Effect of male body mass index on clinical outcomes following assisted reproductive technology: a meta‐analysis

Overweight and obese males might exhibit a great risk of infertility. However, according to the current studies, the association between elevated male body mass index (BMI) and the clinical adverse results after assisted reproductive technology (ART) remains controversial. Hence, we conducted a meta‐analysis to evaluate the effects of raised male BMI on clinical outcomes following ART. PubMed, EMBASE and three Chinese databases were used to identify relevant studies. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy rate. Secondary outcomes included live birth rate and sperm parameters. A total of 5262 male participants from 10 cohort studies were subjected to meta‐analysis. Results indicated that overweight or obese had no significant impact on clinical pregnancy rate [in vitro fertilisation (IVF): odds ratio (OR), 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39–1.39; intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.92–1.15], live birth rate (IVF: OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.78–1.06; ICSI: OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.50–1.99) and sperm concentration (SMD, ?0.28; 95% CI, ?0.65 to 0.08) compared with normal weight following IVF/ICSI treatments. Exclusion of any single study and almost all the sensitivity analyses showed that our results were reliable. At present, the role of male BMI in the process of ART is only partly understood and should be further investigated.     

Aggravation of spinal cord compromise following new osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture prevented by teriparatide in patients with surgical contraindications

Summary

Patients with spinal cord deficits following new unstable osteoporotic compression fracture and surgical contraindications were considered to receive conservative treatment. Teriparatide was better than alendronate at improving bone mineral density and bone turnover parameters, as well as preventing aggravation of spinal cord compromise.

Introduction

This study compared the preventive effects of teriparatide and alendronate on aggravation of spinal cord compromise following new unstable osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) in patients with surgical contraindications.

Methods

This was a 12-month, randomized, open-label study of teriparatide versus alendronate in 49 patients with new unstable OVCF and surgical contraindications. Neurological function was evaluated using modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score (11-point scale, the maximum score of 11 implies normalcy). Visual analog scale (VAS) scores, kyphotic angles, anterior-border heights and diameters of the spinal canal of the fractured vertebrae, any incident of new OVCFs (onset of OVCF during follow-up), spine bone mineral density (BMD), and serum markers of bone resorption and bone formation were also examined at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after initiation of the medication regimen.

Results

At 12 months, mean mJOA score had improved in the teriparatide group and decreased in the alendronate group. Mean concentrations of bone formation and bone resorption biomarkers, mean spine BMD, and mean anterior-border height and spinal canal diameter of the fractured vertebrae were significantly greater in the teriparatide group than in the alendronate group. Mean VAS score, mean kyphotic angle of the fractured vertebrae, and incidence of new OVCFs were significantly smaller in the teriparatide group than in the alendronate group.

Conclusions

In patients with neurological deficits following new unstable OVCF and with surgical contraindications, teriparatide was better than alendronate at improving the BMD and the bone turnover parameters, as well as preventing aggravation of spinal cord compromise.

     

两种抗生素复合骨水泥的材料学性能及抗菌活性研究

目的探讨复合万古霉素、美罗培南、万古霉素+美罗培南的抗生素复合骨水泥(AIBC)的性质,以探索抗菌谱更广、耐药可能性更低的AIBC。方法以Palacos为载药骨水泥,复合万古霉素、美罗培南、万古霉素+美罗培南,分别检测不同配方的AIBC的抗压强度、洗脱特性和抗菌活性。结果 5%质量分数的AIBC,其抗压强度降低至70 MPa左右,万古霉素、美罗培南均能够从AIBC中有效释放,万古霉素+美罗培南复合的AIBC万古霉素释放量高于仅复合万古霉素的AIBC,且差异有统计学意义(7.96%vs 5.25%,t=47.51,P0.01);同时美罗培南洗脱比例也轻度升高,且差异有统计学意义(2.86%vs 2.70%,t=2.98,P0.01),但不影响抗生素的抗菌活性。结论万古霉素与美罗培南复合后的AIBC促进万古霉素释放,对美罗培南的释放影响不大,能覆盖更广的PJI细菌谱,不降低材料学特性,不影响抗菌活性,在治疗PJI时应考虑使用。     

Influence of far upstream element binding protein 1 gene on chemotherapy sensitivity in human U251 glioblastoma cells

Introduction

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the far upstream element binding protein 1 gene (FUBP1) on chemotherapy sensitivity in human U251 glioblastoma cells.

Material and methods

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine the expression of the FUBP1 gene in 43 cases of human brain gliomas. Western blot analysis was used to determine the inhibitory effect of RNA interference on FUBP1 gene expression. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay (MTT) and flow cytometry methods were used to determine the growth inhibitory rate and apoptosis rate of the U251 cells with FUBP1 silencing. The growth inhibitory rate and apoptosis rate were further determined after treatment of those U251 cells with cisplatin (DDP).

Results

The expression of FUBP1 mRNA was up-regulated significantly in gliomas, 177.65% as much as in peri-cancerous tissues (p < 0.05). The expression of FUBP1 protein was inhibited significantly with siRNA-FUBP1 (p < 0.05). In FUBP1-silenced cells, the growth inhibitory rate increased from 1.4% to 29.5%, and the apoptosis rate increased from 2.68% to 5.84% (p < 0.05 for both). After treating with DDP at various concentrations (1, 3, 5 µg/ml), the growth inhibitory rate of FUBP1-silenced cells increased from 14.42%, 17.46% and 23.55% to 21.69%, 27.51% and 37.57%; the apoptosis rate increased from 8.85%, 14.37% and 18.21% to 13.25%, 18.46% and 26.52%.

Conclusions

The up-regulation of FUBP1 relates to the carcinogenesis of gliomas. FUBP1 silencing increases the growth inhibitory rate and apoptosis rate of the U251 cells, and enhances the chemotherapy sensitivity of U251 cells to DDP.     

Cortical thickness and surface area in neonates at high risk for schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with subtle abnormal cortical thickness and cortical surface area. However, it is unclear whether these abnormalities exist in neonates associated with genetic risk for schizophrenia. To this end, this preliminary study was conducted to identify possible abnormalities of cortical thickness and surface area in the high-genetic-risk neonates. Structural magnetic resonance images were acquired from offspring of mothers (N = 21) who had schizophrenia (N = 12) or schizoaffective disorder (N = 9), and also matched healthy neonates of mothers who were free of psychiatric illness (N = 26). Neonatal cortical surfaces were reconstructed and parcellated as regions of interest (ROIs), and cortical thickness for each vertex was computed as the shortest distance between the inner and outer surfaces. Comparisons were made for the average cortical thickness and total surface area in each of 68 cortical ROIs. After false discovery rate (FDR) correction, it was found that the female high-genetic-risk neonates had significantly thinner cortical thickness in the right lateral occipital cortex than the female control neonates. Before FDR correction, the high-genetic-risk neonates had significantly thinner cortex in the left transverse temporal gyrus, left banks of superior temporal sulcus, left lingual gyrus, right paracentral cortex, right posterior cingulate cortex, right temporal pole, and right lateral occipital cortex, compared with the control neonates. Before FDR correction, in comparison with control neonates, male high-risk neonates had significantly thicker cortex in the left frontal pole, left cuneus cortex, and left lateral occipital cortex; while female high-risk neonates had significantly thinner cortex in the bilateral paracentral, bilateral lateral occipital, left transverse temporal, left pars opercularis, right cuneus, and right posterior cingulate cortices. The high-risk neonates also had significantly smaller cortical surface area in the right pars triangularis (before FDR correction), compared with control neonates. This preliminary study provides the first evidence that early development of cortical thickness and surface area might be abnormal in the neonates at genetic risk for schizophrenia.