Associations of weight-adjusted-waist index and depression with secondary infertility.

Background: Obesity and psychological factors were identified as risk factors for female infertility. The study investigated the correlation between WWI, depression, and secondary infertility, focusing on the potential mediating role of depression. Methods: According to the data from NHANES, this cross-sectional study used multiple regression analysis, subgroup analysis, and smooth curve fitting to explore the relationship between WWI, depression, and secondary infertility. The diagnostic ability of WWI was evaluated and compared to other obesity indicators using the ROC curve. The mediating effect test adopted the distribution of the product. Results: This study involved 2778 participants, including 381 (13.7%) women with secondary infertility. Results showed that higher WWI (OR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.11-1.56) and depression scores (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06) were associated with secondary infertility. There was a positive correlation between WWI and secondary infertility (nonlinear p = 0.8272) and this association was still consistent in subgroups (all P for interaction> 0.05). Compared with other obesity indicators, WWI (AUC = 0.588) also shows good predictive performance for secondary infertility. Mediation analysis showed that depression mediated the relationship between 3.94% of WWI and secondary infertility, with a confidence interval of Za * Zb excluding 0. Conclusion: WWI exhibited a relatively good correlation in predicting secondary infertility than other obesity indicators, and depression may be a mediator between WWI and secondary infertility. Focusing on the potential mediating role of depression, the risk of secondary infertility due to obesity may be beneficially reduced in women.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus-Induced Changes in Proteomes and Glycated/Glycosylated Proteomes of Human Colostrum.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) not only has a bad effect on the development of infants but also causes variations in breastmilk composition. This study aims to investigate the changes in the protein profile of colostrum between mothers with GDM and healthy mothers (H) by sequential windowed acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion proteomics techniques. A total of 1295 proteins were detected, with 192 proteins being significantly different between GDM and H. These significantly different proteins were enriched with the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism pathway as well as immunity. Some proteins had an AOC value of 1, such as apolipoprotein E and lipoprotein lipase. In addition, we identified 42 glycated and 93 glycosylated peptides in colostrum without any enrichment, with glycated peptides being upregulated and glycosylated peptides being downregulated in colostrum with GDM. These results help us to better understand the GDM-induced changes in proteomes and glycated and glycosylated level and provide guidance on infant formula adjustment for infants from mothers with GDM.

Overexpression of RNF126 is associated with poor prognosis and contributes to the progression of lung adenocarcinoma.

Aim: To document the expression and function of RNF126 in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD). Materials & methods: A total of 102 LAD patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. The mRNA and protein levels of RNF126 were tested via RT-qPCR and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to exploring the clinical significance of RNF126 in the prognosis. Knockdown and overexpression strategies were used to validate the tumor-related roles of RNF126 both in vitro and in vivo. Results: RNF126 was highly expressed and was an independent predictor of a poor prognosis for LAD patients. We also revealed that RNF126 knockdown suppressed proliferation of LAD cells and xenografts. Conclusion: RNF126 is a potential survival predictor and therapeutic target for LAD.

Changes in bioactive proteins and serum proteome of human milk under different frozen storage.

This study aimed to investigate changes in macronutrients, total bacterial count, and serum proteome of human milk (HM) under different frozen storage (-18°C and -60°C, 60 d and 180 d) by using IBT Labeling proteomics techniques and ELISA kit. The results indicated that total protein concentrations and total aerobic bacterial counts were significantly decreased at -18°C, while no difference at -60°C. A total of 1617 proteins were identified and quantified, and 173 proteins were significantly different. The -18°C storage had much higher influence on HM serum protein profiles than that of -60°C. Increased milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) proteins at -18°C are highly related to the damage of MFGM and transfer of MFGM proteins. The reduction of bioactive proteins is probably related to the ice-induced denaturation. In conclusion, fast cooling and ultra-low constant temperature are more suitable for the cryopreservation of human milk.

USP9X promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating beta-catenin.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the malignant tumors with highest mortality. The role of USP9X in the carcinogenesis of HCC has not yet been determined. In this study, USP9X was found significantly highly expressed in the intratumor tissues. Expression of intratumor USP9X was associated with tumor size and microvascular invasion while USP9X is independent risk factor of HCC disease-free survival and overall survival. In vitro studies revealed that knockdown of USP9X significantly inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells. Mechanically, USP9X promotes HCC cell proliferation by regulating the expression of beta-catenin. The results of the present study demonstrated that high expression of USP9X in intratumoral cells is associated with poor HCC prognosis, which may serve as a potential target for an adjuvant therapy.