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Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play nonnegligible roles in the metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study is aimed at investigating the biological role of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 in NSCLC metastasis and the underlying regulatory mechanisms. The expression profiles of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 in different NSCLC cell lines were examined. Then, the biological function of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 in NSCLC metastasis was explored by loss-of-function assays in vitro and in vivo. Further, the protective effect of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 on lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF1) was examined using RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Additionally, the role of LEF1 in NSCLC metastasis was investigated. Results indicated that lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 expression was significantly increased in NSCLC cell lines. Functional analysis revealed that knockdown of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 impaired invasion and migration in vitro. Additionally, the ability of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 to promote NSCLC metastasis was also confirmed in vivo. Mechanistically, through direct interaction, lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 maintained LEF1 stability by blocking NARF-mediated ubiquitination. Furthermore, LEF1 knockdown impaired invasion and migration of NSCLC in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these data highlight the ability of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 to promote NSCLC metastasis by stabilizing LEF1 and suggest that lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 represents a novel therapeutic target in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) for renewable energy conversion contributes to the ultimate goal of a zero-carbon emission society. Metal phosphides have been considered as promising HER catalysts in the alkaline environment, which, unfortunately, is still limited owing to the weak adsorption of H* and easy dissolution during operation. Herein, a bimetallic NiCoP-2/NF phosphide is constructed on nickel foam (NF), requiring rather low overpotentials of 150 mV and 169 mV to meet the current densities of 500 and 1000 mA cm−2, respectively, and able to operate stably for 100 h without detectable activity decay. The excellent HER performance is obtained thanks to the synergetic catalytic effect between Ni and Co, among which Ni is introduced to enhance the intrinsic activity and Co increases the electrochemically active area. Meanwhile, the protection of the externally generated amorphous phosphorus oxide layer improves the stability of NiCoP/NF. An electrolyser using NiCoP-2/NF as both cathode and anode catalysts in an alkaline solution can produce hydrogen with low electric consumption (overpotential of 270 mV at 500 mA cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) has traditionally been defined as a non-inflammatory disease. Recently, many studies have demonstrated that OA also has an inflammatory component. BRD4, a member of the Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal Domain family, has emerged as an important regulator of some chronic inflammatory diseases. JQ1, an antagonist of BRD4, modulates transcription of several genes. Our study demonstrated that BRD4 is up-regulated in articular cartilage of OA. BRD4 inhibition attenuated the inflammation and catabolism of chondrocytes and suppressed NF-κB signalling pathway activation. In addition, BRD4 inhibition abolished the transcriptional activity of High Mobility Group Protein B1 (HMGB1). We identified HMGB1 as a direct target of BRD4. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of BRD4 suppressed IL-1β-induced expression and translocation of HMGB1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) showed the enrichment of BRD4 around the HMGB1 upstream non-promoter region, which diminished with JQ1 treatment. Finally, haematoxylin & eosin and Safranin o/Fast Green staining demonstrated that JQ1 attenuates cartilage destruction in mice with anterior cruciate ligament transection without significant toxic effects. These studies highlighted the importance of BRD4 in the chronic inflammatory reactions of OA, which, as far as we know, was the first report of this finding, and suggested that BRD4 might be a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purinergic receptor P2X ligand-gated ion channel 3 (P2X3) is crucially involved in peripheral nociceptive processes of somatic and visceral pain. Endometriosis pain is considered as a kind of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. However, whether P2X3 is involved in endometriosis pain has not been reported up to date. Here, we aimed to determine whether P2X3 expression in endometriotic lesions is involved in endometriosis pain, which is regulated by inflammatory mediators through extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) signalling pathway. We found that P2X3 expressions in endometriosis endometrium and endometriotic lesions were both significantly higher as compared with control endometrium (P<0.05), and both positively correlated with pain (P<0.05). The expression levels of phosphorylated –ERK (p-ERK), phosphorylated-cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB), and P2X3 in endometriotic stromal cells (ESCs) were all significantly increased in comparison to the initial levels after treated with interleukin (IL)-1β (P<0.05) or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (P<0.05), respectively, and did not increase after the ESCs were pre-treated with ERK1/2 inhibitor. Additionally, P2X3 and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) were co-expressed in endometriotic lesions. These obtained results suggest that P2X3 might be involved in endometriosis pain signal transduction via ERK signal pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The [W–O] group with strong adsorption capacity is introduced into CoP to fabricate a bi-functional catalyst towards HER and HzOR. The cell voltage of HzOR coupled electrolyzer with 6W–O–CoP/NF as both anode and cathode catalysts is 1.634 V lower than that of the water splitting system at 100 mA cm−2. A proof-of-concept self-powered H2 production system is assembled to realize the H2 evolution rate of 3.53 mmol cm−2 h−1. Hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) assisted hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) offers a feasible path for low power consumption to hydrogen production. Unfortunately however, the total electrooxidation of hydrazine in anode and the dissociation kinetics of water in cathode are critically depend on the interaction between the reaction intermediates and surface of catalysts, which are still challenging due to the totally different catalytic mechanisms. Herein, the [W–O] group with strong adsorption capacity is introduced into CoP nanoflakes to fabricate bifunctional catalyst, which possesses excellent catalytic performances towards both HER (185.60 mV at 1000 mA cm−2) and HzOR (78.99 mV at 10,00 mA cm−2) with the overall electrolyzer potential of 1.634 V lower than that of the water splitting system at 100 mA cm−2. The introduction of [W–O] groups, working as the adsorption sites for H2O dissociation and N2H4 dehydrogenation, leads to the formation of porous structure on CoP nanoflakes and regulates the electronic structure of Co through the linked O in [W–O] group as well, resultantly boosting the hydrogen production and HzOR. Moreover, a proof-of-concept direct hydrazine fuel cell-powered H2 production system has been assembled, realizing H2 evolution at a rate of 3.53 mmol cm−2 h−1 at room temperature without external electricity supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the influence of body mass index (BMI) and hip anatomy on direct anterior approach (DAA) total hip replacement.Subjects and Methods: The study is a retrospective analysis of 124 cases of DAA total hip replacement from 2009 to 2012. The BMI, the ratio of the greater trochanter (GT) and anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) bilaterally (GT/ASIS), and the vertical distance between the ASIS and GT (AGVD) were obtained from medical records. All cases were categorized into three groups (43, 49, and 32 cases in each group, respectively) based on BMI (BMI <18.5, BMI 18.5-25, and BMI >25) or divided into two groups based on GT/ASIS (≤1.17 or >1.17) or AGVD (≤86 or >86 mm). Operating time, intraoperative bleeding, and surgical complications were compared between different groups.Results: A longer average operating time, more intraoperative bleeding, and a higher rate of complications were observed in the group with the highest BMI. The complications included a case of intraoperative femur fracture, a wound hematoma, and a lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury. The group with higher GT/ASIS had a shorter average operating time, less bleeding, and a lower complication rate than the group with lower GT/ASIS. Moreover, the group with higher AGVD showed a shorter average operating time, less bleeding, and a lower complication rate compared with the group with lower AGVD.Conclusion: Our study suggests that lower BMI and larger GT/ASIS and AGVD are associated with a shorter operating time, less bleeding, and a lower complication rate in DAA total hip replacement. These findings are valuable for clinicians to make the appropriate choice of surgery types for different individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy-induced hypertension is often accompanied by preeclampsia. The present study investigated whether microRNA (miR)-27b-3p affected the occurrence of preeclampsia by regulating the function of endothelial cells. Expressions levels of miR-27b-3p and ATPase plasma membrane Ca2+ transporting 1 (ATP2B1) were determined using reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. miR-27b-3p targeting ATP2B1 was predicted using bioinformatics and further confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assays. Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell and Matrigel tube formation assays were performed to detect the effects of miR-27b-3p on proliferation, migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), respectively. Moreover, HTR8/SVneos cells were co-cultured with HUVECs to detect the invasion of trophoblast cells, and the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 of HUVECs and HTR8/SVneos were detected by western blotting. Expression levels of miR-27b-3p were upregulated in the serum of patients with hypertension and preeclampsia, which could target and regulate the expression of ATP2B1. The expression levels of miR-27b-3p were increased and those of ATP2B1 were reduced in HUVECs from hypertensive serums. Moreover, miR-27b-3p mimics reduced the expression level of ATP2B1, and miR-27b-3p inhibitor reversed the effect of hypertensive serum on ATP2B1 expression. Furthermore, patients with hypertension showed increased endothelial dysfunction, reduced trophoblastic invasion and the expressions of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9, and miR-27b-3p mimics and silencing of ATP2B1 produced similar results to HUVECs. The miR-27b-3p inhibitor reversed the effect of hypertensive serum, and silencing of ATP2B1 inhibited the improvement of miR-27b-3p inhibitor to HUVECs and HTR-8/SVneo cells in proliferation, migration and tube formation. The current findings suggested that miR-27b-3p promoted proliferation, migration and tube formation of HUVECs and enhanced invasion of trophoblast cells, via regulation of ATP2B1. Thus, miR-27b-3p could be considered as a molecular risk factor in the pathogenesis and development of preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spreads worldwide and causes more suffering. The relation about the aggravation of inguinal pain and COVID-19 was unclear in patients with total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study aimed to evaluate the risk of groin pain aggravation in short-term THA patients after COVID-19. Methods: Between 2020 and 2022, 129 patients with THA who were affected COVID-19 were enrolled. A short-standardized questionnaire was administered during follow-up to inquire about the aggravation of groin ache before and after SARS-COV-2 affection. Furthermore, we evaluated the potential association between the presence of increased pain and various factors, including age, gender, body mass index, diagnosis, and length of hospital stay. Results: The case-crossover study revealed an increased risk of inguinal soreness aggravation when comparing 8 weeks after COVID-19 with 12 weeks before COVID-19 (Relative risk [RR], 9.5; 95% Confidence intervals [CI], 2.259–39.954). For COVID-19 positive patients, multivariate analysis showed length of stay was an independent factor significantly associated with increased risk of aggravation of groin pain (Odds ratio [OR], 1.26; 95%CI, 1.03–1.55, p = 0.027). Conclusion: This study confirms the association between COVID-19 and the exacerbation of soreness in the groin region in THA patients and extended length of stay is a possible contributing factor. This study expands the current literature by investigating the risk of aggravation of inguinal pain in patients with THA after COVID-19, providing valuable insights into postoperative outcomes in this specific population. Trial registration This retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Shanghai general hospital (No.2023-264). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many factors can affect the recurrence of endometriosis after surgery, however, whether endometriotic cyst fluid contributes to endometriosis recurrence after surgical excision of ovarian endometriomas remains unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of endometrial cells in ovarian endometriosis cyst fluid and the potential differences between these cells and those in the cyst wall. Methods: Samples of cyst fluid (n = 39) and drainage fluid (n = 14) were collected from patients with ovarian endometriomas undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Drainage fluid from 14 patients without endometriosis was used as a control. The presence of endometrial cells in cyst fluid and drainage fluid was determined by cell culture in vitro and immunostaining. In addition, cyst fluid endometrial fragments and viscosity were analysed by transcriptome sequencing analysis and apparent diffusion coefficients, respectively. An animal model was used to confirm the ability of endometrial cells in cyst fluid to form new lesions. Results: We found endometrium-like tissues in 71.8% (28/39) of cyst fluid and 71.4% (10/14) of drainage fluid samples by histopathological examination, and the presence of endometrioid tissue in cyst fluid was related to the viscosity of the cyst fluid. The living endometrial cells in cyst fluid and drainage fluid were confirmed by cell culture in vitro and immunostaining. Moreover, the adhesion ability of endometrial fragments in cyst fluid was significantly higher than that of ectopic tissues in the cyst wall (P < 0.05). In addition, living endometrial cells in the cyst fluid were able to adhere and alive in the animal model. Conclusions: The existence of living endometrial cells with high adhesion ability in ovarian endometriotic cyst fluid may contribute to the recurrence of endometriosis after surgical excision of endometriomas due to cyst fluid outflow during the surgical procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is widely recognized as the most common chronic joint disease accompanied by progressive cartilage and subchondral bone damage. Toddalolactone (TOD), a natural compound extracted from Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam., has been widely used in the treatment of stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, and oedema. Nevertheless, what TOD acts as in the pathogenesis and progression of OA hasn't been reported. In this investigation, we have aimed to determine how TOD affects OA in vitro and in vivo. Methods: LPS (10 µg/ml) and IL-1β (10 ng/ml) were employed to induce chondrocyte inflammation or RANKL to induce osteoclast differentiation in bone marrow derived macrophages (BMMs). The effects of TOD on chondrocyte inflammation and osteoclast differentiation were evaluated. Anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) was performed to develop an OA animal model and study the effects of TOD. Results: We found that TOD inhibited the expression of inflammatory and catabolic mediators (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, MMP2, MMP9, and MMP13) in inflammatory chondrocytes in vitro. Furthermore, TOD was proven to inhibit RANKL-induced-osteoclastogenesis and inhibit the expression of osteoclast marker genes. Our data also confirmed that TOD suppressed the destruction of articular cartilage and osteoclastogenesis via inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathways. In the ACLT mouse model, we found that TOD attenuated cartilage erosion and inhibited bone resorption. Conclusions: These results showed that TOD can be adopted as a potential therapeutic agent for OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Aseptic loosening (AL) is the most common reason of total hip arthroplasty (THA) failure and revision surgery. Osteolysis, caused by wear particles released from implant surfaces, has a vital role in AL. Although previous studies suggest that wear particles always lead to osteoblast programmed death in the process of AL, the specific mechanism remains incompletely understood and osteoblast ferroptosis maybe a new mechanism of AL. Materials and Methods: CoCrMo nanoparticles (CoNPs) were prepared to investigate the influence of ferroptosis in osteoblasts and calvaria resorption animal models. Periprosthetic osteolytic bone tissue was collected from patients who underwent AL after THA to verify osteoblast ferroptosis. Results: Our study demonstrated that CoNPs induced significant ferroptosis in osteoblasts and particles induced osteolysis (PIO) animal models. Blocking ferroptosis with specific inhibitor Ferrostatin‐1 dramatically reduced particle‐induced ferroptosis in vitro. Moreover, in osteoblasts, CoNPs significantly downregulated the expression of Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2), a core element in the antioxidant response. The overexpression of Nrf2 by siKeap1 or Nrf2 activator Oltipraz obviously upregulated antioxidant response elements (AREs) and suppressed ferroptosis in osteoblasts. Furthermore, in PIO animal models, the combined utilization of Ferrostatin‐1 and Oltipraz dramatically ameliorated ferroptosis and the severity of osteolysis. Conclusions: These results indicate that CoNPs promote osteoblast ferroptosis by regulating the Nrf2‐ARE signalling pathway, which suggests a new mechanism underlying PIO and represents a potential therapeutic approach for AL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the effect of exercise nursing intervention for pelvic floor muscle function recovery at 42 days postpartum, this paper conducts experimental research through controlled experiments, combines statistical methods to carry out digital processing, and sets a single variable of nursing intervention to provide a basis for experimental control, and statistical test results are used for effect evaluation. It has been discovered via experimental study that pelvic floor muscle function recovery exercise training for normal delivery women may enhance the mother's compliance with the pelvic floor muscle function exercise. Moreover, it can reduce the occurrence of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, improve the postpartum pelvic floor function of postpartum women, improve the quality of life, and have a significant recovery effect. In addition, it is a simple, noninvasive, and highly safe continuation nursing measure, which can effectively improve the quality of obstetric care and has strong clinical use value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial adenocarcinoma is one of the most prevalent female reproductive tract cancers in the world, and the development of effective treatment is still the main goal of its current research. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a significant part in the occurrence and development of epithelial carcinoma, including endometrial adenocarcinoma. Recepteur d'origine nantais (RON) induces EMT and promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion in various epithelial-derived cancers, but its role in endometrial adenocarcinoma is still poorly studied. The purpose of this study is to verify the overexpression of RON in endometrial adenocarcinoma and to explore its specific roles. RON expression in tumor lesions was verified by immunohistochemical staining, HEC-1B cells were used to construct stable cell lines with RON overexpression or knockdown to investigate the effects of RON on the function of endometrial adenocarcinoma cells, and xenotransplantation experiment was carried out in nude mice to explore the effect of RON on the growth of endometrial adenocarcinoma in vivo. This study revealed that RON could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HEC-1B cells and induce EMT, and these effects were regulated through the Smad pathway. RON overexpression could promote growth of endometrial adenocarcinoma cells in nude mice, while its inhibitor BMS777607 could restrict this role. RON played an important role in endometrial adenocarcinoma and had a potential to become a new therapeutic target for endometrial adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endometriosis is a refractory and recurrent disease and it affects nearly 10% of reproductive-aged women and 40% of infertile patients. The commonly accepted theory for endometriosis is retrograde menstruation where endometrial tissues invade into peritoneal cavity and fail to be cleared due to immune dysfunction. Therefore, the comprehensive understanding of immunologic microenvironment of peritoneal cavity deserves further investigation for the previous studies mainly focus on one or several immune cells. Results: High-quality transcriptomes were from peritoneal fluid samples of patients with endometriosis and control, and firstly subjected to 10 × genomics single-cell RNA-sequencing. We acquired the single-cell transcriptomes of 10,280 cells from endometriosis sample and 7250 cells from control sample with an average of approximately 63,000 reads per cell. A comprehensive map of overall cells in peritoneal fluid was first exhibited. We unveiled the heterogeneity of immune cells and discovered new cell subtypes including T cell receptor positive (TCR+) macrophages, proliferating macrophages and natural killer dendritic cells in peritoneal fluid, which was further verified by double immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Pseudo-time analysis showed that the response of macrophages to the menstrual debris might follow the certain differentiation trajectory after endometrial tissues invaded into the peritoneal cavity, that is, from antigen presentation to pro-inflammation, then to chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Our analyses also mirrored the dysfunctions of immune cells including decreased phagocytosis and cytotoxic activity and elevated pro-inflammatory and chemotactic effects in endometriosis. Conclusion: TCR+ macrophages, proliferating macrophages and natural killer dendritic cells are firstly reported in human peritoneal fluid. Our results also revealed that immune dysfunction happens in peritoneal fluid of endometriosis, which may be responsible for the residues of invaded menstrual debris. It provided a large-scale and high-dimensional characterization of peritoneal microenvironment and offered a useful resource for future development of immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole genome amplification (WGA) is crucial for whole genome sequencing to investigate complex genomic alteration at the single-cell or even single-molecule level. Multiple displacement amplification (MDA) and multiple annealing and looping based amplification cycles (MALBAC) are two most widely applied WGA methods, which have different advantages and disadvantages, dependent on research objectives. Herein, we compared the MDA and MALBAC to provide more information on their performance in droplets and tubes. We observed that the droplet method could dramatically reduce the amplification bias and retain the high accuracy of replication than the conventional tube method. Furthermore, the droplet method exhibited higher efficiency and sensitivity for both homozygous and heterozygous single nucleotide variants (SNVs) at the low sequencing depth. In addition, we also found that MALBAC offered a greater uniformity and reproducibility and MDA showed a better efficiency of genomic coverage and SNV detection. Our results provided insights that will allow future decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: Does P2X ligand-gated ion channel 3 (P2X3) play a role in endometriosis pain?Summary Answer: Upregulation of P2X3 in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) tissues via the activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3)/activator protein (AP)-1 pathway contributed to endometriosis-associated hyperalgesia, which could be attenuated by the chitosan oligosaccharide stearic acid (CSOSA)/liposomes (LPs)/SP600125 delivery system.What Is Known Already: Infiltrating nerve fibers and elevated nociceptors in endometriotic lesions are associated with endometriosis pain. P2X3 has been demonstrated to play an important role in neuropathic pain.Study Design, Size, Duration: A rat model of endometriosis was used to investigate the signaling pathways involved in P2X3-induced pain.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Degrees of hyperalgesia, endogenous adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) contents and P2X3 expression levels in endometriotic lesions and DRG tissues were detected in a rat model of endometriosis. The expression levels of ATF3 and P2X3 were measured using qRT-PCR, western blot analysis and immunofluorescence analysis after adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) exposure in DRG cells. Plasmids encoding ATF3 and its siRNA were used to investigate the role of ATF3 on ADP-induced P2X3 upregulation. The activity of ATF binding to the P2X3 promoter was evaluated by using chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) and luciferase assays. SP600125, an inhibitor of c-JUN N-terminal kinase, was wrapped in CSOSA/LPs delivery system and its inhibitory effects on ADP-induced upregulation of P2X3 in DRG cells and endometriosis-induced hyperalgesia in rats were tested.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The concentrations of endogenous ATP and expression levels of P2X3 were significantly increased in both endometriotic lesions and DRG tissues in endometriosis rat models and were found to be positively correlated with the severity of hyperalgesia. In DRG cells, P2X3 expression levels were elevated by ADP stimulation, but dramatically inhibited by blocking ATF3 with its siRNA and SP600125. CHIP and luciferase assay showed that ADP increased the binding of ATF3 to the P2X3 promoter, resulting in an increase in P2X3 expression levels. In the CSOSA/LPs/SP600125 delivery system, the drug could be effectively concentrated in endometriotic lesions, and it could alleviate endometriosis-induced hyperalgesia, reduce the size of endometriotic lesions and attenuate upregulated P2X3 expression levels in endometriosis rat models.Large Scale Data: N/A.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: Changes in the sensitivity and function of P2X3 caused by endometriosis need to be further investigated.Wider Implications Of the Findings: This study indicates that ATP and the P2X3 receptor are involved in endometriosis pain, thus providing a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of endometriosis pain by targeting the P2X3 receptor.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was funded by National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFC1001202) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 81974225, 81671429 and 81471433). There are no competing interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endometriosis is defined as a chronic inflammatory disease. Recent studies have shown that increased coagulation parameters including fibrinogen and platelets are associated with endometriosis. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of inflammatory markers and coagulation parameters and their correlations in women with endometriomas compared to those with benign ovarian cysts or normal pelvic anatomy.Methods: Between June 2015 and June 2017, a total of 548 women who underwent laparoscopic/laparotomic surgery for ovarian endometriomas (OMA group, n = 226), non-endometriosis benign ovarian cysts (Cyst group, n = 210) and tubal reanastomosis (Control group, n = 112) were recruited in this study. Inflammatory markers including c-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and coagulation parameters including platelet count, thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time, and plasma fibrinogen as well as CA-125 were determined.Results: Compared with Cyst group and Control group, TT and PT in OMA group were significantly shorter and plasma fibrinogen levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Moreover, the levels of plasma fibrinogen were positively correlated with CRP, NLR and PLR (P < 0.05). In addition, the confidence intervals for the area under the curve (AUC) for CA-125 × fibrinogen were significantly higher than those for CA-125 (0.904-0.952 vs. 0.899-0.949) in the diagnosis of endometrioma.Conclusions: These results indicate that women with endometriomas demonstrate a hypercoagulable status due to the inflammatory nature of endometriosis. The combined determination for CA-125 and fibrinogen demonstrate a higher area under the curve than the single detection of CA-125 in those with endometriomas compared to these with benign ovarian cysts.Trial Registration: This study was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of the Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University (No.20170174) and all women provided written informed consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effectiveness of celecoxib and its effect on the rehabilitation of joint function after total knee arthroplasty.Methods: 72 patients presented between 2016 and 2017 and were divided into two groups. The experimental group was given 200 mg celecoxib twice daily with tramadol hydrochloride 50 mg twice daily (as required); the control group was given tramadol hydrochloride 50 mg twice daily for 6 weeks from the first day after total knee arthroplasty. Skin temperature around the knee was measured 1 day before surgery, on postoperative days 1 and 3, and at weeks 1, 2, and 6. Inflammatory markers (white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and interleukin-6) were measured preoperatively, on postoperative day 3, and at weeks 1 and 6. Knee Society Score was recorded preoperatively and at postoperative weeks 1, 2, and 6.Results: Except for preoperative skin temperature, the recorded skin temperatures of the experimental group were significantly different compared to those of the control group (p = 0.001, 0.024, 0.030, 0.041, 0.047, respectively). Levels of C-reactive protein were significantly different at the 1st and the 6th week after surgery, differing by 19.3 ± 4.64 mg/L (p < 0.001) and 2.6 ± 0.92 mg/L (p = 0.006). Levels of interleukin-6 showed a significant difference of 6.61 ± 2.36 pg/mL (p = 0.007) at the 1st week after surgery. Until the 6th week after surgery, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the experimental group and the control group differed by 17 ± 4.6 mm/h (p = 0.001).Conclusions: Celecoxib has a significant inhibitory effect on postoperative aseptic inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siloxene features abundant functional groups and oxygen vacancies, which facilitates the ultrafine platinum nanoparticles loading for catalyzing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, a siloxene-p-Pt-2 h composite has been fabricated with an ultralow platinum loading on siloxene (0.56 wt%), which shows greatly enhanced HER activity featuring an ultralow overpotential (η 10 = 23 mV). Attractively, the siloxene-p-Pt-2 h has been applied as a HER catalyst in a Zn-H 2 O fuel cell, demonstrating a high power density of 157 mW cm−2 in coupling with the cathode hydrogen evolution. Moreover, a coupled configuration between two Zn-H 2 O fuel cells in series and the cell-powered hydroxide electrolyzer achieves the efficient hydrogen co-productions co-catalyzed by the HER catalysts. The excellent HER performance is attributed to the hydrophilic character and the optimal Gibbs free energy via the strong interaction between the siloxene and platinum nanoparticles. This work provides a novel design of self-powered co-productions of hydrogen. Two dimensional siloxene containing abundant functional groups was demonstrated as an effective support to load ultralow platinum nanoparticles (0.56 wt%), which shows superior HER performance in both Zn-H 2 O cells and water electrolysis attributing to the excellent hydrophilia of siloxene and the faster carrier mobility as well as the suitable value of hydrogen Gibbs free energy (ΔG H*). [Display omitted] • A novel strategy to facilely synthesize siloxene-p-Pt catalysts is developed. • Siloxene-p-Pt exhibits excellent HER activity in water splitting and Zn-H 2 O cells. • Hydrogen co-evolutions from Zn-H 2 O cells-powered water splitting is constructed. • The strong electronic interaction and hydrophilia of siloxene enhance HER activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern China has been long threatened by aeolian desertification. In recent years, all levels of the Chinese government have performed a series of ecological protection and sand control projects. To grasp the implementation effects of these projects and adjust policies in time, it is necessary to understand the process of aeolian desertification quickly and accurately. Remote sensing technologies play an irreplaceable role in aeolian desertification monitoring. In this study, the Zhenglan Banner, which is in the hinterland of the Hunshandake Sandy Land, was considered as the research area. Based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images, ground survey data, and Landsat images called in Google Earth Engine (GEE), the aeolian desertified land (ADL) in 2000, 2004, 2010, 2015, and 2019 was extracted using spectral mixture analysis. A desertification index (DI) was constructed to evaluate the spatial and temporal dynamics of the ADL in the Zhenglan Banner. Finally, a residual analysis explored the driving forces of aeolian desertification. The results showed that (1) the ADL area in the Zhenglan Banner has been trending downwards over the past 20 years but rebounded from 2004 to 2010; (2) over the past 20 years, the area of slightly, moderately, and severely desertified land has decreased at annual rates of 0.4%, 2.7%, and 3.4%, respectively; (3) human activities had significantly positive and negative impacts on the aeolian desertification trend for 20.0% and 21.0% of the study area, respectively, but not for the rest. This paper explored new techniques for rapid aeolian desertification monitoring and is of great significance for controlling and managing aeolian desertification in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanopores have a unique advantage for detecting biomolecules in a label-free fashion, such as DNA that can be synthesized into specific structures to perform computations. This method has been considered for the detection of diseased molecules. Here, we propose a novel marker molecule detection method based on DNA logic gate by deciphering a variable DNA tetrahedron structure using a nanopore. We designed two types of probes containing a tetrahedron and a single-strand DNA tail which paired with different parts of the target molecule. In the presence of the target, the two probes formed a double tetrahedron structure. As translocation of the single and the double tetrahedron structures under bias voltage produced different blockage signals, the events could be assigned into four different operations, i.e., (0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 0), (1, 1), according to the predefined structure by logic gate. The pattern signal produced by the AND operation is obviously different from the signal of the other three operations. This pattern recognition method has been differentiated from simple detection methods based on DNA self-assembly and nanopore technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates that the crosstalk between endometrial cells and mast cells promotes the migratory ability of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells and angiogenesis via CCL8/CCR1, thereby contributing to the development of endometriosis. • Endometrial cells promote the secretion of CCL8 from mast cells by their crosstalk. • CCL8 promotes the migratory ability of endometrial cells and novel angiogenesis. • CCL8 takes its effects via CCL8/CCR1. • CCR1 antagonist suppresses the development of endometriosis. The density and the activity of mast cells are associated with endometriosis. However, the role of mast cells on the pathogenesis of endometriosis remains unclear. Our study aims to investigate whether endometrial cells interact with mast cells and the involvement of their crosstalk in the development of endometriosis. The transwell assay was applied to investigate the effect of mast cells on the migratory ability of human primary endometrial cells. Mast cells were cocultured with endometrial epithelial and stromal cells respectively and total RNAs were isolated and subjected to mRNA sequencing. Next, the transwell assay, CCK-8, and tube formation were applied to study the role of CCL8 on the endometrial and endothelial cells in vitro. The mouse model was also established to confirm the role of CCL8 in the development and angiogenesis of endometriosis. CCL8 was up-regulated in mast cells when cocultured with endometrial cells. CCL8 was highly expressed in the ectopic endometrium and the serum of patients with endometriosis. CCL8 promoted the migratory ability of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells and increased the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells. CCR1, the receptor of CCL8, was over-expressed in the ectopic endometrium and colocalized with blood vessels in ovarian endometriomas. The inhibition of CCR1 suppressed the development and angiogenesis of endometriosis in vivo. The crosstalk between endometrial cells and mast cells in the development of endometriosis via CCL8/CCR1 was demonstrated, thereby providing a new treatment strategy for endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]