A study on the relationship between gut microbiota and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Objective: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-specific liver disease associated with a high incidence of complications in the mid and late stages of gestation. This study investigates differences in the composition of intestinal flora among pregnant women diagnosed with ICP, employing Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology. Methods: This case-control study obtained patient data from the hospital information system (HIS) and the laboratory information system (LIS). Fecal samples were collected from 25 pregnant women who did not undergo intestinal preparation before delivery between December 2020 and March 2021. Whole-genome analysis was performed. PCR was used to amplify the 16S rRNA V3-V4 variable region, which was then sequenced. Alpha and beta diversity were computed, and the maternal intestinal flora's abundance and composition characteristics were analyzed. Differences in intestinal flora between the two sample groups were examined. Results: Bacteroides and Proteobacteria exhibited positive correlations with TBIL and IBIL. Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Erysipeiotrichi showed positive correlations with TBIL, IBIL, and DBIL, while Lactobacillus, Delftia, and Odoribacter demonstrated positive correlations with ALT. Conclusion: The ICP group displayed significantly higher levels of total bile acid and ALT compared to the control group. The intestinal flora composition comprised four primary phyla: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria. ICP patients exhibited a lower relative abundance of intestinal flora across different levels of community composition when compared to the control group. Specific correlations between certain intestinal flora and clinical liver parameters were identified.

Responsive Liquid Crystal Network Microstructures with Customized Shapes and Predetermined Morphing for Adaptive Soft Micro-Optics.

Stimuli-responsive materials have garnered substantial interest in recent years, particularly liquid crystal networks (LCNs) with sophisticatedly designed structures and morphing capabilities. Extensive efforts have been devoted to LCN structural designs spanning from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) configurations and their intricate morphing behaviors through designed alignment. However, achieving microscale structures and large-area preparation necessitates the development of novel techniques capable of facilely fabricating LCN microstructures with precise control over both overall shape and alignment, enabling a 3D-to-3D shape change. Herein, a simple and cost-effective in-cell soft lithography (ICSL) technique is proposed to create LCN microstructures with customized shapes and predesigned morphing. The ICSL technique involves two sequential steps: fabricating the desired microstructure as the template by using the photopolymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) method and reproducing the LCN microstructures through templating. Meanwhile, surface anchoring is employed to design and achieve molecular alignment, accommodating different deformation modes. With the proposed ICSL technique, cylindrical and spherical microlens arrays (CMLAs and SMLAs) have been successfully fabricated with stimulus-driven polarization-dependent focusing effects. This technique offers distinct advantages including high customizability, large-area production, and cost-effectiveness, which pave a new avenue for extensive applications in different fields, exemplified by adaptive soft micro-optics and photonics.