The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and its relation to apolipoprotein E (apoE) epsilon4 allele in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Thirty MCI and 30 controls were assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Cambridge Cognitive Examination-Chinese version (CAMCOG-C), and then insonated in the anterior (ACA), middle (MCA) and basilar (BA) cerebral arteries using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Compared with controls, MCI showed significant decreases in the mean (V(m)), systolic (V(s)) and diastolic (V(d)) CBFV, bilaterally in MCA and ACA (P < 0.05-0.001), but not in BA. Compared with 17 apoE epsilon4 allele non-carriers, 13 carriers in MCI showed significant CBFV decreases, bilaterally in MCA (P < 0.05-0.001). Our findings, the decreased CBFV in apoE epsilon4 allele carriers with MCI, suggest that a large sample and longitudinal study in CBFV and cognitive changes may have the implications on early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT. The STAM protein plays an important role in the cytokine-related JAK/STAT pathway. We selected the STAM2 gene as a candidate gene that could be linked to growth performance in analysis of a Chinese cattle breed (Wuchuan Black cattle). We examined genetic variants in the promoter region of the STAM2 gene and their associations with eight growth traits in 159 individuals. Seven SNPs, which included six new SNPs for the SNP database, were found. The core promoter region was identified with a bioinformatic software. This analysis also showed that the SNPs have a significant influence on the function and structure of the STAM2 promoter in terms of RNA secondary structure, CpG island, and transcription factor binding sites. Association analysis demonstrated that G-102A is significantly associated with withers height, heart girth, cannon circumference, chest width, and hip height in this population, which leads us to suggest that G-102A is a useful SNP marker for cattle growth performance. Animals with the genotype AA had higher mean values for withers height, cannon circumference, chest width, and hip height than those with GG and AG genotypes. This SNP of the STAM2 gene could be applied in marker-assisted selection for improving growth performance in cattle.

The recent major worldwide outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) has highlighted the urgent need for accurate MPXV detection methods. Although quantitative PCR (qPCR) technique is currently the gold standard for MPXV diagnosis, the high costs associated with the technique and the need for complex instrumentation, limits its application in resource‐poor settings. CRISPR technology has developed rapidly in recent years and provides an effective tool for point‐of‐care testing pathogen identification. Here, we exploited the cleavage properties of the Cas12a enzyme and Cas13a enzyme, to detect the MPXV specific genes, F3L gene and B6R gene, respectively. We developed two detection protocols: a 2‐step method in which the CRISPR Dual System reaction and the multiplex recombinase polymerase amplification reaction were carried out in separate tubes and a single‐tube method in which both reactions were carried out in one tube. Evaluation of the two methods showed that our protocol can detect the MPXV genome down to 10° copies/μL with good specificity and no cross‐reactivity with other poxviruses pseudoviruses, and bacteria. Mock positive samples were used to assess clinical applicability, with the results showing satisfactory concordance with the qPCR method for parallel testing. In conclusion, our study provides a reliable molecular diagnostic strategy for detection of MPXV.