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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation. This was a retrospective case-control study. In the present study, the risk coefficients of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and mean platelet volume (MPV) in obese patients with PCOS were determined. This study was designed to investigate NLR, hs-CRP, and MPV levels in 68 obese patients with PCOS and 44 nonobese patients with PCOS, and our study group was matched with 47 obese and 43 nonobese controls, respectively. PCOS group had higher MPV, NLR, insulin, glucose, and HOMA-IR rates than those of the controls. Subgroup analyses revealed that the obese PCOS group had higher NLR, hs-CRP, and MPV levels compared to those of controls. The obese PCOS group had higher NLR, hs-CRP, and MPV levels compared to those of the nonobese PCOS group. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of those variables (NLR, hs-CRP, MPV) were found significant (P < .05). NLR, hs-CRP, and MPV variables were found statistically significant in the analysis of receiver operating characteristics. Our study demonstrated that NLR, hs-CRP, and MPV levels are increased in patients with obese PCOS., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Rationale: Primary ovarian abscess which develops as an isolated lesion without simultaneous tubal infection is a rare entity. Ovarian abscess (OA) is a serious complication of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) rarely seen in virginal girls. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent further sequela including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain., Patient Concerns: A 19-year-old virginal girl who presented with abdominal pain and pelvic mass with no risk factors., Diagnoses: Laparoscopic surgery was performed to confirm a primary ovarian abscess in the adolescent virginal female with a huge endometriosis cyst., Intervention: Ovarian abscess with extensive intestinal adhesions was determined during the laparoscopic operation. Abscess drainage and postoperative antibiotic therapy cured the patient., Outcome: After the surgery, the CRP level on the day of discharge was 3.18 mg/d. The histological findings revealed a cystic tissue sample with the fibrous wall infiltrated by neutrophilic granulocytes, and ectopic endometrium, suggesting abscess formation in the ovary and endometriosis cyst., Lessons: Although primary ovarian abscess in an adolescent virginal female is rare, given the severity of outcomes following ovarian abscess, this pathology should be considered in the differential diagnosis of virginal adolescents with fever and abdominal pain., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Whether the first trimester maternal mean arterial pressure (MAP), placental growth factor (PlGF), and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) can predict hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is unclear. We conducted a retrospective case-control study with the total population of 539 gravidas, of these 447 had normal pregnancy, 27 had gestational hypertension (GH), 36 had preeclampsia (PE), and 29 had preeclampsia with severe features (SPE). Prediction for HDP was determined by the area under curve (AUC). Compared to the healthy group, the multiple of the median (MoM) for MAP was increased in the study groups, while PlGF and PAPP-A were decreased. When the cutoff values for MAP, PlGF, and PAPP-A were 1.069, 0.769, and 0.673 MoM, respectively, the sensitivities for predicting HDP were 0.517, 0.446, and 0.500 and the specificities were 0.744, 0.826, and 0.769, respectively. To predict GH, the highest AUC was 0.755 (95% CI: 0.655-0.856, p < 0.001) based on MAP, PlGF, and PAPP-A. The combined PlGF and PAPP-A had the highest AUC (0.683 [95% CI: 0.584-0.782, p < 0.001] and 0.755 [95% CI: 0.682-0.829, p < 0.001]) for prediction of PE and SPE. We found that MAP, serum levels of PlGF, and PAPP-A in the first trimester pregnancy are markers that predict HDP in the third trimester. The combination of markers is far superior to single markers alone. To improve the diagnostic value, specific cutoff values should be applied to GH, PE, SPE in each condition., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited part of Springer Nature.)

Key Message: Expression of Cre recombinase by AtRps5a pro or AtDD45 pro enabled Cre/lox-mediated recombination at an early embryonic developmental stage upon crossing, activating transgenes in the hybrid cowpea and tobacco. Genetic engineering ideally results in precise spatiotemporal control of transgene expression. To activate transgenes exclusively in a hybrid upon fertilization, we evaluated a Cre/lox-mediated gene activation system with the Cre recombinase expressed by either AtRps5a or AtDD45 promoters that showed activity in egg cells and young embryos. In crosses between Cre recombinase lines and transgenic lines harboring a lox-excision reporter cassette with ZsGreen driven by the AtUbq3 promoter after Cre/lox-mediated recombination, we observed complete excision of the lox-flanked intervening DNA sequence between the AtUbq3 pro and the ZsGreen coding sequence in F 1 progeny upon genotyping but no ZsGreen expression in F 1 seeds or seedlings. The incapability to observe ZsGreen fluorescence was attributed to the activity of the AtUbq3 pro . Strong ZsGreen expression in F 1 seeds was observed after recombination when ZsGreen was driven by the AtUbq10 promoter. Using the AtDD45 pro to express Cre resulted in more variation in recombination frequencies between transgenic lines and crosses. Regardless of the promoter used to regulate Cre, mosaic F 1 progeny were rare, suggesting gene activation at an early embryo-developmental stage. Observation of ZsGreen-expressing tobacco embryos at the globular stage from crosses with the AtRps5a pro Cre lines pollinated by the AtUbq3 pro lox line supported the early activation mode., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between homocysteine (HCY), C-reactive protein (CRP), lipid levels, and sleep quality in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.We collected data from 217 patients (perimenopause and postmenopausal) who visited the gynecological endocrine outpatient department of our hospital between January 2017 and January 2019. The quality and patterns of sleep were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and relationships between HCY, CRP, lipid levels, and sleep quality were analyzed according to a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ≥ 8.There were significant differences in age, education level, and occupation among patients with different levels of sleep quality (P < .05). HCY, CRP, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein levels were significantly higher in patients with poor sleep quality than in those with good sleep quality (P < .05). Age, education level, occupation, HCY, CRP, and lipid levels (total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein) were all significant influencing factors for sleep quality in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women (all P < .05). After adjusting for age, education level, occupation, HCY, and CRP levels were all significant and independent risk factors for sleep quality in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women (all P < .05).Levels of HCY, CRP, and lipids were significantly correlated with sleep quality in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. HCY and CRP were identified as independent risk factors for sleep quality in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, thus providing theoretical support for the clinical improvement of sleep quality., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) is a malignant tumor with high motility in women. Our previous study found that dysregulated nucleoside-triphosphatase cancer-related (NTPCR) was associated with the prognosis of EOC patients, and thus, this present study attempted to explore the potential roles of NTPCR in disease progression., Methods: Expressed level of NTPCR was investigated in EOC tissues by RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. NTPCR shRNA and overexpression vector were generated and transfected into OVCAR-3 or SKOV3 cells to detect the effect of NTPCR on cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell migration, and invasion. Transcriptomic sequencing and metabolite profiling analysis were performed in shNTPCR groups to identify transcriptome or metabolite alteration that might contribute to EOC. Finally, we searched the overlapped signaling pathways correlated with differential metabolites and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by integrating analysis., Results: Comparing para-cancerous tissues, we found that NTPCR is highly expressed in cancer tissues ( p < 0.05). Overexpression of NTPCR inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and reduced the proportion of S- and G2/M-phase cells, while downregulation of NTPCR showed the opposite results. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated cohorts of DEGs were identified in shNTPCR samples. Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed for DEGs. STAT1 (degree = 43) and OAS2 (degree = 36) were identified as hub genes in the network. Several miRNAs together with target genes were predicted to be crucial genes related to disease progression, including hsa-miR-124-3p , hsa-miR-30a-5p , hsa-miR-146a-5 , EP300 , GATA2 , and STAT3 . We also screened the differential metabolites from shNTPCR samples, including 22 upregulated and 22 downregulated metabolites. By integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis, eight overlapped pathways were correlated with these DEGs and differential metabolites, such as primary bile acid biosynthesis, protein digestion, and absorption, pentose, and glucuronate interconversions., Conclusion: NTPCR might serve as a tumor suppressor in EOC progression. Our results demonstrated that DEGs and differential metabolites were mainly related to several signaling pathways, which might be a crucial role in the progression of NTPCR regulation of EOC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Shang, Zhang, Ren, Zhao, Zhang and Tong.)

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in ovarian cancer (OC) development. However, prognosis-associated lncRNAs (PALs) for OC have not been completely elucidated. Our study aimed to identify the PAL signature of OC. A total of 663 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified in the databases. According to the weighted gene coexpression analysis, the highly correlated genes were clustered into seven modules related to the clinical phenotype of OC. A total of 25 lncRNAs that were significantly related to overall survival were screened based on univariate Cox regression analysis. The prognostic risk model constructed contained seven PALs based on the parameter λ min , which could stratify OC patients into two risk groups. The results showed that the risk groups had different overall survival rates in both The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and two verified Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses confirmed that the risk model was an independent risk factor for OC. Gene enrichment analysis revealed that the identified genes were involved in some pathways of malignancy. The competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network included five PALs, of which four were selected for cell function assays. The four PALs were downregulated in 33 collected OC tissues and 3 OC cell lines relative to the control. They were shown to regulate the proliferative, migratory, and invasive potential of OC cells via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays. Our study fills the gaps of the four PALs in OC, which are worthy of further study., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zheng, Guo, Zhang, Cao, Xu, Zhang and Tong.)

Bearing design, production and complicated operating condition can lead to the scattered life cycle degradation distribution, which will bring a challenge of generalization for performance degradation assessment models. And it is costly and time-consuming to collect a large amount of labeled data for supervised diagnosis, especially when the task comes from a new operating condition. Thus in this paper, a novel bearing degradation assessment model is proposed based on transfer learning and deep hierarchical features extraction. The research of degradation assessment is transformed to the classification task of degradation pattern, which divides degradation process into the normal, slight fault, fault development and damage patterns. The hierarchical network with random weight parameters is introduced to extract the local sub-band characteristics of spectrum, in which the multiple alternately convolution and pooling layers without supervised fine-tuning are employed. Joint Geometrical and Statistical Alignment method is then utilized to obtain projected sharing feature space, and thus the knowledge of bearing degradation process is transferred to accomplish degradation pattern assessment under different operating conditions. Results of the experiments on bearing fault severity and degradation process show that the proposed method reduces the feature distribution divergence between the degradation processes and accomplishes bearing performance degradation assessment in different operating condition., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Importance: Evidence is needed regarding the introduction of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing into China's national cervical cancer screening program., Objective: To evaluate hrHPV testing as a new screening modality for the national program., Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based, multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial took place across 20 primary health care centers in urban and rural areas across China. At least 3000 women aged 35 to 64 years per site were invited to participate, for a total of 60 732 women evaluated., Interventions: At baseline, women were randomly assigned to cytology, hrHPV testing, or visual inspection with acetic acid and Lugol iodine (VIA/VILI) (rural only). Women who tested positive for hrHPV were randomized into cytology-triage, VIA/VILI-triage (rural only), or direct colposcopy arms. Regarding primary or triaging tests, women with cytological abnormalities or who tested positive with VIA/VILI were referred to colposcopy. After 24 months, combined screening of cytology, hrHPV testing, and VIA/VILI was performed, and all women with positive results were referred to colposcopy., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) and CIN3+ yields. The secondary outcome was colposcopy referral rate., Results: A total of 60 732 women were included in this study, with median (interquartile range) age of 47 (41-52) years. Among urban women, 8955 were randomized to cytology and 18 176 to hrHPV genotyping; among rural women, 11 136 were randomized to VIA/VILI, 7080 to cytology, and 15 385 to hrHPV testing. Participants who tested positive for hrHPV with direct colposcopy had higher risk ratios for disease yields at baseline (urban hrHPV vs cytology, CIN2+ 2.2 [95% CI, 1.6-3.2] and CIN3+ 2.0 [95% CI, 1.2-3.3]; rural hrHPV vs cytology, 2.6 [95% CI, 1.9-4.0] and 2.7 [95% CI, 2.0-3.6]; rural hrHPV vs VIA/VILI, 2.0 [95% CI, 1.6-2.3] and 2.3 [95% CI, 1.8-3.1]). At 24 months, baseline-negative women in the hrHPV arm had significantly lower risk ratios than those with cytology, or VIA/VILI for CIN2+ (0.3 [95% CI, 0.2-0.5], 0.3 [95% CI, 0.2-0.6]) and CIN3+ (0.3 [95% CI, 0.1-0.6], 0.4 [95% CI, 0.2-0.8]) in rural sites. The colposcopy referral rate for hrHPV-positive rural women was reduced to 2.8% by cytology triage, with significantly higher CIN2+ yields than cytology (2.1 [95% CI, 1.3-2.6]) or VIA/VILI arm (1.6 [95% CI, 1.03-2.1]). Genotyping for hrHPV with cytology triage significantly reduced the colposcopy referral rate compared with cytology (0.8 [95% CI, 0.7-0.9]) for urban women., Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, testing for hrHPV was an effective primary screening method in primary health care centers. Incorporating hrHPV testing (polymerase chain reaction-based for urban areas, hybrid capture-based for rural areas) into China's national screening program is reasonable., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR1900022530.

Background: Engineering apomixis in sexually reproducing plants has been long desired because of the potential to fix hybrid vigor. Validating the functionality of genes originated from apomictic species that contribute to apomixis upon transfer to sexually reproducing species is an important step. The PsASGR-BABYBOOM-like ( PsASGR-BBML ) gene from Pennisetum squamulatum confers parthenogenesis in this apomict, and its functionality was demonstrated in several sexually reproducing monocots but not in any dicots., Methods: We introduced the PsASGR-BBML gene regulated by egg cell-specific promoters, either AtDD45 or AtRKD2 , into tobacco, and analyzed progeny of the transgenic lines resulting from self-pollination and crossing by flow cytometry., Results: We identified haploid progeny at a frequency lower than 1% in the AtDD45 pro lines, while at a frequency of 9.3% for an octoploid (2 n = 8 x ) AtRKD2 pro line. Haploid production in the T 2 generation, derived from the tetraploid T 1 offspring of this original octoploid AtRKD2 pro line, was also observed. Pollinated by homozygous transgenic tobacco carrying a DsRed marker gene, 4 x progeny of the AtRKD2 pro line yielded parthenogenetic embryos identified as DsRed negative. We verified that the DsRed negative seedlings recovered were haploid (2 x )., Conclusion: The PsASGR-BBML gene regulated by egg cell-specific promoters could enable parthenogenesis in tobacco, a dicotyledon species.

Introduction: A cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP), when combined with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), is a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition that may be associated with uncontrolled hemorrhage. Hysterectomy is indicated when conservative treatment fails. Preservation of fertility is challenging., Patient Concerns: We reported a 33-year-old woman with a CSP combined with an AVM who failed methotrexate administration as conservative treatment., Diagnoses: A CSP combined with an AVM was diagnosed via three-dimensional color Doppler angiogram and magnetic resonance imaging., Interventions: Transvaginal removal of the ectopic gestation and repair of the uterine defect was performed without incident., Outcomes: The fertility of the patient was preserved and hysterectomy was avoided., Conclusion: Transvaginal fertility-sparing surgery may be successfully performed to prevent hysterectomy when conservative treatment fails in patients with a CSP combined with an AVM.

Clostridium difficile infection is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and is mediated by the actions of two toxins, TcdA and TcdB. The toxins perturb host cell function through a multistep process of receptor binding, endocytosis, low pH-induced pore formation, and the translocation and delivery of an N-terminal glucosyltransferase domain that inactivates host GTPases. Infection studies with isogenic strains having defined toxin deletions have established TcdB as an important target for therapeutic development. Monoclonal antibodies that neutralize TcdB function have been shown to protect against C. difficile infection in animal models and reduce recurrence in humans. Here, we report the mechanism of TcdB neutralization by PA41, a humanized monoclonal antibody capable of neutralizing TcdB from a diverse array of C. difficile strains. Through a combination of structural, biochemical, and cell functional studies, involving X-ray crystallography and EM, we show that PA41 recognizes a single, highly conserved epitope on the TcdB glucosyltransferase domain and blocks productive translocation and delivery of the enzymatic cargo into the host cell. Our study reveals a unique mechanism of C. difficile toxin neutralization by a monoclonal antibody, which involves targeting a process that is conserved across the large clostridial glucosylating toxins. The PA41 antibody described here provides a valuable tool for dissecting the mechanism of toxin pore formation and translocation across the endosomal membrane.

Background: In renal diseases, earlier injury to glomerular may lead to the abscission of podocyte. The number of podocyte in urine may reflect the severity of glomerular damage. Podocalyxin (PCX) was considered as a podocyte marker. Many methods were used to detect podocyte. Applications of these methods were limited by tricky, expensive, and low accuracy. Here, we improved an immunocytochemical method to count the number of podocyte in urine., Methods: In this study, we counted the numbers of podocyte in urine by our improved method and detected the PCX levels in urine by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in glomerulopathy patients and healthy controls. The serum levels of cystatin C (CysC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CR), uric acid (URIC), and β2-Microglobulin (β2-MG) in all subjects were detected. Correlation analysis and diagnostic efficiencies comparisons among immuocytochemical method, ELISA, and the biochemistry index were also performed., Results: The podocyte counts in patients were significantly higher than controls. Podocytes counts positively correlated with PCX concentrations and the serum CysC. The podocyte count had higher diagnostic efficiency than PCX concentrations detected by ELISA and serum CysC., Conclusions: The podocyte count detected by our improved method had higher diagnostic efficiency than ELISA and serum CysC., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The Clostridium difficile toxin B is one of the main virulence factors and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of C. difficile infection (CDI). We recently revealed crucial residues in the translocation domain of TcdB for the pore formation and toxin translocation. In this study, we investigated the effects of mutating a critical site involved in pore formation, Leu-1106, to residues that differ in size and polarity (Phe, Ala, Cys, Asp). We observed a broad range of effects on TcdB function in vitro consistent with the role of this site in pore formation and translocation. We show that mice challenged systemically with a lethal dose (LD100) of the most defective mutant (L1106K) showed no symptoms of disease highlighting the importance of this residue and the translocation domain in disease pathogenesis. These findings offer insights into the structure function of the toxin translocation pore, and inform novel therapeutic strategies against CDI., (© FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Agrobacterium -mediated plant transformation is typically conducted by inoculating plant tissues with an Agrobacterium suspension containing approximately 10 8 -10 9 bacteria mL -1 , followed by a 2-3-d co-culture period. Use of longer co-culture periods could potentially increase transformation efficiencies by allowing more time for Agrobacterium to interact with plant cells, but bacterial overgrowth is likely to occur, leading to severe tissue browning and reduced transformation and regeneration. Low bacterial inoculum levels were therefore evaluated as a means to reduce the negative outcomes associated with long co-culture. The use of low inoculum bacterial suspensions (approximately 6 × 10 2 bacteria mL -1 ) followed by long co-culture (15 d) led to the production of an average of three transformed sunflower shoots per explant while the use of high inoculum (approximately 6 × 10 8 bacteria mL -1 ) followed by short co-culture (3 d) led to no transformed shoots. Low inoculum and long co-culture acted synergistically, and both were required for the improvement of sunflower transformation. Gene expression analysis via qRT-PCR showed that genes related to plant defense response were generally expressed at lower levels in the explants treated with low inoculum than those treated with high inoculum during 15 d of co-culture, suggesting that low inoculum reduced the induction of plant defense responses. The use of low inoculum with long co-culture (LI/LC) led to large increases in sunflower transformation efficiency. This method has great potential for improving transformation efficiencies and expanding the types of target tissues amenable for transformation of different plant species.

Disease associated with Clostridium difficile infection is caused by the actions of the homologous toxins TcdA and TcdB on colonic epithelial cells. Binding to target cells triggers toxin internalization into acidified vesicles, whereupon cryptic segments from within the 1,050-aa translocation domain unfurl and insert into the bounding membrane, creating a transmembrane passageway to the cytosol. Our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying pore formation and the subsequent translocation of the upstream cytotoxic domain to the cytosol is limited by the lack of information available regarding the identity and architecture of the transmembrane pore. Here, through systematic perturbation of conserved sites within predicted membrane-insertion elements of the translocation domain, we uncovered highly sensitive residues--clustered between amino acids 1,035 and 1,107--that when individually mutated, reduced cellular toxicity by as much as >1,000-fold. We demonstrate that defective variants are defined by impaired pore formation in planar lipid bilayers and biological membranes, resulting in an inability to intoxicate cells through either apoptotic or necrotic pathways. These findings along with the unexpected similarities uncovered between the pore-forming "hotspots" of TcdB and the well-characterized α-helical diphtheria toxin translocation domain provide insights into the structure and mechanism of formation of the translocation pore for this important class of pathogenic toxins.

Objective: To study the mechanism of protective effect of Jinqiaomai (JQM) on lung injury induced by Klebsiella pneumonia in rats., Method: The model of rats with Klebsiella pneumonia was established. The male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, JQM (6, 3, 1.5 g x kg(-1)) three groups, levofloxacin (25 mg x kg(-1)) group, JQM (3 g x kg(-1)) + levofloxacin (25 mg x kg(-1)) group. The contents of IL-1beta, ICAM-1 and INF-gamma in the lung tissue homogenate were measured by radio-immunoassay and Elisa. TLR2/4 mRNA and MyD88 mRNA expression were detected by RT-PCR. IkappaB-alpha expression was detected by Western Blot., Result: The rats of model group had obvious lung injury, but those of JQM, JQM + levofloxacin and levofloxacin groups had less injury. The contents of IL-1beta, ICAM-1 and INF-gamma in lung tissue homogenate and the expressions of TLR2/4 mRNA, MyD88 mRNA and IkappaB-alpha in lung of model group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), while IL-1beta, ICAM-1 and INF-gamma of JQM groups were significantly lower than those of model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The expressions of TLR2/4 mRNA, MyD88 mRNA and IkappaB-alpha of JQM (6.3 g x kg(-1)) groups were significantly lower than those of model group(P <0. 05 or P <0. 01)., Conclusion: The lung injury induced by Klebsiella pneumonia is related to TLR2/4, MyD88 mRNA and IkappaB-alpha. To decrease the excessive expression of TLR2/4, MyD88 mRNA and IkappaB-alpha might be the main mechanism of protective effect of Jinqiaomai on lung injury.

Objective: To detect and localize the expression of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) in human luteinized granulosa cells and investigate the effects of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on M-CSF production by human luteinized granulosa cells in vitro., Methods: Human luteinized granulosa cells were isolated from follicular fluid of superovulated infertile patients undergoing intracytoplasmatic sperm injection. Some of the luteinized granulosa cells were used for detecting M-CSF by immunocytochemical staining (ABC method). Most of them were cultured with HAM's F-10 medium alone or plus various concentrations of FSH (2, 5, 15, 25 IU/ml). The media were collected after 72 hours and their M-CSF contents were measured by a solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay., Results: About 80% of the luteinized granulosa cells were positively stained for M-CSF antibody. The immunoreactive signals of M-CSF were specially located in the cytoplasma of the luteinized granulosa cells. No immunoreactivity of M-CSF was observed in vaginal squamous epithelial cells through contaminations during transvaginal oocyte retrieval. The concentration of M-CSF in cultured luteinized granulosa cells medium without FSH stimulation was low. However, addition of 2, 5, 15, 25 IU/ml concentrations of FSH caused significant dose-dependent increases of M-CSF production after 72 hours culture by luteinized granulosa cells (P < 0.01)., Conclusions: Human luteinized granulosa cells can synthesize and secrete M-CSF. FSH can directly stimulate M-CSF secretion by human luteinized granulosa cells. The mechanism of FSH regulating follicular development may partially via M-CSF/receptor pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effects of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) on estradiol and progesterone production by human luteinized granulosa cells in vitro and to detect M-CSF receptor in human granulosa cells., Methods: Human luteinized granulosa cells (LGC) were isolated from follicular fluid of superovulated infertile patients undergoing intracytoplasmatic sperm injection. Some of the LGC were used for detecting M-CSF receptor by immunocytochemical staining (ABC method). Most of them were cultured with HAM's F-10 medium plus various concentration of M-CSF (0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 ng/ml) in the presence or absence of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Media were collected at 72 hours after culture and estradiol (E(2)) and progesterone (P) in media were measured by enzyme immunoassays., Results: About 80% of the LGC presented a positive M-CSF receptor staining with the immunochemical signal on cell membrane. After 72 hours culture of LGC, in absence of FSH, the baseline concentration of E(2) and P were (2,185 +/- 189) pmol/L, (3,157 +/- 401) nmol/L respectively; with the increasing dose of M-CSF from 10 to 100 ng/ml, the concentrations of E(2) increased from (2,789 +/- 365)pmol/L to (4,282 +/- 318) pmol/L, and those of P increased from (4,256 +/- 595) nmol/L to (7,789 +/- 828) nmol/L. In presence of FSH (75 IU/ml) the baseline concentrations of E(2) and P were (5,045 +/- 486) pmol/L and (8,667 +/- 923) nmol/L respectively; while the 10 - 100 ng/ml M-CSF was added the concentrations of E(2) and P were from (6,567 +/- 673) to (8,373 +/- 935) pmol/L and from (10,999 +/- 985) to (14,990 +/- 1,158) nmol/L respectively. Thus M-CSF caused a significant dose dependent increase of estradiol and progesterone production (P < 0.05), and M-CSF+ FSH further stimulated higher production of E(2) and P by LGC than M-CSF or FSH alone (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: M-CSF receptor was expressed on membrane of human LGC. M-CSF enhances estradiol and progesterone production by LGC and FSH has an additional or synergetic effect with M-CSF.