Recent Studies on the Effects of Static Magnetic Fields (SMF) on Reproductive Function.

Background: With the widespread use of static magnetic fields (SMFs) in applications such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electric vehicles, concerns have arisen regarding their potential effects on reproductive health. Despite increasing research, the impact of SMFs on reproductive function remains a subject of debate, requiring further exploration.

Methods: This review synthesizes animal and clinical studies on the effects of SMF on reproductive function.

Causal Link between Gut Microbiota and Infertility: A Two-sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

Objective: To investigate the associations of the gut microbiota with reproductive system diseases, including female infertility, male infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), primary ovarian failure, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, uterine polyps, sexual dysfunction, orchitis, and epididymitis.

Methods: A two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to evaluate the potential causal relationship between the composition of gut microbiota and infertility, along with associated diseases.

Results: Sixteen strong causal associations between gut microbes and reproductive system diseases were identified.

Advanced Materials for Energy Harvesting and Soft Robotics: Emerging Frontiers to Enhance Piezoelectric Performance and Functionality.

Piezoelectric energy harvesting captures mechanical energy from a number of sources, such as vibrations, the movement of objects and bodies, impact events, and fluid flow to generate electric power. Such power can be employed to support wireless communication, electronic components, ocean monitoring, tissue engineering, and biomedical devices. A variety of self-powered piezoelectric sensors, transducers, and actuators have been produced for these applications, however approaches to enhance the piezoelectric properties of materials to increase device performance remain a challenging frontier of materials research.

Proteogenomic insights into early-onset endometrioid endometrial carcinoma: predictors for fertility-sparing therapy response.

Endometrial carcinoma remains a public health concern with a growing incidence, particularly in younger women. Preserving fertility is a crucial consideration in the management of early-onset endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEEC), particularly in patients under 40 who maintain both reproductive desire and capacity. To illuminate the molecular characteristics of EEEC, we undertook a large-scale multi-omics study of 215 patients with endometrial carcinoma, including 81 with EEEC.

Low-Cost Photoelectric Flow Rate Sensors Based on a Flexible Planar Curved Beam Structure for Clinical Treatments.

In clinical treatments, reliable flow rate measurements ensure accurate drug delivery during infusions, precise gas delivery during artificial ventilations, etc., thereby reducing patient morbidity and mortality. However, precise flow rate sensors are costly, so medical devices with limited budgets choose cheaper but unsatisfactory flow rate measurement approaches, leading to increased medical risks.

Identification of New EGFR Inhibitors by Structure-Based Virtual Screening and Biological Evaluation.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors have been used in clinical for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer for years. However, the emergence of drug resistance continues to be a major problem. To identify potential inhibitors, molecular docking-based virtual screening was conducted on ChemDiv and Enamine commercial databases using the Glide program.

Effects of measurement protocols and repetitions on handgrip strength weakness and asymmetry in patients with cancer.

Background: The use of handgrip strength (HGS) in clinical cancer research is surging. The association between HGS and outcomes in patients with cancer varied across studies, which might be due to the different measurement protocols for HGS. We aimed to answer three questions: (1) Did the use of various protocols for HGS, along with different numbers of repetitions, lead to significant differences in maximum HGS values? (2) If yes, were these differences clinically significant? (3) Did the differences in HGS protocols and repetitions affect the identification of HGS weakness or HGS asymmetry?

Methods: We continuously recruited adult patients with solid tumours.

The Progress of Research on Genetic Factors of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is both mental and physical health problem affecting about 1-5% of women of childbearing age. The etiology of RPL is complex, involving chromosomal abnormalities, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, and endometrial dysfunction. The causes of abortion are still unknown in more than 50% of these cases.

The multi-molecular mechanisms of tumor-targeted drug resistance in precision medicine.

Clinically, cancer drug therapy is still dominated by chemotherapy drugs. Although the emergence of targeted drugs has greatly improved the survival rate of patients with advanced cancer, drug resistance has always been a difficult problem in clinical cancer treatment. At the current level of medicine, most drugs cannot escape the fate of drug resistance.

Design and synthesis of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) as an EGFR degrader based on CO-1686.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors represent the first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the emergence of acquired drug resistance and side effects largely encumbered their application in clinic. The emerging technology proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) could be an alternative strategy to overcome these problems.

Contact-Resistance-Free Stretchable Strain Sensors with High Repeatability and Linearity.

Most of the existing stretchable strain sensors are based on the contact-resistance mechanism, where the stretchability and resistance variation depend on the change of the contact relationship of the conductive microstructures. These sensors usually exhibit large sensing ranges and gauge factors but unsatisfactory repeatability and linearity of the electrical responses because the contact is unstable. Here, we report a completely different design for stretchable strain sensors based on a contact-resistance-free structure, i.

Molecular mechanism study of EGFR allosteric inhibitors using molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations.

ABTRACTThe epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors Gefitinib, Erlotinib, Afatinib and Osimertinib have been approved for the treatments of non-small cell lung cancer patients harboring sensitive EGFR mutations, but resistance arises rapidly. To date all approved EGFR inhibitors are ATP-competitive inhibitors, highlighting the need for therapeutic agents with alternative mechanisms of action. Allosteric kinase inhibitors offer a promising new therapeutic strategy to ATP-competitive inhibitors.

Molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculation studies of the binding mechanism of allosteric inhibitors with TrkA kinase.

Tropomyosin receptor kinase A (Trk A) is a receptor tyrosine kinase activated by nerve growth factor (NGF). TrkA plays an important role in pain sensation, which leads to significant interest in the development of small molecule inhibitors of TrkA. However, TrkA and the other two highly homologous isoforms, TrkB and TrkC, are highly conserved in the ATP binding site, which suggests that achieving TrkA subtype selectivity over TrkB and TrkC in this site may be extremely challenging.