POS0754 DEVELOPMENT OF A RISK PREDICTION MODEL FOR VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: THE SLE-VTE SCORE

Background:

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a substantially increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). An individual VTE risk assessment is important to ensure that all patients are assessed and given adequate thromboprophylaxis.

Objectives:

We conducted this study to develop a risk score for VTE in patients with SLE.

Methods:

Patients with SLE who participated in the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research group were enrolled in this study. Patient baseline information and clinical laboratory indicators were obtained, and VTE events were recorded every 3-6 months during follow-up visits. The risk prediction model was created and internally validated using the bootstrap methods, and a scoring system was established (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Flow chart of study design.

Results:

Out of 4,502 patients included in this study, 135 had a VTE event. After univariate analysis and Lasso regression, the following 11 variables were identified and included in the risk prediction model: male sex, age, BMI ≥25 kg/m2, hyperlipidemia, hypoalbuminemia, hsCRP>3 mg/L, renal involvement, nervous system involvement, anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibody positivity, lupus anticoagulant positivity, and no use of hydroxychloroquine. The AUC for the SLE-VTE score (Table 1) was 0.947 (95% CI, 0.9249-0.9694). The SLE-VTE score’s sensitivity and specificity with the optimal cutoff value of 13 were 0.919 and 0.881, respectively. The SLE-VTE score was superior to the GAPSS system in predicting the risk of VTE in patients with SLE (AUC= 0.947 vs. 0.680, P< 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement (IDI)= 0.6652, P< 0.001; net reclassification improvement (NRI)= 0.6652, P< 0.001).

Table 1.

Final multivariable analysis for venous thromboembolism risk in patients with SLE

β coefficientsOdds ratio* (95% CI)P-valuePoints in scoring systemMale0.6211.86(0.953-3.503)0.0612Age at study entry(≥50)0.8372.308(1.339-3.915)0.0023BMI02(kg/m20.7922.209(1.333-3.627)0.0023Hyperlipemia0.8382.313(1.246-4.166)0.0063Hypoalbuminemia2.1638.697(5.185-14.794)< 0.0017hsCRP>3 mg/L1.4524.272(2.618-6.968)< 0.0015Anti β2GPI1.0132.754(1.543-4.853)0.0013LA1.5594.752(2.799-8.072)< 0.0015Nervous system2.38210.832(6.163-18.998)< 0.0018Lupus nephritis0.8352.305(1.414-3.756)0.0013No use of hydroxychloroquine1.7715.876(3.722-9.401)< 0.0016

BMI: body mass index; hsCRP: Hypersensitive c-reactive protein; ACL: anticardiolipin, antiβ2GPI: anti-β2-glycoprotein I, LA: lupus anticoagulantm;

Values in bold are statistically significant at p <0.05.

Conclusion:

Various factors are related to the occurrence of VTE in patients with SLE. The proposed SLE-VTE risk score can accurately predict the risk of VTE and help identify SLE patients with a high risk of VTE who may benefit from thromboprophylaxis.

References:

[1]Ramirez GA, Efthymiou M, Isenberg DA, Cohen H. Under crossfire: thromboembolic risk in systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatology. 2018;58:940-952.

[2]Chung WS, Lin CL, Chang SN, Lu CC, Kao CH. Systemic lupus erythematosus increases the risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism: a nationwide cohort study. J Thromb Haemost. 2014;12:452-458.

[3]Liew NC, Alemany GV, Angchaisuksiri P, et al. Asian venous thromboembolism guidelines: updated recommendations for the prevention of venous thromboembolism. Int Angiol. 2017;36:1.

[4]Savino S, Giovanni S, Veronica M, Dario R, Khamashta MA, Laura BM. GAPSS: the Global Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome Score. Rheumatology. 2013:8.

[5]Konstantinides SV, Meyer G, Becattini C, et al. 2019 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of acute pulmonary embolism developed in collaboration with the European Respiratory Society (ERS). Eur Heart J. 2020;41:543-603.

[6]Moghadamyeghaneh Z, Hanna MH, Carmichael JC, Nguyen NT, Stamos MJ. A Nationwide Analysis of Postoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in Colon and Rectal Surgery. J Gastrointest Surg. 2014;18:2169-2177.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

A multi-orientation low-frequency rotational accelerometer

We present a low frequency rotational accelerometer coined ALFRA with a few nrad/Hz readout sensitivity above 20 mHz and 0.1 nrad/Hz above 50 mHz. The ALFRA is a beam-balance style rotation sensor, which pivots about a cross flexure designed to allow mounting with any orientation, the axis of the pivot determining which rotational component is measured. The high sensitivity is achieved through the use of a walk-off sensor readout used in a feedback loop with an electromagnetic coil to keep the beam dynamically locked. The ALFRA is relatively compact for a ground rotation sensor, measuring at 780 × 240 × 55 mm³.

Tumor-derived exosomal components: the multifaceted roles and mechanisms in breast cancer metastasis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently invasive malignancy and the leading cause of tumor-related mortality among women worldwide. Cancer metastasis is a complex, multistage process, which eventually causes tumor cells to colonize and grow at the metastatic site. Distant organ metastases are the major obstacles to the management of advanced BC patients. Notably, exosomes are defined as specialized membrane-enclosed extracellular vesicles with specific biomarkers, which are found in a wide variety of body fluids. Recent studies have demonstrated that exosomes are essential mediators in shaping the tumor microenvironment and BC metastasis. The transferred tumor-derived exosomes modify the capability of invasive behavior and organ-specific metastasis in recipient cells. BC exosomal components, mainly including noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), proteins, lipids, are the most investigated components in BC metastasis. In this review, we have emphasized the multifaceted roles and mechanisms of tumor-derived exosomes in BC metastasis based on these important components. The underlying mechanisms mainly include the invasion behavior change, tumor vascularization, the disruption of the vascular barrier, and the colonization of the targeted organ. Understanding the significance of tumor-derived exosomal components in BC metastasis is critical for yielding novel routes of BC intervention.

Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Helium Energy Spectrum from 70 GeV to 80 TeV with the DAMPE Space Mission

The measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic ray helium nuclei from 70 GeV to 80 TeV using 4.5 years of data recorded by the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is reported in this work. A hardening of the spectrum is observed at an energy of about 1.3 TeV, similar to previous observations. In addition, a spectral softening at about 34 TeV is revealed for the first time with large statistics and well controlled systematic uncertainties, with an overall significance of 4.3σ. The DAMPE spectral measurements of both cosmic protons and helium nuclei suggest a particle charge dependent softening energy, although with current uncertainties a dependence on the number of nucleons cannot be ruled out.

OP0307 GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS RELEVANCE TO PERIPHERAL LYMPHOCYTE SUBPOPULATION IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Background:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with disturbance of lymphocyte subpopulations1. Growing experimental and clinical evidence suggests that chronic inflammatory response induced by gut microbiome critically contribute to the development of SLE2 3.

Objectives:

To investigate the characteristics of gut microbiome and the associations between flora and peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations in SLE patients.

Methods:

A total of 19 SLE patients who fulfilled the 2019 American college of Rheumatology (ACR) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification criteria and 16 age- and sex- matched healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this study. The peripheral T lymphocyte subsets of these participants were assessed by flow cytometry and the gut microbiota were investigated via 16s rRNA. Indicators of disease activity such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complement C3 and C4 were recorded at the same time. Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare T lymphocyte subsets between SLE patients and HC. Spearman analysis was used for calculating correlation between T subsets and highly expressed differential flora as well as their correlation with disease activity indicators. All P-values reported herein were two-tailed and P-value<0.05 was taken as statistically significant.

Results:

SLE patients had higher proportions of Th17 cells (P=0.020) and γδT cells (P=0.018) but lower levels of Treg cells (P=0.001), Tfh cells (P=0.018) and Naïve CD4+T cells (P=0.004) (Figure 1a-e). The diversity and relative abundance of intestinal flora in patients with SLE were significantly different from those in HCs. Detailly, the α-diversity was decreased in SLE (P<0.05) (Figure 2a-c). Compared with HC, 11 species of flora were discovered to be distinctly different(P<0.05) (Figure 2d-e). Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between Treg levels and Ruminococcus2 (P=0.042), Th17 and Megamonas (P=0.009), γδT and Streptococcus (P=0.004) as well as Megamonas (P=0.003), Tfh and Bacteroides (P=0.040). Whereas Th1 levels and Bifidobacterium were negatively correlated in these participants (P=0.005). As for clinical disease measures, there were negative correlations not only between ESR and Treg cells (P=0.031) but also C4 and the amount of Unclassified Ruminococcaceae (P=0.032).

Conclusion:

Abnormality of T cell subsets, especially the level of Naïve CD4+T, γδT, Tfh, Treg, and Th17 cells contributes to the occurrence and progression of SLE, which may be related to the disturbance of gut microbiota. Therefore it is necessary to attach importance to the alteration of gut microbiota to prevent the outbreak of inflammation and maybe they can be identified as biomarkers predicting disease activity.

References:

[1]Katsuyama T, Tsokos GC, Moulton VR. Aberrant T Cell Signaling and Subsets in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Front Immunol 2018;9:1088. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01088 [published Online First: 2018/06/06]

[2]López P, de Paz B, Rodríguez-Carrio J, et al. Th17 responses and natural IgM antibodies are related to gut microbiota composition in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Sci Rep 2016;6:24072. doi: 10.1038/srep24072 [published Online First: 2016/04/06]

[3]Esmaeili SA, Mahmoudi M, Momtazi AA, et al. Tolerogenic probiotics: potential immunoregulators in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. J Cell Physiol 2017;232(8):1994-2007. doi: 10.1002/jcp.25748 [published Online First: 2016/12/21]

Acknowledgements:

This project was supported by National Science Foundation of China (82001740), Open Fund from the Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology (Shanxi Medical University) (KLCP2019) and Innovation Plan for Postgraduate Education in Shanxi Province (2020BY078).

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared.

[Optical correction principles of accommodative esotropia]

Accommodative esotropia is the most common type of esotropia in children. The patients often need to wear hyperopic glasses to correct eye positions and improve vision and binocular function. However, the course of accommodative esotropia is usually long, so it is necessary to monitor the refractive changes for a long time. Maintaining full hyperopic correction will interfere with the emmetropia development of the eyeball, and undercorrection of hyperopia will lead to the risk of esotropia decompensation. These often bring confusion when clinicians prescribe glasses. The benefits of accommodative esotropia with a high accommodation convergence/accommodation ratio from fitting bifocal lenses and the effect of prisms on residual esotropia have also been controversial topics in this field. In this article, we combine the research status and clinical practice to present some points of view for the peer reference. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 331-335).

Clinical and genetic spectrum of a Chinese cohort with SCN4A gene mutations

Skeletal muscle sodium channelopathies due to SCN4A gene mutations have a broad clinical spectrum. However, each phenotype has been reported in few cases of Chinese origin. We present detailed phenotype and genotype data from a cohort of 40 cases with SCN4A gene mutations seen in neuromuscular diagnostic service in Huashan hospital, Fudan University. Cases were referred from 6 independent provinces from 2010 to 2018. A questionnaire covering demographics, precipitating factors, episodes of paralysis and myotonia was designed to collect the clinical information. Electrodiagnostic studies and muscle MRI were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical spectrum of patients included: 6 Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (15%), 18 Hypokalemic periodic paralysis (45%), 7 sodium channel myotonia (17.5%), 4 paramyotonia congenita (10%) and 5 heterozygous asymptomatic mutation carriers (12.5%). Review of clinical information highlights a significant delay to diagnosis (median 15 years), reports of pain and myalgia in the majority of patients, male predominance, circadian rhythm and common precipitating factors. Electrodiagnostic studies revealed subclinical myotonic discharges and a positive long exercise test in asymptomatic carriers. Muscle MRI identified edema and fatty infiltration in gastrocnemius and soleus. A total of 13 reported and 2 novel SCN4A mutations were identified with most variants distributed in the transmembrane helix S4 to S6, with a hotspot mutation p.Arg675Gln accounting for 32.5% (13/40) of the cohort. Our study revealed a higher proportion of periodic paralysis in SCN4A-mutated patients compared with cohorts from England and the Netherlands. It also highlights the importance of electrodiagnostic studies in diagnosis and segregation studies.

Circular RNAs: Their Role in the Pathogenesis and Orchestration of Breast Cancer

As one of the most frequently occurring malignancies in women, breast cancer (BC) is still an enormous threat to women all over the world. The high mortality rates in BC patients are associated with BC recurrence, metastatic progression to distant organs, and therapeutic resistance. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), belonging to the non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), are connected end to end to form covalently closed single-chain circular molecules. CircRNAs are widely found in different species and a variety of human cells, with the features of diversity, evolutionary conservation, stability, and specificity. CircRNAs are emerging important participators in multiple diseases, including cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and cancer. Recent studies have shown that circRNAs are involved in BC progress by regulating gene expression at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level via binding to miRNAs then inhibiting their function, suggesting that circRNAs may be potential targets for early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of BC. Herein, in this article, we have reviewed and summarized the current studies about the biogenesis, features, and functions of circRNAs. More importantly, we emphatically elucidate the pivotal functions and mechanisms of circRNAs in BC growth, metastasis, diagnosis, and drug resistance. Deciphering the complex networks, especially the circRNA-miRNA target gene axis, will endow huge potentials in developing therapeutic strategies for combating BC.

Effects of replacing soybean meal with pumpkin seed cake and dried distillers grains with solubles on milk performance and antioxidant functions in dairy cows

Pumpkin seed cake (PSC), a byproduct of pumpkin seed oil processing, is used in ruminant feed as a beneficial protein source. Experiments were conducted to evaluate PSC as a substitute for soybean meal in the diets of lactating cows based on performance, rumen fermentation, antioxidant function and nitrogen partitioning. Six multiparous lactating cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square experiment with 27-day periods. The cows were randomly divided into three treatment groups: group (1) was fed a diet containing no PSC (0PSC), and groups (2) and (3) were fed diets in which soybean meal was replaced with PSC and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) at levels of 50% (50PSC) and 100% (100PSC), respectively. The diets were isonitrogenous and contained identical roughage but different proportions of PSC and DDGS. Replacement of soybean meal with PSC and DDGS did not influence rumen degradation, milk performance, rumen fermentation, DM intake or apparent total tract digestibility, and nitrogen partitioning between milk, feces and urine did not differ in the animals fed the three diets. However, compared with a diet containing no PSC, the total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.05) and antioxidant enzymes (total superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase) activities (P < 0.05) were increased in the animals that received the 50PSC and 100PSC diets. In contrast, addition of PSC significantly reduced concentrations of aspartate transaminase (P < 0.05), alkaline phosphatase (P < 0.05) and malondialdehyde (P < 0.05) in the plasma. These results demonstrate that PSC can be completely substituted for soybean meal in the diet of dairy cows without any negative impact on milk performance, rumen fermentation or apparent digestibility and that this dietary change improves antioxidant functions and blood parameters in dairy cows, indicating that PSC has the potential for use as a feed source for dairy cows.

Peripheral blood T-cell receptor repertoire as a predictor of clinical outcomes in gastrointestinal cancer patients treated with PD-1 inhibitor

BACKGROUND

Identifying valid biomarkers for patient selection impressively promotes the success of anti-PD-1 therapy. However, the unmet need for biomarkers in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers remains significant. We aimed to explore the predictive value of the circulating T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire for clinical outcomes in GI cancers who received anti-PD-1 therapy.

METHODS

137 pre- and 79 post-treated peripheral blood samples were included. The TCR repertoire was evaluated by sequencing of complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) in the TRB gene. The Shannon index was used to measure the diversity of the TCR repertoire, and Morisita's overlap index was used to determine TCR repertoire similarities between pre- and post-treated samples.

RESULTS

Among all enrolled patients, 76 received anti-PD-1 monotherapy and 61 received anti-PD-1 combination therapy. In the anti-PD-1 monotherapy cohort, patients with higher baseline TCR diversity exhibited a significantly higher disease control rate (77.8% vs. 47.2%; hazard ratio [HR] 3.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-13.48; P = 0.030) and a longer progression-free survival (PFS) (median: 6.47 months vs. 2.77 months; HR 2.10; 95% CI 1.16-3.79; P = 0.014) and overall survival (OS) (median: NA vs. 8.97 months; HR 3.53; 95% CI 1.49-8.38; P = 0.004) than those with lower diversity. Moreover, patients with a higher TCR repertoire similarity still showed a superior PFS (4.43 months vs. 1.84 months; HR 13.98; 95% CI 4.37-44.68; P < 0.001) and OS (13.40 months vs. 6.12 months; HR 2.93; 95% CI 1.22-7.03; P = 0.016) even in the cohort with lower baseline diversity. However, neither biomarker showed predictive value in the anti-PD-1 combination therapy cohort. Interestingly, the combination of TCR diversity and PD-L1 expression can facilitate patient stratification in a pooled cohort.

CONCLUSION

The circulating TCR repertoire can serve as a predictor of clinical outcomes in anti-PD-1 therapy in GI cancers.

The novel mechanisms and applications of exosomes in dermatology and cutaneous medical aesthetics

Exposure to the external environment may lead to instability and dysfunction of the skin, resulting in refractory wound, skin aging, pigmented dermatosis, hair loss, some immune-mediated dermatoses, and connective tissue diseases. Nowadays, many skin treatments have not achieved a commendable balance between medical recovery and cosmetic needs. Exosomes are cell-derived nanoscale vesicles carrying various biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, with the capability to communicate with adjacent or distant cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that endogenic multiple kinds of exosomes are crucial orchestrators in shaping physiological and pathological development of the skin. Besides, exogenous exosomes, such as stem cell exosomes, can serve as novel treatment options to repair, regenerate, and rejuvenate skin tissue. Herein, we review new insights into the role of endogenic and exogenous exosomes in the skin microenvironment and recent advances in applications of exosomes related to dermatology and cutaneous medical aesthetics. The deep understanding of the mechanisms by which exosomes perform biological functions in skin is of great potential to establish attractive therapeutic methods for the skin.

Effect of substituting wet corn gluten feed and corn stover for alfalfa hay in total mixed ration silage on lactation performance in dairy cows

Wet corn gluten feed (WCGF) is a high moisture feed containing rapidly digestible, non-forage fiber and protein. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of substituting WCGF and corn stover for alfalfa hay in total mixed ration (TMR) silage on lactation performance and nitrogen balance in dairy cows. Nine multiparous Holstein dairy cows (BW = 532 ± 28.9 kg and day in milk = 136 ± 5.6 d; mean ± SD) were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 21-d periods (14 d of diet adaption and 7 d of sample collection). Groups were balanced for parity, day in milk, and milk production and consumed one of three treatment diets during each period. The treatment diets were fed as TMR and contained similar concentrate mixtures and corn silage but different proportions of roughage and WCGF. The three treatments were: (1) 0% WCGF, 0% corn stover, and 22.1% alfalfa hay (0% WCGF); (2) 6.9% WCGF, 3.4% corn stover, and 11.8% alfalfa hay (7% WCGF); and (3) 13.3% WCGF, 4.9% corn stover, and 3.9% alfalfa hay (13.3% WCGF). Compared to the 0% WCGF diet, the cows fed the 7% and 13.3% WCGF diets had a higher milk yield and concentration of milk fat, protein, lactose, and total solids. Effective degradability of DM was higher in the cows fed the 7% and 13.3% WCGF diets than it was with the 0% WCGF diet. Cows fed the 13.3% WCGF had a higher CP effective degradability and a lower rumen undegraded protein than cows fed the 0% WCGF diet. The concentration of ruminal volatile fatty acids and ammonia-N was higher in cows fed the 7% and 13.3% WCGF diets than cows fed the 0% WCGF diet. The fecal N was lower in cows fed the 7% and 13.3% WCGF diets than it was in cows fed the 0% WCGF diet. Milk N secretion and milk N as a percent of N intake were higher in cows fed the 13.3% WCGF diet than cows fed the 0% and 7% WCGF diets. In conclusion, it appears that feeding a TMR silage containing WCGF and corn stover in combination, replacing a portion of alfalfa hay, may improve lactation performance and nitrogen utilization for lactating dairy cows.

Plasma metabolic differences in cows affected by inactive ovaries or normal ovarian function post partum

Anestrus is essential to an unsuccessful pregnancy in dairy cows. One of the many factors that influences anestrus is the inactive ovary. To characterize in detail the plasma metabolic pro- file, anestrus cows suffering from inactive ovaries were compared with those with natural estrus. The Holstein cows 60 to 90 day postpartum in an intensive dairy farm were assigned into inactive ovaries groups (IO, n=20) and natural estrus group (CON, n=22) according to estrus signs and rectal palpation of ovaries. Plasma samples from two groups of cows were collected from the tail vein to screen differential metabolites using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques and multivariate statistical analysis and pathways. The results showed that 106 compounds were screened by GC/MS and 14 compounds in the IO group were decreased by analyzing important variables in the projection values and p values of MSA.Through pathway analysis, 14 compounds, mainly associated with carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid meta- bolism, were identified to results in IO, which may seriously affect follicular growth. Metabolo- mics profiling, together with MSA and pathway analysis, showed that follicular growth and development in dairy cows is related to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism by a single or multiple pathway(s).

Subclinical ketosis risk prediction in dairy cows based on prepartum metabolic indices

ABSTRACT Ketosis can seriously impair cow performance. This study detected changes in prepartum blood metabolic parameters for predicting postpartum ketosis occurrence in dairy cows. Body condition score (BCS) was assessed before and after delivery. Blood samples of 63 cows were collected from 10 days before calving to 10 days after calving to measure metabolic parameters including β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), glucose (GLU), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), indirect bilirubin (IBIL), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLO), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). There was a postpartum subclinical ketosis incidence of 42.25%. Compared with prepartum, plasma, levels of BHBA, AST, and NEFA significantly increased postpartum, and prepartum AST (R=0.57) and NEFA (R=0.45) showed a significant positive correlation with ketosis postpartum. Plasma GLU level significantly decreased postpartum and was significantly negatively correlated with ketosis (R=-0.21). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed prepartum BSC < 2.88, and prepartum plasma AST > 68.0 U/L, GLU < 3.97mmol/L, NEFA > 0.27mmol/L, and BHBA > 0.43mmol/L, indicating a high risk of subclinical ketosis postpartum. These levels can be used as risk indicators to predict the occurrence of subclinical ketosis in postpartum cows.

Effects of blood pathological changes before TAI on pregnancy of dairy cows with anestrus and estrus

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of plasma pathological changes before timed artificial insemination (TAI) on pregnancy of cows. The contents of estrogen (E2), progesterone (P4), glucose (Glu), selenium (Se), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and histamine (HIS) in plasma of 48 Holstein cows were measured before TAI. According to the estrus detection, the cows were divided into estrus (E) and anestrus (A) groups. After pregnancy testing at 28 d after TAI, two groups of E and A were divided into positive pregnancy of E group (EP+), negative pregnancy of E group (EP-), positive pregnancy of A group (AP+), and negative pregnancy of A group (AP-). The contents of E2, P4, Glu, Se, BDNF and hIS significantly differed among the four groups (P<0.01). The ROC analysis was used to determine the risk of negative pregnancy test (-) after TAI was increased when plasma E2 was less than 46.45 pmol/L in cows before TAI. The changes in E2, P4,hIS, Glu, and BDNF in the blood of natural estrus and natural anestrus cows affected the pregnancy after TAI. the level of E2 in plasma may be used to assess the risk of negative pregnancy after TAI.

Deciphering the Emerging Roles of Adipocytes and Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Fat Transplantation

Autologous fat transplantation is widely regarded as an increasingly popular method for augmentation or reshaping applications in soft tissue defects. Although the fat transplantation is of simple applicability, low donor site morbidity and excellent biocompatibility, the clinical unpredictability and high resorption rates of the fat grafts remain an inevitable problem. In the sites of fat transplantation, the most essential components are the adipocyte and adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). The survival of adipocytes is the direct factor determining fat retention. The efficacy of fat transplantation is reduced by fat absorption and fibrosis due to the inadequate blood flow, adipocyte apoptosis and fat necrosis. ADSCs, a heterogeneous mixture of cells in adipose tissue, are closely related to tissue survival. ADSCs exhibit the ability of multilineage differentiation and remarkable paracrine activity, which is crucial for graft survival. This article will review the recent existing research on the mechanisms of adipocytes and ADSCs in fat transplantation, especially including adipocyte apoptosis, mature adipocyte dedifferentiation, adipocyte browning, ADSCs adipogenic differentiation and ADSCs angiogenesis. The in-depth understanding of the survival mechanism will be extremely valuable for achieving the desired filling effects.