The Hippocampal Subfield Volume Reduction and Plasma Biomarker Changes in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: The hippocampus consists of histologically and functionally distinct subfields, which shows differential vulnerabilities to Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated pathological changes. Objective: To investigate the atrophy patterns of the main hippocampal subfields in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD and the relationships among the hippocampal subfield volumes, plasma biomarkers and cognitive performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 119 patients stratified into three categories: normal cognition (CN; N = 40), MCI (N = 39), and AD (N = 40). AD-related plasma biomarkers were measured, including amyloid-ß (Aß)42, Aß40, Aß42/Aß40 ratio, p-tau181, and p-tau217, and the hippocampal subfield volumes were calculated using automated segmentation and volumetric procedures implemented in FreeSurfer. Results: The subiculum body, cornu ammonis (CA) 1-head, CA1-body, CA4-body, molecular_layer_HP-head, molecular_layer_HP-body, and GC-ML-DG-body volumes were smaller in the MCI group than in the CN group. The subiculum body and CA1-body volumes accurately distinguished MCI from CN (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.647-0.657). The subiculum-body, GC-ML-DG-body, CA4-body, and molecular_layer_HP-body volumes accurately distinguished AD from MCI (AUC = 0.822-0.833) and AD from CN (AUC = 0.903-0.905). The p-tau 217 level served as the best plasma indicator of AD and correlated with broader hippocampal subfield volumes. Moreover, mediation analysis demonstrated that the subiculum-body volume mediated the associations between the p-tau217 and p-tau181 levels, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Auditory Verbal Learning Test recognition scores. Conclusions: Hippocampal subfields with distinctive atrophy patterns may mediate the effects of tau pathology on cognitive function. The subiculum-body may be the most clinically meaningful hippocampal subfield, which could be an effective target region for assessing disease progression.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Light Spectra Affect the Growth and Molting of Scylla paramamosain by Changing the Chitin Metabolism.

Light is an essential ecological factor that has been demonstrated to affect aquatic animals' behavior, growth performance, and energy metabolism. Our previous study found that the full-spectrum light and cyan light could promote growth performance and molting frequency of Scylla paramamosain while it was suppressed by violet light. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism that influences light spectral composition on the growth performance and molting of S. paramamosain. RNA-seq analysis and qPCR were employed to assess the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of eyestalks from S. paramamosain reared under full-spectrum light (FL), violet light (VL), and cyan light (CL) conditions after 8 weeks trial. The results showed that there are 5024 DEGs in FL vs. VL, 3398 DEGs in FL vs. CL, and 3559 DEGs in VL vs. CL observed. GO analysis showed that the DEGs enriched in the molecular function category involved in chitin binding, structural molecular activity, and structural constituent of cuticle. In addition, the DEGs in FL vs. VL were mainly enriched in the ribosome, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, lysosome, apoptosis, and antigen processing and presentation pathways by KEGG pathway analysis. Similarly, ribosome, lysosome, and antigen processing and presentation pathways were major terms that enriched in FL vs. CL group. However, only the ribosome pathway was significantly enriched in up-regulated DEGs in VL vs. CL group. Furthermore, five genes were randomly selected from DEGs for qPCR analysis to validate the RNA-seq data, and the result showed that there was high consistency between the RNA-seq and qPCR. Taken together, violet light exposure may affect the growth performance of S. paramamosain by reducing the ability of immunity and protein biosynthesis, and chitin metabolism.

Optimizing Anesthetic Practices for Mud Crab: A Comparative Study of Clove Oil, MS-222, Ethanol, and Magnesium Chloride.

Anesthesia serves as an effective method to mitigate the stress response in aquatic animals during aquaculture and product transportation. In this study, we assessed the anesthetic efficacy of clove oil, tricaine methane-sulfonate (MS-222), ethanol, and magnesium chloride by anesthesia duration, recovery time, 24-hour survival rate, and the behavior of mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain). Additionally, the optimal anesthetic concentration for varying body weights of mud crabs was also investigated. The results revealed that clove oil emerged as the optimal anesthetic for mud crabs, with a 24-hour survival rate surpassing those observed in MS-222 and magnesium chloride treatments. Ethanol caused amputation and hyperactivity in mud crabs. Regression analyses between the optimal anesthetic concentration of clove oil and the weight categories of 0.03-27.50 g and 27.50-399.73 g for mud crabs yielded the following equations: y = 0.0036 x3 - 0.1629 x2 + 1.7314 x + 4.085 (R2 = 0.7115) and y = 0.0437 x + 2.9461 (R2 = 0.9549). Clove oil exhibited no significant impact on serum cortisol, glucose, lactate content, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, or superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in mud crabs across different treatment groups. Anesthesia induced by clove oil in mud crabs resulted in an increase in inhibitory neurotransmitters such as glycine. However, the recovery from anesthesia was associated with elevated levels of the excitatory neurotransmitters L-aspartic acid and glutamate. In conclusion, clove oil proves to be a safe and optimal anesthetic agent for mud crabs, exerting no physiological stress on the species.

ε-Ga2 O3 : An Emerging Wide Bandgap Piezoelectric Semiconductor for Application in Radio Frequency Resonators.

The explosion of mobile data from the internet of things (IoT) is leading to the emergence of 5G technology with dramatic frequency band expansion and efficient band allocations. Along with this, the demand for high-performance filters for 5G radio frequency (RF) front-ends keeps growing. The most popular 5G filters are constructed by piezoelectric resonators based on AlN semiconductor. However, AlN possesses a piezoelectric constant d33 lower than 5 pm V-1 and it becomes necessary to develop novel semiconductors with larger piezoelectric constant. In this work, it is shown that strong piezoelectricity exists in ε-Ga2 O3 . High-quality phase-pure ε-Ga2 O3 thin films with a relatively low residual stress are prepared. A switching spectroscopy piezoelectric force microscope (SS-PFM) measurement is carried out and the piezoelectric constant d33 of ε-Ga2 O3 is determined to be ≈10.8-11.2 pm V-1 , which is twice as large as that of AlN. For the first time, surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators are demonstrated on the ε-Ga2 O3 thin films and different vibration modes resonating in the GHz range are observed. The results suggest that ε-Ga2 O3 is a great material candidate for application in piezoelectric devices, thanks to its wide bandgap, strong piezoelectric property, small acoustic impedance, and low residual stress.

Capillary bridges between unsaturated nano-mineral particles: a molecular dynamics study.

Capillary bridges play an important role in the process of cohesion, which is crucial for wet granular media, and engineering of pharmaceuticals and food processing. However, the understanding of capillary bridges at the nanoscale remains unclear because the mechanical performance of nanoscale capillary bridges cannot be fully captured and explained by classical capillary theory. We applied a novel molecular dynamic simulation to investigate the dynamic formation process of nanoscale capillary bridges between quartz asperities. In comparison with classical capillary theory, our results suggested that the application of the toroidal approximation and gorge method will break down at the scale of 1 nm. Below this threshold, a pronounced oscillation in the adhesive force was observed due to inconsistent distribution of water molecules in the capillary bridges. Moreover, we found a non-linear correlation between the adhesive force and the saturation degree. Different from the cohesive stress of sandy soil as a function of saturation degree, we identified an optimal saturation range of 0.5-0.7 instead of 0.2-0.9 for the sandy soil. Our findings enhance the understanding of capillary bridges and provide new insights into the capillary force between particles in the fields of geotechnical engineering, food-process engineering, the pharmaceutical industry and nanotechnology.

Astrocytic p75NTR expression provoked by ischemic stroke exacerbates the blood-brain barrier disruption.

The disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a critical role in the pathology of ischemic stroke. p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR ) contributes to the disruption of the blood-retinal barrier in retinal ischemia. However, whether p75NTR influences the BBB permeability after acute cerebral ischemia remains unknown. The present study investigated the role and underlying mechanism of p75NTR on BBB integrity in an ischemic stroke mouse model, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). After 24 h of MCAO, astrocytes and endothelial cells in the infarct-affected brain area up-regulated p75NTR . Genetic p75NTR knockdown (p75NTR+/- ) or pharmacological inhibition of p75NTR using LM11A-31, a selective inhibitor of p75NTR , both attenuated brain damage and BBB leakage in MCAO mice. Astrocyte-specific conditional knockdown of p75NTR mediated with an adeno-associated virus significantly ameliorated BBB disruption and brain tissue damage, as well as the neurological functions after stroke. Further molecular biological examinations indicated that astrocytic p75NTR activated NF-κB and HIF-1α signals, which upregulated the expression of MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), subsequently leading to tight junction degradation after ischemia. As a result, increased leukocyte infiltration and microglia activation exacerbated brain injury after stroke. Overall, our results provide novel insight into the role of astrocytic p75NTR in BBB disruption after acute cerebral ischemia. The p75NTR may therefore be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Sortilin deletion in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus ameliorates depressive-like behaviors in mice via regulating ASM/ceramide signaling.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric disorder characterized by persistent mood despondency and loss of motivation. Although numerous hypotheses have been proposed, the possible pathogenesis of MDD remains unclear. Several recent studies show that a classic transporter protein, sortilin, is closely associated with depression. In the present study, we investigated the role of sortilin in MDD using a well-established rodent model of depression. Mice were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 6 weeks. We showed that the expression levels of sortilin were significantly increased in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of CUMS mice. The depressive-like behaviors induced by CUMS were alleviated by specific knockdown of sortilin in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. We revealed that sortilin facilitated acid sphingomyelinase (ASM)/ceramide signaling, which activated RhoA/ROCK2 signaling, ultimately causing the transformation of dendritic spine dynamics. Specific overexpression of sortilin in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus induced depressive-like behaviors, which was mitigated by injection of ASM inhibitor SR33557 (4 µg/µL) into the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. In conclusion, sortilin knockdown in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus plays an important role in ameliorating depressive-like behavior induced by CUMS, which is mainly evidenced by decreasing the trafficking of ASM from the trans-Golgi network to the lysosome and reducing the ceramide levels. Our results provide a new insight into the pathology of depression, and demonstrate that sortilin may be a potential therapeutic target for MDD.

Descriptor-based method combined with partition to reconstruct three-dimensional complex microstructures.

A descriptor-based method combined with a partition approach is proposed to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) microstructures based on a set of two-dimensional (2D) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The features in the SEM images are identified and partitioned into small features using the watershed algorithm. The watershed algorithm first finds the local gray-level maxima, and partitions the features through the gray-level local minima. The 3D size distribution and radial distribution of the small spherical elements are inferred, respectively, based on the 2D size distribution and radial distribution using stereological analysis. The 3D microstructures are reconstructed by matching the inferred size distribution and radial distribution through a simulated annealing-based procedure. Combining with the proposed partition approach, the descriptor-based method can be applied to complex microstructures and the computational efficiency of the reconstruction can be largely improved. A case study is presented using a set of 2D SEM images with nanoscale pore structure from the low-density CSH (calcium silicate hydrate) phase of a hardened cement paste. Cross sections were randomly selected from the reconstructed 3D microstructure and compared with the original SEM images using the pore descriptors and the two-point correlation function with satisfactory agreement. Using the 3D reconstructed model, the properties of the sample material can be investigated on such a small scale as demonstrated in this paper on quantifying the absolute permeability.

Highly tunable anisotropic co-deformation of black phosphorene superlattices.

Controlling mechanical deformation is one of the state-of-the-art approaches to tune the electronic properties of 2D materials. We report a new mechanism for tuning a phosphorene superlattice with intercalated amphiphiles by its strong anisotropic co-deformation. Anisotropic co-deformation of a phosphorene superlattice is found to follow tunable sinusoidal and Gaussian functions, which exhibit adjustable mechanical actuation, curvature and layer separations. We analysed the controlling mechanism and tuning strategy of co-deformation as a function of amphiphile assembly topology, van der Waals interactions, interlayer separation and global deformation based on Euler-beam theory. Our first-principles calculations demonstrate that the co-deformation mechanism can be used to achieve a theoretical bandgap tunability of 0.7 eV and a transition between direct and indirect bandgaps. The reported tuning mechanisms pave new ways for designing a wide range of tunable functional electronics, sensors and actuators.

Controversy in the management of oestrogen therapy before hysteroscopic adhesiolysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of oestrogen therapy as a preoperative intervention for improving clinical outcomes and fertility outcomes in women with intrauterine adhesions (IUA). A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, clinicaltrials.gov, OVID and Chinese databases was carried out to identify relevant studies published before December 2019. Outcomes were expressed as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Five cohort studies with moderate to high methodological quality were included in the meta-analysis. Preoperative oestrogen therapy was strongly associated with better clinical outcome at second-look hysteroscopy (OR 2.72; 95% CI 1.49 to 4.96; P = 0.001); whereas no significant difference was found in menstruation improvement and conception rate (OR 1.45; 95% CI, 0.95 to 2.23; P = 0.09; and OR 0.96; 95% CI 0.60 to 1.54; P = 0.87, respectively). The overall quality of the evidence ranged from moderate to very low. Preoperative oestrogen therapy may improve the short-term prognosis of IUA at second-look hysteroscopy, whereas the long-term prognosis-fertility outcome was similar to the control group. More strictly designed research studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of oestrogen administration before hysteroscopic adhesiolysis.

Neurogenesis promoted by the CD200/CD200R signaling pathway following treadmill exercise enhances post-stroke functional recovery in rats.

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide; survivors often show sensorimotor and cognitive deficits. Therapeutic exercise is the most common treatment strategy for rehabilitating patients with stroke via augmentation of neurogenesis, angiogenesis, neurotrophic factors expression, and synaptogenesis. Neurogenesis plays important roles in sensorimotor and cognitive functional recovery, and can be promoted by exercise; however, the mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of treadmill exercise on sensorimotor and cognitive functional recovery, as well as the potential molecular mechanisms underlying the promotion of neurogenesis in a rat model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). We found that treadmill exercise facilitated sensorimotor and cognitive functional recovery after tMCAO, and that neural stem/progenitor cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration were enhanced in the ipsilateral subventricular and subgranular zones after tMCAO. Meanwhile, the newborn neurons induced by treadmill exercise after tMCAO had the similar function with pre-existing neurons. Treadmill exercise significantly increased CD200 and CD200 receptor (CD200R) levels in the ipsilateral hippocampus and cortex. Further study revealed that treadmill exercise-induced neurogenesis and functional recovery were clearly inhibited, while Il-ß and Tnf-α expression were upregulated, following lentivirus (LV)-induced suppression of post-stroke CD200R expression. Consistent with the effect of treadmill exercise, CD200Fc (a CD200R agonist) markedly promoted neurogenesis and functional recovery after stroke. In addition, CD200Fc could further enhance the functional recovery induced by treadmill exercise after stroke. Our results demonstrate the beneficial role of treadmill exercise in promoting neurogenesis and functional recovery via activating the CD200/CD200R signaling pathway and improving the inflammatory environment after stroke. Thus, the CD200/CD200R signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for functional recovery after stroke.

Quercetin promotes motor and sensory function recovery following sciatic nerve-crush injury in C57BL/6J mice.

Injuries and diseases that occur in the nervous system are common and have few effective treatments. Previous studies have shown that quercetin has a therapeutic effect on nervous system injuries, but its potential effects on and mechanisms of action related to behavioral recovery and axonal regrowth have not been investigated. Here, we showed that quercetin administration promotes behavioral recovery following sciatic nerve-crush injury in mice. Long-term evaluation showed that mice administered 20 mg·kg-1·day-1 quercetin for 35 days had a greater sensorimotor recovery compared with all other treatment groups. The mechanisms behind these effects were further investigated, and quercetin was found to regulate the expression of genes involved in regeneration and trophic support. Moreover, quercetin increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate expression and downstream pathway activation, which directly leads to neuronal growth activation in peripheral axon regeneration. In addition, quercetin enhanced axon remyelination, motor nerve conduction velocity and plantar muscle function, indicating that the degree of distal portion hypotrophy during the peripheral axon regeneration process was reduced. These results suggest that quercetin accelerates functional recovery by up-regulating neuronal intrinsic growth capacity and postponing distal atrophy. Overall, quercetin triggered multiple effects to promote behavioral recovery following sciatic nerve-crush injury in mice.

Detection of invariant natural killer T cells in ejaculates from infertile patients with chronic inflammation of genital tract.

Chronic inflammation of genital tract is thought to play a major role in male fertility disorder. Natural killer (NK) T cells are a heterogeneous group of T cells that share properties of both T cells and NK cells which display immunoregulatory properties. However, little is known regarding the presence and function of NK T cells in ejaculates from patients with chronic inflammation of genital tract. Invariant NK T (iNK T) cells were detected by invariant (Vα24-JαQ) TCR chain in ejaculates from patients suffering from chronic inflammation of genital tract (CIGT) using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence of double staining (n=40). Inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, and IFN-γ were detected in cell-free seminal plasma using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation between the percentage of iNK T cells and spermatozoa count, motility, vitality, seminal IL-6, IL-17, and IFN-γ was investigated. Significant percentages of iNK T cells above 10% were detected in 50% (CIGT-NKT+ group). A negative correlation was detected between the percentage of iNK T cells and spermatozoa count (r=-.5957, P=.0056), motility (r=-.6163, P=.0038), and vitality (r=-.8032, P=.0019) in CIGT-NKT+ group (n=20). Interestingly, a significant correlation of iNK T cells to seminal IL-6 (r=.7083, P=.0005), IFN-γ (r=.9578, P<.0001) was detected whereas lack of correlation between iNK T cells and IL-17 (r=-.1557, P=.5122) in CIGT-NKT+ group. The proliferative response of iNK T cells could accompany an inflammatory response to spermatozoa and consequently influence sperm quality through secretion of IFN-γ but not IL-17 under chronic inflammatory condition.

The blockage of the Nogo/NgR signal pathway in microglia alleviates the formation of Aß plaques and tau phosphorylation in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by extracellular ß-amyloid (Aß) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), and microglia-dominated neuroinflammation. The Nogo/NgR signal pathway is involved in AD pathological features, but the detailed mechanism needs further investigation. Our previous studies have confirmed that the activation of NgR on microglia by Nogo promotes the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and inhibits cell adhesion and migration behaviors. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Nogo/NgR signaling pathway on the pathological features of AD and possible mechanisms. METHODS: After NEP1-40 (a competitive antagonist of Nogo/NgR pathway) was intracerebroventricularly administered via mini-osmotic pumps for 2 months in amyloid precursor protein (APP)/PS1 transgenic mice, plaque load, tau phosphorylation, and inflammatory responses were determined. After primary mouse neurons were exposed to the conditioned medium from BV-2 microglia stimulated by Nogo, the production of Aß and phosphorylation of tau was quantified by ELISA and western blot. RESULTS: Inhibition of the Nogo/NgR signaling pathway ameliorated pathological features including amyloid plaques and phosphorylated levels of tau in APP/PS1 mice. In addition, after treatment with the conditioned medium from BV-2 microglia stimulated by Nogo, Aß production and tau phosphorylation in cultured neurons were increased. The conditioned medium also increased the expression of APP, its amyloidogenic processing, and the activity of GSK3ß in neurons. The conditioned medium was also proinflammatory medium, and the blockage of the Nogo/NgR pathway improved the neuroinflammatory environment in APP/PS1 mice. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the neuroinflammation mediated by Nogo/NgR pathway in microglia could directly take part in the pathological process of AD by influencing the amyloidogenesis and tau phosphorylation. These results contribute to a better understanding of AD pathogenesis and could offer a new therapeutic option for delaying the progression of AD.

Reactions of d(0) tungsten alkylidyne complexes with O2 or H2O. Formation of an oxo siloxy complex through unusual silyl migrations.

(Me3SiCH2)3(Me3SiC≡)W←O=PMe3 (1), an adduct between (Me3SiCH2)3W≡CSiMe3 (2) and O=PMe3, reacts with O2 to give O=W(OSiMe3)(CH2SiMe3)3 (3) and CO2. Reaction of 2 with H2O yields 3 and the trimer [(µ-O)W(CH2SiMe3)2(=O)(THF)]3 (4). In the reaction of D2O with 2, 3-d(n) and methane isotopologues CH2D2, CHD3 and CD4 have been observed.

Reactions of Group 4 amide guanidinates with dioxygen or water. Studies of the formation of oxo products.

Reactions of the zirconium amide guanidinates (R2N)2M[(i)PrNC(NR2)N(i)Pr]2 (R = Me, M = Zr, 1; M = Hf, 2; R = Et, M = Zr, 3) with O2 or H2O give products that are consistent with the oxo dimers {M(µ-O)[(i)PrNC(NR2)N(i)Pr]2}2 (R = Me, M = Zr, 4; M = Hf, 5; R = Et, M = Zr, 6) and polymers {M(µ-O)[(i)PrNC(NR2)N(i)Pr]2}n (R = Me, M = Zr, 7; M = Hf, 8; R = Et, M = Zr, 9). Mass spectrometric (MS) analyses of the reactions of water in air with 1 and 2 show formation of the Zr monomer Zr(═O)[(i)PrNC(NMe2)N(i)Pr]2 (10), oxo dimers 4 and 5, and dihydroxyl complexes M(OH)2[(i)PrNC(NMe2)N(i)Pr]2 (M = Zr, 11; Hf, 12). Similar MS analyses of the reaction of diethylamide guanidinate 3 with water in air show the formation of Zr(═O)[(i)PrNC(NEt2)N(i)Pr]2 (13), Zr(OH)2[(i)PrNC(NEt2)N(i)Pr]2 (14), 6, and {(Et2N)Zr[(i)PrNC(NEt2)N(i)Pr]2}(+) (15). Kinetic studies of the reaction between 1 and a continuous flow of 1.0 atm of O2 at 80-105 °C indicate that it follows pseudo-first-order kinetics with ΔH(‡) = 8.7(1.1) kcal/mol, ΔS(‡) = -54(3) eu, ΔG(‡)(358 K) = 28(2) kcal/mol, and a half-life of 213(1) min at 85 °C.

Influence of reactive oxygen species on human sperm functions and fertilizing capacity including therapeutical approaches.

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are an array of molecules including oxygen-centered radicals, which are endowed with one or more unpaired electrons and non-radical oxygen derivatives such as hydrogen peroxide, which behave, to a large extent, like a double-edged sword in human sperm biology. This study aimed to overview the current knowledge of ROS in sperm physiology and pathology, as well as related therapies in spermatozoal dysfunction. METHODS: We performed this study by searching for keywords from PUBMED, including reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress, sperm function, and antioxidant therapy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of ROS exert critical function in normal sperm physiology, such as fertilizing ability (acrosome reaction, hyperactivation, capacitation, and chemotaxis) and sperm motility; while increased ROS generation and/or decreased antioxidant capacity leads to the imbalance between oxidation and reduction in living systems, which is called sperm oxidative stress. This condition was widely considered to be a significant contributory factor to sperm DNA damage/apoptosis, lipid peroxidation, and reduced motility, which in turn, increased risk of male factor infertility/subfertility and birth defects. Under the current status quo, numerous subsequent studies have concentrated on antioxidant therapy. Although utility of such a therapeutic strategy significantly improved sperm function and motility in a myriad of experimental and clinical reports, the overall effectiveness still remains controversial mainly due to non-standardized assay to measure the level of ROS and sperm DNA damage, various antioxidant supplementation strategies, and inadequate fertilization and pregnancy data after clinical treatment. Therefore, standardized assessment and evaluation of ROS and total antioxidant capacity in semen should be established to keep ROS in a physiological level and prevent over-treatment of antioxidants toward reductive stress, which should be kept in mind, especially in assisted reproductive procedure. Moreover, the significance of large sample size populations, double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials of antioxidant therapies is emphasized in this review to achieve optimal ingredients and dosage of antioxidants for patients with reactive oxygen-induced male fertility/subfertility.

Formation of the imide [Ta(NMe2)3(µ-NSiMe3)]2 through an unprecedented α-SiMe3 abstraction by an amide ligand.

Ta(NMe(2))(4)[N(SiMe(3))(2)] (1) undergoes the elimination of Me(3)Si-NMe(2) (2), converting the -N(SiMe(3))(2) ligand to the ═NSiMe(3) ligand, to give the imide "Ta(NMe(2))(3)(═NSiMe(3))" (3) observed as its dimer 4. CyN═C═NCy captures 3 to yield guanidinates Ta(NMe(2))(3-n)(═NSiMe(3))[CyNC(NMe(2))NCy](n) [n = 1 (5), 2 (6)]. The kinetic study of α-SiMe(3) abstraction in 1 gives ΔH(‡) = 21.3(1.0) kcal/mol and ΔS(‡) = -17(2) eu.

The role of mast cells in male infertility.

Increased numbers of mast cells (MCs) were described in the testes of males exhibiting infertility many years ago. Since beneficial effects of treatment with MC blockers on impaired male fertility were reported, more attention has been drawn on the role of MCs in the male reproductive tract. The main interest is focused on testicular MCs, however MCs also occur in the epididymis and seminal fluid, which may be relevant for fertility as well. The increase in testicular MCs in close contact to the seminiferous tubules indicates a relationship between MC proliferation and a dysfunction of the blood-testis barrier. Activated MCs not only coincide with fibrotic events, but also with elevated numbers of several types of immune cells in the testes of infertile men and may, therefore, be involved in the pathogenesis of testicular inflammatory processes as well. Outside the testis, MCs have really been assigned a key role in chronic protatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The occurrence of MCs in the seminal plasma of fertile/infertile men and negative effects on sperm functions has not been clarified so far and require further investigation. Optimistic reports on the beneficial effects of the treatment with MC blockers on disturbed male fertility also warrant further confirmation.