Daily Endocrinology Research Analysis

For women with diminished ovarian reserve or of advanced age, controlled ovarian stimulation presents a significant challenge during in vitro fertilization cycles. This multi-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial enrolled 318 women with diminished ovarian reserve (defined as an antral follicle count < 5 or anti-Müllerian hormone level of 0.1-1.1 ng/mL) or advanced age (40-45 years) between 2020 and 2023. Participants were assigned to either a modified letrozole protocol (mLP, n = 159) or a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol (n = 159). Primary outcomes, cumulative clinical pregnancy rate and cumulative live birth rate, were analyzed using both the full analysis set and the per-protocol set. Secondary outcomes, including live birth rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and pregnancy loss rate, were analyzed using the per-protocol set. Results from the full analysis set showed comparable cumulative clinical pregnancy rates (32.1% vs 34.0%; RR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.69-1.29) and cumulative live birth rates (24.5% vs 22.6%; RR 1.08, 95% CI: 0.73-1.61) between the two groups. The per-protocol analysis also demonstrated comparable cumulative clinical pregnancy rates (33.3% vs 36.0%; RR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.68-1.27). Notably, the mLP was associated with a significantly higher clinical pregnancy rate among patients with diminished ovarian reserve who underwent dual cleavage-stage fresh embryo transfers (65.8% vs 36.4%; RR 1.81, 95% CI: 1.15-2.85). Although primary outcomes were similar between protocols, the mLP improved clinical pregnancy rates in fresh embryo transfers for women with diminished ovarian reserve, suggesting its potential to enhance in vitro fertilization efficacy in this population. Fresh transfers demonstrated non-significant difference of mLP for live birth rate (34.0% vs 22.2%; RR 1.53, 95% CI: 0.96-2.43), non-significant reduced biochemical pregnancy loss rate (22.0% vs 34.3%; RR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.29-1.21) and miscarriage rate (20.0% vs 26.7%; RR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.32-1.77). Trial registration: ChiCTR2000029272.

Transcription factors play a key role in regulating gene expression. We conduct an integrated analysis of chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, mRNA expression, protein abundance and phosphorylation across eight tissues in fifty rats of equally represented sexes following endurance exercise training to identify coordinated epigenomic and transcriptional changes and determine key transcription factors involved. We uncover tissue-specific endurance exercise training associated changes and transcription factor motif enrichment across differentially expressed genes, accessible regions, and methylated regions. We discover distinct routes of training-induced regulation through either epigenomic alterations providing better access for transcription factors to affect target genes, or via changes in transcription factor expression or activity enabling target gene responses. We identify transcription factor motifs enriched among correlated epigenomic and transcriptomic alterations, differentially expressed genes correlated with exercise-related phenotypic and cell type composition changes, and training-induced activity changes of transcription factors whose target genes are enriched for differentially expressed genes. This analysis elucidates the unique gene regulatory mechanisms mediating diverse transcriptional responses to training across tissues.

The interactions between hosts and their microbiomes are driven in part by chemical communication, which influences immune responses, metabolism, and microbial community structure. Neuroendocrine signals are central to this bidirectional communication, forming the basis of microbial endocrinology. Although host-derived hormones, including catecholamines, are known to affect microbial physiology, much of the existing literature focuses on a limited number of model organisms or complex in vivo systems, where disentangling direct microbial responses from host-mediated effects is challenging. As a result, systematic comparative analyses of direct bacterial responses under controlled conditions remain scarce. Here, we performed a systematic in vitro screen under anaerobic conditions to assess catecholamine effects on the growth dynamics of phylogenetically diverse human gut bacteria. Catecholamines altered multiple growth parameters in a species-specific manner, with effects detectable at nanogram concentrations. Multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling, revealed lineage-associated response patterns across taxa. Although derived from monoculture experiments, these intrinsic responses provide a comparative framework for understanding how direct hormone-microbe interactions may contribute to microbiome dynamics under host stress. Overall, this study provides a quantitative cross-species dataset to inform future systems-level investigations in microbial endocrinology.