Seismic detection of a 600-km solid inner core in Mars.

For rocky planets, the presence of a solid inner core has notable implications on the composition and thermal evolution of the core and on the magnetic history of the planet. On Mars, geophysical observations have confirmed that the core is at least partially liquid, but it is unknown whether any part of the core is solid. Here we present an analysis of seismic data acquired by the InSight mission, demonstrating that Mars has a solid inner core.

Transcriptomic analysis of theca cells in a PCOS rat model: insights into follicular development.

Background: This study aimed to analyze differentially expressed genes in theca cells of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) rats using transcriptomic sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis and PCR validation were performed to identify genes involved in follicular development regulation in PCOS.

Methods: Twenty 6-week-old female SD rats with regular estrous cycles were divided into two groups (PCOS and control, n = 10 each).

Causal relationships between metabolic syndrome, plasma metabolites, and female reproductive diseases: insights from a two-step mendelian randomization approach.

Background: Female reproductive diseases-including endometriosis (EMs), uterine fibroids (UFs), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy (EP), infertility, miscarriage, and ovarian aging-pose significant global health challenges. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a series of metabolic irregularities and has been linked to distinct plasma metabolomic profiles. Investigating the etiological connections among MetS, plasma metabolites, and female reproductive diseases is essential for devising effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in Utilizing In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) and Stem Cell-Based Embryo Models (SCBEMs) for Human Reproduction in Singapore.

Singapore is a small, affluent and technologically advanced city-state located in Southeast Asia. Due to its lack of natural resources, this country relies heavily on its highly educated and skilled workforce to drive its economic engine. However, in recent years, Singapore has been facing a demographic crunch due to its ultra-low fertility rate and rapidly aging population, which poses an existential threat to its survival as a nation-state.

Confugenics - East Asian culture favors uptake of human cognitive enhancement and IVF genetic technologies amid demographic challenges.

This study examines the declining fertility rates in East Asian Confucian societies, focusing on the unique childrearing practices and how future advancements in human enhancement and reprogenetic technologies may further accelerate the demographic decline. The focus is on the obsession with "child perfectionism" driven by the pursuit of academic credentialism and hypercompetitive social norms. This phenomenon has roots in the historical imperial examinations of China and has evolved into modern college entrance exams.

PRMT3 gene expression and methylation levels in arrested embryos: Implications for developmental arrest defects.

Embryos generated through in vitro fertilization (IVF) frequently experience developmental arrests or blocks, which significantly reduces the success rate of IVF therapy. Recent studies have shown that the protein arginine methylase 3 (PRMT3) plays a crucial role in the regulating of gene expression during early embryonic development. However, the exact regulatory mechanisms of PRMT3 involved in early embryonic development are still unclear.

Clay minerals-mediated removal of Norfloxacin and Norfloxin-resistant bacteria from water environments and associated mechanisms.

Norfloxacin (NOR) is frequently detected in various water bodies and has the potential to promote the proliferation of NOR-resistant bacteria/genes in the environment. Efficiently removing residual NOR and NOR-resistant bacteria from contaminated water is critical to mitigating their environmental risks. This study investigated the ability of two common clay minerals, kaolinite and montmorillonite, to remove NOR and NOR-resistant bacteria from five different water environments (ultrapure water, simulated and real freshwater, and simulated and real seawater) and explored the underlying removal mechanisms.

High Pressure-Temperature Study of MgF, CaF, and BaF by Raman Spectroscopy: Phase Transitions and Vibrational Properties of AF Difluorides.

The phase transition of AF difluorides strongly depends on pressure, temperature, and cationic radius. Here, we have investigated the phase transition of three difluorides, including MgF, CaF, and BaF, at simultaneously high pressures and temperatures using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction in externally heated diamond anvil cells up to 55 GPa at 300-700 K. Rutile-type difluoride MgF with a small cationic radius undergoes a transition to the CaCl-type phase at 9.

Counseling Elective Egg Freezing Patients considering Donation of Unused Surplus Frozen Eggs for Fertility Treatment.

The majority of women who freeze their eggs for non-medical or social reasons, commonly referred to as elective egg freezing (EEF), do not eventually utilize their frozen eggs. This would result in an accumulated surplus of unused frozen eggs in fertility clinics worldwide, which represents a promising source of donation to infertile women undergoing IVF treatment. Rigorous and comprehensive counseling is needed, because the process of donating one's unused surplus frozen eggs involves complex decision-making.

High-throughput sequencing reveals hub genes for human early embryonic development arrest fertilization: a pilot study.

Many clinical studies have shown that embryos of fertilization (IVF) are often prone to developmental arrest, which leads to recurrent failure of IVF treatment. Early embryonic arrest has always been an urgent clinical problem in assisted reproduction centers. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development arrest remain largely unknown.

Peptidomic analysis of follicular fluid in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the differential expression of peptides within the follicular fluid of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients normal women by using peptidomics techniques. The underlying mechanisms involved in PCOS pathogenesis will be explored, together with screening and identification of potential functional peptides via bioinformatics analysis. A total of 12 patients who underwent fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) at the Reproductive Medicine Center of Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 1 September 2022 to 1 November 2022 were included in this study.

Effects of body mass index on IVF outcomes in different age groups.

Background: Herein, we aimed to analyse the effects of body mass index (BMI) on the treatment outcomes of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in a cohort of women undergoing their first IVF cycle.

Methods: A total of 2311 cycles from 986 women undergoing their first IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle with fresh/frozen embryo transfer between January 2018 and December 2021 at the Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shuguang Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, were considered in this retrospective cohort study. First, the included patients were classified into four groups based on their BMI: underweight (BMI < 18.

Hot dense silica glass with ultrahigh elastic moduli.

Silicate and oxide glasses are often chemically doped with a variety of cations to tune for desirable properties in technological applications, but their performances are often limited by relatively lower mechanical and elastic properties. Finding a new route to synthesize silica-based glasses with high elastic and mechanical properties needs to be explored. Here, we report a dense SiO-glass with ultra-high elastic moduli using sound velocity measurements by Brillouin scattering up to 72 GPa at 300 K.

Perspective for elasticity of minerals in the Earth's top lower mantle.

The elasticity of minerals under high pressure-temperature conditions is crucial for constraining mantle composition. This perspective highlights recent advances in experimental and theoretical work in determining the elasticity of minerals to resolve the origin of low-velocity layers and the seismic anisotropy in the top lower mantle.

Maternal phylogeographic patterns and coalescent times of Arabidopsis thaliana based on chloroplast DNA analyses.

Arabidopsis thaliana, one of the most important model plants, has played an essential role in every biological field including evolutionary biology. Recent population genomic studies have gradually clarified the origin and evolution of this species. Nevertheless, incongruent patterns among gene trees based on cytogenetic data have highlighted the importance of understanding the life history evolution and landscape biogeography of extant A.