Development of ultrasonic calls in rat pups follows similar patterns regardless of isolation distress.

Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) emitted by rat pups have been extensively studied in the context of isolation from their mother and littermates. The heightened call rate of isolation-induced USVs indicates increased anxiety, whereas other acoustic parameters, such as frequency and call duration, are thought to be useful in reflecting developmental changes, which by weaning have developed into their adult form. However, it is possible that stress can affect the quality as well as the quantity of calls, and that as the pups become more mobile, the effects of the stress may change.

Interaction between PGI and ET-1 pathways in vascular smooth muscle from Group-III pulmonary hypertension patients.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by an elevation of mean pulmonary artery pressure and it is classified into five groups. Among these groups, PH Group-III is defined as PH due to lung disease or hypoxia. Prostacyclin (PGI) analogues (iloprost, treprostinil) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) receptor antagonists (ERA) (used alone or in combination) are therapies used for treating PH.

[Clinical image identification of basal cell carcinoma and pigmented nevi based on convolutional neural network].

To construct an intelligent assistant diagnosis model based on the clinical images of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and pigmented nevi in Chinese by using the advanced convolutional neural network (CNN).
 Methods: Based on the Xiangya Medical Big Data Platform, we constructed a large-scale clinical image dataset of skin diseases according to Chinese ethnicity and the Xiangya Skin Disease Dataset. We evaluated the performance of 5 mainstream CNN models (ResNet50, InceptionV3, InceptionResNetV2, DenseNet121, and Xception) on a subset of BCC and pigmented nevi of this dataset.

Nuclear autophagy degrades a geminivirus nuclear protein to restrict viral infection in solanaceous plants.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradation pathway in the cytoplasm and has emerged as a key defense mechanism against invading pathogens. However, there is no evidence showing nuclear autophagy in plants. Here, we show that a geminivirus nuclear protein, C1 of tomato leaf curl Yunnan virus (TLCYnV) induces autophagy and interacts directly with the core autophagy-related protein ATG8h.

Regulatory changes in TaSNAC8-6A are associated with drought tolerance in wheat seedlings.

Wheat is a staple crop produced in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide, and its production is frequently compromised by water scarcity. Thus, increased drought tolerance is a priority objective for wheat breeding programmes, and among their targets, the NAC transcription factors have been demonstrated to contribute to plant drought response. However, natural sequence variations in these genes have been largely unexplored for their potential roles in drought tolerance.

PRR14 overexpression promotes cell growth, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and metastasis of colon cancer via the AKT pathway.

Background: PRR14 (Proline rich protein 14) was firstly identified for its ability to specify and localize heterochromatin during cell cycle progression. Aberrant expression of PRR14 is associated with the tumorigenesis and progression of lung cancer. However, its involvement in colon cancer remains unknown.

Controlled Growth of CH NH PbBr Perovskite Nanocrystals via a Water-Oil Interfacial Synthesis Method.

Fundamental insights into the reaction kinetics of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP NCs) are still limited due to their ultrafast formation rate. Herein, we develop a water-oil interfacial synthesis of MAPbBr NCs (MA=CH NH ), which prolongs the reaction time to tens of minutes. This method makes it possible to monitor in situ the formation process of MAPbBr NCs and observe successive spectral evolutions from 438 to 534 nm in a single reaction by extending reaction time.

Inhibition of histone deacetylase 3 by MiR-494 alleviates neuronal loss and improves neurological recovery in experimental stroke.

HDAC3 is an essential negative regulator of neuronal plasticity and memory formation. Although a chemical inhibitor has been invented, little is known about its endogenous modulators. We explored whether miR-494 affects HDAC3-mediated neuronal injury following acute ischemic stroke.

Incidence and Related Factors for Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Among Older Bedridden Patients in China: A Hospital-Based Multicenter Registry Data Based Study.

To identify the incidence and related factors for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) among older bedridden patients in China. This multicenter registry data-based study conducted between November 2015 and March 2016 surveyed 7,324 older bedridden patients from 25 hospitals in China (six tertiary, 12 non-tertiary, and seven community hospitals). The occurrence of HAP among all participants was monitored by trained investigators.

Silencing of microRNA-494 inhibits the neurotoxic Th1 shift via regulating HDAC2-STAT4 cascade in ischaemic stroke.

Background And Purpose: T helper cell 1 (Th1)-skewed neurotoxicity contributes to the poor outcome of stroke in rodents. Here, we have elucidated the mechanism of the Th1/Th2 shift in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) patients at hyperacute phase and have looked for a miRNA-based therapeutic target.

Experimental Approach: MiR-494 levels in blood from AIS patients and controls were measured by real-time PCR.

The specific MYB binding sites bound by TaMYB in the GAPCp2/3 promoters are involved in the drought stress response in wheat.

Background: Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that affects plant growth and productivity. The GAPCp genes play important roles in drought stress tolerance in multiple species. The aim of this experiment was to identify the core cis-regulatory elements that may respond to drought stress in the GAPCp2 and GAPCp3 promoter sequences.

TLR4 deficiency has a protective effect in the MPTP/probenecid mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial disorder characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the presence of Lewy bodies (LBs) consisting of misfolded α-synuclein protein. The etiology of PD is still not clear but systemic inflammation is proved to trigger and exacerbate DA neurons degeneration. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) and plays a major role in promoting the host immune.

In Vitro Biochemical Assays using Biotin Labels to Study Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions.

Protein-nucleic acid interactions play important roles in biological processes such as transcription, recombination, and RNA metabolism. Experimental methods to study protein-nucleic acid interactions require the use of fluorescent tags, radioactive isotopes, or other labels to detect and analyze specific target molecules. Biotin, a non-radioactive nucleic acid label, is commonly used in electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) but has not been regularly employed to monitor protein activity during nucleic acid processes.

Brazilin Treatment Produces Antidepressant- and Anxiolytic-Like Effects in Mice.

Increasing evidence shows depression relevant to oxidative stress and inflammation. Anti-inflammatory strategies or antioxidants have led to the development of new antidepressants. Brazilin is a natural product from the Chinese traditional medicine Caesalpinia sappan L.

MiR-424 prevents astrogliosis after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in elderly mice by enhancing repressive H3K27me3 via NFIA/DNMT1 signaling.

Global DNA and histone methylation patterns in astrocytes following ischemia are influenced by age; however, it is unknown whether aberrant methylation can induce reactive astrogliosis after ischemic stroke in elderly rodents. Here we showed that phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) level increased along with that of the astrogliosis marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) on days 1, 3, and 14 post-reperfusion in 9-month-old male mice with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Methylation of the STAT3 binding site in the GFAP gene promoter was increased in these mice on days 3 and 14 postreperfusion.

Combination of electrocoagulation and photodynamic therapy for angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia in the external ear.

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is an inflamed vascular tumefaction of uncertain pathogenesis and is characterized by higher recurrence rates after surgical excision or other approaches. In the present study, we performed a new approach by combining electrocoagulation with photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of two ALHE patients. They had multiple treatments in the past and had poor therapeutic effects with relapse each time.

ALC1 knockdown enhances cisplatin cytotoxicity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by inhibition of glycolysis through PI3K/Akt pathway.

Aims: Amplified in liver cancer 1 gene (ALC1), a recently identified oncogene, was reported to be overexpressed in esophageal cancer cell lines and identified as a target oncogene in esophageal cancer pathogenesis. However, little literature is available to illustrate its significance in cisplatin resistance of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of ALC1 on cisplatin cytotoxicity of ESCC cells and to study the potential mechanisms.

The Application of Deep Learning in the Risk Grading of Skin Tumors for Patients Using Clinical Images.

According to diagnostic criteria, skin tumors can be divided into three categories: benign, low degree and high degree malignancy. For high degree malignant skin tumors, if not detected in time, they can do serious harm to patients' health. However, in clinical practice, identifying malignant degree requires biopsy and pathological examination which is time costly.

Application value of MRI diffuse weighted imaging combined with PET/CT in the diagnosis of stomach cancer at different stages.

Value of MRI diffusion-weighted imaging (MRI DWI) combined with PET/CT in the diagnosis and staging of stomach cancer (SC) was investigated. A retrospective analysis was performed on 160 patients with SC diagnosed by pathological biopsy in The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University from March 2015 to April 2018. The values of MRI DWI, PET/CT and combined diagnosis in the diagnosis and staging of SC were compared according to the criteria of diagnosis of postoperative pathological or clinical comprehensive evaluation.

MG53 attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation via inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB pathway in vitro and in vivo.

Neuroinflammation plays important roles in the pathogenesis and development of neurodegenerative disorders. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces neuroinflammation and causes neurotoxicity, which results in cell damage or memory impairment in different cells and animals. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of MG53, a member of the TRIM family proteins, against LPS-induced neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo.

Efficacy of the combination of superficial shaving with photodynamic therapy for recalcitrant periungual warts.

Background: Periungual warts are a viral infectious disease that occurs in a particular location. It is difficult to eliminate completely, and recurrence is common. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an option that has been widely recommended to treat viral warts.

Rmrp Mutation Disrupts Chondrogenesis and Bone Ossification in Zebrafish Model of Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia via Enhanced Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling.

Cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH) is an autosomal recessive metaphyseal chondrodysplasia characterized by bone dysplasia and many other highly variable features. The gene responsible for CHH is the RNA component of the mitochondrial RNA-processing endoribonuclease (RMRP) gene. Currently, the pathogenesis of osteochondrodysplasia and extraskeletal manifestations in CHH patients remains incompletely understood; in addition, there are no viable animal models for CHH.

RNA-Targeted Antiviral Immunity: More Than Just RNA Silencing.

RNA silencing is a fundamental, evolutionarily conserved mechanism that regulates gene expression in eukaryotes. It also functions as a primary immune defense in microbes, such as viruses in plants. In addition to RNA silencing, RNA decay and RNA quality-control pathways are also two ancestral forms of intrinsic antiviral immunity, and the three RNA-targeted pathways may operate cooperatively for their antiviral function.

Imbalanced development of anterior and posterior thorax is a causative factor triggering scoliosis.

Objective: Scoliosis is a common disease characterized by spinal curvature with variable severities. There is no generally accepted theory about the physical origin of the spinal deformation of scoliosis. The aim of this study was to explore a new hypothesis suggesting that the curvatures in scoliosis may be associated with the imbalance growth between thoracic vertebral column and sternum.