Er-Xian decoction exhibits protective activity in a rat model of asthenospermia through a mechanism associated with DJ-1 protein upregulation.

Asthenozoospermia (AZS) remains a significant clinical problem of male factor infertility. Er-Xian decoction (EXD) is a traditional Chinese medicine with potent antioxidant activity to treat AZS. To investigate the protective effects of EXD on sperm motility and deglycase (DJ)-1 expression in AZS model rats. Sixty mature male Sprague-Dawley rats (200 - 250 g) were randomized into five equally sized groups, including ornidazole (ORN)-induced AZS model group, or L-carnitine (0.1 g/kg) treated group or EXD group (7.5, 15, or 30 g crude drug/kg). Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). DJ-1 expression in testis and epididymis tissue was measured via qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to gauge morphological changes of testis and epididymis. Sperm motility was significantly reduced the AZS model group, while increased in the low-, intermediate-, and high-dose EXD treatment groups by 45.51%, 49.43%, and 58.31%, respectively (P < 0.001), which with a similar increase of 57.21% being observed in the L-carnitine treatment group. Relative to the control group, oxidative stress indices were significantly altered in AZS model rats, which exhibited significant reductions in SOD and GSH-Px levels and significantly increased MDA levels (49.44 ± 1.38 U/ml, 14.02 ± 0.70 U/ml, and 26.37 ± 1.03 nmol/ml, respectively). After EXD treatment, oxidative stress indexes were significantly improved relative to those in these model rats, with high-dose EXD yielding more significant improvements in these oxidative stress indices relative to L-carnitine treatment. While AZS model rats exhibited morphological abnormalities, tissue disorder, and reduced cell counts in the testis and epididymis, these were reversed by EXD treatment in a dose-dependent manner. EXD treatment was also associated with a significant increase in DJ-1 protein expression in testis and epididymis tissue samples relative to the levels observed in AZS model rats. EXD is firstly reported could significantly improve sperm motility in AZS rats and is more effective at higher dosage, even better than L-carnitine. The protective effect of EXD on sperm motility is based on the DJ-1 expression.

Different subsets of haematopoietic cells and immune cells in bone marrow between young and older donors.

Young donors are reported to be associated with better transplant outcomes than older donors in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), but the mechanism is still unclear. The current study compared the different subsets of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and their progenitors as well as immune cells in bone marrow (BM) between young and older donors. The frequencies of HSCs, multipotent progenitors (MPPs) and myeloid progenitors, including common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) and megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEPs), were decreased, whereas those of lymphoid progenitors, including multi-potent lymphoid progenitors (MLPs) and common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs), were increased in the BM of young donors compared with in that of older donors. Lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were observed in BM HSCs and six progenitor lines in young donors. Furthermore, young donors demonstrated higher frequencies of naive T cells and immune suppressor cells, such as alternative macrophages (M2) and lower frequencies of memory T cells and immune effectors, including T helper-1 and T cytotoxic-1 cells, in BM than older donors. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that donor age was independently correlated with BM HSC frequency. Although further validation is required, our results suggest that the differences in the frequency and immune differentiation potential of HSCs in BM between young donors and older donors may partly explain the different outcomes of allo-HSCT.

Band insulator to Mott insulator transition in 1T-TaS2.

1T-TaS2 undergoes successive phase transitions upon cooling and eventually enters an insulating state of mysterious origin. Some consider this state to be a band insulator with interlayer stacking order, yet others attribute it to Mott physics that support a quantum spin liquid state. Here, we determine the electronic and structural properties of 1T-TaS2 using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction. At low temperatures, the 2π/2c-periodic band dispersion, along with half-integer-indexed diffraction peaks along the c axis, unambiguously indicates that the ground state of 1T-TaS2 is a band insulator with interlayer dimerization. Upon heating, however, the system undergoes a transition into a Mott insulating state, which only exists in a narrow temperature window. Our results refute the idea of searching for quantum magnetism in 1T-TaS2 only at low temperatures, and highlight the competition between on-site Coulomb repulsion and interlayer hopping as a crucial aspect for understanding the material's electronic properties.

Videolaryngoscopy vs. Macintosh laryngoscopy for double-lumen tube intubation in thoracic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Double-lumen intubation is more difficult than single-lumen tracheal intubation. Videolaryngoscopes have many advantages in airway management. However, the advantages of videolaryngoscopy for intubation with a double-lumen tube remain controversial compared with traditional Macintosh laryngoscopy. In this study, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and the Web of Science for randomised controlled trials comparing videolaryngoscopy with Macintosh laryngoscopy for double-lumen tube intubation. We found that videolaryngoscopy provided a higher success rate at first attempt for double-lumen tube intubation, with an odds ratio (95%CI) of 2.77 (1.92-4.00) (12 studies, 1215 patients, moderate-quality evidence, p < 0.00001), as well as a lower incidence of oral, mucosal or dental injuries during double-lumen tube intubation, odds ratio (95%CI) 0.36 (0.15-0.85) (11 studies, 1145 patients, low-quality evidence, p = 0.02), and for postoperative sore throat, odds ratio (95%CI) 0.54 (0.36-0.81) (7 studies, 561 patients, moderate-quality evidence, p = 0.003), compared with Macintosh laryngoscopy. There were no significant differences in intubation time, with a standardised mean difference (95%CI) of -0.10 (-0.62 to 0.42) (14 studies, 1310 patients, very low-quality evidence, p = 0.71); and the incidence of postoperative voice change, odds ratio (95%CI) 0.53 (0.21-1.31) (7 studies, 535 patients, low-quality evidence, p = 0.17). Videolaryngoscopy led to a higher incidence of malpositioned double-lumen tube, with an odds ratio (95%CI) of 2.23 (1.10-4.52) (six studies, 487 patients, moderate-quality evidence, p = 0.03).

Systematic tracking of altered modules identifies disrupted pathways in teratozoospermia.

The objective of this study was to identify disrupted pathways in teratozoospermia by systematically tracking dysregulated modules in reweighted protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. We inferred and reweighted the PPI networks of normal and teratozoospermia groups based on Spearman correlation coefficients. Modules in the PPI networks were explored via a clique-merging algorithm and altered modules were identified based on maximum weight bipartite matching. Furthermore, pathway-enrichment analyses of genes in altered modules were performed by Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) to illuminate the biological pathways in teratozoospermia. A total of 20,102 genes were screened from the expression profile. We explored 2406 and 2101 modules in normal and disease PPI networks, respectively. Moreover, we obtained 875 altered modules by comparing modules in normal and teratozoospermia PPI networks. At P < 0.01, the genes involved in 2855 interactions with score changes >1 were mainly enriched in 66 pathways and the genes in altered modules were enriched in 71 pathways. The activity genes (missed and added genes in the disrupted modules) were enriched in 41 common pathways. There were 36 mutual enriched pathways under the five different conditions. Moreover, the cell cycle pathway was disrupted in the first 10 pathways of each condition. This study provides a powerful biomarker discovery platform to better understand the progression of teratozoospermia by systematically tracking dysregulated modules. This method uncovered potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets of teratozoospermia. This information might lead to improved monitoring and treatment of teratozoospermia.

A comparison of the McGrath® Series 5 videolaryngoscope and Macintosh laryngoscope for double-lumen tracheal tube placement in patients with a good glottic view at direct laryngoscopy.

We compared the McGrath® Series 5 videolaryngoscope with the Macintosh laryngoscope for double-lumen tracheal tube placement in patients with a predicted good glottic view on assessment of the airway. An initial laryngoscopy was performed using the Macintosh laryngoscope; 96 patients with Cormack and Lehane grade-1 or -2a views were randomly assigned to undergo intubation using either the McGrath or Macintosh device. Compared with the Macintosh laryngoscope, the McGrath videolaryngoscope provided more Cormack and Lehane grade-1 views (47 (97.9%) vs 29 (60.4%), p < 0.05), a longer mean (SD) intubation time (39.6 (10.0) s vs 24.4 (7.3) s, p < 0.05) and a higher incidence of double-lumen tube malposition (6 (12.5%) vs 0, p < 0.05). However, in 18 non-randomised patients with Cormack and Lehane grade ≥ 2b on initial laryngoscopy using the Macintosh, the glottic view was improved on intubation with the McGrath videolaryngoscope, with a total success rate of double-lumen tube placement of 94.4% and mean (SD) intubation time of 50.0 (18.6) s. We recommend that in patients with a low airway risk index score requiring intubation with a double-lumen tracheal tube, the Macintosh laryngoscope is used as the first device and the McGrath videolaryngoscope is used only if this provides a poor glottic view.

Effect of lentivirus-mediated RNA interference of APC-Cdh1 expression on spinal cord injury in rats.

This study investigated cadherin-1 (Cdh1) expression in the sensorimotor cortex of rats after spinal cord injury (SCI). The repairing effect of Cdh1 was evaluated by silencing its expression with lentivirus-mediated RNAi. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal group and an operation group. Rats of the operation group were given SCI by the Allen method (T10-T11). Cdh1 expression in the sensorimotor cortex was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot analysis. Thirty male SD rats were divided into a sham-operation (SO) group, a lentivirus vector (LV) group, and a recombinant lentivirus (RL) group. Rat behavior was evaluated using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) test every week. Ten days after injection, Cdh1 expression was examined by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot. Six weeks after injury, animals were injected with biotinylated dextran amine-Texas Red (BDA-TR), and then at 8 weeks, spinal cords were removed and sectioned in serial order. The expression of Cdh1 mRNA was significantly higher in the operation than in the normal group (P < 0.05). The expression of Cdh1 mRNA was lower in the RL than in the SO or LV groups at 10 days after injection (P < 0.05). In addition, the BBB score was higher for the RL than for the SO or LV groups at 6 weeks after injury (P < 0.05). A novel population of BDA-labeled axons was observed extending past the lesion in the RL group, which was rarely observed in the SO and LV groups. These results suggest that the anaphase-promoting complex-Cdh1 may play an important role in inhibiting axonal growth.