Clinical risk factors for preterm birth and evaluating maternal psychology in the postpartum period.

Background: Although the specific pathogenesis of preterm birth (PTB) has not been thoroughly clarified, it is known to be related to various factors, such as pregnancy complications, maternal socioeconomic factors, lifestyle habits, reproductive history, environmental and psychological factors, prenatal care, and nutritional status. PTB has serious implications for newborns and families and is associated with high mortality and complications. Therefore, the prediction of PTB risk can facilitate early intervention and reduce its resultant adverse consequences.

A pathogenesis-related protein 1 of Cucurbita moschata responds to powdery mildew infection.

Pumpkin ( Duch.) productivity is severely hindered by powdery mildew (PM) worldwide. The causative agent of pumpkin PM is , a biotrophic fungus.

Corrigendum: Expression of Pumpkin Gene Improves Powdery Mildew Resistance in Tobacco.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.

Expression of Pumpkin Gene Improves Powdery Mildew Resistance in Tobacco.

Powdery mildew (PM), caused by , is a major threat to the global cucurbit yield. The molecular mechanisms underlying the PM resistance of pumpkin ( Duch.) are largely unknown.

Transcriptome profiling of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) leaves infected with powdery mildew.

Cucurbit powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most severe fungal diseases, but the molecular mechanisms underlying PM resistance remain largely unknown, especially in pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch.). The goal of this study was to identify gene expression differences in PM-treated plants (harvested at 24 h and 48 h after inoculation) and untreated (control) plants of inbred line "112-2" using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq).

FACS selection of valuable mutant mouse round spermatids and strain rescue via round spermatid injection.

Round spermatid injection (ROSI) into mammalian oocytes can result in the development of viable embryos and offspring. One current limitation to this technique is the identification of suitable round spermatids. In the current paper, round spermatids were selected from testicular cells with phase contrast microscopy (PCM) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and ROSI was performed in two strains of mice.

Reprogramming of round spermatids by the germinal vesicle cytoplasm in mice.

The birthrate following round spermatid injection (ROSI) remains low in current and evidence suggests that factors in the germinal vesicle (GV) cytoplasm and certain substances in the GV such as the nucleolus might be responsible for genomic reprogramming and embryonic development. However, little is known whether the reprogramming factors in GV oocyte cytoplasm and/or nucleolus in GV are beneficial to the reprogramming of round spermatids and development of ROSI embryos. Here, round spermatids were treated with GV cytolysates and injected this round spermatid alone or co-injected with GV oocyte nucleolus into mature metaphase II oocytes.

Microtubule organisation, pronuclear formation and embryonic development of mouse oocytes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection or parthenogenetic activation and then slow-freezing with 1, 2-propanediol.

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of cryopreservation on oocytes at different times after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and parthenogenetic activation. The study was performed in mouse oocytes fertilised by ICSI, or in artificially-activated oocytes, which were cryopreserved immediately, one hour or five hours later through slow-freezing. After thawing, the rates of survival, fertilisation-activation, embryonic development of oocytes-zygotes and changes in the cytoskeleton and ploidy were observed.

Endogenous renovascular hypertension combined with low shear stress induces plaque rupture in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Objective: The development of a murine model of spontaneous atherosclerotic plaque rupture with luminal thrombus.

Methods And Results: Combined partial ligation of the left renal artery and left common carotid artery in 8-week-old apolipoprotein E-deficient mice induced endogenous renovascular hypertension and local low oscillatory shear stress in the left common carotid artery. After 8 weeks, a fresh left common carotid artery lumen thrombus associated with severe plaque burden was found in 50% (10/20) of the mice.

Differences in chimera formation and germline transmission between E14 and C2J embryonic stem cells in mice.

Summary The goal of this project was to determine whether the originating strain of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells affects the maintenance of their pluripotency under uniform culture conditions. ES cells from two strains of mice, E14 and C2J, were tested. Both ES cell lines were cultured in KOSR + 2i medium and then injected into C57BL/6J blastocysts.

A comprehensive method for the conservation of mouse strains combining natural breeding, sperm cryopreservation and assisted reproductive technology.

The maintenance and preservation of strains of mice used in biomedical research presents a unique challenge to individual investigators and research institutions. The goal of this study was to assess a comprehensive system for mouse strain conservation through a combination of natural mating, sperm cryopreservation and assisted reproductive technology. Our strategy was based on the collection and cryopreservation of fresh epididymal sperm from male mice by semi-vasectomy; these mice were then naturally mated for breeding purposes.

Positive effects of treatment of donor cells with aphidicolin on the preimplantation development of somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos in Chinese Bama mini-pig (Sus Scrofa).

To optimize somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) procedures in mini-pigs, the present study was designed to examine the effects of donor cell types and aphidicolin (APC) treatment on in vitro development of reconstructed embryos. Oviduct epithelial cells (OEC), ear fibroblast cells (EFC) and cumulus cells (CC) derived from mini-pigs were treated with serum starvation only or serum starvation followed by treatment of 0.1 µg/mL APC.

Mobilization of bone marrow cells by CSF3 protects mice from bleomycin-induced lung injury.

Background: Bone marrow-derived cells may play a role in tissue injury and repair. Growth factors facilitate the mobilization of bone marrow-derived cells to the site of injury.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the mobilization of autologous bone marrow-derived cells by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (CSF3) on bleomycin-induced lung injury in mice.

[Study on experimental systemic lupus erythematosus mouse model induced by pristane].

Aim: To establish the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mouse model through pristane intraperitoneal injection and discuss the pathogenesis of SLE in this mouse model.

Methods: Single intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 mL Pristane or PBS was applied on 6-8 week old female BALB/c mice.

Quality of embryonic bodies and seeding density effects on neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells.

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells can be differentiated into neural lineage cells, but the differentiation efficiency remains low. This study revealed two important factors that influence the neural differentiation efficiency of mouse ES cells: the first is the quality of embryonic bodies (EBs); good quality of EBs consistently originated from a suspension culture of 1x10(5) ES cells/ml serum-free chemically defined neural inducing medium and they exhibited a smooth round shape, with a dark central region surrounded by a light band. Such EBs are capable of attaining high neural differentiation efficiency.

[Application of spindle-view in the enucleation porcine of oocytes].

The Spindle-view, a specialized instrument for observing spindle image, was applied to observe the meiotic spindles of vitro matured porcine oocytes at 36, 42, 44, 48h, and enucleation from porcine, comparing to the previously methods (McGrath-Solter's method and two-step-squeezing method) in the enucleated. The results showed that: (1) there was no noticeable differences at vicinity of spindle images and 1st polar body among in vitro matured porcine oocytes at 40-48 h under the instrument; (2) Spindle-view is suitable for the observation of meiotic spindles of matured oocytes and enucleation from porcine; the modified Spindle-view method for enucleation is significantly better than McGrath-Solter' s method and two-step-squeezing method in the enucleated rates (95.5%, 42.

An improved protocol that induces human embryonic stem cells to differentiate into neural cells in vitro.

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells have the capacity for self-renewal and are able to differentiate into any cell type. However, obtaining high-efficient neural differentiation from human ES cells remains a challenge. This study describes an improved 4-stage protocol to induce a human ES cell line derived from a Chinese population to differentiate into neural cells.

[Knock out of bovine beta casein gene by homologous recombination].

It has been reported that homologous recombination with Red system has been successfully used for knock-out. We try to work on the construction of the expression vector of Mammary Gland with Red system. This study takes CSN2 as a vector for gene target, which contains the complete bovine beta casein gene.

[Investigation of follicular development and oocyte maturation after cryopreservation and xenograft of newborn mouse ovaries].

In order to explore the feasibility of cryopreserving primordial follicles in attaining their developmental competence following freezing and thawing, ovaries from newborn mice were cryopreserved and the thawed ovaries were xenografted into kidney capsules of adult female mice. Ovaries were isolated from newborn B6C2F(1) female mice, infiltrated by Leibovitz 15 (L-15) medium containing 10% (V/V) fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 1.5 mol/L dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and then packed into 0.