A Short-Time Real-World Study of Two Perfluoropropane Tamponade Methods in Pars Plana Vitrectomy for Retinal Detachment.

INTRODUCTION: This real-world study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and operative parameters of two perfluoropropane (C3F8) tamponade methods combined with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for retinal detachment (RD). METHODS: A retrospective study of 132 patients (132 eyes) with RD (pure C3F8 in 38 eyes, mixed C3F8 in 94 eyes). All eyes underwent PPV with C3F8 tamponade and were followed up for at least 3 months. Retinal reattachment rate, time of gas configuration and injection, C3F8 dosage, intraocular pressure (IOP), best corrected visual acuity, postoperative ocular inflammation, and patients' complaints were evaluated. RESULTS: The single-surgery retinal reattachment rates of the pure C3F8 group and mixed C3F8 group were 97.4% and 96.8%, respectively, with no significant difference (p = 1.00). The final retinal reattachment rates of the two groups were 100% and 97.2%, respectively, with no significant difference (p = 1.00). The gas configuration time, gas injection time, and C3F8 dosage were significantly less in the pure C3F8 group (all p < 0.001). Time, but not group, was the influencing factor of postoperative IOP changes in the two groups (p < 0.001, p = 0.547, respectively). Compared with the baseline, the IOP estimates of the pure C3F8 group showed a significant increase immediately after surgery (p < 0.001), and the mixed C3F8 group showed a significant increase immediately and 1-2 days after surgery (all p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in ocular inflammation (p = 0.339) and patients' complaints of discomfort (p = 0.175) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Both the two methods of C3F8 tamponade combined with PPV in RD patients showed good efficacy and safety, but the clinical operation of pure C3F8 tamponade was more convenient and eco-friendly.

Identification of a novel lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNA network associated with prognosis of breast cancer.

Recently, the effects of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) on molecular biological mechanism of cancer have aroused great interest. In this study, long noncoding RNA-microRNA-messenger RNA (lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA) ceRNA network was screened and constructed based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and its efficacy in predicting the prognosis of breast cancer patients was evaluated. The RNA-sequencing, miRNA-sequencing, and corresponding clinical information were downloaded from the TCGA database, and differentially expressed genes were screened after data searching. The similarity between two groups of genes was analyzed by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Next, the interaction among lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA was predicted followed construction of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network. Finally, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen prognostic factors to construct prognostic risk model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of this model in predicting the prognosis of breast cancer patients. In total 5056 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 712 differentially expressed miRNAs, and 9878 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified in breast cancer tissues. WGCNA predicted that 823 lncRNAs and 1813 mRNAs were closely related to breast cancer. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network involved in breast cancer was constructed based on 27 lncRNA, 14 miRNAs, and 4 mRNAs. ZC3H12B, HRH1, TMEM132C, and PAG were the possible independent risk factors for the prognosis of breast cancer patients with the area under the signal characteristic curve under ROC curve of 0.609. This study suggested that the prognosis risk model based on ZC3H12B, HRH1, TMEM132C, and PAG1 accurately predicted the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

EYA2 upregulates miR-93 to promote tumorigenesis of breast cancer by targeting and inhibiting the STING signaling pathway.

Herein, we used DIANA TOOLS, GEPIA and other bioinformatics databases to predict regulatory pathways in breast cancer. Accordingly, we clarified the regulatory mechanism of EYA2 on miR-93 expression to aggravate breast cancer, which was involved with the STING signaling pathway. CCK-8 assay, scratch test, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry were applied to detect cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. The experimental data found that EYA2 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and cells and associated with poor prognosis. Overexpression of miR-93 in breast cancer was positively correlated with EYA2. EYA2 promoted miR-93 expression, advanced breast cancer cell proliferation and inhibited their apoptosis. Results of luciferase assay showed that miR-93 was enriched in the STING 3'UTR. Furthermore, knockdown of EYA2 inhibited the expression of miR-93, promoted the expression of STING, and inhibited the tumor growth. In response to EYA2 knockdown, the expression of IFN-ß and ISG was increased, and PD-L1 was decreased. In addition, the phosphorylation level of TBK1 and IRF3 was enhanced, the percentage of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in blood was reduced, and secretion of IFN-ß and IL-12 was enhanced. In conclusion, EYA2 upregulates miR-93 expression and promotes malignancy of breast cancer by targeting and inhibiting the STING signaling pathway.

microRNA-382 suppresses the progression of pancreatic cancer through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by inhibition of Anxa3.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a lethal cancer in the digestive system. microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to participate in PC progression. In this context, we, thus, aimed to explore the mechanism of miR-382 in epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and lymph node metastasis in PC in relation to Anxa3 and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Gene expression data sets GSE16515, GSE71989, and GSE32676 were screened out, with the findings showing the significance of miR-382 and annexin A3 (Anxa3) in PC. A total of 115 PC patients were selected for determination of miR-382 and Anxa3 expression with lowly expressed miR-382 and highly expressed Anxa3 found via RT-quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis. Additionally, negative correlation was found between miR-382 and Anxa3 in PC. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and in situ hybridization results confirmed that miR-382 negatively regulated Anxa3. miR-382 targeted Anxa3 and suppressed PC progression by blocking the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. After a series of gain- and loss-of function approaches, upregulation of miR-382 or silencing of Anxa3 inhibited the EMT and lymph node metastasis, as evidenced by increased level of E-cadherin and decreased level of N-cadherin, vimentin, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGFR)-3, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D. Overexpression of miR-382 or downregulation of Anxa3 was shown to inhibit colony formation, migration, and invasion abilities of PC cells. Further, tumor xenograft in nude mice in vivo also confirmed the inhibitory role of miR-382 and silenced Anxa3 in lymph node metastasis in PC. Thus, this study provides promising therapeutic targets for PC treatment.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study focused on the mechanism of miR-382 in epithelial mesenchymal transition and lymph node metastasis in PC in relation to Anxa3 and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. We found the inhibitory role of miR-382 in PC in vitro and in vivo.

Identification of pelvic organ prolapse risk susceptibility gene SNP locus in Xinjiang women.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Susceptibility genes play an important role and have regional specificity in the occurrence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). This study aims to identify POP susceptibility genes and their loci in ethnic minorities with different genetic backgrounds from Xinjiang in China, providing a theoretical basis for early POP diagnosis, treatment and prevention. METHODS: Genomic DNA from peripheral blood of 196 patients was prepared; there were 88 POP patients and 108 non-pelvic floor dysfunction patients. We selected 16 different susceptibility gene single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci, which had been identified as associated with POP risk by researchers in other countries, and carried out genotyping through the Snapshot reaction. The allele and genotype frequencies, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 software. RESULTS: The genotypic and allelic distributions demonstrated significant differences between the patients and the control subjects in the group of minority women, details are as follows: ESR1 rs17847075 AG: OR = 2.738, 95% CI = 1.067-7.025, P = 0.041; ESR1 rs2234693 TC: OR = 2.99, 95% CI = 1.163-7.684, P = 0.024; ZFAT rs1036819 CC: OR = 10.286, 95% CI = 1.158-91.386, P = 0.036; allele C: OR = 2.212, 95% CI = 1.146-4.269; P = 0.02; FBLN5 rs12589592 AA: OR = 0.111, 95% CI = 0.013-0.952, P = 0.029; allele A: OR = 0.482, 95% CI = 0.254-0.913, P = 0.028. CONCLUSIONS: ESR1 rs17847075 genotype AG in the dominant model (P = 0.008) or heterozygous model (P = 0.045), ESR1 rs2234693 genotype TC in the dominant model (P = 0.008) or heterozygous model (P = 0.028), and ZFAT rs1036819 genotype CC and allele C in the recessive model (P = 0.042) were significantly associated with POP risk in Xinjiang woman.

A Colorimetric Assay for the Detection of Glucose and H2O2 Based on Cu-Ag/g-C3N4/ZIF Hybrids with Superior Peroxidase Mimetic Activity.

In this work, we report the synthesis of Cu-Ag bimetallic nanopartiles and g-C3N4 nanosheets decorated on zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) to form a Cu-Ag/g-C3N4/ZIF hybrid. The hybrid was synthesized and characterized by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR), the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Cu-Ag/g-C3N4/ZIF hybrid has intrinsic peroxidaselike catalytic activity towards the oxidation of TMB in the presence of H2O2. The situ synthesis of Cu-Ag bimetallic nanopartiles on 2D support such as g-C3N4 nanosheets would significantly enhance the peroxidaselike catalytic properties of individual Cu-Ag bimetallic nanopartiles and the g-C3N4 nanosheets. After loading of Cu-Ag bimetallic nanopartiles and g-C3N4 nanosheets on the ZIF-8, the hybrids exhibited superior peroxidaselike catalytic activity and good recyclability. Then, this method was applied for detecting glucose in human serum, owing the significant potential for detection of metabolites with H2O2-generation reactions.

A Missense Variant rs4645843 in TNF-α Gene Is a Risk Factor of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in the Uygur Population.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine syndrome, resulting from the interaction of gene variants and environmental factors. PCOS is viewed as a proinflammatory state and is characterized by hyperandrogenism, hyperinsulinemia, and over-weight. In China, the incidence of PCOS is higher in the Uygur population than that in the Chinese Han population. The association of the tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) gene with PCOS remains to be clarified. Here, we investigated the association of TNF-α polymorphisms with PCOS in the Uygur population (393 patients with PCOS and 381 healthy subjects). Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in TNF-α were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method: rs1800629 (-308G/A polymorphism), a commonly tested variant and rs4645843 (6213C/T polymorphism) that causes a Pro-to-Leu substitution at position 84, the most damaging variant of TNF-α based on in silico analysis. We thus found that both the genotypic and allelic distributions of rs4645843 were significantly different between PCOS and control groups (p = 0.03 and 0.024, respectively), whereas those of rs1800629 were similar between the groups. Furthermore, rs4645843 was significantly associated with serum testosterone levels and the score of Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), but no such association was found with rs1800629. Importantly, both rs4645843 and rs1800629 were significantly associated with higher body mass index (p < 0.05). This is the first study that shows the association of TNF-α gene with PCOS in the Uygur population. The TNF-α gene may influence the pathogenesis of PCOS through regulating testosterone level, obesity and HOMA-IR.

Docosahexaenoic Acid Induces Growth Suppression on Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells More Effectively than Eicosapentaenoic Acid.

Omega-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been shown to possess definitively suppressive effects on the growth of epithelial ovarian cancer cells. This study investigated the differential effects of pure EPA and DHA on the growth of epithelial ovarian cancer cells and the potential molecular mechanisms that may be involved. There were significant time- and dose-dependent inhibitory effects of both EPA and DHA on cellular proliferation of the epithelial ovarian cancer cell line TOV-21G (P < 0.05). TOV-21G cells pretreated with peroxisome proliferator receptor activator gamma (PPARγ) antagonist, GW9662, markedly suppressed EPA/DHA-induced apoptosis as determined by TUNEL assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, and caspase-3 activity. EPA/DHA significantly induced PPARγ and p53 overexpression as observed in immunoblotting assay and the induction of p53 by EPA/DHA was abolished by GW9662. In all cases, the effect of DHA was significantly more potent than that of EPA (P < 0.05). Our findings suggested that DHA may be more effective than EPA in growth suppression of TOV-21G cells and the biologic effects may be partly mediated by PPARγ and p53 activation. Further research is required to elucidate additional divergent mechanisms to account for apparent differences between EPA and DHA.

[Epidemiologic study of the risk factors of the adult female urinary incontinence in Uygur of Kashi in Xinjiang].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and associated risk factors of stress urinary incontinence(SUI) in adult women in Xinjiang. METHODS: In the cross-sectional study, 3403 Uygur women aged over 20 years were interviewed through a questionnaire of International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Module (ICIQ-FLUTS) and the adult questionnaire were used in our research. All parts of the content were according to the characteristics of women in Xinjiang and the purpose of our research. The risk factors were studied by Logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of urinary incontinence(UI) was 41.96% (1428/3403) and 28.21% (960/3403) of SUI in Uygur women. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the risk factors of SUI are body mass index (OR = 1.672, 95%CI:1.082-2.584), parity (OR = 5.092, 95%CI:3.889-6.666), neonatal birth weight (OR = 5.623, 95%CI:3.335-9.480), the mode of delivery (OR = 2.247, 95%CI:1.634-3.090), the lateral episiotomy (OR = 4.448, 95%CI:3.112-6.357), menopause(OR = 5.145, 95%CI: 3.613-7.328), chronic pelvic pain (OR = 3.869, 95%CI:1.051-14.250), pelvic organ prolapse (OR = 3.501, 95%CI:2.508-4.887). CONCLUSION: The incidence of SUI is related with multiple factors, especially with obesity and the obstetric factor.

Counterion-induced antibiotic-based small-molecular micelles for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

A new counterion-induced small-molecule micelle (SM) with surface charge-switchable activities for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is proposed. The amphiphilic molecule formed by zwitterionic compound and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP), via a "mild salifying reaction" of the amino and benzoic acid groups, can spontaneously assemble into counterion-induced SMs in water. Through vinyl groups designed on zwitterionic compound, the counterion-induced SMs could be readily cross-linked using mercapto-3, 6-dioxoheptane by click reaction, to create pH-sensitive cross-linked micelles (CSMs). Mercaptosuccinic acid was also decorated on the CSMs (DCSMs) by the same click reaction to afford charge-switchable activities, resulting in CSMs that were biocompatible with red blood cells and mammalian cells in normal tissues (pH 7.4), while having strong retention to negatively charged bacterial surfaces at infection sites, based on electrostatic interaction (pH 5.5). As a result, the DCSMs could penetrate deep into bacterial biofilms and then release drugs in response to the bacterial microenvironment, effectively killing the bacteria in the deeper biofilm. The new DCSMs have several advantages such as robust stability, a high drug loading content (∼ 30%), easy fabrication, and good structural control. Overall, the concept holds promise for the development of new products for clinical application. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We fabricated a new counterion-induced small-molecule micelle with surface charge-switchable activities (DCSMs) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Compared with reported covalent systems, the DCSMs not only have improved stability, high drug loading content (∼ 30%), and good biosafety, but also have the environmental stimuli response, and antibacterial activity of the original drugs. As a result, the DCSMs exhibited enhanced antibacterial activities against MRSA both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, the concept holds promise for the development of new products for clinical application.

Antibiotic-based small molecular micelles combined with photodynamic therapy for bacterial infections.

The appearance of multidrug-resistant bacteria and the formation of bacterial biofilms have necessitated the development of alternative antimicrobial therapeutics. Antibiotics conjugated with or embedded in nano-drug carriers show a great potential and advantage over free drugs, but the mass proportion of carriers generally exceeds 90% of the nano-drug, resulting in low drug loading and limited therapeutic output. Herein, we fabricated a nanocarrier using antibiotics as the building blocks, minimizing the use of carrier materials, significantly increasing the drug loading content and treatment effect. Firstly, we conjugated betaine carboxylate with ciprofloxacin (CIP) through an ester bond to form the amphiphilic conjugate (CIP-CB), which self-assembled into micelles (CIP-CBMs) in aqueous solutions, with a CIP loading content as high as 65.4% and pH-induced surface charge reversal properties. Secondly, a model photosensitizer (5, 10, 15, 20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP)) was encapsulated in CIP-CBMs, generating infection-targeted photodynamic/antibiotic combined nanomedicines (denoted as TPP@CIP-CBMs). Upon accumulation at infection sites or in deep bacterial biofilms, the ester bond between the betaine carboxylate and CIP is cleaved to release free TPP and CIP, leading to a synergetic antibacterial and antibiofilm activity in vitro and in vivo.

Hydrodynamic pressure law of ground-rested circular RC tank under bi-directional horizontal seismic action.

The research object is the ground-rested circular RC tank. The innovation is to reveal the hydrodynamic pressure law of ground-rested circular RC tanks under bi-directional horizontal seismic action. The relationship between the sloshing wave height and hydrodynamic pressure is determined, the hydrodynamic pressure components and their combination are verified, calculation methods for hydrodynamic pressure are developed, and their distribution laws are presented. The results show that convective hydrodynamic pressure cannot be ignored when the tank is subjected to seismic action. Hydrodynamic pressure under unidirectional horizontal seismic action in X or Y direction is obtained by square root of the sum of impulsive pressure squared and convective pressure squared. Total hydrodynamic pressure under bi-directional horizontal seismic action is obtained by the square root of the sum of X-direction hydrodynamic pressure squared and Y-direction hydrodynamic pressure squared. This method can ensure the accuracy and reliability of hydrodynamic pressure calculation.

Surface-Charge-Switchable and Size-Transformable Thermosensitive Nanocomposites for Chemo-Photothermal Eradication of Bacterial Biofilms in Vitro and in Vivo.

The appearance of multidrug-resistant bacteria and their biofilms presents a serious threat to modern medical systems. Herein, we fabricated a novel gold-nanorod-based chemo-photothermal-integrated antimicrobial platform with surface-charge-switchable and near-infrared (NIR)-induced size-transformable activities that show an enhanced killing efficiency against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in both planktonic and biofilm phenotypes. The nanocomposites are prepared by in situ copolymerization using N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM), acrylic acid (AA), and N-allylmethylamine (MAA) as monomers on the surfaces of gold nanorods (GNRs). Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is loaded onto polymer shells of nanocomposites with a loading content of 9.8%. The negatively charged nanocomposites switch to positive upon passive accumulation at the infectious sites, which promotes deep biofilm penetration and bacterial adhesion of the nanoparticles. Subsequently, NIR irradiation triggers the nanocomposites to rapidly shrink in volume, further increasing the depth of biofilm penetration. The NIR-triggered, ultrafast volume shrinkage causes an instant release of CIP on the bacterial surface, realizing the synergistic benefits of chemo-photothermal therapy. Both in vitro and in vivo evidence demonstrate that drug-loaded nanocomposites could eradicate clinical MRSA biofilms. Taken together, the multifunctional chemo-photothermal-integrated antimicrobial platform, as designed, is a promising antimicrobial agent against MRSA infections.

Variation in Community Structure of the Root-Associated Fungi of Cinnamomum camphora Forest.

Plant-associated microbial communities play essential roles in the vegetative cycle, growth, and development of plants. Cinnamomum camphora is an evergreen tree species of the Lauraceae family with high ornamental, medicinal, and economic values. The present study analyzed the composition, diversity, and functions of the fungal communities in the bulk soil, rhizosphere, and root endosphere of C. camphora at different slope positions by high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the alpha diversity of the fungal communities in the bulk soil and rhizosphere of the downhill plots was relatively higher than those uphill. A further analysis revealed that Mucoromycota, the dominant fungus at the phylum level, was positively correlated with soil bulk density, total soil porosity, mass water content, alkaline-hydrolyzable nitrogen, maximum field capacity, and least field capacity. Meanwhile, the prevalent fungus at the class level, Mortierellomycetes, was positively correlated with total phosphorus and available and total potassium, but negatively with alkaline-hydrolyzable nitrogen. Finally, the assignment of the functional guilds to the fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed that the OTUs highly enriched in the downhill samples compared with the uphill samples, which were saprotrophs. Thus, this study is the first to report differences in the fungal community among the different soil/root samples and between C. camphora forests grown at different slope positions. We also identified the factors favoring the root-associated beneficial fungi in these forests, providing theoretical guidance for managing C. camphora forests.

Hydrogen-bond super-amphiphile based drug delivery system: design, synthesis, and biological evaluation.

Drug delivery systems (DDSs) show great application prospects in tumor therapy. So far, physical encapsulation and covalent grafting were the two most common strategies for the construction of DDSs. However, physical encapsulation-based DDSs usually suffered from low drug loading capacity and poor stability, and covalent grafting-based DDSs might reduce the activity of original drug, which greatly limited their clinical application. Therefore, it is of great research value to design a new DDS with high drug loading capacity, robust stability, and original drug activity. Herein, we report a super-amphiphile based drug delivery system (HBS-DDS) through self-assembly induced by hydrogen bonds between amino-substituted N-heterocycles of the 1,3,5-triazines and hydrophilic carmofur (HCFU). The resulting HBS-DDS had a high drug loading capacity (38.1%) and robust stability. In addition, the drug delivery system exhibited pH-triggered size change and release of drugs because of the pH responsiveness of hydrogen bonds. In particular, the anticancer ability test showed that the HBS-DDS could be efficiently ingested by tumor cells, and its half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 = 3.53 µg mL-1) for HeLa cells was close to that of free HCFU (IC50 = 5.54 µg mL-1). The hydrogen bond-based DDS represents a potential drug delivery system in tumor therapy.

Ciprofloxacin conjugated gold nanorods with pH induced surface charge transformable activities to combat drug resistant bacteria and their biofilms.

The ever-growing threat of drug-resistant pathogens and their biofilms based persistent, chronic infections has created an urgent call for new strategies to deal with multidrug resistant bacteria (MDR). Near-infrared (NIR) laser-induced photothermal treatment (PTT) of gold nanorods (AuNRs) disinfects microbes by local heating with low possibility to develop resistant. However, PTT disinfection strategy of AuNRs alone shows less efficiency in killing multidrug resistant strains (i.e. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA) and their matured biofilms. Herein, a novel synergistic chemo-photothermal integrated antimicrobial platform (P(Cip-b-CB)-AuNRs) was fabricated which show enhanced killing efficiency against MRSA in both planktonic and biofilm phenotypes. Polymethacrylate copolymers with pendant ciprofloxacin (Cip) and the carboxyl betaine groups (P(Cip-b-CB)) were synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. P(Cip-b-CB) was decorated onto AuNRs via gold-thiol bond which resulted in AuNRs with acidic-induced surface charge-switchable activities and lipase triggered Cip release properties (P(Cip-b-CB)-AuNRs). The lower pH value and overexpress of lipase are characteristics for microenvironment of microbial infections and their biofilms, which ensure the targeting on, penetration into and on-demand release of Cip from the nanocomposites in bacterial infection sites and their biofilms. The bacterial cell membrane was disrupt by photothermal therapy which could improve its permeability and sensitivity to antibiotics, meanwhile lipase-triggered release of Cip ensures a high concentration of antibiotics at the site of bacterial infection. Besides their NIR induced PTT disinfection activities, the increased local temperature generated by NIR light irradiation accelerated Cip release which further enhanced the antibacterial efficiency, leading to synergistic antibacterial activities of chemo-photothermal therapy. Taken together, the designed synergistic chemo-photothermal integrated antimicrobial platform is a promising antibacterial agent for fighting MDR bacterial infections and their biofilms.

Use of Cumulative Live Birth Rate per Total Number of Embryos to Calculate the Success of IVF in Consecutive IVF Cycles in Women Aged ≥35 Years.

OBJECTIVE: The use of cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) per ovarian stimulation cycle is proving to be an accurate method to calculate the success of IVF; however, the cycle outcome is closely associated with the number of embryos transferred (ET). Our aim was to report CLBR after IVF according to the number of embryos required to achieve a live birth in women aged ≥35 years, considering age, body mass index (BMI), and ethnicity. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including 1344 patients who underwent IVF between January 2013 and June 2016 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. The cumulative probability of live birth for each couple was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival curves were compared according to age, BMI, and ethnicity using the log-rank test. RESULTS: CLBR increased rapidly from 1 to 5 ETs, moderately from 6 to 10 ETs, and slowly thereafter. CLBR was significantly different across 4 categories based on BMI as well as across those based on age; low CLBR was significantly associated with the age of ≥42 years and obesity. CONCLUSION: The association between CLBR and number of ET provides realistic and precise information regarding the success of IVF and can be applied to guide clinicians and patients.

Whole mitochondrial genome sequence and mutations of the cervical carcinoma model inbred rat strain (Muridae; Rattus).

We reported the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of an important cervical carcinoma model inbred rat strain for the first time. The total length of the mitogenome was 16,314 bp. It harbored 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 1 non-coding control region. The mutation events contained in this strain were also reported.

miR-29c is downregulated in the ectopic endometrium and exerts its effects on endometrial cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion by targeting c-Jun.

Endometriosis is a prevalent and complex gynecological disease which affects 10% of women of reproductive age. Certain studies have suggested that a substantial number of microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are aberrantly or differentially expressed in the ectopic endometrium. To date, to the best of our knowledge, there is no report available on the role of miR-29 in the endometrium. In this study, we investigated the expression of the miR-29 family in the endometrium samples from women without endometriosis, as well as in paired ectopic and eutopic endometrium samples by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results revealed that miR-29c was differentially expressed in the paired eutopic and ectopic endometrium samples. In addition, c-Jun was differentially expressed in the ectopic and eutopic endometrial tissues as determined by western blot analysis. Furthermore, the role of miR-29c in endometrial cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis was examined in vitro. The results revealed that miR-29c exerted its effects on endometrial cells by suppressing cell proliferation and invasion, as well as promoting cell apoptosis. Furthermore, it was found that c-Jun was a novel target of miR-29c, and c-Jun reversed the effects of miR-29c on the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of endometrial cells. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to identify miR-29c as a suppressor of endometriosis. Taken together, our results suggest that miR-29c exerts its effects on endometrial cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion by inhibiting the expression of c-Jun. Our data may provide a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of endometriosis.