Influencing factors and early predictive model of acute stress disorder in traumatic patients: A clinical comparative cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the main influencing factors of ASD (Acute Stress Disorder) in inpatients, and provide some evidence for early clinical identification and intervention of ASD. METHODS: In this study, 489 inpatients were selected from 3 general hospitals in Zunyi City from September 2020 to August 2021. The patients were followed up with questionnaires. Mann Whitney U test, Logistic Regression analysis and Generalized Estimation Equation were used for difference comparison and influencing factor analyses. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression showed that trauma exposure, psychological burden, fear and pain degree were risk factors of ASD in all inpatients. The sensitivity and specificity of combined using of "trauma, psychological burden, fear and pain" in predicting ASD reached 89.40 % and 79.20 %, respectively; and the area under ROC could reach 0.897. CONCLUSION: Based on the different risk factors, an early effective model could be built for ASD prediction in both traumatic and nontraumatic patients.

Nutrient Uptake Potential of Nonleguminous Species and Its Interaction with Soil Characteristics and Enzyme Activities in the Agro-ecosystem.

The potential nutrient uptake abilities of a plant are essential for improving the yield and quality. Green manures can take up a huge amount of macronutrients from the soil. The mechanisms underlying the differences in nutrient uptake capacity among different nonlegume species remain unclear. The plot experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of nonlegume species including forage radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus), oil radish (Raphanus sativus var. Longipinnatus), February orchid (Orychophragmus violaceus L), and rapeseed (Baricca napus), while a ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) species was used as a control. The study results showed that forage radish had the highest nutrient uptake (N and P), i.e., 322 and 101% in Hunan and 277 and 469% in the Sichuan site, respectively, compared with the control. While the greatest K uptake was found in forage radish, i.e., 123%, and February orchid, 243%, in the Hunan and Sichuan sites. Forage radish also presented higher phosphorus use efficiency in both experimental areas: Hunan by 301% and Sichuan by 633% compared to the control. Significant modifications were found in nutrient availability and enzyme activities after the cultivation of various species. The oil radish enhanced the ß-glucosidase (BG) and leucine-aminopeptidase enzyme activities by 324 and 367%, respectively, while forage radish developed the highest phosphatase (Phase) and N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities compared to the ryegrass in Hunan. In the Sichuan site, the oil radish promotes enzyme activities such as Phase (126%), BG (19%), and NAG (17%), compared to the control. It is concluded that forage radish, oil radish, and February orchid can easily improve soil nutrient quality in green manuring practices and provide valuable nutrient management systems.

Experimental study on the effects of pressure loss on uniformity, application rate and velocity on different working conditions using the dynamic fluidic sprinkler.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of pressure loss, combined spacing, and. coefficients of uniformity on the dynamic fluidic sprinkler. Spline interpolation was used to convert the radial water volume into grid-type data and various pressure conditions were used to simulate the three-dimensional water distribution under square and triangular combinations of sprinklers. For each of the combinations of the sprinklers, experiments were performed at operating pressures of 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3 MPa, respectively. To find the optimum spatial distribution of sprinklers, three different sprinkler intervals, 1R, 1.2R, and 1.4R, were performed for the square and triangular combinations. The droplet size distributions were also measured along a radial transect from the sprinkler for each operational pressure using the Thies Clima Laser Precipitation Monitor. The results demonstrated that the average values of the inclination angles of the water droplet trajectory curves were 60.78° and 68.85° as the pressure rose from 0.15 MPa to 0.3 MPa. When the pressure exceeds 0.2 MPa, the square combination's distribution uniformity coefficients of 25% low and high values were higher than those of the triangle combination. Triangular combination coefficients of uniformity (CU) values initially decreased and then increased as sprinkler spacing increased, with the CU value under 1.4R spacing reaching 73.85%. At a 1.2R interval, the CU value of a triangular combination was 8.49% lower than that of a square combination, which is a significant difference. Peak irrigation values for the square combination, when the pressure was changed from 0.1 to 0.3 MPa, were 29.97, 22.9, 19.8, 19.91, and 19.21 mm h-1, respectively. The CU values at 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3 MPa decreased at rates of 0.07%, 1.36%, and 0.8%, respectively, when the pressure was reduced by 10%.

Application of metal-organic frameworks-based functional composite scaffolds in tissue engineering.

With the rapid development of materials science and tissue engineering, a variety of biomaterials have been used to construct tissue engineering scaffolds. Due to the performance limitations of single materials, functional composite biomaterials have attracted great attention as tools to improve the effectiveness of biological scaffolds for tissue repair. In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great promise for application in tissue engineering because of their high specific surface area, high porosity, high biocompatibility, appropriate environmental sensitivities and other advantages. This review introduces methods for the construction of MOFs-based functional composite scaffolds and describes the specific functions and mechanisms of MOFs in repairing damaged tissue. The latest MOFs-based functional composites and their applications in different tissues are discussed. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of using MOFs-based composites in tissue engineering are summarized. The aim of this review is to show the great potential of MOFs-based functional composite materials in the field of tissue engineering and to stimulate further innovation in this promising area.

Unleashing Axonal Regeneration Capacities: Neuronal and Non-neuronal Changes After Injuries to Dorsal Root Ganglion Neuron Central and Peripheral Axonal Branches.

Peripheral nerves obtain remarkable regenerative capacity while central nerves can hardly regenerate following nerve injury. Sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) are widely used to decipher the dissimilarity between central and peripheral axonal regeneration as axons of DRG neurons bifurcate into the regeneration-incompetent central projections and the regeneration-competent peripheral projections. A conditioning peripheral branch injury facilitates central axonal regeneration and enables the growth and elongation of central axons. Peripheral axonal injury stimulates neuronal calcium influx, alters the start-point chromatin states, increases chromatin accessibility, upregulates the expressions of regeneration-promoting genes and the synthesis of proteins, and supports axonal regeneration. Following central axonal injury, the responses of DRG neurons are modest, resulting in poor intrinsic growth ability. Some non-neuronal cells in DRGs, for instance satellite glial cells, also exhibit diminished injury responses to central axon injury as compared with peripheral axon injury. Moreover, DRG central and peripheral axonal branches are respectively surrounded by inhibitory glial scars generated by central glial cells and a permissive microenvironment generated by Schwann cells and macrophages. The aim of this review is to look at changes of DRG neurons and non-neuronal cells after peripheral and central axon injuries and summarize the contributing roles of both neuronal intrinsic regenerative capacities and surrounding microenvironments in axonal regeneration.

Worldwide Perinatal Intimate Partner Violence Prevalence and Risk Factors for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women who have experienced perinatal intimate partner violence (P-IPV) has gradually attracted the attention of psychologists, mental health, and health care professionals. However, a comprehensive understanding of its prevalence and associated risk factors is still lacking. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the prevalence and explore influencing factors for PTSD in women who have suffered P-IPV. Our study inclusion criteria were: women who experienced IPV in the year before conception, throughout pregnancy, during delivery, and up to 1 year after giving birth for which a quantitative assessment of PTSD was done using validated diagnostic or screening tools. This study searched nine English databases and four Chinese databases. The final analysis included 16 studies, involving 9,098 female subjects. Meta-analysis was performed on the extracted data using the Stata 16.0 software (Stata Corp. LP, College Station, TX, USA).Fixed or random effect models were selected to pool odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of PTSD after heterogeneity test. Meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of PTSD in women who suffered P-IPV was 30.0% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [22.0%, 37.0%]). Only nine studies described influencing factors for PTSD based on multivariate logistic regression analysis. The five identified influencing factors were: non-immigrants (OR = 2.56; 95% CI [1.29, 5.08]), non-cohabitation (OR = 2.45; [1.35, 4.42]), trauma history (OR = 1.80; [1.18, 2.76]), education below senior high school (OR = 1.32; [0.64, 2.75]), and age 18 to 29 years (OR = 1.06; [0.94, 1.19]). These findings provided a reference value of PTSD prevalence, risk factors, and potential association with P-IPV among women worldwide. However, the geographical coverage of the reviewed studies is limited and epidemiological investigations from more diverse areas are required in the future.

Bionic peptide scaffold in situ polarization and recruitment of M2 macrophages to promote peripheral nerve regeneration.

Tissue regeneration requires exogenous and endogenous signals, and there is increasing evidence that the exogenous microenvironment may play an even more dominant role in the complex process of coordinated multiple cells. The short-distance peripheral nerve showed a spontaneous regenerative phenomenon, which was initiated by the guiding role of macrophages. However, it cannot sufficiently restore long-distance nerve injury by itself. Based on this principle, we firstly constructed a proinflammatory model to prove that abnormal M2 expression reduce the guidance and repair effect of long-distance nerves. Furthermore, a bionic peptide hydrogel scaffold based on self-assembly was developed to envelop M2-derived regenerative cytokines and extracellular vesicles (EVs). The cytokines and EVs were quantified to mimic the guidance and regenerative microenvironment in a direct and mild manner. The bionic scaffold promoted M2 transformation in situ and led to proliferation and migration of Schwann cells, neuron growth and motor function recovery. Meanwhile, the peptide scaffold combined with CX3CL1 recruited more blood-derived M2 macrophages to promote long-distance nerve reconstruction. Overall, we systematically confirmed the important role of M2 in regulating and restoring the injury peripheral nerve. This bionic peptide hydrogel scaffold mimicked and remodeled the local environment for M2 transformation and recruitment, favoring long-distance peripheral nerve regeneration. It can help to explicate regulative effect of M2 may be a cause not just a consequence in nerve repair and tissue integration, which facilitating the development of pro-regenerative biomaterials.

Schwann cell-derived amphiregulin enhances nerve regeneration via supporting the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells and the elongation of axons.

Peripheral nerves have limited regeneration ability following nerve injury. Applying growth factors with neurotrophic roles is beneficial for accelerating peripheral nerve regeneration. Here we show that after rat sciatic nerve injury, growth factor amphiregulin (AREG) is upregulated in Schwann cells of sciatic nerves. Elevated AREG stimulates the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells by activating ERK1/2 cascade. Schwann cell-secreted AREG further facilitates the outgrowth of neurites and the elongation of injured axons. Administration of AREG to injured sciatic nerves stimulates the proliferation of Schwann cells to replace lost cell population, encourages the migration of Schwann cells to form cell cords, and facilitates the regrowth of axons. Overall, our results identify AREG as an important neurotrophic factor and thus provide a promising therapeutic avenue towards peripheral nerve injury.

Biodegradable silk fibroin scaffold doped with mineralized collagen induces bone regeneration in rat cranial defects.

Compared with most nondegradable or slowly degradable bone repair materials, bioactive biodegradable porous scaffolds with certain mechanical strengths can promote the regeneration of both new bone and vasculature while the cavity created by their degradation can be replaced by the infiltration of new bone tissue. Mineralized collagen (MC) is the basic structural unit of bone tissue, and silk fibroin (SF) is a natural polymer with adjustable degradation rates and superior mechanical properties. In this study, a three-dimensional porous biomimetic composite scaffold with a two-component SF-MC system was constructed based on the advantages of both materials. The spherical mineral agglomerates of the MC were uniformly distributed on the surface and inside the SF skeleton, which ensured good mechanical properties while regulating the degradation rate of the scaffold. Second, the SF-MC scaffold had good osteogenic induction of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) and also promoted the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells. Finally, in vivo 5 mm cranial defect repair experiments confirmed that the SF-MC scaffold stimulated vascular regeneration and promoted new bone regeneration in vivo by means of in situ regeneration. Overall, we believe that this low-cost biomimetic biodegradable SF-MC scaffold with many advantages has some clinical translation prospects.

Analysis of the split insemination (IVF+ICSI) treatment in patients with borderline semen in first cycle.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to verify the effectiveness of the split insemination (IVF+ICSI) in patients with borderline semen for the first cycle, we furthermore compared the treatment outcome of the conventional IVF and ICSI on sibling oocytes with the rate of blastocyst formation in different days (day 5 or day 6) as primary outcome and pregnancy as secondary outcome to provide theoretical support for embryo selection. METHODS: Between January 2017 and November 2021,190 couples undergoing the split insemination (IVF+ICSI) cycle were enrolled in the study with at least eight oocytes and the borderline semen in first cycle to analyze the basic characteristics and clinical outcome. The remaining 157 patients were analyzed in this study to compare the IVF and ICSI after excluding those who were completely unfertilized by IVF (n=33) including a patient who was completely unfertilized by IVF and ICSI. RESULTS: Present study showed that about 32(32/190,16.8%) patients with borderline semen in first cycle were completely unfertilized performing the conventional IVF and only 1(1/190,0.53%) patient was completely unfertilized using the IVF and ICSI in the split insemination (IVF+ICSI), the rate of total fertilization failure (TFF) was significantly decrease by the ICSI treatment (16.8%&0.53%,P<0.0001). By the split oocytes, the fertilization rate was significantly superior in ICSI(729/982,74.2%) compared to IVF (486/940, 51.7%, P<0.0001), the usable blastocyst and high-quality blastocyst rate on the fifth day were statistically superior in IVF compared to ICSI(31.3% &22.8%,P=0.009) (27.3%&20.6%,P=0.03), The pregnancy rate, implantation rate and live birth rate in the IVF first cycle were higher than the ICSI(75.9%&64%, respectively) (52.3%&41.8%, respectively)(64.8%&54.7%, respectively),although there was no statistical difference,it is also about ten percentage points difference. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of sibling oocyte with both IVF and ICSI could be an appropriate choice to prevent TFF and preserve the embryo development potential for the patients with the borderline semen in present study. Furthermore, the embryo development potential from conventional IVF was better than the embryo from the ICSI technology, the ICSI technology may have a negative effect on the embryo development.

Internalizing Behavior Problems Among the Left-Behind Children of the Hui Nationality in Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The internalizing behavior problems (IBPs) of left-behind children (LBC) due to parental migration are a widespread public health concern in China. A previous study showed that the detection rate of behavioral problems in the Hui was far higher than in the LBC of the Han nationality. However, to date, limited research has focused on IBPs in Chinese LBC of the Hui nationality. The aims of this present study are to explore the prevalence of IBPs and the influencing factors among the Hui LBC in the rural areas of China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among school students from the southern rural areas in Ningxia, China (2012-2013). The caregivers or parents assessed IBPs using Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist for parents. The children completed the Egma Minnen av Bardndosnauppforstran, Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale. Data on 383 Hui LBC aged 6-16 y were included in this study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between the independent variables and children's internalizing behaviors. Results: Among the Hui population, the prevalence of IBPs in LBC and non-left-behind children (non-LBC) was 21.67% (83 of 383) and 18.18% (104 of 572), respectively, with no significant difference between these two groups (χ 2 = 1.77 and P = 0.18). However, among males of the Hui population, the prevalence of IBPs in LBC was 22.16%, which is significantly higher than in non-LBC (14.07%; χ 2 = 5.07; and P = 0.02). By controlling for gender and age, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a mother highly favoring the subject (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70), average levels of neuroticism (OR = 9.01), and high levels of neuroticism (OR = 8.44) were risk factors for IBPs in Hui LBC. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that IBPs among male LBC of the Hui nationality in rural China were positively related to parental migration. Positive measures should be taken to prevent IBPs of male LBC of the Hui nationality in rural China in terms of personality development and parental childrearing patterns.

Acellular nerve xenografts based on supercritical extraction technology for repairing long-distance sciatic nerve defects in rats.

Compared to conventional artificial nerve guide conduits (NGCs) prepared using natural polymers or synthetic polymers, acellular nerve grafts (ACNGs) derived from natural nerves with eliminated immune components have natural bionic advantages in composition and structure that polymer materials do not have. To further optimize the repair effect of ACNGs, in this study, we used a composite technology based on supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) extraction to process the peripheral nerve of a large mammal, the Yorkshire pig, and obtained an innovative Acellular nerve xenografts (ANXs, namely, CD + scCO2 NG). After scCO2 extraction, the fat and DNA content in CD + scCO2 NG has been removed to the greatest extent, which can better supported cell adhesion and proliferation, inducing an extremely weak inflammatory response. Interestingly, the protein in the CD + scCO2 NG was primarily involved in signaling pathways related to axon guidance. Moreover, compared with the pure chemical decellularized nerve graft (CD NG), the DRG axons grew naturally on the CD + scCO2 NG membrane and extended long distances. In vivo studies further revealed that the regenerated nerve axons had basically crossed the CD + scCO2 NG 3 weeks after surgery. 12 weeks after surgery, CD + scCO2 NG was similar to autologous nerves in improving the quality of nerve regeneration, target muscle morphology and motor function recovery and was significantly better than hollow NGCs and CD NG. Therefore, we believe that the fully decellularized and fat-free porcine ACNGs may be the most promising "bridge" for repairing human nerve defects at this stage and for some time to come.

Evaluation of Drugs with Therapeutic Potential for Susceptibility of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Isolates from 8 Provinces in China from 2018.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to evaluate meropenem, fosfomycin, berberine hydrochloride, and doxycycline minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae collected from eight provinces in China in 2018. METHODS: The MICs of 540 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates (451 isolates selected randomly and 89 isolates selected with preference) were determined to meropenem, fosfomycin, berberine hydrochloride, and doxycycline using the agar dilution method, and the MICs of ceftriaxone and azithromycin were detected for comparison. RESULTS: Among 451 randomly selected isolates, the MIC90 was 0.06 mg/L for meropenem, 64 mg/L for fosfomycin, 64 mg/L for berberine hydrochloride, and 16 mg/L for doxycycline. All isolates showed the MIC ≤ 0.125 mg/L to meropenem, 13 isolates (2.9%) showed MIC > 64 mg/L to fosfomycin, 8 isolates (1.8%) demonstrated MIC > 64 mg/L to berberine hydrochloride, and 271 isolates (60.1%) demonstrated MIC > 1 mg/L to doxycycline. Comparing all 540 tested isolates, a correlation of r = 0.50 (P < 0.001) between meropenem and ceftriaxone MIC was observed. In 24 ceftriaxone-decreased susceptibility isolates, all isolates showed an MIC ≤ 0.125 mg/L for meropenem, 1 isolate (4.2%) showed an MIC > 64 mg/L for fosfomycin, 1 isolate (4.2%) showed an MIC > 64 mg/L for berberine hydrochloride, and 13 isolates (54.2%) showed an MIC > 1 mg/L for doxycycline. In 87 azithromycin resistant isolates, all isolates showed an MIC ≤ 0.125 mg/L for meropenem, 2 isolates (2.3%) showed an MIC > 64 mg/L for fosfomycin, 4 isolates (4.6%) showed an MIC > 64 mg/L for berberine hydrochloride, and 64 isolates (73.6%) showed an MIC > 1 mg/L for doxycycline. CONCLUSION: The in vitro results suggest that meropenem might be a promising treatment option for resistant gonococcal infections, while the effects of fosfomycin and berberine hydrochloride should be further evaluated as potential therapeutic agents. The effectiveness of these drugs in animal experiments and clinical use may need further study.

Disk-Diffusion Testing Is an Inappropriate Screening Tool for Cephalosporin-Resistant Gonorrhoea Strains in Clinical Practice in China.

PURPOSE: Injectable ceftriaxone and oral cefixime are the last agents effective against Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In vitro antimicrobial-susceptibility testing (AST) is done to identify the most efficacious antibiotic needed to combat the infection in that particular individual. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Kirby-Bauer (KB) disk-diffusion tests can detect N. gonorrhoeae isolates that have decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime for appropriate clinical management. METHODS: A total of 1,633 consecutive clinical isolates of N. gonorrhoeae were collected from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017 from seven dermatology clinics located in five provinces in China. Consistency between KB disk-diffusion tests and the agar-dilution method, as well as sensitivity of the KB test for detecting N. gonorrhoeae isolates with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime, were determined using 1,306 clinical isolates that had been recovered to complete agar-dilution AST. RESULTS: The prevalence of isolates with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime was 12.1% (198 of 1,633) and 12.7% (208 of 1,633), respectively, using KB disk-diffusion tests. The prevalence of isolates with decreased susceptibility was 9.9% (129 of 1,306) for ceftriaxone and 9.9% (129 of 1,305) for cefixime using agar-dilution AST. The categorical agreement of these two methods was 80.9% for both ceftriaxone and cefixime. Compared to agar-dilution AST, the sensitivity of the KB test for detecting N. gonorrhoeae isolates with decreased susceptibility was 22.5% (29 of 129) for ceftriaxone and 29.5% (38 of 129) for cefixime, and its specificity 87.3% (1,028 of 1,177) for ceftriaxone and 86.7% (1,018 of 1,176) for cefixime. CONCLUSION: Although KB tests are easy to carry out in clinical practice, their ability to detect cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhoea strains is limited. This method is not an appropriate selection for screening cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhoea strains in clinical practice in China.

Trichothecin Inhibits Cancer-Related Features in Colorectal Cancer Development by Targeting STAT3.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor that contributes to cancer progression through multiple processes of cancer development, which makes it an attractive target for cancer therapy. The IL-6/STAT3 pathway is associated with an advanced stage in colorectal cancer patients. In this study, we identified trichothecin (TCN) as a novel STAT3 inhibitor. TCN was found to bind to the SH2 domain of STAT3 and inhibit STAT3 activation and dimerization, thereby blocking STAT3 nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. TCN did not affect phosphorylation levels of STAT1. TCN significantly inhibited cell growth, arrested cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, and induced apoptosis in HCT 116 cells. In addition, the capacities of colony formation, migration, and invasion of HCT 116 cells were impaired upon exposure to TCN with or without IL-6 stimulation. In addition, TCN treatment abolished the tube formation of HUVEC cells in vitro. Taken together, these results highlight that TCN inhibits various cancer-related features in colorectal cancer development in vitro by targeting STAT3, indicating that TCN is a promising STAT3 inhibitor that deserves further exploration in the future.

Gentamicin susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from 7 provinces in China.

PURPOSE: Gentamicin is a promising antimicrobial for the treatment of gonorrhea. The study aimed to evaluate gentamicin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in China. METHODS: In this study, the agar dilution method was used to determine the MICs of 470 isolates collected in 2016 to four effective antimicrobials (gentamicin, azithromycin, ceftriaxone, and spectinomycin). RESULTS: Gentamicin MICs ranged from 1 to 8 mg/L. No isolate was resistant to gentamicin. Of seven isolates simultaneously resistant to azithromycin and ceftriaxone, 6 isolates demonstrated MICs of 4 mg/L or less to gentamicin. No cross relationships were found between MICs of gentamicinand susceptibility profiles of azithromycin, ceftriaxone, and spectinomycin. CONCLUSION: The in vitro results suggest that gentamicin can be a promising treatment option for gonococcal infections in China. Clinical trials to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of gentamicin are required.

Progestin-primed ovarian stimulation improves the outcomes of IVF/ICSI cycles in infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian stimulation with clomiphene (CC) or progestin has been applied for patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). However, it remains unclear which treatment confers greater benefits. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) protocol vs CC-primed ovarian stimulation (CPOS) in infertile women with DOR. METHODS: A before-and-after self-controlled study was conducted to retrospectively investigate the data from 50 infertile women with DOR, who failed to conceive in their first in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection-frozen embryo transfer cycle when stimulated with CPOS, and switched to PPOS, in the Reproductive Medicine Center of Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. RESULTS: Our results showed that PPOS significantly suppressed the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and yielded more satisfactory results in patients with DOR, including increased number of retrieved oocytes, MII mature oocytes, normal fertilized oocytes, cleaved embryos, high-grade embryos, cryopreserved embryos, pregnancy rate, live-birth rate, and decreased miscarriage rates. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that compared with CPOS protocol, PPOS protocol could not only suppress the LH surge but also improved the quantity, particularly the quality of oocytes in patients with DOR, suggesting that PPOS treatment is more effective than CPOS for patients with DOR.

A Whole-genome Sequencing Analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates in China: An Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Tracking the spread of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with decreased susceptibility or resistance to cephalosporins is a major priority for global surveillance programmes. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has been widely used by increasing countries in North America, Europe, and Pacific to determine the decreased susceptible or resistance determinants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, track the spread of these determinants throughout the gonococcal population at national or regional level. However, no studies to date have examined the genomic epidemiology of gonorrhea in Asia where the antimicrobial resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae appears to have emerged before disseminating the strains globally. METHODS: We obtained clinical isolates and data from the China Gonococcal Resistance Surveillance Programme (China-GRSP) from 2012 to 2013. We sequenced the genomes of 435 clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, including 112 (25.6%) isolates with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone (Cfx-DS). We assessed the association between antimicrobial resistance genotype and phenotype. We also compared our data with the whole genome data of the isolates from the USA and the UK in the GenBank. FINDINGS: The most prevalent MLST STs in our gonococcal population were MLST ST7827 (n = 74), followed by ST7365 (n = 58), ST1600 (n = 38), ST7367 (n = 35), and ST7363 (n = 29). MLST ST1901 which was reported as the predominant ST in the US was not found in our population. A total of 2512 strains, including additional 2077 published NG strains, were further included for phylogenetic analysis. It generated two distinct lineages - lineage 1 and lineage 2. Analysis of MLST ST1901 in the database indicate that most of MLST ST1901 isolates in the lineage2.6 were Cfx-DS isolates while all isolates in the lineage 2.1 were sensitive to ceftriaxone (77/110 vs. 0/13; p < 0.001). ST1901/lineage 2.6 is a ceftriaxone resistant clone which cannot distinguished by MLST genotyping. In the isolates from our study, the MICs of ceftriaxone for ST7363/lineage 2.6 isolates ranged from 0.008-0.125 mg/L (mean ±â€¯SD; 0.054 ±â€¯0.043 mg/L) while those for ST7363/lineage 2.8 isolates ranged from 0.032-0.250 mg/L (0.134 ±â€¯0.085 mg/L). All ST7363/lineage 2.8 isolates contained penA mosaic alleles. INTERPRETATION: To our knowledge, current study is the first WGS-based analysis of gonococcal population at national level in Asia. China harbors the different predominant clones associated with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone from those clones circulated in other regions. The findings from the study can be not only used as baseline data for future studies in China but also contributable to our understanding on spread of N. gonorrhoeae and its resistant strains at regional and global levels. FUNDING: The Chinese Academy Medical Sciences (CAMS) Initiative for Innovative Medicine.

In situ growth of ZIF-8 nanoparticles on chitosan to form the hybrid nanocomposites for high-efficiency removal of Congo Red.

The zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-8) dotted chitosan (CS) nanocomposites (ZIF-8@CS) were fabricated via in-situ growth method. The morphology, structure and chemical state of ZIF-8@CS were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The adsorption behavior of ZIF-8@CS composites on Congo Red (CR) in aqueous solution was systematically investigated. The adsorption isotherm data showed that the adsorption of CR by ZIF-8@CS was single-layer adsorption, which was consistent with the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of ZIF-8@CS was 922 mg/g. The kinetics parameters were in accord with pseudo-second-order equation, which implied that the adsorption rate was mainly controlled by the chemisorption mechanism. The removal of CR was attributed to the participation of hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, π-π conjugation and zinc coordination effects.