Indications affect neonatal outcomes following early rescue ICSI: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of heterogeneity in patient indications or insemination protocols on neonatal outcomes of singletons following early rescue ICSI (rICSI) treatments. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted. Propensity score matching and multivariable logistic regression were used to adjust for confounders and biases. RESULTS: A total of 9095 IVF patients, 2063 ICSI patients, and 642 early rICSI patients were included in the study. No differences were detected in neonatal outcomes except small for gestational age (SGA) which increased in early rICSI patients compared with both unmatched and matched IVF groups with the risk ratio (RR) of 1.31 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.64) and 1.49 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.12). Further analysis showed that SGA increased significantly in partial fertilization failure (PFF) cycles with RRs of 1.56 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.27) and 1.78 (95% CI: 1.22, 2.59) compared with both unmatched and matched IVF patients but not in TFF patients. A positive association between fertilization rate via IVF and birth weight z-score was revealed in the PFF patients. CONCLUSION: Early rICSI in patients with total fertilization failure (TFF) appeared to be safe in terms of neonatal outcomes. However, when expanding the indications of rICSI to PFF patients, the SGA in the offspring increased, suggesting a potential effect on long-term health. Since other treatment options, such as using only the IVF-origin embryos still exist for these patients, further studies were needed to confirm the optimal decision for these patients.

Long noncoding RNA VPS9D1-AS1 promotes the progression of endometrial cancer via regulation of the miR-187-3p/S100A4 axis.

VPS9D1-AS1 functions as an oncogene in many cancers. However, its role and potential mechanism in the progression of endometrial cancer (EC) are not fully understood. VPS9D1-AS1 levels in EC and adjacent normal tissues were investigated using the TCGA-UCEC cohort and 24 paired clinical samples. The roles of VPS9D1-AS1 and miR-187-3p in cell cycle, proliferation, and apoptosis were evaluated by loss- and gain-of-function experiments. In addition, the effect of VPS9D1-AS1 on tumor growth was further investigated in vivo. Rescue experiments were performed to investigate the involvement of the miR-187-3p/S100A4 axis in VPS9D1-AS1 knockdown-mediated antitumor effects. VPS9D1-AS1 was highly expressed in EC tissues. VPS9D1-AS1 knockdown, similar to miR-187-3p overexpression, significantly inhibited cell proliferation, inhibited colony formation, induced cell cycle arrest, and facilitated apoptosis of KLE cells. MiR-187-3p bound directly to VPS9D1-AS1 and the 3'UTR of S100A4. Furthermore, VPS9D1-AS1 negatively regulated miR-187-3p while positively regulating S100A4 expression in EC cells. MiR-187-3p knockdown or S100A4 overexpression partially reversed the tumor suppressive function of VPS9D1-AS1 knockdown. The results suggest that VPS9D1-AS1 affects EC progression by regulating the miR-187-3p/S100A4 axis. This may provide a promising therapeutic target to help treat EC.

The value of transitory protective stomas during primary debulking surgery for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer-- a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Limited data are available on patients with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) who require ostomy during primary cytoreductive surgery. This study aimed to investigate the application of postoperative and long-term oncological results from transitory protective stoma (TPS) formation during primary debulking surgery (PDS) for OC. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study with a single center. We identified patients with stage III-IV OC who underwent colon resection and anastomosis. Depending on the methods used after colorectal anastomosis and the outcomes of surgical resection, the patients were stratified into three groups: resection and end-to-end anastomosis, resection and ostomy, or R1 resection. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed. RESULTS: 84 patients underwent colorectal resection during cytoreduction for FIGO stage III-IV OC. Patients undergoing ostomy were more likely to have a longer mean operative time (266 vs. 283 vs. 236 min; P=0.003) and to undergo rectosigmoid resection at the time of cytoreductive surgery (56.0% vs. 22.7%, P=0.007). Their postoperative feeding (7 vs. 1 vs. 3 d, P<0.001) and exhaustion (6 vs. 3 vs. 3, P<0.001) times were similar to those of patients with R1 resection and much earlier than those of patients with intestinal anastomosis. The first normal time (35 d) and half-life (14.68 d) of CA125 after surgery were significantly better in patients with TPS group. The overall incidence of complications was the same, and there was no significant difference in the 30-day readmission rate. The overall quality of life assessment was significantly lower in the R1 resection group. CONCLUSIONS: TPSs can accelerate postoperative recovery and the initiation of postoperative chemotherapy, reduce the risk of mortality and disease progression and limit the incidence of complications.

Molecular network characteristics and drug resistance analysis of 392 newly reported MSM HIV/AIDS cases in Chongqing, China.

To comprehensively investigate the molecular transmission patterns of HIV-1 genotypes among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chongqing, we employed 392 pol sequences of MSM to construct a phylogenetic tree and gene transmission network. Among the viral subtypes, CRF07_BC accounted for 73.2% (287/392) and CRF01_AE accounted for 20.7% (81/392), emerging as the predominant subtypes in this investigation. Additionally, we observed the presence of CRF55_01B, subtype B, CRF08_BC and other circulating recombinant forms. The HIV-1 molecular network was constructed with a gene distance threshold of 1.5%, resulting in an entry rate of 61.4% (241/392). Within the network, we identified a total of 23 molecular clusters, with the largest cluster being the CRF07_BC molecular cluster comprising 148 node values. Transmitted drug-resistance (TDR) mutations were found in 4.34% of the cases, with 1.79% associated with protease inhibitors (PIs), 0.51% with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and 2.55% with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Statistical analysis indicated a higher enrollment rate in the HIV-1 molecular network among infected individuals with the CRF07_BC subtype, those identifying with same-sex sexual roles as "vers," and individuals with higher education levels. This suggests the need for strengthened investigation and intervention in this population to prevent the formation of larger transmission clusters. Furthermore, continuous monitoring of the HIV-1 molecular dynamics network is necessary to promptly and accurately track changes in molecular epidemic characteristics.

Electroacupuncture regulates histone acetylation of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 genes to improve ischemic stroke injury.

Background: Imbalances between Bcl-2 and caspase-3 are significant evidence of apoptosis, which is considered an influential factor in rapidly occurring neuronal cell death and the decline of neurological function after stroke. Studies have shown that acupuncture can reduce poststroke brain cell damage via either an increase in Bcl-2 or a reduction in caspase-3 exposure. The current study aimed to investigate whether acupuncture could modulate Bcl-2 and caspase-3 expression through histone acetylation modifications, which could potentially serve as a neuroprotective mechanism. Methods: This study used TTC staining, Nissl staining, Clark neurological system score, and Evans Blue (EB) extravasation to evaluate neurological damage following stroke. The expression of Bcl-2/caspase-3 mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantification of PCR (real-time PCR), whereas the protein expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-3 were assessed using western blotting. TUNEL staining of the ischemic cortical neurons determined apoptosis in the ischemic cortex. Histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) activities, along with the protein performance of AceH3, H3K9ace, and H3K27ace, were detected to evaluate the degree of histone acetylation. The acetylation enrichment levels of H3K9 and K3K27 in the Bcl-2/caspase-3 gene were assessed using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Results: Our data demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) exerts a significant neuroprotective effect in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats, as evidenced by a reduction in infarct volume, neuronal damage, Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) disruption, and decreased apoptosis of ischemic cortical neurons. EA treatment can promote the mRNA and protein expression of the Bcl-2 gene in the ischemic brain while reducing the mRNA and protein expression levels of caspase-3 and effectively decreasing the protein expression levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3. More importantly, EA treatment enhanced the level of histone acetylation, including Ace-H3, H3K9ace, and H3K27ace, significantly enhanced the occupancy of H3K9ace/H3K27ace at the Bcl-2 promoter, and reduced the enrichment of H3K9ace and H3K27ace at the caspase-3 promoter. However, the Histone Acetyltransferase inhibitor (HATi) treatment reversed these effects. Conclusions: Our data demonstrated that EA mediated the expression levels of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 in MCAO rats by regulating the occupancy of acetylated H3K9/H3K27 at the promoters of these two genes, thus exerting a cerebral protective effect in ischemic reperfusion (I/R) injury.

Long-term risks of cardiovascular death among older patients with major hematological malignancies: a population-based cohort study from SEER database.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to identify the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related death in older patients with major hematological malignancies (HM). METHODS: This study included 103,102 older patients diagnosed with 7 major types of HM between 1975 and 2018 (median follow-up: 2.7 years) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database. The proportion of deaths, Fine-Gray sub-distribution hazards regression model, standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and absolute excess risk (AER) were used to evaluate the risk of CVD-related death. RESULTS: For older patients with HM, CVD-related death ranked as the second leading cause of death, surpassed only by primary malignancy. Compared to the general older population, older patients with HM had higher SMR and AER of CVD-related deaths (SMR: 1.16-1.81; AER: 41.24-308.99), heart disease-related deaths (SMR: 1.19-1.90; AER: 39.23-274.69), and cerebrovascular dis-ease-related deaths (SMR: 0.99-1.66; AER: -0.35 -24.15). The proportion of deaths and cumulative mortality increased with the passage of survival time, especially in Hodgkin lymphoma patients with stage I/II and those aged ≥85 years with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, surpassing primary malignancy. The risk of CVD-related death varied among different HM types. CONCLUSIONS: For older patients with HM, long-term cardiovascular risk management needs to be focused on while addressing the primary malignancy. IMPACT: Our results emphasize the need to manage long-term cardiovascular risk in older patients with HM, especially in those identified as high-risk cases.

High-efficiency electrocatalytic nitrite-to-ammonia conversion on molybdenum doped cobalt oxide nanoarray at ambient conditions.

Electrochemical conversion of nitrite (NO2-) contaminant to green ammonia (NH3) is a promising approach to achieve the nitrogen cycle. The slow kinetics of the complex multi-reaction process remains a serious issue, and there is still a need to design highly effective and selective catalysts. Herein, we report that molybdenum doped cobalt oxide nanoarray on titanium mesh (Mo-Co3O4/TM) acts as a catalyst to facilitate electroreduction of NO2- to NH3. Such a catalyst delivers an extremely high Faradaic efficiency of 96.9 % and a corresponding NH3 yield of 651.5 µmol h-1 cm-2 at -0.5 V with strong stability. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the introduction of Mo can induce the redistribution of electrons around Co atoms and further strengthen the adsorption of NO2-, which is the key to facilitating the catalytic performance. Furthermore, the assembled battery based on Mo-Co3O4/TM suggests its practical application value.

Effectiveness and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Studies in recent years have shown that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors may have better effectiveness in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The effectiveness of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors is thought to be related to mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) and mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) classification in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients classified as dMMR and pMMR. Methods: Medical databases were searched to identify relevant publications up to 30 November 2022. The primary outcome was comparison of objective response rate (ORR) in patients with dMMR and pMMR following treatment with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors; secondary outcomes were single-group ORR in patients with dMMR and in patients with pMMR, respectively. Results: Eleven studies were eligible for analysis and patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer with molecular classification of dMMR had a higher total ORR than those with pMMR [odds ratio (OR), 7.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.22-18.38; p < 0.01], with low evidence of between-study heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). The total ORR of patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer with molecular type dMMR was 51.9% (95% CI, 33.6%-69.9%). The overall ORR of patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer with molecular type pMMR was 16.1% (95% CI, 5.5%-30.3%). Conclusion: In our including studies, the patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer with molecular types of dMMR and pMMR, following treatment with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, the total ORR of patients with dMMR was higher than that of patients with pMMR. Since the current number of studies is not very large, it is possible that more studies will be published in the future and more precise results will be discussed further.