Abnormalities in copper status associated with diminished ovarian reserve: A case-control and cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to illustrate the copper status of diminished ovarian reserve in Chinese women, especially the effects of copper, ceruloplasmin, non-ceruloplasmin-bound copper (NCC) and CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD1).

Methods: This case-control, cross-sectional investigation included women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR group, n = 35) and matched normal ovarian reserve (NOR group, n = 35). The serum levels of copper, ceruloplasmin, NCC, SOD1, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, testosterone, and anti-Müllerian hormone were tested and analyzed.

In situ chemoimmunotherapy hydrogel elicits immunogenic cell death and evokes efficient antitumor immune response.

Background: Chemoimmunotherapy has shown promising advantages of eliciting immunogenic cell death and activating anti-tumor immune responses. However, the systemic toxicity of chemotherapy and tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment limit the clinical application.

Methods: Here, an injectable sodium alginate hydrogel (ALG) loaded with nanoparticle albumin-bound-paclitaxel (Nab-PTX) and an immunostimulating agent R837 was developed for local administration.

A Thermosensitive Bi-Adjuvant Hydrogel Triggers Epitope Spreading to Promote the Anti-Tumor Efficacy of Frameshift Neoantigens.

Tumor-specific frameshift mutations encoding peptides (FSPs) are highly immunogenic neoantigens for personalized cancer immunotherapy, while their clinical efficacy is limited by immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and self-tolerance. Here, a thermosensitive hydrogel (FSP-RZ-BPH) delivering dual adjuvants R848 (TLR7/8 agonist) + Zn (cGAS-STING agonist) is designed to promote the efficacy of FSPs on murine forestomach cancer (MFC). After peritumoral injection, FSP-RZ-BPH behaves as pH-responsive sustained drug release at sites near the tumor to effectively transform the immunosuppressive TME into an inflammatory type.

Comprehensive genomic profiling reveals prognostic signatures and insights into the molecular landscape of colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignancy with diverse molecular characteristics. The NGS-based approach enhances our comprehension of genomic landscape of CRC and may guide future advancements in precision oncology for CRC patients.

Method: In this research, we conducted an analysis using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) on samples collected from 111 individuals who had been diagnosed with CRC.

From micro to macro: The role of seawater in maintaining structural integrity and bioactivity of granules in treating antibiotic-laden mariculture wastewater.

Granular sludge (GS) has superior antibiotic removal ability to flocs, due to GS's layered structure and rich extracellular polymeric substances. However, prolonged exposure to antibiotics degrades the performance and stability of GS. This study investigated how a seawater matrix might help maintain the structural integrity and bioactivity of granules.

The Comparison of Two Whole-Genome Amplification Approaches for Noninvasive Preimplantation Genetic Testing (ni-PGT) and the Application Scenario of ni-PGT during the Fresh Cycle.

Recently, noninvasive preimplantation genetic testing (ni-PGT) using degenerate oligonucleotide primer PCR (DOP-PCR) and multiple annealing and looping-based amplification cycle (MALBAC)-based whole-genome amplification (WGA) methods has demonstrated predictable results in embryo testing. However, a considerable heterogeneity of results has been reported in numerous studies on these two WGA methods. Our aim was to evaluate the current WGA method for ni-PGT while further clarifying the applicable scenarios of ni-PGT in the fresh cycle.

Urogenital tract and rectal microbiota composition and its influence on reproductive outcomes in infertile patients.

Introduction: Microbiota in the human body are closely related to human diseases. Female urogenital tract and rectal microbes have been considered as important factors affecting female pregnancy, but the mechanism is unknown.

Methods: Cervical, vaginal, urethral, and rectal swabs were collected from 22 infertile patients and 10 controls, and follicular fluid was extracted from 22 infertile patients.

Achieving tetracycline removal enhancement with granules in marine matrices: Performance, adaptation, and mechanism studies.

Using the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) to improve tetracycline (TET) removal in the treatment of mariculture wastewater was investigated in the present study. The AGS rapidly adapted to and was sustained in seawater matrices with a robust granule strength (k = 0.0014) and a more stable sludge yield than the activated sludge (AS) (0.

Microbiological composition of follicular fluid in patients undergoing IVF and its association with infertility.

Problem: In recent years, the incidence of female infertility has risen sharply, which is affected by many factors. It was recognized that female reproductive tract microbes play a role in the process of female conception. If the reproductive tract microbes could solve a certain proportion of infertility, it would certainly reduce the pain and economic burden of many patients.

Effectiveness of gastrodin for migraine: A meta-analysis.

Background: Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used to treat dizziness, numbness of limbs, and infantile convulsion, among other issues. Gastrodin is the main component of GEB. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gastrodin in the treatment of migraine.

Incorporation of liver chemistry score in predicting survival of liver-involved advanced gastric cancer patients who received palliative chemotherapy.

Background: Gastric cancer liver metastasis (GCLM) patients usually accompany by abnormal serum liver function tests (LFTs) more or less; however, the prognostic value of LFTs is not fully understood. This study aimed to develop a liver chemistry score (LCS) based on LFTs and incorporate it into prognosis determination for GCLM patients who received palliative chemotherapy.

Methods: Data were derived from hospitalized GCLM patients in two general hospitals in China.

Prognosis prediction of stage IV colorectal cancer patients by mRNA transcriptional profile.

Background: Stage IV colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis represent a special group of CRC patients with poor prognosis. The prognostic factors have not been investigated for stage IV CRC patients undergoing primary cancer resection but not candidates for metastasis resection.

Methods: Ninety-nine stage IV CRC patients who underwent primary cancer resection without metastasis resection were retrospectively recruited.

Removal of tetracycline by aerobic granular sludge from marine aquaculture wastewater: A molecular dynamics investigation.

Although biological treatment of marine aquaculture wastewater is promising, the fundamental principles driving the adsorption of tetracycline to microbial cell membrane are not well understood. Using a combination of experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the mechanism underlying the biological removal of tetracycline from seawater was investigated. More than 90% tetracycline removal was achieved in an aerobic granular sludge system, with degradation accounting for 30% of total removal.

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Fertilization Outcomes: A Trial Sequential Meta-Analysis of 5 Randomized Controlled Trials.

Despite numerous studies indicating an imperative role of vitamin D for reproduction, the importance of vitamin D supplementation on fertilization (IVF) outcomes remains controversial. We therefore performed this meta-analysis to investigate the IVF outcomes of vitamin D supplementation in infertile women with vitamin D deficiency. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library for identifying all relevant studies published before August 2021.

Detection of magneto-optical Kerr signals via weak measurement with frequency pointer.

Detection of the magneto-optical Kerr effect with high precision is of great significance but has challenges in the field of magnetic physics and spintronic devices. Kerr rotation angle and Kerr ellipticity always coexist and are difficult to distinguish, which jointly determines the light intensity received by the detector and limits the improvement of measurement precision. In this Letter, a nonlinear weak measurement scheme for magneto-optical Kerr signals with a frequency pointer is proposed.

Associations between respiratory and vascular function in early childhood.

Background And Objective: The link between respiratory and vascular health is well documented in adult populations. Impaired lung function is consistently associated with thicker arteries and higher incidence of cardiovascular disease. However, there are limited data on this relationship in young children and the studies that exist have focussed on populations at high risk of cardiorespiratory morbidity.

Exposure to air pollution during the first 1000 days of life and subsequent health service and medication usage in children.

Background: Evidence of health effects following early life exposure to short-to-medium duration of high pollution levels is extremely limited.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the associations between: 1. intrauterine exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) from coal mine fire emissions and the frequencies of general practitioner attendances and dispensations of prescribed asthma inhalers, steroid skin creams, and antibiotics during the first year of life; 2.

Gene-based association analysis of survival traits via functional regression-based mixed effect cox models for related samples.

The importance to integrate survival analysis into genetics and genomics is widely recognized, but only a small number of statisticians have produced relevant work toward this study direction. For unrelated population data, functional regression (FR) models have been developed to test for association between a quantitative/dichotomous/survival trait and genetic variants in a gene region. In major gene association analysis, these models have higher power than sequence kernel association tests.

Early life exposure to coal mine fire smoke emissions and altered lung function in young children.

Background And Objective: Long-term respiratory risks following exposure to relatively short periods of poor air quality early in life are unknown. We aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to a 6-week episode of air pollution from a coal mine fire in children aged <2 years, and their lung function 3 years after the fire.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study.

Long-term impacts of prenatal and infant exposure to fine particulate matter on wheezing and asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: This systematic review aimed to summarize epidemiologic evidence regarding long-term effects of prenatal and infant particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM) exposure on wheezing and asthma.

Methods: Epidemiologic data investigating the associations between ambient PM exposures during prenatal or the first 2 years of life and wheezing or asthma throughout life were extracted from five databases.

The pro-inflammatory effects of particulate matter on epithelial cells are associated with elemental composition.

Background: Adverse health effects of particulate matter (PM) vary with chemical composition; however, evidence regarding which elements are the most detrimental is limited. The roof space area provides an open and stable environment for outdoor PM to settle and deposit. Therefore, this study used roof space PM samples as a proxy of residential cumulative exposure to outdoor air pollution to investigate their pro-inflammatory effects on human lung cells and the contribution of the endotoxin and chemical content.