SNTA1-deficient human cardiomyocytes demonstrate hypertrophic phenotype and calcium handling disorder.

Background: α-1-syntrophin (SNTA1), a protein encoded by SNTA1, is highly expressed in human cardiomyocytes. Mutations in SNTA1 are associated with arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy. Previous research on SNTA1 has been based on non-human cardiomyocytes.

Acute pancreatitis-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: A case report.

Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a life-threatening but treatable disorder. Acute pancreatitis is a well-described consequence of TTP, but TTP as a consequence of acute pancreatitis is rare.

Case Summary: A 32-year-old male developed acute pancreatitis due to a fatty diet and suffered splenectomy 3 years ago due to trauma.

Effects of Endoscopic Submucosal Excavation With Non-Submucosal Injection on Stromal Tumors in Stomach.

Background And Aim: Endoscopic submucosal excavation (ESE) is commonly used to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), especially for tumor sizes within 2 cm; compared with the conventical ESE, the efficacy and safety of the no-submucosal injection (NSI) ESE remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of NSI-ESE for gastric stromal tumors.

Methods: ESE was performed in 102 patients at our hospital between January 2018 and January 2020, and the clinical features, surgical outcomes, complications, cost of performance, pathological diagnosis, and risk classification were evaluated.

Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling n-Butyl Alcohol Extract Inhibits AGS Cell Helicobacter pylori Promoted Invasiveness by Down-Regulating Caudal Type Homeobox Transcription Factor and Claudin-2 Expression.

Objective: To investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of action of Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C.

Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation on Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Objective. To investigate effects and possible mechanisms of transcutaneous electrical acustimulation (TEA) performed by a wearable watch-size stimulator for refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (RGERD). Methods.

Expression of p-STAT3 and vascular endothelial growth factor in MNNG-induced precancerous lesions and gastric tumors in rats.

Aim: To investigate the dynamic expression of p-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the formation of gastric tumors induced by drinking water containing N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in Wistar rats.

Methods: One hundred and twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups (60 in each group): Control group and Model group. The rats in each group were then randomly divided into three groups (20 in each group): C/M15, C/M25 and C/M40 (15, 25 and 40 represent the number of feeding weeks from termination).

Case report of primary splenic angiosarcoma with hepatic metastases.

Primary splenic angiosarcoma (PSA) is the most unusual type of malignancy with early multifocal metastasis through hematogenous spread. PSA is generally believed to originate from splenic sinusoidal vascular endothelium with a high rate of metastasis and to have a poor prognosis. Its etiology and pathogenetic mechanisms have not yet been clearly described.

[Curcuma wenyujin Diterpenoid compound C fought against gastric cancer: an experimental study].

Objective: To study the role of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB pathway with p38MAPK in Curcuma wenyujin diterpenoid compound C (CDCC) fighting against inflammation and inducing gastric cancer cell apoptosis by stimulating gastric cell SGC7901 with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).

Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells were in vitro acted by CDCC in different concentrations at different time points. Their growth inhibition ratios were measured by MTT assay.

Effects and mechanisms of transcutaneous electroacupuncture on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Nausea and vomiting are one of the major complications of chemotherapy for cancers. The aim of this study is to investigate the emetic effects and mechanisms involving serotonin and dopamine of needleless transcutaneous electroacupuncture (TEA) at Neiguan (PC6) and Jianshi (PC5) on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with cancers. Seventy-two patients with chemotherapy were randomly divided into sham-TEA group (sham-TEA, n = 34) and TEA group (n = 38).

Synergistic effects of leflunomide and benazepril in streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy.

Background: Leflunomide (LEF) and benazepril have renoprotective effects on diabetic nephropathy (DN) through their anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic activities. This study investigated whether combined treatment using LEF and benazepril affords superior protection compared with the respective monotherapies.

Methods: Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection in male Wistar rats.

Increased expression of FOXQ1 is a prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer.

Altered expression of forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1) is observed in various types of human cancers. However, the clinical significance of FOXQ1 expression in gastric cancer (GC) remains largely unknown. The present study aims to explore the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of FOXQ1 in GC.

In vitro and in vivo characterization of silk fibroin/gelatin composite scaffolds for liver tissue engineering.

Objective: To investigate the cytotoxicity of silk fibroin/gelatin (SF/G) composite scaffolds in vitro as well as their biocompatibility and degradation in vivo.

Methods: The proliferation and relative growth rate of human hepatic QZG cells grown on different blends of two-dimensional (2-D) SF/G scaffolds were assessed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate apoptotic rate of QZG cells on different blends of 2-D SF/G scaffolds.

[Expression and clinical significance of FOX04 in colorectal cancer].

Aim: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of FOXO4 in colorectal cancer tissues.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry assay was performed to detect the FOXO4 expression in 80 colorectal cancer and matched noncancerous tissues (18 cases in stage I, 32 in stage II, 24 in stage III and 6 in stage IV). The relationship between FOXO4 expression and the patients' clinicopathologic features including gender, differentiation and TNM staging was also analyzed.

A meta-analysis of the therapeutic effects of tumor necrosis factor-α blockers on ulcerative colitis.

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of TNF-α blockers on ulcerative colitis (UC) and their safety.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TNF-α blockers for treatment of UC were retrieved from databases. Heterogeneity test was performed on all data to select effects models.

Ammonia removal from anaerobic digestion effluent of livestock waste using green alga Scenedesmus sp.

The green alga Scenedesmus was investigated for its ability to remove nitrogen from anaerobic digestion effluent possessing high ammonium content and alkalinity in addition to its growth characteristics. Nitrate and ammonium were indistinguishable as a nitrogen source when the ammonium concentration was at normal cultivation levels. Ammonium up to 100ppm NH(4)-N did not inhibit cell growth, but did decrease final cell density by up to 70% at a concentration of 200-500ppm NH(4)-N.

Rapid and efficient reprogramming of human amnion-derived cells into pluripotency by three factors OCT4/SOX2/NANOG.

Reprogramming human somatic cells to pluripotency represents a valuable resource for research aiming at the development of in vitro models for human diseases and regenerative medicines to produce patient-specific induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Seeking appropriate cell resources for higher efficiency and reducing the risk of viral transgene activation, especially oncogene activation, are of significance for iPS cell research. In this study, we tested whether human amnion-derived cells (hADCs) could be rapidly and efficiently reprogrammed into iPS cells by the defined factors: OCT4/SOX2/NANOG.

Effects of acute heat stress and subsequent stress removal on function of hepatic mitochondrial respiration, ROS production and lipid peroxidation in broiler chickens.

In order to investigate the effects of acute heat stress and subsequent stress removal on function of hepatic mitochondrial respiration, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation in broiler chickens, 128 six-week-old broiler chickens were kept in a controlled-environment chamber. The broiler chickens were initially kept at 25 degrees C (relative humidity, RH, 70+/-5%) for 6d and subsequently exposed to 35 degrees C (RH, 70+/-5%) for 3h, then the heat stress was removed and the temperature returned to 25 degrees C (RH, 70+/-5%). Blood and liver samples were obtained before heat exposure and at 0 (at the end of the three-hour heating episode, this group is also abbreviated as the HT group), 1, 2, 4, 8, 12h after the stress was removed.

[Intraoperative and postoperative intra-peritoneal administration of peptide PIII inhibits peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer].

Objective: To evaluate the preventive potential of intraoperative or early postoperative local administration of peptide PIII into the abdominal cavity against peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Methods: Human gastric cancer cells of the line GC9811 were inoculated subcutaneously into nude mice to cause subcutaneous carcinoma. The 8th generation cancer was taken out to isolate the cancer cells to be inoculated into the serous membrane at the greater curvature of the stomach.

Enhanced cell survival of gastric cancer cells by a novel gene URG4.

Upregulated gene 4 (URG4), a novel gene located on 7 chromosome (7p13), was found to contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the role of URG4 in the gastric carcinogenesis still remains unclear. In the present study, URG4 was found by immunohistochemistry to be upregulated in human gastric cancer tissues compared with matched adjacent nonneoplastic tissues.

Differential gene expression patterns in porcine nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed with fetal fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells.

The present study compared the developmental ability and gene expression pattern at 4-cell, 8-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages of porcine nuclear transfer (NT) embryos from fetal fibroblasts (FFs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in vitro fertilized (IVF), and in vivo derived embryos. MSC-NT embryos showed enhanced blastocyst formation, higher total cell number, and a low incidence of apoptosis compared to FF-NT embryos. Alterations in the expression pattern of genes implicated in transcription and pluripotency (Oct4, Stat3, Nanog), DNA methylation (Dnmt1, Dnmt3a), histone deacetylation (Hdac2), growth factor signaling, and imprinting (Igf2, Igf2r) and apoptosis (Bax, Bcl2) regulation were observed in NT embryos.

Enhanced development of porcine embryos cloned from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

In the present study, we have characterized an isolated population of porcine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for multilineage commitment and compared the developmental potential of cloned embryos with porcine MSCs and fetal fibroblasts (FFs). MSCs exhibited robust alkaline phosphatase activity and later transformed into mineralized nodules following osteoinduction. Furthermore, MSCs underwent adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation by producing lipid droplets and proteoglycans, respectively.

Influence of nitrate feeding on carbon dioxide fixation by microalgae.

In this study, the effects of nitrate feeding on microalgal growth and associated CO2 fixation were evaluated, as a strategy to enhance carbon fixation by increasing the duration of the exponential phase of cell growth in the batch operation of a photobioreactor. Two species of green algae, Chlorella and Scenedesmus, and two species of cyanobacteria, Microcystis ichthyoblabe and Microcystis aeruginosa, were used after adaptation to a 15% (v/v) CO2 environment. In the absence of nitrate feeding, nitrate concentrations declined rapidly and soon became a limiting factor.

Ultra-structural changes and developmental potential of porcine oocytes following vitrification.

This study evaluated the effects of exposure and/or vitrification of porcine metaphase II (MII) oocytes on their in vitro viability and ultra-structural changes with two experiments. Experiment 1 examined the effect of vitrified oocytes on microtubule localization, mitochondrial morphology, chromosome organization and the developmental rate in IVF control and vitrified oocytes. Oocytes matured for 44 h were subjected to IVF (IVF control).