First-trimester triglyceride-glucose index and birth weight: a retrospective cohort mediation analysis of preterm birth and gestational complications.

Background: Insulin resistance during pregnancy, while physiologically adaptive to enhance fetal nutrient supply, becomes pathological when excessive, contributing to low birth weight (LBW). The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a biomarker of insulin resistance, predicts gestational complications, but its pathways to birth weight disparities remain unclear. This study investigates whether and to what extent first-trimester TyG index influences birth weight through preterm birth and gestational complications.

Water stress reduces cellulose deposition in the cell wall and increases wax content, resulting in decreased fiber quality.

Introduction: Water deficiency reduces cotton fiber quality, but the underlying mechanisms behind this decline remain poorly understood. Although the cuticle is critical for plant water homeostasis under drought, few studies have addressed the relationship between water stress, fiber epidermal wax, and fiber quality. Thus, studying the interaction between fiber cuticular wax and quality is crucial for understanding plant drought tolerance and breeding superior drought-resistant cotton varieties.

Volatile organic compounds at a highland forest site in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau: Source apportionment and reactivity contributions.

Atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are reactive species and the primary precursors of free radicals; thus, VOCs play important roles in tropospheric chemistry. Tibet field campaigns from April 4 to May 11, 2021 found high mixing ratios and reactivity contributions of oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) at Lulang, a site with high vegetation cover and strong solar ultraviolet radiation on the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The 13 OVOCs detected accounted for 49% of the total VOCs (TVOCs, with a mean mixing ratio ±1σ of 11.

Identifying First-Trimester Risk Factors for SGA-LGA Using Weighted Inheritance Voting Ensemble Learning.

The classification of fetuses as Small for Gestational Age (SGA) and Large for Gestational Age (LGA) is a critical aspect of neonatal health assessment. SGA and LGA, terms used to describe fetal weights that fall below or above the expected weights for Appropriate for Gestational Age (AGA) fetuses, indicate intrauterine growth restriction and excessive fetal growth, respectively. Early prediction and assessment of latent risk factors associated with these classifications can facilitate timely medical interventions, thereby optimizing the health outcomes for both the infant and the mother.

Study on the Relationship and Predictive Value of First-Trimester Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A, Maternal Factors, and Biochemical Parameters in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Large Case-Control Study in Southern China Mothers.

Objective: To investigate the relationship and predictive value of first-trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), maternal factors, and biochemical parameters with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in southern China mothers.

Methods: This study recruited 4872 pregnant women. PAPP-A, the free beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (free β-HCG), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and high- and low-density lipoproteins (HDL, LDL) were measured at 11-13 weeks of gestation.

Portable Paper-Based Nucleic Acid Enrichment for Field Testing.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) can be the method of choice for detecting infectious pathogens; these pathogens are responsible for not only infectious diseases such as COVID-19, but also for certain types of cancers. For example, infections by human papillomavirus (HPV) or Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are the main cause of cervical and stomach cancers, respectively.

Association between isolated maternal hypothyroxinemia during the first trimester and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Southern Chinese women: a retrospective study of 7051 cases.

Background: The association between isolated maternal hypothyroxinemia (IMH) and adverse pregnancy outcomes is still controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the association between IMH during the first trimester and adverse pregnancy outcomes in southern Chinese women.

Methods: This was a hospital-based, retrospective cohort study.

CHDbase: A Comprehensive Knowledgebase for Congenital Heart Disease-related Genes and Clinical Manifestations.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of themost common causes of major birth defects, with a prevalence of 1%. Although an increasing number of studies have reported the etiology of CHD, the findings scattered throughout the literature are difficult to retrieve and utilize in research and clinical practice. We therefore developed CHDbase, an evidence-based knowledgebase of CHD-related genes and clinical manifestations manually curated from 1114 publications, linking 1124susceptibility genes and 3591 variations to more than 300 CHD types and related syndromes.

Evaluation of association studies and a systematic review and meta-analysis of VDR polymorphisms in type 2 diabetes mellitus risk.

Numerous original studies and 4 published meta-analyses have reported the association between the Vitamin D receptor (VDR) BsmI, FokI, ApaI, and TaqI polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk. However, the results were inconsistent. Therefore, an updated meta-analysis was performed to further explore these issues.

Impact of Early Pregnancy Subclinical Hypothyroidism on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Study of 7,536 Cases.

Maternal subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to explore whether SCH in the first trimester contributed to the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). A total of 8,777 pregnant women who first visited before 13 weeks and 6 days of gestation and accepted routine prenatal service at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from January 2015 to September 2018 were recruited in this study.

MiR-101-containing extracellular vesicles bind to BRD4 and enhance proliferation and migration of trophoblasts in preeclampsia.

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a frequently occurring pregnancy disorder in the placenta, which results in various maternal and fetal complications. The current study aims to evaluate the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs)-encapsulated microRNA (miR)-101 in biological processes of trophoblasts in PE and its underlying mechanism.

Methods: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (HUCMSC) and HUCMSC-derived EVs were isolated and cultured, after which EV characterization was carried out using PKH67 staining.

An ultraportable and versatile point-of-care DNA testing platform.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) has broad applications in resource-limited settings. Here, a POCT platform termed POCKET (point-of-care kit for the entire test) is demonstrated that is ultraportable and versatile for analyzing multiple types of DNA in different fields in a sample-to-answer manner. The POCKET is less than 100 g and smaller than 25 cm in length.

Transformation of Biomass DNA into Biodegradable Materials from Gels to Plastics for Reducing Petrochemical Consumption.

Ancient biomass is the main source for petrochemicals including plastics, which are inherently difficult to be degraded, increasingly polluting the earth's ecosystem including our oceans. To reduce the consumption by substituting or even replacing most of the petrochemicals with degradable and renewable materials is inevitable and urgent for a sustainable future. We report here a unique strategy to directly convert biomass DNA, at a large scale and with low cost, to diverse materials including gels, membranes, and plastics without breaking down DNA first into building blocks and without polymer syntheses.

A PEGDA/DNA Hybrid Hydrogel for Cell-Free Protein Synthesis.

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has the advantage of rapid expression of proteins and has been widely implemented in synthetic biology and protein engineering. However, the critical problem limiting CFPS industrial application is its relatively high cost, which partly attributes to the overexpense of single-use DNA templates. Hydrogels provide a possible solution because they can preserve and reutilize the DNA templates in CFPS and have great potential in elevating the protein production yield of the CFPS.

Utility of MELD scoring system for assessing the prognosis of acute fatty liver of pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate the value of Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) in assessing the prognosis of acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP).

Study Design: This was a retrospective study. From January 2010 to July 2018, data of 53 women diagnosed with AFLP in the third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University were collected.

First-trimester fasting plasma glucose as a predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus and the association with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) at the first trimester in predicting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the association between FPG and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: The levels of FPG in women with singleton pregnancies were measured at 9-13 weeks. A two hour 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was completed at 24-28 weeks and the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria was used.

Effect of mildly elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone during the first trimester on adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Background: To investigate the effect of a mildly elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration between 2.5 and 4.0 mIU/L during the first trimester on pregnancy outcomes in thyroid peroxydase antibody (TPOAb)-negative pregnant women.

First Trimester Neck Circumference as a Predictor for the Development of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Backgrounds: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between neck circumference (NC) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and the efficacy of NC in predicting GDM by comparing with pregestational body mass index (preBMI) in southern Chinese woman.

Marerials And Methods: A total of 371 pregnant women (97 GDM and 274 normal pregnant women) were recruited from the third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. NC was measured at 11-13 gestational weeks.

Pollen magnetofection for genetic modification with magnetic nanoparticles as gene carriers.

Genetic modification plays a vital role in breeding new crops with excellent traits. Almost all the current genetic modification methods require regeneration from tissue culture, involving complicated, long and laborious processes. In particular, many crop species such as cotton are difficult to regenerate.

Cr:ZnS saturable absorber passively Q-switched mode-locking Tm,Ho:LLF laser.

We first report on a diode-end-pumped passively Q-switched mode-locking Tm,Ho:LLF laser at 2053 nm by using a Cr:ZnS saturable absorber. A stable Q-switched mode-locking pulse train with a nearly 100% modulation depth was achieved. The repetition frequency of the Q-switched pulse envelope increased from 0.

Utility of Pregestational Body Mass Index and Initial Fasting Plasma Glucose in Predicting Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the pregestational body mass index (preBMI) and initial fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in predicting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in southern Chinese women.

Study Design: A total of 327 pregnant women were recruited from the third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. The preBMI and initial FPG at 16-18 weeks' gestation were measured.

Characterization and Insights Into the Nano Liposomal Magnetic Gene Vector Used for Cell Co-Transfection.

The development of magnetofection technology has brought a promising method for gene delivery. Here, we develop a novel liposomal magnetofection system, consisted of magnetic nanoparticle and liposome through molecular assembly, was applied to introduce double genes into porcin somatic cells with high co-transfection efficiency. The performace of liposomal magnetic gene nanovectors has been evaluated by involving the micro morphology, diameters distribution, zeta potentials and the capacity of loading DNA molecules.

Synergistic combinations of antifungals and anti-virulence agents to fight against Candida albicans.

Candida albicans, one of the pathogenic Candida species, causes high mortality rate in immunocompromised and high-risk surgical patients. In the last decade, only one new class of antifungal drug echinocandin was applied. The increased therapy failures, such as the one caused by multi-drug resistance, demand innovative strategies for new effective antifungal drugs.

[Construction and characterization of liposomal magnetofection system in pig kidney cells].

Magnetic nano gene vector is one of the non-viral gene vectors, modified by functional group to bind cationic transfect reagents. Coupling magnetofection with the universal lipofection we developed a novel somatic cell transfection method as the so-called liposomal magnetofection (LMF). This approach is potential to provide somatic cell cloning with stable genetic cell lines to cultivate transgenic animals.

A magnetic nanoparticle-based multiple-gene delivery system for transfection of porcine kidney cells.

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles are promising candidates for gene delivery into mammalian somatic cells and may be useful for reproductive cloning using the somatic cell nuclear transfer technique. However, limited investigations of their potential applications in animal genetics and breeding, particularly multiple-gene delivery by magnetofection, have been performed. Here, we developed a stable, targetable and convenient system for delivering multiple genes into the nuclei of porcine somatic cells using magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles as gene carriers.