Up-regulated expression of Tim-3/Gal-9 at maternal-fetal interface in pregnant woman with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

The relationship between T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain protein 3 (Tim-3)/Galectin (Gal)-9 pathway and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) was studied. Thirty-one pregnant women with RSA and 27 normal early gravidas were investigated to detect the levels of Tim-3 and Gal-9 in villi and deciduas by Western blotting. Meanwhile, the concentration of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-12 in peripheral blood plasma was determined by ELISA in 25 healthy fertile non-pregnant controls, the normal early gravidas and pregnant women with RSA mentioned above, respectively. It was found that the relative expression levels of Tim-3 and Gal-9 in villi and deciduas were significantly increased in pregnant women with RSA as compared with those in the normal early gravidas. The concentration of IL-4 in peripheral blood plasma of pregnant women with RSA was lower than that of the normal early gravidas (P<0.05) and healthy fertile non-pregnant controls (P<0.05), but that of IL-2 in pregnant women with RSA was significantly higher than that of the normal early gravidas (P<0.05) and healthy fertile non-pregnant controls (P<0.05). It was suggested that the overexpression of Tim-3/Gal-9 pathway may be related to the pathogenesis of RSA.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: biochemical predictors of adverse perinatal outcomes.

This study aimed to identify biochemical predictors of adverse perinatal outcomes in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). A total of 106 ICP cases were analyzed retrospectively by the combination of receiver operating characteristic curve and binary logistic regression analysis. "Adverse perinatal outcomes" included spontaneous preterm labor, meconium-staining of amniotic fluid, stillbirth and Apgar score ≤7 at 1 or 5 min. Total bile acid (TBA) [AUC=0.658, 95%CI (0.536, 0.781), P=0.031] was a valuable predictor for adverse perinatal outcomes. The critical value of TBA above which adverse perinatal outcomes were observed was 40.15 µmol/L (Youden's index=0.3). Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes increased when TBA ≥40.15 µmol/L [OR=3.792, 95%CI (1.226, 11.727), P=0.021]. It is concluded that the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in ICP increases when maternal TBA ≥40.15 µmol/L.

[Effects of the Fomes officinalis Ames. polysaccharides on anti-fatigue and hypoxia tolerance in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Fomes officinalis Ames. polysaccharides(FOPS) on anti-fatigue and hypoxia tolerance in mice. METHODS: Forty-eight mice were randomly divided into control group, low-dose, middle-dose and high-dose group of FOPS (100, 200, 400 mg/kg). All mice were orally administered by 0.20 ml/10 g, once a day for 21 consecutive days. The effects of different doses of FOPS on the loaded-swimming time, the content of serum urea nitrogen, the blood lactic acid, the hepatic glycogen and the muscle glycogen after exercise, the survival time under hypoxia at normal pressure and the maintenance time after decapitation were observed. RESULTS: FOPS could significantly prolong the loaded-swimming time, decrease the contents of serum urea nitrogen , blood lactic acid and increase the contents of hepatic glycogen and muscle glycogen, significantly prolong the survival time under hypoxia and the maintenance time after decapitation comparing with the control group. Compared with the control group, FOPS could prolong the weight-bearing swimming time, anti-hypoxia survival time and respiratory maintenance time of mice after decapitation in a dose-dependent manner (P＜0.05 or 0.01). FOPS could decrease the contents of serum urea nitrogen and blood lactic acid, and increase the contents of hepatic glycogen and muscle glycogen in exercise mice, and most of them were significantly different (P＜0.05) or extremely significant (P＜0.01). CONCLUSION: FOPS has anti-fatigue effects and can improve hypoxia tolerance.