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Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of bromocriptine for prevention of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Methods: The retrospective study included women at risk of OHSS who were receiving gonadotropin‐releasing hormone antagonist protocols, including 52 women given 2.5 mg bromocriptine by rectal insertion, 52 women given 500 ml intravenous hydroxyethyl starch (HES), and 40 women who received no intervention. Treatments were administered daily for 5 days beginning on the day of oocyte retrieval. Baseline information and data related to OHSS were compared. Results: No significant differences were found among groups in estradiol concentration on the day of trigger or in number of retrieved oocytes. Incidence of mild OHSS was not significantly different among groups, respectively 13.5%, 15.4%, and 17.5% (P > 0.05). The incidence of moderate to severe OHSS was significantly lower in the bromocriptine and HES groups compared with the control group, respectively 7.7%, 5.8%, and 22.5% (P < 0.05). D‐dimer levels were significantly lower in the bromocriptine and HES groups compared with the control group on Day 5 after oocyte retrieval (P < 0.05). No differences in liver or renal function were found in the three groups. Conclusion: Bromocriptine was apparently as effective as intravenous HES in patients with high risk of OHSS. Synopsis: Prophylactic rectal administration of bromocriptine showed similar effects to intravenous hydroxyethyl starch in patients with high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction and scale‐up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have contributed to significantly improved patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) quality of life and prolongs their survival. This has occurred by suppressing viral replication and recovering the CD4 cell count. However, some patients do not normalize their CD4 cell count, despite suppression of the viral load (VL). Patients with suboptimal immune recovery (SIR), as defined by a VL < 400 copies/ml with a CD4 cell count of<200 cells/μl, after ART initiation, exhibit severe immune dysfunction and have a higher risk of AIDS and non‐AIDS events. In recent years, People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) with first‐line ART failure began to gradually switch to second‐line ART. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and factors affecting SIR among PLWHA who switch to second‐line ART in rural China. A 1‐year retrospective cohort study was conducted among PLWHA who switched to second‐line ART between January 2009 and December 2018. All patients with a VL < 400 copies/ml after 1 year of second‐line ART were included. SIR was defined as a CD4 cell count <200 cells/μl and a VL < 400 copies/ml after 1 year of second‐line ART. The data collected from medical records were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. A total of 5294 PLWHA met the inclusion criteria, 24 died, and 1152 were lost to follow‐up after 1 year of second‐line ART. Among 4118 PLWHA who were followed up, 3039 with a VL < 400 copies/ml had their data analyzed, and the prevalence of SIR was 13.1%. The patients' mean age at recruitment was 47.6 ± 8.1 years and 45.3% were men. A total of 30.7% of patients were HIV‐positive for >8 years and 88.2% were receiving ART before starting second‐line ART for >3 years. The mean CD4 cell count was 354.8 ± 238.2 cells/μl. A multivariable analysis showed that male sex, single status (unmarried or divorced), and a low CD4 cell count were risk factors for SIR among PLWHA with second‐line ART. The prevalence of SIR among PLWHA who switched to second‐line ART in this retrospective cohort study is lower than that in most other studies. Several factors associated with SIR include male sex, marital status, and CD4 cell count levels in PLWHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop a scoring system for the prediction of a successful pregnancy. Methods: Data were collected prospectively from women diagnosed with pregnancy from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018. Pregnant days, hormone levels, and gestational sac diameters were recorded. Relationships among the pregnancy days, hormones, and gestational sac were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. A scoring system was established and stratified by the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentile of hormone levels and gestational sac diameters on different pregnancy days. Pregnancy outcomes were predicted by the scores using quadratic polynomial regression analyses. A portable desktop analyzer was developed and the performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: In 273 successful pregnancy cases, the length of gestational days was significantly correlated to beta‐human chorionic gonadotropin (β‐hCG) (r = 0.74, p < 0.001) and E2 (r = 0.79, p < 0.001) levels, and the size of the gestational sac (r = 0.88, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the size of gestational sac was positively correlated with β‐hCG (r = 0.93, p < 0.001) and E2 (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). For 273 delivery and 103 miscarriage cases included in this study, our scoring‐based prediction model rendered an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.86 with the sensitivity of 78.31% and the specificity of 80.83%. Conclusions: We successfully developed a scoring‐based analyzer to evaluate the viability of embryos at different gestation stages and to predict the probability of a successful delivery, which would provide a reference for clinicians in postpregnancy management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Chinese medicine (CM) improves the symptoms of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and prolongs their survival. This real-world study aimed to evaluate the effects of CM on the survival of AIDS patients administered second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the medical records of patients with AIDS who switched to second-line ART between January 2009 and December 2014. Patients were divided into ART and CM + ART groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to correct for biases between groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis and the log-rank test were used to compare survival rates, and Cox regression models were employed to identify factors significantly associated with survival. Results. The study population (n = 4180) was comprised of the CM + ART group (n = 855) and the ART group (n = 3325). After 1 : 2 PSM, 855 patients in the CM + ART group and 1699 in the ART group were selected for analysis. Patients in the CM + ART group were followed for 4246.8 person-years, and the mortality rate was 2.12/100 person-years. Patients in the ART group were followed for 8381.2 person-years, and the mortality rate was 2.91/100 person-years. Cox regression model analysis revealed that patients in the CM + ART group survived significantly longer than those in the ART group (hazard ratio: 0.73 and 95% confidence interval: 0.57–0.93). Gender, age, symptoms, CD4 cell counts, and viral loads were independently associated with the survival of AIDS patients treated with second-line ART. Conclusions. CM significantly improved the survival rate of AIDS patients treated with second-line ART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective cohort study was conducted to explore the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy on the long-term trends in CD4+ T-cell count among patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) who were treated with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) over a 14-year period. A total of 721 individuals were treated with cART alone (cART group), and 307 individuals were treated with both cART and TCM (TCM + cART group). Among all enrolled patients with HIV/AIDS, 99.5% were farmers, 71.1% had more than 6 years of education, and 96.8% were infected with HIV via a paid blood donation. For those patients with HIV/AIDS who had a baseline CD4+ T-cell count of <350 cells/mL, the CD4+ T-cell count tended to increase to approximately 350 cells/mL more rapidly in the TCM + cART group than in the cART group, but when the baseline CD4+ T-cell count was ≥350 cells/mL, there was no difference between the cART and TCM + cART groups. For other patients with HIV/AIDS who had a baseline CD4+ T-cell count of 350–500 cells/mL, the CD4+ T-cell counts tended to increase slightly, but there was no difference between the two groups. For patients with HIV/AIDS who had a baseline CD4+ T-cell count of ≥500 cells/mL, the CD4+ T-cell counts tended to be maintained at a particular level, with no difference between the two groups. The results show that the effect of TCM on the CD4+ T-cell counts of patients with HIV/AIDS is related to the CD4+ T-cell level at the time of initial treatment. TCM can increase the CD4+ T-cell count among patients with HIV/AIDS who have a baseline CD4+ T-cell count of <350 cells/mL. Sex and age have a slight influence on the therapeutic effect of TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As infertility became a significant public health problem, assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) were introduced. However, the fertilization rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF) per cycle varied, and patients needed to repeat IVF or change to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Here, 75 couples suffering from female fallopian tubal blockage (tubal group) and 42 spouses beset by male abnormal sperm status (dysspermia group) were recruited. We comprehensively explored the relationship among couples' clinical factors, follicular metabolites, and IVF/ICSI stepwise outcomes. IVF/ICSI outcomes were affected by follicular metabolites and physical status in both women and men, regardless of which side infertility came from. Particularly, in the tubal group, the energy supporting pathways—glycolysis and pyruvate metabolism—were most essential in follicles, and IVF/ICSI outcomes were also related to sperm parameters. However, in the dysspermia group, in addition to sperm conditions, oocyte quality acted as a compensation for poor sperm quality, for which aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and the related supporting metabolism were critical in the follicular environment, and ultimately played a decisive role in IVF/ICSI outcomes. The respective logistic regression models in combination with selective male sperm parameters, estradiol (E2), follicular alanine, glutamine, glycoprotein, lipid, and acetic acid, were constructed to predict IVF or ICSI outcomes. No matter which sex infertility comes from, factors from both men and women should be considered. The current study provides a feasible option for pre-IVF evaluation, as well as guidance for follow-up clinical intervention to improve IVF/ICSI success rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background High circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) level is a typical biochemical feature of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) whose pathophysiology is still unclear. Certain mutations of LH and LH receptor (LHR) may lead to changes in bioactivity of these hormones. The aim of this study was determine the role of the LH and LHR polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of PCOS using a genetic approach. Methods 315 PCOS women and 212 controls were screened for the gene variants of LH G1052A and LHR rs61996318 polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results PCOS patients had significantly more A allele frequency of LH G1052A mutations than controls (p=0.001). Within PCOS group, carriers of LH 1052A allele had lower LH (p=0.05) and higher fasting glucose levels (p=0.04). No subjects were identified with LHR rs61996318 polymorphisms. A new LHR single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found without clear association with PCOS. Conclusions Results suggested LH G1052A mutation might influence PCOS susceptibility and phenotypes.

Abstract Background Tribbles 3 (TRB3) affects insulin signalling by inhibiting insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and subsequent activation. A single nucleotide polymorphism located in the second extron of the human TRB3 gene is thought to be associated with insulin resistance. The latter is a core abnormality in PCOS independent of obesity. The present study was designed to clarify the relationships of TRB3 Q84R polymorphism with PCOS in a Chinese women group. Methods A case-control study with two groups: PCOS group (n = 336) and control group of infertility women for tubal and/or male factor (n = 116) was performed. Genotyping of the TRB3 R84 variant was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results The frequency of genotype QQ in PCOS women was significantly lower, while genotype QR and RR were significantly higher than that in control group (p < 0.05). However, the difference disappeared after adjustment for BMI. At glucose1h, glucose2h and insulin2h point, the difference between QQ individuals and R84 allele carriers in PCOS women reached statistical significance during OGTT (p < 0.05). Conclusions TRB3 Q84R polymorphism is associated with obesity and especially glucose metabolism and not associated with polycystic ovary syndrome because of compositional characteristics of phenotype in Chinese PCOS women.

The conventional survival analysis model on HIV/AIDS prognosis is the Cox proportional hazard model, which deals with only one event type, death, regardless of the cause. Few studies have used a competing risk model to evaluate the predictors of AIDS-related mortality. To estimate the influence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation time and baseline CD4+ cell counts on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related death among former plasma donors. A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 11,905 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS patients in a high-risk area of Henan province in China between 1995 and 2016. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Sub-distribution hazard ratios (sHRs) for AIDS-related mortality with baseline CD4+ cell counts and ART initiation time were determined using a competing risk model. Patients who initiated ART within 90 days of HIV/AIDS diagnosis (sHR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.22–0.27) or had baseline CD4+ counts of >500 cells/μL (sHR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.19–0.28) were associated with lower AIDS-related mortality risk. Patients with ART initiation time >1 year but CD4+ counts >350 cells/μL (sHR: 4.42, 95% CI: 3.30–5.91) had a higher AIDS-related mortality risk than those with ART initiation time >90 days but CD4+ counts ≤350 cells/μL (sHR: 4.33, 95% CI: 3.58–5.23). Our results demonstrate that patients with high CD4+ cell counts and late ART had a 9% higher risk of AIDS-related death than those with low CD4+ cell counts and early ART. This study confirms the great significance of immediate ART initiation among former plasma donor HIV patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ca3CoMn1-xTixO6(x = 0, 0.05) samples were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method, and the microstructure, microtopography, and magnetic properties were investigated in detail. With substituting of Mn4+ ions by Ti4+ ions, the crystallinity and particle size of Ca3CoMn1-xTixO6 (x = 0, 0.05) samples decrease. The Ti4+ doping also causes the high-temperature spin freezing phenomenon disappears, and the transition field of ↑↑↓↓ magnetic structure to ↑↑↑↓ magnetic structure increases obviously together with the faster dynamic behavior. These results suggest that the dilution effect of Ti4+ doping to Co-Mn-Co-Mn spin chains could reduce the degree of magnetic frustration and suppress the formation of short range magnetic order, for which will be beneficial for the establishment of more robust long range antiferromagnetic structure. The present research could serve as a reference on tuning the magnetic order and improving the multiferroic property of Ca3CoMnO6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometriosis is a common, chronic gynaecologic disease affecting up to 10% of women in their reproductive age and leading to pain and infertility. Oestrogen (E2)‐induced epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process has been considered as a key factor of endometriosis development. Recently, the dysregulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been discovered in endometriosis tissues. However, the molecular mechanism of circRNAs on the E2‐induced EMT process in endometriosis is still unknown. Here, we demonstrated that circ_0004712 up‐regulated by E2 treatment in endometrial epithelial cells. Knock‐down the expression of circ_0004712 significantly suppressed E2‐induced cell migration activity. Meanwhile, we identified miR‐148a‐3p as a potential target miRNA of circ_0004712. Inhibited the expression of miR‐148a‐3p could recovered the effect of circ_0004712 knock‐down in E2‐treated endometrial epithelial. Furthermore, Western blot assay showed that E2 treatment could increase the expression and activity of β‐catenin, snail and N‐cadherin and reduce the expression of E‐cadherin. The expression and activity of β‐catenin pathway were recovered by circ_0004712 knock‐down or miR‐148a‐3p overexpression. Altogether, the results demonstrate that circ_0004712/miR‐148a‐3p plays an important role in E2‐induced EMT process in the development of endometriosis, and the molecular mechanism may be associated with the β‐catenin pathway. This work highlighted the importance of circRNAs in the development of endometriosis and provide a new biomarker for diagnosis and therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recent research indicates that the human infertility rate is increasing. Although various reasons have been hypothesized for the growing infertility rate, environmental contaminants are potentially important causal agents associated with this change. Chemical contaminants are widespread throughout our environment and human exposure is virtually unavoidable. The overall contribution of environmental exposure to infertility is unknown, but studies involving occupational exposure, together with results from animal experiments, suggest that environmental contaminants may adversely affect fertility. We reviewed the adverse effects of environmental exposure on fertility and related reproductive outcomes. Environmental contaminants covered in this review include heavy metals, organic solvents, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals. It is hoped that this review will highlight the need for further research in this area. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In order to determine the effect of endometrial injury (EI) on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in women with unexplained subfertility and explore the relationship between EI and endometrial inflammatory cytokines, 66 women with unexplained subfertility undergoing IVF treatment were recruited. 38 patients in the EI group underwent EI in the mid-luteal phase of the cycle and 28 patients in the non-EI (NEI) group. According to the pregnancy outcome, the NEI and EI groups were divided into NEI-nonpregnant (NEI-NP), NEI-pregnant (NEI-P), EI-NP, and EI-P. All patients underwent aspiration of endometrial secretions immediately before embryo transfer. The concentrations of ten mediators were measured using Milliplex Magnetic Bead assay. The clinical pregnancy was significantly higher in the EI than in the NEI group. The concentrations of interleukin- (IL-) 6, IL-8, IL-12 (p70), IL-13, interferon- (IFN-) γ, monocyte chemotactic protein- (MCP-) 1, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were significantly higher in the EI than the NEI group. The expression of IFN-γ and VEGF in the EI-P was significantly increased compared to the EI-NP group. These findings suggest that, in women with unexplained subfertility, endometrial injury might be a potential method to improve clinical pregnancy rates by promoting the expression of IFN-γ and VEGF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A spin glass freezing peak was observed in Ca 3 CoMnO 6 around T f = 172 K. • The results suggest the co-existence of competing short range AFM and FM order. • The short-range spin order can be suppressed effectively by external field. • Due to the competing AFM and FM interaction, exchange bias effect was observed. Rhombohedral structural Ca 3 CoMnO 6 was prepared. The microstructure, chemical composition, morphology were checked and the magnetic properties were investigated in detail. Due to the "order-by-disorder" phenomenon, the ZFC curve presents negative susceptibility in low temperature region. Besides the antiferromagnetic transition around T N = 13.5 K, another abnormal peak around T f = 172 K was also observed. The shift of the abnormal peak towards low temperature with the field increases, magnetic relaxation experiment and the training effect confirm the freezing spin glass characteristic. The broadening of the freezing peak in higher field can be well explained by the reduction of short-range magnetic correlation length. Due to the competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic interactions, obvious exchange bias effect was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ca3CoMn1-xTixO6(x = 0, 0.05) samples were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method, and the microstructure, microtopography, and magnetic properties were investigated in detail. With substituting of Mn4+ ions by Ti4+ ions, the crystallinity and particle size of Ca3CoMn1-xTixO6 (x = 0, 0.05) samples decrease. The Ti4+ doping also causes the high-temperature spin freezing phenomenon disappears, and the transition field of ↑↑↓↓ magnetic structure to ↑↑↑↓ magnetic structure increases obviously together with the faster dynamic behavior. These results suggest that the dilution effect of Ti4+ doping to Co-Mn-Co-Mn spin chains could reduce the degree of magnetic frustration and suppress the formation of short range magnetic order, for which will be beneficial for the establishment of more robust long range antiferromagnetic structure. The present research could serve as a reference on tuning the magnetic order and improving the multiferroic property of Ca3CoMnO6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Src kinase is a membrane-related nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that plays an essential role in cell growth, division, migration, and survival signaling pathways. In addition, it regulates glucose metabolism in cancer cells through different mechanisms, such as directly regulating glucose metabolism related enzymes and glucose transporters or indirectly regulating transcription factors and signal transduction pathways. In this review, we clarify the role of Src kinase in regulating glucose metabolism in cancer cells, and partially explain the pathogenesis of malignant tumors. We also discuss that further understanding and study of the role of Src kinase in glucose metabolism will provide a potential therapeutic window for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) modulate endometriosis. The current study investigated the mechanisms and effects of SNHG4 on endometriosis. The qRT-PCR was conducted to examine the miR-148a-3p and SNHG4 expressions in endometriosis tissues. The 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation assay and 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay were used to measure the rate of cell proliferation. The association between miR-148a-3p, SNHG4 and c-Met was confirmed via bioinformatical approach and luciferase reporter gene assay. Also, the function of SNHG4 on the growth of endometriotic lesions was investigated in vivo. The SNHG4 expression was considerably upregulated in endometriosis tissues, whereas the level of miR-148a-3p expression was reduced. In addition, SNHG4 can be considered as ceRNAs that bind miR-148a-3p and rise the proliferation activity of HESCs by downregulating miR-148a-3p. Furthermore, silencing SNHG4 could downregulate the c-Met level by enhancing miR-148a-3p expression, and finally inhibiting endometriosis development in vivo. LncRNA SNHG4 promotes the increased growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity via regulating c-Met mediated by miR-148a-3p, which may be used as diagnostic biomarker as well as molecular target in the treatment of endometriosis. • SNHG4 was upregulated in ectopic endometrium, while miR-148a-3p was decreased. • MiR-148a-3p was the direct target of SNHG4. • Silencing SNHG4 could downregulate the c-Met level by enhancing miR-148a-3p expression. • Silencing SNHG4 suppressed endometriotic lesions growth in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• hsa_circ_0118530 was elevated in EC. • hsa_circ_0118530 induced EC cell progression. • hsa_circ_0118530 acted as a sponge of miR-136. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a kind of endocrine disease among women across the global. Recently, many researches have reported circular RNAs can act as significant molecular biomarkers for diseases, especially in tumors. Several Circular RNAs are reported to be aberrantly expressed in PCOS patients. Here, we investigated the biological effects of hsa_circ_0118530 on human granulosa cells, KGN. We observed that hsa_circ_0118530 was greatly elevated in PCOS patients and granulosa cells (including KGN and COV434 cells) compared to normal IOSE80 cells. hsa_circ_0118530 siRNA was transfected into KGN cells. We found that KGN cell viability was repressed, cell apoptosis was induced while cell migration was greatly inhibited. TGF-β1 was utilized to induce EMT process. As shown, loss of hsa_circ_0118530 significantly enhanced E-cadherin mRNA and protein levels while depressed N-cadherin expression. Furthermore, we indicated that decrease of hsa_circ_0118530 was able to inhibit ROS accumulation, MDA levels while induced SOD activity. Next, it was demonstrated that releases of inflammatory cytokine were suppressed by hsa_circ_0118530 down-regulation. Additionally, miR-136 was predicted and confirmed as the target of hsa_circ_0118530. For another, the functions of hsa_circ_0118530 on KGN cell progression, oxidative stress and inflammation releases were obviously reversed by miR-136 suppression. In conclusion, knockdown of hsa_circ_0118530 repressed PCOS progression via sponging miR-136. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) was introduced in Henan Province in 2009. The number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) starting this therapy is increasing., Objective: This study aimed to investigate the survival and factors affecting mortality among this group., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of people living with HIV (PLHIV) who switched to second-line ART between May 1, 2010, and May 1, 2016, using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models., Results: We followed 3,331 PLHIV for 26,988 person-years, of whom 508 (15.3%) died. The mortality rate was 1.88/100 person-years. After adjusting for confounding factors, we found being a woman (hazard ratio (HR), 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55-0.79), > 50 years old (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 2.03-3.56), single/widowed (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.04-1.52), having > 6 years of education (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65-0.94), Chinese medicine (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.52-0.96), liver injury (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.19-2.10), and CD4+ T cell count <200 cells/μl (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.47-2.55), or 200-350 cells/μl (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.03-1.82) were associated with mortality risk., Conclusions: We found lower mortality among PLHIV who switched to second-line ART than most previous studies. The limitations of a retrospective cohort may, therefore, have biased the data, and prospective studies are needed to confirm the results. Moreover, Chinese medicine combined with second-line ART shows potential as a treatment for HIV., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The HLA class Ib molecule is an alloantigen that causes transplant rejection on behalf of individual human and plays an important role in maternal-fetal immune tolerance. Early studies on HLA class Ib focused on the mechanism of HLA-G-induced immune escape, but in recent years, studies on the mechanism of HLA-G have deepened and gradually explored the mechanism of HLA-E and HLA-F, which are also HLA class Ib molecules. In the maternal-fetal interface, trophoblast cells express HLA class Ib molecules to protect the fetus from maternal immune cells by binding to inhibitory receptors of decidual immune cells (DICs) and shifting Th1/Th2 balance toward Th2 bias. Further studies on the molecular mechanism of HLA class Ib molecules provide a reference for its application in the field of clinical assisted reproduction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yang, Wang, Weng, Li, Ma, Liu and Ma.)

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and effectors of hyperlipidemia among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and taking second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) using registry data in central China., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and collected information of PLWHA on second-line ART during 2018 from two medical registries. Hyperlipidemia was defined according to the 2016 Chinese guidelines for the management of dyslipidemia in adults. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the influencing factors of hyperlipidemia. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: A total of 2886 PLWHA taking second-line ART were included in this study, and 978 (33.9%) had hyperlipidemia. Female patients, those with hyperglycemia, and patients with CD4+ cell counts >500 cells/μL had a higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia with 37.0%, 49.0%, and 41.3%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that CD4+ cell count 350-500 cells/μL (OR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.26-2.38), CD4+ cell count >500 cells/μL (OR=2.49, 95% CI: 1.85-3.38), and FPG >6.2 mmol/L (OR=2.08, 95% CI:1.64-2.65) were risk factors for hyperlipidemia. Male sex (OR=0.72, 95% CI: 0.61-0.85) and Hb <110 g/L (OR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.45-0.76) were protective factors against hyperlipidemia., Conclusions: PLWHA on second-line ART had a higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia. Gender, CD4+ cell count, FPG, and hemoglobin were influencing factors of hyperlipidemia., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

This retrospective cohort study was conducted to explore the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy on the long-term trends in CD4 + T-cell count among patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) who were treated with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) over a 14-year period. A total of 721 individuals were treated with cART alone (cART group), and 307 individuals were treated with both cART and TCM (TCM + cART group). Among all enrolled patients with HIV/AIDS, 99.5% were farmers, 71.1% had more than 6 years of education, and 96.8% were infected with HIV via a paid blood donation. For those patients with HIV/AIDS who had a baseline CD4 + T-cell count of <350 cells/mL, the CD4 + T-cell count tended to increase to approximately 350 cells/mL more rapidly in the TCM + cART group than in the cART group, but when the baseline CD4 + T-cell count was ≥350 cells/mL, there was no difference between the cART and TCM + cART groups. For other patients with HIV/AIDS who had a baseline CD4 + T-cell count of 350-500 cells/mL, the CD4 + T-cell counts tended to increase slightly, but there was no difference between the two groups. For patients with HIV/AIDS who had a baseline CD4 + T-cell count of ≥500 cells/mL, the CD4 + T-cell counts tended to be maintained at a particular level, with no difference between the two groups. The results show that the effect of TCM on the CD4 + T-cell counts of patients with HIV/AIDS is related to the CD4 + T-cell level at the time of initial treatment. TCM can increase the CD4 + T-cell count among patients with HIV/AIDS who have a baseline CD4 + T-cell count of <350 cells/mL. Sex and age have a slight influence on the therapeutic effect of TCM., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Dongli Wang et al.)

Background: To evaluate the effects of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) on ovarian reserve function during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET)., Methods: From August 2018 to August 2020, the medical records of patients who received IVF-ET in the Department of Reproductive Medicine, Beijing Gynaecology and Obstetrics Hospital, Capital Medical University were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 372 patients received 2 cycles of COH, 54 patients received 3 cycles, and 13 patients received 4 cycles. The levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), the number of antral follicles, levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), the total amount of gonadotropin (GN), the time of ovulation induction, the number of eggs obtained, the number of available embryos, and the number of high-quality embryos cycles were compared in different treatment., Results: The age of female patients did not significantly affect the levels of AMH or FSH during menstruation, nor the number of antral follicles before ovulation induction (P>0.05). However, with an increase in age, an increase in the number of controlled COH cycles was observed. In patients who underwent 2 COH cycles, the number of high-quality embryos in the second cycle increased significantly compared to the first cycle (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the ovulation induction time, the number of eggs, the GN dosage, and the number of available embryos (P>0.05). In patients with 3 treatment cycles, the GN dose used in the third cycle was significantly lower than that used in the first cycle (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the ovulation induction time, the number of eggs obtained, and the quality of embryos (P>0.05). In patients with 4 treatment cycles, significant differences were observed in the ovulation induction time between the first and the fourth controlled COH cycle (P<0.05). However, no significant differences were detected in GN dosage, ovulation induction time, the number of eggs obtained, the number of available embryos, and the quality of embryos (P>0.05)., Conclusions: Ovarian reserve function was not significantly affected in patients with up to 4 ovarian stimulation cycles.

Background: The conventional survival analysis model on HIV/AIDS prognosis is the Cox proportional hazard model, which deals with only one event type, death, regardless of the cause. Few studies have used a competing risk model to evaluate the predictors of AIDS-related mortality., Objective: To estimate the influence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation time and baseline CD4 + cell counts on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related death among former plasma donors., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 11,905 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS patients in a high-risk area of Henan province in China between 1995 and 2016. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Sub-distribution hazard ratios ( sHRs ) for AIDS-related mortality with baseline CD4 + cell counts and ART initiation time were determined using a competing risk model., Results: Patients who initiated ART within 90 days of HIV/AIDS diagnosis ( sHR : 0.24, 95% CI : 0.22-0.27) or had baseline CD4 + counts of >500 cells/μL ( sHR : 0.23, 95% CI : 0.19-0.28) were associated with lower AIDS-related mortality risk. Patients with ART initiation time >1 year but CD4 + counts >350 cells/μL ( sHR : 4.42, 95% CI : 3.30-5.91) had a higher AIDS-related mortality risk than those with ART initiation time >90 days but CD4 + counts ≤350 cells/μL ( sHR : 4.33, 95% CI : 3.58-5.23)., Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that patients with high CD4 + cell counts and late ART had a 9% higher risk of AIDS-related death than those with low CD4 + cell counts and early ART. This study confirms the great significance of immediate ART initiation among former plasma donor HIV patients in China.

PM 2.5 is well known as a major environmental pollutant; it has been proved to be associated with kidney diseases. The kidney damage involves oxidative stress and/or inflammatory response. NOX4 is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in the kidney, and the excessive generation of ROS is recognized to be responsible for oxidative stress. To elucidate whether short-term PM 2.5 exposure could induce kidney damage, we exposed BALB/c mice to PM 2.5 intratracheally and measured the biomarkers of kidney injury (KIM-1, cystatin C), oxidative stress (MDA, SOD-1, and HO-1), and inflammatory response (NF- κ B, TNF- α ). Acute kidney damage and excessive oxidative stress as well as transient inflammatory response were observed after PM 2.5 installation. The overexpression of some components of the angiotensin system (RAS) after PM 2.5 exposure illustrated that RAS may be involved in PM 2.5 -induced acute kidney injury. CEOs (compound essential oils) have been widely used because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties. Treatment with CEOs substantially attenuated PM 2.5 -induced acute kidney injury. The suppression of RAS activation was significant and earlier than the decrease of oxidative stress and inflammatory response after CEOs treatment. We hypothesized that CEOs could attenuate the acute kidney injury by suppressing the RAS activation and subsequently inhibit the oxidative stress and inflammatory response.

Adipose and endothelial dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular disease. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) directly surrounds vessels and influences vessel function via a paracrine effect, and adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) modulates the metabolic pathway, thus, the present study hypothesized that activation of AMPK in PVAT may regulate endothelial function in pathological settings. The present study investigated the effect of methotrexate (MTX) on adipocytokine expression in PVAT with an emphasis on the regulation of endothelial function. The effects of MTX and the mechanisms involved were investigated using a relaxation assay and western blot analysis. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels. ELISA assay was used to quantify the level of TNF‑α and IL‑6. Palmitic acid (PA) stimulation induced inflammation and dysregulation of adipocytokine expression in PVAT. MTX treatment inhibited nuclear factor‑κB p65 phosphorylation and downregulated expression of pro‑inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor‑α and interleukin-6, whereas adiponectin expression increased. MTX increased AMPK phosphorylation under basal and inflammatory conditions in PVAT, whereas knockdown of AMPK via small interfering RNA diminished its modulatory effect, indicating that MTX inhibits inflammation in an AMPK‑dependent manner. The present study prepared conditioned medium from PA‑stimulated PVAT to induce endothelial dysfunction and observed that pre‑treatment of PVAT with MTX effectively restored the loss of acetylcholine‑induced vasodilation and increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation in the rat aorta. The results of the present study demonstrated that MTX ameliorated inflammation-associated adipocytokine dysregulation and thus prevented endothelial dysfunction. These data provide further pharmacological evidence regarding the beneficial effects of MTX in cardiovascular diseases.

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is considered to play a crucial role in vertebrate development and carcinogenesis. Additionally, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process during which epithelial cells become mesenchymal-appearing cells, facilitating cancer metastasis and invasion. Accumulating evidence has indicated that the Hh signaling pathway could potentiate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In the present study, we demonstrated that tetrandrine, a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Stephaniae, exerts its anti-metastatic ability in bladder cancer cells by regulating GLI family zinc finger 1 (Gli-1), a key factor of Hedgehog signaling pathway. In our study, we confirmed that tetrandrine could impede migration and invasion in bladder cancer 5637 and T24 cells. Additionally, tetrandrine reverses EMT by increasing the expression of E-cadherin and reducing the N-cadherin, vimentin and Slug expression in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, tetrandrine also decreases mobility and reduces the expression of Gli-1 in bladder cancer cells. Moreover, we verified that tetrandrine inhibits metastasis and induces mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) of bladder cancer through downregulation of Gli-1, which could be partially reversed by Gli-1 overexpression. In conclusion, our findings show that tetrandrine inhibits migration and invasion, and reverses EMT of bladder cancer cells through negatively regulating Gli-1. It indicates that Gli-1 may be a potential therapeutic target of tetrandrine against bladder cancer.

Background: Tribbles 3 (TRB3) affects insulin signalling by inhibiting insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and subsequent activation. A single nucleotide polymorphism located in the second extron of the human TRB3 gene is thought to be associated with insulin resistance. The latter is a core abnormality in PCOS independent of obesity. The present study was designed to clarify the relationships of TRB3 Q84R polymorphism with PCOS in a Chinese women group., Methods: A case-control study with two groups: PCOS group (n = 336) and control group of infertility women for tubal and/or male factor (n = 116) was performed. Genotyping of the TRB3 R84 variant was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)., Results: The frequency of genotype QQ in PCOS women was significantly lower, while genotype QR and RR were significantly higher than that in control group (p < 0.05). However, the difference disappeared after adjustment for BMI. At glucose1h, glucose2h and insulin2h point, the difference between QQ individuals and R84 allele carriers in PCOS women reached statistical significance during OGTT (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: TRB3 Q84R polymorphism is associated with obesity and especially glucose metabolism and not associated with polycystic ovary syndrome because of compositional characteristics of phenotype in Chinese PCOS women.

Objective: To establish a new diagnostic method for Down's syndrome using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)., Methods: DNA extracted from five healthy individuals and five Down's syndrome patients was amplified in six specific tetranucleotide repeat loci on chromosome 21 using PCR. An accurate diagnosis was made by analyzing allelic distribution at each locus., Results: All Down's syndrome patients were identified as having at least two loci with three alleles, while none of the healthy individuals had three alleles. In addition, when two alleles were identified for a particular locus in the Down's syndrome samples, it was more likely that the intensity ratio between the two alleles was close to 2:1., Conclusion: The molecular method can provide a fast, accurate, and economical alternation for the traditional cytogenetic diagnostic method for Down's syndrome.