Depression in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Focusing on Pathogenesis and Treatment.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most prevalent gynecological endocrine conditions affecting reproductive women. It can feature a variety of symptoms, such as obesity, insulin resistance, skin conditions, and infertility. Women with PCOS are susceptible to illnesses including mood disorders, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Among them, depression is the most common in PCOS and has a detrimental effect on quality of life. Depression may occasionally develop due to the pathological traits of PCOS, but its exact pathogenesis in PCOS have eluded researchers to date. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the pathogenesis and treatments of depression in PCOS. The present review discusses the epidemiology of depression in PCOS, potential pathogenic mechanisms underlying PCOS and depression, as well as some potential factors causing depression in PCOS, including obesity, insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, inflammation, and infertility. Meanwhile, some common treatment strategies for depression in PCOS, such as lifestyle intervention, acupuncture, oral contraceptive pills, psychological intervention, and insulin-sensitizer, are also reviewed. To fully understand the pathogenesis and treatment of depression in PCOS, a need remains for future large-scale multi-center randomized controlled trials and in-depth mechanism studies. Appeared originally in Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1001484.

Best acupuncture method for mammary gland hyperplasia: Evaluation of randomized controlled trials and Bayesian network meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of different acupuncture treatments for mammary gland hyperplasia (MGH) using a network meta-analysis. Methods: Several databases were searched without language restrictions from 2000 to February 2023, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China Science and Technology Journal Database, China Biology Medicine Database, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, and other professional websites and gray literature. Inclusion criteria were adult women diagnosed with MGH; intervention measures included acupuncture and related therapies; the control group was treated with simple drugs; and the research type was a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The primary outcomes were treatment effectiveness and estradiol and progesterone levels. Secondary outcomes were breast lump size and visual analog scale (VAS) score of breast pain. Exclusion criteria were studies unrelated to MGH, incorrect study populations, control measures or interventions, incomplete data, non-RCTs, case reports, and animal experiments. Cochrane tools were used to assess the risk of bias. The R software (x64 version 4.2.1), Review Manager 5.3 software and STATA 16.0 software were used for data analysis. Results: Following a rigorous screening process, data extraction, and quality assessment, 48 eligible RCTs encompassing 4,500 patients with MGH and 16 interventions were included. The results indicated that acupuncture, alone or in combination with traditional Chinese or Western medicine, had better therapeutic effects than conventional therapy. In terms of effectiveness, warm needle acupuncture was the best choice (94.6%). Bloodletting pricking was the most effective method (85.7%) for lowering progesterone levels. Bloodletting pricking was the most effective method (98.3%) for lowering estradiol levels. Manual acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine was the most effective (74.5%) treatment to improve the size of the breast lump. Warm needle acupuncture was the most effective (69.8%) in improving the VAS score. Conclusion: Acupuncture therapy was more effective in treating MGH than drug therapy alone, and warm needle acupuncture and bloodletting pricking were the two best options. However, larger sample sizes and high-quality RCTs are required.

Enhancing Vasculogenesis in Dental Pulp Development: DPSCs-ECs Communication via FN1-ITGA5 Signaling.

BACKGROUND: Dental pulp regeneration therapy is a challenge to achieve early vascularization during treatment. Studying the regulatory mechanisms of vascular formation during human dental pulp development may provide insights for related therapies. In this study, we utilized single-cell sequencing analysis to compare the gene expression of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and vascular endothelial cells (ECs) from developing and mature dental pulps. METHOD: Immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect fibronectin 1 (FN1) expression and molecules, such as PI3K/AKT. Cell proliferation assay, scratch assay, tube formation assay and were used to investigate the effects of DPSCs on the vasculogenetic capability of ECs. Additionally, animal experiments involving mice were conducted. RESULT: The results revealed that DPSCs exist around dental pulp vasculature. FN1 expression was significantly higher in DPSCs from young permanent pulps than mature pulps, promoting HUVEC proliferation, migration, and tube formation via ITGA5 and the downstream PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that intercellular communication between DPSCs and ECs mediated by FN1-ITGA5 signaling is crucial for vascularizationduring dental pulp development, laying an experimental foundation for future clinical studies.

Circadian clock genes REV-ERBα regulates the secretion of IL-1ß in deciduous tooth pulp stem cells by regulating autophagy in the process of physiological root resorption of deciduous teeth.

Physiological root resorption is a common occurrence during the development of deciduous teeth in children. Previous research has shown that the regulation of the inflammatory microenvironment through autophagy in DDPSCs is a significant factor in this process. However, it remains unclear why there are variations in the autophagic status of DDPSCs at different stages of physiological root resorption. To address this gap in knowledge, this study examines the relationship between the circadian clock of DDPSCs, the autophagic status, and the periodicity of masticatory behavior. Samples were collected from deciduous teeth at various stages of physiological root resorption, and DDPSCs were isolated and cultured for analysis. The results indicate that the circadian rhythm of important autophagy genes, such as Beclin-1 and LC3, and the clock gene REV-ERBα in DDPSCs, disappears under mechanical stress. Additionally, the study found that REV-ERBα can regulate Beclin-1 and LC3. Evidence suggests that mechanical stress is a trigger for the regulation of autophagy via REV-ERBα. Overall, this study highlights the importance of mechanical stress in regulating autophagy of DDPSCs via REV-ERBα, which affects the formation of the inflammatory microenvironment and plays a critical role in physiological root resorption in deciduous teeth.

[UPLC-Q-TOF-MS-based metabolomics reveals mechanism of Morinda officinalis iridoid glycosides in treating rheumatoid arthritis and bone loss].

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Morinda officinalis iridoid glycosides(MOIG) on paw edema and bone loss of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) rats, and analyze its potential mechanism based on ultra-high performance liguid chromatography-guadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) serum metabolomics. RA rats were established by injecting bovin type Ⅱ collagen. The collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) rats were administered drug by gavage for 8 weeks, the arthritic score were used to evaluate the severity of paw edem, serum bone metabolism biochemical parameters were measured by ELISA kits, Masson staining was used to observe the bone microstructure of the femur in CIA rats. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to analyze the alteration of serum metabolite of CIA rats, principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were used to screen the potential biomarkers, KEGG database analysis were used to construct related metabolic pathways. The results demonstrated that the arthritic score, serum levels of IL-6 and parameters related with bone metabolism including OCN, CTX-Ⅰ, DPD and TRAP were significantly increased, and the ratio of OPG and RANKL was significantly decreased, the microstructure of bone tissue and cartilage were destructed in CIA rats, while MOIG treatments could significantly reduce arthritis score, mitigate the paw edema, reverse the changes of serum biochemical indicators related with bone metabolism, and improve the microstructure of bone tissue and cartilage of CIA rats. The non-targeted metabolomics results showed that 24 altered metabolites were identified in serum of CIA rats; compared with normal group, 13 significantly altered metabolites related to RA were identified in serum of CIA rats, mainly involving alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; compared with CIA model group, MOIG treatment reversed the alteration of 15 differential metabolites, mainly involving into alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis. Therefore, MOIG significantly alleviated paw edema, improved the destruction of microstructure of bone and cartilage in CIA rats maybe through involving into the regulation of amino acid metabolism.

All-in-one, all-optical logic gates using liquid metal plasmon nonlinearity.

Electronic processors are reaching the physical speed ceiling that heralds the era of optical processors. Multifunctional all-optical logic gates (AOLGs) of massively parallel processing are of great importance for large-scale integrated optical processors with speed far in excess of electronics, while are rather challenging due to limited operation bandwidth and multifunctional integration complexity. Here we for the first time experimentally demonstrate a reconfigurable all-in-one broadband AOLG that achieves nine fundamental Boolean logics in a single configuration, enabled by ultrabroadband (400-4000 nm) plasmon-enhanced thermo-optical nonlinearity (TONL) of liquid-metal Galinstan nanodroplet assemblies (GNAs). Due to the unique heterogeneity (broad-range geometry sizes, morphology, assembly profiles), the prepared GNAs exhibit broadband plasmonic opto-thermal effects (hybridization, local heating, energy transfer, etc.), resulting in a huge nonlinear refractive index under the order of 10-4-10-5 within visual-infrared range. Furthermore, a generalized control-signal light route is proposed for the dynamic TONL modulation of reversible spatial-phase shift, based on which nine logic functions are reconfigurable in one single AOLG configuration. Our work will provide a powerful strategy on large-bandwidth all-optical circuits for high-density data processing in the future.

Two-photon absorption flexible photodetector responsive to femtosecond laser.

Integrated on-chip femtosecond (fs) laser optoelectronic system, with photodetector as a critical component for light-electrical signal conversion, is a long-sought-after goal for a wide range of frontier applications. However, the high laser peak intensity and complicated nanophotonic waveguide structure of on-chip fs laser are beyond the detectability and integrability of conventional photodetectors. Therefore, flexible photodetector with the response on intense fs laser is in urgent needs. Herein, we demonstrate the first (to our knowledge) two-photon absorption (TPA) flexible photodetector based on the strong TPA nonlinearity of layered hybrid perovskite (IA)2(MA)2Pb3Br10, exhibiting efficient sub-bandgap response on the infrared fs laser at 700-1000 nm. High saturation intensity up to ∼3.8 MW/cm2 is achieved. The device also shows superior current stability even after bending for 1000 cycles. This work may pave the new way for the application of flexible optoelectronics specialized in integrated fs-laser detection.

Sequential CD19 and CD22 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for childhood refractory or relapsed B-cell acute lymphocytic leukaemia: a single-arm, phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND: Relapses frequently occur following CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukaemia in children. We aimed to assess the activity and safety of sequential CD19-directed and CD22-directed CAR T-cell treatments. METHODS: This single-centre, single-arm, phase 2 trial, done at Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital, Beijing, China, included patients aged 1-18 years who had relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukaemia with CD19 and CD22 positivity greater than 95% and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Patients were initially infused with CD19-directed CAR T cells intravenously, followed by CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion after minimal residual disease-negative complete remission (or complete remission with incomplete haematological recovery) was reached and all adverse events (except haematological adverse events) were grade 2 or better. The target dose for each infusion was 0·5 × 106 to 5·0 × 106 cells per kg. The primary endpoint was objective response rate at 3 months after the first infusion. Secondary endpoints were duration of remission, event-free survival, disease-free survival, overall survival, safety, pharmacokinetics, and B-cell quantification. The prespecified activity analysis included patients who received the target dose and the safety analysis included all treated patients. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04340154, and enrolment has ended. FINDINGS: Between May 28, 2020, and Aug 16, 2022, 81 participants were enrolled, of whom 31 (38%) were female and 50 (62%) were male. Median age was 8 years (IQR 6-10), all patients were Asian. All 81 patients received the first infusion and 79 (98%) patients received sequential infusions, CD19-directed CAR T cells at a median dose of 2·7 × 106 per kg (IQR 1·1 × 106 to 3·7 × 106) and CD22-directed CAR T cells at a median dose of 2·2 × 106 per kg (1·1 × 106 to 3·7 × 106), with a median interval of 39 days (37-41) between the two infusions. 62 (77%) patients received the target dose, including two patients who did not receive CD22 CAR T cells. At 3 months, 60 (97%, 95% CI 89-100) of the 62 patients who received the target dose had an objective response. Median follow-up was 17·7 months (IQR 11·4-20·9). 18-month event-free survival for patients who received the target dose was 79% (95% CI 66-91), duration of remission was 80% (68-92), and disease-free survival was 80% (68-92) with transplantation censoring; overall survival was 96% (91-100). Common adverse events of grade 3 or 4 between CD19-directed CAR T-cell infusion and 30 days after CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion included cytopenias (64 [79%] of 81 patients), cytokine release syndrome (15 [19%]), neurotoxicity (four [5%]), and infections (five [6%]). Non-haematological adverse events of grade 3 or worse more than 30 days after CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion occurred in six (8%) of 79 patients. No treatment-related deaths occurred. CAR T-cell expansion was observed in all patients, with a median peak at 9 days (IQR 7-14) after CD19-directed and 12 days (10-15) after CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion. At data cutoff, 35 (45%) of 77 evaluable patients had CAR transgenes and 59 (77%) had B-cell aplasia. INTERPRETATION: This sequential strategy induced deep and sustained responses with an acceptable toxicity profile, and thus potentially provides long-term benefits for children with this condition. FUNDING: The National Key Research & Development Program of China, the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS), and the Non-Profit Central Research Institute Fund of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

The impact of industrial land mismatch on carbon emissions in resource-based cities under environmental regulatory constraints-evidence from China.

Achieving carbon neutrality has become a global common goal. For China, to reach peak carbon emissions and long-term carbon neutrality, the transformation and development of resource-based cities are essential. This study uses data from 114 prefecture-level resource-based cities from 2008 to 2019 as a sample and empirically tests the impact of industrial land mismatch on carbon emissions using the fixed effects model. In addition, we analyze the heterogeneous influence of environmental regulation as a moderating effect on resource-based cities at different development stages. The study reveals that (1) there is a significant positive correlation between the imbalance in industrial land supply in resource-based cities and carbon emissions. The more severe the imbalance, the higher the carbon emissions. The improper supply mode of industrial land is also positively correlated with carbon emissions, although the impact is not significant. (2) Environmental regulation can significantly curb the carbon emission issues caused by the mismatch and imbalance in the scale of industrial land supply and the improper supply mode of industrial land. (3) Compared to strong resource-based cities, weak resource-security cities have a smaller impact on carbon emissions due to an imbalance in the supply of industrial land. This is mainly because resources in weak resource-security cities are becoming exhausted, making "ecology first, green and low carbon" the main tune for economic and social development. Both types of cities show a positive correlation between the improper supply of industrial land and carbon emissions, although neither is significant. (4) The intensity of the regulatory effect of environmental regulations on resource-based cities is influenced by resource abundance. The suppression of carbon emissions by environmental regulations is more apparent in strong resource-security cities than in weak resource-security cities.

Study of spatial spillover effects and threshold characteristics of the influence of urbanization on grain green production efficiency in China under carbon constraints.

Food security is a basic guarantee for maintaining social stability, and improving green and healthy grain production is the way to promote food security. China is currently experiencing rapid urbanization that has an impact on grain production and security, with reduced arable land, environmental pollution, insufficient agricultural population, and inadequate resource allocation. How to deal with the relationship between urbanization and grain production becomes the key to solve this problem. Therefore, this study constructs an evaluation system of grain green production efficiency (GGPE) with non-expected output containing carbon emissions, and uses the super-efficient SBM model to measure the level of GGPE, and constructs a spatial econometric model to examine the spatial correlation and spillover effect of urbanization on GGPE; then constructs a panel threshold model to analyze the nonlinear threshold characteristics between urbanization and GGPE. It was found that (1) from 2000 to 2019, China's GGPE showed an overall upward trend, and the performance of GGPE varied among different provinces. (2) According to the results of the spatial econometric model, China's GGPE shows obvious spatial characteristics, and the level of urbanization not only directly affects regional GGPE but also can indirectly affect neighboring regions' GGPE through spatial spillover effects, and the indirect effects among regions are larger than the direct effects. (3) Spatial threshold effect results, there is a significant non-linear threshold characteristic of the impact of urbanization rate on GGPE. In terms of the influence effects of other variables, the influence of each variable on GGPE is roughly in the same direction as the influence under the spatial spillover effect, but the degree of influence is slightly different.

Long-term follow-up of donor-derived CD7 CAR T-cell therapy in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Donor-derived CD7-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells showed feasibility and early efficacy in patients with refractory or relapsed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r T-ALL), in a previous phase I trial report, at a median follow-up of 6.3 months. Here we report long-term safety and activity of the therapy after a 2-year follow-up. METHODS: Participants received CD7-directed CAR T cells derived from prior stem cell transplantation (SCT) donors or from HLA-matched new donors after lymphodepletion. The target dose was 1 × 106 (± 30%) CAR T cells per kg of patient weight. The primary endpoint was safety with efficacy secondary. This report focuses on the long-term follow-up and discusses them in the context of previously reported early outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty participants were enrolled and received infusion with CD7 CAR T cells. After a median follow-up time of 27.0 (range, 24.0-29.3) months, the overall response rate and complete response rate were 95% (19/20 patients) and 85% (17/20 patients), respectively, and 35% (7/20) of patients proceeded to SCT. Six patients experienced disease relapse with a median time-to-relapse of 6 (range, 4.0-10.9) months, and 4 of these 6 patients were found to have lost CD7 expression on tumor cells. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates 24 months after treatment were respectively 36.8% (95% CI, 13.8-59.8%) and 42.3% (95% CI, 18.8-65.8%), with median PFS and OS of respectively 11.0 (95% CI, 6.7-12.5) months and 18.3 (95% CI, 12.5-20.8) months. Previously reported short-term adverse events (< 30 days after treatment) included grade 3-4 cytokine release syndrome (CRS; 10%) and grade 1-2 graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; 60%). Serious adverse events reported > 30 days after treatment included five infections and one grade 4 intestinal GVHD. Despite good CD7 CAR T-cell persistence, non-CAR T and natural killer cells were predominantly CD7-negative and eventually returned to normal levels in about half of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: In this 2-year follow-up analysis, donor-derived CD7 CAR T-cell treatment demonstrated durable efficacy in a subset of patients with r/r T-ALL. Disease relapse was the main cause of treatment failure, and severe infection was a noteworthy late-onset adverse event. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2000034762.

[Effects of staged acupuncture on endometrial receptivity and anxiety in patients with recurrent implantation failure of thin endometrium based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy between staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory combined with routine hormone replacement cycle treatment and routine hormone replacement cycle treatment for patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) of thin endometrium. METHODS: A total of 72 RIF patients with thin endometrium were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 36 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with routine hormone replacement cycle treatment. Based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory. The main acupoints were Neiguan (PC 6) and Gongsun (SP 4), and the supplementary acupoints were selected according to the menstrual cycle and syndrome differentiation; the acupuncture was given once every other day, 3 times a week, for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles. The thickness and shape of endometrium, and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) score were observed at implantation window before and after treatment; the clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate and cycle cancellation rate were compared between the two groups; the correlation between endometrial thickness and HAMA score was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the endometrial thickness in the two groups and the proportion of type A+B endometrium in the observation group were increased (P<0.05), and the HAMA scores in the two groups were decreased (P<0.05) after treatment. The above indexes in the observation group were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05). The clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the cycle cancellation rate was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between endometrial thickness and HAMA score (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on the routine hormone replacement cycle treatment, the addition use of staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory could improve the thickness and shape of endometrium, relieve anxiety, increase the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate, and reduce the cycle cancellation rate in RIF patients with thin endometrium. The curative effect is superior to the routine hormone replacement cycle treatment alone.

UV-VIS-NIR broadband flexible photodetector based on layered lead-free organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite.

The flexible photodetector is viewed as a research hotspot for numerous advanced optoelectronic applications. Recent progress has manifested that lead-free layered organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) are highly attractive to engineering flexible photodetectors due to the effective overlapping of several unique properties, including efficient optoelectronic characteristics, exceptional structural flexibility, and the absence of Pb toxicity to humans and the environment. The narrow spectral response of most flexible photodetectors with lead-free perovskites is still a big challenge to practical applications. In this work, we demonstrate the flexible photodetector based on a novel (to our knowledge) narrow-bandgap OIHP of (BA)2(MA)Sn2I7, with achieving a broadband response across an ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) region as 365-1064 nm. The high responsivities of 28.4 and 2.0 × 10-2 A/W are obtained at 365 and 1064 nm, respectively, corresponding to detectives of 2.3 × 1010 and 1.8 × 107 Jones. This device also shows remarkable photocurrent stability after 1000 bending cycles. Our work indicates the huge application prospect of Sn-based lead-free perovskites in high-performance and eco-friendly flexible devices.

Jintiange proteins promote osteogenesis and inhibit apoptosis of osteoblasts by enhancing autophagy via PI3K/AKT and ER stress pathways.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tiger bone, which had long been used in traditional Chinese medicine, had the action of removing wind and alleviating pain, strengthening the sinews and bones, and often used to treat bone impediment, and atrophic debility of bones in TCM clinical practice. As a substitute of natural bone tiger, artificial tiger bone Jintiange (JTG), has been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration of China for relief the symptom of osteoporosis, such as lumbago and back pain, lassitude in loin and legs, flaccidity and weakness legs, and walk with difficulty based on TCM theory. JTG has similar chemical profile to natural tiger bone, and contains mineral substance, peptides and proteins, and has been shown to protect bone loss in ovariectomized mice and exert the regulatory effects on osteoblast and osteoclast activities. But how the peptides and proteins in JTG modulate bone formation remains unclear. AIM: To investigate the stimulating effects of JTG proteins on osteogenesis and explore the possible underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: JTG proteins were prepared from JTG Capsules by extracting calcium, phosphorus and other inorganic elements using SEP-PaktC18 desalting column. MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with JTG proteins to evaluate their effects and explore the underlying mechanisms. Osteoblast proliferation was detected by CCK-8 method. ALP activity was detected using a relevant assay kit, and bone mineralized nodules were stained with alizarin red-Tris-HCl solution. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. Autophagy was observed by MDC staining, and autophagosomes were observed by TEM. Nuclear translocations of LC3 and CHOP were detected by immunofluorescence and observed under a laser confocal microscope. The expression of key proteins related to osteogenesis, apoptosis, autophagy and PI3K/AKT and ER stress pathways was analyzed by Western Blot analysis. RESULTS: JTG proteins improved osteogenesis as evidenced by the alteration of proliferation, differentiation and mineralization of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts, inhibited their apoptosis, and enhanced autophagosome formation and autophagy. They also regulated the expression of key proteins of PI3K/AKT and ER stress pathways. In addition, PI3K/AKT and ER stress pathway inhibitors could reverse the regulatory effects of JTG proteins on osteogenesis, apoptosis, autophagy and PI3K/AKT and ER stress pathways. CONCLUSION: JTG proteins increased the osteogenesis and inhibited osteoblast apoptosis by enhancing autophagy via PI3K/AKT and ER stress signaling pathways.

Exploring the underlying mechanisms on starch restricted swelling-induced reduction in digestion rate of buckwheat noodles.

To elucidate the slower digestion rate of buckwheat starch in noodles-matrix, the digestion kinetics of Tartary (TBN) and common (CBN) buckwheat starch reconstituted noodles as well as wheat starch reconstituted noodles (WSN) were compared using a simulated oral-gastric-intestinal in vitro digestion. The swelling degree of starch in cooked noodles can be expressed by quantitative analysis of microstructure. The digestion rate of WSN was 2.3-2.9 times higher as compared to CBN and TBN. The swelling degree of starch in CBN and TBN was restricted due to their denser structure, which led to the reduction of the contact area between starch molecules and amylase. Additionally, the stronger water retention ability and higher cohesiveness of CBN and TBN could hinder the water migration, and ultimately affect the accessibility of enzymes. These results demonstrated that the restricted swelling of starch in CBN and TBN during cooking was the important reason for their slower digestibility.

GaInSn liquid nanospheres as a saturable absorber for Q-switched pulse generation at 639 nm.

Liquid metals, which possess the superiority of low cost, shape-reconfigurability, and excellent optoelectronic properties, have been applied in various fields, such as flexible electronics, superconductivity, and coolants. In this paper, high-quality GaInSn liquid nanospheres synthesized by the ultrasonic method are applied for nonlinear optics and laser switches. The saturation absorption property derived from localized surface plasmon resonance at 639 nm is studied based on the open-aperture Z-scan technique, exhibiting a modulation depth of ∼35.5% and a saturation fluence of ∼21.75 mJ/cm2, respectively. The as-prepared GaInSn liquid nanospheres are also successfully utilized as a saturable absorber to achieve a stable Q-switched Pr:YLF laser at 639 nm. The output pulse width can reach ∼280 ns with a pulse repetition rate of ∼174.8 kHz. Our results suggest that GaInSn liquid nanospheres are a candidate material for generating visible laser pulses, which is of great interest for potential applications in visible nonlinear optics.

Acupuncture Improves Endometrial Angiogenesis by Activating PI3K/AKT Pathway in a Rat Model with PCOS.

Background: Acupuncture, a treatment derived from traditional Chinese medicine, can effectively relieve the symptoms and improve pregnancy outcome in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); however, its mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed at investigating whether acupuncture could improve endometrial angiogenesis and thus endometrial receptivity via activating PI3K/AKT pathway in PCOS rats. Methods: We established a rat model with PCOS, which was induced by DHEA. Acupuncture was performed every other day for 15 days, and the PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) was intraperitoneal injected 30 mins before acupuncture treatment. Females rats were mated with male SPF SD rats in a ratio of 2 : 1 after treatment and sacrificed on the 5th day when the vaginal plug was identified. The number of implantation sites was observed, followed by ovarian and endometrial morphology detected with hematoxylin-eosin staining and a scanning electron microscope, estrous cycle detected with vaginal smear analysis, and sex hormones and angiogenesis-related PI3K/AKT gene/protein expression detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting, immune histochemistry, and quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Acupuncture notably improved implantation sites' number, endometrial receptivity factors including endometrial morphology, pinopodes, HOX-10, and LIF protein expression, as well as angiogenesis and PI3K/AKT pathway factors such as VEGF, VEGFR2, Ang-1, PI3K, AKT, and P-AKT gene/protein expression and the level of eNOS and NO in the endometrium of rats with PCOS; PCOS-like symptoms were alleviated as well. The efficacy of acupuncture on a rat model with PCOS was counteracted by the combination with the PI3K inhibitor. Conclusion: Acupuncture improves endometrial angiogenesis by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway, thus promoting endometrial receptivity and the number of implantation sites in rats with PCOS.

Pollution, Ecological Risk and Source Identification of Heavy Metals in Sediments from the Huafei River in the Eastern Suburbs of Kaifeng, China.

Rivers in urban environments are significant components of their ecosystems but remain under threat of pollution from unchecked discharges of industrial sewage and domestic wastewater. Such river pollution, particularly over the longer term involving heavy metals, is an issue of worldwide concern regarding risks to the ecological environment and human health. In this study, we investigate the long-term pollution characteristics of the Huafei River, an important urban river in Kaifeng, China. River sedimentary samples were analyzed, assessing the degree and ecological risk of heavy metal pollution using the geo-accumulation index and potential ecological risk index methods, whilst Pearson's correlation, principal component and cluster analyses were used to identify the sources of pollution. The results show that heavy metal concentrations are significantly higher than their corresponding fluvo-aquic soil background values in China, and the geo-accumulation indexes indicate that of the eight heavy metals identified, Hg is most prevalent, followed in sequence by Cd > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > As > Cr. The potential ecological risk index of the Huafei River is very high, with the potential ecological risk intensity highest in the midstream and downstream sections, where it is recommended that pollution control is carried out, especially concerning Hg and Cd. Long-term sequence analysis indicates that Cu and Pb dropped sharply from 1998 to 2017, but rebounded in 2019, and that Zn shows a continuous decreasing trend. Four main sources for the heavy metal contaminants were identified: Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Hg derived mainly from industrial activities, traffic sources and natural sources; Cd originated mainly from industrial and agricultural activities; whilst As was mainly associated with industrial activities. Thus, special attention should be paid to Hg and Cd, and measures must be taken to prevent further anthropogenic influence on heavy metal pollution.

Depression in polycystic ovary syndrome: Focusing on pathogenesis and treatment.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most prevalent gynecological endocrine conditions affecting reproductive women. It can feature a variety of symptoms, such as obesity, insulin resistance, skin conditions, and infertility. Women with PCOS are susceptible to illnesses including mood disorders, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Among them, depression is the most common in PCOS and has a detrimental effect on quality of life. Depression may occasionally develop due to the pathological traits of PCOS, but its exact pathogenesis in PCOS have eluded researchers to date. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the pathogenesis and treatments of depression in PCOS. The present review discusses the epidemiology of depression in PCOS, potential pathogenic mechanisms underlying PCOS and depression, as well as some potential factors causing depression in PCOS, including obesity, insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, inflammation, and infertility. Meanwhile, some common treatment strategies for depression in PCOS, such as lifestyle intervention, acupuncture, oral contraceptive pills, psychological intervention, and insulin-sensitizer, are also reviewed. To fully understand the pathogenesis and treatment of depression in PCOS, a need remains for future large-scale multi-center randomized controlled trials and in-depth mechanism studies.

Multifunctional Half-Floating-Gate Field-Effect Transistor Based on MoS2-BN-Graphene van der Waals Heterostructures.

Multifunctional electronic devices that combine logic operation and data storage functions are of great importance in developing next-generation computation. The recent development of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures based on various two-dimensional (2D) materials have brought exceptional opportunities in designing novel electronic devices. Although various 2D-heterostructure-based electronic devices have been reported, multifunctional devices that can combine logic operations and data storage functions are still quite rare. In this work, we design and fabricate a half-floating-gate field-effect transistor based on MoS2-BN-graphene vdW heterostuctures, which can be used for logic operations as a MOSFET, nonvolatile memory as a floating-gate MOSFET (FG-MOSFET), and rectification as a diode. These results could lay the foundation for various applications based on 2D vdW heterostuctures and inspire the design of next-generation computation beyond the von Neumann architecture.