Case Report: Occlusion of the foramen of Monro treated with endoscopic septostomy and foraminotomy in a preterm neonate.

Background: Hydrocephalus is a brain abnormality frequently encountered in neonates. There are several known etiologies of hydrocephalus, which can be classified as either congenital or acquired. Occlusion of the foramen of Monro (FOM) is a cause of hydrocephalus and can be either congenital or secondary to various disorders.

Astragaloside IV alleviates cytarabine-induced intestinal mucositis by remodeling macrophage polarization through AKT signaling.

Background: Intestinal mucositis (IM) is one of the common side effects of chemotherapy with Cytarabine (Ara-C) and contributes to the major dose-limiting factor of chemotherapy, while the effective drug for IM is little. Astragalus, one of the main active components extrated from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus (AS-IV), is a common Chinese herbal medicine used in gastrointestinal diseases. However, the effect and mechanism of AS-IV on IM is unclear.

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of the effect of alveolar cleft bone graft on the maxillofacial biomechanical stabilities of unilateral complete cleft lip and palate.

Background: The objective is to clarify the effect of alveolar cleft bone graft on maxillofacial biomechanical stabilities, the key areas when bone grafting and in which should be supplemented with bone graft once bone resorption occurred in UCCLP (unilateral complete cleft lip and palate).

Methods: Maxillofacial CAD (computer aided design) models of non-bone graft and full maxilla cleft, full alveolar cleft bone graft, bone graft in other sites of the alveolar cleft were acquired by processing the UCCLP maxillofacial CT data in three-dimensional modeling software. The maxillofacial bone EQV (equivalent) stresses and bone suture EQV strains under occlusal states were obtained in the finite element analysis software.

An eco-friendly extraction and purification method of nuciferine from Folium nelumbinis with p-sulfonatocalix[6]arenes.

Introduction: Folium nelumbinis is used as vegetable, functional food and herbal medicine in Asia. p-Sulfonatocalix[6]arene (SC6A) is a water-soluble supramolecular macrocycle and has never been applied to the extraction of herbal products.

Objective: In this study, SC6A-assisted extraction of nuciferine from Folium nelumbinis has been carried out to develop an eco-friendly extraction process with high extraction efficacy and easy operation.

Force balance reconstruction of orbicularis oris in correction of unilateral cleft lip deformity.

Objectives: Short-term outcome evaluation for the correction of unilateral cleft lip deformity with a new technique.

Methods: Forty-four patients with unilateral cleft lip deformity were included in the study and in which the orbicularis oris muscle was reconstructed to achieve the optimal force balance of reconstructed orbicularis oris. The photometric two-dimensional indexes, including the philtrum oblique angle and asymmetry ratios (lip height, lip width, vertical distance from the white roll to the vermilion bottom at the Cupid's bow point, and vertical distance from the Cupid 's bow points to facial midline), were employed to measure and evaluate the outcome.

Short-term nasal symmetry repaired by force-balanced muscular reconstruction technique.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the postoperative outcome of the new and classical muscular reconstruction technique combined with nasal internal-fixation method for secondary deformity post unilateral cleft lip repair. A rationale is provided for the further surgical improvement of secondary deformities.

Methods: Sixty patients aged 4-18 years with secondary unilateral cleft lip-nose deformity were involved in this research.

How Deviation of Nasal Septum Affects Nasal Appearance in Unilateral Cleft Patients: A Study Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography.

Aim: To quantitatively evaluate the relationship between nasal appearance and nasal septum deviation in unilateral complete cleft patients using cone-beam computed tomography.Method: Cone-beam computed tomography images of 180 patients with unilateral cleft lip/palate from June 2014 to June 2017 were used in the study. None of the subjects had undergone septoplasty.

Systematic insight into the active constituents and mechanism of Guiqi Baizhu for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of diseases has been recognized, but the material basis and mechanisms are not clear. In this study, target prediction of the antigastric cancer (GC) effect of Guiqi Baizhu (GQBZP) and the analysis of potential key compounds, key targets, and key pathways for the therapeutic effects against GC were carried out based on the method of network analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment. There were 33 proteins shared between GQBZP and GC, and 131 compounds of GQBZP had a high correlation with these proteins, indicating that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway might play a key role in GC.

Evaluation of fistula rates in three cleft palate techniques without relaxing incisions.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of postoperative fistula formation from a hybrid cleft palate repair compared to that from two well-established techniques. We performed a modified technique, Sommerlad-Furlow (SF), which combined the repositioning of the levator veli palatini muscles as described by Sommerlad with the double opposing Z-plasty of Furlow to lengthen the soft palate. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate patients who underwent cleft palate repair utilizing SF, Sommerlad, or Furlow techniques with the incidence of palatal fistula as the target endpoint.

Lithium-induced overexpression of β-catenin delays murine palatal shelf elevation by Cdc-42 mediated F-actin remodeling in mesenchymal cells.

Background: Lithium chloride (LiCl) is widely used for the treatment of manic and other psychotic disorders, but the administration of lithium can result in several congenital defects in the fetus, including cleft palate (Meng, Wang, Torensma, Jw & Bian, 2015) (Szabo, 1970). However, the mechanism of Lithium's action as a developmental toxicant in palatogenesis is not well known.

Methods: In this study, hematoxylin-eosin and immunofluorescence staining were employed to evaluate the phenotypes and the expression of related markers in the LiCl-treated mice model.

Astragalus polysaccharide inhibits radiation-induced bystander effects by regulating apoptosis in Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on the proliferation and apoptosis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) induced by X-ray radiation-induced A549 cells bystander effect (RIBE), and to explore their mechanisms. In this study, APS increased the reduced cell proliferation rate induced by RIBE and inhibiting the apoptosis of bystander cells. In terms of mechanism, APS up-regulates the proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and down-regulates the proteins Bax and Bak, which induces a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, which induces the release of Cyt-c and AIF, which leads to caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathway to cause apoptosis.

Unconventional [2 + 3] Cyclization Involving [1,4]-Sulfonyl Transfer to Construct Polysubstituted Fluorazones as Inhibitors of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1.

An unconventional [2 + 3] cyclization of pyridinium ylides with 2-ylideneoxindoles has been developed for the facile construction of pharmacologically interesting polysubstituted 9-pyrrolo[1,2-]indol-9-ones (fluorazones). Mechanistic studies revealed that the reaction, which has a broad substrate scope, proceeds via intermolecular [1,4]-sulfonyl transfer. Moreover, biological evaluation showed that polysubstituted fluorazone potently inhibits indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1, kynurenine production, and immunotolerance in tumors.

[Activation of the JAK/STAT signal pathway may be involved in DNA damage of A549 cells induced by X-ray].

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the effects of different doses of X-rays on DNA damage and JAK/STAT signaling pathway activation in A549 cells. The A549 cells were radiated with X-rays at doses of 2, 4, and 8 Gy. The proliferation of A549 cells was detected by CCK8 method.

[Outcome and influential factors of speech therapy delivered to cleft patients with post-operative velopharyngeal competence].

Objective: To analyze the training technique, intervention timing, and other related factors involved in the speech therapy delivered to cleft patients with velopharyngeal competence after surgery.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 32 patients who received phonology-articulation speech therapies during 2012 to 2013 in Dept. of Cleft Lip and Palate, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University.

A Mn(II) complex of boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) loaded graphene oxide as both LED light and H2O2 enhanced anticancer agent.

Cancer cells are more susceptible to H2O2 induced cell death than normal cells. H2O2-activatable and O2-evolving nanoparticles could be used as photodynamic therapy agents in hypoxic environments. In this report, a photo-active Mn(II) complex of boradiazaindacene derivatives (Mn1) was used as a dioxygen generator under irradiation with LED light in water.

Riboflavin accumulation and molecular characterization of cDNAs encoding bifunctional GTP cyclohydrolase II/3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 4-phosphate synthase, lumazine synthase, and riboflavin synthase in different organs of Lycium chinense plant.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is the precursor of flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide-essential cofactors for a wide variety of enzymes involving in numerous metabolic processes. In this study, a partial-length cDNA encoding bifunctional GTP cyclohydrolase II/3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone-4-phosphate synthase (LcRIBA), 2 full-length cDNAs encoding lumazine synthase (LcLS1 and LcLS2), and a full-length cDNA encoding riboflavin synthase (LcRS) were isolated from Lycium chinense, an important traditional medicinal plant. Sequence analyses showed that these genes exhibited high identities with their orthologous genes as well as having the same common features related to plant riboflavin biosynthetic genes.