BackgroundThe objective of the study was to investigate the effects of glucocorticoid (GC) on the fracture healing process in a closed femur fracture mice model.Materials and methodsForty 12-week-old female CD-1 mice were randomly allocated into four groups: healthy control and mice with prednisone exposure (oral gavage), 6 mg/kg/day (GC-L), 9 mg/kg/day (GC-M) and 12 mg/kg/day (GC-H). Three weeks after the initiation of prednisone dosing, closed femur fractures were created on prednisone-exposed mice and the healthy control. Prednisone administration was continued for 9 weeks post-fracture, and X-ray imaging was performed weekly to monitor the fracture healing process until the mice were euthanized. Necropsy was performed after 9 weeks and the fractured femurs were isolated and processed at necropsy for micro-CT and biomechanical property analysis. Another 20 mice (control and GC-H, 10 mice/group) were used for histology and micro-CT analysis at early time point (2-week post fracture) with continued prednisone exposure.ResultsThe results showed that oral administration of prednisone for 3 months in this strain of mice could inhibit endochondral ossification and delay the healing process, especially hard callus formation (woven bone) and bone remodeling during healing. It also could significantly decrease bone biomechanical properties.ConclusionLong-term GC administration leads to significantly delayed fracture healing and impaired bone biomechanical properties. This mouse model may be used to systematically study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying fracture healing with GC treatment background and may also be used to study the influence of different therapeutic interventions for bone fracture healing.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) cause great harm in shrimp aquaculture. To understand the impact of viral infection on the shrimp metabolism, we monitored the culture farms of Litopenaeus vannamei and collected the samples on different stages of WSSV infection. The hepatopancreas of shrimp were separated, and then used gas chromatography mass spectrometry to detect the metabolites. Through the mass spectrometric analysis combined with multivariate data analysis, including PCA and OPLS models, metabolism of the shrimp was significantly changed by WSSV infection. The data indicated that in the early stage of WSSV infection, the glycolysis changed significantly, the contents of glucose and lactate increased distinctly. The metabolites of TCA cycle did not show up obviously regularity. The organism of fatty acids showed the same situation with glycolysis. At the early stage of infection, 14 amino acids metabolism were up-regulated, and glycine still increased at later stage of infection and the concentration was increased twice. The data of this study may provide some information to further research of viral disease mechanism.

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In 2020, the Chinese Society of Endocrinology, Chinese Medical Association, published guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hyperuricemia (HUA) and gout in China (2019). The guideline was completed by following the international general GRADE classification method. The diagnosis, treatment and management of HUA and gout are covered through the description of 3 recommended general rules and 10 clinical questions. 1 We are heartened that the guideline has made improvements for HUA and gout, which is largely consistent with global understanding. The guideline standardizes the original serum uric acid (UA, 420 μmol/L) used to assess HUA in men and women, although blood UA varies between genders. Significantly, this guideline recognizes sub-gout (asymptomatic) for the first time.In previous studies, the concept of "subclinical gout" has been derived from the timing of gout onset. 2 The understanding of the turning point from HUA to gout has been ambiguous, especially with imaging techniques. Usually, disease-free, asymptomatic, disease episodes and secondary episodes are the manifesting processes.Asymptomatic contains the stage of HUA and urate deposition. 3 All the studies in the guidelines are focused on urate as a spotlight. A large body of evidence suggests that HUA is associated with gout; but we found that the genetic and mechanistic basis for the progression from HUA to inflammatory and clinical gout remains uncertain. However, the specific determinants of gout, independent of HUA, are the focus of much needed further research. Inflammation

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