Publications by authors named "Kai-cheng Li"

: Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) presents a different clinical profile than late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that patients with EOAD present more atrophy and functional disconnection than LOAD patients. However, it remains unknown whether the interhemispheric functional disconnection or its underlying structural impairment contributes to the different clinical profiles of EOAD and LOAD.

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Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is the critical transcriptional factor in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). NF-κB regulates the expression changes of inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). In a previous study we showed that decompression sickness (DCS) caused by simulated unsafe fast buoyancy ascent escape (FBAE) could result in ALI, which was characterized by expression changes of inflammatory factors in rat lung tissue.

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Solitary fibrous tumours (SFTs) are rare, mesenchymal neoplasms. The purpose of this study was to analyse the radiological and clinicopathological features of SFTs in the extracranial head and neck region.

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Sensory neurons are distinguished by distinct signaling networks and receptive characteristics. Thus, sensory neuron types can be defined by linking transcriptome-based neuron typing with the sensory phenotypes. Here we classify somatosensory neurons of the mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) by high-coverage single-cell RNA-sequencing (10 950 ± 1 218 genes per neuron) and neuron size-based hierarchical clustering.

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Background: Radial glial cells (RGCs), the instructive scaffolds for neuronal migration, are well characterized by their unique morphology and polarization; these cells extend elongated basal processes to the pial basement membrane (BM) and parallel to one another. However, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie the developmental regulation and maintenance of this unique morphology.

Results: Here, by crossing Fstl1 (fl/fl) mice with an EIIa-Cre line, we identified a new role for the secreted glycoprotein Follistatin like-1 (FSTL1).

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Fast buoyancy ascent escape is the general submarine escape manner adopted by the majority of naval forces all over the world. However, if hyperbaric exposure time exceeds the time limit, fast buoyancy ascent escape has a high risk to result in decompression sickness (DCS). Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 have been all implicated in the process of inflammation associated with acute lung injury (ALI).

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Fast buoyancy ascent escape is one of the major naval submarine escape maneuvers. Decompression sickness (DCS) is the major bottleneck to increase the depth of fast buoyancy ascent escape. Rapid decompression induces the release of inflammatory mediators and results in tissue inflammation cascades and a protective anti-inflammatory response.

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Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 7, a member of FGF family, is initially found to be secreted from mesenchymal cells to repair epithelial tissues. However, its functions in the nervous system are largely unknown. The present study showed that FGF7 was a neuromodulator localized in the large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs) in nociceptive neurons.

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Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase (NKA) is required to generate the resting membrane potential in neurons. Nociceptive afferent neurons express not only the α and β subunits of NKA but also the γ subunit FXYD2. However, the neural function of FXYD2 is unknown.

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Purpose: The study was aimed to determine and optimize the parameters for the MR fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) sequence, which was to obtain an acceptable image to evaluate the value of the movement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Methods: In this investigation, 20 volunteers were examined to determine and optimize the parameters of the FIESTA sequence. Then, 160 TMJs from 80 patients with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) of clinical suspicion were consecutively performed by both static MRI and dynamic FIESTA MRI on the oblique sagittal position.

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Purpose: Solitary fibrous tumours (SFTs) are rare, mesenchymal neoplasms. The purpose of this study was to analyse the radiological and clinicopathological features of SFTs in the extracranial head and neck region.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and pathological features in 18 patients (12 men and 6 women), aged 18-75 years, with histologically proven SFTs in the extracranial head and neck region.

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Prolonged exposure to hyperbaric oxygen can cause pulmonary and nerve system toxicity. Although hyperbaric oxygen treatment has been used for a broad spectrum of ailments, the mechanisms of prolonged hyperbaric oxygen-induced lung injury are not fully understood. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the roles of ERK, p38, and caspase-3 in rat lung tissue exposed to hyperbaric oxygen at 2.

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Objective: It has been shown that interferon-α (IFN-α) is synthesized and secreted by macrophages, monocytes, T lymphocytes, glial cells and neurons. IFN-α has been shown to have an antinociceptive effect at the supraspinal level in the nerve system. However, it is unclear how IFN-α is involved in the modulation of nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord.

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Emerging evidence suggests that the suppressive modulators released from nociceptive afferent neurons contribute to pain regulation. However, the suppressive modulators expressed in small-diameter neurons of the dorsal root ganglion remain to be further identified. The present study shows that the activin C expressed in small dorsal root ganglion neurons is required for suppressing inflammation-induced nociceptive responses.

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Prolonged hyperbaric oxygen exposure causes pulmonary and nervous system toxicity, although hyperbaric oxygen treatment has been used to treat a broad spectrum of ailments. In the current study, animals have been exposed to 100% oxygen at a pressure of 2.3 atmospheres absolute (ATA) for two, six and 10 hours or 0.

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Excitatory synaptic transmission is modulated by inhibitory neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. We found that the synaptic transmission of somatic sensory afferents can be rapidly regulated by a presynaptically secreted protein, follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1), which serves as a direct activator of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase (NKA). The FSTL1 protein is highly expressed in small-diameter neurons of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG).

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Background: It has been shown that estrogen is synthesized in the spinal dorsal horn and plays a role in modulating pain transmission. One of the estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), is expressed in the spinal laminae I-V, including substantia gelatinosa (SG, lamina II). However, it is unclear how ERs are involved in the modulation of nociceptive transmission.

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B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been known to be secreted from cardiac myocytes and activate its receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPR-A), to reduce ventricular fibrosis. However, the function of BNP/NPR-A pathway in the somatic sensory system has been unknown. In the present study, we report a novel function of BNP in pain modulation.

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Morphine-induced analgesia and antinociceptive tolerance are known to be modulated by interaction between delta-opioid receptors (DORs) and mu-opioid receptors (MORs) in the pain pathway. However, evidence for expression of DORs in nociceptive small-diameter neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and for coexistence of DORs with MORs and neuropeptides has recently been challenged. We now report, using in situ hybridization, single-cell PCR, and immunostaining, that DORs are widely expressed not only in large DRG neurons but in small ones and coexist with MORs in peptidergic small DRG neurons, with protachykinin-dependent localization in large dense-core vesicles.

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Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic value of 16 slices spiral CT in maxillary sinus diseases.

Methods: 16 slices spiral CT findings of 58 cases with maxillary sinus diseases confirmed clinically were analyzed, postprocessing of images was performed by using the software package at the workstation. All the cases were proved by surgery.

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The precise relationship between the degree of pain and the degree of inflammation in the individual remains debated. A quantitative analysis simultaneously applied to the immediate and prolonged painful consequences of inflammation has not yet been done. Thus, the correlations between edema, nociception and hypersensitivity following an inflammatory insult were assessed in rodents.

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In the present study, behavioral and in vivo electrophysiological methods were used to examine the peripheral effects of propofol on tonic ongoing pain-related responses produced by subcutaneous bee venom-induced inflammatory pain state. Local administration of 0.5 microg propofol produced significant suppression of the well-established ongoing pain responses in both conscious rats and dorsal horn nociceptive neurons.

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