A transgenic pig model expressing a CMV-ZsGreen1 reporter across an extensive array of tissues

Since genetic engineering of pigs can benefit both biomedicine and agriculture,selecting a suitable gene promoter is critically important.The cytomegalovirus(CMV)promoter,which can robustly drive ubiquitous transgene expression,is commonly used at present,yet recent reports suggest tissue-specific activity in the pig.The objective of this study was to quantify ZsGreen1 protein(in lieu of CMV promoter activity)in tissues from pigs harboring a CMV-ZsGreen1 transgene with a single integration site.Tissue samples(n=35)were collected from neonatal hemizygous(n=3)and homozygous(n=3)piglets and ZsGreen1 abundance was determined via immunoblotting.ZsGreen1 was detected in all tissues,except hypothalamus,kidney cortex and oviduct.The expression patterns of homozygous and hemizygous piglets were similar(P>0.05).However,quantification revealed that ZsGreen1 protein levels were tissue-specific.Within neural/endocrine tissues,ZsGreen1 abundance was highest in the anterior pituitary gland,intermediate in the cerebellum and lowest in the cerebrum,spinal cord and posterior pituitary(P<0.05).In the digestive system,ZsGreen1 was more abundant in the salivary gland than esophagus,stomach,pancreas,duodenum,jejunum,ileum,spleen,colon,gallbladder and liver(P<0.05).Interestingly,ZsGreen1 amounts also differed within an organ(i.e.,the right ventricle had 3-fold higher levels than the other heart chambers;P<0.05).These results provide useful information for the use of the CMV promoter to drive transgene expression in the pig.Moreover,this swine model represents a novel resource of ZsGreen1-labeled organs and a valuable tool to advance genome editing research.

Biomedical Perspectives About Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain:A Qualitative Analysis

Because the aetiology of chronic pelvic pain is complex, studies of the condition involve extensive investigation but provide few conclusions. Numerous studies have addressed the experiences of women with chronic pelvic pain, as well as the interaction between those women and their health care providers. Our objective was to investigate how physicians at a specialised clinic perceive the medical care provided to such women. This was a qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews and content analysis. We interviewed seven physicians at the Chronic Pelvic Pain Outpatient Clinic of the University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeir?o Preto, University of S?o Paulo, Brazil. Medical training and practice constituted the central theme of the study, which was subdivided into categories addressing the influence that the current medical training has on the type of medical care provided to women with chronic pelvic pain. Medical practice has been characterised by a reductionist approach to health and illness, as well as by the fragmentation of health care. These characteristics are, to a certain extent, the result of the biomedical model of education, which has been predominant, ignoring social, cultural, psychological and emotional aspects. There is a need to shift the medical paradigms toward a humanistic model of health care. We hope that we have provided a critical view of current medical training and practice, as well as of their effects in various health care settings, particularly in the provision of care to women with chronic pelvic pain.

Comparative transcriptome analysis between rhesus macaques(Macaca mulatta) and crab-eating macaques(M. fascicularis)

Understanding gene expression variations between species is pivotal for deciphering the evolutionary diversity in phenotypes. Rhesus macaques(Macaca mulatta, MMU)and crab-eating macaques(M. fascicularis, MFA) serve as crucial nonhuman primate biomedical models with different phenotypes. To date, however, large-scale comparative transcriptome research between these two species has not yet been fully explored. Here, we conducted systematic comparisons utilizing newly sequenced RNA-seq data from84 samples(41 MFA samples and 43 MMU samples)encompassing 14 common tissues. Our findings revealed a small fraction of genes(3.7%) with differential expression between the two species, as well as 36.5% of genes with tissue-specific expression in both macaques. Comparison of gene expression between macaques and humans indicated that 22.6% of orthologous genes displayed differential expression in at least two tissues. Moreover,19.41% of genes that overlapped with macaque-specific structural variants showed differential expression between humans and macaques. Of these, the FAM220A gene exhibited elevated expression in humans compared to macaques due to lineage-specific duplication. In summary,this study presents a large-scale transcriptomic comparison between MMU and MFA and between macaques and humans. The discovery of gene expression variations not only enhances the biomedical utility of macaque models but also contributes to the wider field of primate genomics.