@article{XuCaoTianetal.2014,
  author    = {Xu, QingHai and Cao, Xianyong and Tian, Fang and Zhang, ShengRui and Li, YueCong and Li, ManYue and Li, Jie and Liu, YaoLiang and Liang, Jian},
  title     = {Relative pollen productivities of typical steppe species in northern China and their potential in past vegetation reconstruction},
  series = {Science China},
  volume    = {57},
  journal   = {Science China},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Science China Press},
  address   = {Beijing},
  issn      = {1674-7313},
  doi       = {10.1007/s11430-013-4738-7},
  pages     = {1254 -- 1266},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The Relative Pollen Productivities (RPPs) of common steppe species are estimated using Extended R-value (ERV) model based on pollen analysis and vegetation survey of 30 surface soil samples from typical steppe area of northern China. Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Asteraceae are the dominant pollen types in pollen assemblages, reflecting the typical steppe communities well. The five dominant pollen types and six common types (Thalictrum, Iridaceae, Potentilla, Ephedra, Brassicaceae, and Ulmus) have strong wind transport abilities; the estimated Relevant Source Area of Pollen (RSAP) is ca. 1000 m when the sediment basin radius is set at 0.5 m. Ulmus, Artemisia, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Thalictrum have relative high RPPs; Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Potentilla, and Ephedra pollen have moderate RPPs; Asteraceae and Iridaceae have low RPPs. The reliability test of RPPs revealed that most of the RPPs are reliable in past vegetation reconstruction. However, the RPPs of Asteraceae and Iridaceae are obviously underestimated, and those of Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Ephedra are either slightly underestimated or slightly overestimated, suggesting that those RPPs should be considered with caution. These RPPs were applied to estimating plant abundances for two fossil pollen spectra (from the Lake Bayanchagan and Lake Haoluku) covering the Holocene in typical steppe area, using the "Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites" (REVEALS) model. The RPPs-based vegetation reconstruction revealed that meadow-steppe dominated by Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia plants flourished in this area before 6500-5600 cal yr BP, and then was replaced by present typical steppe.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LiangHuangLietal.2014,
  author    = {Liang, Xu-Jing and Huang, Si-Min and Li, Jian-Ping and Zhu, Xian-Nv and Lu, Yong-Ping and Hocher, Berthold and Chen, You-Peng},
  title     = {Hepatic impairment induced by scrub typhus is associated with new onset of renal dysfunction},
  series = {Clinical laboratory : the peer reviewed journal for clinical laboratories and laboratories related to blood transfusion},
  volume    = {60},
  journal   = {Clinical laboratory : the peer reviewed journal for clinical laboratories and laboratories related to blood transfusion},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Clin Lab Publ., Verl. Klinisches Labor},
  address   = {Heidelberg},
  issn      = {1433-6510},
  doi       = {10.7754/Clin.Lab.2013.121203},
  pages     = {63 -- 68},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Background: Scrub typhus is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. There is little attention given to hepatic impairment in the adults with scrub typhus. This study investigated the incidence and the prognostic implications of hepatic impairment in patients with scrub typhus. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 143 adult patients with scrub typhus who were admitted between January 1999 and December 2010 in Guangdong province, China. The patients were divided into three groups, e.g., normal, mild, and moderate to severe groups based on the elevated serum ALT and/or total bilirubin levels. Furthermore, clinical characteristics and prognosis of the patient groups were compared. Results: 109 patients (76.2\%) had abnormal liver function. Among the patients with hepatic impairment 45 cases (31.4\%), 54 cases (37.8\%), and 10 cases (7.0\%) had mild, moderate, and severe hepatic damage, respectively. The moderate to severe hepatic impairment group had higher levels of serum creatinine compared with that of normal hepatic function. The incidence of new onset of renal dysfunction - defined as peak serum creatinine >= 176 mu mol/L during hospital stay with no evidence of renal disease prior hospitalization - was 0\% in the mild hepatic impairment group, 8.9\% in the moderate hepatic impairment group, and 21.9\% in the severe hepatic impairment group, (p = 0.005 for trend). Additionally, the patients with hepatic impairment (n = 109) had higher incidences of episodes of thrombocytopenia (45.9\% vs. 8.82\%, p < 0.001), hypoalbuminemia (50.5\% vs. 11.8\%, p < 0.001), new onset of renal dysfunction (16.5\% vs. 0.0\%, p = 0.011), and electrocardiogram abnormality (28.4\% vs. 8.82\%, p = 0.019) than the patients without hepatic impairment. Conclusions: The degree of hepatic impairment induced by scrub typhus is associated with new onset of renal dysfunction.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ChenLuLietal.2014,
  author    = {Chen, You-Peng and Lu, Yong-Ping and Li, Jian and Liu, Zhi-Wei and Chen, Wen-Jing and Liang, Xu-Jing and Chen, Xin and Wen, Wang-Rong and Xiao, Xiao-Min and Reichetzeder, Christoph and Hocher, Berthold},
  title     = {Fetal and maternal angiotensin (1-7) are associated with preterm birth},
  series = {Journal of hypertension},
  volume    = {32},
  journal   = {Journal of hypertension},
  number    = {9},
  publisher = {Lippincott Williams \& Wilkins},
  address   = {Philadelphia},
  issn      = {0263-6352},
  doi       = {10.1097/HJH.0000000000000251},
  pages     = {1833 -- 1841},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Background: Recent studies show that preterm birth is associated with hypertension in later life. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) during pregnancy influences fetal growth and development. In the current study, we investigated the impact of fetal as well as maternal angiotensin (1-7) [Ang (1-7)] and angiotensin II (Ang II) plasma concentrations on the risk of preterm birth. Methods: Three hundred and nine pregnant women were prospectively included into the study. The pregnant women were divided into two groups, for example, preterm birth of lower than 37 gestational weeks (n = 17) and full-term birth of 37 gestational weeks or more (n = 292). Maternal and neonatal plasma Ang (1-7) and Ang II concentrations were analyzed at birth from maternal venous blood and umbilical cord blood, respectively. Risk factors for premature birth were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Fetal and maternal plasma Ang (1-7) concentrations in the preterm group were lower than those of the term group fetal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 486.15 +/- 337.34 ng/l and fetal Ang (1-7) term birth: 833.84 +/- 698.12 ng/l and maternal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 399.86 +/- 218.93 ng/l; maternal Ang (1-7) term birth: 710.34 +/- 598.22 ng/l. Multiple logistic regression analysis considering confounding factors revealed that preeclampsia (P < 0.001), premature rupture of membranes (P = 0.001), lower concentration of maternal Ang (1-7) (P = 0.013) and fetal plasma Ang (1-7) (P = 0.032) were independently associated with preterm birth. We could furthermore demonstrate that the maternal Ang (1-7)/Ang II ratio is independently associated with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, factors causing preterm birth. Conclusions: Lower concentrations of maternal and fetal Ang (1-7) are independently associated with preterm birth - a risk factor of hypertension in later life.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HocherLuReichetzederetal.2022,
  author    = {Hocher, Berthold and Lu, Yong-Ping and Reichetzeder, Christoph and Zhang, Xiaoli and Tsuprykov, Oleg and Rahnenf{\"u}hrer, Jan and Xie, Li and Li, Jian and Hu, Liang and Kr{\"a}mer, Bernhard K. and Hasan, Ahmed A.},
  title     = {Paternal eNOS deficiency in mice affects glucose homeostasis and liver glycogen in male offspring without inheritance of eNOS deficiency itself},
  series = {Diabetologia},
  volume    = {65},
  journal   = {Diabetologia},
  number    = {7},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {New York},
  issn      = {0012-186X},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00125-022-05700-x},
  pages     = {1222 -- 1236},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Aims/hypothesis It was shown that maternal endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) deficiency causes fatty liver disease and numerically lower fasting glucose in female wild-type offspring, suggesting that parental genetic variants may influence the offspring's phenotype via epigenetic modifications in the offspring despite the absence of a primary genetic defect. The aim of the current study was to analyse whether paternal eNOS deficiency may cause the same phenotype as seen with maternal eNOS deficiency. Methods Heterozygous (+/-) male eNOS (Nos3) knockout mice or wild-type male mice were bred with female wild-type mice. The phenotype of wild-type offspring of heterozygous male eNOS knockout mice was compared with offspring from wild-type parents. Results Global sperm DNA methylation decreased and sperm microRNA pattern altered substantially. Fasting glucose and liver glycogen storage were increased when analysing wild-type male and female offspring of +/- eNOS fathers. Wild-type male but not female offspring of +/- eNOS fathers had increased fasting insulin and increased insulin after glucose load. Analysing candidate genes for liver fat and carbohydrate metabolism revealed that the expression of genes encoding glucocorticoid receptor (Gr; also known as Nr3c1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (Pgc1a; also known as Ppargc1a) was increased while DNA methylation of Gr exon 1A and Pgc1a promoter was decreased in the liver of male wild-type offspring of +/- eNOS fathers. The endocrine pancreas in wild-type offspring was not affected. <br /> Conclusions/interpretation Our study suggests that paternal genetic defects such as eNOS deficiency may alter the epigenome of the sperm without transmission of the paternal genetic defect itself. In later life wild-type male offspring of +/- eNOS fathers developed increased fasting insulin and increased insulin after glucose load. These effects are associated with increased Gr and Pgc1a gene expression due to altered methylation of these genes.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LiShenZhangetal.2022,
  author    = {Li, Jian and Shen, Jinhua and Zhang, Xiaoli and Peng, Yangqin and Zhang, Qin and Hu, Liang and Reichetzeder, Christoph and Zeng, Suimin and Li, Jing and Tian, Mei and Gong, Fei and Lin, Ge and Hocher, Berthold},
  title     = {Risk factors associated with preterm birth after IVF/ICSI},
  series = {Scientific reports},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Scientific reports},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Nature Research},
  address   = {Berlin},
  issn      = {2045-2322},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41598-022-12149-w},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {In vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) is associated with an increased risk of preterm (33rd-37th gestational week) and early preterm birth (20th-32nd gestational week). The underlying general and procedure related risk factors are not well understood so far. 4328 infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI were entered into this study. The study population was divided into three groups: (a) early preterm birth group (n = 66), (b) preterm birth group (n = 675) and (c) full-term birth group (n = 3653). Odds for preterm birth were calculated by stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. We identified seven independent risk factors for preterm birth and four independent risk factors for early preterm birth. Older (> 39) or younger (< 25) maternal age (OR: 1.504, 95\% CI 1.108-2.042, P = 0.009; OR: 2.125, 95\% CI 1.049-4.304, P = 0.036, respectively), multiple pregnancy (OR: 9.780, 95\% CI 8.014-11.935, P < 0.001; OR: 8.588, 95\% CI 4.866-15.157, P < 0.001, respectively), placenta previa (OR: 14.954, 95\% CI 8.053-27.767, P < 0.001; OR: 16.479, 95\% CI 4.381-61.976, P < 0.001, respectively), and embryo reduction (OR: 3.547, 95\% CI 1.736-7.249, P = 0.001; OR: 7.145, 95\% CI 1.990-25.663, P = 0.003, respectively) were associated with preterm birth and early preterm birth, whereas gestational hypertension (OR: 2.494, 95\% CI 1.770-3.514, P < 0.001), elevated triglycerides (OR: 1.120, 95\% CI 1.011-1.240, P = 0.030) and shorter activated partial thromboplastin time (OR: 0.967, 95\% CI 0.949-0.985, P < 0.001) were associated only with preterm birth. In conclusion, preterm and early preterm birth risk factors in patients undergoing assisted IVF/ICSI are in general similar to those in natural pregnancy. The lack of some associations in the early preterm group was most likely due to the lower number of early preterm birth cases. Only embryo reduction represents an IVF/ICSI specific risk factor.},
  language  = {en}
}