To investigate the effects of repeated mifepristone and levonorgestrel use on estrous cycle and expression of ovarian follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and luteinizing hormone receptor ...(LHR) in mice.
Ovarian FSHR and LHR mRNA expression was measured using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, while the protein levels were measured using immunohistochemistry.
Repeated use of mifepristone and levonorgestrel significantly lengthened the estrous cycle and decreased FSHR and LHR mRNA and protein expression in the ovaries of mice at 4, 24, and 48 days after discontinuing drug use. Repeated use of mifepristone and levonorgestrel had significant main effects on estrous cycle length and the mRNA expression and protein level of ovarian FSHR and LHR. Repeated mifepristone and levonorgestrel use and withdrawal time had a significant interaction with mouse estrous cycle (F = 16.65, P < 0.05), ovarian LHR and FSHR mRNA expression (F = 563.072, P < 0.05), and protein level (F = 6.536, P < 0.05).
Repeated use of mifepristone and levonorgestrel can lead to sustained damage to ovarian function through inhibition of ovarian FSHR and LHR expression in mice.
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the main subtype of esophageal carcinoma. Protein coding genes and non-coding RNAs can be powerful prognostic factors in multiple cancers, including ESCC. ...However, there is currently no model that integrates multiple types of RNA expression signatures to predict clinical outcomes.
The sequencing data (RNA-sequencing and miRNA-sequencing) and clinical data of ESCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and Differential gene expression analysis, Cox regression analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were used to construct prognosis-related lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network and scoring system with multiple types of RNA. The potential molecular mechanisms of prognostic mRNAs were explored by functional enrichment analysis.
A total of 62 prognostic lncRNAs, eight prognostic miRNAs and 66 prognostic mRNAs were identified in ESCC (
-value < 0.05) and a prognosis-related lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network was created. Five prognosis-related hub RNAs (CDCA2, MTBP, CENPE, PBK, AL033384.1) were identified. Biological process analysis revealed that mRNAs in prognosis-related co-expression RNA network were mainly enriched in cell cycle, mitotic cell cycle and nuclear division. Additionally, we constructed a prognostic scoring system for ESCC using ten signature RNAs (MLIP, TNFSF10, SIK2, LINC01068, LINC00601, TTTY14, AC084262.1, LINC01415, miR-5699-3p, miR-552-5p). Using this system, patients in the low-risk group had better long-term survival than those in the high-risk group (log-rank,
-value < 0.0001). The area under the ROC curve (AUCs) revealed that the accuracy of the prediction model was higher than the accuracy of single type of RNA prediction model.
In brief, we constructed a prognostic scoring system based on multiple types of RNA for ESCC that showed high predicting prognosis performance, and deeply understood the regulatory mechanism of prognosis-related lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network.
Safety problems in metro construction occur frequently, causing substantial economic losses and even resulting in injuries and fatalities. Studies have shown that human errors, which are usually ...caused by complex reasons, are an important cause of safety related accidents. However, little research has analyzed the causes of accidents from the perspective of human errors. To explore the factors influencing human errors, the factors were systematically sorted out and studied based on theoretical analysis. Firstly, the theoretical hypothesis and model were formulated through a literature review. Secondly, the scale was developed for mental factors, physical factors, technical factors, environmental factors, organizational factors, cultural factors, and human errors. Thirdly, the research data were obtained by distributing questionnaires, and the validity and reliability tests were conducted using the data and the structural equation model was tested and run. Finally, the theoretical hypotheses were tested using the structural equation models and came up with the paths of the six factors of human errors. The results of the study showed that mental factors, physiological factors, and technological factors are found to be the direct influencing factors of human errors. However, environmental and cultural factors are the indirect influencing factors. The influencing paths are environment-mental-human errors, environment-physiological-human errors, culture-physiological-human errors, and culture-technology-human errors. Organizational factors can affect human errors directly or indirectly through cultural factors. These findings could provide practical implications for reducing the safety related accidents caused by human errors during metro construction.
Asthenoteratozoospermia is one of the most common causes of male infertility. Several genes have been identified as genetic causative factors, but there is a considerable genetic heterogeneity ...underlying asthenoteratozoospermia. In this study, we performed a genetic analysis of two brothers from a consanguineous Uighur family in China to identify gene mutations causative for asthenoteratozoospermia-related male infertility.
Two related patients with asthenoteratozoospermia from a large consanguineous family were sequenced by whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing to identify disease-causing genes. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed ultrastructural abnormalities of spermatozoa. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis and immunofluorescence (IF) analysis were used to assess the expression of the mutant messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein.
A novel homozygous frameshift mutation (c.2823dupT, p.Val942Cysfs*21) in
was identified in both affected individuals and was predicted to be pathogenic. Papanicolaou staining and electron microscopy revealed multiple morphological and ultrastructural abnormalities of affected spermatozoa. qRT-PCR and IF analysis showed abnormal expression of DNAH6 in affected sperm, probably due to premature termination code and decay of abnormal 3' untranslated region (UTR) region of mRNA. Furthermore, intracytoplasmic sperm injection could achieve successful fertilization in infertile men with
mutations.
The novel frameshift mutation identified in DNAH6 may contribute to asthenoteratozoospermia. These findings expand the spectrum of genetic mutations and phenotypes associated with asthenoteratozoospermia and may be useful for genetic and reproductive counseling in male infertility.
This study aimed to build up nomogram models to evaluate overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in early-onset esophageal cancer (EOEC). Patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer ...(EC) from 2004 to 2015 were extracted from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Clinicopathological characteristics of younger versus older patients were compared, and survival analysis was performed in both groups. Independent related factors influencing the prognosis of EOEC were identified by univariate and multivariate Cox analysis, which were incorporated to construct a nomogram. The predictive capability of the nomogram was estimated by the concordance index (C-index), calibration plot, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). A total of 534 younger and 17,243 older patients were available from the SEER database. Younger patients were randomly segmented into a training set (n = 266) and a validation set (n = 268). In terms of the training set, the C-index of the OS nomogram was 0.740 (95% CI: 0.707-0.773), and that of the CSS nomogram was 0.752 (95% CI: 0.719-0.785). In view of the validation set, the C-index of OS and CSS were 0.706 (95% CI: 0.671-0.741) and 0.723 (95% CI: 0.690-0.756), respectively. Calibration curves demonstrated the consistent degree of fit between actual and predicted values in nomogram models. From the perspective of DCA, the nomogram models were more beneficial than the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) and the SEER stage for EOEC. In brief, the nomogram model can be considered as an individualized quantitative tool to predict the prognosis of EOEC patients to assist clinicians in making treatment decisions.
•A novel electrolyte formula and co-electrodeposition parameters are presented.•The CZTS films are prepared from co-electrodeposited precursors.•CZTS film forms by reaction among binary and ternary ...sulfides at high temperature.•Photoluminescence was obtained from prepared CZTS films at 550°C for 1h.
The Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) films were successfully prepared using a process of co-electro-deposition of Cu–Sn–Zn precursors by a novel electrolyte formula and optimized parameters on Mo substrates, succeeded by annealing in saturated sulfur atmosphere. The optimized electrolyte formula was achieved as 0.16M CuSO4·5H2O, 0.33M ZnSO4, 0.08M SnCl2·2H2O, 2.25M NaOH, 1.36M C6H5Na3O7 and 1.00M C4H6O6 under a voltage of −1.62V for 5min. Cu3Sn, Cu6Sn5 and Cu4Zn alloys were firstly synthesized at temperature lower than 300°C. At 300°C, these alloys decomposed in sulfur atmosphere and CuS, SnS and ZnS binary phases were formed. Ternary Cu4SnS6 formed through reaction between CuS and SnS above 350°C. Finally, the CZTS films were synthesized through reaction among CuS, SnS, ZnS and Cu4SnS6 sulfides. CZTS films synthesized at 550°C for 1h had an average atomic ratio of 0.96 and 1.1 for Cu/(Zn+Sn) and Zn/Sn, respectively. The photoluminescence peaking at about 1.55eV in the prepared samples demonstrated a high quality of the CZTS film.
This study evaluated the effect of transvaginal ultrasound-guided embryo aspiration plus local administration of low-dose methotrexate (MTX) on caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). Sixty-eight cases of ...CSP were randomly grouped for (1) systemic administration of MTX plus curettage with hysteroscopy (control group); and (2) transvaginal ultrasound-guided embryo aspiration plus local administration of low-dose MTX (experimental group). Serum β-HCG and transaminase levels, length of hospital stay, occurrence of hypoleukocytosis, vaginal bleeding and genital infection were analyzed. No statistical differences in the duration needed for β-HCG normalization, genital infection and length of hospital stay were observed between the two groups. However, the occurrence of massive vaginal bleeding, hypoleukocytosis and elevated transaminase levels were significantly lower in patients who received transvaginal ultrasound-guided embryo aspiration plus local administration of low-dose MTX compared with patients in the control group. Our study suggested that transvaginal ultrasound-guided embryo aspiration plus local administration of low-dose MTX should be recommended as a safe and effective treatment of caesarean scar pregnancy.
Exploring the vibrational properties of experimental or theoretical finding of new phase two-dimensional (2D) materials is one key to expand their promising application. The GaGeTe monolayer with ...high carrier mobility, tunable band structure, and low cleavage energy attracts rapidly growing interests in electronics. However, their vibrational modes and phonon properties are not explored. Based on first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional perturbation theory, we systematically study the lattice vibrational modes as well as phonon thermal conductivity of single-layer GaGeTe, which could be exfoliated from the experimentally synthesized GaGeTe crystal. We find that the frequencies and intensities of A1g and Eg Raman modes, contributing to the main peaks in Raman spectra of monolayer GaGeTe, show distinct responses to different external strains. The calculated lattice thermal conductivity of GaGeTe is about 58 Wm-1 K−1, which is comparable to that of MoS2 (around 52 Wm−1K−1) and two orders of magnitude lower than that of graphene (2000 Wm−1K−1) at room temperature. This is mainly due to the partial couple for acoustic branches and low frequency optic phonon branches, moderate group velocity, strong anharmonic ZA phonon branch. Moreover, atom substitution at tellurium could be as an effective strategy to further decrease lattice thermal conductivity. Our findings fill in the gap about the thermal transport properties of GaGeTe monolayer and trigger for further experimental verification of the predicted properties.
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•Predicted an excellent single-layer GaGeTe and its lattice vibrational modes and phonon thermal conductivity.•A1g and Eg Raman modes distinct responses to strain contributing to the main peaks in GaGeTe.•The κ of GaGeTe is comparable to that of MoS2 and two orders of magnitude lower than that of graphene.•Our findings will trigger for further experimental verification of the thermal transport properties of GaGeTe monolayer.
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