Genetic Diversity of a Chinese Native Chicken Breed, Bian Chicken, Based on Twenty-nine Microsatellite Markers

Ding, Fu-Xiang,Zhang, Gen-Xi,Wang, Jin-Yu,Li, Yuan,Zhang, Li-Jun,Wei, Yue,Wang, Hui-Hua,Zhang, Li,Hou, Qi-Rui Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.2

The level of genetic differentiation and genetic structure in a Chinese native chicken breed, Bian chicken, and two controlled chicken populations (Jinghai chicken and Youxi chicken in China) were analysed based on 29 microsatellite markers. A total of 166 distinct alleles were observed across the 3 breeds, and 32 of these alleles (19.3%) were unique to only 1 breed. Bian chicken carried the largest number of private alleles at 15 (46.9%), followed by the Jinghai chicken with 12 private alleles (37.5%). The average polymorphism information content (0.5168) and the average expected heterozygote frequency (0.5750) of the Bian chicken were the highest, and those of the Jinghai chicken were 0.4915 and 0.5505, respectively, which were the lowest. Among 29 microsatellite loci, there were 15 highly informative loci in Bian chicken, and the other 14 were reasonably informative loci. The highly informative loci in Jinghai chicken and Youxi chicken were 17 and 14 respectively. Significant deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed at several locus-breed combinations, showing a deficit of heterozygotes in many cases. As a whole, genetic differentiation among the breeds estimated by the fixation index (Fst) were at 6.7% (p<0.001). The heterozygote deficit within population (Fis) was 22.2% (p<0.001), with the highest (0.249) in Bian chicken and lowest (0.159) in Youxi chicken. These results serve as an initial step in the plan for genetic characterization and conservation of the Chinese chicken genetic resource of Bian, as well as Jinghai and Youxi chickens.

Pathological Impact on the Phyllosphere Microbiota of Artemisia argyi by Haze

( Yu-zhu Zhang ),( De-yu Jiang ),( Chi Zhang ),( Kun Yang ),( Huai-fu Wang ),( Xiu-wen Xia ),( Wei-jun Ding ) 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2021 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.31 No.4

The pathological impact of haze upon the phyllosphere microbiota awaits investigation. A moderate degree of haze environment and a clean control were selected in Chengdu, China. Artemisia argyi, a ubiquitously distributed and extensively applied Chinese herb, was also chosen for experiment. Total genome DNA was extracted from leaf samples, and for metagenome sequencing, an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform was applied. The results showed that the gene numbers of phyllosphere microbiota derived from haze leaves were lower than those of the clean control. The phyllosphere microbiota derived from both haze and clean groups shared the same top ten phyla; the abundances of Proteobacteria, Actinomycetes and Anorthococcuso of the haze group were substantially increased, while Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes decreased. At the genus level, the abundances of Nocardia, Paracoccus, Marmoricola and Knoelia from haze leaves were markedly increased, while the yeasts were statistically decreased. KEGG retrieval demonstrated that the functional genes were most annotated to metabolism. An interesting find of this work is that the phyllosphere microbiota responsible for the synthesis of primary and secondary metabolites in A. argyi were significantly increased under a haze environment. Relatively enriched genes annotated by eggNOG belong to replication, recombination and repair, and genes classified into the glycoside hydrolase and glycosyltransferase enzymes were significantly increased. In summary, we found that both structure and function of phyllosphere microbiota are globally impacted by haze, while primary and secondary metabolites responsible for haze tolerance were considerably increased. These results suggest an adaptive strategy of plants for tolerating and confronting haze damage.

Promoting N2 electroreduction to ammonia by fluorine-terminating Ti3C2Tx MXene

Ding Yu,Zhang Junbo,Guan Anxiang,Wang Qihao,Li Si,Al-Enizi Abdullah M.,Qian Linping,Zhang Lijuan,Zheng Gengfeng 나노기술연구협의회 2021 Nano Convergence Vol.8 No.14

Two-dimensional MXene-based materials are potential of presenting unique catalytic performances of electrocatalytic reactions. The surface functionalization of MXene-based catalysts is attractive for developing efficient electrocatalysts toward nitrogen reduction reaction. Herein, we reported a Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene with a medium density of surface functionalized fluorine terminal groups, as an excellent N 2 reduction reaction electrocatalyst with enhanced adsorption and activation of N 2 . The Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene catalyst showed a production rate of ammonia as 2.81 × 10 –5 μmol·s −1 ·cm −2 , corresponding to a partial current density of 18.3 μA·cm −2 and a Faradic efficiency of 7.4% at − 0.7 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in aqueous solutions at ambient conditions, substantially exceeding similar Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene catalysts but with higher or lower densities of surface fluorine terminal groups. Our work suggests the capability of developing surface functionalization toolkit for enhancing electrochemical catalytic activities of two-dimensional MXene-based materials.

Reference Gene Screening for Analyzing Gene Expression Across Goat Tissue

Zhanga, Yu,Zhang, Xiao-Dong,Liu, Xing,Li, Yun-Sheng,Ding, Jian-Ping,Zhang, Xiao-Rong,Zhang, Yun-Hai Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2013 Animal Bioscience Vol.26 No.12

Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) is one of the important methods for investigating the changes in mRNA expression levels in cells and tissues. Selection of the proper reference genes is very important when calibrating the results of real-time quantitative PCR. Studies on the selection of reference genes in goat tissues are limited, despite the economic importance of their meat and dairy products. We used real-time quantitative PCR to detect the expression levels of eight reference gene candidates (18S, TBP, HMBS, YWHAZ, ACTB, HPRT1, GAPDH and EEF1A2) in ten tissues types sourced from Boer goats. The optimal reference gene combination was selected according to the results determined by geNorm, NormFinder and Bestkeeper software packages. The analyses showed that tissue is an important variability factor in genes expression stability. When all tissues were considered, 18S, TBP and HMBS is the optimal reference combination for calibrating quantitative PCR analysis of gene expression from goat tissues. Dividing data set by tissues, ACTB was the most stable in stomach, small intestine and ovary, 18S in heart and spleen, HMBS in uterus and lung, TBP in liver, HPRT1 in kidney and GAPDH in muscle. Overall, this study provided valuable information about the goat reference genes that can be used in order to perform a proper normalisation when relative quantification by qRT-PCR studies is undertaken.

Association between hearing loss and physical performance in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

Fan Weifeng,Zhong Xiaojing,Wu Qing,Zhang Lihong,Yang Zhenhao,Gu Yong,Guo Qi,Chen Xiaoyu,Yu Chen,Zhang Kun,Ding Wei,Qi Hualin,Zhao Junli,Zhang Liming,Zhang Suhua,Niu Jianying 대한신장학회 2024 Kidney Research and Clinical Practice Vol.43 No.3

Background: The correlation between hearing loss (HL) and physical performance in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) remains poorly investigated. This study explored the association between HL and physical performance in patients on MHD. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2020 and April 2021 in seven hemodialysis centers in Shanghai and Suzhou, China. The hearing assessment was performed using pure-tone average (PTA). Physical performance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), handgrip strength, and gait speed. Results: Finally, 838 adult patients (male, 516 [61.6%]; 61.2 ± 2.6 years) were enrolled. Among them, 423 (50.5%) had mild to profound HL (male, 48.6% and female, 53.4%). Patients with HL had poorer physical performance than patients without HL (p < 0.001). TUGT was positively correlated with PTA (r = 0.265, p < 0.001), while handgrip strength and gait speed were negatively correlated with PTA (r = –0.356, p < 0.001 and r = –0.342, p < 0.001, respectively). Physical performance in patients aged <60 years showed significant dose-response relationships with HL. After adjusting for confounders, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for HL across the TUGT quartiles (lowest to highest) were 1.00 (reference), 1.15 (0.73–1.81), 1.69 (1.07–2.70), and 2.87 (1.69–4.88) (p for trend = 0.005). Conclusion: Lower prevalence of HL was associated with a faster TUGT and a stronger handgrip strength in patients on MHD.

Overexpression of Platelet-derived Growth Factor-D as a Poor Prognosticator in Endometrial Cancer

Ding, Jie,Li, Xiao-Mao,Liu, Sui-Ling,Zhang, Yu,Li, Tian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.8

Background: Emerging evidence implicates the platelet-derived growth factor-D (PDGF-D) in many types of human solid tumors. We investigated whether PDGF-D plays an important role in endometrial cancer (EC) in relation to clinicopathologic phenotype, angiogenesis, and patient prognosis. Materials and Methods: We analyzed PDGF-D protein expression by Western blotting in twenty-seven human endometrial cancer tissues, and matched normal endometrial controls collected at the third Affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University during 2012-2013 (n=27). Immunohistochemical staining was performed using a human PDGF-D antibody on the endometrial cancer patients collected in the same facility during January 2001 and October 2013 (n=152). Patients were followed from the time of primary surgery in 2001-2013 until death or last follow-up. We correlated the PDGF-D expression levels with clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis in human endometrial cancer patients. Results: Compared with matched normal endometrial cases, PDGF-D was up-regulated in endometrial cancer. Expression of PDGF-D protein, found in 78% of the cases, was associated with nonendometrioid histologic type (p=0.028), FIGO stage III/IV (p=0.039), >50% solid tumor growth (p=0.048), pelvic LN metastasis (p=0.035) and ER and PR negativity (p=0.04 and 0.002). PDGF-D expression was also significantly associated with expression of VEGF-A (p=0.021). In multivariate analysis, PDGF-D expression proved to be an independent prognostic factor in addition to histologic grade and FIGO stage. Patients with high expression levels of PDGF-D had a significantly poorer overall survival rate compared with patients with no expression. Conclusions: PDGF-D expression is frequently up-regulated in endometrial cancer, and is associated with aggressive features and poor prognosis.

Dynamics of waste-to-energy incineration R&D collaboration networks: a social network analysis based on patent data

Ding Ma,Yongsheng Yu,Si-shi Liu,Ya-rui Zhang 한국자원공학회 2017 Geosystem engineering Vol.20 No.2

The municipal solid waste in China is increasing at an unprecedented pace due to the upgrading urbanization and improving living standard. The waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration technology offers a viable and potentially profitable technical solution to this booming phenomenon. The highly complex and systematic nature of WTE technologies have led to the emergence of WTE innovation network in the past decade. This study applies complex network theory as well as social network analysis to investigate the social network structure evolution of WTE technologies in terms of global network properties, major actors’ centrality and collaboration relationships. Based on the data-set covering joint filing patents pertaining to waste heat over the period 2006–2015, this study finds that the overall WTE innovation network exhibits the properties of scale-free network with minority organizations linking to abundant organizations. A large fraction of major actors represent the first-movers in the WTE research and still control the technological trajectories. The collaboration relationships have moved toward higher level of multidisciplinary and larger technological distance. Overall, the evolution of WTE innovation network features a young state of industry with high regime dependence. Finally, some suggestions are proposed to shed light on benign development of WTE innovation network.

Effect of Sub-Structure and Precipitation Behavior on Mechanical Properties of Al–xCu–Li Alloys

Yu‑zhuo Li,Guang‑jun Zeng,Ding‑ding Lu,Zhen‑zhen Liu,San‑xi Deng,Peng‑cheng Ma,Yong‑lai Chen,Rui‑feng Zhang,Jin‑feng Li 대한금속·재료학회 2023 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.29 No.11

The tensile properties and microstructure of extruded and cold rolled 2A55 Al–Li alloys with different Cu content werestudied. After solution treatment, the strength of extruded sheets is slightly higher than that of cold rolled sheets due to strongdeformation texture and high density of substructure. However, the strength change order is different with the increase of Cucontent with T6-24 h. The extruded sample with higher Cu content have higher strength due to many dense T1precipitates. The δ′/θ′/δ′ composite precipitates and θ′ precipitates suppress the formation of T1precipitates, which cause cold rolled samplewith higher Cu content shows lower strength. Additionally, many fine T1precipitates nucleate at the sub-grain boundariesformed in the extrusion process, which have a significant effect on the mechanical property.

Variants on ESR1 and their Association with Prostate Cancer Risk: A Meta-analysis

Ding, Xiang,Cui, Feng-Mei,Xu, Song-Tao,Pu, Jin-Xian,Huang, Yu-Hua,Zhang, Jiang-Lei,Wei, Xue-Dong,Hou, Jian-Quan,Yan, Chun-Yin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Background: Epidemiological studies evaluating the association of two variants rs9340799 and rs2234693 on estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) with prostate risk have generated inconsistent results. Methods: A meta-analysis was here conducted to systematically evaluate the relationship of these two variants with prostate cancer susceptibility. Results: For rs9340799, heterozygosity of T/C carriers showed a significant increased prostate cancer risk with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.34 (95% CI = 1.06-1.69) while homozygote C/C carriers showed an increased but not statistically significant association with prostate cancer risk (pooled OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.94-1.79). Compared to the homozygous TT carriers, the allele C carriers showed a 31% increased risk for prostate cancer (pooled OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.06-1.63). No significant association between the rs2234693 and prostate cancer risk was found with the pooled OR of 1.15 (95% CI = 0.97-1.39, T/C and C/C vs. T/T) under the dominant genetic model. Compared to the homozygote T/T carriers, the heterozygous T/C carriers did not show any significantly different risk of prostate cancer (pooled OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.94-1.36) and the homozygous C/C carriers also did not show a significant change for prostate cancer risk compared to the wide-type T/T carriers (pooled OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.98-1.62). Conclusion: These data suggested that variant rs9340799, but not rs2234693, on ESR1 confers an elevated risk of prostate cancer.

Microvascular Myocardial Ischemia in Patients With Diabetes Without Obstructive Coronary Stenosis and Its Association With Angina

Yu Yarong,Yang Wenli,Dai Xu,Yu Lihua,Lan Ziting,Ding Xiaoying,Zhang Jiayin 대한영상의학회 2023 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.24 No.11

Objective: To investigate the incidence of microvascular myocardial ischemia in diabetic patients without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and its relationship with angina. Materials and Methods: Diabetic patients and an intermediate-to-high pretest probability of CAD were prospectively enrolled. Non-diabetic patients but with an intermediate-to-high pretest probability of CAD were retrospectively included as controls. The patients underwent dynamic computed tomography-myocardial perfusion imaging (CT-MPI) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to quantify coronary stenosis, myocardial blood flow (MBF), and extracellular volume (ECV). The proportion of patients with microvascular myocardial ischemia, defined as any myocardial segment with a mean MBF ≤ of 100 mL/min/100 mL, in patients without obstructive CAD (Coronary Artery Disease–Reporting and Data System [CAD-RADS] grade 0–2 on CCTA) was determined. Various quantitative parameters of the patients with and without diabetes without obstructive CAD were compared. Multivariable analysis was used to determine the association between microvascular myocardial ischemia and angina symptoms in diabetic patients without obstructive CAD. Results: One hundred and fifty-two diabetic patients (mean age: 59.7 ± 10.7; 77 males) and 266 non-diabetic patients (62.0 ± 12.3; 167 males) were enrolled; CCTA revealed 113 and 155 patients without obstructive CAD, respectively. For patients without obstructive CAD, the mean global MBF was significantly lower for those with diabetes than for those without (152.8 mL/min/100 mL vs. 170.4 mL/min/100 mL, P < 0.001). The mean ECV was significantly higher for diabetic patients (27.2% vs. 25.8%, P = 0.009). Among the patients without obstructive CAD, the incidence of microvascular myocardial ischemia (36.3% [41/113] vs. 10.3% [16/155], P < 0.001) and interstitial fibrosis (69.9% [79/113] vs. 33.3% [8/24], P = 0.001) were significantly higher in diabetic patients than in the controls. The presence of microvascular myocardial ischemia was independently associated with angina symptoms (adjusted odds ratio = 3.439, P = 0.037) in diabetic patients but without obstructive CAD. Conclusion: Dynamic CT-MPI + CCTA revealed a high incidence of microvascular myocardial ischemia in diabetic patients without obstructive CAD. Microvascular myocardial ischemia is strongly associated with angina.