ObjectiveTo compare the differences in fungal community composition between lesional and non-lesional scalp areas in patients suffering from severe alopecia areata （AA）， and compare these with healthy scalp areas in control subjects. Additionally， to preliminarily explore the changes in scalp fungal communities in severe AA patients and their potential underlying immunological mechanisms. MethodsA total of 20 severe AA patients and 18 healthy controls were enrolled. Skin swab samples were collected from lesional and non-lesional scalp areas of severe AA patients， as well as from the normal scalp of healthy controls. The fungal internal transcribed spacer （ITS） region was amplified and analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. ResultsThe lesional scalp areas of severe AA patients exhibited higher α-diversity and species richness in fungal communities. Notably， the relative abundance of Ascomycota， along with genera such as Mycosphaerella， Aspergillus， Penicillium， and Wallemia， significantly increased in the bald regions. In contrast， Acremonium and Schizophyllum were more predominant in the non-lesional areas of severe AA patients. ConclusionDistinct region-specific differences in scalp fungal microbiota in severe AA patients suggests that fungal dysbiosis may play a potential role in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata. These findings provide new insights into the disease characteristics of severe AA from the perspective of scalp microecology.

ObjectiveCandidate genes related to the regulation of litter size traits in English Springer Spaniel breeding bitches are explored, and the genetic mechanism underlying fertility in this breed is investigated, in order to provide reference molecular markers for genomic selection of high fecundity. MethodsWhole genome resequencing was performed on English Springer Spaniel breeding bitches that had given birth to at least 3 litters, and the bitches were divided into a high-litter-size group and a low-litter-size group according to the average litter size. Selection signal analysis was used to obtain the intersection of fixation index (F_st) and nucleotide diversity (Pi) signals as highly selected regions, and candidate genes were screened based on gene annotation and functional enrichment analysis. ResultsThe average litter size in the high-litter-size group (7.41±1.27) was significantly higher than that in the low-litter-size group (3.82±1.20) (P＜0.05), and the total number of live offspring in the high-litter-size group (7.06±1.10) was extremely significantly higher than that in the low-litter-size group (3.67±1.11) (P＜0.01). A total of 3 155 706 SNPs were detected in the two groups, 63.09% of which were located in intergenic regions, 33.96% in intronic regions, and 0.38％, 0.57％, and 0.09％ in exonic regions, 3' untranslated regions (UTRs), and 5'UTRs, respectively. Among the SNPs in exonic regions, 5 256 were nonsynonymous variants, accounting for 43.55%. A total of 1 752 differential genes were identified after annotation screening. Gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG) enrichment analyses identified 13 candidate genes that may affect reproductive performance and litter size traits, including WDR35, SMAD7, RPGR, RERGL, PGRMC2, LOC482182, GIMD1, COX7B2, COX16, BMPR2, BMP6, BICD1, and SLC9C1. Their functions mainly involve reproductive hormone regulation, embryonic development, GTPase activation, and oocyte apoptosis. ConclusionEnglish Springer Spaniel breeding bitches have undergone significant artificial selection for litter size traits. These 13 candidate genes play key roles in oocyte maturation and regulation during early pregnancy, providing a new molecular basis for elucidating the genetic mechanism of canine reproductive traits.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is an inevitable process in kidney transplantation and certain urological surgeries. IRI causes the release of injury-related molecular patterns by renal tubular epithelial cells, activating innate immune responses and sterile inflammation, leading to the persistence of immune infiltration and tissue remodeling processes, and promoting the transformation of acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD is mainly characterized by renal fibrosis, and is associated with the continuous infiltration of immune cells, the release of pro-inflammatory factors and the activation of pro-fibrotic signals. Estrogen receptor (ER) α can regulate the infiltration and activation of immune cells in multiple ways and inhibit renal fibrosis and CKD. This article reviews the specific molecular mechanisms by which ERα regulates immune cell infiltration and inhibits chronic fibrosis after renal IRI, with the aim of providing potential therapeutic targets and scientific basis for future AKI patients.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of hysteroscopic examination and subsequent management on reproductive outcomes in embryo transfer cycles among patients undergoing preimplantation genetic testing （PGT）. MethodsThis retrospective analysis included 261 transfer cycles from in vitro fertilization （IVF） and 267 transfer cycles from PGT. Among IVF cycles， 134 underwent hysteroscopy prior to embryo transfer （IVF-H group）， while 127 did not （IVF-N group）. Among PGT cycles， 140 received hysteroscopy before transfer （PGT-H group）， and 127 did not （PGT-N group）. We compared general characteristics and pregnancy outcomes between the IVF-H and IVF-N groups， as well as between the PGT-H and PGT-N groups. ResultsNo significant differences were observed in maternal age， body mass index， or baseline hormone profiles between the IVF-H and IVF-N groups， nor between the PGT-H and PGT-N groups. The IVF-H group showed higher rates of biochemical pregnancy， clinical pregnancy， and live birth， along with a lower early miscarriage rate， compared with the IVF-N group. However， these differences did not reach statistical significance （P>0.05）. In the PGT cohort， the PGT-H group had significantly higher biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates than the PGT-N group （P<0.05）. Early miscarriage rates were comparable between the PGT-H and PGT-N groups （P>0.05）. Although the live birth rate was higher in the PGT-H group than in the PGT-N group， the difference was not statistically significant （P>0.05）. ConclusionHysteroscopic evaluation before embryo transfer may be associated with improved clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. This benefit appears more pronounced in patients undergoing PGT compared with those receiving conventional IVF treatment.

Polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） is one of the most prevalent gynecological diseases， and its incidence is increasing year by year， seriously affecting the physical and mental health of female patients. The pathogenesis of this disease is complex and has not been fully clarified. At present， PCOS is mainly treated by Western medicine， which， however， has poor efficacy and induces various adverse reactions. Therefore， developing safe and effective therapies has become a difficult problem that needs to be solved. Studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can regulate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B（PI3K/Akt）， mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase （MAPK/ERK）， Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB （TLR4/NF-κB）， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）/Smads， secreted glycoprotein/β-catenin （Wnt/β-catenin）， adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， and advanced glycation endproduct/receptor for advanced glycation endproducts （AGE/RAGE） signaling pathways to ameliorate insulin resistance， inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress， regulate endocrine hormone disorders， and intervene in apoptosis and autophagy， thus alleviating the symptoms， slowing down the disease progression， and improving the ovarian function. The treatment of PCOS with TCM has demonstrated definite effects and high safety. Therefore， exploring this disease from cellular and molecular perspectives can provide a theoretical basis for its clinical treatment and new drug development. However， there is a lack of systematic reviews on the modulation of relevant signaling pathways by TCM in the treatment of PCOS. This article reviews the research progress in the treatment of PCOS with the active ingredients and compound prescriptions of TCM by regulating relevant signaling pathways in recent years， with the aim of providing evidence to support the promotion of TCM for treating PCOS in the future.

Objective: To investigate the impact of endometriosis on pregnancy and delivery outcomes in patients undergoing single euploid frozen_thawed blastocyst transfer cycles following preimplantation genetic testing. Methods : A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data from patients undergoing frozen_thawed blastocyst transfer after preimplantation genetic testing at the reproductive center of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. The endometriosis group comprised 84 treatment cycles. After 1 : 3 propensity score matching , 252 treatment cycles from non_endometriosis patients were included as the control group. General characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of general characteristics , human chorionic gonadotropin ( HCG) positive rate , cycle clinical pregnancy rate per cycle , early miscarriage rate , preterm birth rate , live birth rate per cycle , cesarean section rate , delivery weeks , cumulative clinical pregnancy rate , and cumulative live birth rate (all P > 0. 05) . Conclusion Endometriosis may not reduce the pregnancy rate and live birth rate in single frozen euploid blastocyst transfer cycles .

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective:To analyze the effect of rapid division of left Glisson pedicle and Arantius tube plane in laparoscopic anatomical left hemihepatectomy (LALH).Methods:Clinical data of 25 patients (15 with intrahepatic bile duct calculus and 10 with liver tumor) undergoing LALH in the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Jiangyin Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University from June 2020 to November 2024 were retrospectively analyzed, including 14 males and 11 females, aged (66.6±11.9) years. Among the patients, 15 received LALH with rapid division of left Glisson pedicle and Arantius tube plane in " one-clamp" fashion, and the others received LALH after traditional dissection of left Glisson pedicle. Age, sex, body mass index, time of left Glisson pedicle dissection, whether the MHV exposure, the time of liver transection, whether MHV and its important branches or bile duct injury occurred, intraoperative blood loss, the incidence of postoperative biliary leakage, the time of abdominal drainage remove, the hospital stay, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin, albumin 3 days after postoperative were compared between the groups.Results:The times of left Glisson pedicle dissection in the new-fasion and traditional group were (6.1±1.6) min and (13.8±3.0) min, and the time of liver transection was (24.9±3.5) min and (33.4±3.3) min, respectively ( t=-8.34, 6.08, P<0.001 for both). After division of left Glisson pedicle, the MHV was well exposed in 14 cases of new-fashion group and none of traditional group ( P<0.001). All the patients successfully completed the operation without conversion to laparotomy. Intraoperative blood loss, incidence of postoperative bile leakage, time of peritoneal drainage tube removal, postoperative hospital stay, AST, ALT, total bilirubin and albumin 3 days after surgery between the two groups were no significant differences (all P>0.05). Conclusion:LALH using the rapid division of left Glisson pedicle and Arantius tube plane in " one-clamp" fashion could be safe and feasible, the time of left Glisson pedicle and liver transection was short.