Structural transition of parenthood among Chinese nulliparous couples with planned pregnancies, 2013-2019.

BACKGROUND: The postponement of parenthood is a global public health issue that has received attention of many public health experts. However, few studies have investigated the postponement in marriage age, marriage and conception interval, and pregnancy age in terms of demographic and regional heterogenicities. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, registry-based study, and a total of 13 894 601 nulliparous couples who participated in the National Free Pre-Pregnancy Check-ups Project and became pregnant during 2013-2019 were included. We calculated annual percentage change and forest plots for marriage age, marriage and conception interval, and pregnancy age. RESULTS: Late marriage (marriage age ≥ 35 years), long marriage and conception interval (marriage and conception interval ≥ 2 years), and advanced pregnancy (pregnancy age ≥ 35 years) increased from 1.20%, 22.01%, and 1.88% in 2013 to 1.69%, 32.75%, and 2.79% in 2019, respectively. The corresponding annual percentage changes were 6.55%, 8.44%, and 8.17%. Participants without higher education had a higher annual percentage change, but comparable prevalence for long marriage and conception interval with participants with higher education. Participants residing in second- or new first-tier cities, and the northeast of China who had a higher prevalence of parenthood postponement also had higher corresponding annual percentage changes. CONCLUSIONS: Structural postponement of parenthood with demographic and regional heterogenicities was observed among Chinese nulliparous couples with planned pregnancies during 2013-2019. Inclusive and comprehensive parenting support should be developed and implemented in mainland China to minimize the negative health effects arising from the postponement, especially for couples without higher education and living in new first/second-tier cities or the northeast China.

HGF-modified human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells rescue impaired ovarian reserve function in chemotherapy-induced POI rats by improving angiogenesis while decreasing apoptosis and fibrosis in the ovary.

Complications caused by Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), including infertility, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and depression, severely affect the life quality of female patients. Although hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can alleviate some long-term complications, there is still no standard treatment for the restoration of ovarian reserve function. Currently, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUCMSC) transplantation showed considerable treatment effect for POI in both rat model and clinic. To improve the effectiveness of naïve HUCMSC (HUCMSC-Null) treatments on POI, an exogenous gene hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) which promotes follicular angiogenesis in POI ovaries was used to modify HUCMSC. Subsequently, HGF-overexpressed HUCMSC (HUCMSC-HGF) was transplanted into the ovaries of chemotherapy-induced POI Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to observe the effectiveness on POI improvement and its related mechanisms. Our results showed that when compared with POI and HUCMSC-Null treatment group, HUCMSC-HGF significantly improved ovarian reserve function in POI group, which might be attributed to the decrease of ovarian tissue fibrosis and granulosa cells (GCs) apoptosis, and the increase of ovarian angiogenesis mediated by HGF over-expression. The findings suggest that HGF-modified HUCMSC may present a more superior capacity than HUCMSC alone for the rescue of ovarian reserve function in POI.

MCM10: An effective treatment target and a prognostic biomarker in patients with uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma.

Molecular profiling has been applied for uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) management for many years. The aim of this study was to explore the role of MCM10 in UCEC and construct its overall survival (OS) prediction models. Data from TCGA, GEO, cbioPotal and COSMIC databases and the methods, such as GO, KEGG, GSEA, ssGSEA and PPI, were employed to bioinformatically detect the effects of MCM10 on UCEC. RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the effects of MCM10 on UCEC. Based on Cox regression analysis using the data from TCGA and our clinical data, two OS prediction models for UCEC were established. Finally, the effects of MCM10 on UCEC were detected in vitro. Our study revealed that MCM10 was variated and overexpressed in UCEC tissue and involved in DNA replication, cell cycle, DNA repair and immune microenvironment in UCEC. Moreover, silencing MCM10 significantly inhibited the proliferation of UCEC cells in vitro. Importantly, based on MCM10 expression and clinical features, the OS prediction models were constructed with good accuracy. MCM10 could be an effective treatment target and a prognostic biomarker for UCEC patients. The OS prediction models might help establish the strategies of follow-up and treatment for UCEC patients.

Burden and Trend of Macrosomia and Large-for-Gestational-Age Neonates Attributable to High Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index in China, 2013-2017: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The world is transitioning to an obese future, but few studies have measured the burden of increased maternal body mass index (BMI) on pathological fetal overgrowth, especially the trends in this burden and its heterogeneity in populations with different characteristics. Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted with 7,998,620 Chinese females who had participated in the National Free Pre-Pregnancy Check-ups Project and became pregnant during 2013-2017. The proportions of macrosomic and LGA neonates attributable to high BMI (population attributable fraction, PAF) and annual percent change of yearly PAFs were estimated. Results: We found that the burden of macrosomic and LGA (large-for-gestational-age) neonates attributable to high pre-pregnancy BMI increased among Chinese females with planned pregnancies during 2013-2017. The PAF of macrosomia attributable to high BMI increased from 3.16% (95% confidence interval: 2.97-3.35%) to 7.11% (6.79-7.42%) by 23.60% (16.76-30.85%) annually, and the PAF of LGA increased from 2.35% (2.21-2.48%) to 5.00% (4.79-5.21%) by 21.98% (16.14-28.11%) annually. Our study identified that participants with disadvantaged socioeconomic status (including those without higher education, living in provinces with GDP per capita < 40,000 CNY, tier IV, and tier V cities) and residing in northern and southwestern China were at high risk of a rapidly expanding burden. Conclusions: Government authorities should control pre-pregnancy BMI through nationwide intervention programs and direct more resources to focus on the unfair burden on females with disadvantaged socioeconomic status.

Effects of compression running pants and treadmill running stages on knee proprioception and fatigue-related physiological responses in half-marathon runners.

Background: Knee injury is common in half-marathon runners, however, the effect of compression running pants on fatigue and knee proprioception remains unclear. Objectives: The study aims to investigate whether wearing compression running pants (CRP) and treadmill running stages affect knee proprioception and fatigue-related physiological responses during half-marathon running. Methods: Eighteen half-marathon runners completed two self-paced 21 km treadmill running trials, once wearing CRP and once wearing loose running shorts (LRS). For each 21 km run, RPE, heart rate, blood lactic acid, and knee flexion proprioception were assessed before starting, and after each 7 km stage. Results: Data analysis revealed no difference between CRP and LRS conditions in heart rate, RPE, or blood lactic acid. Repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant garment condition main effect whereby wearing CRP was associated with higher knee proprioceptive acuity (p = 0.006). Polynomial trend analysis showed a significant linear downwards trend in proprioceptive acuity across the four measurement occasions (p = 0.048). Stage analysis showed that wearing CRP was associated with better knee proprioception at running distances of 14 km (p = 0.007, 95%CI = -0.054, -0.010) and 21 km (p = 0.016, 95%CI = -0.051, -0.006). Conclusion: Compression running pants provide an overall positive effect on knee proprioception, particularly after 14 km and 21km, which may reduce the probability of knee injury. CRP had no significant effect on physiological measures in half-marathon running.

Proprioceptive accuracy after uni-joint and multi-joint patterns of arm-raising movements directed to overhead targets.

AIM: To determine the effect of arm-raising pattern on upper limb proprioceptive accuracy for movements made to overhead targets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen healthy young adults were tested in standing with arms at the sides, made dominant arm-raising movements to an unseen overhead stop, randomly placed at one of five different overhead targets. Movements were made either as a uni-joint shoulder flexion movement in an arc, or as an unconstrained arm raising that was a series of multi-joint movements involving the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. RESULTS: Overall proprioceptive accuracy for discrimination between the five unseen overhead targets was not different after arm-raising with either a uni-joint or mult-joint pattern (F1, 15 = 0.50, p = 0.49, partial η2 = 0.03). Better performers with one pattern also tended to perform well with the other (r = 0.70, p = 0.003). Trend analysis across the 4 pairwise scores for discriminations between the target positions (171.8°-173.6°, 173.6°-175.4°, 175.4°-177.2°, and 177.2°-179.0°) showed worsening discrimination towards the more distant targets (F1, 15 = 8.44, p = 0.01, partial η2 = 0.36). However, this linear trend of falling discrimination accuracy was not different between the two movement patterns (p = 0.27). CONCLUSION: Proprioceptive accuracy did not differ between simple uni-joint and more complex multi-joint arm-raising movement patterns, and the further the extent of the overhead target movement, the worse proprioceptive discrimination sensitivity for both movement patterns. Upper limb proprioceptive accuracy was therefore movement extent dependent, but movement pattern independent.

Equipment failure of intravenous syringe pump detected by increase in Narcotrend stage: A case report.

RATIONALE: Awareness is the recovery of consciousness during general anesthesia. It occurs when patients under general anesthesia receive inadequate anesthetic medications to maintain unconsciousness during surgery. Equipment failure is a common cause of intraoperative awareness. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 16-year-old boy, 85 kg in weight, was admitted to our hospital for thyroglossal cystectomy under general anesthesia. Six minutes after the intubation, we noted that the Narcotrend index indicated a condition of light anesthesia and the patient was observed to be in tears. DIAGNOSIS: Improper positioning of the syringe fixing clamp on the CP700TCI infusion pump caused equipment failure and light anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Bolus of 50 mg propofol and 2 mg midazolam were administered manually by syringe, and inhalation of 2% sevoflurane was supplemented. Infusion pump was replaced. OUTCOMES: The Narcotrend index of the patient returned to state of deep anesthesia following manual administration of the anesthetic medications. Following the surgery, the patient had an uneventful recovery, and did not present with evidence of awareness. LESSONS: Users of the CP700TCI syringe pump should pay attention to the position of the syringe fixing clamp. Anesthesiologists should check all the equipment according to a defined checklist prior to anesthesia. Narcotrend monitor could help to detect light anesthesia and prevent potential awareness.

Robust hybrid source and mask optimization to lithography source blur and flare.

As a promising resolution enhancement technique, a set of pixelated source and mask optimization (SMO) methods has been introduced to further improve the lithography at 45 nm node and beyond. Recently, some papers studied the impact of the scanner errors on SMO, and the results revealed that the source blur and flare seriously impact on the lithography performance of the optimal source and mask resulting from SMO. However, current SMO methods did not propose an effective method to compensate for the impact of these nonideal factors of the actual scanners. To overcome this drawback, this paper focuses on developing a robust hybrid SMO (HSMO) method where the sensitivities of the aerial image to source blur and flare are introduced into the cost function. Simulation results are compared with traditional SMO to demonstrate the benefit of the proposed source blur-flare-aware HSMO method in pattern fidelity and process window.

Inverse pupil wavefront optimization for immersion lithography.

As the critical dimension of integrated circuits is continuously shrunk, thick mask induced aberration (TMIA) cannot be ignored in the lithography image process. Recently, a set of pupil wavefront optimization (PWO) approaches has been proposed to compensate for TMIA, based on a wavefront manipulator in modern scanners. However, these prior PWO methods have two intrinsic drawbacks. First, the traditional methods fell short in building up the analytical relationship between the pupil wavefront and the cost function, and used time-consuming algorithms to solve for the PWO problem. Second, in traditional methods, only the spherical aberrations were optimized to compensate for the focus exposure matrix tilt and best focus shift induced by TMIA. Thus, the degrees of freedom were limited during the optimization procedure. To overcome these restrictions, we build the analytical relationship between the pupil wavefront and the cost function based on Abbe vector imaging theory. With this analytical model and the Fletcher-Reeves conjugate-gradient algorithm, an inverse PWO method is innovated to balance the TMIA including 37 Zernike terms. Simulation results illustrate that our approach significantly improves image fidelity within a larger process window. This demonstrates that TMIA is effectively compensated by our inverse PWO approach.

Hybrid source mask optimization for robust immersion lithography.

To keep pace with the shrinkage of critical dimension, source and mask optimization (SMO) has emerged as a promising resolution enhancement technique to push the resolution of 193 nm argon fluoride immersion lithography systems. However, most current pixelated SMO approaches relied on scalar imaging models that are no longer accurate for immersion lithography systems with hyper-NA (NA>1). This paper develops a robust hybrid SMO (HSMO) algorithm based on a vector imaging model capable of effectively improving the robustness of immersion lithography systems to defocus and dose variations. The proposed HSMO algorithm includes two steps. First, the individual source optimization approach is carried out to rapidly reduce the cost function. Subsequently, the simultaneous SMO approach is applied to further improve the process robustness by exploiting the synergy in the joint optimization of source and mask patterns. The conjugate gradient method is used to update the source and mask pixels. In addition, a source regularization approach and source postprocessing are both used to improve the manufacturability of the optimized source patterns. Compared to the mask optimization method, the HSMO algorithm achieves larger process windows, i.e., extends the depth of focus and exposure latitude, thus more effectively improving the process robustness of 45 nm immersion lithography systems.

Pixelated source and mask optimization for immersion lithography.

Immersion lithography systems with hyper-numerical aperture (hyper-NA) (NA>1) have become indispensable in nanolithography for technology nodes of 45 nm and beyond. Source and mask optimization (SMO) has emerged as a key technique used to further improve the imaging performance of immersion lithography. Recently, a set of pixelated gradient-based SMO approaches were proposed under the scalar imaging models, which are inaccurate for hyper-NA settings. This paper focuses on developing pixelated gradient-based SMO algorithms based on a vector imaging model that is accurate for current immersion lithography. To achieve this goal, an integrative and analytic vector imaging model is first used to formulate the simultaneous SMO (SISMO) and sequential SMO (SESMO) frameworks. A gradient-based algorithm is then exploited to jointly optimize the source and mask. Subsequently, this paper studies and compares the performance of individual source optimization (SO), individual mask optimization (MO), SISMO, and SESMO. Finally, a hybrid SMO (HSMO) approach is proposed to take full advantage of SO, SISMO, and MO, consequently achieving superior performance.

In situ synthesis, characterization, and catalytic performance of tungstophosphoric acid encapsulated into the framework of mesoporous silica pillared clay.

Mesoporous silica pillared clay (SPC) incorporated with tungstophosphoric acid (HPW) has been synthesized via in situ introducing P and W source in the acidic suspension of the clay interlayer template during the formation of the silica pillared clay. The samples were characterized by XRD, XRF, FT-IR, TG-DTA, N(2) adsorption-desorption, and SEM techniques. The results showed that the HPW formed by in situ method has been effectively introduced into the framework of mesoporous silica pillared clay and its Keggin structure remained perfectly after formation of the materials. In addition, samples with similar HPW loadings were also prepared by impregnation method using SPC as the support. HPW in the incorporated samples was better dispersed into the silica pillared clay than in the impregnated samples. The results of catalytic tests indicated that the encapsulated materials demonstrated better catalytic performance than the impregnated samples in oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT).