Gestational weight trajectory and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A retrospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to explore gestational weight gain (GWG) trajectories and their associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes. A retrospective cohort study including 11,064 women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was conducted between 2015 and 2019 in China. The latent class trajectory model was used to identify GWG trajectories, and logistic regression was performed to examine odds ratio (OR) of pregnancy outcomes. Three trajectories of GWG were identified in these 11,604 women with GDM. Trajectory 1: 64.02% of women had sustained moderate GWG throughout pregnancy; Trajectory 2: 17.75% of women showed a high initial GWG but followed by a low GWG from the third trimester until delivery; Trajectory 3: 18.23% had low initial GWG but followed by drastic GWG from the second trimester until delivery. Compared with pregnant women with Trajectory 1, women with Trajectory 2 had a higher risk of large for gestational age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-1.48) but at a lower risk of having hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (AOR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.57-0.96). Women in Trajectory 3 were more likely to develop small for gestational age (AOR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.62-2.78), low birthweight (AOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.07-2.08), preterm birth (AOR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.05-1.63), caesarean section (AOR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.112-1.42) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (AOR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.82-2.76). The association of GWG trajectory with adverse pregnancy outcomes differs across prepregnancy body mass index and GWG categories. Women with a slow initial GWG but followed by drastic GWG had higher risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Early clinical recognition of poor GWG trajectory will contribute to early intervention in high-risk groups to minimise adverse outcomes.

Akkermansia muciniphila-derived small extracellular vesicles attenuate intestinal ischemia-reperfusion-induced postoperative cognitive dysfunction by suppressing microglia activation via the TLR2/4 signaling.

Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) bacteria improve the functions of theere intestinal and blood-brain barriers (BBB) via their extracellular vesicles (AmEvs). However, their role in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate, we used C57BL/6 J mice divided into five groups: Sham, POCD, POCD+Akk, POCD+Evs, and POCD+Evs + PLX5622. POCD was induced through intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). The mice's cognitive function was assessed using behavioral tests, and possible mechanisms were explored by examining gut and BBB permeability, inflammation, and microglial function. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/4 pathway-related proteins were also investigated both in vitro and in vivo. PLX5622 chow was employed to eliminate microglial cells. Our findings revealed a negative correlation between AKK abundance and POCD symptoms. Supplementation with either AKK or AmEvs improved cognitive function, improved the performance of the intestinal barrier and BBB, and decreased inflammation and microglial activation in POCD mice compared to controls. Moreover, AmEvs treatment inhibited TLR2/4 signaling in the brains of POCD mice and LPS-treated microglial cells. In microglial-ablated POCD mice, however, AmEvs failed to protect BBB integrity. Overall, AmEvs is a potential therapeutic strategy for managing POCD by enhancing gut and BBB integrity and inhibiting microglial-mediated TLR2/4 signaling.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes influence human papillomavirus infection and clearance: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There is a close correlation between HPV infection and systemic immune status. The purpose of this study was to determine which lymphocytes in peripheral blood influence human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and to identify whether peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) subsets could be used as biomarkers to predict HPV clearance in the short term. METHODS: This study involved 716 women undergoing colposcopy from 2019 to 2021. Logistic and Cox regression were used to analyze the association of PBLs with HPV infection and clearance. Using Cox regression, bidirectional stepwise regression and the Akaike information criterion (AIC), lymphocyte prediction models were developed, with the C-index assessing performance. ROC analysis determined optimal cutoff values, and their accuracy for HPV clearance risk stratification was evaluated via Kaplan‒Meier and time-dependent ROC. Bootstrap resampling validated the model and cutoff values. RESULTS: Lower CD4 + T cells were associated with a higher risk of HPV, high-risk HPV, HPV18 and HPV52 infections, with corresponding ORs (95% CI) of 1.58 (1.16-2.15), 1.71 (1.23-2.36), 2.37 (1.12-5.02), and 3.67 (1.78-7.54), respectively. PBL subsets mainly affect the natural clearance of HPV, but their impact on postoperative HPV outcomes is not significant (P > 0.05). Lower T-cell and CD8 + T-cell counts, as well as a higher NK cell count, are unfavorable factors for natural HPV clearance (P < 0.05). The optimal cutoff values determined by the PBL prognostic model (T-cell percentage: 67.39%, NK cell percentage: 22.65%, CD8 + T-cell model risk score: 0.95) can effectively divide the population into high-risk and low-risk groups, accurately predicting the natural clearance of HPV. After internal validation with bootstrap resampling, the above conclusions still hold. CONCLUSIONS: CD4 + T cells were important determinants of HPV infection. T cells, NK cells, and CD8 + T cells can serve as potential biomarkers for predicting natural HPV clearance, which can aid in patient risk stratification, individualized treatment, and follow-up management.

The effect of age and abstinence time on semen quality: a retrospective study.

This study analyzed the effects of male age and abstinence time on semen quality and explored the best abstinence time for Chinese males among different age groups. Semen parameters, including sperm kinetics, morphology, and DNA fragmentation index (DFI), were reviewed from 2952 men. Samples were divided into six age groups (≤25 years, 26-30 years, 31-35 years, 36-40 years, 41-45 years, and >45 years) and were divided into six groups according to different abstinence time (2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 6 days, and 7 days). The differences in semen quality between the groups were compared, and the effect of age and abstinence time on semen quality was analyzed. Significant differences were observed in semen volume, progressive motility (PR), and DFI among the age groups (all P < 0.05), and no significant differences were observed in sperm morphological parameters (all P > 0.05). There were significant differences in semen volume, PR, and DFI among different abstinence time groups (all P < 0.05) and no significant differences in sperm morphological parameters (all P > 0.05). Pearson analysis showed that male age and abstinence time were both significantly correlated with sperm kinetics and DFI (both P < 0.05), while no significant correlation was found with sperm morphological parameters (all P > 0.05). The box plots and histograms of men's age, abstinence time, and semen quality show that most semen quality parameters differ significantly between the 2 days and 7 days abstinence groups and other groups at different ages. Except for the sperm morphology parameters, sperm kinetic parameters and sperm DFI are linearly related to male age and abstinence time.

Peroxidase-like activity of water-soluble cupric oxide nanoparticles and its analytical application for detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose.

Water-soluble cupric oxide nanoparticles are fabricated via a quick-precipitation method and used as peroxidase mimetics for ultrasensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose. The water-soluble CuO nanoparticles show much higher catalytic activity than that of commercial CuO nanoparticles due to their higher affinity to hydrogen peroxide. In addition, the as-prepared CuO nanoparticles are stable over a wide range of pH and temperature. This excellent stability in the form of aqueous colloidal suspensions makes the application of the water-soluble CuO nanoparticles easier in aqueous systems. A colorimetric assay for hydrogen peroxide and glucose has been established based on the catalytic oxidation of phenol coupled with 4-amino-atipyrine by the action of hydrogen peroxide. This analytical platform not only confirms the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of the water-soluble cupric oxide nanoparticles, but also shows its great potential applications in environmental chemistry, biotechnology and medicine.