LncRNA CCRR maintains Ca2+ homeostasis against myocardial infarction through the FTO-SERCA2a pathway.

Cardiac conduction regulatory RNA (CCRR) has been documented as an antiarrhythmic lncRNA in our earlier investigation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of CCRR on SERCA2a and the associated Ca2+ homeostasis in myocardial infarction (MI). Overexpression of CCRR via AAV9-mediated delivery not only partially reversed ischemia-induced contractile dysfunction but also alleviated abnormal Ca2+ homeostasis and reduced the heightened methylation level of SERCA2a following MI. These effects were also observed in CCRR over-expressing transgenic mice. A conserved sequence domain of CCRR mimicked the protective function observed with the full length. Furthermore, silencing CCRR in healthy mice led to intracellular Ca2+ overloading of cardiomyocytes. CCRR increased SERCA2a protein stability by upregulating FTO expression. The direct interaction between CCRR and FTO protein was characterized by RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) analysis and RNA pulldown experiments. Activation of NFATc3 was identified as an upstream mechanism responsible for CCRR downregulation in MI. This study demonstrates that CCRR is a protective lncRNA that acts by maintaining the function of FTO, thereby reducing the m6A RNA methylation level of SERCA2a, ultimately preserving calcium homeostasis for myocardial contractile function in MI. Therefore, CCRR may be considered a promising therapeutic strategy with a beneficial role in cardiac pathology.

Giant cell tumor of soft tissue involving thyroid gland: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Giant cell tumor of soft tissue is a low malignant uncommon neoplasm, with histologic features and immunophenotype similar to its bone counterpart. Primary giant cell tumor of soft tissue in the thyroid gland is considered an exceedingly rare entity. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of primary thyroid giant cell tumor of soft tissue in a 69-year-old Chinese female patient. Neck ultrasonography showed a 19 mm × 12 mm × 5 mm nodule with heterogeneous echo and clear boundary located within the left thyroid. Histopathological examination revealed that the neoplasm was composed of two morphological components, mononuclear cells admixed with multinucleated osteoclast-like giant cells. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for CD68 and vimentin, but were negative for epithelial membrane antigen, cytokeratin, and additional muscle markers. She underwent left unilateral thyroidectomy, and total thyroidectomy was performed for local recurrence 3 months later. The patient remained well without recurrence or metastasis following up for 12 months. CONCLUSION: The significance of this case lies in its rarity, the challenge of preoperative clinical diagnosis, and the differential diagnosis with other malignancies.

Nonlinear edge enhancement imaging based on Laguerre-Gaussian superimposed vortex filters.

Nonlinear reconstruction, which is based on the principle of cross correlation, is a commonly employed reconstruction technique in incoherent correlated digital holography systems. However, the modulation of phase masks in these systems is suppressed during the reconstruction process, resulting in an inability to express the characteristics of the phase masks. Consequently, achieving edge enhancement within these systems is constrained. We propose a nonlinear reconstruction method utilizing Laguerre-Gaussian superimposed vortex filters, which modulates the spectrum of the target during the reconstruction process. Experimental results demonstrate that this method performs well in reconstructing image edges for various phase-masked incoherent imaging systems and effectively suppresses noise. Additionally, this method enables directional edge enhancement.

Place branding: Religion in shaping the three-dimensional essence of a city brand through stakeholder engagement.

This study explores the role of religion in engaging stakeholders in branding a place on social media and unmasks what implications this has for (re)constructing the three-dimensional meanings of a place brand. Using the content analysis method to examine the case of Saudi Arabia, it probes how the key stakeholder groups of the government and the residents structure and interact with the narratives of the cities-Jeddah and Riyadh-on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The results show the Islamic religion serves as a powerful tool for motivating the residents to engage in the government-led city branding initiatives at the individual level. However, the strategy of dwelling on religion to mobilize resident engagement at the individual level towards the social level with the aim of growing resources in support of social development should be reassessed within a dynamic social system. Theoretically, the proposed framework of religion city branding expands the scope of stakeholder engagement in place branding research through the integration with the driver of religion, especially unveiling how religious factors shape the personality traits of a place brand. It contributes to the practical sense that religious elements might be deployed by the key stakeholder groups of the government and residents in city branding initiatives, which potentially contributes to their relationship and the engagement of residents in co-creating a place brand with the government. This Saudi-focused study, therefore, possesses significance for place branding practices in Middle Eastern countries and beyond.

LncRNA CCRR Attenuates Postmyocardial Infarction Inflammatory Response by Inhibiting the TLR Signalling Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Timely and proper suppression of inflammation can effectively reduce myocardial injury and promote the postmyocardial infarction (post-MI) wound-healing process. We have previously found that cardiac conduction regulatory RNA (CCRR), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) transcribed by the gene located on chromosome 9, with abundant expression in the heart, elicits antiarrhythmic effects in heart failure, and this is a continuing study on the role of CCRR in MI. METHODS: CCRR was overexpressed in CCRR transgenic mice or after injection of adeno-associated virus-9 (AAV-9). MI surgery was performed, and cardiac function was assessed in vivo by echocardiography, followed by histologic analyses. Western blot analysis and qRT-PCR were performed to investigate the effects of CCRR on macrophages, cardiomyocytes, and cardiomyocytes cocultured with macrophages. Through microarray analysis and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) and other related techniques were also employed to study the effects of CCRR on Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4. RESULTS: We found that CCRR level was significantly decreased with increases in proinflammatory cytokines and activation of the TLR signalling pathway in the heart of the 3-day MI mice. CCRR overexpression downregulated TLR2 and TLR4 in MI and effectively inhibited the inflammatory responses in primary cardiomyocytes and macrophages cultured under hypoxic conditions. Downregulation of CCRR induced excessive inflammatory responses by activating the TLR signalling pathway. CCRR acted by suppressing TLR2 and TLR4 to inhibit the secretion of proinflammatory factors to reduce infarct size, thereby improving cardiac function. CONCLUSIONS: CCRR protected cardiomyocytes against MI injury by suppressing inflammatory response through targeting the TLR signalling pathway.

Engineering biomimetic scaffolds by combining silk protein nanofibrils and hyaluronic acid.

Nanofibrous scaffolds mimicking important features of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) provide a promising strategy for tissue regeneration. However, 3D scaffolds mimicking natural protein nanofibers and bioactive glycosaminoglycans remain poorly developed. In this study, a biomimetic nanofibrous scaffold composed of natural silk protein nanofibers and glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid (HA) was developed. HA functionalization significantly improved the hydrophilicity and bioactivity of silk nanofibers (SNFs). SNFs can be assembled into nanofibrous aerogel scaffolds with low density and desirable shapes on a large scale. More importantly, with the assistance of HA, the silk nanofibrous aerogel scaffolds with ultra-high porosity, natural bioactivity, and structural stability in aqueous environment can be fabricated. In the protease/hyaluronidase solution, the SNF scaffolds with 10.0 % HA can maintain their monolithic shape for >3 weeks. The silk nanofibrous scaffolds not only imitate the composition of ECM but also mimic the hierarchical structure of ECM, providing a favorable microenvironment for cell adhesion and proliferation. These results indicate that this structurally and functionally biomimetic system is a promising tissue engineering scaffold.

Effect of acupuncture on arthritic pathological injury in rats with type â ¡ collagen-induced rheumatoid arthritis. / é’ˆåˆºæ”¹å–„â ¡åž‹èƒ¶åŽŸè›‹ç™½è¯±å¯¼æ€§å ³èŠ‚ç‚Žå¤§é¼ ç‚Žæ€§ååº”çš„æœºåˆ¶ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the effect of acupuncture stimulation of "Yanglingquan"(GB34), "Zusanli"(ST36) and "Xuanzhong" (GB39) on arthritis index (AI), joint synovial membrane pathology, serum-related immunoinflammatory factors, and expressions of tumor suppressor gene mt-p53, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in knee joint synovial tissue of rats with type Ⅱ collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), so as to explore its possible mechanisms underlying improvement of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Male SD rats were used in the present study. The CIA model was established by subcutaneous injection of collagen emulsion (200 µL/rat) in the tail root region on the first day and repeat (100 µL/rat) once on the 9th day. Eighteen successful CIA rats were randomized into model, medication and acupuncture groups, with 6 rats in each group. Other 6 normal rats were used as the normal control group. For rats of the medication group, leflunomide (1.9 mg/kg) was administrated by gavage, once a day, and for rats of the acupuncture group, manual acupuncture stimulation was applied to bilateral GB34, ST36, GB39 for 30 min, once a day, for 12 weeks. The arthritis index (AI) score (0-4 points) was evaluated once every week. The contents of IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α in the serum were determined by ELISA. Histopathological changes of the ankle joint were observed by H.E. staining. The protein and mRNA expression levels of mt-p53, NF-κB p65, and PPARγ in the knee joint synovial tissue were determined by Western blot and quantitative real time PCR, separately. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, the AI scores at different time-points after modeling, contents of serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17, expression levels of mt-p53, NF-κB p65, PPARγ proteins and mRNAs were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01, P<0.05). In comparison with the model group, the AI scores at the 10th week in the medication group and at the 3rd, 9th and 10th week in the acupuncture group, contents of serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17, and the expression levels of mt-p53 and NF-κB p65 proteins in both medication and acupuncture groups, as well as mt-p53 and NF-κB p65 mRNAs in the medication group were apparently decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while the expression levels of PPARγ protein in both medication and acupuncture group and PPARγ mRNA in the medication group were significantly up-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01). No significant differences were found between the acupuncture and medication groups in down-regulating the AI score and serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17 contents. The effect of acupuncture was weaker than that of medication in down-regulating the expression of mt-p53 and NF-κB p65 proteins and mRNAs and in up-regulating PPARγ mRNA (P<0.01). H.E. results showed ankle cartilage hyperplasia, reduced joint cavity, mild fibroproliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration in the surrounding soft tissue of the ankle joint in rats of the model group, which was milder in both medication and acupuncture groups. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture stimulation can improve the degree of joint inflammation and swelling in CIA rats, which may be related to its effects in inhibiting the overexpression of immunoinflammatory factors in serum and regulating expression of mt-p53, NF-κB p65, PPARγ mRNAs and proteins in the synovial tissue.

Oral micronized progesterone versus vaginal progesterone for luteal phase support in fresh embryo transfer cycles: a multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority trial.

STUDY QUESTION: Does oral micronized progesterone result in a non-inferior ongoing pregnancy rate compared to vaginal progesterone gel as luteal phase support (LPS) in fresh embryo transfer cycles? SUMMARY ANSWER: The ongoing pregnancy rate in the group administered oral micronized progesterone 400 mg per day was non-inferior to that in the group administered vaginal progesterone gel 90 mg per day. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: LPS is an integrated component of fresh IVF, for which an optimal treatment regimen is still lacking. The high cost and administration route of the commonly used vaginal progesterone make it less acceptable than oral micronized progesterone; however, the efficacy of oral micronized progesterone is unclear owing to concerns regarding its low bioavailability after the hepatic first pass. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This non-inferiority randomized trial was conducted in eight academic fertility centers in China from November 2018 to November 2019. The follow-up was completed in April 2021. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: A total of 1310 infertile women who underwent their first or second IVF cycles were enrolled. On the day of hCG administration, the patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups for LPS: oral micronized progesterone 400 mg/day (n = 430), oral micronized progesterone 600 mg/day (n = 440) or vaginal progesterone 90 mg/day (n = 440). LPS was started on the day of oocyte retrieval and continued till 11-12 weeks of gestation. The primary outcome was the rate of ongoing pregnancy. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: In the intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of ongoing pregnancy in the oral micronized progesterone 400 mg/day group was non-inferior to that of the vaginal progesterone gel group [35.3% versus 38.0%, absolute difference (AD): -2.6%; 95% CI: -9.0% to 3.8%, P-value for non-inferiority test: 0.010]. There was insufficient evidence to support the non-inferiority in the rate of ongoing pregnancy between the oral micronized progesterone 600 mg/day group and the vaginal progesterone gel group (31.6% versus 38.0%, AD: -6.4%; 95% CI: -12.6% to -0.1%, P-value for non-inferiority test: 0.130). In addition, we did not observe a statistically significant difference in the rate of live births between the groups. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The primary outcome of our trial was the ongoing pregnancy rate; however, the live birth rate may be of greater clinical interest. Although the results did not show a difference in the rate of live births, they should be confirmed by further trials with larger sample sizes. In addition, in this study, final oocyte maturation was triggered by hCG, and the findings may not be extrapolatable to cycles with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist triggers. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Oral micronized progesterone 400 mg/day may be an alternative to vaginal progesterone gel in patients reluctant to accept the vaginal route of administration. However, whether a higher dose of oral micronized progesterone is associated with a poorer pregnancy rate or a higher rate of preterm delivery warrants further investigation. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This research was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82071718). None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.chictr.org.cn/) with the number ChiCTR1800015958. TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE: May 2018. DATE OF FIRST PATIENT'S ENROLMENT: November 2018.

Silk fibroin scaffolds with stable silk I crystal and tunable properties.

It is crucial to develop a three-dimensional scaffold with tunable physical properties for the biomedical application of silk fibroin (SF). The crystallization of polymers dictates their bulk properties. The presence of two unique crystal types, silk I and silk II, provides a mechanism for controlling the properties of SF biomaterials. However, it remains challenging to manipulate silk I crystallization. In this study, we demonstrate the stability and tunability of SF scaffolds with silk I structure prepared by a freezing-annealing processing. The porous structure and mechanical properties of the scaffolds can be readily regulated by SF concentration. XRD results show that the typical peaks representing silk I do not shift when subjected to various post-treatments, such as ethanol soaking, heating, water vapor annealing, UV irradiation, and high-temperature/high-pressure, indicating the stability of silk I crystal type. Moreover, the crystallization kinetics can be regulated by changing annealing time. This physical process can regulate the transition from non-crystalline to silk I, in turn controlling the mechanical properties and degradation rate of the SF scaffolds. Our result show that this green, all-aqueous strategy provides new directions for the design of SF-based biomaterials with controllable properties.

The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and risk of renal impairment in patients with hypertension, a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: Association of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with renal damage is undetermined, especially in the population with hypertension, a high-risk group for chronic kidney disease. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether OSA is an independent risk factor for renal impairment in patients with hypertension, by considering the effects of gender, age, obesity and OSA severity. METHODS: The longitudinal observational study included patients with hypertension and suspected OSA without renal damage at baseline who visited Hypertension Center between January 2011 and December 2018, and followed up till renal outcomes, death, loss to follow-up, or May 31, 2022, using annual health check-ups, hospital readmission or out-patient visits. Main renal outcome was chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and/or positive proteinuria. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association, and repeated after propensity score matching. Sensitivity analysis were performed by excluding those with primary aldosteronism. RESULTS: 7961 patients with hypertension were included with 5022 ones with OSA, and 82% were followed up. During median follow-up of 3.42 years, 1486 patients developed CKD. Per 1000 person-year incidence of CKD was 56.72 in OSA group. In Cox regression analysis, OSA and severe OSA group respectively showed 1.21 (95% CI: 1.08-1.35) and 1.27 (95% CI: 1.09-1.47) fold risk for CKD in total, compared with non-OSA group. Overall results remained consistent in propensity score matching and sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: OSA is independently associated with higher risk of chronic kidney disease in hypertension.

Efficacy of atosiban for repeated implantation failure in frozen embryo transfer cycles.

Atosiban was commonly added to improve pregnancy outcomes of patients with repeated embryo implantation failure (RIF). In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of atosiban before transferring the frozen-thawed embryo to RIF patients. This retrospective study was conducted in the Hospital for Reproductive Medicine affiliated to Shandong University from August 2017 to June 2021. A total of 1774 women with a history of RIF undergoing frozen embryo transfer (FET) were included in this study. All the participants were classified into atosiban or control group: Group A included 677 patients who were administered atosiban intravenously 30 min prior to FET with a dose of 37.5 mg; Group B included 1097 patients who received no atosiban before the transfer. There were no significant differences observed in the live birth rate (LBR) (39.73% vs. 39.02%, P = 0.928) between the two groups. Other secondary outcomes including biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, clinical miscarriage rate and preterm birth rate were similar between the two groups (all P > 0.05). However, subgroup analysis demonstrated significantly higher preterm birth rates in the control group compared with the atosiban group (0 versus 3.0%, P = 0.024) in the natural FET cycles. Atosiban may not improve pregnancy outcomes of RIF patients in FET cycles. However, the effects of Atosiban on pregnancy outcomes should be assessed in clinical trials with larger sample sizes.

Metabolomics analysis of the potential mechanism of Yi-Guan-Jian decoction to reverse bone loss in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is a disease in which long-term use of glucocorticoid causes bone loss, deterioration of bone microstructure and fracture. Currently, clinical drugs targeting this disease have certain side effects. There is still a need to find effective drugs with fewer side effects. The theory of traditional Chinese medicine suggests that YGJ has therapeutic effect on GIOP, but it has not been explained. Therefore, this study aims to explore the protective effect of YGJ on GIOP mouse models and elucidate the underlying mechanism through LC-MS-based metabolomics analysis. METHODS: The general condition of 8 week age male C57BL/6J mice was recorded after 8 weeks of treatment with dexamethasone (DEX) and YGJ. Bone-related parameters and bone morphology were determined by Micro-CT. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of bone tissue. Serum levels of bone metabolism markers were detected by ELISA. Liver metabolomics analysis was conducted to search for the significant markers of anti-GIOP of YGJ and the metabolic pathway affecting it. RESULTS: After treatment, YGJ significantly reversed the weight loss caused by DEX; increase the number of bone trabecular in ROI region, significantly improve the bone-related parameters of GIOP mice, and increase the levels of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. In the study of metabolic mechanism, YGJ reversed 24 potential markers in GIOP mice. These included cortisol, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, taurine, esculin and uric acid, which are closely associated with osteoporosis. Topological analysis results showed that YGJ had the most significant effect on taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, with - log10 (P) > 2.0 and Impact > 0.4. CONCLUSIONS: Yi-Guan-Jian decoction can increase bone density and improve bone microstructure by regulating the levels of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin and reverse bone loss in GIOP mouse model. The underlying metabolic mechanism may be related to taurine and hypotaurine metabolic pathway.

Focusing through scattering media by a single polarization transmission matrix with binary polarization modulation.

Wavefront distortion induced by scattering media seriously affects optical focusing. Wavefront shaping based on a transmission matrix (TM) is useful in controlling light propagation in highly scattering media. Traditional TM generally studies amplitude and phase, but the stochastic nature of the light propagation in the scattering medium also affects its polarization. Based on the binary polarization modulation, we propose a single polarization transmission matrix (SPTM) and achieve single-spot focusing through scattering media. We anticipate that the SPTM will be widely used in wavefront shaping.

Natural silk nanofibers as building blocks for biomimetic aerogel scaffolds.

Protein nanofibers offer great promise for tissue engineering scaffolds owing to biomimetic architecture and exceptional biocompatibility. Natural silk nanofibrils (SNFs) are promising but unexplored protein nanofibers for biomedical applications. In this study, the SNF-assembled aerogel scaffolds with ECM-mimicking architecture and ultra-high porosity are developed based on a polysaccharides-assisted strategy. The SNFs exfoliated from silkworm silks can be utilized as building blocks to construct 3D nanofibrous scaffolds with tunable densities and desirable shapes on a large scale. We demonstrate that the natural polysaccharides can regulate SNF assembly through multiple binding modes, endowing the scaffolds with structural stability in water and tunable mechanical properties. As a proof of concept, the biocompatibility and biofunctionality of the chitosan-assembled SNF aerogels were investigated. The nanofibrous aerogels have excellent biocompatibility, and their biomimetic structure, ultra-high porosity, and large specific surface area endow the scaffolds with enhanced cell viability to mesenchymal stem cells. The nanofibrous aerogels were further functionalized by SNF-mediated biomineralization, demonstrating their potential as a bone-mimicking scaffold. Our results show the potential of natural nanostructured silks in the field of biomaterials and provide a feasible strategy to construct protein nanofiber scaffolds.

Non-dipping blood pressure pattern is associated with higher risk of new-onset diabetes in hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnea: UROSAH data.

Objective: Impairment of circadian blood pressure (BP) patterns has been associated with cardiovascular risks and events in individuals with hypertension and in general populations, which are more likely to be found in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of non-dipping BP pattern with new-onset diabetes in hypertensive patients with OSA, based on Urumqi Research on Sleep Apnea and Hypertension (UROSAH) data. Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study included 1841 hypertensive patients at least 18 years of age, who were diagnosed with OSA without baseline diabetes and had adequate ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) data at enrollment. The exposure of interest for the present study was the circadian BP patterns, including non-dipping and dipping BP pattern, and the study outcome was defined as the time from baseline to new-onset diabetes. The associations between circadian BP patterns and new-onset diabetes were assessed using Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Among 1841 participants (mean age: 48.8 ± 10.5 years, 69.1% male), during the total follow-up of 12172 person-years with a median follow-up of 6.9 (inter quartile range: 6.0-8.0) years, 217 participants developed new-onset diabetes with an incidence rate of 17.8 per 1000 person-years. The proportion of non-dippers and dippers at enrollment in this cohort was 58.8% and 41.2%, respectively. Non-dippers were associated with higher risk of new-onset diabetes compared with dippers (full adjusted hazard ratio [HR]=1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14-2.06, P=0.005). Multiple subgroup and sensitivity analyses yielded similar results. We further explored the association of systolic and diastolic BP patterns with new-onset diabetes separately, and found that diastolic BP non-dippers were associated with higher risk of new-onset diabetes (full adjusted HR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.12-2.10, P=0.008), whereas for systolic BP non-dippers, the association was nonsignificant after adjusted the confounding covariates (full adjusted HR=1.35, 95% CI: 0.98-1.86, P=0.070). Conclusions: Non-dipping BP pattern is associated with an approximately 1.5-fold higher risk of new-onset diabetes in hypertensive patients with OSA, suggesting that non-dipping BP pattern may be an important clinical implication for the early prevention of diabetes in hypertensive patients with OSA.

Effects of Zishen Yutai Pills on in vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer Outcomes in Patients with Diminished Ovarian Reserve: A Prospective, Open-Labeled, Randomized and Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of Zishen Yutai Pills (ZYPs) on the quality of oocytes and embryos, as well as pregnancy outcomes in patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) receiving in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). The possible mechanisms, involving the regulation of bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), were also investigated. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with DOR who underwent their IVF-ET cycle were randomly allocated to 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. The patients in the treatment group (60 cases) received ZYPs from the mid-luteal phase of the former menstrual cycle by using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol. The patients in the control group (60 cases) received the same protocol but without ZYPs. The primary outcomes were the number of oocytes retrieved and high-quality embryos. Secondary outcomes included other oocyte or embryo indices as well as pregnancy outcomes. Adverse events were assessed by comparison of the incidence of ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy complications, pregnancy loss, and preterm birth. Contents of BMP15 and GDF9 in the follicle fluids (FF) were also quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the numbers of oocytes retrieved and high-quality embryos were significantly increased in the ZYPs group (both P<0.05). After treatment with ZYPs, a significant regulation of serum sex hormones was observed, including progesterone and estradiol. Both hormones were up-regulated compared with the control group (P=0.014 and 0.008), respectively. No significant differences were observed with regard to pregnancy outcomes including implantation rates, biochemical pregnancy rates, clinical pregnancy rates, live birth rates, and pregnancy loss rates (all P>0.05). The administration of ZYPs did not increase the incidence of adverse events. The expressions of BMP15 and GDF9 in the ZYPs group were significantly up-regulated compared with the control group (both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ZYPs exhibited beneficial effects in DOR patients undergoing IVF-ET, resulting in increments of oocytes and embryos, and up-regulation of BMP15 and GDF9 expressions in the FF. However, the effects of ZYPs on pregnancy outcomes should be assessed in clinical trials with larger sample sizes (Trial reqistration No. ChiCTR2100048441).

Acquired reactive perforating collagenosis combined with MRSA: A case report.

Acquired reactive perforating collagenosis (ARPC) is a rare chronic skin disease associated with various internal diseases, particularly diabetes and chronic renal failure. The present study describes the case of a patient with ARPC combined with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in an aim to broaden the current understanding of ARPC. A 75-year-old female presented with a 5-year history of pruritus and ulcerative eruptions on the trunk of her body, which became more severe within 1 year. A cutaneous examination revealed a diffuse distribution of erythema and papules, and nodules of various sizes, some of which sagged at the center and had a dark brown crust. A histopathological analysis revealed typical perforations of the collagen fibers. The patient was initially treated with topical corticosteroids and oral antihistamines for skin lesions and pruritus. Medications for glucose control were also administered. Upon the second admission, a combination of antibiotics and acitretin was added. The keratin plug shrank, and the pruritus was relieved. To date, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of concurrent ARPC and MRSA.

An ionic/thermal-responsive agar/alginate wet-spun microfiber-shaped hydrogel combined with grooved/wrinkled surface patterns and multi-functions.

A dual stimuli-responsive wet-spun microfiber-shaped hydrogel is prepared by injecting a hot blend of two stimuli biopolymers alginate (i.e., ionic-responsive) and agar (i.e., temperature-responsive) into a pre-cooling and metal cation containing coagulation bath. Experimental results indicate the fiber microstructure could be manipulated by the extrusion rate and cooling temperature, achieving an anisotropic shrinkage characteristic and novel grooved/wrinkled surface patterns. Importantly, the integration of metal cations (e.g., Ca2+and/or Zn2+) was confirmed to significantly improve the hydrogel mechanical properties (i.e., double networks) and enhanced blue fluorescent intensity as a typical metal-polymer complexation formed within the agar gel matrix. Moreover, the functionality-independent double networks enabled typical pH-shape memory and sustainable antibacterial properties have also been demonstrated. Therefore, combing the facile fabricating approach and multifunctionality, this study would advance the development of stimuli-responsive hydrogel microfiber for complex biomedical systems.

Ionic crosslinking of alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan fluorescent hydrogel for bacterial detection and sterilization.

Herein, a polysaccharide-based fluorescent hydrogel with multi-responsiveness simply implemented by concurrent effects of ionic crosslinking/rehydration processes is presented. Specifically, the alginate and carboxymethyl chitosan are chosen to prepare the interpenetrating polymer matrix while a pair of metal cations has been selectively sequentially integrated to alter hydrogel mechanical and fluorescent properties. Experimental results indicate the hydrogels show tunable fluorescent emission in response to multiple cations and pH conditions, and display a reversible "ON/OFF" fluorescent response to Mn+/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Moreover, this synergistic ionic crosslinking strategy is proved to be highly effective in preparing multifunctional metallohydrogels possessing robust/anisotropic mechanical properties, typical shape memory and cation/pH-responsive fluorescence performance, and a proof-of-application for bacterial detection and sterilization has also been demonstrated. Therefore, we believe this study would provide new insights into multifunctional luminescent hydrogels for advanced biomedical systems.

Fast and Effective: A Novel Sequential Single-Path Search for Mixed-Precision-Quantized Networks.

Model quantization can reduce the model size and computational latency, it has been successfully applied for many applications of mobile phones, embedded devices, and smart chips. Mixed-precision quantization models can match different bit precision according to the sensitivity of different layers to achieve great performance. However, it is difficult to quickly determine the quantization bit precision of each layer in deep neural networks under some constraints (for example, hardware resources, energy consumption, model size, and computational latency). In this article, a novel sequential single-path search (SSPS) method for mixed-precision model quantization is proposed, in which some given constraints are introduced to guide the searching process. A single-path search cell is proposed to combine a fully differentiable supernet, which can be optimized by gradient-based algorithms. Moreover, we sequentially determine the candidate precisions according to the selection certainties to exponentially reduce the search space and speed up the convergence of the searching process. Experiments show that our method can efficiently search the mixed-precision models for different architectures (for example, ResNet-20, 18, 34, 50, and MobileNet-V2) and datasets (for example, CIFAR-10, ImageNet, and COCO) under given constraints, and our experimental results verify that SSPS significantly outperforms their uniform-precision counterparts.