Fetal growth, fetal development, and placental features in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: analysis based on fetal and placental magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common endocrine-metabolic dysfunction in reproductive-aged women, may be involved in compromised pregnancy and offspring outcomes. This study aimed to investigate whether maternal PCOS affects fetal growth, fetal development, and placental features. METHODS: This retrospective case-control study included 60 pregnant women with PCOS (PCOS group) and 120 healthy pregnant women without PCOS (control group). Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed followed by an ultrasound examination and indications for imaging, including known or suspected fetal pathology, history of fetal abnormality in previous pregnancy or in a family member, and concern for placenta accreta. Fetal MRI images were analyzed for head circumference (HC), abdomen circumference (AC), lung-to-liver signal intensity ratio (LLSIR, a prenatal marker of fetal lung maturity), lengths of liver and kidney diameters in fetuses, and placental relative signal intensity on T2-weighted single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) imaging (rSISSFSE), and placental relative apparent diffusion coefficient value (rADC). Data on height and weight of offspring were collected through telephone follow-up. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the PCOS group showed the following characteristics: (1) smaller biparietal diameter and femur length in fetuses (P=0.026 and P=0.005, respectively), (2) smaller HC in fetuses (evident after 32 weeks; P=0.044), (3) lower LLSIR and smaller dorsoventral length of liver in fetuses (evident before 32 weeks; P=0.005 and P=0.019, respectively), and (4) smaller placental thickness (evident before 32 weeks; P=0.017). No significant differences in placental rSISSFSE or rADC were observed between the groups (all P>0.05). No significant differences in height and weight of offspring during childhood existed between the groups (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There exist alterations of fetal growth, fetal development, and placental features from women with PCOS.

[Rapid identification of Cordyceps and its products using DNA barcoding method].

Cordyceps is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese medicines. There are various counterfeits in markets because of high price and limited output. In this study,116 Cordyceps,146 hosts and 29 related products were collected and detected by using normal DNA barcoding technology and specific PCR method. The results indicated that Cordyceps and its adulterants could be distinguished from each other through DNA barcoding technology based on ITS and COⅠsequences. Two pairs specific primers ITSSF1/ITSSR1 and ITSSF2/ITSSR2 were developed to amplify 297 bp and 136 bp ITS regions of Cordyceps sinensis,respectively. It could be used to identify C. sinensis specifically and rapidly. Furthermore,specific primers ITSSF1/ITSSR1 and ITSSF2/ITSSR2 combined with ITS and COⅠsequences could differentiate powder Cordyceps from fermentation mycelia and could identify related products. Therefore,the method developed from this study could be applied to identify the powder of Cordyceps from fermentation mycelia and related products efficiently.

[Mechanism of high temperature promoting artemisinin biosynthesis in Artemisia annua].

Artemisia annua also known as Qinghao, is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. Its active ingredient is artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone compound with a peroxy bridging group structure. A. annua is an effective antimalarial drug. Artemisinin, a secondary metabolite in A. annua, can be induced by many physical and chemical factors, such as salinity, moisture, light, and plant hormones. Temperature, as an important growth factor, also has a great influence on the synthesis of artemisinin. This article aims to study the effect of high temperature on inducing artemisinin biosynthesis in A. annua. The A. annua seedlings were placed at 25, 40 °C, and the samples were taken after 0, 3, 12 and 36 h. The content of artemisinin in each sample was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total RNA was extracted from the samples, and then transcriptome sequencing and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to quantitatively analyze the expression of the key enzyme genes in artemisinin synthesis pathway and competition pathway. The results showed that artemisinin content was increased by 20%, 42% and 68% after 3, 12, 36 h of treatment at 40 °C. The expression levels of FDS, ALDH1, CYP71AV1 and ADS were up-regulated by 4.3, 3.3, 2.5, 1.9 times, and the expression levels of SQS and BPS were down-regulated by 37% and 90% respectively. In summary, high temperature can promote the biosynthesis of artemisinin by promoting the expression of synthetase genes in artemisinin synthesis pathway and inhibiting the expression of synthetase genes in artemisinin-competition pathway.

[Statues and research strategy of molecular breeding in Artemisia annua].

Malaria is one of the three most deadly diseases in the world. Artemisinin is the first line and effective drug for treating malaria, and only can be extracted from Artemisia annua. Therefore, it is of great significance to cultivate new varieties of A. annua with high artemisinin content. Based on the germplasm bank and the whole genome, transcriptome and genetic map, the authors can explore high-quality genes, stress-resistant genes and genetic markers which have been used for rapid breeding of superior varieties of A. annua. So these methods of molecular breeding will become the main breeding direction of A. annua in the future. The breeding times of new varieties of A. annua can be shortened with molecular breeding technology. Based on the genetic background and the current situation of molecular breeding of A. annua, the strategy and technical route of molecular breeding were discussed and worked out in this paper, which provided a guidance and scientific reference for molecular breeding of A. annua in the future.

[Rapid identification of Gekko gecko by loop-mediated isothermal amplification based on 12S rRNA sequence].

Gekko gecko (Tokay Gecko) is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique was introduced for visual rapid identification of G. gecko from adulterants. A total of sixty-five 12S rRNA sequences of fourteen species of G. gecko and its adulterants were obtained. The results showed that G. gecko could be identified from its adulterants through BLAST analysis based on 12S rRNA regions. The 12S rRNA sequences of ten batches of G. gecko were conserved. There were only two haplotypes and three variation sites in the available regions for primers design. Six specific LAMP primers were successfully designed online based on 12S rRNA sequences. The visual rapid detection of G. gecko could be achieved with the optimized conditions (64 °C for 1 h and 80 °C for 5 min). And the required minimal template concentration was 5 µg·L⁻¹ while conventional PCR with 0.5 mg·L⁻¹. Consequently, the LAMP method established from this study was rapid, specific, highly sensitive, and simple. It could be applied to detect G. gecko from its adulterants efficiently.

[Changes of platelet α-particle membrane protein, platelet activating factor and platelet parameters in patients with hyperuricemia].

This study was aimed to investigate the changes of the platelet particle membrane protein (GMP-140), platelet activating factor (PAF) and platelet parametes in the patients with hyperuricemia (HUA), ELISA was used to detect the levels of GMP-140 and PAF in 55 patients with HUA and 30 healthy individuals. Platelet parameters were measured with automatic blood cell analyzer, and the biochemical indexes were detected at the same time. The results showed that the levels of serum uric acid, triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in HUA patients were higher than that in the normal group (P < 0.01). Serum uric acid level of HUA group was higher in men than that in women. The levels of GMP-140 and PAF in HUA patients were much higher than that in the normal group (P < 0.01), the indexes of platelet distribution width (PDW) and platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) in HUA patients were higher than that in the normal group (P < 0.01), there was no statistically significant difference in platelet count, plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV) between the two groups. There was positive correlation between serum uric acid and levels of GMP-140, PAF, P-LCR and PDW, respectively (r = 0.667, 0.879, 0.310, 0.460, P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that serum uric acid, creatinine, P-LCR, urea nitrogen contributed to GMP-140 level (adjusted R(2) = 0.822). Serum uric acid and LDL-C also contributed to PAF level (adjusted R(2) = 0.451). It is concluded that a close relationship exists between HUA and the change of platelet function, and HUA plays a certain role in cardiovascular disease thrombosis complications.