Alginate-based adsorbents with adjustable slit-shaped pore structure for selective removal of copper ions.

Adopting effective and efficient techniques for the treatment of heavy metal pollution in water bodies plays an important role in guaranteeing the quality of water and the sustainable development of water resources. In this study, GO, MMT and SA were used as raw materials to compare the adsorption behaviors of three alginate-based adsorbents crosslinked with different valence metal ions (Ca2+, Fe3+ and Zr4+) on Cu(II). The aerogels were based on sodium alginate as the matrix material with unique slit-shaped pore structures formed by stacking effect of sheets and chemical bonding. It was found that the pore structures of the aerogels were denser and more orderly with the increase of the valence states of the crosslinked ions, and the affinity for Cu(II) in planar configuration was stronger. The Zr4+-GMSA aerogel had the maximum adsorption capacity of 126.68 mg/g and the Kd of Cu(II) was up to 50.80 L/g, which exhibited good preferential adsorption performance. The adsorption mechanism of Mn+-GMSA aerogels on Cu(II) was mainly ionic exchange, surface complexation and physical adsorption, which was explored by combining XPS and EDS characterizations of Mn+-GMSA before and after adsorption. This scheme can provide valuable and meaningful contribution to realize the selective recovery of Cu(II).

Synthesis and biological evaluation of triazolones/oxadiazolones as novel urease inhibitors.

Urease is the main virulence factor of infectious gastritis and gastric ulcers. Urease inhibitors are regarded as the first choice for the treatment of such diseases. Based on the triazolone/oxadiazolone skeleton, a urea-like fragment being able to specifically bind the urease activity pocket and prevent urea from hydrolysis, we designed and synthesized 45 triazolones/oxadiazolones as urease inhibitors. Eight compounds were proved to show excellent inhibitory activity against Helicobacter pylori urease, being more potency than the clinically used urease inhibitor acetohydroxamic acid. The most active inhibitor with IC50 value of 1.2 µM was over 20-fold higher potent than the positive control. Enzymatic kinetic assays showed that these novel inhibitors reversibly inhibited urease with a mixed competitive mechanism. Molecular dockings provided evidence for the observations in enzyme assays. Furthermore, these novel inhibitors were proved as drug-like compounds with very low cytotoxicity to mammalian cells and favorable water solubility. These results suggested that triazolone and oxadiazolone were promising scaffolds for the design and discovery of novel urease inhibitors, and were expected as good candidates for further drug development.

Lactating nurses' experiences of return to work after lifting COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study.

Aim: To explore the lactating nurses' experiences of return to work after lifting COVID-19 lockdown. Background: Return to work is a key reason for the low rates of breastfeeding. Especially after lifting COVID-19 lockdown, case counts reached recorded highs. So lactating nurses face more challenges when they return to work. Method: The empirical phenomenology method was used to conduct a qualitative study. Lactating nurses were recruited in a tertiary hospital through purposive and snowball sampling, and participated in semi-structured video interviews. Colaizzi's method was used to analyze the data. Results: Three themes and 10 sub-themes emerged from the interview data of 15 participants. The first theme was "preparation for return to work", which helped lactating nurses adapt to return to work quickly. The second was "experiences of return to work". The inconvenience of pumping was mentioned repeatedly. In addition, the flexible work schedule was highlighted. The third was "experiences of infection". The attitudes toward breastfeeding differed due to different perceptions of COVID-19. Conclusions: Lactation nurses easily interrupted or stopped breastfeeding when they returned to work after lifting COVID-19 lockdown. Recommendations include the further provision of longer periods of leave, flexible working arrangements, separate facilities for breast pumping, and breastfeeding strategies for epidemics.

Factors associated with discontinuation in fertility treatment: a systematic scoping review.

PURPOSE: The discontinuation of fertility treatment could decrease the chances of achieving parenthood for infertile patients and often leads to economic loss and medical resource waste. However, the evidence on the factors associated with discontinuation is unclear and inconsistent in the context of fertility treatment. This scoping review aimed to summarize the evidence on factors associated with discontinuation in fertility treatment, identify the current knowledge gap, and generate recommendations for future research. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, American Psychological Association, and http://clinicaltrials.gov from inception to June 2023 without language or time restrictions. We also searched the grey literature in Open Grey and Google Scholar and hand-searched the reference lists of relevant studies to identify potentially eligible studies. Publications that studied factors associated with discontinuation in fertility treatment were included. The identified factors were mapped to the World Health Organization's treatment adherence model. RESULTS: Thirty-seven articles involving 41,973 infertile patients from 13 countries were included in this scoping review. All studies identified the factors from the perspective of patients, except for one that described the factors from the healthcare providers' perspective. A total of 42 factors were identified, with most of them belonging to the patient-related dimension, followed by socio-economic-related, treatment-related, condition-related, and healthcare system-related dimensions. Female education level, social support, and insurance coverage decreased the likelihood of treatment discontinuation, whereas multiparous women, male infertility, depression, higher infertility duration, and treatment duration increased the likelihood of treatment discontinuation. Age, education level, and ethnicity are the commonly nonmodifiable factors for treatment discontinuation, while insurance coverage, depression, and anxiety symptoms are among some of the more commonly reported modifiable factors. CONCLUSION: This is the first scoping review examining and synthesizing evidence on the factors influencing of discontinuation in fertility treatment. This review could inform researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to address modifiable barriers and facilitators to develop personalized and multicomponent interventions that could improve the discontinuation in fertility treatment.

Arm-only combined transarterial and transvenous access for neurointerventional procedures: a double-center retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to share our experience with the arm-only combined transarterial and transvenous access approach for neurointerventional procedures and evaluate its efficacy and safety. METHODS: The arm-only combined transarterial and transvenous access approach was performed using the right/bilateral proximal radial arteries and the right forearm superficial vein system, guided by ultrasonic guidance. Arterial access closure was achieved using a transradial band radial compression device, while manual compression was utilized for venous approach closure. RESULTS: Thirteen procedures were successfully performed using the arm-only combined transarterial and transvenous access approach, yielding favorable outcomes. The procedures included dural arteriovenous fistula embolization (seven cases), cerebral arteriovenous malformation embolization (four cases), venous sinus thrombosis catheter-directed thrombolysis and intravenous thrombectomy (one case), and cerebral venous sinus stenosis manometry (one case). All procedures were uneventful, allowing patients to ambulate on the same day. At discharge, all patients exhibited modified Rankin scores of 0-2, without any access site or perioperative complications. CONCLUSION: This double-center study preliminarily demonstrates the feasibility and safety of arm-only combined transarterial and transvenous access applied in neurointerventional procedures for complicated cerebrovascular diseases. The proximal radial artery and forearm superficial vein are recommended as the primary access sites. Unobstructed compression is strongly recommended for radial approach closure. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This study aimed to add evidence and experience on the arm-only combined transarterial and transvenous access, as a new approach, for neurointerventional treatment that required arteriovenous approaches.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Transradial Access for Carotid Artery Stenting.

There is an increasing number of studies on the transradial approach (TRA) for carotid artery stenting. We aimed to summarize the published data on TRA vs the transfemoral approach (TFA). We searched Science Direct, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases for the relevant literature. Primary outcomes included surgical success and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complication rates; secondary outcomes included the rates of vascular access-related and other complications. We also compared the crossover rate, success rate, and complications between TRA and TFA carotid stenting. This is the first such meta-analysis regarding TRA and TFA. Twenty studies on TRA carotid stenting were included (n = 1300). Among 19 studies, the success rate of TRA carotid stenting was .951 (95% confidence interval [CI]: .926-.975); death rate was .022 (.011-.032); stroke rate was .005 (.001-.008); radial artery occlusion rate was .008 (.003-.013); and forearm hematoma rate was .003 (-.000 to .006). Among 4 studies comparing TRA and TFA, the success rate was lower (odds ratio: .02; 95% CI: .00-.23) and crossover rate was higher (odds ratio: 40.16; 95% CI: 4.41-365.73) with TRA. Thus, transradial neuro-interventional surgery has a lower success rate than TFA.

Effectiveness of Remote Fetal Monitoring on Maternal-Fetal Outcomes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: To solve the disadvantages of traditional fetal monitoring such as time-consuming, cumbersome steps and low coverage, it is paramount to develop remote fetal monitoring. Remote fetal monitoring expands time and space, which is expected to popularize fetal monitoring in remote areas with the low availability of health services. Pregnant women can transmit fetal monitoring data from remote monitoring terminals to the central monitoring station so that doctors can interpret it remotely and detect fetal hypoxia in time. Fetal monitoring involving remote technology has also been carried out, but with some conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: The review aimed to (1) examine the efficacy of remote fetal monitoring in improving maternal-fetal outcomes and (2) identify research gaps in the field to make recommendations for future research. METHODS: We did a systematic literature search with PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Open Grey in March 2022. Randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental trials of remote fetal monitoring were identified. Two reviewers independently searched articles, extracted data, and assessed each study. Primary outcomes (maternal-fetal outcomes) and secondary outcomes (health care usage) were presented as relative risks or mean difference. The review was registered on PROSPERO as CRD42020165038. RESULTS: Of the 9337 retrieved literature, 9 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis (n=1128). Compared with a control group, remote fetal monitoring reduced the risk of neonatal asphyxia (risk ratio 0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.97; P=.04), with a low heterogeneity of 24%. Other maternal-fetal outcomes did not differ significantly between remote fetal monitoring and routine fetal monitoring, such as cesarean section (P=.21; I2=0%), induced labor (P=.50; I2=0%), instrumental vaginal birth (P=.45; I2=0%), spontaneous delivery (P=.85; I2=0%), gestational weeks at delivery (P=.35; I2=0%), premature delivery (P=.47; I2=0%), and low birth weight (P=.71; I2=0%). Only 2 studies performed a cost analysis, stating that remote fetal monitoring can contribute to reductions in health care costs when compared with conventional care. In addition, remote fetal monitoring might affect the number of visits and duration in the hospital, but it was not possible to draw definite conclusions about the effects due to the limited number of studies. CONCLUSIONS: Remote fetal monitoring seems to reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia and health care costs compared with routine fetal monitoring. To strengthen the claims on the efficacy of remote fetal monitoring, further well-designed studies are necessary, especially in high-risk pregnant women, such as pregnant women with diabetes, pregnant women with hypertension, and so forth.

The Role of PGK1 in Promoting Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury-Induced Microglial M1 Polarization and Inflammation by Regulating Glycolysis.

Stroke is a leading cause of death, with a continuously increasing incidence. As a metabolic process that catabolizes glucose pyruvate and provides adenosine triphosphate (ATP), glycolysis plays a crucial role in different diseases. Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) facilitates energy production with biosynthesis in many diseases, including stroke. However, the exact role of PGK1/glycolysis in stroke remains to be elucidated. A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was used to mimic ischemia/reperfusion injuries. Oxygen glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R) was used to induce injury to highly aggressively proliferating immortalized (HAPI) rat microglial cells. The extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) was determined using an XFe24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. ATP, lactate dehydrogenase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 levels were measured using commercial kits. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was performed to examine the interaction between H3K27ac or p300 and the PGK1 promoter region. PGK1 was either knocked down or overexpressed by lentivirus. Thus, to examine its role in stroke, real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting were used to measure gene expression. The expression of PGK1 was increased and associated with M1 polarization and glycolysis in MCAO rat models. OGD/R promoted M1 polarization and HAPI microglial cell inflammation by regulating glycolysis. Silencing PGK1 reduced OGD/R-increased M1 polarization, inflammation, and glycolysis. Conversely, the overexpression of PGK1 promoted HAPI microglial cell inflammation by regulating glycolysis. The mechanism showed that histone acetyltransferase p300 promoted PGK1 expression through H3K27 acetylation. Finally, data indicated that silencing PGK1 inhibited microglia M1 polarization, inflammation, and glycolysis in MCAO rat models. PGK1 could promote ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced microglial M1 polarization and inflammation by regulating glycolysis, which might provide a novel direction in developing new therapeutic medications for preventing or treating stroke.

Trimethylamine N-oxide predicts stroke severity in diabetic patients with acute ischaemic stroke and is related to glycemic variability.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The present study analyzed the relationship between circulating trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels and stroke severity in diabetic patients with acute ischaemic stroke. A further aim was to investigate whether higher TMAO levels were associated with platelet aggregation and glycemic variability. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of 108 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) undergoing acute ischaemic stroke and 60 healthy controls. Fasting plasma TMAO was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with online electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Plasma TMAO levels of patients with acute ischaemic stroke were significantly higher than those of healthy controls. Amongst stroke patients, 50 were defined as undergoing mild stroke, and their plasma TMAO levels were lower compared to those with moderate to severe stroke. Platelet aggregation and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions were both correlated with plasma TMAO levels and these relationships remained significant in multiple linear regression analyses. Moreover, in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats fed a diet enriched with choline to increase TMAO synthesis, platelet aggregation was significantly increased in the DM + choline and fluctuating DM (FDM) + choline groups compared to the control group. This increase was abolished in rats receiving oral antibiotics, which markedly reduced plasma TMAO levels. Importantly, compared with the DM + choline group, the FDM + choline group displayed significantly elevated TMAO levels and higher platelet aggregation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that higher plasma TMAO levels were associated with stroke severity and suggested a novel link between plasma TMAO levels and glycemic variability in diabetic patients with acute ischaemic stroke.

Identification of (N-aryl-N-arylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids as novel urease inhibitors and the mechanism exploration.

Thirty-three (N-aryl-N-arylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids were synthesized in an effort to develop novel urease inhibitors. Among these compounds, 2-(N-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-(4-tert-butylphenylsulfonyl))aminoacetohydroxamic acid (e2) exhibited excellent inhibitory activity against Helicobacter pylori urease with no perceptible cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. Compound e2 showed over 690-fold higher potency than the clinical used urease inhibitor acetohydroxamic acid, reversibly inhibiting urease with a mixed mechanism. Molecular modeling revealed that (N-aryl-N-arylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids may possibly bind Ni ions and two hydrophobic regions with a 'Y'-like shape.

Sheep and goat pathogen database: a pathogen data integration and analysis database of sheep and goat infectious diseases.

The prevalence of infectious diseases in sheep and goats has a significant impact on the development of the sheep and goat industry and public health security. The identification and analysis of pathogens are crucial for infectious disease research; however, existing databases pay little attention to sheep and goat diseases, and pathogen data are relatively scattered. Therefore, the effective integration, analysis and visualization of these data will help us conduct in-depth research on sheep and goat infectious diseases and promote the formulation of disease prevention and control strategies. This article considered the pathogens of 44 infectious diseases in sheep and goats as the main research objects and collected and downloaded relevant scientific literature, pathogen genomes, pathogen transcriptomes, pathogen occurrence records, and other data. The C# programming language and an SQL Server database were used to construct and realize the functions of the Sheep and Goat Pathogen Database (SGPD) within a B/S architecture based on the ASP.NET platform. The SGPD mainly provides an integrated platform for sheep and goat pathogen data retrieval, auxiliary analysis, and user upload, including several functionalities: (1) a Disease Introduction module that queries basic information regarding the 44 recorded sheep and goat infectious diseases, such as epidemiology, clinical characteristics, diagnostic criteria, and prevention and control measures; (2) an Omics Information module that allows users to query and download the genome and transcriptome data related to the pathogens of sheep and goat infectious disease, and provide sequence alignment functionality; (3) a Pathogen Structure module that enables users to view electron micrographs of pathogen structure and tissue sections related to sheep and goat disease from publicly published research; (4) a Literature Search module based on the "Pathogen Dictionary" search strategy that facilitates searches for published research related to pathogens of infectious disease; (5) a Science Popularization module that allows users to view popular science materials related to sheep and goat infectious diseases; and (6) a Public Health module that allows users to query the risk factors of zoonotic disease transmission and the corresponding related literature, and realize the visualization of pathogen distribution. The SGPD is a specialized sheep and goat pathogen information database that provides comprehensive resources and technical support for sheep and goat infectious disease research, prevention, and control.

Synthesis, evaluation and mechanism exploration of 2-(N-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-phenylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids as novel urease inhibitors.

Thirteen 2-(N-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-phenylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids which were reported for the first time were designed and synthesized as novel urease inhibitors. Most of them showed higher potency than the positive control acetohydroxamic acid, with 2-(N-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-(4-bromophenylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acid (d7) being the most active (IC50 = 0.13 ± 0.01 µM). Compound d7 reversibly inhibits urease with mixed mechanism showing excellent binding affinity to urease active site (KD = 0.34 nM, Ki=0.065 ± 0.003 µM andKi' = 1.20 ± 0.09 µM) and very low cytotoxicity against mammalian cells (cell viability of 91.4 % against HepG2 at 250 µg/mL). These positive results indicated that d7 may be used as the lead for further research to develop urease inhibitors with promising properties.

Recent Efforts in the Discovery of Urease Inhibitor Identifications.

Urease is an attractive drug target for designing anti-infective agents against pathogens such as Helicobacter pylori, Proteus mirabilis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum. In the past century, hundreds of medicinal chemists focused their efforts on explorations of urease inhibitors. Despite the FDA's approval of acetohydroxamic acid as a urease inhibitor for the treatment of struvite nephrolithiasis and the widespread use of N-(n-butyl)thiophosphoric triamide as a soil urease inhibitor as nitrogen fertilizer synergists in agriculture, urease inhibitors with high potency and safety are urgently needed. Exploration of novel urease inhibitors has therefore become a hot research topic recently. Herein, inhibitors identified worldwide from 2016 to 2021 have been reviewed. They structurally belong to more than 20 classes of compounds such as urea/thioure analogues, hydroxamic acids, sulfonamides, metal complexes, and triazoles. Some inhibitors showed excellent potency with IC50 values lower than 10 nM, having 10000-fold higher potency than the positive control thiourea.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Dithiobisacetamides as Novel Urease Inhibitors.

Thirty-eight disulfides containing N-arylacetamide were designed and synthesized in an effort to develop novel urease inhibitors. Biological evaluation revealed that some of the synthetic compounds exhibited strong inhibitory potency against both cell-free urease and urease in intact cell with low cytotoxicity to mammalian cells even at concentration up to 250 µM. Of note, 2,2'-dithiobis(N-(2-fluorophenyl)acetamide) (d7), 2,2'-dithiobis(N-(3,5-difluorophenyl)acetamide) (d24), and 2,2'-dithiobis(N-(3-fluorophenyl)acetamide) (d8) were here identified as the most active inhibitors with IC50 of 0.074, 0.44, and 0.81 µM, showing 32- to 355-fold higher potency than the positive control acetohydroxamic acid. These disulfides were confirmed to bind urease without covalent modification of the cysteine residue and to inhibit urease reversibly with a mixed inhibition mechanism. They also showed very good anti-Helicobacter pylori activities with d8 showing a comparable potency to the clinical used drug amoxicillin. The impressive in vitro biological profile indicated their immense potential as therapeutic agents to tackle H. pylori caused infections.

Identification, potency evaluation, and mechanism clarification of α-glucosidase inhibitors from tender leaves of Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd.

Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. known as Sweet Tea in China has attracted lots of interest for its good hypoglycemic effect and the potential as a hypoglycemic agent. Based on affinity separation-UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, 54 potential α-glucosidase inhibitiors were identified and 44 were structurally determined. Out of them, 41 were identified for the first time from this plant including flavonoids, fatty acids, triterpenes, alkaloids, and coumarins. Enzyme assays revealed that flavonoids exhibited higher inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase than others with astilbin (IC50 = 6.14 µg·mL-1), morin (IC50 = 8.46 µg·mL-1), and naringenin (IC50 = 10.03 µg·mL-1) showing 2- to 4-fold higher potency than the positive control acarbose. They were proved as reversible inhibitors with mixed inhibition mechanism. Ki (Ki') values and molecular dockings strongly supported the potency order of astilbin, morin and naringenin that showed in the enzyme assays.

Blocking the EGFR/p38/NF-κB signaling pathway alleviates disruption of BSCB and subsequent inflammation after spinal cord injury.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation is involved in blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB) disruption and secondary injury after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the underlying mechanisms of EGFR activation mediating BSCB disruption and secondary injury after SCI remain unclear. An in vitro model of oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) induced BSCB damage and in vivo rat SCI model were employed to define the role of EGFR/p38/NF-κB signal pathway activation and its induced inflammatory injury in main cellular components of BSCB. Genetic regulation (lentivirus delivered shRNA and overexpression system) or chemical intervention (agonist or inhibitor) were applied to activate or inactivate EGFR and p38 in astrocytes and microvascular endothelial cells (MEC) under which conditions, the expression of pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, iNOS, COX-2, and IL-1ß), tight junction (TJ) protein (ZO-1 and occludin), nuclear translocation of NF-κB and permeability of BSCB were analyzed. The pEGFR was increased in astrocytes and MEC which induced the activation of EGFR and p38 and NF-κB nuclear translocation. The activation of EGFR and p38 increased the TNF-α, iNOS, COX-2, and IL-1ß responsible for the inflammatory injury and reduced the ZO-1 and occludin which caused BSCB disruption. While EGFR or p38 inactivation inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation, and markedly attenuated the production of pro-inflammatory factors and the loss of TJ protein. This study suggests that the EGFR activation in main cellular components of BSCB after SCI mediates BSCB disruption and secondary inflammatory injury via the EGFR/p38/NF-κB pathway.

Technology-supported lifestyle interventions to improve maternal-fetal outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The increasing incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a global health problem. Lifestyle interventions have been recognized as effective measures to enhance maternal and child health. Traditional education approaches, personalized consultation and home visits to promote change in patients' lifestyle are limited by cost, lack of resources and inability to provide broad coverage. The increased use of technological approaches can cross these barriers. OBJECTIVES: The meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of technology-supported lifestyle interventions for women with gestational diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Databases that were reviewed included the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Embase, Medline, CINAHL and ClinicalTrials.gov. from inception to September 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of technology-supported lifestyle interventions used for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were identified. Two reviewers independently assessed each study using Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Maternal-fetal outcomes as well as weight gain in pregnancy and maternal blood glucose were presented as relative risks (RR) or a mean difference (MD). RESULTS: Of the 3993 articles reviewed, ten RCTs involving 979 women were included. Technology-supported lifestyle interventions reduced pregnancy weight gain (MD = -1.55, 95% CI = [-1.81 to -1.29], P < 0.001) and mean (1-h and 2-h) postprandial blood glucose (MD = -0.31, 95% CI = [-0.58 to -0.03], P = 0.03), with low heterogeneity of 36% and 18%, respectively. No evidence of significant effect existed on other maternal-fetal outcomes, such as weeks of gestation at delivery, caesarean birth, pre-eclampsia/gestational hypertension, instrumental vaginal birth, premature delivery, newborn weight, neonatal hypoglycemia, large-for-gestational age, fetal macrosomia, NICU admission and respiratory morbidity (I2 ranging from 0% to 51%). No significant improvement was noted in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBG), with strong heterogeneity of 95% and 84%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Technology-supported lifestyle interventions are associated with reducing pregnancy weight gain and mean (1-h and 2-h) postprandial blood glucose in women with GDM. Well-designed research studies are needed to identify the full potential of technology-supported lifestyle interventions, especially interventions guided by theoretical models.

Distinct tissue expression profiles of chicken Lpin1-α/ß isoforms and the effect of the variation on muscle fiber traits.

Here we cloned chicken Lpin1-ß, conducted the temporal and spatial expression pattern analysis of chicken Lpin1 isoforms by real-time PCR, and studied the 5' flanking region variation and the potential effect. It was found that chicken Lpin1-α and Lpin1-ß exhibited distinct tissue expression profiling, with prominent expression in the ovary and muscle tissues respectively. Chicken Lpin1 presented a tissue-specific temporal expression pattern in postnatal development (0-16 weeks). Energy restriction significantly elevated the mRNA level of total Lpin1 by increasing the expression of Lpin1-α and Lpin1-ß in a nearly same magnitude. Eight variants/four haplotypes among six breeds were detected from the 5' flanking region of chicken Lpin1, one multiple-nucleotide length polymorphism (g.258M>N) was found and predicted causing the change of 31 transcription factor binding sites including MyoD et al. Both g.258M>N and g. 65C>T variants showed significant association with muscle fiber traits, which suggested one novel role of Lpin1 on muscle fiber development.