Comparative transcriptome and DNA methylation analysis in temperature-sensitive genic male sterile wheat BS366.

Background: Known as the prerequisite component for the heterosis breeding system, the male sterile line determines the hybrid yield and seed purity. Therefore, a deep understanding of the mechanism and gene network that leads to male sterility is crucial. BS366, a temperature-sensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) line, is male sterile under cold conditions (12 °C with 12 h of daylight) but fertile under normal temperature (20 °C with 12 h of daylight).

The efficacy and safety of alpha-adrenergic blockers for medical expulsion therapy in patients with ureteral calculi: A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials.

Purpose: Alpha-adrenergic blockers are commonly used as a medical expulsive therapy (MET) for patients with ureteral calculi. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of alpha-adrenergic blockers compared with a placebo when used as a MET.

Materials And Methods: We carried out a systematic search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases, and the Cochrane Library, for relevant articles from inception to November 2020.

Epididymal initial segment-specific Cre recombinase activity in Lcn8-Cre knock-in mice.

Background: Sperm acquire the ability to fertilize ova through a complex process of epididymal maturation. To identify the functions of genes expressed in the proximal epididymis, mouse models specific to this region are needed.

Methods And Results: A Lcn8-Cre knock-in mouse line was generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

A novel mouse line with epididymal initial segment-specific expression of Cre recombinase driven by the endogenous Lcn9 promoter.

Spermatozoa released from testes undergo a maturation process and acquire the capacity to fertilize ova through epididymal transit. The epididymis is divided into four regions, each with unique morphology, gene profile, luminal microenvironment and distinct function. To study the functions of relevant genes in the epididymal initial segment (IS), a novel IS-specific mouse model, Lcn9-Cre knock-in (KI) mouse line was generated via CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Genome-wide identification and analysis of the COI gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Background: COI (CORONATINE INSENSITIVE), an F-box component of the Skp1-Cullin-F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin E3 ligase, plays important roles in the regulation of plant growth and development. Recent studies have shown that COIs are involved in pollen fertility. In this study, we identified and characterized COI genes in the wheat genome and analyzed expression patterns under abiotic stress.

Transcriptome analysis of wheat seedling and spike tissues in the hybrid Jingmai 8 uncovered genes involved in heterosis.

Transcriptome analysis was carried out for wheat seedlings and spikes from hybrid Jingmai 8 and both inbred lines to unravel mechanisms underlying heterosis. Heterosis, known as one of the most successful strategies for increasing crop yield, has been widely exploited in plant breeding systems. Despite its great importance, the molecular mechanism underlying heterosis remains elusive.

Detection rate of prostate cancer following biopsy among the northern Han Chinese population: a single-center retrospective study of 1022 cases.

Background: Prostate cancer is known to have ethnic and regional differences. The study aimed to clinically evaluate the detection rate of prostate cancer on transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy and analyze its characteristics among the northern Han Chinese population at a single center.

Methods: Between October 2009 and September 2016, a total of 1027 Chinese men, who had undergone TRUS-guided prostate biopsy at Qingdao Municipal Hospital, were retrospectively analyzed.

Rcan2 and estradiol independently regulate body weight in female mice.

Rcan2 increases food intake and plays an important role in the development of age- and diet- induced obesity in male mice. However, in females, wild-type mice grow almost at a similar rate as Rcan2-/- mice on normal chow diet from 6 weeks of age. Here we showed that the ability of Rcan2 to promote weight gain was attenuated by energy expenditure mediated by 17β-estradiol in female mice.

A disputed evidence on obesity: comparison of the effects of Rcan2(-/-) and Rps6kb1(-/-) mutations on growth and body weight in C57BL/6J mice.

It is widely accepted that body weight and adipose mass are tightly regulated by homeostatic mechanisms, in which leptin plays a critical role through hypothalamic pathways, and obesity is a result of homeostatic disorder. However, in C57BL/6J mice, we found that Rcan2 increases food intake and plays an important role in the development of age- and diet-induced obesity through a leptin-independent mechanism. RCAN2 was initially identified as a thyroid hormone (T3)-responsive gene in human fibroblasts.

Downregulation of fatty acid synthase complex suppresses cell migration by targeting phosphor-AKT in bladder cancer.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of fatty acid synthase complex (FASN) on the migration capacity of bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC) cells and the involvement of matrix metalloproteinase‑9 (MMP‑9) via targeting of phospho‑AKT (p‑AKT). FASN‑specific small‑interfering RNA (FASN‑siRNA) was used to inhibit FASN gene expression in the 5637 and 253J BTCC cell lines. The knockdown efficiency of FAM‑conjugated FASN‑siRNA was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy.

Estradiol plays a role in regulating the expression of lysyl oxidase family genes in mouse urogenital tissues and human Ishikawa cells.

The lysyl oxidase (LOX) family encodes the copper-dependent amine oxidases that play a key role in determining the tensile strength and structural integrity of connective tissues by catalyzing the crosslinking of elastin or collagen. Estrogen may upregulate the expression of LOX and lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) in the vagina. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of estrogen on the expression of all LOX family genes in the urogenital tissues of accelerated ovarian aging mice and human Ishikawa cells.

Decreased expression of elastin and lysyl oxidase family genes in urogenital tissues of aging mice.

Aim: This study aims to investigate the expression levels of elastin and lysyl oxidase (LOX) family members in the urogenital tissues of natural aging mice and accelerated ovarian aging mice.

Method: Uteri, vaginas and bladders were harvested from 18-month-old female mice and accelerated ovarian aging mice developed by chemotherapeutic agents. Untreated 3-month-old female mice were used as controls.

Induced pluripotent stem cells: origins, applications, and future perspectives.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are widely used for different purposes, including gene targeting, cell therapy, tissue repair, organ regeneration, and so on. However, studies and applications of ES cells are hindered by ethical issues regarding cell sources. To circumvent ethical disputes, great efforts have been taken to generate ES cell-like cells, which are not derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst-stage embryos.

[Risk factors of prostate cancer in urban Qingdao: a case-control study].

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of prostate cancer in urban Qingdao and provide some theoretical evidence for the scientific prevention and treatment of the disease.

Methods: We performed a hospital-based matched case-control study in Qingdao Municipal Hospital. The cases and controls were matched in age, gender, nationality and the place of residence.

Accelerated ovarian aging in mice by treatment of busulfan and cyclophosphamide.

Busulfan/cyclophosphamide (Bu/Cy) conditioning regimen has been widely used to treat cancer patients, while their effects on major internal organs in females are not fully understood. We treated female mice with Bu/Cy, and examined the histopathology of major internal organs on Day 30 after the treatment. The results show that Bu/Cy treatment affected the ovaries most extensively, while it had less effect on the spleen, lungs, and kidneys, and no effect on the heart, liver, stomach, and pancreas.

Conditional gene manipulation: Cre-ating a new biological era.

To solve the problem of embryonic lethality in conventional gene knockouts, site-specific recombinase (SSR) systems (Cre-loxP, Flp-FRT, and ΦC31) have been used for tissue-specific gene knockout. With the combination of an SSR system and inducible gene expression systems (tetracycline and tamoxifen), stage-specific knockout and transgenic expression can be achieved. The application of this "SSR+inducible" conditional tool to genomic manipulation can be extended in various ways.

[CuZn-SOD and MDA in the serum and EPS of chronic prostatitis patients: quantitative determination and analysis].

Objective: Chronic prostatitis (CP) is a common disease in adult males. Oxidative stress injury has been found to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of CP in recent studies. This study aimed to determine the contents of CuZn-super oxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum and EPS in CP patients and healthy men, and investigate their significance in the diagnosis and treatment of the CP.

[The significance of Ki-67 antigen expression in the distinction between benign and malignant pheochromocytomas].

Objectives: To investigate the expression of Ki-67 antigen in benign and malignant pheochromocytomas, and to evaluate whether the expression of Ki-67 antigen could serve as a diagnostic marker for predicting the biological behaviour of these tumors.

Methods: Ki-67 antigen were detected by immunohistochemical technique and image analysis in 57 cases of clinically documented benign and malignant pheochromocytomas were analyzed. Aside from histological study, Ki-67 immunohistochemistry studies were performed to get the Ki-67 index.