Cai's prescription inhibits granulosa cell apoptosis through ARHGAP4 on poor ovarian responders.

Purpose: Poor ovarian response (POR) is a big challenge for in vitro fertilization. The traditional Chinese medicine, Cai's Prescription of Tonifying Kidney and Strengthening Vitals (Cai's Prescription) has yielded satisfactory results for POR treatment clinically, but systematic scientific research of Cai's Prescription is not well reported. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effect of Cai's Prescription on poor ovarian responders and its biological mechanism.

Association between dietary trace minerals and pelvic inflammatory disease: data from the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

Objective: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a prevalent gynecological disorder. Dietary trace minerals play an important role in combating many chronic diseases including PID. However, it is unknown whether dietary trace minerals and PID are related.

High-throughput sequencing reveals hub genes for human early embryonic development arrest fertilization: a pilot study.

Many clinical studies have shown that embryos of fertilization (IVF) are often prone to developmental arrest, which leads to recurrent failure of IVF treatment. Early embryonic arrest has always been an urgent clinical problem in assisted reproduction centers. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development arrest remain largely unknown.

Association between heavy metal exposures and the prevalence of pelvic inflammatory disease: a cross-sectional study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2018.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a common medical condition in women. However, the correlation between exposure to heavy metals, including cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), and selenium (Se), and PID, is unclear. Using a large sample size from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, these relationships were studied and verified.

Effects of body mass index on IVF outcomes in different age groups.

Background: Herein, we aimed to analyse the effects of body mass index (BMI) on the treatment outcomes of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in a cohort of women undergoing their first IVF cycle.

Methods: A total of 2311 cycles from 986 women undergoing their first IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle with fresh/frozen embryo transfer between January 2018 and December 2021 at the Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shuguang Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, were considered in this retrospective cohort study. First, the included patients were classified into four groups based on their BMI: underweight (BMI < 18.

Cl ⋅ Mediates Direct and Selective Conversion of Inert C(sp )-H Bonds into Aldehydes/Ketones.

Developing new reactive pathway to activate inert C(sp )-H bonds for valuable oxygenated products remains a challenge. We prepared a series of triazine conjugated organic polymers to photoactivate C-H into aldehyde/ketone via O →H O →⋅OH→Cl⋅→Cl ⋅ . Experiment results showed Cl ⋅ could successively activate C(sp )-H more effectively than Cl⋅ to generate unstable dichlorinated intermediates, increasing the kinetic rate ratio of dichlorination to monochlorination by a factor of 2,000 and thus breaking traditional dichlorination kinetic constraints.

Review of Konjac Glucomannan Structure, Properties, Gelation Mechanism, and Application in Medical Biology.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a naturally occurring macromolecular polysaccharide that exhibits remarkable film-forming and gel-forming properties, and a high degree of biocompatibility and biodegradability. The helical structure of KGM is maintained by the acetyl group, which plays a crucial role in preserving its structural integrity. Various degradation methods, including the topological structure, can enhance the stability of KGM and improve its biological activity.

Structure, Merits, Gel Formation, Gel Preparation and Functions of Konjac Glucomannan and Its Application in Aquatic Food Preservation.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a natural polysaccharide extracted from konjac tubers that has a topological structure composed of glucose and mannose. KGM can be used as a gel carrier to load active molecules in food preservation. The three-dimensional gel network structure based on KGM provides good protection for the loaded active molecules and allows for sustained release, thus enhancing the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of these molecules.

Sulfone-Decorated Conjugated Organic Polymers Activate Oxygen for Photocatalytic Methane Conversion.

Oxidizing CH into liquid products with O under mild conditions still mainly relies on metal catalysis. We prepared a series of sulfone-modified conjugated organic polymers and found that the catalyst with proper S content (0.10) could drive O →H O →⋅OH to oxidize CH into CH OH and HCOOH directly and efficiently at room temperature under light irradiation.

UHPLC-MS-MS analysis of oxylipins metabolomics components of follicular fluid in infertile individuals with diminished ovarian reserve.

Background: Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) refers to a decrease in the number and quality of oocytes in the ovary, which results in a lack of sex hormones and a decline of fertility in women. DOR can potentially progress to premature ovarian failure (POF), which has a negative impact on women's quality of life and is a major cause of female infertility. Oxidative stress is a major contributor to fertility decrease in DOR patients, affecting the follicular microenvironment, oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo development.

Cu,Zn Dopants Boost Electron Transfer of Carbon Dots for Antioxidation.

Enzyme-mimicking nanomaterials for antioxidative therapy is a promising star to treat more than 200 diseases or control their progressions through scavenging excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as O and H O . However, they can inversely produce stronger ROS (e.g.

Exosome-Contained APOH Associated With Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disease that can lead to thrombosis and/or pregnancy complications. Exosomes, membrane-encapsulated vesicles that are released into the extracellular environment by many types of cells, can carry signals to recipient cells to affect angiogenesis, apoptosis, and inflammation. There is increasing evidence suggesting that exosomes play critical roles in pregnancy.

Compound heterozygous variants of the FBXO7 gene resulting in infantile-onset Parkinsonian-pyramidal syndrome in siblings of a Chinese family.

Background: Mutations in the FBXO7 gene can cause a rare chromosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease, Parkinsonian-pyramidal syndrome (PPS). Patients with this syndrome mainly show early-onset Parkinson's syndrome. Here, we present a Chinese family with infantile-onset PPS caused by FBXO7 mutations.

Tuning slow magnetic relaxation behaviour in a {Dy}-based one-dimensional chain crystal field perturbation.

Two novel {Dy}-based one dimensional chain compounds {[Dy(HL)(OAc)]·2MeOH} (1) and {[Dy(HL)(OAc)(NCS)]·2MeOH} (2) (HL = 1,3-bis(2-hydroxynaphthalenemethyleneamino)-propan-2-ol) have been prepared under solvothermal conditions. Crystal structure analyses indicate that 1 and 2 feature similar 1D chain structures bearing dinuclear secondary building units. The difference between these two structures is that one chelated acetate ligand of Dy(iii) ion in 1 is replaced by one monodentate coordinated NCS ion in 2, leading to their different coordination numbers and geometry configurations to Dy(iii) ion.

Screening of Common Mutations in Chinese Phenylketonuria Patients Using iPLEX MALDI-TOF MS.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is caused by phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene variants. Previous research has identified some mutation hotspots in Chinese patients with PKU. In this study, we introduce a novel MassArray panel for screening the 29 common gene mutations in Chinese patients using iPLEX MALDI-TOF MS.

Evaluation of droplet digital PCR for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of phenylketonuria.

This study was carried out to establish a non-invasive prenatal diagnosis method for phenylketonuria (PKU) based on droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and to evaluate its accuracy by comparison with conventional invasive diagnostic methods. A total of 24 PKU pedigrees that required prenatal diagnosis were studied, in which the genetic mutations in the probands and parents were unambiguous. Prenatal diagnosis of sibling fetuses was performed using traditional invasive prenatal diagnostic methods as a standard.

Mutation spectrum of PAH gene in phenylketonuria patients in Northwest China: identification of twenty novel variants.

This study was performed to analyze the mutational spectrum of the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene in phenylketonuria (PKU) patients in Northwest China, to identify mutational hot spots, and to determine the correlation between variants and clinical phenotypes of PKU. A large cohort of 475 PKU families in Northwest China was enrolled to analyze PAH gene variants using Sanger sequencing, Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), and gap-PCR. Bioinformatics software was used to predict the pathogenicity of novel variants and analyze the correlations between PAH gene variants and phenotypes of PKU patients.

Clinical observations of sequential therapy with Chinese medicine and hysteroscopic mechanical stimulation of the endometrium in infertile patients with repeated implantation failure undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical effect of sequential therapeutic intervention Yupei Qisun [compensating for weakness by invigorating Kidney (Shen) and Spleen (Pi) in advance] in Chinese medicine (CM) and hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation on the treatment of infertile patients with repeated implantation failure (RIF); and to study the differences in patients' endometrial thickness and type on the day of embryo transfer, serum hormone levels on embryo transfer day and clinical pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: In the clinical study, 168 frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles for couples with RIF conforming to the research protocol were randomly divided into three groups: a CM group with 56 cycles (CM combined with FET), a hysteroscopy group with 55 cycles (hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation), and a control group with 57 cycles (conventional FET). Differences in endometrial thickness on the embryo transfer day, levels of serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) on the embryo transfer day, the E2/P ratio on the embryo transfer day, biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates, implantation rate, abnormal pregnancy rate and other indices were compared among the three groups.

Pharmacokinetics of cisplatin in the absence or presence of zengmian yiliu granules (a traditional Chinese medicine compound) in rats determined via ICP-MS: an investigation on drug-herb interactions.

Context: Cisplatin is a highly effective chemotherapeutic agent against many tumors; however, it has potent adverse effects. Zengmian Yiliu granule (ZMYL), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound, has been clinically used against platinum (Pt)-induced toxicity and to enhance the efficacy of cisplatin.

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the likelihood of potential pharmacokinetics drug-herbs interaction (DHI) between cisplatin and ZMYL.

Protective effect of quercetin on the development of preimplantation mouse embryos against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative injury.

Quercetin, a plant-derived flavonoid in Chinese herbs, fruits and wine, displays antioxidant properties in many pathological processes associated with oxidative stress. However, the effect of quercetin on the development of preimplantation embryos under oxidative stress is unclear. The present study sought to determine the protective effect and underlying mechanism of action of quercetin against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative injury in mouse zygotes.

[Anti-angiogenic effects of zengmian YiIiu granule on ovarian carcinoma xenograft].

Objective: To investigate the anti-angiogenic effects and mechanisms of Zengmian Yiliu Granule (ZMYLG) on ovarian carcinoma xenograft.

Methods: The SKOV3 ovarian carcinoma bearing mouse model was established. The tumor-bearing mice were randomly divided into the control group, the paclitaxel group, the high, medium, and low dose ZMYLG group, 8 in each group.

[Effects of Zengmian Yiliu Recipe combined cisplatin on the tumor inhibition rate in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer].

Objective: To observe the effects of Zengmian Yiliu Recipe (ZYR) combined cisplatin on the growth of subcutaneous tumor in nude mice with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and to explore its possible mechanisms.

Methods: The model of ovarian cancer subcutaneous tumor was established in nude mice using platinum-resistant ovarian cancer line COC1/DDP. The mice were randomly divided into six groups, i.

[Impact of changing gross tumor volume delineation of intensity-modulated radiotherapy on the dose distribution and clinical treatment outcome after induction chemotherapy for the primary locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Background And Objective: The gross tumor volume (GTV) obviously reduces after induction chemotherapy (IC) for primary locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study was to investigate the impact of changing gross tumor volume delineation on the dose distribution and clinical treatment outcome after IC.

Methods: From January 2008 to April 2009, 24 patients with Stage III-IVb primary locoregionally advanced NPC were treated with TPF regimen IC followed by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with concurrent chemotherapy .