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Objective To investigate the effectiveness of gelatin/polycaprolactone (GT/PCL) membranes for restoring endometrial structure and function and fertility in a rat model of endometrial injury.Methods We randomized 125 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to the sham, natural repair (NR), estrogen (E), GT/PCL, and E-GT/PCL groups. Except for the sham group, all rats underwent uterine curettage. After 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks, 12 rats from each group were sacrificed; their uterine tissue was collected for histological, immunohistochemical, and reverse transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction analyses. Eight rats from each group underwent radiography of the uterine cavity. The remaining 25 females were mated with males to assess fertility 60 d postoperatively.Results The GT/PCL and E-GT/PCL groups had higher endometrial thickness, collagen degradation, cytokeratin 19, vimentin (VIM) expression, and microvessel densities and had higher levels of estrogen receptors (ERα) but lower levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) than the NR and E groups. They also showed better hysterographic patency, with the shape of the uterine cavity similar to that of the sham group, and higher embryo implantation rates than the NR and E groups.Conclusions GT/PCL membranes promote endometrial regeneration and improve fertility in rats. They may help prevent intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) postoperatively and warrant further investigation.

PurposeHashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is one of the most commonly encountered types of autoimmune thyroid disorders (AITDs), influenced by environmental factors, genetics, and the immune system. Previous research has shown a correlation between gut microbiota and HT, as well as the involvement of immune cells in its onset and progression. We aimed to investigate whether immune cells act as intermediaries in the causal relationship between gut microbiota and HT.MethodsIn this study, we conducted bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to explore the relationship between gut microbiota and HT using data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and the MiBioGen study. Subsequently, MR analyses were performed to investigate the interactions between 731 immune cells and gut microbiota. Additionally, an MR analysis was performed to examine the association between HT and these 731 immune cells, using a GWAS dataset that included 3,757 European subjects. This approach provided insights into the impact of 22 million genetic variants on 731 immune cell signatures.ResultsThere was a causal relationship between the increase in the number of 15 gut microbiota and HT. We observed that the genus Akkermansia, family Alcaligenaceae, family Desulfovibrionaceae, family Verrucomicrobiaceae, class Verrucomicrobiae, order Verrucomicrobiales, phylum Verrucomicrobia, class Alphaproteobacteria, order Desulfovibrionales, genus Ruminococcus torques group, genus Butyrivibrio, and genus Coprococcus3 were negatively correlated with HT. In addition, the genus Intestinimonas, genus Turicibacter, and genus Anaerostipes were positively correlated with HT. We identified EM CD4 + T cells as a mediator between the gut microbiota and HT.ConclusionIn conclusion, we presented causal associations between the EM CD4 + T cell-mediated gut microbiota and HT, as inferred from the MR findings derived from extensive aggregated GWAS data. Our research offers guidance and direction for treating and preventing HT.