Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), whose etiology remains uncertain, is a highly heterogenous and genetically complex endocrine disorder. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in granulosa cells (GCs) from PCOS patients and make epigenetic insights into the pathogenesis of PCOS. Included in this study were 110 women with PCOS and 119 women with normal ovulatory cycles undergoing in vitro fertilization acting as the control group. RNA-seq identified 92 DEGs unique to PCOS GCs in comparison with the control group. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that synthesis of lipids and steroids was activated in PCOS GCs. 5-Methylcytosine analysis demonstrated that there was an approximate 25% reduction in global DNA methylation of GCs in PCOS women (4.44 ± 0.65%) compared with the controls (6.07 ± 0.72%; P < 0.05). Using MassArray EpiTYPER quantitative DNA methylation analysis, we also found hypomethylation of several gene promoters related to lipid and steroid synthesis, which might result in the aberrant expression of these genes. Our results suggest that hypomethylated genes related to the synthesis of lipid and steroid may dysregulate expression of these genes and promote synthesis of steroid hormones including androgen, which could partially explain mechanisms of hyperandrogenism in PCOS.

Background: With the effective prevention and control of COVID‐19 in China, the number of cured cases has increased significantly. Further monitoring of the disease prognosis and effective control of the “relapse” of the epidemic has become the next focus of work. This study analysed the clinical prognosis of discharged COVID‐19 patients by monitoring their SAR‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid status, which provided a theoretical basis for medical institutions to formulate discharge standards and follow‐up management for COVID‐19 patients.Methods: We included 13 discharged COVID‐19 patients who were quarantined for 4 weeks at home. The patient's daily clinical signs were recorded and sputum and faecal specimens were regularly sent for detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid.Results: The time between initial symptoms and meeting discharge criteria was 18 to 44 days with an average of 25 ± 6 days. The faecal samples of two patients still tested positive after meeting the discharge criteria and the sputum samples of four patients returned positive 5 to 14 days after discharge. The rate of the recurring positive test result in samples from the respiratory system was 31% (4/13).Conclusion: Under the present discharge criteria, the high presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid in faecal and respiratory samples of discharged COVID‐19 patients indicates potential infectivity. Therefore, we suggest that faecal virus nucleic acid should be tested as a routine monitoring index for COVID‐19 and a negative result be added to the criteria. Simultaneously, we should strengthen the regular follow‐up of discharged patients with continuous monitoring of the recurrence of viral nucleic acid.

Purpose: This review aimed to investigate the association of insulin resistance (IR) in women with recurrent pregnancy loss compared to women with normal pregnancy history.Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, the Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were accessed to collect published observational studies that compared IR of recurrent pregnancy loss women with healthy women until the 6^thof October 2022. Outcomes assessed in this review and meta-analysis included fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, homeostasis model assessment for IR, glucose to insulin ratio. Mean differences, odds ratios with 95% confidence interval were pooled using the fixed or random effect models. Sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the robustness of the results. Review Manager version 5.4.1 and Stata version 8.0 were used.Results: A total of nineteen studies involving 4453 individuals were included. Recurrent pregnancy loss patients presented significantly higher fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, homeostasis model assessment for IR, and lower glucose to insulin ratios. Additionally, recurrent pregnancy loss patients had higher rates of IR as defined by abnormal fasting plasma insulin, homeostasis model assessment for IR, and glucose to insulin ratio. Sensitivity analyses validated the robustness of the results.Conclusion: In the current review, we show that recurrent pregnancy loss is associated with a higher degree of IR and highlight the importance of screening and treatment of IR.

The application of a hydrogel is showed in the treatment of IUAs as a physical barrier or novel therapeutic delivery system.

Objective: This review aimed to investigate the metabolic profile of women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) compared relative to women with normal ovarian functioning.Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science for observational studies published up until the 6^thof July 2021 that compared the metabolic profile of POI women with a healthy control group were assessed. Mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled using the fixed or random effect models.Results: A total of 21 studies involving 1573 women with POI and 1762 control women were included. POI patients presented significantly higher waist circumference, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and fasting glucose. Additionally, POI patients had marginally higher insulin level. However, the differences in systolic, and diastolic blood pressure were non-significant relative to the control group.Conclusions: POI is associated with alterations in certain metabolic parameters compared to control women. This finding highlights the importance of early screening and the lifelong management of metabolic health for women with POI.