Effect of combining batroxobin with acupuncture treatment on hearing recovery in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Background: The effect of batroxobin on hearing recovery in patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) is still controversial, and acupuncture shows auxiliary benefits for SSNHL.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of combining acupuncture with batroxobin therapy for patients with SSNHL.

Material And Methods: One hundred and fifty-six patients with SSNHL were retrospectively enrolled in this study, and categorized into the control group (only batroxobin treatment) and observation group (batroxobin and acupuncture treatment).

A pilot study on biological characteristics of human CD24(+) stem cells from the apical papilla.

Background/purpose: CD24 is a specific cell surface marker for undifferentiated dental stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) seen only during root development, before the tooth emerges through gum. But the comprehensive role of CD24 in the SCAPs is unclear. This study aims to clarify the exact roles of CD24 in SCAPs.

Extraction and quantification of metal-containing nanoparticles in marine shellfish based on single particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry technique.

Quantitative characterization of nanoparticles (NPs) in marine shellfish is critical to understanding the risks of bio-accumulation. Based on single particle (sp)ICP-MS and electron microscopy, a standardized protocol was developed to extract Ag, Au, and indigenous Ti-containing NPs from mussels. The optimal parameters are: dry sample extraction with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), 5% (v/v) final concentration of TMAH, extraction at 25 ℃ for 12 h, and separation by centrifugation (3000 rpm for 5 min).

Limitations in activities of daily living increase the risk of stroke in older Chinese adults: a population-based longitudinal study.

It remains unclear whether limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) increase the risk of stroke in older Chinese adults. This longitudinal study used data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to investigate the effects of limitations in ADL on the incidence of stroke in older adults. Between 2002 and 2011, 46,728 participants from 22 provinces in China were included in this study.

Nomograms predicting long-term survival in patients with invasive intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: A population-based study.

Background: There are few effective tools to predict survival in patients with invasive intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas.

Aim: To develop comprehensive nomograms to individually estimate the survival outcome of patients with invasive intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas.

Methods: Data of 1219 patients with invasive intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms after resection were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, and randomly divided into the training ( = 853) and the validation ( = 366) cohorts.

Expression of PD1 and BTLA on the CD8 T Cell and γδT Cell Subsets in Peripheral Blood of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

To investigate the expression and regulation of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1), B lymphocyte and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) in peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); to examine the correlation of the mRNA levels between PD and BTLA in NSCLC. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces of CD8 T cells and γδ T cells in the peripheral blood samples collected from 32 in-patients with stage IV NSCLC and 30 healthy individuals. We compared the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces of γδ T cells in the NSCLC patients with bone metastasis before and after the treatment of zoledronic acid.

Therapeutic efficacy of polydatin for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease regulating inflammatory response in obese mice.

Polydatin (PD), a natural precursor of resveratrol, has been used to treat several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, hepatic diseases and various cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of PD on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using a high fat induced obese mice model. The studied subjects were randomly divided into a lean group, a high fat diet (HFD) group, and a high fat diet with PD (HFD + PD) group.

Characteristics of microbial community indicate anthropogenic impact on the sediments along the Yangtze Estuary and its coastal area, China.

In the contaminated coastal sediments, variations of microbial community can reflect the impact of anthropogenic activities. The identification, evaluation and monitoring of the potential bio-indicator species and biomarker communities are vital for the ecological studies in sedimentary environments. Based on the high-throughput sequencing, the microbial communities were characterized in the sediments along the Yangtze Estuary and its coastal area.

Seasonal and spatial distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the sediments along the Yangtze Estuary, China.

Antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs) are considered as an emerging pollutant among various environments. As a sink of ARGs, a comprehensive study on the spatial and temporal distribution of ARGs in the estuarine sediments is needed. In the present study, six ARGs were determined in sediments taken along the Yangtze Estuary temporally and spatially.

Protease Omi cleaving Hax-1 protein contributes to OGD/R-induced mitochondrial damage in neuroblastoma N2a cells and cerebral injury in MCAO mice.

Aim: In the penumbra after focal cerebral ischemia, an increase of protease Omi is linked to a decrease of Hs1-associated protein X-1 (Hax-1), a protein belonging to the Bcl-2 family. In this study we investigated the mechanisms underlying the regulation of Hax-1 by protease Omi in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.

Methods: Mouse neuroblastoma N2a cells were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R); cell viability was assessed with MTT assay.

[The use of dental papillae cells and millipore filter for bioengineered dentin].

Objective: To observe the ability of SD rat dental papillae cells forming dentin-like structure induced by millipore filter combined with transforming growth factor-β(1) (TGF-β(1)).

Methods: The first passage SD rat dental papillae cells were enzymatically dissociated and centrifuged to obtain a cell mass. The cell mass was seeded on the millipore filter combined with TGF-β(1).

Membrane-adhesion-induced phase separation of two species of junctions.

A theory of membrane-adhesion-induced phase separation of two species of ligand-receptor complexes (i.e., junctions) is presented.