American Journal of Reproductive Immunology最新文献

{"title":"The Effect of Acupoint Sticking Therapy on Serum Estrogen Levels and Endometrial Polyp Tissue Receptor Expression in Postmenopausal Patients With Endometrial Polyps","authors":"Da Zhang,&nbsp;Ying Chen,&nbsp;Liangyu Zhang,&nbsp;Yang Wang","doi":"10.1111/aji.70054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aji.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Postmenopausal women with endometrial polyps (EPs) often experience hormonal imbalances. Acupoint application, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) approach, shows the potential to influence hormonal levels. This study investigated the impact of acupoint application on hormone levels and receptors in postmenopausal women with EP, comparing its efficacy and safety to surgery.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We conducted a retrospective analysis of 170 postmenopausal patients with EP. Eighty-four patients received surgery alone, while 86 received surgery combined with acupoint application. Hormone levels, hormone receptor expression, TCM symptom scores, and adverse effects were compared between the two groups.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The acupoint application group demonstrated a significantly higher total effective rate than the control group (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). After treatment, the acupoint application group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in serum progesterone levels and vaginal pH compared to the control group (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Additionally, the acupoint application group showed a significant increase in endometrial estrogen receptor expression after treatment (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). TCM symptom scores related to vaginal bleeding volume, duration, facial complexion, dry mouth, and thirst significantly improved in the acupoint application group post-treatment (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, the acupoint application group demonstrated a notably lower incidence of adverse effects (including nausea, headache, breast tenderness, and dizziness) compared to the control group (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our study suggests acupoint application, alongside surgery, enhances clinical outcomes, hormonal balance, and symptom relief in postmenopausal women with EPs, compared to surgery alone. Its safety and sustained benefits support its use as a complementary treatment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Decrease of Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Antigens Does Not Reflect a Decrease of Neutralization Rate: A Prospective Study to Evaluate Kinetic and Dynamic Humoral Immune Response After Vaccination During Pregnancy","authors":"Gabriela Mattoso Coelho,&nbsp;Hellen Geremias dos Santos,&nbsp;Allan Henrique Depieri Cataneo,&nbsp;Yara Zancanaro,&nbsp;Gabriela Lunardelli,&nbsp;Taciane Elisabete Cesca,&nbsp;Jaqueline Makiyama,&nbsp;Jean Alexandre Furtado Correa Francisco,&nbsp;Thelma Skare,&nbsp;Felipe Francisco Tuon,&nbsp;Camila Zanluca,&nbsp;João Paulo Telles,&nbsp;Claudia Nunes Duarte dos Santos","doi":"10.1111/aji.70053","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70053","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Problem</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Despite being at increased risk for severe COVID-19, pregnant women were initially excluded from vaccine clinical trials, which limited data regarding vaccine effectiveness and protection in this group. Aiming to better understand the immune response to vaccination during pregnancy, we compared the kinetics and titers of neutralizing and IgG antibodies generated against SARS-CoV-2 during vaccination with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) or CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech) in a cohort of pregnant women.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods of Study</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We evaluated participants before vaccination and 30 days after each vaccine dose, using a multiplex bead assay to measure IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 antigens (total spike, spike-1, spike-2, receptor binding domain, and nucleocapsid) and a live virus fluorescence reduction neutralization assay (FRNA) to quantify neutralizing antibodies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our data showed that vaccination resulted in a robust humoral response, with a considerable increase in the levels of IgG and neutralizing antibodies after the first vaccine dose and a sustained neutralizing response after the vaccine boost. In addition, antispike IgG assays presented a slight decrease after the second dose, while the neutralization rate remained stable.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in pregnant women demonstrated an important increase in neutralizing antibodies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143254446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of First-Trimester Combined Inflammatory Markers (NLR, SII, SIRI, and AISI) With Poor Obstetric Outcomes in Pregnancies With Ulcerative Colitis","authors":"Osman Onur Ozkavak,&nbsp;Atakan Tanacan,&nbsp;Hakki Serbetci,&nbsp;Esra Karatas,&nbsp;Murat Haksever,&nbsp;Ezgi Basaran,&nbsp;Melike Busra Atar,&nbsp;Dilek Sahin","doi":"10.1111/aji.70055","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70055","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To compare the first-trimester combined inflammatory markers between pregnant women diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) and healthy pregnant women. Furthermore, to investigate the predictive value of these markers for adverse obstetric outcomes in pregnant women affected by UC.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this retrospective study, data were collected from pregnant women with UC who gave birth at our hospital between January 2021 and May 2024 and from a control group of healthy pregnant women. A comparison was made between the two groups in terms of their demographic characteristics, neonatal outcomes, and the values of the first-trimester neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), and aggregated index of systemic inflammation (AISI). Furthermore, the relationship between these combined inflammatory markers and adverse obstetric outcomes in pregnant women with UC was investigated.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>No notable discrepancy was observed between the UC group and the control group with respect to SIRI and AISI. The first-trimester NLR and SII values were observed to be higher in the UC group in comparison to the control group. The data indicated that pregnant women with UC who experienced poor obstetric outcomes exhibited elevated levels of NLR, SII, SIRI, and AISI during the first trimester. In the ROC analysis, the predictive capacity of all four parameters for poor obstetric outcomes in UC patients was statistically significant.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There is an association between elevated combined inflammatory markers in the first trimester and poor obstetric outcomes in pregnant women with UC.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143254504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Complete Blood Parameters and Inflammation Markers in Spontaneous Preterm Labor","authors":"Betül Tokgöz Çakır,&nbsp;Gizem Aktemur,&nbsp;Gülşan Karabay,&nbsp;Zeynep Şeyhanlı,&nbsp;Sadun Sucu,&nbsp;Mevlüt Bucak,&nbsp;Ahmet Arif Filiz,&nbsp;Nazan Vanlı Tonyalı,&nbsp;Seda Aydoğan,&nbsp;İzzet Özgürlük,&nbsp;Şevki Çelen","doi":"10.1111/aji.70051","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70051","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study aims to evaluate the relationship between systemic inflammatory markers, derived from complete blood count (CBC) parameters, and spontaneous preterm labor. By comparing these markers between preterm and term pregnancies, the study seeks to determine their potential predictive value for adverse neonatal outcomes, including birth weight, APGAR (appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration) scores, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study evaluated inflammatory markers in 478 women with spontaneous preterm labor and a gestational age-matched control group. Blood samples were collected prior to the onset of labor to assess CBC parameters (white blood cells [WBC], red blood cells [RBC], neutrophils, lymphocytes, and platelet counts), as well as various inflammatory ratios, such as the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI). Neonatal outcomes, such as birth weight, APGAR scores, and NICU admission, were recorded.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The preterm group showed significantly higher WBC, RBC, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts compared to the control group. MLR, MPR, and MPVLR were notably lower in the preterm group. However, these hematological parameters and inflammatory markers demonstrated limited predictive value for adverse neonatal outcomes, with area under the curve (AUC) values hovering around 0.5.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>WBC, RBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and platelet counts, along with inflammatory markers such as MLR, MPR, and MPVLR differ between preterm and term groups and can be derived from a simple CBC test. However, their predictive value for adverse neonatal outcomes remains limited.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143254506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic Mediators of Celiac Disease and Premature Ovarian Failure: Hypothyroidism and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus","authors":"Yuxi Hou,&nbsp;Weihong Song,&nbsp;Guoguo Wei,&nbsp;Yuanhang Mo,&nbsp;Manna Zhang,&nbsp;Xiaohu Chen,&nbsp;Chunge Cao,&nbsp;Chaoyan Yue,&nbsp;Xiaowen Shao","doi":"10.1111/aji.70038","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70038","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Observational studies suggested celiac disease (CD) possibly be a risk factor for premature ovarian failure (POF). However, causality remains unclear. And hypothyroidism and systemic lupus erythematosus may be the mediating factors.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We performed 2-sample Mendelian randomization (2SMR) to infer a causal relationship between CD and POF using genome-wide association study summary data obtained from IEU OpenGWAS database and FinnGen R12 database. Inverse-variance weighted method was used as the main analysis of MR. Heterogeneity was measured based on Cochran's <i>Q</i> value. We used the Two-Step MR to analyze whether hypothyroidism and SLE are mediators of the causal relationship between CD and POF. Summary level data of the hypothyroidism and SLE were obtained from IEU OpenGWAS.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Genetically predicted CD may increase the risk of POF by 16% (odds ratio [OR]: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06–1.26, <i>p</i> = 0.001). Hypothyroidism and SLE could mediate 13.46% and 26.36% of the association between CD and POF, respectively (<i>p</i> = 0.038, <i>p</i> = 0.025).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our study revealed that CD has a positive contribution effect on POF. CD can elevate the risk of POF by 16%. Besides, hypothyroidism and SLE played a partial mediating role in the causal relationship between the two.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143051271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrative Analyses of Biomarkers and Pathways in Oxidative Stress-Related Genes for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus","authors":"Yunyan Chen,&nbsp;Fuchu Qian,&nbsp;Yingying Chen","doi":"10.1111/aji.70052","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70052","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Problem</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Oxidative stress (OS) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but it was not well understood. We aimed to investigate the biomarkers and underlying mechanisms of OS-related genes in GDM.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method of Study</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The GSE103552 and GSE70493 datasets of GDM were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, oxidative stress-related differentially expressed genes (OSDEGs) were screened between GDM and normal samples from these two datasets. Further analyses were conducted by gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) for these OSDEGs. Subsequently, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses of these OSDEGs were carried out to screen the hub genes. Eventually, we used single-sample Gene-set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) to compare the immune cell infiltration between GDM and normal samples.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We identified 26 OSDEGs. Enrichment analysis suggested that the OSDEGs enriched in OS and diabetes-related pathways. GSEA revealed that these OSDEGs enriched in sensory perception of taste and negative regulation of notch4 signaling pathways. Moreover, PPI analysis showed that 15 OSDEGs were the hub gene in GDM. A total of 14 hub genes were highly expressed in GDM and might be used as diagnosis biomarkers. Moreover, many potential agents might target 10 hub genes for GDM treatment. In addition, immune infiltrate analyses revealed that expression of 14 hub genes was positively correlated to immune infiltrates in GDM.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>OSDEGs are significant in GDM and may provide potential diagnostic biomarkers and treatment targets for GDM.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143057469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MiR-423 Coding Region Genetic Polymorphism rs8067576 May Associate With the Risk of Developing Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion: A Case-Control Study in a Chinese Han Population","authors":"Xing Su,&nbsp;Wan-Ying Yu,&nbsp;Ming-Jia Zhao,&nbsp;Yi Hu,&nbsp;Ying Li,&nbsp;Xue-Qin Wang,&nbsp;Lu Zhang,&nbsp;Xiao-Dan Lv,&nbsp;Xu Ma,&nbsp;Hong-Fei Xia","doi":"10.1111/aji.70050","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70050","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our previous study has identified an association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the <i>miR-423</i> gene with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The presence of additional RSA-linked SNPs in the <i>miR-423</i> gene remains unclear.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We evaluated polymorphisms in the coding region of <i>miR-423</i> in Han Chinese women with unexplained RSA (URSA).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Significant differences were observed in the genotype and allele distribution of <i>miR-423</i> rs8067576 between patients with RSA and control subjects. A robust association was found between an elevated RSA incidence and the presence of A/T heterozygosity in <i>miR-423</i> rs8067576, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.76 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.26 to 2.47, <i>p</i> = 0.000292). The rare allele <i>T</i> in the pre-<i>miR-423</i> sequence was shown to cause a discernible structural change and a reduced ΔG value. Compared with the <i>A</i> allele, the rare <i>T</i> allele promoted cell proliferation. Furthermore, compared with the <i>T</i> allele, the <i>A</i> allele in the rs8067576 polymorphism exhibited a greater ability to inhibit the translation of proliferation-associated 2 group 4 (Pa2g4), which is the functional target of <i>miR-423</i>. The <i>T</i> allele in the rs8067576 polymorphism was also found to be more susceptible to the inhibition of cell proliferation induced by mifepristone.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The rs8067576 <i>A</i> &gt; <i>T</i> polymorphism in the <i>miR-423</i> gene may serve as a genetic susceptibility locus for RSA. This polymorphism appears to contribute to an increased risk of acquiring URSA in humans by destroying mature <i>miR-423</i>.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143051272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regulatory B-Cells Are Associated Negatively With Regulatory T-Cells and Positively With Cytokines in Peripheral Blood of Pregnant Women","authors":"Kyle S. Wiley,&nbsp;Laura E. Martínez,&nbsp;Daylon Kwon,&nbsp;Delaney A. Knorr,&nbsp;Marta Epeldegui,&nbsp;Molly M. Fox","doi":"10.1111/aji.70027","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Problem</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Regulatory B-cells (Bregs, CD19⁺CD24^hiCD38^hi) are a specialized B-cell subset that suppresses immune responses and potentially contribute to the maintenance of an immune-privileged environment for fetal development during pregnancy. However, little is known about the surrounding immunological environment of Bregs in gestational physiology. The relationship of regulatory T-cells (Tregs, CD4⁺CD25^hiCD127^loFoxP3⁺) to Bregs in coordinating immunoregulation during pregnancy is unknown. We aimed to determine whether peripheral concentrations of Bregs and/or PD-L1-expressing Bregs correlated with Tregs and cytokines during pregnancy.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 29 pregnant women at mean 12 weeks’ gestation. Participants were age ≥ 18, self-identified as Latina/Hispanic, and <i>N</i> = 12 primigravid. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated, stained, and analyzed by flow cytometry to determine percentages of Tregs from CD4⁺ T-cells and five Treg subsets defined by immune checkpoint markers, and Bregs and PD-L1⁺ Bregs from total B-cells. Levels of 13 cytokines were measured on a Meso Scale Discovery multiplex platform.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Bregs positively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6. PD-L1⁺ Bregs positively correlated with T-cell suppressive cytokine IL-10. PD-L1⁺ Bregs negatively correlated with Tregs and Helios⁺, CTLA-4⁺, PD-1⁺, TIGIT⁺, and TIM3⁺ Tregs. For primigravida, PD-L1⁺ Bregs correlated positively with IL-10 and negatively with Helios⁺ and TIGIT⁺ Tregs. For multigravida, PD-L1⁺ Bregs correlated positively with IL-8 and negatively with Helios⁺, CTLA-4⁺, PD-1⁺, and TIGIT⁺ Tregs.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study provides insight into the immunosuppressive role of Bregs and PD-L1⁺ Bregs during human pregnancy. Our results suggest that PD-L1⁺ Bregs can employ suppressive mechanisms to limit pro-inflammatory responses in primigravida.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143031701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Natural Killer Cell Education in Women With Recurrent Pregnancy Loss","authors":"Amber E. M. Lombardi,&nbsp;Denise H. J. Habets,&nbsp;Salwan Al-Nasiry,&nbsp;Marc E. A. Spaanderman,&nbsp;Lotte Wieten","doi":"10.1111/aji.70045","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Problem</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Natural killer (NK) cells undergo education for full functionality via interactions between killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) or NKG2A and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands. Presumably, education is important during early pregnancy as insufficient education has been associated with impaired vascular remodeling and restricted fetal growth in mice. NK cell education is influenced by receptor co-expression patterns, human cytomegalovirus (CMV), the HLA-E^R107^G dimorphism, and HLA-B leader peptide variants. We hypothesized altered NK cell education status and differences in frequencies of HLA-E genotypes and HLA-B leader peptide variants in women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) compared to women with previously uncomplicated pregnancies, and between CMV seropositive and seronegative RPL women.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods of Study</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. HLA-ABC was typed by sequence-specific oligonucleotide PCR, and HLA-E by Sanger sequencing. CMV status was determined by anti-CMV IgG immunoassay. NK cells were considered “educated” if the HLA ligand to a KIR or NKG2A was present.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>KIR/NKG2A co-expression patterns and percentages of educated NK cells were similar between RPL and controls, and between seropositive and seronegative RPL women. Frequencies of HLA-E genotypes and HLA-B leader peptide variants were comparable. RPL women with the HLA-B T/T variant had a lower percentage of NKG2A-educated NK cells (47.8%) compared to controls (66.4%) (<i>p</i> = 0.025).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>HLA-B leader peptide variants might impact NKG2A-specific NK cell education in RPL, warranting validation in larger studies. Follow-up studies are needed to investigate the education status of uterine NK cells and their role in pregnancy.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11760664/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143031725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quercetin Supplementation Reduces Oxidative Stress in the Testes of Wistar Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet","authors":"Aline de Oliveira Santos,&nbsp;Debora Hipolito Quadreli,&nbsp;Glaura Scantamburlo Alves Fernandes,&nbsp;Luis Souza Lima de Souza Reis,&nbsp;Marcela de Andrade Bernal Fagiani,&nbsp;Lauren Chrys Soato Marin,&nbsp;Victor Rogério Garcia Batista,&nbsp;Giovana Rampazzo Teixeira,&nbsp;Patrik Junior de Lima Paz,&nbsp;Caliê Castilho,&nbsp;Mayara de Oliveira Vidotto Figueiredo,&nbsp;Ines Cristina Giometti","doi":"10.1111/aji.70048","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aji.70048","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Problem</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A high-fat diet (HFD) predisposes animals to glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and testicular oxidative stress, and impairs sperm production in rats. Quercetin is a flavonoid with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipolytic actions and is a potential supplement to combat the oxidative stress caused by HFD and its harmful effects on reproduction. This study evaluated the effects of quercetin supplementation at doses of 10 and 20 mg/day on reproductive parameters and testicular oxidative stress in Wistar rats fed a diet rich in pork fat and fructose.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method of study</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The rats received a basal diet or HFD for 2 months, after which the animals fed the HFD received daily supplementation of 0, 10, or 20 mg of quercetin for another 2 months. Oxidative stress, histological alterations, and the expression of oxidative, inflammatory, and apoptotic mediators in the testes were evaluated.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Animals fed the HFD had a lower dietary intake and body, epididymis, and duct weights, regardless of the presence of quercetin. There were no changes in testicular weight, germinal epithelium diameter, sperm motility and morphology, or expression of testicular inflammatory genes (<i>p </i>&gt; 0.05). There was a reduction in the oxidative stress index and oxidized glutathione in rats that received the HFD and 20 mg of quercetin compared with the HF group without quercetin. No difference was observed in the expression of BAX, BCL2, TNFα, caspase 3, or AR between the groups.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Daily quercetin supplementation dose-dependently reduces testicular oxidative stress in Wistar rats fed a diet rich in pork fat and fructose.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7665,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Reproductive Immunology","volume":"93 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142998504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}