Blocking P2X4 purinergic receptor attenuates alcohol-related liver fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Alcoholic liver fibrosis（ALF）, as a liver disease caused by long-term alcoholism, attracts international attention. Activation of hepatic stellate cells is a key step in the development of alcoholic-associated liver fibrosis. Increasing studies have shown that P2X4 receptor, as a component of purinoceptor family in adenosine pathway, plays an important role in numerous liver diseases.

Added value of systemic inflammation markers in predicting pulmonary infection in stroke patients: A retrospective study by machine learning analysis.

Exploring candidate markers to predict the clinical outcomes of pulmonary infection in stroke patients have a high unmet need. This study aimed to develop machine learning (ML)-based predictive models for pulmonary infection.Between January 2008 and April 2021, a retrospective analysis of 1397 stroke patients who had CT angiography from skull to diaphragm (including CT of the chest) within 24 hours of symptom onset.

Elevated serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels increase malignancy-related risk in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Background: Patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD) have an increased incidence of malignancy due to decreased immunity. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), as an immunomodulator, seemed to have an effect in the process of malignancy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of increased sIL-2R in the course of malignancy among HD patients.

Effect of tamoxifen, methoxyprogesterone acetate and combined treatment on cellular proliferation and apoptosis in SKOV3/DDP cells via the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of tamoxifen (TAM), methoxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and their combined treatment on cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer SKOV3/DDP cells, as well as the potential mechanisms.

Methods: MTT assay was used to investigate the effect of different concentrations (0.01, 0.

Four novel rare mutations of PLA2G6 in Chinese population with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Mutations in the phospholipase A2 Group 6 (PLA2G6) gene have been identified in autosomal recessive neurodegenerative diseases classified as infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy and neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation. Recently, PLA2G6 was also reported as the causative gene for early-onset PARK14-linked dystonia-parkinsonism.

Methods/results: To address whether PLA2G6 mutations are also an important cause of PD, we screened sequence variants of PLA2G6 in 250 PD patients and 550 controls in a Chinese Han populations.

A simplified method for the calculation of equivalent squares of irregular photon fields.

It is showed that the empirical scatter-radius function (Day function) used to generate the equivalent-field tables is a good approximation to the results of normalized scatter-air ratios extracted from the British Journal of Radiology (BJR) beam data for depths up to 10 cm. Accuracy can be improved by making the Day function depend on depth. Equivalent squares, determined by sector integration of the original or modified Day functions, are suitable for megavoltage photon-beam dose calculations in irregular as well as rectangular fields.