The regulation role of calcium channels in mammalian sperm function: a narrative review with a focus on humans and mice.

Mammalian sperm are characterized as specialized cells, as their transcriptional and translational processes are largely inactive. Emerging researches indicate that Ca serves as a crucial second messenger in the modulation of various sperm physiological processes, such as capacitation, hyperactivation, and the acrosome reaction. Specifically, sperm-specific calcium channels, including CatSper, voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), store-operated calcium channels (SOCCs), and cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels, are implicated in the regulation of calcium signaling in mammalian sperm.

[The involvement and underlying mechanism of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in the impairment of male mammalian fertility induced by environmental pollutants].

In recent decades, there has been a consistent decline in semen quality across the globe, with environmental pollution emerging as the predominant factor. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have garnered considerable attention due to their potent biological toxicity and resistance to natural degradation. Within this class of pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) have been identified as detrimental agents that can disrupt cellular physiological functions by activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).

Suppression of Transverse Modes in 50°YX-LiTaO/SiO/Si POI SAW Resonator with Groove Configuration.

With the rapid development of mobile communication technology, the POI (piezoelectric on insulator) structure has gained recognition in the field of RF filtering. However, transverse modes remain in the passband of corresponding surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, which impedes their application in crowded spectra. This article introduces a groove configuration to suppress transverse modes for POI SAW resonators employing a 50°YX-LiTaO/SiO/Si multilayered structure.

Vaginal microbiota molecular profiling and diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence-assisted multiplex PCR testing in women with bacterial vaginosis: a single-center experience.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a most common microbiological syndrome. The use of molecular methods, such as multiplex real-time PCR (mPCR) and next-generation sequencing, has revolutionized our understanding of microbial communities. Here, we aimed to use a novel multiplex PCR test to evaluate the microbial composition and dominant lactobacilli in non-pregnant women with BV, and combined with machine learning algorithms to determine its diagnostic significance.

A Modular and Cost-Effective Droplet Microfluidic Device for Controlled Emulsion Production.

The droplet microfluidic device has become a widely used tool in fields such as physics, chemistry, and biology, but its complexity has limited its widespread application. This report introduces a modular and cost-effective droplet microfluidic device for the controlled production of complex emulsions, including oil and aqueous single emulsions, and double emulsions with varying numbers of encapsulated droplets. The droplet sizes can be precisely controlled by easily replacing flat needles and adjusting the needle position within an axially accelerated co-flow field.

Review on Molecular Mechanism of Hypertensive Nephropathy.

Hypertension, a prevalent chronic ailment, has the potential to impair kidney function, and thereby resulting in hypertensive nephropathy. The escalating incidence of hypertensive nephropathy attributed to the aging population in urban areas, has emerged as a prominent cause of end-stage renal disease. Nevertheless, the intricate pathogenesis of hypertensive nephropathy poses considerable obstacles in terms of precise clinical diagnosis and treatment.

PCB126 impairs human sperm functions by affecting post-translational modifications and mitochondrial functions.

Over the past few decades, there has been a consistent decline in semen quality across the globe, with environmental pollution being identified as the primary cause. Among the various contaminants present in the environment, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have garnered significant attention due to their high toxicity, slow degradation, bio-accumulation, and long-range migration. PCBs, which include 210 congeners, are a crucial type of POPs that are known to have harmful effects on the environment and human health.

Hexachlorocyclohexane impairs human sperm motility by affecting lysine glutarylation and mitochondrial functions.

Decreased sperm motility is a leading cause of male infertility and persistent organic pollutants are known to contribute significantly to the development of this disease. The effects of organochlorine pesticides such as hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) on human sperm function and their mechanisms of action have received much attention, but are still not fully understood. Herein, we discovered that HCH has a concentration- and time-dependent inhibitory effect on human sperm motility in vitro.

Non-face emojis in digital marketing: Effects, contingencies, and strategic recommendations.

Unlabelled: Non-face (NF) emojis are increasingly used to complement or substitute words in digital marketing messages, yet the effects, mechanisms, and contingencies of this communication strategy remain underexplored. In a large-scale longitudinal study of Airbnb listings, we show that NF emojis (vs. simple text) lead to an increase in eWOM volume, an effect we replicate experimentally.

Efficacy of platinum-based and non-platinum-based drugs on triple-negative breast cancer: meta-analysis.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the subtype of breast cancer with the highest mortality rate, shows clinical characteristics of high heterogeneity, aggressiveness, easy recurrence, and poor prognosis, which is due to lack of expression of estrogen, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Currently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAT) is still the major clinical treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. Chemotherapy drugs can be divided into platinum and non-platinum according to the presence of metal platinum ions in the structure.

Genetic variants in CYP11B1 influence the susceptibility to coronary heart disease.

Background: Genetic factors are important risk factors to develop coronary heart disease (CHD). In this study, we mainly explored whether CYP11B1 mutations influence CHD risk among Chinese Han population.

Methods: Six variants were genotyped using Agena MassARRAY system from 509 CHD patients and 509 healthy controls.

High Expression Level of α2-3-Linked Sialic Acids on Salivary Glycoproteins of Breastfeeding Women May Help to Protect Them from Avian Influenza Virus Infection.

Terminal sialic acids (Sia) on soluble glycoprotein of saliva play an important role in the clearance of influenza virus. The aim of this study is to investigate the alteration of sialylation on the salivary proteins of women during the lactation period and its effect on the saliva binding ability to virus. In total, 210 saliva samples from postpartum women with and without breastfeeding were collected, and the expression level of α2-3/6-linked Sia on the whole salivary proteins and specific glycoproteins of IgA and MUC5B from different groups were tested and verified using lectin microarray, blotting analysis and ELISA based method.

Examining the Mechanisms of Huachansu Injection on Liver Cancer through Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the potential anti-liver cancer mechanism of Huachansu injection through integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Methods: Active ingredients of Huachansu injection (extraction of toad skin) were obtained, and their potential drug targets were predicted via SwissTargetPrediction database. Liver cancer disease targets were identified from the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) dataset and four public databases.

Meta analysis for insomnia Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli decoction for insomnia A meta-analysis.

Background: Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Decoction can make a good effect on the insomnia under the catalogue of traditional Chinese medicine.

Method: To search the databases:Pubmed, Web of Science, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc), the China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), the Wanfang.

Results: Fifteen randomized controlled trials were included, totally including 1164 participants.

Pregnancy-associated decrease of Siaα2-3Gal-linked glycans on salivary glycoproteins affects their binding ability to avian influenza virus.

Salivary glycoproteins are known as an important barrier to inhibit influenza infection by presenting sialic acid (Sia) ligands that can bind with viral hemagglutination. Here, to further understand why pregnant women are more vulnerable to avian influenza virus (AIV), we investigated the alteration of protein sialylation in the saliva of women during pregnancy and postpartum, and its impact on the saliva binding affinity to AIV. Totally 1200 saliva samples were collected, the expression levels of terminal α2-3/6-linked Sia on salivary proteins were tested and validated, and the binding activities of salivary proteins were assessed against 3 strains of AIV and the H1N1 vaccine.

The Influence of NDRG1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on Glioma Risk and Prognosis in Chinese Han Population.

Glioma is a highly fatal malignant tumor with a high recurrence rate, poor clinical treatment effect, and prognosis. We aimed to determine the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of NDRG1 and glioma risk and prognosis in the Chinese Han population. 5 candidate SNPs were genotyped by Agena MassARRAY in 558 cases and 503 controls; logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between SNPs and glioma risk.

Ninjurin 2 rs118050317 gene polymorphism and endometrial cancer risk.

Background: Endometrial cancer is one of the most common female reproductive system tumors. Ninjurin2 (NINJ2) is a new adhesion factor. As a vascular susceptibility gene, it is highly expressed in other cancers and promotes the growth of cancer cells.

Suppression of bromodomain-containing protein 4 protects trophoblast cells from oxidative stress injury by enhancing Nrf2 activation.

Oxidative stress is considered a key hallmark of preeclampsia, which causes the dysregulation of trophoblast cells, and it contributes to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Emerging evidence has suggested bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) as a key regulator of oxidative stress in multiple cell types. However, whether BRD4 participates in regulating oxidative stress in trophoblast cells remains undetermined.

Diet-induced obesity is associated with altered expression of sperm motility-related genes and testicular post-translational modifications in a mouse model.

Obesity is a metabolic disease and its relation with male subfertility has aroused a growing concern. However, it is unclear whether gene expression and post-translational modifications (PTMs), two vital molecular mechanisms regulating cellular functions, are associated with obesity-induced male reproductive dysfunction. In this study, male obesity with compromised sperm motility was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) using a mouse model.

Posttranslational lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation of human sperm tail proteins affects motility.

Study Question: Does lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation, a newly identified protein posttranslational modification (PTM), occur in human sperm and affect human sperm function?

Summary Answer: Lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation mainly occurs in human sperm tail proteins, and excessive lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation affects human sperm motility.

What Is Known Already: PTM is regarded as an important pathway in regulating sperm function since mature sperm are almost transcriptionally silent. However, only phosphorylation was extensively studied in mature sperm to date.

PFOA evokes extracellular Ca influx and compromises progesterone-induced response in human sperm.

Perfluorooctane acid (PFOA), a persistent organic pollutant, is ubiquitously present in the environment and may detrimentally affect male reproductive health. In this study, mature human sperm were in vitro exposed to different concentrations of PFOA (0.25, 2.

Lysine glutarylation in human sperm is associated with progressive motility.

Study Question: Is there a role for lysine glutarylation (Kglu), a newly identified protein post-translational modification (PTM), in human sperm?

Summary Answer: Kglu occurs in several proteins located in the tail of human sperm, and it was reduced in asthenozoospermic (A) men and positively correlated with progressive motility of human sperm, indicating its important role in maintaining sperm motility.

What Is Known Already: Since mature sperm are almost transcriptionally silent, PTM is regarded as an important pathway in regulating sperm function. However, only phosphorylation has been extensively studied in mature sperm to date.

Association between polymorphisms of MIR17HG and risk of colorectal cancer in the Chinese Han population.

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Recently, an increasing number of evidences suggest that genetic susceptibility plays an important role in the occurrence of colorectal cancer. This study aimed to better understand the influence of MIR17HG polymorphisms on colorectal cancer susceptibility in the Chinese Han population.