Effect of Adenosine 5’-Diphosphate Ribosylation on Meat Quality of Qinchuan Cattle

This study addressed the effect of adenosine 5’-diphosphate (ADP) ribosylation on the mitochondrial function and quality of Qinchuan cattle meat during early postmortem aging. The Longissimus dorsi muscle of Qinchuan cattle treated with 20 µmol/L rucaparib, a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitor, were evaluated for mitochondrial indices, myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), shear force, pH, and other quality indices after being stored for 0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 2 d, 4 d, and 8 d and the expression levels of PARP1 and desmin were detected using Western blot. The results showed that the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the treated group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05) during 0 h–8 d (except 12 h) after slaughter. The caspase-3 activity and MFI in the treated group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05) during 0–12 h. Mitochondrial membrane potential during 2–4 d as well as succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity during 4–8 d were significantly higher in the treated group than in the control group (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that PARP1 inhibition, which characterizes ADP ribosylation, can slow down the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and increase SDH activity, preserving mitochondrial function to some extents and delaying the decrease in MFI and the degradation of desmin and thereby meat tenderization

Blood arsenic exposure levels of preschool children and dietary factors analysis

Objective To explore the blood arsenic exposure levels of preschool children and analyze the factors of blood arsenic. Methods By the multi-stage cluster and simple randomized method, six districts of Shanghai City was chosen and the preschool children in the selected village were asked to fill in the questionnaire and have blood sampling. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to detect blood arsenic, of which the data was analyzed by multiple linear regression models. Marine fish, freshwater fish, freshwater shrimp and shellfish were grouped as follows: ≤3 times per month, 1-3 times per week, and 4-6 times per week. Rice, noodles and milk were grouped as <50, 50-100, and ≥100 g/d. Results 2 263 preschool children were recruited. The range of blood arsenic was 0.12-27.94 μg/L. The median (P25, P75) were 2.26 (1.63, 3.09) μg/L. Statistical analysis showed that the more intake of rice, wheaten food, and sea fish and shrimp, the more arsenic in children’s blood (P<0.05). Whereas highter intake of freshwater fish and shrimp group showed decreased blood arsenic (P<0.05). Conclusion Most preschool children’s blood arsenic levels (92.4%, 2 091/2 263) were at normal level (<5 μg/L). There was a positive correlation between blood arsenic concentration and the intake of rice, wheaten food, and sea fish and shrimp, while negative correlation with high freshwater fish and shrimp consumption

Rare Copy Number Variants Identify Novel Genes in Sporadic Total Anomalous Pulmonary Vein Connection

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is a rare congenital heart anomaly. Several genes have been associated TAPVC but the mechanisms remain elusive. To search novel CNVs and candidate genes, we screened a cohort of 78 TAPVC cases and 100 healthy controls for rare copy number variants (CNVs) using whole exome sequencing (WES). Then we identified pathogenic CNVs by statistical comparisons between case and control groups. After that, we identified altogether eight pathogenic CNVs of seven candidate genes (PCSK7, RRP7A, SERHL, TARP, TTN, SERHL2, and NBPF3). All these seven genes have not been described previously to be related to TAPVC. After network analysis of these candidate genes and 27 known pathogenic genes derived from the literature and publicly database, PCSK7 and TTN were the most important genes for TAPVC than other genes. Our study provides novel candidate genes potentially related to this rare congenital birth defect (CHD) which should be further fundamentally researched and discloses the possible molecular pathogenesis of TAPVC

The lncRNA MALAT1 rs619586 G Variant Confers Decreased Susceptibility to Recurrent Miscarriage

Cardiovascula disease and recurrent miscarriage have shared risk factors, and some cardiovascular disease-related candidate genes have been confirmed to be associated with recurrent miscarriage. Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that is considered to be associated with susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. However, whether lncRNA MALAT1 polymorphisms are related to recurrent miscarriage susceptibility is unclear. We genotyped three lncRNA MALAT1 polymorphisms (rs591291, rs619586, and rs3200401) in 284 patients and 392 controls using TaqMan methods. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for age. Our results showed that the rs619586 G variant had protective effects against recurrent miscarriage (AG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.670, 95% CI = 0.457–0.982, p = 0.040; GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.278, 95% CI = 0.079–0.975, p = 0.046; GG/AG vs. AA adjusted OR = 0.621, 95% CI = 0.429–0.900, p = 0.012). In a combined analyses of protective genotypes, with regard to the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we found that individuals with two or three protective genotypes exhibited a significantly lower risk of recurrent miscarriage than those with no or only one protective genotype (adjusted OR = 0.369, 95% CI = 0.199–0.684, p = 0.002). Moreover, the decrease in recurrent miscarriage risk with two or three protective genotypes was most pronounced in women less than 35 years of age (OR = 0.290, 95% CI = 0.142–0.589, p &lt; 0.001) and in women with 2–3 miscarriages (adjusted OR = 0.270, 95% CI = 0.126–0.580, p &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, our study suggests that the rs619586 G variant may have potential protective effects conferring a decreased risk of recurrent miscarriage in the southern Chinese population