Melatonin activates Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathway to antagonizes oxidative stress-induced injury via melatonin receptor 1 (MT1) in cryopreserved mice ovarian tissue.

Our previous research has shown that melatonin (MLT) can reduce cryopreserved ovarian damage in mice. Yet, the molecular mechanism of MLT protection is still unclear. Some studies have shown that melatonin receptor 1 (MT1) is very important for animal reproductive system. To evaluate whether MLT exerts its protective effect on cryopreserved mice ovarian tissue via MT1, we added antagonist of MT1/MT2 (Luzindor) or antagonist of MT2 (4P-PDOT) to the freezing solution, followed by cryopreservation and thawing of ovarian tissue. The levels of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), catalase (CAT), nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected. Besides, by using RT-PCR and Western blotting, the expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathway-related proteins was detected. These findings demonstrated that compared with the melatonin group, the addition of Luzindor increased apoptosis, NO and MDA activities, decreased CAT and T-SOD activities and inhibited Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathway. In conclusion, melatonin can play a protective role in cryopreserved ovarian tissue of mice through MT1 receptor.

Targeting ACAT1 in cancer: from threat to treatment.

Altered cholesterol metabolism has been identified as a critical feature of cancers. Cholesterol functions as the main component of cell membrane, cholesterol and is required for sustaining membrane integrity and mediating signaling transduction for cell survival. The intracellular level of cholesterol is dynamically regulated. Excessive cholesterol could be converted to less toxic cholesteryl esters by acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferases (ACATs). While ACAT2 has limited value in cancers, ACAT1 has been found to be widely participated in tumor initiation and progression. Moreover, due to the important role of cholesterol metabolism in immune function, ACAT1 is also essential for regulating anti-tumor immunity. ACAT1 inhibition may be exploited as a potential strategy to enhance the anti-tumor immunity and eliminate tumors. Herein, a comprehensive understanding of the role of ACAT1 in tumor development and anti-tumor immunity may provide new insights for anti-tumor strategies.

The developmental cognitive mechanism of learning algebraic rules from the dual-process theory perspective.

Rule learning is an important ability that enables human beings to adapt to nature and develop civilizations. There have been many discussions on the mechanism and characteristics of algebraic rule learning, but there are still controversies due to the lack of theoretical guidance. Based on the dual-process theory, this study discussed the following arguments for algebraic rule learning across human and animal studies: whether algebraic rule learning is simply Type 1 processing, whether algebraic rule learning is a domain-general ability, whether algebraic rule learning is shared by humans and animals, and whether an algebraic rule is learned consciously. Moreover, we propose that algebraic rule learning is possibly a cognitive process that combines both Type 1 and Type 2 processing. Further exploration is required to establish the essence and neural basis of algebraic rule learning.

The novel HLA-A*24:627 allele, identified by Sanger dideoxy nucleotide sequencing in a Chinese individual.

The HLA-A*24:627 allele differs from HLA-A*24:02:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution in codon 172 in exon 2.

Plasma-derived from human umbilical cord blood restores ovarian function and improves serum reproductive hormones levels in mice with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) through cytokines and growth factors.

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) patients experience a decline in ovarian function and a reduction in serum reproductive hormones, leading to a significant impact on the outcomes of assisted reproductive technology. Despite the absence of an effective clinical treatment to restore fertility in POI patients, recent research has indicated that cord blood plasma (CBP) derived from human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) may offer therapeutic benefits for various degenerative diseases. The primary aim of this study is to explore approaches for enhancing ovarian function and serum reproductive hormones through the administration of CBP in a murine model. Initially, hUCB was utilized to obtain CBP (CBP), which was subsequently analyzed for cytokine and growth factor profiles in comparison to adult blood plasma (ABP) by use of flow cytometry. Subsequently, POI mouse models were established through the induction of 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide, followed by the injection of CBP into the tail. At 7, 14, and 21 days posttreatment, mouse ovaries and blood were collected, and their estrus cycle, body weight, and ovarian weights were evaluated using precise electronic balance. Finally, ovarian morphology and follicle number were assessed through HE staining, while serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), estradiol (E2) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined by ELISA. Our study revealed that individuals with CBP exhibited significantly lower concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-ß (p < 0.01) and IL-2 (p < 0.05), while displaying elevated levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12P70, IL-17A, IP-10, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α (p < 0.01). Furthermore, CBP demonstrated remarkably higher levels of growth factors, including transforming growth factor-ß1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (p < 0.01) than ABP. Notably, our investigation also revealed that CBP restored the content of serum reproductive hormones, such as AMH, E2, and FSH (p < 0.05), and increased the number of primordial and primary follicles (p < 0.01) and decreased the number of luteal and atretic follicles (p < 0.01) in vivo. Our findings suggested that CBP-secreted cytokines and growth factors could be restored POI ovarian function, enhanced serum reproductive hormones and rescued follicular development in vivo. These findings further support the potential of CBP as a promising strategy in clinical applications for POI related infertility.

No evidence of genetic causality between diabetes and osteonecrosis: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine whether diabetes mellitus is causally associated with osteonecrosis. METHOD: Using publicly accessible genome-wide association study statistics, a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was carried out. In order to determine whether diabetes has a causal effect on osteonecrosis and whether osteonecrosis has a causal effect on diabetes, we extracted six date on diabetes in Europeans from IEU OpenGWAS and GWAS Catalogue and osteonecrosis in Europeans from FinnGen. We then evaluated the data using inverse variance weighting, MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode. The results' stability and dependability were then evaluated using sensitivity analysis and heterogeneity analysis. Finally, meta-analysis is used to further confirm if there is a relationship between diabetes and osteonecrosis. RESULTS: When diabetes was used as an exposure factor, MR-Egger regression showed that directional fold product was unlikely to bias the results. Cochran's Q test showed only minor heterogeneity in a few data sets. Multidirectional tests Egger-intercept, MR-PRESSO and funnel plots for most data did not show multidirectional and asymmetry at the gene level. Most of the IVW results showed no causal relationship between diabetes mellitus and osteonecrosis. The results of meta-analysis of IVW methods further confirmed the absence of a causal relationship. Inverse MR analysis also showed no causal relationship between osteonecrosis and diabetes. CONCLUSION: Results of bidirectional MR analysis show no evidence of causal relationship between diabetes and osteonecrosis.

A wearable fetal movement detection system for pregnant women.

A wearable device-based fetal movement detection system for pregnant women is proposed to resolve the problems of low accuracy of fetal movement detection by fetal heart monitor, difficulties of fetal movement monitoring by pregnant women in person, and inability to monitor for long periods of time by ultrasonic Doppler imaging device. The overall software design flow of the system is proposed after determining the overall structure of the system based on symmetric sensor. The application circuit of the three-axis acceleration sensor MC3672 and its supporting sensor data collection program are designed, and the application circuit of the main control chip NRF52840 with Cortex-M4 core is analyzed. The function of data collection and algorithm recognition result transfer to a smartphone is realized through the fetal movement recognition and algorithm design and Bluetooth communication design. Finally, the system test scheme is introduced, which involves performing functional tests on four healthy pregnant volunteers and analyzing the results. The experimental results show that the average recognition rate and correct rate of this system to recognize fetal movement is 89.74% when using the real fetal movement actively perceived by pregnant women as the standard, achieving a domestic and wearable design of fetal movement monitoring device for pregnant women that can be used to analyze and predict the fetal health condition.

The influence of perceptual and semantic chunking on the neural mechanism of remote association.

Studies on remote association tests (RATs) have mainly focused on cognitive processes involved in searching for remote associations. However, factors affecting these search processes and remote associations remain unclear. In order to address this issue, this study compared non-chunking condition (e.g., "//") with perceptual chunking (two red color characters in the three-character item "//") and semantic chunking (high-frequency word-pair in the item; e.g., "//", "," literally "philosophy") conditions in the Chinese Remote Association Test (CRAT). The behavioral results on the CRAT found that the semantic ones resulted in significantly lower successful solving rates and longer response times than the other two conditions. The event-related potential (ERP) results showed that in contrast to the perceptual-chunking and the non-chunking condition, the semantic-chunking elicited enhanced P200, which might be related to the intuitive awareness of the mental fixation. However, relative to the non-chunking condition, the two chunking conditions evoked increased N400 and late positive component (LPC), indexing the late reflection and implementation of cognitive control. Our results suggest that it is the early awareness of the semantic chunk, rather than the general cognitive control process involved in representing and solving the semantically and perceptually chunk-induced interferences, that critically determines the final solving of RATs.

Effects of sericin on oxidative stress and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway in cryopreserved mice ovarian tissue.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is an effective fertility protective strategy for preadolescent female cancer patients, whose tumor treatment cannot be delayed. In the present study, the effects of sericin, as an antioxidant, on mice ovarian tissue freezing and thawing were investigated. Mice ovarian tissues were cryopreserved and thawed in medium containing 0.5% or 1%sericin (w/v), and 0.1 mM melatonin. Then, the follicular morphology was observed. The levels of antioxidant enzymes were determined, including glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and catalase (CAT). Moreover, the levels of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also tested. Besides, apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bax were determined. Our results showed that 1% sericin maintained follicular morphology, inhibited apoptosis, decreased MDA and NO levels, and boosted endogenous antioxidant enzyme levels, while had no significant effect on LDH levels. Furthermore, these effects may be related with the activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, as demonstrated by increased PI3K, p-AKT and mTOR levels. These findings demonstrate that 1% sericin may reduce oxidative stress and protect ovarian tissues during freezing and thawing via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Bilateral varicocele leads to ferroptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis of human spermatozoa and affects semen quality in infertile men.

Purpose: This study explored the effects of bilateral varicocele on male semen quality in infertile men and the molecular mechanisms involving ferroptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis signaling pathways. Methods: Totally, 20 healthy males and 26 patients with bilateral varicocele receiving infertility treatment were enrolled. Semen samples were collected. Basic semen parameters, acrosome integrity and membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and apoptosis rate were compared. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), iron, glutathione (GSH), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and, Catalase (CAT), were detected in human seminal plasma. Relative mRNA expression of Ca 2+-independent phospholipases A2 beta (iPLA 2ß), P53, Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and GSH-dependent peroxidase 4 (GPX4) were evaluated. Relative protein expression was determined for GPX4, receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 1 (RIPK1) and receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 3 (RIPK3), as well as pyroptosis markers of Gasdermin E (GSDME) and heat shock protein 90 (HSP 90). Results: The results revealed that the bilateral varicocele group had significantly higher abnormalities (sperm progressive rate and sperm motility) compared to the control group. Meanwhile, compared to control group, GSH, T-SOD, and CAT levels were reduced in the bilateral varicocele group (p < 0.05). However, the level of ROS and iron were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Relative mRNA expression of P53, iPLA 2ß, ZEB1, and GPX4 were reduced. In addition, ROS exposure activated ferroptosis-related signal pathways. RIPK1, RIPK3, GSDME and HSP 90 were increased in bilateral varicocele group. ROS exposure affected signaling pathways related to ferroptosis, necrosis and pyroptosis in human spermatozoa. Conclusion: Bilateral varicocele leads to ferroptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis of human spermatozoa and affects semen quality in infertile men.

Exploring neural oscillations in numerical inductive reasoning: unveiling effects of top-down and bottom-up conflict.

Previous research has delved into the brain's response to top-down and bottom-up conflicts in numerical inductive reasoning. However, the specific neural oscillatory patterns associated with these conflict types in numerical inductive reasoning processing have remained elusive. In this study, we employed a number series completion task in which participants had to determine whether a given target number adhered to concealed rules. Three conditions were established: an identity condition (e.g., 13, 13, 13), a perceptual mismatch condition (representing bottom-up conflict, e.g., 13 13 ), and a rule violation condition (representing top-down conflict, e.g., 13 13 14). Our EEG results revealed significant distinctions: rule violation induced more pronounced alpha desynchronization compared to both perceptual mismatch and identity conditions. Conversely, perceptual mismatch was associated with increased theta synchronization in contrast to rule violation and the identity condition. These findings suggest that alpha desynchronization may indicate the integration of rules during top-down conflict, while theta synchronization may function as a mechanism to inhibit bottom-up perceptual interference in numerical inductive reasoning.

The Predictive Value of CA-125 and Hb for Ocular Metastasis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

Objective: To explore the risk factors of ocular metastasis (OM) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by analyzing the demographic characteristics and serum markers. Methods: From July 2002 to December 2012, 1064 HCC patients were included in our study. The chi-squared test and Student's t-test were used to assess the difference between OM and any other metastasis (NOM). Receiver operating curve (ROC) was used to analyze the diagnostic value of serum biomarkers in HCC patients with OM. Results: The incidence of OM in HCC patients was 1.88% in our research. There are no significant differences in age, gender, or histopathology in the OM group and the group without any metastasis. Binary logistic regression analysis presented that compared with the patients without cancer metastasis, carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) and hemoglobin (Hb) were risk factors in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with OM (P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the CA-125, Hb, and CA125+Hb curves were 0.877, 0.554, and 0.431, and the cutoff values of CA-125 and Hb each were 115.78 u/mL and 120.50 g/L. Conclusion: Our data suggest that CA-125 and Hb are risk indicators in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with OM, and that CA-125+Hb has potentially greater utility in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma.

First-in-human evaluation of an independently developed Chinese robot-assisted system for percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have proved the safety and feasibility of robot-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in reducing the occupational hazards of interventionists while achieving precision medicine. However, an independently developed robot-assisted system for PCI in China has not yet emerged. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a robot-assisted system for elective PCI in China. METHODS: This preclinical trial included 22 experimental pigs and preliminarily supported the safety and feasibility of the ETcath200 robot-assisted system for PCI. Then, eleven patients with coronary heart disease who met the inclusion criteria and had clinical indications for elective PCI were enrolled. PCI was performed using a robot-assisted system. The primary outcomes were clinical success (defined as visual estimated residual stenosis < 30% after PCI and no major adverse cardiovascular events during hospitalization and within 30 days after PCI) and technical success (defined as the ability to use the robot-assisted system to complete PCI successfully without conversion to the traditional manual PCI). RESULTS: Eleven patients were included in this clinical trial. A drug-eluting stent with a diameter of 3 mm (interquartile range: 2.75-3.5 mm) and a length of 26 mm (interquartile range: 22-28 mm) was deployed in all patients. The clinical success rate was 100%, with no PCI-related complications and no in-hospital or 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events, and the technical success rate was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The results strongly suggest that the use of the independently developed robot-assisted system in China for elective PCI is feasible, safe, and effective.

The brain responses to the gating opening mechanism on perceptual and conceptual mismatches in the 1-back matching task.

OBJECTIVE: Although working memory performance is predicted by the gating mechanism, which is part of attentional control, the attentional control effect on domain-specific matching processes in the 1-back task, is lack of neural evidence. METHOD: This study adopted event-related potential (ERP) technique, and employed both perceptual and conceptual matching conditions in a digital 1-back task, requiring to judge whether the current number was perceptually or quantitatively identical to the prior one. Three types of number pairs were adopted: shape/value match (S + V +, e.g., '3 3' or ' '), shape mismatch/value match (S - V + , e.g., '3 ' or ' 5') and shape/value mismatch (S - V - , e.g., '3 5' or ' '). MAIN RESULTS: The ERP results showed that both S - V + and S - V - elicited similar larger P2 amplitudes and longer N2 and P3 latencies than S + V + in both conditions, reflecting the gate opening for perceptual input. Moreover, a task-relevance effect on P3 amplitudes was observed, with a deflection for S - V - in the conceptual matching condition and for S - V + and S - V - in the perceptual matching condition, suggesting that the gating opening mechanism enabled the retrieval of relevant information. CONCLUSION: Hence, the matching effect on P3 supported the gating opening mechanism on the matching subprocess underlying the N-back task.

Triglyceride-glucose index and non-culprit coronary plaque characteristics assessed by optical coherence tomography in patients following acute coronary syndrome: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a novel surrogate marker of insulin resistance, has been demonstrated to be significantly associated with cardiovascular disease. It remains indistinct regarding the association between TyG index and non-culprit coronary plaque characteristics in patients following acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: The present study retrospectively recruited patients who were diagnosed with ACS and underwent non-culprit optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination. The study population was divided into 2 groups based on the median of TyG index, which was calculated as Ln [fasting triglyceride (TG) (mg/dL) × fasting blood glucose (FBG) (mg/dL)/2]. The non-culprit plaque characteristics were determined by interpreting OCT images in accordance with the standard of previous consensus. Results: 110 patients (54.8 ± 12.1 years, 24.5% female) with 284 non-culprit plaques were included in the current analysis. TyG index was closely associated with high-risk plaque characteristics. Elevated TyG index was consistent to be an independent indicator for thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) [odds ratio (OR) for per 1-unit increase 4.940, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.652-14.767, P = 0.004; OR for taking lower median as reference 2.747, 95% CI 1.234-7.994, P = 0.011] and ruptured plaque (OR for per 1-unit increase 7.065, 95% CI 1.910-26.133, P = 0.003; OR for taking lower median as reference 4.407, 95% CI 1.208-16.047, P = 0.025) in fully adjusted model. The predictive value of TyG index for TCFA and ruptured plaque was moderate-to-high, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.754 and 0.699 respectively. The addition of TyG index into a baseline model exhibited an incremental effect on the predictive value for TCFA, manifested as an increased AUC (0.681, 95% CI 0.570-0.793 vs. 0.782, 95% CI 0.688-0.877, P = 0.042), and significant continuous net reclassification improvement (0.346, 95% CI 0.235-0.458, P < 0.001) and integrated discrimination improvement (0.221, 95% CI 0.017-0.425, P = 0.034). TyG index failed to play an incremental effect on predicting ruptured plaque. Conclusion: TyG index, which is simply calculated from fasting TG and FBG, can be served as an important and independent risk predictor for high-risk non-culprit coronary plaques in patients following ACS.

Enhancing egg production and quality by the supplementation of probiotic strains (Clostridium and Brevibacillus) via improved amino acid digestibility, intestinal health, immune response, and antioxidant activity.

This study focused on evaluating the influence of Clostridium butyricum and Brevibacillus strains on egg production, egg quality, immune response and antioxidant function, apparent fecal amino acid digestibility, and jejunal morphology when supplemented as probiotics in the diets of laying hens in the peak phase. A total of 288 healthy 30-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were arbitrarily assigned to four dietary groups, which included control diet and control diet supplemented with 0.02% C. butyricum zlc-17, C. butyricum lwc-13, or Brevibacillus zlb-z1, for 84 days. The results showed that dietary C. butyricum and Brevibacillus sp. exerted a positively significant influence (P ≤ 0.05) compared to the control group on the performance, egg quality, and physiological response of the birds. The diets could reduce mortality rate and enhance (P ≤ 0.05) egg weight and egg mass, egg production rate, and feed efficiency. Further analysis suggested that the probiotic strains can enhance (P ≤ 0.05) eggshell quality, Haugh unit, thick albumen content, and albumen height. Also, probiotics enhanced (P ≤ 0.05) the antioxidant status via increased antioxidant enzymes and jejunal morphology as evidenced by increased villi surface area (VSA), the ratio of villi height to crypt depth, villi width, and villi height, and a significant reduction in crypt depth. Besides, nutrient absorption and retention were enhanced, as apparent fecal amino acid digestibility of key essential amino acids was substantially improved in the diet-based group. The concentrations of immunoglobulin M and A (IgM and IgA) increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in the probiotics group and the same effect was notable for complement proteins (C3) and immune organ (Spleen). Conclusively, the supplementation of Clostridium butyricum zlc-17 in comparison to Clostridium butyricum lwc-13 and Brevibacillus zlb-z1 strains significantly (P ≤ 0.05) promoted the antioxidant status, modulated the intestinal structure, enhanced amino acid digestibility, and regulated the immunity index of the laying hens, which finally improves the laying performance and egg quality of the laying hens.

How does negative evidence impact argument strength during semantic category-based induction? An event-related potential study.

Negative evidence may influence category-based inductive reasoning, but the underlying time course of cognitive brain processing is unclear. This study adopted event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate this effect by manipulating the category type (related vs. unrelated) and argument type (positive vs. negative) in a semantic category-based induction task. The behavioral results showed that, under unrelated conditions, a negative argument produced greater argument strength and shorter reaction time than a positive argument did. Meanwhile, the ERP results found a negative argument elicited larger P300, N400, and slow negative component amplitudes than a positive argument, which could possibly embody the expectation-related processing produced by memory updating, semantic integration, and the more complex inference-driven information integration and interpretation processes and cognitive load in hypothesis generation. This study provides novel evidence on the temporal course of how negative evidence influences argument strength during semantic category-based induction.

Potential factors of cytokeratin fragment 21-1 and cancer embryonic antigen for mediastinal lymph node metastasis in lung cancer.

Objective: Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor, characterized by being difficult to detect and lacking specific clinical manifestations. This study aimed to find out the risk factors of mediastinal lymph node metastasis and explore the correlation between serum tumor markers and mediastinal lymph node metastasis and lung cancer prognosis. Methods: A retrospective study of 3,042 lung cancer patients (330 patients with mediastinal lymph node metastasis and 2,712 patients without mediastinal lymph node metastasis) collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from April 1999 to July 2020. The patients were divided into two groups, namely, mediastinal lymph node metastasis group and non-mediastinal lymph node metastasis group. Student's t test, non-parametric rank sum test and chi-square test were used to describe whether there is a significant difference between the two groups. We compared the serum biomarkers of the two groups of patients, including exploring serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium hemoglobin (HB), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA125, CA-199, CA -153, cytokeratin fragment 19 (CYFRA 21-1), total prostate specific antigen (TPSA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels and the incidence and prognosis of lung cancer mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine its risk factors, and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate its diagnostic value for mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Results: Binary logistic regression analysis showed that carcinoembryonic antigen and CYFRA 21-1 were independent risk factors for mediastinal lymph node metastasis in patients with lung cancer (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of CEA for the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node metastasis were 90.2 and 7.6%, respectively; CYFRA 21-1 were 0.6 and 99.0%, respectively. Conclusion: Serum CEA and CYFRA 21-1 have predictive value in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node metastasis in patients with lung cancer.

Conflict Adaptation Effect on Numerical Inductive Reasoning: An ERP Study.

Conflict adaptation is of particular importance to human information processing, as it assists in efficient responding when confronted with inconsistent information. Past investigators have focused on the role and mechanisms of conflict adaptation effects in cognitive control tasks, but there have been few studies of conflict adaptation effects in numerical inductive reasoning. In this study we adopted identical, perceptual mismatch and rule violation conditions to investigate conflict adaptation in numerical inductive reasoning. Behaviorally, we found shorter response times on trials following our experimental condition, as compared to pre-trials. In our event-related potential (ERP) electroencephalogram (EEG) results, N2 reflected the improvement in processing efficiency of rule violations in numerical inductive reasoning. Thus, these data suggest the presence of a conflict adaptation effect in high-level processing.

Therapeutic Effect of Melatonin in Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: Hippo Pathway Is Involved.

Objective: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a female reproductive disorder of unknown etiology with no definite pathogenesis. Melatonin (MT) is an endogenous hormone synthesized mainly by pineal cells and has strong endogenous effects in regulating ovarian function. To systematically explore the pharmacological mechanism of MT on POI therapy, a literature review approach was conducted at the signaling pathways level. Methods: Relevant literatures were searched and downloaded from databases, including PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, using the keywords "premature ovarian insufficiency," "Hippo signaling pathways," and "melatonin." The search criteria were from 2010 to 2022. Text mining was also performed. Results: MT is involved in the regulation of Hippo signaling pathway in a variety of modes and has been correlated with ovarian function. Conclusions: The purpose of this review is to summarize the research progress of Hippo signaling pathways and significance of MT in POI, the potential crosstalk between MT and Hippo signaling pathways, and the prospective therapy.