts, and the histological changes in grafting area were observed at 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours after the operation., Results: The grafted area in both A and B groups appeared smooth and elastic with satisfactory graft survival. The in growth of the host reparative cells such as fibroblast and vascular endothelium could be induced by composite grafts of different ADMs with skin grafting. The contraction areas in A and B groups seemed bigger than those in C and D groups. The tissue structure of grafting areas was similar to that of split thickness skin grafting area at 24 post-operation weeks., Conclusion: Combination of the homogenous and heterogeneous ADMs with autografts exhibited similar biological function during the observation period (24 weeks after operation). Xenogenous ADMs might have broader clinical applications.

The recombinant adenoviruses containing pGH cDNA and pGH cDNA with the first intron under the control of CMV promoter were constructed respectively by homogenous recombination method. The results showed that the recombinant adenoviruses could mediate pGH cDNA expression in CHO cells infected with the recombinant adenoviruses. The expression level of pGH cDNA with the first intron increased by 117% compared with pGH cDNA without intron. This indicate that the first intron of pGH gene have the function of improving the expression of the pGH gene.

We report on the influence of choice of promoter and RNA polymerase, 5'-untranslated regions and ribosome binding sites, codon usage, leader peptide coding sequences and poly A tail in the 3'-untranslated region on the synthesis of porcine somatotropin (PST) in Escherichia coli. A total of 12 different constructs were tested in this study for the production of porcine somatotropin (PST) in E. coli. Several factors have significant effects on PST synthesis. In the presence of a strong promoter and a strong ribosome binding site, the next most important factor seems to be the combination of sequences at the 5'-end of the mRNA including both the 5'-untranslated region and the start of the coding sequence. Codon usage in the 5'-coding sequence per se is not important in determining the level of PST synthesis where high level expression is achieved from a strong ribosome binding site. However, where low level synthesis of recombinant PST (rPST) is achieved, codon usage in the 5'-coding sequence is important in determining the level of PST synthesis. Leader sequences dramatically reduce the level of PST synthesis. The presence of a poly A tail in the 3'-untranslated region has no significant effect on PST synthesis.

Somatotropin treatment of U.S-breed finishing hogs improves feed efficiency, growth rate and carcass lean-to-fat ratio. Because Chinese-bred hogs have poorer feed efficiency, growth rate and lean-to-fat ratio than U.S. bred hogs, the characteristics affected by porcine somatotropin (PST) may respond differently to treatment. In the present experiment, Beijing Black finishing hogs (a composite of a local Chinese, Berkshire and Yorkshire breeds) were treated with PST for 28 d from average initial to final weights of 67.8 to 96.6 kg. In hogs individually fed as much as they would eat four times a day (n = 12/treatment group, six gilts and six barrows), feed efficiency was improved by 22.4 and 29.9% by 2 and 4 mg/d PST, respectively (P less than .01), primarily due to increased growth rate (22.1 and 32.6% greater than control, respectively, P less than .01); feed intake was not affected. Performance of group-housed and group-fed hogs (six/pen, four pens/treatment) administered 2 mg/d PST for 28 d (average initial and final weights of 66.5 +/- 1.7 and 94.0 +/- 2.4 kg, respectively) was similar (22.7% improved feed efficiency, P less than .01; 25% increased growth rate, P less than .01). At slaughter, last rib backfat thickness was decreased an average of 19.2% for hogs treated with 2 and 4 mg/d PST (P less than .01). Percentage of total muscle, obtained by physical separation of the half-carcass, was increased an average of 13.5% (P less than .01), whereas percentage of total fat was decreased 21.8% (P less than .01) in PST-treated hogs. The pH, water-holding capacity and meat color scores of longissimus muscle from PST-treated hogs did not differ from those of control hogs. Growth rate, feed efficiency and muscle weight responses to PST treatment were at least as large as those for U.S. breeds.

Sequences for two pGH cDNAs are reported in this paper. The cDNAs were obtained by reverse transcription from porcine pituitary gland mRNA, cloned, and screened. The results are discussed and the two cDNA sequencings are compared with one by Seeburg et al. and another by Vize et al.