Complexes of Soluble Dietary Fiber and Polyphenols from Lotus Root Regulate High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia in Mice.

In this paper, complexes of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and polyphenols (PPs) isolated from lotus roots were prepared (SDF-PPs), as well as physical mixtures (SDF&PPs), which were given to high-fat-diet (HFD)-fed mice. The results demonstrated that SDF-PPs improve lipid levels and reverse liver injury in hyperlipidemic mice. Western blotting and real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) results showed that SDF-PPs regulated liver lipids by increasing the phosphorylation of Adenine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK), up-regulating the expression of Carnitine palmitoyltransferase1 (CPT1), and down-regulating the expression of Fatty acid synthase (FAS) and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA), as well as the transcription factor sterol-regulatory element binding protein (SPEBP-1) and its downstream liposynthesis genes. Additionally, the intervention of SDF-PPs could modulate the composition of intestinal gut microbes, inducing an increase in Lachnospiraceae and a decrease in Desulfovibrionaceae and Prevotellaceae in high-fat-diet-fed mice. Thus, the research provides a theoretical basis for the application of lotus root active ingredients in functional foods and ingredients.

Multipartite entanglement generation with high-order non-Hermitian exceptional points from dressing-controlled atomic nonlinearity.

Multipartite entanglement has emerged as a valuable quantum resource for constructing large-scale quantum networks. However, the presence of non-Hermitian features induced by natural microscopic quantum systems significantly modifies the overall response of nonlinear parametric processes, thereby enabling direct manipulation of multipartite entanglement properties. In this study, we demonstrate the generation of multimode entanglement through atomic four-wave mixing (FWM) and analyze the properties of exceptional points (EP) under dressing control in non-Hermitian systems. By leveraging dressing-controlled atomic nonlinearity, we achieve versatile EPs and higher-order EPs by carefully tuning the atomic multi-parameter in the cascading FWM system. Additionally, we investigate the entanglement properties of various permutations of the output signal modes using the positive partial transpose (PPT) criterion. Notably, under non-Hermitian control, the application of single-, double-, and N-dressing splits leads to coherent multichannel control and further extends the scale of quantum entanglement. The outcomes of our research offer a novel approach to actively control non-Hermitian quantum phenomena without relying on artificial photonic structures. Furthermore, this paves the way for the realization of complex quantum information tasks by exploiting the non-Hermitian characteristics of the light-matter interaction.

Speed behaviour and mental workload of small-spacing expressway interchanges based on field driving test.

Many small-spacing interchanges (SSI) appear with the improvement of the expressway network. To investigate the speed and mental workload characteristics in the SSI and acquire the mechanism of the influence of speed on the drivers' workload, 37 participants were recruited to perform a field driving test. Each driver performed four driving conditions (i.e. ramp-mainline, mainline-ramp, mainline driving, and auxiliary lane driving). The speed and drivers' electrocardiogram (ECG) data were collected using SpeedBox speed acquisition equipment and PhysioLAB physiological instrument. The heart rate increase (HRI) index was used to analyse the drivers' mental workload regularity. The relationship model between speed and HRI was developed to examine the impact of speed on HRI. The results show that the speed variation in the SSI displayed two patterns: 'decrease - increase and continuous decrease.' The drivers' HRI variation presented four patterns: 'convex curve, continuously increasing, continuously decreasing and concave curve'. SSI's influenced area length is given based on the speed and HRI variation regularity. HRI is significantly higher when driving in the ramp-mainline condition in the SSI than when driving in other conditions, indicating that drivers are more nervous when merging with the mainline traffic. HRI increases significantly in the first 50% of the weaving area in four driving conditions, indicating that vehicle weaving greatly influences the drivers' mental workload. A positive correlation exists between vehicle speed and drivers' HRI without interference from other vehicles and road alignment.

The shorter spacing of the interchange will result in a more difficult driving task for the drivers. This study shows that drivers have the highest mental workload in ramp-mainline driving condition at small-spacing interchanges. The first half of the weaving area is the area where drivers' mental workload increases significantly, and is a high-risk section for small-spacing interchanges. This study can provide a reference for the revision of the allowable minimum interchange spacing in the corresponding specification, and the calibration of the simulation test parameters for similar scenarios.

Corrigendum: Crosstalk between cGAS-STING pathway and autophagy in cancer immunity.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1139595.].

Crosstalk between cGAS-STING pathway and autophagy in cancer immunity.

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway is critical in cancer immunity. Autophagy is a highly conserved process that is responsible for the degradation of cytoplasmic material and is involved in both innate and adaptive immunity. Recently, cGAS-STING and autophagy have been shown to be interconnected, which may influence the progression of cancer. Although cGAS-STING and autophagy have been shown to be interrelated in innate immunity, little has been reported about cancer immunity. As cancer immunity is key to treating tumors, it is essential to summarize the relationship and interactions between the two. Based on this, we systematically sorted out the recent findings of cGAS-STING and autophagy in cancer immunity and explored the interactions between cGAS-STING and autophagy, although these interactions have not been extensively studied. Lastly, we provide an outlook on how cGAS-STING and autophagy can be combined, with the hope that our research can help people better understand their potential roles in cancer immunity and bring light to the treatment of cancer.

METTL3 is essential for normal progesterone signaling during embryo implantation via m6A-mediated translation control of progesterone receptor.

Embryo implantation, a crucial step in human reproduction, is tightly controlled by estrogen and progesterone (P4) via estrogen receptor alpha and progesterone receptor (PGR), respectively. Here, we report that N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most abundant mRNA modification in eukaryotes, plays an essential role in embryo implantation through the maintenance of P4 signaling. Conditional deletion of methyltransferase-like 3 (Mettl3), encoding the m6A writer METTL3, in the female reproductive tract using a Cre mouse line with Pgr promoter (Pgr-Cre) resulted in complete implantation failure due to pre-implantation embryo loss and defective uterine receptivity. Moreover, the uterus of Mettl3 null mice failed to respond to artificial decidualization. We further found that Mettl3 deletion was accompanied by a marked decrease in PGR protein expression. Mechanistically, we found that Pgr mRNA is a direct target for METTL3-mediated m6A modification. A luciferase assay revealed that the m6A modification in the 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR) of Pgr mRNA enhances PGR protein translation efficiency in a YTHDF1-dependent manner. Finally, we demonstrated that METTL3 is required for human endometrial stromal cell decidualization in vitro and that the METTL3-PGR axis is conserved between mice and humans. In summary, this study provides evidence that METTL3 is essential for normal P4 signaling during embryo implantation via m6A-mediated translation control of Pgr mRNA.

Protective Effects of Different Selenium Green Tea Polysaccharides on the Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Mice.

Selenium polysaccharides have attracted significant interest due to their superior function to that of individual polysaccharides. However, limited research has compared the protective effects of different selenium polysaccharides from different selenization methods on diabetes. This work aims to compare the preventive effects of natural selenium-enriched green tea polysaccharides (NSe-TPS), synthetic selenized green tea polysaccharides (PCSe-TPS), and a mixture of sodium selenite and green tea polysaccharides (ordinary tea polysaccharides (Ord-TPS)+Se) on the development of diabetes. While establishing a diabetes model induced by a high-sugar, high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin, different selenium polysaccharides were administered daily by gavage for nine weeks. Our findings indicate that PCSe-TPS exhibited superior preventive effects on developing type 2 diabetes compared to NSe-TPS and Ord-TPS+Se. PCSe-TPS effectively regulated glucose metabolism and insulin resistance by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway, thereby preventing elevated blood glucose levels. Additionally, PCSe-TPS mitigated oxidative damage and inflammatory responses in liver tissues. Notably, PCSe-TPS intervention reversed the decline in bacterial species richness and the abundance of unclassified_Oscillospiraceae during the development of diabetes in mice. These results provide valuable insights into the protective effects of PCSe-TPS against diabetes development, highlighting its advantages over NSe-TPS and Ord-TPS+Se.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of experimental cryptorchidism: of mice and cynomolgus monkeys.

In most mammalian species, the testis descends from the abdomen into the scrotum during fetal or neonatal life. The failure of testicular descent, a pathological condition known as cryptorchidism, has long been the subject of scientific interest in a wide range of fields, including medicine, developmental biology, and evolutionary biology. In this study, we analyzed global gene expression changes associated with experimental cryptorchidism in mice by using RNA-seq. A total of 453 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 236 genes were upregulated, and 217 genes were downregulated. Gene ontology, pathway, and gene network analysis highlighted the activation of inflammatory response in experimental cryptorchidism. By examining the promoter regions of differentially expressed genes, we identified 12 causal transcription factors. In addition, we also induced experimental cryptorchidism in two cynomolgus monkeys and performed RNA-seq. A cross-species comparison was performed at the gene expression level. Our study provides a valuable resource for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of cryptorchidism in mammals.

Clinical features of intestinal polyps and risk factors for secondary intussusception in children: an analysis of 2 669 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the clinical features of intestinal polyps and the risk factors for secondary intussusception in children.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for the medical data of 2 669 children with intestinal polyps. According to the presence or absence of secondary intussusception, they were divided into two groups: intussusception (n=346) and non-intussusception (n=2 323). Related medical data were compared between the two groups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for secondary intussusception.@*RESULTS@#Among the children with intestinal polyps, 62.42% were preschool children, and the male/female ratio was 2.08∶1; 92.66% had hematochezia as disease onset, and 94.34% had left colonic polyps and rectal polyps. There were 346 cases of secondary intussusception, with an incidence rate of 12.96% (346/2 669). Large polyps (OR=1.644, P<0.001), multiple polyps (≥2) (OR=6.034, P<0.001), and lobulated polyps (OR=93.801, P<0.001) were the risk factors for secondary intussusception.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Intestinal polyps in children often occur in preschool age, mostly in boys, and most of the children have hematochezia as disease onset, with the predilection sites of the left colon and the rectum. Larger polyps, multiple polyps, and lobulated polyps may increase the risk of secondary intussusception, and endoscopic intervention is needed as early as possible to improve prognosis.

[Effects of mid-palatal suture opening and midfacial bony structure changes induced by maxillary skeletal expansion in adults].

PURPOSE: To analyze the opening of mid-palatal suture, transverse changes in dental and dentoalveolar measurements and shift of midfacial bony structures induced by maxillary skeletal expansion (MSE) with cone-beam CT (CBCT), and to evaluate the effect of maxillary skeletal expansion and its influence on adjacent bony structures in adults. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 12 adult patients with maxillary transverse deficiency (4 males, 8 females) at a mean age of (21.17±4.13) years old. All patients were treated with MSE. After treatment, the posterior crossbite was corrected, and the width of the maxillary arch was achieved the optimal width. Pre- and post-treatment CBCT exams were taken before and after MSE treatment. Multiplanar coronal and axial slices obtained from CBCT images were used to measure the changes in transverse widths, angular changes and tooth inclination with Dolphin Imaging 11.9. SPSS 26.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: After MSE treatment, the anterior nasal spine width increased by (2.38±1.01) mm, posterior nasal spine width increased by (2.25±1.08) mm (P<0.01). The inter-crown and inter-apex distance at the first molar increased by (5.56±1.38) mm and (4.14±1.29) mm, respectively (P<0.01). No significant difference was seen in terms of tooth inclination of the first molar(P>0.05). Pterygoid process angle, pterygoid process width, anterior inter-maxillary distance, upper and lower inter-zygomatic distance were significantly larger after treatment (P<0.01), while the inter-temporal distance and bilateral zygomaticomaxillary angle remained unchanged(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MSE has a favorable effect in adult patients with parallel skeletal expansion of the mid-palatal suture achieved after expansion. The teeth present with certain buccal inclination but show no significant movement relative to the alveolar bone. The midfacial bony structures also shift in three-dimensional under the effect of the expansion force.

Chinese herbal medicine Feiyanning cooperates with cisplatin to enhance cytotoxicity to non-small-cell lung cancer by inhibiting protective autophagy.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Feiyanning (FYN), the Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), has been used to manage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for the past 23 years. Chemotherapeutic drugs can induce autophagy in cancer cells to protect themselves from death. However, FYN can inhibit the protective autophagy in cancer cells. We investigated the biological mechanisms on the synergistic effects of FYN combined with chemotherapy in lung cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the effective chemical components for the quality control of FYN using the UPLC-Q-TOF-MS.The cell proliferation ability was detected by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation. The cell apoptosis was determined with Flow cytometry. Expression of important differential proteins were detected by western blot. Autophagy structure was observed by TEM (Tansmission electron microscopy). Tandem mCherry-EGFP-LC3B immunofluorescence was used to measure autophagic flux. RESULTS: Both FYN and cisplatin significantly induced apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation in A549 cells. FYN reduced cell viability and increased apoptotic cell populations less effectively than cisplatin. FYN cooperated with cisplatin suppressed the cell viability, colony formation, as well as increased the cell apoptosis rate, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and PARP. FYN inhibited autophagy in A549 cells, which characterized by the decrease of autophagosome formation, lysosomal fusion, LC3B-II accumulation and SQSTM1 degradation, down-regulation of ATG5 and ATG7. Protective autophagy in A549 cells was induced by cisplatin. Suppression of the autophagic response using chloroquine (CQ) which is autophagy inhibitor improved the ability of cisplatin to kill cancer cells, as did FYN combined with cisplatin. CONCLUSION: In summary, we revealed that the synergistic mechanism of FYN and cisplatin is that FYN inhibited the protective autophagy induced by cisplatin in A549 cells.

Cinobufagin-Loaded and Folic Acid-Modified Polydopamine Nanomedicine Combined With Photothermal Therapy for the Treatment of Lung Cancer.

Cinobufagin is used as a traditional Chinese medicine for cancer therapy. However, it has some disadvantages, such as poor water solubility, short circulating half-life, and low bioavailability. In the present study, a targeted delivery and smart responsive polydopamine (PDA)-based nanomedicine for delivering cinobufagin was rationally designed to improve the anticancer efficacy of the compound for the treatment of lung cancer. The modification of the nanomedicine using folic acid first mediated tumor targeting via the interaction between folic acid and its receptors on tumor cells. After lysosomes escape, the PDA nanomedicine was triggered by the low pH and released its cargo into the tumor microenvironment. The nanomedicine had a better therapeutic effect against lung cancer when used in combination with photothermal therapy. Compared with other nanomedicines used with photothermal therapy, this nanocarrier was not only sensitive to biologically low pH levels for on-demand drug release, but was also biodegradable, breaking down into biocompatible terminal products. Therefore, the proposed drug delivery system with targeted delivery and smart release demonstrated potential as a multifunctional nanoplatform that can enhance the bioavailability and reduce the side effects of chemotherapeutic agents.

Pd-Catalyzed Enantioselective Tandem C-C Bond Activation/Cacchi Reaction between Cyclobutanones and o-Ethynylanilines.

A palladium-catalyzed asymmetric tandem C-C bond activation/Cacchi reaction between cyclobutanones and o-ethynylanilines was reported. The transient chiral σ-alkylpalladium species generated via enantioselective C(sp3)-C(sp2) bond activation of cyclobutanones promotes cyclization of o-ethynylanilines, leading to one-carbon-tethered chiral indanone-substituted indoles. Two C-C bonds and one C-N bond are created with concomitant formation of an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter. Furthermore, a chiral C2-aryl axis can be created in 2,3-disubstituted indole moiety, leading to indanone-substituted indoles with both central and axial stereogenic elements.

Multimode entanglement generation with dual-pumped four-wave-mixing of Rubidium Atoms.

Multimode entanglement is essential for the generation of quantum networks, which plays a central role in quantum information processing and quantum metrology. Here, we study the spatial multimode entanglement characteristics of the large scale quantum states via a dual-pumped four-wave-mixing (FWM) process of Rubidium atomics vapors. A linear mode transform approach is applied to solve the four- and six-mode Gaussian states and the analytical input-output relations are presented. Moreover, via reconstructing the full covariance matrix of the produced states, versatile entanglement with from two up to six modes is analyzed. The results show that most of the 1 versus n-mode and m versus n-mode states are entangled, and the amount of entanglement can be regulated due to the competitions of mode components caused by different interaction strengths of co-existing FWMs. Our study could be applied for any multimode Gaussian states with a quadratic Hamiltonian.

Flavonoids from Rosaroxburghii Tratt prevent reactive oxygen species-mediated DNA damage in thymus cells both combined with and without PARP-1 expression after exposure to radiation in vivo.

This study aimed to evaluate the role of FRT in ROS/DNA regulation with or without PARP-1 in radiation-injured thymus cells. The administration of FRT to PARP-1-/- (KO) mice demonstrated that FRT significantly increased the viability of thymus cells and decreased their rate of apoptosis through PARP-1. Radiation increased the levels of ROS, γ-H2AX and 53BP1, and induced DNA double strand breaks. Compared with wild type (WT) mice, levels of ROS, γ-H2AX and 53BP1 in KO mice were much less elevated. The FRT treatment groups also showed little reduction in these indicators in KO mice compared with WT mice. The results of the KO mice study indicated that FRT reduced ROS activation through inhibition of PARP-1. Furthermore, FRT reduced the concentrations of γ-H2AX by decreasing ROS activation. However, we found that FRT did not regulate 53BP1, a marker of DNA damage, because of its elimination of ROS. Levels of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), exhibited no significant difference after irradiation in KO mice. To summarize, ROS suppression by PARP-1 knockout in KO mice highlights potential therapeutic target either by PARP-1 inhibition combined with radiation or by treatment with a drug therapy alone. AIF-induced apoptosis could not be activated in KO mice.

A study of spleen shear-wave elastography in indirect prediction of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the value of spleen shear-wave elastography (sound touch elastography [STE], sound touch quantification [STQ]) in indirect prediction of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: The Young's modulus (kPa) of spleen STE, STQ and liver FibroScan were measured in 112 patients with CHB. The final diagnosis was according to histological results from liver biopsy based on Scheure G/S scoring system and liver FibroScan was considered as a reference index of prediction efficiency. Grouped by the stage of liver fibrosis, data were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney test and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). RESULTS: Spleen STE was positively correlated with the degree of liver fibrosis, but spleen STQ was not. STEmean and STEmax of spleen were statistically different between the groups categorized by S = 2, S = 3 and S = 4 (all p < 0.05), respectively. Spleen STEmean had the best predicting performance on staging liver fibrosis. The areas under the ROC (AUC) for spleen STEmean were 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-0.76) for stage S = 2 or higher, 0.72 (95% CI, 0.60-0.83) for S = 3 or higher, 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74-0.92) for S = 4 (all P < 0.01). The differences between the AUC for spleen STEmean and liver FibroScan in liver fibrosis staging were not statistically significant when the groups categorized by S = 2 and S = 4 (P = 0.146 and P = 0.052). But when categorized by S = 3, the evaluating performance of liver FibroScan was better (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: STEmean of spleen is applicable in indirect predicting fibrosis stage in patients with CHB.

Exhaled breath is a significant source of SARS-CoV-2 emission

Despite notable efforts in airborne SARS-CoV-2 detection, no clear evidence has emerged to show how SARS-CoV-2 is emitted into the environments. Here, 35 COVID-19 subjects were recruited; exhaled breath condensate (EBC), air samples and surface swabs were collected and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). EBC samples had the highest positive rate (16.7%, n = 30), followed by surface swabs(5.4%, n = 242), and air samples (3.8%, n = 26). COVID-19 patients were shown to exhale SARSCoV-2 into the air at an estimated rate of 103-105 RNA copies/min; while toilet and floor surfaces represented two important SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs. Our results imply that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 plays a major role in COVID-19 spread, especially during the early stages of the disease. One Sentence SummaryCOVID-19 patient exhales millions of SARS-CoV-2 particles per hour

Ultrasonic Classification of Multicategory Thyroid Nodules Based on Logistic Regression.

This study aims to screen out significant ultrasonic features to establish different predictive models of thyroid nodules based on logistic regression, with different indicators being included and nodular size being differentiated, and then compare them.Ultrasonic features of 1906 thyroid nodules in 1761 patients who had undergone sonography and fine-needle aspiration or surgery in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to nodule size and whether vascular or elastographic indicators being included or not, nodules were divided into 12 groups. By univariate and multivariate analysis, the significant sonographic features to diagnose nodules of each group were screened and compared. The logistic regression models were built, and the cutoff values were calculated. The diagnostic performance of newly established models was validated, and the best model was compared with the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System.Significant features used to diagnose nodules in all models were hypoechoic, irregular margin, and microcalcification. Predominantly solid was an important indicator to differentiate benign and malignant macronodules. A taller-than-wide shape was a significant indicator of malignant micronodules. Strain elastographic character did show diagnostic value. The area under the curve of logistic regression models for malignant risk prediction were all higher than 0.7, and the best one was model 7, but the diagnostic performance was significantly reduced when models performed bivariate prediction.The most valuable indicators of malignant thyroid nodules are hypoechoic, irregular margin, and microcalcification. New models are suitable for nodules of different sizes and with or without vascular or elastographic features being described.

Controllable Si-C Bond Activation Enables Stereocontrol in the Palladium-Catalyzed [4+2] Annulation of Cyclopropenes with Benzosilacyclobutanes.

A novel and unusual palladium-catalyzed [4+2] annulation of cyclopropenes with benzosilacyclobutanes is reported. This reaction occurred through chemoselective Si-C(sp2 ) bond activation in synergy with ring expansion/insertion of cyclopropenes to form new C(sp2 )-C(sp3 ) and Si-C(sp3 ) bonds. An array of previously elusive bicyclic skeleton with high strain, silabicyclo[4.1.0]heptanes, were formed in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivity under mild conditions. An asymmetric version of the reaction with a chiral phosphoramidite ligand furnished a variety of chiral bicyclic silaheterocycle derivatives with good enantioselectivity (up to 95.5:4.5 er). Owing to the mild reaction conditions, the good stereoselectivity profile, and the ready availability of the functionalized precursors, this process constitutes a useful and straightforward strategy for the synthesis of densely functionalized silacycles.

Progesterone-regulated Hsd11b2 as a barrier to balance mouse uterine corticosterone.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are essential for mouse embryo implantation and decidualization. Excess GCs are harmful for mouse embryo implantation and decidualization. 11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases type I and II (Hsd11b1/Hsd11b2) are main enzymes for regulating local level of GCs. Hsd11b2 acts as the placental glucocorticoid barrier to protect the fetus from excessive exposure. Although effects of GCs on the fetus and placenta in late pregnancy have been extensively studied, the effects of these adrenal corticosteroids in early pregnancy are far less well defined. Therefore, we examined the expression, regulation and function of Hsd11b1/Hsd11b2 in mouse uterus during early pregnancy. We found that Hsd11b2 is highly expressed in endometrial stromal cells on days 3 and 4 of pregnancy and mainly upregulated by progesterone (P4). In both ovariectomized mice and cultured stromal cells, P4 significantly stimulates Hsd11b2 expression. P4 stimulation of Hsd11b2 is mainly mediated by the Ihh pathway. The uterine level of corticosterone (Cort) is regulated by Hsd11b2 during preimplantation. Embryo development and the number of inner cell mass cells are suppressed by Cort treatment. These results indicate that P4 should provide a low Cort environment for the development of preimplantation mouse embryos by promoting the expression of uterine Hsd11b2.