Aberrant acetylation caused by a CDYL splicing mutation contributes to thin mid-piece related asthenoteratozoospermia and male infertility.

Objectives: Acetylated tubulin is a hallmark of flagellar stability in spermatozoa, and studies have demonstrated the ability of CDYL to function as a tubulin acetyltransferase in spermatozoa. Of note, germline conditional knockout of Cdyl can lead to asthenoteratozoospermia and infertility in male mice. However, the role of CDYL gene in human fertility remains uncharacterized.

Biodegradable Vanadium-Based Nanomaterials for Photothermal-Enhanced Tumor Ferroptosis and Pyroptosis.

The designability and high reactivity of nanotechnology provide strategies for antitumor therapy by regulating the redox state in tumor cells. Here, we synthesize a kind of vanadium dioxide nanoparticle encapsulated in bovine serum albumin and containing disulfide bonds (VSB NPs) for photothermal-enhanced ferroptosis and pyroptosis effects. Mechanism studies show that disulfide bonds can effectively consume overexpressed glutathione (GSH) in the tumor microenvironment, leading to a decrease in glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) activity.

Recent Advances in Organic Photocatalyst-Promoted Carbohydrate Synthesis and Modification under Light Irradiation.

Photoredox catalysis has been developed as a sustainable and eco-friendly catalytic strategy, which might provide innovative solutions to solve the current synthetic challenges and barriers in carbohydrate chemistry. During the last few decades, the study of organic photocatalyst-promoted carbohydrate synthesis and modification has received significant attention, which provides an excellent and inexpensive metal-free alternative to photoredox catalysis as well as introduces a new fastest-growing era to access complex carbohydrates simply. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of organic photocatalyst-promoted carbohydrate synthesis and modification under light irradiation, which is expected to provide new directions for further investigation.

Mesoporous polydopamine composite nanoparticles for multimodal therapy based on disrupting the redox homeostasis within tumor cells.

Developing multimodal combination therapy strategies to disrupt the redox homeostasis within tumor cells is currently an important approach in cancer treatment. In this study, we designed and prepared multifunctional composite nanoparticles MPDA-PEG@MnO@2-DG (MPPMD NPs) utilizing mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDA NPs) as carriers. These carriers were coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG), and manganese dioxide (MnO) and loaded with 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG).

Organometallic Photocatalyst-Promoted Synthesis and Modification of Carbohydrates under Photoirradiation.

Carbohydrates are natural, renewable, chemical compounds that play crucial roles in biological systems. Thus, efficient and stereoselective glycosylation is an urgent task for the preparation of pure and structurally well-defined carbohydrates. Photoredox catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool in carbohydrate chemistry, providing an alternative for addressing some of the challenges of glycochemistry.

Effects of integrated blood purification on haemodynamics and oxygen metabolism in children with severe sepsis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of integrated blood purification on haemodynamics and oxygen metabolism in children with severe sepsis.

Methods: Clinical data of 12 children with severe sepsis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of our hospital between October 2021 and June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated with integrated blood purification, and changes in haemodynamic parameters, including heart rate, blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and cardiac output, and oxygen metabolism parameters (blood lactic acid, oxygen delivery, oxygen consumption and oxygen extraction rate) were observed before and after treatment.

Photocatalyst-free light-promoted carbohydrate synthesis and modification.

Photoredox catalysis has recently emerged as a powerful approach for preparing oligosaccharides because it uses mild conditions, is compatible with partially or completely unprotected carbohydrate substrates, and exhibits impressive regio- and stereo-selectivity and high functional group tolerance. However, most catalytic photoredox reactions require an external photocatalyst (organic dye or expensive transition-metal complex) to deliver key glycosyl radicals. Several photocatalyst-free photocatalytic reactions that avoid the use of expensive metal salts or organic-dye additives have received significant attention.

Multifunctional HMoO-MoO/Carbon Composite Particles for Water Remediation.

Solving a scarcity of freshwater resources is an urgent global challenge by a safe and sustainable approach using renewable energy. We demonstrate the multifunctional catalyst of HMoO-MoO/carbon composite particles toward highly efficient water remediation. A one-step mechanochemical reaction successfully upgraded the composites from commercially available MoO-polypropylene (PP) powders without introducing hydrogen gas.

Association of FOXL2 and ERCC6 variants with premature ovarian insufficiency and their potential use in clinical IVF guidance.

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is the main cause of infertility in women. Some cases of POI are thought to be caused by genetic defects and the clinical outcomes of these patients are unknown. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing of the peripheral blood of a cohort of 55 subjects with POI and identified one heterozygous missense variant in FOXL2 (c.

USP11 deubiquitinates E-cadherin and maintains the luminal fate of mammary tumor cells to suppress breast cancer.

Basal-like breast cancer may originate from luminal epithelial or cancerous cells. Inadequately repaired DNA damage impairs luminal differentiation and promotes aberrant luminal to basal trans-differentiation in mammary epithelial cells (MECs). Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 11 (USP11), a deubiquitinase, plays a critical role in DNA damage repair.

Association of novel DNAH11 variants with asthenoteratozoospermia lead to male infertility.

Background: Bi-allelic variants in DNAH11 have been identified as causative factors in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, leading to abnormal respiratory cilia. Nonetheless, the specific impact of these variants on human sperm flagellar and their involvement in male infertility remain largely unknown.

Methods: A collaborative effort involving two Chinese reproductive centers conducted a study with 975 unrelated infertile men.

CALR3 defects disrupt sperm-zona pellucida binding in humans: new insights into male factor fertilization failure and relevant clinical therapeutic approaches.

Study Question: Do biallelic deleterious variants of Calreticulin 3 (CALR3) cause fertilization failure (FF), resulting in male infertility in humans?

Summary Answer: Biallelic mutations in CALR3 were identified in two infertile men from unrelated families and were shown to cause FF associated with failed sperm-zona pellucida (ZP) binding.

What Is Known Already: In male mice, the Calr3-knockout has been reported to cause male infertility and FF. However, the mechanism behind this remains unclear in humans.

Imaging Identifies Superior Inflammation Targeting of M1 Macrophages for Cryo-Shocked Cell Pulmonary Drug Delivery to Treat Acute Lung Injury.

In the realm of combating acute lung injury (ALI) induced by a myriad of triggers including sepsis, pneumonia, aspiration, trauma, and pancreatitis, macrophages emerge as crucial players. However, traditional treatments such as systemic administration of glucocorticoids come with the baggage of severe side effects, curtailing their utility. Enter an innovative solution: a biomimetic drug delivery system fashioned from cryo-shocked macrophages, tailored for pulmonary drug delivery.

Oxidative stress in the alveolar lavage fluid of children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between oxidative stress in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and the clinical characteristics of severe MPP (SMPP) and refractory MPP (RMPP).

Methods: Clinical and BALF-related data were collected from 83 patients with MPP, of which 29 had SMPP and 54 had general MPP (GMPP); 37 patients were in the RMPP group and 46 in the non-RMPP group. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) as well as the activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in BALF were detected.

PET imaging for the early evaluation of ocular inflammation in diabetic rats by using [F]-DPA-714.

Ocular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) are the leading cause of vision loss. Ocular inflammation often occurs in the early stage of DM; however, there are no proven quantitative methods to evaluate the inflammatory status of eyes in DM. The 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is an evolutionarily conserved cholesterol binding protein localized in the outer mitochondrial membrane.

Role of polyvinylpyrrolidone in the polyol synthesis of platinum nanoparticles.

In this work, platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared the reduction of Pt salts in an ethylene glycol induced polyol process with an altered polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/Pt molar ratio. With the systematic elucidation of the hydrodynamic size in a liquid; the solid-state size and morphology, crystal structure, surface chemical state and thermal decomposition behavior of the synthesized Pt NPs; as well as the reducing dynamic of Pt cations, the role of PVP in the polyol synthesis of Pt NPs is clarified for the first time. It was found that the amount of PVP does not affect the reducing dynamic of Pt cations, but the chemical state of PVP capped on Pt NPs and the resultant particle size significantly depend on the initial PVP/Pt molar ratio in the precursor solution.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel PET Tracer for Noninvasive Evaluation of FGL1 Status in Tumors.

Fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) is a potential novel immune checkpoint target for malignant tumor diagnosis and therapy. Accurate detection of FGL1 levels in tumors via noninvasive PET imaging might be beneficial for managing the disease. To achieve this, multiple FGL1-targeting peptides (FGLP) were designed, and a promising candidate, Ga-NOTA-FGLP2, was identified through a high-throughput screening approach using microPET imaging of Ga-labeled peptides.

Predictive value of bronchoscopy combined with CT score for refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children.

Introduction: Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) is prevalent in paediatric patients and can progress to refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP).

Objective: To assess the predictive value of bronchoscopy combined with computed tomography (CT) score in identifying RMPP in children.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 244 paediatric patients with MP, categorising them into RMPP and general mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (GMPP) groups.

Adenylate kinase phosphate energy shuttle underlies energetic communication in flagellar axonemes.

The complexities of energy transfer mechanisms in the flagella of mammalian sperm flagella have been intensively investigated and demonstrate significant diversity across species. Enzymatic shuttles, particularly adenylate kinase (AK) and creatine kinase (CK), are pivotal in the efficient transfer of intracellular ATP, showing distinct tissue- and species-specificity. Here, the expression profiles of AK and CK were investigated in mice and found to fall into four subgroups, of which Subgroup III AKs were observed to be unique to the male reproductive system and conserved across chordates.

Characterization of the gut microbiota in polycystic ovary syndrome with dyslipidemia.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrinopathy in childbearing-age females which can cause many complications, such as diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. The metabolic disorders in patients with PCOS were linked to gut microbial dysbiosis. However, the correlation between the gut microbial community and dyslipidemia in PCOS remains unillustrated.

Frost protection mechanism based on rubber airbag interlayered composite lining system for cold-region tunnels.

To solve the problem of freezing damage in cold-region tunnels, this study proposed a rubber airbag interlayered composite lining system, and tested its performance of buffering, pressure adjustment, waterproofing, and heat preservation by simulating a low-temperature environment in an artificial freezing chamber. The experiment results show that the frost-heaving force exerted on the lining can always be lower than 1.69 kPa by constantly adjusting the airbag pressure, and the maximum frost-heaving force can reach 28.

Knockdown of CCM3 promotes angiogenesis through activation and nuclear translocation of YAP/TAZ.

Angiogenesis, a finely regulated process, plays a crucial role in the progression of various diseases. Cerebral cavernous malformation 3 (CCM3), alternatively referred to as programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10), stands as a pivotal functional gene with a broad distribution across the human body. However, the precise role of CCM3 in angiogenesis regulation has remained elusive.