Association between gut microbiota and endometriosis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Recent studies have shown that an imbalance in gut microbiota (GM) may not always be associated with endometriosis (EMS). To investigate this further, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Methods: MR analysis was performed on genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of GM and EMS. Specifically, the MiBioGen microbiota GWAS (N = 18,340) was used as exposure. The FinnGen study GWAS (8,288 EMS cases and 68,969 controls) was used as outcome. We primarily used the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method to analyze the correlation and conducted a sensitivity analysis to verify its reliability. Results: (1) MR analysis: The results of the IVW method confirmed that a total of 8 GM taxa were related to the risk of EMS. Class-Melainabacteria (p = 0.036), family-Ruminococcaceae (p = 0.037), and genus-Eubacteriumruminantium (p = 0.015) had a protective effect on EMS, whereas order-Bacillales (p = 0.046), family-Prevotellaceae (p = 0.027), genus-Anaerotruncus (p = 0.025), genus-Olsenella (p = 0.036) and genus-RuminococcaceaeUCG002 (p = 0.035) could increase the risk of EMS. (2) Sensitivity analysis: Cochrane's Q test (p > 0.05), MR-Egger intercept method (p > 0.05), and leave-one-out method confirmed the robustness of MR results. Conclusion: This study performed a MR analysis on two large national databases and identified the association between 8 GM taxa and EMS. These taxa could potentially be utilized for indirectly diagnosing EMS and could lead to novel perspectives in research regarding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of EMS.

IL-6 secretion of CD4+ T cells stimulated by LC3-positive extracellular vesicles in human epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer (OC) as the most fatal gynecological malignancy worldwide, with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) being the predominant and most lethal form, poses a serious threat to human health. LC3-positive extracellular vesicles (LC3+ EVs) promote tumorigenesis by educating CD4+ T cells in a murine melanoma model. However, regulation of LC3+ EVs in human EOC remains largely unknown.  METHODS: Differential analysis of Rab8a, Hsp90α and Il6 expression was performed using GEPIA2. The number of LC3+ EVs and the frequency of Heat shock protein 90α+ LC3+ EVs (HSP90α+ LC3+ EVs) in the ascites of EOC patients were tested by flow cytometry. IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-4 and TGF-ß were measured by ELISA. CD4+ T cells were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy human donors using MACS magnetic bead technology.  RESULTS: Higher Rab8a, Hsp90a and Il6 expression of cancer tissues compared with normal adjacent tissues in OC were found. The level of IL-6 was positively correlated with LC3+ EVs number, HSP90α+ LC3+ EVs percentage in the ascites, and ROMA index of the patient. In addition, elevated IL-6 production by CD4+ T cells induced by LC3+ EVs was observed, which was suppressed by anti-HSP90α or anti-TLR2.  CONCLUSIONS: LC3+ EVs level and HSP90α+ LC3+ EVs percentage were associated with elevated IL-6 in the ascites of EOC patients. HSP90α on LC3+ EVs from human EOC could stimulate CD4+ T cell production of IL-6 via TLR2.

Single-crystal-to-single-crystal structural transformations of two sandwich-like Cu(ii) pyrazolate complexes and their excellent catalytic performances in MMA polymerization.

Reactions of Cu(OAc)(2)·H(2)O with dmnpzH in EtOH produce a heptanuclear copper(ii) pyrazolate complex [Cu(7)(OH)(2)(OAc)(6)(dmnpz)(6)(EtOH)(6)], which is able to undergo a SCSC structural transformation from a lower symmetry structure to a higher symmetry structure via replacement of ligated-EtOH molecules with MeOH; both complexes along with the solvent-free species exhibit high catalytic activity in the polymerization of MMA.

[Solid phase coordination synthesis and characterization of polymimide and Sm ion-under microwave radiation].

Solid phase coordination reaction of Sm3+ and the resultant of the imidization of polycondensor of polycondensation and imidization of benzoguanamine(BGA) and 2, 4-tolylenediisocyanate (TDI) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMIDA) under microwave irradiation were synthesized and studied. The effect of microwave irradiation time (power), the composition of reactants and the reaction temperature on the yield and Sm content in complexes were studied. The complex was determined by Fourier transform infrared absorption (FTIR), Fourier transform Roman spectrum (FTRS), scanning electric minor (SEM), 13C solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and X-ray powder diffraction. The fluorescence intensity was measured by fluorescent emission spectrum and compared with thermal coordination. The magnetic susceptibilities were measured by magnetic curve. The results showed that the complex had not characteristic fluorescence of Sm3+, which illustrated that the first excitation level of Sm3+ and polymer could not match at all. But the complex showed good magnetic property of the ion.