Objectives: To determine the therapeutic effect of a Mediterranean diet (MED) combined with a low-carbohydrate (LC) dietary model in overweight polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients.Methods: In this 12-week randomized controlled clinical trial, 72 overweight patients with PCOS were randomly assigned to one of two energy-restricted dietary models: the MED/LC diet or the Low fat (LF) diet. After the intervention, the number of the two groups returned to normal menstruation was counted. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), body fat percentage (BF%), serum fasting insulin(FINS), fasting plasma glucose(FPG), insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity index (QUIKI), total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), total testosterone (TT), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and prolactin (PRL) were compared between 2 groups before and after intervention.Results: MED/LC group had more significant reduction trend in weight (−6.10 ± 1.52 kg vs −4.79 ± 0.97 kg, P < 0.05), BMI (−2.12 ± 0.57 kg/m² vs −1.78 ± 0.36 kg/m², P < 0.05), WC (−6.12 ± 5.95 cm vs −3.90 ± 1.58 cm, P < 0.05), WHR (−0.06 ± 0.02 vs −0.03 ± 0.02, P < 0.05), BF% (−2.97% ± 1.78% vs −1.19% ± 0.91%, P < 0.05), TT (−0.20 ± 0.24 ng/mL vs 0.08 ± 0.11 ng/Ml, P < 0.001), LH (−5.28 ± 3.31 mIU/mL vs −3.39 ± 3.64 mIU/mL, P < 0.05), and LH/FSH (−1.18 ± 0.75 vs -0.66 ± 1.05, P < 0.05) compared with the LF group. In addition, FPG (0.05 ± 0.38 mmol/mL vs -0.50 ± 1.01 mmol/mL, P < 0.001), FINS (−4.88 ± 6.11 μU/mL vs −8.53 ± 5.61 μU/mL, P < 0.01), HOMA-IR index (−1.11 ± 1.51 vs −2.23 ± 0.25, P < 0.05), and QUIKI index (0.014 ± 0.016 vs 0.028 ± 0.019, P < 0.05) decreased significantly in the MED/LC group compared with the LF group. Comparing the changes in lipid parameters between the two groups (LF vs MED/LC), significant differences in TG (−0.33 ± 0.32 mmol vs −0.76 ± 0.97 mmol, P < 0.05), TC (−0.40 ± 1.00 mmol vs −1.45 ± 2.00 mmol, P < 0.05), and LDL-C (−0.41 ± 1.05 mmol vs −0.73 ± 0.76 mmol, P < 0.05) were observed.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the MED/LC diet model is a good treatment for overweight PCOS patients, significantly restoring their menstrual cycle, improving their anthropometric parameters and correcting their disturbed endocrine levels, and its overall effectiveness is significantly better than the LF diet model. Therefore, this study recommends that the MED/LC diet model can be used in the clinical treatment of patients with overweight PCOS.

Immune reactions are a key factor in determining the destiny of bone substitute materials after implantation. Macrophages, the most vital factor in the immune response affecting implants, are critical in bone formation, as well as bone biomaterial-mediated bone repair. Therefore, it is critical to design materials with osteoimmunomodulatory properties to reduce host-to-material inflammatory responses by inducing macrophage polarization. Our previous study showed that calcium silicate (CS) bioceramics could significantly promote osteogenesis. Herein, we further investigated the effects of CS on the behavior of macrophages and how macrophages regulated osteogenesis. Under CS extract stimulation, the macrophage phenotype was converted to the M2 extreme. Stimulation by a macrophage-conditioned medium that was pretreated by CS extracts resulted in a significant enhancement of osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), indicating the important role of macrophage polarization in biomaterial-induced osteogenesis. Mechanistically, oncostatin M (OSM) in the macrophage-conditioned medium promoted osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs through the ERK1/2 and JAK3 pathways. This in vivo study further demonstrated that CS bioceramics could stimulate osteogenesis better than β-TCP implants by accelerating new bone formation at defective sites in the femur. These findings improve our understanding of immune modulation of CS bioactive ceramics and facilitate strategies to improve the in vitro osteogenesis capability of bone substitute materials.

Endometriosis is strongly associated with infertility. Several mechanisms have been reported in an attempt to elucidate the pathophysiological effects that lead to reduced fertility in women with endometriosis. However, the mechanisms by which endometriosis affects fertility have not been fully elucidated. Ferroptosis is a novel form of nonapoptotic cell death that is characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation membrane damage. In past reports, elevated iron levels in ectopic lesions, peritoneal fluid and follicular fluid have been reported in patients with endometriosis. The high-iron environment is closely associated with ferroptosis, which appears to exhibit a double-edged effect on endometriosis. Ferroptosis can cause damage to ovarian granulosa cells, oocytes, and embryos, leading to endometriosis-related infertility. This article summarizes the main pathways and regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis and explores the possible mechanisms of the formation of an iron-overloaded environment in endometriotic ectopic lesions, peritoneal fluid and follicular fluid. Finally, we reviewed recent studies on the main and potential mechanisms of ferroptosis in endometriosis and endometriosis-related infertility.

Gut microbiota disorders are closely related to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Buzhong Yiqi prescription (BZYQ) has a significant clinical effect on the treatment of patients with obesity exhibiting PCOS and phlegm-dampness syndrome caused by spleen deficiency (SPSD). Hence, this study aimed to explore gut microbiota and fecal metabolite alterations in such patients treated with BZYQ. Fifty eligible patients with obesity manifesting PCOS and SPSD participated and agreed to undergo 3 months of BZYQ treatment. Results showed that BZYQ significantly alleviated the serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and testosterone levels and markedly changed the gut microbiota structure in these patients. Furthermore, 106 differential fecal metabolites and 14 KEGG enrichment pathways were quantified. The phylum Spirochaetae and the genera [Eubacterium]_rectale_group, Escherichia-Shigella, and Fusicatenibacter were significantly more abundant, but Megamonas was significantly less abundant after treatment than before treatment. Disorders in the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites of these patients were closely related to hyperandrogenemia and insulin resistance. In conclusion, BZYQ could ameliorate the serum androgen level and had an impact on the gut microbiota and metabolites in patients with obesity manifesting PCOS and SPSD.

Objective: Patients with colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) who undergo radiation therapy develop radiation enteritis (RE). The predictive value of RE in COAD is yet to be established. Berberine, an active compound derived from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant, Coptis chinensis, has notable anti-inflammatory properties and offers protection to the intestinal mucosa. This study aimed to evaluate the possible therapeutic effect and mechanism of berberine as a treatment for COAD complicated with RE (COAD&RE). Methods: Relevant genetic features of diverse COAD&RE populations were analyzed using bioinformatics and the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The therapeutic targets of berberine were predicted using network pharmacology and molecular docking. In vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to validate the core genes identified using molecular docking. Results: RE has a certain impact on the prognosis of COAD and berberine may play an important role in the treatment of COAD&RE. In addition, we identified five core therapeutic targets of berberine by network pharmacology and molecular docking: CCND1, MYC, AR, LEP, and CYP19A1. In vivo experiments showed that berberine increased short-term survival rate, body weight, and intestinal epithelial cell recovery in mice after radiation. In an in vitro study, berberine promoted the proliferation of human intestinal epithelial cells and enhanced the radiosensitivity of HT29 cells after radiation, and the relative mRNA expression levels of CCND1 and MYC closely correlated with these effects. Conclusions: This study predicted the potential therapeutic effects of berberine on COAD&RE and verified the relevant mechanisms, which may provide insights and suggestions for the clinical treatment of COAD&RE.