Research progress and challenges of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in gliomas.

The emergence of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunosuppressants provides new therapeutic directions for various advanced malignant cancers. At present, PD-1/PD-L1 immunosuppressants have made significant progress in clinical trials of some gliomas, but PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have not yet shown convincing clinical efficacy in gliomas. This article summarizes the research progress of the PD-1 /PD-L1 pathway in gliomas through the following three aspects.

ErZhiTianGui Decoction alleviates age-related ovarian aging by regulating mitochondrial homeostasis and inhibiting ferroptosis.

Aim: This study was designed to investigate the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of ErZhiTianGui Decoction (EZTG) for age-related ovarian aging in mice.

Methods: This study used naturally aging mice as a model, and EZTG was used for intragastric administration. Ovarian pathological changes, as well as follicular reserve were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and serum hormone levels (anti-mullerian hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone), mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage marker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine(8-OHdG), and lipid peroxidation markers glutathione(GSH) and malondialdehyde(MDA) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Which patients with coronary artery disease should include oral nitrates on their discharge medication list?

Background: Which patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) should have oral nitrates on their discharge medication list after coronary angiography (CAG)? To assess the relationship between oral nitrates included in the discharge medication list and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) among CAD patients, we designed this retrospective cohort study.

Methods: A total of 2979 CAD patients hospitalised in the Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from May 2013 to October 2015 were enrolled, grouped according to whether oral nitrates were included at discharge after CAG, and followed up for MACEs for a mean of 4.42 years after discharge.

Association of age-related hearing loss with cognitive impairment and dementia: an umbrella review.

Background: Hearing loss, cognitive impairment and dementia have become common problems for older adults. Currently, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) with cognitive impairment and dementia may have inconsistent results. To explore and validate the association between ARHL with cognitive impairment and dementia through summarizing and evaluating existing evidence.

Construction of a predictive model for cognitive impairment risk in patients with advanced cancer.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for cognitive impairment in advanced cancer patients and to develop predictive models based on these risk factors.

Background: Cancer-related cognitive impairment seriously affects the quality of life of advanced cancer patients. However, neural network models of cognitive impairment in patients with advanced cancer have not yet been identified.

Neuroprotection of Oral Edaravone on Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Rats.

Edaravone has been widely used in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. However, there has been no oral preparation of edaravone in the clinic. In this study, we assessed the effect and possible mechanisms of oral edaravone on the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in rats.

evaluation of a removable partial denture framework using multi-directionally forged titanium.

Purpose: This study evaluated the availability of multi-directionally forged (MDF) titanium (Ti) as a component of removable partial dentures (RPDs). MDF-Ti remarkably improved the mechanical properties of RPDs due to its ultrafine-grained structure.

Materials And Methods: The wear resistance, plaque adhesion, and machinability of MDF-Ti were tested.

[Analysis of imported malaria cases in Leshan City from 2012 to 2018].

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of reported malaria cases in Leshan City, so as to provide insights into malaria control.

Methods: The data pertaining to malaria cases and epidemiological individual information in Leshan City from 2012 to 2018 were captured from the National Notifiable Communicable Disease Reporting System and the Information System for Parasitic Diseases Control and Prevention, and a descriptive epidemiological analysis was performed.

Results: A total of 34 malaria cases were reported in Leshan City from 2012 to 2018, and all cases were confirmed as imported malaria cases by Sichuan provincial malaria diagnosis reference laboratory.

Intracranial lymphatic drainage discharges iron from the ventricles and reduce the occurrence of chronic hydrocephalus after intraventricular hemorrhage in rats.

The discovery of intracranial lymphatic system provides a new theory about cerebrospinal fluid circulation. In order to investigate the role of lymphatic drainage in hydrocephalus after intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), three parts of experiments were performed. IVH model was produced by 200ul autologous blood injection into lateral ventricle of SD male rats.

Using Mind Maps to Improve Medical Student Performance in a Pharmacology Course at Kunming Medical University.

Objective: To determine whether students using mind maps would improve their performance in a final examination at the end of lecture-based pharmacology course.

Study Design: Aquasi-experimental study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Kunming Medical University, from September 2014 to January 2015.

Surgical Treatment of Metallic Foreign Body Embolization in the Middle Cerebral Artery: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Intracranial artery embolization cases caused by foreign bodies are extremely rare clinically. Twenty-four cases in total have been reported in the literature; among them, 20 cases were caused by firearms, and only 4 cases originated from nonfirearm injuries in daily life.

Case Description: We report a fifth case of foreign body embolization in the cerebral artery caused by nonfirearm injuries.

[Hormesis of drugs for infectious diseases].

Hormesis, a biphasic dose-response phenomenon characterized by low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition, is a common feature of medicines but neglected sometime. Understanding of hormesis is essential for drug discovery and clinical application. Assessing hormetic range needs a proper experiment design including the number of doses and dose spacing, especially in the low dose zone.

In Vitro and in Vivo Inhibitory Effects of Glycyrrhetinic Acid in Mice and Human Cytochrome P450 3A4.

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) has been used clinically in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis. This study evaluated the effect of GA on the activity of five P450(CYP450) cytochrome enzymes: CYP2A6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4, in human liver microsomes (HLMs) and recombinant cDNA-expressed enzyme systems using a HPLC-MS/MS CYP-specific probe substrate assay. With midazolam as the probe substrate, GA greatly decreased CYP3A4 activity with IC50 values of 8.

DEK: A novel early screening and prognostic marker for breast cancer.

The present study aimed to investigate the expression status and clinical implications of DEK in breast cancer, in order to contribute to developments in breast cancer management. DEK expression status was detected in 628 breast cancer specimens by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry staining, and the correlation between DEK protein and clinico‑pathological parameters and prognosis of breast cancer was subsequently determined. In comparison to para-carcinoma tissues, DEK protein was highly expressed in breast cancer specimens and was correlated with chemotherapy resistance.

Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha ameliorate myocardial ischemia in rat.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1a), the upstream regulator of Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is the vital hypoxia related gene expression control factor. To evaluate HIF-1a therapeutic efficacy to acute myocardial infarction, the HIF-1a expressing recombinant Adeno-associated virus (rAAV) was constructed. The Wistar rat ischemic heart animal model was established with left anterior descending coronary artery ligation.

Male circumcision performed with 8-figure non-absorbable suture technique.

Introduction: We analyze the outcome of circumcisions performed with 8-figure non-absorbable suture (8FNS) and assess the feasibility of using the technique in male circumcision.

Methods: We randomly divided 317 patients who would undergo circumcision between February 2009 and January 2012 into 2 groups. Each group was subdivided into children (age range: 7 to 15 years) and adult (range: 16 to 85 years).

Effect of incisor position on the self-perceived psychosocial impacts of malocclusion among Chinese young adults.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the incisor position on the self-perceived psychosocial impacts of malocclusion among Chinese young adults.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 17.1- to 22.

Expression of survivin and livin predicts early recurrence in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Background: Survivin and livin are novel members of the inhibitor of apoptosis gene family (IAP) that controls mitotic progression and induces tumor cell invasion. This study aims to evaluate the association of both expression with clinical outcomes and risk of recurrence in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NIMBC).

Patients And Methods: We investigated the expression of survivin and livin in 72 NMIBC samples using immunohistochemical staining (Envision Method).

Immunolocalization of DMP1 and sclerostin in the epiphyseal trabecule and diaphyseal cortical bone of osteoprotegerin deficient mice.

In order to define the osteocytic function in accelerated bone remodeling, we examined the distribution of the osteocytic lacunar-canalicular system (OLCS) and osteocyte-secreting molecules--dentin matrix protein (DMP) 1 and sclerostin--in the epiphyses and cortical bones of osteoprotegerin deficient (OPG(-/-)) mice. Silver impregnation visualized a well-arranged OLCS in the wild-type epiphyses and cortical bone, whereas OPG(-/-) mice had an irregular OLCS in the epiphyses, but well-arranged canaliculi in the cortical bone. DMP1-positive osteocytes were evenly distributed throughout the wild-type epiphyses and cortical bone, as well as the OPG(-/-) cortical bone.

Fusion expression and immunogenicity of Bordetella pertussis PTS1-FHA protein: implications for the vaccine development.

Mutants of pertussis toxin (PT) S1 subunit and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) type I immunodominant domain from Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) are considered to be effective candidate antigens for acellular pertussis vaccines; however, the substantial progress is hampered in part for the lack of a suitable in vitro expression system. In this paper, the gene sequences of a S1 mutant C180-R9K/E129G (mS1) and a truncated peptide named Fs from FHA type I immunodominant domain were linked together and constructed to pET22b expression vector as a fusion gene; after inducing with IPTG, it was highly expressed in E.

Ultrastructural observation on cells meeting the histological criteria for preosteoblasts--a study in the mouse tibial metaphysis.

Preosteoblasts are currently defined as the precursors of mature osteoblasts. These cells are morphologically diverse and may represent a continuum during osteoblast differentiation. We have attempted to categorize the different preosteoblastic phenotypes in vivo by examining bone cells expressing the runt-related transcription factor 2, alkaline phosphatase and BrdU incorporation - histological traits of a preosteoblast - under transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Long-term forskolin stimulation induces AMPK activation and thereby enhances tight junction formation in human placental trophoblast BeWo cells.

BeWo cells, derived from human choriocarcinoma, have been known to respond to forskolin or cAMP analogues by differentiating into multinucleated cells- like syncytiotrophoblasts on the surfaces of chorionic villi of the human placenta. In this study, we demonstrated that long-term treatment with forskolin enhances the tight junction (TJ) formation in human placental BeWo cells. Interestingly, AMPK activation and phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), a molecule downstream from AMPK, were induced by long-term incubation (>12h) with forskolin, despite not being induced by acute stimulation with forskolin.

BCL6 gene amplification/3q27 gain is associated with unique clinicopathological characteristics among follicular lymphoma without BCL2 gene translocation.

Although approximately 10-20% cases of follicular lymphoma lack BCL2 gene rearrangement, there are few reports having described the alternative genetic aberrations and their association about clinicopathological features. In this study, analysis by Fluorescence in situ hybridization of BCL6 gene aberrations in 100 follicular lymphoma cases without IGH/BCL2 rearrangement resulted in the identification of four subgroups. Group I: BCL6 gene rearrangement (n=41); Group II: BCL6 gene amplification/3q27 gain (n=30); Group III: the absence of both (n=23); and Group IV: the presence of both (n=6).

High-grade mature B-cell lymphoma with Burkitt-like morphology: results of a clinicopathological study of 72 Japanese patients.

The aim of the present study was to estimate optimum chemotherapeutic regimens for high-grade mature B-cell lymphoma cases with Burkitt-like morphology (Burkitt's lymphoma [BL]/Burkitt-like lymphoma [BLL]) patients. We analyzed 72 BL/BLL, including 36 with the c-myc translocation (molecular BL [mBL]), 20 without it (mBL-like), and 16 in whom we were uncertain regarding the existence of the c-myc translocation, and compared them with 182 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cases. On clinical and immunophenotypic analysis, the typical BL immunophenotype (CD10 positive, bcl-2 negative, and Ki-67 index >or=95%) was noted in 23 (66%) and 11 (55%) of the 35 mBL and 20 mBL-like patients, respectively.

Psychosocial assessment of patients who have undergone inpatient cancer rehabilitation.

This study summarized the social work services provided in an acute inpatient cancer rehabilitation program. Reviewed were 49 consecutive social worker assessments from February 2003 to March 2003. The social worker was consulted mostly for discharge planning (40/49, 82%) and helping patients cope (23/49, 47%).