Neutrophils Recruited by NKX2-1 Suppression via Activation of CXCLs/CXCR2 Axis Promote Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression.

NK2 Homeobox 1 (NKX2-1) is a well-characterized pathological marker that delineates lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression. The advancement of LUAD is influenced by the immune tumor microenvironment through paracrine signaling. However, the involvement of NKX2-1 in modeling the tumor immune microenvironment is still unclear.

Dextromethorphan moderates reward deficiency associated with central serotonin transporter availability in 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine-treated animals.

Background: The neurotoxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) to the serotonergic system is well-documented. Dextromethorphan (DM), an antitussive drug, decreased morphine- or methamphetamine (MA)-induced reward in rats and may prevent MDMA-induced serotonergic deficiency in primates, as indicated by increased serotonin transporter (SERT) availability. We aimed to investigate the effects of DM on reward, behavioral sensitization, and neurotoxicity associated with loss of SERT induced by chronic MDMA administration in rats.

Correction: Alkhaleefah et al. Connected-SegNets: A Deep Learning Model for Breast Tumor Segmentation from X-ray Images. 2022, , 4030.

In the original publication [...

Endoscopically assisted presigmoid retrolabyrinthine approach to the lateral mesencephalic sulcus: a cadaveric study with comparison to the variant supracerebellar infratentorial approaches.

The supracerebellar infratentorial (SCIT) approach is commonly used to gain access to the lateral mesencephalic sulcus (LMS), which has been established as a safe entry point into the posterolateral midbrain. This study describes a lateral variant of the SCIT approach, the supreme-lateral SCIT approach, for accessing the LMS through the presigmoid retrolabyrinthine craniectomy and quantitatively compares this approach with the paramedian and extreme-lateral SCIT approaches. Anatomical dissections were performed in four cadaveric heads.

Assessment of the anti-nociceptive effects of fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue allografts in a rat model of hemi-Parkinson's disease using fMRI.

Extensive studies showed increased subjective pain sensitivity in Parkinson's disease (PD), which appeared to be partially reversed by dopaminergic (DA) treatment. Although cell replacement represents an attractive therapeutic strategy, its potential for PD-related hyperalgesia remains unclear. We investigated re-establishment of DA function allografting exogenic DA cells on pain hypersensitivity in a rat model of PD.

The Post-Translational Modification Networking in WNK-Centric Hypertension Regulation and Electrolyte Homeostasis.

The with-no-lysine (WNK) kinase family, comprising four serine-threonine protein kinases (WNK1-4), were first linked to hypertension due to their mutations in association with pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII). WNK kinases regulate crucial blood pressure regulators, SPAK/OSR1, to mediate the post-translational modifications (PTMs) of their downstream ion channel substrates, such as sodium chloride co-transporter (NCC), epithelial sodium chloride (ENaC), renal outer medullary potassium channel (ROMK), and Na/K/2Cl co-transporters (NKCCs). In this review, we summarize the molecular pathways dysregulating the WNKs and their downstream target renal ion transporters.

Connected-SegNets: A Deep Learning Model for Breast Tumor Segmentation from X-ray Images.

Inspired by Connected-UNets, this study proposes a deep learning model, called Connected-SegNets, for breast tumor segmentation from X-ray images. In the proposed model, two SegNet architectures are connected with skip connections between their layers. Moreover, the cross-entropy loss function of the original SegNet has been replaced by the intersection over union (IoU) loss function in order to make the proposed model more robust against noise during the training process.

Association between Pre-Pregnancy Overweightness/Obesity and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic problem in women of reproductive age. Evidence suggests pregnant women with PCOS may have a higher risk of the development of adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, the relationship between pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and pregnancy outcomes in women with PCOS remains uncertain. We try to clarify the relationship between pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and subsequent pregnancy outcomes.

Amitriptyline Accelerates SERT Binding Recovery in a Rat 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) Model: In Vivo 4-[F]-ADAM PET Imaging.

Numerous studies have confirmed that 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produces long-lasting changes to the density of the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT). Amitriptyline (AMI) has been shown to exert neuroprotective properties in neuropathologic injury. Here, we used a SERT-specific radionuclide, 4-[F]-ADAM, to assess the longitudinal alterations in SERT binding and evaluate the synergistic neuroprotective effect of AMI in a rat MDMA model.

Preliminary Results on the Long-Term Effects of Dextromethorphan on MDMA-Mediated Serotonergic Deficiency and Volumetric Changes in Primates Based on 4-[F]-ADAM PET/MRI.

Alterations to the serotonergic system due to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (ecstasy) consumption have been extensively documented. However, knowledge of the reversibility of these neurotoxic effects based on evaluations of serotonin transport (SERT) availability remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term neurotoxicity of MDMA after 66 months abstinence and explored whether Dextromethorphan, a non-competitive -methyl--aspartate (NMDA) receptor, could attenuate MDMA-induced neurotoxicity using 4-[F]-ADAM, an imaging ligand that selectively targets SERT, with positron emission tomography technology (PET).

Inter-Multilevel Super-Orthogonal Space-Time Coding Scheme for Reliable ZigBee-Based IoMT Communications.

The Internet of Things (IoT) technology has revolutionized the healthcare industry by enabling a new paradigm for healthcare delivery. This paradigm is known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). IoMT devices are typically connected via a wide range of wireless communication technologies, such as Bluetooth, radio-frequency identification (RFID), ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks.

Musashi-1 promotes cancer stem cell properties of glioblastoma cells via upregulation of YTHDF1.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal brain tumor characterized by high morbidity and limited treatment options. Tumor malignancy is usually associated with the epigenetic marks, which coordinate gene expression to ascertain relevant phenotypes. One of such marks is m6A modification of RNA, whose functional effects are dependent on the YTH family m6A reader proteins.

Multicentre, randomized comparison of two-stent and provisional stenting techniques in patients with complex coronary bifurcation lesions: the DEFINITION II trial.

Aim: The present study aimed to assess the benefits of two-stent techniques for patients with DEFINITION criteria-defined complex coronary bifurcation lesions.

Methods And Results: In total, 653 patients with complex bifurcation lesions at 49 international centres were randomly assigned to undergo the systematic two-stent technique (two-stent group) or provisional stenting (provisional group). The primary endpoint was the composite of target lesion failure (TLF) at the 1-year follow-up, including cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TVMI), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR).

Safety and efficacy of oral nemonoxacin versus levofloxacin in treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: A phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, non-inferiority trial.

Background/purpose: Nemonoxacin is a novel nonfluorinated quinolone with excellent in vitro activity against most pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), especially Gram-positive isolates. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of nemonoxacin compared with levofloxacin in patients with CAP.

Methods: A phase 3, multicenter, randomized (2:1) controlled trial was conducted in adult CAP patients receiving nemonoxacin 500 mg or levofloxacin 500 mg orally once daily for 7-10 days.

Cholesterol Levels Are Associated with 30-day Mortality from Ischemic Stroke in Dialysis Patients.

Background: We investigated the impact of serum cholesterol levels on 30-day mortality after ischemic stroke in dialysis patients.

Methods: From the Taiwan Stroke Registry data, we identified 46,770 ischemic stroke cases, including 1101 dialysis patients and 45,669 nondialysis patients from 2006 to 2013.

Results: Overall, the 30-day mortality was 1.

Alpha-phellandrene-induced apoptosis in mice leukemia WEHI-3 cells in vitro.

Although reports have shown that α-phellandrene (α-PA) is one of the monoterpenes and is often used in the food and perfume industry, our previous studies have indicated that α-PA promoted immune responses in normal mice in vivo. However, there is no available information to show that α-PA induced cell apoptosis in cancer cells, thus, we investigated the effects of α-PA on the cell morphology, viability, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis in mice leukemia WEHI-3 cells in vitro. Results indicated that α-PA induced cell morphological changes and decreased viability, induced G0/G1 arrest and sub-G1 phase (apoptosis) in WEHI-3 cells.

Alpha-phellandrene, a natural active monoterpene, influences a murine WEHI-3 leukemia model in vivo by enhancing macrophague phagocytosis and natural killer cell activity.

α-phellandrene (α-PA), a cyclic monoterpene, is a natural compound reported to promote immune responses in normal BALB/c mice. The effects of α-PA on immune responses in a leukemia mouse model were examined. Mice were injected with mouse leukemia WEHI-3 cells and subsequently treated orally with or without α-PA (0, 25 and 50 mg/kg) and olive oil as positive control for two weeks.

Epidemiology of burns in Taiwan: a nationwide report including inpatients and outpatients.

Introduction: The aim of the study is to understand the incidence of burns among outpatients and inpatients of Taiwan in 2010. Characteristics of the burned patients were also studied in terms of gender, age, burn sites, burn degree, reconstructive surgical treatment, as well as which specialty and medical facility they are treated in.

Methods: Burned patients were identified from the 1,000,000-person cohort dataset sampled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database.

Epigenetic regulation of the miR142-3p/interleukin-6 circuit in glioblastoma.

Epigenetic regulation plays a critical role in glioblastoma (GBM) tumorigenesis. However, how microRNAs (miRNAs) and cytokines cooperate to regulate GBM tumor progression is still unclear. Here, we show that interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibits miR142-3p expression and promotes GBM propagation by inducing DNA methyltransferase 1-mediated hypermethylation of the miR142-3p promoter.

Infraeyebrow blepharoplasty incorporated browpexy in an Asian population.

Background: In Taiwan, upper blepharoplasty has become one of the most commonly performed rejuvenation operations. Many surgeons have modified their approaches to managing the aging changes of the upper eyelids. We elucidate our experiences of applying infraeyebrow blepharoplasty incorporated with browpexy and periosteum scoring, including its indications, operative procedures, and postoperative changes after the surgery in our research.

Transradial approach in myocardial infarction.

Objective: This study investigates the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of routine primary percutaneous coronary intervention via transradial approach in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods And Results: From 2005 to 2007,122 consecutive patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction within 12 hours, including those experiencing cardiogenic shock, were eligible for primary transradial PCI if the radial artery pulse could be felt. Efficacy, safety, and major adverse cardiac events regarding mortality, recurrent non-fatal myocardial infarction, and revascularization were recorded.

Apigenin induces apoptosis in human lung cancer H460 cells through caspase- and mitochondria-dependent pathways.

Apigenin (4,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), a promising chemopreventive agent presented in fruits and vegetables, has been shown to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in many types of human cancer cell lines. However, there is no available information to address the effects of apigenin on human lung cancer H460 cells. In the present studies, H460 cells were treated with apigenin for different time and then were analyzed for the morphological changes, induction of apoptosis, protein levels associated with apoptosis and results in dose-dependent induction of morphological changes, decrease in the percentage of viability, induced DNA damage and apoptosis; down-modulation of the protein expression of Bid, Bcl-2, procaspase-8; up-regulation of protein levels of Bax, caspase-3, AIF, cytochrome c, GRP78 and GADD153; decreased the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased the productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca(2+) in H460 cells.

Apigenin induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in human lung cancer A549 cells through Bax- and Bcl-2-triggered mitochondrial pathway.

The molecular mechanism and possible signaling pathway of apigenin-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in human lung cancer cells has not been reported. We investigated the role of ROS, Ca2+, caspases and Bax proteins and mitochondria membrane potential in apigenin-induced apoptosis in A549 cells. Cells were incubated with different concentrations of apigenin then cell morphological changes, DNA damage, cell viability and apoptosis were determined by Comet assay, and flow cytometric analysis.

Danthron induced apoptosis through mitochondria- and caspase-3-dependent pathways in human brain glioblastoma multiforms GBM 8401 cells.

Danthron (1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone), is one of component from Rheum palmatum L. (Polygonaceae), has been shown several biological activities but did not show to induce apoptosis in human brain tumor cells. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms by danthron for the induction of apoptotic potential on human brain glioblastoma multiforms GBM 8401 cell line.