RMST for Interval-Censored Data in Oncology Clinical Trials.

In oncology studies, the assumption of proportional hazards is often questionable due to factors such as the presence of cured patients, a delayed treatment benefit, and possible treatment switching. The restricted mean survival time (RMST) has emerged as a valuable alternative summary measure to the hazard ratio (HR) in this scenario as it provides a clinically meaningful interpretation of treatment benefit without additional assumptions. As a commonly used primary endpoint, progression-free survival (PFS) is defined as the time from randomization to the first occurrence of death or progression of disease (PD).

Heterologous expression of a recombinant ACE inhibitory peptide LYPVK and its potential antihypertensive action mechanism.

Enzymatic hydrolysis approach is commonly employed for preparation of active peptides, while the limited purity and yield of produced peptides hinder further development of action mechanisms. This study presents the biotechnological approach for the efficient production of recombinant angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide LYPVK and investigates its potential antihypertensive action mechanism. DNA encoding sequence of recombinant peptide was designed to form in tandem, which was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3).

Modeling sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca in rat cardiomyocytes.

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) primarily serves as the intracellular Ca store in cardiac myocytes, mediating cellular function under cardiac physiology and diseases. However, the properties of cardiac SR Ca have not yet been fully determined, particularly in rats and mice, which are the most commonly used experimental species in studies on cardiac physiology and diseases. Here, we developed a spatially detailed numerical model to deduce Ca movements inside the junctional SR (jSR) cisternae of rat cardiomyocytes.

Cuyun Recipe ameliorates pregnancy loss by regulating macrophage polarization and hypercoagulable state during the peri-implantation period in an ovarian hyperstimulation mouse model.

Background: The Chinese herbal prescription Cuyun Recipe (CYR) has been widely used to treat clinical infertility and has shown good efficacy. Animal experiments have shown that CYR can promote implantation in mice, however, the exact mechanism underlying the implantation has not been elucidated.

Purpose: To investigate the effect and mechanism of CYR on regulating macrophage polarization and hypercoagulability during the peri-implantation period in mice with ovarian hyperstimulation.

Effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of acupuncture on IVF-ET outcomes.

Methods: Digital databases, including Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science and ScienceDirect, were searched from their inception to July 2022. The MeSH terms we used included: acupuncture, in vitro fertilization, assisted reproductive technology and randomized controlled trial.

The role of Hippo pathway in ovarian development.

The follicle is the functional unit of the ovary, whereby ovarian development is largely dependent on the development of the follicles themselves. The activation, growth, and progression of follicles are modulated by a diverse range of factors, including reproductive endocrine system and multiple signaling pathways. The Hippo pathway exhibits a high degree of evolutionary conservation between both and mammalian systems, and is recognized for its pivotal role in regulating cellular proliferation, control of organ size, and embryonic development.

Food preference strategy of four sympatric rodents in a temperate forest in northeast China.

Rodents are well known as both seed predators and dispersers of various plant species in forest ecosystems, and they play an important role in the regeneration of vegetation. Thus, the research on seed selection and vegetation regeneration by sympatric rodents is an interesting topic. To understand the characteristics of preferences of rodents for different seeds, a semi-natural enclosure experiment was performed with four rodent species (, , , and ) and the seeds of seven plant species (, , , , , , and ) to investigate the differentiation in niches and patterns of resource utilization of sympatric rodents.

Heterologous expression of quorum sensing transcriptional regulator LitR and its function in virulence-related gene regulation in foodborne pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila.

Background: Aeromonas hydrophila is an important foodborne and zoonotic pathogen causing serious diseases. Hence, revealing the pathogenic mechanism of A. hydrophila will be of importance in the development of novel therapies.

Genome-wide analysis of the SWEET genes in Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin: An insight into two latex-abundant isoforms.

Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin (Tk) is a promising alternative rubber-producing grass. However, low biomass and rubber-producing capability limit its commercial application. As a carbon source transporter in plants, sugar will eventually be exported transporters (SWEETs) have been reported to play pivotal roles in diverse physiological events in the context of carbon assimilate transport and utilization.

Persistent fibrinogen deficiency after snake bite: A case report.

Background: Venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC) is characterized by coagulation dysfunction accompanied by decreased coagulation factor activity and fibrinogen (FBG) concentrations. We report a patient with VICC caused by snake bite who manifested persistent FBG deficiency without abnormal coagulation factor activity. This information may be helpful in diagnosing and treating VICC.

Electroacupuncture facilitates implantation by enhancing endometrial angiogenesis in a rat model of ovarian hyperstimulation.

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) impairs the synchronized development of endometrium and embryo, resulting in the failure of embryo implantation. Here, we investigated what effects electroacupuncture had on embryo implantation in COH rats. Female rats were randomly assigned to four groups: normal (N), model (M), electroacupuncture (EA), and electroacupuncture pretreatment (PEA).