The preservation of living cells with biocompatible microparticles.

Biomedical applications of living cells have rapidly expanded in many fields such as toxic detection, drug screening, and regenerative medicine, etc. Efficient methods to support cell survival and maintain activity in vitro have become increasingly important. However, traditional cryopreservation for living cell-based applications is limited by several problems.

Biosynthesis of Conjugate Vaccines Using an O-Linked Glycosylation System.

Unlabelled: Conjugate vaccines are known to be one of the most effective and safest types of vaccines against bacterial pathogens. Previously, vaccine biosynthesis has been performed by using N-linked glycosylation systems. However, the structural specificity of these systems for sugar substrates has hindered their application.

The SNP rs1625579 in miR-137 gene and risk of schizophrenia in Chinese population: A meta-analysis.

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with a high heritability. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1625579 (G/T; T is the common and presumed risk allele) within an intron of miR-137 gene has been recently suggested to contribute to the susceptibility to schizophrenia by a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a sample of predominantly European ancestry. However, subsequent genetic association studies in Chinese population yielded inconsistent results.

Corneal Power Measurement With the Dual Scheimpflug-Placido Topographer After Myopic Excimer Laser Surgery.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of the Sirius Scheimpflug-Placido Topographer (Costruzione Strumenti Oftalmici, Florence, Italy) in predicting corneal power in eyes with previous myopic corneal refractive surgery.

Methods: The following corneal refractive power measurements were obtained with Sirius in 38 eyes with prior myopic excimer laser surgery: simulated keratometry (SimK), true net power based on the Gaussian optical formula (TNP), and the mean pupil power (MPP) calculated by ray tracing within the diameter of the entrance pupil range from 2.5 to 6 mm.

Evaluation of Equivalent Keratometry Readings Obtained by Pentacam HR (High Resolution).

Purpose: To assess the repeatability of Equivalent Keratometry Readings (EKRs) obtained by the Pentacam HR (high resolution) in untreated and post-LASIK eyes, and to compare them with the keratometry (K) values obtained by other algorithms.

Methods: In this prospective study, 100 untreated eyes and 71 post-LASIK eyes were included. In the untreated group, each eye received 3 consecutive scans using the Pentacam HR, and EKR values in all central corneal zone, the true net power (Knet) and the simulated K (SimK) were obtained for each scan.

freeQuant: A Mass Spectrometry Label-Free Quantification Software Tool for Complex Proteome Analysis.

Study of complex proteome brings forward higher request for the quantification method using mass spectrometry technology. In this paper, we present a mass spectrometry label-free quantification tool for complex proteomes, called freeQuant, which integrated quantification with functional analysis effectively. freeQuant consists of two well-integrated modules: label-free quantification and functional analysis with biomedical knowledge.

[TREATMENT OF CONGENITAL KYPHOSCOLIOSIS WITH SELECTIVE-PARTIAL HEMIVERTEBRA RESECTION AND INSTRUMENTATION VIA POSTERIOR APPROACH].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of selective-partial hemivertebra resection and instrumentation via posterior approach only for congenital kyphoscoliosis.

Methods: Between January 2008 and August 2011, 17 patients with congenital kyphoscoliosis were treated by selective-partial hemivertebra resection and instrumentation via posterior approach. There were 10 boys and 7 girls with the mean age of 10.

Comparative proteomics of Shigella flexneri 2a strain 301 using a rabbit ileal loop model reveals key proteins for bacterial adaptation in host niches.

Objectives: Many studies focusing on changes in the host following Shigella spp invasion have been reported in recent years. However, the key factors required for the adaptation of these pathogens to host niches have usually been neglected.

Methods: In this study, a comparative proteomic analysis was performed to examine changes in the protein expression profile of Shigella flexneri within the host using a rabbit ileal loop model to reveal proteins that are associated with pathogenic adaptation.

Preclinical Studies of Stem Cell Transplantation in Intracerebral Hemorrhage: a Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To comprehensively evaluate the therapeutic effects on both functional and structural outcomes, we performed a meta-analysis of preclinical data on stem cell therapy in intracranial hemorrhage, thus providing optimal evidence and instruction for clinical translation. We searched online databases to identify eligible studies based on unmodified stem cell transplantation in intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). From each study, we extracted data regarding neurobehavioral and histological outcomes in order to analyze the comprehensive effective sizes according to the most important clinical parameters (seven indices) and to explore any potential correlation through meta-regression.

Aggressive Blood Pressure Lowing Therapy in Patients with Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage is Safe: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The influence of blood pressure (BP) lowering on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients is unclear. To assess the safety and efficacy of aggressive antihypertensive therapies in acute ICH patients, we carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and VIP database up to July 2014 were searched.

Design of robust differential microphone arrays with orthogonal polynomials.

Differential microphone arrays have the potential to be widely deployed in hands-free communication systems thanks to their frequency-invariant beampatterns, high directivity factors, and small apertures. Traditionally, they are designed and implemented in a multistage way with uniform linear geometries. This paper presents an approach to the design of differential microphone arrays with orthogonal polynomials, more specifically with Jacobi polynomials.

Association of chromosome 5q21.3 polymorphisms with the exploratory eye movement dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia patients show abnormalities in many eye movement tasks. Among them, exploratory eye movements (EEM) dysfunction seems to be specific to schizophrenia. However the mechanism of EEM disturbances in schizophrenia patients remains elusive.

Preparation and immunogenicity-evaluation of typhoid O-specific polysaccharides bio-conjugate vaccines.

Typhoid fever caused by Salmonella Typhi is still a major public health problem in developing countries. In this study, we constructed a genetically modified Salmonella Typhi strain expressing O-specific polysaccharides (OPS) antigen conjugated to a carrier, recombinant Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A(rEPA N29). The conjugates (OPS-rEPA N29) were further purified and evaluated for their immunogenicity.

Generation of neurospheres from human adipose-derived stem cells.

Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) to treat neurodegenerative disease shows promise; however, the clinical application of NSCs is limited by the invasive procurement and ethical concerns. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a source of multipotent stem cells that can self-renew and differentiate into various kinds of cells; this study intends to generate neurospheres from human ADSCs by culturing ADSCs on uncoated culture flasks in serum-free neurobasal medium supplemented with B27, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF); the ADSCs-derived neurospheres were terminally differentiated after growth factor withdrawal. Expression of Nestin, NeuN, MAP2, and GFAP in ADSCs and terminally differentiated neurospheres was shown by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blotting, and immunocytochemistry; cell proliferation in neurospheres was evaluated by cell cycle analyses, immunostaining, and flow cytometry.

Prognostic value of microRNA-145 in patients with various cancers: a meta-analysis.

Background: MicroRNA-145 (miR-145) plays a crucial role in cancer prognosis.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of miR-145 in patients with various cancers.

Methods: We pooled published literature from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and calculated the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the correlation between miR-145 expression levels and survival of patients with general cancers.

[The correlation study on syndrome differentiation of rheumatoid arthritis and joint high frequency ultrasound performance].

Objective: To observe the differential effect of joint ultrasound on the syndrome differentiation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by observing the high frequency ultrasound performances among inactive stage and different syndromes in active stage.

Methods: Totally 83 RA patients in the active stage were assigned to the dampness heat syndrome group (DHS, 59 cases)and the cold dampness syndrome group (CDS, 24 cases) according to Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome typing. Besides, 20 RA patients in the remission stage were recruited as the control group (abbreviated as the remission group).

A multistage minimum variance distortionless response beamformer for noise reduction.

This paper develops a multistage approach to the implementation of the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer. It first divides the microphone array of M sensors into M/2 subarrays with each subarray having only two microphones, and a two-channel MVDR beamformer is performed with each subarray. The M/2 subarrays' outputs are then treated as the inputs of M/4 subarrays of two channels in the next stage.

Synthesis and application of strawberry-like Fe3O4-Au nanoparticles as CT-MR dual-modality contrast agents in accurate detection of the progressive liver disease.

Development of non-invasive assay for the accurate diagnosis of progressive liver diseases (e.g., fatty liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) is of great clinical significance and remains to be a big challenge.

On the design and implementation of linear differential microphone arrays.

Differential microphone array (DMA), a particular kind of sensor array that is responsive to the differential sound pressure field, has a broad range of applications in sound recording, noise reduction, signal separation, dereverberation, etc. Traditionally, an Nth-order DMA is formed by combining, in a linear manner, the outputs of a number of DMAs up to (including) the order of N - 1. This method, though simple and easy to implement, suffers from a number of drawbacks and practical limitations.

Anterior chamber depth measurements using Scheimpflug imaging and optical coherence tomography: repeatability, reproducibility, and agreement.

Purpose: To determine the repeatability, reproducibility, and agreement of anterior chamber depth (ACD) measurements obtained with 3 Scheimpflug cameras and an anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) device.

Setting: Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, China.

Design: Observational cross-sectional study.

Mechanistic and biological significance of DNA methyltransferase 1 upregulated by growth factors in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dysregulation of growth factor signaling plays a pivotal role in controlling the malignancy phenotype and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the precise oncogenic mechanisms underlying transcription regulation of certain tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) by growth factors are poorly understood. In the present study, we report a novel insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) pathway that mediates de novo DNA methylation and TSG (such as DLC1 and CHD5) silencing by upregulation of the DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) via an AKT/β-transducin repeat-containing protein (βTrCP)-mediated ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in HCC.

A nutrient mixture reduces the expression of matrix metalloproteinases in an animal model of spinal cord injury by modulating matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 promoter activities.

This study aimed to determine whether a novel nutrient mixture (NM), composed of lysine, ascorbic acid, proline, green tea extracts and other micronutrients, attenuates impairments induced by spinal cord injury (SCI) and to investigate the related molecular mechanisms. A mouse model of SCI was established. Thirty-two mice were divided into four groups.