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Abstract Background While most research has focused on the association between intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and neurodevelopmental disorders in children, relatively little attention has been given to its metabolic effects. Previous studies have reported that low serum lipid levels are associated with mental health problems. Our objective was to analyze the impact of ICSI on metabolic alterations compared to their in vitro fertilization (IVF) counterparts in male offspring, as well as its interaction with paternal overweight/obesity. Methods We recruited families between January 2006 and December 2017 at the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shandong University, China. Prospective data of offspring were obtained for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, glucose, and lipid profile in their 0–11 years old. Linear mixed models were utilized to compute the mean difference and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results A total of 14,196 offspring visits were identified. In offspring aged 4–11 years, ICSI-conceived offspring exhibited significantly lower fasting glucose z-scores, total cholesterol z-scores, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) z-scores compared with their IVF counterparts (fasting glucose z-score: adjusted mean difference: − 0.13, 95% CI: − 0.23 to − 0.03; total cholesterol z-score: adjusted mean difference: − 0.13, 95% CI: − 0.23 to − 0.02; LDL-C z-score: adjusted mean difference: − 0.12, 95% CI: − 0.22 to − 0.01). Paternal overweight/obesity significantly influenced the relationship between ICSI and metabolic changes in offspring. In offspring born from fathers with overweight/obesity, ICSI-conceived offspring displayed significantly lower fasting glucose and total cholesterol z-scores than their IVF controls (fasting glucose z-score: adjusted mean difference: − 0.20, 95% CI: − 0.32 to − 0.08; total cholesterol z-score: adjusted mean difference: − 0.15, 95% CI: − 0.27 to − 0.02). In offspring born to fathers with normal weight, ICSI-conceived offspring showed significantly lower systolic blood pressure z-scores compared to those conceived via the IVF procedures (adjusted mean difference: − 0.21, 95% CI: − 0.37 to − 0.05). Conclusions The findings of this study suggested that ICSI was associated with altered glucose and lipid profiles compared to their IVF controls, characterized by lower fasting glucose z-scores, total cholesterol z-scores, and LDL-C z-scores. Encouraging fathers to reduce their body weight could potentially improve the metabolic health of their ICSI-conceived children.

Abstract The seabed and the water column are tightly coupled in shallow coastal environments. Numerical models of seabed‐water interaction provide an alternative to observational studies that require concurrent measurements in both compartments, which are hard to obtain and rarely available. Here, we present a coupled model that includes water column biogeochemistry, seabed diagenesis, sediment transport and hydrodynamics. Our model includes realistic representations of biogeochemical reactions in both seabed and water column, and fluxes at their interface. The model was built on algorithms for seabed‐water exchange in the Regional Ocean Modeling System and expanded to include carbonate chemistry in seabed. The updated model was tested for two sites where benthic flux and porewater concentration measurements were available in the northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. The calibrated model reproduced the porewater concentration‐depth profiles and benthic fluxes of O2, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), TAlk, NO3 and NH4. We used the calibrated model to explore the role of benthic fluxes in acidifying bottom water during fair weather and resuspension periods. Under fair weather conditions, model results indicated that bio‐diffusion in sediment, labile material input and sediment porosity have a large control on the importance of benthic flux to bottom water acidification. During resuspension, the model indicated that bottom water acidification would be enhanced due to the sharp increase of the DIC/TAlk ratio of benthic fluxes. To conclude, our model reproduced the seabed‐water column exchange of biologically important solutes and can be used for quantifying the role of benthic fluxes in driving bottom water acidification over continental shelves.

Soil microbial inoculants are widely recognized as an environmentally friendly strategy for promoting crop growth and increasing productivity. However, research on utilizing the microbial resources from desert biological soil crusts to enhance crop growth remains relatively unexplored. In the present work, a bacterial strain designated AC1-8 with high levels of amylase, protease, and cellulase activity was isolated from cyanobacterial crusts of the Tengger Desert and identified as Bacillus cereus (CGMCC 1.60196). The refinement of the fermentation parameters of B. cereus CGMCC 1.60196 determined that the most effective medium for biomass production was composed of 5 g/L glucose, 22 g/L yeast extract and 15 g/L MgSO4, and the optimal culture conditions were pH 6.0, temperature 37°C, inoculation quantity 3% and agitation speed 240 rpm. Furthermore, the utilization of B. cereus CGMCC 1.60196 has resulted in substantial improvements in various growth parameters of maize seedlings, including shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weights, root fresh and dry weights, and the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll. The most pronounced growth promotion was observed at an application concentration of 1 × 109 CFU/m2. These results suggest that the novel B. cereus strain, isolated from cyanobacterial crusts, can be regarded as an exemplary biological agent for soil improvement, capable of enhancing soil conditions, promoting crop cultivation and supporting food production.

Abstract Background To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the potential joint effect of large for gestational age (LGA) and assisted reproductive technology (ART) on the long-term health of children. Methods This was a prospective cohort study that recruited children whose parents had received ART treatment in the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital, affiliated to Shandong University, between January 2006 and December 2017. Linear mixed model was used to compare the main outcomes. The mediation model was used to evaluate the intermediary effect of body mass index (BMI). Results 4138 (29.5%) children born LGA and 9910 (70.5%) children born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) were included in the present study. The offspring ranged from 0.4 to 9.9 years. LGAs conceived through ART were shown to have higher BMI, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance values, even after controlling for all covariates. The odds of overweight and insulin resistance are also higher in LGA subjects. After adjusting for all covariates, LGAs conceived through ART had BMI and BMI z-scores that were 0.48 kg/m2 and 0.34 units greater than those of AGAs, respectively. The effect of LGA on BMI was identified as early as infancy and remained consistently significant throughout pre-puberty. Conclusions Compared to AGA, LGA children conceived from ART were associated with increased cardiovascular-metabolic events, which appeared as early as infancy and with no recovery by pre-puberty.

Abstract Immune disorders have become one of the public health problems and imposes a serious economic and social burden worldwide. Ginsenosides, the main active constituents of ginseng, are regarded as a novel supplementary strategy for preventing and improving immune disorders and related diseases. This review summarized the recent research progress of ginsenosides in immunomodulation and proposed future directions to promote the development and application of ginsenosides. After critically reviewing the immunomodulatory potential of ginsenosides both in vitro and in vivo and even in clinical data of humans, we provided a perspective that ginsenosides regulated the immune system through activation of immune cells, cytokines, and signaling pathways such as MAPK, PI3K/Akt, STAT, and AMPK, as well as positively affected immune organs, gut flora structure, and systemic inflammatory responses. However, the evidence for the safety and efficacy of ginsenosides is insufficient, and the immune pathways of ginsenosides remain incompletely characterized. We believe that this review will provide a valuable reference for further research on ginsenosides as dietary supplements with immunomodulatory effects.

Pembrolizumab and other immunotherapies have become central in treating metastatic colon cancer, particularly effective in patients with mismatch repair deficiencies. We report a case involving a man who initially underwent radical surgery for sigmoid colon cancer on April 27, 2011, followed by hepatic tumor resection on September 21, 2017. Post-surgery, he received eight cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with the CAPEOX regimen and was regularly monitored through CT and MRI scans. On August 24, 2022, liver metastases were detected, and he was diagnosed with Lynch syndrome (LS) due to germline mutation in the MSH2 and EPCAM genes. He commenced treatment with 200mg of pembrolizumab intravenously every three weeks on September 2, 2022, and demonstrated a sustained response. However, after 17 cycles, he developed a treatment related adverse event (TRAE) of pancreatic endocrine dysfunction, leading to type 1 diabetes, managed with subcutaneous insulin injections. After 30 cycles of treatment, no evidence of disease was observed. This case underscores the significant clinical benefits of first-line pembrolizumab in managing hepatic metastasis in colonic carcinoma associated with LS, despite the occurrence of TRAEs. It raises critical questions regarding the optimal duration of immunotherapy following a complete or partial response and whether treatment should be discontinued upon the emergency of TRAEs. Continued research and forthcoming clinical trials with checkpoint inhibitors are expected to refine treatment protocols for LS-associated carcinoma.

BackgroundParent–child separation raises concerns for the well-being of 69 million left-behind children (LBC) in China. However, the effects of parental migration status, timing of migration, and migration duration on the health of children remain unclear. This study aims to explore the association between different parent–child separation experience and a range of health outcomes in rural Chinese children.MethodA sample of 2,355 students, grades 5 to 8, from two provinces in China were recruited. Standardized self-report instruments collected data on demographics, separation status, and children’s health conditions.ResultsFull data were available for 274 children with both parents currently migrating (BLBC), 638 children with one parent currently migrating (SLBC), 658 children with parents previously migrated (PLBC) and 785 children with non-migrating parents (NLBC). Regression model results showed that, compared to the NLBC group, BLBC and PLBC exhibited lower self-rated health (p

Objectives Pregnancy outcomes of different ovarian stimulation protocols for in vitro fertilisation/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) in patients with adenomyosis are not explicit. This meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of different IVF/ICSI protocols on pregnancy outcomes.Design Meta-analysis.Data sources PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane library were searched up to October 2023.Eligibility criteria Comparative studies on IVF/ICSI outcomes in the adenomyosis population were eligible. Studies on preimplantation genetic testing, reviews, case reports and animal experiments were excluded.Data extraction and synthesis Valid information was extracted by two independent authors according to a standard data format. All analyses were conducted using Review Manager (RevMan, V.5.3).Results Compared with the non-adenomyosis population, adenomyosis was responsible for a 26% reduction in clinical pregnancy rate (CPR; 42.47% vs 55.89%, OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.66 to 0.82, p

Abstract Background Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is recognized as the most prevalent endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age. While the utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has resulted in favorable outcomes for infertility treatment in PCOS patients, the inherent pathophysiological features of the condition give rise to complications and consequences during pregnancy and delivery for both the mother and offspring. This study was to assess the correlation between maternal PCOS and various pregnancy complications and neonatal outcomes undergone ART. Methods A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane Library to identify observational studies that investigated the association between PCOS and the risk of various pregnancy complications and neonatal outcomes, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hypertension in pregnancy (PIH), preeclampsia (PE), preterm birth, abortion, congenital malformations (CA), small for gestational age (SGA), large for gestational age (LGA), low birth weight (LBW), macrosomia, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and birth weight. Eligible studies were selected based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager and Stata software, with odds ratios (ORs) or mean difference (MD), confidence intervals (CIs), and heterogeneity (I2) being calculated. The search was conducted up to March 2023. Results A total of 33 studies with a combined sample size of 92,810 participants were identified. The findings indicate that PCOS is significantly associated with an increased risk of GDM (OR 1.51, 95% CI:1.17–1.94), PIH (OR 1.72, 95% CI:1.25–2.39), PE (OR 2.12, 95% CI:1.49–3.02), preterm birth (OR 1.29, 95% CI:1.21–1.39), and LBW (OR 1.29, 95% CI:1.14–1.47). In subgroup analyses, the risks of GDM (OR 1.80, 95% CI:1.23–2.62) and abortion (OR 1.41, 95% CI:1.08–1.84) were elevated in fresh embryo transferred (ET) subgroup, whereas elevated risk of PE (OR 1.82, 95% CI:1.17–2.83) and preterm birth (OR 1.31, 95% CI:1.21–1.42) was identified in frozen ET subgroup. Whatever with or without hyperandrogenism, patients with PCOS had a higher risk in preterm birth (OR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.31–2.18; OR 1.24, 95% CI:1.02–1.50) and abortion (OR 1.38, 95% CI:1.12–1.71; OR 1.23, 95% CI:1.06–1.43). Conclusion Our findings suggest that individuals with PCOS undergone ART are at a notably elevated risk for experiencing pregnancy complications and unfavorable neonatal outcomes. Nevertheless, to establish a definitive association between PCOS and pregnancy-related outcomes, it is necessary to conduct extensive prospective, blinded cohort studies and effectively control for confounding variables.

Abstract Mg/Ca ratio in stalagmites primarily serves as an indicator of past hydrological conditions rather than temperature variations. Here, we present an Mg/Ca ratio record in a stalagmite from northern China, spanning ice age termination II. A unique finding is that Mg/Ca ratio shows a moderately strong positive correlation with cave air temperature obtained from clumped isotopes data in the same stalagmite. The stable hydrogeochemistry of source water and high temperature sensitivity of Mg partition coefficient plausibly explain this temperature dependence. Furthermore, we establish an Mg/Ca‐temperature calibration for stalagmites from mid‐latitudes, encompassing a temperature range between ∼2 and ∼15°C, where Mg/Ca = 14.221 × e0.073×T (R2 = 0.40). Applying this function to Mg/Ca ratio from similar stalagmites could tentatively provide a quantitative regional temperature record over millennial and centennial timescales. This research highlights Mg/Ca ratio in stalagmites as a potential palaeo‐temperature proxy and introduces, for the first time, a tentative Mg/Ca‐temperature calibration function for speleothems.

Abstract Rituximab (RTX) and cyclophosphamide (CYC) based treatments are both recommended as first-line therapies in idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) by KDIGO 2021 guideline. However, the efficacy of RTX vs. CYC-based treatments in IMN is still controversial. We performed this systemic review and meta-analysis registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42,022,355,717) by pooling data from randomized controlled trials or cohort studies in IMN patients using the EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane libraries (till Orc 1, 2022). The primary outcomes were the complete remission (CR) rate + partial remission (PR) rate. CR rate, immunologic response rate, relapse rate, and the risk of serious adverse events (SAE) were secondary outcomes. Eight studies involving 600 adult patients with IMN were included with a median follow-up duration of 12 to 60 months. RTX induced a similar overall remission rate compared with CYC (RR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.71, 1.09, P = 0.23). At the follow-up time of 6 months, RTX was associated with a lower CR + PR rate compared with CYC (RR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.88, P = 0.003). Moreover, RTX might be less effective in inducing CR + PR than CYC treatment in IMN patients with high antiPLA2R antibody levels (RR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.94, P = 0.02). The occurrences of CRs, relapse rates, immunologic response rates, and SAE were not significantly different between RTX and CYC, respectively. In conclusion, although the long-term efficacy and safety of CYC compared to RTX were comparable, CYC might respond faster and be more advantageous in IMN patients with high antiPLA2R antibody titers.

Considering the importance of coastal wetlands as key land resources and the ecological degradation caused by large-scale and multi-stage reclamation, as well as the significant synergistic and superimposed effects of reclamation on wetland degradation in temporal and spatial dimensions, it is vital to conduct in-depth research on the impact mechanisms and cumulative effects of reclamation on wetland degradation. However, the existing methods for evaluating these cumulative effects still have some shortcomings in characterizing the spatiotemporal scale. Consequently, it is urgent to introduce or develop a cumulative effect evaluation method based on remote sensing. Taking the Jiangsu coastal wetland as a typical case study area, the present study constructed a cumulative effect evaluation method based on calculus theory combined with landscape succession modeling and statistical analysis. This method was then used to quantitatively analyze the impacts and cumulative effects of reclamation on wetland degradation in the Jiangsu coastal region from 1980 to 2024. The results show that degradation of the Jiangsu coastal wetlands over the last 45 years covered 2931.54 km2, accounting for 46.92% of the area in 1980. This degradation primarily reflects a shift from natural wetland to constructed wetland. In addition, the reclaimed area of 2119.61 km2 is mainly used for aquaculture and agricultural cultivation. The reclamation rate of Jiangsu showed insignificant fluctuations and significant spatial differences. The reclamation rate of the north counties and cities presented a downward trend, while that of the south counties and cities presented an upward trend. Reclamation has a significant impact on wetland degradation, with a contribution rate of 50.62%. The cumulative effect in the study area reached its maximum value in 2015, except for Nantong City. This study provides a new perspective for quantitatively analyzing the impacts and cumulative effects of coastal wetland reclamation and provides guidance for the effective management and sustainable utilization of coastal wetland resources.

Abstract Climate change and nutrient pollution contribute to the expanding global footprint of harmful algal blooms. To better predict their spatial distributions and disentangle biophysical controls, a novel Lagrangian particle tracking and biological (LPT‐Bio) model was developed with a high‐resolution numerical model and remote sensing. The LPT‐Bio model integrates the advantages of Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches by explicitly simulating algal bloom dynamics, algal biomass change, and diel vertical migrations along predicted trajectories. The model successfully captured the intensity and extent of the 2020 Margalefidinium polykrikoides bloom in the lower Chesapeake Bay and resolved fine‐scale structures of bloom patchiness, demonstrating a reliable prediction skill for 7–10 d. The fully coupled LPT‐Bio model initialized/calibrated by remote sensing and controlled by ambient environmental conditions appeared to be a powerful approach to predicting transport pathways, identifying bloom hotspots, resolving concentration variations at subgrid scales, and investigating responses of HABs to changing environmental conditions and human interference.

This study evaluated the effect of heat treatment on the conversion of ginsenoside and the ameliorative effect of heat-treated total ginsenoside (HG) from fresh ginseng on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced liver injury. LC-MS analysis revealed that the content of rare ginsenosides increased markedly after heat treatment. HG significantly attenuated CTX-induced hepatic histopathological injury in mice. Western blotting analysis showed that untreated total ginsenoside (UG) and HG regulated the Nrf2/HO-1 and TLR4/MAPK pathways. Importantly, these results may be relevant to the modulation of the intestinal flora. UG and HG significantly increased the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria Lactobacillus and reduced the LPS-producing bacteria Bacteroides and Parabacteroides. These changes in intestinal flora affected the levels of TNF-α, LPS and SCFAs. In short, UG and HG alleviated CTX-induced liver injury by regulating the intestinal flora and the LPS-TLR4-MAPK pathway, and HG was more effective. HG has the potential to be a functional food that can alleviate chemical liver injury.

The effects of co-fermentation of yeast and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 104 on buckwheat starch physical properties were investigated by various analytical techniques. To investigate the regulations of starch modification during fermentation and to provide a foundation for improving the performance of modified properties of buckwheat starch food. The pasting properties were decreased by co-fermentation also resulted in a reduction in the relative crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that more holes and a relatively rough granule surface were seen in the co-fermentation group. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) results suggested that co-fermentation fermentation decreased the degree of short-range order (DO) and degree of t1he double helix (DD). The results demonstrated that co-fermentation altered these properties more rapidly than spontaneous fermentation. In conclusion, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 104 could be used for buckwheat fermentation to improve food quality.

Summary: Frozen embryo transfer (FET) is becoming popular in recent years. However, whether embryos freezing or other factors may affect intellectual performance in offspring is still unknown. We compared the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) questionnaire scores between children born after fresh embryo transfer (fresh ET) and FET. They were matched in a 1:1 ratio on their sex and age (±1 month). 326 children were included in each group. We found children born after FET scored lower on the WISC-IV questionnaire (p = 0.002). In subgroup analysis, the full-scale scores are similar between fresh ET and FET in the cleavage-stage transfer group (p = 0.57). In the FET group, the blastocyst-stage transfer group had lower full-scale scores compared with the cleavage-stage transfer group (p = 0.004). Children born after FET scored lower on WISC-IV questionnaire might be linked to extended culture of embryos rather than the freezing process.

Résumé Contexte La maladie due au Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) s’est propagée rapidement dans le monde entier depuis sa découverte en décembre 2019. Les recherches publiées depuis l’éclosion de la COVID-19 se sont concentrées sur la question de savoir si la qualité du sperme et les niveaux d’hormones reproductives étaient affectés par la COVID-19. Il existe, cependant, peu de preuves sur la qualité du sperme des hommes non infectés. Cette étude visait à comparer, avant et après la pandémie de COVID-19, les paramètres du sperme chez les donneurs de sperme Chinois non infectés, afin de déterminer l’impact du stress lié à la pandémie de COVID-19 et aux changements de mode de vie sur les hommes non infectés. Résultats Toutes les valeurs des paramètres du sperme étaient non significatives, à l’exception du volume de sperme. L’âge moyen des donneurs de sperme était plus élevé après la COVID-19 (tous p < 0,05). L’âge moyen des donneurs de sperme admissibles est passé de 25,9 ans (ET : 5,3) à 27,6 ans (ET : 6,0). Avant la COVID-19, 45 % des donneurs de sperme admissibles étaient des étudiants, mais après la COVID-19, 53 % étaient des travailleurs physiques (p < 0,05). La proportion de donneurs de sperme admissibles ayant fait des études secondaires est passée de 80,8 % à 64,4 % après la COVID-19 (p < 0,05). Conclusion Bien que les caractéristiques sociodémographiques des donneurs de sperme aient changé après la pandémie de COVID-19, aucune baisse de la qualité du sperme n’a été constatée. Il n’y a aucune préoccupation quant à la qualité du sperme cryoconservé dans les banques de sperme humain après la pandémie de COVID-19. Mots-clés COVID-19, Qualité du Sperme, Donneur de Sperme, Banque de Sperme humain.

ObjectivesTo elucidate the relationship between long-acting GnRH agonist (GnRHa) downregulation and assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes and identify the optimal duration of downregulation in patients with adenomyosis.DesignRetrospective cohort study.ParticipantsThe study was designed to evaluate ART outcomes in adenomyosis patients with and without GnRHa downregulation between January 2016 and December 2020. A total of 374 patients with adenomyosis (621 cycles) were included with 281 cycles in downregulation group versus 340 cycles in non-downregulation group. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), a sample size of 272 cycles in each group was matched. The matched downregulation group was further divided into 1-month (147 cycles), 2-months (72 cycles), and ≥3 months downregulation (53 cycles) subgroups. Stratification analysis was conducted on pregnancy outcomes in 239 fresh embryo transfer (ET) cycles and 305 frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles.ResultsThe downregulation group had larger mean diameter of initial uterus and higher proportion of severer dysmenorrhea compared to non-downregulation group. The pregnancy-related parameters in GnRHa downregulation group were similar to those in non-downregulation group, except for higher late miscarriage rate (MR) (13.4% vs. 3.1%, P = 0.003). The subgroup comparisons in fresh ET cycles indicated that implantation rate (75.0% vs. 39.2%, P = 0.002), biochemical pregnancy rate (91.7% vs. 56.0%, P = 0.036) and clinical pregnancy rate (83.3% vs. 47.0%, P = 0.016) could be improved by prolonged GnRHa downregulation (≥3 months), whereas late MR was difficult to be reversed (30.0% vs. 3.2%, P = 0.017). In FET cycles, higher MR (53.6% vs. 29.9%, P = 0.029; 58.8% vs. 29.9%, P = 0.026) and lower live birth rate (18.8% vs. 34.1%, P = 0.023; 17.1% vs. 34.1%, P = 0.037) were observed in the 1-month and ≥3 months downregulation group, while no differences were found in the 2-months downregulation group compared to the non-downregulation group.ConclusionIn patients with severer adenomyosis, long-acting GnRHa downregulation might be correlated with improved ART outcomes. In fresh ET cycles, prolonged downregulation (≥3 months) might be beneficial to improve live birth rate, which needed to be verified by further study with larger sample. In FET cycles, the optimal duration of downregulation was not certain and still needed further exploration.

IntroductionThe advent of bigdata era fundamentally transformed the nature of medical information seeking and the traditional binary medical relationship. Weaving stress coping theory and information processing theory, we developed an integrative perspective on information seeking behavior and explored the antecedent and consequence of such behavior.MethodsData were collected from 573 women suffering from infertility who was seeking assisted reproductive technology treatment in China. We used AMOS 22.0 and the PROCESS macro in SPSS 25.0 software to test our model.ResultsOur findings demonstrated that patients’ satisfaction with information received from the physicians negatively predicted their behavior involvement in information seeking, such behavior positively related to their perceived information overload, and the latter negatively related to patient-physician relationship quality. Further findings showed that medical information seeking behavior and perceived information overload would serially mediate the impacts of satisfaction with information received from physicians on patient-physician relationship quality.DiscussionThis study extends knowledge of information seeking behavior by proposing an integrative model and expands the application of stress coping theory and information processing theory. Additionally, it provides valuable implications for patients, physicians and public health information service providers.

AbstractPurpose Existed methods like biochemical markers improve the accuracy of fluid evaluation for the maintenance hemodialysis patients, but none of them has become the gold standard. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of lung ultrasonography as a useful tool for monitoring the volume status of the patients.Methods A total of 88 patients undergoing maintenance hemodialytic were enrolled in this prospective observational study. Patients were divided into three groups: overhydration (OH), normohydration, and hypohydration according to bioimpedance spectroscopy. Lung ultrasonography parameters, echocardiography parameters, and clinical characteristics of three groups were analyzed. After an average follow-up of 433 days, all-cause mortality among groups was compared.Results The total number of lung comets was statistically reduced in patients after dialysis (Z= −6.891, p

Abstract Background Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare and life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, severe thrombocytopenia, and organ ischemia. It is related to severe deficiency in ADAMTS13, which is usually acquired via ADAMTS13 autoantibodies or inherited via mutations of the ADAMTS13 gene. The etiology of acquired TTP including HIV infection, pregnancy, autoimmune disease, organ transplantation, drugs, malignancy and so on. Here, we firstly reported a patient diagnosed as acquired TTP after pegylated interferon therapy for hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccination. Case presentation A 36-year-old male attended to our unit with a five-day history of intermittent hematuria and progressive fatigue on January 5th, 2022. He had a 13 years history of hepatitis B infection and undergone pegylated interferon treatment (which was paused for two months because of COVID-19 vaccination) for nearly 3 years. Laboratory evaluation revealed a haemoglobin level of 61 g/L, platelet count of 11 × 109/L, lactate dehydrogenase 2133 U/L. The direct and indirect Coombs test were both negative. On a peripheral blood smear, there were about 18.8% schistocytes. Meanwhile, the results of ADAMTS 13 activity and antibody were

Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch gum (ASKG) can be carboxymethylated and greasy-based emulsified to improve its water solubility and emulsifying property, while the effect of modified ASKG on wheat flour processing as a gluten enhancer remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the gluten-increasing effect of ASKG in the formation of wheat flour dough and the production of greasy dough through its carboxymethylation and emulsification modification. The results showed that the carboxymethylation could reduce the optimum addition amount of ASKG from 1.0% to 0.4% in wheat flour. Carboxymethyl ASKG (C-ASKG) increased the wet gluten content, gluten index, water absorption, dough development time, dough stability time, and reduced the weakening degree. However, C-ASKG did not show better reinforcement in greasy dough than ASKG. In comparison, ASKG emulsified (E-ASKG) by wheat germ oil and palm stearin fat was shown to be more suitable for greasy dough modulation. The addition of 1.0% of ASKG and 5% of oil or fat in flour by emulsification manner reduced the difference between the oil and fat during the formation of gluten and improve the evaluation indexes of dough texture. This study demonstrated that carboxymethylation could reduce the dosage of ASKG used in wheat flour as a gluten enhancer, while emulsive ASKG was suitable for the gluten reinforcement of water-oiled dough.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of different ovarian stimulation protocols on in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes in infertile women with adenomyosis.MethodsWe carried out a retrospective cohort study among infertile women with adenomyosis receiving IVF/ICSI treatment, including 257 fresh embryo transfer (ET) cycles and 305 frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. In fresh ET cycles, ultra-long, long, short, and antagonist protocols were adopted. In FET cycles, patients received long-acting GnRH agonist (GnRHa) pretreatment or not. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), and the secondary outcomes included implantation rate (IR), miscarriage rate (MR), and live birth rate (LBR).ResultsIn fresh ET cycles, compared with ultra-long and long protocols, IR (49.7%, 52.1% versus 28.2%, P=0.001) and CPR (64.3%, 57.4% versus 35.6%, P=0.004) significantly decreased in the short protocol. Similarly, compared with ultra-long and long protocols, a decreased inclination of IR (49.7%, 52.1% versus 33.3%) and CPR (57.4%, 64.3% versus 38.2%) existed in the antagonist protocol, although no statistical significance was detected because of strict P adjustment of Bonferroni method (Padj=0.008). Compared with long protocol, LBR in short protocol decreased obviously (48.2% versus 20.3%, P

Dynamic monitoring and evaluation of vegetation ecological quality (VEQ) is indispensable for ecological environment management and sustainable development. Single-indicator methods that have been widely used may cause biased results due to neglect of the variety of vegetation ecological elements. We developed the vegetation ecological quality index (VEQI) by coupling vegetation structure (vegetation cover) and function (carbon sequestration, water conservation, soil retention, and biodiversity maintenance) indicators. The changing characteristics of VEQ and the relative contribution of driving factors in the ecological protection redline areas in Sichuan Province (EPRA), China, from 2000 to 2021 were explored using VEQI, Sen’s slope, Mann-Kendall test, Hurst index, and residual analysis based on the XGBoost (Extreme gradient boosting regressor). The results showed that the VEQ in the EPRA has improved over the 22-year study period, but this trend may be unsustainable in the future. Temperature was the most influential climate factor. And human activities were the dominant factor with a relative contribution of 78.57% to VEQ changes. This study provides ideas for assessing ecological restoration in other regions, and can provide guidance for ecosystem management and conservation.

Associations between lower birth weight and higher polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) risk have been reported in previous observational studies, however, the causal relationship is still unknown. Based on decomposed fetal and maternal genetic effects on birth weight (n = 406,063), we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to assess potential causal relationships between fetal genome predicted birth weight and PCOS risk using a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 4,138 PCOS cases and 20,129 controls. To further eliminate the maternally transmitted or non-transmitted effects on fetal growth, we performed a secondary MR analysis by utilizing genetic instruments after excluding maternally transmitted or non-transmitted variants, which were identified in another birth weight GWAS (n = 63,365 parent-offspring trios from Icelandic birth register). Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSR) analysis was conducted to estimate the genetic correlation. We found little evidence to support a causal effect of fetal genome determined birth weight on the risk of developing PCOS (primary MR analysis, OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.43; secondary MR analysis, OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.54 to 1.39). In addition, a marginally significant genetic correlation (rg = -0.14, se = 0.07) between birth weight and PCOS was revealed via LDSR analysis. Our findings indicated that observed associations between birth weight and future PCOS risk are more likely to be attributable to genetic pleiotropy driven by the fetal genome rather than a causal mechanism.

Cordycepin has good antitumor activity, but its clinical application is limited due to the easy deamination of N6 in structure. In this study, a large lipolysis group was introduced at the cordycepin N6 to improve the problem, cordycepin derivatives (3a–4c) were synthesized, and biological evaluation of compounds was studied. In this study, the vitro antitumor activity of the compounds against MCF7 cells, HepG2 cells and SGC-7901 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. In the results, compound 4a showed the most obvious inhibitory effect on MCF7 cells with an IC50 value of 27.57 ± 0.52 μM, which was much lower than cordycepin. Compound 4a showed high selectivity between MCF7 and normal MCF-10A cells. Further biological evaluation showed that compound 4a promoted apoptosis and blocked the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. Then, Western Blot was used to detect related apoptotic proteins. It was found that Compound 4a could down-regulate the expression of Bcl-2 protein and up-regulate the expression of p53, Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins. The mitochondrial membrane potential decreased continuously and the positive expression rate decreased. It was speculated that compound 4a induced the apoptosis of MCF7 cells through the mitochondrial pathway.

Abstract Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a disease featured by early menopause before 40 years of age, accompanied by an elevation of follicle‐stimulating hormone. Though POI affects many aspects of women's health, its major causes remain unknown. Many clinical studies have shown that POI patients are generally underweight, indicating a potential correlation between POI and metabolic disorders. To understand the pathogenesis of POI, we performed metabolomics analysis on serum and identified branch‐chain amino acid (BCAA) insufficiency‐related metabolic disorders in two independent cohorts from two clinics. A low BCAA diet phenotypically reproduced the metabolic, endocrine, ovarian, and reproductive changes of POI in young C57BL/6J mice. A mechanism study revealed that the BCAA insufficiency‐induced POI is associated with abnormal activation of the ceramide‐reactive oxygen species (ROS) axis and consequent impairment of ovarian granulosa cell function. Significantly, the dietary supplement of BCAA prevented the development of ROS‐induced POI in female mice. The results of this pathogenic study will lead to the development of specific therapies for POI.

Tidal flats have great potential to expand human living space and provide abundant resources. However, large-scale reclamation and development activities have had profound impacts on regional ecosystems, and it is important to grasp the comprehensive characteristics of the effects from a macro perspective. We selected the coastal area Jiangsu, China, as a typical area, and investigated the impact of reclamation on the coastal wetland system from the perspective of ecosystem services stability. The optimal equilibrium state was used as a benchmark and a stability deviation index (SDI) of ecosystem services was constructed by clarifying the connotation of stability. The stable state and evolution characteristics of ecosystems in different areas (coastal administrative areas, tidal flat areas, and Yancheng National Nature Reserve (YNNR)) were screened and evaluated. Based on the SDI, an overall ecological impact assessment system was developed, and the impact of tidal flat reclamation on ecological stability and its cumulative effects were quantified. The results showed that in the past 40 years, the overall ecological stability of Jiangsu coastal area was “Basically Stable (II)”, while that of the YNNR was “Weakly Stable (III)”. The impact of reclamation on the ecosystem stability of the coastal tidal flat area was significant, with a contribution rate of 73.5 %, and the threshold of stability transition in this area was reached when the reclamation amount was 1251.33 km2. The extent to which reclamation explained the stability variation in the core zone, buffer zone, and experimental zone of YNNR gradually decreased, indicating that the impact of reclamation was greater when strong protection measures were in place. The southern region will reach the maximum threshold of the cumulative effect of instability in 2072. This study provides ideas for the analysis of the comprehensive impact of reclamation on coastal wetland ecosystems, and can provide guidance for the efficient utilization and protection of tidal flats.

Abstract Background With the increased use of assisted reproductive technology (ART), assessing the potential health risks of children conceived on ART important to public health. Most research in this area has focused on the effects of ART on perinatal, metabolic, and oncological risks in children. Although an increased risk of immune-related diseases has been reported in children born after ART, there are no studies on the immunological status of these children. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different embryo transfer methods and fertilization strategies on the immune status of the offspring. Methods A total of 69 children born to women treated with ART and a matched control group of 17 naturally conceived (NC) children, all aged from 3 to 6 years, were recruited in the reproductive hospital affiliated to Shandong University. The frequency of immune cells in the peripheral blood was assayed using flow cytometry; plasma cytokine levels were determined by multiplex cytokine immunoassay with human cytokine magnetic beads. Results Compared to children born after natural conception, children born after ART had elevated interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels, regardless of embryo transfer and fertilization strategies. Children in the fresh-embryo transfer group had significantly higher IL-4 levels and a lower ratio of IFN-γ to IL-4 than those in the NC group ((P = 0.004, 10.41 ± 5.76 pg/mL vs 18.40 ± 7.01 pg/mL, P = 0.023, 1.00 ± 0.48 vs 0.67 ± 0.32, respectively). Similar results were shown in either the in vitro fertilization (IVF) group or the intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) group (P 0.05). Conclusions Immunological alterations existed in children born after the use of ART. The elevated E2 levels before embryo implantation contributed to the increased IL-4 levels in children conceived by fresh embryo transfer. The assessment of immunological alteration is of importance to children conceived by ART for early monitoring and intervention.

ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate neonatal and children growth outcomes of cryotransfer of embryos developed from frozen gametes [double frozen transfer (DFT)].MethodsThis nested case-control study included 6,705 women who had a singleton live birth after embryo transfer at the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shandong University, from 2008 to 2020. Of these, 745 women underwent frozen embryo transfer (FET) using embryos developed from frozen gametes (DFT). Propensity score methodology was used to balance the two groups by maternal age and body mass index (BMI) before evaluating outcomes. After age and BMI were matched using the propensity score methodology in a ratio of 1:4, the control groups enrolled 2,980 women who underwent fresh embryo transfer (ET) and 2,980 women underwent FET from fresh gametes. The children born were followed to at least 5 years of age, and some were followed up to 10 years. Neonatal outcomes and childhood growth measurements were compared among the three groups.ResultsThe average birth weight of the DFT group (3,462 g) was significantly higher than the FET group (3,458 g) and ET group (3,412 g). The rate of large for gestational age (LGA) babies in the DFT and FET group was higher than that for the ET group (30.9% vs. 24.8%; 29.4% vs. 24.8%, respectively). After adjusting for different confounder combinations in the three models, the birth weight and risk of LGA in the DFT and FET groups were still higher than in the ET group, and the values group of P for trend in the models were significant. In multiple linear regression analysis of the children’s development, the height Z-score of children born from the DFT and FET group was higher than that for children from the ET group (β = 0.21, 95% CI 0.07–0.35; b = 0.17, 95% CI 0.05–0.28, respectively). However, childhood growth measurements including body weight Z-score and BMI Z-score were not significantly different among the three groups. In addition, the proportion of male children born from DET was higher than that from ET.ConclusionsThere is an increased risk of LGA babies associated with pregnancies conceived from DFT. Children are inclined to be taller in the future in this group than after FET. The related etiology and pathophysiology mechanisms still need to be revealed. In the future, well-designed, observational studies with in-depth collection of patients’ characteristics may shed more light on this issue.

ObjectiveTo identify the influence of different infertility causes and assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment on perinatal outcomes and clarify the relationship between the maternal pathophysiological changes and artificial interventions.MethodsA total of 1,629 fertile women and 27,112 infertile women with sole infertility causes were prospectively recruited from July 2014 to December 2017, and 9,894 singletons were finally enrolled into the study. Pregnancies with more than one cause of infertility and/or multiple births were excluded. According to the causes of infertility and the exposure of ART treatment, the participants were divided into four groups, namely, fertile naturally conceived (NC) group, infertile NC group, female factor ART group, and male factor ART group. Perinatal outcomes, including gestational age of delivery (GA), birth weight (BW), preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and large for gestational age (LGA), were compared among groups. Logistic regression was performed for the adjustment of several covariates.Result(s)The birth outcomes of the infertile NC group and fertile NC group, female factor ART group, and infertile NC group were comparable. Compared to the fertile NC group, the female factor ART group had a shorter GA (39.0 ± 1.6 vs. 39.3 ± 1.5 weeks, BW: P < 0.05). An interaction test showed that ART treatment had an interaction on the effect of female infertility on GA (P = 0.023). The female factor ART group also had a higher risk of PTB (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.18–2.07) and LGA (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.10–1.47) compared to the fertile NC group. The risk of PTB was increased for tubal factor ART (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.12–2.00), ovulatory dysfunction ART (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.29–2.72), and unexplained infertility ART (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.11–3.17). The risk of LGA was increased for tubal factor ART (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.11–1.48) and ovulatory dysfunction ART (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.03–1.57).Conclusion(s)Our findings indicated that ART treatment could amplify the adverse effect of female infertility on neonates. Women with tubal factor infertility, ovulatory dysfunction, and unexplained infertility have a higher risk of PTB after ART treatment. Thus, clinicians should be vigilant in such patients and provide corresponding prevention strategies before and during pregnancy.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association between maternal periodontal disease (PD) and three main adverse neonatal outcomes, namely, preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA).MethodsThe Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched up to 6 December 2020 for relevant observational studies on an association between PD and risk of PTB, LBW, and SGA. Eligibility criteria included observational studies which compared the prevalence of PTB and/or LBW and/or SGA between PD women and periodontal health controls. The exclusion criteria included incomplete data, animal research, and mixing up various pregnancy outcomes, such as “preterm low birth weight” and languages other than Chinese and English. Data were extracted and analyzed independently by two authors. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata Statistical Software, Release 12 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Odds ratio (OR), confidence intervals (CIs), and heterogeneity (I2) were computed.ResultsFourteen case-control studies and 10 prospective cohort studies, involving 15,278 participants, were identified. Based on fixed effect meta-analysis, PTB showed a significant association with PD (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.39–1.77, P < 0.00001) and LBW also showed a significant association with PD (OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.75–3.37, P < 0.00001) in a random effect meta-analysis. However, a random effect meta-analysis showed no relationship between PD and SGA (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 0.86–3.07, P = 0.136).ConclusionOur findings indicate that pregnant women with PD have a significantly higher risk of PTB and LBW. However, large prospective, blinded cohort studies with standardized diagnostic criteria of PD and adequate control of confounding factors are still required to confirm the relationship between PD and adverse neonatal outcomes.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of the vanishing twin (VT) on the perinatal outcomes in the surviving singleton and further identify the susceptible window.Study designRetrospective cohort study.MethodsA total of 636 survivors of a vanished co-twin and 11,148 singleton controls were enrolled. The exposed group was further divided into early VT (EVT, VT ≤13 weeks, N = 593) and late VT subgroups (LVT, VT >13 weeks, N = 43) according to the gestational age of the twin vanishing. All participants were conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Perinatal outcomes including gestational age, birthweight, and the incidence of preterm birth (PTB), low birthweight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, umbilical cord abnormality, jaundice of the newborn, and oligohydramnios were compared among the groups.ResultsIn our birth cohort, about 5.4% of all singleton deliveries originated from vanishing twin pregnancies. Compared with the singletons, both early and late VT pregnancy had a significantly lower birth weight (3337.57±532.24 g and 2916.05±526.07 g vs. 3446.15±526.07 g; p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), more frequent neonatal jaundice (47.0% and 60.5% vs. 40.6%; p = 0.002 and p = 0.008), and decreased incidence of umbilical cord abnormality (15.5% and 7.0% vs. 19.9%; p = 0.009 and p = 0.034). Newborns in the early VT group were more likely to manifest as SGA (5.4% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.002) and suffered oligohydramnios (5.4% vs. 3.4%; p = 0.008) than the primary singletons. In addition, the gestational age of late VT survivors was shorter than that of the controls (37.25 ± 3.25 vs. 39.04 ± 1.63, p = 0.001) and had a significantly higher risk of PTB (30.2% vs. 6.6%; p < 0.001) and NICU admission (27.9% vs. 9.4%, p < 0.001). All differences except for SGA maintain significance after adjusting for maternal age, BMI, and parity.ConclusionsSingletons with a vanished co-twin had worse perinatal outcomes compared with the original singletons, with LVT burden even much on the survival one. Therefore, close monitoring during the perinatal period was suggested in this type of neonates. Moreover, elective single embryo transfer should also be fully considered which could tackle the problem at its root.

Abstract Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reason of anovulatory infertility. Environmental factor is one of the main causes of PCOS, but its contribution to ovulatory dysfunction in PCOS remains unknown. Methods A total of 2217 infertile women diagnosed as PCOS according to Rotterdam criteria were recruited, including 1979 women with oligo-anovulation (OA group) and 238 women with normal -anovulation (non OA group). Besides, 279 healthy control women of reproductive age were enrolled as controls. Results Frequencies of snoring (PCOS-OA group, PCOS-non-OA group, control group: 29.30% vs 18.10% vs 11.50%, P

ObjectiveThis study was conducted in order to investigate whether non-assisted hatching trophectoderm (TE) biopsy increases the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes in livebirths following elective single cryopreserved-thawed blastocyst transfer.Patients and MethodsA total of 5,412 cycles from 4,908 women who achieved singleton livebirths between 2013 and 2019 were included in this retrospective cohort study. All embryos in this study were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and cryopreserved through vitrification. The main intervention is to open the zona pellucida (ZP) of day 5/6 blastocyst immediately for biopsy without pre-assisted hatching. The main outcome measures are the common maternal and neonatal outcomes, including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), abnormal placentation, abnormalities in umbilical cord and amniotic fluid, preterm birth, cesarean section, low birth weight, postpartum hemorrhage, and prolonged hospital stay (both mothers and infants). The generalized estimation equation (GEE) was used to control the effects of repeated measurements. The non-conditional logistic regression model was used to examine the associations between embryo biopsy status and each adverse perinatal event. Given that the selection bias and changes in learning curve might affect the results, we selected 1,086 similar (matching tolerance = 0.01) cycles from the ICSI group via propensity score matching (PSM) for second comparisons and adjustment (conditional logistic regression).ResultsAfter adjusting for confounders, we confirmed that the non-assisted hatching protocol did not increase the risks of most adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Despite this, there were increased risks of GDM (aOR: 1.522, 95% CI: 1.141–2.031) and umbilical cord abnormalities (aOR: 11.539, 95% CI: 1.199–111.067) in the biopsy group. In the second comparisons after PSM, GDM incidence in the biopsy group was still higher (7.26% vs. 5.16%, P = 0.042), yet all measurement outcomes were equally likely to occur in both groups after the second adjustment.ConclusionsThe non-assisted hatching TE biopsy does not increase the risks of most adverse perinatal outcomes. However, there is a higher GDM incidence in the biopsy group, and this association warrants further study. Considering its safety and simplicity, the non-assisted hatching protocol has the potential to become the preferred option for TE biopsy, especially in busy clinics and IVF laboratories.

Competition is an important factor in determining the evolution of ecosystem population (or community) structure and the change in system functions, which are usually manifested directly at the system structure level. From the perspective of ecosystem services, based on the Pareto optimisation theory, we selected the coastal area of Jiangsu, China as the study area and carried out a study of equivalent competition among ecosystem populations (or communities). Firstly, we divided the study area into the region with nature reserve (NRR) and the region without nature reserve (Non-NRR). The study was performed through clarifying the ‘structure–process–function–service’ cascade relationship of the ecosystem and quantifying the value of major ecosystem services. Then, based on the theory of competition/coexistence, considered the population (or community) in the regional complex ecosystem as the object, we used the reference point-based non-dominated sorting (NSGA-III) algorithm to simultaneously optimise each ecosystem service to obtain a compromised Pareto optimal solution set. Finally, the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) was used as a comprehensive evaluation method based on the criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC) weighting method for multi-objective decision-making to obtain the optimal balance of regional ecosystem services. The optimal balance implies that various groups can not only ensure that their own service values are maximised but also interact with other groups to maintain a state of synergistic competition and common development. The results showed that the characteristics of ecological services values under the optimal balance state of the coastal areas in Jiangsu are compatible with the regional ecological conditions; the dominant service types (and their proportion of the total value in NRR and Non-NRR) are carbon fixation (50.70 and 50.23%), climate regulation (13.29 and 12.34%), food production (8.40 and 10.90%), water supply (8.83 and 6.60%), gas regulation (7.72 and 8.73%), and flood storage (4.95 and 5.24%). Compared to the current average service value, this status has increased by 38.61% and 23.60% respectively, in NRR and Non-NRR. The corresponding optimal population (or community) structure (and the area ratio of each population in the two regions) is dominated by forest land (40.62 and 28.74%), paddy fields (24.16 and 37.44%) and meadows (9.42 and 10.70%), and the coastal wetland populations primarily including reeds (9.78 and 3.59%), aquaculture water bodies (7.46 and 3.86%) and Spartina (3.32 and 5.60%). The structural characteristics are consistent with the development law of ecological competition and succession of the coastal wetland system in this region and the direction of ecological service value optimization. The ideas and methods proposed in this study can provide a new direction for ecological competition research.

In recent decades, human activities have impaired the structure, function, and diversity of coastal wetland ecosystems, and there is a need for the rational planning of ecological restoration to curb wetland degradation. However, the challenge remains to quickly and accurately identify degraded wetland areas and their degradation levels. In this study, we used remote sensing interpretation data from 1980 to 2020 and the wetland degradation evaluation method based on a landscape directional succession model to quantify the spatial and temporal characteristics of wetland degradation in Jiangsu Province, China. The key findings showed that 3020.67 km2 of wetlands became degraded over the 40 years of this study, accounting for 42.74% of the total area of coastal wetlands, and that the overall degradation was mild. This degradation presented significant spatial differences, with the wetland degradation in Yancheng City observed to be more serious than that in Nantong City. Degradation mainly occurred in Sheyang County, Dafeng District, Dongtai City, and Rudong County, and the spatial distribution pattern of severe and moderate degradation, mild degradation, and non-degradation was observed from land to sea in that order. The degradation of wetlands was observed to have obvious stages, and the degradation of coastal wetlands in the study area from 1980 to 2020 showed a significant increasing trend. The comprehensive score of wetland degradation in 2020 (1.67) was 3.70 times that in 1985 (0.45), and the turning point occurred in 2000. The types of wetland degradation were dominated by the transformation of natural wetlands into construction land (coastal industry), fish farming, and arable land, as well as the invasion of exotic species. Although great efforts have been made in recent years to protect and restore coastal wetlands, the development and utilization of coastal wetland resources should be strictly controlled to achieve the goal of sustainable development in coastal areas.

ObjectiveTo describe the lipidomic characteristics of offspring born to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women (PCOS-off) and assess the associations between differential lipids and clinical phenotypes.MethodsUltra performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry were performed on plasma samples from 70 PCOS-off and 71 healthy controls. The associations of differential metabolites with clinical phenotypes were examined by multiple linear regression.ResultsForty-four metabolites were significantly altered in PCOS-off, including 8 increased and 36 decreased. After stratification according to sex, 44 metabolites (13 increased and 31 decreased) were expressed differently in girls born to PCOS women (PCOS-g), most of which were glycerolipids. Furthermore, 46 metabolites (9 increased and 35 decreased) were expressed differently in boys born to PCOS women (PCOS-b), most of which were glycerophospholipids. Significant associations of metabolites with weight Z-score and high density lipoprotein cholesterol were found in PCOS-off. Triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and thyroid-stimulating hormone were separately correlated with some lipids in PCOS-g and PCOS-b.ConclusionsPCOS-off showed specific lipid profile alterations. The abnormal level of glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelin indicated the risk of glucose metabolism and cardiovascular diseases in PCOS-off. Some lipids, such as phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, may be the potential markers. The results broadened our understanding of PCOS-offs’ cardiometabolic status and emphasized more specific and detailed monitoring and management in this population.

Abstract Background To determine the effects of age and the serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes, especially among young women with low serum AMH levels and older women with high AMH levels. Methods This study was a cohort study in which a total of 9431 women aged 20–51 years who were undergoing their first IVF cycles were recruited. Ovarian response parameters included the number of retrieved oocytes, the number of 2 pronuclear zygotes (2PN), and the frequency of good-quality embryos (GQE). Pregnancy outcomes included the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), live birth rate (LBR), miscarriage rate (MR), and cumulative CPR and LBR (CCPR and CLBR). Results Among women under 35 years of age, the ovarian response, CPR, CCPR, LBR and CLBR (p

Abstract. Frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) has been increasingly adopted as an adjunct to in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection in recent years. It can reduce the risks of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancies, and may even improve pregnancy outcomes in some subgroups such as patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. However, embryo cryopreservation may cause DNA damage, epigenetic changes, and alterations to gene expression profiles, and the potential impacts of cryopreservation on the embryos and on the long-term health of the resulting offspring are receiving increasing attention. Here, we aim to summarize the impact of cryopreservation on the embryos, perinatal outcomes, and long-term health of the offspring, hoping to explore the potential mechanisms and help guide the next steps in designing clinical studies. In this review, we found that there was no apparent difference in most perinatal outcomes between neonates born following FET and fresh embryo transfer, except for higher risks of large-for-gestational age and macrosomia in FET neonates. Studies on the long-term health and development of FET children are currently lacking; however, the limited evidence so far has found no risk of growth retardation, or chronic or malignant diseases. Large, well-designed, prospective studies taking full consideration of the confounding factors, including parental information, lifestyle, and environmental factors, are needed to confirm these conclusions.

When oil spills occur in turbid waters, the oil droplets and mineral grains can combine to form oil-particle aggregates (OPAs). The formation of OPAs impacts the vertical transport of both the oil and the mineral grains; especially increasing deposition of oil to the seabed. Though the coastal oceans can be very turbid, to date, few numerical ocean models have accounted for aggregation processes that form OPAs. However, interactions between oil and mineral aggregates may be represented using techniques developed to account for sediment aggregation. As part of Consortium for Simulation of Oil Microbial Interactions in the Ocean (CSOMIO), we modified an existing, population dynamics-based sediment flocculation model to develop OPAMOD, a module that accounts for the formation of OPAs. A zero-dimensional model using OPAMOD is shown to be capable of reproducing the size distribution of aggregates from existing laboratory experimental results. Also using the zero-dimensional model, sensitivity tests were performed on two model parameters, the fractal dimension and collision efficiency. Results showed that fractal dimension played a role in the OPA size distribution by influencing the effective particle density, which modified the number concentration of flocs for a given mass concentration. However, the modeled particle characteristics and oil sequestration were relatively insensitive to collision efficiency. To explore OPA formation for an outer continental shelf site, two simulations were conducted using a one-dimensional (vertical) implementation of the model. One scenario had high sediment concentration near the seabed to mimic storm-induced resuspension. The other scenario represented river plume sediment delivery by having high sediment concentration in surface waters. Results showed that OPA formation was sensitive to the vertical distribution of suspended sediment, with the river plume scenario creating more OPA, and sequestering more oil within OPA than the storm resuspension scenario. OPAMOD was developed within the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-and-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling system, therefore the methods and parameterizations from this study are transferrable to a three-dimensional coupled oil-sediment-microbial model developed by CSOMIO within the COAWST framework.

The fate and dispersal of oil in the ocean is dependent upon ocean dynamics, as well as transformations resulting from the interaction with the microbial community and suspended particles. These interaction processes are parameterized in many models limiting their ability to accurately simulate the fate and dispersal of oil for subsurface oil spill events. This paper presents a coupled ocean-oil-biology-sediment modeling system developed by the Consortium for Simulation of Oil-Microbial Interactions in the Ocean (CSOMIO) project. A key objective of the CSOMIO project was to develop and evaluate a modeling framework for simulating oil in the marine environment, including its interaction with microbial food webs and sediments. The modeling system developed is based on the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport model (COAWST). Central to CSOMIO’s coupled modeling system is an oil plume model coupled to the hydrodynamic model (Regional Ocean Modeling System, ROMS). The oil plume model is based on a Lagrangian approach that describes the oil plume dynamics including advection and diffusion of individual Lagrangian elements, each representing a cluster of oil droplets. The chemical composition of oil is described in terms of three classes of compounds: saturates, aromatics, and heavy oil (resins and asphaltenes). The oil plume model simulates the rise of oil droplets based on ambient ocean flow and density fields, as well as the density and size of the oil droplets. The oil model also includes surface evaporation and surface wind drift. A novel component of the CSOMIO model is two-way Lagrangian-Eulerian mapping of the oil characteristics. This mapping is necessary for implementing interactions between the ocean-oil module and the Eulerian sediment and biogeochemical modules. The sediment module is a modification of the Community Sediment Transport Modeling System. The module simulates formation of oil-particle aggregates in the water column. The biogeochemical module simulates microbial communities adapted to the local environment and to elevated concentrations of oil components in the water column. The sediment and biogeochemical modules both reduce water column oil components. This paper provides an overview of the CSOMIO coupled modeling system components and demonstrates the capabilities of the modeling system in the test experiments.

Modular robots have the advantage of self-assembling into a large and complex structure to travel through territories beyond an individual robot’s capacity. A swarm of mobile robots is combined through mechanical interconnection and joint actuation to achieve a linked or articular configuration. In this paper, to enhance the perception, actuation and docking capacity of modular robots, a parallel mechanism-based docking system and onboard visual perception system are proposed in the design of a novel compact self-assembling mobile modular robot (SMMRob). Each module is self-contained, with a sensing or joint function. The robot modules can dock with each other based on relative positioning, which employs the visual perception of passive markers or active infrared signals in different localizations. Performance experiments were conducted to evaluate the robot module. Docking experiments were performed, along with an analysis of the success and failure results. The self-assembly of snake-like and quadruped robots was achieved in response to different environments, including an obstacle, gap or stair, and experiments were performed on self-assembly into a snake-like structure.

As one of the most important wetland systems, coastal wetlands play an important role in conserving water, regulating the climate and protecting biodiversity. However, due to large-scale and long-term tidal flat reclamations, the landscape structure and function of the coastal wetlands have been greatly affected. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the spatio-temporal characteristics of the impact of tidal flat reclamation on regional ecology and to quantitatively assess the relationships between them. In this study based on long-term, multiperiod remote sensing data, the main spatio-temporal variation characteristics of stability, and the relationship between stability and tidal flat reclamation were analyzed with regard to the influence scope of tidal flat reclamation. The results showed that a substantial decrease in natural wetlands in 1980, mainly caused by tidal flat reclamation, was discovered in the Jiangsu coastal area, and the influence scope of tidal flat reclamation on regional landscape ecology was roughly 30 km. In the affected area, the overall stability had a tendency to improve, but the stability change characteristics between reclamation area and non-reclamation area varied greatly. Especially in the reclamation area, the stability of construction wetlands and non-wetlands deteriorated. Spatially, the stability outside the reclamation area had the characteristics of first deteriorating and then improving as the distance from the reclamation area increased. Under the influence of tidal flat reclamation, the influence of different use types of TFR on stability was not completely consistent, and the influence of the same uses type of tidal flat reclamation on different landscapes was also different.

In this work, the Pd@ Cd(2-methylimidazole)2 (Pd@CdIF-8) was synthesized by two facile methods, in which the original cubic Pd nanoparticles anchored on the surface/interface of CdIF-8 and supported on the acidified activated carbon (AAC). Interestingly, CdIF-8 exhibited sphericity under hydrothermal condition and presented hexahedron under mild liquid. A(B)-PdxCdyIF-8@AAC hybrids are researched by FESEM, TEM, contact angle measurement, XPS, XRD and BET analytical techniques. A(B)-PdxCdyIF-8@AAC hybrids are employed as nonenzymatic sensors for electrochemical detection of H2O2, and both exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity, especially for A(B)–Pd0.2Cd1.5IF-8@AAC/GCE sensors. A(B)–Pd0.2Cd1.5IF-8@AAC/GCE sensors demonstrated a linear response to H2O2 in the range of from 10 μM to 10.2 mM and 2 μM to 17.5 mM, the sensitivity of 0.195 μAμM−1 and 0.266 μAμM−1, respectively. In addition, asymmetric supercapacitors have been fabricated using A(B)-PdxCdyIF-8@AAC hybrids as positive electrode and exhibited exceptional electrochemical properties with high specific capacitance (452 F g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 and 372 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 of A-Pd0.2Cd1.5IF-8@AAC, and 502 F g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 and 395 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 of B–Pd0.2Cd1.5IF-8@AAC), excellent stability (83.579% maintenance of specific capacitance at 5 A g−1 of A-Pd0.2Cd1.5IF-8@AAC and 78.313% maintenance of B–Pd0.2Cd1.5IF-8@AAC), respectively. Keywords: Acidified activated carbon, A(B)-PdxCdyIF-8@AAC, Electrochemical sensor, Asymmetric supercapacitor

Abstract During pregnancy, placental protein-13 (galectin-13) is highly expressed in the placenta and fetal tissue, and less so in maternal serum that is related to pre-eclampsia. To understand galectin-13 function at the molecular level, we solved its crystal structure and discovered that its dimer is stabilized by two disulfide bridges between Cys136 and Cys138 and six hydrogen bonds involving Val135, Val137, and Gln139. Native PAGE and gel filtration demonstrate that this is not a crystallization artifact because dimers also form in solution. Our biochemical studies indicate that galectin-13 ligand binding specificity is different from that of other galectins in that it does not bind β-galactosides. This is partly explained by the presence of Arg53 rather than His53 at the bottom of the carbohydrate binding site in a position that is crucial for interactions with β-galactosides. Mutating Arg53 to histidine does not re-establish normal β-galactoside binding, but rather traps cryoprotectant glycerol molecules within the ligand binding site in crystals of the R53H mutant. Moreover, unlike most other galectins, we also found that GFP-tagged galectin-13 is localized within the nucleus of HeLa and 293 T cells. Overall, galectin-13 appears to be a new type of prototype galectin with distinct properties.

Human disturbance is one of the essential driving forces of landscape evolution. The quantitative evaluation of the spatial and temporal characteristics of landscape evolution and its relationship with human disturbance are of great significance to regional ecological protection and management and are crucial for achieving coordinated socioeconomic development and ecological–environmental protection. In this study, we took the coastal wetlands in northern Jiangsu province, China, as the research area, and proposed a quantitative evaluation method for directional landscape evolution. On this basis, the spatiotemporal characteristics of the landscape evolution from 1980 to 2020 and the relationship with human disturbance were quantitatively evaluated by combining a human disturbance index and statistical methods. The results showed that: (1) The area of the natural wetlands decreased significantly over the past 40 years, while the areas of artificial wetlands and non-wetlands increased significantly. (2) The landscape evolution process was dominated by the degradation process. The main types of degradation were natural wetland conversion to artificial wetland and non-wetland areas and Spartina alterniflora invasion. The restoration type was mainly restoration among artificial and natural wetlands. (3) The degradation of wetland landscapes demonstrated a southward shift trend and the spatial consistency with the change of the human disturbance index was high (the correlation coefficient was 0.89). (4) The human disturbance index was significantly and positively correlated with the rate of degradation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.43, and was not significantly and positively correlated with the restoration rate, with a correlation coefficient of 0.14. The findings in this paper provide additional information and theoretical guidance for the control of coastal wetland development and utilization, as well as for achieving coordinated wetland resource development together with utilization and ecological protection in the coastal wetlands of Jiangsu province, China.

The engine is one of the core components of aircraft, and the demand of mechanical properties of its raw materials is higher. The microstructure and properties of the raw materials could be improved by optimizing heat treatment systems. In this paper, the effects of annealing and solution aging on tensile properties of TC4 bar were compared, and the effect of solution temperature on microstructure and tensile properties of bar were studied. The results show that compared with annealing treatment, the tensile strength of bar is improved by 80MPa after solution aging treatment. And with the increase of solution temperature, the content of primary α phase is decreased, the content of secondary α phase is increased, the tensile strength is increased, and the maximum value reaches 1093MPa. Finally, it is determined that the heat treatment system of bar is ℃， ℃， 965 /1h WQ+720 /2h AC.

ObjectiveTo compare the risk of ectopic pregnancy (EP) after embryo transfer on day 3(D3-ET) and day 5(D5-ET).DesignMeta-analysis.PatientsWomen with pregnancy resulting from in vitro undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Result(s)Twenty-two studies were identified through research conducted using the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases and ClinicalTrials.gov. All studies were conducted prior to October 2016. Adding the reproductive data from our center, a total of 143 643 pregnancies were reviewed(D3-ET: n = 62027,D5-ET:n = 81616). A lower EP rate was found in women undergoing D5-ET than in those undergoing D3-ET [relative risk (RR), 0.67;95% confidence interval (CI), 0.54-0.85;143643 pregnancies in 23 studies; I2 = 67%]. These results were validated in subgroups of fresh embryo-transfer (Fre-ET) cycles [RR, 0.78; 95%CI, 0.69-0.88; 91 871 pregnancies in 21 studies; I2 = 29%] and frozen-thawed embryo-transfer (Fro-ET) cycles [RR, 0.43; 95%CI, 0.36-0.51; 51 772 pregnancies in 10 studies; I2 = 33%]. After separating out the randomized controlled trials (RCTs), a significant difference was found in the retrospective studies in both subgroups [both Fre-ET (RR,0.78;95% CI 0.69-0.88);91182 pregnancies in 14 studies; I2 = 45%] and Fro-ET(RR,0.43;95% CI 0.36-0.51; 51751pregnancies in 9 studies;I2 = 33%)], while the RCTs showed no statistical significance for Fre-ET cycles[RR,0.86;95% CI 0.32-2.26); 689 pregnancies in 7 studies; I2 = 0%].Conclusion(s)The present study indicates that D5-ET reduces the risk for EP in cycles that use IVF or ICSI, compared with D3-ET. It suggests that D5-ET may be a better choice for decreasing the EP rate in assisted reproductive technology. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials are anticipated.