This paper represents the fundamental report of the survey of genome-wide changes of four Chinese indigenous donkey breeds, Dezhou (DZ), Guangling (GL), North China (NC), and Shandong Little donkey (SDL), and the findings will prove usefully for identification of biomarkers that perhaps predict or characterize the growth and coat color patterns. Three genomic regions in CYP3A12, TUBGCP5, and GSTA1 genes, were identified as putative selective sweeps in all researched donkey populations. The loci of candidate genes that may have contributed to the phenotypes in body size (ACSL4, MSI2, ADRA1B, and CDKL5) and coat color patterns (KITLG and TBX3) in donkey populations would be found in underlying strong selection signatures when compared between large and small donkey types, and between different coat colors. The results of the phylogenetic analysis, F_ST, and principal component analysis (PCA) supported that each population cannot clearly deviate from each other, showing no obvious population structure. We can conclude from the population history that the formation processes between DZS and NC, GL, and SDL are completely different. The genetic variants discovered here provide a rich resource to help identify potential genomic markers and their associated molecular mechanisms that impact economically important traits for Chinese donkey breeding programs.

Genitourinary infections (GUIs) during pregnancy are a significant clinical concern linked to maternal morbidity. While Streptococcus is a common gut commensal and a known urogenital pathobiont, whether gut-resident Streptococcus plays a causal role in the etiology of pregnancy-related infections remains unclear due to confounding in observational studies. To investigate the potential causal effect of gut Streptococcus abundance on the risk of maternal genitourinary infection during pregnancy using Mendelian randomization (MR). We performed a two-sample MR analysis using publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics. Genetic instruments for gut Streptococcus abundance were obtained from the MiBioGen consortium (N=18,340). Outcome data for maternal genitourinary infection (ICD-10 O23.x) were sourced from the FinnGen consortium (N=111,731). The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis, supplemented by sensitivity analyses (MR-Egger, weighted median, MR-PRESSO). We further assessed potential mediation via systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6) and associations with eleven major adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). Genetically predicted higher gut Streptococcus abundance was associated with a reduced risk of maternal genitourinary infection (IVW odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43–0.93, p = 0.020). Sensitivity analyses supported this protective association, with no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy (MR-Egger intercept p = 0.942) or significant heterogeneity. No causal effects were observed on systemic inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, all p > 0.05) or on major APOs, including postpartum haemorrhage, placental abruption, etc. This MR study provides genetic evidence supporting a causal, protective role of gut Streptococcus against the risk of clinically diagnosed genitourinary infection during pregnancy. This effect appears specific and is not mediated through the systemic inflammatory pathways examined, suggesting a localized mechanism within the genitourinary tract.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the overall effectiveness of Social Story interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to examine the moderating effects of key participant and intervention characteristics. Method: A meta-analysis of 21 single-case experimental design studies, encompassing data from 61 participants with ASD, was conducted. The overall effect size and moderator analyses were calculated using the Tau-U index. Result: The aggregated analysis revealed a moderate overall effect (Tau-U = 0.743). Moderator analyses indicated that the intervention was most effective for school-aged children (7–12 years). Significant positive effects were found for improving social skills, safety skills, and reducing problem behaviors, but not for classroom adaptive skills. While digital formats yielded a slightly higher effect size than paper-based versions, this difference was not statistically significant. The intervention effect was not significantly moderated by the implementer's identity (therapist, teacher, parent, or researcher) or participant gender. Conclusion: Social Story interventions are an efficacious approach with moderate overall effects for individuals with ASD, particularly school-aged children and for specific skill domains. The findings support the flexibility of implementation across various agents. Future research should expand sample diversity, investigate the integration of emerging technologies, and focus on enhancing the long-term maintenance and generalization of outcomes.