Magnetic resonance imaging on brain structure and function changes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

With the significant increase in the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), the occurrence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) has become increasingly common complication associated with DM. It is particularly in the peripheral nerves of the hands, legs, and feet. DPN can lead to various adverse consequences that greatly affect the quality of life for individuals with DM.

Loureirin C extracted from Dracaena cochinchinensis S.C. Chen prevents rotaviral diarrhea in mice by inhibiting the intestinal Ca-activated Cl channels.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Resina Draconis (RD) is the red resin of Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C.

A new C polyacetylene and seven isoprenylated pterocarpans from .

A new C polyacetylene, erysectol A (), and seven isoprenylated pterocarpans, phaseollin (), phaseollidin (), cristacarpin (), (3')-erythribyssin D/(3'S)-erythribyssin D () and dolichina A/dolichina B () were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Their structures were determined based on their NMR spectral data. Except for -, all the other compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. Erysectol A was the first reported C polyacetylene from plants.

Short-term acute bright light exposure induces a prolonged anxiogenic effect in mice via a retinal ipRGC-CeA circuit.

Light modulates mood through various retina-brain pathways. We showed that mice treated with short-term acute bright light exposure displayed anxiety-related phenotypes in a prolonged manner even after the termination of the exposure. Such a postexposure anxiogenic effect depended upon melanopsin-based intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell (ipRGC) activities rather than rod/cone photoreceptor inputs.

Primary testicular neuroendocrine tumor with liver lymph node metastasis: A case report and review of the literature.

Background: Primary testicular neuroendocrine tumors (TNETs) are sporadic, accounting for only 0.23% of all testicular tumors. Few cases have been reported in the literature, and no uniform treatment protocol exists.

The role of ipRGCs in ocular growth and myopia development.

The increasing global prevalence of myopia calls for elaboration of the pathogenesis of this disease. Here, we show that selective ablation and activation of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) in developing mice induced myopic and hyperopic refractive shifts by modulating the corneal radius of curvature (CRC) and axial length (AL) in an opposite way. Melanopsin- and rod/cone-driven signals of ipRGCs were found to influence refractive development by affecting the AL and CRC, respectively.

A Simple Clinical Risk Score to Predict Post-Discharge Mortality in Chinese Patients Hospitalized with Heart Failure.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in China. However, present efforts to identify the risk factors for death in patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) are primarily focused on in-hospital mortality and 30-day mortality in the United States. Thus, a model similar to the model used for predicting the risk in patients considered for cardiovascular surgical procedures is needed to evaluate the risk of the patients admitted with a diagnosis of HF.

Effect of Sodium Salicylate on Calcium Currents and Exocytosis in Cochlear Inner Hair Cells: Implications for Tinnitus Generation.

Sodium salicylate is an anti-inflammatory medication with a side-effect of tinnitus. Here, we used mouse cochlear cultures to explore the effects of salicylate treatment on cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs). We found that IHCs showed significant damage after exposure to a high concentration of salicylate.

Orexin-A Intensifies Mouse Pupillary Light Response by Modulating Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells.

We show for the first time that the neuropeptide orexin modulates pupillary light response, a non-image-forming visual function, in mice of either sex. Intravitreal injection of the orexin receptor (OXR) antagonist TCS1102 and orexin-A reduced and enhanced pupillary constriction in response to light, respectively. Orexin-A activated OXRs on M2-type intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (M2 cells), and caused membrane depolarization of these cells by modulating inward rectifier potassium channels and nonselective cation channels, thus resulting in an increase in intrinsic excitability.

Effectiveness of warm needling acupuncture for pain relief in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A protocol of systematic review.

Background: Warm needling acupuncture (WNA) has been widely utilized for pain management in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). However, its results are still inconsistent, and no systematic review has specifically addressed this issue. Thus, this systematic review will comprehensively and systematically investigate the effectiveness and safety of WNA for pain relief in DPN.

[Effect of chlorhexidine on the bonding effect of self-acid adhesive to pre-treatment dentin].

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of 2% chlorhexidine(CHX) on the self-etching adhesive to dentin.

Methods: Fifty carious free molars were selected to expose the flat dentin surface. The specimens were bonded with composite resin by self-etching adhesive ,which were pretreated by 2% CHX for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 s.

Study of Indicators for Early and Rapid Diagnosis of Radiation Injury Is the Most Important in Patients With Cancer During Radiotherapy.

Objective: To establish a complete technical solution for the radiation biological dose estimation, to enable prediction of individuals' response to radiotherapy (RT), and to control treatment dose for reduced irradiation injury and promote repair; and to evaluate the risk of radiation-induced late effects for patients undergoing external photon beam RT and provide the reliable dose-response relationships.

Methods: Select 49 tumor patients using Co and linear accelerator for radiation therapy; initial radiation dose was 250 cGy. Chromosome aberration and blood count were analyzed before radiation therapy and 2 hours after the first day of RT.

Repurposing of clinically approved drugs for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 in a 2019-novel coronavirus-related coronavirus model.

Background: Medicines for the treatment of 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections are urgently needed. However, drug screening using live 2019-nCoV requires high-level biosafety facilities, which imposes an obstacle for those institutions without such facilities or 2019-nCoV. This study aims to repurpose the clinically approved drugs for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a 2019-nCoV-related coronavirus model.

Empirically derived dietary patterns and constipation among a middle-aged population from China, 2016-2018.

Background: The association of dietary patterns with constipation is not well established, particularly in Chinese population. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between dietary patterns and the risk of constipation in a middle-aged Chinese population.

Methods: A total of 2267 participants aged 45-59 years were recruited in Hangzhou city, the capital of Zhejiang Province, east China from August 2016 to October 2018.

Morphological alterations of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells after ablation of mouse photoreceptors with selective photocoagulation.

In this work, we investigated changes in the morphology of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), M1 subtype, and pupillary light reflex following local and selective ablation of photoreceptors in mice. Laser photocoagulation was used to selectively destroy four patches of photoreceptors per eye at around 4 papillary diameters from the optic disc and at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions between the retinal vessels in the adult mouse retina, leaving cells in the inner retina intact. Morphological parameters of individual M1 cells specifically labeled by the antibody against melanopsin (PA1-780), including dendritic field size, total dendritic length, and dendritic branch number, were examined 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after photocoagulation with Neurolucida software.

Decreased expression of CD200 and CD200R1 by human decidual tissues in spontaneous early abortion.

To examine the cellular distribution and the expression of CD200 and its receptor 1 (CD200R1) in human deciduas in first-trimester pregnant women with spontaneous early abortion (SEA) and normal pregnancy, and to explore their role in the etiology of SEA. Thirty-five women at 6-10-week gestation with SA and 30 women of similar gestational age with a healthy pregnancy were recruited. Expression of CD200 and CD200R1 in the deciduas was determined using immunohistochemistry, confocal laser scanning microscope, Western blot, and real-time PCR (RT-PCR).

[Effects of Short-term Exogenous Nitrogen and Carbon Input on Soil Respiration Under Changing Precipitation Pattern].

The responses of soil respiration to exogenous carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) inputs under changing precipitation patterns were explored via in-situ field experiments. In 2014, a typical temperate grassland on the Xilin River of Inner Mongolia was taken as the research site, and soil respiration was measured in the following treatments:addition of water alone (CK), addition of water + N fertilizer[CN, 2.5 g·(m·a)], addition of water + labile C[CG, 24 g·(m·a)], and addition of water + N fertilizer+ labile C[CNG, 2.

[Unilateral sinonasal disease in 376 adult patients: a retrospective study].

Objectives: To investigate the clinical and pathological features of patients with unilateral sinonasal disease (USD).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was completed on 376 adult patients with USD from January 2015 to December 2016. Their presenting symptoms, nasal endoscope, CT scanning, and pathology were analyzed respectively.

Protective mechanisms of hypaconitine and glycyrrhetinic acid compatibility in oxygen and glucose deprivation injury.

This study investigated the protective effect of the compatibility of hypaconitine (HA) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) on H9c2 cells under oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced injury, and the possible mechanisms. We found that HA+GA significantly improved pathology and morphology of the nucleus and ultrastructure of H9c2 cells under OGD as determined by Hoechst 33342 staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tests. It also reduced the releases of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-myocardial band isoenzyme (CK-MB), and aspartate transaminase (AST) from the cultured supernatant of H9c2 cells, which were tested by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) kits.

Ectopic expression of FGF5s induces wool growth in Chinese merino sheep.

Fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) has been recognized as an inhibitor to cease animal hair growth, while in contrary, FGF5 short alternative transcript (FGF5s) can induce hair growth by antagonizing FGF5 function. To investigate the role of FGF5s in wool growth in Chinese Merino sheep, we generated transgenic sheep of ectopic expression of FGF5s by injection of recombinant lentivirus into zygote. Totally 20 transgenic sheep were obtained and 12 were alive after birth.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated loss of FGF5 function increases wool staple length in sheep.

Fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) regulates hair length in humans and a variety of other animals. To investigate whether FGF5 has similar effects in sheep, we used clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) to generate loss-of-function mutations with the FGF5 gene in Chinese Merino sheep. A total of 16 lambs were identified with genetic mutations within the targeting locus: 13 lambs had biallelic modifications and three lambs had monoallelic modifications.

[Progress in the Analysis and Conservation of Cultural Relics and Artworks with Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy].

Cultural relics are non-renewable precious heritages, while artworks are limited cultural fortune. Therefore, it cannot afford any damage when cultural relics and artworks are analyzed. Fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) has features of non-destructive testing, direct measurement and remote analysis and has its unique advantages in the research of cultural relics and artworks.

Women with Recurrent Miscarriage Have Decreased Expression of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3-1α-Hydroxylase by the Fetal-Maternal Interface.

Background: Effects of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy have been associated with some adverse pregnancy outcomes. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) is integral to the vitamin D metabolic pathway. The enzyme catalyzes localized conversion of pro-hormone 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 to active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

[Research Progress of Raman Spectroscopy on Dyestuff Identification of Ancient Relics and Artifacts].

As the birthplace of Silk Road, China has a long dyeing history. The valuable information about the production time, the source of dyeing material, dyeing process and preservation status were existed in organic dyestuff deriving from cultural relics and artifacts. However, because of the low contents, complex compositions and easily degraded of dyestuff, it is always a challenging task to identify the dyestuff in relics analyzing field.