Background Increased backfat thickness of sows in early gestation is negative to reproductive performance.Endometrial receptivity is an important determinant of reproductive success,but it is unclear whether the effec...Background Increased backfat thickness of sows in early gestation is negative to reproductive performance.Endometrial receptivity is an important determinant of reproductive success,but it is unclear whether the effect of sow backfat thickness on litter size is associated with endometrial receptivity and whether melatonin treatment may have benefits.The present study seeks to answer these questions through in vitro and in vivo investigations.Results Excessive lipid deposition and lower melatonin levels in the uterus are detrimental to endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation in high backfat thickness sows.In cells treated with melatonin,the MT2/PI3K/LIF axis played a role in reducing lipid accumulation in porcine endometrial epithelium cells and improved endometrial receptivity.Furthermore,we found a reduction of lipids in the uterus after eight weeks of intraperitoneal administration of melatonin to HFD mice.Notably,melatonin treatment caused a significant reduction in the deposition of endometrial collagen,an increase in the number of glands,and repair of the pinopode structure,ultimately improving endometrial receptivity,promoting embryo implantation,and increasing the number of litter size of mice.Conclusions Collectively,the finding reveals the harmful effects of high backfat thickness sows on embryo implantation and highlight the role of melatonin and the MT2/PI3K/LIF axis in improving endometrial receptivity by enhancing metabolism and reducing the levels of uterine lipids in obese animals.展开更多
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the arterial walls play important roles in regulating vascular contraction and dilation. VSMCs actively remodel the arterial walls and dedifferentiate from the contractile to th...Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the arterial walls play important roles in regulating vascular contraction and dilation. VSMCs actively remodel the arterial walls and dedifferentiate from the contractile to the synthetic phenotype under pathological conditions. The mechanism underlying phenotypic transition of VSMCs is important for understanding its role in the pathophysiology of disease. Although numerous studies have reported various biochemical pathways that stimulate the phenotypic transition of VSMCs, very little is known about relation between their phenotypic transition and cellular traction force, which affects many cellular functions. In this study, we induced the differentiation of cultured VSMCs from the synthetic to the contractile phenotype by a low-serum cultivation and investigated changes in the cell traction forces using traction force microscopy technique. The expression of α-SMA, a contractile phenotype marker protein, was significantly upregulated with maturation of actin stress fibers in the low-serum culture, indicating VSMC differentiation was promoted in our experiments. The cells changed their morphology to an elongated bipolar shape, and the direction of the cell traction forces tended to align in the direction of the cell’s major axis. Despite the promotion of contractile differentiation in VSMCs, the overall cell traction forces were significantly reduced, indicating that excessive cell mechanical tension, which might induce cell proliferation and migration, was suppressed during contractile differentiation. These results suggest that suppression of cell traction force and enhanced force polarity might be key factors in VSMC differentiation induced by low serum culture.展开更多
[Objectives]To investigate the clinical efficacy of Cyclic Flexion Traction(CFT)in treating Lumbar Disc Herniation(LDH)and its effects on lumbocrural pain relief,functional improvement,and nerve root decompression.[Me...[Objectives]To investigate the clinical efficacy of Cyclic Flexion Traction(CFT)in treating Lumbar Disc Herniation(LDH)and its effects on lumbocrural pain relief,functional improvement,and nerve root decompression.[Methods]Seventy LDH patients treated at the orthopedic rehabilitation outpatient and inpatient departments of Shiyan Taihe Hospital from June 2022 to December 2024 were randomly divided into a treatment group(CFT therapy,n=35)and a control group(traditional traction,n=35).The treatment group received cyclic flexion traction(traction force of 30%-50%body weight with a cycle of 60-30-30 sec),while the control group received supine position linear traction.Both groups underwent 4 weeks of treatment,with assessments including visual analog scale(VAS),Oswestry Disability Index(ODI),and straight leg raising test(SLRT)angles.[Results]The treatment group showed a significantly greater reduction in VAS scores(from 6.97 to 2.31)compared to the control group(from 6.89 to 3.74)(P<0.05).Similarly,ODI improvement(41.62→15.73 compared with 40.98→22.84)and SLRT angle increase(41.23°→76.47°compared with 42.09°→64.19°)were more pronounced in the treatment group(all P<0.05).[Conclusions]Through dynamic decompression mechanisms,CFT therapy demonstrates superior efficacy to traditional traction in pain relief,functional recovery,and nerve root decompression(effective rate 94.29%compared with 77.14%,P<0.05),representing a superior non-surgical treatment option.展开更多
基金supported by the China Agriculture Research System(CARS-35-PIG)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32272847,U22A20516)+1 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2021YFF1000602)the Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province(No.2022ZDLNY01–04)。
文摘Background Increased backfat thickness of sows in early gestation is negative to reproductive performance.Endometrial receptivity is an important determinant of reproductive success,but it is unclear whether the effect of sow backfat thickness on litter size is associated with endometrial receptivity and whether melatonin treatment may have benefits.The present study seeks to answer these questions through in vitro and in vivo investigations.Results Excessive lipid deposition and lower melatonin levels in the uterus are detrimental to endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation in high backfat thickness sows.In cells treated with melatonin,the MT2/PI3K/LIF axis played a role in reducing lipid accumulation in porcine endometrial epithelium cells and improved endometrial receptivity.Furthermore,we found a reduction of lipids in the uterus after eight weeks of intraperitoneal administration of melatonin to HFD mice.Notably,melatonin treatment caused a significant reduction in the deposition of endometrial collagen,an increase in the number of glands,and repair of the pinopode structure,ultimately improving endometrial receptivity,promoting embryo implantation,and increasing the number of litter size of mice.Conclusions Collectively,the finding reveals the harmful effects of high backfat thickness sows on embryo implantation and highlight the role of melatonin and the MT2/PI3K/LIF axis in improving endometrial receptivity by enhancing metabolism and reducing the levels of uterine lipids in obese animals.
文摘Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the arterial walls play important roles in regulating vascular contraction and dilation. VSMCs actively remodel the arterial walls and dedifferentiate from the contractile to the synthetic phenotype under pathological conditions. The mechanism underlying phenotypic transition of VSMCs is important for understanding its role in the pathophysiology of disease. Although numerous studies have reported various biochemical pathways that stimulate the phenotypic transition of VSMCs, very little is known about relation between their phenotypic transition and cellular traction force, which affects many cellular functions. In this study, we induced the differentiation of cultured VSMCs from the synthetic to the contractile phenotype by a low-serum cultivation and investigated changes in the cell traction forces using traction force microscopy technique. The expression of α-SMA, a contractile phenotype marker protein, was significantly upregulated with maturation of actin stress fibers in the low-serum culture, indicating VSMC differentiation was promoted in our experiments. The cells changed their morphology to an elongated bipolar shape, and the direction of the cell traction forces tended to align in the direction of the cell’s major axis. Despite the promotion of contractile differentiation in VSMCs, the overall cell traction forces were significantly reduced, indicating that excessive cell mechanical tension, which might induce cell proliferation and migration, was suppressed during contractile differentiation. These results suggest that suppression of cell traction force and enhanced force polarity might be key factors in VSMC differentiation induced by low serum culture.
基金Supported by the Hospital-level Program of Shiyan Taihe Hospital(2022JJXM144).
文摘[Objectives]To investigate the clinical efficacy of Cyclic Flexion Traction(CFT)in treating Lumbar Disc Herniation(LDH)and its effects on lumbocrural pain relief,functional improvement,and nerve root decompression.[Methods]Seventy LDH patients treated at the orthopedic rehabilitation outpatient and inpatient departments of Shiyan Taihe Hospital from June 2022 to December 2024 were randomly divided into a treatment group(CFT therapy,n=35)and a control group(traditional traction,n=35).The treatment group received cyclic flexion traction(traction force of 30%-50%body weight with a cycle of 60-30-30 sec),while the control group received supine position linear traction.Both groups underwent 4 weeks of treatment,with assessments including visual analog scale(VAS),Oswestry Disability Index(ODI),and straight leg raising test(SLRT)angles.[Results]The treatment group showed a significantly greater reduction in VAS scores(from 6.97 to 2.31)compared to the control group(from 6.89 to 3.74)(P<0.05).Similarly,ODI improvement(41.62→15.73 compared with 40.98→22.84)and SLRT angle increase(41.23°→76.47°compared with 42.09°→64.19°)were more pronounced in the treatment group(all P<0.05).[Conclusions]Through dynamic decompression mechanisms,CFT therapy demonstrates superior efficacy to traditional traction in pain relief,functional recovery,and nerve root decompression(effective rate 94.29%compared with 77.14%,P<0.05),representing a superior non-surgical treatment option.
