Growth hormone supplementation ameliorates blastocyst euploidy rates and improves pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy cycles.

Background: Growth hormone (GH) supplementation has been shown to improve oocyte quality and live birth, but few studies have examined whether GH can reduce embryonic aneuploidy. Chromosomal abnormalities in preimplantation embryos have been regarded as the principal cause of implantation failure and miscarriage, and an increased percentage of aneuploid embryos has been observed in patient cohorts with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), recurrent implantation failure (RIF), and advanced maternal age. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on women whose previous PGT-A cycle ended up with no transferrable blastocysts, or the aneuploidy rate was above 50% and no live birth was acquired. The participants were divided into GH co-treatment and comparison groups according to whether GH was administered in the subsequent PGT-A cycle. In addition, within the GH co-treatment group, the previous failed cycle constituted the self-control group. Results: 208 women were recruited in the study (GH co-treatment group: 96 women, comparison group: 112 women). Compared to the self-control and comparison groups, the rate of euploid blastocysts was significantly higher in the GH co-treatment group (GH vs self-control: 32.00% vs 9.14%, odds ratio [OR]: 4.765, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.420-9.385, P < 0.01; GH vs comparison: 32.00% vs. 21.05%, OR: 1.930, 95% CI: 1.106-3.366, P = 0.021), and their frozen embryo transfers resulted in more pregnancies and live births. In the subgroup analysis, for the <35 and 35-40 years groups, the euploidy rate in the GH co-treatment group was significantly higher than those in the self-control and comparison groups, but in the >40 years group, there was no difference in euploidy rate. Conclusion: Our study presents preliminary evidence that GH supplementation may ameliorate blastocyst aneuploidy and improve pregnancy outcomes in women who have previously experienced pregnancy failures along with high aneuploidy rates, particularly in those younger than 40 years. Therefore, the use of GH in such women should be considered. However, considering the limited sample size and mixed indications for PGT-A, further scientific research on the underlying mechanism as well as clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the effects and optimal protocols.

Shaoyao-Gancao Decoction Promoted Microglia M2 Polarization via the IL-13-Mediated JAK2/STAT6 Pathway to Alleviate Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Microglia in the penumbra shifted from M2 to M1 phenotype between 3 and 5 days after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, which promoted local inflammation and injury. Shaoyao-Gancao Decoction (SGD) has been found to result in a significant upregulation of IL-13 in the penumbra, which has been shown to induce polarization of M2 microglia. There was thus a hypothesis that SGD could exert an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect by activating IL-13 to induce microglia polarization towards M2 phenotype, and the purpose of this study was to explore the influence of SGD on microglia phenotype switching and its possible mechanism. Rats who received middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery (MCAO) were treated with SGD for 3 or 6 days, to investigate the therapeutic effect and the underlying mechanism of SGD for cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CI/RP). The results indicated that SGD improved neurobehavioral scores and reduced apoptosis. Furthermore, SGD significantly decreased M1 microglia and M1-like markers, but increased M2 microglia and M2 markers. Moreover, higher levels of IL-13 and ratios of p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT6/STAT6 were found in the SGD group compared to the MCAO. In conclusion, it was verified that SGD prevented injury by driving microglia phenotypic switching from M1 to M2, probably via IL-13 and its downstream JAK2-STAT6 pathway. Given that no further validation tests were included in this study, it is necessary to conduct more experiments to confirm the reliability of the above results.

Spectrum-effect relationship between UPLC fingerprints and antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of Rosa rugosa.

In this study, the antidiabetic and antioxidant properties of the chemical constituents of Rosa rugosa Thunb. (R. rugosa) was evaluated through analysis of spectrum-effect relationship. The ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) fingerprints of 21 batches of R. rugosa were evaluated by similarity analysis (SA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). The 28 common components were identified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-orbitrap-HRMS/MS). Meanwhile, the antidiabetic activities and antioxidant activities of 21 batches of R. rugosa were estimated in vitro. Besides, four chemometrics named principal component analysis (PCA), grey correlation analysis (GRA), partial least squares regression (PLSR) and the bivariate correlations analysis (BCA) were applied to construct spectrum-effect relationship between the UPLC fingerprints and biological activities of R. rugosa. The spectrum-effect relationship study revealed that di-O-galloyl-HHDP-glucoside, galloyl-HHDP-glucoside and avicularin were more relevant to antidiabetic activity. Di-O-galloyl-HHDP-glucoside, galloyl-HHDP-glucoside and ellagic acid were the main antioxidant components of R. rugosa. The current bioassay and spectrum-effect relationships are proper for associating sample quality with the active ingredient, and our finding would provide foundation and further understanding of the quality evaluation and quality control of R. rugosa.

[Protective effect of vitamin D against hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia in newborn mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of vitamin D (VD) against hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in newborn mice and explore the mechanism. METHODS: Thirty-six newborn mice were randomly divided into air + VD group, air + saline group, hyperoxia + VD group, and hyperoxia + saline group. In all the groups, saline or VD was administered on a daily basis via intramuscular injection. After 3 weeks of treatment, the mice were weighed and cardiac blood was collected for measurement of serum VD level using ELISA, and histological examination of the lungs was performed. Radial alveolar counting (RAC) and alveolar secondary interval volume density were measured using image analysis software. The expression levels of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in the lung tissues were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The weight gain rate of the mice and the weight of the lungs were significantly higher in air + saline group and air + VD group than in the hyperoxia + saline group. The RAC was significantly lower in hyperoxic+saline group than that in hyperoxia+VD group (P < 0.001), and was significantly higher in hyperoxic+VD (125 times) than in hyperoxia + VD (1250 times) group (P < 0.01). The alveolar secondary protrusion count was significantly higher in hyperoxic+VD (1250 times) group than in hyperoxic+saline group (P < 0.001), and was significantly higher in hyperoxia+VD (125 times) group than in hyperoxia + VD (1250 times) group (P < 0.01). Compared with that in air + saline group, VEGFR2 expression was significantly lowered in hyperoxia+saline group (P < 0.05) and in air+VD group (P < 0.05); VEGFR2 expression was significantly higher in hyperoxia+VD (1250 times) group than in hyperoxia+saline group (P < 0.001) and hyperoxia+VD (125 times) group (P < 0.001); VEGFR2 expression was significantly higher in hyperoxia+VD (125 times) group than in hyperoxia+ saline group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In newborn mice with BPD, VD supplement can increase the weight of the lungs and promote lung maturation, and a higher concentration of VD can better protect the lungs and promote the growth of pulmonary blood vessels.