Effect of post-vitrification cryopreservation duration on singleton birth-weight in frozen-thawed blastocysts transfer cycles.

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the effect of cryopreservation duration after blastocyst vitrification on the singleton birth-weight of newborns to assess the safety of long-term preservation of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer (FBT) cycles. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted at the Gynecological Endocrinology and Assisted Reproduction Center of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Patients who gave birth to singletons between January 2006 and December 2021 after undergoing FBT cycles were included. Five groups were formed according to the duration of cryopreservation of embryos at FBT: Group I included 274 patients with a storage time < 3 months. Group II included 607 patients with a storage time of 3-6 months. Group III included 322 patients with a storage time of 6-12 months. Group IV included 190 patients with a storage time of 12-24 months. Group V included 118 patients with a storage time of > 24 months. Neonatal outcomes were compared among the groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate birth-weights and other birth-related outcomes. Results: A total of 1,511 patients were included in the analysis. The longest cryopreservation period was 12 years. The birth-weights of neonates in the five groups were 3344.1 ± 529.3, 3326.1 ± 565.7, 3260.3 ± 584.1, 3349.9 ± 582.7, and 3296.7 ± 491.9 g, respectively (P > 0.05). The incidences of preterm birth, very preterm birth, low birth-weight, and very low birth-weight were similar in all groups (P > 0.05). The large-for-gestational-age and small-for-gestational-age rates did not differ significantly among the groups (P > 0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors that may affect neonatal outcomes, a trend for an increased risk of low birth-weight with prolonged cryopreservation was observed. However, cryopreservation duration and neonatal birth-weight were not significantly correlated (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The duration of cryopreservation after blastocyst vitrification with an open device for more than 2 years had no significant effect on the birth-weight of FBT singletons; however, attention should be paid to a possible increase in the risk of low birth-weight.

Eucalyptol-loaded microcapsules combined with Cynanchum komarovii extracts provide long-term and low-risk management of Chinese wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.).

Realizing eco-friendly, long-term, and low-risk aphid control on Lycium barbarum (medicinal cash crop) using a Cynanchum komarovii extracts and eucalyptus oil-loaded microcapsules (EOMCs) formulation compositions is viable. In this study, the aim is to optimize the composition of Cynanchum komarovii extracts and EOMCs formulation for effective control of aphids, the release of EOMCs was controlled by changing the cross-linking degree of the shell to match the aphid control characteristics of Cynanchum komarovii extracts. Four types of polyamines were used as cross-linking agents for the preparation of EOMCs by interfacial polymerization. The bioactivity, wettability, and field application efficacy of Cynanchum komarovii extracts and different EOMCs formulation compositions were evaluated. These EOMCs exhibited an encapsulation efficiency exceeding 85 %. The control efficiency of the formulation compositions of microcapsules with a moderate release rate and Cynanchum komarovii extracts on aphids remained at 62.86 %, while the control efficiency of the combination of microcapsules with the fastest and slowest rates with Cynanchum komarovii extracts was only 48.62 % and 57.11 %, respectively. The formulation compositions of Cynanchum komarovii extracts with all four types of EOMCs were found to be safe for Chinese wolfberry plants. Overall, by selecting appropriate polyamines during fabrication, the release rate can be effectively controlled to achieve sustainable and low-risk aphid control in Lycium barbarum through compounding with selected microcapsules.

Hyperuricemia is accompanied by elevated peripheral CD4+ T cells.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) makes a chronic inflammation status, which affects immune cells. The association between HUA and immune cells, such as monocytes and neutrophils, has been extensively studied. However, studies on HUA and lymphocytes are still limited. We selected 1543 healthy participants and 258 individuals with HUA to analyze the correlation between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and immune cells, and 98 healthy participants and 16 individuals with HUA were used to study the relationship between SUA levels and cytokine levels. Then, we used soluble UA to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro and examined lymphocyte subset counts and activation by flow cytometry. The results revealed that the number of lymphocytes in the HUA group was significantly increased, particularly CD4+ T cell numbers, which were higher than those in the total population (P = 0.0019), females (P = 0.0142), and males (P = 0.0199) of the healthy control group. Concomitantly, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10 levels significantly increased in people with HUA (P = 0.0254; P = 0.0019). In vitro, soluble UA promoted the proliferation and activation of CD4+ T and CD19+ B cells. Thus, HUA is accompanied by elevated peripheral CD4+ T cells and may cause a Th2-dominant immune status.

User Real-Time Influence Ranking Algorithm of Social Networks Considering Interactivity and Topicality.

At present, the existing influence evaluation algorithms often ignore network structure attributes, user interests and the time-varying propagation characteristics of influence. To address these issues, this work comprehensively discusses users' own influence, weighted indicators, users' interaction influence and the similarity between user interests and topics, thus proposing a dynamic user influence ranking algorithm called UWUSRank. First, we determine the user's own basic influence based on their activity, authentication information and blog response. This improves the problem of poor objectivity of initial value on user influence evaluation when using PageRank to calculate user influence. Next, this paper mines users' interaction influence by introducing the propagation network properties of Weibo (a Twitter-like service in China) information and scientifically quantifies the contribution value of followers' influence to the users they follow according to different interaction influences, thereby solving the drawback of equal value transfer of followers' influence. Additionally, we analyze the relevance of users' personalized interest preferences and topic content and realize real-time monitoring of users' influence at various time periods during the process of public opinion dissemination. Finally, we conduct experiments by extracting real Weibo topic data to verify the effectiveness of introducing each attribute of users' own influence, interaction timeliness and interest similarity. Compared to TwitterRank, PageRank and FansRank, the results show that the UWUSRank algorithm improves the rationality of user ranking by 9.3%, 14.2%, and 16.7%, respectively, which proves the practicality of the UWUSRank algorithm. This approach can serve as a guide for research on user mining, information transmission methods, and public opinion tracking in social network-related areas.

Increased death and exhaustion of CD69high T cells and NK cells are associated with PD-1 antibody application in the in vitro co-culture system.

Background: The application of PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) helps to treat non-small cell lung cancer, but acquired resistance has emerged in clinical practice. We tested the hypothesis that acquired resistance of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy is linked to death and exhaustion of activated T and NK cell. Methods: The co-culture system of HCC827 cells and peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was established to evaluate the effect of PD-1 mAb on the death rate and exhaustion of T and NK cell. The predisposing role of CD69 for death and exhaustion was validated by using PHA-activated PBMCs of CD69low NSCLC patients. The 10-colour/three laser flow cytometer was used to test related markers for cell activation, death and exhaustion. Results: We found that PD-1 mAb increase the death and exhaustion of T cells and NK cells in a dose-dependent way when PBMCs from NSCLC patients whose the percentages of CD69+ cells in peripheral blood T cells were greater than 5% (CD69high NSCLC patients). By analyzing PBMCs from healthy volunteers and CD69low NSCLC patients, we found that T cells and NK cells can be induced to die by PD-1 mAb after PHA activation, and had a tendency to raise the rate of cell exhaustion. Conclusions: Our findings imply that increased death and exhaustion of CD69high T cells and NK cells are associated with ineffective anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in lung cancer. The CD69 expression of T cells and NK cells may be developed as a potential predictor for acquired resistance of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. These data may provide ideas to guide individualized medication of PD-1 mAb in NSCLC patients.

Activation of sulfite by micron-scale iron-carbon composite for metronidazole degradation: Theoretical and experimental studies.

In recent years, sulfite (S(Ⅳ)), as an alternative to persulfates, has played a crucial role in eliminating antibiotics in wastewater, so there is an urgent need to develop a cheap, environmentally friendly, and effective catalyst. Zero-valent iron (ZVI) has great potential for activated S(Ⅳ) removal of organic pollutants, but its reactivity in water is reduced due to passivation. In this study, a micron-scale iron-carbon composite(mZVI@C-800) prepared via high-temperature calcination was coupled with S(Ⅳ) to degrade metronidazole (MNZ). Under the optimized reaction conditions of mZVI@C-800 dosage of 0.2 g/L and S(Ⅳ) concentration of 0.1 g/L, the MNZ removal rate was up to 81.5 % in acidic and neutral environments. The surface chemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by different analytical techniques, and the corresponding catalytic mechanism was analyzed based on these analytical results. As a result, Fe2+ is the main active site, and ·OH and SO4·- were the dominant active species. The increase in efficiency was attributed to the introduction of carbon to enhance the corrosion of mZVI further releasing more Fe2+. Additionally proposed were the potential response mechanism, the degradation path, and the toxicity change rule. These results demonstrate that the catalytic breakdown of antibiotics in wastewater treatment can be accelerated by the use of the outstanding catalytic material mZVI@C-800.

Impact of endometriosis on embryo quality and endometrial receptivity in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology.

ART is an important treatment method for infertile patients with endometriosis. However, the effects of endometriosis on embryo quality and endometrial receptivity remain unclear. Thus, we aimed to simultaneously investigate the impact of endometriosis and its stage on embryo quality and endometrial receptivity in women undergoing ART. We retrospectively analyzed the data from patients with and without endometriosis who underwent oocyte retrieval and/or high-quality embryos transfer between July 2015 and December 2020, including 1312 IVF cycles and 608 IVF or frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles, respectively. The endometriosis group had a lower percentage of good cleavage-stage embryos and fertilization rates than those in the control group (p = 0.038 and 0.008, respectively). The number of retrieved oocytes, MII oocytes, cleavage, blastocysts, and blastulation rates was comparable between two groups. We found no significant difference in clinical pregnancy, implantation, live birth, miscarriage, or multiple pregnancy rates between the two groups among patients who transferred high-quality embryos. Stratification analysis showed that patients with stage III-IV endometriosis had fewer retrieved oocytes than those with stage I-II endometriosis (p = 0.012) and marginally fewer retrieved oocytes than the control group (p = 0.051). The stage I-II group had the lowest percentage of good cleavage-stage embryos, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (p = 0.043). In FET cycles, patients with stage III-IV endometriosis had a higher miscarriage rate than those in the control group (p = 0.023). Our results suggest that endometriosis does not alter endometrial receptivity but affects embryo quality, oocyte fertilization ability, and ovarian response.

Modification of sedimentation and bioaccumulation behavior as an efficient strategy to modulate the toxicity of pyraclostrobin to zebrafish (Danio rerio).

The behavior of pesticide particles or droplets might significantly influence their environmental risks. However, studies on the risk of different pesticide formulations in aqueous environments have rarely been reported. In this study, we prepared three types of pyraclostrobin formulations to evaluate their behavior in the aqueous environment and toxicological risks to zebrafish. The results showed that pyraclostrobin emulsifiable concentrate (EC) sank faster in water with increasing hydrophilicity and density of the solvent. The particles also sank faster with increasing particle size and particle density for suspension concentrate (SC) and microcapsules (MCs). Diverse behavior in water results in different temporal and spatial distributions of the active ingredient. EC-EGDA, SC-5 µm, CS-Large and EC-MO sink or float over time, therefore reducing the effective dose suspended in water. Lower toxicological risks of the pesticides were also observed by reducing the enrichment of pyraclostrobin in zebrafish. In addition to the direct toxicity of the active ingredient, the type of pesticide formulations and their specific compositions might also influence the integrated toxicity. The environmental behavior of pesticide formulations should also be considered for their systematic assessment of environmental risks to ensure the scientific application of pesticides in different scenarios.

Effect of development speed and quality of blastocyst on singleton birthweight in single frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles.

Background: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has revolutionized infertility treatment, leading to a surge in ART-conceived children. Despite its success, ART-born offspring face higher risks of preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). The mechanisms behind these outcomes remain unclear, partly attributed to multiple embryo transfers. Recent advancements advocate single blastocyst transfers for improved outcomes. However, the influence of blastocyst quality and development speed on neonatal outcomes is underexplored. Objective: This study investigated whether blastocyst development speed and quality affect singleton birthweight when the blastocyst is selected for single frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer (FBT). Methods: Data from patients who performed an FBT cycle at our center from July 2011 to June 2021 were collected and analyzed. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 420 single FBT cycles were assessed. The women were divided into four groups, Group A (day 5, good-quality blastocysts), Group B (day 5, non-good-quality blastocysts), Group C (day 6, good-quality blastocysts), and Group D (day 6, non-good-quality blastocysts) according to the developmental speed and quality of the transferred blastocyst. Results: The birthweight was relatively the highest in Group A, which developed rapidly and transferred good quality blastocysts. However, no significant difference existed among the groups (P>0.05). The prevalence of premature birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), very low birth weight (VLBW), or high birth weight (HBW) was similar among the four groups (P > 0.05). No correlation existed between birth weight and blastocyst development speed or quality after adjusting for possible confounders (P > 0.05 respectively). However, the difference in the proportion of males born among the four groups was significant, especially in Group D, which was significantly lower than that in Group A (adjusted odds ratio = 0.461, 95% confidence interval: 0.230-0.921, P < 0.05). Conclusions: This retrospective cohort study suggests that the combined effect of blastocyst development speed and quality on neonatal birthweight is insignificant. The transfer of slow-growing, non-good-quality blastocysts increases the chance of a female baby being born.

Strategy for embryo transfer to improve pregnancy outcomes in advanced maternal age.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to optimize the transplantation strategy for women of advanced maternal age to achieve live births within the shortest time. Data were collected from patients older than 40 years who underwent assisted reproductive therapy at our centre from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2019. In total, 1023 cases of fresh cleavage embryo transfer (CET) cycles, 280 cases of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer (FBT) cycles, and 26 cases of frozen-thawed CET (FCET) cycles were included. The main outcome was the live birth rate (LBR). The secondary outcomes were the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and neonatal outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for confounding factors. The blastocyst formation rate of patients older than 40 years was 23.5%, the freezing cycle rate was 19.8%, and the fresh-embryo transfer rate was 83.0%. The implantation rate, CPR, and LBR were significantly different among the CET, FCET, and FBT groups. There were no significant differences in multiple pregnancies and abortion rates among the groups, and neonatal outcomes were similar. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with the CET group, LBR did not increase in the FCET group, whereas LBR increased in the FBT group. For patients older than 40 years when having approximately eight embryos after fertilization, blastocyst transfer can be considered after fully discussing the advantages and disadvantages of blastocyst culture. Alternatively, CET can be performed first, followed by FBT if the cleavage embryo transfer is unsuccessful.

Low Serum Calcium Concentration in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Accompanied by the Enhanced Peripheral Cellular Immunity.

Objective: This study aims to explore the relationship between serum calcium concentration and peripheral lymphocyte status/Th1/Th2 cytokine levels in SLE patients, and the effect of glucocorticoids (GCs) on the calcium concentration and immune cell activation. Methods: The peripheral blood TBNK lymphocyte subsets and Th1/Th2 cytokines in SLE patients with low or normal serum calcium concentration and healthy people were analyzed and compared retrospectively. Peripheral white blood cells (PWBCs) from SLE patients or healthy people were stimulated with PMA or GCs in vitro to test their extracellular calcium concentration and CD8+ T cell activation. Results: The percentages of CD8+ T in SLE patients increased, but the increase of the number of CD8+ T cells only occurred in the SLE patients with low serum calcium concentration, and the number of CD45hiCD8+ T cells also increased, suggesting that SLE patients with hypocalcemia tend to possess an enhanced cellular immunity. The results of Th1/Th2 cytokines in peripheral blood showed that the levels of serum IL-2, IL-10, IL-6 and IFN-γ in SLE patients with hypocalcemia were significantly increased. Although the serum levels of TNF-α in SLE patients were -similar to that in healthy people, it was significantly higher than that in SLE patients with normal serum calcium. When comparing the results of Th1/Th2 cytokines in two times of one patient, the serum levels of TNF-α in SLE patients increased while serum calcium levels decreased. The in vitro experiments showed that the decrease of serum calcium concentration in SLE patients was affected by the immune cell activation and the application of GCs, but GCs did not promote the immune cell activation. Conclusions: Low serum calcium may make SLE patients in an enhanced cellular immune status and GCs aggravates the decrease of serum calcium levels but has no role on the immune cell activation. It suggests that hypocalcemia possibly promotes the disease activity of SLE patient, which should be paid attention to clinically.

A Randomized Cohort Study: Is It Worth the Time to Receive Antiandrogenic Pretreatment Before Ovulation Induction for Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?

Objective: To assess the effect of antiandrogenic pretreatment using combined oral contraceptives (COCs) before ovulation induction in infertile patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with hyperandrogenism. Design: Prospective, randomized open-labeled cohort study. Setting: Multicenter. Patients: PCOS patients with hyperandrogenism and requiring infertility treatments. Interventions: Randomization to direct ovulation induction of letrozole (letrozole group) or ethinylestradiol/cyproterone acetate (EE/CPA) for 3 months and subsequent letrozole-induced ovulation (EE/CPA+ letrozole group). The maximum number of ovulation induction cycle was three to four. Main Outcome Measures: Ovulation rate, conception rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, and live birth rate were the main outcomes of the study. Results: There were no significant differences in the cumulative ovulation, conception, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates between the letrozole and EE/CPA+ letrozole groups (cumulative ovulation: 206/254 [81.10%] vs. 169/205 [82.44%], risk ratio [RR]= 1.09 [0.68,1.76], P=0.713; conception: 44/90 [48.89%] vs. 42/76 [55.26%], RR= 1.29 [0.70,2.38], P=0.413; ongoing pregnancy: 33/90 [36.67%] vs. 33/76 [43.42%], RR=1.33 [0.71,2.47], P=0.376; and live birth: 32/90 [35.56%] vs. 31/76 [40.79%], RR=1.25 [0.67, 2.34], P=0.489). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that COC pretreatment was not superior to direct letrozole-induced ovulation therapy in improving ovulation and pregnancy results in women with PCOS. There is no benefit to perform antiandrogenic therapy before ovulation induction in patients with PCOS in clinical practice. Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier ChiCTR1900022839.

Improved Efficiency and Stability of Red Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes via Selective Deuteration.

The secondary kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) of red phosphorescent Ir(III) complexes and the corresponding devices have been investigated. The selective deuterated red emitters show negligible influence on the luminescent spectra, but have positive effects on the quantum efficiencies and stabilities in the devices. As secondary KIEs predicted, the photolysis coinciding with the electrolysis of the deuterated complexes in the devices, measured via decreasing of luminescent intensity, are reduced in rate. An about 33% increase of the device working lifetime could be readily obtained with the strategy of selective deuteration on the emitter complexes. The findings demonstrate the importance of the isotopic effect on the performance improvement of organic light emitting devices and will also trigger the study on organic optoelectronic materials via isotopic tools.

Silver salt enabled H/D exchange at the ß-position of thiophene rings: synthesis of fully deuterated thiophene derivatives.

We disclose a silver catalyzed H/D exchange reaction, which can introduce the deuterium atom at the ß position of thiophene rings without the assistance of any coordinating groups. The advantages of this reaction include operation in open air, usage of D2O as the deuterium source, good tolerance to a range of functional groups and obtaining high atom% deuterium incorporation. In addition, this H/D exchange reaction is employed for direct deuteration of a thiophene based monomer, which is usually prepared by multistep synthesis from expensive deuterated starting materials.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum Clusters in Oocytes From Patients Who Received Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injections Negatively Affect Blastocyst Quality and Speed of Blastocyst Development.

Findings regarding the relationship between smooth endoplasmic reticulum clusters (SERCs) in oocytes and blastocyst development have been conflicting. In this study, the effects of SERCs on blastocyst quality and the speed of blastocyst development were evaluated. Patients who received intracytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI) at our reproductive center from 2016 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. SERC (+) oocytes (n = 217) and SERC (-) oocytes (n = 822), as well as SERC (+) cycles (n = 146) and SERC (-) cycles (n = 1,951) were compared. There was no significant difference in embryological, clinical, and neonatal outcomes between the SERC (+) and SERC (-) cycles. The fertilization rate (73.9%), good quality blastocyst rate (26.7%) and the speed of blastocyst development (44.4%) were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in SERC (+) oocytes than in unaffected counterparts (86.2%, 44.1% and 63.4%, respectively). Furthermore, the proportion of blastocysts with trophectoderm (TE) grade C was significantly higher in the SERC (+) oocyte group than in the SERC (-) oocyte group (73.3 vs. 55.9%, P < 0.05). After adjusting for age, years of infertility, endometriosis, stimulation protocols (GnRHa), and male infertility, multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of SERCs in the oocytes significantly affected the speed of blastocyst development (odds ratio, 2.812; 95% CI, 1.257-6.292; P = 0.012). These findings suggest that the presence of SERCs in oocytes may negatively affect blastocyst quality and the speed of blastocyst development.

A Proper Increasing in the Testosterone Level May Be Associated With Better Pregnancy Outcomes for Patients With Tubal or Male Infertility During in vitro Fertilization/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between testosterone (T) levels and pregnancy outcomes in patients with tubal or male infertility at different times during in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Patients with tubal or male infertility and normal androgen levels undergoing IVF/ICSI were consecutively recruited. We performed a longitudinal analysis of T levels at three time points (i.e., T0: baseline, T1: trigger day, and T2: day after the trigger day) in three groups with different pregnancy outcomes (i.e., group 1: no pregnancy; group 2: clinical pregnancy but no live birth; and group 3: live birth) as repeated measurement data using linear mixed-effects models. We also plotted fitted curves depicting the relationship between T levels and a number of oocytes retrieved at different time points and identified the inflection points of the curves. In total, 3,012 patients were recruited. Groups 1 and 3 had improvements in T levels at the three time points. After refitting, the slope in group 3 was significantly higher than that in group 1 (P = 0.000). Curves that reflected the association between T levels and numbers of retrieved oocytes presented an upward trend before a certain inflection point, after which the curves had no obvious changes or fell with increasing T levels. The inflection points for T0, T1, and T2 were calculated as 0.45, 0.94, and 1.09, respectively. A faster upward trend in T levels might be associated with better pregnancy outcomes. Within a range lower than a T level inflection point, more oocytes and embryos could be obtained with increasing T levels.

The conductivity and redox properties of pyrolyzed carbon mediate methanogenesis in paddy soils with ethanol as substrate.

Pyrolyzed carbon such as biochar and activated carbon could influence the methanogenesis in paddy soil, which is an important process controlling methane emission. Different electrochemical properties of pyrolyzed carbon may be involved in methanogenesis, such as conductivity and redox activity. However, their different roles have not been thoroughly illustrated before. In this study, we identified the roles of pyrolyzed carbon redox property and electron conductivity in methanogenesis with ethanol as a substrate, by comparing pyrolyzed carbon samples with sequential change of electrochemical properties. Right after the addition, pyrolyzed carbon with highest electron donating capacity (0.85 mmol/g) promoted the methane generation by 33.3%; while, other pyrolyzed carbon with higher electron accepting capacity and lower electron donating capacity than B4 inhibited the methane generation. The relative abundance of electroactive bacteria and certain methanogens increased with the pyrolysis temperature. The strict linear relationship between electroactive bacteria/certain methanogens and cyclic voltammetry peak currents of paddy soil implied that microbial structure was altered due to the improved the electron transfer situation by the electron shuttle ability of pyrolyzed carbon. This study could deepen our understanding about the effect of pyrolyzed carbon on methanogenesis process.

Downregulating lncRNA NEAT1 induces proliferation and represses apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells in polycystic ovary syndrome via microRNA-381/IGF1 axis.

OBJECTIVE: Researchers have revealed the combined functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNA (miRNAs) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study aimed to understand the role of nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) and miR-381 involving insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in PCOS. METHODS: PCOS rat model was established by dehydroepiandrosterone induction. NEAT1, miR-381 and IGF1 expression in ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS patients and ovarian tissues of PCOS rats were tested. Bioinformatics website and dual luciferase reporter gene assay were utilized to verify the relationship between NEAT1 and miR-381 and that between miR-381 and IGF1. Levels of sex hormone, pathological changes and ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in ovarian tissues of PCOS rats were detected. Ovarian granulosa cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed in vitro. RESULTS: NEAT1 and IGF1 expression increased while miR-381 expression decreased in the ovarian granulosa cells of patients with PCOS and the ovarian tissues of PCOS rats. In in vivo experiments, interference with NEAT1 improved the levels of sex hormones, alleviated pathological changes and suppressed ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in the ovarian tissues of PCOS rats. In in vitro cell experiments, interference with NEAT1 suppressed apoptosis and enhanced cell proliferation of ovarian granulosa cells. NEAT1 interference-mediated effect would be reversed by up-regulating miR-381. NEAT1 acted as a ceRNA to adsorb miR-381 to target IGF1. Overexpression of IGF1 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-381 on ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Interference with NEAT1 increases miR-381 and reduces IGF1 levels, effectively improving the levels of sex hormones and reducing the pathological damage of ovarian tissue in rats with PCOS.