Research progress of wearable plantar pressure monitoring system

In order to rapidly promote the application of wearable plantar pressure monitoring system, the physiological structure of human foot, the source of plantar pressure and exercise step frequency are introduced. Based on the current research status of wearable plantar pressure monitoring systems, the fabrication materials and response principles of the fabric sensor-based integrated pressure monitoring socks are explored, the principle of selecting the features of the wearable plantar pressure monitoring system and its application in the field of the pressure monitoring system is explained. The principle of selecting the features of wearable plantar pressure monitoring system and its application in fall detection, foot disease diagnosis, and plantar pressure database are explained. Finally, we discussed the problems in the industrialization of wearable plantar pressure monitoring system at this stage. The problems of poor material performance and short wireless transmission distance in the industrialization of wearable plantar pressure monitoring systems are discussed, and a better integrated system based on biomechanics, textile materials and electronic communication is proposed. A better application prospect based on the cross-fusion integration of biomechanics, textile materials and electronic communication is proposed

Toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics: invisible killers of female fertility and offspring health

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are emergent pollutants, which have sparked widespread concern. They can infiltrate the body via ingestion, inhalation, and cutaneous contact. As such, there is a general worry that MPs/NPs may have an impact on human health in addition to the environmental issues they engender. The threat of MPs/NPs to the liver, gastrointestinal system, and inflammatory levels have been thoroughly documented in the previous research. With the detection of MPs/NPs in fetal compartment and the prevalence of infertility, an increasing number of studies have put an emphasis on their reproductive toxicity in female. Moreover, MPs/NPs have the potential to interact with other contaminants, thus enhancing or diminishing the combined toxicity. This review summarizes the deleterious effects of MPs/NPs and co-exposure with other pollutants on female throughout the reproduction period of various species, spanning from reproductive failure to cross-generational developmental disorders in progenies. Although these impacts may not be directly extrapolated to humans, they do provide a framework for evaluating the potential mechanisms underlying the reproductive toxicity of MPs/NPs

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in premature ovarian failure: Mechanisms and prospects

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a common female reproductive disorder and characterized by menopause, increased gonadotropin levels and estrogen deficiency before the age of 40 years old. The etiologies and pathogenesis of POF are not fully clear. At present, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the main treatment options for POF. It helps to ameliorate perimenopausal symptoms and related health risks, but can’t restore ovarian function and fertility fundamentally. With the development of regenerative medicine, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have shown great potential for the recovery of ovarian function and fertility based on the advantages of abundant sources, high capacity for self-renewal and differentiation, low immunogenicity and less ethical considerations. This systematic review aims to summarize the possible therapeutic mechanisms of BMSCs for POF. A detailed search strategy of preclinical studies and clinical trials on BMSCs and POF was performed on PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science and Embase database. A total of 21 studies were included in this review. Although the standardization of BMSCs need more explorations, there is no doubt that BMSCs transplantation may represent a prospective therapy for POF. It is hope to provide a theoretical basis for further research and treatment for POF

Present and Future: Crosstalks Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gut Metabolites Relating to Gut Microbiota

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disease, affecting 8%–13% of the females of reproductive age, thereby compromising their fertility and long-term health. However, the pathogenesis of PCOS is still unclear. It is not only a reproductive endocrine disease, dominated by hyperandrogenemia, but also is accompanied by different degrees of metabolic abnormalities and insulin resistance. With a deeper understanding of its pathogenesis, more small metabolic molecules, such as bile acids, amino acids, and short-chain fatty acids, have been reported to be involved in the pathological process of PCOS. Recently, the critical role of gut microbiota in metabolism has been focused on. The gut microbiota-related metabolic pathways can significantly affect inflammation levels, insulin signaling, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and hormonal secretions. Although the abnormalities in gut microbiota and metabolites might not be the initial factors of PCOS, they may have a significant role in the pathological process of PCOS. The dysbiosis of gut microbiota and disturbance of gut metabolites can affect the progression of PCOS. Meanwhile, PCOS itself can adversely affect the function of gut, thereby contributing to the aggravation of the disease. Inhibiting this vicious cycle might alleviate the symptoms of PCOS. However, the role of gut microbiota in PCOS has not been fully explored yet. This review aims to summarize the potential effects and modulative mechanisms of the gut metabolites on PCOS and suggests its potential intervention targets, thus providing more possible treatment options for PCOS in the future

Self-Organizing Circuit Assembly through Spatiotemporally Coordinated Neuronal Migration within Geometric Constraints

Neurons are dynamically coupled with each other through neurite-mediated adhesion during development. Understanding the collective behavior of neurons in circuits is important for understanding neural development. While a number of genetic and activity-dependent factors regulating neuronal migration have been discovered on single cell level, systematic study of collective neuronal migration has been lacking. Various biological systems are shown to be self-organized, and it is not known if neural circuit assembly is self-organized. Besides, many of the molecular factors take effect through spatial patterns, and coupled biological systems exhibit emergent property in response to geometric constraints. How geometric constraints of the patterns regulate neuronal migration and circuit assembly of neurons within the patterns remains unexplored.We established a two-dimensional model for studying collective neuronal migration of a circuit, with hippocampal neurons from embryonic rats on Matrigel-coated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). When the neural circuit is subject to geometric constraints of a critical scale, we found that the collective behavior of neuronal migration is spatiotemporally coordinated. Neuronal somata that are evenly distributed upon adhesion tend to aggregate at the geometric center of the circuit, forming mono-clusters. Clustering formation is geometry-dependent, within a critical scale from 200 µm to approximately 500 µm. Finally, somata clustering is neuron-type specific, and glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons tend to aggregate homo-philically.We demonstrate self-organization of neural circuits in response to geometric constraints through spatiotemporally coordinated neuronal migration, possibly via mechanical coupling. We found that such collective neuronal migration leads to somata clustering, and mono-cluster appears when the geometric constraints fall within a critical scale. The discovery of geometry-dependent collective neuronal migration and the formation of somata clustering in vitro shed light on neural development in vivo

Bibliometric Analysis on Pennisetum Sinese Roxb. in China during 2006-2016

The development prospect of Pennisetum Sinese Roxb. is receiving much concern of domestic researchers. In this paper, literature of Pennisetum Sinese Roxb. was taken as basis, and bibliometric analysis method was used to make statistics of distribution of years, research institutions, authors, and research fields. The results showed that research fields of Pennisetum Sinese Roxb. in China were mainly ecological restoration, accounting for 13.27% of the total literature; the research took on dynamic and diversified cooperation trend. In recent 5 years, the number of papers significantly increased, accounting for 93.04% of the total literature. The distribution of authors and regions were relatively concentrated, but the overall level of research is low

<i>Cnidium monnieri</i> (L.) Cusson Flower as a Supplementary Food Promoting the Development and Reproduction of Ladybeetles <i>Harmonia axyridis</i> (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Predaceous ladybeetles are highly polyphagous predators that ingest supplementary food from flowering plants. Flowering plants widely grown in agroecosystems can sustain multiple natural enemies of agricultural pests, and the pollen and nectar resources from flowering plants may have a positive role in natural enemies. Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson, an annual herb with many flowers, blooms from May to July. C. monnieri can support several predatory natural enemies, and the addition of C. monnieri strips increases the density of Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) and improves the biological control of apple aphids in an apple orchard. H. axyridis is also the most important natural enemy in wheat aphid biocontrol and is attracted to healthy and aphid-infested C. monnieri plants. In addition, adult Propylaea japonica Thunberg survives significantly longer on C. monnieri flowers than on a water-only diet. In this study, a laboratory experiment was conducted to assess (i) the effect of nutritional supplements derived from C. monnieri flowers on the development and reproduction of H. axyridis under a wheat aphids-only diet; (ii) the effect of C. monnieri flowers on H. axyridis adult reproduction performance. We compared the larval durations, survival, weight, adult longevity, and reproduction of H. axyridis reared on wheat aphids-only and aphids plus C. monnieri flower diets. The results showed that H. axyridis larvae reared on aphids plus flowers had significantly greater weights and survival rates, shorter larval durations, and produced 1.62 times more eggs than those reared on wheat aphids-only diets. H. axyridis adults ingesting a C. monnieri flowers plus an aphid diet increased egg production 1.44 times compared to the aphids-only diet. Our study demonstrates that C. monnieri flowers as a supplementary food positively affect the survival, development, and reproduction performance of H. axyridis.</i

Carbon Monoxide Detection Based on the Carbon Nanotube-Coated Fiber Gas Sensor

Accurate detection of the internal decomposition components of SF6 electrical equipment plays an important role in the evaluation of equipment status. However, gas samples are usually taken out for detection at present, which makes it difficult to understand the real situation inside the equipment. In this paper, a carbon nanotube-coated fiber gas sensor is proposed, which has the potential to be applied as a built-in gas sensor. The fiber loop ring-down (FLRD) gas detection system based on the carbon nanotube-coated fiber gas sensor was built, and the detectable decomposition components among the four typical SF6 decomposition components of SO2, SO2F2 and SOF2 and CO were analyzed. The results showed that the fiber gas sensor was most sensitive to CO. Based on density functional theory, it was found that single-walled carbon nanotubes had the best adsorption effect on CO molecules under the same conditions, with the adsorption energy reaching −0.150 Ha. The detection performance of the system for CO was studied, and the results showed that there was a good linear relationship between CO concentration and ring-down time: R2 was 0.984, the maximum inversion error of 0~200 ppm CO was 1.916 ppm, and the relative error was 4.10%. The sensitivity of the system was 0.183 ns/ppm, and the detection limit of the system was 19.951 ppm. The system had good stability, with the standard deviation of single-point repeatability being 0.00356, and the standard deviation of the long period of the experiment being 0.00606. The research results provide a new idea for the detection of SF6 decomposition components, and lay the foundation for the component detection method of built-in fiber sensor of SF6 electrical equipment