Analysis of Multicontrast Carotid Plaque MR Imaging.

Plaque imaging by MR imaging provides a wealth of information on the characteristics of individual plaque that may reveal vulnerability to rupture, likelihood of progression, or optimal treatment strategy. T1-weighted and T2-weighted images among other options reveal plaque morphology and composition. Dynamic contrast-enhanced-MR imaging reveals plaque activity.

Advice-giving in newspaper weather commentaries.

Receiving accurate and timely advice about extreme weather events can impact a person's likelihood to survive, cope with and minimise exposure. Advice-giving seems to be a common interpersonal strategy in weather commentaries in many Chinese newspapers, yet research into weather advice-giving is greatly lacking. This study investigated whether the discourse of advice-giving in newspaper weather commentaries differed depending on the newspaper source and/or on the weather reported.

A Novel Allyl Transfer Coupled with a Grob Fragmentation.

A novel acid-promoted rearrangement is disclosed. In the previously unknown transformation, an allyl group migrated to an in situ formed carbocation stabilized by an electron-rich aryl or heteroaryl group, resulting in a stereoselective intramolecular Grob fragmentation. The outcome of the rearrangement observed with an array of substrates can be satisfactorily rationalized using a working hypothesis with the aid of a six-membered transition state similar to those proposed for the anionic oxy-Cope or oxonia-Cope rearrangements, but involving only one instead of two double bonds.

mafba is a downstream transcriptional effector of Vegfc signaling essential for embryonic lymphangiogenesis in zebrafish.

The lymphatic vasculature plays roles in tissue fluid balance, immune cell trafficking, fatty acid absorption, cancer metastasis, and cardiovascular disease. Lymphatic vessels form by lymphangiogenesis, the sprouting of new lymphatics from pre-existing vessels, in both development and disease contexts. The apical signaling pathway in lymphangiogenesis is the VEGFC/VEGFR3 pathway, yet how signaling controls cellular transcriptional output remains unknown.

Bi-content micro-collagen chip provides contractility-based biomechanical readout for phenotypic drug screening with expanded and profiled targets.

Phenotypic screening has regained momentum in the pharmaceutical industry owing to its success over target-based screening. Most phenotypic screening relies on nonspecific biochemical readouts regarding cellular viability, which hampers the discovery of novel drug mechanisms of action (MOAs). Here we present a Contractility-based bi-Content micro-Collagen Chip (3CChip), which establishes cellular contractility as a biomechanics-related phenotype for drug screening.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 is an ideal target for ovary tumors with elevated cyclin E1 expression.

CCNE1 gene amplification is present in 15-20% ovary tumor specimens. Here, we showed that Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) was overexpressed in 30% of established ovarian cancer cell lines. We also showed that CCNE1 was stained positive in over 40% of primary ovary tumor specimens regardless of their histological types while CCNE1 staining was either negative or low in normal ovary and benign ovary tumor tissues.

Development and validation of a sensitive liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous analysis of granisetron and 7-hydroxy granisetron in human plasma and urine samples: application in a clinical pharmacokinetic study in pregnant subject.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the quantification of granisetron and its major metabolite, 7-hydroxy granisetron in human plasma and urine samples was developed and validated. Respective stable isotopically labeled granisetron and 7-hydroxy granisetron were used as internal standards (IS). Chromatography was performed using an Xselect HSS T3 analytical column with a mobile phase of 20% acetonitrile in water (containing 0.

[Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) stimulates invasion and metastatic colonization of ovarian cancer cells through Rac activation].

Objective: To investigate the mechanisms of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in stimulating invasion and metastatic colonization of ovarian cancer cells.

Methods: The metastatic ability in vivo of ovarian cancer SK-OV3, HEY, OVCAR3, and IGROV1 cells was determined in tumor-bearing nude mouse models. Matrigel assay was used to detect the changes of response in vitro of ovarian cancer cells to LPA after Rac(-) or Rac(+) adenovirus treatment.

miR-34c plays a role of tumor suppressor in HEC‑1-B cells by targeting E2F3 protein.

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a common malignancy of the female genital tract with a poor prognosis. It has been reported that miR-34c is significantly reduced in EC, but research concerning its function in EC is rare. In the present study, the expression of miR-34c was upregulated in the EC cell line, HEC-1-B, by transfecting the cells with hsa-miR-34c-5p mimics.

Hephaestin and ceruloplasmin play distinct but interrelated roles in iron homeostasis in mouse brain.

Background: Iron accumulation in the central nervous system (CNS) is a common feature of many neurodegenerative diseases. Multicopper ferroxidases (MCFs) play an important role in cellular iron metabolism. However, the role of MCFs in the CNS in health and disease remains poorly characterized.

Effects of freshwater leaching on potential bioavailability of heavy metals in tidal flat soils.

Leaching experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of desalination levels and sediment depths on potential bioavailability of heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in tidal flat soils. The data showed that both the desalination levels (p < 0.001) and soil depths (p < 0.

Constitutive activation of NF-κB signaling by NOTCH1 mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

NOTCH1 mutations occur in approximately 10% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, the relationship between the genetic aberrations and tumor cell drug resistance or disease progression remains unclear. Frameshift deletions were detected by gene sequencing in the NOTCH1 PEST domain in three naive CLL patients.

Expeditious entry to the chamigrane endoperoxide family of natural products.

Several members of the recently reported peroxy chamigrane family of natural products were synthesized via a distereoselective route with a novel facial-selective epoxidation of a spiroundecadiene, a facile epoxide rearrangement, and a Co(II)-mediated silylperoxidation as the key steps. Adaptation of the diastereoselective route to an enantioselective one is also illustrated.

rs833061 and rs699947 on promoter gene of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and associated lung cancer susceptibility and survival: a meta-analysis.

Background: As 2 important SNPs located in the promoter region of VEGF gene, the roles of rs833061 (-460C>T) and rs699947 (-2578C>A) in lung cancer susceptibility and survival remain inconclusive and controversial.

Material/methods: For better understanding of these 2 SNPs in lung cancer risk and survival, a meta-analysis was performed to pool findings of previous studies and to generate large-scale evidence.

Results: Based on the 10 eligible studies included, this study observed that the -460C>T polymorphism generally had no significant effect on lung cancer risk.

Synergic effects of EPI-NCSCs and OECs on the donor cells migration, the expression of neurotrophic factors, and locomotor recovery of contused spinal cord of rats.

Cell-based therapy is a promising strategy for the repair of spinal cord injury (SCI), and the synergic effects of donor cells are emphasized in recent years. In this study, epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs) and olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) were transplanted into the contused spinal cord of rats separately or jointly at 1 week after injury. At 3 and 9 weeks posttransplantation, migration of the donor cells, expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and functional recovery of the contused cord were determined by techniques of histopathology, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunohistochemistry and Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score.

Marker genes identify three somatic cell types in the fetal mouse ovary.

The two main functions of the ovary are the production of oocytes, which allows the continuation of the species, and secretion of female sex hormones, which control many aspects of female development and physiology. Normal development of the ovaries during embryogenesis is critical for their function and the health of the individual in later life. Although the adult ovary has been investigated in great detail, we are only starting to understand the cellular and molecular biology of early ovarian development.

Scan-rescan reproducibility of quantitative assessment of inflammatory carotid atherosclerotic plaque using dynamic contrast-enhanced 3T CMR in a multi-center study.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the inter-scan reproducibility of kinetic parameters in atherosclerotic plaque using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in a multi-center setting at 3T.

Methods: Carotid arteries of 51 subjects from 15 sites were scanned twice within two weeks on 3T scanners using a previously described DCE-CMR protocol. Imaging data with protocol compliance and sufficient image quality were analyzed to generate kinetic parameters of vessel wall, expressed as transfer constant (K trans ) and plasma volume (v p ).

MiR-449a functions as a tumor suppressor in endometrial cancer by targeting CDC25A.

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in cancer initiation and development by functioning either as oncogenes or as tumor suppressors. The role of microRNA-449a (miR-449a) in endometrial cancer remains unclear. We examined the levels of miR-449a and miR-449b in benign endometrium, type I and type II endometrial cancer tissues by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

The multicopper ferroxidase hephaestin enhances intestinal iron absorption in mice.

Hephaestin is a vertebrate multicopper ferroxidase important for the transfer of dietary iron from intestinal cells to the blood. Hephaestin is mutated in the sex-linked anemia mouse, resulting in iron deficiency. However, sex-linked anemia mice still retain some hephaestin ferroxidase activity.

Nerve growth factor improves functional recovery by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced neuronal apoptosis in rats with spinal cord injury.

Background: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis plays a major role in various diseases, including spinal cord injury (SCI). Nerve growth factor (NGF) show neuroprotective effect and improve the recovery of SCI, but the relations of ER stress-induced apoptosis and the NGF therapeutic effect in SCI still unclear.

Methods: Young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats's vertebral column was exposed and a laminectomy was done at T9 vertebrae and moderate contusion injuries were performed using a vascular clip.

Homologous HOmologous Black-Bright-blood and flexible Interleaved imaging sequence (HOBBI) for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the vessel wall.

Purpose: To present a HOmologous Black-Bright-blood and flexible Interleaved imaging (HOBBI) sequence for dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the vessel wall.

Theory And Methods: A HOBBI sequence is proposed to acquire high-spatial-resolution black-blood and high-temporal-resolution bright-blood dynamic contrast-enhanced images in an interleaved fashion. Black-blood imaging allows for thin vessel wall evaluation, whereas bright-blood imaging obtains the arterial input function accurately.

Varying correlation between 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in carotid atherosclerosis: implications for plaque inflammation.

Background And Purpose: (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI have been proposed to quantitatively assess plaque inflammation by probing macrophages and neovessels, respectively. We examined their correlation to study the in vivo relationship between macrophage and neovessel activities in atherogenesis.

Methods: Forty-one patients (34 men; aged 65±12 years) with a total of 68 carotid plaques (thickness ≥2 mm on ultrasound; 20 symptomatic) were assessed by both (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI within 2 weeks, measured as target-to-background ratio and transfer constant (K(trans)), respectively.

Magnetically controllable 3D microtissues based on magnetic microcryogels.

Microtissues on the scale of several hundred microns are a promising cell culture configuration resembling the functional tissue units in vivo. In contrast to conventional cell culture, handling of microtissues poses new challenges such as medium exchange, purification and maintenance of the microtissue integrity. Here, we developed magnetic microcryogels to assist microtissue formation with enhanced controllability and robustness.

Associations of arterial distensibility between carotid arteries and abdominal aorta by MR.

Purpose: To investigate the correlations of arterial distensibility between carotid arteries and abdominal aorta by MR.

Materials And Methods: Twenty eight asymptomatic old subjects (71.4 ± 6.

Referenceless acquisition of phase-sensitive inversion-recovery with decisive reconstruction (RAPID) imaging.

Purpose: To describe a referenceless reconstruction approach to generate phase-sensitive inversion recovery images without relying on the extra acquisition of reference images.

Methods: The basic idea of the Referenceless Acquisition of Phase-sensitive Inversion-recovery with Decisive reconstruction, or RAPID, algorithm is to retrieve the magnetization polarity by estimating the background phase variation of a complex valued image. The theory and algorithm of RAPID is described in detail.