Correlation between follicular fluid metabolic markers and oocyte quality in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate whether the metabolites in follicular fluid can be used as indicators for predicting oocyte quality and embryos early development in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods The study subjects were divided into four groups: lean control (LC) 30 cases, overweight (OW) 13 cases, lean PCOS (LP) 26 cases, and overweight PCOS (OP) 26 cases based on the Chinese criteria for body mass index (BMI) categories. The metabolic variance of follicular fluid from PCOS and controls was performed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and clinical characteristics, oocyte outcomes and differences of metabolites in follicular fluid of those patients have been compared by ANOVA. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between oocyte fertilization rate, top-quality embryos rate and follicular metabolites. Results Compared to the LC group, oocytes retrieved and top-quality embryos rate were significantly increased, while the mature oocytes rate and fertilization rate decreased significantly in the OP group. A total of 236 metabolites were identified and quantified by metabolomics in follicular fluid. Compared with LC and OP groups, 19 metabolites showed statistically significant differences in PCOS group. Additionally, 7 metabolites were significant correlated with the fertilization rate or top-quality embryo rate respectively, most of which were lysophospholipids. Conclusion Several metabolites in the follicular fluid are significantly different between PCOS and healthy women. Among these, lysophospholipids are crucial for oocyte quality and early embryonic development, may serve as potential markers to evaluate the oocyte quality in PCOS patients.

Identification and analysis of the calcium signaling system genes responding to continuous cropping injury in Rehmannia glutinosa L / 药学学报

Calcium signaling plays a critical role in response to various abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. Preliminarily evidence showed that calcium signaling perceived and transduced the harmful signaling generated from continuous cropping stress in R. glutinosa. To investigate the roles of calcium signaling in continuous cropping injury formation, the key genes involved in calcium signaling transduction were identified in R. glutinosa transcriptome through bioinformatic methods. Furthermore, the calcium ion concentration in both normal and continuous cropping R. glutinosa root cells were measured by potassium pyroantimonate precipitation and calcium fluorescence method. As a result, a set of 84 calcium signaling-related genes, including 5 CaMs, 12 CBLs, 21 CDPKs, 21 CIPKs, 16 CMLs, and 9 CRKs were captured in R. glutinosa transcriptome. The analysis of expression profile in continuous cropping compared to normal growth R. glutinosa indicated that continuous cropping stress significantly increased the expression of calcium signaling-related genes in continuous cropping R. glutinosa. At the same time, the abundance levels of 12 calcium signaling-related genes quantified by qPCR further validated the high expression of calcium signaling-related genes presented in continous cropping R. glutinosa. In addition, the continuous cropping condition significantly promoted the accumulation of intracellular calcium ions in R. glutinosa based on two methods of potassium pyroantimonate precipitation and calcium fluorescence. This study verified the possible roles of calcium signaling in the formation of continuous cropping injury on molecular and cellular level, which lays a solid foundation for illuminating formation mechanism of continuous cropping injury on molecular level.

Impact of mobile phone radiation on the quality and DNA methylation of human sperm in vitro / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the influences of mobile phone radiation on the quality and DNA methylation of human sperm in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>According to the fifth edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, we randomly selected 97 male volunteers with normal semen parameters and divided each semen sample from the subjects into two equal parts, one exposed to mobile phone radiation at 1950 M Hz, SAR3. 0 W/kg for 3 hours while the other left untreated as the control. We obtained routine semen parameters as well as the acrosomal reaction ability, apoptosis and DNA methylation of sperm, and compared them between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control, the radiation group showed significantly decreased progressive sperm motility ([36.64 ± 16.93] vs [27.56 ± 16.92]%, P < 0.01) and sperm viability ([63.72 ± 16.35] vs [54.31 ± 17.35]%, P < 0.01) and increased sperm head defects ([69.92 ± 4.46] vs [71.17 ± 4.89]%, P < 0.05), but no significant differences in sperm acrosomal reaction ([66.20 ± 6.75] vs [64.50 ± 3.47]%, P > 0.05). The early apoptosis rate of sperm cells was remarkably higher in the radiation group ([6.89 ± 9.84]%) than in the control ([4.44 ± 5.89]%) (P < 0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were found between the control and radiation groups in the DNA methylation patterns of the paternal imprinting gene H19 ICR ([0.60 ± 0.02] vs [1.40 ± 0.03]%, P > 0.05) or the maternal imprinting gene KvDMR1 ([0.00 ± 0.00] vs [1.80 ± 0.031%, P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Mobile phone radiation reduces the progressive motility and viability of human sperm and increases sperm head defects and early apoptosis of sperm cells.</p>

Experimental study on early escharectomy after major burns in minipigs / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate optimal time for early escharectomy after severe scald in minipigs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Minipigs inflicted with 35% TBSA full thickness burn were employed in the study, and they were randomly divided into A (n = 7, with escharectomy at 6PSH), and B (n = 7, with escharectomy at 24 PSH) groups. The hemodynamics indices, hemorrheology, and the serum levels of cytokines in the two groups were determined before burns and at 6, 8, 16, 24 and 72PSH.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The hemodynamics indices in A group obviously improved compared with those in B group. The cardiac output (CO, 2.28 +/- 0.03 L/min) and right arterial pressure (RAP, 4.54 +/- 0.04 mmHg) in A group recovered to the pre-injury levels at 48 PSH. There was no difference of the hemorrheology indices between the two groups (P > 0.05). The serum contents of cytokines in A group declined to the pre-injury level on 1 PBW, while those in B group were significantly higher than those before injury and those in A group (P < 0.05 or P > 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Escharectomy during 6 PBH might be safe and feasible, thus preventing long-term complications effectively.</p>