The Current Status of Laboratory Animal License Administration in Guangdong Province

This study examined and summarized the operations and achievements of laboratory animal license administration in Guangdong Province and presents preliminary suggestions based on the deficiencies in the current administration. The study utilized laboratory animal licensing data of Guangdong Province obtained from the National Laboratory Animal License Inquiry and Administration System, and uses a combination of statistical analysis, literature review, and comparative research. Various aspects of the workings of the laboratory animal license administration in Guangdong Province were analyzed, including license issuance, regional distribution, animal species, organization types, facility scale, and development trend of laboratory animal license administration in Guangdong Province to identify areas of improvements. The following measures were recommended to the Guangdong Province: increasing social awareness about the importance of using laboratory animals, promoting the publicity and implementation of laws and regulations on laboratory animals, strengthening the strategic resource reserve of experimental animals, improving the management system of aquatic laboratory animals, and optimizing information management. Through such measures, we aimed to provide reference for the administration of laboratory animals in other regions

Amelioration of Atherosclerosis by lycopene is linked to the modulation of gut microbiota dysbiosis and related gut-heart axis activation in high-fat diet-fed ApoE−/− mice

Abstract Background Interplay between gut microbiota and heart, termed “gut-heart” axis, has a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Our previous study showed that lycopene possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, but its link to the gut microbiota is poorly understood. Herein, we surmised that lycopene could regulate the gut microbiota, exert anti-atherosclerotic effect by regulating the “gut-heart” axis. Methods Male ApoE−/− mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) with or without lycopene (0.1% w/w) for 19 weeks. Gut microbiota was analyzed by 16 S rRNA sequencing, the protein levels of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and phospho-nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 were measured by Western blotting, the levels of serum inflammatory factors including monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6 were assayed using ELISA kits. Also, the concentrations of serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), D-lactic acid (D-LA) and diamine peroxidase (DAO) were measured through ELISA method. Results The aortic sinus sections revealed that lycopene supplementation significantly reduced the extent of atherosclerotic lesions and inhibited atherosclerosis development caused by HFD. The analysis of gut microbiota showed that lycopene reduced the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroides and increased the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia, Akkermansia and Alloprevotella, which were related to elevated intestinal barrier function and reduced inflammation. Moreover, lycopene up-regulated the expression of intestinal ZO-1 and occludin and decreased serum LPS, D-LA and DAO levels. In addition, lycopene inhibited the expression of TLR4 and phospho-NF-κB p65 in aortic sinus plaque, serum MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels were also lowered by lycopene treatment. Conclusions Our results indicated the protective effect of lycopene against atherosclerosis induced by HFD and further revealed that its mechanism might be its prebiotic effect on maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis and improving intestinal barrier function, consequently reducing serum LPS-triggered inflammatory response in the heart

Characterization of Intracellular Structure Changes of Microcystis under Sonication Treatment by Polarized Light Scattering

Cyanobacterial bloom is one of the most urgent global environmental issues, which eventually could threaten human health and safety. Sonication treatment (ST) is a potential effective method to control cyanobacteria blooms in the field. Currently, the bottleneck of extensive application of ST is the difficulty to estimate the ST effect on the cyanobacterial cells and then determine suitable ST times in the field. In this study, cyanobacterial Microcystis samples sonicated at different times were first measured by a spectrophotometer to calculate the removal efficiency of Microcystis cells. Additionally, they were observed by TEM to reveal the intracellular structure changes of the cells. Then the samples were measured by an experimental setup based on polarized light scattering to measure the polarization parameters. Experimental results indicated that the polarization parameters can effectively characterize the intracellular structural changes of Microcystis cells with different ST times, which is quite consistent with the results for removal efficiency and TEM images. Further, the optimal ST time can be inferred by the polarization parameters. These results demonstrate that polarized light scattering can be a potentially powerful tool to explore suitable times for sonication treatment of cyanobacteria blooms

Geographical variations in maternal lifestyles during pregnancy associated with congenital heart defects among live births in Shaanxi province, Northwestern China

In this study, we aimed to explore regional differences in maternal lifestyle during pregnancy related to congenital heart defects (CHD) in Shaanxi province, Northwestern China. A large-scale epidemiologic survey of birth defects among infants born during 2010–2013, was conducted in Shaanxi province. Non-spatial and geographic weighted logistic regression models were used for analysis. The spatial model indicated that passive smoking frequency was positively associated with CHD for 43.3% of participants (P < 0.05), with the highest OR in North Shaanxi and the lowest in South Shaanxi. Approximately 49.2% of all mothers who ever drink tea were more likely to have an infant with CHD (P < 0.05), with the highest OR values observed in North and Central Shaanxi. Additionally, maternal alcohol intake frequency ≥ 1/week was significantly correlated with CHD among about 24.7% of participants (P < 0.05), with OR values ranging from 0.738 (Central Shaanxi) to 1.198 (North Shaanxi). The rates of unhealthy maternal lifestyles during pregnancy associated with CHD differed in various areas of the province. The role of geographical variations in these factors may provide some possible clues and basis for tailoring site-specific intervention strategies

Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identified ANXA1 Associated with Shoulder Impingement Syndrome in UK Biobank Samples

Shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) is a common shoulder disorder with unclear genetic mechanism. In this study, Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) was conducted to identify the candidate loci associated with SIS by using the UK Biobank samples (including 3,626 SIS patients and 3,626 control subjects). Based on the GWAS results, gene set enrichment analysis was further performed to detect the candidate gene ontology and pathways associated with SIS. We identified multiple risk loci associated with SIS, such as rs750968 (P = 4.82 × 10−8), rs754832 (P = 4.83 × 10−8) and rs1873119 (P = 6.39 × 10−8) of ANXA1 gene. Some candidate pathways have been identified related to SIS, including those linked to infection response and hypoxia, “ZHOU_INFLAMMATORY_RESPONSE_FIMA_DN” (P = 0.012) and “MANALO_HYPOXIA_UP” (P = 5.00 × 10−5). Our results provide novel clues for understanding the genetic mechanism of SIS

Association between birth by caesarian section and anxiety, self-harm: a gene-environment interaction study using UK Biobank data

Abstract Background Limited efforts have been paid to explore the underlying genetic mechanisms of birth by caesarian section (CS) affecting the risks of adult anxiety and self-harm. Methods Using UK Biobank cohort, the logistic regression model was first applied to evaluate the associations of adult anxiety and self-harm with birth by CS. Using birth by CS as exposure variables, genome-wide by environment interaction study (GWEIS) was then applied by PLINK2.0 to identify associated genes interacting with birth by CS for anxiety and self-harm. Results In the observational study, significant associations were observed between birth by CS and anxiety (odds ratio (OR) = 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.12–1.38; P = 4.86 × 10− 5), and self-harm (OR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01–1.24; P = 2.90 × 10− 2). GWEIS revealed multiple suggestive genes interacted with birth by CS for anxiety, such as DKK2 (rs13137764, P = 1.24 × 10− 9, adjusted P = 2.68 × 10− 7) and ATXN1 (rs62389045, P = 4.38 × 10− 8, adjusted P = 3.55 × 10− 6). For self-harm, significant gene-environment interactions of birth by CS on self-harm were detected, such as ALDH1A2 (rs77828167, P = 1.62 × 10− 8; rs116899929, P = 1.92 × 10− 8) and DAB1 (rs116124269, P = 3.20 × 10− 8; rs191070006, P = 3.63 × 10− 8). Conclusions Our results suggested that birth by CS was associated with the risk of adult anxiety and self-harm. We also discovered some genes interacted with birth by CS might influence the risk of anxiety and self-harm, which may provide novel clues for the pathogenesis of those mental disorders