25-Hydroxycholesterol regulates lysosome AMP kinase activation and metabolic reprogramming to educate immunosuppressive macrophages.

Macrophages are critical to turn noninflamed "cold tumors" into inflamed "hot tumors". Emerging evidence indicates abnormal cholesterol metabolites in the tumor microenvironment (TME) with unclear function. Here, we uncovered the inducible expression of cholesterol-25-hydroxylase (Ch25h) by interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) via the transcription factor STAT6, causing 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC) accumulation. scRNA-seq analysis confirmed that CH25Hhi subsets were enriched in immunosuppressive macrophage subsets and correlated to lower survival rates in pan-cancers. Targeting CH25H abrogated macrophage immunosuppressive function to enhance infiltrating T cell numbers and activation, which synergized with anti-PD-1 to improve anti-tumor efficacy. Mechanically, lysosome-accumulated 25HC competed with cholesterol for GPR155 binding to inhibit the kinase mTORC1, leading to AMPKα activation and metabolic reprogramming. AMPKα also phosphorylated STAT6 Ser564 to enhance STAT6 activation and ARG1 production. Together, we propose CH25H as an immunometabolic checkpoint, which manipulates macrophage fate to reshape CD8+ T cell surveillance and anti-tumor response.

Derivation of Pluripotent Stem Cells with In Vivo Embryonic and Extraembryonic Potency.

Of all known cultured stem cell types, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) sit atop the landscape of developmental potency and are characterized by their ability to generate all cell types of an adult organism. However, PSCs show limited contribution to the extraembryonic placental tissues in vivo. Here, we show that a chemical cocktail enables the derivation of stem cells with unique functional and molecular features from mice and humans, designated as extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells, which are capable of chimerizing both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. Notably, a single mouse EPS cell shows widespread chimeric contribution to both embryonic and extraembryonic lineages in vivo and permits generating single-EPS-cell-derived mice by tetraploid complementation. Furthermore, human EPS cells exhibit interspecies chimeric competency in mouse conceptuses. Our findings constitute a first step toward capturing pluripotent stem cells with extraembryonic developmental potentials in culture and open new avenues for basic and translational research. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

The hyphal-specific toxin candidalysin promotes fungal gut commensalism.

The fungus Candida albicans frequently colonizes the human gastrointestinal tract, from which it can disseminate to cause systemic disease. This polymorphic species can transition between growing as single-celled yeast and as multicellular hyphae to adapt to its environment. The current dogma of C. albicans commensalism is that the yeast form is optimal for gut colonization, whereas hyphal cells are detrimental to colonization but critical for virulence1-3. Here, we reveal that this paradigm does not apply to multi-kingdom communities in which a complex interplay between fungal morphology and bacteria dictates C. albicans fitness. Thus, whereas yeast-locked cells outcompete wild-type cells when gut bacteria are absent or depleted by antibiotics, hyphae-competent wild-type cells outcompete yeast-locked cells in hosts with replete bacterial populations. This increased fitness of wild-type cells involves the production of hyphal-specific factors including the toxin candidalysin4,5, which promotes the establishment of colonization. At later time points, adaptive immunity is engaged, and intestinal immunoglobulin A preferentially selects against hyphal cells1,6. Hyphal morphotypes are thus under both positive and negative selective pressures in the gut. Our study further shows that candidalysin has a direct inhibitory effect on bacterial species, including limiting their metabolic output. We therefore propose that C. albicans has evolved hyphal-specific factors, including candidalysin, to better compete with bacterial species in the intestinal niche.

High Contrast Bioimaging of Tumor and Inflammation with a Bicyclic Dioxetane Chemiluminescent Probe.

The link between inflammation and the evolution of cancer is well established. Visualizing and tracking both tumor proliferation and the associated inflammatory response within a living organism are vital for dissecting the nexus between these two processes and for crafting precise treatment modalities. We report the creation and synthesis of an advanced NIR chemiluminescence probe that stands out for its exceptional selectivity, extraordinary sensitivity at nanomolar concentrations, swift detection capabilities, and broad application prospects. Crucially, this probe has been successfully utilized to image endogenous ONOO- across different inflammation models, including abdominal inflammation triggered by LPS, subcutaneous inflammatory conditions, and tumors grafted onto mice. These findings highlight the significant promise of chemiluminescence imaging in enhancing our grasp of the intricate interplay between cancer and inflammation and in steering the development of potent, targeted therapeutic strategies.

Asiatic acid cyclodextrin inclusion micro-cocrystal for insoluble drug delivery and acute lung injury therapy enhancement.

BACKGROUND: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a fatal respiratory disease caused by overreactive immune reactions (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 infection), with a high mortality rate. Its treatment is often compromised by inefficient drug delivery barriers and insufficient potency of the currently used drugs. Therefore, developing a highly effective lung-targeted drug delivery strategy is a pressing clinical need. RESULTS: In this study, the micro-sized inclusion cocrystal of asiatic acid/γ-cyclodextrin (AA/γCD, with a stoichiometry molar ratio of 2:3 and a mean size of 1.8 µm) was prepared for ALI treatment. The dissolution behavior of the AA/γCD inclusion cocrystals followed a "spring-and-hover" model, which meaned that AA/γCD could dissolve from the cocrystal in an inclusion complex form, thereby promoting a significantly improved water solubility (nine times higher than free AA). This made the cyclodextrin-based inclusion cocrystals an effective solid form for enhanced drug absorption and delivery efficiency. The biodistribution experiments demonstrated AA/γCD accumulated predominantly in the lung (Cmax = 50 µg/g) after systemic administration due to the micron size-mediated passive targeting effect. The AA/γCD group showed an enhanced anti-inflammatory therapeutic effect, as evidenced by reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF). Histological examination confirmed that AA/γCD effectively inhibited inflammation reactions. CONCLUSION: The micro-sized inclusion cocrystals AA/γCD were successfully delivered into the lungs by pulmonary administration and had a significant therapeutic effect on ALI.

A cascade nanosystem with "Triple-Linkage" effect for enhanced photothermal and activatable metal ion therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Due to the limitations of single-model tumor therapeutic strategies, multimodal combination therapy have become a more favorable option to enhance efficacy by compensating for its deficiencies. However, in nanomaterial-based multimodal therapeutics for tumors, exploiting synergistic interactions and cascade relationships of materials to achieve more effective treatments is still a great challenge. Based on this, we constructed a nanoplatform with a "triple-linkage" effect by cleverly integrating polydopamine (PDA), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and glucose oxidase (GOx) to realize enhanced photothermal therapy (PTT) and activatable metal ion therapy (MIT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. First, the non-radiative conversion of PDA under light conditions was enhanced by AgNPs, which directly enhanced the photothermal conversion efficiency of PDA. In addition, GOx reduced the synthesis of cellular heat shock proteins by interfering with cellular energy metabolism, thereby enhancing cellular sensitivity to PTT. On the other hand, H2O2, a by-product of GOx-catalyzed glucose, could be used as an activation source to activate non-toxic AgNPs to release cytotoxic Ag+, achieving activatable Ag+-mediated MIT. In conclusion, this nanosystem achieved efficient PTT and MIT for HCC by exploiting the cascade effect among PDA, AgNPs, and GOx, providing a novel idea for the design of multimodal tumor therapeutic systems with cascade regulation.

Optimal ICSI timing on immature oocytes for low prognosis patients under the POSEIDON classification.

BACKGROUND: The optimal timing of performing ICSI on immature oocytes for POSEIDON patients is still unknown to get better early embryonic development outcomes. The purpose of this study was to implore the most appropriate time to carry out ICSI on in vitro maturation GV and MI oocytes for POSEIDON patients. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-nine immature oocytes from 163 POSEIDON patients were prospectively performed ICSI at different timings: P-ICSI (ICSI was performed on in vitro matured oocytes 4-6 h after the first polar body extrusion, N = 81), R-ICSI (ICSI was performed on in vitro matured oocytes less than 4 h after the first polar body extrusion, N = 80), and E-ICSI (ICSI was performed on in vitro matured oocytes the next day after oocytes retrieval, N = 78). Fertilization and embryonic development outcomes were collected and statistically analyzed. Mitochondria distribution of cytoplasm of in vitro matured oocytes with different time cultures after the first polar body (PB1) extrusion was stained. RESULTS: Compared to the E-ICSI group, more day 3 embryos from P-ICSI became blastocysts after sequential culture though without statistical significance (OR = 3.71, 95% CI: 0.94-14.63, P = 0.061). Compared to the E-ICSI group, more embryos from both P-ICSI and R-ICSI groups were clinically used with statistical significance (OR = 5.67, 95% CI: 2.24-14.35, P = 0.000 for P-ICSI embryos; OR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.23-8.45, P = 0.017 for R-ICSI embryos). Compared to the E-ICSI group, transferred embryos from P-ICSI and R-ICSI had a higher implantation rate though without statistical significance (35.3% for P-ICSI embryos; 9.1% or R-ICSI embryos and 0% for E-ICSI embryos, P = 0.050). Among the three group, there were most healthy babies delivered from the P-ICSI group (5, 1 and 0 for P-ICSI, R-ICSI and E-ICSI respectively). The mitochondria in the cytoplasm of in vitro matured oocytes with a less than 4 h and 4-6 h culture after PB1 extrusion presented semiperipheral and diffused distribution patterns, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed P-ICSI (ICSI was performed on in vitro matured oocytes 4-6 h after the first polar body extrusion) provided the most efficient method to utilize the immaturation oocytes basing on embryos utilization and live birth outcome for low prognosis patients under the POSEIDON classification. The mitochondria distribution of the in vitro matured oocytes' cytoplasm from P-ICSI varied that from R-ICSI.

Hibifolin protected pro-inflammatory response and oxidative stress in LPS-induced acute lung injury through antioxidative enzymes and the AMPK2/Nrf-2 pathway.

ALI is a grave medical ailment that manifests as abrupt inflammation of the lungs and diminished oxygen levels. It poses a considerable challenge to the medical fraternity, with elevated rates of morbidity and mortality. Our research endeavors to investigate the potential of hibifolin, a flavonoid glucuronide, imbued with potent antioxidant properties, and its molecular mechanism to combat LPS-induced ALI in mice. The study utilized ICR mice to create an ALI model induced by LPS. Prior to LPS administration, hibifolin was given at 10, 30, or 50 mg/kg, or dexamethasone was given at 1 mg/kg to assess its preventative impact. Changes in lung tissue, pulmonary edema, and lipid peroxidation were analyzed using H&E stain assay, lung wet/dry ratio assay, and MDA formation assay, respectively. Activity assay kits were used to measure MPO activity and antioxidative enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPx) activity in the lungs. Western blot assay was used to determine the phosphorylation of Nrf-2 and AMPK2 in the lungs. Hibifolin demonstrated a concentration-dependent improvement in LPS-induced histopathologic pulmonary changes. This treatment notably mitigated pulmonary edema, lipid peroxidation, and MPO activity in ALI mice. Additionally, hibifolin successfully restored antioxidative enzyme activity in the lungs of ALI mice. Moreover, hibifolin effectively promoted Nrf-2 phosphorylation and reinstated AMPK2 phosphorylation in the lungs of ALI mice. The results indicate that hibifolin could effectively alleviate the pathophysiological impact of LPS-induced ALI. This is likely due to its antioxidative properties, which help to restore antioxidative enzyme activity and activate the AMPK2/Nrf2 pathway. These findings are valuable in terms of enhancing our knowledge of ALI treatment and pave the way for further investigation into hibifolin as a potential therapeutic option for lung injuries.

Laminarin-modulated osmium nanozymes with high substrate-affinity and selective peroxidase-like behavior engineered colorimetric assay for hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity estimation.

Hydroxyl radical (·OH) scavenging capacity (HOSC) estimation is essential for evaluating antioxidants, natural extracts, or drugs against clinical diseases. While nanozymes offer advantages in related applications, they still face limitations in activity and selectivity. In response, this work showcases the fabrication of laminarin-modulated osmium (laminarin-Os) nanoclusters (1.45 ± 0.05 nm), functioning as peroxidase-like nanozymes within a colorimetric assay tailored for rational HOSC estimation. This study validates both the characterization and remarkable stability of laminarin-Os. By leveraging the abundant surface negative charges of laminarin-Os and the surface hydroxyls of laminarin, oxidation reactions are facilitated, augmenting laminarin-Os's affinity for 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) (KM = 0.04 mM). This enables the laminarin-Os-based colorimetric assay to respond to ·OH more effectively than citrate-, albumin-, or other polysaccharides-based Os. In addition, experimental results also validate the selective peroxidase-like behavior of laminarin-Os under acidic conditions. Antioxidants like ascorbic acid, glutathione, tannic acid, and cysteine inhibit absorbance at 652 nm in the colorimetric platform using laminarin-Os's peroxidase-like activity. Compared with commercial kits, this assay demonstrates superior sensitivity (e.g., responds to ascorbic acid 0.01-0.075 mM, glutathione 1-15 µg/mL, tannic acid 0.5-5 µM, and monoammonium glycyrrhizinate cysteine 1.06-10.63 µM) and HOSC testing for glutathione, tannic acid, and monoammonium glycyrrhizinate cysteine. Overall, this study introduces a novel Os nanozyme with exceptional TMB affinity and ·OH selectivity, paving the way for HOSC estimation in biomedical research, pharmaceutical analysis, drug quality control, and beyond.

Emission Wavelength-Tunable Bicyclic Dioxetane Chemiluminescent Probes for Precise In Vitro and In Vivo Imaging.

Chemiluminescent probes have become increasingly popular in various research areas including precise tumor imaging and immunofluorescence analysis. Nevertheless, previously developed chemiluminescence probes are mainly limited to studying oxidation reaction-associated biological events. This study presents the first example of bioimaging applicable bicyclic dioxetane chemiluminescent probes with tunable emission wavelengths that range from 525 to 800 nm. These newly developed probes were able to detect the analytes of ß-Gal, H2O2, and superoxide with high specificity and a limit of detection of 77 mU L-1, 96, and 28 nM, respectively. The bioimaging application of the probes was verified in ovarian and liver cancer cells and macrophage cells, allowing the detection of the content of ß-Gal, H2O2, and superoxide inside the cells. The high specificity allowed us to image the xenografted tumor in mice. We expect that our probes will receive extensive applications in recording complex biomolecular events using noninvasive imaging techniques.

Tensile mechanical properties and finite element simulation of the wings of the butterfly Tirumala limniace.

This study examined the morphological characteristics and mechanical properties of the wings of Tirumala limniace. The wings of this butterfly, including the forewings and hindwings, are composed mainly of a flexible wing membrane and supporting wing veins. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to observe specific positions of the wing membrane and veins and reveal the morphological characteristics. Tensile experiments were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of the wings and proved that the multifiber layer structures have a significantly fixed orientation of fiber alignment. A butterfly wing model reconstructed in reverse based on the finite element method was used to analyze the static characteristics of the wing structure in detail. Evaluation of stress and strain after applying uniform loading, perpendicular loading, and torsion revealed that minor wing deformation occurred and was concentrated near the main wing vein, which verifies the steadiness of the butterfly wing structure. Additionally, the flapping of butterfly wings was simulated using computational fluid dynamics to study the flow field near the butterfly wings and the distribution of pressure gradient on the wings. The results confirmed the effect of wing veins on maintaining the flight performance.

Rearrangement of 2-(benzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridines via photoinduced 6π-electrocyclization.

By photoinduced 6π-electrocyclization of 2-(benzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridine derivatives 1, a method for the synthesis of trans-dihydrobenzo[f]quinolines 2, cis-dihydrobenzo[f]quinolines 3 and 8b-methyl-1,8b-dihydrobenzo[f]quinolines 4 was developed. Irradiation of 2-(benzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridine 1 in acetone-H2O (5 : 1, v/v) with a 313 nm UV lamp under an argon atmosphere at room temperature successfully yielded 2, which was further converted into 3 at elevated temperature (200 °C) in glycerol. However, irradiating 2-(3-methylbenzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridines 1 in CH2Cl2 with a 254 nm UV lamp gave 4 in good yields. The syntheses of 2, 3 and 4via the 6π-electrocyclization rearrangement of 1 not only offer high atom efficiency but also do not require transition metal catalysts or additives.

A combined clinical and specific genes' model to predict live birth for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer patients.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to develop an accurate model to predict live birth for patients receiving in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment. METHODS: This is a prospective nested case-control study. Women aged between 18 and 38 years, whose body mass index (BMI) were between the range of 18.5-24 kg/m2, who had an endometrium of ≥ 8 mm at the thickest were enrolled from 2018/9 to 2020/8. All patients received IVF-ET treatment and were followed up until Jan. 2022 when they had reproductive outcomes. Endometrial samples during the window of implantation (LH + 6 to 9 days) were subjected to analyze specific endometrial receptivity genes' expression using real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Patients were divided into live birth group and non-live birth group based on IVF-ET outcomes. Clinical signatures relevant to live birth were collected, analyzed, and used to establish a predictive model for live birth by univariate analysis (clinical model). Specific endometrial receptivity genes' expression was analyzed, selected, and used to construct a predictive model for live birth by The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) analysis (gene model). Finally, significant clinical factors and genes were used to construct a combined model for predicting live birth using multivariate logistical regression (combined model). Different models' Area Under Curve (AUC) were compared to identify the most predictive model. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were enrolled in the study, twenty-four patients had live births, fifteen did not. In univariate analysis, the odds of live birth for women with ovulation dysfunction was 4 times higher than that for women with other IVF-ET indications (OR = 4.0, 95% CI: 1.125 - 8.910, P = 0.018). Age, body mass index, duration of infertility, primary infertility, repeated implantation failure, antral follicle counting, ovarian sensitivity index, anti-Mullerian hormone, controlled ovarian hyperstimulation protocol and duration, total dose of FSH/hMG, number of oocytes retrieved, regiment of endometrial preparation, endometrium thickness before embryo transfer, type of embryo transferred were not associated with live birth (P > 0.05). Only ovulation dysfunction was used to construct the clinical model and its AUC was 0.688. In lasso analysis, GAST, GPX3, THBS2 were found to promote the risk of live birth. AUCs for GAST, GPX3, THBS2 reached to 0.736, 0.672, and 0.678, respectively. The gene model was established based on these three genes and its AUC was 0.772. Ovulation dysfunction, GAST, GPX3, and THBS2 were finally used to construct the combined model, reaching the highest AUC (AUC = 0.842). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the single model, the combined model of clinical (Ovulation dysfunction) and specific genes (GAST, GPX3, THBS2) was more accurate to predict live birth for IVF-ET patients.

Autologous non-invasively derived stem cells mitochondria transfer shows therapeutic advantages in human embryo quality rescue.

BACKGROUND: The decline in the quantity and quality of mitochondria are closely associated with infertility, particularly in advanced maternal age. Transferring autologous mitochondria into the oocytes of infertile females represents an innovative and viable strategy for treating infertility, with no concerns regarding ethical considerations. As the donor cells of mitochondria, stem cells have biological advantages but research and evidence in this area are quite scarce. METHODS: To screen out suitable human autologous ooplasmic mitochondrial donor cells, we performed comprehensive assessment of mitochondrial physiology, function and metabolic capacity on a varity of autologous adipose, marrow, and urine-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSC, BMSC and USC) and ovarian germline granulosa cells (GC). Further, to explore the biosafety, effect and mechanism of stem cell-derived mitochondria transfer on human early embryo development, randomized in-vitro basic studies were performed in both of the young and aged oocytes from infertile females. RESULTS: Compared with other types of mesenchymal stromal cells, USC demonstrated a non-fused spherical mitochondrial morphology and low oxidative stress status which resembled the oocyte stage. Moreover, USC mitochondrial content, activity and function were all higher than other cell types and less affected by age, and it also exhibited a biphasic metabolic pattern similar to the pre-implantation stage of embryonic development. After the biosafety identification of the USC mitochondrial genome, early embryos after USC mitochondrial transfer showed improvements in mitochondrial content, activity, and cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels. Further, aging embryos also showed improvements in embryonic morphological indicators, euploidy rates, and oxidative stress status. CONCLUSION: Autologous non-invasively derived USC mitochondria transfer may be an effective strategy to improve embryonic development and metabolism, especially in infertile females with advanced age or repeated pregnancy failure. It provides evidence and possibility for the autologous treatment of infertile females without invasive and ethical concerns.

Repeated Cross-Scale Structure-Induced Feature Fusion Network for 2D Hand Pose Estimation.

Recently, the use of convolutional neural networks for hand pose estimation from RGB images has dramatically improved. However, self-occluded keypoint inference in hand pose estimation is still a challenging task. We argue that these occluded keypoints cannot be readily recognized directly from traditional appearance features, and sufficient contextual information among the keypoints is especially needed to induce feature learning. Therefore, we propose a new repeated cross-scale structure-induced feature fusion network to learn about the representations of keypoints with rich information, 'informed' by the relationships between different abstraction levels of features. Our network consists of two modules: GlobalNet and RegionalNet. GlobalNet roughly locates hand joints based on a new feature pyramid structure by combining higher semantic information and more global spatial scale information. RegionalNet further refines keypoint representation learning via a four-stage cross-scale feature fusion network, which learns shallow appearance features induced by more implicit hand structure information, so that when identifying occluded keypoints, the network can use augmented features to better locate the positions. The experimental results show that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods for 2D hand pose estimation on two public datasets, STB and RHD.

Oxygen Vacancy-Governed Opposite Catalytic Performance for C3H6 and C3H8 Combustion: The Effect of the Pt Electronic Structure and Chemisorbed Oxygen Species.

Revealing the role of engineered surface oxygen vacancies in the catalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is of importance for the development of highly efficient catalysts. However, because of various structures of VOC molecules, the role of surface oxygen vacancies in different catalytic reactions remains ambiguous. Herein, a defective Pt/TiO2-x catalyst is proposed to uncover the different catalytic mechanisms of C3H6 and C3H8 combustion via experiments and theoretical calculations. The electron transfer, originated from the oxygen vacancy, facilitates the formation of reduced Pt0 species and simultaneously interfacial chemisorbed O2, thus promoting the C3H6 combustion via efficient C═C cleavage. The reduced Pt nanoparticles facilitate the robust chemisorption of bridging dimer O22- (Pt-O-O-Ti) species. This chemisorbed oxygen inhibits the C3H8 combustion by depressing C3H8 adsorption. This work offers insights for the rational design of highly efficient catalysts for activating the C═C bond in alkene or C-H bond in alkane.

PGT-A: The biology and hidden failures of randomized control trials.

OBJECTIVE: Preimplantation Genetic Testing - Aneuploidy (PGT-A) for embryo selection has undergone significant advancements in the last 2 decades and yet many studies still fail to demonstrate any clinical benefits over traditional embryo morphology selection (Mo-S). To understand this conundrum, we performed a multi-center clinical study of PGT-A patients, where Mo-S and euploid selection (Eu-S) outcomes were directly compared. METHOD: All suitable blastocysts were biopsied and analyzed for chromosome copy number. Outcomes (positive beta hCG, implantation, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates) for Eu-S were compared to Mo-S using single embryo transfers. RESULTS: Compared to Eu-S embryos, Mo-S embryos resulted in significant reduction of outcomes for positive beta hCG (p = 0.0005), implantation (p = 0.0008), ongoing pregnancy (p = 0.0046), livebirth (p = 0.0112), babies per transfer (p = 0.0112), and babies per embryo transferred (p = 0.0112). Morphology selection resulted in patients of all age groups having non-euploid embryos chosen for transfer. Post-hoc evaluation of individual clinic performances showed variable transfer outcomes that could potentially confound the true benefits of PGT-A. CONCLUSION: Embryo chromosome status is central to improved embryo transfer outcomes and sole reliance on current morphology-based selection practices, without Eu-S, will always compromise outcomes. Often overlooked but a major effector of successful PGT-A outcomes are individual clinic performances.

Fertility preservation in female patients with hematological disorders.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness and safety of fertility counseling and fertility preservation using oocyte or embryo freezing prior to chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in female patients with hematologic disorders. METHODS: Between 2016 and 2019, 29 patients with hematologic disorders, age range 12-38 years, were given preoperative fertility counseling prior to proposed BMT. Sixteen of these patients, age range 22-38 years, chose to undergo oocyte retrieval followed by ovum or embryo freezing at our Center for Reproductive Medicine. RESULTS: As the patients were in urgent need of chemotherapy or BMT, following the random-start controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH), an average of 8.2 oocytes were collected. Ten patients had an average of 6.9 oocytes frozen, while 6 patients had an average of 3.2 embryos frozen. There were no intra-operative or postoperative complications, although two patients experienced a blood transfusion reaction of the 11 transfused patients. CONCLUSION: For patients with hematologic disorders, oocyte or embryo freezing prior to chemotherapy or BMT may offer hope for fertility preservation in female patients. However, in order to deliver this, a standardized, feasible, and effective treatment process is needed and should include every aspect of patient selection as well as protocols for ovulation promotion, perioperative management, and postoperative observation.

Effects of embryo density on cell number of day 3 embryos cultured in a 30-µl drop: a retrospective cohort study.

For individual cultures, findings on regulating embryo density by changing the microdrop volume are contradictory. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between embryo density and the developmental outcome of day 3 embryos after adjusting covariates. In total, 1196 embryos from 206 couples who had undergone in vitro fertilization treatment were analyzed retrospectively. Three embryo densities were used routinely, i.e. one embryo in a drop (30 µl/embryo), two embryos in a drop (15 µl/embryo) and three embryos in a drop (10 µl/embryo). Embryo quality on day 3 was evaluated, both the cell number of day 3 embryos and the proportion of successful implantations served as endpoints. Maternal age, paternal age, antral follicles and level of anti-Müllerian hormone, type of infertility, controlled ovarian stimulation protocol, length of stimulation, number of retrieved oocytes, number of zygotes (two pronuclei) and insemination type were covariates and adjusted. After adjusting fully for all covariates, the cell number of day 3 embryos was significantly increased by 0.40 (95% CI 0.00, 0.79; P = 0.048) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.02, 1.54; P = 0.044) in the 15 µl/embryo and 10 µl/embryo group separately, compared with the 30 µl/embryo group. The proportions of implanted embryos were 42.1%, 48.7% and 0.0% in the 30 µl/embryo, 15 µl/embryo and 10 µl/embryo groups respectively. There was no statistical significance (P = 0.22) between the 30 µl/embryo group and the 15 µl/embryo group. After adjusting for confounders that were significant in univariate analysis, embryo density was still not associated with day 3 embryo implantation potential (P > 0.05). In a 30-µl microdrop, culturing embryos with an embryo density of both 15 and 10 µl/embryo increased the cell number of day 3 embryos, which did not benefit embryo implanting potential, compared with individual culture of 30 µl/embryo.

Disulfiram/Copper Suppresses Cancer Stem Cell Activity in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Cells by Inhibiting BMI1 Expression.

Differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTCs), which have papillary and follicular types, are common endocrine malignancies worldwide. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a particular type of cancer cells within bulk tumors involved in cancer initiation, drug resistance, and metastasis. Cells with high intracellular aldehyde hydrogenase (ALDH) activity are a population of CSCs in DTCs. Disulfiram (DSF), an ALDH inhibitor used for the treatment of alcoholism, reportedly targets CSCs in various cancers when combined with copper. This study reported for the first time that DSF/copper can inhibit the proliferation of papillary and follicular DTC lines. DSF/copper suppressed thyrosphere formation, indicating the inhibition of CSC activity. Molecular mechanisms of DSF/copper involved downregulating the expression of B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 homolog (BMI1) and cell cycle-related proteins, including cyclin B2, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2, and CDK4, in a dose-dependent manner. BMI1 overexpression diminished the inhibitory effect of DSF/copper in the thyrosphere formation of DTC cells. BMI1 knockdown by RNA interference in DTC cells also suppressed the self-renewal capability. DSF/copper could inhibit the nuclear localization and transcriptional activity of c-Myc and the binding of E2F1 to the BMI1 promoter. Overexpression of c-Myc or E2F1 further abolished the inhibitory effect of DSF/copper on BMI1 expression, suggesting that the suppression of c-Myc and E2F1 by DSF/copper was involved in the downregulation of BMI1 expression. In conclusion, DSF/copper targets CSCs in DTCs by inhibiting c-Myc- or E2F1-mediated BMI1 expression. Therefore, DSF is a potential therapeutic agent for future therapy in DTCs.