Embryo Transfer Strategies for Women with Recurrent Implantation Failure During the Frozen-thawed Embryo Transfer Cycles:Sequential Embryo Transfer or Double-blastocyst Transfer?

Objective Both sequential embryo transfer(SeET)and double-blastocyst transfer(DBT)can serve as embryo transfer strategies for women with recurrent implantation failure(RIF).This study aims to compare the effects of SeET and DBT on pregnancy outcomes.Methods Totally,261 frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles of 243 RIF women were included in this multicenter retrospective analysis.According to different embryo quality and transfer strategies,they were divided into four groups:group A,good-quality SeET(GQ-SeET,n=38 cycles);group B,poor-quality or mixed-quality SeET(PQ/MQ-SeET,n=31 cycles);group C,good-quality DBT(GQ-DBT,n=121 cycles);and group D,poor-quality or mixed-quality DBT(PQ/MQ-DBT,n=71 cycles).The main outcome,clinical pregnancy rate,was compared,and the generalized estimating equation(GEE)model was used to correct potential confounders that might impact pregnancy outcomes.Results GQ-DBT achieved a significantly higher clinical pregnancy rate(aOR 2.588,95%CI 1.267–5.284,P=0.009)and live birth rate(aOR 3.082,95%CI 1.482–6.412,P=0.003)than PQ/MQ-DBT.Similarly,the clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in GQ-SeET than in PQ/MQ-SeET(aOR 4.047,95%CI 1.218–13.450,P=0.023).The pregnancy outcomes of GQ-SeET were not significantly different from those of GQ-DBT,and the same results were found between PQ/MQ-SeET and PQ/MQ-DBT.Conclusion SeET relative to DBT did not seem to improve pregnancy outcomes for RIF patients if the embryo quality was comparable between the two groups.Better clinical pregnancy outcomes could be obtained by transferring good-quality embryos,no matter whether in SeET or DBT.Embryo quality plays a more important role in pregnancy outcomes for RIF patients.

The Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Pre-pregnancy glucose metabolism is normal, only during pregnancy diabetes known as gestational diabetes mellitus. Currently, the diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus are IADPSG criteria (International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group), and 75 g oral glucose tolerance test is recommended at 24 - 28 weeks of gestation. Gestational diabetes is associated with many pregnancy complications, such as macrosomia, preterm delivery and increased cesarean section rates, and neonatal complications such as hypoglycemia, hypoxia, and respiratory distress syndrome. Early identification of high-risk groups can be carried out for early prevention and intervention which are conducive to improving mothers and infants perinatal outcome. For the treatment of gestational diabetes, lifestyle interventions, such as improved diet combined with exercise to control blood sugar, are recommended first. For patients with poor blood glucose control, insulin is recommended for blood glucose control, and oral drug use is still controversial.

基于K-Means和GBRT的分布式光伏中短期发电量预测

光伏发电量与太阳辐照强度有直接关系,但太阳辐照强度并不能直接获取,而是需要依据多种气象指标间接计算,所以基于太阳辐照度来预测光伏发电量的方法难以应用。现有的光伏发电量预测方法一般是根据气象条件对单个用户或电厂的实时功率进行建模,而随着光伏用户数目的剧增,为每一用户建立单独预测模型的做法显然不可取。为此,基于K均值算法(K-Means)和梯度提升回归树(GBRT)提出了一种针对多用户建模预测的方法。首先分别将用户和天气进行聚类,然后再分别对同一天气类型下日均实际发电量相近的用户建立发电量预测模型,从而为同时预测多个用户的发电量提供了新思路。通过均方根误差(RMSE)对模型预测效果进行评估,通过一系列对比试验,发现GBRT预测模型的精度较高,在测试集上的RMSE值低至3.17,表明该预测方法具有一定的可靠性。

Role of FGF/FGFR signaling in skeletal development and homeostasis: learning from mouse models

Fibroblast growth factor （FGF）/fibroblast growth factor receptor （FGFR） signaling plays essential roles in bone development and diseases. Missense mutations in FGFs and FGFRs in humans can cause various congenital bone diseases, including chondrodysplasia syndromes, craniosynostosis syndromes and syndromes with dysregulated phosphate metabolism. FGF/FGFR signaling is also an important pathway involved in the maintenance of adult bone homeostasis. Multiple kinds of mouse models, mimicking human skeleton diseases caused by missense mutations in FGFs and FGFRs, have been established by knock-m/out and transgenic technologies. These genetically modified mice provide good models for studying the role of FGF/FGFR signaling in skeleton development and homeostasis. In this review, we summarize the mouse models of FGF signaling-related skeleton diseases and recent progresses regarding the molecular mechanisms, underlying the role of FGFs/FGFRs in the regulation of bone development and homeostasis. This review also provides a perspective view on future works to explore the roles of FGF signaling in skeletal development and homeostasis.

Exogenous abscisic acid coordinating leaf senescence and transport of assimilates into wheat grains under drought stress by regulating hormones homeostasis

Drought at the grain filling stage of wheat will cause premature leaf senescence, thus leading to considerable loss of wheat yield. Therefore, this paper aims to establish a cultivation technology for strong drought resistance, delayed senescence, and yield improvement based on the analysis of hormones homeostasis obtained by applying chemical control substances. Experiments were conducted with two genotypes of wheat. Four water irrigation treatments were applied to impose the water deficit, including well-watered control treatment(WW), mild water deficit(MiWD), moderate water deficit(MoWD), and severe water deficit(SWD). Exogenous abscisic acid(ABA) was sprayed on the plants at the anthesis stage of the wheat. As a result, exogenous ABA reduced initial senescence rate(r0), total duration of chlorophyll(Chltotal), rapid senescence phase(Chlloss), and the accumulated temperature at an inflection point(M) but improved the persistence phase(Chlper) of flag leaves under all of the four treatments. However, exogenous ABA produced inconsistent effects on photoassimilate relocation and grain weight under different treatments. It produced positive regulatory effects on grain weight under WW, MiWD, and MoWD treatments. On the one hand, spraying ABA during the persistence phase of flag leaves reduced the ratios of zeatin to gibberellin(Z/GA3), spermine to spermidine(Spm/Spd), and salicylic acid to ABA(SA/ABA),which prolonged active photosynthesis by stimulating high level of proline(Pro) and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase(SOD), peroxidase(POD), catalase(CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase(APX). Therefore, drought tolerance was enhanced, and more photosynthetic assimilates were accumulated. On the other hand, the rapid senescence phase and the transport rate of assimilates into grains were accelerated, resulting in higher grain weight, yield, and water use efficiency(WUE). However, under SWD treatment, exogenous ABA improved the ratio of SA/ABA, leading to low Pro content and low antioxidant enzyme activity of flag leaves in the rapid loss phase. Meanwhile,drought resistance declined and the transport duration of assimilates into grains was shortened, thus making photosynthetic assimilates redundant. Therefore, exogenous ABA can lead to the reduction in grain weight, yield, and WUE of wheat under SWD treatment.

Spatially defined single-cell transcriptional profiling characterizes diverse chondrocyte subtypes and nucleus pulposus progenitors in human intervertebral discs

A comprehensive understanding of the cellular heterogeneity and molecular mechanisms underlying the development,homeostasis,and disease of human intervertebral disks(IVDs)remains challenging.Here,the transcriptomic landscape of 108108 IVD cells was mapped using single-cell RNA sequencing of three main compartments from young and adult healthy IVDs,including the nucleus pulposus(NP),annulus fibrosus,and cartilage endplate(CEP).The chondrocyte subclusters were classified based on their potential regulatory,homeostatic,and effector functions in extracellular matrix(ECM)homeostasis.Notably,in the NP,a PROCR+resident progenitor population showed enriched colony-forming unit-fibroblast(CFU-F)activity and trilineage differentiation capacity.Finally,intercellular crosstalk based on signaling network analysis uncovered that the PDGF and TGF-βcascades are important cues in the NP microenvironment.In conclusion,a single-cell transcriptomic atlas that resolves spatially regulated cellular heterogeneity together with the critical signaling that underlies homeostasis will help to establish new therapeutic strategies for IVD degeneration in the clinic.

Seroprevalence and evolutionary dynamics of genotype 4 hepatitis E virus in Shandong Province,China

AIM: To investigate the seroprevalence and evolutionary dynamics of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and assess the ancestor of HEVs in China’s Shandong Province.

Characterization of an extreme alkaline-stable keratinase from the draft genome of feather-degrading Bacillus sp.JM7 from deep-sea

Bacillus sp. JM7, a strain isolated from the deep-sea of the South China Sea, was found to efficiently degrade 79.4% native chicken feather within 30 h. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that JM7 strain could gradually degrade feather by modifying the microstructure of feather keratin. A total of 25 protease genes were predicted from the draft genome of JM7 strain, among which a predicted subtilisin-like serine protease(designated as Ker02562) was further characterized for its keratinolytic activity. The recombinant Ker02562 functioned at a wide range of temperatures from 30℃ to 60℃, with an optimum at 40–50℃. Ker02562 was highly active at various pHs ranging from 5.0 to 13.0, with a maximum activity observed at pH 7.0–9.0. Remarkably, recombinant Ker02562 was stable in extreme alkaline environments(pH 10–13), which was much better than most other reported keratinases. Collectively, these favorable properties could make Bacillus sp. JM7 and Ker02562 attractive to be applied in the detergent formulation and feather bioconversion.

Particle size shapes the prokaryotic microbial communities in mangrove sediments:A case study of Sanya,China

The prokaryotic microbial communities in the sediments play crucial roles in the ecological functions of mangrove ecosystems.Therefore,the environmental factors that affect the structures of these prokaryotic microbial communities could indirectly participate in the regulation of mangrove functions,which is of great value for mangrove studies.The particle size(PS)of soils is recently demonstrated as a key environmental factor for shaping the microbial communities;however,this hypothesis has rarely been tested for mangrove environments.A case study of three tropical mangroves from Sanya,China was performed in this work to assess the influence of PS on the prokaryotic microbial community structures of bacteria,archaea,diazotrophs,and denitrifiers in the sediments.Results showed the variability in the spatial scale and the stability in the temporal scale for the prokaryotic communities,indicating that the tropical mangrove sediments could be a versatile but stable environment.Among the collected environmental factors,PS,salinity,and humidity had the greatest impacts,and PS mostly affected the structures of these prokaryotic communities based on its highest R^2 values of canonical correspondence analysis,Mental test,and linear fitting(p≤0.05).Furthermore,PS was positively correlated with the diversity and abundance of diazotrophic communities and negatively correlated with the abundances of methanogenic communities including Methanobacteriaceae,Methanospirillaceae,Methanoregulaceae,and Methanosaetaceae.Former studies show the increasing trend of PS caused by the rise of sea level and the intensification of human activities.Therefore,our findings indicate that PS could be a potential intermediate that links climate change and human activities with the possible ecological function migration of mangroves;meanwhile,the increase of PS could in turn release the stress of these environmental changes by increasing the abundance and diversity of the diazotrophic community and decreasing the abundances of methanogens.

Long-term multi-wavelength variations of Fermi blazar 3C 279

Long-term optical,X-ray and γ-ray data of blazar 3 C 279 have been compiled from Swift-XRT,RXTE-PCA,Fermi-LAT,SMARTS and literature.The source exhibits strong variability on long timescales.From the 1980 s until now,the optical R band light curve spans more than 32 yr,and a possible 5.6-yr-long quasi-periodic variation component has been found in it.The optical spectral behavior has been investigated.In the optical band,the mean spectral index is –1.71.The source exhibits an obvious special spectral behavior.In the low state,the source manifests a clear bluer-when-brighter behavior in the sense that the optical spectrum turns harder(flatter) when the brightness increases.While in the high state,the optical spectrum is stable,which means the source spectral index does not vary with brightness.The correlation analysis has been performed among optical,X-ray and γ-ray energy bands.The result indicates that the variations of γ-ray and X-ray bands are well correlated without time delay on the timescale of days,and their variations exhibit weak correlations with those of the optical band.The variations,especially outbursts,are simultaneous,but the magnitude of variations is disproportionate.The detailed analysis reveals that the main outbursts exhibit strong correlations in different γ-ray,X-ray and optical bands.

Excretion and detection of SARS coronavirus and its nucleic acid from digestive system

AIM： To study whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus （SARS-CoV） could be excreted from digestive system.METHODS： Cell culture and semi-nested RT-PCR were used to detect SARS-CoV and its RNA from 21 stool and urine samples, and a kind of electropositive filter media particles was used to concentrate the virus in 10 sewage samples from two hospitals receiving SAILS patients in Beijing in China. RESULTS： It was demonstrated that there was no live SARS-CoV in all samples collected, but the RNA of SARS-CoV could be detected in seven stool samples from SARS patients with any one of the symptoms of fever, malaise, cough, or dyspnea, in 10 sewage samples before disinfection and 3 samples after disinfection from the two hospitals. The RNA could not be detected in urine and stool samples from patients recovered from SARS.CONCLUSION： Nucleic acid of SARS-CoV can be excreted through the stool of patients into sewage system, and the possibility of SARS-CoV transmitting through digestive system cannot be excluded.

Observation on the effect of licorice flavonoid Chinese herbal medicine spotting cream combined with Awei A capsule in the treatment of psoriasis

Objective: To study the curative effect of licorice flavonoid Chinese herbal frond cream combined with Awei A capsule in the treatment of psoriasis. Methods: During the period from April 2016 to March 2018, a total of 116 patients with psoriasis in our hospital were randomly divided into the experimental group (the treatment of licorice flavonoids and Chinese acupoint cream combined with Awei A capsule) and the control group (single use) Avi A capsule treatment). Comparison of blood lipid metabolism indexes (high-density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein) and serum biochemical indicators (neutrophil elastase, endogenous inhibitor of NE, placental cadherin) statistical difference in content. The statistical differences between PASI score and DLQI score before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. At the end of treatment, the statistical difference between the clinical efficacy and the incidence of adverse reactions was compared between the two groups. Results:The levels of serum NE, Trappin-2 and P-cad in patients before and after treatment showed a significant downward trend. The content of NE, Trappin-2 and P-cad in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. The content of HDL-C in lipid metabolism index increased significantly before and after treatment, and the content of APOA and LDL-C decreased significantly. The content of HDL-C in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group. The content of APOA and LDL-C was significantly lower than that of the control group. The PASI score and DLQI score of patients before and after treatment decreased significantly. After treatment, the PASI score and DLQI score of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was significantly different. The efficacy of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group. The skin of the experimental group was dry, itchy, and the skin desquamation was significantly less than that of the control group. Conclusion: Licorice Flavonoids and Avi A capsules have the advantages of improving blood lipid metabolism in the treatment of psoriasis, while reducing the recurrence rate and reducing the occurrence of common adverse reactions such as skin itching, dryness and abnormal liver function. It has a good clinical application significance.

Differential expression and clinical characteristics of Pim1 protein in different lesions of breast

Objective:To investigate the differential expression and clinical features of Pim1 protein in breast tissue of healthy people, mastitis and breast cancer patients.Methods:From September 2017 to September 2018, there were a blank group (39 normal residents), a mastitis group (39 mastitis patients), and a paracancerous tissue group (39 paracancerous tissues of breast cancer patients). Four groups of subjects in the adenocarcinoma group (39 breast cancer patients with breast cancer) were studied. To detect the difference of Pim1 protein expression levels in breast tissue of four groups of subjects, and analyze the effect of clinical condition on the expression of Pim1 protein in breast cancer patients.Results:Compared with the blank group, the difference of Pim1 protein expression between the mastitis group, the adenocarcinoma group and the paracancerous group was statistically significant. There was a statistically significant difference in Pim1 protein expression between the paracancerous tissue group and the adenocarcinoma tissue group. Pim1 protein expression is associated with lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and ER expression in breast cancer patients, regardless of age, histological grade, PR, and Her-2. Pim1 protein expression was evaluated as a dependent variable in breast cancer patients. Lymph node metastasis, TNM staging, and ER were independent variables. The main factors affecting Pim1 protein expression in breast cancer patients were: ER expression (OR=4.759), lymph node metastasis (OR= 3.127), TNM staging (OR = 2.664).Conclusions: Pim1 protein is closely related to the occurrence and development of mastitis and breast cancer. The detection of this index can assess the status of breast inflammation and the risk of cancer in a certain degree, and it has certain reference value for early diagnosis of breast cancer.

借助英语故事教学 提升英语语用能力

只有提升学生的英语语用能力,才能促进学生英语核心素养的提升。英语故事教学对提升学生英语语用能力具有重要的意义。教师采用故事教学法提升学生英语语用能力的策略有:借助故事导学,创设语用情境;引导故事细读,找准语用落点;组织故事表演,激活语用意识;把握故事结构,引导语用表达;组织故事复述,提升语用能力。

A Comparative Analysis on the Curative Effects of Different Treatment for Infections Around Dental Implants

Objective:To analyze and evaluate the clinical efficacy of different treatment options for patients with peri-implant infection.Methods:The study period was from June 2019 to June 2020.Seventy-six patients with peri-implant infection that were treated in Stomatological Hospital of Hefei were selected as study samples.The patients were divided into a research group and a control group by random number table method in which the sample size of each group was n=38.Patients in the control group were treated with drugs combined with ultrasonic cleaning while patients in the research group were treated with guided bone regeneration combined with flap curettage.The indicators of the two groups were compared and analyzed.Results:The plaque index(PLI),probing depth(PD),and sulcus bleeding index(SBI)of the two groups after treatment were lower than those before treatment(P<0.05).There was no significant difference between the groups(P>0.05).However,the height of the implant marginal bone of the study group after treatment was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05)..Conclusion:The use of guided bone regeneration combined with flap curettage for patients with infection around dental implants promotes the fusion of bone and implants.The clinical effect was significant and this should be comprehensively promoted in medical institutions at all levels.

增材制造不同微-纳粒径比B4C增强TC4复合材料组织及性能研究

采用直接激光沉积(LDM)工艺在TC4钛合金表面成功制备含有3%(质量分数)B4C增强的B4C/TC4复合材料。分别选用粒径50μm和50 nm的B4C颗粒与TC4粉末进行机械混粉,并完成LDM成型,对比测试了微米级B4C增强颗粒与纳米级B4C增强颗粒质量分数比值分别为1%∶2%、1.5%∶1.5%、2%∶1%的3种具有不同微-纳B4C增强颗粒比例样品的显微组织和界面处显微硬度。研究结果表明,添加B4C增强相后,材料的显微组织明显细化,不同尺度B4C增强颗粒含量能够对第二相TiB与TiC的结晶度以及晶粒尺寸产生影响,纳米B4C较多时,样品中的TiC结晶度较好,TiB以纳米颗粒镶嵌在TC4晶体中。当微-纳B4C比例相近时,TC4基体硬度最高,样品内部的TiB具有较高的结晶度与较大的晶粒尺寸,同时第二相区域内的TiB与TiC的硬度也最高。

Type II collagen scaffolds repair critical-sized osteochondral defects under induced conditions of osteoarthritis in rat knee joints via inhibiting TGF-β-Smad1/5/8 signaling pathway

The bidirectional relationship between osteochondral defects(OCD)and osteoarthritis(OA),with each condition exacerbating the other,makes OCD regeneration in the presence of OA challenging.Type II collagen(Col2)is important in OCD regeneration and the management of OA,but its potential applications in cartilage tissue engineering are significantly limited.This study investigated the regeneration capacity of Col2 scaffolds in critical-sized OCDs under surgically induced OA conditions and explored the underlying mechanisms that promoted OCD regeneration.Furthermore,the repair potential of Col2 scaffolds was validated in over critical-sized OCD models.After 90 days or 150 days since scaffold implantation,complete healing was observed histologically in critical-sized OCD,evidenced by the excellent integration with surrounding native tissues.The newly formed tissue biochemically resembled adjacent natural tissue and exhibited comparable biomechanical properties.The regenerated OA tissue demonstrated lower expression of genes associated with cartilage degradation than native OA tissue but comparable expression of genes related to osteochondral anabolism compared with normal tissue.Additionally,transcriptome and proteome analysis revealed the hindrance of TGF-β-Smad1/5/8 in regenerated OA tissue.In conclusion,the engrafting of Col2 scaffolds led to the successful regeneration of critical-sized OCDs under surgically induced OA conditions by inhibiting the TGF-β-Smad1/5/8 signaling pathway.

ECM-mimicking composite hydrogel for accelerated vascularized bone regeneration

Bioactive hydrogel materials have great potential for applications in bone tissue engineering.However,fabrication of functional hydrogels that mimic the natural bone extracellular matrix(ECM)remains a challenge,because they need to provide mechanical support and embody physiological cues for angiogenesis and osteogenesis.Inspired by the features of ECM,we constructed a dual-component composite hydrogel comprising interpenetrating polymer networks of gelatin methacryloyl(GelMA)and deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA).Within the composite hydrogel,the GelMA network serves as the backbone for mechanical and biological stability,whereas the DNA network realizes dynamic capabilities(e.g.,stress relaxation),thereby promoting cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation.Furthermore,functional aptamers(Apt19S and AptV)are readily attached to the DNA network to recruit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)and achieve sustained release of loaded vascular endothelial growth factor towards angiogenesis.Our results showed that the composite hydrogel could facilitate the adhesion of BMSCs,promote osteogenic differentiation by activating focal adhesion kinase(FAK)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)/β-Catenin signaling pathway,and eventually enhance vascularized bone regeneration.This study shows that the multifunctional composite hydrogel of GelMA and DNA can successfully simulate the biological functions of natural bone ECM and has great potential for repairing bone defects.

Distributions of Visual Receptive Fields from Retinotopic to Craniotopic Coordinates in the Lateral Intraparietal Area and Frontal Eye Fields of the Macaque

Even though retinal images of objects change their locations following each eye movement,we perceive a stable and continuous world.One possible mechanism by which the brain achieves such visual stability is to construct a craniotopic coordinate by integrating retinal and extraretinal information.There have been several proposals on how this may be done,including eye-position modulation(gain fields)of retinotopic receptive fields(RFs)and craniotopic RFs.In the present study,we investigated coordinate systems used by RFs in the lateral intraparietal(LIP)cortex and frontal eye fields(FEF)and compared the two areas.We mapped the two-dimensional RFs of neurons in detail under two eye fixations and analyzed how the RF of a given neuron changes with eye position to determine its coordinate representation.The same recording and analysis procedures were applied to the two brain areas.We found that,in both areas,RFs were distributed from retinotopic to craniotopic representations.There was no significant difference between the distributions in the LIP and FEF.Only a small fraction of neurons was fully craniotopic,whereas most neurons were between the retinotopic and craniotopic representations.The distributions were strongly biased toward the retinotopic side but with significant craniotopic shifts.These results suggest that there is only weak evidence for craniotopic RFs in the LIP and FEF,and that transformation from retinotopic to craniotopic coordinates in these areas must rely on other factors such as gain fields.

Correction:Distributions of Visual Receptive Fields from Retinotopic to Craniotopic Coordinates in the Lateral Intraparietal Area and Frontal Eye Fields of the Macaque

In the Original Publication,the article title was incorrectly given as'Distributions of Visual Receptive Fields from Retinotopic to Craniotopic Coordinates in the lateral intraparietal and frontal eye field of the Macaque'but should have been'Distributions of Visual Receptive Fields from Retinotopic to Craniotopic Coordinates in the Lateral Intraparietal Area and Frontal Eye Fields of the Macaque'.