Bone age assessment by multi-granularity and multi-attention feature encoding.

Background: Bone age assessment (BAA) is crucial for the diagnosis of growth disorders and the optimization of treatments. However, the random error caused by different observers' experiences and the low consistency of repeated assessments harms the quality of such assessments. Thus, automated assessment methods are needed.

Preliminary investigation into the genetic etiology of short stature in children through whole exon sequencing of the core family.

A comprehensive survey was carried out to investigate the genetic etiology of short stature in children by whole exon sequencing of a core family cohort to find and study mutations in multiple genes to assess their potential correlations to low height in children. The study included 56 pediatric patients from the Department of Pediatrics at the Zhangzhou Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. The participants met strict inclusion criteria, including age, Han Chinese ethnicity, low height standard deviation score, and the absence of known causes for short stature.

Rapamycin Plays an Anti-Epileptic Role by Restoring Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction, Balancing T Cell Subsets and Inhibiting Neuronal Apoptosis.

Background: Rapamycin (RAP), as a Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, has a certain antiepileptic effect. The blood-brain barrier (BBB), neuroinflammation, lymphocyte immune cells, and neuronal apoptosis play an obligatory role in the course of a seizure. The aim of this study is to probe whether the antiepileptic mechanism of RAP involves the blood-brain barrier, neuroinflammation, lymphocytes, and neuronal apoptosis.

An Automated TW3-RUS Bone Age Assessment Method with Ordinal Regression-Based Determination of Skeletal Maturity.

The assessment of bone age is important for evaluating child development, optimizing the treatment for endocrine diseases, etc. And the well-known Tanner-Whitehouse (TW) clinical method improves the quantitative description of skeletal development based on setting up a series of distinguishable stages for each bone individually. However, the assessment is affected by rater variability, which makes the assessment result not reliable enough in clinical practice.

Effect of miR-19b on the protective effect of Exendin-4 on islet cells in non-obese diabetic mice.

This study analyzed the effect of miR-19b on the protective effect of Exendin-4 on islet cells in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Twenty-four NOD/LT mice were randomized, according to the random number table, into a control group (4 µg/kg•day), a low-dose group (2 µg/kg•day Exendin-4), a medium-dose group (4 µg/kg•day Exendin-4) and a high-dose group (8 µg/kg•day Exendin-4) (n=6), with miR-19b expression interfered (an interference group) except for the control group. RT-qPCR was used to detect interference results and different doses of Exendin-4 were given for 8 weeks of intervention after the interference.

Exendin-4 prevented pancreatic beta cells from apoptosis in (Type I) diabetic mouse via keap1-Nrf2 signaling.

Nrf2 is an essential part of the defense mechanism of vertebrates and protects them from surrounding stress via participation in stimulated expression of detoxification as well as antioxidant enzymes. It also exerts a role in defending hosts from different stress in the environment, including reactive oxygen species. Our study investigates the role of exendin-4 on Nrf2 pathway as well as cell death in pancreatic β-cell and in non-obese diabetic mice.

KEAP1/NRF2 axis regulates HO-induced apoptosis of pancreatic β-cells.

In human pancreatic β-cells, oxidative stress and cellular injures can be induced by HO treatment. The KEAP1/NRF2 axis is a key antioxidant signaling pathway. The present study attempted to elucidate the mechanism by which the KEAP1/NRF2 axis mediates oxidative stress-induced death in pancreatic β-cells.

Correlation of serum levels of LH, IGF-1 and leptin in girls with the development of idiopathic central precocious puberty.

Background: This paper aims to investigate the correlation between serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and leptin and the incidence of idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) in girls, and to explore the clinical values in the diagnosis of ICPP.

Methods: A total of 48 girls with ICPP were selected in our hospital from March 2014 to March 2015 to serve as ICPP group. At the same time, 48 girls with the same age distribution were selected as control group.

The influence of exendin-4 intervention on -obese diabetic mouse blood and the pancreatic tissue immune microenvironment.

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of exendin-4 intervention on non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse blood and the pancreatic tissue immune microenvironment. A total of 40 clean NOD mice were used in the study and randomly divided into 4 groups (n=10/group). The first group was blank control group D with normal saline intervention, and with different doses of exendin, i.

The Relationship Between Gene Polymorphism of Leptin and Leptin Receptor and Growth Hormone Deficiency.

BACKGROUND Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a major cause of congenital short stature. GHD patients have significantly decreased serum leptin levels, which are regulated by gene polymorphism of leptin and leptin receptor. This study thus investigated the relationship between gene polymorphism and susceptibility to GHD.

Effect of CXCL10 receptor antagonist on islet cell apoptosis in a type I diabetes rat model.

In recent years, the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been increasing. The role of CXCL10 and its receptor, CXCR3, in the occurrence of T1DM has drawn lots of research interests, as the disease incidence was correlated with their expression levels. We thus used an antagonist of CXCR3, NBI-74330, to block the specific binding, for further observation of islet cell apoptosis in a T1MD rat model.

[Distribution of HOMA-IR among children and adolescent in Zhangzhou and Zhongshan cities].

Objective: To investigate the distribution of the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) among children and adolescent in Zhangzhou city and Zhongshan city.

Methods: Total of 3102 children and adolescent aged 6 to 18-year-old were recruited, which were enrolled in a population-based cross-sectional study. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured.

Specific Inhibition of β-Catenin in Jeko-1 Mantle Cell Lymphoma Cell Line Decreases Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis.

Background: The canonical Wnt signaling pathway has been considered as a potent oncogenic signaling in the initiation and progression of hematological malignancies. As a key regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, the role of β-catenin in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) pathogenesis and progression was investigated in this study.

Material And Methods: A total of 30 MCL samples were collected from patients and were examined for the expression of β-catenin and p-GSK3β using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining.

[Antiproliferative Effect of Specific Inhibitor XAV939 for β-catenin on MCL Jeko-1 Cells].

Objective: To investigate the effect of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and XAV939, a specific inhibitor for β-catenin, on growth and apoptosis of mantle cell lymphoma(MCL) Jeko-1 cell line.

Methods: β-catenin shRNA eukaryotic expression vector was transfected into Jeko-1 cells, the antiproliferative effect of shRNA on Jeko-1 cells was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. The proliferation inhibitory rate of Jeko-1 cells treated by different doses of XAV939 was assayed by MTT method; the level of apoptosis of Jeko-1 cells was detected by flow cytometry; the expression levels of apoptosis-related protein BCL-2, BAX, CyclinD1, C-MYC and Caspase-3 in Jeko-1 cells were determined by Western blot.

[Expression Changes of β-catenin and P-GSK-3β in Patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma].

Objective: This study was purposed to detect the expressions of β-catenin and P-GSK-3 β in Wnt signaling pathway of patients with mantle cell lymphoma(MCL), and investigate its relationship with the pathogenesis of MCL.

Methods: The expression levels of β -catenin protein and P-GSK-3 protein in mantle cell lymphoma and hyperplastic lymphadenitis were detected by using anti-β-catenin, P-GSK-3β polyclonal antibody and S-P staining technique.

Results: The abnormal expression of β-catenin protein(73.

miR-218 expression in osteosarcoma tissues and its effect on cell growth in osteosarcoma cells.

Objective: To investigate the expression of miR-218 and its clinical significance in osteosarcoma tissues and explore its effect on proliferation and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells.

Methods: miR-218 expression was detected in 76 samples of surgically resected osteosarcoma and matched normal tumor-adjacent tissues using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). MiR-218 was over-expressed by exogenous miR-218 plasmids in Saos-2 cells, and then BrdU cell proliferation assay and flow cytometry were used to determine cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Role of immune dysfunction in pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children.

Objectives: To investigate the function of cytokines, chemokines, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in children.

Methods: A total of 35 children with T1DM and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Levels of serum cytokines (IL-1α, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α) and chemokines (MIP-1α, MIP-1α and MCP-1) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

[Early use of recombinant human erythropoietin promotes neurobehavioral development in preterm infants].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the early use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhu-EPO) on neurobehavioral development in preterm infants.

Methods: Forty-four preterm infants (30 males and 14 females) were randomly divided into two groups: Rhu-EPO treatment and untreated control (n=22 each). From postnatal day 7, the Rhu-EPO treatment group received intravenous rhu-EPO (250 IU/kg3 times weekly) for 4 weeks.