Lung cancer presenting with acute myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism within 1 month.

Acute myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism can have life-threatening consequences such as congestive heart and respiratory failure, respectively. Cancer patients are at great risk of both acute myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism complications because the malignancy sparks the patient's blood hypercoagulable state. Nevertheless, the literature currently offers only a few reports on acute myocardial infarction associated with pulmonary embolism, and two of them occurred in the same cancer patient.

Chinese Children with Congenital and Acquired Blindness Represent Concrete Concepts in Vertical Space through Tactile Perception.

Many studies have tested perceptual symbols in conceptual processing and found that perceptual symbols contain experiences from multisensory channels. However, whether the disability of one sensory channel affects the processing of the perceptual symbols and then affects conceptual processing is still unknown. This line of research would extend the perceptual symbol theory and have implications for language rehabilitation and mental health for people with disabilities.

Bi-directional cross-language activation in Chinese Sign Language (CSL)-Chinese bimodal bilinguals.

In bilingual word recognition, cross-language activation has been found in unimodal bilinguals (e.g., Chinese-English bilinguals) and bimodal bilinguals (e.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor reduces the endoplasmic reticulum stress in a rat model of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Prolonged endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes to the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, which leads to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Previously, we reported that the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) reduces the cardiomyocyte apoptosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy; however, the precise mechanisms associated with this process are not yet fully understood. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether the mechanism of the anti-apoptotic effect of G-CSF was associated with ER stress in a rat model of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Role of Autophagy in Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor Induced Anti-Apoptotic Effects in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: We previously, reported that granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) reduces cardiomyocyte apoptosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Therefore, we investigated whether the mechanisms underlying of the anti-apoptotic effects of G-CSF were associated with autophagy using a rat model of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Modified method for effective primary vascular smooth muscle progenitor cell culture from peripheral blood.

In previous studies, vascular smooth muscle progenitor cells (vSMPCs) isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured using medium containing platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) for 4 weeks. However, this method requires long culture periods of up to 4 weeks and yields low cell counts. Therefore, we proposed the modified method to improve the cell yield and purity and to reduce the cell culture period.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived vascular endothelial growth factor attenuates cardiac apoptosis via regulation of cardiac miRNA-23a and miRNA-92a in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

Bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) therapy improves the recovery of cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) modulate the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the effects of BM-MSC-derived paracrine factors and cardiac miRNAs on myocardial regeneration after MI.

Local injection of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor accelerates wound healing in a rat excisional wound model.

A systemic treatment of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is known to improve healings of damaged tissues. However, recent studies suggested local actions of G-CSF on the healing processes of damaged tissues. We investigated the treatment effect of locally injected G-CSF and compared to that of systemically injected G-CSF in a rat model.

The Effects of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor on Regeneration in Nerve Crush Injuries in Rats.

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is widely known to have a neuroprotective effect, but its effects on function and morphology in mechanical nerve injury are not well understood. The aim of this study was to confirm the time course of the functional changes and morphological effects of G-CSF in a rat model of nerve crush injury. Twelve-eight rats were divided into three group: sham-operated control group, G-CSF-treated group, and saline treated group.

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor prevents the development of hepatic steatosis in rats.

Background And Aims: Previously, we reported that granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) improves hepatic steatosis in experimental animals. It may also have preventive effects on the development of hepatic steatosis. Therefore, we investigated the preventive effects of G-CSF by using a high-fat diet (HFD) rat model.

Transplanted Human Amniotic Epithelial Cells Secrete Paracrine Proangiogenic Cytokines in Rat Model of Myocardial Infarction.

Human amniotic epithelial cells (h-AECs) have been shown to differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells in vivo that can regenerate myocardial tissue and improve cardiac function in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, we investigated the paracrine factors released from h-AECs under hypoxic conditions to elucidate the possible mechanisms underlying this previously reported phenomenon of h-AEC-mediated cardiac repair. We used hypoxic cell culture conditions to simulate myocardial infarction in vitro.

Anti-obesity effects of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in Otsuka-Long-Evans-Tokushima fatty rats.

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) has molecular structures and intracellular signaling pathways that are similar to those of leptin and ciliary neurotropic factor (CNTF). It also has immune-modulatory properties. Given that leptin and CNTF play important roles in energy homeostasis and that obesity is an inflammatory condition in adipose tissue, we hypothesized that G-CSF could also play a role in energy homeostasis.

[Effectiveness comparison of proximal femoral nail antirotation and dynamic hip screw for intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly patients].

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of the proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) and dynamic hip screw (DHS) in the treatment of elderly patients with intertrochanteric fractures.

Methods: Between May 2007 and May 2010, 63 elderly patients with intertrochanteric fractures were treated, and fractures were fixed with PFNA in 31 patients (PFNA group) and with DHS in 32 patients (DHS group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, injury cause, disease duration, and fracture type between 2 groups (P > 0.

[Comparison study on effectiveness between arthroscopy assisted percutaneous internal fixation and open reduction and internal fixation for Schatzker types II and III tibial plateau fractures].

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of arthroscopy assisted percutaneous internal fixation and open reduction and internal fixation for Schatzker types II and III tibial plateau fractures.

Methods: Between August 2006 and April 2010, 58 patients with tibial plateau fractures of Schatzker types II and III were treated with arthroscopy assisted percutaneous internal fixation (arthroscopy group, n = 38), and with open reduction and internal fixation (control group, n = 20). There was no significant difference in gender, age, disease duration, fracture type, and complication between 2 groups (P > 0.