Predictive value of preoperative peripheral blood neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio for lymph node metastasis in patients of resectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: a nomogram-based study.

Background: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is one of the systemic inflammation markers, which has prognostic values in many types of tumor. However, hardly any research has reported the relationship between NLR and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the preoperative peripheral blood NLR on the clinical outcomes in patients of resectable PanNETs.

Hydrogen sulfide pretreatment improves mitochondrial function in myocardial hypertrophy via a SIRT3-dependent manner.

Background And Purpose: Hydrogen sulfide (H S) is a gaseous signal molecule with antioxidative properties. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is closely associated with mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. The study was to investigate whether and how H S improved myocardial hypertrophy via a SIRT3-dependent manner.

Both haemagglutinin-specific antibody and T cell responses induced by a chimpanzee adenoviral vaccine confer protection against influenza H7N9 viral challenge.

Since 2013, the outbreak or sporadic infection of a new reassortant H7N9 influenza virus in China has resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses. An H7N9 vaccine is urgently needed, as a licensed human vaccine against H7N9 influenza is currently not available. Here, we developed a recombinant adenovirus-based vaccine, AdC68-H7HA, by cloning the H7N9 haemagglutinin (HA) gene into the chimpanzee adenoviral vector AdC68.

Bisphenol A promotes hepatic lipid deposition involving Kupffer cells M1 polarization in male mice.

Bisphenol A (BPA), one of the most common environmental endocrine disruptors, is considered to promote hepatic lipid deposition. However, the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. The polarization of Kupffer cells (KCs) plays an important role in hepatic inflammation by promoting pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype (M1KCs), which contributes to dysregulated lipid metabolism.

miR-301b~miR-130b-PPARγ axis underlies the adipogenic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells with different tissue origins.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely used in regenerative medicine and cellular therapy due to their multi-lineage differentiation potential and immunomodulatory function. The applicability of MSCs also depends on their cellular sources and in vivo functions. Here in this study, we systematically compared the morphologic characteristics, immunophenotypes and the adipogenic differentiation of MSCs derived from umbilical cord (UC), adipose tissue (Ad) and bone marrow (BM).

Dihydromyricetin attenuated Ang II induced cardiac fibroblasts proliferation related to inhibitory of oxidative stress.

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is one of the most important flavonoids in vine tea, which showed several pharmacological effects. However, information about the potential role of DMY on angiotensin II (Ang II) induced cardiac fibroblasts proliferation remains unknown. In the present study, cardiac fibroblasts isolated from neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with different concentrations of DMY (0-320μM) for 4h, or DMY (80μM) for different time (0-24h), followed by Ang II (100nM) stimulation for 24h, Then number of cardiac fibroblasts and content of hydroxyproline was measured.

Dysregulated Autophagy in Hepatocytes Promotes Bisphenol A-Induced Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Male Mice.

Accumulating evidence suggests that bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Disruption of autophagy causes lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. Whether and how BPA regulates autophagy remains to be explored.

Effects of integrated chronic care models on hypertension outcomes and spending: a multi-town clustered randomized trial in China.

Background: Hypertension affects one billion people globally and is one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular and renal diseases. However, hypertension management remains poor, especially in rural China.

Methods: A clustered randomized controlled trial was conducted in six towns in China's Qianjiang county between 7/2012 and 6/2014, including 5462 hypertension patients above 35 years old.

Functional Characterization of Populus PsnSHN2 in Coordinated Regulation of Secondary Wall Components in Tobacco.

Wood formation is a biological process during which the most abundant lignocellulosic biomass on earth is produced. Although a number of transcription factors have been linked to the regulation of wood formation process, none of them has been demonstrated to be a higher hierarchical regulator that coordinately regulates secondary wall biosynthesis genes. Here, we identified a Populus gene, PsnSHN2, a counterpart of the Arabidopsis AP2/ERF type transcription factor, SHINE2.

One-stage hybrid surgery for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection with David operation, aortic arch debranching, and endovascular graft: a case report.

Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection requires an extremely complex surgical strategy and presents high risk of complications. Although many different procedures were reported to treat this aortic dissection, high mortality rate and incidences of complications still exist. This study presents a 59-year-old lady with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection, which originated from the aortic root to proximal part of right external iliac artery and involved the brachiocephalic trunk, left carotid artery, celiac trunk, and left renal artery.

Clostridium difficile colonization in preoperative colorectal cancer patients.

The entire process of Clostridium difficile colonization to infection develops in large intestine. However, the real colonization pattern of C. difficile in preoperative colorectal cancer patients has not been studied.

Identifying the clonal origin of synchronous multifocal tumors in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic system using multi-omic platforms.

Synchronous multifocal tumors often pose a diagnostic challenge for oncologists. The purpose of this study was to determine the clonal origin and metastatic relationship of synchronous multifocal tumors in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic system using multi-omic platforms. DNA samples were extracted from three masses harvested from a 50-year-old Han Chinese male patient who suffered from synchronous multifocal tumors in the pancreatic tail, upper biliary duct, and omentum at the time of diagnosis.

Negative Association of Circulating MicroRNA-126 with High-sensitive C-reactive Protein and Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) causes endothelial damage, resulting in an inflammatory response with elevation of markers such as high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), which are associated with restenosis after PCI. Evidence suggests that microRNA-126 (miR-126) plays an important role in vascular inflammation, but its correlation with PCI-mediated inflammation has not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the effect of PCI on circulating miR-126 and inflammation markers such as hs-CRP and VCAM-1.

The association of plasma miR-155 and VCAM-1 levels with coronary collateral circulation.

Aim: Inflammation plays an important role in development of coronary collateral circulation (CCC). The aim of this study is to determine whether the inflammation-related miRNA miR-155 and the inflammation marker VCAM-1 could be a biomarker for CCC.

Patients & Methods: We measured levels of plasma VCAM-1 and miR-155 in patients with CCC according to Rentrop grade by ELISA or real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively (n = 112).

MicroRNA-210 Plays a Critical Role in the Angiogenic Effect of Isoprenaline on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells via Regulation of Noncoding RNAs.

Background: β-adrenoceptors play a crucial regulatory role in blood vessel endothelial cells. Isoprenaline (ISO, a β-adrenergic agonist) has been reported to promote angiogenesis through upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression; however, the underlying mechanism remains to be investigated. It is widely accepted that certain noncoding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), can regulate endothelial cell behavior, including their involvement in angiogenesis.

Developmental trajectory of time perspective: From children to older adults.

Time perspective is a fundamental dimension of the psychological time construct, with a pervasive and powerful influence on human behavior. However, the developmental trajectory of time perspective across a human lifespan remains unclear. The current study aimed to portray the developmental trajectory of all dimensions of time perspectives from children to older adults in a large sample.

Synthesis of TiO2 visible light catalysts with controllable crystalline phase and morphology from Ti-bearing electric arc furnace molten slag.

TiO2 visible light catalysts with different crystalline phases and morphologies were synthesized from titanium-bearing electric arc furnace molten slag (Ti-bearing EAF slag) by using a simple acidolysis process. The effects of the pH of the HCl solution, liquid to solid ratio (RL/S, HCl solution to the residue ratio, mL/g) and acidolysis time on the micro-morphology and crystalline phase of as-prepared TiO2 photocatalysts were systematically investigated. The results indicated that with decreasing pH in the HCl solution and increasing RL/S, the crystalline phase and micro-morphology of the obtained TiO2 nanostructures tended to transform from anatase type TiO2 with spherical nanoparticle structures to rutile type TiO2 with needle-like nanorod structures.

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Show Reduced Specificity and Less Positive Events in Mental Time Travel.

Mental time travel refers to the ability to recall past events and to imagine possible future events. Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients have problems in remembering specific personal experiences in the past and imagining what will happen in the future. This study aimed to examine episodic past and future thinking in SCZ spectrum disorders including SCZ patients and individuals with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) proneness who are at risk for developing SCZ.

The effect and mechanisms of implementation intention in improving prospective memory performance in schizophrenia patients.

People with schizophrenia (SCZ) have been shown to have prospective memory (PM) deficits. PM refers to the ability to remember to perform delayed intentions in the future and plays an important role in everyday independent functioning in SCZ. To date, few studies have investigated methods to improve PM in SCZ.

Subfemtonewton Force Spectroscopy at the Thermal Limit in Liquids.

We demonstrate thermally limited force spectroscopy using a probe formed by a dielectric microsphere optically trapped in water near a dielectric surface. We achieve force resolution below 1 fN in 100 s, corresponding to a 2 Å rms displacement of the probe. Our measurement combines a calibrated evanescent wave particle tracking technique and a lock-in detection method.

Genetic divergence of enterovirus D68 in China and the United States.

The largest outbreak of human enterovirus 68 (EV-D68) infections associated with severe respiratory illness and neurological complications emerged from the United States in 2014. China reported the circulation of EV-D68 since 2006, but these cases were sporadic and did not display neurological symptoms. Yet viral determinants responsible for the difference in prevalence between China and the U.

miR-1934, downregulated in obesity, protects against low-grade inflammation in adipocytes.

It has been previously demonstrated that miR-1934 was specially regulated by adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory adipokine, in adipose tissue (AT) in vivo. Herein we investigated the role of miR1934 in the regulation of inflammatory response. Compared with chow-diet fed mice, miR1934 expression was down-regulated in epididymal AT of high-fat diet-induced obese mice.