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[Display omitted] • The interfacial polymerization is regulated by the inverse diffusible organic phase additive polypyrrole nanoparticles (PPYN). • The modified reverse osmosis (RO) separation layer features abundant free volume. • The flux of the modified RO membrane increases nearly 3 times compared with the pristine RO membrane without sacrificing separation selectivity. • The modified RO membrane exhibits excellent anti-biofouling property. Highly permeable thin film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes with abundant free volume are desirable for water treatment. However, the strategy of controlling the microstructure of the separation layer with high free volume rate is still a challenge. In this work, a modified strategy for the preparation of high-performance TFC RO membrane with inverse diffusible polypyrrole nanoparticles (PPYN) as organic phase additive was developed. The combination of PPYN and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) would diffuse backwards from the organic phase into the aqueous phase during the reaction process to disrupt the normal interfacial polymerization (IP) and thus introduce more free volume in the RO membrane due to the nanobubbles from violent reactions. Moreover, the thickness of the modified membrane decreased and the hydrophilicity increased based on the modulation of IP by PPYN, which facilitated the water molecules to transport. The prepared RO-PPYN membranes showed nearly three times the flux compared with the pristine RO membrane without sacrificing separation selectivity. Furthermore, the anti-biofouling property of the modified membrane was also improved. This work successfully demonstrated the potential use of PPYN as an organic filler to enhance the performance of seawater desalination in RO membranes. Our modification strategy provides an efficient and convenient way to prepare novel RO membranes with high permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • DIAP was used in the modification of PIM-1 membranes for efficient CO 2 capture. • The PAP layer grafting on the surface enhanced the solubility-selectivity. • Methanol was used to clean the redundant PAP for further improving the performance. • The performance of the optimal membrane exceeds the upper bound of 2019. Carbon dioxide capture by membrane method is considered an important way to solve global warming, and it has become one of the most active research fields at present. Herein, a facile surface amination strategy by diazonium-induced anchoring process (DIAP) was introduced in the modification of polymers of intrinsic microporosity-1 (PIM-1) based membranes for efficient separation of CO 2 /N 2. According to the detection of the chemical and surface properties, the polyaminophenylene (PAP) layer grafting on the surface could be regulated by simply changing the modification time. The modified membranes show significant increase in the CO 2 /N 2 selectivity, which is attributed to the enhanced solubility-selectivity of the amino-rich surface. However, the attachment of the noncovalently grafted aniline groups increases the mass transfer resistance and surface non-uniformity, thereby significantly damaging the permeability of the membranes. Therefore, methanol is employed to clean the redundant PAP. As a result, the permeability of the membranes after methanol post-treatment increases evidently, while the membranes maintain good CO 2 /N 2 selectivity. The selectivity of CO 2 /N 2 and the permeability of CO 2 are 34.1 and 11421.5 Barrer respectively at the optimal modification condition, which exceeds the upper bound established in 2019. This work will encourage the researchers to pay more attention to surface modification for CO 2 capture, which might be relatively easy for industrial scale-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress-induced follicular granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis plays an essential role in abnormal follicular atresia, which may trigger ovarian dysfunction. To investigate the role of microRNA (miR)-145 in the regulation of GC apoptosis and modulation of the apoptotic pathway in the setting of oxidative stress, we employed an H 2 O 2 -induced in vitro model and a 3-nitropropionic acid (NP)-induced in vivo model of ovarian oxidative stress. We demonstrated in vitro that miR-145 expression was significantly down-regulated in KGN cells and mouse granulosa cells (mGCs) treated with H 2 O 2 , whereas miR-145 over-expression attenuated H 2 O 2 -induced apoptosis in GCs. Moreover, miR-145 protected GCs against H 2 O 2 -induced apoptosis by targeting KLF4, which promoted H 2 O 2 -induced GC apoptosis via the BAX/BCL-2 pathway. Importantly, decreased miR-145 expression in the in vivo ovarian oxidative stress model promoted apoptosis by up-regulating KLF4 expression, whereas GC-specific miR-145 over-expression attenuated apoptosis by targeting KLF4. In conclusion, miR-145 protects GCs against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by targeting KLF4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) consisting of acid-treated functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) incorporated into polyimide (PI) polymer were fabricated for gas separation. The functional groups and dispersion properties of the MWCNTs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the functionalized MWCNTs were cut into short ropes and acid oxidation introduced oxygen containing functional groups such as hydroxyl (OH) and carboxylic acid (COOH) on the surface of MWCNTs. Based on the assumption of strong interfacial interactions between the functionalized MWCNTs and PI matrix, the MWCNTs were first incorporated into poly(amic acid) (PAA) to form a highly dispersed solution, then the PI/MWCNTs nanocomposites were formed after in-situ chemical imidization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the functionalized MWCNTs were dispersed homogenously in the PI matrix. The gas separation performance showed that the CO 2 permeability coefficient increased 292% at 3 wt.% MWCNTs incorporated into the MMMs, and there was a 145% increase in the selectivity of CO 2 /N 2 and a 144% increase in the selectivity of CO 2 /CH 4 . This result demonstrates that the carboxylic and hydroxyl groups have a strong interaction with CO 2 , which increases the solubility coefficient of the polar gases. The in-situ polymerization approach of fabricated MMMs improves the interfacial interaction between the dispersed nanomaterials and the polymer matrix, which can be utilized in the practical gas separation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration (NF) membrane is a novel kind of membrane that has been extensively studied in recent years and broadly applied in desalination and wastewater treatment. The improvement of separation performance by optimizing the structure and morphology of NF membranes can significantly reduce energy consumption and bring more economic benefits. In this work, glutaraldehyde (GA) was used to crosslink polyethyleneimine (PEI) and dextran nanoparticles (DNPs) to construct an interfacial coating interlayer on polysulfone (PSF) ultrafiltration (UF) substrate. Subsequently, the polyamide (PA) NF membranes were fabricated by interfacial polymerization (IP) between piperazine (PIP) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC). DNPs were semi-encapsulated in the PEI coating and the exposed nanoparticles would be embedded in the PA layer for forming interfacial channels after IP. The interlayer not only affected the adsorption and diffusion of aqueous phase monomers to form a thin membrane, but also improved the membrane density to prevent selective defects associated with the incorporation of nanoparticles. The pure water permeance of the interlayered-TFC NF membrane was determined as 313.3 Lm−2h−1MPa−1, which was approximately four-fold that of the pristine membrane. The retention rate of various divalent salts of the NF membrane also significantly improved, and the retention rate of Na 2 SO 4 exceeded 99%. This innovative method of interlayer modification has exhibited great potential in rapid desalination and wastewater recovery, providing new possibilities for the preparation of industrial high-performance NF membranes. [Display omitted] • An innovative interlayer combining DNPs and PEI coating was successfully constructed. • DNPs were semi-encapsulated in the PEI coating to formed interfacial channels favorable for water passage. • The flux of the interlayer-modified NF membrane increased nearly 4 times with the retention rate of Na 2 SO 4 above 99%. • NF membrane exhibited excellent monovalent/divalent ion selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver polymer electrolyte membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles have showed excellent facilitated olefin transport properties. However, the application of facilitated transport membranes has been significantly hampered because of the poor stability of silver ions carrier. The structural changes of the facilitated transport membranes corresponding to the reduced separation performance with an extended time have rarely been studied. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles were introduced into poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/silver tetrafluoroborate polymer electrolyte membranes for propylene/propane separation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the addition of TiO 2 and silver salt reduced the crystallinity of PEO. The selectivity of propylene/propane of the polymer electrolyte membrane increased with increasing concentration of silver salt and TiO 2 in the polymer matrix. However, the propylene/propane selectivity decreased from 19.04 to 5.40 as the silver carrier ions became deactivated over the course of 196 h experiment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the satellite TiO 2 nanoparticles were formed around the silver salt after the composite membrane was placed in the air for 10 d. The findings in this work highlight the understanding of the carrier stability in polymer electrolyte membranes, and provide a potential opportunity to develop more stable polymer/carrier systems for the application of facilitated olefin transport membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) consisting of ethyl cellulose as continuous matrix and inorganic particle C60 as dispersed phase were prepared for propylene/propane separation. The impact of the C60 content on the separation properties of MMMs without and with ultraviolet cross-linking was investigated. The increment of decomposition temperature and single glass temperature of ethyl cellulose/C60 MMMs indicates a strong interfacial interaction between polymer and fullerenes. After UV irradiation, the gas permeability coefficient of propylene and ideal separation factor of propylene/propane decreased, and new features appeared in scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images, testifying the photopolymerization reaction of C60 at a depth near to the surface. C60 could be acted as a possible replaced carrier for the separation of olefin/paraffin using membrane separation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Cardo polyimide is prepared using low temperature solution copolymerization method. [•] The gas separation properties of cardo polyimide/TiO2 MMMs were greatly improved. [•] The P O2 and a O2/N2 of MMMs were beyond Robeson’s trade-off upper bound. [•] The structure and working mechanism of MMMs on the gas separation are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] miR-133b promotes estrogen production in human and mouse granulosa cells. [•] The Forkhead L2 (Foxl2) gene is a novel miR-133b target. [•] miR-133b attenuates the Foxl2-induced transcriptional repression of StAR and CYP19A1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration (NF) membrane is an excellent choice to solve water shortage based on the advantages of high flux and selective separation. However, the current NF membrane still causes a tremendous amount of energy consumption in the practical applications due to the limitation of flux. In this work, dextran nanoparticles (DNPs) with the cross-linked organic components, numerous hydrophilic groups and internal cavities were added into the aqueous phase solution, and novel NF membranes were fabricated by adjusting the concentration and particle size of DNPs to control the interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction. After modification, the decrease of membrane thickness and the increase of surface hydrophilicity improved the separation performance of NF membrane. The water flux of NF membrane with 0.5 wt% DNPs doping was up to 211.2 Lm−2h−1MPa−1, which was more than twice as high as the unmodified membrane with Na 2 SO 4 retention up to above 98%. It was also worth mentioning that the modified membrane indicated excellent monovalent/divalent ion selectivity and anti-fouling performance. This strategy of improving membrane performance by controlling the concentration and particle size of the aqueous phase additives with the advantages of simplicity and universality provides a certain impetus for the development of TFC membrane. • Dextran nanoparticles were successfully incorporated into the separation layer of NF membrane. • The water flux of the DNPs-modified NF membrane increased 2–3 times without sacrificing the Na 2 SO 4 retention. • The influence of the particle size and concentration of DNPs was discussed detailedly. • The anti-fouling performance and monovalent/divalent ion selectivity of the membrane improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, promotes the growth of preantral follicles and the proliferation of granulosa cells. However, little is known about the role of microRNAs in activin-mediated granulosa cell proliferation. Here, we reported a dose- and time-dependent suppression of microRNA-181a (miR-181a) expression by activin A in mouse granulosa cells (mGC). Overexpression of miR-181a in mGC suppressed activin receptor IIA (acvr2a) expression by binding to its 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR), resulting in down-regulation of cyclin D2 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression, leading to inhibition of the cellular proliferation, while overexpression of acvr2a attenuated the suppressive effect of miR-181a on mGC proliferation. Consistent with the inhibition of acvr2a expression, miR-181a prevented the phosphorylation of the activin intracellular signal transducer, mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2 (Smad2), leading to the inactivation of activin signaling pathway. Interestingly, we found that miR-181a expression decreased in ovaries of mice at age of 8, 12, and 21 days, as compared with that in ovaries of 3-day old mice, and its level was reduced in preantral and antral follicles of mice compared with that in primary ones. Moreover, the level of miR-181a in the blood of patients with premature ovarian failure was significantly increased compared with that in normal females. This study identifies an interplay between miR-181a and acvr2a, and reveals an important role of miR-181a in regulating granulosa cell proliferation and ovarian follicle development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Severe damages of uterine endometrium which prevent embryos from implantation and placentation finally often result in infertility or pregnant complications. There is lack of effective treatments due to the limitation of native materials available and complexity of the function and internal environment of uterus. In the present study, a collagen targeting basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) delivery system was constructed by a collagen membrane loaded with bFGF fused a collagen-binding domain (CBD) to the N-terminal which limits the diffusion of bFGF from collagen. We tested the bFGF delivery system in rats under the severe uterine damage model (partial rat uterine horn excision/reconstruction), and found this delivery system improved regeneration abilities of uterine endometrium and muscular cells, improved vascularization, as well as better pregnancy outcomes in rats. Therefore, this targeting delivery system may be an effective strategy for uterine tissue regeneration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Allophycocyanin is a phycobiliprotein with various biological and pharmacological properties. An expression vector was constructed using CpeS as the bilin lyase for the allophycocyanin β subunit, resulting in overexpression of a fluorescent allophycocyanin β-subunit in Escherichia coli. A high-density cell culture was developed using a continuous feeding strategy. After 16 h of culture, the dry cell density reached 21.4 g l−1, the expression of the allophycocyanin β-subunit was 0.86 g l−1 broth, and the relative chromoprotein yield was 81.4%. The recombinant protein showed spectral features similar to native allophycocyanin, which provide an efficient methodology for large-scale production of this valuable fluorescent protein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Implantation is the first maternal–embryo crosstalk that only occurs during a finite period called the ‘implantation window’. HOXA10, a homeobox transcription factor, plays an important regulatory role during this period. However, the target genes of HOXA10 involved in implantation and decidualization have not been identified. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation screen, we identified the p300/CBP-associated factor (p/CAF) as a direct HOXA10 target gene in vivo. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression and siRNA-specific knockdown of HOXA10 altered p/CAF promoter activity via interaction with the three consecutive TTAT element units in human endometrial cells. These results indicate that p/CAF is a novel HOXA10 target gene, and HOXA10 promotes human endometrial development, at least in part, through the regulation of p/CAF gene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, the membrane formation containing cellulose nitrate/acetone solution without or with an additive reagent (glycerol) by the phase inversion process was studied. The forming mechanism of the ‘cellular surface’ structure was investigated by visualizing the different structures of the vapor-contacting surface, the cross-section and the glass-side surface of the membranes as well as differences in the whole porosity and the water permeability. When the polymer solution containing hydrophilic additives (glycerol) was exposed to air containing water vapor, the water vapor was drawn into the casting solution and resulted in nucleation of emulsion drops spontaneously. The results showed that the size of surface pores could be controlled by both the time of phase inversion induced by water vapor and the relative humidity (RH) of the air. When the amount of glycerol in the polymer solution was 15wt%, after 1min water vapor induced (temperature 25°C, RH 70%) and then immersed into the water bath, the pore sizes on the glass surface of solidified membrane were up to 7.98μm, and the pores were regular. The prepared membranes were applied to adsorbing bovine serum albumin (BSA), the maximum adsorption capacity (q m) and the dissociation constant (K d) are 110.48μg/cm2 membrane area and 183.73μg/mL, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Affinity membranes were prepared with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fibers or flat membranes as the matrix, 1,6-hexanediamine (HDA) as the space arm, and amino acid—l-phenylalanine (l-Phe), l-tryptophane (l-Trp) and l-histidine (l-His) as the hydrophobic ligands, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis results indicated that the contents of oxygen and nitrogen increased from 5.6% to 16.5% and 0.6% to 3.0% on the membrane surface after l-Phe modification, respectively, while fluoride content decreased from 38.3% to 23.0%. The effects of operation parameters such as pH value and ionic strength, on the human γ-globulin (HGG) adsorption capacity of the affinity membranes were investigated in a batch system. The adsorption phenomena appeared to follow a typical Langmuir adsorption isotherm under the optimal condition, where the maximum adsorption capacity (q m) of l-Phe affinity membrane for γ-globulin was 0.318mg/cm2 membrane and the equilibrium constant (K d) value was found to be 0.453mg/mL solution from the Scatchard plot. Forty hollow fibers with a membrane area of 0.0188m2 in the membrane module adsorb 21mg HGG from 10mL human plasma with a purity of 83.9% in a single-pass mode. And the affinity membrane represented good stability throughout repeated adsorption–elution cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Novel polyarylate NF membranes were prepared with oligomeric phenolic resin monomer. • NF membrane exhibited a high Na 2 SO 4 rejection rate and excellent chlorine-resistance. • The influence of preparation parameters on the NF membrane performance was investigated. Conventional water treatment polyamide nanofiltration (NF) membranes often suffer from the degradation of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in sewage or during the process of membrane cleaning and deteriorate the separation performance, which significantly increases the treatment cost. Herein, a novel polyacrylate composite NF membranes were prepared by interfacial polymerization using oligomeric phenolic resin (OPR) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) as aqueous and organic phase monomer respectively on the polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration supporting membranes. The fabrication parameters, including the pH of the aqueous solution, reaction time and the concentration of the monomer, on the performance of the composite NF membranes were optimized. A series of characterization indicated that the surface of the NF membranes was negatively charged, the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and the pore diameter of the polyacrylate membrane were 400 Da and 0.47 nm, respectively. At the optimized preparation conditions, the NF membrane exhibited high Na 2 SO 4 rejection of 98.2% and water flux of 2.42L·m−2·h−1·bar−1, which was superior to most of the polyacrylate NF membranes reported in recent years. Compared with the polyamide membrane, the prepared polyacrylate membrane demonstrated better chlorine-resistant property and still maintained 92.0% Na 2 SO 4 rejection after being treated with NaOCl solution. Moreover, the NF membrane preserved excellent long-term operation stability. The chlorine-resistant NF membrane constructed from OPR monomer has a broad application prospect in the field of high chlorine wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Special circular microporous polyarylate membrane was prepared by interfacial polymerization. • Three kinds of CD (α-, β- and γ-CD) presented different polycondensation reactivity. • The types and content of alkali in the aqueous solution affected the membrane structure and gas permeation properties. • β-CD/TMC polyacrylate membranes showed high CO 2 /N 2 separation performance. Microporous polymer membranes have received extensive attention in the membrane separation field based on the advantage of high gas permeance and low cost. However, there are a few reports of microporous polyacrylate membranes fabricated by interfacial polymerization (IP), and the formation mechanism and influence factor of the microporous structure is rarely illuminated. In this work, thin-film polyacrylate membrane with circular microporous morphology were prepared by IP method with cyclodextrin and acyl chloride as the aqueous and oil phase monomer respectively for effective gas separation. The effects of the aqueous and organic phase monomer structure and concentration, the concentration and type of alkali in the aqueous solution on the membrane morphology and gas separation performance were investigated in detail. As a result, the polyacrylate membrane fabricated by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) with optimal content of NaOH in the aqueous phase formed the special circular microporous structure by the scanning electronic microscope (SEM) characterization. The resulting membrane showed CO 2 permeance of 200 GPU with CO 2 /N 2 ideal separation selectivity of 10.53. This work provides an effective strategy to fabricate high performance polyacrylate membrane by regulating the monomer structure and the alkali concentration in the aqueous phenol solution with IP method, which would inspire the exploration of other phenolic monomer for the assembly of microporous polymer membranes for gas separation or seawater desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiltration (NF) membrane is of great significance for desalination of light brine and purification of drinking water. Although the development of novel preparation methods and membrane materials has improved the separation performance, it is still a major challenge to promote NF membrane toward industrial production with simpler and more controllable process. Herein, the polyphenol intermediate layer was designed by 5,5′,6,6′-tetrahydroxy-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethyl-1,1′-spirobisindane (TTSBI) with twist structure and polyethyleneimine (PEI) co-deposition to increase the surface hydrophilicity and electropositivity of the polysulfone ultrafiltration substrate. Subsequently interfacial polymerization (IP) was carried out on the polyphenol intermediate layer to assemble a polyamide ultrathin selective layer using trimesoyl chloride and piperazine monomer. Through adjusting the co-deposition time of TTSB and PEI, a unique nano-pleated structure was successfully formed on the thin-film composite membrane surface. The water permeance of the membrane was determined as 23.7 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 with 99.4% Na 2 SO 4 rejection, which was almost triple fold of the flux of the controller membrane without the intermediate layer. Our results provide an efficient and convenient way to fabricate the advanced NF membrane with higher divalent/monovalent ion selectivity and water permeance simultaneously, which will provide advices for the gas separation and pervaporation membranes with the IP method. • Novel TTSBI-PEI interlayer-based polyamide membrane was fabricated by interfacial polymerization. • The nano-pleated structure on the selective layer improved the water flux without deterioration of Na 2 SO 4 rejection. • The novel nanofiltration membrane exhibited excellent long-term stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel TFC membrane was designed for pervaporation dehydration. • Separation layer with descending crosslinking degree formed with LBL assembled IP. • Ten folds increase of separation factor was achieved with the TFC membrane. • TFC membranes showed high separation performance and good stability. Thin-film composite (TFC) pervaporation membranes is of widespread interest for the alcohol dehydration, since the thin selective layer allows a high permeation flux. However, how to obtain the desired flux and separation selectivity simultaneously is still the bottleneck of industrial application with pervaporation technology. In this study, a novel ultrathin multi-layer polyurea or polyamide pervaporation membrane was designed and assembled via layer-by-layer (LBL) interfacial polymerization (IP) method on the hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (HPAN) substrate membrane. During the LBL assembly process, the controllable crosslinking degree of the separation layer formed through changing the concentration of the oil phase monomer while remaining the concentration of the aqueous phase monomer constant based on the solution-diffusion mechanism of pervaporation separation process. The surface characterization revealed that the tris(2-aminoethyl) amine (TAEA) 1.5 -toluene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) 1-0.5-0 /HPAN composite membrane exhibited much rougher surface than that of the membranes with the same crosslinking degree. The optimized composite membrane exhibited a high separation factor of 844.6 with a desirable permeation flux of 1284.3 g·m−2·h−1 for the pervaporation dehydration 95 wt% ethanol aqueous solution at 80 °C, which was 10-fold increase of separation factor compared with the control membrane. Moreover, the excellent operation stability of the TFC membrane demonstrated the promising prospect for the alcohol dehydration separation. This preparation methodology has potential application in other membrane separation process on the basis of solution-diffusion mechanism, such as gas separation and reverse osmosis membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) as one of potential next generation membrane materials for gas separation has attracted great interests due to its ultra-permeable characteristics. Herein, a novel bis(phenyl)fluorene-based PIMs (Cardo-PIM-1) based on 9,9-bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) fluorene (BDPF), 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile (TFTPN) and spirocyclic 5,5′,6,6′-tetrahydroxy-3,3′,3,3′-tetramethylspirobisindane (TTSBI) were prepared vis dibenzodioxane polymerization reaction, and then the functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) were incorporated into Cardo-PIM-1 to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with solution mixing method for CO 2 separation. The structure analysis indicated that the MWCNTs were cut into short ropes and the amino groups were incorporated into the nanotubes surface after treated with acid mixtures followed by ethylenediamine modification. FTIR spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement confirmed the formation of Cardo-PIM-1 macromolecule. BET and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) analysis exhibited that Cardo-PIM-1 contained larger pore-size distribution and fractional free volume (FFV), and preferential CO 2 adsorption capacity over N 2 compared with that of PIM-1. This work investigated the structure of polymer as well as the effect of nanofillers in the gas separation performance. High CO 2 permeability of 2.9 × 104 Barrer with a desirable CO 2 /N 2 separation factor of 24.2 was achieved using the MMMs with 7.5 wt% f-MWCNTs loading, which were among the best performance for CO 2 separation. The Cardo-PIM-1/f-MWCNTs MMMs will provide a promising alternative in industrial flue gas separation and CO 2 capture process. • A novel bis(phenyl)fluorene-based PIMs (Cardo-PIM-1) with dibenzodioxin polymerization reaction was prepared. • Cardo-PIM-1/functionalized MWCNTs MMMs were fabricated by the solution mixing method. • Cardo-PIM-1 membrane exhibited excellent CO 2 /N 2 separation performance. • Functionalized MWCNTs in the MMMs further improved the CO 2 separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major zygotic genome activation (ZGA) occurs at the late 2‐cell stage and involves the activation of thousands of genes, supporting early embryonic development. The reasons underlying the regulation of ZGA are not clear. Acetylation modifications of histone tails promote transcriptional activation, and the maternal deletion of H4K16ac leads to failure in ZGA. GATAD2B is one of the core subunits of the nucleosome remodelling and histone deacetylation (NuRD) complex. Our research has shown that GATAD2B exhibits specific nucleus localization and high protein expression from the late 2‐cell stage to the 8‐cell stage. This intriguing phenomenon prompted us to investigate the relationship between GATAD2B and the ZGA. We discovered a distinctive pattern of GATAD2B, starting from the late 2‐cell stage with nuclear localization. GATAD2B depletion resulted in defective embryonic development, including increased DNA damage at morula, decreased blastocyst formation rate, and abnormal differentiation of ICM/TE lineages. Consistent with the delay during the cleavage stage, the transcriptome analysis of the 2‐cell embryo revealed inhibition of the cell cycle G2/M phase transition pathway. Furthermore, the GATAD2B proteomic data provided clear evidence of a certain association between GATAD2B and molecules involved in the cell cycle pathway. As hypothesized, GATAD2B‐deficient 2‐cell embryos exhibited abnormalities in ZGA during the maternal‐to‐embryonic transition, with lower expression of the major ZGA marker MERVL. Overall, our results demonstrate that GATAD2B is essential for early embryonic development, in part through facilitating ZGA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this research was to elucidate the association between the length of infertility and the outcomes of intrauterine insemination (IUI) in women of varying ages - a topic that has been the subject of investigation for numerous years, yet lacks a definitive consensus. Methods: A retrospective cohort investigation involving 5268 IUI cycles was undertaken at the Reproductive Medicine Center of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from 2016 to 2022. Utilizing the smooth fitting curve along with threshold and saturation effect analysis, the correlation between infertility duration and IUI clinical pregnancy rates was discerned. Moreover, patients were bifurcated into two cohorts based on their respective infertility durations. A secondary examination was also performed employing propensity-score matching to mitigate the impact of confounding variables. Subsequent threshold and saturation effect analysis was carried out across various subgroups, segmented on the basis of age differentiation. Results: When the duration of infertility was more than 5 years, the clinical pregnancy rate decreased with the increase of infertility duration (aOR: 0.894, 95%CI: 0.817–0.991, p = 0.043). The multivariate regression analysis suggested that longer duration of infertility (≥ 5 years) was significantly correlated with the lower clinical pregnancy rate (aOR: 0.782, 95% CI: 0.643–0.950, p = 0.01). After the propensity-score matching, the clinical pregnancy rate of women with longer infertility duration were also higher. When the duration of infertility was more than 5 years, the clinical pregnancy rate of women younger than 35 years old decreased with the increase of infertility duration (aOR: 0.906, 95%CI: 0.800–0.998, p = 0.043). Conclusions: The clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate of IUI in young women (< 35 years old) who have been infertile for more than 5 years significantly decrease with the prolongation of infertility time. Therefore, for young women who have been infertile for more than 5 years, IUI may not be the best choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most complex endocrine disorders in women of reproductive age. Abnormal proliferation of granulosa cells (GCs) is an important cause of PCOS. This study aimed to explore the role of fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5) in granulosa cell (GC) proliferation in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. Methods: The FABP5 gene, which is related to lipid metabolism, was identified through data analysis of the gene expression profiles of GSE138518 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The expression levels of FABP5 were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT‒PCR) and western blotting. Cell proliferation was evaluated with a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Western blotting was used to assess the expression of the proliferation marker PCNA, and immunofluorescence microscopy was used to detect Ki67 expression. Moreover, lipid droplet formation was detected with Nile red staining, and qRT‒PCR was used to analyze fatty acid storage-related gene expression. Results: We found that FABP5 was upregulated in ovarian GCs obtained from PCOS patients and PCOS mice. FABP5 knockdown suppressed lipid droplet formation and proliferation in a human granulosa-like tumor cell line (KGN), whereas FABP5 overexpression significantly enhanced lipid droplet formation and KGN cell proliferation. Moreover, we determined that FABP5 knockdown inhibited PI3K-AKT signaling by suppressing AKT phosphorylation and that FABP5 overexpression activated PI3K-AKT signaling by facilitating AKT phosphorylation. Finally, we used the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway inhibitor LY294002 and found that the facilitation of KGN cell proliferation and lipid droplet formation induced by FABP5 overexpression was inhibited. In contrast, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway agonist SC79 significantly rescued the suppression of KGN cell proliferation and lipid droplet formation caused by FABP5 knockdown. Conclusions: FABP5 promotes active fatty acid synthesis and excessive proliferation of GCs by activating PI3K-AKT signaling, suggesting that abnormally high expression of FABP5 in GCs may be a novel biomarker or a research target for PCOS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of an interpretable artificial intelligence (AI) model for embryo selection in a prospective clinical trial? This single-centre prospective cohort study was carried out from October 2021 to March 2022. A total of 330 eligible patients were assigned to their preferred groups, with 250 patients undergoing a fresh single-blastocyst transfer cycle after the exclusion criteria had been applied. For the AI-assisted group (AAG), embryologists selected the embryos for transfer based on the ranking recommendations provided by an interpretable AI system, while with the manual group, embryologists used the Gardner grading system to make their decisions. The implantation rate was significantly higher in the AAG than the manual group (80.87% versus 68.15%, P = 0.022). No significant difference was found in terms of monozygotic twin rate, miscarriage rate, live birth rate and ectopic pregnancy rate between the groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in terms of neonatal outcomes, including gestational weeks, premature birth rate, birth height, birthweight, sex ratio at birth and newborn malformation rate. The consensus rate between the AI and retrospective analysis by the embryologists was significantly higher for good-quality embryos (i.e. grade 4BB or higher) versus poor-quality embryos (i.e. less than 4BB) (84.71% versus 25%, P < 0.001). These prospective trial results suggest that the proposed AI system could effectively help embryologists to improve the implantation rate with single-blastocyst transfer compared with traditional manual evaluation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies suggested higher serum progesterone (P) levels were strongly associated with a lower clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). However, the effect of increased serum P levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration on clinical outcomes in short-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) downregulated IVF-ET cycles remains unclear.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2017 to December 2021, which included a total of 1664 patients receiving their first short-acting GnRHa IVF-ET cycles at our reproductive medicine centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The smooth curve fitting and interaction analysis were employed to analyse the association between the CPR and the serum P levels with different embryo types (cleavage-stage embryo or blastocyst). In addition, total cycles were grouped according to different P levels on the trigger day of hCG administration for further analysis.Results: The CPR of patients with increased serum P level (higher than 1.5 ng/mL) on the hCG day did not decrease. A smoothing curve fitting showed that the CPR did not change obviously with the increase in serum P levels. Subgroup analysis of different types of embryos transferred showed that no correlation was observed between the CPR and serum P levels on the day of hCG administration in cleavage-stage embryo transfer cycles. However, the CPR of patients receiving blastocyst transfer showed a downward trend with the increase in serum P levels. At the same time, an interaction analysis also confirmed that the CPR of blastocyst transfer was more likely to be affected by elevated serum P levels on the hCG day.Conclusion: In the luteal phase short-acting GnRHa downregulated IVF-ET cycles, the elevated serum P levels on the hCG day did not affect the CPR of cleavage-stage embryo transfer but reduced the CPR of blastocyst transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intrauterine adhesions (IUA) are the most common cause of uterine infertility and are caused by endometrium fibrotic regeneration following severe damage to the endometrium. Although current stem cell treatment options using different types of autologous stem cells have exhibited some beneficial outcomes in IUA patients, the reported drawbacks include variable therapeutic efficacies, invasiveness and treatment unavailability. Therefore, the development of new therapeutic stem cell treatments is critical to improving clinical outcomes. Methods: Twenty-six patients who suffered from infertility caused by recurrent IUA were enrolled in this prospective, non-controlled, phase I clinical trial with a 30-month follow-up. During the procedure, 1 × 107 umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs), loaded onto a collagen scaffold, were transplanted into the uterine cavity following an adhesion separation procedure. Medical history, physical examination, endometrial thickness, intrauterine adhesion score and the biological molecules related to endometrial proliferation and differentiation were assessed both before and 3 months after cell therapy. Results: No treatment-related serious adverse events were found. Three months after the operation, the average maximum endometrial thickness in patients increased, and the intrauterine adhesion score decreased compared to those before the treatment. A histological study showed the upregulation of ERα (estrogen receptor α), vimentin, Ki67 and vWF (von Willebrand factor) expression levels and the downregulation of ΔNP63 expression level, which indicates an improvement in endometrial proliferation, differentiation and neovascularization following treatment. DNA short tandem repeat (STR) analysis showed that the regenerated endometrium contained patient DNA only. By the end of the 30-month follow-up period, ten of the 26 patients had become pregnant, and eight of them had delivered live babies with no obvious birth defects and without placental complications, one patient in the third trimester of pregnancy, and one had a spontaneous abortion at 7 weeks. Conclusions: Transplanting clinical-grade UC-MSCs loaded onto a degradable collagen scaffold into the uterine cavity of patients with recurrent IUA following adhesiolysis surgery is a safety and effective therapeutic method. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov. NCT02313415, Registered December 6, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiltration membrane was prepared via non-organic solvent method using natural product tannic acid. • Nanofiltration membrane prepared from nature-derived tannic acid and cyclohexane-1,4-diamine. • Formation mechanisms, i.e. Michael addition and Schiff base formation, were confirmed. • The membrane has 97% and 50.7% rejections for Na 2 SO 4 and NaCl and a water flux at 35 LMH. • Membrane cleaning showed stability in both alkaline and acidic pH. • Membrane showed fouling tendency due to high surface roughness. Conventional nanofiltration membrane fabrication generally includes the usage of toxic organic solvent that poses threats to the environment and public health. Herein, we explored preparing nanofiltration membrane through a non-organic solvent method utilizing the highly reactive natural product, tannic acid (TA), along with cyclohexane-1,4-diamine (CHD). Fabrication process was carried out through sequential immersion of a polyethersulfone (PES) support in two aqueous monomer phases. The absence of a solvent interface facilitated the diffusion and mixing of the two monomers, and the highly reactive quinone derivative of TA enabled the rapid film formation via Michael addition and Schiff base formation. Membrane performance was optimized through investigation of fabrication parameters. The TA-CHD membrane exhibited a negatively charged surface, with a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 600 Da. The membrane prepared at optimal conditions showed approximate 97% and 50.7% rejections towards Na 2 SO 4 and NaCl, with a water flux at approximate 35 L m−2 h−1 (10 bar). Fouling behaviour of the TA-CHD membrane was studied and a chemical cleaning test under two extreme pH was performed to demonstrate the chemical stability. The proposed non-organic solvent method here provides an eco-friendly way to utilize the potential of polyphenol natural products in water purification membrane preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With advanced maternal age, abnormalities during oocyte meiosis increase significantly. Aneuploidy is an important reason for the reduction in the quality of aged oocytes. However, the molecular mechanism of aneuploidy in aged oocytes is far from understood. Histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1) has been reported to be essential for mammalian development and genome stability, and involved in multiple organ aging. Whether HAT1 is involved in ovarian aging and the detailed mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Methods: The level of HAT1 in aged mice ovaries was detected by immunohistochemical and immunoblotting. To explore the function of HAT1 in the process of mouse oocyte maturation, we used Anacardic Acid (AA) and small interfering RNAs (siRNA) to culture cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) from ICR female mice in vitro and gathered statistics of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), the first polar body extrusion (PBE), meiotic defects, aneuploidy, 2-cell embryos formation, and blastocyst formation rate. Moreover, the human granulosa cell (GC)-like line KGN cells were used to investigate the mechanisms of HAT1 in this progress. Results: HAT1 was highly expressed in ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) from young mice and the expression of HAT1 was significantly decreased in aged GCs. AA and siRNAs mediated inhibition of HAT1 in GCs decreased the PBE rate, and increased meiotic defects and aneuploidy in oocytes. Further studies showed that HAT1 could acetylate Forkhead box transcription factor O1 (FoxO1), leading to the translocation of FoxO1 into the nucleus. Resultantly, the translocation of acetylated FoxO1 increased the expression of amphiregulin (AREG) in GCs, which plays a significant role in oocyte meiosis. Conclusion: The present study suggests that decreased expression of HAT1 in GCs is a potential reason corresponding to oocyte age-related meiotic defects and provides a potential therapeutic target for clinical intervention to reduce aneuploid oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembled films of polyethyleneimine (PEI)/graphene oxide (GO) based on non-covalent force exhibit superior hydrogen barrier properties. Nevertheless, immersing the film in the self-assembly solution brings the problem of cross-contamination during the experiment. The deionized water rinsing step not only consumes time, but also increases the tediousness of membrane production and generates plenty of waste liquid. Herein, a PEI/GO hydrogen barrier film was prepared by ultrasonic atomization-assisted technology. Relying on stable and continuous spraying process and tiny droplets to achieve a unified and ordered surface of the film. The spray time, the dispersion concentration of GO, the pH of PEI solution, and the number of assembled layers were investigated in depth. The study shows that the hydrogen barrier film with excellent performance can be prepared by the atomization-assisted method. When the concentration of GO was 0.9 mg ml−1, the spray time of PEI and GO were 8 s and 20 s, the pH of PEI and GO were 10 and 4, respectively, the hydrogen transmission rate of 25-layer PEI/GO composite films was 21.343 cm3 m−2·day−1·0.1 MPa−1, which was 92.38% lower than that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates film. Furthermore, this method has high raw material utilization and is easy to scale. • Determine a method for atomization-assisted layer-by-layer self-assembly. • This method saves time, eliminates cross contamination and cleaning waste liquid. • The hydrogen permeability of prepared film was 92.38% lower than that of base film. • The method has the advantages of high utilization of raw materials and easy to scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to identify the mechanism of Inhibin Subunit Beta B (INHBB), a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family involved in the regulation of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) decidualization in recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Methods: RNA-seq was conducted to identify the differentially expressed genes in the endometria from control and RIF patients. RT-qPCR, WB, and immunohistochemistry were performed to analyse the expression levels of INHBB in endometrium and decidualised HESCs. RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence were used to detect changes in the decidual marker genes and cytoskeleton after knockdown INHBB. Then, RNA-seq was used to dig out the mechanism of INHBB regulating decidualization. The cAMP analogue (forskolin) and si-INHBB were used to investigate the involvement of INHBB in the cAMP signalling pathway. The correlation of INHBB and ADCY expression was analysed by Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: Our results showed significantly reduced expression of INHBB in endometrial stromal cells of women with RIF. In addition, INHBB was increased in the endometrium of the secretory phase and significantly induced in in-vitro decidualization of HESCs. Notably, with RNA-seq and siRNA-mediated knockdown approaches, we demonstrated that the INHBB-ADCY1-mediated cAMP signalling pathway regulates the reduction of decidualization. We found a positive association between the expression of INHBB and ADCY1 in endometria with RIF (R2 = 0.3785, P = 0.0005). Conclusions: The decline of INHBB in HESCs suppressed ADCY1-induced cAMP production and cAMP-mediated signalling, which attenuated decidualization in RIF patients, indicating that INHBB is an essential component in the decidualization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedicle screw (PS) implantation is an ideal treatment for severe multilevel vertebra instabilities. The accuracy of fixating PS is a key factor of spinal surgery. We developed a near-infrared spectroscopy device with a needlelike optical fiber probe to monitor optical parameters (reduced scattering coefficient) of vertebra models in real time. The fresh-frozen cadaver, cats and porcine vertebras were first studied in the experiments. Moreover, the reduced scattering coefficient (μ' s) along the different trajectories of PS insertion was obtained. In the fresh-frozen cadavera experiment, μ' s values could be used to distinguish the different compositions of the thoracic vertebra. In cat vertebra experiment, μ' s values of vertebrae bones, including cortical bone (15.30 ± 0.18 cm(-1)), cancellous bone (7.84 ± 1.11 cm(-1)) and spinal cord (19.46 ± 0.21 cm(-1)), were different in vivo. In the pig vertebrae experiment, there were obvious differences between the normal and abnormal PS puncture curves based on μ' s values. Thus, μ' s values measured by using the proposed device could be used as the pattern factor in spinal fusion surgery. Our studies demonstrate that near-infrared spectroscopy method may be potentially used for assisting the PS insertion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infertility is one of the most important and underappreciated reproductive health problems in developing countries. Currently, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer is the most effective treatment strategy for infertility. In a frozen-thawed cycle, single-blastocyst transfer can not only ensure relatively higher pregnancy and live birth rates but also effectively reduce the risk of maternal and neonatal complications. In frozen-thawed cycles, progesterone is initiated to promote the final phase of endometrial preparation prior to embryo transfer. However, the optimal duration of exposure to progesterone has remained inconclusive. Therefore, we designed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to compare the effects of different prolonged progesterone transformation times (P+6 and P+7) on the pregnancy outcomes of D6 single blastocyst transfer in a frozen-thawed cycle. Methods: This is a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial involving 900 patients with single blastocyst transfer in the frozen-thawed cycle, aged from 20 to 38 years, with less than three transfers, and with HRT-cycle single D6 blastocyst transfer in the current cycle. Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) into two parallel groups: the transfer of day 6 blastocysts on the 7th day of progesterone supplementation and the transfer of day 6 blastocysts on the 6th day of progesterone supplementation. The primary outcome measure is the clinical pregnancy rate. Secondary outcome measures include the miscarriage rate and live birth rate. Discussion: This is the first randomized controlled trial to compare the transfer of day 6 blastocysts on the 6th and 7th day of progesterone supplementation. The results of this study will provide evidence for whether to prolong the duration of exposure to progesterone prior to embryo transfer. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT04938011. Registered on 19 June 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Timely and moderate luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion plays critical roles in follicle development and maturation. However, the role of LH supplementation in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) cycles remains unclear. Can LH supplementation improve the clinical outcomes of patients who receive long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) pituitary downregulation in IVF/ICSI-ET cycles? Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 2600 long-acting GnRHa down-regulated IVF/ICSI cycles from 2017 to 2020 in our reproductive medicine centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. Total cycles were divided into two groups according to LH supplementation or not. In addition, we conducted a secondary analysis that used propensity-score matching to reduce the effects of confounding. Results: Exogenous LH addition was not significantly correlated with the clinical pregnancy rate (OR=0.910, 95% CI: 0.623– 1.311, p=0.61) in logistic regression analysis. After propensity-score matching, we also found no significant association between LH supplementation and the clinical pregnancy rate (OR=0.792, 95% CI: 0.527– 1.191, p=0.26). Conclusion: There is no obvious effect of exogenous LH supplementation on the clinical pregnancy rate in non-selective patients receiving long-acting GnRHa IVF/ICSI-ET cycles, which suggests that exogenous LH addition is not always needed, which can help us avoid drug overuse to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Dose an elevated serum progesterone (P) level on the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trigger day have a negative effect on clinical pregnancy outcomes for embryos transferred at different stages of development in long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles?Study Design: This was a noninterventional, retrospective, observational, single-centre cohort study. A total of 1951 patients received long-acting GnRHa for pituitary downregulation in IVF-ET cycles at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020. The serum P levels on the day of hCG administration were measured, together with other cycle parameters, to explore the relationship between P levels and the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) of different embryos transferred.Results: When the serum P level on the hCG day was higher than 1.5 ng/mL, the CPR did not decrease significantly. There was no correlation between the CPR of cleavage-stage embryo transfer and the serum P level on the hCG day. In addition, the interaction analysis suggested that the CPR of patients undergoing blastocyst transfer decreased as serum P levels on the hCG day increased. Progesterone levels on the day of hCG administration were closely related to the CPR of blastocyst transfer rather than cleavage-stage embryo transfer.Conclusion: An increased serum P level on the day of hCG administration did not affect the CPR of cleavage-stage embryo transfer, but it reduced the CPR of blastocyst transfer cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Timely and moderate luteinizing hormone (LH) supplementation plays positive roles in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) cycles with long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) pituitary downregulation. However, the appropriate timing of LH supplementation remains unclear.Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort study of 2226 cycles at our reproductive medicine centre from 2018 to 2020. We mainly conducted smooth curve fitting to analyse the relationship between the dominant follicle diameter when recombinant LH (rLH) was added and the clinical pregnancy outcomes (clinical pregnancy rate or early miscarriage rate). In addition, total cycles were divided into groups according to different LH levels after GnRHa and dominant follicle diameters for further analysis.Results: Smooth curve fitting showed that with the increase in the dominant follicle diameter when rLH was added, the clinical pregnancy rate gradually increased, and the early  miscarriage rate gradually decreased.Conclusions: In long-acting GnRHa downregulated IVF/ICSI-ET cycles, the appropriate timing of rLH supplementation has a beneficial impact on the clinical pregnancy outcome. Delaying rLH addition is conducive to the clinical pregnancy rate and reduces the risk of early miscarriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysulfoneamide (PSA) separation membranes show promising prospects for use in acidic wastewater treatment due to their outstanding acid stability. However, current PSA membranes have the disadvantages of low flux, poor NaCl rejection, and poor acid resistance of substrate. In this paper, a positively charged PSA membrane was successfully prepared by using polyethylene (PE) stretch membrane (usually used as a battery diaphragm) as the substrate, with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and naphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonyl chloride (NTSC) as the monomers for interfacial polymerization. The acid-resistant membrane exhibits a dense structure with an average pore size of just 0.2844 nm. Consequently, the membrane exhibits superior rejection rates for monovalent and divalent metals (MgCl 2 99.15 %, CaCl 2 98.85 %, MgSO 4 94.5 %, NaCl 93.27 %), while also maintaining satisfactory flux. The membrane has excellent acid resistance, and maintains its superior separation performance after being immersed in 20 wt% H 2 SO 4 at a high temperature of 24 h. [Display omitted] • PSA acid-resistant membrane with excellent performance by using porous PE substrate. • PSA membranes show 93 % rejection for NaCl. • PSA membrane has a positively charged surface, with rejection up to 99.1 % for MgCl 2. • The differences between porous PE and PSF substrates were compared. • The influence of PEI Mw on membrane performance was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the efficiency and efficacy of the novel Biorocks semi-automated vitrification system, which is based on a hydrogel? This comparative experimental laboratory study used mouse model and human day 6 blastocysts. Mouse oocytes and embryos were quality assessed post-vitrification. The Biorocks system successfully automated the solution exchanges during the vitrification process, achieving a significantly improved throughput of up to 36 embryos/oocytes per hour. Using hydrogel for cryoprotective agent delivery, 12 vessels could be processed simultaneously, fitting comfortably within an assisted reproductive technology (ART) workstation. In tests involving the cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos, the system yielded outcomes equivalent to the manual Cryotop method. For example, the survival rate for mouse oocytes was 98% with the Biorocks vitrification system (n = 46) and 95% for the manual Cryotop method (n = 39), of which 46% and 41%, respectively, progressed to blastocysts on day 5 after IVF. CC-grade day 6 human blastocysts processed with the Biorocks system (n = 39) were associated with a 92% 2 h re-expansion rate, equivalent to the 90% with Cryotop (n = 30). The cooling/warming rates achieved by the Biorocks system were 31,900°C/minute and 24,700°C/minute, respectively. Oocyte quality was comparable or better post-vitrification for Biorocks than Cryotop. The Biorocks semi-automated vitrification system offers enhanced throughput without compromising the survival and developmental potential of oocytes and embryos. This innovative system may help to increase the efficiency and standardization of vitrification in ART clinics. Further investigations are needed to confirm its efficacy in a broader clinical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can a non-invasive embryo transfer strategy provide a reference for embryo selection to be established? Chromosome sequencing of 345 paired blastocyst culture medium and whole blastocyst samples was carried out and a non-invasive embryo grading system was developed based on the random forest machine learning algorithm to predict blastocyst ploidy. The system was validated in 266 patients, and a blinded prospective observational study was conducted to investigate clinical outcomes between machine learning-guided and traditional non-invasive preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (niPGT-A) analyses. Embryos were graded as A, B or C according to their euploidy probability levels predicted by non-invasive chromosomal screening (NICS). Higher live birth rate was observed in A- versus C-grade embryos (50.4% versus 27.1%, P = 0.006) and B- versus C-grade embryos (45.3% versus 27.1%, P = 0.022) and lower miscarriage rate in A- versus C-grade embryos (15.9% versus 33.3%, P = 0.026) and B- versus C-grade embryos (14.3% versus 33.3%, P = 0.021). The embryo utilization rate was significantly higher through the machine learning strategy than the conventional dichotomic judgment of euploidy or aneuploidy in the niPGT-A analysis (78.8% versus 57.9%, P < 0.001). Better outcomes were observed in A- and B-grade embryos versus C-grade embryos and higher embryo utilization rates through the machine learning strategy compared with traditional niPGT-A analysis. A machine learning guided embryo grading system can be used to optimize embryo selection and avoid wastage of potential embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Intrauterine administration of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has been proposed to facilitate embryo implantation, while its effect on clinical outcome of women with previous implantation failure (RIF) in frozen/thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles is still unclear. Method of study: A total 523 patients having not experienced successful clinical pregnancy were enrolled in our study, including 207 repeat implantation failure (RIF) patients, and 316 patients with previous implantation failures but failed to meet the diagnostic criteria for RIF (non‐RIF). Autologous PBMCs were cultured with hCG for 4 h in the hCG‐activated PBMC‐treated group (n = 73 in RIF patients, n = 112 in non‐RIF patients), and then intrauterine administered 2 days before FET. In the hCG‐treated group (n = 67 in RIF patients, n = 100 in non‐RIF patients), recombinant hCG was administered 2 days before FET. The control group (n = 67 in RIF patients, n = 104 in non‐RIF patients) underwent FET without intrauterine administration. Results: In RIF patients, the clinical pregnancy rate of the above three groups are 56.16%, 53.73%, and 43.28%, respectively (p =.276). The implantation rate and live birth rate showed no significant differences (p >.05). For non‐RIF patients, higher clinical pregnancy rate was also seen in PBMC intrauterine group (57.15%) and hCG intrauterine group (58.00%) than controls (50.96%) but without statistical significance. There were no significant differences of implantation rate and live birth rate (p >.05). Conclusion: Intrauterine administration of hCG‐activated PBMC and hCG did not improve clinical outcomes for both RIF and non‐RIF patients before FET embryo transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To minimize twin birth rate by establishing an elective single cleavage embryo transfer strategy based on a twin live birth prediction model from fresh double cleavage embryos transfer (cleavage DET) patients.Methods: A total of 2478 patients underwent fresh cleavage DET in Nanjing Tower Hospital were enrolled to establish the twin live birth prediction model by logistic regression analysis and the cutoff value was calculated by ROC curve. Another 300 fresh cleavage DET patients and 550 cleavage single-embryo transfer (SET) patients were selected to testify the sensitivity, specificity and usefulness of this model.Results: The twin live birth probability (TLBP) = eX/(eX + 1), e is a natural logarithm, X = -1.763 - (0.319 × female age) + (0.329 × endometrial thickness) + (0.282 × the number of transferred top embryos) - (0.314 × previous transfer times), and the cutoff value of TLBP was 24.2%. The sensitivity of this model for predicting twin live birth was 75.6%, while the specificity was 52.5% in the external validation of 300 DET patients. Furthermore, the validation of 550 SET patients showed that the live birth rate of TLBP value positive patients was significantly higher than that in negative patients (54.3% vs. 35.5%, p < .001). When adopted an elective single cleavage embryo transfer strategy, the patients with a positive TLBP value choose SET, while still undergo DET who with a negative TLBP value, the live birth rate would maintain as 56.7%; however, the twin birth rate would significantly decline to 7.4%.Conclusion: Female age, endometrial thickness, the number of transferred top embryos and previous embryo transfer times were critical variables for the twin live birth prediction model. An elective single cleavage embryo transfer strategy according to this model can maintain the relatively high live birth rate, meanwhile get the acceptable low twin birth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to explore the relationship between serum oestrogen (E2) levels before endometrial transformation and pregnancy outcomes of hormone replacement therapy-frozen embryo transfer (HRT-FET) cycles, which has been investigated for years without any consensus.Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 10,209 cycles HRT-FET cycles was conducted at the Reproductive Medicine Center of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from March 2017 to December 2020. A smooth fitting curve was constructed to identify the relationship between serum E2 levels before endometrial transformation and the clinical pregnancy rate. Then, threshold and saturation effect analysis was employed to explore the cut-off value of serum E2 levels. In addition, patients were divided into 2 groups based on their levels of serum E2 measured before progesterone-induced endometrial transformation: Group 1, < 300 pg/mL (n = 6251) and Group 2, ≥ 300 pg/mL (n = 3958). The clinical pregnancy and miscarriage rates of all groups were compared. Further smooth fitting curve analysis was employed by different subgroups segmented according to different endometrial thicknesses.Results: When the serum E2 level was greater than 300 pg/mL, the clinical pregnancy rate decreased significantly (62.9% vs. 59.8%, p < 0.01), but the miscarriage rates were similar (13.5% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.14). While serum E2 level reached or exceeded 1400 pg/mL, there was no significant correlation between the clinical pregnancy rate and E2 level. The clinical pregnancy rate reached its higher level at lower E2 levels, regardless of the different endometrail thicknesses.Conclusions: Patients with a lower pretransformation serum E2 level (less than 300 pg/mL) have a higher clinical pregnancy rate and there was no correlation between the clinical pregnancy rate and a higher serum E2 level (greater than 1400 pg/mL) in HRT-FET cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) usually affects young women of childbearing age. After treatment for GTD, 86% of women wish to achieve pregnancy. On account of the impacts of GTD and treatments as well as patient anxiety, large numbers of couples turn to assisted reproductive technology (ART), especially in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). But few studies have investigated whether a history of GTD affects the outcomes of IVF/ICSI in secondary infertile patients and how it occurs. We investigate whether a history of GTD affects the IVF/ICSI outcomes and the live birth rates in women with secondary infertility. Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled 176 women with secondary infertility who underwent IVF/ICSI treatment at the reproductive medical center of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020. Participants were divided into the GTD group (44 women with GTD history) and control group (132 women without GTD history matched from 8318 secondary infertile women). The control group and the study group were matched at a ratio of 3:1 according to patient age, infertility duration, number of cycles and body mass index (BMI). We assessed retrieved oocytes and high-grade embryos, biochemical pregnancy, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, gestational age at delivery, delivery mode and live birth rates. Result(s): We found a significantly reduced live-birth rate (34.1% vs 66.7%) associated with IVF/ICSI cycles in patients with a GTD history compared to those without a GTD history. The biochemical pregnancy and miscarriage rates of the GTD group were slightly higher than those of the control group. In addition, there was a difference in gestational age at delivery between the GTD and control groups (p < 0.001) but no differences in the mode of delivery (p = 0.267). Furthermore, the number of abandoned embryos in the GTD group was greater than that in the control group (p = 0.018), and the number of good-quality embryos was less than that in the control group (p = 0.019). The endometrial thickness was thinner (p < 0.001) in the GTD group. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed abnormal endometrial receptivity in the GTD group. Conclusion(s): The GTD history of patients undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles had an impact on the live-birth rate and gestational age at delivery, which might result from the thinner endometrium and abnormal endometrial receptivity before embryo transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Serious injuries of endometrium in women of reproductive age are often followed by uterine scar formation and a lack of functional endometrium predisposing to infertility or miscarriage. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have shown great promise in clinical applications. In the present study, BM-MSCs loaded onto degradable collagen membranes were constructed. Collagen membranes provided 3-dimmensional architecture for the attachment, growth and migration of rat BM-MSCs and did not impair the expression of the stemness genes. We then investigated the effect of collagen/BM-MSCs constructs in the healing of severe uterine injury in rats (partial full thickness uterine excision). At four weeks after the transplantation of collagen/BM-MSCs constructs, BM-MSCs were mainly located to the basal membrane of regenerative endometrium. The wounded tissue adjacent to collagen/BM-MSCs constructs expressed higher level of bFGF, IGF-1, TGFβ1 and VEGF than the corresponding tissue in rats receiving collagen construct alone or in spontaneous regeneration group. Moreover, the collagen/BM-MSCs system increased proliferative abilities of uterine endometrial and muscular cells, facilitated microvasculature regeneration, and restored the ability of endometrium to receive the embryo and support its development to a viable stage. Our findings indicate that BM-MSCs may support uterine tissue regeneration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Advanced reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for desalination, typically thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, have emerged as a prominent research direction to combat water scarcity. The substrate properties, such as the amine monomer adsorption capacity, are considered important for the interfacial polymerization (IP) process. Herein, inspired by Marangoni convection, a tailored dendrimer interlayer based on the plasma-treated polyethylene substrate was developed via the in-depth modification driven by surface tension gradient to precisely adjust the substrate properties. In addition, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was introduced as an additive to synergistically improve the desalination performance, and its role was reinvestigated. The quantitative experiments of amine monomer adsorption show that the substrate with in-depth modification possesses enhanced adsorption capacity. Therefore, massive amines can be enriched at the substrate surface, which can erupt and react violently in IP, thereby forming a polyamide layer with thick apparent thickness and abundant nanovoids. The RO membrane after optimization exhibits 99.19 % of rejection to NaCl and 3.87 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 of permeance, which shows good competitiveness compared with the advanced polymer-based RO membranes. This work provides constructive suggestions for the screening of interlayers to RO membranes and the application of polyethylene-based TFC membranes. [Display omitted] • In-depth dendrimer interlayer was tailored based on Marangoni convection. • The role of SDS was reinvestigated in the PE-based system. • Quantitative experiment was designed to detect the MPD adsorption at the substrate. • The novel PE-based RO membrane shows competitive desalination performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Monomers developed in recent years for preparation of TFC membranes is summarized. • The relationship between monomer structure and membrane properties is established. • The application problems of the IP monomers are summarized. • The outlook for future development of the monomer is also discussed. The thin-film composite (TFC) membranes fabricated by interfacial polymerization (IP) can be applied in the fields of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO), which has the unparalleled advantages, such as high selectivity and permeability, small capital investment and low energy consumption, thus attracting great research interest in industry and academia field. The performance of TFC membranes is determined by their microstructure and physicochemical properties while IP monomer plays a decisive role regarding both. Over the past few decades, the researchers have paid intensive and sustained efforts to develop new IP monomers. This paper reviews these monomers and the corresponding membranes developed in recent years with the aim of establishing an intrinsic relationship between monomer structure and membrane properties. The excellent performances based on new monomers in enhancing the permeability, selectivity, anti-fouling and chemical stability of NF and RO membranes for liquid treatment are highlighted. Finally, various problems in the monomer development are summarized and the outlook for future development is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adenomyosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by invasion of the uterine endometrium into the muscle layer. In assisted reproductive technology (ART), gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) is often used to improve pregnancy rates in patients with adenomyosis, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Methods: Eutopic endometrial specimens were collected from patients with adenomyosis before and after GnRHa treatment in the midsecretory phase. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of these specimens was performed for transcriptome analysis. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of interest were confirmed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results: A total of 132 DEGs were identified in the endometrium of patients with adenomyosis after GnRHa treatment compared with the control group. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that immune system-associated signal transduction changed significantly after GnRHa treatment. Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21 (CCL21) was found to be highly expressed in the eutopic endometrium after GnRHa treatment, which may be involved in the improvement of endometrial receptivity in adenomyosis. Conclusion: This study suggests that molecular regulation related to immune system-associated signal transduction is an important mechanism of GnRHa treatment in adenomyosis. Immunoreactive CCL21 is thought to regulate inflammatory events and participate in endometrial receptivity in adenomyosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND A low dose injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) may induce pre-eclampsia-like symptoms in rats, and microRNA-155 (miR-155) is elevated in the placentas of patients with pre-eclampsia. Our goal was to investigate the association of miR-155 with pre-eclampsia and the pathways involved using human-trophoblast-derived cell line (HTR-8/SVneo) stimulated with LPS. METHODS We measured miR-155 in HTR-8/SVneo cells treated with LPS (25–800 ng/ml) using real-time PCR. Western blotting was used to study transcription factor activated protein 1 (AP-1) (JunB and FosB subunits) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 in the HTR-8/SVneo cells and placentas from patients with pre-eclampsia. DNA precipitation assays and luciferase reporter analysis were used to evaluate the regulation of miR-155 by AP-1 and NF-κB. Cell migration was determined by scratch assay. Syncytialization of HTR-8/SVneo cells was analysed following transfection with miR-155. RESULTS miR-155 was increased together with AP-1 and NF-κB in HTR-8/SVneo cells incubated with low dose of LPS (≤100 ng/ml; P < 0.05 versus baseline). Both JunB/FosB and p65 were increased in placenta from women with severe pre-eclampsia versus a normal pregnancy, with elevated expression of miR-155 (P < 0.05). For specific DNA-binding sites upstream of BIC/miR-155 gene promoter, the AP-1 site was more important than the NF-κB site for increasing miR-155 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. The cells with enforced expression of miR-155 showed a reduced ability to migrate (P < 0.05) and an increased number of syncytiotrophoblast-like multinuclear cells (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS LPS may induce remodelling of the human-trophoblast-derived HTR-8/SVneo cells by increasing miR-155, acting in part through the AP-1 and NF-κB pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose. Targeting white adipose tissue (WAT) beiging has been proposed as an effective way to increase thermogenesis and improve glucose metabolism. Neuromedin U (NMU) is a neuropeptide that could increase energy expenditure, while its effects on WAT beiging and glucose homeostasis remain to be investigated. Methods. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with high fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity and hyperglycemia and then treated with chronic subcutaneous injection of NMU. Body weight and food intake were recorded daily. After 14 days of injection, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose micro-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG micro-PET/CT) scans were conducted. Subcutaneous WAT (sWAT) and interscapular brown adipose tissue were collected for the evaluation of adipocyte size, expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1), and other thermogenic-related genes. Stromal vascular fraction of subcutaneous WAT was extracted for the measurement of type 2 innate lymphocytes (ILC2s) proportions. Results. Glucose tolerance was markedly improved by peripherally administered NMU. Micro-PET/CT suggested that NMU promoted WAT beiging, which was further confirmed by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemistry. In diet-induced-obese (DIO) mice, NMU activated thermogenic-related genes in WAT. In addition, NMU stimulated ILC2s in the stromal vascular fraction of WAT. Conclusion. Taken together, our study indicates that peripheral administration of NMU is a potential therapeutic strategy for the promotion of WAT beiging and the improvement of impaired glucose tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]