Two-billion-year-old volcanism on the Moon from Chang'e-5 basalts.

The Moon has a magmatic and thermal history that is distinct from that of the terrestrial planets1. Radioisotope dating of lunar samples suggests that most lunar basaltic magmatism ceased by around 2.9-2.8 billion years ago (Ga)2,3, although younger basalts between 3 Ga and 1 Ga have been suggested by crater-counting chronology, which has large uncertainties owing to the lack of returned samples for calibration4,5. Here we report a precise lead-lead age of 2,030 ± 4 million years ago for basalt clasts returned by the Chang'e-5 mission, and a 238U/204Pb ratio (µ value)6 of about 680 for a source that evolved through two stages of differentiation. This is the youngest crystallization age reported so far for lunar basalts by radiometric dating, extending the duration of lunar volcanism by approximately 800-900 million years. The µ value of the Chang'e-5 basalt mantle source is within the range of low-titanium and high-titanium basalts from Apollo sites (µ value of about 300-1,000), but notably lower than those of potassium, rare-earth elements and phosphorus (KREEP) and high-aluminium basalts7 (µ value of about 2,600-3,700), indicating that the Chang'e-5 basalts were produced by melting of a KREEP-poor source. This age provides a pivotal calibration point for crater-counting chronology in the inner Solar System and provides insight on the volcanic and thermal history of the Moon.

Sediment subduction in Hadean revealed by machine learning.

Due to the scarcity of rock samples, the Hadean Era predating 4 billion years ago (Ga) poses challenges in understanding geological processes like subaerial weathering and plate tectonics that are critical for the evolution of life. The Jack Hills zircon from Western Australia, the primary Hadean samples available, offer valuable insights into magma sources and tectonic genesis through trace element signatures. However, a consensus on these signatures has not been reached. To address this, we developed a machine learning classifier capable of deciphering the geochemical fingerprints of zircon. This allowed us to identify the oldest detrital zircon originating from sedimentary-derived "S-type" granites. Our results indicate the presence of S-type granites as early as 4.24 Ga, persisting throughout the Hadean into the Archean. Examining global detrital zircon across Earth's history reveals consistent supercontinent-like cycles from the present back to the Hadean. These findings suggest that a significant amount of Hadean continental crust was exposed, weathered into sediments, and incorporated into the magma sources of Jack Hills zircon. Only the early operation of both subaerial weathering and plate subduction can account for the prevalence of S-type granites we observe. Additionally, the periodic evolution of S-type granite proportions implies that subduction-driven tectonic cycles were active during the Hadean, at least around 4.2 Ga. The evidence thus points toward an early Earth resembling the modern Earth in terms of active tectonics and habitable surface conditions. This suggests the potential for life to originate in environments like warm ponds rather than extreme hydrothermal settings.

ZBTB20 is essential for cochlear maturation and hearing in mice.

The mammalian cochlear epithelium undergoes substantial remodeling and maturation before the onset of hearing. However, very little is known about the transcriptional network governing cochlear late-stage maturation and particularly the differentiation of its lateral nonsensory region. Here, we establish ZBTB20 as an essential transcription factor required for cochlear terminal differentiation and maturation and hearing. ZBTB20 is abundantly expressed in the developing and mature cochlear nonsensory epithelial cells, with transient expression in immature hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons. Otocyst-specific deletion of Zbtb20 causes profound deafness with reduced endolymph potential in mice. The subtypes of cochlear epithelial cells are normally generated, but their postnatal development is arrested in the absence of ZBTB20, as manifested by an immature appearance of the organ of Corti, malformation of tectorial membrane (TM), a flattened spiral prominence (SP), and a lack of identifiable Boettcher cells. Furthermore, these defects are related with a failure in the terminal differentiation of the nonsensory epithelium covering the outer border Claudius cells, outer sulcus root cells, and SP epithelial cells. Transcriptome analysis shows that ZBTB20 regulates genes encoding for TM proteins in the greater epithelial ridge, and those preferentially expressed in root cells and SP epithelium. Our results point to ZBTB20 as an essential regulator for postnatal cochlear maturation and particularly for the terminal differentiation of cochlear lateral nonsensory domain.

Scalable Dual In Situ Synthesis of Polyester Nanocomposites for High-Energy Storage.

Incorporating ultralow loading of nanoparticles into polymers has realized increases in dielectric constant and breakdown strength for excellent energy storage. However, there are still a series of tough issues to be dealt with, such as organic solvent uses, which face enormous challenges in scalable preparation. Here, a new strategy of dual in situ synthesis is proposed, namely polymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) synchronizes with growth of calcium borate nanoparticles, making polyester nanocomposites from monomers directly. Importantly, this route is free of organic solvents and surface modification of nanoparticles, which is readily accessible to scalable synthesis of polyester nanocomposites. Meanwhile, uniform dispersion of as ultralow as 0.1 wt% nanoparticles and intense bonding at interfaces have been observed. Furthermore, the PET-based nanocomposite displays obvious increases in both dielectric constant and breakdown strength as compared to the neat PET. Its maximum discharged energy density reaches 15 J cm-3 at 690 MV m-1 and power density attains 218 MW cm-3 under 150 Ω resistance at 300 MV m-1, which is far superior to the current dielectric polymers that can be produced at large scales. This work presents a scalable, safe, low-cost, and environment-friendly route toward polymer nanocomposites with superior capacitive performance.

ErbB4 deficiency exacerbates olfactory dysfunction in an early-stage Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

Olfactory dysfunction is increasingly recognized as an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aberrations in GABAergic function and the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance within the olfactory bulb (OB) have been implicated in olfactory impairment during the initial stages of AD. While the neuregulin 1 (NRG1)/ErbB4 signaling pathway is known to regulate GABAergic transmission in the brain and is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders, its specific role in early AD-related olfactory impairment remains incompletely understood. This study demonstrated that olfactory dysfunction preceded cognitive decline in young adult APP/PS1 mice and was characterized by reduced levels of NRG1 and ErbB4 in the OB. Further investigation revealed that deletion of ErbB4 in parvalbumin interneurons reduced GABAergic transmission and increased hyperexcitability in mitral and tufted cells (M/Ts) in the OB, thereby accelerating olfactory dysfunction in young adult APP/PS1 mice. Additionally, ErbB4 deficiency was associated with increased accumulation of Aß and BACE1-mediated cleavage of APP, along with enhanced CDK5 signaling in the OB. NRG1 infusion into the OB was found to enhance GABAergic transmission in M/Ts and alleviate olfactory dysfunction in young adult APP/PS1 mice. These findings underscore the critical role of NRG1/ErbB4 signaling in regulating GABAergic transmission and E/I balance within the OB, contributing to olfactory impairment in young adult APP/PS1 mice, and provide novel insights for early intervention strategies in AD. This work has shown that ErbB4 deficiency increased the burden of Aß, impaired GABAergic transmission, and disrupted the E/I balance of mitral and tufted cells (M/Ts) in the OB, ultimately resulting in olfactory dysfunction in young adult APP/PS1 mice. NRG1 could enhance GABAergic transmission, rescue E/I imbalance in M/Ts, and alleviate olfactory dysfunction in young adult APP/PS1 mice. OB: olfactory bulb, E/I: excitation/inhibition, Pr: probability of release, PV: parvalbumin interneurons, Aß: ß-amyloid, GABA: gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Experimental study on the biomechanical stability of complex acetabular fractures in the quadrilateral area: application of a dynamic anterior titanium-plate screw system.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Complex acetabular fractures involving quadrilateral areas are more challenging to treat during surgery. To date, there has been no ideal internal fixation for these acetabular fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical stability of complex acetabular fractures using a dynamic anterior titanium-plate screw system of the quadrilateral area (DAPSQ) by simulating the standing and sitting positions of pelvic specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight formal in-preserved cadaveric pelvises aged 30-50 years were selected as the research objects. First, one hip of the normal pelvises was randomly used as the control model (group B) for measurement, and then one hip of the pelvises was randomly selected to make the fracture model in the 8 intact pelvises as the experimental model (group A) for measurement. In group A, acetabular both-column fractures in the quadrilateral area were established, and the fractures were fixed by DAPSQ. The biomechanical testing machine was used to load (simulated physiological load) from 400 N to 700 N at a 1 mm/min speed for 30 s in the vertical direction when the specimens were measured at random in simulated standing or sitting positions in groups. The horizontal displacement and longitudinal displacement of the acetabular fractures in the quadrilateral area were measured in both the standing and sitting simulations. RESULTS: As the load increased, no dislocation or internal fixation breakage occurred during the measurements. In the standing position, the horizontal displacement of the quadrilateral area fractures in group A and group B appeared to be less than 1 mm with loads ranging from 400 N to 700 N, and there was no significant difference between group A and group B (p > 0.05). The longitudinal displacement appeared to be greater than 1 mm with a load of 700 mm in group A (700 N, 2 cases), and the difference was significant between group A and group B (p < 0.05). In the sitting position, the horizontal and longitudinal displacements of the quadrilateral areas were within 0.5 mm in group A and group B, and there was no significant difference between group A and group B (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: For complex acetabular fractures in the quadrilateral area, DAPSQ fixation may provide early sitting stability, but it is inappropriate for patients to stand too early.

Growth and thermal maturation of the Toba magma reservoir.

The Toba volcanic system in Indonesia has produced two of the largest eruptions (>2,000 km3 dense-rock equivalent [DRE] each) on Earth since the Quaternary. U-Pb crystallization ages of zircon span a period of ∼600 ky before each eruptive event, and in the run-up to each eruption, the mean and variance of the zircons' U content decrease. To quantify the process of accumulation of eruptible magma underneath the Toba caldera, we integrated these observations with thermal and geochemical modeling. We show that caldera-forming eruptions at Toba are the result of progressive thermal maturation of the upper crustal magma reservoir, which grows and chemically homogenizes, by sustained magma influx at average volumetric rates between 0.008 and 0.01 km3/y over the past 2.2 My. Protracted thermal pulses related to magma-recharge events prime the system for eruption without necessarily requiring an increased magma-recharge rate before the two supereruptions. If the rate of magma input was maintained since the last supereruption of Toba at 75 ka, eruptible magma is currently accumulating at a minimum rate of ∼4.2 km3 per millennium, and the current estimate of the total volume of potentially eruptible magma available today is a minimum of ∼315 km3 Our approach to evaluate magma flux and the rate of eruptible magma accumulation is applicable to other volcanic systems capable of producing supereruptions and thereby could help in assessing the potential of active volcanic systems to feed supereruptions.

A qualitative study of the experiences of interdisciplinary nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak following the announcement of the "Ten new guidelines" in China.

BACKGROUND: On December 7, 2022, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of China's State Council released the "Ten New Guidelines" to optimize the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention policies further. This signaled a broader shift from "dynamic clearing" to "coexisting with the virus" nationwide. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the experiences and perspectives of interdisciplinary nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak in China after the implementation of the "Ten New Guidelines". The goal is to understand the challenges faced by this unique nursing group and inform organizational support to bolster their well-being and resilience. METHODS: Two tertiary hospitals in southeastern Zhejiang Province were selected, with interdisciplinary nurses chosen as subjects. A constructivist qualitative research approach was employed, using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Research data were collected through interviews and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Fifteen interdisciplinary nurses were included in this study. The analysis revealed four main themes and nine sub-themes. The main themes were: (1) ineffective organizational support (inadequate organizational care, poor PPE, excessive workload), (2) physiological distress after contracting COVID-19 (extreme physical fatigue, leakage of urine due to severe coughing), (3) fear of being wrong (fear of being reprimanded in public, psychological anxiety), and (4) family responsibility anxiety (difficulty of loyalty and filial piety, obligations to their children). CONCLUSION: We provide new evidence that organizations must proactively address the support, training, and communication needs of staff, particularly interdisciplinary nurses, to supplement epidemic containment. This is also essential in helping mitigate the work-family conflicts such roles can create.

The zinc finger and BTB domain containing protein ZBTB20 regulates plasma triglyceride metabolism by repressing lipoprotein lipase gene transcription in hepatocytes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is responsible for the lipolytic processing of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, the deficiency of which causes severe hypertriglyceridemia. Liver LPL expression is high in suckling rodents but relatively low at adulthood. However, the regulatory mechanism and functional significance of liver LPL expression are incompletely understood. We have established the zinc finger protein ZBTB20 as a critical factor for hepatic lipogenesis. Here, we evaluated the role of ZBTB20 in regulating liver Lpl gene transcription and plasma triglyceride metabolism. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Hepatocyte-specific inactivation of ZBTB20 in mice led to a remarkable increase in LPL expression at the mRNA and protein levels in adult liver, in which LPL protein was mainly localized onto sinusoidal epithelial cells and Kupffer cells. As a result, the LPL activity in postheparin plasma was substantially increased, and postprandial plasma triglyceride clearance was significantly enhanced, whereas plasma triglyceride levels were decreased. The dysregulated liver LPL expression and low plasma triglyceride levels in ZBTB20-deficient mice were normalized by inactivating hepatic LPL expression. ZBTB20 deficiency protected the mice against high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia without causing excessive triglyceride accumulation in the liver. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and gel-shift assay studies revealed that ZBTB20 binds to the LPL promoter in the liver. A luciferase reporter assay revealed that ZBTB20 inhibits the transcriptional activity of LPL promoter. The regulation of LPL expression by ZBTB20 is liver-specific under physiological conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Liver ZBTB20 serves as a key regulator of LPL expression and plasma triglyceride metabolism and could be a therapeutic target for hypertriglyceridemia.

Synthesis, biological activity and mechanism of action of novel allosecurinine derivatives as potential antitumor agents.

Cancer with low survival rates is the second main cause of death among all diseases in the world and consequently, effective antineoplastic agents are urgently needed. Allosecurinine is a plant-derived indolicidine securinega alkaloid shown bioactivity. The object of this study is to investigate synthetic allosecurinine derivatives with considerable anticancer capacity against nine human cancer cell lines as well as mechanism of action. We synthesized twenty-three novel allosecurinine derivatives and evaluated their antitumor activity against nine cancer cell lines for 72 h by MTT and CCK8 assays. FCM was applied to analyze the apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA content, ROS production, CD11b expression. Western blot was selected to analyze the protein expression. Structure-activity relationships were established and potential anticancer lead BA-3 which induced differentiation of leukemia cells towards granulocytosis at low concentration and apoptosis at high concentration was identified. Mechanism studies showed that mitochondrial pathway mediated apoptosis within cancer cells with cell cycle blocking was induced by BA-3. In addition, western blot assays revealed that BA-3 induced expression of the proapoptotic factor Bax, p21 and reduced the levels of antiapoptotic protein such as Bcl-2, XIAP, YAP1, PARP, STAT3, p-STAT3, and c-Myc. Collectively, BA-3 was a lead compound for oncotherapy at least in part, through the STAT3 pathway. These results were an important step in further studies on allosecurinine-based antitumor agent development.

Bioconjugation of nanozyme and natural enzyme to enable a one-step cascade reaction for the detection of metabolites.

Nanozyme, with enzyme-mimicking activity and excellent stability, has attracted extensive attention. However, some inherent disadvantages, including poor dispersion, low selectivity, and insufficient peroxidase-like activity, still limit its further development. Therefore, an innovative bioconjugation of a nanozyme and natural enzyme was conducted. In the presence of graphene oxide (GO), histidine magnetic nanoparticles (H-Fe3O4) were first synthesized by a solvothermal method. The GO-supported H-Fe3O4 (GO@H-Fe3O4) exhibited superior dispersity and biocompatibility because GO was the carrier and possessed outstanding peroxidase-like activity because of the introduction of histidine. Furthermore, the mechanism of the peroxidase-like activity of GO@H-Fe3O4 was the generation of •OH. Uric acid oxidase (UAO) was selected as the model natural enzyme and covalently linked to GO@H-Fe3O4 with hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) as a linker. UAO could specifically catalyze the oxidation of uric acid (UA) to generate H2O2, and subsequently, the newly produced H2O2 oxidized the colorless 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue ox-TMB under the catalysis of GO@H-Fe3O4. Based on the above cascade reaction, the GO@H-Fe3O4-linked UAO (GHFU) and GO@H-Fe3O4-linked ChOx (GHFC) were used for the detection of UA in serum samples and cholesterol (CS) in milk, respectively. The method based on GHFU exhibited a wide detection range (5-800 µM) and a low detection limit (1.5 µM) for UA, and the method based on GHFC exhibited a wide detection range (4-400 µM) and a low detection limit (1.13 µM) for CS. These results demonstrated that the proposed strategy had great potential in the field of clinical detection and food safety.

Anastomotic leak risk factors following colon cancer resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite improved surgical techniques, anastomotic leakage is still a serious complication that can occur after colon cancer resection, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for anastomotic leakage after colon cancer surgery, provide a theoretical basis for reducing its occurrence, and guide the practice of clinicians. METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases was conducted by using a combination of subject terms and free words for online searches. The databases were searched from their inception to 31 March 2022, and all cross-sectional, cohort or case‒control studies examining the risk factors for the development of anastomotic fistula after surgery for colon cancer were identified. RESULT: A total of 2133 articles were searched for this study, and 16 publications were ultimately included, all of which were cohort studies. A total of 115,462 subjects were included, and a total of 3959 cases of anastomotic leakage occurred postoperatively, with an incidence of 3.4%. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used for evaluation. Male sex (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.29-1.46, P < 0.00001), BMI (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.08, P = 0.03), diabetes (OR = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.81-4.33, P < 0.00001), combined lung disease (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.15-1.42, P < 0.00001), anaesthesia ASA score (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.24-1.46, P < 0.00001), ASA class ≥ III (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.22-1.47, P < 0.00001), emergency surgery (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.11-1.55, P = 0.001), open surgery (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.69-2.24, P < 0.00001) and type of surgical resection (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.12-1.61, P = 0.002) are risk factors for anastomotic leakage after colon cancer surgery. There is still a lack of strong evidence on whether age (OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.99-1.01, P = 0.36) and cardiovascular disease (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.94-1.47, P = 0.16) are factors influencing the occurrence of anastomotic leakage after colon cancer surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Male sex, BMI, obesity, coexisting pulmonary disease, anaesthesia ASA score, emergency surgery, open surgery and type of resection were risk factors for anastomotic leakage after colon cancer surgery. The effect of age and cardiovascular disease on postoperative anastomotic leakage in patients with colon cancer needs further study.

Nerve regeneration in rat peripheral nerve allografts: An assessment of the role of endogenous neurotrophic factors in nerve cryopreservation and regeneration.

Peripheral nerve injury is a common clinical problem that often leads to significant functional impairment or even complete paralysis. Allograft has been proposed as a potential repair strategy for peripheral nerve injuries. Furthermore, peripheral nerve cryopreservation may result in nearly unlimited supply of grafts. However, the concentration of neurotrophic factors secreted by Schwann cells (SCs) in the local micro-environment after transplantation may not be sufficient for the survival of neuronal soma and axonal regeneration. Here, we investigated the effect of endogenous neurotrophic factors (ENTFs) on nerve regeneration in rats after the allograft of a cryopreserved sciatic nerve. ENTFs were highly expressed in the sciatic nerves pretreated for 14 days. Although the number of surviving cells in the sciatic nerves and their immunogenicity were low in the 14-day group after 4 weeks of cryopreservation, they continued to express high levels of ENTFs in vitro. At 1 week postoperation, the 14-day Allo group showed low plasma levels of interleukin-2, interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-alpha and low cellular immune response. At 20 weeks postoperation, nerve regeneration and functional recovery in the 14-day Allo group was similar to that in the fresh isograft group but better than that in the cryopreserved-fresh allograft and fresh allograft groups. Thus, ENTFs were induced in vitro after pretreatment of the sciatic nerve. Following cryopreservation, the sciatic nerves with high levels of ENTFs continued to express high levels of ENTFs in vitro. The immune response after allograft was weak, which promoted recipient nerve regeneration.

ChREBP-regulated lipogenesis is not required for the thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue.

OBJECTIVES: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a critical role in energy expenditure by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-mediated thermogenesis and represents an important therapeutic target for metabolic diseases. Carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP) is a key transcription factor regulating de novo lipogenesis, and its activity is associated with UCP1 expression and thermogenesis in BAT. However, the exact physiological role of endogenous ChREBP in BAT thermogenesis remains unclear. METHODS: We used the Cre/LoxP system to generate ChREBP BAT-specific knockout mice, and examined their BAT thermogenesis under acute cold exposure and long-term cold acclimation. Gene expression was analyzed at the mRNA and protein levels, and lipogenesis was examined by 3H-H2O incorporation assay. RESULTS: The mice lacking ChREBP specifically in BAT displayed a significant decrease in the expression levels of lipogenic genes and the activity of de novo lipogenesis in BAT after cold exposure, with UCP1 expression decreased under thermoneutral conditions or after acute cold exposure but not chronic cold acclimation. Unexpectedly, BAT-specific ChREBP deletion did not significantly affect body temperature as well as local temperature or morphology of BAT after acute cold exposure or chronic cold acclimation. Of note, ChREBP deletion mildly aggravated glucose intolerance induced by a high-fat diet. CONCLUSIONS: Our work indicates that ChREBP regulates de novo lipogenesis in BAT and glucose tolerance, but is not required for non-shivering thermogenesis by BAT under acute or long-term cold exposure.

Tracking of menstrual cycles and prediction of the fertile window via measurements of basal body temperature and heart rate as well as machine-learning algorithms.

BACKGROUND: Fertility awareness and menses prediction are important for improving fecundability and health management. Previous studies have used physiological parameters, such as basal body temperature (BBT) and heart rate (HR), to predict the fertile window and menses. However, their accuracy is far from satisfactory. Additionally, few researchers have examined irregular menstruators. Thus, we aimed to develop fertile window and menstruation prediction algorithms for both regular and irregular menstruators. METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital in Shanghai, China. Participants were recruited from August 2020 to November 2020 and followed up for at least four menstrual cycles. Participants used an ear thermometer to assess BBT and wore the Huawei Band 5 to record HR. Ovarian ultrasound and serum hormone levels were used to determine the ovulation day. Menstruation was self-reported by women. We used linear mixed models to assess changes in physiological parameters and developed probability function estimation models to predict the fertile window and menses with machine learning. RESULTS: We included data from 305 and 77 qualified cycles with confirmed ovulations from 89 regular menstruators and 25 irregular menstruators, respectively. For regular menstruators, BBT and HR were significantly higher during fertile phase than follicular phase and peaked in the luteal phase (all P < 0.001). The physiological parameters of irregular menstruators followed a similar trend. Based on BBT and HR, we developed algorithms that predicted the fertile window with an accuracy of 87.46%, sensitivity of 69.30%, specificity of 92.00%, and AUC of 0.8993 and menses with an accuracy of 89.60%, sensitivity of 70.70%, and specificity of 94.30%, and AUC of 0.7849 among regular menstruators. For irregular menstruators, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and AUC were 72.51%, 21.00%, 82.90%, and 0.5808 respectively, for fertile window prediction and 75.90%, 36.30%, 84.40%, and 0.6759 for menses prediction. CONCLUSIONS: By combining BBT and HR recorded by the Huawei Band 5, our algorithms achieved relatively ideal performance for predicting the fertile window and menses among regular menstruators. For irregular menstruators, the algorithms showed potential feasibility but still need further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2000036556. Registered 24 August 2020.

Negative correlations between bile reflux gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection.

OBJECTIVE: There are a few articles to study the relationship between bile reflux gastritis (BRG) and H. pylori infection, and the results are debatable. This study set out to determine the relationship between BRG and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients from January, 1st 2013 to January, 1st, 2021 were divided into two groups based on whether they had BRG. The control group was got by 1:1 propensity-score matching (PSM) based on age and sex. Then, the relationship between BRG and H. pylori in patients was analyzed via Chi-squared test and Phi (φ) detection. RESULTS: 26449 patients were included in this study, and there were 1918 patients in each group after age and sex matching. patients with HP were responsible for 35% (9345/26449) and patients with BRG were 7% (1918/26449). Further relationship exploration, there is a negative, but weak, the relationship between BRG and HP infection (X2 = 45.62, p < .001, Phi (φ)= -0.109). CONCLUSION: Patients with bile reflux may have less likely to get HP infection. HP eradication is an important thing for the prevention of gastric cancer and this study serves as a foundation and may provide directions for future research.

Construction of PEGylated boronate-affinity-oriented imprinting magnetic nanoparticles for ultrasensitive detection of ellagic acid from beverages.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can exhibit antibody-level affinity for target molecules. However, the nonspecific adsorption of non-imprinted regions for non-target molecules limits the application range of MIPs. Herein, we fabricated PEGylated boronate-affinity-oriented ellagic acid-imprinting magnetic nanoparticles (PBEMN), which first integrated boronate-affinity-oriented surface imprinting and sequential PEGylation for small molecule-imprinted MIPs. The resultant PBEMN possess higher adsorption capacity and faster adsorption rate for template ellagic acid (EA) molecules than the non-PEGylated control. To prove the excellent performance, the PBEMN were linked with hydrophilic boronic acid-modified/fluorescein isothiocyanate-loaded graphene oxide (BFGO), because BFGO could selectively label cis-diol-containing substances by boronate-affinity and output ultrasensitive fluorescent signals. Based on a dual boronate-affinity synergy, the PBEMN first selectively captured EA molecules by boronate-affinity-oriented molecular imprinted recognition, and then the EA molecules were further labeled with BFGO through boronate-affinity. The PBEMN linked BFGO (PBPF) strategy provided ultrahigh sensitivity for EA molecules with a limit of detection of 39.1 fg mL-1, resulting from the low nonspecific adsorption of PBEMN and the ultrasensitive fluorescence signal of BFGO. Lastly, the PBPF strategy was successfully employed in the determination of EA concentration in a spiked beverage sample with recovery and relative standard deviation in the range of 96.5 to 104.2% and 3.8 to 5.1%, respectively. This work demonstrates that the integration of boronate-affinity-oriented surface imprinting and sequential PEGylation may be a universal tool for improving the performance of MIPs.

Maternal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exposure during pregnancy and risk of miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have suggested that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might be associated with increased risk of miscarriage. However, these results are conflicting and inconclusive. METHODS: We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the relationship between NSAIDs exposure and risk of miscarriage. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies published from the time of database inception until June 2021. RESULTS: A total of ten studies involving 207,341 pregnant women were subjected to meta-analysis. There was no statistically significantly increased risk of miscarriage with the use of NSAIDs during pregnancy (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 0.99-1.88, p = 0.057). However, our findings showed that women exposed to NSAIDs around the time of conception were at increased risk of miscarriage (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.16-4.66, p = 0.018). Furthermore, no significant association between NSAID use and miscarriage was evident during the first trimester of pregnancy (OR = 1, 95% CI = 0.83-1.2, p = 0.996), possibly attributable to the small sample size. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that NSAID exposure around the time of conception might be a risk factor for miscarriage. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether the risk varies by the type, dosage, or timing of NSAID exposure.

Antepartum sleep quality, mental status, and postpartum depressive symptoms: a mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: Poor sleep quality and maternal mood disturbances are common during pregnancy and may play pivotal roles in the development of postpartum depression. We aim to examine the trajectories of sleep quality and mental health in women from early pregnancy to delivery and explore the mediating effects of sleep quality and mental status on the link between antepartum depressive symptoms and postpartum depressive symptoms. METHODS: In an ongoing prospective birth cohort, 1301 women completed questionnaires in the first, second and third trimesters and at 6 weeks postpartum. In each trimester, sleep quality was measured utilizing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and mental health was assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Postpartum depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The bootstrap method was used to test the mediation effect. RESULTS: The PSQI, CES-D, and SAS scores presented U-shaped curves across the antenatal period while the PSS score followed a descending trend. Antenatal sleep quality, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and perceived stress all predicted depressive symptoms at 6 weeks postpartum. The influence of antepartum depressive symptoms on postpartum depressive symptoms was mediated by antepartum sleep quality and anxiety symptoms, which accounted for 32.14%, 39.25% and 31.25% in the first, second and third trimesters (P = 0.002, P = 0.001, P = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Poor sleep quality and anxiety symptoms in pregnancy mediated the relationship between antepartum depressive symptoms and postpartum depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at detecting and managing sleep quality and elevated anxiety among depressed women in pregnancy warrant further investigation as preventative strategies for postpartum depression.

USP7 sustains an active epigenetic program via stabilizing MLL2 and WDR5 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Activated B-cell-like (ABC)-diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL) is a common subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with poor prognosis. The survival of ABC-DLBCL relies on constitutive activation of BCR signaling, but the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully addressed. By mining The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we found that the expression of ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) is significantly elevated in three cancer types including DLBCL. Interestingly, unlike germinal center B-cell-like (GCB)-DLBCL, ABC-DLBCL shows upregulated expression of USP7. Inhibiting the enzymatic activity of USP7 (P22077) has a drastic effect on ABC-DLBCL, but not GCB-DLBCL cells. Compared to GCB-DLBCL, ABC-DLBCL cells show transcriptional upregulation of multiple components of BCR-signaling. USP7 inhibition significantly reduces the expression of upregulated components of BCR signaling. Mechanistically, USP7 inhibition greatly reduces the methylation of histone 3 on lysine 4 (H3K4me2), which is an epigenetic marker for active enhancers. USP7 inhibition greatly reduces the protein level of WDR5 and MLL2, key components of lysine-specific methyltransferase complex (complex of proteins associated with Set1 [COMPASS]). In ABC-DLBCL cells, USP7 stabilizes WDR5 and MLL2. In patients, the expression of USP7 is significantly associated with components of BCR signaling (LYN, SYK, BTK, PLCG2, PRKCB, MALT1, BCL10, and CARD11) and targets of BCR signaling (MYC and IRF4). In summary, we demonstrated an essential role of USP7 in ABC-DLBCL by organizing an oncogenic epigenetic program via stabilization of WDR5 and MLL2. Targeting USP7 might be a novel and efficient approach to treat patients with ABC-DLBCL and it might be better than targeting individual components such as BTK in BCR signaling.