A Circular RNA Expressed from the FAT3 Locus Regulates Neural Development.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are key regulators of cellular processes, are abundant in the nervous system, and have putative regulatory roles during neural differentiation. However, the knowledge about circRNA functions in brain development is limited. Here, using RNA-sequencing, we show that circRNA levels increased substantially over the course of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into rostral and caudal neural progenitor cells (NPCs), including three of the most abundant circRNAs, ciRS-7, circRMST, and circFAT3.

Isolating, Sequencing and Analyzing Extracellular MicroRNAs from Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Extracellular and circulating RNAs (exRNA) are produced by many cell types of the body and exist in numerous bodily fluids such as saliva, plasma, serum, milk and urine. One subset of these RNAs are the posttranscriptional regulators - microRNAs (miRNAs). To delineate the miRNAs produced by specific cell types, in vitro culture systems can be used to harvest and profile exRNAs derived from one subset of cells.

Factors Associated with Bothersome Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Middle-Aged Men Receiving Health Checkup.

The prospective study is to investigate the associations between serum testosterone levels and LUTS among middle-aged men ≥40 years receiving health check-up. Lower urinary tract symptoms were evaluated by the self-administered International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire. Serum prostate specific antigen and total testosterone level were checked in all subjects.

Caveolae-mediated mesenchymal stem cell labelling by PSS-coated PLGA PFOB nano-contrast agent for MRI.

Non-invasive tracking of transplanted cells is critical in evaluating delivery, migration and prognosis of cell therapies. We formulated a nano-contrast agent consisting of a perfluorooctylbromide (PFOB) core within a shell of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) followed by a coat of polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) for F MRI. The nano-contrast agent (PSS-NP) was characterised by DLS and the uptake efficiency of the nano-contrast agent (PSS-NP) was tested using flow cytometry, MRI and confocal microscopy.

Global MicroRNA Profiling in Human Bone Marrow Skeletal-Stromal or Mesenchymal-Stem Cells Identified Candidates for Bone Regeneration.

Bone remodeling and regeneration are highly regulated multistep processes involving posttranscriptional regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs). Here, we performed a global profiling of differentially expressed miRNAs in bone-marrow-derived skeletal cells (BMSCs; also known as stromal or mesenchymal stem cells) during in vitro osteoblast differentiation. We functionally validated the regulatory effects of several miRNAs on osteoblast differentiation and identified 15 miRNAs, most significantly miR-222 and miR-423, as regulators of osteoblastogenesis.

Intimacy in Phone Conversations: Anxiety Reduction for Danish Seniors with Hugvie.

There is a lack of physical contact in current telecommunications such as text messaging and Internet access. To challenge the limitation and re-embody telecommunication, researchers have attempted to introduce tactile stimulation to media and developed huggable devices. Previous experiments in Japan showed that a huggable communication technology, i.

Peracylated Glucosyl Kaempferols from Pasania dodonfifolia Leaf.

Phytochemical investigation of the ethanolic extract of Pasania dodoniifolia leaf led to the isolation of four kaempferol 3-0-peracylated glucosides (1-4), together with four flavonoid glucosides (5-8), epicatechin (9), and (7S, 7'S, 8R, 8'R)-icariol A2 (10). Of these, kaempferol-3-O-(3",4"-di-O-acetyl-2"-O-(Z)-p- coumaroyl)-6"-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl)-beta-glucopyranoside (3) and 3-O-(3",4"-di-O-acetyl-2",6"-di-O-(Z)-p-coumaroyl)-beta-glucopyranoside (4) are new and their structures were elucidated by 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses and MS data.

Acylated glucosylflavones as α-glucosidase inhibitors from Tinospora crispa leaf.

The ethanolic extract of Tinospora crispa leaf had shown inhibitory activity toward α-glucosidase. Bioassay guided fractionation and separation of this extract led to the isolation of 17 flavonoids. Among them, four acylated glycosylflavonoids (6, 8, 9, 15) are new compounds.

The beneficial effect of Batroxobin on blood loss reduction in spinal fusion surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Batroxobin on blood loss during spinal operations.

Methods: After obtaining approval from the ethics committee at the hospital along with informed written consent, we performed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with 100 patients who were randomized equally into 2 groups (Batroxobin and placebo). Patients received either 2 ku IV 15 min before surgery and followed 1 ku IM of Batroxobin following surgery, or an equivalent volume of placebo (normal saline).

Episodic retrieval and decaying inhibition in the competitor-rule suppression phenomenon.

The Competitor Rule Suppression (CRS) effect is the performance impairment observed in task switching when the currently relevant task rule is the same rule that had generated a response conflict in the preceding trial. This effect could reflect (a) episodic tagging, in which a competitor rule is retrieved with relative difficulty in subsequent trials or (b) residual active inhibition of the competing rule. In order to help distinguishing between the two accounts, the authors manipulated the Response-Cue Interval (RCI), which may influence both processes.

"Smart inhibition": electrophysiological evidence for the suppression of conflict-generating task rules during task switching.

A major challenge for task switching is maintaining a balance between high task readiness and effectively ignoring irrelevant task rules. This calls for finely tuned inhibition that targets only the source of interference without adversely influencing other task-related representations. The authors show that irrelevant task rules generating response conflict are inhibited, causing their inefficient execution on the next trial (indicating the presence of competitor rule suppression[CRS];Meiran, Hsieh, & Dimov, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 36, 992-1002, 2010).

Left visual-field advantage in the dual-stream RSVP task and reading-direction: a study in three nations.

In the dual-stream Rapid Serial Visual Presentation task, a stream of stimuli containing two target stimuli is rapidly presented left and right. In previous studies, the second target was better identified in the left than in the right hemifield. In all those studies, alphanumeric stimuli were used both as targets and distracters.