Temperature and ion dual responsive biphenyl-dipeptide supramolecular hydrogels as extracellular matrix mimic-scaffolds for cell culture applications.

Stimuli-responsive supramolecular hydrogels composed of aromatic short peptide gelators have attracted intensive attention in the field of biomedicine because of their stable chemical structure, simple and convenient synthetic route and intelligent response to external stimuli. In this paper, several dipeptides were coupled to biphenylacetic acid (BPAA) to generate aromatic short peptide compounds through the standard solid phase peptide synthesis. These BPAA-dipeptide compounds presented clearly different gelation behaviors from the generally employed Fmoc-dipeptide and Nap-dipeptide compounds, but only BPAA-diphenylalanine was able to form homogeneous and transparent hydrogels through temperature switching or ion induction.

Utility of Th1-cell immune responses for distinguishing active tuberculosis from non-active tuberculosis: A case-control study.

Currently available Interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) cannot reliably differentiate active TB (ATB) from non-active TB (non-ATB). A study was performed to evaluate the value of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) specific Th1 cell immune responses which test IFN-γ and IL-2 simultaneous for differentiating ATB from non-ATB. Forty-nine newly diagnosed inpatients with ATB (26 pulmonary TB and 23 extrapulmonary TB) were enrolled as the ATB group.

Fused cerebral organoids model interactions between brain regions.

Human brain development involves complex interactions between different regions, including long-distance neuronal migration or formation of major axonal tracts. Different brain regions can be cultured in vitro within 3D cerebral organoids, but the random arrangement of regional identities limits the reliable analysis of complex phenotypes. Here, we describe a coculture method combining brain regions of choice within one organoid tissue.

[HIV-infection related behaviors and preventive measures among unmarried youths from the rural areas in Liangshan prefecture, 2011-2013].

To analyze the HIV-infection related behaviors among unmarried youths in rural areas of Liangshan prefecture from 2011 to 2013 and factors that influencing the HIV transmission in the population under research. According to the HIV sentinel surveillance methods for data collection, EpiData 3.1 and SPSS 19.

Current carried by the Slc26 family member prestin does not flow through the transporter pathway.

Prestin in the lateral membrane of outer hair cells, is responsible for electromotility (EM) and a corresponding nonlinear capacitance (NLC). Prestin's voltage sensitivity is influenced by intracellular chloride. A regulator of intracellular chloride is a stretch-sensitive, non-selective conductance within the lateral membrane, G.

No Acute Changes in LVEF Observed With Concurrent Trastuzumab and Breast Radiation With Low Heart Doses.

Introduction/background: Treatment for HER2-postitive breast cancer often includes trastuzumab, breast/chest wall (CW) radiation (RT), and anthracyclines, all of which have cardiac toxicity. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between heart dose and acute left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) changes in patients who received concurrent trastuzumab and breast/CW RT with and without anthracycline use.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all nonmetastatic breast cancer patients from 2008 to 2015 who received concurrent trastuzumab and breast/CW RT.

A multimodal instrument for real-time in situ study of ultrasound and cavitation mediated drug delivery.

The development of a multimodal instrument capable of real-time in situ measurements of cavitation activity and effect in tissue mimicking phantoms during ultrasound and cavitation mediated drug delivery experiments is described here. The instrument features an acoustic arm that can expose phantoms to high-intensity focused-ultrasound while measuring cavitation activity and an optical arm that monitors cavitation effect using confocal microscopy. This combination of modalities allows real-time in situ characterisation of drug delivery in tissue and tissue mimicking phantoms during ultrasound and cavitation mediated drug delivery experiments.

Acute acalculous cholecystitis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A unique form of disease flare.

Objective We aimed to investigate the clinical features of acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods SLE patients with AAC hospitalized in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from January 2001 to September 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Their medical records were systematically reviewed.

[Effect of allogenic mesenchymal stem cells transplantation on the expression of interleukin-22 and matrix metalloproteinase-3 in rats with collagen induced arthritis].

To study the effect of allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation on the expression of interleukin -22 (IL-22), matrix metalloproteinase -3 (MMP-3) in serum and synovial of rats with collagen induced arthritis. Type Ⅱ collagen were injected twice to establish the collagen induced arthritis (CIA) rat model. Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group, CIA control group, CIA experiment group.

Self-organized developmental patterning and differentiation in cerebral organoids.

Cerebral organoids recapitulate human brain development at a considerable level of detail, even in the absence of externally added signaling factors. The patterning events driving this self-organization are currently unknown. Here, we examine the developmental and differentiative capacity of cerebral organoids.

Microfluidics cell sample preparation for analysis: Advances in efficient cell enrichment and precise single cell capture.

Single cell analysis has received increasing attention recently in both academia and clinics, and there is an urgent need for effective upstream cell sample preparation. Two extremely challenging tasks in cell sample preparation-high-efficiency cell enrichment and precise single cell capture-have now entered into an era full of exciting technological advances, which are mostly enabled by microfluidics. In this review, we summarize the category of technologies that provide new solutions and creative insights into the two tasks of cell manipulation, with a focus on the latest development in the recent five years by highlighting the representative works.

High-throughput in situ cell electroporation microsystem for parallel delivery of single guide RNAs into mammalian cells.

Arrayed genetic screens mediated by the CRISPR/Cas9 technology with single guide RNA (sgRNA) libraries demand a high-throughput platform capable of transfecting diverse cell types at a high efficiency in a genome-wide scale for detection and analysis of sophisticated cellular phenotypes. Here we developed a high-throughput in situ cell electroporation (HiCEP) microsystem which leveraged the superhydrophobic feature of the microwell array to achieve individually controlled conditions in each microwell and coupled an interdigital electrode array chip with the microwells in a modular-based scheme for highly efficient delivery of exogenous molecules into cells. Two plasmids encoding enhanced green and red fluorescent proteins (EGFP and ERFP), respectively, were successfully electroporated into attached HeLa cells on a 169-microwell array chip with transfection efficiencies of 71.

Dose de-escalation to adalimumab 40 mg every 3 weeks in patients with Crohn's disease - a nested case-control study.

Background: Data on dose de-escalation in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) are limited.

Aim: To evaluate outcomes of dose de-escalation from adalimumab (ADM) every other week (EOW) to every three weeks (ETW).

Methods: We selected patients with CD receiving maintenance therapy with ADM 40 mg ETW with serum levels (SL) available before and after dose de-escalation.

Percent of Tracer Clearance at 40 Minutes in MAG3 Renal Scans Is More Sensitive Than T for Symptomatic Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction.

Objective: To increase the diagnostic sensitivity of standard MAG3 diuretic renal scans for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) by exploring the utility of an alternative measurement P the percentage of maximal tracer counts present at 40 minutes.

Materials And Methods: Patients with strong clinical and anatomic evidence for UPJO may have a normal T, making definitive diagnosis difficult. We reviewed the charts of 142 consecutive patients who underwent successful laparoscopic or robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty for UPJO between 2005 and 2015.

Synergistic chemotherapeutic effect of sorafenib-loaded pullulan-Dox conjugate nanoparticles against murine breast carcinoma.

pH-Sensitive pullulan-doxorubicin conjugates encapsulating sorafenib (P-Dox/S) nanoparticles were developed as a synergistic combinatorial delivery system against murine breast carcinoma. The nanoparticles can encapsulate Dox and sorafenib with ultra-high loading capacity (65.34 wt%) through chemical conjugation and physical loading, whereas can remain stable under physiological conditions and gradually release Dox and sorafenib with the decreasing pH.

Conservation and diversification of the miR166 family in soybean and potential roles of newly identified miR166s.

Background: microRNA166 (miR166) is a highly conserved family of miRNAs implicated in a wide range of cellular and physiological processes in plants. miR166 family generally comprises multiple miR166 members in plants, which might exhibit functional redundancy and specificity. The soybean miR166 family consists of 21 members according to the miRBase database.

Positive Rate of Different Hepatitis B Virus Serological Markers in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, a General Tertiary Hospital in Beijing.

Objective s To investigate the positive rate of different hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological markers, and the demographic factors related to HBV infection.Methods We enrolled all patients tested for HBV serological markers, such as HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV surface antibody (HBsAb), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), hepatitis B e antibody (HBeAb), HBV core antibody (HBcAb), and HBV-DNA from July 2008 to July 2009 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The positive rate of each HBV serological marker was calculated according to gender, age, and de- partment, respectively.

Analysis of High-altitude Syndrome and the Underlying Gene Polymorphisms Associated with Acute Mountain Sickness after a Rapid Ascent to High-altitude.

To investigated the objective indicators and potential genotypes for acute mountain sickness (AMS). 176 male subjects were evaluated for symptoms scores and physiological parameters at 3700 m. EPAS1 gene polymorphisms were explored and verified effects of potential genotypes on pulmonary function by inhaled budesonide.

Genetic Polymorphism of CYP2C19 and Inhibitory Effects of Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel Towards Post-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Platelet Aggregation in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to observe the effects of genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 on inhibitory effects of ticagrelor (Tic) and clopidogrel (Clo) towards post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) platelet aggregation (IPA) and major cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). MATERIAL AND METHODS From August 2013 to March 2014, 166 patients with ACS undergoing PCI were selected. The patients were randomly grouped into the Tic group and the Clo group.

The characteristics of patients with mycobacterium tuberculosis blood stream infections in Beijing, China: a retrospective study.

Background: Published information regarding the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and outcomes of patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) blood stream infection (BSI) is limited. We aimed in this study to evaluate the clinical characteristics, laboratory evaluation, and outcomes of patients with MTB BSI.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with MTB BSI at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2008 and May 2014 were identified by examining the electronic database listing results of all blood cultures.

Sediment suspension and the dynamic mechanism during storms in the Yellow River Delta.

The suspension and hydrodynamic characteristics of the Yellow River Delta during storms were analyzed based on suspended samples obtained using automatic samplers during a storm event in the Yellow River Delta. Synchronous data for winds, waves, and tides were also collected from a nearby station. The results show that under wind speeds of 5-15 m/s and wave heights of 50-150 cm, the suspended content reached 5.

Prognostic factors for melanoma brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery.

OBJECTIVE Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is routinely used to treat brain metastases from melanoma due to their radioresistant nature. The median survival for these patients is 4-6 months, according to earlier studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors that influence survival in patients with metastatic melanoma to the brain treated with SRS.

RNAi-mediated resistance to rice black-streaked dwarf virus in transgenic rice.

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV), a member of the genus Fijivirus in the family Reoviridae, causes significant economic losses in rice production in China and many other Asian countries. Development of resistant varieties by using conventional breeding methods is limited, as germplasm with high level of resistance to RBSDV have not yet been found. One of the most promising methods to confer resistance against RBSDV is the use of RNA interference (RNAi) technology.