Causal association between gut microbiome and polycystic ovary syndrome: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Through implementing a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study, the causal effects between gut microbiome and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were analyzed. Summary statistics for PCOS were acquired from the FinnGen consortium R8 release data, which included 27,943 cases and 162,936 controls. The inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method was adopted for analysis.

The impact of internet device diversity on depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults in China: A cross-lagged model of social participation as the mediating role.

Background: Depressive symptoms is more prevalent in middle-aged and older populations, and the development of Internet technology has brought new challenges and opportunities for the mental health of this group. This study aims to explore the bidirectional relationship between Internet device diversity and levels of depressive symptoms through longitudinal data analysis, as well as investigate the mediating role of social participation.

Methods: Data for the analysis was retrieved from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2015, 2018, and 2020, which included 9259 middle-aged and older adults.

Identification of Geochemical Anomalies Based on RPCA and Multifractal Theory: A Case Study of the Sidaowanzi Area, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia.

The focus of exploration geochemistry is an accurate interpretation of geochemical data and the precise extraction of anomaly information related to mineralization from complex geological information. However, geochemical data are component data and exhibit a closure effect. Thus, traditional statistical methods cannot adequately reveal and identify the distribution of deep-seated anomaly information.

Application of improved GalNAc conjugation in development of cost-effective siRNA therapies targeting cardiovascular diseases.

N-Acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-conjugated small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapies have received approval for treating both orphan and prevalent diseases. To improve in vivo efficacy and streamline the chemical synthesis process for efficient and cost-effective manufacturing, we conducted this study to identify better designs of GalNAc-siRNA conjugates for therapeutic development. Here, we present data on redesigned GalNAc-based ligands conjugated with siRNAs against angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) and lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), two target molecules with the potential to address large unmet medical needs in atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

What Do Higher Alanine Aminotransferase Levels Mean in Premature Ovarian Insufficiency?

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between alanine aminotransferase and related biochemical parameters and potential risk factors in women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). This is a retrospective cohort study with 126 POI patients (including subclinical POI, n= 27) and 130 healthy controls who visited our clinic between April 2021 to November 2022. Associations were investigated by multiple linear regression, Person correlation analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, and the independent t-test.

Identification of HOXB9 to predict prognosis of endometrial cancer based on comprehensive bioinformatics analysis.

Background: The HOXB9 gene, which plays a key role in embryonic development, is also involved in the regulation of various human cancers. However, the potential relationship between HOXB9 and endometrial cancer (EC) has not yet been comprehensively analyzed and fully understood.

Methods: We used multiple bioinformatics tools to explore the role of HOXB9 in EC.

Mechanisms of changing speciation and bioavailability of selenium in agricultural mollisols of northern cold regions.

The distribution, speciation, and bioavailability of selenium (Se) - an essential micronutrient for human beings - in agricultural soils influence the resource recovery of agricultural benefits and the sustainable use of Se in agroecosystems. Quantitative understanding in this regard however remains limited in the world's mollisol agroecosystems, despite their critical importance in securing global food supply. Herein, a systematic investigation of Se in the river sediment-irrigation water-mollisols-rhizosphere-rice seeds continuum, at the core zone of the northern mollisol regions, was conducted to elucidate the hydrological-hydrogeochemical processes and mechanisms responsible for the distribution and bioavailability of Se.

Kaempferol Can Reverse the 5-Fu Resistance of Colorectal Cancer Cells by Inhibiting PKM2-Mediated Glycolysis.

Resistance to 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) chemotherapy is the main cause of treatment failure in the cure of colon cancer. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore a safe and effective multidrug resistance reversal agent for colorectal cancer, which would be of great significance for improving clinical efficacy. The dietary flavonoid kaempferol plays a key role in the progression of colorectal cancer and 5-Fu resistance.

Kaempferol Reverses Aerobic Glycolysis via miR-339-5p-Mediated PKM Alternative Splicing in Colon Cancer Cells.

Colon cancer is an aggressive malignancy with very limited therapeutic approaches. The available therapeutic agents for colon cancer show strong adverse effects and poor effectiveness, indicating the urgent need to identify new therapeutic drugs for this malignancy. Kaempferol, a flavonoid found in a variety of natural foods, exhibits significant inhibitory effects on colon cancer.

Manual acupuncture relieves microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in a rat model of traumatic brain injury by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2 pathway.

Objective: To investigate the regulatory mechanism of manual acupuncture (MA) on microglial polarization-mediated neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury (TBI), focusing on the RhoA/Rho-associated coiled coil-forming protein kinase (ROCK2) pathway.

Methods: Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used to generate a TBI model using Feeney's freefall epidural impact method. MA was performed on half of the TBI model rats, while the others remained untreated.

Acupuncture Reduces Apoptosis of Granulosa Cells in Rats with Premature Ovarian Failure Via Restoring the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway.

Acupuncture is widely recognized as an effective therapy for premature ovarian failure (POF) in clinical, but information about its potential mechanisms is rarely explored. To investigate the mechanism, fifty SD female rats were randomly divided into normal group, POF group, POF+estradiol-valerate group (abbreviated as estradiol group), and POF+acupuncture group (abbreviated as acupuncture group). The estrous cycle of the rats was tracked by vaginal smears.

Compound Kushen Injection as an Adjunctive Therapy for the Treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of compound Kushen injection (CKI) combined with chemo treatment (chemo) for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: We systematically searched the literature published in seven databases, including Embase, PubMed, central, MEDLINE, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP, from their inception to April 2019 for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CKI plus chemo with chemo alone in patients with NSCLC. Our main end point was clinical efficiency and the secondary outcomes were Karnofsky performance score (KPS), immune function, and adverse events.

Isolation an Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Gene from Metagenomics Based on Semi-nest Touch-Down PCR.

Culture-independent approaches to analyze metagenome are practical choices for rapid exploring useful genes. The mg-MSDH gene, acquired from the hot spring metagenomic, was retrieved full lengths of functional gene using semi-nest touch-down PCR. Two pairs of degenerate primers were used to separate seven conserve partial sequences by semi-nest touch-down PCR.

Addition of Co(2+) to culture medium decides the functional expression of a recombinant nitrile hydratase in Escherichia coli.

A nitrile hydratase (NHase) gene from Aurantimonas manganoxydans, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, gave an enzyme that efficiently hydrated 3-cyanopyridine to nicotinamide with high thermal stability. We have now found that adding Co(2+) at 0.1 mM to LB medium was essential for production of an active enzyme.

[Studies on chemical constituents in root tuber of Cynanchum auriculatum].

Objective: To study chemical constituents from Cynanchum auriculatum.

Method: The chemical components were isolated and purified by silca gel, sephedex-LH-20 and ODS column chromatography. The chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data.