Ability of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells to repair chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian failure

BACKGROUND Premature ovarian insufficiency(POI)and premature ovarian failure(POF)have become one of the major problems threatening women of childbearing age.Studies have shown that stem cells transplanted from bone marrow,umbilical cord,peripheral blood and amniotic fluid can migrate and proliferate to the ovary,promote ovarian function repair,increase the number of follicles and granulosa cells at all levels of ovary,improve endocrine function,and can differentiate into oocytes in specific ovarian environment to restore fertility to some extent.AIM To study the ability of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells(hUCMSCs)to repair ovarian injury after chemotherapy.METHODS A total of 110 female BALB/c mice(aged 7-8 wk old)with body masses of 16.0-20.0 g were selected.The mice were fed until 12 wk of age,and cyclophosphamide was administered by intraperitoneal injection for 14 consecutive days to induce premature ovarian failure in mice.Seventy-five mice with estrous cycle disorder were screened and randomly divided into 3 groups according to their body weight:model group,positive control group and hUCMSC group,and each group had 25 mice.Another 25 mice were used as negative controls.The mice in the hUCMSC group were injected with hUCMSCs in the tail vein,and the mice in the positive control group were given an oestradiol valerate solution and a medroxyprogesterone acetate solution in the tail vein.On the 1^st,15^th,30^th,45^th,and 60^th days after intravenous administration,vaginal smears were made to monitor the estrous cycles of the mice.The ovaries were weighed,and pathological sections were made to observe the morphology of the follicles;blood samples were collected to monitor the concentration of sex hormones(oestradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone).RESULTS The estrous cycles of the model group mice were disrupted throughout the experiment.Mice in the hUCMSC group and the positive control group resumed normal estrous cycles.The ovarian weight of the model group mice continued to decline.The ovarian weight of the hUCMSC group mice and the positive control group mice decreased first and then gradually increased,and the ovarian weight of the hUCMSC group mice was heavier than that of the positive control group mice.The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Compared with the negative control group,the model group experienced a decrease in oestradiol and an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the hUCMSC and positive control groups experienced a slight increase in oestradiol and a decrease in follicle-stimulating hormone;the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The pathological examination revealed that the mouse ovaries from the model group were atrophied,the volume was reduced,the cortical and medullary structures were disordered,the number of follicles at all stages was significantly reduced,the number of atretic follicles increased,the number of primordial follicles and corpus luteum significantly decreased,and the corpus luteum had an irregular shape.Compared with those of the model group,the lesions of the hUCMSC and positive control groups significantly improved.CONCLUSION hUCMSCs can repair ovarian tissue damaged by chemotherapy to a certain extent,can improve the degree of apoptosis in ovarian tissue,and can improve the endocrine function of mouse ovaries.

Risk scores,prevention,and treatment of maternal venous thromboembolism

BACKGROUND At present,the preventive treatment for pregnancy-related venous thromboembolism(VTE)in China is in its infancy,and there is no uniform or standardized industry guide.Drug prevention and treatment of pregnancyrelated VTE rely highly on foreign guidelines;however,due to the differences in ethnicity and national conditions,there are many controversies over the indications for drug treatment,drug selection,and dose selection for anticoagulant therapy.AIM To investigate the risk scores,prevention,and treatment of maternal VTE to promote the prevention and standardized treatment of maternal thrombosis.METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 7759 patients who gave birth at our hospital from June 2018 to June 2019.Risk factors for pregnancy-related VTE,prenatal and postpartum VTE risk scores,prophylactic anticoagulant therapy,side effects after medication,and morbidity were analysed.RESULTS The risk factors for VTE were mainly caesarean delivery,obesity,and advanced maternal age.Regarding pregnancy-related VTE risk scores,there were 7520 patients in the low-risk group with a prenatal score<3 points and 239 in the high-risk group with a score≥3,and 44 patients received drug prevention and treatment during pregnancy.There were 4223 patients in the low-risk group with a postpartum score<2 points and 3536 in the high-risk group with a score≥2 points,and 824 patients received drug prevention and treatment for 10 d.Among the patients who did not present with VTE before delivery,we found one case each of pulmonary embolism secondary to lower extremity venous thrombosis,intracranial venous sinus thrombosis,and asymptomatic lower extremity venous thrombosis during the postpartum follow-up.CONCLUSION VTE poses a serious threat to maternal safety,and the society should increase its vigilance against pregnancy-related VTE.

Comparisons of voided urine cytology, nuclear matrix protein-22 and bladder tumor associated antigen tests for bladder cancer of geriatric male patients in Taiwan, China

Aim： To compare the results of bladder tumor associated antigen （BTA TRAK）, nuclear matrix protein 22 （NMP 22） and voided urine cytology （VUC） in detecting bladder cancer. Methods： A total of 135 elderly male and 50 healthy volunteers enrolled in this study were classified into three groups： （i） 93 patients with bladder cancer; （ii） 42 patients with urinary benign conditions; and （iii） 50 healthy volunteers. BTA TRAK and NMP 22 kits were used to detect bladder cancer. Voided urine cytology was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the screening tests. Results： The sensitivity and specificity of cytology, BTA TRAK and NMP 22 were 24% and 97%, 51% and 73%, 78% and 73%, respectively. The level of NMP 22 increased with tumor grading. The BTA TRAK kit has the lowest sensitivity among the screening tests. The NMP 22 with the best sensitivity can be an adjunct to cytology for evaluating bladder cancer. Conclusion： The NMP 22 test has a better correlation with the grading of the bladder cancer than BTA TRAK. As cytology units are typically not available in hospitals or in outpatient clinics, NMP 22 might be a promising tool for screening bladder cancer.

Factors affecting failed trial of labor and countermeasures:A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND Vaginal delivery is the ideal mode of delivery for the termination of a pregnancy.However,the cesarean section rate in China is much higher than the published by the World Health Organization in the Lancet in 2010.AIM To retrospectively analyze the factors related to failed trial of labor and the clinical indications for cesarean section conversion,explore how to promote the trial of labor success rate,and determine the feasibility of reducing the rate of conversion to cesarean section.METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 9240 maternal women who met vaginal delivery conditions and required a trial of labor from January 2016 to December 2018 at our hospital.Among them,8164 pregnant women who had a successful trial of labor were used as a control group,and 1076 pregnant women who had a failed trial of labor and converted to an emergency cesarean section were used as an observation group.The patients’clinical data during hospitalization were collected for comparative analysis,the related factors of the failed trial of labor were discussed,and reasonable prevention and resolution strategies were proposed to increase the success rate of trial of labor.RESULTS The analysis revealed that advanced age(≥35 years old),macrosomia(≥4000 g),delayed pregnancy(≥41 wk),use of uterine contraction drugs,primipara,and fever during labor were associated with conversion to an emergency cesarean section in the failed trial of labor.Multivariate regression analysis showed that age,gestational age,primipara,use of uterine contraction drugs,fever duringbirth,and newborn weight led to a higher probability of conversion to an emergency cesarean section in the failed trial of labor.The analysis indicated that the following clinical indications were associated with the conversion to cesarean section in the failed trial of labor:Fetal distress(44.3%),social factors(12.8%),malpresentation(face presentation,persistent occipitoposterior position,and persistent occipitotransverse position)(9.4%),and cephalopelvic disproportion(8.9%).CONCLUSION The conversion to emergency cesarean section in failed trial of labor is affected by many factors.Medical staff should take appropriate preventive measures for the main factors,increase the trial of labor success rate,improve the quality of delivery,ensure the safety of mother and child during the perinatal period,and improve the relationship between doctors and patients.

Severe venous thromboembolism in the puerperal period caused by thrombosis:A case report

BACKGROUND The incidence of venous thromboembolism(VTE)in pregnant women is significantly higher than that in non-pregnant women.VTE is more common after delivery than before delivery,and this condition can be hidden and develops rapidly.VTE mainly includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.Thrombophilia is an important risk factor for VTE in pregnant women and includes acquired thrombophilia and hereditary thrombophilia.CASE SUMMARY A 24-year-old nulliparous female patient underwent cesarean section of the lower uterus due to fetal distress.Anti-inflammatory rehydration was given after the operation to prevent thrombosis.The patient had no obvious discomfort after surgery.Ten days after the operation,the patient developed a fever.The patient's mother revealed that she had a previous history of a lower extremity venous thrombosis.Color Doppler ultrasound showed deep vein thrombosis in the left lower extremity.The results of computed tomography angiography showed that the patient had a double pulmonary artery embolism.Bilateral lower extremity antegrade venography,inferior vena cava angiography and filter placement were performed.The patient continued to receive anticoagulant therapy.After 2 wk,the patient's condition improved.An anticoagulant protein test was performed 2 mo after discharge,and the results showed that both the patient and her mother had reduced protein S.CONCLUSION Clinicians should learn to recognize the high-risk factors for VTE,improve their understanding of VTE,and actively prevent and diagnose VTE as early as possible.

Introduction to bioimaging-based spatial multi-omic novel methods

Background: Spatial multi-omics are demonstrated to be a powerful method to assist researchers on genetic studies. In this review, bioimaging-based spatial multi-omics techniques such as seqFISH+, merFISH, integrated DNA seqFISH+, DNA merFISH, and MINA are introduced along with each technique’s probe design, development, and imaging processes.Results: seqFISH employed 4–5 fluorophores to barcode and conducted multiple rounds of hybridization, in order that mRNA can be identified through color-coding. seqFISH+ added 60 pseudo-color and distributed them equally into three channels to enhance imaging power, in order that i.e., 24,000 genes can be imaged in total. merFISH utilized 4 out 16 Hamming distance to innovatively provide a robust error-detecting method. MINA, a methodology combining merFISH (multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization) and chromosomal tracing, enabled multiplexed genomic architecture imaged in mammalian single cells. Optical reconstruction of chromatin architecture (ORCA) a method that could conduct DNA path tracing in nanoscale manner with kilobase resolution, an FISH variation that improved genetic resolution, enable high-precision fiducial registration and sequential imaging, and utilized Oligopaint probe to hybridize the short genomic region ranging from 2 to 10 kilobase. ORCA then prescribes these short section primary probes with individual barcodes to attach fluorophore and to be imaged.Conclusion: This review concentrated on providing a comprehensive overview for these spatial-multi-omics techniques with the intention on helping researchers on selecting appropriate technique for their research.

Design and optimization of DBR in 980 nm bottom-emitting VCSEL

According to the theory of DBR, with the P-type DBR as an example, the electrical characteristics and optical reflection of the DBR are analyzed by studying the energy band structure with various graded region widths and doping densities. The width and doping density of graded region are decided through a comparative study. The P-type DBR of 980 nm VCSELs is designed with Al0.9Ga0.1As and Al0.1Ga0.9As selected as the high and low refractive index material for the DBR. The 980 nm bottom VCSELs, which consists of 30 pairs P-type DBR and 28 pairs N-type DBR, are then fabricated. In P-type DBR, the width of graded region is 0.02 μm and the uniformity doping concentration is 2.5×10^18cm^-3. Its reflectivity is 99.9%. In N-type DBR, the width of graded region is also 0.02 μm and the uniformity doping concen- tration is 2×10^18cm^-3. Its reflectivity is 99.3%. The I-V curve shows that the series resistance of the device is about 0.05Ω. According to the theory of DBR, with the P-type DBR as an example, the electrical characteristics and optical reflection of the DBR are analyzed by studying the energy band structure with various graded region widths and doping densities. The width and doping density of graded region are decided through a comparative study. The P-type DBR of 980 nm VCSELs is designed, with Al0.9Ga0.1As and Al0.1Ga0.9As selected as the high and low refractive index material for the DBR. The 980 nm bottom VCSELs, which consist of 30 pairs P-type DBR and 28 pairs N-type DBR, are then fabricated. In P-type DBR, the width of graded region is 0.02μm and the uniformity doping concentration is 2.5×10^18cm^-3. Its reflectivity is 99.9%. In N-type DBR, the width of graded region is also 0.02 μm and the uniformity doping concentration is 2×10^18cm^-3. Its refiectivity is 99.3%. The I-V curve shows that the series resistance of the device is about 0.05Ω.