Inflammatory Bowel Disease Serological Immune Markers Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mannan Antibodies and Outer Membrane Porin C are Potential Biomarkers for Hirschsprung-associated Enterocolitis.

Objective: Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) is the most frequent complication in Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) patients. Currently HAEC is diagnosed clinically, leaving uncertainty in the diagnosis thereby potentially leading to over- or undertreatment of patients. The aim of this study was to identify immune biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of HAEC.

Canine Parvovirus-2c (CPV-2c) Infection in Wild Asian Palm Civets () in Singapore.

We report pathogenic feline parvovirus and canine parvovirus-2c infection in wild Asian palm civets (), as demonstrated by histopathology and immunohistochemistry findings of parvoviral enteropathy. We performed molecular characterization and phylogeny studies to obtain an improved understanding of disease transmission dynamics between domestic and wild carnivores.

Body Mass Index at Diagnosis as a Prognostic Factor for Early-Stage Invasive Breast Cancer after Surgical Resection.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and prognosis of Chinese women with breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: 3,380 primary breast cancer patients who underwent surgery from 2010 to 2012 were selected and classified as low BMI group (BMI < 25.0) and high BMI group (BMI ≥ 25.

The 1997 Mars Pathfinder Spacecraft Landing Site: Spillover Deposits from an Early Mars Inland Sea.

The Martian outflow channels comprise some of the largest known channels in the Solar System. Remote-sensing investigations indicate that cataclysmic floods likely excavated the channels ~3.4 Ga.

Serum Mac-2-binding protein glycosylation isomer and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in entecavir-treated chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background And Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can still develop in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving antiviral treatment. Serum Mac-2-binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) is a novel marker for liver fibrosis. We investigated its role on incidence of HCC in entecavir (ETV)-treated CHB patients.

Evaluating the risk of popliteal artery injury in the all-inside meniscus repair based on the location of posterior meniscal lesions.

The 'all-inside' meniscus repair is extremely useful technique in addressing tears at the far posterior horn of meniscus. However, this procedure may place the popliteal neurovascular bundle at risk of injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of popliteal artery injury by the trajectory of anchor delivery instruments inserted through standard knee arthroscopic portals for the repair of the far posterior horn of meniscus tears.

[Application of vascular augmentation of an extra-long latissimus dorsi flap through an intercostal artery in limb wound repair].

Objective: To explore the clinical application of vascular augmentation of an extra-long latissimus dorsi flap through an intercostal artery in limb wound repair.

Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2017, 5 patients with limb wounds were treated with the extra-long latissimus dorsi flaps. The vascular augmentation of the extra-long latissimus dorsi flap through the intercostal artery was applied during the operation.

New Insights Into the Response of Metabolome of O157:H7 to Ohmic Heating.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ohmic heating and water bath heating (WB) on the metabolome of O157:H7 cells at the same inactivation levels. Compared to low voltage long time ohmic heating (5 V/cm, 8.50 min, LVLT) and WB (5.

Risk stratifying the screening of Barrett's esophagus: An Asian perspective.

Background And Aim: Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition for esophageal adenocarcinoma. Although risk factors exist for screening patients in the West, we aimed to determine the factors in terms of demographics and symptoms for patients in an Asian setting.

Methods: We recruited 1378 patients over a 7-year period as part of an ongoing gastric cancer screening program.

The expression and biological function of the PHF2 gene in breast cancer.

PHD Finger Protein 2 (PHF2), as a protein code and a transcription regulatory gene, is a member of the Jumonji-C domain (JmjC). PHF2 is located at human chromosome 9q22.31 and is frequently decreased in various malignancies.

Multifunctional behaviour in a sandy shore crab enhances performance in extreme intertidal environments.

Soft sediment shores in the tropics are highly dynamic environments, where behavioural patterns of organisms are constrained by tidal conditions, and environmental temperatures during an organisms' activity periods can exceed their thermal tolerance levels. In such extreme habitats, behavioural responses to environmental changes are key to survival, driving differential performance. We investigated sponging behaviour (water uptake from sediments) of the deposit-feeding crab, Scopimera intermedia, on tropical sandy shores to determine its thermoregulatory function.

Impact of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for primary endocrine resistance in breast cancer patients.

Multiple mechanisms have been detected to account for the acquired resistance to endocrine therapies in breast cancer. In this study we retrospectively studied the mechanism of primary endocrine resistance in estrogen receptor positive (ER) breast cancer patients by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Tumor specimens and matched blood samples were obtained from 24 ER breast cancer patients.

Interaction and fusion dynamics between cellular blebs.

Membrane blebbing, as a mechanism for cells to regulate their internal pressure and membrane tension, is believed to play important roles in processes such as cell migration, spreading and apoptosis. However, the fundamental question of how different blebs interact with each other during their life cycles remains largely unclear. Here, we report a combined theoretical and experimental investigation to examine how the growth and retraction of a cellular bleb are influenced by neighboring blebs as well as the fusion dynamics between them.

Anesthetic management of thoracoscopic resection of lung lesions in small children.

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has dramatically increased over the last decade because of both medical and cosmetic benefits. Anesthesia for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in small children is more challenging compared to adults due to the considerable problems posed by small airway dimensions and ventilation. The optimal technique for one-lung ventilation has yet to be established and the use of remifentanil infusion in this setting is not well described.

Effects of miR-503-5p on apoptosis of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells in simulated microgravity.

Recent studies have shown that microRNA (miRNAs) can play important roles in the regulation of endothelial cell (EC) function. However, the expression profile of miRNAs and their effects on the apoptosis of ECs under microgravity conditions remains unclear. In this study, the apoptosis of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) under simulated microgravity was identified by Annexin V and propidium iodide double staining and transmission electron microscopy.

Predicting early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma with texture analysis of preoperative MRI: a radiomics study.

Aim: To investigate the feasibility of using texture analysis in preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict early recurrence (ER) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) post-curative surgery.

Material And Methods: Institutional review board was obtained. A retrospective review of all patients who underwent hepatectomy between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2015 was performed.

The Sensitivity of Impact Estimates to Data Sources Used: Analysis From an Access to Postsecondary Education Experiment.

Background: This article reports on the Future to Discover Project-a Canadian randomized controlled trial of two high school interventions-where data on key postsecondary enrollment outcomes were collected for two phases. During the initial phase, outcomes were recorded from administrative data and follow-up surveys. During the later phase, data came from administrative records only.

[Role of neuropeptide substance P and the bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway in osteogenic differentiation of ST2 cells].

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of neuropeptide substance P (SP) in ST2 cell (bone mesenchymal stem cells of mice) osteogenic differentiation to provide a basis for the treatment of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.

Methods: Third-generation ST2 cells were cultured with different concentrations of SP (0, 10⁻¹⁰, 10⁻⁸, 10⁻⁶, and 10⁻⁵ mol·L⁻¹). After 24, 48, and 72 h, cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8.

Motoneuron Wnts regulate neuromuscular junction development.

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a synapse between motoneurons and skeletal muscles to control motor behavior. Unlike extensively investigated postsynaptic differentiation, less is known about mechanisms of presynaptic assembly. Genetic evidence of Wnt in mammalian NMJ development was missing due to the existence of multiple Wnts and their receptors.

High thermal stress responses of Echinolittorina snails at their range edge predict population vulnerability to future warming.

Populations at the edge of their species' distribution ranges are typically living at the physiological extreme of the environmental conditions they can tolerate. As a species' response to global change is likely to be largely determined by its physiological performance, subsequent changes in environmental conditions can profoundly influence populations at range edges, resulting in range extensions or retractions. To understand the differential physiological performance among populations at their distribution range edge and center, we measured levels of mRNA for heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) as an indicator of temperature sensitivity in two high-shore littorinid snails, Echinolittorina malaccana and E.

High-Resolution Single-Cell DNA Methylation Measurements Reveal Epigenetically Distinct Hematopoietic Stem Cell Subpopulations.

Increasing evidence of functional and transcriptional heterogeneity in phenotypically similar cells examined individually has prompted interest in obtaining parallel methylome data. We describe the development and application of such a protocol to index-sorted murine and human hematopoietic cells that are highly enriched in their content of functionally defined stem cells. Utilizing an optimized single-cell bisulfite sequencing protocol, we obtained quantitative DNA methylation measurements of up to 5.

Prenatal immune activation alters the adult neural epigenome but can be partly stabilised by a n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid diet.

An unstable epigenome is implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. This is important because the epigenome is potentially modifiable. We have previously reported that adult offspring exposed to maternal immune activation (MIA) prenatally have significant global DNA hypomethylation in the hypothalamus.

Benign monomelic amyotrophy with lower limb involvement in an adult: A case report.

Rationale: Monomelic amyotrophy (MMA) is a benign motor neuron disease with bilateral muscular atrophy in asymmetry and abnormal in the electromyography (EMG). However, we report a case by the muscle biopsy which shows symptoms of slowly progressive amyotrophy despite having a normal EMG.

Patient Concerns: A 51-year-old male was diagnosed with a lower limb amyotrophy, insidious at the onset and located in the distal thigh and the proximal crus near the knee, slowly progressive weakness, and wasting of his right gastrocnemius muscle for the last 20 years.

Single-cell analysis identifies a CD33 subset of human cord blood cells with high regenerative potential.

Elucidation of the identity and diversity of mechanisms that sustain long-term human blood cell production remains an important challenge. Previous studies indicate that, in adult mice, this property is vested in cells identified uniquely by their ability to clonally regenerate detectable, albeit highly variable levels and types, of mature blood cells in serially transplanted recipients. From a multi-parameter analysis of the molecular features of very primitive human cord blood cells that display long-term cell outputs in vitro and in immunodeficient mice, we identified a prospectively separable CD33CD34CD38CD45RACD90CD49f phenotype with serially transplantable, but diverse, cell output profiles.