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Infertility is a major health concern worldwide. This retrospective study aimed to assess the predictive value of the morphokinetic parameters of temporary-arrest embryos for the pregnancy outcomes of women undergoing frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. In this study, we evaluated 244 FET cycles with 431 day-4 temporary-arrest embryos. They were categorized into two groups (pregnancy and non-pregnancy) according to the pregnancy outcomes of the women after embryo transfer on day 5, and their fundamental characteristics were compared. The morphokinetic parameters from the time-lapse monitoring system were assessed according to different pregnancy outcomes. The mean number of embryo blastomeres thawed on day 3 in the pregnancy group was 7.47, which was significantly higher than the number in the non-pregnancy group (p < 0.01). Besides, embryos in the non-pregnancy group contained more embryo fragments and lower grades than those in the pregnancy group (p < 0.001). Furthermore, morphokinetic parameters: tPNa, t2, t5, and t5_tPNf showed a statistical difference between the pregnancy and non-pregnancy groups (p < 0.05). Receiver-operating characteristic analysis revealed that the time from pronuclear fading to the 5-cell stage (t5_PNF) predicted the clinical prognosis outcomes (area under the curve = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58–0.70; p < 0.001). The morphokinetic parameter t5_PNF could be regarded as a potential implantation predictor in our study.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynaecological tumours in the worldwide. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion in EC cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of NEAT1 in EC have not been fully clarified. We conducted this study to reveal the function of NEAT1 in EC tissues and cell lines.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) might affect endometrial receptivity, exerting integral roles in embryo implantation. This study explored the action of hCG in endometrial receptivity via the miR‐126‐3p/PIK3R2/PI3K/Akt/eNOS axis. The embryo implantation dysfunction (EID) mouse models were established by administrating mifepristone and human endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) were used for in vivo experiments, both followed by hCG treatment. Expression level of CD105 and protein levels of cadherin CD144 and CD146 in mice were determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The levels of miR‐126‐3p and PIK3R2 mRNA and PIK3R2, p‐PI3K p85 α, PI3K p110 α, p‐Akt, Akt, p‐eNOS, and eNOS protein levels were measured. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK‐8 and EdU assays. The binding sites of miR‐126‐3p and PIK3R2 were predicted and verified. hCG‐treated EECs were further transfected with miR‐126‐inhibitor for functional rescue experiments. hCG ameliorated endometrial receptivity in EID mice. Moreover, hCG promoted miR‐126‐3p and suppressed PIK3R2 in EID mice and EECs. miR‐126‐3p targeted PIK3R2. EEC proliferation was enhanced after hCG treatment but inhibited by miR‐126‐3p downregulation. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments validated that hCG activated the PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway through the miR‐126‐3p/PIK3R2 axis. Collectively, hCG improves endometrial receptivity by activating the PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway via regulating miR‐126‐3p/PIK3R2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To assess the association of whole grain consumption with the risk of incident knee OA. Material and methods We followed 2846 participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative ages 45–79 years. Participants were free from radiographic knee OA (Kellgren–Lawrence grade <2) in at least one knee at baseline. Dietary data from baseline were obtained using the Block Brief Food Frequency Questionnaire. We defined radiographic knee OA incidence as a Kellgren–Lawrence grade ≥2 during the subsequent 96 months. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between whole grain food intake and the risk of incident knee OA. Results During the 96 month follow-up, 518 participants (691 knees) developed incident radiographic knee OA. Higher total whole grain consumption was significantly associated with a lower knee OA risk [hazard ratio (HR)quartile 4 vs 1 = 0.66 (95% CI 0.52, 0.84), P for trend < 0.01] after adjusting for demographic and socio-economic factors, clinical factors and other dietary factors related to OA. Consistently, a significant inverse association of dark bread consumption with knee OA risk was observed [HRquartile 4 vs 1 = 0.68 (95% CI 0.53, 0.87), P for trend < 0.01). In addition, we observed a significant inverse association between higher cereal fibre intake and reduced knee OA risk [HRquartile 4 vs 1 = 0.61 (95% CI 0.46, 0.81), P for trend < 0.01). Conclusions Our findings revealed a significant inverse association of whole grain consumption with knee OA risk. These findings provide evidence that eating a diet rich in whole grains may be a potential nutritional strategy to prevent knee OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The objective of this study was to discuss the phytoremediation potential of Leersia hexandra Swartz in Cu contaminated soil and its enhancement by agronomic management practices. The results showed that L. hexandra had a high extraction capacity for copper (Cu), and Cu concentration was found maximum in shoots (755.4 mg/kg), which is very close to the Cu-hyperaccumulators. Three successive harvests did not reduce the biomass and Cu level in shoots of L. hexandra (p > 0.05), indicating that sequential harvest was feasible for the increase of total biomass and Cu extraction amount. Fertilization could obviously increase the tissue dry weight, resulting in the total amount of extracted-Cu up to 52.3%. 3-Indole acetic acid (IAA) also significantly increased biomass, causing the efficiency of Cu phytoextraction up to 204.6%. These suggested that fertilization and IAA were effective for enhancing Cu phytoextraction by L. hexandra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]