Efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with prophylactic intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy for patients diagnosed with clinical T4 gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy: a retrospective cohort study based on propensity score matching.

Background: Clinical T4 (cT4) stage gastric cancer presents with frequent postoperative recurrence and poor prognosis. This study is to evaluate the oncological efficacy of laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy combined with postoperative prophylactic hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in patients with cT4N + M0 gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: We reviewed the clinicopathological data of 174 patients with clinical T4 gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy between June 2017 and December 2021.

Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Post-stroke Dysphagia in Acute Stage.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) play a important role for rehabilitation in stroke. But therapeutic schedule of rTMS in dysphagia after acute stroke is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of rTMS with different frequencies on dysphagia after acute stroke.

Potential mechanisms of cerebrovascular diseases in COVID-19 patients.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 2019, it is gaining worldwide attention at the moment. Apart from respiratory manifestations, neurological dysfunction in COVID-19 patients, especially the occurrence of cerebrovascular diseases (CVD), has been intensively investigated. In this review, the effects of COVID-19 infection on CVD were summarized as follows: (I) angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may be involved in the attack on vascular endothelial cells by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), leading to endothelial damage and increased subintimal inflammation, which are followed by hemorrhage or thrombosis; (II) SARS-CoV-2 could alter the expression/activity of ACE2, consequently resulting in the disruption of renin-angiotensin system which is associated with the occurrence and progression of atherosclerosis; (III) upregulation of neutrophil extracellular traps has been detected in COVID-19 patients, which is closely associated with immunothrombosis; (IV) the inflammatory cascade induced by SARS-CoV-2 often leads to hypercoagulability and promotes the formation and progress of atherosclerosis; (V) antiphospholipid antibodies are also detected in plasma of some severe cases, which aggravate the thrombosis through the formation of immune complexes; (VI) hyperglycemia in COVID-19 patients may trigger CVD by increasing oxidative stress and blood viscosity; (VII) the COVID-19 outbreak is a global emergency and causes psychological stress, which could be a potential risk factor of CVD as coagulation, and fibrinolysis may be affected.

NDRG4 prevents cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting neuronal apoptosis.

Cerebral ischemia is a major cause of mortality and long-term morbidity worldwide. NDRG4 has been shown to protect against cerebral ischemia, although the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Here we found that NDRG4 expression was decreased in the brain tissues of ischemia/reperfusion (IR) rats, indicating increased apoptosis rates among cerebral cells.

NDRG4 protects against cerebral ischemia injury by inhibiting p53-mediated apoptosis.

Cerebral ischemia is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. N-myc downstream-regulated gene 4 (NDRG4) is predominantly expressed in the brain as well as in the heart and has been reported to be involved in resistance to neuronal cell death caused by ischemic injury. However, the underlying mechanism of NDRG4 in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains unknown.

Trehalose prevents sciatic nerve damage to and apoptosis of Schwann cells of streptozotocin-induced diabetic C57BL/6J mice.

Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) affects approximately 1 in 500 children. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common form of peripheral neuropathy in diabetes and is a significant risk factor for serious pathological change. It is difficult and costly to treat DPN and although there have been several pivotal trials.

Gadd45b prevents autophagy and apoptosis against rat cerebral neuron oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury.

Autophagic (type II) cell death has been suggested to play pathogenetic roles in cerebral ischemia. Growth arrest and DNA damage response 45b (Gadd45b) has been shown to protect against rat brain ischemia injury through inhibiting apoptosis. However, the relationship between Gadd45b and autophagy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains uncertain.

Magnesium sulfate treatment improves outcome in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage: a meta-analysis study.

Objective: To elucidate the role of magnesium sulfate in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhagic (SAH) brain injury

Method: Studies for the meta-analysis were identified from PubMed (1966 to 2009), Embase (1980 to 2009), and two Chinese journals (1989 to 2009). Paper selection was based on randomized controlled trials comparing magnesium sulfate to placebo treatment in patients with SAH. Two independent review authors extracted the data and assessed trial quality.