A study of the localization of polynucleotide phosphorylase within rat liver cells and of its distribution among rat tissues and diverse animal species

1. Rat liver polynucleotide phosphorylase was localized in the mitochondrion, but may also occur in the nucleus. 2. The mitochondrial enzyme was found in rat heart, kidney, liver, muscle and spleen. 3. Mitochondrial polynucleotide phosphorylase is also present in calf, chicken, guinea-pig and rabbit liver and in goldfish muscle. 4. A possible physiological role for the enzyme in the control of the intramitochondrial ADP concentration is suggested.     

Epidemiology and management of gout in Taiwan: a nationwide population study

IntroductionGout is the most common inflammatory arthritis worldwide and is the only type of chronic arthritis that potentially can be ‘cured’. However, data on gout incidence, prevalence and management, assessed at multiple time points in the same population, are sparse, particularly in Asian populations. The aim of this study was to describe trends in the epidemiology of gout in the general population of Taiwan.MethodsThe National Health Insurance Research Database was used to identify patients with gout and to estimate the prevalence and incidence of gout for each calendar year from 2005 to 2010. The pattern of gout management was also examined.ResultsOf 23,371,362 beneficiaries in 2010, there were 1,458,569 prevalent and 56,595 incident cases of gout, giving a prevalence of 6.24% (95% confidence interval (CI), 6.23% to 6.25%) and an incidence of 2.74 (95% CI, 2.72 to 2.76) per 1,000 person-years. The annual percentage change (APC) of the standardised prevalence was −0.7% (95% CI, −1.7% to 0.3%; P = 0.14), suggesting that the prevalence of gout was essentially the same throughout the study period. However, The APC of incidence was −13.4 (95% CI, −16.1 to −10.6) between 2005 and 2007 and −2.1 (95% CI, −10.4 to 7.1) between 2007 and 2010. Regions with the highest prevalence and incidence were eastern coastal counties and offshore islets, where indigenous people are clustered. Among prevalent gout cases in 2010, only 22.93% (95% CI, 22.87% to 23.00%) were prescribed urate-lowering treatment (ULT), which remained unchanged between 2005 and 2010 at an APC of 0.0 (95% CI, −3.8 to 4.0). Uricosuric agents were more commonly prescribed than xanthine oxidase inhibitors in Taiwan.ConclusionsIn Taiwan, 1 in 16 people have gout. Whereas the incidence has decreased recently, the prevalence remains unchanged. Management of gout in Taiwan is poor, with only one in five affected people being treated with ULT.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-015-0522-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A genome‐wide association study for gestation length in swine

Selection for increased litter size in swine has potentially resulted in a correlated increase in preweaning mortality. Additional selection criteria should be considered when selecting for increased litter size to account for associated decreases in piglet quality, specifically piglet survival, initial weight and growth. Traits such as gestation length (GL), which have been associated with piglet performance, could be utilized to improve piglet development and survivability. The objective of this study was to conduct a genome‐wide association study to identify genomic regions associated with GL in differing parities in swine (n = 831) from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln reproductive longevity project. Gestation length was calculated as the number of days between last insemination administered and farrowing. Sows were genotyped with the Illumina SNP60 BeadArray, and the data were analyzed using Bayesian mixture models for GL at parity 1, 2, 3 and 4 (GL1, GL2, GL3 and GL4 respectively). Means (SD) for GL1–GL4 were 113 (1.4), 114 (1.2), 114 (1.3) and 115 (1.2) respectively. Posterior mean heritability estimates (PSD) for GL1, GL2, GL3 and GL4 were 0.33 (0.06), 0.34 (0.07), 0.32 (0.08) and 0.20 (0.08) respectively. Rank correlations between genomic estimated breeding values between GL1 and GL2, GL3 and GL4 respectively were moderate: 0.67, 0.65 and 0.60. The top SNP (ASGA0017859, SSC4, 7.8 Mb), located in the top common genomic region associated with GL1, GL2 and GL3, was associated with a difference of 1.1 days in GL1 between homozygote genotypes (P < 0.0001). The results of this study suggest that GL is a largely polygenic trait with relatively minor contributions from multiple genomic regions.