Effects of dietary energy levels on microorganisms and short-chain fatty acids of rumen and tight junction proteins in Honghe Yellow cattle.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary energy levels on microorganisms and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of rumen and the expression of tight junction proteins in Honghe Yellow cattle. A total of fifteen male Honghe Yellow cattle were randomly divided into three treatments (five replicates per treatment), consisting of formulated energy concentrations of 5.90 MJ/kg (high-energy diet, group H), 5.

Adaptive metabolic response to short-term intensive fasting.

Background & Aims: Short-term intensive fasting (STIF), known as beego in Chinese phonetic articulation, has been practiced for more than two thousand years. However, the potential risk of STIF and the body's response to the risk have not been adequately evaluated. This study aims to address this issue, focusing on the STIF-triggered metabolic response of the liver and kidney.

Short-term intensive fasting enhances the immune function of red blood cells in humans.

Background: Fasting is known to influence the immune functions of leukocytes primarily by regulating their mobilization and redistribution between the bone marrow and the peripheral tissues or circulation, in particular via relocalization of leukocytes back in the bone marrow. However, how the immune system responds to the increased risk of invasion by infectious pathogens with fewer leukocytes in the peripheral blood during fasting intervention remains an open question.

Results: We used proteomic, biochemical and flow cytometric tools to evaluate the impact of short-term intensive fasting (STIF), known as beego, on red blood cells by profiling the cells from the STIF subjects before and after 6 days of fasting and 6 days of gradual refeeding.

Metagenomic Sequencing Reveals the Taxonomic and Functional Characteristics of Rumen Micro-organisms in Gayals.

As a semi-wild breed, Gayals have a strong fiber degradation capacity, which is unique to the microbial structure and function of their rumen. In this study, the unique rumen microbial composition and function of Gayals were investigated by metagenomic sequencing, with the Yunnan yellow cattle as the control. We compared the differences in rumen micro-organisms between Gayals and the Yunnan Yellow cattle, and the results showed that there were differences in bacteria, archaea and fungi between Gayals and the Yunnan Yellow cattle, while no significant abundance changes were observed in the protozoa.

Comparison of reference distributions acquired by direct and indirect sampling techniques: exemplified with the Pediatric Reference Interval in China (PRINCE) study.

Background: Our study aimed to compare the reference distributions of serum creatinine and urea obtained by direct sampling technique and two indirect sampling techniques including the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) clustering based on clinical laboratory records, so that the feasibility as well as the potential limitations of indirect sampling techniques could be clarified.

Methods: The direct sampling technique was used in the Pediatric Reference Interval in China (PRINCE) study, in which 15,150 healthy volunteers aged 0 to 19 years were recruited from 11 provinces across China from January 2017 to December 2018. The indirect sampling techniques were used in the Laboratory Information System (LIS) database of Beijing Children's Hospital, in which 164,710 outpatients were included for partitioning of potential healthy individuals by GMM or SOM from January to December 2016.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Kurz (Asteraceae).

is a traditional medicinal plant that is listed as an endangered species in China. Recently, has become locally rare. Here the complete chloroplast genome of was assembled and reported for the first time.

Innate immune remodeling by short-term intensive fasting.

Previous studies have shown that long-term light or moderate fasting such as intermittent fasting can improve health and prolong lifespan. However, in humans short-term intensive fasting, a complete water-only fasting has little been studied. Here, we used multi-omics tools to evaluate the impact of short-term intensive fasting on immune function by comparison of the CD45 leukocytes from the fasting subjects before and after 72-h fasting.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Chinese endemic species of (Asteraceae: Astereae) and its phylogenetic implications.

This study was the first report complete chloroplast genome of (Astereae: Asteraceae), the perennial herb endemic to China. The plastid genome of include 132 unique genes, with 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Among these genes, 21 duplicate genes, including10 protein-coding genes, 7 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes were detected.

HSCs transdifferentiate primarily to pneumonocytes in radiation-induced lung damage repair.

Accumulative radiation exposure leads to hematopoietic or tissue aging. Whether hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are involved in lung damage repair in response to radiation remains controversial. The aim of this study is to identify if HSC can transdifferentiate to pneumonocytes for radiation-induced damage repair.

Epidemiology and the economic burden of pediatric fractures in China: A retrospective study of 14,141 fractures.

Background: Previous studies have explored the epidemiology of fractures in children, however, differences in incidence over time and between countries and regions was noted. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology and the economic burden of pediatric inpatients with fractures in China.

Methods: A total of 14,141 pediatric inpatients (≤18 years of age) with fractures were included in the present study.

Limitations of the Hoffmann method for establishing reference intervals using clinical laboratory data.

Objective: To examine the effect of different limits of acceptability on the Hoffmann method for selecting "healthy" populations from laboratory test data.

Methods: Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT) were measured in Shunyi Maternal and Children's Hospital of Beijing Children's Hospital. The sample size of participants of TSH and FT for reference intervals (RIs) establishment was 10,864 and 10,799, respectively.

Lipid-bilayer-coated nanogels allow for sustained release and enhanced internalization.

Nanoparticle drug delivery system improves the therapeutic efficacy of a drug; however, achieving sustained release from nanoparticles is challenging, owing to the increase of surface area and pronounced burst release. In this study, by incorporating an organogel of 12-hydroxystearic acid (12-HSA) into lipid-bilayers, a gel-liposomal formulation was developed to sustain drug release over time. The lipid-bilayer-coated nanogels (LBCNs) with a particle size of approximately 200 nm and with a core-shell structure had an entrapment efficiency of up to 80% for paclitaxel.

Targeting intracellular MMPs efficiently inhibits tumor metastasis and angiogenesis.

Treatment for metastatic cancer is a great challenge throughout the world. Commonly, directed inhibition of extracellular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) secreted by cancer cells can reduce metastasis. Here, a novel nanoplatform (HPMC NPs) assembled from hyaluronic acid (HA)-paclitaxel (PTX) prodrug and marimastat (MATT)/β-casein (CN) complexes was established to cure a 4T1 metastatic cancer model targeting CD44 and intracellular, rather than extracellular, MMPs.

Algorithm on age partitioning for estimation of reference intervals using clinical laboratory database exemplified with plasma creatinine.

Background: We describe an algorithm to determine age-partitioned reference intervals (RIs) exemplified for creatinine using data collection from the clinical laboratory database.

Methods: The data were acquired from the test results of creatinine of 164,710 outpatients aged <18 years in Beijing Children's Hospital laboratories' databases between January 2016 and December 2016. The tendency of serum creatinine with age was examined visually using box plot by gender first.

Nanoplatform Assembled from a CD44-Targeted Prodrug and Smart Liposomes for Dual Targeting of Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Cells.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in tumor initiation, progression, invasion, and metastasis. Therefore, a therapy that combines chemotherapeutic drugs with a TME modulator could be a promising route for cancer treatment. This paper reports a nanoplatform self-assembled from a hyaluronic acid (HA)-paclitaxel (PTX) (HA-PTX) prodrug and marimastat (MATT)-loaded thermosensitive liposomes (LTSLs) (MATT-LTSLs) for the dual targeting of the TME and cancer cells.

Can statistic adjustment of OR minimize the potential confounding bias for meta-analysis of case-control study? A secondary data analysis.

Background: Different confounder adjustment strategies were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) in case-control study, i.e. how many confounders original studies adjusted and what the variables are.

Rod-Shaped Active Drug Particles Enable Efficient and Safe Gene Delivery.

Efficient microRNAs (miRNA) delivery into cells is a promising strategy for disease therapy, but is a major challenge because the available conventional nonviral vectors have significant drawbacks. In particular, after these vectors are entrapped in lysosomes, the escape efficiency of genes from lysosomes into the cytosol is less than 2%. Here, a novel approach for lethal-7a (let-7a) replacement therapy using rod-shaped active pure drug nanoparticles (≈130 nm in length, PNPs) with a dramatically high drug-loading of ≈300% as vectors is reported.

Cytosolic co-delivery of miRNA-34a and docetaxel with core-shell nanocarriers via caveolae-mediated pathway for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Co-delivery of microRNAs and chemotherapeutic drugs into tumor cells is an attractive strategy for synergetic breast cancer therapy due to their complementary mechanisms. In this work, a core-shell nanocarrier coated by cationic albumin was developed to simultaneously deliver miRNA-34a and docetaxel (DTX) into breast cancer cells for improved therapeutic effect. The co-delivery nanocarriers showed a spherical morphology with an average particle size of 183.

The critical gap for pediatric reference intervals of complete blood count in China.

Background: We examined the critical gap for pediatric reference intervals in China byvalidating 3 existing pediatric reference intervals (RIs) of complete blood count(CBC) respectively.

Methods: A total of 2255 healthy children attended physical examination in Beijing Children's Hospital. Fasted blood was sampled and CBC, including red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), platelet count (PLT) and white blood cell (WBC) count were measured by automated hematological analyzer Sysmex Xs-800i.

Denatured protein stabilized drug nanoparticles: tunable drug state and penetration across the intestinal barrier.

Nanosuspensions of drugs are nanosized colloidal dispersions of pure particles. In contrast to conventional nanoparticles, the particles in nanosuspensions feature 100% drug loading. Stiripentol (STP) is an effective drug for severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI); however, because of its low water solubility, high oral doses of STP, up to 50 mg per kg per day in two or three divided doses, must be administered to patients, compromising therapy outcomes.

Multimorbidity and Genetic Characteristics of DICER1 Syndrome Based on Systematic Review.

It has been reported that germline DICER1 mutations correlate with a distinctive human disease syndrome. Many published studies within this field have been conducted based on rare cases. We systematically searched bibliographic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and COSMIC for articles which are related to diseases covered by DICER1 syndrome.

Core-shell nanocarriers with high paclitaxel loading for passive and active targeting.

Rapid blood clearance and premature burst release are inherent drawbacks of conventional nanoparticles, resulting in poor tumor selectivity. iRGD peptide is widely recognized as an efficient cell membrane penetration peptide homing to αVβ3 integrins. Herein, core-shell nanocapsules (NCs) and iRGD-modified NCs (iRGD-NCs) with high drug payload for paclitaxel (PTX) were prepared to enhance the antitumor activities of chemotherapy agents with poor water solubility.