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In order to investigate the effects of different packaging materials on the quality changes of walnut oil, walnut oil was packaged in open glass beakers, tinplate cans, and glass oil bottles, respectively. The Schaal oven method was used to accelerate the oxidation of oil. The peroxide value, acid value, fatty acid composition and relaxation characteristics were used as evaluation indicators to study the effects of different packaging materials on the oxidative stability and predicted shelf life of walnut oil. When the peroxide value was limited to ≤0.25 g/100 g according to national standards for vegetable oils, the predicted shelf life of walnut oil packed in beakers, tinplate cans, glass oil bottles with added TBHQ, and the blank control were 160, 112, 336 and 64 days, respectively. Throughout the predicted shelf life, the acid values of the walnut oil remained within the range required for grade 2 walnut oil. The order of strength of the oxidation stability of walnut oil with TBHQ added by three packaging materials was glass oil bottle>beaker>tinplate can, and it is recommended to store walnut oil in glass oil bottles for long-term storage.

Background Esophageal and gastric varices bleeding (EGVB) is one of the most common and dangerous complications of liver cirrhosis. However, whether EGVB affects the one-year mortality of patients with liver cirrhosis remains unclear. Objective To explore the influence of EGVB on one-year mortality and influencing factors in patients with liver cirrhosis, providing guidance for follow-up for these patients. Methods This study selected liver cirrhosis patients who were admitted to the Affiliated Changsha Central Hospital, University of South China from January 2015 to May 2021. The patients were divided into EGVB group and non-bleeding (control group) by the prevalence of EGVB at the first consultation. One-year routine follow-up was conducted with them until the date of death from liver cirrhosis or the termination follow-up day. Logistic regression analysis was conducted for screening the factors affecting one-year mortality. Furthermore, the covariates between the two groups were matched in a 1∶2 ratio using propensity score matching (PSM) . Then, Logistic regression analyses were applied to identify and compare the influencing factors of one-year mortality in the groups. Results Among the 812 patients enrolled, 158 (19.5%) were diagnosed with EGVB, and the other 654 (80.5%) had no EGVB. The one-year mortality of the EGVB and control groups was 13.3% (21/158) and 13.9% (91/654) , respectively, showing no significant difference (P>0.05) . Before PSM, multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated serum sodium level〔OR=0.95, 95%CI (0.90, 0.99) 〕 and albumin level [OR=0.95, 95%CI (0.91, 0.99) 〕 were associated with a decreased risk of one-year mortality (P0.05) . Moreover, elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 〔OR=1.15, 95%CI (1.02, 1.29) 〕 was an independent risk factor for one-year mortality in EGVB group (P

Background: Women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) often utilize acupuncture to enhance pregnancy outcomes. Yet, the optimal timing for acupuncture sessions and the relationship between dosage and effect remain uncertain. Objectives: To investigate the impact of the timing and dosage of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes, drawing on existing research. Methods: A comprehensive search of eight databases was conducted from their inception to January 14th, 2023, without restrictions on language. Only randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture with either sham acupuncture or no adjuvant treatment were selected for inclusion. This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy of acupuncture in IVF-ET, analyzing the influence of varied timing and dosage on pregnancy outcomes. Subgroup analyses were undertaken to address any heterogeneity across the studies. Results: A total of 38 RCTs involving 5,991 participants were analyzed. In infertile women undergoing IVF fresh cycles, acupuncture performed during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) significantly increased the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) (relative risk [RR] = 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.65, p = 0.01), whereas acupuncture administered either before COH or on the day of ET did not demonstrate reproductive benefits. Regarding frozen cycles, acupuncture before freeze-thaw embryo transfer (FET) significantly enhanced the CPR (RR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.36–2.16, p < 0.00001) and live birth rate (LBR) (RR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.20–4.79, p = 0.01). Improvements in CPR were observed across all dosage groups, but only the high-dosage group showed a significant increase in LBR (RR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.05–2.92, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Timing and dosage of acupuncture are crucial factors affecting pregnancy outcomes in IVF-ET. For women undergoing IVF fresh cycles, acupuncture during COH yielded more significant reproductive benefits. In addition, acupuncture before freeze–thaw embryo transfer (FET) was associated with improved pregnancy outcomes in frozen cycles. Furthermore, higher dosages of acupuncture were linked to more favorable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Vitronectin (VTN), a multifunctional glycoprotein, is involved in various biological and pathological processes. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of VTN on mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) of pulmonary fibroblast cells. Methods Lentivirus encoding for VTN-specific shRNA was constructed and infected into the cultured fibroblast WI-38 cells. Real-time PCR and Western blot were applied to examine the expression of VTN in WI-38 cells. MTT assay was used to assess cell proliferation. Western blot was conducted to examine the expression of MET-related and apoptosis-related proteins. Results The knockdown of VTN significantly inhibited the growth of WI-38 cells compared to the control group. Meanwhile, knockdown of VTN remarkably increased the expression of Bax and Caspase 3 compared with the control group. Furthermore, knockdown of VTN significantly promoted the expression of E-cadherin in comparison to control group. Conclusions Knockdown of VTN promoted the expression of apoptosis-related factors, meanwhile, facilitated the MET process of fibroblast cells by regulating the expression of relevant factors. In sum, VTN performed a potential regulator in cell growth and MET of pulmonary fibroblast cells, which can be considered as a potential target for diagnose and therapy of relevant diseases., Author(s): Ya Zeng [sup.1], Jiahua Yu [sup.1], Mina Liu [sup.1], Qin Zhang [sup.1], Xuwei Cai [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.16821.3c, 0000 0004 0368 8293, Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Chest [...]