[Effects of Immune Cells on Luteal Development and Regression in the Mammalian Ovary].

Corpus luteum,an important endocrine tissue in mammalian ovary,plays a role in the regulation of reproductive cycle and the establishment of early pregnancy.While studying the luteal development and its molecular regulation,we have discovered a variety of immune cells,such as T lymphocytes,macrophages,neutrophils,and eosinophils,in the corpus luteum.These immune cells accumulate and support luteal angiogenesis and progesterone production during the luteal development,thus participating in the regulation of luteal functions.

Expression Regulation and Physiological Role of Transcription Factor FOXO3a During Ovarian Follicular Development.

In mammals, developing ovarian follicles transform from primordial follicles to primary follicles, secondary follicles, and mature follicles, accompanied by changes in follicular secretory functions. FoxO3a is a member of the forkhead transcription factor family (FoxO), which plays an important role in the cell cycle, DNA damage repair, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism. Recent studies have shown that FOXO3a is involved in the physiological regulation of follicular development and pathological progression of related ovarian diseases, which will provide useful concepts and strategies for retarding ovarian aging, prolonging the ovarian life span, and treating ovarian diseases.

Autophagy Attenuation Hampers Progesterone Synthesis during the Development of Pregnant Corpus Luteum.

The contribution of autophagy to catabolic balance has been well-established in various types of cells, whereas the involvement of autophagy in progesterone synthesis during rat pregnancy still remains unknown. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the role of autophagy in progesterone production during the luteal development of pregnant rats. The results showed autophagy-related proteins was maintained at a low level on day 10 after pregnancy, significantly induced on day 16 and subsided to a relative low level on day 21, which was consistent with the changes of serum progesterone levels.

The Influence of Different Solvents on Systemic Sclerosis: An Updated Meta-analysis of 14 Case-Control Studies.

Background: Several studies have collected detailed data to examine which specific solvents account for the association between solvents and risk of systemic sclerosis (SSc). These studies generally reported elevated risks associated with many of the specific solvents examined, such as toluene, xylene, and trichloroethylene. The previous meta-analysis was not able to conduct separate analyses for specific solvent subtypes.

E3 ubiquitin ligase: A potential regulator in fibrosis and systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis in the skin and internal organs. The pathogenesis of SSc is not completely understood until now. Recently, many studies have focused on the role of E3 ubiquitin ligases in organ fibrosis.

Serum adipokines levels in patients with systemic sclerosis: A meta-analysis.

Background: Systemic sclerosis is an chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Adipokine has been reported to play an important role in modulating immune responses. Recent studies suggest that adipokine also plays some roles in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc).

The association between systemic sclerosis, arginine and asymmetric dimethylarginine.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a kind of autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), as an endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, can cause or contribute to the inflammatory syndrome and endothelial dysfunction. Recently, increased ADMA levels have been demonstrated in SSc, revealing that ADMA might play an important role for the associated manifestations of SSc.

Competitive dynamics on complex networks.

We consider a dynamical network model in which two competitors have fixed and different states, and each normal agent adjusts its state according to a distributed consensus protocol. The state of each normal agent converges to a steady value which is a convex combination of the competitors' states, and is independent of the initial states of agents. This implies that the competition result is fully determined by the network structure and positions of competitors in the network.