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This study was aimed to elucidate the relationship between sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and semen parameters, and to investigate the impact of these parameters on in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) outcomes. The study was conducted on 159 couples undergoing IVF-ET treatment at the Department of Reproductive Health from January 2019 to October 2023. The case group was comprised of 79 patients with sperm DFI of ≥15%, and the control group had 80 patients with 0.05). However, marked differences were found in the rates of sperm progressive motility, total sperm motility, normal morphology, high-quality embryos, and transferable embryos (p < 0.05). The correlation analysis between sperm DFI and semen parameters exhibited positive correlation between sperm DFI and total sperm count (p < 0.05). The negative correlations were found between the sperm DFI and sperm progressive motility, total sperm motility, or normal morphology (p < 0.01). The findings demonstrated that incorporating sperm DFI as a standard component of semen analysis was advisable, and the sperm DFI as reference tool assisted in predicting the early embryonic development in IVF-ET patients.

IntroductionStudies on the effect of vaccine type and two other vaccines other than inactivated vaccines approved in China on in vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancy outcomes are rare. To complement and confirm the existing findings, this research aimed to investigate whether there are adverse effects of different vaccine types in females and males on reproductive function and clinical pregnancy.MethodsThis retrospective study enrolled 6,455 fresh embryo transfer cycles at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between May 1, 2021, and October 31, 2022. The primary outcome is the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR). At the same time, the secondary results are the number of oocytes retrieved, two pronuclei (2PN) rate, blastocyst formation rate, high-quality blastocyst rate, and semen parameters (volume, density, sperm count, forward motility rate, total motility rate, immobility rate, and DNA fragment index (DFI) rate).ResultsIn the comparison of ovarian stimulation indicators, no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in Gn days, endometrial thickness, 2PN rate, metaphase 2 (MII) rate, high-quality embryo rate, and blastocyst formation rate. No significant differences (P>0.05) were found in age, body mass index (BMI), education level, and semen parameters (volume, density, sperm count, forward motility rate, total motility rate, immobility rate, and DFI rate) in these four groups. The multivariate regression model showed that neither the types of vaccines nor the vaccination status of both infertile couples significantly affected clinical pregnancy.DiscussionThe type of vaccine does not appear to have an unfavorable effect on ovarian stimulation, embryo development, semen parameters, and clinical pregnancy.

Abstract Harvesting renewable mechanical energy is envisioned as a promising and sustainable way for power generation. Many recent mechanical energy harvesters are able to produce instantaneous (pulsed) electricity with a high peak voltage of over 100 V. However, directly storing such irregular high‐voltage pulse electricity remains a great challenge. The use of extra power management components can boost storage efficiency but increase system complexity. Here utilizing the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS, high‐rate metal‐free micro‐supercapacitor (MSC) arrays are successfully fabricated for direct high‐efficiency storage of high‐voltage pulse electricity. Within an area of 2.4 × 3.4 cm2 on various paper substrates, large‐scale MSC arrays (comprising up to 100 cells) can be printed to deliver a working voltage window of 160 V at an ultrahigh scan rate up to 30 V s−1. The ultrahigh rate capability enables the MSC arrays to quickly capture and efficiently store the high‐voltage (≈150 V) pulse electricity produced by a droplet‐based electricity generator at a high efficiency of 62%, significantly higher than that (

Abstract MXene is a promising energy storage material for miniaturized microbatteries and microsupercapacitors (MSCs). Despite its superior electrochemical performance, only a few studies have reported MXene‐based ultrahigh‐rate (>1000 mV s−1) on‐paper MSCs, mainly due to the reduced electrical conductance of MXene films deposited on paper. Herein, ultrahigh‐rate metal‐free on‐paper MSCs based on heterogeneous MXene/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)‐stack electrodes are fabricated through the combination of direct ink writing and femtosecond laser scribing. With a footprint area of only 20 mm2, the on‐paper MSCs exhibit excellent high‐rate capacitive behavior with an areal capacitance of 5.7 mF cm−2 and long cycle life (>95% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles) at a high scan rate of 1000 mV s−1, outperforming most of the present on‐paper MSCs. Furthermore, the heterogeneous MXene/PEDOT:PSS electrodes can interconnect individual MSCs into metal‐free on‐paper MSC arrays, which can also be simultaneously charged/discharged at 1000 mV s−1, showing scalable capacitive performance. The heterogeneous MXene/PEDOT:PSS stacks are a promising electrode structure for on‐paper MSCs to serve as ultrafast miniaturized energy storage components for emerging paper electronics.

Core–shell structured Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3KTaO3 + x% (in mass) Li2CO3 ceramics were fabricated in this study. Increasing x from 0 to 2 leads to the decrease of sintering temperature from 1 175 °C to 1 020 °C. The limited diffusion of Ta5+ results in chemical heterogeneities and core–shell microstructures. The Ta5+-depleted cores show the nanodomains (∼10 nm), while the Ta5+-rich shells display the polar nanoregions (1–2 nm). From x = 0 to 1, the appearance of cores with nanodomains contributes to the increase of dielectric constant and maximum polarization, while the further addition of Li2CO3 suppresses the dielectric and polarization responses due to the reduced grain sizes and polarization coupling. The enhanced dielectric relaxation and existence of core-shell microstructure with different polarization levels help to optimize the dielectric temperature stability. The x = 2 ceramics exhibit a stable high dielectric constant ∼1 400 over a wide temperature range of 20–520 °C. More encouragingly, the ultrafine grain size and core–shell microstructure in the x = 2 ceramics greatly benefit the improvement of breakdown strength. Combined with the delayed polarization saturation and high ergodicity, a high recoverable energy density of ∼5.07 J/cm3 is obtained under 44 kV/mm, with a high efficiency of ∼85.17%.

Abstract Background This retrospective study aimed to investigate the most suitable endometrial thickness (EMT) on the day of embryo transfer that could reduce ectopic pregnancy rate (EPR) and improve clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) in fresh embryo transfer patients with early follicular phase long-acting regimen. Methods A total of 11,738 IVF/ICSI cycles, comprising 4,489 non-clinical pregnancies, 7,121 intrauterine pregnancies, and 128 ectopic pregnancy cycles after fresh embryo transfer, recorded between September 2017 and December 2020. Clinical pregnancy (CP) and ectopic pregnancy (EP) were the primary outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for EP and CP. Patients were divided into three groups based on the EMT (6–10 mm, 11–15 mm, and 16–20 mm). CPR and EPR per millimeter of EMT were drawn into a line chart, and three groups were analyzed by Chi-square test. Results After controlling for potential confounders, EMT had a significant effect on CP (aOR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05–1.08; P = 0.00) and EP (aOR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82–0.94; P = 0.00). With the increase of EMT, CPR increased and EPR decreased. Pearson correlation coefficients were r = 0.708 (P = 0.00) and r =-0.558 (P = 0.03), respectively. Significant differenceswere detected in the CPRs and EPRs (all P = 0.00). The CPR in the 6–10 mm group (54.88%) was significantly lower than that in the 11–15 mm group (64.23%) and the 16–20 mm group (64.40%) (P = 0.00). The EPR in the 6–10 mm group (2.72%) was significantly higher than that in the other two groups (1.60% and 0.97%, P = 0.00). The difference in CPR and EPR between the 11–15 mm group and the 16–20 mm group was not statistically significant, which indicated that EMT ≥ 11 mm simultaneously reduced the EPR and increased the CPR. Conclusions EMT was inversely proportional to EPR and directly proportional to CPR in fresh embryo transfer cycles. The EMT ≥ 11 mm on the day of embryo transfer could simultaneously achieve lower EPR and higher CPR. Accordingly, more attention should be given to the EMT of women who underwent ART treatment.

Abstract Objectives To explore the incidence of retained embryos (REs) in embryo transfer (ET) cycles and its effects on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Methods This was a matched retrospective cohort study involving 29,160 ET cycles conducted from March 2016 to February 2021, in which ET cycles without RE were matched to the RE group at a 2:1 ratio. Clinical pregnancy, implantation, miscarriage, and live birth rates were compared between the with-RE and without-RE groups. Results Our study showed that the overall incidence of REs was 0.33% (95/29,160). There was a statistically significant difference in RE rate among the operators (P

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to detect any gender bias in fetal malformation cases.DesignThis study was a cross-sectional, quantitative survey.SubjectsOverall, 1,661 Asian fetal malformation cases involving induced abortions in the obstetrics department of the first Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2012 to 2021 were included.Main outcome measuresMeasurements of ultrasound detectable structural malformations were classified into 13 subtypes. Karyotyping, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, or sequencing diagnosis of these fetus was also included in the outcome measures.ResultsThe sex ratio (male/female) of all malformation types was 1.446. Cardiopulmonary had the highest proportion of all malformation types with 28%. Diaphragmatic hernia, omphalocele, gastroschisis, nuchal translucency (NT), and Multy malformations had significantly higher proportions of males (p < 0.05). Digestive system malformations had a significantly higher proportion of females (p < 0.05). Maternal age was associated with genetic factors (r = 0.953, p < 0.001) and inversely associated with brain malformations (r = −0.570, p = 0.002). More males were found with trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and monogenetic diseases, while duplications, deletions, and uniparental disomy (UPD) had similar sex ratios between males and females, but not statistically significant.ConclusionSex differences are common with fetal malformations, with higher proportions of males. Genetic testing has been proposed to account for these differences.

ObjectiveTo assess whether low-grade inflammation, measured by serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels, is associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes.DesignA retrospective study.SettingUniversity-affiliated IVF center.Patient(s)In the present study, 875 women of normal weight who underwent their first fresh embryo transfer (ET) cycles for IVF treatment were divided into three groups according to serum concentrations of hsCRP.Intervention(s)Serum from women undergoing IVF was collected on days 2-4 of a spontaneous menstrual cycle prior to the commencement of ovarian stimulation.Main Outcome Measure(s)The IVF outcomes included implantation, biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and live birth rates.Result(s)The women were divided into three groups according to the baseline serum levels of hsCRP as follows: low hsCRP (3 mg/L; n=88). The maternal age was similar among the three groups. The women in the high and medium hsCRP group had significantly higher BMI compared with those in the low hsCRP group. The protocol of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, the gonadotropin dose administered, the serum estradiol levels, progesterone levels and the endometrial thickness on the day of triggering, as well as the number of retrieved oocytes, fertilized oocytes and good quality embryos, and the oocyte maturation rate were similar among the three groups. Implantation, biochemical pregnancy and clinical miscarriage rates did not differ significantly were not significantly different among three groups. The clinical pregnancy rate was significantly lower in the high hsCRP group compared with that in the low hsCRP group (50.0% versus 63.4%; P

Peripheral nerve regeneration with large defects needs innovative design of nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) which possess anisotropic guidance, electrical induction and right mechanical properties in one. Herein, we present, for the first time, facile fabrication and efficient neural differentiation guidance of anisotropic, conductive, self-snapping, hydrogel-based NGCs. The hydrogels were fabricated via crosslinking of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) upon exposure with blue light, incorporated with graphene oxide (GO). Incorporation of GO and in situ reduction greatly enhanced surface charges, while decayed light penetration endowed the hydrogel with an intriguing self-snapping feature by the virtue of a crosslinking gradient. The hydrogels were in the optimal mechanical stiffness range for peripheral nerve regeneration and supported normal viability and proliferation of neural cells. The PC12 ​cells differentiated on the electroactive g-C3N4 H/rGO3 (3 ​mg/mL GO loading) hydrogel presented 47% longer neurite length than that of the pristine g-C3N4 H hydrogel. Furthermore, the NGC with aligned microchannels was successfully fabricated using sacrificial melt electrowriting (MEW) moulding, the anisotropic microchannels of the 10 ​μm width showed optimal neurite guidance. Such anisotropic, electroactive, self-snapping NGCs may possess great potential for repairing peripheral nerve injuries.

Oocyte retrieval is a routine procedure during the application of assisted reproduction technology. However, technical difficulties experienced during oocyte retrieval and the subsequent unsatisfactory number of oocytes obtained are rarely reported. The current study included 10,624 oocyte retrieval cycles from April 2015 to June 2018, and patients were followed up until February 2019. Patients were divided into two groups depending on whether the oocyte number obtained reached the >14-mm follicle number on the day of hCG administration. In the oocyte retrieval not satisfactory (ORNS) group, there were 1,294 cycles, and in the oocyte retrieval satisfactory (ORS) group, there were 9,330 cycles. ORNS patients were older, had a longer duration of infertility, had higher follicle-stimulating hormone, and were more likely to have endometriosis. The ORS group had a higher rate of the use of a follicular phase long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist long ovarian stimulation protocol and a lower rate of the use of a luteal phase short-acting GnRH agonist long protocol. The ORNS group had fewer total number of days of FSH stimulation. On human chorionic gonadotropin day, the ORNS group had higher luteinizing hormone (LH), lower estradiol, and lower progesterone levels. After oocyte retrieval, the oocyte quality and fresh cycle transplantation rate were higher in the ORNS group. An unsatisfactory oocyte retrieval number did not influence the clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate, or live birth rate during the fresh cycles. The cumulative pregnancy rate and the live birth rate were lower in the ORNS group. In conclusion, with a similar number of matured follicles, ORNS was more likely to occur in ovarian dysfunction patients. The follicular phase long-acting GnRH agonist long protocol had lower oocyte retrieval difficulty during IVF/ICSI. ORNS does not affect embryo quality or the fresh cycle pregnancy rate, but it significantly reduces the cumulative pregnancy rate and the live birth rate.

Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second primary neurodegenerative disease affecting human health, is mainly characterized by dopaminergic neuron damage in the midbrain and the clinical manifestation of movement disorders. Studies have shown that neuroinflammation plays an important role in the progression of PD. Excessively activated microglia produce several pro-inflammatory mediators, leading to damage to the surrounding neurons and finally inducing neurodegeneration. Echinocystic acid (EA) exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect in peripheral tissues. However, whether it inhibited neuroinflammation remains unclear. Therefore, the current study investigates the effect of EA on neuroinflammation and whether it can improve PD symptoms through inhibiting neuroinflammation. In our experiments, we discovered that EA inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-exposed BV2 cells. Further mechanism-related studies revealed that EA inhibited inflammation by activating PI3K/Akt and inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK signal pathways in LPS-induced BV2 cells. Research revealed that EA eases microglia-mediated neuron death in SN4741 and SHSY5Y cells. In in vivo studies, the results demonstrated that EA improves weight loss and behavioral impairment in MPTP-induced mice. Further studies have revealed that EA inhibited dopaminergic neuron damage and inflammation in the mice midbrain. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that EA inhibits neuroinflammation and exerts neuroprotective effects by activating PI3K/Akt and inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK signal pathways in vivo and in vitro.

Water uptake facilitates the initiation of seed germination. It is presumed that aquaporin (AQP)-mediated water inflow contributes to seed germination, but the genetic evidence is still lacking. This study aimed at genome-wide identification of ZmAQPs and further determined the physiological functions. Following a comprehensive search, a total of 41 ZmAQPs were identified according to the latest genome database. Through bioinformatic approaches, the physicochemical characteristics, phylogenetic relationships, and structural features of ZmAQPs were analyzed. The gene expression analysis of 20 high-resolution and multi-tissues samples showed that ZmAQPs had distinct spatiotemporal and tissue-specific expression profiles during seed germination and early seedling development. We then focused on the aquaporin of maize tonoplast intrinsic protein 3 (ZmTIP3), which is specifically expressed in germinating seed. A mutant zmtip3-1 with disruption of the ZmTIP3-1 gene showed shorter shoot and root length, and decreased seedling dry weight compared with the control (W22). The result revealed that ZmTIP3-1 improved the absolute content of seed protein and promoted storage reserves mobilization, suggesting that ZmTIP3 may be a positive regulator of seed vigor. This work provides valuable clues for understanding the function and possible regulatory mechanism of ZmAQPs in seed germination and seedling growth.

Abstract Background Balanced complex chromosome rearrangements (BCCR) are balanced chromosomal structural aberrations that involve two or more chromosomes and at least three breakpoints. It is very rare in the population. The objective is to explore the difference of influence of three types of BCCR on early embryonic development and molecular karyotype. Results Twelve couples were recruited including four couples of three-way rearrangements carriers (group A), three couples of double two-way translocations carriers (group B) and five couples of exceptional CCR carriers (group C). A total of 243 oocytes were retrievedin the seventeen preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles, and 207 of these were available for fertilization. After intracytoplasmic sperm injection, 181oocytes normally fertilized. The rates of embryos forming on day3 in three groups were 87.88, 97.78 and77.14%, which was significantly different (P = 0.01). Compared with group B, the rate of embryo formation was statistically significantly lower in group C (P = 0.01). Furthermore, the rates of high-quality blastocysts in three group were 14.71, 48.15 and 62.96%, respectively, which was significantly different (P = 0.00). Compared with group B andC, the rate of high-quality blastocysts in group A was statistically significantly lower (P = 0.00;P = 0.00). Comprehensive chromosome analysis was performed on 83 embryos, including 75 trophectodermcellsand 8 blastomeres. Except 7 embryos failed to amplify, 9.01%embryos were diagnosed as euploidy, and 90.91% were diagnosed as abnormal. As for group A, the euploid embryo rate was 10.71%and the abnormal embryo rate was 89.29%. In group B,the euploid embryo rate was 3.85%, the abnormal embryo rate was 96.15%. The euploid embryo rate was 13.04%, the abnormal embryo rate was 86.96% in group C. There were no significant differences among the three groups (P = 0.55). Conclusions The lowest rate of high quality blastocysts has been for three-way rearrangements and the lowest rate of euploidy has been for double two-way translocations, although no significant difference. Different types of BCCR maybe have little effect on the embryonic molecular karyotype. The difference of influence of BCCR on early embryonic developmentandmolecular karyotypeshould be further studied.

BackgroundThe definition of recurrent implantation failure (RIF) differs clinically, one of the most controversial diagnostic criteria is the number of failed treatment cycles. We tried to investigate whether the two implantation failure could be included in the diagnostic criteria of RIF.MethodsA retrospective analysis of the clinical data of patients (N=1518) aged under 40 years with two or more implantation failure, recruited from the Center for Reproductive Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2016 to June 2019.ResultsAfter adjusting for confounding factors by using binary logistic regression, the results showed that partial general information and: distribution of associated factors were significant differences such as maternal age (aOR=1.054, P=0.001), type of cycle (aOR=2.040, P0.05), but the live birth rate (35.64% vs 42.95%, P=0.004) was significantly different. According to the definition of ‘two or more failed treatment cycles’, the live birth rate of the first ET treatment after RIF diagnosis was significantly lower than that of patients according to the definition of ‘three or more failed treatment cycles’.ConclusionFor patients with unexplained recurrent implantation failure, two implantation failure cannot be included in the diagnostic criteria of RIF. This study supports the generally accepted definition of three or more failed treatment cycles for RIF.

Electrospinning is considered the most versatile micro‐/nanofiber fabrication technology. The electrospun fibers hold high surface area, desired mechanical properties, controlled topography, as well as the ease of biochemical functionalization. The 3D electrospun fibrous structures closely mimic the hierarchical architecture and fibrous features of the extracellular matrices (ECM), which greatly contribute to biomaterials design to stimulate tissue regeneration. Herein, the recent advances in electrospinning technology for 3D production of ECM‐mimicking biomaterial scaffolds are systematically summarized and the applications in neural, cardiac, bone, skin, and vascularized tissue regeneration are thoroughly discussed. Challenges and future scopes related to each field of tissue regeneration are discussed after each subsection. A few examples of liver, kidney, esophageal tissue engineering are also discussed. Finally, the key challenge in the cost‐effective upscale of the electrospinning technique to mature and prevalent industrial applications is outlined. Herein, a systematic, thorough summary of the recent evolutions in electrospinning and its emerging applications for a broad range of tissue regenerations is provided.

Microglia, the main immune cells in the brain, participate in the innate immune response in the central nervous system (CNS). Studies have shown that microglia can be polarized into pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes. Accumulated evidence suggests that over-activated M1 microglia release pro-inflammatory mediators that damage neurons and lead to Parkinson’s disease (PD). In contrast, M2 microglia release neuroprotective factors and exert the effects of neuroprotection. Camptothecin (CPT), an extract of the plant Camptotheca acuminate, has been reported to have anti-inflammation and antitumor effects. However, the effect of CPT on microglia polarization and microglia-mediated inflammation responses has not been reported. In our study we found that CPT improved motor performance of mice and reduced the loss of neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) of the midbrain in LPS-injected mice. In the mechanism study, we found that CPT inhibited M1 polarization of microglia and promotes M2 polarization via the AKT/Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB signals. Furthermore, CPT protected the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y and dopaminergic neuron cell line MN9D from damage mediated by microglia activation. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that CPT regulates the microglia polarization phenotype via activating AKT/Nrf2/HO-1 and inhibiting NF-κB pathways, inhibits neuro-inflammatory responses, and exerts neuroprotective effects in vivo and in vitro.

Wearable electronics: electrodes healable by water Wearable electronic devices are susceptible to degradation or fatigue fracture, but now the aged electrodes of the devices can be healed by simple water vapor treatment. A group of international researchers led by Prof Lifeng Cui from Dongguan University of Technology, China designs repairable microfiber-based network electrodes with high conductivity, high transparency and ultra-flexibility. The electrodes consist of polycaprolactone microfibers as healing agents and a thin conducting layer coating such as gold. The electrodes can recover the conductivity and mechanical strength after tensile failure or even cutting, which can be attributed to the adhesion and capillary force at the interface of gold and polymer. Upon embedding in PDMS elastomer, the electrodes show excellent durability of up to 1000 cycles and can be used in wearable pressure and strain sensing devices.

Abstract The magnetic microrobots actuated by an external magnetic field can access distant, enclosed, and small spaces under fuel‐free conditions, which is apromising technology for manipulation and delivery under microenvironment; however, the complicated fabrication method limits their applications. Herein, three techniques including melt electrospinning writing (MEW), micromolding, and skiving process are combined to successfully mass‐produce tadpole‐like magnetic polycaprolactone/Fe3O4 (PCL/Fe3O4) microrobot. Importantly, the tadpole‐like microrobots under an external magnetic field can achieve two locomotions: rolling mode and propulsion mode. The rolling motion can approach the working destination quickly with a speed of ≈2 mm s−1. The propulsion motion (0−340 µm s−1) can handle a microcargo. Such a simple and cost‐effective production method shows a great potential for scale‐up fabrication of advanced shape‐design, mass‐production, and multifunctionality microrobot.

Glyphosate (GP)-based herbicides have been widely applied to crops for weed control and pre-harvest desiccation. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of pre-harvest GP application on maize or how it physiologically alters this crop. Here, we applied four GP treatment (Control, GP150, GP200, and GP250) on maize lines of Z58 and PH6WC belonging to different maturity groups at grain-filling stages form DAP30 to DAP45. GP application significantly decreased the grain moisture content at harvest by 22–35% for Z58 and by 15–41% for PH6WC. However, the responses of grain weight to glyphosate vary with inbred lines and application time. A high concentration of glyphosate (GP250) reduced the grain weight of Z58 and low concentrations (GP150 and GP200) did not affect, while the grain weight of PH6WC significantly decreased under glyphosate treatment. In summary, our results revealed that timely and appropriate GP application lowers grain moisture content without causing seed yield and quality loss. GP application adversely affected photosynthesis by promoting maturation and leaf senescence. Meanwhile, it also enhanced non-structural carbohydrate (soluble sugars and starch) remobilization from the vegetative organs to the grains. Hence, GP treatment coordinates plant senescence and assimilate remobilization. RNA sequencing revealed that glyphosate regulated the transcript levels of sugar signaling-related genes and induced assimilate repartitioning in grains. This work indicates the practical significance of GP application for maize seed production and harvest, which highlights the contributions of source-sink communication to maize yield in response to external stress or pre-harvest desiccant application.

Traditionally, chromosomal polymorphisms (CPMs) are normal genetic variants in individuals with no phenotypic variations. However, some studies have shown that CPM is related to reproductive diseases. We explored the influence of CPM on embryonic development and molecular karyotype in chromosomal translocation (CT) patients undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) between February 2013 and May 2019. Twenty-six cases with CPM and 56 controls with normal chromosomes were included. Furthermore, a 1:4 match pair analysis by female age included 39 cases with CTCPM and 185 controls with CT. There was no statistical difference in fertilization rate (78.48% vs. 78.33%), cleavage rate on Day 3 (90.32% vs. 89.16%), blastocyst rate (60.00% vs. 60.80%), and the high-quality blastocyst rate (36.31% vs. 35.22%) between CPM and normal chromosomes. The high-quality blastocyst rate of CTCPM was significantly lower than that for CT (26.78% vs. 38.89%). Moreover, there was no statistical difference in fertilization rate (70.65% vs. 70.37%), cleavage rate on Day 3 (88.67% vs. 89.53%), and blastocyst rate (48.48% vs. 53.17%) between CTCPM and CT. In addition, one CTCPM spouse had a lower high-quality blastocyst rate, especially of males with CTCPM. Abnormal embryo rates of CTCPM were significantly higher than those for CT (78.64% vs. 68.93%). Abnormal embryo rates were higher in both CTCPM and CPM paternal carriers with CT partners, respectively. For CT, CTCPM may have an impact on the high-quality blastocyst rate and embryonic molecular karyotype, especially in male patients. Patients with CTCPM are relatively rare, but this population would benefit from being explored using a larger sample size.

In order to investigate the influence of the molecular karyotype based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray on embryonic development potential in preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data generated by PGD using embryos retrieved from parents with chromosome rearrangements in our center. In total, 929 embryos from 119 couples had exact diagnosis and development status. The blastocyst formation rate of balanced molecular karyotype embryos was 56.6% (276/488), which was significantly higher than that of genetic imbalanced embryos 24.5% (108/441) (P35 respectively. Blastocyst formation rates of male and female embryos were 44.5% (183/411) and 38.8% (201/518) respectively, with no significant difference between them (P>0.05). The rates of balanced molecular karyotype embryos vary from groups of embryos with different cell numbers at 68 hours after insemination. The blastocyst formation rate of embryos with 6-8 cells (48.1%) was significantly higher than that of embryos with 8 cells (42.9%) (P8 cells, embryos with 6-8 blastomeres have higher rate of balanced molecular karyotype and blastocyst formation.

In order to explore the relationship between serum progesterone (P) level on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration and cumulative live birth rate in patients with different ovarian response during in vitro fertilization (IVF), we carried out this retrospective cohort study including a total of 4,651 patients undergoing their first IVF cycles from January 2011 to December 2012. All patients with a final live birth outcome (4,332 patients) were divided into three groups according to ovarian response: poor ovarian responder (≤5 oocytes, 785 patients), intermediate ovarian responder (6-19 oocytes, 3065 patients) and high ovarian responder (≥20 oocytes, 482 patients). The thresholds for serum P elevation were 1.60 ng/ml, 2.24 ng/ml, and 2.50 ng/ml for poor, intermediate, and high ovarian responders, respectively. Cumulative live birth rate per oocyte retrieval cycle was calculated in each group. The relationship between serum P level and cumulative live birth rate was evaluated by both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Cumulative live birth rate per oocyte retrieval cycle was inversely associated with serum P level in patients with different ovarian response. For all responders, patients with elevated P level had significantly higher number of oocytes retrieved, but lower high quality embryo rate, and lower cumulative live birth rate compared with patients with normal serum P level. In addition, serum P level adversely affected cumulative live birth rate by both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent of ovarian response. Serum P elevation on the day of HCG administration adversely affects cumulative live birth rate per oocyte retrieval cycle in patients with different ovarian response.

Introduction: Studies on the effect of vaccine type and two other vaccines other than inactivated vaccines approved in China on in vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancy outcomes are rare. To complement and confirm the existing findings, this research aimed to investigate whether there are adverse effects of different vaccine types in females and males on reproductive function and clinical pregnancy. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 6,455 fresh embryo transfer cycles at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between May 1, 2021, and October 31, 2022. The primary outcome is the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR). At the same time, the secondary results are the number of oocytes retrieved, two pronuclei (2PN) rate, blastocyst formation rate, high-quality blastocyst rate, and semen parameters (volume, density, sperm count, forward motility rate, total motility rate, immobility rate, and DNA fragment index (DFI) rate). Results: In the comparison of ovarian stimulation indicators, no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in Gn days, endometrial thickness, 2PN rate, metaphase 2 (MII) rate, high-quality embryo rate, and blastocyst formation rate. No significant differences (P>0.05) were found in age, body mass index (BMI), education level, and semen parameters (volume, density, sperm count, forward motility rate, total motility rate, immobility rate, and DFI rate) in these four groups. The multivariate regression model showed that neither the types of vaccines nor the vaccination status of both infertile couples significantly affected clinical pregnancy. Discussion: The type of vaccine does not appear to have an unfavorable effect on ovarian stimulation, embryo development, semen parameters, and clinical pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Inspired by natural wrinkled surfaces, artificial surfaces with biomimetic wrinkled structures have been widely used to improve optical properties, wettability, and antibacterial properties. However, the preparation of wrinkled structures has the disadvantages of long-time consumption and complex processes. Herein, we prepared a self-wrinkling polyurethane-acrylate (PUA) wood coating via biomimetic self-wrinkling patterns by using a light-emitting diode (LED)/excimer/mercury lamp curing system, which was capable of self-matting, anti-fingerprint and skin-tactile performance. By adjusting the irradiation intensity in the curing system, the wavelength (λ) and amplitude (A) of wrinkles on the coating surface were controlled to enhance the coating performance. After curing by the LED, excimer, and mercury lamps at energy intensities of 500, 30, and 300 mW/cm2 respectively, the self-wrinkling coating showed excellent surface performance. The self-wrinkling coating represented low gloss of 4.1 GU at 85°, high hardness of 4H. Interestingly, the coating surface had a high hydrophobicity (104.5°) and low surface energy (29–30 mN/m) and low coefficient (COF) of friction (0.1–0.2), which were consistent with those of the human skin surface. Besides, the wrinkled structure also improved the thermal stability of the coating samples. This study provided a promising technique for the mass production of self-wrinkling coatings that could be used in wood-based panels, furniture, and leather.