Biology subjects

Zhang, M.-H.

Publications and source records attributed to Zhang, M.-H..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

Effects of a novel three-dimensional grid intrauterine device on the uterus, steroid receptor and PAX2 of rhesus macaques

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) is the most effective methods of the reversible and long-acting contraception. 1) To develop a novel three-dimensional grid intrauterine device (3-DGIUD) with nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) and silicone rubber. 2) To observe the effect of the 3-DGIUD on contraceptive efficacy and the change of uterus, endometrial sex steroid receptor, PAX2 in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The materials of the 3-DGIUD were the nitinol wire and the silicone rubber. The frame of the 3-DGIUD was three-dimensional and grid-like. Twenty adult female rhesus macaques were divided into the 3-DGIUD group (placing the 3-DGIUD, n=9), the sham operation group (no placing the 3-DGIUD, n=9) and the control group (n=2). On the 10th-day after surgery, the 3-DGIUD group and the sham operation group macaques were caged together with male macaques (female: male = 1:1). The uterus, 3-DGIUD and pregnancy of 18 female rhesus monkeys were examined by abdominal ultrasound every month. The endometrium pathological examination was carried out and the expression of PAX2 and hormone receptor (ER, PR) was detected by immunohistochemical staining. After 3-DGIUD was placed in case group for 3 and 12 months, only 1 of female macaque was pregnant in 9. The contraceptive effective rate was 88.9% (8/9). The 3-DGIUD in the uterus of macaques was observed by ultrasound. In the sham operation group, 9 macaques were pregnant (9/9). There was significant difference in uterine size of the 3-DGIUD group between pre-placement and after surgery for 3 and 12 months (P<0.05). The endometrial epithelium was intact, just a small number of glands vacuoles and a few neutrophils infiltration around the 3-DGIUD. The expression of endometrial ER, PR and PAX2 in 3-DGIUD group on 12 months after surgery was similar to those in control macaque. The 3-DGIUD has a good contraceptive effect on female macaques, and has no significant affection on the expression of endometrial steroid receptor and PAX2 in rhesus monkeys.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2018

Coevolution of structural variation and optimization in sound systems of human language

Evolution of sound systems of human language is an optimization process to improve communicative effectiveness: The intrinsic structures of sound systems are constantly organized with respect to constraints in speech production and perception. However, there lack sufficient quantitative descriptions of this process, large-scale investigations on universal tendencies in sound systems, and explicit evidence on whether demographic and/or geographic factors can influence linguistic typology of sound systems. Here, we proposed two composite parameters, namely structural variation and optimization, to capture linguistic typology of sound systems, vowel systems in particular. Synchronic comparisons based on a large-scale vowel corpus of world languages revealed a universal negative correlation between the two parameters. Phylogenetic comparative analyses identified a correlated evolution of the two, but with distinct evolutionary modes: a gradual evolution of the structural variation and a punctuated equilibrium of the optimization. Mixed-effect models also reported significant effects of speaker population size and longitude on shaping vowel systems of world languages. All these findings elaborate the intrinsic evolutionary mechanism of sound systems, clarify the extrinsic, non-linguistic effects on shaping human sound systems, and quantitatively describe and interpret the evolution and typology of sound systems.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Using composite phenotypes to reveal heterogeneity and model SpO2 of altitude acclimatization

Altitude acclimatization is the physiological process of the human body adjusting to the decreased availability of oxygen. Since several physiological processes are involved and the relation among them is complicated, analyses of single-traits is insufficient in revealing the complex mechanism of altitude acclimatization. In this study, we examined whether these physiological responses could be studied as composite phenotypes which are represented by a linear combination of physiological traits. We developed a strategy which combines both spectral clustering and PLSPM to define composite phenotypes. We captured 14 composite phenotypes from 28 physiological traits of altitude acclimatization. Using these composite phenotypes, we applied k-means to reveal hidden physiological heterogeneity in altitude acclimatization. Furthermore, we employed linear regression to systematically model oxygen saturation (SpO2) changes in altitude acclimatization and evaluated the model fitness performance. And composite phenotypes based Model 2 has better fitness than single-traits based Model 1 in all measurement indices. Therefore, this new strategy of defining and applying composite phenotypes can be considered as a general strategy of complex traits.

systems biology↗