Dielectric metamaterials with effective self-duality and full-polarization omnidirectional brewster effect.

Conventional dielectric solid materials, both natural and artificial, lack electromagnetic self-duality and thus require additional coatings to achieve impedance matching with free space. Here, we present a class of dielectric metamaterials that are effectively self-dual and vacuum-like, thereby exhibiting full-polarization omnidirectional impedance matching as an unusual Brewster effect extended across all incident angles and polarizations. With both birefringence and reflection eliminated regardless of wavefront and polarization, such anisotropic metamaterials could establish the electromagnetic equivalence with "stretched free space" in transformation optics, as substantiated through full-wave simulations and microwave experiments. Our findings open a practical pathway for realizing unprecedented polarization-independence and omnidirectional impedance-matching characteristics in pure dielectric solids.

USP14 inhibition promotes DNA damage repair and represses ovarian granulosa cell senescence in premature ovarian insufficiency.

BACKGROUND: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a condition characterized by a substantial decline or loss of ovarian function in women before the age of 40. However, the pathogenesis of POI remains to be further elucidated, and specific targeted drugs which could delay or reverse ovarian reserve decline are urgently needed. Abnormal DNA damage repair (DDR) and cell senescence in granulosa cells are pathogenic mechanisms of POI. Ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) is a key enzyme that regulates the deubiquitylation of DDR-related proteins, but whether USP14 participates in the pathogenesis of POI remains unclear. METHODS: We measured USP14 mRNA expression in granulosa cells from biochemical POI (bPOI) patients. In KGN cells, we used IU1 and siRNA-USP14 to specifically inhibit USP14 and constructed a cell line stably overexpressing USP14 to examine its effects on DDR function and cellular senescence in granulosa cells. Next, we explored the therapeutic potential of IU1 in POI mouse models induced by D-galactose. RESULTS: USP14 expression in the granulosa cells of bPOI patients was significantly upregulated. In KGN cells, IU1 treatment and siUSP14 transfection decreased etoposide-induced DNA damage levels, promoted DDR function, and inhibited cell senescence. USP14 overexpression increased DNA damage, impaired DDR function, and promoted cell senescence. Moreover, IU1 treatment and siUSP14 transfection increased nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), upregulated RNF168, Ku70, and DDB1, and increased ubiquitinated DDB1 levels in KGN cells. Conversely, USP14 overexpression had the opposite effects. Intraperitoneal IU1 injection alleviated etoposide-induced DNA damage in granulosa cells, ameliorated the D-galactose-induced POI phenotype, promoted DDR, and inhibited cell senescence in ovarian granulosa cells in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Upregulated USP14 in ovarian granulosa cells may play a role in POI pathogenesis, and targeting USP14 may be a potential POI treatment strategy. Our study provides new insights into the pathogenesis of POI and a novel POI treatment strategy.

The Association between the Severity of Distal Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy and Increased Carotid Atherosclerosis in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes contributes to a spectrum of complications encompassing microvascular and macrovascular disorders. This study aimed to explore the correlation between distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) severity and heightened carotid atherosclerosis among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Method: Participants underwent comprehensive assessments including nerve conduction studies (NCS), Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Score (TCNS) evaluations, assessment of cardiometabolic risk factors, and carotid sonography studies covering dynamic and morphological parameters. The resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), peak systolic velocity (PSV), and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) in both the common carotid artery (CCA) and internal carotid artery (ICA), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and carotid plaque score (CPS) were also measured. Peripheral nerve function severity was assessed using composite amplitude scores (CAS) derived from NCS. RESULTS: Individuals with DSPN exhibited lower EDV in the CCA and ICA (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.002), higher PI and RI in both CCA and ICA (all p < 0.0001), and higher CPS (p = 0.002). They also demonstrated a higher prevalence of retinopathy as an underlying condition, higher index HbA1c, and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (all p < 0.0001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed significant associations where eGFR, ICA-PI, index HbA1c, waist circumference, and age were correlated with CAS. Meanwhile, diabetes duration, waist circumference, age, and index HbA1c showed significant associations with TCNS. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that individuals with T2DM who exhibit more severe carotid atherosclerosis may not only be at increased risk of developing DSPN but also may experience greater severity of DSPN. PI in both the CCA and ICA, along with the CPS, serve as surrogate biomarkers for DSPN severity.

Ultra-broadband illusion acoustics for space and time camouflages.

Invisibility cloaks that can suppress wave scattering by objects have attracted a tremendous amount of interest in the past two decades. In comparison to prior methods that were severely limited by narrow bandwidths, here we present a practical strategy to suppress sound scattering across an ultra-broad spectrum by leveraging illusion metamaterials. Consisting of a collection of subwavelength tunnels with precisely crafted internal structures, this illusion metamaterial has the ability to guide acoustic waves around the obstacles and accurately recreate the incoming wavefront on the exit surface. Remarkably, two ultra-broadband illusionary effects are produced, disappearing space and time shift. Sound scatterings are removed at all frequencies below a limit determined by the tunnel width, as confirmed by full-wave simulations and acoustic experiments. Our strategy represents a universal approach to solve the key bottleneck of bandwidth limitation in the field of cloaking in transmission, and establishes a metamaterial platform that enables the long-desired ultra-broadband sound manipulation such as acoustic camouflage and reverberation control, opening up exciting new possibilities in practical applications.

Dewdrop Metasurfaces and Dynamic Control Based on Condensation and Evaporation.

Dewdrops, the droplets of water naturally occurring on leaves and carapaces of insects, are a fascinating phenomenon in nature. Here, a man-made array of dewdrops with arbitrary shapes and arrangements, which can function as an electromagnetic metasurface, is demonstrated. The realization of the dewdrop array is enabled by a surface covered by a tailored pattern of hydrophilic and hydrophobic coatings, where tiny droplets of water can aggregate and form dewdrops on the former. Interestingly, this metasurface made of dewdrops can be modulated by the condensation and evaporation process. By increasing relative humidity and decreasing temperature, the dewdrop metasurface is gradually formed with increasing amounts of water. While the reverse operation can make it completely disappear. This idea is demonstrated through two examples with different functions of dynamically controllable microwave absorption and scattering. The work shows a principle to construct functional electromagnetic devices with dewdrops, as well as a mechanism of dynamic control based on condensation and evaporation, promising unprecedented applications.

Metal ions overloading and cell death.

Cell death maintains cell morphology and homeostasis during development by removing damaged or obsolete cells. The concentration of metal ions whithin cells is regulated by various intracellular transporters and repositories to maintain dynamic balance. External or internal stimuli might increase the concentration of metal ions, which results in ions overloading. Abnormal accumulation of large amounts of metal ions can lead to disruption of various signaling in the cell, which in turn can produce toxic effects and lead to the occurrence of different types of cell deaths. In order to further study the occurrence and development of metal ions overloading induced cell death, this paper reviewed the regulation of Ca2+, Fe3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ metal ions, and the internal mechanism of cell death induced by overloading. Furthermore, we found that different metal ions possess a synergistic and competitive relationship in the regulation of cell death. And the enhanced level of oxidative stress was present in all the processes of cell death due to metal ions overloading, which possibly due to the combination of factors. Therefore, this review offers a theoretical foundation for the investigation of the toxic effects of metal ions, and presents innovative insights for targeted regulation and therapeutic intervention. HIGHLIGHTS: • Metal ions overloading disrupts homeostasis, which in turn affects the regulation of cell death. • Metal ions overloading can cause cell death via reactive oxygen species (ROS). • Different metal ions have synergistic and competitive relationships for regulating cell death.

Predictors for cause-specific and timing of deaths in patients with COVID-19: a cohort study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: This cohort study determines the predictors for cause-specific and timing of deaths in patients with COVID-19 in Taiwan. METHODS: Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to Taipei City Hospital from January 1 to July 31, 2022, were recruited in this cohort. All patients were followed up until death, discharge from the hospital, or August 31, 2022. Early deaths within the first 2 weeks were recorded, and the cause of death was confirmed by the death certificate database of Taiwan. Predictors of cause-specific and timing of deaths of patients with COVID-19 were determined using multinomial Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 195 (8.0%) patients who died during hospitalization, 147 (84.0%) had COVID-19-specific deaths. Moreover, 54.9% of the deceased patients had early death. After controlling for other covariates, patients aged ≥ 65 years had a higher risk of COVID-19-specific, non-COVID-19-specific, early, and late deaths [adjusted hazards ratio (AHR): 3.85, 6.45, 3.33, and 6.57; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.91-7.78, 1.17-35.68, 1.51-7.36, and 2.18-19.76, respectively]. Fully vaccinated patients had a lower risk of COVID-19-specific (AHR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.47-0.98) and early deaths (AHR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.35-0.84), whereas comorbid patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had a higher risk of non-COVID-19-specific deaths (AHR: 5.43; 95% CI: 1.73-17.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that prioritizing COVID-19 vaccination and carefully monitoring comorbid patients during hospitalization can reduce the risk of COVID-19-specific and early deaths and non-COVID-19-specific mortalities, respectively.

A Rapid Method for Screening Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern-Triggered Immunity-Intensifying Microbes.

PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) is the first layer of plant defense response that occurs on the plant plasma membrane. Recently, the application of a rhizobacterium, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain PMB05, has been demonstrated to enhance flg22Pst- or harpin-triggered PTI response such as callose deposition. This PTI intensification by PMB05 further contributes to plant disease resistance to different bacterial diseases. Under the demand for rapid and large-scale screening, it has become critical to establish a non-staining technology to identify microbial strains that can enhance PTI responses. Firstly, we confirmed that the expression of the GSL5 gene, which is required for callose synthesis, can be enhanced by PMB05 during PTI activation triggered by flg22 or PopW (a harpin from Ralstonia solanacearum). The promoter region of the GSL5 gene was further cloned and fused to the coding sequence of gfp. The constructed fragments were used to generate transgenic Arabidopsis plants through a plant transformation vector. The transgenic lines of AtGSL5-GFP were obtained. The analysis was performed by infiltrating flg22Pst or PopW in one homozygous line, and the results exhibited that the green fluorescent signals were observed until after 8 h. In addition, the PopW-induced fluorescent signal was significantly enhanced in the co-treatment with PMB05 at 4 h after inoculation. Furthermore, by using AtGSL5-GFP to analyze 13 Bacillus spp. strains, the regulation of PopW-induced fluorescent signal was observed. And, the regulation of these fluorescent signals was similar to that performed by callose staining. More importantly, the Bacillus strains that enhance PopW-induced fluorescent signals would be more effective in reducing the occurrence of bacterial wilt. Taken together, the technique by using AtGSL5-GFP would be a promising platform to screen plant immunity-intensifying microbes to control bacterial wilt.

Investigating spatiotemporal and kinematic gait parameters in individuals with Parkinson's disease with a history of freezing of gait and exploring the effects of dopaminergic therapy on freezing of gait subtypes.

Introduction: Freezing of Gait (FOG) is a prevalent and debilitating symptom in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). This study evaluated spatiotemporal and kinematic gait parameters in individuals with PD with a history of FOG and explored the effects of dopaminergic therapy on FOG subtypes. Methods: One hundred and nine individuals with PD underwent clinical assessments and quantitative biomechanical measures during walking cycles before and after dopaminergic therapy. Individuals with FOG were classified into levodopa-responsive and levodopa-unresponsive groups. Results: Individuals with FOG displayed longer disease duration and higher Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) II, III, IV scores, and total scores and levodopa equivalent dose, than those without FOG (all p < 0.0001). Following propensity score matching of 15 pairs based on UPDRS total score and disease duration during the off-medication state, the analysis comparing the FOG and non-FOG groups revealed no significant differences in spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters. In 39 cases of FOG, dopaminergic therapy improved gait performance in individuals with PD, enhancing spatiotemporal parameters (speed, stride length, step length, step variability) and kinematic parameters (shoulder and elbow flexion/extension range of motion (ROM), pelvic rotation, and hip abduction/adduction ROM) regardless of FOG responsiveness to dopaminergic therapy. A significant difference in trunk sway ROM (p = 0.029) remained before and after dopaminergic therapy, even after adjusting for disease duration and clinical severity. Discussion: Dopaminergic therapy had varying effects on PD with FOG, improving several spatiotemporal and kinematic gait parameters but being less effective in levodopa-unresponsive cases. Quantitative biomechanical measures offer detailed insights into gait performance, aiding personalized fall risk assessment and guiding individualized rehabilitation programs.

Exploring the role of anticipatory postural adjustment duration within APA2 subphase as a potential mediator between clinical disease severity and fall risk in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: People with Parkinson's Disease (PD) often show reduced anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) before voluntary steps, impacting their stability. The specific subphase within the APA stage contributing significantly to fall risk remains unclear. Methods: We analyzed center of pressure (CoP) trajectory parameters, including duration, length, and velocity, throughout gait initiation. This examination encompassed both the postural phase, referred to as anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) (APA1, APA2a, APA2b), and the subsequent locomotor phases (LOC). Participants were instructed to initiate a step and then stop (initiating a single step). Furthermore, we conducted assessments of clinical disease severity using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and evaluated fall risk using Tinetti gait and balance scores during off-medication periods. Results: Freezing of gait (FOG) was observed in 18 out of 110 participants during the measurement of CoP trajectories. The Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm successfully identified CoP displacement trajectories in 105 participants (95.5%), while the remaining 5 cases could not be identified due to FOG. Tinetti balance and gait score showed significant associations with levodopa equivalent daily dose, UPDRS total score, disease duration, duration (s) in APA2a (s) and LOC (s), length in APA1 (cm) and APA2b (cm), mediolateral velocity in APA1 (X) (cm/s), APA2a (X) (cm/s), APA2b (X) (cm/s) and LOC (X) (cm/s), and anterior-posterior velocity in APA2a (Z) (cm/s) and APA2b (Z) (cm/s). Multiple linear regression revealed that only duration (s) in APA2a and UPDRS total score was independently associated with Tinetti gait and balance score. Further mediation analysis showed that the duration (s) in APA2a served as a mediator between UPDRS total score and Tinetti balance and gait score (Sobel test, p = 0.047). Conclusion: APA2 subphase duration mediates the link between disease severity and fall risk in PD, suggesting that longer APA2a duration may indicate reduced control during gait initiation, thereby increasing fall risk.

The Development and Application of Vegetable Genomics Increase the Efficiency of Exploring New Gene Resources for Vegetables.

Vegetables, as indispensable non-staple foods in people's daily diet, provide a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, as well as special phytochemicals, which are recognized as functional components for human nutritional balance or medicinal purposes [...].

Association of Perinatal Cardiovascular Features with Angiotensin System Expressions in Maternal Preeclampsia.

We hypothesized and investigated whether prenatal exposure to preeclampsia (PE) would simultaneously affect perinatal cardiovascular features and angiotensin system expressions. This prospective study was composed of mother-neonate dyads with (n = 49) and without maternal preeclampsia (n = 48) in a single tertiary medical center. The neonates exposed to PE had significantly larger relative sizes for the left and right coronary arteries and a higher cord plasma level of aminopeptidase-N, which positively correlated with the maternal diastolic blood pressures and determined the relative sizes of the left and right coronary arteries, whereas the encoding aminopeptidase-N (ANPEP) mRNA level in the PE cord blood leukocytes was significantly decreased, positively correlated with the neonatal systolic blood pressures (SBPs), and negatively correlated with the cord plasma-induced endothelial vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 mRNA levels. The PE cord plasma significantly induced higher endothelial mRNA levels of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and AT4R, whereas in the umbilical arteries, the protein expressions of AT2R and AT4R were significantly decreased in the PE group. The endothelial AT1R mRNA level positively determined the maternal SBPs, and the AT4R mRNA level positively determined the neonatal chamber size and cardiac output. In conclusion, PE may influence perinatal angiotensin system and cardiovascular manifestations of neonates across placentae. Intriguing correlations between these two warrant further mechanistic investigation.

Optimism and mental health in college students: the mediating role of sleep quality and stress.

Objective: College students showed a high prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression, with medical and nursing students experiencing particularly elevated levels of mental health challenges.Optimism significantly influences overall well-being by promoting a healthy lifestyle and cognitive responses. However, the association of optimism with sleep quality, stress, and mental health in college students remains unexplored. This study aimed to (1) explore the associations of optimism with sleep quality, stress, and mental health and (2) ascertain whether sleep quality and stress mediate the association between optimism and mental health among college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using online surveys with students from health science majors at a public university in the northeast United States from September to December 2022. A total of 222 students participated in the study, providing data on sociodemographics, optimism, sleep quality, stress, anxiety, and depression. Parallel and serial mediation models were utilized to examine the potential mediating roles of sleep quality and stress in the association between optimism and mental health. Results: The study found that optimism influences anxiety and depression through both direct and indirect pathways. In line with predictions, the parallel mediation analysis revealed that the impact of optimism on anxiety (ßtotal = -0.598, 95% confident interval [CI]: -0.778 to -0.392) and depression (ßtotal = -0.724, 95% CI: -0.919 to -0.519) was mediated by stress and sleep quality. Furthermore, the serial mediation models revealed that stress and sleep quality co-mediated the relationship betweenoptimism and anxiety (indirect effect [IE] = -0.074, 95% CI: -0.135 to -0.029) or depression (IE = -0.084, 95% CI: -0.142 to -0.036) in a sequential manner. Conclusion: Optimism was negatively correlated with poor sleep quality, stress, anxiety, and depression. Enhanced optimism was linked to high sleep quality and less stress, anxiety, and depression. These insights emphasize the potential for school-based optimism interventions to improve sleep quality, ameliorate stress-related concerns, and alleviate mental health challenges in college students.

The utility of microbiome (microbiota) and exosomes in dentistry.

The concept of the oral-systemic link is important in both basic and clinical dentistry. The microbiome (microbiota) and exosomes are two prevalent issues in the modern medical researches. The common advent of oral and general microbiological investigation originated from the initial observations of oral bacteria within the dental plaque known as oral microbiome. In addition to oral diseases related to oral microbiome, the disruption of the oral and intestinal microbiome could result in the onset of systemic diseases. In the past decade, the exosomes have emerged in the field of the medical researches as they play a role in regulating the transport of intracellular vesicles. However, with the rapid advancement of exosomes researches in recent years, oral tissues (such as dental pulp stem cells and salivary gland cells) are used as the research materials to further promote the development of regenerative medicine. This article emphasized the importance of the concept of the oral-systemic link through the examples of microbiome (microbiota) and exosomes. Through the researches related to microbiome (microbiota) and exosomes, many evidences showed that as the basic dentistry developed directly from the assistance of the basic medicine, indirectly the progress of the basic dentistry turns back to promote the development of the basic medicine, indicating the importance of the concept of the oral-systemic link. The understanding of the oral-systemic link is essential for both clinicians and medical researchers, regardless of their dental backgrounds.

Label-Free Three-Dimensional Morphological Characterization of Cell Death Using Holographic Tomography.

This study presents a novel label-free approach for characterizing cell death states, eliminating the need for complex molecular labeling that may yield artificial or ambiguous results due to technical limitations in microscope resolution. The proposed holographic tomography technique offers a label-free avenue for capturing precise three-dimensional (3D) refractive index morphologies of cells and directly analyzing cellular parameters like area, height, volume, and nucleus/cytoplasm ratio within the 3D cellular model. We showcase holographic tomography results illustrating various cell death types and elucidate distinctive refractive index correlations with specific cell morphologies complemented by biochemical assays to verify cell death states. These findings hold promise for advancing in situ single cell state identification and diagnosis applications.

Advances in Nanoplasmonic Biosensors: Optimizing Performance for Exosome Detection Applications.

The development of sensitive and specific exosome detection tools is essential because they are believed to provide specific information that is important for early detection, screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of cancer. Among the many detection tools, surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors are analytical devices that offer advantages in sensitivity and detection speed, thereby making the sample-analysis process faster and more accurate. In addition, the penetration depth of the SPR biosensor, which is <300 nm, is comparable to the size of the exosome, making the SPR biosensor ideal for use in exosome research. On the other hand, another type of nanoplasmonic sensor, namely a localized surface-plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensor, has a shorter penetration depth of around 6 nm. Structural optimization through the addition of supporting layers and gap control between particles is needed to strengthen the surface-plasmon field. This paper summarizes the progress of the development of SPR and LSPR biosensors for detecting exosomes. Techniques in signal amplification from two sensors will be discussed. There are three main parts to this paper. The first two parts will focus on reviewing the working principles of each sensor and introducing several methods that can be used to isolate exosomes. This article will close by explaining the various sensor systems that have been developed and the optimizations carried out to obtain sensors with better performance. To illustrate the performance improvements in each sensor system discussed, the parameters highlighted include the detection limit, dynamic range, and sensitivity.

Modification of Risk for All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease-Related Mortality with Changes in the Body Mass Index in Older Individuals: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Existing evidence evaluating the impact of change in body mass index (BMI) on the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality in older people is limited and inconsistent. This population-based cohort study evaluated the association of changes in BMI over time with all-cause and CVD-related mortality in older adults. METHODS: We recruited 55,351 adults aged over 65 years between 2006 and 2011 from Taipei Elderly Health Examination Program who underwent repeated annual health examinations at 3.2-year intervals and were followed up for mortality over 5.5 years. Cox proportional hazard and Fine-Gray sub-distribution hazard models with death from non-CVD causes as the competing risk were used to determine the impact of changes in BMI status on the risk of all-cause or CVD-related mortality, respectively. RESULTS: Over 227,967 person-years of follow-up, 4,054 participants died, including 940 (23.2%) CVD-related deaths. After adjusting for other covariates, >10% decrease in BMI was significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] = 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.74-2.13) and CVD-related mortality (AHR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.60-2.40), compared with stable BMI. Sensitivity analysis showed that a >10% decrease in BMI was significantly associated with a high risk of all-cause and CVD-related mortality in participants with normal weight, underweight, overweight, or obesity at baseline. CONCLUSION: Older adults with >10% decrease in BMI are at high risk of all-cause and CVD-related mortality. Our findings suggest that older individuals experiencing a substantial reduction in BMI should undergo a thorough evaluation to minimize the risks associated with mortality.

Combined impact of sleep and obesity on female infertility in the NHANES 2017-2020.

BACKGROUND: Sleep health and obesity may affect the risk of female infertility. However, few studies focused on the interaction of obesity and sleep health on the female infertility risk. This study aimed to evaluate the combined impact of trouble sleeping / sleep duration and overweight/obesity/ abdominal obesity on the risk of female infertility. METHODS: The data for this cross-sectional study was obtained from National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, which provided information on trouble sleeping, sleep duration, overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, and confounding factors. Adopted weighted univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to explore the relationship between trouble sleeping, sleep duration, overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, and the risk of infertility, respectively, and the combined effect of trouble sleeping and overweight/obesity, trouble sleeping and abdominal obesity, sleep duration and overweight/obesity, sleep duration and abdominal obesity, on the female infertility risk. RESULTS: This study included a total of 1,577 women, and 191 were diagnosed with infertility. Women with infertility had a higher proportion of people with overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, sleep duration ≤ 7 h and trouble sleeping than those with non-infertility. The result indicated that trouble sleeping [odds ratio (OR) = 2.25, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.49-3.39], sleep duration ≤ 7 h (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.03-2.48), and the combined impact of abdominal obesity and trouble sleeping (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.28-3.72), abdominal obesity and sleep duration ≤ 7 h (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.17-3.40), overweight/obesity and trouble sleeping (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.24-4.26), and overweight/obesity and sleep duration ≤ 7 h (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.01-3.49) were associated with increased odds of infertility, respectively. CONCLUSION: There was combined effects of trouble sleeping/sleep duration ≤ 7 h and overweight/obesity/ abdominal obesity on increased odds of female infertility.

A comprehensive study of pre-eclampsia in IVF and natural conceptions: clinical phenotypes, perinatal outcomes and neonatal echocardiography.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What differences exist in the phenotypes of pre-eclampsia, perinatal outcomes and neonatal echocardiography between pregnancies conceived naturally and through IVF? DESIGN: Six hundred and ten women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia between January 2002 and December 2022 were included in this study. This research was conducted within the IVF and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. Participants were divided into two groups: those who achieved pregnancy through IVF, and those who conceived naturally. The phenotypes of pre-eclampsia and perinatal outcomes were assessed using a propensity-matched sample (n = 218), along with neonatal echocardiography. RESULTS: After conducting propensity score matching, the natural conception group had a higher prevalence of early-onset pre-eclampsia (53.9% versus 37.7%, P = 0.04) and exhibited more severe features of pre-eclampsia (89.1% versus 69.8%, P = 0.01) compared with the IVF group. Regarding perinatal outcomes, neonates in the IVF group had higher placental weights compared with the natural conception group (580 versus 480 g, P = 0.031). The prevalence of abnormal findings on neonatal echocardiography was similar between the groups. Multivariate analysis showed that greater gestational age at delivery reduced the likelihood of abnormal findings on echocardiography [adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 0.950, P = 0.001], while pregestational diabetes mellitus increased the likelihood of abnormal findings (aRR 1.451, P = 0.044). Septal defects were the most common type of defect, occurring in 16.1% of infants. CONCLUSION: The impact of IVF conception on the severity of pre-eclampsia is not as expected. Neonatal echocardiography revealed a higher prevalence of abnormalities in offspring of women with pre-eclampsia compared with the general population. However, these issues were not linked to the method of conception, suggesting the existence of undisclosed factors that could influence the clinical features and perinatal outcomes of pre-eclampsia.