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Offspring conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have increased risk of suffering from gestational complications, and placental dysfunction is related with the adverse outcomes. Studies have revealed that abnormal or adaptive changes can occur in ART placentas, but the potential reasons are not fully understood. Hereby, we tried to use proteomics and phospho-proteomics to find the underlying mechanisms responsible for the changes of ART placentas. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was utilized to perform proteome and phospho-proteome detection on mouse placentas. The differential expressed proteins (DEPs) or phospho-proteins (DEPPs) were analyzed based on subcellular localization, functional classification, and enrichment. Western blot was used to verify the DEPs (Afadin, ZO-1, Ace2, Agt, Slc7a5, and Slc38a10) and measure mTOR signaling activities (mTOR, Rps6, and 4Ebp1). The data showed that 161 DEPs and 304 DEPPs were found in proteome and phospho-proteome, respectively. Multiple biological processes were enriched based on those DEPs and DEPPs, and renin-angiotensin system, cell junction, and PI3K-Akt pathway were investigated. By protein expression identification, two key proteins associated with renin-angiotensin system (Ace2 and Agt) were down-regulated, and the levels of Afadin and ZO-1 (related with cell junction) as well as Slc38a10 were increased in IVF placentas. In addition, mTOR downstream activities were increased as shown by p-Rps6 and p-4Ebp1 in IVF placentas. In conclusion, IVF leads to the changes of cell junction, renin-angiotensin system, amino acid transport, and increased mTOR signaling in mouse placentas, which may be associated with the altered structure and function of IVF placentas.

Background Ovarian stimulation is associated with an increased incidence of abnormal placentation. Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells are the major subpopulation of decidual immune cells, which are crucial for placentation. In a previous study, we found that ovarian stimulation impairs uNK cell density on gestation day (GD) 8.5 in mice. However, it is not clear how ovarian stimulation led to a reduction in the density of uNK cells. In this study, we transferred blastocysts that were obtained from natural mating and in vivo development into individual pseudopregnant recipients produced by either natural mating (control group) or mating following ovarian stimulation (SO group). Materials and Methods Results The fetal weights of the SO group were significantly lower than those of the control group on GD 18.5 (P −positive area was significantly expanded (P P +DBA+ uNK cells significantly declined in SO pregnant uteri compared with control, and the production of cytokines including IFN-γ, VEGF and PLGF of CD45+CD3−DBA+ uNK cells was also attenuated by ovarian stimulation. Additionally, we demonstrated that the production of chemokines and cytokines related to uNK recruitment, proliferation, and differentiation in the decidua is suppressed by ovarian stimulation. Conclusion we found that ovarian stimulation resulted in aberrant estrogen signaling and may contribute to the disorder of uNK cells caused by ovarian stimulation. Together, these results provided new insights on the mechanisms of aberrant maternal endocrine environments and abnormal placentation.

Zhi Li,1 Shuqiang Chen,2 Jinguo Li3 1Health Management Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Traditional Chinese Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China; 2Ultrasound Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China; 3Ultrasound Department, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jinguo Li, Email Lxy1990@163.comBackground: Extrathyroidal extension (ETE) is a crucial factor affecting the prognosis of thyroid cancer. Two-dimensional ultrasound is highly sensitive to ETE, but the sensitivity and specificity for severe ETE are unideal, so it does not improve the prognosis.Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients within three years of subcapsular thyroid cancer diagnosis with fine-needle aspiration (FNA). Routine ultrasound was performed and examined before surgery. In addition to the traditional two-dimensional assessment method, particular attention was paid to transcapsular blood vessels, and the diagnostic efficacy of the two methods for mild, severe, and anterior and posterior ETE was compared.Results: A total of 208 thyroid cancer nodules were included. Tumor size and gender were correlated with whether ETE occurred. The general method is more accurate for the overall identification of ETE but is not specific enough for severe ETE, while the transvascular method is the opposite. The two are similar in identifying the ETE of the anterior capsule, but the transvascular method has higher specificity in identifying the ETE of the posterior capsule.Conclusion: The traditional two-dimensional method is highly sensitive to ETE detection in the anterior capsule, while transcapsular blood flow can more effectively detect extensive ETE and ETE in the posterior capsule.Keywords: extrathyroidal extension, thyroid cancer, ultrasound, prognosis, metastasis

Natural killer (NK) cells present in large quantities, accounting for 70% of the maternal immune cells during the first trimester of pregnancy. With the development of single-cell sequencing technology, the researchers identified three groups of uterus NK cells with different phenotypes and functions in human uterus. decidual NK1 (dNK1) subsets produce growth promoting factors which regulate T helper type 2(Th2)cell immunity and thus facilitate pregnancy. dNK2 and dNK3 subsets secrete inflammatory cytokines that are regulators of Th2 cell immunity, not conductive to establishing and maintaining pregnancy. Single-cell sequencing studies in mice revealed a new subset of uNK (CYP26A1

Objective To identify the effect of HLA-G-containing exosomes on the secretory function of growth-promoting factors osteoglycin (OGN) and pleiotrophin (PTN) by decidual NK (dNK) cells. Methods dNK cells were co-cultured with HLA-G-containing exosomes from the villi of patients undergoing unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (uRPL) and normal induced abortion, respectively. Sequentially, OGN and PTN of the dNK cells were determined using real time quantitative PCR and western blotting. Exosomes overexpressing HLA-G (HLA-G

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in which breathing is reduced or ceased during sleep, affects at least 10% of the population and is associated with numerous comorbidities. Current clinical diagnostic approaches characterize severity and treatment eligibility using the average respiratory event rate over total sleep time (apnea-hypopnea index). This approach, however, does not characterize the time-varying and dynamic properties of respiratory events that can change as a function of body position, sleep stage, and previous respiratory event activity. Here, we develop a statistical model framework based on point process theory that characterizes the relative influences of all these factors on the moment-to-moment rate of event occurrence. Our results provide new insights into the temporal dynamics of respiratory events, suggesting that most adults have a characteristic event pattern that involves a period of normal breathing followed by a period of increased probability of respiratory event occurrence, while significant differences in event patterns are observed among gender, age, and race/ethnicity groups. Statistical goodness-of-fit analysis suggests consistent and substantial improvements in our ability to capture the timing of individual respiratory events using our modeling framework. Overall, we demonstrate a more statistically robust approach to characterizing sleep disordered breathing that can also serve as a basis for identifying future patient-specific respiratory phenotypes, providing an improved pathway towards developing individualized treatments.

To compare aneuploidy rates in early aborted tissues or blastocysts between in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles after the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol or the GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) long protocol.This was a retrospective cohort study from a university-affiliated fertility center. In total, 550 early miscarriage patients who conceived through IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) after receiving the GnRH-ant or GnRH-a long protocol were analyzed to compare aneuploidy rates in early aborted tissues. To compare aneuploidy rates in blastocysts, 404 preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) cycles with the GnRH-ant protocol or GnRH-a long protocol were also analyzed.For early miscarriage patients who conceived through IVF/ICSI, compared to the GnRH-a long protocol group, the GnRH-ant protocol group had a significantly higher rate of aneuploidy in early aborted tissues (48.51% vs. 64.19%). Regarding PGT-A cycles, the rate of blastocyst aneuploidy was significantly higher in the GnRH-ant protocol group than the GnRH-a long protocol group (39.69% vs. 52.27%). After stratification and multiple linear regression, the GnRH-ant regimen remained significantly associated with an increased risk of aneuploidy in early aborted tissues and blastocysts [OR (95% CI) 1.81 (1.21, 2.71), OR (95% CI) 1.65 (1.13, 2.42)]. Furthermore, the blastocyst aneuploidy rate in the GnRH-ant protocol group was significantly higher but only in young and normal ovarian responders [OR (95% CI) 5.07 (1.99, 12.92)].Compared to the GnRH-a long protocol, the GnRH-ant protocol is associated with a higher aneuploidy rate in early aborted tissues and blastocysts. These results should be confirmed in a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

To determine the sonographic characteristics of borderline tumors (BoTs) and cystadenofibromas (CAFs). Preoperative sonograms from consecutive patients who had at least one primary epithelial tumor in the adnexa were retrospectively collected. All tumors were described using the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis terminology. Ultrasound variables were tested using multinomial logistic regression after univariate analysis. A total of 650 patients were included in this study. Of these, 110 had a CAF, 128 had a BoT, 249 had a cystadenoma (CAD), and 163 had a cystadenocarcinoma (CAC). Nearly half of CAFs and more than half of BoTs and CACs appeared to be unilocular and multilocular solid on the ultrasound images, while CADs were predominantly uni- or multilocular (p

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) into endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) under certain induction conditions and to a further step provide a promising approach for ASCs in clinical practice to the treatment of severe intrauterine adhesion. Methods: Four groups of hASCs were separately cultured as follows: in Group 1, hASCs were cultured in a control medium (5% fetal bovine serum [FBS] + α-minimum Eagle's medium [α-MEM]); in Group 2, hASCs were cultured in an induction medium (5% FBS + α-MEM + [1 × 10−7 mol/L 17β-estradiol] + 10 ng/mL transforming growth factor β1 [TGF-β1] + 10 ng/mL epidermal growth factor [EGF] + 10 ng/mL platelet-derived growth factor BB [PDGF-BB]); in Group 3, hASCs and human endometrium cells (hEMCs) were cocultured in the control medium; and in Group 4, hASCs and hEMCs were cocultured in the induction medium. Results: When cocultured with hEMCs, the morphology of hASCs became similar with EECs, and the addition of factors such as EGF, TGFβ, PDGF-BB, and 17β-estradiol promoted differentiation. This study, for the first time, demonstrated estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ expression in hASCs and preliminarily explored changes in ERα, ERβ, β-catenin, and H19 mRNA expression during hASC differentiation. Furthermore, we concluded that H19 mRNA expression was negatively correlated with differentiation, which is seemingly related to the estrogen signaling pathway. Conclusions: hASCs revealed the potential for differentiating to EECs when cocultured with hEMCs.

A new type of bidirectional coherent optical communication system is proposed combining unidirectional optical signal amplification. We analyze the application of discrete Raman amplifier (DRA) on ...

Background Although plain radiology is the primary method for assessing joint space width (JSW), it has poor sensitivity to change over time in regards to determining longitudinal progression. We, therefore, developed a new ultrasound (US) measurement method of knee JSW and aimed to provide a monitoring method for the change of JSW in the future. Methods A multicenter study was promoted by the Professional Committee of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, the Ultrasound Society, and the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. US study of knee specimens determined the landmarks for ultrasonic measurement of knee JSW. The US of 1,272 participants from 27 centers was performed to discuss the feasibility and possible influencing factors of knee JSW. The landmarks for US measurement of knee JS, the inflection point of medial femoral epicondyle and the proximal end of the tibia, were determined. Results The mean knee JSW1 (medial knee JSW) was 8.57±1.95 mm in females and 9.52±2.31 mm in males. The mean knee JSW2 (the near medial knee JSW) was 9.07±2.24 mm in females and 10.17±2.35 mm in males. The JSW values of males were significantly higher than those of females, with a statistical difference. JSW values were negatively correlated with age and body mass index (BMI) to different degrees and positively correlated with height. Conclusions The novel US measurement method can be used to measure knee JSW.

[Image: see text] In order to improve the antitumor potency of the natural product evodiamine, novel boron-containing evodiamine derivatives were designed by incorporating boronic acid and boronate as trigger units. Boronate derivative 13a could be triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the HCT116 colon cancer cell line and showed excellent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. It induced apoptosis in HCT116 cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and cell growth arrest at the G2 phase.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a widely used assisted reproductive technology for individuals with infertility that may cause placental maldevelopment, which is harmful to the future health of the offspring. In this study, using a mouse model, we not only revealed changes in the placenta caused by IVF at embryonic day 18.5 (E18.5), but also attempted to identify factors that correlate with IVF-induced abnormal placental development. Our results demonstrate that IVF-induced placental maldevelopment is associated with hypermethylation of the imprinting control region of the H19 imprinted maternally expressed transcript (H19). IVF, by inducing overexpression of DNA methyltransferase 3β, downregulated H19 and the derived miR675, resulting in the activation of insulin-like growth factor signaling and its downstream phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Therefore, we provided the first evidence of the molecular signaling pathways that link imprint genes, protein encoding genes, long noncoding RNAs, and microRNAs. This may provide new insights to inform the development of improved operational techniques for IVF and life-long health of the offspring.

PURPOSE: Studies on rodents have shown that assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are associated with perturbation of genomic imprinting in blastocyst-stage embryos. However, the vulnerable developmental window for ART influence on the genomic imprinting of embryos is still undetermined. The purpose of this study was to establish the specific embryonic development stage at which the loss of methylation of H19 imprinting control regions (ICRs) was caused by ART occurrence. Additionally, we explored protocols to safeguard against possible negative impacts of ART on embryo H19 imprinting. METHODS: Mouse embryos were generated under four different experimental conditions, divided into four groups: control, in vitro culture (IVC), in vitro fertilization (IVF), and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The methylation levels of H19 ICR of the grouped or individual embryos were analyzed by bisulfite-sequencing PCR. RESULTS: Our data showed that the loss of methylation of H19 ICR in mouse blastocysts was inflicted to a similar extent by IVC, IVF, and ICSI. Specifically, we observed a significant loss of methylation of H19 ICR between the mouse 8-cell and morula stages. In addition, we revealed that the transfer of mouse embryos generated by ARTs in the uterus at the 8-cell stage induced the occurrence of methylation patterns in the blastocysts closer to the in vivo ones. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the loss of methylation of H19 ICR caused by ARTs occurs between the 8-cell and the morula stages, and the transfer of cleavage embryos to the uterus mitigates the loss methylation of H19 derived by mice ARTs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10815-019-01575-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Studies in oocytes have suggested increased aneuploidy rates after ovulation induction in mammals and humans. Conversely, some studies have shown that ovarian stimulation does not significantly increase the embryo aneuploidy rate in humans compared with an unstimulated cycle. In addition, the potential effect of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol and GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) long protocol on embryo aneuploidy remains unknown.Methods: This is the retrospective cohort study from university-affiliated fertility center. In total, 578 early miscarriage patients who conceived through IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) after receiving the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol or the GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) long protocol were analyzed to compare the aneuploidy rates in early aborted tissues. In addition, a total of 466 preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) cycles undergoing GnRH-ant protocol or GnRH-a long protocol were also analyzed to compare the aneuploidy rates in embryo.Results: For early miscarriage patients who conceived through IVF/ICSI, compared to the GnRH-a long protocol group, the GnRH-ant protocol group had a significantly higher rate of aneuploidy in early aborted tissues (48.70% vs. 64.52%), and increased aneuploidy was associated with a significantly higher incidence of trisomy 13, 18, and 21 (pConclusions: The GnRH-ant protocol is associated with a higher aneuploidy rate in early aborted tissues and embryos than the GnRH-a long protocol in Chinese women. A multicenter, randomized controlled trial would be the optimal strategy to confirm these results.

Qingshan Huang,1 Lijun Xie,2 Liyan Huang,2 Weili Wei,2 Haiying Li,2 Yunfang Zhuang,2 Xinxiu Liu,2 Shuqiang Chen,2 Sufang Zhang2 1Musculoskeletal Tumor Center, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, 100044, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350005, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Sufang ZhangDepartment of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350005, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-591-87981961Email zsufang@fjmu.edu.cnQingshan HuangMusculoskeletal Tumor Center, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, 100044, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-10-88324471Email hqingshan@pku.edu.cnBackground: High-resolution ultrasound is the first choice for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules, but it is still difficult to distinguish between follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and follicular adenoma (FA). Our research aimed to develop and validate an ultrasonic diagnostic model for differentiating FTC from FA.Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 196 patients who were diagnosed as FTC (n=83) and FA (n=113). LASSO regression analysis was used to screen clinical and ultrasonic features. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to establish the ultrasonic diagnostic model of FTC. Nomogram was used for the visualization of diagnostic models. C-index, ROC, and calibration curves analysis were used to evaluate the accuracy of the diagnostic model. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the net benefits of the ultrasonic diagnostic model for FTC diagnosis under different threshold probabilities. The bootstrap method was used to verify the ultrasonic diagnostic model.Results: After Lasso regression analysis, 10 clinical and ultrasonic features were used to construct the ultrasonic diagnostic model of FTC. The C-index and AUC of the model were 0.868 and 0.860, respectively. DCA showed that the ultrasonic model had good clinical application value. The C-index in the validation group was 0.818, which was close to the C-index in the model.Conclusion: Ultrasonic diagnostic model constructed with 10 clinical and ultrasonic features can better distinguish FTC from FA.Keywords: follicular thyroid carcinoma, follicular adenoma, diagnostic, ultrasonic

Sufang Zhang,1,* Liyan Huang,1,* Qingshan Huang,2,* Weili Wei,1 Lijun Xie,1 Jinshu Zeng,1 Qiuyang Gu,1 Ling Chen,1 Shuqiang Chen1 1Department of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350005, People’s Republic of China; 2Musculoskeletal Tumor Center, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, 100044, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shuqiang ChenDepartment of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350005, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-591-87981961Email chenshu0518@163.comPurpose: Ultrasonography as the first choice for thyroid nodules is still difficult to distinguish between solid follicular thyroid neoplasm (FTN) and solid nodular goiter (NG). We tried to investigate the value of relative size (M/S, M: the maximum diameter of target nodule, S: the maximum diameter of the largest of the remaining nodules) that may help to differentiate FTN from NG.Methods: T test and chi-square test were used to retrospectively analyze the differences of the clinical and ultrasonographic characteristics between FTN and NG in 422 cases in our hospital. T test was used to analyze the difference of M/S value in the two kinds of nodules. ROC was used to evaluate the accuracy of M/S value in distinguishing the two.Results: There were statistically significant differences in age, echogenicity, calcification, peripheral halo and blood supply between the two. The M/S value is not only significantly different in the two kinds of nodules but also can be used as a quantitative indicator to guide ultrasound diagnosis. ROC analysis showed that the cutoff point and AUC of M/S value were 1.94 and 0.709, respectively.Conclusion: In the ultrasound diagnosis of multiple thyroid nodules, the M/S value can better distinguish FTN and NG. We need to be aware of FTN when the M/S value of the nodule is greater than 2.Keywords: follicular thyroid neoplasm, nodular goiter, size, ultrasonography

Inspired by antitumor natural product evodiamine, a series of novel bis-evodiamine derivatives were designed and synthesized, which showed potent antitumor activity. In particular, compound 13b effectively inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCT116 cells. Further mechanism studies revealed that compound 13b acted by inducing HCT116 cell apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Thus, compound 13b represents a promising lead compound for the discovery of novel antitumor agents.

Ovarian stimulation is associated with a higher risk of low birth weight. However, the precise mechanisms by which ovarian stimulation increases the chances of low birth weight remain unclear. In this mouse model study, in vivo developed blastocysts that were not exposed to gonadotropins were transferred into pseudopregnant females that had mated naturally (the control group), pseudopregnant females that had been administered a low dose of ovulation-stimulating hormone (the L-SO group) and pseudopregnant females that had been administered a high dose of ovulation-stimulating hormone (the H-SO group). The embryo implantation rate and fetal weight were significantly lower in the L-SO and H-SO groups than in the control group. The density of Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA)+ uterine natural killer (uNK) cells in the decidua basalis was significantly lower in the L-SO and H-SO groups than in the control group. Ovarian stimulation also downregulated a variety of cytokines related to uNK cells that are involved in placental angiogenesis and trophoblast invasion. Collectively, our findings indicate that ovarian stimulation impairs DBA+ uNK cell density in the decidua basalis, which may downregulate uNK-related cytokine secretion and influence placental angiogenesis and restrict fetal growth in mice.

Electroencephalography (EEG) recording during sleep is a powerful tool for studying neural oscillatory dynamics. Current practice, however, limits our ability to observe the potentially-important features of the sleeping brain because it focuses on discrete stage-based averaging of manually labeled metrics. This study proposes a high-resolution objective framework that can comprehensively represent individualized continuous brain states during sleep. We develop a computational framework around a novel visualization called the slow-oscillation power spectrogram (SOPS), which describes EEG spectral activity as a function of a continuum of sleep depth rather than over discrete stages. Continuous sleep depth is represented by the instantaneous ratio of slow-oscillation (0.5–2 Hz) power to the total power (SO-power ratio). We analyzed sleep EEG of two consecutive nights of polysomnography obtained from 10 healthy subjects (mean age of $25.8 \pm 5.09$ years, 50% female). Through visualization and quantitative analysis, our results suggest that the SOPS can offer a concise high-resolution summary of an individual's unique depth-of-sleep profile. Our framework provides a basis for exploring the critical biomarker of neurocognitive functions for which sleep EEG properties are significantly relevant.

Introduction Children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies have a high risk of suffering from obstetrical complications and long-term health problems, but the related mechanisms are not fully understood. Normal placental function is closely linked with foetal growth and future health. Given the significance of glycogen metabolism in placentas, we investigated the effect of in vitro fertilization (IVF) on glycogen storage in placentas using a mouse model. Methods Mouse placentas were collected at E18.5 after natural mating or IVF, and the placental and foetal weights were recorded. The quantitative assay kit and histological staining were used to measure the glycogen content. Additionally, we detected the expression of multiple genes associated with glycogen synthesis/decomposition, glucose transporters, and the phosphorylation of Akt and Gsk3β. Results Our findings showed that IVF resulted in a significantly increased mouse placental weight and enlarged junctional area. We found, compared to the control, excessive glycogen was accumulated in IVF placentas. However, we observed that multiple genes involved in glycogen generation (Gsk3b, Phka1, Phkb, Phkg1, and Phkg2) and glycogenolysis (Agl and Pygm) had lower mRNA levels in IVF placentas. Moreover, the expression levels of glycogen synthase, phosphorylase, Glut1, and Glut3 were significantly decreased in IVF placentas. The phosphorylation activities of Akt Ser473 and Gsk3β Ser9 were inhibited in IVF placentas. Discussion IVF leads to enlarged mouse placentas with excessive glycogen storage in late pregnancy, and these abnormal changes may be associated with the activation of the Akt-Gsk3β pathway.

In order to improve the adaptability to chromatic dispersion (CD) changes in the existing optical performance monitoring (OPM) research based on convolutional neural network(CNN) and asynchronous delay-tap plot (ADTP), so as to achieve the purpose of multi-parameter, real-time monitoring. We develop a method of classification according to the ADTP data set CD (MAX) to improve the adaptability of the OPM method based on ADTP and CNN to CD changes. The ADTP data set of each OSNR contains different CD. The estimation accuracy of the OSNR of the test set is classified by the maximum CD contained in the data set, and 95% of monitoring accuracy rate is used as the reference line to determine whether the monitoring results are reliable. We monitored the OSNR of the four signals of 100Gb/s 16QAM, 8QAM, DQPSK and (NRZ)-OOK and found that when CD(MAX) increases, the OSNR monitoring accuracy component decreases.

We study artificial neural network used for fiber nonlinear mitigation in single-fiber bidirectional reflective coherent detection system. In this system, the transmitter of this system is located at the receiving end, and the transmission distance of carrier is double the length of actual optical fiber channel, the required optical emission power increases which leads to intensifying of nonlinear effect. Also, using neural network to compensate fiber nonlinear can be processed without knowing the system parameters preferentially. The simulation results show that fiber nonlinear mitigation based on neural network can effectively reduce the bit error rate and improve the transmission performance of the system.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the interaction between thyroid malignancies and thyroid anterior capsule by ultrasound quantification to determine extra-capsular invasion. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 145 patients preoperatively diagnosed with malignant nodules under the thyroid anterior capsule were selected and routinely examined by ultrasound. The length of the nodules (from the junction of the nodule capsule to the deepest point of the nodule, vertical diameter, V) and the distance between the nodule protruding from thyroid capsule and the highest protruding (ledge length, L) nodule were used to obtain the L/V ratio. These parameters where then used to compare the efficacy of predicting extra-thyroid extension (ETE) between L/V, the aspect ratio of the tumor, and manual judgment. RESULTS Out of 145 nodules, there were 63 ETEs and 82 non-ETEs determined by ultrasound. Extra-capsular invasion was associated with L//V ratio, but there was no significant correlation between capsular invasion and AR (aspect ratio), age, location, or presence of clustered calcification. The ability of the ratio of L/V to predict extra-capsular invasion was superior to the predictive ability of the AR ratio. With a Youden index of 0.593, the L/V ratio was 0.2325. The use of the L/V ratio to determine the presence of ETE was superior to subjective visual judgment. CONCLUSIONS The calculation of L/V ratio by ultrasound could more precisely predict the ETE compared with manual judgment, which indirectly reflects the interaction between thyroid capsule and malignant nodules. The above conclusions need to be confirmed by a range of cases.

AIM The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of maternal nicotine exposure (MNE) on the development of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in adulthood offspring and the underlying mechanism. METHODS Pregnant mice (n = 22) were subcutaneously injected with either saline vehicle (n = 11) or nicotine (n = 11) twice a day on gestational days 11-21. Offspring mice (n = 176) from both groups were weaned at postnatal day 21, and for 6 months after postnatal day 21, 96 mice were fed either a standard chow diet (n = 48) or a high-fat diet (n = 48). Serum lipid indicators, liver function indicators, insulin, and liver mitochondrial respiration were analyzed. The expression levels of fibrosis-related proteins, phosphorylated PI3K, phosphorylated Akt, sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBP1c), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) were detected in the liver by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. RESULTS MNE significantly decreased the weight of both maternal and offspring mice (~30%) and inhibited organ growth in offspring mice (P

Based on the transfer matrix method (TMM), a comprehensive dynamic numerical model describing the optical pulse amplification in vertical cavity semiconductor optical amplifiers (VCSOAs) is establi...