Sinapic acid modulates oxidative stress and metabolic disturbances to attenuate ovarian fibrosis in letrozole-induced polycystic ovary syndrome SD rats.

Sinapic acid (SA) is renowned for its many pharmacological activities as a polyphenolic compound. The cause of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a commonly encountered array of metabolic and hormonal abnormalities in females, has yet to be determined. The present experiment was performed to evaluate the antifibrotic properties of SA in rats with letrozole-induced PCOS-related ovarian fibrosis. SA treatment successfully mitigated the changes induced by letrozole in body weight (BW) (p < .01) and relative ovary weight (p < .05). Histological observation revealed that SA reduced the number of atretic and cystic follicles (AFs) and (CFs) (p < .01), as well as ovarian fibrosis, in PCOS rats. Additionally, SA treatment impacted the serum levels of sex hormones in PCOS rats. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) levels were decreased (p < .01, p < .05), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were increased (p < .05). SA administration also decreased triglyceride (TG) (p < .01) and total cholesterol (TC) levels (p < .05) and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (p < .01), thereby alleviating letrozole-induced metabolic dysfunction in PCOS rats. Furthermore, SA treatment targeted insulin resistance (IR) and increased the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of antioxidant enzymes in the ovaries of PCOS rats. Finally, SA treatment enhanced the activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), reduced the activation of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1)/Smads, and decreased collagen I, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) levels in the ovaries of PCOS rats. These observations suggest that SA significantly ameliorates metabolic dysfunction and oxidative stress and ultimately reduces ovarian fibrosis in rats with letrozole-induced PCOS.

Irpex lacteus polysaccharide exhibits therapeutic potential for ovarian fibrosis in PCOS rats via the TGF-ß1/smad pathway.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the commonest endocrinopathies in childbearing women. The research was conducted to assess the impact of Irpex lacteus polysaccharide (ILP, 1000 mg/kg) on the letrozole (1 mg/kg)-induced PCOS model in female rats. Metformin (Met, 265 mg/kg) as the positive control. The study suggested that ILP restored the estrous cycle in rats with PCOS as well as lowered relative ovarian weight and body weight, in comparison to normal. Rats with PCOS showed improvement in ovarian structure and fibrosis when given ILP. ILP decreased the testosterone (T), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), luteinizing hormone (LH), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and insulin (INS) levels and elevated the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen (E2) levels in PCOS rats. In addition, ILP increased the content of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum and the antioxidant enzymes (Prdx3, Sod1, Gsr, Gsta4, Mgst1, Gpx3, Sod2 and Cat) expression levels in the ovaries and decreased the serum expression of malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, ILP treatment slowed down the process of the fibrosis-associated TGF-ß1/Smad pathway and downregulated α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) levels in PCOS rats ovaries. According to these findings, ILP may be able to treat letrozole-induced PCOS in rats by ameliorating metabolic disturbances, sex hormone levels, oxidative stress, and ovarian fibrosis.

Engineering Microdomains of Oxides in High-Entropy Alloy Electrodes toward Efficient Oxygen Evolution.

One important goal of the current electrocatalysis is to develop integrated electrodes from the atomic level design to multilevel structural engineering in simple ways and low prices. Here, a series of oxygen micro-alloyed high-entropy alloys (O-HEAs) is developed via a metallurgy approach. A (CrFeCoNi)97 O3 bulk O-HEA shows exceptional electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), reaching an overpotential as low as 196 mV and a Tafel slope of 29 mV dec-1 , and with stability longer than 120 h in 1 m KOH solution at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 . It is shown that the enhanced OER performance can be attributed to the formation of island-like Cr2 O3 microdomains, the leaching of Cr3+ ions, and structural amorphization at the interfaces of the domains. These findings offer a technological-orientated strategy to integrated electrodes.

Anatomic relationship of the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery in Chinese people.

BACKGROUND: Variations in position and relationship between the internal jugular vein (IJV) and the common carotid artery (CCA) may lead to inadvertent artery puncture which could be disastrous during central venous access. We demonstrated the anatomic relationship of the IJV with CCA in order to find the optimal site and avoid damage of CCA. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty surgical patients were enrolled. We analyzed the distance and relationship between the IJV and CCA at three cross sections (upper border of the thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage and second tracheal ring) by ultrasonography and then measured the diameters of the IJV and CCA and the distances from the IJV and CCA to the skin. RESULTS: Twenty patients were excluded on the basis of exclusion criteria. From up to down at bilateral neck, the IJV became gradually more superficial while the CCA became deeper. The diameter of the IJV became gradually larger while that of the CCA gradually smaller. The IJV from lateral to the CCA gradually moved to the front of the CCA, so the percent overlap of the IJV and CCA was gradually increased. Compared with the left side at the same transverse scan level, the distance between the CCA and IJV was wider at the right side and the right IJV was wider. The IJV location in 11 patients was medial to the CCA at one or more transverse scan levels. The angle between the IJV and CCA was significantly small in elderly patients. The CCA had already furcated at the level of the upper border of the thyroid cartilage in seven patients at the right side and in 12 patients at the left side. CONCLUSIONS: There are variations in the position and relationship between the IJV and CCA. It is relatively more difficult to puncture at the left side of the neck, at a lower position or in elderly patients. On the contrary, it is relatively easier to puncture at the right side, at the level of the cricoid cartilage or in younger patients.