Rapid imaging of intravenous gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) entering ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the choroid plexus in healthy human subjects.

Background: Pathways for intravenously administered gadolinium-based-contrast-agents (GBCAs) entering cerebrospinal-fluid (CSF) circulation in the human brain are not well-understood. The blood-CSF-barrier (BCSFB) in choroid-plexus (CP) has long been hypothesized to be a main entry-point for intravenous-GBCAs into CSF. Most existing studies on this topic were performed in animals and human patients with various diseases.

Imaging arterial and venous vessels using Iron Dextran enhanced multi-echo 3D gradient echo MRI at 7T.

Iron Dextran is a widely used iron oxide compound to treat iron-deficiency anemia patients in the clinic. Similar to other iron oxide compounds such as Ferumoxytol, it can also be used off-label as an intravascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent due to its strong iron-induced T2 and T2* shortening effects. In this study, we seek to evaluate the feasibility of using Iron Dextran enhanced multi-echo susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) MRI at 7T to image arterial and venous blood vessels in the human brain.

Association between maternal lipid profiles and vitamin D status in second trimester and risk of LGA or SGA: a retrospective study.

Background: Accumulating evidence has linked dyslipidemia during pregnancy to the risk of delivering infants born either large for gestational age (LGA) or small for gestational age (SGA). However, the effects of the vitamin D status on these relationships require further investigation. This study investigated whether the relationship between lipid profiles and the risk of LGA or SGA was influenced by vitamin D levels during the second trimester.

Interaction effects of MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms with maternal glycated haemoglobin levels on adverse birth outcomes.

Aims: The role of maternal genetic factors in the association between high glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and adverse birth outcomes remains unclear.

Materials And Methods: In this study, the maternal HbA1c levels of 5108 normoglycemic pregnant women in China were measured, and A1298C and C677T polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene were genotyped.

Results: Elevated HbA1c levels during the second trimester were associated with increased risks of macrosomia, large-for-gestational age (LGA), preterm birth (PTB), and reduced gestational age (p < 0.

Evaluation of microbiological epidemiology and clinical characteristics of maternal bloodstream infection: a 10 years retrospective study.

Objective: Although the incidence of bloodstream infection (BSI) during pregnancy is relatively low, it can lead to unfavorable outcomes. The aim of our study was to analyze the clinical and microbiological characteristics of maternal bacteremia and to assess maternal and fetal outcomes.

Methods: Our study was a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary women and children's hospital in Guangzhou, China, from 2013 to 2022.

On the optimization of 3D inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy (iVASO) MRI for the quantification of arterial cerebral blood volume (CBVa).

Purpose: The inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy (iVASO) MRI was originally developed in a single-slice mode to measure arterial cerebral blood volume (CBVa). When vascular crushers are applied in iVASO, the signals can be sensitized predominantly to small pial arteries and arterioles. The purpose of this study is to perform a systematic optimization and evaluation of a 3D iVASO sequence on both 3 T and 7 T for the quantification of CBVa values in the human brain.

Deep Learning for Genomics: From Early Neural Nets to Modern Large Language Models.

The data explosion driven by advancements in genomic research, such as high-throughput sequencing techniques, is constantly challenging conventional methods used in genomics. In parallel with the urgent demand for robust algorithms, deep learning has succeeded in various fields such as vision, speech, and text processing. Yet genomics entails unique challenges to deep learning, since we expect a superhuman intelligence that explores beyond our knowledge to interpret the genome from deep learning.

Blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier permeability of metals/metalloids and its determinants in pediatric patients.

Concerns regarding adverse effects of metal/metalloids exposure on brain development and neurological disorders among children are increasing. However, the transport patterns of metals/metalloids across the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) need to be clarified in children. A total of 99 Chinese pediatric patients were enrolled from February 2020 to August 2021, with a median age of 6.

Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, MTHFR polymorphisms, and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women from South China: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests an association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI) and adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the effects of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms on these relationships require further investigation. This study aimed to investigate whether the relationship between pre-BMI and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes was influenced by MTHFR gene polymorphisms.

Differential Laminar Activation Dissociates Encoding and Retrieval in the Human Medial and Lateral Entorhinal Cortex.

The hierarchically organized structures of the medial temporal lobe are critically important for episodic memory function. Accumulating evidence suggests dissociable information processing pathways are maintained throughout these structures including in the medial and lateral entorhinal cortex. Cortical layers provide an additional dimension of dissociation as the primary input to the hippocampus derives from layer 2 neurons in the entorhinal cortex, whereas the deeper layers primarily receive output from the hippocampus.

Identification and validation of a 9-gene signature for the prognosis of ovarian cancer by integrated bioinformatical analysis.

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal malignancy among gynecological cancers worldwide. It is urgent to identify effective biomarkers for the prognosis and diagnosis of OC.

Methods: We analyzed 4 OC Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data sets to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs).

Blockage of Orai1-Nucleolin interaction meditated calcium influx attenuates breast cancer cells growth.

As an important second messenger, calcium (Ca) regulates a wide variety of physiological processes. Disturbance of intracellular calcium homeostasis implicated in the occurrence of multiple types of diseases. Orai1 is the major player in mediating store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) and regulates calcium homeostasis in non-excitable cells.

Polymorphisms in gene modify the association between gestational weight gain and adverse birth outcomes.

Evidence suggests a potential relationship between gestational weight gain (GWG) and adverse birth outcomes. However, the role of maternal genetic polymorphisms remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate whether the relationship of GWG with risk of adverse birth outcomes was modified by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase () polymorphisms.

Nucleolin Promotes Cisplatin Resistance in Cervical Cancer by the YB1-MDR1 Pathway.

Purpose: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and is the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Cisplatin (DDP) is one of the major chemotherapeutic drugs for cervical cancer patients. But, drug resistance limits the effectiveness of cancer therapy.

Robust RF shimming and small-tip-angle multispoke pulse design with finite-difference regularization.

Purpose: A new regularizer is proposed for the magnitude least-squares optimization algorithm, to ensure robust parallel transmit RF shimming and small-tip-angle multispoke pulse designs for ultrahigh-field MRI.

Methods: A finite-difference regularization term is activated as an additional regularizer in the iterative magnitude-least-squares based pulse design algorithm when an unwanted flip angle null distribution is detected. Both simulated and experimental maps from different transmit arrays and different human subjects at 7 T were used to evaluate the proposed algorithm.

Differential Changes in Arteriolar Cerebral Blood Volume between Parkinson's Disease Patients with Normal and Impaired Cognition and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Patients without Movement Disorder - An Exploratory Study.

Cognitive impairment amongst Parkinson's disease (PD) patients is highly prevalent and associated with an increased risk of dementia. There is growing evidence that altered cerebrovascular functions contribute to cognitive impairment. Few studies have compared cerebrovascular changes in PD patients with normal and impaired cognition and those with mild-cognitive-impairment (MCI) without movement disorder.

Mutant G2019S-LRRK2 Induces Abnormalities in Arteriolar Cerebral Blood Volume in Mouse Brains: An MRI Study.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and the most common movement disorder characterized by motor impairments resulting from midbrain dopamine neuron loss. Abnormalities in small pial arteries and arterioles, which are the primary pathways of local delivery of nutrients and oxygen in brain tissue, have been reported in many neurodegenerative diseases including PD. Mutations in LRRK2 cause genetic PD and contribute to sporadic PD.

Identification of berberine as a novel drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma via targeting UHRF1.

Background: Current therapies for multiple myeloma (MM) are associated with toxicity and resistance, highlighting the need for novel effective therapeutics. Berberine (BBR), a botanical alkaloid derived from several Berberis medicinal plants, has exhibited anti-tumor effects, including against multiple myeloma (MM); however, the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-MM effect has not been previously described. This study aimed to identify the target of berberine and related mechanisms involved in its therapeutic activity against MM.

The Identification of Long Non-coding RNA H19 Target and Its Function in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

H19 is a long non-coding RNA which was lowly expressed in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Here, we found that the overexpression of H19 significantly inhibited cell viability and colony formation and prolongs survival in CML cell lines and three xenografted mouse models. The H19 target proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified using a combination of computational prediction and RNA pull-down, including PCBP1, FUS protein, and miR-19a-3p and miR-106b-5p.

Discovery of Berberine that Targetedly Induces Autophagic Degradation of both BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL T315I through Recruiting LRSAM1 for Overcoming Imatinib Resistance.

Purpose: Imatinib, the breakpoint cluster region protein (BCR)/Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog (ABL) inhibitor, is widely used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, imatinib resistance develops in many patients. Therefore, new drugs with improved therapeutic effects are urgently needed.

The role of phosphorylation of MLF2 at serine 24 in BCR-ABL leukemogenesis.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder defined by the presence of the fusion gene BCR-ABL1 in primitive hematopoietic progenitors. The myeloid leukemia factors (MLFs) were identified in the fly and human, and are involved in acute leukemia and enhancing the myeloid factor; however, the function of MLF2 in CML is poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that MLF2 may play an oncogenic role in CML.

Inhibition of MCF-7 breast cancer cell proliferation by a synthetic peptide derived from the C-terminal sequence of Orai channel.

Intracellular Ca signals play many important cellular functions such as migration, proliferation and differentiation. Store-operated Ca entry (SOCE) is a major route of Ca entry in nonexcitable cells. The activation of SOCE requires engagement between stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) molecules on the endoplasmic reticulum and Ca release-activated Ca (CRAC) channel Orais (Orai1-3) on the plasma membrane.

Discovery of the Oncogenic Parp1, a Target of bcr-abl and a Potential Therapeutic, in mir-181a/PPFIA1 Signaling Pathway.

miR-181a is downregulated in leukemia and affects its progression, drug resistance, and prognosis. However, the exact mechanism of its targets in leukemia, particularly in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), has not previously been established. Here, we use a multi-omics approach to demonstrate that protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type, f polypeptide, leukocyte common antigen (LAR) interacting protein (liprin), alpha 1 (PPFIA1) is a direct target for miR-181a in CML.