The China tuberculosis clinical trials consortium network: a model for international TB clinical trials capacity building.

Background: With the second largest tuberculosis (TB) burden globally, China is committed to actively engage in international TB clinical trials to contribute to global TB research. However, lack of research capacity among local sites has been identified as a barrier.

Main Text: The China Tuberculosis Clinical Trials Consortium (CTCTC) was initiated by Beijing Chest Hospital with investment from the US National Institutes of Health and technical support from Family Health International 360 in 2013, as a nationwide collaborative clinical trial network to strengthen selected clinical site research capacity and attract TB clinical trials.

A Knowledge Graph of Combined Drug Therapies Using Semantic Predications From Biomedical Literature: Algorithm Development.

Background: Combination therapy plays an important role in the effective treatment of malignant neoplasms and precision medicine. Numerous clinical studies have been carried out to investigate combination drug therapies. Automated knowledge discovery of these combinations and their graphic representation in knowledge graphs will enable pattern recognition and identification of drug combinations used to treat a specific type of cancer, improve drug efficacy and treatment of human disorders.

α-Cyperone Attenuates HO-Induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in SH-SY5Y Cells Activation of Nrf2.

α-Cyperone, extracted from , has been reported to inhibit microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. Oxidative stress and apoptosis play crucial roles in the course of Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective death of dopaminergic neurons.

One stone, three birds: one AIEgen with three colors for fast differentiation of three pathogens.

Visually identifying pathogens favors rapid diagnosis at the point-of-care testing level. Here, we developed a microenvironment-sensitive aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen), namely IQ-Cm, for achieving fast discrimination of Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria and fungi by the naked-eye. With a twisted donor-acceptor and multi-rotor structure, IQ-Cm shows twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) and AIE properties with sensitive fluorescence color response to the microenvironment of pathogens.

Evodiamine Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Inflammation in BV-2 Cells via Regulating AKT/Nrf2-HO-1/NF-κB Signaling Axis.

Neuroinflammation is caused by excessive activation of microglia and plays an essential role in neurodegenerative diseases. After activation, microglia produce several kinds of inflammatory mediators, trigger an excessive inflammatory response, and ultimately destroy the surrounding neurons. Therefore, agents that inhibit neuroinflammation may be potential drug candidates for neurodegenerative diseases.

The Similarity Between Chinese Five-Pattern and Eysenck's Personality Traits: Evidence From Theory and Resting-State fMRI.

Chinese five-pattern and Eysenck's personality traits are two types of personality theories based on different cultural backgrounds. The former is an indigenous theory, and the latter is a cross-cultural theory. In order to verify the relationship between two different personality traits from theory and neuropsychology, the current study recruited 170 healthy adults to calculate their five-Pattern Personality Inventory (FPPI) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ) scales and to scan their brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Corrigendum: Isovitexin-Mediated Regulation of Microglial Polarization in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation via Activation of the CaMKKβ/AMPK-PGC-1α Signaling Axis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.

Glatiramer acetate protects against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion-induced injury by inhibiting Egr-1 in H9c2 cells.

Myocardial infarction (MI) or heart attack is a deadly event with high prevalence. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the polypeptide copolymer glatiramer acetate (GA) in H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury. Immediately following MI, an acute inflammatory response is triggered that causes activation of various proinflammatory cytokines, infiltration of immune cells, and neovascularization.

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against ROP18 with strain-specific reactivity.

The rhoptry kinase 18 of Toxoplasma gondii (TgROP18) has been identified as a key virulence factor that allows the parasite to escape from host immune defences and promotes its proliferation in host cells. Although much research is focused on the interaction between host cells and TgROP18, the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against TgROP18 has not been reported till date. To produce mAbs targeting TgROP18, two hybridomas secreting mAbs against TgROP18, designated as A1 and T2, were generated using cell fusion technology.

Impairments of Implicit Emotional Neurocognitive Processing in College Students With Subthreshold Depression: An ERP Study.

Purpose: Previous studies have proved that the people with subthreshold depression (SD) had negative cognitive bias in conscious level. However, it still remains a point of controversy whether they have impairment in unconscious level. The present study aimed to explore whether the implicit emotional processing differed between people with SD and healthy controls (HCs) and the details by analyzing the event-related potentials.

Highly Stable and Bright NIR-II AIE Dots for Intraoperative Identification of Ureter.

Iatrogenic ureteral injury is a dreaded complication of abdominal and pelvic surgeries, and thus, intraoperative identification of ureters is of paramount importance but lacks efficient methods and probes. Herein, we used near-infrared II (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) fluorescence imaging with advantages of higher spatial resolution, deeper tissue penetration, lower light scattering, and less tissue autofluorescence to identify ureters by aggregation-induced emission luminogen dots (AIE dots). The intraoperative ureteral injuries and common ureteral diseases can be visualized timely and precisely.

Intracerebroventricular Administration of Neural Stem Cells after Cardiac Arrest.

Cardiac arrest (CA) is a serious disease with high rates of mortality and disability worldwide. Currently, neither pharmacological intervention nor therapeutic hypothermia can reverse the neural injury caused by CA. Neural stem cell therapy is a promising treatment for brain injury.

Effects of Hydrogel-Fiber on Cystic Cavity after Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects millions of people around the world, however, functional recovery is far from satisfying. The continuous emergence of biomaterials provides a new idea for the repair of SCI. Hydrogels can mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM), however, the unstable hydrogel shape limits its application.

Preparation of highly efficient ion-imprinted polymers with FeO nanoparticles as carrier for removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.

FeO magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and their surface was modified by the sol-gel method. Polymers imprinted with magnetic Cr (VI) were prepared by using CrO as template ion, 4-vinyl pyridine (4-VP) as monomer, isopropanol as solvent and FeO as matrix. The effects of solvent type, amount of Cr (VI) addition and volume of crosslinking agent on the adsorption properties of the imprinted polymers were investigated.

Multicenter feasibility study to assess external quality panels for molecular diagnostics for tuberculosis in China.

The roll-out of molecular diagnostic tools continues to be the most important shift in the tuberculosis diagnostic landscape. The aim of this study was to develop a novel external quality assessment (EQA) panels for molecular TB diagnostics. In addition, we also assessed the performance of the laboratories with the EQA panels in China.

External quality control of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in China.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the performance of conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST) among the tuberculosis (TB)-specialized hospitals in China. A total of 40 hospitals participated in the external quality assurance program for assessment of DST results from each hospital. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of DST were analyzed.

Tumor tissue classification based on micro-hyperspectral technology and deep learning.

In order to explore the application of hyperspectral technology in the pathological diagnosis of tumor tissue, we used microscopic hyperspectral imaging technology to establish a hyperspectral database of 30 patients with gastric cancer. Based on the difference in spectral-spatial features between gastric cancer tissue and normal tissue in the wavelength of 410-910 nm, we propose a deep-learning model-based analysis method for gastric cancer tissue. The microscopic hyperspectral feature and individual difference of gastric tissue, spatial-spectral joint feature and medical contact are studied.

Treatment and recurrence on re-treatment tuberculosis patients: a randomized clinical trial and 7-year perspective cohort study in China.

Previously treated TB patients still pose a serious threat to global control of TB, yet new re-treatment therapies were little studied. This study aimed to examine the therapeutic effects of new re-treatment regimens, and explore risk factors associated with recurrence after successful treatment. We conducted a cohort study in nine regions of China and enrolled previously treated TB patients from October, 2008 to December, 2010.

Isovitexin-Mediated Regulation of Microglial Polarization in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation via Activation of the CaMKKβ/AMPK-PGC-1α Signaling Axis.

Microglia are the brain's immune cells and play an important role in regulating the microenvironment in the central nervous system. Activated microglia are capable of acquiring the pro-inflammatory (M1) phenotype and anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. Overactivation of microglia is neurotoxic and may lead to neuroinflammatory brain disorders.

The preventive effect of liraglutide on the lipotoxic liver injury via increasing autophagy.

Introduction And Objectives: The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing. Previous studies indicated that Liraglutide, glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue, could regulate glucose homeostasis as a valuable treatment for Type 2 Diabetes. However, the precise effect of Liraglutide on NAFLD model in rats and the mechanism remains unknown.

Manipulation of Intestinal Antiviral Innate Immunity and Immune Evasion Strategies of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection causes watery diarrhea, dehydration, and high mortality in neonatal pigs, due to its clinical pathogenesis of the intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction. The host's innate immune system is the first line of defence upon virus invasion of the small intestinal epithelial cells. In turn, the virus has evolved to modulate the host's innate immunity during infection, resulting in pathogen virulence, survival, and the establishment of successful infection.