SUMMARY: This study aimed to investigate the sagittal spinal-pelvic morphological changes, as well as the relationship between pelvic anatomical changes and the spinal-pelvic plane in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), in order to provide guidelines for orthopedic surgery in AIS. X-ray data were collected for retrospective analysis from 30 patients diagnosed as AIS in the Departments of Radiology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University and the Inner Mongolia International Mongolian Medical Hospital from April 2014 to November 2018, along with 30 normal adolescents as control. Pelvic parameters, including pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), and sacral slope (SS), a spinal parameter, lumbar lordosis (LL), and anatomical parameters, including sacral width (SW) and femoral head- sacrum distance (FH-S), were measured. The spinal-pelvic parameters were compared between AIS patients and normal controls and also between male and female AIS patients. Pearson correlation was performed to analyze correlation between spinal-pelvic parameters and between spinal-pelvic parameters and anatomical parameters in both AIS patients and normal controls. PT was significantly lower in AIS patients than in normal controls (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was found in the other spinal-pelvic parameters, i. e. , LL, PI, and SS. There was a significant difference in PT between sexes in AIS patients. SS was significantly correlated with LL in EIA patients (P < 0.05, r > 0.5). SS was significantly correlated with LL and PI, and PT with LL, PI, and SS in normal controls (all P < 0.05), and there was no significant correlation between the other sagittal spinal-pelvic parameters (P > 0.05). FH-S was significantly correlated with LL, PI, SS, and PT in AIS patients (all P < 0.05). AIS affects some of the sagittal spinalpelvic parameters and anatomical parameters. In AIS, there is a significant correlation between the spinal-pelvic parameters, and the anatomical parameter is significantly correlated with multiple spinal-pelvic parameters.

RESUMEN: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar los cambios morfológicos sagitales de la columna vertebral-pélvica, así como la relación entre los cambios anatómicos pélvicos y el plano espinal-pélvico en pacientes con escoliosis idiopática adolescente (EIA), con el fin de proporcionar pautas para la cirugía ortopédica en AIS. Se obtuvieron los datos de rayos X para el análisis retrospectivo de 30 pacientes diagnosticados como EIA en los Departamentos de Radiología del hospital Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University y el hospital Inner Mongolia International Mongolian Medical Hospital, desde abril de 2014 hasta noviembre del 2018, junto con 30 adolescentes normales como control. Se midieron los parámetros pélvicos, que incluyeron incidencia pélvica (IP), inclinación pélvica (P) y pendiente sacra (PS), un parámetro espinal, lordosis lumbar (LL) y parámetros anatómicos, que incluyeron el ancho sacro (AS) y la distancia del sacro cabeza femoral (FH-S). Los parámetros espinalpélvicos se compararon entre los pacientes con EIA y los controles normales, como también entre pacientes con EIA masculinos y femeninos. La correlación de Pearson se realizó para analizar la correlación entre los parámetros espinal-pélvicos y entre los parámetros espinal-pélvicos y los parámetros anatómicos tanto en pacientes con EIA como en controles normales. PT fue significativamente menor en pacientes con EIA que en los controles normales (P <0,05), mientras que no se encontraron diferencias significativas en los otros parámetros espinal-pélvicos, i. mi. , LL, PI y SS. Hubo una diferencia significativa en PT en pacientes de ambos sexos con EIA. SS se correlacionó significativamente con LL en pacientes con EIA (P <0,05, r> 0,5). SS se correlacionó significativamente con LL y PI, y PT con LL, PI y SS en controles normales (todos P <0,05), y no hubo correlación significativa entre los otros parámetros sagitales de la columna vertebral-pélvica (P> 0,05) FH-S se correlacionó significativamente con LL, PI, SS y PT en pacientes con EIA (todos P <0,05). EIA afecta algunos de los parámetros sagitales de la columna vertebral-pélvica y los parámetros anatómicos. En EIA, existe una correlación significativa entre los parámetros espinal-pélvicos, y el parámetro anatómico se correlaciona significativamente con múltiples parámetros espinales-pélvicos.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether tissue Doppler imaging parameters, especially the peak systolic velocity of the left ventricular lead-implanted segment (Ss), affect cardiac resynchronization therapy response. METHODS: In this case-control study, 110 enrolled patients were divided into cases (responder group, n=65) and controls (nonresponder group, n=45) based on whether their left ventricular end-systolic volume was reduced by ≥15% at 6 months after surgery. Preoperative clinical and echocardiographic data were collected. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the factors affecting the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy, and receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to evaluate their diagnostic values. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with left bundle branch block in the case group was higher than that in the control group. The control group showed a higher left atrial volume index, E/A ratio and E/Em ratio but lower Ss than that of the case group. A multivariate regression analysis showed that left bundle branch block, Ss, and an E/Em ratio>14 were independent risk factors affecting the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy. Ss=4.1 cm/s was the best diagnostic threshold according to the receiver operating characteristic curve. CONCLUSIONS: Ss is an important factor affecting the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy. Patients with heart failure associated with Ss<4.1 cm/s have a higher risk of nonresponse.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Myostatin (MSTN) and MyoGenin (MyoG) on goose skeletal muscle growth. In this study, MSTN and MyoG gene expression in breast and leg muscle of Zi and Rhine goose were detected by Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and the correlations between genes expression levels and carcass traits were investigated. The results showed that the breast muscle weight and breast muscle percentage of Rhine goose were significantly higher than Zi goose (p<0.01). MSTN mRNA and MyoG mRNA expression in breast muscle of Zi goose were significantly higher than that of Rhine goose and the level of MSTN in leg muscle of Rhine was significantly higher than that of Zi goose (p<0.01). There was a significant difference between MSTN mRNA expression in breast muscle and in leg muscle of Zi goose (p<0.01). MSTN mRNA expression in leg muscle was significantly higher than that of breast muscle of Rhine goose (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between MyoG mRNA expression in breast muscle and in leg muscle of Zi goose and Rhine goose (p<0.01). There was a negative correlation between MSTN mRNA expression in breast muscle and body weight, breast muscle weight and breast muscle percentage.

ABSTRACT Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) regulates a broad spectrum of biological activities involved in growth, development, and differentiation. This study aimed at comparing polymorphisms in intron2 of the IGFBP-2 gene among four chicken breeds and at analyzing the associations between its genotypes and body weight in Jinghai Yellow chicken by using PCR-SSCP technique. For primer P2, three genotypes (AA, AB and BB) were observed in the four chicken breeds. Gene sequencing revealed one insertion/deletion (the inserted/deleted TC after position 552bp) in the intron 2 of IGFBP-2 gene. For primer P5, three genotypes were identified in Jinghai Yellow chickens, and named CC, CD and DD. Gene sequencing revealed two SNPs (C1107G, C1130T) and one inserted/deleted GCCAGGT after 1115bp in the intron 2 of IGFBP-2 gene. The results of the linear model analysis showed that Jinghai Yellow chickens with AA genotype had significantly heavier body weight, at hatch and 12 weeks of age, than those of the AB genotype (p<0.05). The A allele had a positive effect on body weight. We speculate that mutations in intron 2 could be used as genetic markers for body weight in Jinghai Yellow chicken. This study provides valuable information for the protection of genetic resources and for breeding of Jinghai Yellow chicken.