Time-Restricted Feeding Ameliorates Uterine Epithelial Estrogen Receptor α Transcriptional Activity at the Time of Embryo Implantation in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

BACKGROUND: More than 30% of reproductive-age women are obese or overweight. Obesity and exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) detrimentally affect endometrial development and embryo implantation. We previously reported that time-restricted feeding (TRF) improved ovarian follicular development, but whether and how TRF modulates embryo implantation are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of TRF on embryo implantation. METHODS: In TRF group, mice had 10 h of food free access from 9 pm to 7 am, and fed a normal diet or a HFD. Tail vein injection of Chicago blue dye was used to examine embryo implantation sites at day 5.5 (D5.5) of pregnancy. Serum collected at D0.5 and D4.5 of pregnancy was used to examine the level of estradiol (E2) and progesterone. Uterine estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor levels and their targeted aquaporins (AQPs) were measured. LC-MS was used to analyze bile acid (BA) composition, and primary hepatocytes were used to test the effects of BA on the expression level of SULT1E1, a key enzyme in estrogen inactivation and elimination. RESULTS: We found that TRF prevented HFD-induced embryo loss and alleviated the defect in luminal closure on D4.5 of pregnancy. The cyclic changes of E2 level were lost in mice fed ad libitum but not in TRF mice on the HFD. The HFD increased ER-α expression and transcriptional activity, which induced AQP3 and AQP5 expression on D4.5 of pregnancy. TRF prevented the negative effect of the HFD on uterine luminal closure. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo results showed that BA suppressed estrogen degradation by activating liver SULT1E1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that TRF prevented HFD-induced defects in luminal closure, thereby improving embryonic implantation, and provide novel insights into the effects of dietary intervention on obesity and associated infertility.

Double-Enhanced Core-Shell-Shell Sb2S3/Sb@TiO2@C Nanorod Composites for Lithium- and Sodium-Ion Batteries.

For most alloying- and conversion-type anode materials, a huge volume expansion and structure degradation of the electrodes always hinder their applications. In this work, a novel core-shell-shell Sb2S3/Sb@TiO2@C nanorod composite has been designed layer by layer, which includes an inner Sb2S3/Sb heterostructure core protected by an oxygen-deficient TiO2 shell and a conductive carbon shell. It is interesting to observe that, during the carbothermic reduction process, the previous Sb2S3 nanorod cores are partially reduced into a metallic Sb phase and the reduced TiO2 also creates many oxygen vacancies, which can greatly enhance the conductivity of the semiconductor Sb2S3. Thanks to the double effects of the TiO2 middle shell and carbon outer shell, the unique double-shelled structure design creates an enhanced dual protection, which can better accommodate the volume-expansive deformation and preserve the structural integrity of the active Sb2S3/Sb core. Especially, the TiO2 middle layer is self-assembled by numerous nanoparticles acting as a nanopillar backbone, which supports between the nanorod core and outer carbon shell to better buffer the volume changes. As a result, the core-shell-shell Sb2S3/Sb@TiO2@C anode shows lithium and sodium storage performances superior to those of the pristine Sb2S3 and core-shell Sb2S3@TiO2 electrodes. For lithium-ion batteries, the Sb2S3/Sb@TiO2@C nanorod composite achieves an initial discharge/recharge capacity of 1244.9/1005.1 mAh g-1 with an initial Coulombic efficiency of about 80.7%, an enhanced rate capability with a capacity of 593.2 mA h g-1 at 5.0 A g-1, and prolonged cycling life for 500 cycles with a reversible capacity of 495.8 mAh g-1 at 0.5 A g-1. For sodium-ion batteries, the nanorodalso exhibits an improved performance with an initial discharge/recharge capacity of 781.4/574.0 mAh g-1 (initial Coulombic efficiency of about 73.46%) and cycling for 400 cycles with a reversible capacity of 422.6 mAh g-1 at 0.8 A g-1. This research sheds light upon double-shell structure designs with an effective middle shell to enhance the energy storage performance of electrode materials.

Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) Modified Polypropylene for Reducing Bacteria Colonization Without Antibiotics.

For this first time, this study utilized Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) technology to modify polypropylene to inhibit bacteria colonization in vitro after 24 hours without the use of drugs or antibiotics. Specifically, ANAB was designed and used to increase the surface energy of polypropylene to be closer to that of two critical proteins (mucin and casein) contained in bodily fluids that if adsorbed to a material surface can decreased bacteria colonization. Materials were characterized using atomic force microscopy demonstrating an expected greater surface roughness and surface area for the ANAB-treated samples compared to controls. A wide range of gram-positive, gram-negative, and antibiotic resistant bacteria were tested here (including Staph. epidermidis, Staph. aureus, MRSA, multi-drug resistant E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and demonstrated on average an over a 3-log reduction in bacteria after 24 hours. Further, this study confirmed a greater adsorption of mucin and casein on ANAB-treated polypropylene as the mechanism to decrease bacteria colonization. Lastly, this study utilized an aggressive cleaning procedure and showed strong durability of the ABAN-treated surfaces. This study is important as it demonstrates a way to potentially decrease polypropylene based implant infections using ANAB modification without using antibiotics.

Effect of molecular targeted agents in chemotherapy for treating platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to investigate the effect of molecular targeted agents (MTAs) in chemo on platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC). We performed this meta-analysis according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statements. Randomized controlled trials reporting data about platinum-resistant ovarian cancer treated by MTAs were included. The endpoints for the present study included overall survival and progression-free survival. We analyzed 9 randomized controlled trials including 3631 patients with ROC. The pooled analysis indicated that a combination of MTAs with chemo could markedly increase objective response rate in those patients (P = .012). Nevertheless, the survival rate of those patients was not markedly changed (P = .19). Besides, the combination of MTAs with chemo dramatically aggravated the occurrence of adverse events (P < .05). Moreover, it resulted in the termination of treatment (P = .044) in those patients, but it had no effect on fatal adverse events (P = .16). Our results indicated that the combination of MTAs with chemo notably improved objective response rate in patients with platinum-resistant ROC, but its benefit did not translate into survival benefits.

Atomic layer deposition of nano-TiO2 thin films with enhanced biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity for orthopedic implants.

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys have been extensively used as implant materials in orthopedic applications. Nevertheless, implants may fail due to a lack of osseointegration and/or infection. The aim of this in vitro study was to endow an implant surface with favorable biological properties by the dual modification of surface chemistry and nanostructured topography. The application of a nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) coating on Ti-based implants has been proposed as a potential way to enhance tissue-implant interactions while inhibiting bacterial colonization simultaneously due to its chemical stability, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial properties. In this paper, temperature-controlled atomic layer deposition (ALD) was introduced for the first time to provide unique nanostructured TiO2 coatings on Ti substrates. The effect of nano-TiO2 coatings with different morphology and structure on human osteoblast and fibroblast functions and bacterial activities was investigated. In vitro results indicated that the TiO2 coating stimulated osteoblast adhesion and proliferation while suppressing fibroblast adhesion and proliferation compared to uncoated materials. In addition, the introduction of nano-TiO2 coatings was shown to inhibit gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), all without resorting to the use of antibiotics. Our results suggest that the increase in nanoscale roughness and greater surface hydrophilicity (surface energy) together could contribute to increased protein adsorption selectively, which may affect the cellular and bacterial activities. It was found that ALD-grown TiO2-coated samples with a moderate surface energy at 38.79 mJ/m2 showed relatively promising antibacterial properties and desirable cellular functions. The ALD technique provides a novel and effective strategy to produce TiO2 coatings with delicate control of surface nanotopography and surface energy to enhance the interfacial biocompatibility and mitigate bacterial infection, and could potentially be used for improving numerous orthopedic implants.

In Situ Sensor Advancements for Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

Osteoporosis is still a serious issue in healthcare, and will continue to increase due to the aging and growth of the population. Early diagnosis is the key to successfully treating many diseases. The earlier the osteoporosis is diagnosed, the more quickly people can take action to stop bone deterioration. Motivated by this, researchers and companies have begun developing smart in situ bone sensors in order to dramatically help people to monitor their bone mass density (BMD), bone strain or bone turnover markers (BTMs); promptly track early signs of osteoporosis; and even monitor the healing process following surgery or antiresorptive therapy. This paper focuses on the latest advancements in the field of bone biosensing materials and sensor technologies and how they can help now and in the future to detect disease and monitor bone health.

Understanding the Role of Polymer Surface Nanoscale Topography on Inhibiting Bacteria Adhesion and Growth.

Catheter-associated infections, most of which are caused by microbial biofilms, are still a serious issue in healthcare and are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and excessive medical costs. Currently, the use of nanostructured materials, especially materials with nanofeatured topographies, which have more surface area, altered surface energy, enhanced select protein adsorption, and selectively increased desirable cell functions while simultaneously decreasing competitive cell functions, seem to be among the most promising ways for reducing initial bacteria attachment, biofilm formation, and infections. In this study, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a commonly used polymeric catheter material, was formulated to mimic the nanopatterned topography of natural tissue by using a template method with nanotubular anodized titanium. Results showed that increased PDMS surface nanoscale roughness alone can inhibit both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria adhesion and growth for up to 2 days, the time length of the current study. Additionally, increased fibroblast and endothelial cell adhesion on nano-PDMS indicated that this nanoscale topography had no toxic effects toward mammalian cells. Mechanistically, this study also developed a model for the first time to correlate bacteria responses to nanoscale roughness with initial protein and biomolecule adsorption (specifically, casein protein and glucose, which are unique biomolecules that mediate bacteria functions). Data revealed that the increase in nanoscale roughness and associated energy contributed to greater select casein adsorption during the first several minutes of culture, which is critical for decreasing bacteria attachment and growth. In contrast, no significant differences for glucose adsorption between samples before and after nanofabrication were identified. These results together indicated that the present biomimetic nanopatterned PDMS surface without any chemical or antibiotic modification has the potential to combat catheter-associated infections and should be further investigated.

A mechanism for the enhanced attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts on anodized 316L stainless steel with nano-pit arrays.

In this study, 316L stainless steel with tunable nanometer pit sizes (0, 25, 50, and 60 nm) were fabricated by an anodization procedure in an ethylene glycol electrolyte solution containing 5 vol % perchloric acid. The surface morphology and elemental composition of the 316L stainless steel were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The nano-pit arrays on all of the 316L stainless steel samples were in a regular arrangement. The surface properties of the 316L stainless steel nano-pit surface showed improved wettability properties as compared with the untreated 316L stainless steel, as demonstrated by the lower contact angles which dropped from 83.0° to 28.6 to 45.4°. The anodized 316L stainless steel surfaces with 50 nm and 60 nm diameter pits were also more rough at the nanoscale. According to MTT assays, compared with unanodized (that is, nano-smooth) surfaces, the 50 and 60 nm diameter nano-pit surfaces dramatically enhanced initial human dermal fibroblast attachment and growth for up to 3 days in culture. Mechanistically, this study also provided the first evidence of greater select protein adsorption (specifically, vitronectin and fibronectin which have been shown to enhance fibroblast adhesion) on the anodized 316L stainless steel compared with unanodized stainless steel. Such nano-pit surfaces can be designed to support fibroblast growth and, thus, improve the use of 316L stainless steel for various implant applications (such as for enhanced skin healing for amputee devices and for percutaneous implants).

Flexible electrically conductive nanocomposite membrane based on bacterial cellulose and polyaniline.

The novel conductive polyaniline/bacterial cellulose (PANI/BC) nanocomposite membranes have been synthesized in situ by oxidative polymerization of aniline with ammonium persulfate as an oxidant and BC as a template. The resulting PANI-coated BC nanofibrils formed a uniform and flexible membrane. It was found that the PANI nanoparticles deposited on the surface of BC connected to form a continuous nanosheath by taking along the BC template, which greatly increases the thermal stability of BC. The content of PANI and the electrical conductivity of composites increased with increasing reaction time from 30 to 90 min, while the conductivity decreased because of the aggregation of PANI particles by further prolonging the reaction time. In addition, the acids remarkably improve the accessibility and reactivity of the hydroxyl groups of BC. The results indicate that the composites exhibit excellent electrical conductivity (the highest value was 5.0 × 10(-2) S/cm) and good mechanical properties (Young's modulus was 5.6 GPa and tensile strength was 95.7 MPa). Moreover, the electrical conductivity of the membrane is sensitive to the strain. This work provides a straightforward method to prepare flexible films with high conductivity and good mechanical properties, which could be applied in sensors, flexible electrodes, and flexible displays. It also opens a new field of potential applications of BC materials.