The production of high-quality oocytes requires precisely orchestrated intercellular communication. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoparticles that play a vital role in the transfer of bioactive molecules, which has gained much attention in the field of diagnosis and treatment. Over the past ten years, the participation of EVs in the reproductive processes of oocytes has been broadly studied and has shown great potential for elucidating the intricacies of female reproductive health. This review provides an extensive discussion of the influence of EVs on oocytes, emphasizing their involvement in normal physiology and altered cargo under pathological conditions. In addition, the positive impact of therapeutic EVs on oocyte quality and their role in alleviating ovarian pathological conditions are summarized.
Humans ; Extracellular Vesicles/physiology* ; Oocytes/cytology* ; Female ; Animals ; Cell Communication/physiology*

Objective To establish a weightlessness simulation animal model using miniature pigs, leveraging the characteristic of multiple systems’ tissue structures and functions similar to those of humans, and to observe pathophysiological changes, providing a new method for aerospace research. Methods Nine standard-grade miniature pigs were selected and randomly divided into an experimental group (n=7) and a control group (n=2). The experimental group was fixed using customized metal cages, with canvas slings suspending their hind limbs off the ground, and the body positioned at a -20° angle relative to the ground to simulate unloading for 30 days (24 hours a day). Data on body weight, blood volume, and blood biochemistry indicators were collected at different time points for statistical analysis of basic physiological changes. After the experiment, the miniature pigs were euthanized and tissue samples were collected for histopathological observation of the cardiovascular, skeletal and muscle systems HE and Masson staining. Statistical analysis was also conducted on the thickness of arterial vessels and the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers. Additionally, western blotting was employed to detect the expression levels of skeletal muscle atrophy-related proteins, including muscle-specific RING finger protein 1 (MuRf-1) and muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx, as known as Atrogin-1), while immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an indicator of astrocyte activation in the brain, reflecting the pathophysiological functional changes across systems. Results After hindlimb unloading, the experimental group showed significant decreases in body weight (P<0.001) and blood volume (P<0.01). During the experiment, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cell count levels significantly decreased (P<0.05) but gradually recovered. The expression levels of alanine aminotransferase and γ-glutamyltransferase initially decreased (P<0.05) before rebounding, while albumin significantly decreased (P<0.001) and globulin significantly increased (P<0.01). Creatinine significantly decreased (P<0.05). The average diameter of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in the experimental group significantly shortened (P<0.05), with a leftward shift in the distribution of muscle fiber diameters and an increase in small-diameter muscle fibers. Simultaneously, Atrogin-1 expression in the gastrocnemius and paravertebral muscles significantly increased (P<0.05). These changes are generally consistent with the effects of weightlessness on humans and animals in space. Furthermore, degenerative changes were observed in some neurons of the cortical parietal lobe, frontal lobe, and hippocampal regions of the experimental group, with a slight reduction in the number of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar region, and a significant enhancement of GFAP-positive signals in the hippocampal area (P<0.05). Conclusion Miniature pigs subjected to a -20° angle hind limb unloading for 30 days maybe serve as a new animal model for simulating weightlessness, applicable to related aerospace research.

Objective To study the unqualified items in the reported quality control tests of linear accelerators, analyze the issues in quality control tests, and propose the key points and development directions for accelerator quality control test in China. Methods A literature review was conducted using the CNKI database to analyze the qualified rates of test items and the issues in quality control tests. Results In the literature on the quality control tests of linear accelerators, except for a few provinces where the qualified rates of all test items were 100%, unqualified items were reported in most of the literature. There were unqualified items related to X-ray and electron beam in different reports. Error of dose indication was the unqualified item with the highest occurrence rate in X-ray test, and the item with the lowest qualified rates in X-ray and electron beam tests. The lowest qualified rate of X-ray dose indication error was 73.5% in 2016, and the lowest qualified rate of electron beam dose indication error was 46.2% in 2017. Conclusion Tests should be carried out strictly according to the items and intervals specified by the quality control test standards. Hospitals, radiation health technology service institutions, and health administrative departments should each fulfill their respective responsibilities, work together, and place emphasis on ensuring effective quality control tests of linear accelerators to further enhance the overall quality control standards for these devices.

Objective To analyze the influencing factors of clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in patients undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer(FET)for the first time.Methods The clinical data of 1 458 patients who underwent FET cycle-assisted pregnancy for the first time were retrospectively analyzed and divided into four groups according to clinical pregnancy and live bith outcomes.The clini-cal data were compared to analyze the factors affecting clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in FET cycles that were included in multiple logistic regression analysis.Results Of the 1458 cycles,the clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were 44.0% and 34.0%,respectively.The mean age of the clinical pregnancy and live birth groups was lower than that in non-clinical pregnancy and stillbirth groups(P<0.05).The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates of patients aged<35 years were higher than those aged≥35 years(P<0.05).The clinical preg-nancy and live birth rates of patients with≥8 mm endometrial thickness were higher than those with<8 mm endometrial thickness(P<0.05).The clinical pregnancy rate of natural cycles of endometrial preparation regimen was higher than that of HRT cycles(P<0.05).The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates of double-embryo transfers were higher than that of single-embryo transfers(P<0.05).The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates of blastocyst transfers were higher than those of cleavage stage(P<0.05).Conclusion Age,endometrial thickness,number of transplanted embryos,and embryo morphology were the independent factors influencing clinical pregnancy and live birth outcomes during FET cycle transplantation.

Objective To investigate the effect of resveratrol(RES)on ovarian function in mice and elucidate the potential mechanism involving miR-23a.Methods Thirty mice were randomly divided into control,premature ovarian failure(POF)model,and treatment(RES)groups,with n=10 per group.The body weight and ovarian mass of the mice were measured,and the ovarian index was calculated.Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to observe pathological changes in mouse ovarian tissue.Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting were performed to measure the mRNA and protein levels of miR-23a,X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein(XIAP),and caspase-3 in the ovarian tissue.Results Compared with the control group,the POF group exhibited significant decreases in ovarian mass(P＜0.05),ovarian index(P＜0.05),number of primary follicles,and XIAP mRNA expression(P＜0.05),alongside significant increases in miR-23a and caspase-3 mRNA expression(P＜0.05).Compared with the POF group,the RES group exhibited significant increases in the ovarian mass(P＜0.05),ovarian index(P＜0.05),number of primary follicles,and XIAP mRNA expression(P＜0.05),as well as significant decreases in miR-23a and caspase-3 mRNA expression(P＜0.05).XIAP protein expression was significantly lower and caspase-3 protein expression was significantly higher in the POF group than in the control group(P＜0.05).Conversely,XIAP protein expression was significantly higher and caspase-3 protein expression was significantly lower in the RES group than in the POF group(P＜0.05).Conclusion RES exerts a protective effect on weakened ovarian function in mice,potentially mediated through its effect on miR-23a targeting the XIAP-caspase-3 signaling pathway.

Phagoptosis is a kind of cell death mode which has been widely concerned in recent years. Previous studies have shown that the phagocytosis of viable neurons by microglia (phagoptosis) may be involved in the pathophysiological processes of various neurological diseases, including ischemic stroke. After cerebral ischemia, microglia chemotaxis towards ischemic brain tissue, and then recognize and engulf the stressed neurons, leading to further damage or even death of neurons, thereby exacerbating cerebral ischemic injury. This article reviews the relationship between phagoptosis and cerebral ischemia, with a focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of phagoptosis after cerebral ischemia, in order to provide new targets and strategies for the treatment of cerebral ischemia.

Covalently anchoring of a ligand/metal via polar amino acid side chain(s) is often observed in metalloenzyme, while the substitutability of metal-binding sites remains elusive. In this study, we utilized a zinc-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter brockii (TbSADH) as a model enzyme, analyzed the sequence conservation of the three residues Cys37, His59, and Asp150 that bind the zinc ion, and constructed the mutant library. After experimental validation, three out of 224 clones, which showed comparative conversion and ee values as the wild-type enzyme in the asymmetric reduction of the model substrate tetrahydrofuran-3-one, were screened out. The results reveal that the metal-binding sites in TbSADH are substitutable without tradeoff in activity and stereoselectivity, which lay a foundation for designing ADH-catalyzed new reactions via metal ion replacement.
Alcohol Dehydrogenase/metabolism* ; Catalytic Domain ; Ligands ; Protein Domains ; Zinc/metabolism*

The incidence of tinnitus is very high, which can affect the patient's attention, emotion and sleep, and even cause serious psychological distress and suicidal tendency. Currently, there is no uniform and objective method for tinnitus detection and therapy, and the mechanism of tinnitus is still unclear. In this study, we first collected the resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) data of tinnitus patients and healthy subjects. Then the power spectrum topology diagrams were compared of in the band of δ (0.5-3 Hz), θ (4-7 Hz), α (8-13 Hz), β (14-30 Hz) and γ (31-50 Hz) to explore the central mechanism of tinnitus. A total of 16 tinnitus patients and 16 healthy subjects were recruited to participate in the experiment. The results of resting state EEG experiments found that the spectrum power value of tinnitus patients was higher than that of healthy subjects in all concerned frequency bands. The
Attention ; Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Parietal Lobe ; Tinnitus

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of HBV-related liver cirrhotic patients with low viral load.Methods:A retrospective analysis on 481 inpatients with HBV-related cirrhosis with low viral load [HBV DNA≤2 000 IU/ml (10 4 copies/ml)] general condition, virological indicators, liver function-related indicators, complications, and incidence of complications were analyzed. The t-test was used to compare the average measurement data, and the χ2 test was used to compare the count data. Results:481 cases were mainly male (male/female: 324/157), aged 20-83 (53.31 ± 11.67) years old. Han nationality accounted for 71.518%. 386 cases were HBsAg positive. 391 cases were HBeAg positive, and 140 cases were HBV DNA positive. The average value of bilirubin, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, platelets, and prothrombin were 50.59 ± 91.25 (μmol/L), 33.68 ± 7.5 (g/L), and 60.66 ± 106.95(U/L), 63.37 ± 86.19(U/L), 106.65 ± 83.22(×10 9/L), 68.82% ± 25.33%, respectively. CTP class A/B/C had 220/150/111 cases. The average values of CTP, MELD, APRI and FIB-4 were 7.61 ± 2.58, 10.98 ± 5.79, 2.34 ± 3.56, 6.91 ± 8.04, respectively. The overall incidence of complications in HBV-related cirrhotic patients with low viral load, HBV DNA negative, HBV DNA positive, HBsAg negative, and HBsAg positive were 80.0%, 82.7%, 73.6%, 85.3%, and 78.8%, respectively. Among them, 283 cases (58.84%), 197 cases (55.77%), 86 cases (61.43%), 52 cases (54.74%) and 231 cases (59.84%) were of hypersplenism, and 267 cases (55.51%), 197 cases (55.77%), 70 cases (50.00%), 56 cases (58.95%), and 211 cases (54.66%) were of esophagogastric varices. There were 59 cases (12.27%), 48 cases (14.08%), 11 cases (7.86%), 12 cases (12.63%), and 47 cases (12.18%) of rupture of esophageal and gastric varices, respectively. 202 cases (42.00%), 147 cases (43.11%), 55 cases (39.29%), 42 cases (44.21%), and 160 cases (41.45%) were of ascites, respectively. 17 cases (3.53%), 12 cases (3.52%), 5 cases (3.5%), 2 cases (2.11%), 15 (3.89%) cases were of hepatic encephalopathy, respectively. There were 6 cases (1.25%), 3 cases (0.88%), 3 cases (2.14%), 0 cases (0%), 6 cases (1.55%) of liver cancer. 29 cases (6.03%), 21 cases (6.16%), 8 cases (5.71%), 9 cases (9.47%) and 20 cases (5.18%) were of portal vein thrombosis. Compared with the overall incidence of complications, 341 HBV DNA-negative patients and 95 HBsAg-negative patients still had higher incidence of complications. The patients were grouped by age, and in < 40 years old, 40-50 years old, and > 50 years old, the overall complications were 80.8% in 42 cases, 76.8% in 116 cases and 81.7% in 227 cases, and the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion:HBV infection patients with low viral load, and those whose HBsAg has disappeared, are still at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and even serious complications, and whether such population need antiviral therapy and benefit from it deserves further research.

Objective To evaluate the application of modified MELD score based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the prognosis of patients with liver failure.Methods Clinical data of 558 patients with liver failure admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from December 2001 to September 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.Among all patients,238 cases survived (survival group) and 320 died (fatal group) within 3 months.The eGFR was used in the modified model for end stage liver disease (MELD) instead of serum creatinine.Cox regression analyses were fitted with modified MELD or MELD scores by SAS 9.0 PHREG.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated and the values of modified MELD score and MELD score in predicting the prognosis of patients with liver failure in 3 months were compared.Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the survival rate of patients with liver failure.Results Cox regression analysis showed that total bilirubin,international normalized ratio (INR) and eGFR were independent prognostic factors for patients with liver failure.The fitted MELD modified score =4.07 × ln total bilirubin (mg/dL) + 12.99 × ln INR-8.32 × ln eGFR.The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the modified MELD score and the MELD score were 0.814 and 0.757,respectively,and the sensitivity and specificity of the modified MELD score were 70.0％ and 71.4％,respectively.The predictive power of modified MELD scores in patients with liver failure was better than MELD score (Z =4.47,P ＜ 0.01).The 3-month survival rate of patients with modified MELD score ＜-15.38 was significantly higher than those with modified MELD score ≥-15.38 (x2 =99.20,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions eGFR is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with liver failure.The modified MELD score including eGFR and excluding etiological factors can be more effective and more accurate for prognosis of patients with liver failure.