Asparagine reduces the risk of schizophrenia: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study of aspartate, asparagine and schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Despite ongoing research, the underlying causes of schizophrenia remain unclear. Aspartate and asparagine, essential amino acids, have been linked to schizophrenia in recent studies, but their causal relationship is still unclear. This study used a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to explore the causal relationship between aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia. METHODS: This study employed summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted on European populations to examine the correlation between aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia. In order to investigate the causal effects of aspartate and asparagine on schizophrenia, this study conducted a two-sample bidirectional MR analysis using genetic factors as instrumental variables. RESULTS: No causal relationship was found between aspartate and schizophrenia, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.221 (95%CI: 0.483-3.088, P-value = 0.674). Reverse MR analysis also indicated that no causal effects were found between schizophrenia and aspartate, with an OR of 0.999 (95%CI: 0.987-1.010, P-value = 0.841). There is a negative causal relationship between asparagine and schizophrenia, with an OR of 0.485 (95%CI: 0.262-0.900, P-value = 0.020). Reverse MR analysis indicates that there is no causal effect between schizophrenia and asparagine, with an OR of 1.005(95%CI: 0.999-1.011, P-value = 0.132). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that there may be a potential risk reduction for schizophrenia with increased levels of asparagine, while also indicating the absence of a causal link between elevated or diminished levels of asparagine in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. There is no potential causal relationship between aspartate and schizophrenia, whether prospective or reverse MR. However, it is important to note that these associations necessitate additional research for further validation.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the local cell landscape in mouse epididymal initial segment during aging.

BACKGROUND: Morphological and functional alterations in aging reproductive organs result in decreased male fertility. The epididymis functions as the transition region for post-testicular sperm maturation. And we have previously demonstrated that the epididymal initial segment (IS), a region of the reproductive tract essential for sperm maturation and capacitation, undergoes considerable histological changes and chronic immune activation in mice during aging. However, the local aging-associated cellular and molecular changes in the aged epididymal IS are poorly understood. RESULTS: We conducted single-cell RNA sequencing analysis on the epididymal IS of young (3-month-old) and old (21-month-old) mice. In total, 10,027 cells from the epididymal IS tissues of young and old mice were obtained and annotated. The cell composition, including the expansion of a principal cell subtype and Ms4a4bHiMs4a6bHi T cells, changed with age. Aged principal cells displayed multiple functional gene expression changes associated with acrosome reaction and sperm maturation, suggesting an asynchronous process of sperm activation and maturation during epididymal transit. Meanwhile, aging-related altered pathways in immune cells, especially the "cell chemotaxis" in Cx3cr1Hi epididymal dendritic cells (eDCs), were identified. The monocyte-specific expression of chemokine Ccl8 increased with age in eDCs. And the aged epididymal IS showed increased inflammatory cell infiltration and cytokine secretion. Furthermore, cell-cell communication analysis indicated that age increased inflammatory signaling in the epididymal IS. CONCLUSION: Contrary to the general pattern of lower immune responses in the male proximal genital tract, we revealed an inflammaging status in mouse epididymal initial segment. These findings will allow future studies to enable the delay of male reproductive aging via immune regulation.

High-performance photovoltaic application of the 2D all-inorganic Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite heterostructure Cs2PbI2Cl2/MAPbI3.

The three-dimensional (3D) organic-inorganic halide perovskite MAPbI3 has excellent light-harvesting properties but is unstable. However, the newly synthesized two-dimensional (2D) all-inorganic Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite Cs2PbI2Cl2 has superior stability but adverse photoelectric properties. Therefore, constructing a 2D Cs2PbI2Cl2/3D MAPbI3 heterostructure is expected to combine the superstability of the 2D material and the high efficiency of the 3D one. The photoelectric properties and charge transfer of 2D Cs2PbI2Cl2/3D MAPbI3 heterostructures are investigated using density functional theory, where MAPbI3 has two kinds of contacting interfaces, i.e., MAI and PbI interfaces. The band gaps of 2D/MAI and 2D/PbI heterostructures are 1.52 eV and 1.40 eV, smaller than those of the free-standing materials (2D ∼ 2.50 eV, MAI ∼ 1.77 eV, and PbI ∼ 1.73 eV), which can broaden the light absorption spectrum. Moreover, the 2D/3D heterostructures are typical type-II heterostructures, which is beneficial to facilitate the separation of carriers for increasing the photoelectric conversion. Interestingly, due to the work function difference (2D ∼ 4.97 eV, MAI ∼ 3.57 eV, and PbI ∼ 5.49 eV), the charge transfer directions of the 2D/MAI and 2D/PbI heterostructures are completely opposite, which shows that interface engineering to impose a consistent interface termination is needed to obtain good performance for solar cells. These results demonstrate that constructing 2D Cs2PbI2Cl2 and 3D MAPbI3 heterostructures by interfacial engineering is a potential strategy to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs).

A high throughput dynamic method for characterizing thermodynamic properties of catalyzed magnesium hydrides by thermogravimetric analysis.

The use of the conventional pressure-composition-temperature (PCT) method to determine the thermodynamics of metal hydrides is a time-consuming process. This work presents an efficient method based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), to characterize the thermodynamic parameters. Through cycling catalyzed magnesium hydride in a TGA apparatus under a flowing gas with a constant hydrogen partial pressure, TGA curves can be used to determine absorption/desorption equilibrium temperatures. Based on the van't Hoff analysis, the reaction enthalpies and entropies can be derived from the equilibrium temperatures as a function of hydrogen pressure. Using the results of this work we calculated the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation enthalpies, which are 79.8 kJ per mol per H2 and 76.5 kJ per mol per H2, respectively. These values are in good agreement with those reported values using the PCT method. These results demonstrate that the TGA can be an efficient and effective method for measuring thermodynamic parameters of metal hydrides.

Circulating MicroRNA-486 and MicroRNA-146a serve as potential biomarkers of sarcopenia in the older adults.

BACKGROUND: Age-related sarcopenia meaningfully increases the risks of functional limitations and mortality in the older adults. Although circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) are associated with aging-related cellular senescence and inflammation, the relationships between c-miRNAs and sarcopenia in the older adults remain unclear. This study investigates whether circulating myo-miRNAs and inflammation-related miRNAs are associated with sarcopenia in the older adults. METHODS: This investigation recruited 77 eligible subjects (41 males and 36 females) from 597 community-dwelling older adults, and then divided them into normal (n = 24), dynapenic (loss of muscular function without mass, n = 35), and sarcopenic groups (loss of muscular function with mass, n = 18). Moreover, myo- (c-miRNA-133a and c-miRNA-486) and inflammation- (c-miRNA-21 and c-miRNA-146a) related miRNAs, as well as, inflammatory-related cytokine and peroxide levels in plasma were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: Sarcopenic group exhibited lesser skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength, and gait speed, as well as, lower c-miR-486 and c-miR-146a levels, compared to those of normal and dynapenic groups. Moreover, c-miR-486 level was positively related to SMI (r = 0.334, P = 0.003), whereas c-miR-146a level was positively associated with SMI (r = 0.240, P = 0.035) and handgrip strength (r = 0.253, P = 0.027). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis for predicting sarcopenia, the area under the curve in c-miR-486 was 0.708 (95% confidence interval: 0.561-0.855, P = 0.008) and c-miR-146a was 0.676 (95% CI: 0.551-0.801, P = 0.024). However, no significant relationships were observed between SMI/handgrip strength/gait speed and plasma myeloperoxidase/interleukin-1훽/interleukin-6 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Myo-miRNA (c-miR-486) and inflammation-related miRNA (c-miR-146a) are superior to inflammatory peroxide/cytokines in plasma for serving as critical biomarkers of age-related sarcopenia.

[L-carnitine-astaxanthin compound nutrients for the treatment of idiopathic oligospermia and asthenozoospermia: A multicenter clinical observation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effects of the L-carnitine-astaxanthin compound nutrients Menglankang (MLK) on idiopathic oligospermia (OS) and asthenospermia (AS). METHODS: This study included 73 cases of OS and 220 cases of AS treated with MLK once a bag, bid, for 3 successive months. Before and at 1, 2 and 3 months after treatment, we obtained and analyzed the semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) of the patients. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline, the OS patients showed remarkable increases after 1 and 2 months of treatment in the semen volume (ï¼»3.07 ± 1.47ï¼½ vs ï¼»3.26 ± 1.26ï¼½ and ï¼»3.30 ± 1.28ï¼½ ml), sperm concentration (ï¼»10.96 ± 6.09ï¼½ vs ï¼»16.74 ± 11.15ï¼½ and ï¼»17.56 ± 9.92ï¼½ ×106/ml, P < 0.05), total sperm count (ï¼»29.78 ± 17.48ï¼½ vs ï¼»52.98 ± 32.07ï¼½ and ï¼»57.67 ± 36.98ï¼½ ×106, P < 0.05) and the percentages of progressively motile sperm (PMS) (ï¼»39.8 ± 11.66ï¼½% vs ï¼»45.3 ± 14.03ï¼½% and ï¼»46.42 ± 10.69ï¼½%, P < 0.05) and morphologically normal sperm (MNS) (ï¼»1.71 ± 1.07ï¼½% vs ï¼»1.79 ± 0.91ï¼½% and ï¼»1.84 ± 0.96ï¼½%), and so did the AS patients in PMS (ï¼»19.23 ± 8.32ï¼½% vs ï¼»25.46 ± 13.86ï¼½% and ï¼»27.33 ± 12.88ï¼½%, P < 0.05). After 3 months of medication, the OS patients exhibited even more significant increases in the semen volume (ï¼»3.63 ± 1.39ï¼½ ml) (P < 0.05), sperm concentration (ï¼»20.56 ± 14.7ï¼½ ×106/ml) (P < 0.05), total sperm count (ï¼»66.35 ± 55.91ï¼½ ×106) (P < 0.05), PMS (ï¼»49.24 ± 13.45ï¼½%) (P < 0.05) and MNS (ï¼»2.59 ± 0.93ï¼½%) (P < 0.05), and so did the AS patients in the semen volume (ï¼»3.27 ± 1.42ï¼½ vs ï¼»3.85 ± 1.59ï¼½ ml, P < 0.05), PMS (ï¼»29.11 ± 13.58ï¼½%) (P < 0.05) and NMS (ï¼»2.01 ± 1.14ï¼½% vs ï¼»2.57 ± 1.15ï¼½%, P < 0.05). In comparison with the baseline, the sperm DFI was not significantly improved at 1 month after treatment, but remarkably decreased at 2 and 3 months in the OS patients (ï¼»25.87 ± 13.76ï¼½% vs ï¼»18.66 ± 10.83ï¼½% and ï¼»16.48 ± 11.46ï¼½%, P < 0.05) and the AS patients as well (ï¼»26.40 ± 12.28ï¼½% vs ï¼»19.35 ± 11.54ï¼½% and ï¼»15.32 ± 10.89ï¼½%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The L-carnitine-astaxanthin compound nutrients Menglankang can significantly improve the semen quality of the patients with idiopathic oligospermia or asthenospermia.

Underwater Acoustic Time Delay Estimation Based on Envelope Differences of Correlation Functions.

This paper proposes underwater acoustic time delay estimation based on the envelope differences of correlation functions (EDCF), which mitigates the delay estimation errors introduced by the amplitude fluctuations of the correlation function envelopes in the traditional correlation methods (CM). The performance of the proposed delay estimation method under different time values was analyzed, and the optimal difference time values are given. To overcome the influences of digital signal sampling intervals on time delay estimation, a digital time delay estimation approach with low complexity and high accuracy is proposed. The performance of the proposed time delay estimation was analyzed in underwater multipath channels. Finally, the accuracy of the delay estimation using this proposed method was demonstrated by experiments.

Apigenin alleviates STZ-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Apigenin is an important component of fruits and vegetables in human daily diets. Several cellular and animal models have been performed to demonstrate its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. However, the cardioprotective effects of apigenin in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) remain unclear. In this study, we intended to explore the roles of apigenin in cardiac remodeling of DCM. Male C57BL/6 J mice were treated with streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days to induce DCM. The echocardiography and catheter-based measurements of hemodynamic parameters were performed to evaluate the cardiac function. Paraffin slices of harvested hearts were prepared for histological pathological analysis and TUNEL assay. Oxidative assay kits were used to detect Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), Lipid Peroxidation Malondialdehyde (MDA), and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). Western blot and real-time PCR were used for accessing the expressions of protein and mRNA. Diabetes mellitus exacerbated the cardiac dysfunction, fibrosis, and overaccumulation of 4-hydroxynonenal accompanying with down-regulation of Bcl2, GPx, and SOD, up-regulation of MDA, cleaved caspase3, and pro-apoptotic protein Bax, and contribution to the translocation of NF-κB. All these pathological changes could be effectively blunted by treatment of apigenin in vivo. Finally, H9c2 treated with high glucose or apigenin was used for further investigation of these effects in vitro; what is more, we also compared the effects between apigenin and Resveratrol in in vitro experiments. Our experiments have demonstrated that apigenin may be a potential drug for diabetic patients suffering from DCM.

Protective effect of allicin against glycidamide-induced toxicity in male and female mice.

Acrylamide is known to be a neurotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic compound. Glycidamide has a close relationship to the toxic mechanism of acrylamide. In order to explore the toxic mechanism of acrylamide, we further discussed the effects of oral administration of allicin on glycidamide-induced toxicity by determining the hematological parameters like AST, ALT, LDH, BUN, creatinine, ROS, and 8-OHdG, and biochemical parameters such as MDA, MPO, SOD, GST and GSH in the kidney, liver, brain and lung of male and female mice for the first time. We found that the same dose of glycidamide had more toxic effects and damage effects to the mice compared to the previous study of acrylamide. It could markedly increase the level of AST, ALT, LDH, BUN, ROS, 8-OHdG, MDA, MPO while decrease the SOD, GST and GSH. However, our data showed the oral administered allicin with a concentration of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg b.w./day could significantly decrease the damage indexes of AST, ALT, LDH, BUN, ROS, 8-OHdG, MDA, and MPO, while increase the antioxidant indicators of SOD, GST and GSH. Thus allicin could be used as an effective dietary supplement for the chemoprevention of glycidamide genotoxicity internally, and to prevent the tissue damage and toxicity induced by glycidamide.

Krüpple-like factors in cardiomyopathy: emerging player and therapeutic opportunities.

Cardiomyopathy, a heterogeneous pathological condition characterized by changes in cardiac structure or function, represents a significant risk factor for the prevalence and mortality of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Research conducted over the years has led to the modification of definition and classification of cardiomyopathy. Herein, we reviewed seven of the most common types of cardiomyopathies, including Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), diabetic cardiomyopathy, Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), desmin-associated cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), Ischemic Cardiomyopathy (ICM), and obesity cardiomyopathy, focusing on their definitions, epidemiology, and influencing factors. Cardiomyopathies manifest in various ways ranging from microscopic alterations in cardiomyocytes, to tissue hypoperfusion, cardiac failure, and arrhythmias caused by electrical conduction abnormalities. As pleiotropic Transcription Factors (TFs), the Krüppel-Like Factors (KLFs), a family of zinc finger proteins, are involved in regulating the setting and development of cardiomyopathies, and play critical roles in associated biological processes, including Oxidative Stress (OS), inflammatory reactions, myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, and cellular autophagy and apoptosis, particularly in diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, research into KLFs in cardiomyopathy is still in its early stages, and the pathophysiologic mechanisms of some KLF members in various types of cardiomyopathies remain unclear. This article reviews the roles and recent research advances in KLFs, specifically those targeting and regulating several cardiomyopathy-associated processes.

Comprehensive analysis and prognostic assessment of senescence-associated genes in bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and mortality of bladder cancer (BLCA) present a significant medical challenge. While the function of senescence-related genes in tumor development is recognized, their prognostic significance in BLCA has not been thoroughly explored. METHODS: BLCA transcriptome datasets were sourced from the TCGA and GEO repositories. Gene groupings were determined through differential gene expression and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) methodologies. Key senescence-linked genes were isolated using singular and multivariate Cox regression analyses, combined with lasso regression. Validation was undertaken with GEO database information. Predictive models, or nomograms, were developed by merging risk metrics with clinical records, and their efficacy was gauged using ROC curve methodologies. The immune response's dependency on the risk metric was assessed through the immune phenomenon score (IPS). Additionally, we estimated IC50 metrics for potential chemotherapeutic agents. RESULTS: Reviewing 406 neoplastic and 19 standard tissue specimens from the TCGA repository facilitated the bifurcation of subjects into two unique clusters (C1 and C2) according to senescence-related gene expression. After a stringent statistical evaluation, a set of ten pivotal genes was discerned and applied for risk stratification. Validity tests for the devised nomograms in forecasting 1, 3, and 5-year survival probabilities for BLCA patients were executed via ROC and calibration plots. IC50 estimations highlighted a heightened responsiveness in the low-risk category to agents like cisplatin, cyclopamine, and sorafenib. CONCLUSIONS: In summation, our research emphasizes the prospective utility of risk assessments rooted in senescence-related gene signatures for enhancing BLCA clinical oversight.

Molecular Dynamic Simulation Study on Replacement of Methane Hydrates with Carbon Dioxide Under Different Temperatures, Pressures, and Concentrations of Ethylene Glycol.

In order to alleviate the world energy resources crisis, the research and development of natural gas hydrates has a very important economic value and strategic significance. The CH4-CO2 replacement method can not only achieve geological storage of carbon dioxide but also more effectively mine natural gas hydrates. Based on molecular dynamics theory and the properties of natural gas hydrates, this paper delves into the replacement of methane hydrate with carbon dioxide under different temperatures, pressures, and concentrations of ethylene glycol (EG). We established a CO2-Hydrate model and three CO2/EG-Hydrate models with different concentrations of EG, and we simulated the radial distribution function (RDF), mean square displacement (MSD), and relative density distribution of each particle in the system in different conditions. The higher the temperature, the more unstable the methane hydrates are, and the methane hydrates are more prone to decomposition. Compared with 280 and 290 K, the temperature of 270 K is more favorable for carbon dioxide molecules to enter the hydrate layer and form carbon dioxide hydrates. The changes in pressure have little impact on the decomposition of methane hydrates, the rupture of water cages of methane hydrates, and the number of carbon dioxide molecules entering the hydrate layer under temperatures of 280 K and pressures of 1, 4, and 7 MPa. But overall, a pressure of 1 MPa is more conducive for carbon dioxide molecules to enter the hydrate layer and form carbon dioxide hydrates. Adding EG to CO2 molecules can inhibit the decomposition of methane hydrates. However, the higher the concentration of EG, the faster the decomposition of methane hydrates. The degree of fracture of the water cages in methane hydrates is greater under pure CO2 conditions. Adding EG to CO2 molecules is more conducive for CO2 molecules to enter the hydrate layer and form carbon dioxide hydrates. This review is of great significance to improve the mining efficiency and CO2 storage efficiency of the replacement of natural gas hydrates with CO2.

[High-frequency ultrasonography for epididymal stasis after vasectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical application of high-frequency ultrasound in the diagnosis and treatment of epididymal stasis after vasectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the sonographic characteristics of 23 cases of epididymal stasis treated by vasectomy, which were divided into a mild (n = 5), a moderate (n = 11) and a severe group (n = 7) according to the results of color Doppler flow imaging. We analyzed the significance of high-frequency ultrasonography in the treatment of epididymal stasis after vasectomy. RESULTS: High-frequency ultrasonography revealed 14 cases of increased bilateral epididymal volume, 6 cases of left epididymal thickening and 3 cases of right epididymal thickening, mainly the thickening of the epididymal body and tail. After conservative treatment, 18 of the epididymal stasis cases (5 mild, 11 moderate and 2 severe) were improved, and the other 5 severe cases significantly relieved and discharged from hospital following conservative treatment combined with vasectomy reversal. CONCLUSION: Post-vasectomy epididymal stasis has typical sonographic characteristics, and high-frequency ultrasonography has an extremely important application value in the clinical classification, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

APELIN-13 AMELIORATES LPS-INDUCED ENDOTHELIAL-TO-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION AND POST-ACUTE LUNG INJURY PULMONARY FIBROSIS BY SUPPRESSING TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-Β1 SIGNALING.

ABSTRACT: The pathophysiology of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) involves cytokine storms, alveolar-capillary barrier destruction, and fibrotic progression. Pulmonary interstitial fibrosis is an important factor affecting the prognosis of ARDS patients. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) plays an important role in the development of fibrotic diseases, and the occurrence of EndMT has been observed in experimental models of LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Apelin is an endogenous active polypeptide that plays an important role in maintaining endothelial cell homeostasis and inhibiting fibrotic progression in various diseases. However, whether apelin attenuates EndMT in ALI and post-ALI pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. We analyzed the serum levels of apelin-13 in patients with sepsis-associated ARDS to examine its possible clinical value. A murine model of LPS-induced pulmonary fibrosis and an LPS-challenged endothelial cell injury model were used to analyze the protective effect and underlying mechanism of apelin-13. Mice were treated with apelin-13 by i.p. injection, and human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells were incubated with apelin-13 in vitro . We found that the circulating apelin-13 levels were significantly elevated in sepsis-associated ARDS patients compared with healthy controls. Our study also confirmed that LPS induced EndMT progression and pulmonary fibrosis, which were characterized by decreased CD31 expression and increased α-smooth muscle actin expression and collagen deposition. LPS also stimulated the production of transforming growth factor ß1 and activated the Smad signaling pathway. However, apelin-13 treatment significantly attenuated these changes. Our findings suggest that apelin-13 may be a novel biomarker in patients with sepsis-associated ARDS. These results demonstrate that apelin-13 ameliorates LPS-induced EndMT and post-ALI pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing transforming growth factor ß1 signaling.

Treatment progress of cryptozoospermia with Western Medicine and traditional Chinese medicine: A literature review.

Background and Aims: Cryptozoospermia is an extreme oligozoospermia with an unsatisfactory treatment effect, with an incidence rate of approximately 8.73% in male infertility, whose effective solution has become the call of the times. Western Medicine has achieved certain effects through drugs, surgery, and assisted reproductive therapy, but this is still not ideal. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has made many achievements in other disciplines; however, there is still a lack of evidence-based medical evidence to improve sperm production. Methods: The relevant literatures from the China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) and PubMed in the past 10 years were collected in this article, of which the mechanisms, advantages, or current controversies of various treatment methods of Western Medicine and TCM were analyzed, to find new treatment methods and research directions. Results: With the development of modern science and technology, medical treatments for cryptozoospermia have become increasingly abundant; however, there is still no universally recognized unified and effective guiding plan. Although TCM has not been fully verified by evidence-based medicine, most TCM combined with Western Medicine can achieve unexpected results. Conclusion: The combination of TCM and Western Medicine may become a bane for cryptozoospermia and bring good news to infertile men worldwide.

Leydig cell metabolic disorder act as a new mechanism affecting for focal spermatogenesis in Klinefelter syndrome patients: a real world cross-sectional study base on the age.

Background: Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) was once considered infertile due to congenital chromosomal abnormalities, but the presence of focal spermatozoa changed this. The key to predict and promote spermatogenesis is to find targets that regulate focal spermatogenesis. Objective: To explore the trend of fertility changes in KS patients at different ages and identify potential therapeutic targets. Methods: Bibliometric analysis was used to collect clinical research data on KS from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from 1992 to 2022. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 75 KS patients who underwent microscopic testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) from 2017 to 2022 in the real world. The reproductive hormones, testicular histopathology, androgen receptors, insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) receptors and sperm recovery rate (SRR) were analyzed. Results: Male infertility, dysplasia, Sertoli cells, Leydig cells, testosterone and spermatogenesis were the research focuses related to KS. Luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, and INSL3 were evaluation indicators of Leydig cell function that fluctuate with age. Testosterone and LH peaked at ages 13-19 and 30-45, while INSL3 only peaked at ages 13-19. 27 patients (27/75) recovered sperm through mTESE and experienced SRR peaks at the ages of 20, 28, 34, and 37. The SRR of fibrosis patients was 46.15%, fatty degeneration was 7.14%, and melanosis was 40.00%. The INSL3 and androgen receptors were highly expressed and roughly balanced in focal spermatogenesis. Conclusion: Abnormal metabolism of Leydig cells led to imbalanced expression of INSL3 and androgen receptors, which might be a potential target for spermatogenesis in KS.

Geometrical Optimization and Transverse Thermoelectric Performances of Fe/Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 Artificially Tilted Multilayer Thermoelectric Devices.

Transverse thermoelectric performance of the artificially tilted multilayer thermoelectric device (ATMTD) is very difficult to be optimized, due to the large degree freedom in device design. Herein, an ATMTD with Fe and Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 (BTS) materials was proposed and fabricated. Through high-throughput calculation of Fe/BTS ATMTD, a maximum of calculated transverse thermoelectric figure of merit of 0.15 was obtained at a thickness ratio of 0.49 and a tilted angle of 14°. For fabricated ATMTD, the whole Fe/BTS interface is closely connected with a slight interfacial reaction. The optimizing Fe/BTS ATMTD with 12 mm in length, 6 mm in width and 4 mm in height has a maximum output power of 3.87 mW under a temperature difference of 39.6 K. Moreover the related power density per heat-transfer area reaches 53.75 W·m-2. This work demonstrates the performance of Fe/BTS ATMTD, allowing a better understanding of the potential in micro-scaled devices.

The Effect of Feeding on Briareum violacea Growth, Survival and Larval Development under Temperature and Salinity Stress.

In recent years, climate change has often caused fluctuations in seawater salinity and temperature, which threaten the survival and growth of corals. Effectively improving the stress response to temperature and salinity changes in corals to prevent bleaching is one of the important issues. This study initially explored the use of artificial polyunsaturated fatty acids to assess the ability of Briareum violacea to slow bleaching, enhance growth, stabilize larval development and reduce antistress factors (superoxide dismutase and catalase) when they were exposed to temperature and salinity stress. The salinities used in the experiment were 25, 30, 35 and 40 psu, and the temperatures were 20, 25 and 30 °C. It was divided into two parts: Experiment 1-Effects of temperature and salinity and feeding on digestive enzymes, reproduction and stress response of B. violacea; Experiment 2-Effects of temperature and salinity and feeding on the settlement and survival of larvae. The results showed that the feeding treatment group reduced the superoxide dismutase, catalase and mortality of corals under stress and significantly improved larval development and larval settlement.

Enhanced Thermoelectric Performances of CNTs-Reinforced Cement Composites with Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 for Pavement Energy Harvesting.

Driven by the huge thermal energy in cement concrete pavements, thermoelectric (TE) cement has attracted considerable attention. However, the current TE cement shows poor performance, which greatly limits its application. Herein, a series of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) co-reinforced cement composites have been prepared, and their TE properties were systematically investigated. It was shown that the addition of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 particles can effectively improve the TE properties of CNTs-reinforced cement composites by building a better conductive network, increasing energy filtering and interfaces scattering. The Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/CNTs cement composites with 0.6 vol.% of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 exhibits the highest ZT value of 1.2 × 10-2, increased by 842 times compared to that of the CNTs-reinforced cement composites without Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3. The power output of this sample with the size of 2.5 × 3.5 × 12 mm3 reaches 0.002 µW at a temperature difference of 19.1 K. These findings shed new light on the development of high-performance TE cement, which can guide continued advances in their potential application of harvesting thermal energy from pavements.

Circulating microRNAs in seminal plasma as predictors of sperm retrieval in microdissection testicular sperm extraction.

Background: Because of focal spermatogenesis in some nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients, testicular spermatozoa can be retrieved by microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to achieve successful fertilization. Currently, testicular biopsy is widely performed for the prognosis of micro-TESE; however, it might miss foci with active spermatogenesis because of the 'blind manner' of puncture, highlighting the needs for biomarkers that could indicate actual spermatogenesis conditions in the testis. Thus, we screened microRNAs in the seminal plasma for potential biomarkers to provide a non-invasive and reliable preoperative assessment for micro-TESE. Methods: We screened the seminal plasma microRNAs from NOA patients with and without sperm retrieval (n=6 in each group) together with fertile men (n=6) by RNA sequencing, and the selected microRNAs were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Next, a predictive model was established by performing ordered logistic regression using the qPCR data of 56 specimens, and the predictive accuracy of this model was evaluated using 40 more specimens in a blind manner. Results: Four microRNAs (hsa-miR-34b-3p, hsa-miR-34c-3p, hsa-miR-3065-3p, and hsa-miR-4446-3p) were identified as biomarkers, and the predictive model Logit = 2.0881+ 0.13448 mir-34b-3p + 0.58679 mir-34c-3p + 0.15636 mir-3065-3p + 0.09523 mir-4446-3p was established by machine learning. The model provided a high predictive accuracy (AUC =0.927). Conclusions: We developed a predictive model with high accuracy for micro-TESE, with which NOA patients might obtain accurate assessment of spermatogenesis conditions in testes before surgery.