STUDY QUESTION
Does uterine peristalsis influence the chance of clinical pregnancy in an embryo transfer cycle?
SUMMARY ANSWER
The uterine peristaltic wave frequency before embryo transfer is ...inversely related to the clinical pregnancy rates in fresh and frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Uterine peristalsis participates in regulating fluid migration after mock embryo transfer, but whether it could potentially influence pregnancy outcomes had remained unclear.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
This prospective cohort study included a total of 292 infertile women and was conducted between March 2013 and August 2013.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
Patients underwent fresh embryo transfer in a fresh stimulation cycle with a long down-regulation protocol, a natural frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycle or an artificial frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycle. Uterine peristaltic activity was assessed before embryo transfer by transvaginal ultrasonography.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
The uterine peristaltic wave frequencies of most patients were between 1.1 and 3.0 waves/min before embryo transfer (ET). The clinical pregnancy rate was the highest when <2.0 waves/min was observed and it decreased with an increasing wave frequency thereafter, with an especially dramatic decrease with >3.0 waves/min. Uterine peristaltic wave frequencies of the non-pregnant patient group were higher than that of the clinically-pregnant patient group in all types of transfer, fresh embryo transfer, natural FET or artificial FET cycle. Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the association between uterine peristaltic wave frequency before embryo transfer and clinical pregnancy was independently significant (odds ratio: 0.49; 95% confidence interval: 0.34–0.70, P < 0.001).
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
Uterine peristalsis after embryo transfer was not observed in case any possible negative effect of the observation disturbed embryo implantation or caused psychological stress. Uterine peristalsis after embryo transfer may differ from that before embryo transfer. Another limitation of the present study was the lack of uterine peristaltic wave type analysis which is also an important parameter to assess uterine activity.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
Patients with uterine peristalsis of <3.0 waves/min before embryo transfer had a higher chance of pregnancy compared with those with higher frequencies. This could be a promising quantitative marker of uterine receptivity and pregnancy outcome in an embryo transfer cycle. The predictive validity of the cut-off value needs to be tested in further study.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
The study is supported by Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation for Postgraduates. The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this study.
Abstract
Relativistic fermions in topological quantum materials are characterized by linear energy–momentum dispersion near band crossing points. Under magnetic fields, relativistic fermions acquire ...Berry phase of
π
in cyclotron motion, leading to a zeroth Landau level (LL) at the crossing point, a signature unique to relativistic fermions. Here we report the unusual interlayer quantum transport behavior resulting from the zeroth LL mode observed in the time reversal symmetry breaking type II Weyl semimetal YbMnBi
2
. The interlayer magnetoresistivity and Hall conductivity of this material are found to exhibit surprising angular dependences under high fields, which can be well fitted by a model, which considers the interlayer quantum tunneling transport of the zeroth LL's Weyl fermions. Our results shed light on the unusual role of zeroth LLl mode in transport.
SUMMARY
The radioresistance of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is a great obstacle to treatment. Although it has been demonstrated that microRNA‐21 (miR‐21) can act as an ‘oncogene’ in esophageal ...squamous cell carcinoma, its role in radioresistance remains unexplored. The aims of this study were to investigate the role of miR‐21 in esophageal squamous carcinoma cells' radioresistance and to identify the possible mechanism. The relatively radioresistant esophageal squamous cancer TE‐1 cells (TE‐R60) was established by fractionated irradiation. By lentiviral transduction with miRZip‐21, the miR‐21 expression in TE‐1 cells was stably downregulated, which was renamed as ‘anti‐miR‐21 TE‐1 cells.’ The phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) was knocked down in anti‐miR‐21 TE‐1 cells through short interfering RNA. The expression level of miR‐21 and PTEN messenger RNA were measured by quantitative real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The expression level of PTEN, phospho‐Akt, and Akt protein were detected by Western blot. Clongenic assay was used to analyze the cells' radiosensitivity. miR‐21 was overexpressed, and PTEN was suppressed in established radioresistant TE‐R60 cells compared with the parent cells (1.3‐fold and 70.83%). The inhibition of miR‐21 significantly increased the cells' radiosensitivity (P < 0.05) and the PTEN protein expression (2.3‐fold) in TE‐1 cells. In addition, phospho‐Akt protein, downstream target of PTEN, reduced significantly in anti‐miR‐21 TE‐1 cells. Knockdown of PTEN in anti‐miR‐21 TE‐1 cells could abrogate the miR‐21 inhibition‐induced radiosensitization (P < 0.05). Inhibition of miR‐21 increased radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer TE‐1 cells, and this effect was possibly through the activation of PTEN. Inhibition of miR‐21 may form a novel therapeutic strategy to increase the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer.
Chiral ordered mesoporous silica has been synthesized by using a chiral surfactant (N‐myristoyl‐L‐alanine sodium salt) as a template, 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a co‐structure directing agent, ...and tetraethoxylsilane as an inorganic source. The helicity and the morphology of the mesoporous silica are determined by the stirring rate during the chiral surfactant self‐assembly (see Figure), providing new insight into the chiral self‐assembly of molecules.
Aims and objectives. This study aimed to explore patient perception of the meaning of family involvement in elective surgery decision making in Taiwan.
Background. Informed consent is based on ...respecting patient autonomy. However in cultures where family plays a key role in medical decision making, a patient’s perspective of family involvement has not been fully investigated.
Design and methods. Based on a phenomenological approach, this study conducted semistructured interviews to elicit the experiences of 10 elective surgery patients in southern Taiwan who had family present during their surgery decision making. An adapted version of Colaizzi’s (1978) method was used to analyse narratives.
Results. Three themes emerged from the elective surgery patients’ perception of the meaning of family involvement in their surgery decision‐making process: (1) Primacy of family well‐being, (2) family as information broker, and (3) family as patient advocate. Patients articulated reciprocal relationships amongst family members, and they expressed overall family well‐being as their ultimate concern when making their treatment decision. The essence of the elective surgery patients’ perception of the meaning of family involvement in decision making was ‘family as a whole’.
Conclusions. Patients’ concern for overall family well‐being and their perspective that family plays a supportive role in transmitting information and acting as patient advocate during the decision‐making process may both enhance and restrict individual patient autonomy. In cultures where family is central in decision making, appropriately involving the family in medical decisions should not be overlooked.
Relevance to clinical practice. Understanding and acknowledging the important roles of family in medical decision making from the patients’ perspective can enable health professionals to more effectively communicate with patients and their family. Then, health professionals can empower the individual who is making the medical decision based on his or her own needs.
Low levels of oxygen (hypoxia) occurs in many (patho)physiological situations. Adaptation to hypoxia is in part mediated by proteins expressed in the extracellular space that mature in the ...endoplasmic reticulum (ER) prior to traversing the secretory pathway. The majority of such ER cargo proteins require disulfide bonds for structural stability. Disulfide bonds are formed co- and posttranslationally in a redox relay that requires a terminal electron acceptor such as oxygen. We have previously demonstrated that some ER cargo proteins such as low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and influenza hemagglutinin (Flu-HA) are unable to complete disulfide bond formation in the absence of oxygen, limiting their ability to pass ER quality control and their ultimate expression. Here, using radioactive pulse-chase immunoprecipitation analysis, we demonstrate that hypoxia-induced ER cargo proteins such as carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) complete disulfide bond formation and mature with similar kinetics under hypoxia and normoxia. A global in silico analysis of ER cargo revealed that hypoxia-induced proteins on average contain fewer free cysteines and shorter-range disulfide bonds in comparison to other ER cargo proteins. These data demonstrate the existence of alternative electron acceptors to oxygen for disulfide bond formation in cellulo. However, the ability of different proteins to utilize an oxygen-independent pathway for disulfide bond formation varies widely, contributing to differential gene expression in hypoxia. The superior ability of hypoxia-induced proteins such as VEGF-A and CA9 to mature in hypoxia may be conferred by a simpler disulfide architecture.
Miniemulsion polymerization of styrene using AIBN as initiator at 70 °C has been performed with nano-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) sheets as surfactant (no conventional surfactants employed) with a ...view to exploring the effects of pH and ionic strength (NaCl concentration). The pH value of the emulsion exerted a relatively minor influence on the polymerization, with a somewhat narrower particle size distribution being obtained at pH = 3.2 relative to pH = 2.4 and 5.2. The ionic strength had a more significant effect – the presence of a suitable concentration of NaCl resulted in increased colloidal stability and narrower particle size distribution. The results are explained in terms of the effects of pH on degree of ionization of COOH groups of GO and the influence of ionic strength on the electric double layer, and have implications with regards to synthesis of polymer/graphene nanocomposite materials for a variety of applications.
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SUMMARY
This study aimed to investigate the cancer stem cell (CSC) properties of radioresistant esophageal cancer cells and the radiosensitization effect of NS398, a cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 inhibitor, ...on them. Fractionated irradiation was applied to acquire radioresistant esophageal cancer cells. Clone formation assay was employed to detect cell radiosensitivity and cloning formation ability. Cell viability was determined by methyl tetrazolium colorimetry assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Tumorigenicity was investigated by xenograft tumorigenicity assay. Expression levels of β‐catenin were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or Western blot. As results, radioresistant Eca109R50Gy cells were obtained through fractional irradiation from Eca109 cells; Eca109R50Gy cells displayed higher ability of proliferation, colony‐formation, and 40 times tumorigenic ability as high as that of the Eca109 cells in vivo. Meantime stem cell marker β‐catenin was elevated in Eca109R50Gy cells. All of the above implied that Eca109R50Gy cells have some properties of CSCs. NS398 enhanced the radiosensitivity of Eca109R50Gy cells accompanied by down‐regulating the expression of β‐catenin. In conclusion, radioresistant Eca109R50Gy cells carried some CSC‐like properties; NS398 enhanced the radiosensitivity of CSC‐like Eca109R50Gy cells and this function may partly through down‐regulating the expression of β‐catenin. These findings both stress the important role of CSCs in esophageal cancer radioresistance and provide new insight on possible application of COX‐2 inhibitors on CSCs.
Poor oxygenation (hypoxia) is a common spatially heterogeneous feature of human tumors. Biological responses to tumor hypoxia are orchestrated by the decreased activity of oxygen-dependent enzymes. ...The affinity of these enzymes for oxygen positions them along a continuum of oxygen sensing that defines their roles in launching reactive and adaptive cellular responses. These responses encompass regulation of all steps in the central dogma, with rapid perturbation of the metabolome and proteome followed by more persistent reprogramming of the transcriptome and epigenome. Core hypoxia response genes and pathways are commonly regulated at multiple inflection points, fine-tuning the dependencies on oxygen concentration and hypoxia duration. Ultimately, shifts in the activity of oxygen-sensing enzymes directly or indirectly endow cells with intrinsic hypoxia tolerance and drive processes that are associated with aggressive phenotypes in cancer including angiogenesis, migration, invasion, immune evasion, epithelial mesenchymal transition, and stemness.
Oxygen-dependent enzymes serve as sentinels to launch signal transduction in the tumor microenvironment.
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