Flipped classroom-based application of Peyton's four-step approach in standardized training of ultrasound residents for thyroid and cervical lymph node zoning.

Background: To investigate whether combining the flipped classroom approach with Peyton's four-step method can enhance teaching effectiveness in ultrasound (US) zoning of the thyroid and cervical lymph nodes for standardized residency training.

Methods: A total of 66 resident training students were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group. The control group received traditional teaching methods, including "see one, do one" learning, lecture-based learning (LBL), and case-based learning (CBL).

Effect of Acupuncture on Neurogenic Claudication Among Patients With Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis : A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Acupuncture may improve degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS), but evidence is insufficient.

Objective: To investigate the effect of acupuncture for DLSS.

Design: Multicenter randomized clinical trial.

Tetranuclear Polypyridylruthenium(II) Complexes as Selective Nucleic Acid Stains for Flow Cytometric Analysis of Monocytic and Epithelial Lung Carcinoma Large Extracellular Vesicles.

Selective staining of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is a major challenge for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Herein, the EV labeling properties of a new class of tetranuclear polypyridylruthenium(II) complexes, Rubb-TNL and Rubb-TL, as phosphorescent stains are described. These new stains have many advantages over standard stains to detect and characterize EVs, including: high specificity for EV staining versus cell staining; high phosphorescence yields; photostability; and a lack of leaching from EVs until incorporation with target cells.

An intelligent quantification system for fetal heart rhythm assessment: A multicenter prospective study.

Background: The motion relationship and time intervals of the pulsed-wave Doppler (PWD) spectrum are essential for diagnosing fetal arrhythmia. However, few technologies currently are available to automatically calculate fetal cardiac time intervals (CTIs).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a fetal heart rhythm intelligent quantification system (HR-IQS) for the automatic extraction of CTIs and establish the normal reference range for fetal CTIs.

[Functional dyspepsia treated with acupuncture of different frequencies: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of acupuncture with different frequencies in the treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia (FD).

Methods: A total of 90 patients with FD were randomly divided into a 3-time acupuncture treatment per week group (3-A group, 31 cases, 2 cases dropped off), a 1-time acupuncture treatment per week group (1-A group, 30 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (29 cases, 2 cases dropped off). In the two acupuncture groups, the acupoints were Zhongwan (CV 12) and bilateral Tianshu (ST 25), Neiguan (PC 6), Liangqiu (ST 34), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Zusanli (ST 36) and Taichong (LR 3), stimulated 3 times a week and once a week, respectively; and the treatment was given consecutively for 4 weeks.

A tetranuclear polypyridylruthenium(II) complex as a selective stain for extracellular vesicle penetration through brain microvascular endothelium.

A new photoluminescent polypyridylruthenium(II) stain for extracellular vesicles (EVs) released from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated THP-1 monocytes enabled important new insights into how the bacteria-induced immune system affects the blood-brain barrier (BBB). These included previously unknown aspects of EV interactions with BBB microvascular endothelial cells and the extracellular matrix relevant to human brain diseases.

Paraconulones A-G: Eremophilane Sesquiterpenoids from the Marine-Derived Fungus DL-16.

Seven new eremophilane sesquiterpenoids, paraconulones A-G (-), along with three previously reported analogues, periconianone D (), microsphaeropsisin (), and 4--microsphaeropsisin (), were obtained from an EtOAc extract of the marine-derived fungus DL-16. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and computational studies. Compounds , , and are the first examples of dimeric eremophilane sesquiterpenoids coupled through a C-C bond identified from microorganisms.

Effect of polar amino acid incorporation on Fmoc-diphenylalanine-based tetrapeptides.

Peptide hydrogels show great promise as extracellular matrix mimics due to their tuneable, fibrous nature. Through incorporation of polar cationic, polar anionic or polar neutral amino acids into the Fmoc-diphenylalanine motif, we show that electrostatic charge plays a key role in the properties of the subsequent gelators. Specifically, we show that an inverse relationship exists for biocompatibility in the solution state versus the gel state for cationic and anionic peptides.

Electroacupuncture for stress-related urinary incontinence in elderly women: data analysis from two randomised controlled studies.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in elderly and non-elderly women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or stress-predominant mixed urinary incontinence (MUI).

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of two randomised controlled trials involving 252 women with SUI and 132 women with stress-predominant MUI who were treated with the same EA regimen. Elderly women were defined as those aged >60 years.

Antibacterial Diphenyl Ether, Benzophenone and Xanthone Derivatives from Aspergillus flavipes.

The extract of the strain Aspergillus flavipes DL-11 exerted antibacterial activities against six Gram-positive bacteria. During the following bioassay-guided separation, ten diphenyl ethers (1-10), two benzophenones (11-12), together with two xanthones (13-14) were isolated. Among them, 4'-chloroasterric acid (1) was a new chlorinated diphenyl ether.

Successful pregnancy in a woman with bilateral fallopian tube obstruction and diminished ovarian reserve treated with electroacupuncture: A case report.

Rationale: Fallopian tube obstruction and diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) are main factors including female infertility. Acupuncture might be effective in the treatment of the disease.

Patient Concerns: A 39-year-old woman diagnosed with fallopian tube obstruction and DOR has been unable to conceive in the past 5 years, despite of receiving various treatments and 3-time in vitro fertilization (IVF) in different countries.

Synthesis and biological properties of tetranuclear ruthenium complexes containing the bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,7-heptane ligand.

Linear and non-linear tetranuclear ruthenium(ii) complexes containing the bridging ligand bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,7-heptane have been synthesised and their biological properties examined. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of the ruthenium(ii) complexes were determined against six strains of bacteria: Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S.

Eukaryotic Cell Toxicity and HSA Binding of [Ru(Mephen)(bb)] and the Effect of Encapsulation in Cucurbit[10]uril.

The toxicity (IC) of a series of mononuclear ruthenium complexes containing bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,-alkane (bb) as a tetradentate ligand against three eukaryotic cell lines-BHK (baby hamster kidney), Caco-2 (heterogeneous human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma) and Hep-G2 (liver carcinoma)-have been determined. The results demonstrate that -α-[Ru(Mephen)(bb)] (designated as α-Mephen-bb, where Mephen = 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) showed little toxicity toward the three cell lines, and was considerably less toxic than -α-[Ru(phen)(bb)] (α-phen-bb) and the dinuclear complex [{Ru(phen)}{μ-bb}]. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to study the binding of the ruthenium complexes with human serum albumin (HSA).

The Antimicrobial Activity of Mononuclear Ruthenium(II) Complexes Containing the dppz Ligand.

The cis-α isomer of [Ru(bb )(dppz)] (dppz=dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine; bb =bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,7-alkane) has been synthesised. The minimum inhibitory concentrations and the minimum bactericidal concentrations of [Ru(bb )(dppz)] and its parent complex [Ru(phen) (dppz)] (phen=1,10-phenanthroline) were determined against a range of bacteria. The results showed that both ruthenium complexes exhibited good activity against Gram-positive bacteria, but [Ru(bb )(dppz)] showed at least eightfold better activity against the Gram-negative bacteria than [Ru(phen) (dppz)] .

Synthesis, isomerisation and biological properties of mononuclear ruthenium complexes containing the bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,7-heptane ligand.

A series of mononuclear ruthenium(ii) complexes containing the tetradentate ligand bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,7-heptane have been synthesised and their biological properties examined. In the synthesis of the [Ru(phen')(bb)] complexes (where phen' = 1,10-phenanthroline and its 5-nitro-, 4,7-dimethyl- and 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl- derivatives), both the symmetric cis-α and non-symmetric cis-β isomers were formed. However, upon standing for a number of days (or more quickly under harsh conditions) the cis-β isomer converted to the more thermodynamically stable cis-α isomer.

Accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the identification of thyroid nodules: a meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis aimed to identify the accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) on the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. PubMed, Chinese Biomedical Medical databases (CNKI), Wan Fang (Chinese), and EBSCO database were searched from inception through April 15, 2015 without language and geographic restrictions. MetaDisc version 1.

Convenient synthesis of phosphonodipeptides containing C-terminal α-aminoalkylphosphonic acids.

Phosphonopeptides are important phosphorus analogs of natural peptides and have been widely applied as enzyme inhibitors and antibacterial agents. A series of phosphonodipeptides containing C-terminal α-aminoalkylphosphonic acids was synthesized in satisfactory to good yields conveniently from 2-(N-benzyloxycarbonylamino)alkanamides, aldehydes, and phosphorus trichloride via Mannich-type reaction and subsequent sequential hydrolysis. The reaction mechanism was proposed and verified by (31)P NMR tracing experiments.