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The effect of late-follicular phase progesterone elevation (LFPE) during ovarian stimulation on reproductive outcomes in ART treatment remains controversial, but recent studies indicate lower pregnancy rates with rising progesterone levels. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of late-follicular phase progesterone elevation (LFPE) and possible impact on ongoing pregnancy rate after fresh or frozen blastocyst transfer in a sub-study setting of a randomised controlled trial. A total of 288 women were included (n=137 and n=151 in the fresh transfer and freeze-all group, respectively)...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the involvement of the visual cortex in improving freezing of gait (FoG) after subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients using whole-brain seed-based functional connectivity. METHODS: A total of 66 PD patients with FoG who underwent bilateral STN-DBS were included in our study. Patients were divided into a FoG responder group (FoG-R) and an FoG non-responder group (FoG-nonR) according to whether FoG improved one year after DBS...

Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) is the causative agent of Chagas' disease, a parasitic infection responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in Latin America. The current treatments have many serious drawbacks and new drugs are urgently required. In the UK, T. cruzi is classified by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) as a Hazard Group 3 organism and strict safety practices must be adhered to when handling this pathogen in the laboratory. Validated inactivation techniques are required for safe T...

Shaping room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials into three-dimensional (3D) bodies is important for stereoscopic optoelectronic displays, but remains challenging due to their poor processability and mechanical properties. Here, konjac glucomannan is employed to anchor arylboronic acids with various π conjugations via a facile B─O covalent reaction to afford printable inks, using which full-color high-fidelity 3D RTP objects with high mechanical strength can be obtained via direct ink writing-based 3D printing and freeze-drying...

OBJECTIVE: Frontal hypometabolism on FDG-PET is observed in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), although it is unclear whether it is a feature of all PSP clinical variants and hence whether it is a useful diagnostic feature. We aimed to compare the frequency, severity, and pattern of frontal hypometabolism across PSP variants and determine whether frontal hypometabolism is related to clinical dysfunction. METHODS: Frontal hypometabolism in prefrontal, premotor, and sensorimotor cortices was visually graded on a 0-3 scale using CortexID Z-score images in 137 PSP patients...

BACKGROUND: Physically modified starches can be classified as natural ingredients on food labels and clean label products. Thus, the market demand for physically modified starch is increasing. Potato, tapioca, and corn starches were physically modified by mild heat treatment in an alcoholic solution to enhance their gelling property and freeze-thaw stability. RESULTS: During mild heating of starch suspension (40% w/w) in 10% ethanol solution at the onset gelatinization temperature, granular swelling of starch occurred, followed by amylose leaching with medication of the surface structure of the starch granules...

Maladaptive personality, the motivational systems, and intolerance of uncertainty play important roles in the statistical explanation of depression and anxiety. Here, we notably examined for the first time whether symptoms of depression, anxiety, health anxiety, and fear of COVID-19 share similar associations (e.g., variance explained) with these important dispositional dimensions. For this cross-sectional study, data from 1001 participants recruited in Germany (50% women; mean age = 47.26) were collected. In separate models, we examined the cross-sectional associations of the symptoms of depression, anxiety, health anxiety, and fear of COVID-19 with the Personality Inventory for DSM Short Form Plus scales, the Behavioral Inhibition System / Flight-Fight-Freeze System / Behavioral Activation System scales, and Intolerance of Uncertainty scales...

BACKGROUND: The adhesion of probiotics to the intestine is crucial to their probiotic function. Tremella polysaccharides (TPS) (with sodium casein) have shown the potential in previous studies to encapsulate probiotics and protect them in the simulated gastrointestinal tract. This paper further explored the effect of TPS (with sodium casein) on the adhesion of probiotics. RESULTS: Lactobacillus plantarum was coated in different proportions in TPS and sodium casein and then freeze-drying...

As electronic devices for aviation, space, and satellite applications become more sophisticated, built-in energy storage devices also require a wider temperature spectrum. Herein, an all-climate operational, energy and power-dense, flexible, in-plane symmetric pseudocapacitor is demonstrated with utmost operational safety and long cycle life. The device is constructed with interdigital-patterned laser-scribed carbon-supported electrodeposited V5 O12 ·6H2 O as a binder-free electrode and a novel high-voltage anti-freezing water-in-salt-hybrid electrolyte...

Zinc metal is an attractive anode material for rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs). However, the dendrite growth, water-induced parasitic reactions and freezing problem of aqueous electrolyte at low temperatures are the major roadblocks that hinder the widely commercialization of ZIBs with Zn anodes. Herein, tetrahydrofuran (THF) is proposed as the electrolyte additive to improve the reversibility and stability of Zn anode. Theoretical calculation and experimental results reveal that the introduction of THF into the aqueous electrolyte can optimize the solvation structure and preferentially form solvated clusters with Zn2+, which can effectively alleviate the H2O-induced side reactions and protect Zn anode from being corrosion...

Cryoablation has become a valuable treatment modality for the management of liver cancer. However, one of the major challenges in cryosurgery is the incomplete cryodestruction near the edge of the iceball. This issue can be addressed by optimizing cryoablation parameters and administering thermotropic drugs prior to the procedure. These drugs help enhance tumor response, thereby strengthening the destruction of the incomplete frozen zone in liver cance. In the present study, the feasibility and effectiveness of a thermophysical agent, KCl solution, were investigated to enhance the cryodestruction of HepG2 human liver cancer cells...

Microalgae have potentially beneficial effects on animal health and nutritional value when added to feed. Crucial hereby is that intracellular bio-active molecules are released in the intestinal tract. Digestibility of Chlorella vulgaris and its impact on total digestibility of broiler feed is a first step in assessing its characteristics as feed supplement. Different methods could be used to increase the digestibility of the algae. Among other, pulsed electric field (PEF) and freezing to disrupt autotrophic (A) and heterotrophic (H) Chlorella vulgaris cells was assessed to increase their availability followed by in-vivo trials...

Kaempferol (KAE) is a natural flavonoid with powerful reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging properties and beneficial effects on ex vivo sperm functionality. In this paper, we studied the ability of KAE to prevent or ameliorate structural, functional or oxidative damage to frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa. The analysis focused on conventional sperm quality characteristics prior to or following thermoresistance tests, namely the oxidative profile of semen alongside sperm capacitation patterns, and the levels of key proteins involved in capacitation signaling...

Guinea pigs ( Cavia porcellus ) are used for interactive activities in zoos; therefore, it is important to investigate their welfare. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of measuring the guinea pigs' body temperature of guinea pigs through the ear canal and investigate the relationship among changes in the expression of negative behavior, changes in body temperature, and changes in salivary cortisol concentration, and examine the effects of different interactive activities. In the normal interactive activities performed at the site, the decreased body temperature of pigs was observed over time...

In the pig farming industry, it is recommended to avoid groups when treating individuals to reduce adverse reactions in the group. However, can this eliminate the adverse effects effectively? Piglets were assigned to the Rewarding Group (RG), the Punishing Group (PG), and the Paired Control Group (PCG). There were six replicates in each group, with two paired piglets per replicate. One piglet of the RG and PG was randomly selected as the Treated pig (TP), treated with food rewards or electric shock, and the other as the Naive pig (NP)...

Coffee fruit cascara, which is the skin and pulp of the coffee cherry, has been authorized as a novel food for commercialization in the European Union. The present research assessed the feasibility of using spray drying to produce a soluble powder called instant cascara (IC), employing sun-dried ripe coffee cherry pulp as a raw material. Although there were no significant differences ( p > 0.05) in the overall antioxidant capacity between the freeze-dried and spray-dried samples, after an in vitro simulation of the digestion process, the spray-dried sample was significantly ( p < 0...

Ketosis, a commonly observed energy metabolism disorder in dairy cows during the peripartal period, is distinguished by increased concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in blood. This condition has a negative impact on milk production and quality, causing financial losses. An untargeted metabolomics approach was performed on plasma samples from cows between 5 and 7 DIM diagnosed as controls (CON, BHB <1.2 mM, n = 30), subclinically ketotic (SCK, 1.2 < BHB <3.0 mM, n = 30), or clinically ketotic (CK, BHB >3...

Solar-thermal regulation concerning thermal insulation and solar modulation is pivotal for cooling textiles and smart buildings. Nevertheless, a contradiction arises in balancing the demand to prevent external heat infiltration with the efficient dissipation of excess heat from enclosed spaces. Here, a concentration-gradient polymerization strategy is presented for fabricating a gradient porous polymeric film comprising interconnected polymeric microspheres. This method involves establishing an electric field-driven gradient distribution of charged crosslinkers in the precursor solution, followed by subsequent polymerization and freeze-drying processes...

In our quest to discover advanced glycation end products (AGEs) inhibitors from Clinacanthus nutans (Burm.f.) Lindau leaves, we conducted Bioactive Molecular Networking. This approach integrates LC-MS2 profiling and in vitro antiglycation data to predict bioactive compounds. We began by screening three extracts: 100% ethanol, 70% ethanol and 100% water alongside the in vitro antioxidant activity, total phenolics content (TPC) and schaftoside content. Among these extracts, 100% ethanol extract exhibited the highest total AGEs inhibition effects (IC50  = 80...

In cold regions, microplastics (MPs) in the soil undergo freeze-thaw (FT) aging process. Little is known about how FT aged MPs influence soil physico-chemical properties and microbial communities. Here, two environmentally relevant concentrations (50 and 500 mg/kg) of 50 and 500 µm polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) MPs treated soils were subjected to 45-day FT cycles (FTCs). Results showed that MPs experienced surface morphology, hydrophobicity and crystallinity alterations after FTCs...