Abstract: Isolated lesion of the axillary (or circumflex) nerve is infrequent, this is usually associated with a brachial plexus injury. In our institution, in a period comprised between the years 2015-2017, a frequency of only 0.4% of this injury has been observed. Clinical case: Male patient of 31 years of age, with trauma in the right shoulder, caused by fall of his own height in work accident. The admission graph of the right shoulder shows anterior inferior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint, associated with a greater tubercle fracture. He underwent surgery, with closed reduction of the glenohumeral joint and osteosynthesis of the greater tubercle. The patient later presents marked atrophy of the deltoid, electromyography is ordered that shows complete lesion of the axillary nerve without reinnervation.

Resumen: La lesión del nervio axilar (o circunflejo) aislada es poco frecuente, ésta suele presentarse asociada a una lesión del plexo braquial. En nuestra institución, en un período comprendido entre los años 2015-2017, se ha observado una frecuencia de sólo 0.4% de esta lesión. Con el presente reporte de caso se resalta la relación de la luxación de hombro con lesión del nervio axilar aislada. Caso clínico: Masculino de 31 años de edad, con trauma en hombro derecho, secundario a caída de su propia altura en accidente laboral. Radiografía de ingreso de hombro derecho muestra luxación anteroinferior de articulación glenohumeral, asociada a fractura de troquiter. Es intervenido quirúrgicamente, con reducción cerrada de articulación glenohumeral y osteosíntesis de troquiter. Posterior a ello, el paciente presenta atrofia marcada del deltoides, se ordena electromiografía que evidencia lesión completa del nervio axilar sin reinervación.

Teosinte branched 1/cycloidea/proliferating cell factor 1 (TCP) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors playing crucial roles in various biological processes, such as leaf development, flower symmetry, shoot branching and senescence. However, no comprehensive analysis of the TCP gene family has been reported in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L). Herein, a total of 15 TCP family members were identified in the genome of grapevine, located on eight of the 19 chromosomes. Phylogenetic and structural analyses showed that the VvTCPs were classified into two groups, designated as Class I and Class II. The Class II genes were further divided into two subclasses, the CIN subclass and the CYC/TB1 subclass. Genes belonging to the same subclass shared similar gene structures, conserved domains and motifs. Real-time PCR showed that almost all members of Class II exhibited organ-specific expression patterns, while members of Class I and the CIN Class were ubiquitously expressed in all the tissues examined, indicating multiple roles in the development of different grapevine organs. In addition, many members were strongly modulated by abiotic (cold, heat, drought) and biotic (downy mildew and powdery mildew infection) stresses, suggesting important and diverse regulatory roles in adverse conditions and plant immunity. The comprehensive in silico analysis of the grapevine TCP transcription factor family gives us some references to potential functions in grapevine development and stress responses.

Based on Glycine gracilis growth and ion homeostasis testing, neutral salt (NS)and alkaline salt (AS) stress were characterized and the responses of G. gracilis were investigated.The injurious effects of AS on G. gracilis were obviously stronger than those of NS.The effects of both stresses on the Na+ content and Na+/K+ ratio were similar at low concentrations, but as the stress increased, the effects of a greater Na+ content and Na+/K+ratio increased slowly under NS conditions, but sharply under AS. The roots of G. gracilis accumulated NO3−and H2PO4−, while the stems and leaves accumulated C2O4(2−) and H2PO4−to maintain thein tracellular ion balance. The dominant intracellular anions in the stipes were NO3- and C2O4(2-) under control conditions, and NO3- and H2PO4- under salt stress. With the increasing AS, the Cl−, NO3− and H2PO4− concentrations decreased, and G.gracilis might have increased SO4(2−) and C2O4(2−)levels to compensate for the shortage of inorganic anions. Under NS, the NO3− and C2O4(2−) concentrations decreased, and G. gracilis might have increased Cl−, H2PO4− and SO4(2−)levels to compensate for the shortage of inorganic anions. G. gracilis seedling showed a special nutritional metabolism and some growth adaptability under salt stress.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that modulate gene expression implicated in cancer, which play crucial roles in diverse biological processes, such as development, differentiation, apoptosis, and proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether miR-30c mediated the resistance of breast cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (ADR) by targeting tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta (YWHAZ). miR-30c was downregulated in the doxorubicin-resistant human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7/ADR and MDA-MB-231/ADR compared with their parental MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, we observed that transfection of an miR-30c mimic significantly suppressed the ability of MCF-7/ADR to resist doxorubicin. Moreover, the anti-apoptotic gene YWHAZ was confirmed as a target of miR-30c by luciferase reporter assay, and further studies indicated that the mechanism for miR-30c on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells involved YWHAZ and its downstream p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway. Together, our findings provided evidence that miR-30c was one of the important miRNAs in doxorubicin resistance by regulating YWHAZ in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7/ADR.

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that proper diet dilution ratio at early age might improve feed conversion ratio (FCR) and reduce body fat deposition of meat-type ducks. One hundred and fifty 1-day-old male and female White Pekin ducks (44.5±1.0 g) were randomly assigned into three treatments with five replicates (pens) of 10 birds each, respectively representing the experimental diets with 0 (control), 40 or 60% rice hulls inclusion in the basal diet between 8 and 14 d of age. The basal diet was fed before and after this period. The results showed that diluting the diet with 40% rice hulls increased (p < 0.05) feed intake, decreased adjusted (excluding rice hulls) feed:gain and body weight gain of ducks during the diet-dilution period; ducks fed the diet with 40% rice hulls had better growth rate (p < 0.05) during the recovery period (15 to 42 d of age) and lower adjusted feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05) during the entire experimental period (1 to 42 d of age) than the control birds, but the same body weight (p > 0.05) as the controls at 42 d of age. The diet diluted with 60% rice hulls resulted in lower (p < 0.05) body weight at market age than the other treatments. The diet with 40% rice hulls reduced (p < 0.05) skin with fat and abdominal fat pad, crude fat content in the carcass and in breast meat, and increased (p < 0.05) carcass crude protein at 42 d of age. These changes may be explained by the lower (p < 0.05) activities of hepatic malic dehydrogenase (MDH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) and fatty acid synthetase (FAS) enzymes both at 14 and 42 d of age in birds fed the diluted diets relative to the control birds. The results of this study indicate that feeding diets diluted with 40% rice hulls to Pekin ducks between 8 to 14 d of age may induce compensatory growth during the following recovery period, and may be used to improve FCR and to reduce body fat deposition at market age.

Peptide toxins are usually highly bridged proteins with multipairs of intrachain disulfide bonds. Analysis of disulfide connectivity is an important facet of protein structure determination. In this paper, we successfully assigned the disulfide linkage of two novel peptide toxins, called HNTX-III and HNTX-IV, isolated from the venom of Ornithoctonus hainana spider. Both peptides are useful inhibitors of TTX-sensitive voltage-gated sodium channels and are composed of six cysteine residues that form three disulfide bonds, respectively. Firstly, the peptides were partially reduced by tris(2-carboxyethyl)-phosphine (TCEP) in 0.1 M citrate buffer containing 6 M guanidine-HCl at 40° C for ten minutes. Subsequently, the partially reduced intermediates containing free thiols were separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and alkylated by rapid carboxamidomethylation. Then, the disulfide bonds of the intermediates were analyzed by Edman degradation. By using the strategy above, disulfide linkages of HNTX-III and HNTX-IV were determined as I-IV, II-V and III-VI pattern. In addition, this study also showed that this method may have a great potential for determining the disulfide bonds of spider peptide toxins.