Icariin promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells in patients with osteoporosis and T2DM by upregulating GLI-1.

Background: The function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from patients with osteoporosis (OP) is impaired and worsens in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Icariin (ICA) is the major active flavonoid glucoside isolated from traditional Chinese herbal Epimedium pubescens, and confirmed able to improve bone mass of OP patients.

Objective: To investigate the effect of ICA on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone-derived MSCs (BMSCs) from patients with OP and T2DM and uncover the potential mechanism.

A gene expression profile for the lower osteogenic potent of bone-derived MSCs from osteoporosis with T2DM and the potential mechanism.

Background: Osteoporosis (OP) patients complicated with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has a higher fracture risk than the non-diabetic patients, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from T2DM patients also show a weaker osteogenic potent. The present study aimed to provide a gene expression profile in MSCs from diabetic OP and investigated the potential mechanism.

Methods: The bone-derived MSC (BMSC) was isolated from OP patients complicated with or without T2DM (CON-BMSC, T2DM-BMSC).

Intramedullary Nail Fixation by Suprapatellar and Infrapatellar Approaches for Treatment of Distal Tibial Fractures.

Objective: To compare the functional and alignment outcomes of intramedullary nail fixation using suprapatellar and infrapatellar approaches in treating distal tibial fractures.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 132 patients with distal tibial fractures (87 men, 45 women) ranging in age from 20 to 66 years were treated with intramedullary nails using the suprapatellar (69 patients) or infrapatellar (63 patients) approach. The radiographic alignment outcomes and ankle function were compared between the two groups.

Biotransformation of Abiraterone Into Five Characteristic Metabolites by the Rat Gut Microbiota and Liver Microsomes.

It is well known that the role of gut microbiota in drug metabolism, especially in oral difficult absorbable drugs. Understanding the gut microbiota could enable us to understand drugs in new ways. The purpose of the study was to investigate explore the metabolites of the anti-prostate cancer drug Abiraterone by examining gut microbiota metabolism and hepatic metabolism .

In vitro anti-synovial sarcoma effect of diallyl trisulfide and mRNA profiling.

Objective: Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a malignant soft tissue sarcoma and its natural history is a long, indolent clinical course followed by high rate of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Current therapies are still limited in increasing satisfactory of 5-year survival, especially for patients with recurrence and metastasis. Accordingly, finding new therapeutic drug for SS treatment is clinically urgent need.

No significant association between immunosuppression in solid organ transplantation and prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Background: It is known that organ transplant recipients have a significantly higher risk for developing cancers, but the association between immunosuppression in organ transplantation and the risk for prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. We aimed to assess the evidence regarding the association of solid organ transplantation with PCa risk.

Methods: A literature search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases was performed up to March 2019.

IPR-Grp75-VDAC1-MCU calcium regulation axis antagonists protect podocytes from apoptosis and decrease proteinuria in an Adriamycin nephropathy rat model.

Background: The mechanism of podocyte apoptosis is not fully understood. In addition, the role of the inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (IPR)/glucose-regulated protein 75 (Grp75)/voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1)/mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) calcium regulation axis, which is located at sites of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) mitochondria coupling, in the mechanism of podocyte apoptosis is unclear. This study aimed to understand the roles of this axis in podocyte apoptosis and explore potential targets for podocyte protection.

[Influence of photoselective vaporization of the prostate on the sexual function of the patient].

n recent years, photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) has gained a wide clinical application in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for its satisfactory effect, high safety, and low incidence of complications. With the improvement of living conditions, BPH patients are paying more attention to their sexual function, especially erectile function and ejaculatory problems instead of just focusing on the alleviation of lower urinary tract symptoms. Few studies of PVP, however, relate to its association with the sexual function of the patient and there is a certain controversy over the influence of PVP on it in the existing literature.

[One-puncture one-needle TRUS-guided prostate biopsy for prevention of postoperative infections].

Objective: To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of "one-puncture one-needle" transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy in the prevention of postoperative infections.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about "one-puncture one-needle" (the observation group) and "one-person one-needle" (the control group) TRUS-guided prostate biopsy performed in the Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province from January 2005 to December 2015, and compared the incidence rates of puncture-related infection between the two strategies. By "one-puncture one-needle", one needle was used for one biopsy puncture, while by "one-person one-needle", one needle was used for all biopsy punctures in one patient and the needle was sterilized with iodophor after each puncture.

Chlorine levels and species in fine and size resolved atmospheric particles by X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy analysis in Beijing, China.

An understanding of the species of chlorine is crucial in the metropolis-Beijing, which is suffering serious haze pollution with high frequency. Particulate Matters (PMs) with five different sizes were collected in Beijing from July 2009 to March 2016, and characterized non-destructively by X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. PM, PM and PM contributed for the major PMs mass in spring and summer, PM and PM contributed for the major PMs mass in autumn and winter.

[Vertical Distribution of Heavy Metals and Its Response to Organic Carbon in Red Soil Profile].

The vertical distribution patterns, the source and correlation of heavy metals were characterized in the bulk soil and different soil aggregates of arable red soil profile (0-100 cm) in Hunan province. Their response to organic carbons in proflie was explored as well. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that elements could be divided into two principal components, the metals of the first group were Zn,Cu,Pb,As,Cd, and the second group metals were Cr, Ni.

Transurethral front-firing Greenlight bladder autoaugmentation for bladder contracture: technique and clinical outcomes.

Objective: To describe a novel transurethral front-firing Greenlight bladder autoaugmentation for the treatment of bladder contracture and report initial clinical outcomes.

Methods: Between April 2014 and August 2015, five patients diagnosed with contracted bladder were all refractory to conservative treatment and received novel transurethral autoaugmentation. CT scan and urodynamics examination were conducted before operation for disease assessment.

Effects of lanthanum carbonate on vascular calcification in elderly maintenance hemodialysis patients.

The effect of lanthanum carbonate on abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in the elderly maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients was investigated. Fifty-four cases subjected to routine MHD complicated with skin pruritus admitted to our hospital were selected and randomly divided into case group (n=28) and control group (n=26). The control group was given routine MHD alone.

[Yimusake Tablet: safe and efficacious for premature ejaculation].

Objective: To objectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yimusake Tablet in the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE) through a multi-centered large-sample trial.

Methods: We conducted a multi-centered, open, fixed-dose, and self-compared clinical trial among 300 patients with diagnosed PE. The trial lasted 12 weeks, including 4 weeks without any medication and 8 weeks of treatment with Yimusake Tablet, 2 pills (1 g) per night.

Determination of pesticide residues in tea by gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry with solid-phase extraction.

An analytical method was developed for determination of multipesticide residues, including organophosphorus, organohalogen, pyrethroid, and organonitrogen, in tea at trace levels by GC coupled with triple quadrupole mass chromatography (QqQ-MS/MS). Scan time was selected in order to optimize QqQ-MS/MS conditions. The key parameters for controlling cleanup performance were optimized, including SPE cartridge type and elution solvent volume.

[Endothelial microparticles and erectile dysfunction: an update].

Microparticles are submicron vesicles shed from plasma membranes in response to cell activation, injury and/or apoptosis. Microparticles of various cellular origins, such as platelets, leukocytes, and endothelial cells, are found in the plasma of healthy subjects, and their amount increases under pathological conditions. Recent studies show that endothelial microparticles, a kind of envelope particles derived from endothelial cells, not only constitute a marker of endothelial dysfunction, but also play a major biological role in the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to erectile dysfunction.

[Influence of photoselective vaporization of prostate on erectile function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia].

Objective: To assess the influence of photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) on the erectile function of the patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods: Using IIEF-5, we conducted a questionnaire investigation among 210 BPH patients before and after treated by PVP (n = 80) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP, n = 130). We also reviewed the clinical data and compared the pre- and post-operative penile erectile function between the two groups of patients.

A spiking neural network based cortex-like mechanism and application to facial expression recognition.

In this paper, we present a quantitative, highly structured cortex-simulated model, which can be simply described as feedforward, hierarchical simulation of ventral stream of visual cortex using biologically plausible, computationally convenient spiking neural network system. The motivation comes directly from recent pioneering works on detailed functional decomposition analysis of the feedforward pathway of the ventral stream of visual cortex and developments on artificial spiking neural networks (SNNs). By combining the logical structure of the cortical hierarchy and computing power of the spiking neuron model, a practical framework has been presented.

Enantioseparation of four organophosphonate derivatives on N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-L-leucine-n-propylamide stationary phase by molecular modeling.

Four groups of organophosphonate derivatives enantiomers were separated on N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-S-leucine chiral stationary phase. The three-dimensional structures of the complexes between the single enantiotopic chiral compounds and chiral stationary phase have been studied using molecular model and molecular dynamics simulation. Detailed results regarding the conformation, auto-docking, and thermodynamic estimation are presented.

[Paratesticular embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma: report of 5 cases and review of the literature].

Objective: To improve the diagnosis and treatment of paratesticular embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (PER).

Methods: We retrospectively studied the clinical data of 5 cases of PER treated from 1997 to 2009 and reviewed the relevant literature, focusing on its clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment.

Results: The 5 cases of PER, 2 involving the spermatic cord, 2 the testis and 1 the tunica vaginalis, were all treated by radical orchiectomy.

Combined therapy with simvastatin and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells increases benefits in infarcted swine hearts.

Objective: Widespread death of implanted cells hampers stem cell therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Based on the pleiotropic beneficial effects of statins, we examined whether simvastatin (SIMV) increased the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation after AMI.

Methods And Results: Chinese miniswine (n=28) were randomized to 1 of 4 groups (n=7 per group): control, SIMV (0.

The study of chiral discrimination of organophosphonate derivatives on pirkle type chiral stationary phase by molecular modeling.

Molecular modeling and molecular dynamics (MD) have been used to study the chiral discrimination and interaction energy of organophosphonate in N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-S-leucine chiral stationary phase (CSP). The elution order of the enantiomers can be predicted from the interaction energy. Quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) has also been used as an alternative method to confirm the elution order of enantiomers.

Atorvastatin treatment improves survival and effects of implanted mesenchymal stem cells in post-infarct swine hearts.

Aims: To investigate whether Atorvastatin (Ator) treatment improves the cardiac micro-environment that facilitates survival and differentiation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) implanted in the post-infarct myocardium.

Methods And Results: Myocardial infarction was created by coronary ligation and immediately after reperfusion, autologous bone-marrow-derived MSCs were transplanted into the hearts of Chinese swine that were pretreated with or without Ator. Six weeks after transplantation, as evaluated by SPECT and MRI all the animals with Ator showed improved cardiac perfusion and contractility when compared with untreated.