Visualizing the Habenula Using 3T High-Resolution MP2RAGE and QSM: A Preliminary Study.

Background And Purpose: The habenula is a key node in the regulation of emotion-related behavior. Accurate visualization of the habenula and its reliable quantitative analysis is vital for the assessment of psychiatric disorders. To obtain high-contrast habenula images and allow them to be compatible with clinical applications, this preliminary study compared 3T MP2RAGE and quantitative susceptibility mapping with MPRAGE by evaluating the habenula segmentation performance.

Application of a rapid exchange extension catheter technique in type B2/C nonocclusive coronary intervention a transradial approach.

Background: In transradial intervention procedures, poor back-up support and noncoaxial alignment of the guide catheter (GC) may result in failure of the balloon or stent to reach the targeted lesion. Methods to provide extra back-up support using the original GC and wire can improve procedural success with reduced complications. A rapid exchange guide extension catheter provides convenient and efficient back-up support while preserving the initial GC and inserted wire.

Arginase inhibitor attenuates pulmonary artery hypertension induced by hypoxia.

Hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (HPAH) is a refractory disease characterized by increased proliferation of pulmonary vascular smooth cells and progressive pulmonary vascular remodeling. The level of nitric oxide (NO), a potential therapeutic vasodilator, is low in PAH patients. L-arginine can be converted to either beneficial NO by nitric oxide synthases or to harmful urea by arginase.

The effect of early and late tracheotomy on outcomes in patients: a systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis.

Objective: To compare the effect of early tracheotomy (ET) and late tracheotomy (LT) on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) incidence and short-term mortality in critically ill patients who received mechanical ventilation.

Data Sources: We searched databases of PubMed, Embase, and others for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared ET (≤ 8 days after admission to the intensive care unit, initiation of translaryngeal intubation, or initiation of mechanical ventilation) with LT (≥ 6 days) in critically ill patients.

Review Methods: The overall odds ratio (OR) was estimated by traditional meta-analysis.

Chronic intermittent hypoxic preconditioning suppresses pilocarpine-induced seizures and associated hippocampal neurodegeneration.

Mild brief hypoxia can protect against neuronal damage induced by epileptic seizures, at least in part by inhibiting apoptosis. Further elucidation of the antiepileptic mechanisms and optimization of the conditioning protocols are required before this strategy can be considered for clinical intervention. In this study, we compared the effects of different hypoxic preconditioning protocols on spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS), intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i), and apoptosis rate following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE).

Temperature dependence of Raman scattering in bulk 4H-SiC with different carrier concentration.

Raman spectra of three bulk 4H-SiC wafers with different free carrier concentration were measured at temperature from 80 K to 873 K. As temperature increases, Raman peaks of most optical phonon modes show monotonous down shift. An anomalous non-monotonous variation with temperature, was observed in the A(1) longitudinal optical (LO) mode from doped samples.

Activation of Nrf2-ARE signal pathway in hippocampus of amygdala kindling rats.

Oxidative stress resulting from excessive free-radical release is likely implicated in the initiation and progression of epilepsy. Therefore, antioxidant therapies have received considerable attention in epilepsy treatment. It is well known that the transcription factor NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2) binds to antioxidant response element (ARE) to induce antioxidant and phase II detoxification enzymes under conditions of oxidative stress, which reduces oxidative stress and accumulation of toxic metabolites.

[Effect of amiloride on the pathology of a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Objective: To study the effects of amiloride, an inhibitor of urokinase, on pathological and pathophysiological changes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) model, and to investigate the role of urokinase plasminogen activator system components in the pathogenesis of COPD.

Methods: Healthy Wistar rats (n = 24) were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and an amiloride group. After 7 weeks, lung function measurements were performed.

[Protective effect of hydrophilic Salvia monomer on liver ischemia/reperfusion injury induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines].

Objective: To observe the changes of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin 8 (IL-8) in liver ischemia/reperfusion injury and the protective effect of hydrophilic Salvia monomer MP-1 on them.

Methods: Hypothermic hypoxia reoxygenation model of human liver sinusoidal endothelial cell line and ischemia/reperfusion model of isolated rat liver were used. TNF alpha and IL-8 were measured with ELISA kits.