Association between risk of preterm birth and long-term and short-term exposure to ambient carbon monoxide during pregnancy in chongqing, China: a study from 2016-2020.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB) is an important predictor of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Previous researches have reported a correlation between air pollution and an increased risk of preterm birth. However, the specific relationship between short-term and long-term exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and preterm birth remains less explored. METHODS: A population-based study was conducted among 515,498 pregnant women in Chongqing, China, to assess short-term and long-term effects of CO on preterm and very preterm births. Generalized additive models (GAM) were applied to evaluate short-term effects, and exposure-response correlation curves were plotted after adjusting for confounding factors. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using COX proportional hazard models to estimate the long-term effect. RESULTS: The daily incidence of preterm and very preterm birth was 5.99% and 0.41%, respectively. A positive association between a 100 µg/m³ increase in CO and PTB was observed at lag 0-3 days and 12-21 days, with a maximum relative risk (RR) of 1.021(95%CI: 1.001-1.043). The exposure-response curves (lag 0 day) revealed a rapid increase in PTB due to CO. Regarding long-term exposure, positive associations were found between a 100 µg/m3 CO increase for each trimester(Model 2 for trimester 1: HR = 1.054, 95%CI: 1.048-1.060; Model 2 for trimester 2: HR = 1.066, 95%CI: 1.060-1.073; Model 2 for trimester 3: HR = 1.007, 95%CI: 1.001-1.013; Model 2 for entire pregnancy: HR = 1.080, 95%CI: 1.073-1.088) and higher HRs of very preterm birth. Multiplicative interactions between air pollution and CO on the risk of preterm and very preterm birth were detected (P- interaction<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that short-term exposure to low levels of CO may have protective effects against preterm birth, while long-term exposure to low concentrations of CO may reduce the risk of both preterm and very preterm birth. Moreover, our study indicated that very preterm birth is more susceptible to the influence of long-term exposure to CO during pregnancy, with acute CO exposure exhibiting a greater impact on preterm birth. It is imperative for pregnant women to minimize exposure to ambient air pollutants.

Unveiling research trends in the prognosis of osteosarcoma: A bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2022.

Background: Osteosarcoma (OSA) is the most prevalent form of malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents, producing osteoid and immature bone. Numerous high quality studies have been published in the OSA field, however, no bibliometric study related to this area has been reported thus far. Therefore, the present study retrieved the published data from 2000 to 2022 to reveal the dynamics, development trends, hotspots and future directions of the OSA. Methods: Publications regard to osteogenic sarcoma and prognosis were searched in the core collection on Web of Science database. The retrieved publications were analyzed by publication years, journals, categories, countries, citations, institutions, authors, keywords and clusters using the two widely available bibliometric visualization tools, VOS viewer (Version 1.6.16), Citespace (Version 6.2. R1). Results: A total of 6260 publications related to the current topic were retrieved and analyzed, revealing exponential increase in the number of publications with an improvement in the citations on the OSA over time, in which China and the USA are the most productive nations. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Texas System and Harvard University are prolific institutions, having highest collaboration network. Oncology Letters and Journal of Clinical Oncology are the most productive and the most cited journals respectively. The Wang Y is a prominent author and articles published by Bacci G had the highest number of citations indicating their significant impact in the field. According to keywords analysis, osteosarcoma, expression and metastasis were the most apparent keywords whereas the current research hotspots are biomarker, tumor microenvironment, immunotherapy and DNA methylation. Conclusion: Our findings offer valuable information for researchers to understand the current research status and the necessity of future research to mitigate the mortality of the OS patients.

DLP Fabrication of Multiple Hierarchical Biomimetic GelMA/SilMA/HAp Scaffolds for Enhancing Bone Regeneration.

Severe bone defects resulting from trauma and diseases remain a persistent clinical challenge. In this study, a hierarchical biomimetic microporous hydrogel composite scaffold was constructed by mimicking the hierarchical structure of bone. Initially, gelatin methacrylamide (GelMA) and methacrylic anhydride silk fibroin (SilMA) were synthesized, and GelMA/SilMA inks with suitable rheological and mechanical properties were prepared. Biomimetic micropores were then generated by using an aqueous two-phase emulsification method. Subsequently, biomimetic microporous GelMA/SilMA was mixed with hydroxyapatite (HAp) to prepare biomimetic microporous GelMA/SilMA/HAp ink. Hierarchical biomimetic microporous GelMA/SilMA/HAp (M-GSH) scaffolds were then fabricated through digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. Finally, in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate cell adhesion, proliferation, and inward migration as well as osteogenic differentiation and vascular regeneration effects. In vivo experiments indicated that the biomimetic microporous scaffold significantly promoted tissue integration and bone regeneration after 12 weeks of implantation, achieving 42.39% bone volume fraction regeneration. In summary, this hierarchical biomimetic microporous scaffold provides a promising strategy for the repair and treatment of bone defects.

Semen damage contributed over 50 % to air-pollutant-induced infertility: A prospective cohort study of 3940 men in China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the contribution of ambient air pollutants-induced semen damage to infertility risk, after identifying dose-response relationship between pollutants and semen parameters and susceptibility window. METHODS: In Preconception Reproductive Health and Birth Outcomes Cohort, 3940 male volunteers aged 22-49 were recruited from November 2018 to April 2021. At enrollment, resident address information was obtained and semen parameters were examined. During prospective follow-up, infertility was defined as failure to achieve pregnancy after unprotected intercourse within 12 months. Full coverage of ambient pollutant (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3, CO) concentrations was estimated by machine learning algorithms and assigned to individual level. Association between pollutants and semen parameters was analyzed by single- and two-pollutant linear regression. Four potential susceptibility windows were analyzed: lag 0-9d, lag 10-14d, lag 70-90d and lag 0-90d. Pollutant joint effects on semen parameters were analyzed by Bayesian kernel machine regression. Mediating effect of semen parameters on the association between pollutants and infertility was analyzed. False-positive rate was controlled by Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Single- and two-pollutant models showed SO2, O3, PMs and NO2 were negatively associated with progressive motility, total motility and sperm morphology, among which, each IQR increase in SO2 at lag 0-90d was associated with -4.13 %(95%CI:-6.25 %, -1.95 %, P < 0.001) change of normal morphology, and O3 at lag 0-90d was negatively associated with progressive motility and total motility (ß = -3.64 %, 95%CI:-5.63 %, -1.61 %; ß = -2.24 %, 95%CI:-3.38 %, -1.08 %, P < 0.001). Joint effect analysis showed a negative effect on sperm concentration and a suggestive effect on vitality. Mediating effect analysis showed sperm normal morphology had a substantial mediating effect in the association of SO2 with infertility (59.68 %, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Multiple air pollutants may introduce semen quality in the population at entire window of spermatogenesis, among which SO2 needs especial attention, as its damage on sperm morphology may increase risk of infertility.

Associations between maternal exposure to ambient air pollution and very low birth weight: A birth cohort study in Chongqing, China.

Introduction: There have been many researches done on the association between maternal exposure to ambient air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes, but few studies related to very low birth weight (VLBW). This study thus explores the association between maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of VLBW, and estimates the sensitive exposure time window. Methods: A retrospective cohort study analyzed in Chongqing, China, during 2015-2020. The Generalized Additive Model were applied to estimate exposures for each participant during each trimester and the entire pregnancy period. Results: For each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 during pregnancy, the relative risk of VLBW increased on the first trimester, with RR = 1.100 (95% CI: 1.012, 1.195) in the single-pollutant model. Similarly, for each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM10, there was a 12.9% (RR = 1.129, 95% CI: 1.055, 1.209) increase for VLBW on the first trimester in the single-pollutant model, and an 11.5% (RR = 1.115, 95% CI: 1.024, 1.213) increase in the multi-pollutant model, respectively. The first and second trimester exposures of NO2 were found to have statistically significant RR values for VLBW. The RR values on the first trimester were 1.131 (95% CI: 1.037, 1.233) and 1.112 (95% CI: 1.015, 1.218) in the single-pollutant model and multi-pollutant model, respectively; The RR values on the second trimester were 1.129 (95% CI: 1.027, 1.241) and 1.146 (95% CI: 1.038, 1.265) in the single-pollutant model and multi-pollutant model, respectively. The RR of O3 exposure for VLBW on the entire trimester was 1.076 (95% CI: 1.010-1.146), and on the second trimester was 1.078 (95% CI: 1:016, 1.144) in the single-pollutant model. Conclusion: This study indicates that maternal exposure to high levels of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3 during pregnancy may increase the risk of very low birth weight, especially for exposure on the first and second trimester. Reducing the risk of early maternal exposure to ambient air pollution is thus necessary for pregnant women.

The short-term effects of air pollution exposure on preterm births in Chongqing, China: 2015-2020.

Accumulating evidence suggested that the risk of preterm births (PTBs) following prenatal exposure to air pollution was inconclusive. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between air pollution exposure in the days before delivery and PTB and assess the threshold effect of short-term prenatal exposure to air pollution on PTB. This study collected data including meteorological factors, air pollutants, and information in Birth Certificate System from 9 districts during 2015-2020 in Chongqing, China. Generalized additive models (GAMs) with the distributed lag non-linear models were conducted to assess the acute impact of air pollutants on the daily counts of PTB, after controlling for potential confounding factors. We observed that PM2.5 was related to increased occurrence of PTB on lag 0-3 and lag 10-21 days, with the strongest on the first day (RR = 1.017, 95%CI: 1.000-1.034) and then decreasing. The thresholds of PM2.5 for lag 1-7 and 1-30 days were 100 µg/m3 and 50 µg/m3, respectively. The lag effect of PM10 on PTB was very similar to that of PM2.5. In addition, the lagged and cumulative exposure of SO2 and NO2 was also associated with the increased risk of PTB. The lag relative risk and cumulative relative risk of CO exposure were the strongest, with a maximum RR at lag 0 (RR = 1.044, 95%CI: 1.018, 1.069). Importantly, the exposure-response curve of CO showed that RR increased rapidly when the concentration exceeded 1000 µg/m3. This study indicated significant associations between air pollution and PTB. The relative risk decreases with day lag, while the cumulative effect increases. Thus, pregnant women should understand the risk of air pollution and try to avoid high concentration exposure.

Association of Folic Acid Supplementation in Early Pregnancy with Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may lead to many adverse effects on women and their offspring. METHOD: 24,429 pregnant women were enrolled during early pregnancy from January 2018 to December 2021. The self-reported intake of folic acid supplements was assessed via a questionnaire. Oral glucose tolerance tests were used for the diagnosis of GDM. The association between intake or not, dose, and duration of folic acid and GDM risk was assessed. RESULTS: 6396 (26.18%) women were diagnosed with GDM. In the univariate models, folic acid was found to be correlated with total GDM risk (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70~0.95, p = 0.009). After adjusting for potential confounders, the association with total GDM risk was not significant, but the association of folic acid with 2-h PBG diagnosed GDM risk was consistently significant (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.63~0.90, p = 0.002). No significant association between the dose and duration of folic acid supplementation and GDM risk was observed in the analyses. CONCLUSION: Folic acid supplementation might be a protective factor for the risk of GDM caused by the high level of postprandial blood glucose, but the dose or duration-related association between folic acid supplementation and GDM risk is not clear.

Landscape of RNA-binding proteins in diagnostic utility, immune cell infiltration and PANoptosis features of heart failure.

Objective: Heart failure remains a global public health problem linked to rising morbidity and mortality. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are crucial regulators in post-transcriptionally determining gene expression. Our study aimed to comprehensively elucidate the diagnostic utility and biological roles of RBPs in heart failure. Methods: Genomic data of human failing and nonfailing left ventricular myocardium specimens were retrieved from the GEO datasets. Heart failure-specific RBPs were screened with differential expression analyses, and RBP-based subtypes were clustered with consensus clustering approach. GSEA was implemented for comparing KEGG pathways across subtypes. RBP-based subtype-related genes were screened with WGCNA. Afterwards, characteristic genes were selected through integrating LASSO and SVM-RFE approaches. A nomogram based on characteristic genes was established and verified through calibration curve, decision curve and clinical impact curve analyses. The abundance of immune cell types was estimated with CIBERSORT approach. Results: Heart failure-specific RBPs were determined, which were remarkably linked to RNA metabolism process. Three RBP-based subtypes (namely C1, C2, C3) were established, characterized by distinct pathway activities and PANoptosis gene levels. C2 subtype presented the highest abundance of immune cells, followed by C1 and C3. Afterwards, ten characteristic genes were selected, which enabled to reliably diagnose heart failure risk. The characteristic gene-based nomogram enabled to accurately predict risk of heart failure, with the excellent clinical utility. Additionally, characteristic genes correlated to immune cell infiltration and PANoptosis genes. Conclusion: Our findings comprehensively described the roles of RBPs in heart failure. Further research is required for verifying the effectiveness of RBP-based subtypes and characteristic genes in heart failure.

Directed Stabilization by Air-Milling and Catalyzed Decomposition by Layered Titanium Carbide Toward Low-Temperature and High-Capacity Hydrogen Storage of Aluminum Hydride.

AlH3 is a metastable hydride with a theoretical hydrogen capacity of 10.01 wt % and is very easy to decompose during ball milling especially in the presence of many catalysts, which will lead to the attenuation of the available hydrogen capacity. In this work, AlH3 was ball milled in air (called "air-milling") with layered Ti3C2 to prepare a Ti3C2-catalyzed AlH3 hydrogen storage material. Such air-milled and Ti3C2-catalyzed AlH3 possesses excellent hydrogen storage performances, with a low initial decomposition temperature of just 61 °C and a high hydrogen release capacity of 8.1 wt %. In addition, 6.9 wt % of hydrogen can be released within 20 min at constantly 100 °C, with a low activation energy as low as 40 kJ mol-1. Air-milling will lead to the formation of an Al2O3 oxide layer on the AlH3 particles, which will prevent continuous decomposition of AlH3 when milling with active layered Ti3C2. The layered Ti3C2 will grip on and intrude into the AlH3 particle oxide layers and then catalyze the decomposition of AlH3 during heating. The strategy employing air-milling as a synthesis method and utilizing layered Ti3C2 as a catalyst in this work can solve the key issue of severe decomposition during ball milling with catalysts economically and conveniently and thus achieve both high-capacity and low-temperature hydrogen storage of AlH3. This air-milling method is also effective for other active catalysts toward both reducing the decomposition temperature and increasing the available hydrogen capacity of AlH3.

The acute effect and lag effect analysis between exposures to ambient air pollutants and spontaneous abortion: a case-crossover study in China, 2017-2019.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies demonstrated that living in areas with high ambient air pollution may have adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes, but few studies have investigated its association with spontaneous abortion. Further investigation is needed to explore the acute effect and lag effect of air pollutants exposure on spontaneous abortion. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the acute effect and lag effect between exposure to ambient air pollutants and spontaneous abortion. METHODS: Research data of spontaneous abortion were collected from the Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children (CQHCWC) in China. The daily ambient air pollution exposure measurements were estimated for each woman using inverse distance weighting from monitoring stations. A time-stratified, case-crossover design combined with distributed lag linear models was applied to assess the associations between spontaneous pregnancy loss and exposure to each of the air pollutants over lags 0-7 days, adjusted for temperature and relative humidity. RESULTS: A total of 1399 women who experienced spontaneous pregnancy loss events from November 1, 2016, to September 30, 2019, were selected for this study. Maternal exposure to particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), particle matter 10 (PM10) nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) exhibited a significant association with spontaneous abortion. For every 20 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2, the RRs were 1.18 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.34), 1.12 (95% CI, 1.04-1.20), 1.15 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.30), and 1.92 (95% CI: 1.18, 3.11) on lag day 3, lag day 3, lag day 0, and lag day 3, respectively. In two-pollutant model combined with PM2.5 and PM10, a statistically significant increase in spontaneous abortion incidence of 18.0% (RR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.32) was found for a 20 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure, and 11.2% (RR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.20) for a 20 µg/m3 increase in PM10 exposure on lag day 3, similar to single-pollutant model analysis. CONCLUSION: Maternal exposure to high levels of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 during pregnancy may increase the risk of spontaneous abortion for acute effects and lag effects. Further research to explore sensitive exposure time windows is needed.

Sleep Quality is an Independent Predictor of Blood Glucose and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Study of 4550 Chinese Women.

Purpose: To investigate whether pregnant women's subjective sleep quality during the first trimester independently predicted blood glucose and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A total of 4550 pregnant women in the first trimester were enrolled in Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, China, from January to October 2020.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measure subjective sleep quality. Depression symptoms and anxiety were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and blood glucose area under the curve (AUC) were used for estimation of blood glucose and diagnosis of GDM during the second trimester. Linear, mixed model, and logistic regression were used to analyze the association between PSQI and blood glucose as well as GDM. Results: 946/4550 were diagnosed with GDM (20.8%). In the mixed model analysis, the blood glucose level of the highest-scoring group (PSQI score = 18) was 1.94 (95% CI: 0.45~3.43, P = 0.011) mmol/L higher than that of the lowest-scoring group (PSQI score = 0). After adjusting for potential confounders, a one-point PSQI score increase was associated with a 0.014 (95% CI: 0.001~0.027, P = 0.039) mmol/L increase in blood glucose level. Blood glucose AUC was also positively associated with PSQI scores (ß = 0.034, 95% CI: 0.003~0.064, P = 0.030). The results for the logistic regression model showed that PSQI was marginal positively correlated with GDM (OR = 1.146, 95% CI: 0.995~1.321, P = 0.059) when age and BMI were not controlled for. When investigating the association between PSQI and the GDM-diagnosed time window, the 1-h diagnosed GDM had a borderline positive correlation with PSQI (OR = 1.182, 95% CI: 0.993~1.405, P = 0.060). Conclusion: Sleep quality during the first trimester may be a risk factor for elevated blood glucose and GDM later in gestation.

Multi-Role Surface Modification of Single-Crystalline Nickel-Rich Lithium Nickel Cobalt Manganese Oxides Cathodes with WO3 to Improve Performance for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Compared with the polycrystalline system, the single-crystalline ternary cathode material has better cycle stability because the only primary particles without grain boundaries effectively alleviate the formation of micro/nanocracks and retain better structural integrity. Therefore, it has received extensive research attention. There is no consistent result whether tungsten oxide acts as doping and/or coating from the surface modification of the polycrystalline system. Meanwhile, there is no report on the surface modification of the single-crystalline system by tungsten oxide. In this paper, multirole surface modification of single-crystalline nickel-rich ternary cathode material LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 by WO3 is studied by a simple method of adding WO3 followed by calcination. The results show that with the change in the amount of WO3 added, single-crystalline nickel-rich ternary cathode material can be separately doped, separately coated, and both doped and coated. Either doping or coating effectively enhances the structural stability, reduces the polarization of the material, and improves the lithium-ion diffusion kinetics, thus improving the cycle stability and rate performance of the battery. Interestingly, both doping and coating (for SC-NCM622-0.5%WO3) do not show a more excellent synergistic effect, while the single coating (for SC-NCM622-1.0%WO3) after eliminating the rock-salt phase layer performs the most excellent modification effect.

MicroRNA-582-3p regulates osteoporosis through regulating homeobox A10 and osteoblast differentiation.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have demonstrated that micro RNAs (miRNAs) are involved in bone formation and bone cell differentiation, but the role of miR-582-3p in osteoporosis is unclear. We want to study the mechanism of miR-582-3p on osteogenic differentiation. METHOD: The expression of miR-582-3p and homeobox (Hox) A10 were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. The expression levels of HOXA10 protein were determined by Western blot. The target of HOXA10 was identified by bioinformatics and luciferase reporter gene assay. RESULTS: The results showed that miR-582-3p was up-regulated in OP tissues and down-regulated in osteogenic differentiated C2C12 cells compared with that in the control group. Overexpression of miR-582-3p resulted in reduced expression levels of osteocalcin (OC), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and collagen, type I, α1 (COL1A1). miR-582-3p had a potential binding site with HOXA10. Moreover, miR-582-3p inhibited the expression of HOXA10, and overexpression of HOXA10 reduced the effect of miR-582-3p on osteoblast markers. HOXA10 was the target gene of miR-582-3p, which could inhibit the expression of HOXA10. Furthermore, HOXA10 reduced the role of miR-582-3p in osteoblast markers. miR-582-3p inhibited the development of osteoporosis by regulating HOXA10 and osteoblast differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: miR-582-3p may be a therapeutic target of osteoporosis treatment.

Association between Maternal Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and the Risk of Preterm Birth: A Birth Cohort Study in Chongqing, China, 2015-2020.

Recent study results on the association between maternal exposure to ambient air pollution with preterm birth have been inconsistent. The sensitive window of exposure and influence level of air pollutants varied greatly. We aimed to explore the association between maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of preterm birth, and to estimate the sensitive exposure time window. A total of 572,116 mother-newborn pairs, daily concentrations of air pollutants from nearest monitoring stations were used to estimate exposures for each participant during 2015-2020 in Chongqing, China. We applied a generalized additive model and estimated RRs and 95% CIs for preterm birth in each trimester and the entire pregnancy period. In the single-pollutant model, we observed that each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 had a statistically significant effect on the third trimester and entire pregnancy, with RR = 1.036 (95% CI: 1.021, 1.051) and RR = 1.101 (95% CI: 1.075, 1.128), respectively. Similarly, for each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM10, there were 2.7% (RR = 1.027, 95% CI: 1.016, 1.038) increase for PTB on the third trimester, and 3.8% (RR = 1.038, 95% CI: 1.020, 1.057) increase during the whole pregnancy. We found that for each 10 mg/m3 CO increases, the relative risk of PTB increased on the first trimester (RR = 1.081, 95% CI: 1.007, 1.162), second trimester (RR = 1.116, 95% CI: 1.035, 1.204), third trimester (RR = 1.167, 95% CI: 1.090, 1.250) and whole pregnancy (RR = 1.098, 95% CI: 1.011, 1.192). No statistically significant RR was found for SO2 and NO2 on each trimester of pregnancy. Our study indicates that maternal exposure to high levels of PM2.5 and PM10 during pregnancy may increase the risk for preterm birth, especially for women at the late stage of pregnancy. Statistically increased risks of preterm birth were associated with CO exposure during each trimester and entire pregnancy. Reducing exposure to ambient air pollutants for pregnant women is clearly necessary to improve the health of infants.

Pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with gestational depressive phenotypes in a population of 12,099 women in Chongqing, China.

Objective: To investigate the association between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational depressive phenotypes. Methods: The pregnant women receiving the first prenatal examination (4th -13th week of gestation) in Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children were recruited between February 2020 and September 2021. Depressive phenotypes was assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) scale at recruitment. Pre-pregnancy weight and height were self-reported by the participants. Demographic and obstetric characteristics were obtained from the hospital information system. The association between pre-pregnancy BMI and the scores of PHQ-9 or SCL-90 scale was investigated by uni-variate analysis with Kruskal-Wallis test and by multi-variate analysis with linear regression model with adjustment of age, parity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and assisted reproduction. The association between pre-pregnancy BMI and PHQ-9 or SCL-90 diagnosed depressive phenotypes was analyzed by Chi-square test and logistic regression respectively. Results: A total of 12,099 pregnant women were included, where 100% of them filled out the PHQ-9 scale and 99.6% filled out the SCL-90 scale, and 47.26% and 4.62% of the pregnant women had depressive phenotypes, respectively. Women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI had lower depressive phenotypes scores during pregnancy. Multivariable analysis of the PHQ-9 scale showed that overweight/obese subjects had a higher incidence of depressive phenotypes compared with subjects with normal BMI (OR=0.803, 95% CI [0.723, 0.892]). In a stratified analysis assessed by the PHQ-9, women who were overweight/obese prior to pregnancy were less likely to develop depressive phenotypes during pregnancy than women who were normal weight prior to pregnancy, regardless of whether they were nulliparous (OR=0.795, 95%CI[0.696,0.908]) or multiparous (OR=0.809, 95%CI[0.0.681,0.962]), while in the three age groups of 25-29 years, 30-34 years and ≥35 years, pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity were associated with lower risk of gestational depressive phenotypes. However, analysis of the SCL-90 scale showed no statistical association between depressive symptom and BMI. No substantial interaction was observed between BMI and parity or age. Conclusions: Increased pre-pregnancy BMI may be associated with reduced risk of gestational depressive phenotypes in Chinese women. Independent studies are warranted to validate the findings of the present study.

Electron-Injection-Engineering Induced Phase Transition toward Stabilized 1T-MoS2 with Extraordinary Sodium Storage Performance.

Phase transition engineering, with the ability to alter the electronic structure and physicochemical properties of materials, has been widely used to achieve the thermodynamically unstable metallic phase MoS2 (1T-MoS2), although the complex operating conditions and low yield of previous strategies make the large-scale fabrication of 1T-MoS2 a big challenge. Herein, we report a facile electron injection strategy for phase transition engineering and fabricate a composite of conductive TiO chemically bonded to 1T-MoS2 nanoflowers (TiO-1T-MoS2 NFs) on a large scale. The underlying mechanism analysis reveals that electron-injection-engineering triggers a reorganization of the Mo 4d orbitals and results in a 100% phase transition of MoS2 from 2H to 1T. In the TiO-1T-MoS2 NFs composite, the 1T-MoS2 demonstrates a higher electronic conductivity, a lower Na+ diffusion barrier, and a more restricted S release than 2H-MoS2. In addition, conductive TiO bonding successfully resolves the stability challenge of the 1T phase. These merits endow TiO-1T-MoS2 NFs electrodes with an excellent rate capability (650/288 mAh g-1 at 50/20 000 mA g-1, respectively) and an outstanding cyclability (501 mAh g-1 at 1000 mA g-1 after 700 cycles) in sodium ion batteries. Such an improvement signifies that this facile and scalable phase-transition engineering combined with a deep mechanism analysis offers an important reference for designing advanced materials for various applications.

The prevalence of male rotating shift work correlates with reduced total fertility rate: an ecological study of 54,734 reproductive-aged males in 35 European countries between 2000 and 2015.

Europe has the lowest fertility rate in the world, and 19 European countries are already experiencing negative population growth. Previous studies have shown that light-dark cycle misalignment induces damages to semen quality in animals, but whether shift work impairs male human fertility remains controversial. The diverse types of shift work, which may have distinct health impacts, have not been differentiated in the few previous studies. The present study aims to assess the impact of different male shift work types, i.e., rotating shift work (RSW), permanent shift work (PSW), and daily split shifts (DSS), on male fertility in European countries, based on the European Working Conditions Survey of 54,734 men and 52,457 women of reproductive (15-49 years) age from 35 countries conducted between 2000 and 2015. Year-specific total fertility rate (TFR) for each country was obtained from the World Bank. Mixed linear model was used to analyze the association between the prevalence of shift work types and TFR among the countries during the 15 years span, with adjustment for latitude, per capita GDP, working duration, working frequency, median age of men or women engaged in shift work, education level of men or women, and female shift-work condition in reproductive aged participants. The results showed that the average prevalence of RSW declined from 15.6% in 2000 to 9.8% in 2010, and then rose to 11.1% by 2015, while TFR went up from 1.45 in 2000 to 1.60 in 2010, and then decreased to 1.56 in 2015. A 10% increase of RSW prevalence was associated with a 0.114 decrease of TFR (95% CI: -0.167, -0.061, P < .001), indicating 11.4 fewer births per 100 women throughout lifetime. The association remained significant (ß = -0.088, 95% CI: -0.160, -0.015, P = .020) after adjusting for confounding factors. However, no association was observed between TFR and the prevalence of male PSW (ß = -0.011, 95% CI: -0.094, 0.073, P = .801) or DSS (ß = 0.357, 95% CI: -0.171, 0.884, P = .189). In conclusion, male RSW, rather than PSW and DSS, may reduce TFR. Further studies are needed to validate our findings.

Acute effects of short-term exposure to ambient air pollution on reproductive hormones in young males of the MARHCS study in China.

Air pollution, which is associated with male reproductive health. However, it is unknown the acute effects of ambient air pollutants exposure on male reproductive hormones. The current study, we measured serum levels of reproductive hormone in 2030 blood samples gathered from The Male Reproductive Health in Chongqing College Students (MARHCS) cohort study. We derived a full coverage of ambient air pollutant (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO and O3) concentrations by employing machine learning algorithms, and used a mixed-effect model to estimate single-day and cumulative effects of air pollutants exposure on serum reproductive hormones. Our results showed that (1) PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were positively associated with estradiol (E2) in both single and cumulative lag days, but were negatively associated with the ratio of Testosterone/E2 (the T/E2 ratio). NO2 was positively associated with estradiol at lag day 2 (95% CI: 0.290, 0.881; corrected P = 0.048) and lag 0-2 days (95% CI: 0.523, 1.337; corrected P = 0.003), with progesterone (P) at lag day 2 and lag day 3 (corrected P < 0.05). There was also a positive association between CO exposure and progesterone at lag day 2. (2) SO2 was inversely associated with E2 at lag day 3, 4 and lag 0-4 days, and progesterone at lag day 0, 1, 2 and lag 0-1, 0-2, 0-4 days, but positively associated with the T/E2 ratio at lag day 3, 4 and lag 0-4 days (corrected P < 0.05). O3 exposure was negatively associated with E2 at lag day 3 (95% CI: -0.216, -0.074, corrected P = 0.03). (3) No significant associations were found between the cumulative daily average air pollutant exposure of CO, O3 and hormone outcomes. This study suggests that short-term exposure to air pollutants may thus alter reproductive hormone levels, especially on serum estradiol, progesterone levels and the T/E2 ratio.

An exposomic approach with 138 chemical and non-chemical exposures to predict 32 biomarkers of male reproductive damages: A case study of college students in Chongqing, China.

Male reproductive damage in the general population comprises different disorders in various biomarkers, which could be respectively caused by a number of exposure factors. However, researchers considering the environmental/behavioral/psychological exposures together to evaluate their contribution to male reproductive damage are still lacking. The present study investigated the comprehensive association between 138 environmental/behavioral/psychological exposures and 32 male reproductive biomarkers in 796 young Chinese men using graph-guided fused lasso (GFLASSO) and hierarchical clustering methods. All biomarkers were found to be associated with various exposures. A combination of these exposures not only predicted the levels of single biomarkers in another test dataset, but also identified the comprehensive reproductive features by clustering the men into five subgroups with distinct damages representing disrupted spermatogenesis with abnormal sperm morphology, low sperm motility with DNA fragmentation, chromatin immaturity, aberrant endocrine, or DNA strand breakage. The findings can be used to suggest a novel way to identify the males with a high risk of reproductive damage and develop personalized preventive strategies.

Effect of intensity-modulated radiation therapy on sciatic nerve injury caused by echinococcosis.

Conventional radiotherapy has a good killing effect on femoral echinococcosis. However, the sciatic nerve around the lesion is irreversibly damaged owing to bystander effects. Although intensity-modulated radiation therapy shows great advantages for precise dose distribution into lesions, it is unknown whether intensity-modulated radiation therapy can perfectly protect the surrounding sciatic nerve on the basis of good killing of femoral echinococcosis foci. Therefore, this study comparatively analyzed differences between intensity-modulated radiation therapy and conventional radiotherapy on the basis of safety to peripheral nerves. Pure-breed Meriones meridiani with bilateral femoral echinococcosis were selected as the research object. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy was used to treat left femoral echinococcosis of Meriones meridianus, while conventional radiotherapy was used to treat right femoral echinococcosis of the same Meriones meridianus. The total radiation dose was 40 Gy. To understand whether intensity-modulated radiation therapy and conventional radiotherapy can kill femoral echinococcosis, trypan blue staining was used to detect pathological changes of bone Echinococcus granulosus and protoscolex death after radiotherapy. Additionally, enzyme histochemical staining was utilized to measure acid phosphatase activity in the protoscolex after radiotherapy. One week after radiotherapy, the overall structure of echinococcosis in bilateral femurs of Meriones meridiani treated by intensity-modulated radiation therapy disappeared. There was no significant difference in the mortality rate of protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus between the bilateral femurs of Meriones meridiani. Moreover, there was no significant difference in acid phosphatase activity in the protoscolex of Echinococcus granulosus between bilateral femurs. To understand the injury of sciatic nerve surrounding the foci of femoral echinococcosis caused by intensity-modulated radiation therapy and conventional radiotherapy, the ultrastructure of sciatic nerves after radiotherapy was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, apoptosis of neurons was examined using a terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay, and expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in sciatic nerve tissue was detected by immunohistochemical staining and western blot assay. Our results showed that most neurons in the left sciatic nerve of Meriones meridiani with echinococcosis treated by intensity-modulated radiation therapy had reversible injury, and there was no obvious apoptosis. Compared with conventional radiotherapy, the number of apoptotic cells and Bax expression in sciatic nerve treated by intensity-modulated radiation therapy were significantly decreased, while Bcl-2 expression was significantly increased. Our findings suggest that intensity-modulated radiation therapy has the same therapeutic effect on echinococcosis as conventional radiotherapy, and can reduce apoptosis of the sciatic nerve around foci caused by radiotherapy. Experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China (Approval No. 20130301A41) on March 1, 2013.