Growth hormone (GH) and IGF-I have receptors within the corpus luteum (CL) and stimulate CL function. Our objective was to investigate the effects of GH, prolactin (PRL), IGF-I, IGF-II, LH, and FSH on progesterone secretion by porcine luteal cells during mid-pregnancy. Gilts (crossbred Yorkshire/Landrace) were slaughtered on d 44 of pregnancy and CL were collected. Large and small luteal cells (LLC and SLC, respectively) were obtained from dissociated CL and separated by elutriation. Luteal cells were incubated with 0, 1, 10, or 100 ng/mL of GH, PRL, IGF-I, IGF-II, LH, and FSH or combinations of 10 ng/mL of these reagents for 24 or 48 h. Culture media were harvested and concentrations of progesterone analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Growth hormone, PRL, and IGF-I increased (P < .05; 100 ng/mL dose) concentrations of progesterone in media of LLC. Insulin-like growth factor-II, LH, and FSH had no effect on progesterone in LLC cultures. In SLC cultures, GH, PRL, IGF-I, IGF-II, and FSH failed to stimulate progesterone secretion, whereas LH increased progesterone secretion (linear effect of dose; P < .05). Combinations (10 ng/mL each hormone) of GH and IGF-I or PRL and IGF-I increased progesterone secretion by LLC compared with control, GH, PRL, or IGF-I alone (P < .05). Similar combinations of GH or PRL with IGF-I had no effect on SLC. Conclusions are that GH and PRL are stimulatory to progesterone secretion by LLC (location of GH receptor) and SLC are responsive to LH during mid-pregnancy. Both GH and PRL are synergistic with IGF-I for increased progesterone secretion. Copyright © . .

Background: The posterior-inferior border of symphysis (PIBS) point system is a novel vaginal dose-reporting method and is a simple and reliable method proposed by the Medical University of Vienna proposed for both external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy (BT). In this multicenter study, we sought to first evaluate the vaginal radiation dose in Chinese cervical cancer patients according to the PIBS point system and then to analyze the factors influencing the dose distribution. Methods: We collected data from the medical records of 936 cervical cancer patients who underwent concurrent radiochemotherapy at 13 different institutions in China. Radiation doses at points A, PIBS+ 2 cm, PIBS and PIBS-2 cm, International Commission on Radiation Units (ICRU)-R and ICRU-B were measured. Results: The median total doses in EQD2_{α/β = 3} at points PIBS+ 2 cm, PIBS and PIBS-2 cm were 82.5 (52.7–392.1) Gy, 56.2 (51.4–82.1) Gy and 2.6 (0.9–7.4) Gy, respectively. The median total doses in EQD2_{α/β = 3} at ICRU-R and ICRU-B were 77.5 (54.8–132.4) Gy and 79.9 (60.7–133.7) Gy, respectively. The mean vaginal reference length (VRL) was 4.6 ± 1.0 cm (median, 4.5 cm). In patients with VRL ≤4.5 cm, the mean total doses in EQD2_{α/β = 3} at points PIBS+ 2 cm, PIBS and PIBS-2 cm were 128.5, 60.7 and 0.8 Gy, respectively. In patients with VRL > 4.5 cm, the mean total doses at these three points were 68.9, 0.5 and 54.5 Gy, respectively. Classification of patients revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) between these two groups. Conclusions: With the PIBS point system, Chinese patients with a shorter VRL of < 4.5 cm received higher radiation doses at the PIBS+ 2 cm, PIBS and PIBS-2 cm points than European and American patients. Further studies are required to establish the dose–effect relationships with these points as references. The study was registered as a clinical trial (NCT03257475) on August 22, 2017.

Background: Outdoor and household PM_2.5 are established risk factors for chronic disease and early mortality. In China, high levels of outdoor PM_2.5 and solid fuel use for cooking and heating, especially in winter, pose large health risks to the country’s aging population. Hand grip strength is a validated biomarker of functional aging and strong predictor of disability and mortality in older adults. We investigated the effects of wintertime household and outdoor PM_2.5 on maximum grip strength in a rural cohort in Beijing. Methods: We analyzed data from 877 adults (mean age: 62 y) residing in 50 rural villages over three winter seasons (2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2021–2022). Outdoor PM_2.5 was continuously measured in all villages, and household (indoor) PM_2.5 was monitored for at least two months in a randomly selected ~30% subsample of homes. Missing data were handled using multiple imputation. We applied multivariable mixed effects regression models to estimate within- and between-individual effects of PM_2.5 on grip strength, adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and health-related covariates. Results: Wintertime household and outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations ranged from 3 to 431 μg/m³ (mean = 80 μg/m³) and 8 to 100 μg/m³ (mean = 49 μg/m³), respectively. The effect of a 10 μg/m³ within-individual increase in household and outdoor PM_2.5 on maximum grip strength was 0.06 kg (95%CI: −0.01, 0.12 kg) and 1.51 kg (95%CI: 1.35, 1.68 kg), respectively. The household PM_2.5 effect attenuated after adjusting for outdoor PM_2.5, while outdoor PM_2.5 effects remained robust across sensitivity analyses. We found little evidence of between-individual effects. Conclusions: We did not find strong evidence of an adverse effect of household PM_2.5 on grip strength. The unexpected positive effects of outdoor PM_2.5 on grip strength may reflect transient physiological changes following short-term exposure. However, these findings should not be interpreted as evidence of protective effects of air pollution on aging. Rather, they highlight the complexity of air pollution’s health impacts and the value of longitudinal data in capturing time-sensitive effects. Further research is needed to better understand these patterns and their implications in high-exposure settings.

Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are key mechanisms in the development of noncommunicable diseases and are important biological pathways linking fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to disease risk. However, evidence on inflammatory and oxidative stress responses to PM2.5 exposure remains limited in rural populations with sustained high exposure, particularly for household air pollution. In this longitudinal cohort study, we evaluated the impacts of wintertime (January 15–March 15) household and outdoor PM2.5 exposure, and 24-hour personal exposure to PM2.5 and black carbon, on inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in rural Beijing, where residential solid fuel combustion is a major source of PM2.5.We analyzed data from 1,064 adults (mean age: 61 years) living in 50 rural villages over two winter seasons (2018–2019, 2019–2020). Blood concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured using ELISA. Malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured via HPLC-MS. Outdoor PM2.5 was continuously monitored in each village. Household PM2.5 was measured in a random ~30% subsample of homes. Missing data were addressed using multiple imputation. We applied multivariable models with individual-level random effects, adjusting for key time-varying and time-invariant confounders.We observed an 1.9% (95%CI: 0.2, 3.6%) increase in TNF-α concentration per 10 μg/m3 increase in outdoor PM2.5, with no clear evidence of impacts of other pollutants on other biomarkers. These findings provide longitudinal evidence of inflammatory responses associated with chronic outdoor PM2.5 exposure in rural population with prevalent solid fuel use and highlight the variability of biomarker responses to air pollution exposure.