Treatment with a combination of myricitrin and exercise alleviates myocardial infarction in rats via suppressing Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidant pathway.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the primary source of death in cardiovascular diseases. Myricitrin (MYR) is a phenolic compound known for its antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the impact of MYR alone or combined with exercise on a rat model of MI and its underlying mechanism.

Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cell-islet organoids enhance the efficiency of islet engraftment in a mouse diabetes model.

Aims: Despite islet transplantation has proved a great potential to become the standard therapy for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), this approach remains limited by ischemia, hypoxia, and poor revascularization in early post-transplant period as well as inflammation and life-long host immune rejection. Here, we investigate the potential and mechanism of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs)-islet organoid to improve the efficiency of islet engraftment in immunocompetent T1DM mice.

Main Methods: We generated the hAMSC-islet organoid structure through culturing the mixture of hAMSCs and islets on 3-dimensional-agarose microwells.

Amygdalin and exercise training exert a synergistic effect in improving cardiac performance and ameliorating cardiac inflammation and fibrosis in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

This study investigated the effects of amygdalin (AMY, a cyanogenic glycoside widely distributed in the fruits and seeds of plants) on cardiac performance and ventricular remodeling in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI). We also investigated whether the combination of AMY with exercise training (ExT) has a beneficial synergistic effect in treating MI rats. MI was induced by the ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in male SD rats.

MiR-30c-1-3p targets matrix metalloproteinase 9 involved in the rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) can be fatal if ruptured, but there is no predictive biomarker. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic potential of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) in an AAA mouse model and patients with unruptured AAA (URAAA) and ruptured AAA (RAAA). Among the 64 miRNAs differentially expressed in mice with AAA compared to control, miR-30c-1-3p, miR-432-3p, miR-3154, and miR-379-5p had high homology with human miRNAs.

C2-C3 Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion for Hangman's Fractures with C2 Posterior Dislocation: Technical Notes.

Background: The overwhelming majority of hangman's fractures cause anterior dislocation of C2. Hangman's fracture with C2 posterior dislocation is extremely rare; only 1 pediatric case was reported in 2018 to date. This kind of injury cannot be cataloged using current classification schemes, and no established treatment recommendations exist.

Exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells alleviate acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure through activating ERK and IGF-1R/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells derived exosomes (hUCMSC-Exo) in acute liver failure (ALF) in mice as well as its underlying mechanism. We found that a single tail vein administration of hucMSC-Exo effectively enhanced the survival rate, inhibited apoptosis in hepatocytes, and improved liver function in APAP-induced mouse model of ALF. Furthermore, the deletion of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), generation of malondialdehyde (MDA), and the over production of cytochrome P450 E1 (CYP2E1) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) caused by APAP were also inhibited by hucMSC-Exo, indicating that hucMSC-Exo inhibited APAP-induced apoptosis of hepatocytes by reducing oxidative stress.

Bone marrow cells are differentiated into MDSCs by BCC-Ex through down-regulating the expression of CXCR4 and activating STAT3 signalling pathway.

Studies showed that the increase of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in tumour microenvironment is closely related to the resistant treatment and poor prognosis of metastatic breast cancer. However, the effect of tumour-derived exosomes on MDSCs and its mechanism are not clear. Here, we reported that breast cancer cells (4T1)-secreted exosomes (BCC-Ex) were able to differentiate bone marrow cells into MDSCs and significantly inhibited the proliferation of T lymphocytes to provide an immunosuppressive microenvironment for cancer cells in vivo and in vitro.

Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma in tumour-bearing mice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of the cancer-related death in the world. Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) have been characterized with a pluripotency, low immunogenicity and no tumorigenicity. Especially, the immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects of hAMSCs make them suitable for treating HCC.

Role of craniofacial surgery in oral and maxillofacial tumors involving the skull base: A retrospective analysis of 126 patients.

Objectives: Oral and maxillofacial tumors involving the skull base (SB) are rare and complex, making treatment difficult and controversial. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the treatment efficacy of craniofacial surgery (CFS).

Study Design: Patients who underwent CFS for these tumors between May 2000 and November 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.

The Microenvironment of Tongue Cancer.

Cancer cells interact with and remodel the surrounding microenvironment. An increasing number of studies focus on tongue tumor microenvironment (TME) to find novel approaches to investigate tongue cancer, indicating that tongue tumor microenvironment is recognized as a critical element for tongue tumor development and metastasis and as a potential therapeutic target. In this paper, we review the extrinsic features of the tongue tumor microenvironment, including its various components, and the intrinsic characteristics of TME, including heterogeneity, cell death, and metastatic potential.

Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells and their paracrine factors promote wound healing by inhibiting heat stress-induced skin cell apoptosis and enhancing their proliferation through activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Background: Increasing evidence has shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) yield a favorable therapeutic benefit for thermal burn skin wounds. Human amniotic MSCs (hAMSCs) derived from amniotic membrane have multilineage differentiation, immunosuppressive, and anti-inflammatory potential which makes them suitable for treating skin wounds. However, the exact effects of hAMSCs on the healing of thermal burn skin wounds and their potential mechanisms are not explored.

Human Menstrual Blood-Derived Stem Cells Inhibit the Proliferation of HeLa Cells via TGF-1-Mediated JNK/P21 Signaling Pathways.

Human menstrual blood-derived stem cells (hMBSCs) are a novel type of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that have a high proliferative rate, multilineage differentiation potential, low immunogenicity, and low oncogenicity, making them suitable candidates for regenerative medicine. The therapeutic efficacy of hMBSCs has been demonstrated in some diseases; however, their effects on cervical cancer remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether hMBSCs have anticancer properties on cervical cancer cells in vivo and in vitro, which has not yet been reported.

Enhancement of protein mechanical stability: Correlated deformations are handcuffed by ligand binding.

As revealed by previous experiments, protein mechanical stability can be effectively regulated by ligand binding with the binding site distant from the force-bearing region. However, the mechanism for such long-range allosteric control of protein mechanics is still largely unknown. In this work, we use protein topology-based elastic network model (ENM) and all-atomic steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations to study the impact of ligand binding on protein mechanical stability in two systems, i.

Catalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide through C-N Bond Formation.

From the viewpoint of green chemistry and sustainable development, it is of great significance to synthesize chemicals from CO₂ as C₁ source through C-N bond formation. During the past several decade years, many studies on C-N bond formation reaction were involved, and many efforts have been made on the theory. Nevertheless, several great challenges such as thermodynamic limitation, low catalytic efficiency and selectivity, and high pressure etc.

Therapeutic efficiency of human amniotic epithelial stem cell-derived functional hepatocyte-like cells in mice with acute hepatic failure.

Background: Hepatocyte transplantation has been proposed as an effective treatment for patients with acute liver failure (ALF), but its application is limited by a severe shortage of donor livers. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have emerged as a potential cell source for regenerative medicine. Human amniotic epithelial stem cells (hAESCs) derived from amniotic membrane have multilineage differentiation potential which makes them suitable for possible application in hepatocyte regeneration and ALF treatment.

Vesicles from the self-assembly of the ultra-small fatty acids with amino acids under aqueous conditions.

The properties of vesicles formed from the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules can mimic the functionality of the natural lipid membranes. In this study, the self-assembly process of the amphiphilic structures formed by the interaction between ultra-small fatty acids [FAs, Cn (n = 4-8)] and amino acids (AAs) to generate vesicles under aqueous conditions were investigated in detail, along with the corresponding dynamic vesiculation mechanisms. Our results showed that the molar ratio of FAs/AAs and the chain length of FAs largely affected the structural characteristics and dispersion of vesicles.

Does the Surgery-First Approach Produce Better Outcomes in Orthognathic Surgery? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: The surgery-first approach (SFA) in orthognathic surgery, performed without presurgical orthodontic treatment, has gained attention, but the results remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess the current evidence on stability, efficacy, and surgical results of SFA versus conventional 3-stage method (CTM) orthognathic surgery.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive search in PubMed and Web of Science was conducted.

Xuebijing Injection () increases early survival rate by alleviating pulmonary vasopermeability in rats subjected to severe burns.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Xuebijing Injection (, XBJ) on survival rate and pulmonary vasopermeability in a rat model of severe scald injury.

Methods: Rats were divided into two experiments: experiment 1 was monitored for 12 h post-injury for survival analysis after severe burns; in experiment 2, rats were killed for determination of pulmonary vascular permeability and pro-inflflammatory mediators. In both experiments, rats were subject to third-degree 50% total body surface area (TBSA) burns or sham injury followed by XBJ or normal saline (NS) treatment.

Effects of ligand binding on the mechanical stability of protein GB1 studied by steered molecular dynamics simulation.

Regulation of the mechanical properties of proteins plays an important role in many biological processes, and sheds light on the design of biomaterials comprised of protein. At present, strategies to regulate protein mechanical stability focus mainly on direct modulation of the force-bearing region of the protein. Interestingly, the mechanical stability of GB1 can be significantly enhanced by the binding of Fc fragments of human IgG antibody, where the binding site is distant from the force-bearing region of the protein.

Dimethyl sulfoxide inhibits zymosan-induced intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction.

Aim: To investigate whether dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) inhibits gut inflammation and barrier dysfunction following zymosan-induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham with administration of normal saline (SS group); sham with administration of DMSO (SD group); zymosan with administration of normal saline (ZS group); and zymosan with administration of DMSO (ZD group). Each group contained three subgroups according to 4 h, 8 h, and 24 h after surgery.

MicroRNA-494 promotes cervical cancer proliferation through the regulation of PTEN.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway appears to be a key regulator in cervical carcinogenesis. The phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) protein is principally involved in the homeostatic maintenance of PI3K/Akt signaling and PTEN has been identified to play an important role in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer. MicroRNA (miRNA)-494 has been proven to be involved in the carcinogenesis and development of various types of cancer by directly targeting PTEN.

The impact of IKZF1 deletion on the prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: an updated meta-analysis.

Background: Various studies have reported that IKZF1 deletion (IKZF1-d) is a poor prognostic factor for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients, however they do not agree on the level of significance for this deletion.

Objective: To provide a quantitative assessment of this correlation, an updated meta-analysis of cohort studies was performed to derive a more precise estimation of the prognostic significance of IKZF1-d.

Methods: Relevant studies were identified in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang databases until January 31, 2014.

Supramolecular adducts of squaraine and protein for noninvasive tumor imaging and photothermal therapy in vivo.

Extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of near-infrared (NIR) dye-based imaging probes and/or photothermal agents for cancer theranostics in vivo. However, the intrinsic chemical instability and self-aggregation properties of NIR dyes in physiological condition limit their widely applications in the pre-clinic study in living animals. Squaraine dyes are among the most promising NIR fluorophores with high absorption coefficiencies, bright fluorescence and photostability.