TGF‑β1 promotes the osteoinduction of human osteoblasts via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/S6K1 signalling pathway.

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‑β1) has been suggested to be a candidate cytokine in the field of bone tissue engineering. Cytokines serve important roles in tissue engineering, particularly in the repair of bone damage; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, the effects of TGF‑β1 on the osteogenesis and motility of hFOB1.

Influence of Tea Consumption on the Development of Second Esophageal Neoplasm in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

Alcohol is an important risk factor for the development of second esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) in head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. However, the influence of tea consumption is uncertain. We prospectively performed endoscopic screening in incident HNSCC patients to identify synchronous esophageal neoplasm.

Sustainable elastomers derived from cellulose, rosin and fatty acid by a combination of "graft from" RAFT and isocyanate chemistry.

Utilization of natural sustainable feedstock to fabricate polymers has attracted remarkable attention. In this work, we reported a strategy to prepare a series of grafted copolymers from rosin, fatty acids and ethyl cellulose. The process involved the preparation of EC-based macro-RAFT agent through a simple esterification reaction, followed by a "grafting from" reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) of DAGMA (derived from rosin) and LMA (derived from fatty acid) to achieve a class of EC-g-P(DAGMA-co-LMA) graft copolymers with a tunable T tuned by the DAGMA/LMA molar ratio.

CHST7 Gene Methylation and Sex-Specific Effects on Colorectal Cancer Risk.

Background: X chromosome aberrations are involved in carcinogenesis and are associated with gender differences in cancer development. Abnormal DNA methylation also contributes to cancer. Carbohydrate Sulfotransferase 7 (CHST7), encoded by the X chromosome, is abnormally expressed during tumor development.

Efficacy and safety of levothyroxine (L-T4) replacement on the exercise capability in chronic systolic heart failure patients with subclinical hypothyroidism: Study protocol for a multi-center, open label, randomized, parallel group trial (ThyroHeart-CHF).

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism is a common condition in patients with heart failure and is defined as elevated serum thyroid hormone (TSH) with normal circulating free thyroxine (FT4). Evidence on the effect of thyroid hormone treatment is lacking. We designed a randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of thyroid hormone supplementation in patients with chronic heart failure complicated with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Highly mechanical properties nanocomposite hydrogels with biorenewable lignin nanoparticles.

Biorenewable polymers from natural resources have attracted a greater attention of the research for different applications. In this work, renewable lignin nanoparticles (LNP) were employed as cross-linking junctions to prepare high mechanical properties hydrogel, polyacrylamide/lignin nanoparticle (PAM/LNP) nanocomposite hydrogel. The hydrogel exhibits high compressive and tensile strengths as well as excellent recoverability.

A Review of Periocular Botulinum Neurotoxin on the Tear Film Homeostasis and the Ocular Surface Change.

Clinical usage of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) in ophthalmology has dramatically increased since the 1980s and has become one of the most widely used agents for treating facial movement disorders, autonomic dysfunction and aesthetic wrinkles. Despite its high efficacy, there are some complications with periocular BoNT injections due to its chemodenervation effect. Among these, there is still controversy over the BoNT effect on tear film homeostasis and the ocular surface.

Low TIP30 Protein Expression is Associated with a High Risk of Metastasis and Poor Prognosis for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a deadly malignancy with a high prevalence worldwide. A reliable biomarker that can predict the prognosis is required to determine the therapeutic strategy. TIP30 was first identified as a tumor suppressor.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features of Pediatric Coxsackievirus Encephalitis.

Coxsackievirus, a common pathogen causing pediatric infection, typically causes a mild, nonspecific illness with low-grade fever, but can cause severe illness on rare occasions. Encephalitis is an uncommon but important complication of coxsackievirus infection. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) encephalitis have not been reported in the literature, and there are few descriptions of MRI findings of encephalitis induced by coxsackieviruses of other serotypes.

Direct electron-beam patterning of transferrable plasmonic gold nanoparticles using a HAuCl/PVP composite resist.

Reliable fabrication of gold nanoparticles with desirable size, geometry and spatial arrangement is essential for plasmonic applications. A common fabrication flow usually involves electron-beam lithography and a vacuum-evaporation-based lift-off process or etching. In this work, we evaluate an alternative approach to directly fabricate a plasmonic gold nanoparticle array without involving the vacuum evaporation process by using a chloroauric acid/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (HAuCl4/PVP) hybrid as a functional electron-beam resist.

A Perfused Microfluidic System to Study the Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells in vitro.

Introduction: Due to the ability to mimic in vivo cellular microenvironments, the development of multicell culture systems has received increasing interest for use as research models and serving as platforms for drug evaluation.

Methods: In this study, we developed a perfused microfluidic system to resemble the in vivo intercellular environment and applied it to study the differentiation from neural stem cells into neurons.

Results: As determined by immunofluorescence chemistry and quantitative real-time PCR, the neural stem cells grown in this microfluidic system showed an elevated differentiation rate toward the formation of neurons as determined by the increased level of βIII-tubulin production, which is 4 times higher than that of culturing neural stem cells only.

Pin1 Is Involved in HDAC6-mediated Cancer Cell Motility.

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), a member of the HDAC enzymes, has been reported to play substantial roles in many cellular processes. Evidence shows that deregulation of HDAC6 may be involved in the progression of some cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammatory disorders. However, little is known regarding the effect of post-translational modification of HDAC6 on cellular localization and biological functions.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor inhibits lung cancer migration and invasion by upregulating exosomal thrombospondin 1.

Exosomes are implicated in cancer cell development, migration and invasion. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a secreted anticancer protein that can regulate lung cancer progression; however, the role of PEDF in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including metastasis and cancer cell-derived exosome secretion, is unclear. In this study, we analyzed the effects of PEDF on exosome-mediated migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity of cultured NSCLC cells.

Conserved Pbp1/Ataxin-2 regulates retrotransposon activity and connects polyglutamine expansion-driven protein aggregation to lifespan-controlling rDNA repeats.

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat instability and protein aggregation are thought to be two major and independent drivers of cellular aging. Pbp1, the yeast ortholog of human ATXN2, maintains rDNA repeat stability and lifespan via suppression of RNA-DNA hybrids. ATXN2 polyglutamine expansion drives neurodegeneration causing spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 and promoting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Distraction-suppression effect on osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor. It occurs mainly in children and adolescents. In patients with open growth plate, epiphyseal distraction is used to separate the uninvolved epiphysis from adjacent tumor.

Effects of TACE combined with precise RT on p53 gene expression and prognosis of HCC patients.

To investigate the effects of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with precise radiation therapy (RT) on p53 gene expression and prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 80 patients with unresectable HCC treated in the First People's Hospital of Qinhuangdao from March 2009 to March 2015 were randomly divided into TACE group (n=40) and TACE + RT group (n=40). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of p53 in both groups before and after treatment.

Audiovisual multisensory integration in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

An ever-growing literature has aimed to determine how individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differ from their typically developing (TD) peers on measures of multisensory integration (MSI) and to ascertain the degree to which differences in MSI are associated with the broad range of symptoms associated with ASD. Findings, however, have been highly variable across the studies carried out to date. The present work systematically reviews and quantitatively synthesizes the large literature on audiovisual MSI in individuals with ASD to evaluate the cumulative evidence for (a) group differences between individuals with ASD and TD peers, (b) correlations between MSI and autism symptoms in individuals with ASD and (c) study level factors that may moderate findings (i.

Negative Surface Shielded Polymeric Micelles with Colloidal Stability for Intracellular Endosomal/Lysosomal Escape.

The critical process and step in achieving effective antitumor therapies is facilitating endosomal escape, which can enhance the intracellular target delivery of therapeutics. However, the normally adopted approaches tend to result in colloidal instability as a result of the inevitable interactions between the resulting positively charged surfaces of micelles and proteins in vivo. Herein, negatively charged surface shielded polymeric micelles, consisting of polymethylacrylamide derivatives and hydrophilic chitosan ( M = 18.

The prognostic value of programmed cell death ligand 1 expression in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a meta-analysis.

Objective: Although the prognostic value of programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has been evaluated in many studies, the results remain controversial. To investigate the prognostic role of PD-L1 expression and the association between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological features of NHL, we performed a meta-analysis.

Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to November 30, 2017.

Clinical, Biochemical, and Genetic Findings of Cystinuria in Chinese Children.

Background: Cystinuria is a rare inherited renal stone disease caused by mutations in the SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 genes. The Chinese cystinuria phenotype and genotype have rarely been reported in the literature.

Methods: For this research, the clinical features and genetic etiology were analyzed in seven children, and the clinical characteristics were summarized.

Human immunodeficiency virus Tat-TIP30 interaction promotes metastasis by enhancing the nuclear translocation of Snail in lung cancer cell lines.

Lung cancer patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a poorer prognosis than do patients without HIV infection. HIV1 Tat is a secreted viral protein that penetrates the plasma membrane and interacts with a number of proteins in non-HIV-infected cells. The loss of function of Tat-interacting protein 30 (TIP30) has been linked to metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Surgical treatment for shepherd's crook deformity in fibrous dysplasia: THERE IS NO BEST, ONLY BETTER.

Background: The optimal strategy for shepherd's crook deformity correction remains technically challenging. In particular, it is difficult to perform an accurate osteotomy based on the pre-operative correction plan. Moreover, the choice of ideal hardware remains unclear.

Hydrogel microfibers with perfusable folded channels for tissue constructs with folded morphology.

Fiber-based materials with microchannels have drawn considerable attention in recent years owing to their ability to mimic intrinsic morphologies of living tissues. Folded morphologies, which are common , such as in skeletal muscle capillaries and intestine luminal endoderm, play important roles in the achievement of tissue functions. Here, microfibers with folded hollow channels are fabricated.

Dehydration-triggered shape morphing based on asymmetric bubble hydrogel microfibers.

Inspired by nature, scientists have been engaged in developing deformable artificial systems. Here, we propose an innovative method to realize controllable deformations using asymmetric bubble hydrogel microfibers produced by microfluidic cascaded coaxial devices. Asymmetric geometries, coupled with the mismatched shrinkage ratio, contribute to deformations upon dehydration.

[Clinical observation of expanded curettage in treatment of chondroblastoma].

Objective: To explore the effectiveness of expanded curettage in the treatment of chondroblastoma.

Methods: The clinical data of 37 patients with chondroblastoma who were treated with expanded curettage between January 2011 and May 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 24 males and 13 females, with a median age of 17 years (range, 12-30 years).