Bioengineering models of female reproduction

The female reproductive system consists of the ovaries,the female gonads,and the reproductive tract organs of the fallopian tubes,uterus,cervix,and vagina.It functions to provide hormonal support and anatomical structure for the production of new offspring.A number of endogenous and exogenous factors can impact female reproductive health and fertility,including genetic vulnerability,medications,environmental exposures,age,nutrition,and diseases.To date,due to the ethical concerns of using human subjects in biomedical research,the majority of studies use in vivo animal models and 2D cell/tissue culture models to study female reproduction.However,the complexity and species difference of the female reproductive system in humans make it difficult to compare to those of animals.Moreover,the monolayered cells cultured on flat plastics or glass lose their 3D architecture as well as the physical and/or biochemical contacts with other cells in vivo.Further,all reproductive organs do not work alone but interconnect with each other and also with non-reproductive organs to support female reproductive,endocrine,and systemic health.These facts suggest that there is an urgent and unmet need to develop representative,effective,and efficient in vitro models for studying human female reproduction.The prodigious advancements of bioengineering(e.g.,biomaterials,3D printing,and organ-on-a-chip)allow us to study female reproduction in an entirely new way.Here,we review recent advances that use bioengineering methods to study female reproduction,including the bioengineering models of the ovary,fallopian tube,uterus,embryo implantation,placenta,and reproductive disease.

Evaluation of Pathogen Reduction Systems to Inactivate Dengue and Chikungunya Viruses in Apheresis Platelets Suspended in Plasma

The risk of blood-borne transmission of infectious diseases has led to an increasing awareness of the need for a safe and effective pathogen reduction technology. This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 pathogen reduction systems to inactivate dengue virus (DENV-2) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) spiked into apheresis platelets (APLT) concentrates. Double-dose APLT collections (n = 3) were split evenly into two units and spiked with 107 infectious units of DENV-2 or CHIKV. APLTs samples were assayed for viral infectivity before and after Amotosalen photochemical treatment (PCT) or Riboflavin pathogen reduction treatment (PRT). Viral infectivity was determined by plaque assays. Platelet (PLT) count, pH and residual S-59 were measured during the storage of 5 days. Amotosalen PCT showed robust efficacy and complete inactivation of both viruses in APLTs, with up to 3.01 and 3.75 log reductions of DENV-2 and CHIKV respectively. At similar initial concentrations, Riboflavin PRT showed complete inactivation of CHIKV with up to 3.73 log reduction, much higher efficacy than against DENV-2 where a log reduction of up to 1.58 was observed. All post-treated APLTs maintained acceptable PLT yields and quality parameters. This parallel study of 2 pathogen reduction systems demonstrates their efficacy in inactivating or reducing DENV and CHIKV in APLTs and reaffirms the usefulness of pathogen inactivation systems to ensure the safety in PLTs transfusion.

Obesity in people with diabetes in COVID-19 times: Important considerations and precautions to be taken

At the end of 2019,a new disease with pandemic potential appeared in China.It was a novel coronavirus called coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Later,in the first quarter of 2020,the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of this disease a pandemic.Elderly people,people with comorbidities,and health care professionals are more vulnerable to COVID-19.Obesity has been growing exponentially worldwide,affecting several age groups.It is a morbidity that is associated with genetic,epigenetic,environment factors and/or interaction between them.Obesity is associated with the development of several diseases including diabetes mellitus,mainly type 2.Diabetes affects a significant portion of the global population.Obesity and diabetes are among the main risk factors for the development of severe symptoms of COVID-19,and individuals with these conditions constitute a risk group.Based on a literature review on obesity in people with diabetes in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic,this study presents updated important considerations and care to be taken with this population.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in soils and vegetables from wastewater irrigated area,Beijing-Tianjin city cluster,China

The possible health risks of heavy metals contamination to local population through food chain were evaluated in Beijing and Tianjin city cluster, China, where have a long history of sewage irrigation. The transfer factors （TF） for heavy metals from soil to vegetables for six elements including Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, As and Cd were calculated and the pollution load indexes （PLI） were also assessed. Results indicate that only Cd exceeded the maximum acceptable limit in these sites. So far, the heavy metal concentrations in soils and vegetables were all below the permissible limits set by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China and World Health Organization. The transfer factors of six heavy metals showed the trend as Cd 〉 Zn 〉 Cu 〉 Pb 〉 As 〉 Cr, which were dependent on the vegetable species. The estimated dietary intakes of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, As and Cd were far below the tolerable limits and the target hazard quotient （THQ） values were less than 1, which suggested that the health risks of heavy metals exposure through consuming vegetables were generally assumed to be safe.

半透膜仪采集空气中多氯联苯采样速度与其结构和性质定量构效关系研究(英文)

根据MOPAC2009软件包中PM6算法得到的分子描述符研究半透膜仪(SPMDs)采集大气中多氯联苯(PCBs)采样速度(R_(air))的定量构效关系(QSPR)模型,并分析影响R_(air)的关键因素。以半经验PM6算法得到的分子量子化学描述符作为预测变量,采用偏最小二乘算法(PLS)构建了R_(air)的QSPR模型。根据交叉验证,所得到的最佳模型中PLS成分解释的因变量的累积变异(Q^2_(cum))为0.683,这表明该模型具有良好的预测能力和稳健性。通过外部验证和将实验测得的R_(air)与预测得到的R_(air)进行比较,对所构建模型的稳定性和可靠性进行了验证,结果表明无论是训练组还是预测组,其预测值与实测值间均具有较好的线性关系,线性相关系数均大于0.8376。对PCBs采样速度R_(air)的主要影响因素为PCBs与SPMDs中甘油三油酸酯分子间的相互作用大小和为将PCBs溶解在甘油三油酸酯中形成洞穴所需能量要求。

Leaching behavior of enrofloxacin in three different soils and the influence of a surfactant on its mobility

The leaching behaviors of enrofloxacin （ENR）, a fluoroquinolone group antibiotic, in three different standard soils, namely sandy, loamy sand and sandy loam were investigated according to OECD guideline 312. In addition, the effects of tenside, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate （DBS） on the mobility of ENR in two different soils were studied. The mobility of ENR in all three standard soils was very similar and was mostly （98%） concentrated on the top 0-5 cm segment of the soils at pH 5.7. The DBS can enhance the mobility of ENR in soils but the impact was in general negligible under the studied conditions.

QSPR study about sampling rates of semipermeable membrane devices for monitoring of organochlorine pesticides in Alps air

Organochlorine pesticides (OCP) were monitored at the Weissfluhjoch site (Switzerland) and the top of Mt. Sonnblick (Austria) with a low volume active air sampler and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMD). The air sampling rates (Rair) of the SPMD for OCP were calculated. Statistical tests showed that there was no significant difference between Rair at the two different sampling sites. Quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models of the Rair of the SPMD were developed for OCP using partial least square (PLS) regression. Quantum chemical descriptors computed by the semi-empirical PM6 method were used as predictor variables. The cumulative variance of the dependent variable explained by the PLS components and determined by cross-validation (Q2cum) was >0.818 for each optimal model. This indicates that the model has good predictive ability and robustness. The Rair of the SPMD for OCP is related to the total energy, the van der Waals area and the total dipole moment of the OCP molecules. The main factors governing Rair values of OCP are intermolecular interactions and the energy required for cavity-formation in dissolution of OCP into triolein of the SPMD. The linear correlation coefficient between predicted and experimental values were all >0.921.

Meta-Analysis of Retrograde Signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana Reveals a Core Module of Genes Embedded in Complex Cellular Signaling Networks

Plastid-to-nucleus signaling is essential for the coordination and adjustment of cellular metabolism in response to environmental and developmental cues of plant cells. A variety of operational retrograde signaling path- ways have been described that are thought to be triggered by reactive oxygen species, photosynthesis redox imbalance, tetrapyrrole intermediates, and other metabolic traits. Here we report a meta-analysis based on transcriptome and pro- tein interaction data. Comparing the output of these pathways reveals the commonalities and peculiarities stimulated by six different sources impinging on operational retrograde signaling. Our study provides novel insights into the interplay of these pathways, supporting the existence of an as-yet unknown core response module of genes being regulated under all conditions tested. Our analysis further highlights affiliated regulatory cis-elements and classifies abscisic acid and auxin-based signaling as secondary components involved in the response cascades following a plastidial signal. Our study provides a global analysis of structure and interfaces of different pathways involved in plastid-to-nucleus signaling and a new view on this complex cellular communication network.

Response of bacterial communities to short-term pyrene exposure in red soil

Pyrene, a representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon （PAH） compound produced mainly from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, is hazardous to ecosystem health. However, long-term exposure studies did not detect any significant effects of pyrene on soil microorganism. In this study, short-term microcosm experiments were conducted to identify the immediate effect of pyrene on soil bacterial communities. A freshly- collected pristine red soil was spiked with pyrene at 0, 10, 100, 200, and 500 mg.kg-~ and incubated for one day and seven days. The bacterial communities in the incubated soils were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism （T- RFLP） methods. The results revealed high bacterial diversity in both unspiked and pyrene-spiked soils. Only at the highest pyrene-spiking rate of 500 mg.kg-~, two minor bacteria groups of the identified 14 most abundant bacteria groups were completely suppressed. Short-term exposure to pyrene resulted in dominance of Proteobac- teria in soil, followed by Acidobacteria, Firmutes, and Bacteroidetes. Our findings showed that bacterial commu- nity structure did respond to the presence of pyrene but recovered rapidly from the perturbation. The intensity of impact and the rate of recovery showed some pyrene dosage-dependent trends. Our results revealed that differ- ent levels of pyrene may affect the bacterial community structure by suppressing or selecting certain groups of bacteria. It was also found that the bacterial community was most susceptible to pyrene within one day of the chemical addition.