Activity waves in condensed excitable phases of Quincke rollers.

Traveling waves are universal in excitable systems; yet, the microscopic dynamics of wave propagation is inaccessible in conventional excitable systems. Here, we show that active colloids of Quincke rollers driven by a periodic electric field can form condensed excitable phases. Distinct from existing excitable media, condensed excitable colloids can be tuned reversibly between active liquids and active crystals in which two distinct waves can be excited, respectively.

Retrospective analysis of the etiology and drugs for vitreous hemorrhage caused by non-diabetic retinopathy and non-traumatic factors.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the etiology of non-diabetic retinopathy (DR) and non-traumatic vitreous haemorrhage (VH), and the effects of different anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on VH patients diagnosed as non-diabetic retinopathy or trauma. Among 101 patients treated with anti-VEGF drugs, there were 48 cases in the Conbercept group and 53 cases in the Ranibizumab group.

Pseudo-pseudo Meigs syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus misdiagnosed as pseudo-Meigs' syndrome: A case report.

Symptoms of pelvic masses, elevated serum CA125 levels, massive ascites, and pleural effusion in female patients are usually associated with malignancy. Some benign ovarian tumors or other nonmalignant tumors may also produce similar symptoms, called Meigs syndrome or pseudo-Meigs' syndrome, which should be one of the differential diagnoses. However, there is an extremely rare form of SLE called pseudo-pseudo Meigs syndrome (PPMS), which may also present with the above symptoms, but is not associated with any of the tumors.

SODD Promotes Lung Cancer Tumorigenesis by Activating the PDK1/AKT and RAF/MEK/ERK Signaling.

Background: The Bcl2-associated athanogene4 (BAG4/SODD) protein could be identified as a tumor marker for several malignancies and plays a major role in the occurrence, development, and drug resistance of tumors. However, the role of Silencer of death domains (SODD) in lung carcinogenesis is still elusive.

Objective: To illuminate the effect of SODD on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of lung cancer cells and tumor growth in vivo and explore the corresponding mechanism.

Application and evaluation of transitory protective stoma in ovarian cancer surgery.

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of all female reproductive cancers. The fatality rate of OC is the highest among gynecological malignant tumors, and cytoreductive surgery is a common surgical procedure for patients with advanced ovarian cancer. To achieve satisfactory tumor reduction, intraoperative bowel surgery is often involved.

Challenges and Perspectives in Target Identification and Mechanism Illustration for Chinese Medicine.

Chinese medicine (CM) is an important resource for human life understanding and discovery of drugs. However, due to the unclear pharmacological mechanism caused by unclear target, research and international promotion of many active components have made little progress in the past decades of years. CM is mainly composed of multi-ingredients with multi-targets.

Guideline for Quality Control of Powered Polymerisation Activators for Chairside Use.

The irradiance of powered polymerisation activators for chairside use affects composite resin adhesive curing during the restorative process, whereas radiant accumulated temperature rise relates to clinical safety. Irradiance reduction and high radiant accumulated temperature will compromise the treatment results as there is a lack of curing output efficacy and safety awareness for powered polymerisation activators. Insufficient attention has been paid to the activator's quality control, irradiance attenuation and radiant accumulated temperature excessive temperature rise during its lifetime.

Exome-based investigation of the genetic basis of human pigmentary glaucoma.

Background: Glaucoma is a leading cause of visual disability and blindness. Release of iris pigment within the eye, pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS), can lead to one type of glaucoma known as pigmentary glaucoma. PDS has a genetic component, however, the genes involved with this condition are largely unknown.

Akt scaffold proteins: the key to controlling specificity of Akt signaling.

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt signaling pathway plays an essential role in regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Akt kinase is at the center of this signaling pathway and interacts with a variety of proteins. Akt is overexpressed in almost 80% of tumors.

IRS4 promotes the progression of non-small cell lung cancer and confers resistance to EGFR-TKI through the activation of PI3K/Akt and Ras-MAPK pathways.

IRS4 is a member of the insulin receptor substrate (IRS) protein family. It acts as a cytoplasmic adaptor protein, integrating and transmitting signals from receptor protein tyrosine kinases to the intracellular environment. IRS4 can induce mammary tumorigenesis and is usually overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Investigation on the Effect of Different Mild Acidic Electrolyte on ZIBs Electrode/Electrolyte Interface and the Performance Improvements With the Optimized Cathode.

Zinc ion batteries (ZIBs), as promising alternatives of lithium ion batteries (LIBs), have aroused revived interest in the energy storage field recently. To obtain good performance, the choice of electrolyte plays a vital role. Therefore, in this work, three kinds of aqueous electrolyte have been assessed for interfacial effect and ZIB performance.

Association of a Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Genetic Risk Score With Earlier Age at Diagnosis.

Importance: Genetic variants associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) are known to influence disease risk. However, the clinical effect of associated variants individually or in aggregate is not known. Genetic risk scores (GRS) examine the cumulative genetic load by combining individual genetic variants into a single measure, which is assumed to have a larger effect and increased power to detect relevant disease-related associations.

The effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on mouse condylar articular cartilage cultured in vitro.

In this study, we explored the direct effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA) by analyzing the transformation of mouse condylar cartilage treated in vitro with various concentrations of VEGF. Tissue samples from 126 condyles of four-week-old male C57 mice were randomly divided into 21 groups and treated with VEGF (0 ng/mL, 100 ng/mL, 500 ng/mL, 1 µg/mL, or 2 µg/mL). Furthermore, the samples were treated at different time points (1 d, 2 d, 4 d, and 7 d) and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Safranin O and Fast Green stains to observe their morphology.

Distal Axonal Proteins and Their Related MiRNAs in Cultured Cortical Neurons.

Proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs) within the axon locally regulate axonal development. However, protein profiles of distal axons of cortical neurons have not been fully investigated. In particular, networks of genes encoding axonal proteins and their related miRNAs in sub compartments of neurons such as axons remain unknown.

Family-Based Genome-Wide Association Study of South Indian Pedigrees Supports WNT7B as a Central Corneal Thickness Locus.

Purpose: To identify genetic risk factors contributing to central corneal thickness (CCT) in individuals from South India, a population with a high prevalence of ocular disorders.

Methods: One hundred ninety-five individuals from 15 large South Indian pedigrees were genotyped using the Omni2.5 bead array.

Serum Th1 and Th17 related cytokines and autoantibodies in patients with Posner-Schlossman syndrome.

Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS) shares some clinical features with uveitis and open angle glaucoma. Cytokines and autoantibodies have been associated with uveitis and open angle glaucoma. However, the role of serum cytokines and autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of PSS remains unknown.

Genome-wide association study identifies WNT7B as a novel locus for central corneal thickness in Latinos.

The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye and is a vital component of focusing incoming light on the retina. Central corneal thickness (CCT) is now recognized to have a significant role in ocular health and is a risk factor for various ocular diseases, such as keratoconus and primary open angle glaucoma. Most previous genetic studies utilized European and Asian subjects to identify genetic loci associated with CCT.

Identification of miRNomes associated with adult neurogenesis after stroke using Argonaute 2-based RNA sequencing.

Neurogenesis is associated with functional recovery after stroke. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully investigated. Using an Ago2-based RNA immunoprecipitation to immunoprecipated Ago2-RNA complexes followed by RNA sequencing (Ago2 RIP-seq) approach, we profiled the miRNomes in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) harvested from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles of young adult rats.

Screening of the LTBP2 gene in 214 Chinese sporadic CYP1B1-negative patients with primary congenital glaucoma.

Purpose: To identify deleterious mutations in the latent transforming growth factor-β-binding protein 2 (LTBP2) gene in sporadic patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) from a Han Chinese population, which had been excluded for mutations in the CYP1B1 gene.

Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, 36 coding exons and adjacent exon-intron boundaries of LTBP2 were amplified with PCR and screened for mutations with Sanger sequencing in DNA samples of 214 sporadic patients with PCG. Sequence variants identified in the patients with PCG were subsequently screened in 100 unaffected control subjects and the unaffected parents of the patients with PCG who had sequence changes in LTBP2.

Association of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) Variants with Primary Angle Closure and Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma.

Shorter axial length observed in patients with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) might be due to altered matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) activity resulting in ECM remodeling during eye growth and development. This study aimed to evaluate common variants in MMP9 for association with PACG. Six tag SNPs of MMP9 were genotyped in a Chinese sample of 1,030 cases, including 572 PACG and 458 primary angle closure (PAC), and 499 controls.

MicroRNA-146a Promotes Oligodendrogenesis in Stroke.

Stroke induces new myelinating oligodendrocytes that are involved in ischemic brain repair. Molecular mechanisms that regulate oligodendrogenesis have not been fully investigated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression.

Association of clusterin (CLU) variants and exfoliation syndrome: An analysis in two Caucasian studies and a meta-analysis.

Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) is an important risk factor for glaucoma (XFG) worldwide. LOXL1 variants are highly associated with XFS in most populations; however, the high frequency of risk alleles in normal individuals and the reversal of risk alleles in different ethnic populations suggest that other factors contribute to XFS pathogenesis. Clusterin (CLU) is an extracellular matrix chaperone that prevents protein aggregation and is highly expressed in ocular tissues affected by XFS.

Human Leukocyte Antigens-B and -C Loci Associated with Posner-Schlossman Syndrome in a Southern Chinese Population.

The etiology of Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS) remains unknown. The association of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) allelic diversity with PSS has been poorly investigated. To evaluate the association of allelic polymorphisms of class I HLA-A, -B and -C and class II HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 with PSS, 100 unrelated patients with PSS and 128 age- and ethnically matched control subjects were recruited from a southern Chinese Han population.

SNP rs1533428 at 2p16.3 as a marker for late-onset primary open-angle glaucoma.

Purpose: To investigate the associations between gene variants in cholesterol 24S-hydroxylase (CYP46A1), LIM homeobox transcription factor 1-beta (LMX1B), plexin domain containing 2 (PLXDC2), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), transmembrane and tetratricopeptide repeat containing 2 (TMTC2), zona pellucida glycoprotein 4 (ZP4), chromosome 2p16.3, and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods: We studied 462 POAG patients and 577 controls from three cohorts (Hong Kong, Shantou, and Beijing, China).