A WeChat-based nursing intervention program improves the postoperative rehabilitation of breast cancer patients: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In postoperative setting, breast cancer (BC) patients can experience adverse effects, including fatigue, sleep disorders, and pain, which substantially affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study sought to assess the effectiveness of a WeChat-based multimodal nursing program (WCBMNP) that was specifically designed for the rehabilitation of women following BC surgery. Methods: BC patients were randomly, single-blinded allocated to either the intervention (n=62) or control (n=63) cohorts. Over a period of 6 months (24 weeks), the intervention cohort received a WCBMNP in addition to routine nursing care, while the control cohort received routine nursing care only. To evaluate patients' fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), their overall fear score was assessed using the Japanese version of the Concerns About Recurrence Scale (CARS-J) for primary outcome. The initial outcome (HRQoL) and secondary results, such as fatigue, sleep, and pain, were examined using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B, version 4.0) and Nursing Rating Scale (NRS), respectively. Results: Two hundred and ten participants, 85 participants were excluded. Compared to the controls (n=63), the intervention cohort (n=62) showed statistically significant improvements in their CARS-J scores. The intervention cohort aggregate scores on the FACT-B improved significantly but were affected by the compounding influences of cohort dynamics, temporal progression, and their interaction. Similar improvements were observed in the social/family and functional well-being domains. Emotional well-being was improved based on the effects of time and group-time interaction. In the intervention cohort, the "BC-specific subscale for additional concerns" was affected by group and time, whereas physical well-being was only affected by time. Conversely, there were no statistically significant changes in the variables of fatigue, sleep, and pain. Conclusions: The WCBMNP reduced FCR and significantly increased the HRQoL of female patients with BC postoperatively. The WCBMNP could be implemented as a postoperative rehabilitation intervention in this patient population to improve outcomes. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2400081557).

Early cumulus cell removal increases cumulative live birth rate while having no negative effect on the malformation rate in in vitro fertilization: a propensity score-matched cohort study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of early cumulus cell removal (ECCR) during human in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed between January 2011 and December 2019. The study enrolled 1131 couples who underwent IVF treatment with ECCR. After propensity score matching at a 1:1 ratio, 1131 couples who underwent overnight coincubation of gametes were selected. The main outcome measure was the cumulative live birth rate. Secondary outcome measures included the cumulative pregnancy rate, polyspermy rate, available embryo rate, miscarriage rate, malformation rate, time to live birth, and oocyte-to-baby rate. RESULTS: There were no significant differences found between the two groups in the polyspermy rate, available embryo rate, miscarriage rate, time to live birth, oocyte-to-baby rate, and neonatal congenital anomalies rate. The results of the study showed that ECCR was associated with a significantly higher cumulative live birth rate and cumulative pregnancy rate, along with a significantly lower fertilization rate. CONCLUSIONS: ECCR tended to confer increased cumulative live birth rate and had no negative effect on the neonatal malformation rate.

Perioperative nursing care speed up recover of a male patient after bilateral endoscopic mastectomy: a case report.

Background: Gynecomastia (GYN) is mainly caused by the benign proliferation of mammary glands and adipose tissue. Currently, up to 38% of adult males have GYN. GYN can be caused by systemic diseases, obesity, endocrine disorders (such as liver cirrhosis, which impairs estrogen inactivation), malignant tumors, and medications. Surgical intervention is required after 12 months pharmacological treatment of GYN was no response who have endocrine disorder, or due to psychological and physiological factors, young patients have a higher demand for surgical intervention. Recent advances in minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, with the advantage of rapid rehabilitation, have markedly improved the surgical management of GYN. Case Description: In November 2021, we admitted a young patient with bilateral GYN whose problem began several years prior and for which he sought surgical intervention. After comprehensive evaluation and psychological consultation, he underwent surgical treatment. The present case report summarizes our experience in nursing this patient. Conclusions: Perioperative nursing care is essential in the management of patients undergoing endoscopic surgical treatment for GYN. The nursing team must be knowledgeable about the procedure, assess and manage the patient's pain, monitor vital signs, prevent infections, and provide emotional support to the patient. With proper nursing care, patients can recover smoothly and quickly after endoscopic surgical treatment of GYN.

Artificial oocyte activation with Ca2+ ionophore improves reproductive outcomes in patients with fertilization failure and poor embryo development in previous ICSI cycles.

Research question: Does artificial oocyte activation (AOA) by a calcium ionophore (ionomycin) improve the previous fertilization failure or poor embryo development of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) account for male factor infertility or other infertility causes? Design: This retrospective study involved 114 patients receiving ICSI-AOA in Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital with previous ICSI fertilization failure or poor embryo development. The previous ICSI cycles of the same patients without AOA served as the control group. The fertilization rates, cleavage rates, transferable embryo rates and blastocyst formation rates of the two groups were compared. Additionally, the clinical pregnancy, implantation rate and live birth rates were also compared to assess the efficiency and safety of AOA. Furthermore, two subgroup analyses were performed in this study based on the cause of infertility and the reason for AOA. The fertilization rate, embryonic development potential and clinical outcome were compared among groups. Results: Among 114 ICSI-AOA cycles, the fertilization rate, top-quality embryo rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy per patient and live birth rate per patient were improved significantly compared with previous ICSI cycles (p<0.05 to P< 0.001), and the miscarriage rate in the AOA group was significantly lower than that of the control group (p<0.001). In the AOA subgroups based on the cause of infertility, the fertilization rates of each subgroup were significantly improved compared with previous control cycles except for the mixed factor infertility subgroup (p<0.05 to p<0.001). In the AOA subgroups based on the reason for AOA, the fertilization rates of each subgroup were significantly increased compared with those in their previous ICSI cycle without AOA (p<0.001); however, there was no significant difference in the top-quality embryo rate. No significant improvement was found in the implantation rates and the clinical pregnancy rate in each subgroup except for the poor embryo development subgroup. In the 114 AOA cycles, 35 healthy infants (21 singletons and 7 twins) were delivered without major congenital birth defects or malformations. Conclusion: This study showed that AOA with the calcium ionophore ionomycin can improve the reproductive outcomes of patients with previous fertilization failure and poor embryo development after ICSI.

The Effects of Selenium Supplementation in the Treatment of Autoimmune Thyroiditis: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.

OBJECTIVE: The available evidence on selenium supplementation in the treatment of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) was inconclusive. This research serves to assess the effects of selenium supplementation in the treatment of AIT. METHODS: Online databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to 10 June 2022. The AMSTAR-2 tool was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. The information on the randomized controlled trials of the included studies was extracted and synthesized. The GRADE system was used to assess the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: A total of 6 systematic reviews with 75 RCTs were included. Only one study was rated as high quality. The meta-analysis showed that in the levothyroxine (LT4)-treated population, thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) levels decreased significantly in the selenium group at 3 months (SMD = -0.53, 95% CI: [-0.89, -0.17], p < 0.05, very low certainty) and 6 months (SMD = -1.95, 95% CI: [-3.17, -0.74], p < 0.05, very low certainty) and that thyroglobulin antibody (Tg-Ab) levels were not decreased. In the non-LT4-treated population, TPO-Ab levels decreased significantly in the selenium group at 3 and 6 months and did not decrease at 12 months. Tg-Ab levels decreased significantly in the selenium group at 3 and 6 months and did not decrease at 12 months. The adverse effects reported in the selenium group were not significantly different from those in the control group, and the certainty of evidence was low. CONCLUSION: Although selenium supplementation might reduce TPO-Ab levels at 3 and 6 months and Tg-Ab levels at 3 and 6 months in the non-LT4-treated population, this was based on a low certainty of evidence.

P T symmetry in a superconducting hybrid quantum system with longitudinal coupling.

We propose a scheme consisting of coupled nanomechanical cantilever resonators and superconducting flux qubits to engineer a parity-time- (P T-) symmetric phononic system formed by active and passive modes. The effective gain (loss) of the phonon mode is achieved by the longitudinal coupling of the resonator and the fast dissipative superconducting qubit with a blue-sideband driving (red-sideband driving). A P T-symmetric to broken-P T-symmetric phase transition can be observed in both balanced gain-to-loss and unbalanced gain-to-loss cases. Applying a resonant weak probe field to the dissipative resonator, we find that (i) for balanced gain and loss, the acoustic signal absorption to amplification can be tuned by changing the coupling strength between resonators; (ii) for unbalanced gain and loss, both acoustically induced transparency and anomalous dispersion can be observed around Δ = 0, where the maximum group delay is also located at this point. Our work provides an experimentally feasible scheme to design P T-symmetric phononic systems and a powerful platform for controllable acoustic signal transmission in a hybrid quantum system.

[Application of TG/HDL-C Combined with Liver Function Indexes to Predict Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease].

Objective: To study the application of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) combined with liver function indexes to predict metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Methods: A total of 2971 outpatients diagnosed with MAFLD and 2794 healthy controls were enrolled, and their relevant data were collected. Two-sample Mann-Whitney U test and binary logistic regression analysis were conducted to study the relationship between TG/HDL-C and MAFLD and to construct combined diagnosis models of MAFLD. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to pick out the optimal model. Results: The TG/HDL-C of MAFLD patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, uric acid and creatinine, the odds ratio of TG/HDL-C was 2.356 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.028-5.400). Therefore, TG/HDL-C was an independent risk factor for MAFLD. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of using TG/HDL-C to predict MAFLD was 0.795 (95% CI: 0.784-0.807), and when the cut-off value was 1.09, the sensitivity was 0.679 and the specificity was 0.755. The AUC of the diagnosis model established by a combined use of TG/HDL-C, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and albumin (ALB) was 0.890 (95% CI: 0.882-0.898), and when the cut-off value was 0.47, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.792 and 0.839, respectively. Conclusion: TG/HDL-C is an independent risk factor for MAFLD. TG/HDL-C can well predict MAFLD when it is used in combination with ALT, AST, and ALB.

Significant enhancement of scintillation performance by inducing oxygen vacancies in alkali metal ion (A+ = Li+, Na+, K+)-incorporated (Lu, Sc)BO3:Ce.

The incorporation of Sc3+ can stabilize calcite-phase LuBO3:Ce3+ to grow large-sized single crystals but leads to the significant degradation of scintillation performance. In the present work, alkali metal ion (A+ = Li+, Na+, K+)-incorporated (Lu, A, Sc)BO3:Ce was rapidly synthesized in batches via a high-throughput sol-gel method. The aliovalent substitution of Lu3+ with A+ is balanced by the generation of oxygen vacancies by forming complexes. Thanks to the increased oxygen vacancies, the luminescence and XEL intensity of (Lu, Li, Sc)BO3:Ce are significantly enhanced by 2.2 times and 1.9 times, respectively. Further, the incorporation of A+ is attributed to the improved transition efficiency of charge carriers. The prepared scintillation screen fabricated with LASBO:Ce and PMMA shows that the spatial resolution can reach 8.6 lp mm-1, indicating its potential application in efficient and low-cost non-destructive X-ray detection. This work is of great significance in improving the luminescence and scintillation performance of (Lu, Sc)BO3:Ce single crystals and thin films and their application in the scintillation field.

Obstetric and neonatal outcomes after frozen-thawed embryos transfer with laser-assisted hatching: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: To ascertain if assisted hatching (AH) increases the risk of placenta-associated diseases and perinatal outcomes after frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryo transfer. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 924 women who conceived with frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryos transfer with (n = 390) or without (n = 534) laser-AH between 2013 and 2015. Data were obtained from the database on in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients in Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital. We assessed neonatal (preterm birth, low birthweight, fetal macrosomia, stillbirth) and obstetric (miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, post-term pregnancy, gestational diabetes (GDM), preeclampsia, intrahepatic cholestasis (ICP), placenta previa, placental abruption, premature rupture of membranes) outcomes. RESULTS: In twins, the median birthweight was lower in the AH group than that in the control group, and the prevalence of low birthweight (< 2500 g) was significantly higher in the AH group; after adjusting for maternal age, body mass index, mode of fertilization, and parity, no significant difference was found. In twins, no significant difference was detected in the prevalence of stillbirth or preterm pregnancy. In singleton births, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of low birthweight, macrosomia, preterm pregnancy or post-term pregnancy between the two groups. In singletons and twins, there were no significant differences in the prevalence of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, preeclampsia, GDM, ICP, or placenta abruption between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: AH is a relatively safe method and our study provides important information for using this method in carefully selected patients.

Evaluation of the diagnostic utility of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in chronic alcoholism: Results from Southwest China.

ABSTRACT: Although recent gathered evidence indicates that obtaining the diagnostic value of serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin might be more useful for identifying alcohol abuse than other widely available biochemical tests; however, its precise value as an indicator of chronic alcoholism is unclear. The main objective is to investigate the diagnostic significance of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in chronic alcoholism in the Chinese population.In this study, we enrolled (1) 52 physically healthy subjects, (2) 20 patients with nonalcoholic liver disease, and (3) 70 alcoholics. Patients with liver injuries and a history of liver surgery were excluded. Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and mean corpuscular volume were determined by standard biochemical assays, and serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin was estimated in each group using capillary electrophoresis. Subsequently, the diagnostic value of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in chronic alcoholism was determined based on differences between each indicator among the three groups.The CDT level in the alcoholic group was significantly higher than that of the non-alcoholic liver disease and healthy control groups (P < .05). The area under the curve for alcoholism diagnosis was the highest for CDT, at 0.922, whereas those for gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and mean corpuscular volume were 0.860, 0.744, 0.615, and 0.754, respectively. When the cutoff value of CDT was set at 1.25%, the sensitivity and specificity were 85.5% and 89.6%, respectively. However, the correlation between CDT and daily alcohol consumption was weak (r = 0.175; P = .16).Compared with the other parameters evaluated, CDT was a better indicator of alcoholism. It should, therefore, be actively promoted in clinical practice. However, the correlation between CDT and daily alcohol consumption needs further evaluation.

Effect of probiotics on the intestinal microbiota of hemodialysis patients: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal dysbiosis contributes to the progression of renal failure and cardiovascular diseases in patients with chronic kidney disease. Probiotics is a promising intervention to improving intestinal dysbiosis. A double-blind clinical trial to investigate the ability of probiotics to modulate gut microbiota compositions in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) was undertaken. METHODS: Fifty HD patients were enrolled and randomized, receiving either probiotics or placebo for 6 months. The responses to the interventions on gut microbiome, serum and fecal metabolome, serum albumin and endotoxin, endothelial activation markers and inflammatory markers were assessed. RESULTS: Totally, 22 in the probiotics group (11 males; 14 non-diabetic) and 23 in the placebo group (13 males; 17 non-diabetic) completed the study. Compared to that in the placebo group, probiotics did not significantly alter species diversity of the fecal microbiome. Probiotics did, however, restore the community composition, with particular significance in non-diabetic HD patients (P = 0.007 by Adonis analysis). Specifically, according to the results of linear discriminate analysis effect size, probiotics raised the proportions of family Bacteroidaceae and Enterococcaceae, and reduced Ruminococcaceae, Halomonadaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Clostridiales Family XIII. Incertae Sedis and Erysipelotrichaceae in non-diabetic HD patients. Additionally, probiotics reduced the abundances of several uremic retention solutes in serum or feces, including indole-3-acetic acid-O-glucuronide, 3-guanidinopropionic acid, and 1-methylinosine (P < 0.05). In the probiotic arm, no significant changes were observed in other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, outcomes from this study suggest that probiotics do have benefits on improving intestinal imbalances and lowering exposure to several uremic toxins in HD patients.

[Minimal invasive microscopic tooth preparation based on endodontic, periodontal and functional health].

Tooth preparation is the primary and core operation technique for dental esthetic restoration treatment, due to its effect of providing restoration space, bonding interfaces and marginal lines for dental rehabilitation after tooth tissue reduction. The concept of microscopic minimal invasive dentistry put forward the issue of conducting high-quality tooth preparation, conserve tooth-structure, protect vital pulp and periodontal tissue simultaneously. This study reviewed the concepts, physiology background, design and minimal invasive microscopic tooth preparation, and in the meantime, individualized strategies and the two core elements of tooth preparation (quantity and shape) are listed.

Efficacy of pirfenidone for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis: An updated systematic review protocol of randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: This study will systematically assess the efficacy and safety of pirfenidone for the treatment of patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF). METHODS: We will search potential records from following literature sources from their inceptions to the present without language, and publication status limitations: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PUBMED, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. In addition, we also search grey literature sources, such as dissertations, conference proceedings, as well as the reference lists of included studies. All randomized controlled trials related to the pirfenidone for treating PF will be included. All the process of study selection, data extraction, and methodological evaluation will be carried out by 2 authors independently. The primary outcome comprises of all-cause-mortality, and lung function status, as measured by forced vital capacity. The secondary outcomes consist of 6-minute walk distance, progression-free survival, dyspnea, acute exacerbation, quality of life, and adverse events. Whenever possible, all results data will be pooled and meta-analysis will be performed. RESULTS: This study will systematically assess the efficacy and safety of pirfenidone for the treatment of patients with PF. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study will summarize most recent evidence of pirfenidone for PF. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No individual data will be analyzed in this study, thus, no research ethics approval is required in this study. The findings of this study are expected to be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentations. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019126958.

Establishment of a Model of Microencapsulated SGC7901 Human Gastric Carcinoma Cells Cocultured with Tumor-Associated Macrophages.

The important factors of poor survival of gastric cancer (GC) are relapse and metastasis. For further elucidation of the mechanism, a culture system mimicking the microenvironment of the tumor in humans was needed. We established a model of microencapsulated SGC7901 human GC cells and evaluated the effects of coculturing spheres with tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). SGC7901 cells were encapsulated in alginate-polylysine-sodium alginate (APA) microcapsules using an electrostatic droplet generator. MTT assays showed that the numbers of microencapsulated cells were the highest after culturing for 14 days. Metabolic curves showed consumption of glucose and production of lactic acid by day 20. Immunocytochemistry confirmed that Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) were expressed in microencapsulated SGC7901 cells on days 7 and 14. The expression of PCNA was observed outside spheroids; however, VEGF was found in the entire spheroids. PCNA and VEGF were increased after being cocultured with TAMs. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expressions were detected in the supernatant of microencapsulated cells cocultured with TAMs but not in microencapsulated cells. Our study confirms the successful establishment of the microencapsulated GC cells. TAMs can promote PCNA, VEGF, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expressions of the GC cells.

The prevalence change of hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia and the effectiveness of yearly physical examinations: an eight-year study in Southwest China.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence changes of hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia from 2009 to 2016 and the effectiveness of yearly physical examinations to hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia prevention in Chengdu. METHODS: A total of 794 residents (499 males) who have undergone annual health check-ups for 8 consecutive years (from 2009 to 2016) in Chengdu, a city in southwest China were selected as the follow-up group, 7226 residents in 2009 and 75,068 residents in 2016 who underwent health examinations in the same hospital were chosen to be the contemporary control group. The concentration of fasting serum triglyceride(TG), total cholesterol(TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and glucose were measured and compared among these groups. RESULTS: There was a clear rise in the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia from 2009 to 2016 (p < 0.05). The follow-up group didn't show difference in levels of serum lipids and glucose compared with the general population after an 8-years' consecutive physical examination (p > 0.05), the follow-up cohort in the 8th year exhibited significant increases in serum total cholesterol and glucose compared with the 1st year (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia were increased significantly from 2009 to 2016. Annual physical examination didn't show a positive effect in the prevention of hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia. Health education should be improved to ensure the fulfillment of the preventive objective of yearly physical examination.

Genomic variability and molecular evolution of Asian isolates of sugarcane streak mosaic virus.

Sugarcane streak mosaic virus (SCSMV), an economically important causal agent of mosaic disease of sugarcane, is a member of the newly created genus Poacevirus in the family Potyviridae. In this study, we report the molecular characterization of three new SCSMV isolates from China (YN-YZ211 and HN-YZ49) and Myanmar (MYA-Formosa) and their genetic variation and phylogenetic relationship to SCSMV isolates from Asia and the type members of the family Potyviridae. The complete genome of each of the three isolates was determined to be 9781 nucleotides (nt) in size, excluding the 3' poly(A) tail. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete polyprotein amino acid (aa) sequences (3130 aa) revealed that all SCSMV isolates clustered into a phylogroup specific to the genus Poacevirus and formed two distinct clades designated as group I and group II. Isolates YN-YZ211, HN-YZ49 and MYA-Formosa clustered into group I, sharing 96.8-99.5 % and 98.9-99.6 % nt (at the complete genomic level) and aa (at the polyprotein level) identity, respectively, among themselves and 81.2-98.8 % and 94.0-99.6 % nt (at the complete genomic level) and aa (at the polyprotein level) identity, respectively, with the corresponding sequences of seven Asian SCSMV isolates. Population genetic analysis revealed greater between-group (0.190 ± 0.004) than within-group (group I = 0.025 ± 0.001 and group II = 0.071 ± 0.003) evolutionary divergence values, further supporting the results of the phylogenetic analysis. Further analysis indicated that natural selection might have contributed to the evolution of isolates belonging to the two identified SCSMV clades, with infrequent genetic exchanges occurring between them over time. These findings provide a comprehensive analysis of the population genetic structure and driving forces for the evolution of SCSMV with implications for global exchange of sugarcane germplasm.

Follicular hyperandrogenism downregulates aromatase in luteinized granulosa cells in polycystic ovary syndrome women.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing IVF-embryo transfer based-assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment show variable ovarian responses to exogenous FSH administration. For better understanding and control of PCOS ovarian responses in ART, the present study was carried out to compare the follicular hormones and the expression of granulosa cell genes between PCOS and non-PCOS women during ART treatment as well as their IVF outcomes. Overall, 138 PCOS and 78 non-PCOS women were recruited for the present study. Follicular fluid collected from PCOS women showed high levels of testosterone. The expression of aromatase was found significantly reduced in luteinized granulosa cells from PCOS women. In cultured luteinized granulosa cells isolated from non-PCOS women, their exposure to testosterone at a level that was observed in PCOS follicles could decrease both mRNA and protein levels of aromatase in vitro. The inhibitory effect of testosterone was abolished by androgen receptor antagonist, flutamide. These results suggest that the hyperandrogenic follicular environment may be a key hazardous factor leading to the down-regulation of aromatase in PCOS.

Brain protection conferred by long-term administration of 2-(2-benzofuranyl)-2-imidazoline against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Our previous studies showed that 2-(2-benzofuranyl)-2-imidazoline (2-BFI), a ligand to type 2 imidazoline receptor, was protective against brain and spinal cord injury caused by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In the present study, we investigated the effect of long-term administration of 2-BFI and the dose-dependent response relationship of long-term administration of 2-BFI with neuroprotection. Treatment with 2-BFI at doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg for 14 days significantly reduced hind limb paralysis and the severity of EAE compared with the EAE control group. Long-term use of 2-BFI was not only safe to mice, but also dose-dependently reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, Interferon-γ and Interleukin-17A, compared with the EAE control group. Expressions of neuronal injury markers, including cytochrome c, AIF and ß-APP, were also reduced significantly in response to long-term 2-BFI treatment. Together, these results provided new evidence to demonstrate that 2-BFI is a safe and effective candidate for further development as a therapeutic drug for treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Idazoxan reduces blood-brain barrier damage during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mouse.

We have previously shown that Idazoxan (IDA), an imidazoline 2 receptor ligand, is neuroprotective against spinal cord injury caused by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mouse, an animal modal of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the protective mechanism remains unclear. Here, we provided evidence to show that IDA confers neuroprotection through reduction in blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage. EAE was induced by immunizing C57 BL/6 mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein35-55 amino acid peptide (MOG35-55). IDA was administrated for 14 days after MOG immunization at 2 mg/kg (i.p., bid). Significant reduction in BBB damage occurred in the IDA-treated group of mice compared with the saline-treated group, as evidenced by the reduction in Evan׳s blue content in the brain tissue and the reduced BBB tight junction damage viewed under a transmission electron microscope. Moreover, EAE-induced reductions in tight junction proteins (JAM-1, Occludin, Claudin-5 and ZO-1) were also significantly ameliorated in IDA-treated mice, all of which supported the notion that IDA reduced BBB damage. Interestingly, the expression levels of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the ratio of MMP-9 against tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), which is known to be associated with MS-induced BBB damage, were significantly reduced in IDA-treated group, lending further support to the hypothesis that IDA confers brain protection through reducing BBB damage. This study raised a possibility that IDA is a promising pro-drug for development against MS.

Decidual stromal cells recruit Th17 cells into decidua to promote proliferation and invasion of human trophoblast cells by secreting IL-17.

T helper 17 (Th17) cells have both regulatory and protective roles in physiological conditions. The Th17 subset and the cytokine interleukin-17A (IL-17A) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of certain autoimmune diseases, several types of cancer and allograft rejection. However, the role of Th17 cells at the maternal/fetal interface remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Th17 cells are present in decidua and are increased in the peripheral blood of 10 clinically normal pregnancies based on intracellular cytokine analysis. Our results suggest a potential role of Th17 cells in sustaining pregnancy in humans. Furthermore, we demonstrate that decidual stromal cells (DSCs) but not trophoblast cells recruit peripheral Th17 cells into the decidua by secreting CCL2. The recruited Th17 cells promote proliferation and invasion and inhibit the apoptosis of human trophoblast cells by secreting IL-17 during the first trimester of pregnancy. These findings indicate a novel role for Th17 cells in controlling the maternal-fetal relationship and placenta development.