Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a novel technology that facilitates highly effective and noninvasive imaging of the small bowel. Although its effi cacy in the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) has been ...Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a novel technology that facilitates highly effective and noninvasive imaging of the small bowel. Although its effi cacy in the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) has been proven in several trials, data on uses of CE in different small bowel diseases are rapidly accumulating in the literature, and it has been found to be superior to alternative diagnostic tools in a range of such diseases. Based on literature evidence, CE is recommended as a first-line investigation for OGIB after negative bi-directional endoscopy. CE has gained an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of Crohn's disease and celiac disease and in the surveillance of small bowel tumors and polyps in selected patients. Capsule retention is the major complication, with a frequency of 1%-2%. The purpose of this review was to discuss the procedure, indications, contraindications and adverse effects associated with CE. We also review and share our five-year experience with CE in various small bowel diseases. The recently developed balloon-assisted enteroscopies have both diagnostic and therapeutic capability. At the present time, CE and balloon-assisted enteroscopies are complementary techniques in the diagnosis and management of small bowel diseases.展开更多
Meckel's diverticulum is a common asymptomatic congenital gastrointestinal anomaly,but rarely it can present with hemorrhage.Over the last few years inverted Meckel's diverticulum has been reported in the lite...Meckel's diverticulum is a common asymptomatic congenital gastrointestinal anomaly,but rarely it can present with hemorrhage.Over the last few years inverted Meckel's diverticulum has been reported in the literature with increasing frequency as an occult source of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage.Here,we report a case of a 54-year-old male,who was referred for surgical evaluation with persistent anemia and occult blood per rectum after a work up which failed to localize the source over 12 mo,including upper and capsule endoscopy,colonoscopy,enteroclysis,Meckel scan,and tagged nuclear red blood cell scan.An abdominal computed tomography scan showed a possible mid-ileal intussusception and intraluminal mass.During the abdominal exploration,inverted Meckel's diverticulum was diagnosed and resected.We review the literature,discuss the forms in which the disease presents,the diagnostic modalities utilized,pathological findings,and treatment.Although less than 40 cases have been reported in the English literature from 1978 to 2005,19 cases have been reported in the last 6 years alone(2006-2012) due to improved diagnostic modalities.Successful diagnosis and treatment of this disease requires a high index of clinical suspicion,which is becoming increasingly relevant to general gastroenterologists.展开更多
Israel's image is positive in Chinese media, which focuses on China-Israel cooperation and Israel's economy, history culture, science and technology. The image is of a culture-rich nation with a tough ethnic n...Israel's image is positive in Chinese media, which focuses on China-Israel cooperation and Israel's economy, history culture, science and technology. The image is of a culture-rich nation with a tough ethnic nature and powerful science and technology facets. In US media, Israel's image is negative, with the focus on political polarization, social and racial fragmentation, conflict with Palestine, and deterioration in foreign relations. Chinese and US media have totally opposite directions in topic focus and value identification.展开更多
Burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma, often presenting in extra-nodal sites. It generally has a poor spontaneous outcome and needs aggressive treatment with systemic and intrathecal chemothe...Burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma, often presenting in extra-nodal sites. It generally has a poor spontaneous outcome and needs aggressive treatment with systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy. Occurrence at the gastric site is rare. We report the case of a 39-year old woman who presented with a prominent ulcerated lesion of the antrum corresponding histologically to a Burkitt's lymphoma associated with He/icobacter py/ori (H pylori) infection. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) demonstrated c-MYC gene rearrangement in tumour cells without BCL2 or BCL6 gene translocations. Ulcer healing and tumour regression with a complete histological response were obtained 8 wk after Hpylori eradication. In spite of this complete remission, taking into account the high risk of recurrence, the patient received systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy. Two years later, the patient remained in complete remission. This is the first report of a gastric Burkitt's lymphoma responding to Hpylori eradication. These findings raise the question of the potential role of H pylori in the pathogenesis of some gastric Burkitt's lymphomas, and show the importance of searching for and eradicating the bacteria in combination with conventional chemotherapy regimens.展开更多
Risk factors for genitourinary Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection were investigated using an STD elative risk factor questionnaire among 176 patients and theirregular sexual partners. Twenty-four independent variabl...Risk factors for genitourinary Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection were investigated using an STD elative risk factor questionnaire among 176 patients and theirregular sexual partners. Twenty-four independent variableswere selected for analysis, nine of which were confirmed asfactors associated with C. trachomatis. Four of the nine factorswere significantly correlated to infection using a multifactorialunconditional logistic regression model which included: levelof education (odds ratios [ORs]: 2.144 for below junior middleschool), number of sexual partners (ORs: 4.503 for≥5),number of regular partner's sexual partner (ORs: 16.333 for≥5), STD history of regular partner (ORs: 18.417 for theirSTD history). These data demonstrate that regular partner'ssexual behaviors are also an important risk factor for Ctinfection among STD clinic clients.展开更多
Osteoblasts of rat cultured in vitro were stimulated with pulsed 50 Hz electromagnetic field and basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF).The MTT method,flow cytometry and histochemistry staining were used to detect cell ...Osteoblasts of rat cultured in vitro were stimulated with pulsed 50 Hz electromagnetic field and basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF).The MTT method,flow cytometry and histochemistry staining were used to detect cell proliferation?cell cycle and alkaline phosphatase .The results indicated: after stimulated by 1 mT electromagnetic field,the cells are more abundant,have more S phase percentages,2 mT electromagnetic field have no evident effect on cells’growth;compared with electromagnetic field,the cells stimulated by bFGF are more abundant and have larger S phase ratios.Electromagnetic field and bFGF have no effect on cells,alkaline phosphatase.Therefore ,we concluded that electromagnetic field can enhance osteoblasts growth like some growth factor such as basic fibroblast growth factor,and the osteoblasts’,characteristics was not changed.展开更多
Objective. To investigate whether the polymorphisms in the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and angiotensinogen (AGT) gene are associated with essential hypertension. Methods. A case-control study was carried ...Objective. To investigate whether the polymorphisms in the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and angiotensinogen (AGT) gene are associated with essential hypertension. Methods. A case-control study was carried out using 103 hypertensive (HT) and 131 normotensive (NT) subjects. The insertion/deletion(I / D ) polymorphism of the ACE gene and the methionine→threo- nine variant at position 235 (M235T) of the AGT gene were determined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) analysis, respective- ly. Results. The differences of D allele frequency and genotype distribution of the ACE gene between NT and HT groups were statistically significant (X^2=18.12, P<0. 005 ). The T235 allele frequency of the AGT gene was 69% in NT Chinese group (approximately 1. 38 to l. 64 fold that in Caucasians), and was greater in female HT than in NT (0. 82 vs 0. 72, X^2= 8. l, P<0. 025). A correlation between M235T molecular variant of the AGT gene and I/D molecular variant of ACE gene to hypertension was found. Cbeclusions. The possession of D allele of the ACE gene might be a marker for predisposition to hyper- tension. The T235 allele of the AGT gene was more common in Chinese than in Caucasians, and might contribute to the risk for hypertension in female Chinese.展开更多
[Objective] This study aimed to investigate an outbreak of apple valsa canker (Valsa ceratosperma) in Yantai apple producing area in 2011 and analyze the major causes of the disease. [Method] In May 2011, 21 commerc...[Objective] This study aimed to investigate an outbreak of apple valsa canker (Valsa ceratosperma) in Yantai apple producing area in 2011 and analyze the major causes of the disease. [Method] In May 2011, 21 commercial apple or-chards in Qixia, Haiyang and Laiyang were selected to investigate the outbreak of applevalsa canker. [Result]The results showed that apple canker occurred seriously in Yantai apple producing area in 2011. The ratio of diseased plants with new canker scars was 68.20% and the ratio of dead plants infected with Valsa cer-atosperma was 2.76%. The average ratios of diseased branches and one-year-old dead branches were 23.98% and 10.74%, respectively. The percentage of orchards with more than 50% diseased plants accounted for 25%-30% of the total number of orchards investigated, and the overal prevalence situation was more serious than normal years. In the investigation, 967 new canker scars were observed, with an average of 2.32 canker scars per plant. Specifical y, 80.04% canker scars were de-veloped from pruning wounds; 60.29% canker scars were developed from previous scars. [Conclusion] The long-period precipitation in the autumn of 2010, low temper-ature in the winter of 2010 and the severe drought in the spring of 2011 might be the major factors causing the outbreak of apple valsa canker in Yantai apple pro-ducing area in 2011. Pruning wounds were the main infection entrances of V. cer-atosperma, and the recurrence in previous scars was the main reason for the out-break of apple canker in spring.展开更多
The degeneration of Bashang inland lake wetland in Hebei Province is caused by both some natural reasons,such as temperature rises and violent pathogenic wind,and some human factors like the large increase of populati...The degeneration of Bashang inland lake wetland in Hebei Province is caused by both some natural reasons,such as temperature rises and violent pathogenic wind,and some human factors like the large increase of population and arable area,the production of season-staggered vegetable,which have increased the water utilization and made many lakes dry up completely or partly.Based on the degeneration reasons,the related measures for restoring the function of Bashang wetland ecosystem were proposed in this paper.展开更多
Objective To investigate the relationship of four single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes in the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene to the primary hypertension with or without cerebral infarction in the Li nationa...Objective To investigate the relationship of four single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes in the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene to the primary hypertension with or without cerebral infarction in the Li nationality of Hainan, China. Methods Total 300 subjects were allocated into three different groups: Groupl, 100 patients who have primary hypertension; Group 2, 100 patients who have primary hypertension with cerebral infarction; and control group, 100 healthy individuals. The genotypes of all subjects were determined by PCR-sequencing to analyze the four poly- morphisms at position - 152 (G-A), -20 (A-C), - 18 (C-T), and -6 (A-G) in the promoter region of AGT. Results The frequen- cies ofCT genotype of AGT-18 and T allele in Group 1 (P = 0.003, P = 0.004) and Group 2 (P = 0.002, P = 0.002) were both significantly higher than in healthy controls. The frequency of G allele of AGT-6 was significantly higher in Group 2 than in the control group (P = 0.016), while there is no significant difference between Group 1 and the control. Haplotype analysis revealed that H6 haplotype frequency which included -20C and -6G was significantly increased in Group 2 (P = 0.003) compared with the control group, while H5 haplotype frequency which included -20C and -18T was signifi- cantly increased in Group 1 (P = 0.006) versus the control. Conclusion The -20 (A-C) and - 18 (C-T) of the AGT may play an important role in pathogenesis of primary hypertension; and -20 (A-C), -18 (C-T), and -6 (A-G) may be the genetic risk factors for the onset of primary hypertension with cerebral infarction in the Li nationality of Halnan, China.展开更多
First at all, it introduced the concept and the damages of continuous cropping obstacle. Then, it analyzed the causes of continuous cropping obstacles for Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. In the end, in order to provi...First at all, it introduced the concept and the damages of continuous cropping obstacle. Then, it analyzed the causes of continuous cropping obstacles for Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. In the end, in order to provide guidance for pro- moting sustainable development of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz industry in Pingjiang County, it put forward some control methods for eliminating continuous cropping obstacles of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, including breeding varieties with high resistance; applying rotation cropping and intercropping reasonable; rational fertilization and soil disinfection; introducing antagonistic bacterial and eliminating au- tointoxication.展开更多
Eighty-four castrated boars including Laiwu Black (LW) (weight 30-90 kg, n = 6) and Lulai Black (LL) (weight 40-100 kg, n = 6) were used to study the developmental changes of collagen type Ⅲ alpha 1 (Col3al...Eighty-four castrated boars including Laiwu Black (LW) (weight 30-90 kg, n = 6) and Lulai Black (LL) (weight 40-100 kg, n = 6) were used to study the developmental changes of collagen type Ⅲ alpha 1 (Col3al) mRNA expression in the muscle and their association with intramuscular collagen (IMC). The muscle total RNA was extracted to determine the abundance of Col3al mRNA using relative quantitative RT-PCR with β-actin mRNA as the internal standard. The results indicated that the developmental patterns of muscle Col3al mRNA in LW and LL pigs were similar. The abundance of Col3al mRNA increased with body weight, but decreased a little at 70 kg and 80 kg phases for LW and LL, respectively. On the whole, the expression level of Col3al mRNA in muscle of LW was higher than that of LL (P 〈 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the expression of Col3al mRNA in muscle was positively correlated with total and insoluble IMC, but was negatively correlated with IMC solubility for LW pigs (P 〈 0.01) and LL pigs (P 〈 0.05), respectively. These results suggest that the muscle Col3al gene expression is affected by body weight and genotype and has important effect on IMC content and characteristics.展开更多
文摘Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a novel technology that facilitates highly effective and noninvasive imaging of the small bowel. Although its effi cacy in the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) has been proven in several trials, data on uses of CE in different small bowel diseases are rapidly accumulating in the literature, and it has been found to be superior to alternative diagnostic tools in a range of such diseases. Based on literature evidence, CE is recommended as a first-line investigation for OGIB after negative bi-directional endoscopy. CE has gained an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of Crohn's disease and celiac disease and in the surveillance of small bowel tumors and polyps in selected patients. Capsule retention is the major complication, with a frequency of 1%-2%. The purpose of this review was to discuss the procedure, indications, contraindications and adverse effects associated with CE. We also review and share our five-year experience with CE in various small bowel diseases. The recently developed balloon-assisted enteroscopies have both diagnostic and therapeutic capability. At the present time, CE and balloon-assisted enteroscopies are complementary techniques in the diagnosis and management of small bowel diseases.
基金Supported by United States National Institute of Health grants,K12HD055881 and R01CA160688,to Takabe KJapan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship for Re-search Abroad,to Nagahashi M
文摘Meckel's diverticulum is a common asymptomatic congenital gastrointestinal anomaly,but rarely it can present with hemorrhage.Over the last few years inverted Meckel's diverticulum has been reported in the literature with increasing frequency as an occult source of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage.Here,we report a case of a 54-year-old male,who was referred for surgical evaluation with persistent anemia and occult blood per rectum after a work up which failed to localize the source over 12 mo,including upper and capsule endoscopy,colonoscopy,enteroclysis,Meckel scan,and tagged nuclear red blood cell scan.An abdominal computed tomography scan showed a possible mid-ileal intussusception and intraluminal mass.During the abdominal exploration,inverted Meckel's diverticulum was diagnosed and resected.We review the literature,discuss the forms in which the disease presents,the diagnostic modalities utilized,pathological findings,and treatment.Although less than 40 cases have been reported in the English literature from 1978 to 2005,19 cases have been reported in the last 6 years alone(2006-2012) due to improved diagnostic modalities.Successful diagnosis and treatment of this disease requires a high index of clinical suspicion,which is becoming increasingly relevant to general gastroenterologists.
文摘Israel's image is positive in Chinese media, which focuses on China-Israel cooperation and Israel's economy, history culture, science and technology. The image is of a culture-rich nation with a tough ethnic nature and powerful science and technology facets. In US media, Israel's image is negative, with the focus on political polarization, social and racial fragmentation, conflict with Palestine, and deterioration in foreign relations. Chinese and US media have totally opposite directions in topic focus and value identification.
文摘Burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma, often presenting in extra-nodal sites. It generally has a poor spontaneous outcome and needs aggressive treatment with systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy. Occurrence at the gastric site is rare. We report the case of a 39-year old woman who presented with a prominent ulcerated lesion of the antrum corresponding histologically to a Burkitt's lymphoma associated with He/icobacter py/ori (H pylori) infection. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) demonstrated c-MYC gene rearrangement in tumour cells without BCL2 or BCL6 gene translocations. Ulcer healing and tumour regression with a complete histological response were obtained 8 wk after Hpylori eradication. In spite of this complete remission, taking into account the high risk of recurrence, the patient received systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy. Two years later, the patient remained in complete remission. This is the first report of a gastric Burkitt's lymphoma responding to Hpylori eradication. These findings raise the question of the potential role of H pylori in the pathogenesis of some gastric Burkitt's lymphomas, and show the importance of searching for and eradicating the bacteria in combination with conventional chemotherapy regimens.
文摘Risk factors for genitourinary Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection were investigated using an STD elative risk factor questionnaire among 176 patients and theirregular sexual partners. Twenty-four independent variableswere selected for analysis, nine of which were confirmed asfactors associated with C. trachomatis. Four of the nine factorswere significantly correlated to infection using a multifactorialunconditional logistic regression model which included: levelof education (odds ratios [ORs]: 2.144 for below junior middleschool), number of sexual partners (ORs: 4.503 for≥5),number of regular partner's sexual partner (ORs: 16.333 for≥5), STD history of regular partner (ORs: 18.417 for theirSTD history). These data demonstrate that regular partner'ssexual behaviors are also an important risk factor for Ctinfection among STD clinic clients.
基金This work Supported by National Natural Science Foundation( 10 172 0 93) and the10 th Five-Year PlanMedical Research Foun-dation of PL A( 0 1MA0 88)
文摘Osteoblasts of rat cultured in vitro were stimulated with pulsed 50 Hz electromagnetic field and basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF).The MTT method,flow cytometry and histochemistry staining were used to detect cell proliferation?cell cycle and alkaline phosphatase .The results indicated: after stimulated by 1 mT electromagnetic field,the cells are more abundant,have more S phase percentages,2 mT electromagnetic field have no evident effect on cells’growth;compared with electromagnetic field,the cells stimulated by bFGF are more abundant and have larger S phase ratios.Electromagnetic field and bFGF have no effect on cells,alkaline phosphatase.Therefore ,we concluded that electromagnetic field can enhance osteoblasts growth like some growth factor such as basic fibroblast growth factor,and the osteoblasts’,characteristics was not changed.
基金National Natural Sciences Foundation of China! (39470630 )
文摘Objective. To investigate whether the polymorphisms in the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and angiotensinogen (AGT) gene are associated with essential hypertension. Methods. A case-control study was carried out using 103 hypertensive (HT) and 131 normotensive (NT) subjects. The insertion/deletion(I / D ) polymorphism of the ACE gene and the methionine→threo- nine variant at position 235 (M235T) of the AGT gene were determined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) analysis, respective- ly. Results. The differences of D allele frequency and genotype distribution of the ACE gene between NT and HT groups were statistically significant (X^2=18.12, P<0. 005 ). The T235 allele frequency of the AGT gene was 69% in NT Chinese group (approximately 1. 38 to l. 64 fold that in Caucasians), and was greater in female HT than in NT (0. 82 vs 0. 72, X^2= 8. l, P<0. 025). A correlation between M235T molecular variant of the AGT gene and I/D molecular variant of ACE gene to hypertension was found. Cbeclusions. The possession of D allele of the ACE gene might be a marker for predisposition to hyper- tension. The T235 allele of the AGT gene was more common in Chinese than in Caucasians, and might contribute to the risk for hypertension in female Chinese.
基金Supported by National Modern Industrial Technology System of Apple(CARS-28)National Natural Science Foundation of China(31000891)~~
文摘[Objective] This study aimed to investigate an outbreak of apple valsa canker (Valsa ceratosperma) in Yantai apple producing area in 2011 and analyze the major causes of the disease. [Method] In May 2011, 21 commercial apple or-chards in Qixia, Haiyang and Laiyang were selected to investigate the outbreak of applevalsa canker. [Result]The results showed that apple canker occurred seriously in Yantai apple producing area in 2011. The ratio of diseased plants with new canker scars was 68.20% and the ratio of dead plants infected with Valsa cer-atosperma was 2.76%. The average ratios of diseased branches and one-year-old dead branches were 23.98% and 10.74%, respectively. The percentage of orchards with more than 50% diseased plants accounted for 25%-30% of the total number of orchards investigated, and the overal prevalence situation was more serious than normal years. In the investigation, 967 new canker scars were observed, with an average of 2.32 canker scars per plant. Specifical y, 80.04% canker scars were de-veloped from pruning wounds; 60.29% canker scars were developed from previous scars. [Conclusion] The long-period precipitation in the autumn of 2010, low temper-ature in the winter of 2010 and the severe drought in the spring of 2011 might be the major factors causing the outbreak of apple valsa canker in Yantai apple pro-ducing area in 2011. Pruning wounds were the main infection entrances of V. cer-atosperma, and the recurrence in previous scars was the main reason for the out-break of apple canker in spring.
基金Supported by Foundation Project of Hebei Province(D2009000299)~~
文摘The degeneration of Bashang inland lake wetland in Hebei Province is caused by both some natural reasons,such as temperature rises and violent pathogenic wind,and some human factors like the large increase of population and arable area,the production of season-staggered vegetable,which have increased the water utilization and made many lakes dry up completely or partly.Based on the degeneration reasons,the related measures for restoring the function of Bashang wetland ecosystem were proposed in this paper.
基金the Science Foundation of the Health Department of Hainan Province, China (No. 2005-65).
文摘Objective To investigate the relationship of four single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes in the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene to the primary hypertension with or without cerebral infarction in the Li nationality of Hainan, China. Methods Total 300 subjects were allocated into three different groups: Groupl, 100 patients who have primary hypertension; Group 2, 100 patients who have primary hypertension with cerebral infarction; and control group, 100 healthy individuals. The genotypes of all subjects were determined by PCR-sequencing to analyze the four poly- morphisms at position - 152 (G-A), -20 (A-C), - 18 (C-T), and -6 (A-G) in the promoter region of AGT. Results The frequen- cies ofCT genotype of AGT-18 and T allele in Group 1 (P = 0.003, P = 0.004) and Group 2 (P = 0.002, P = 0.002) were both significantly higher than in healthy controls. The frequency of G allele of AGT-6 was significantly higher in Group 2 than in the control group (P = 0.016), while there is no significant difference between Group 1 and the control. Haplotype analysis revealed that H6 haplotype frequency which included -20C and -6G was significantly increased in Group 2 (P = 0.003) compared with the control group, while H5 haplotype frequency which included -20C and -18T was signifi- cantly increased in Group 1 (P = 0.006) versus the control. Conclusion The -20 (A-C) and - 18 (C-T) of the AGT may play an important role in pathogenesis of primary hypertension; and -20 (A-C), -18 (C-T), and -6 (A-G) may be the genetic risk factors for the onset of primary hypertension with cerebral infarction in the Li nationality of Halnan, China.
文摘First at all, it introduced the concept and the damages of continuous cropping obstacle. Then, it analyzed the causes of continuous cropping obstacles for Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. In the end, in order to provide guidance for pro- moting sustainable development of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz industry in Pingjiang County, it put forward some control methods for eliminating continuous cropping obstacles of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, including breeding varieties with high resistance; applying rotation cropping and intercropping reasonable; rational fertilization and soil disinfection; introducing antagonistic bacterial and eliminating au- tointoxication.
基金This work was supported by the National Animal Breed Resource Preserve Project (No.200014) the Key Project of Shandong Science and Technology Development (No. 20059913) the Sciences Innovation Foundation of Shandong Agricultural University.
文摘Eighty-four castrated boars including Laiwu Black (LW) (weight 30-90 kg, n = 6) and Lulai Black (LL) (weight 40-100 kg, n = 6) were used to study the developmental changes of collagen type Ⅲ alpha 1 (Col3al) mRNA expression in the muscle and their association with intramuscular collagen (IMC). The muscle total RNA was extracted to determine the abundance of Col3al mRNA using relative quantitative RT-PCR with β-actin mRNA as the internal standard. The results indicated that the developmental patterns of muscle Col3al mRNA in LW and LL pigs were similar. The abundance of Col3al mRNA increased with body weight, but decreased a little at 70 kg and 80 kg phases for LW and LL, respectively. On the whole, the expression level of Col3al mRNA in muscle of LW was higher than that of LL (P 〈 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the expression of Col3al mRNA in muscle was positively correlated with total and insoluble IMC, but was negatively correlated with IMC solubility for LW pigs (P 〈 0.01) and LL pigs (P 〈 0.05), respectively. These results suggest that the muscle Col3al gene expression is affected by body weight and genotype and has important effect on IMC content and characteristics.