Gestational diabetes mellitus in the era of COVID-19: Challenges and opportunities.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pregnant women, especially those with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), has yet to be fully understood. This review aims to examine the interaction between GDM and COVID-19 and to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the comorbidity of these two conditions. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search using the databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science with appropriate keywords and MeSH terms. Our analysis included studies published up to January 26, 2023. RESULTS: Despite distinct clinical manifestations, GDM and COVID-19 share common pathophysiological characteristics, which involve complex interactions across multiple organs and systems. On the one hand, infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 may target the pancreas and placenta, resulting in ß-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance in pregnant women. On the other hand, the hormonal and inflammatory changes that occur during pregnancy could also increase the risk of severe COVID-19 in mothers with GDM. Personalized management and close monitoring are crucial for treating pregnant women with both GDM and COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive understanding of the interactive mechanisms of GDM and COVID-19 would facilitate the initiation of more targeted preventive and therapeutic strategies. There is an urgent need to develop novel biomarkers and functional indicators for early identification and intervention of these conditions.

Recent Advances in UV-Cured Encapsulation for Stable and Durable Perovskite Solar Cell Devices.

The stability and durability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are two main challenges retarding their industrial commercialization. The encapsulation of PSCs is a critical process that improves the stability of PSC devices for practical applications, and intrinsic stability improvement relies on materials optimization. Among all encapsulation materials, UV-curable resins are promising materials for PSC encapsulation due to their short curing time, low shrinkage, and good adhesion to various substrates. In this review, the requirements for PSC encapsulation materials and the advantages of UV-curable resins are firstly critically assessed based on a discussion of the PSC degradation mechanism. Recent advances in improving the encapsulation performance are reviewed from the perspectives of molecular modification, encapsulation materials, and corresponding architecture design while highlighting excellent representative works. Finally, the concluding remarks summarize promising research directions and remaining challenges for the use of UV-curable resins in encapsulation. Potential solutions to current challenges are proposed to inspire future work devoted to transitioning PSCs from the lab to practical application.

In Situ Synthesis of 3D BiOCl-Graphene Aerogel and Synergistic Effect by Photo-Assisted Activation of Persulfate for Methyl Orange Degradation.

BiOCl/graphene aerogel graphene (BGA) was successfully obtained by in situ hydrothermal synthesis, and the chemical, structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties were systematically characterized. BGA with the doping amount of BiOCl at 20% (BGA-4) exhibited the optimal activation efficiency for persulfate (PDS) on the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under simulated sunlight (SSL) illumination as compared to the pure graphene (GA) and aerogel composites with different BiOCl content. The influence of various reaction parameters on the MO removal efficiency, such as the reaction system, catalyst activator dose, PDS concentration, BiOCl doping amount, and the initial pH of the solution, was investigated. Under optimum conditions, the catalytic efficiency of BiOCl-doped GA with the mass ratio of 20% (BGA-4) was 5.61 times that of GA. The strengthening effect of BGA-4 benefited from the synergistic effect of 1O2, O2·- and the generation and rapid electron transfer of photo-induced electron (e-) in the BGA-4/SSL/PDS system. Considering the superior stability and recyclability of BGA-4, the BGA-4/SSL/PDS system exhibits great potential in actual wastewater treatment.

Genotype 4 HEV infection triggers the initiation and development of acute pancreatitis.

The role of HEV infection in AP remains unclear. 1000 patients with AP and 1000 HCs were enrolled, and pancreatitis was evaluated in HEV-infected rhesus macaques. The positive rates of anti-HEV IgG, IgM, and HEV RNA in the AP patients were significantly higher than HCs. With the increase in the severity of AP, the percentage of HEV infection increased. AP patients were divided into AP- and AP + AHE groups. The percentage of severe AP in the AP + AHE group was significantly higher than in the AP- group. HEV infection was one of the main independent risk factors and had high predictive power for AP outcomes. A high level of HEV titer would prolong the recovery time and increase the risk of recurrent AP. Moreover, AP + AHE patients receiving conservative treatment showed a better prognosis. Furthermore, HEV can replicate in the pancreas of rhesus macaques. The pancreatic islet structure was damaged, the tissue was loose after 272 dpi, and a large amount of hyperemia appeared after 770 dpi. HEV infection also caused a large number of inflammatory cells in the pancreas. The pancreas and liver had a comparable viral load. HEV infection affects AP's occurrence, development, and prognosis.

Does recurrent gestational diabetes mellitus increase the risk of preterm birth? A population-based cohort study.

AIMS: To investigate whether recurrent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. METHODS: We conducted a prospective population-based cohort study covering all live singleton births born to nulliparous and multiparous mothers aged 20 years and older in Qingdao, from 2018 to 2020 (n = 105,528). Preterm birth (<37 gestational weeks) was classified into moderate preterm birth (32-36 weeks of gestation) and very preterm birth (<32 weeks). Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the risk and severity of prematurity in relation to parity among mothers with previous GDM, current GDM, and recurrent GDM (previous and current GDM), using mothers without GDM as the reference group. Z-test and ratio of odds ratios (ROR) were used to determine subgroup differences. RESULTS: Maternal GDM increased the risk of preterm birth in both nullipara (ORadj = 1.28, 95 %CI: 1.14-1.45) and multipara (ORadj = 1.26, 95 %CI: 1.14-1.40). However, the risk of premature delivery in multiparous mothers with recurrent GDM and those with current GDM did not differ significantly, with a ROR of 0.89 (95 %CI: 0.71-1.12). The risk of recurrent GDM on preterm birth was most pronounced among multiparous mothers with pre-pregnancy BMI above 30 kg/m2 (ORadj = 2.18, 95 %CI: 1.25-3.82) as compared with those with current GDM alone (ROR = 2.20, 95 %CI: 1.07-4.52). The risk of GDM for moderate preterm birth was similar to that of overall preterm birth. In contrast, GDM was not associated with very preterm birth irrespective of parity (all P values > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal GDM increased the risk of preterm birth in nullipara and multipara, whereas recurrent GDM was not associated with a further increase in the risk of prematurity in multiparous mothers. Maternal GDM did not contribute to very preterm birth irrespective of parity. Our findings can be useful for facilitating more targeted preventive strategies for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Microfluidic-based modulation of triplet exciton decay in organic phosphorescent nanoparticles for size-assisted photodynamic antibacterial therapy.

The modulation of triplet exciton decay in organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials has been considered as a promising strategy for highly efficient photodynamic therapy. In this study, we report an effective approach based on microfluidic technology to manipulate the triplet exciton decay for generating highly reactive oxygen species (ROS). BQD shows strong phosphorescence upon doping into crystalline BP, indicating the high generation of triplet excitons based on the host-guest interaction. Through microfluidic technology, BP/BQD doping materials can be precisely assembled to form uniform nanoparticles with no phosphorescence but strong ROS generation. The energy decay of the long-lived triplet excitons of BP/BQD nanoparticles emitting phosphorescence has been successfully manipulated via microfluidic technology to generate 20-fold enhanced ROS than that of BP/BQD nanoparticles prepared by nanoprecipitation. The in vitro antibacterial studies indicate that BP/BQD nanoparticles have high specificity against S. aureus microorganisms with a low minimum inhibition concentration (10-7 M). BP/BQD nanoparticles below 300 nm show size-assisted antibacterial activity, demonstrated using a newly developed biophysical model. This novel microfluidic platform provides an efficient approach to convert host-guest RTP materials into photodynamic antibacterial agents and to promote the development of antibacterial agents without cytotoxicity and drug-resistance issues based on the host-guest RTP systems.

Study on Improvement Effects and Its Mechanism of Guiyuan Decoction Formula Granules on Model Mice with Decreased Ovarian Reserve / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To study the improvement eff ects and its mech anism of Guiyuan decoction formula granules （GDFG） on model mice with decreased ovarian reserve （DOR）. METHODS ：Totally 42 female ICR mice whith with normal estrous cycle were randomly divided into control group ，model group ，estradiol valerate group （positive control ，0.15 mg/kg）and GDFG low-dose，medium-dose and high-dose groups （0.75，1.49，2.98 g/kg），with 7 mice in each group. Except for control group ，other groups were given cisplatin （3 mg/kg）intraperitoneally to establish DOR model. After modeling ，administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically；model group and control group were given normal saline intragastrically ，once a day ，for consecutive 4 weeks. After last administration ，ELISA assay was used to measure the serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）and follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）in mice. Histopathological morphology of ovarian was observed by HE staining. Protein distribution of AMH receptor Ⅱ（AMHRⅡ）and Smad 4 in ovarian tissue were observed by immunohistochemistry. Protein expression of AMHR Ⅱ and Smad 4 were detected by Western blot assay. RESULTS ：Compared with control group ，theserum level of AMH ，the expression of AMHR Ⅱ and Smad 4 protein in ovarian tissue in model group were significantly decreased （P＜0.01），while the FSH level in serum was significantly increased （P＜0.01）；follicles were crumpled and lost nucleus ，ovarian interstitial were fibrosis ，luteum were loose ； AMHRⅡ and Smad 4 protein in ovarian tissue were mainly distributed in the follicle membrane and ovarian interstitial. Compared with model group ，the serum level of AMH ，the expression of AMHR Ⅱ and Smad 4 protein in ovarian tissue was increased significantly in GDFG groups （P＜0.01），while the serum level of FSH was decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；in ovarian tissue ，follicles at all levels could be found and follicle morphology was improved ，and no obvious nuclear loss and cumulus formation were found ；AMHRⅡ and Smad 4 protein were mainly distributed in the follicular nucleus （except for GDFG high-dose group) and the granular cell membrane （mainly distributed in the sinus follicles of GDFG medium-dose group ）；they were slightly distributed around the mature follicular nucleus or in corpus luteum. CONCLUSIONS ：GDFG can improve ovarian function of DOR model mice. The mechanism may be related with promoting serum level of AMH ，protein expression of AMHR Ⅱ and Smad 4，improving the distribution of AMHR Ⅱ and Smad 4 protein in ovarian granulosa cell membrane and follicular nucleus ， reducing FSH levels.

Evolution of Thin-Liquid Films Surrounding Bubbles in Microfluidics and Their Impact on the Pressure Drop and Fluid Movement.

The evolution of thin-liquid films in a microchannel is one of the most critical and intricate phenomena to understand two-phase movement, evaporation, micromixing, heat transfer, chemical synthesis, biological processes, and efficient energy devices. In this paper, we demonstrate experimentally the effect of a liquid film on the removal of an initially dry and lodged bubble in laser-etched poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic networks and discuss the evolution of the liquid film in accordance with the bubble superficial velocity and the effect of liquid properties and branch angle on the evolution of the liquid film and the pressure drop. During the removal of a dry bubble, four stages have been observed in the bubble velocity profile and they directly relate to the evolution of the liquid film. The correlation of maximum bubble velocity has been derived as a function of bubble length, fluid viscosity, surface tension, geometry of the cross-sectional area, and dimensions of the microchannel and agrees with the experimental results. The bubble moving distance required for the full deposition of a continuous and stable thin-liquid film is affected by the liquid viscosity and network branch angle. The liquid with a higher viscosity will increase the pressure drop for removing dry bubbles from microfluidic networks, while this effect will be hampered by increasing the microfluidic network complexity. The deposition of the thin-liquid film surrounding bubbles significantly decreases the pressure drop required to remove bubbles from microfluidics. Compared with deionized water, the glycerol solution is prone to acting as the lubricating liquid due to its strong H-bond interaction with the channel wall and the reduction in interfacial energy of the gas-water interface.

Effect of Ag Co-catalyst on TiO2-Cu2O nanocomposites structure and apparent visible photocatalytic activity.

Although Cu2O is a commonly used narrow band gap semiconductor to fabricate visible response photocatalysts, up to date there are only a few reports on Ag co-catalysed TiO2-Cu2O nanocomposites. Herein we report a facile wet chemical synthesis approach to prepare TiO2-Ag-Cu2O ternary hybrid nanomaterials. Uniquely, both the effect of Ag content and the synthesis sequence of Ag deposition step was investigated on the visible decoloration rate. The crystal structure, morphology, optical and dark adsorption properties of the nanostructures were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and diffuse reflectance, respectively. Due to the mixed indirect and direct nature of the nanocomposites, the band gap estimation was performed by using both Tauc plot and differential reflectance model. The dark adsorption properties of catalysts could be typically well-approximated by pseudo-second order kinetics, while TiO2-Ag(5%)-Cu2O catalyst cannot be described by standard models due to a delayed adsorption behaviour observed in the first 50 min. The apparent visible activities followed pseudo-zero order kinetics. It was found that TiO2-Ag(3%)-Cu2O catalyst exhibited the highest rate constant which was ca. two times as high as that of the binary TiO2-Cu2O catalyst. The synthesis sequence of the Ag deposition step significantly altered the material properties which resulted in different dark adsorption and apparent visible activities.

Investigations on pyrolysis of microalgae Diplosphaera sp. MM1 by TG-FTIR and Py-GC/MS: Products and kinetics.

In this work, pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics of microalgae Diplosphaera sp. MM1 cultivated in different mediums were investigated by TG-FTIR and Py-GC/MS. Harvested MM1s biomass varied with the changing in proximate and ultimate analyses presented different weight loss behaviors. The weight loss of MM1s cultivated in dairy and winery wastewater in main pyrolysis region was ~48.4 wt% and ~52.9 wt%, respectively, and both showed secondary weight loss after 570 °C. However, MM1 harvested from BG-11 medium exhibited maximum weight loss of ~63.5 wt% and no secondary weight loss. Further, the activation energies of MM1s harvested from dairy and winery wastewater (176.3 kJ/mol and 130.4 kJ/mol, respectively) were lower than that of BG-11medium (189.4 kJ/mol). The best mechanism function for MM1s pyrolysis was third-order f(α) = (1-α)3. Py-GC/MS results of MM1 cultivated in winery wastewater showed highest contents of C4-C10 and C11-C21 that characterized the carbon level of gasoline and diesel, respectively, which are the major components of bio-oils.

Bubble Dislodgment in a Capillary Network with Microscopic Multichannels and Multibifurcation Features.

Bubble lodgment in a complex capillary network is a common issue in many industrial and biological processes. Research work reported in the literature only investigated bubble dislodgment in single channels and did not consider the effect of network complexity on the dislodgment. This paper focuses on the pressure required to dislodge single bubbles from a microscopic capillary network and investigates the factors affecting the dislodging pressure to facilitate the precise control of bubble flows in porous media. A capillary network with multibifurcation and a smoothly changed diameter is designed to closely mimic the structure of the physiological vascular networks. Over 600 bubble dislodgment experiments have been conducted to understand the effect of the network structure, channel dimensions, and bubble length on the dislodging pressure. The results indicate that the network structure is a dominant factor affecting the dislodging pressure that increases with the increase in network complexity. The effect of bubble length on the dislodging pressure depends on the bubble length. When the bubble length is less than a certain value, which is around 2 mm in this study, the dislodging pressure increases significantly with the decrease of bubble length. When the bubble length is larger than 2 mm, the dislodging pressure is independent of the bubble length. A model has been proposed to explain the bubble dislodgment in complex capillary networks. The impact of the network structure on the bubble dislodging pressure is characterized by a parameter c j. The model indicates that the dislodging pressure is the function of bubble length, channel dimension, and network structure. The analysis of model parameters NB j and MA j shows that parameter c j, rather than the channel size, dominates the dislodging pressure for bubbles with a length greater than 2 mm, and the increase rate of the dislodging pressure is significantly affected by both channel size and parameter c j.

Protective Effect of Tiaogeng Decoction in Improving Apoptosis of Hypothalamic Neurons Based on JNK Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To study the mechanism of Tiaogeng decoction in improving apoptosis of hypothalamic neurons through c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. Method:The GT1-7 cell line of hypothalamic neuron cells treated by tributyltin chloride (TBTC) was used to induce a model of neuronal apoptosis, with 17β-estradiol as a positive drug. They were divided into control group, model group (1 mg·L-1), 17β-E2 group(100 nmol·L-1) and low, middle and high-dose Tiaogeng decoction groups (31.25,62.5,125 mg·L-1). The cell morphology was observed under a fluorescent inverted microscope, and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the cell viability. The cell nuclear morphology and the apoptosis rate of hypothalamic neurons were detected by Hoechst 33258 and Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide(PI) double staining. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1(ASK1), JNK, p53 and cleaved Caspase-3 of JNK pathway in GT1-7 cell. Western blot was used to analyze apoptosis-associated protein apoptosis signal-regulated kinase 1 (ASK1), JNK, p53, cleaved Caspase-3 expressions in JNK pathway and phosphorylation of JNK after intervention with JNK inhibitor SP600125, protein expression level of cleaved Caspase-3. Result:Compared with normal control group, the cell viability of the model group was significantly decreased (PPPPP-1)treatment significantly inhibited the expressions of p-JNK and cleaved Caspase-3 in GT1-7 cells (PConclusion:Tiaogeng decoction can improve the apoptosis of hypothalamic neurons through JNK pathway, and provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of menopausal syndrome and central nervous system protection.

Immobilization of laccase onto porous polyvinyl alcohol/halloysite hybrid beads for dye removal.

Laccase was immobilized in polyvinyl alcohol beads containing halloysite nanotubes (PVA/HNTs) to improve the stability and reusability of enzyme. The porous structure of PVA/HNTs beads facilitates the entrapment of enzyme and prevents the leaching of immobilized laccase as well. Halloysite nanotubes act as bridge to connect the adjacent pores, facilitating the electron transfer and enhancing the mechanical properties. PVA/HNTs beads have high laccase immobilization capacity (237.02 mg/g) and activity recovery yield (79.15%), indicating it can be used as potential support for laccase immobilization. Compared with free laccase, the immobilized laccase on hybrid beads exhibits enhanced pH tolerance (even at pH 8.0), good thermal stability (57.5% of the initial activity can be maintained at 75 °C), and excellent storage stability (81.17% of enzyme activity could be retained after storage at 4 °C for 5 weeks compared with that for free enzyme of 60%). Also, the removal efficiency for reactive blue can reach as high as 93.41% in the presence of redox mediator 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate), in which adsorption and degradation exist simultaneously. The remarkable pH tolerance, thermal and storage stability, and reuse ability imply potential application of porous PVA/HNTs immobilized enzyme in environmental fields.

Study on the difference of corresponding age at cervical vertebral maturation stages among different skeletal malocclusions / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the difference of corresponding age at cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) stages among different skeletal malocclusions and provide clinic guideline on optimal treatment timing for skeletal malocclusion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Based on ANB angle, 2 575 cephalograms collected from Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from May, 2006 to November, 2014 were classified into skeletal Class I (ANB 0°~5°, 1 317 subjects), Class II (ANB > 5°, 685 subjects) and Class III (ANB < 0°, 573 subjects) groups. CVM stages were evaluated with the modified version of CVM method. Independent sample t test was performed to analyze the difference of age at different CVM stages among various skeletal groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significant gender difference of age was found at CS3 to CS6 for skeletal Class I group (P < 0.05), at CS5 and CS6 for skeletal Class II group (P < 0.05), and at CS3 and CS5 for skeletal Class III group (P < 0.05). At CS3 stage, the average age of male in skeletal Class II and skeletal Class III groups was (11.6 ± 1.5) years old and (10.3 ± 1.9) years old, respectively; the average age of females in those two groups was (11.7 ± 1.3) years old and (9.3 ± 1.5) years old, respectively, and significant difference was found in both comparisons (P < 0.05). Compared average age at CS5 and CS6 between skeletal Class II and skeletal Class III groups [the ages of male was (15.1 ± 1.7) and (16.8 ± 1.6) years old, the ages of male was (14.6 ± 1.2) and (15.7 ± 2.5) years old], significant difference was also found (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Significant gender differences were found when evaluated CVM stage and age in skeletal Class I, II and III groups. Significant differences of age at different CVM stage was noted when skeletal Class II was compared with skeletal Class III groups.</p>

In-situ preparation of NaA zeolite/chitosan porous hybrid beads for removal of ammonium from aqueous solution.

Inorganic/organic hybrid materials play important roles in removal of contaminants from wastewater. Herein, we used the natural materials of halloysite and chitosan to prepare a new adsorbent of NaA zeolite/chitosan porous hybrid beads by in-situ hydrothermal synthesis method. SEM indicated that the porous hybrid beads were composed of 6-8 µm sized cubic NaA zeolite particles congregated together with chitosan. The adsorption behavior of NH4(+) from aqueous solution onto hybrid beads was investigated at different conditions. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms. A maximum adsorption capacity of 47.62 mg/g at 298 K was achieved according to Langmuir model. The regenerated or reused experiments indicated that the adsorption capacity of the hybrid beads could maintain in 90% above after 10 successive adsorption-desorption cycles. The high adsorption and reusable ability implied potential application of the hybrid beads for removing NH4(+) pollutants from wastewater.

Surface modification of halloysite nanotubes with dopamine for enzyme immobilization.

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have been proposed as a potential support to immobilize enzymes. Improving enzyme loading on HNTs is critical to their practical applications. Herein, we reported a simple method on the preparation of high-enzyme-loading support by modification with dopamine on the surface of HNTs. The modified HNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The results showed that dopamine could self-polymerize to adhere to the surface of HNTs and form a thin active coating. While the prepared hybrid nanotubes were used to immobilize enzyme of laccase, they exhibited high loading ability of 168.8 mg/g support, which was greatly higher than that on the pristine HNTs (11.6 mg/g support). The immobilized laccase could retain more than 90% initial activity after 30 days of storage and the free laccase only 32%. The immobilized laccase could also maintain more than 90% initial activity after five repeated uses. In addition, the immobilized laccase exhibited a rapid degradation rate and high degradation efficiency for removal of phenol compounds. These advantages indicated that the new hybrid material can be used as a low-cost and effective support to immobilize enzymes.