A dual-layer (DL) PVDF loose nanofiltration (NF) hollow fiber membrane (HFM) was designed via optimized phase inversion process using a continuous online-coating device. Subsequently, the loose DL ...PVDF HFM was cross-linked through a one-pot amine-based reaction to improve the solvent stability. Changes in chemical structure were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS). The solvent stability in DMF of the membranes with different cross-linking time was investigated through measuring swelling ratio of the membranes. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and mechanical property were also conducted to study physico-chemical changes of the cross-linked DL PVDF hollow fiber membranes. The results showed that this cross-linking process significantly improved the stability in polar solvent, accompanied by a decrease in thermal stability and mechanical properties. A cross-linking time of 8 h was found to produce DL PVDF HFMs with most balanced properties. The performance of cross-linked membranes was evaluated via filtering various solutes in ethanol solution and typical solvents containing Rose bengal (RB). The cross-linked DL HFMs showed rejection of RB more than 99% in solvent with methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and acetone and permeance of 9.3, 7.6, 5.2, and 8.7 L/(m
2
·h·bar), respectively. Besides, the prepared membranes also presented exceptional performance stability for treatment of RB/ethanol solution. Thus, they have great potential for real organic solvent nanofiltration applications.
Infertility is defined as the failure to conceive after at least one year of unprotected intercourse. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts that contain more than 200 nucleotides but do not ...convert into proteins. LncRNAs, particularly lncRNA H19, have been linked to the emergence and progression of various diseases. This review focuses on the role of H19 in infertility caused by polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, diminished ovarian reserve, male factor, and assisted reproductive technology-related pathology, highlighting the potential of H19 as a molecular target for the future treatment of infertility.
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) is a major molecular mediator of the hypoxic response. In the endometrium, local hypoxic conditions induced by hormonal fluctuations and endometrial vascular ...remodeling contribute to the production of HIF-1α, which plays an indispensable role in a series of physiological activities, such as menstruation and metamorphosis. The sensitive regulation of HIF-1α maintains the cellular viability and regenerative capacity of the endometrium against cellular stresses induced by hypoxia and excess reactive oxygen species. In contrast, abnormal HIF-1α levels exacerbate the development of various endometrial pathologies. This knowledge opens important possibilities for the development of promising HIF-1α-centered strategies to ameliorate endometrial disease. Nonetheless, additional efforts are required to elucidate the regulatory network of endometrial HIF-1α and promote the applications of HIF-1α-centered strategies in the human endometrium. Here, we summarize the role of the HIF-1α-mediated pathway in endometrial physiology and pathology, highlight the latest HIF-1α-centered strategies for treating endometrial diseases, and improve endometrial receptivity.
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•Abnormal HIF-1α levels exacerbate development of various endometrial pathologies.•Existing intervention methods regulate endometrial HIF-1α at various levels.•Hypoxia-induced redox imbalance is associated to disease via HIF-1α activation.•More efforts needed in understanding regulatory network of endometrial HIF-1α.
Sleep has been related to a variety of health outcomes. However, no association between sleep and asthenozoospermia has been reported. The aim of this study is to first investigate the relationship ...between sleep status and asthenozoospermia risk. A case-control study, including 540 asthenozoospermia cases and 579 controls, was performed from June 2020 to December 2020 in the infertility clinic from Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University. Data on sleep status were collected by Pittsburgh sleep quality index questionnaires and asthenozoospermia was diagnosed based on the World Health Organization guidelines. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated by logistic regression analysis to assess the aforementioned association. Results of this study demonstrated that compared with total sleep duration of 8–9 h/day, < 8 h/day was related to asthenozoospermia risk (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.05–1.99); compared to good sleep quality, poor sleep quality was associated with asthenozoospermia risk (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.04–1.77). There were multiplicative model interaction effects between sleep quality and tea drinking (
p
= 0.04), rotating night shift work (
p
< 0.01) on asthenozoospermia risk. However, we failed to detect any associations between night sleep duration, daytime napping duration, night bedtime, wake-up time, sleep pattern and asthenozoospermia risk. In conclusion, short total sleep duration and poor sleep quality might be related to asthenozoospermia risk. Further well-designed prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings.
The essence of enterotypes is stratifying the entire human gut microbiome, which modulates the association between diet and disease risk. A study was designed at the Center of Reproductive Medicine, ...Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University and Jinghua Hospital of Shenyang. Prevotella and Bacteroides were analyzed in 407 samples of stool, including 178 men with enterotype B (61 normal, 117 overweight/obese) and 229 men with enterotype P (74 normal, 155 overweight/obese). The ratio between Prevotella and Bacteroides abundance, P/B, was used as a simplified way to distinguish the predominant enterotype. In enterotype P group (P/B ≥ 0.01), obesity was a risk factor for a reduced rate of forward progressive sperm motility (odds ratio OR 3.350; 95% confidence interval CI 1.881-5.966; P < 0.001), and a reduced rate of total sperm motility (OR 4.298; 95% CI 2.365-7.809; P < 0.001). Obesity was also an independent risk factor (OR 3.131; 95% CI 1.749-5.607; P < 0.001) after adjusting follicle-stimulating hormone. In enterotype P, body mass index, as a diagnostic indicator of a reduced rate of forward progressive sperm motility and a decreased rate of decreased total sperm motility, had AUC values of 0.627 (P = 0.001) and 0.675 (P < 0.0001), respectively, which were significantly higher than the predicted values in all patients. However, in enterotype B group (P < 0.01), obesity was not a risk factor for asthenospermia, where no significant difference between obesity and sperm quality parameters was observed. This study is tried to introduce enterotypes as a population-based individualized classification index to investigate the correlation between BMI and asthenospermia. In our study, overweight/obese men with enterotype P were found to have poorer sperm quality. however, sperm quality was not associated with overweight/obese in men with enterotype B. Thereof, BMI is a risk factor for asthenospermia only in men with enterotype P, but not in men with enterotype B.
•HOXA11-AS silencing restrained HCOA cell proliferation and accelerated their apoptosis.•HOXA11-AS overexpression increased PIK3CA expression through binding to miR-506–3p.•HOXA11-AS overexpression ...represses PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through miR-506–3p down-regulation.
This study was directed towards exploring the impacts of lncRNA HOXA11-AS-mediated microRNA (miR)-506–3p on chondrocytes proliferation and apoptosis in osteoarthritis (OA).
The articular cartilages were provided by OA patients who received total knee arthroplasty, and Human Chondrocyte (HC)-OA (HCOA) was also attained. The miR-506–3p and HOXA11-AS expressions in articular cartilages from OA patients and HCOA cells were analyzed via qPCR. After gain- and loss-of-function assays in HCOA cells, MTT assay and flow cytometry (FC) were used for assessing cell viability and apoptosis, accordingly. The levels of PIK3CA, AKT, and mTOR as well as AKT and mTOR phosphorylation levels assessed using western blotting (WB). The targeting correlation of HOXA11-AS and miR-506–3p as well as miR-506–3p and PIK3CA was assessed through Dual-Luciferase Reporter gene Assay (DLRA).
The articular cartilages from OA patients and Human Chondrocyte (HC)-OA (HCOA) cells showed increased HOXA11-AS and decreased miR-506–3p. Mechanistically, HOXA11-AS was capable of binding to miR-506–3p to increase PIK3CA, the target gene of miR-506–3p. miR-506–3p suppression facilitated HCOA cell proliferation and reduced their apoptosis, which was nullified by further silencing HOXA11-AS or silencing PIK3CA. The down-regulation of HOXA11-AS disrupted the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which was counteracted by further miR-506–3p inhibition.
The silencing of HOXA11-AS might block the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through miR-506–3p up-regulation, thereby restricting HCOA cell proliferation and provoking apoptosis.
This study aimed to analyze the effects of rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury repair and serum urokinase-type plasminogen ...activator (u-PA), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) levels. Sixty adult male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly classified into the model group (MG,
n
= 20), transplantation group (TG,
n
= 20), and control group (CG,
n
= 20). Rabbit models of right anterior forelimb ACL injury were injected with bioprotein gel (MG) or rabbit BMSC (TG) in the femoral and tibial tunnels, whereas rabbits in the CG were given no treatment. The IL-4, IL-1, TGF-β, and u-PA levels and tensile force required to break the cruciate ligaments were compared between the groups. After surgery, IL-4, IL-1, TGF-β, and u-PA levels gradually reduced in MG and TG. At the same time point, the highest IL-4 level was observed in MG and the lowest in CG. At 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after surgery, MG required the minimal and CG the maximal tensile forces to break the cruciate ligaments. Rabbit BMSC transplantation is an effective method to repair ACL injury and improve serum u-PA, TGF-β, IL-1, and IL-4 levels in rabbits.
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION
Is dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) associated with the odds of developing asthenozoospermia in Chinese men?
SUMMARY ANSWER
There is no statistically significant ...association between DTAC indices and the odds of developing asthenozoospermia.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Both diet and oxidative stress may be related to sperm quality; however, few studies have investigated the association between DTAC and sperm quality.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
This case–control study was conducted from June 2020 to December 2020. Those diagnosed with asthenozoospermia were assigned to the case group, whereas those with normal sperm parameters were assigned to the control group. Data from a total of 553 cases and 586 controls were included in the final analysis.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
Men who had been referred to the infertility clinic of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University were enrolled. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. DTAC was based on ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), total oxygen radical absorbance capacity (T-ORAC), hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC), lipophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (L-ORAC), total phenolics (TP), total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP), and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). Asthenozoospermia was defined according to the criteria published in the fifth edition of the World Health Organization laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
No significant association was observed between the DTAC indices and the odds of asthenozoospermia after multivariable adjustment (T3 vs T1, odds ratio (OR) = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.73–1.33 for FRAP; OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.77–1.42 for T-ORAC; OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.65–1.18 for H-ORAC; OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.71–1.34 for L-ORAC; OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.76–1.39 for TP; OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.87–1.59 for TRAP; and OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.85–1.55 for TEAC). Both additive and multiplicative interaction analyses suggested that smoking might modify the association of T-ORAC with the odds of developing asthenozoospermia (relative excess risk due to interaction = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.07–0.83, attributable proportion due to interaction = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.07–0.84 for additive interaction; P = 0.033 for multiplicative interaction).
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
Recall bias and protopathic bias were inevitable in this retrospective case–control study. The estimation accuracy of the DTAC indices may have also affected the findings.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to specifically investigate whether an association exists between DTAC and the odds of developing asthenozoospermia. Although no significant association was found, this study provides novel information pertaining to the fields of nutrition and human reproduction.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
This work was supported by the JieBangGuaShuai Project of Liaoning Province (2021JH1/10400050), the Shengjing Hospital Clinical Research Project (M0071), and the Outstanding Scientific Fund of Shengjing Hospital (M1150). All authors have no competing interests to disclose.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
N/A.
