Stachydrine Ameliorates Cardiac Fibrosis Through Inhibition of Angiotensin II/Transformation Growth Factor β1 Fibrogenic Axis.

Cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death worldwide, are tightly associated with the pathological myocardial fibrosis. Stachydrine (Sta), a major active compound in Chinese motherwort , was reported to effectively attenuate cardiac fibrosis, but the cellular and molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the anti-fibrotic effect of Sta and mechanism underlying were explored in a mouse model of pressure overload and AngII stimulated cardiac fibroblasts (CFs).

Development and Validation of a Nomogram Prognostic Model for Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Importance: Nomogram prognostic models can facilitate cancer patient treatment plans and patient enrollment in clinical trials.

Objective: The primary objective is to provide an updated and accurate prognostic model for predicting the survival of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and the secondary objective is to validate a published nomogram prognostic model for NSCLC using an independent patient cohort.

Design: 1817 patients with advanced NSCLC from the control arms of 4 Phase III randomized clinical trials were included in this study.

Phosphorylated Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β (GSK-3β) Improves Cognition in Rats with Diabetes-Associated Cognitive Decline.

BACKGROUND The serine/threonine kinase glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) is involved in a broad range of cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. GSK-3ß has been considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of T2DM and AD, which is activated in both the periphery and central nervous system. However, the upstream and downstream factors and the underlying regulatory mechanisms of GSK-3ß in T2DM and AD are unclear.

Aberrant Clonal Hematopoiesis following Lentiviral Vector Transduction of HSPCs in a Rhesus Macaque.

Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are used for delivery of genes into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in clinical trials worldwide. LVs, in contrast to retroviral vectors, are not associated with insertion site-associated malignant clonal expansions and, thus, are considered safer. Here, however, we present a case of markedly abnormal dysplastic clonal hematopoiesis affecting the erythroid, myeloid, and megakaryocytic lineages in a rhesus macaque transplanted with HSPCs that were transduced with a LV containing a strong retroviral murine stem cell virus (MSCV) constitutive promoter-enhancer in the LTR.

Fatty Acid Oxidation Promotes Cardiomyocyte Proliferation Rate but Does Not Change Cardiomyocyte Number in Infant Mice.

Cardiomyocyte proliferation accounts for the increase of cardiac muscle during fetal mammalian heart development. Shortly after birth, cardiomyocyte transits from hyperplasia to hypertrophic growth. Here, we have investigated the role of fatty acid β-oxidation in cardiomyocyte proliferation and hypertrophic growth during early postnatal life in mice.

Comparison and Optimization of Reactive Dyes and Coating Performance on Veneer.

In this study, veneer was dyed with reactive brilliant red X-3B, black KN-B and blue K-3R dyes. The dye concentration, bath ratio and dyeing time were selected for an orthogonal experiment. Analysis of variance showed that the dye concentration had the greatest effect on the dye uptake of veneer.

Identification of stemness in primary retinoblastoma cells by analysis of stem-cell phenotypes and tumorigenicity with culture and xenograft models.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a primary intraocular malignancy in childhood, and may develop relapse and metastatic disease. This study was to identify the stem-cell properties of primary retinoblastoma cells critical to tumorigenesis and metastasis. Primary cells were isolated from fresh human RB tissues after enucleation, and cultured in serum-free or serum-enriched conditions, with two RB cell-lines Weri-RB1 and Y79 for comparison.

MicroRNA-7 Exerts Antiangiogenic Effect on Colorectal Cancer via ERK Signaling.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that microRNA-7 (miR-7) family members may play important roles in human cancer by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and biological function of miR-7 in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Initially, cancer and adjacent tissues were collected from 76 patients with CRC.

Intestinal epithelial HMGB1 inhibits bacterial infection via STAT3 regulation of autophagy.

Extracellular HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1) is considered as a damage-associated molecular pattern protein. However, little is known about its intracellular role. We studied the mechanism whereby intestinal epithelial HMGB1 contributes to host defense, using cell culture, colonoids, conditional intestinal epithelial HMGB1-knockout mice with -colitis, mice, and human samples.

Association between gaseous pollutants and emergency ambulance dispatches for asthma in Chengdu, China: a time-stratified case-crossover study.

Objectives: The association between concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O), and emergency ambulance dispatches (EADs) for asthma was explored in the central Sichuan Basin of southwestern China for the first time.

Methods: EADs for asthma were collected from the Chengdu First-Aid Command Center. Pollutant concentrations were collected from 24 municipal environmental monitoring centers and including SO, NO, CO, daily 8-h mean concentrations of O (O-8 h), and particulate matter less than 2.

Mobile Device Applications for Electronic Patient Portals in Oncology.

Purpose: Mobile devices provide individuals with rapid and frequent access to electronic patient portals. We investigated how oncology patients use this technology to review test results and communicate with providers.

Patients And Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients enrolled in the MyChart electronic health portal associated with the Epic electronic medical record at the Harold C.

Carbon ion radiotherapy boost in the treatment of glioblastoma: a randomized phase I/III clinical trial.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly virulent tumor of the central nervous system, with a median survival < 15 months. Clearly, an improvement in treatment outcomes is needed. However, the emergence of these malignancies within the delicate brain parenchyma and their infiltrative growth pattern severely limit the use of aggressive local therapies.

Probe position correction based on overlapped object wavefront cross-correlation for continuous-wave terahertz ptychography.

Continuous-wave terahertz ptychography is a promising large field-of-view lensless terahertz phase imaging method. Inaccurate probe positions would severely degrade the reconstruction quality, as compared to other spectral bands. In this paper, we propose a probe position correction method based on cross-correlation registration on overlapped regions of the object wavefront for terahertz ptychography.

Clonal-level lineage commitment pathways of hematopoietic stem cells in vivo.

While the aggregate differentiation of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) population has been extensively studied, little is known about the lineage commitment process of individual HSC clones. Here, we provide lineage commitment maps of HSC clones under homeostasis and after perturbations of the endogenous hematopoietic system. Under homeostasis, all donor-derived HSC clones regenerate blood homogeneously throughout all measured stages and lineages of hematopoiesis.

A Novel Synthetic Dihydroindeno[1,2-b] Indole Derivative (LS-2-3j) Reverses ABCB1- and ABCG2-Mediated Multidrug Resistance in Cancer Cells.

10-oxo-5-(3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl) propyl)-5,10-dihydroindeno [1,2-b] indol-9-yl propionate (LS-2-3j) is a new chemically synthesized indole compound and some related analogues are known to be inhibitors (such as alectinib and Ko143) of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, especially the ABC transporter subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) and the ABC transporter subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2). This study aimed to evaluate the multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal effects and associated mechanisms of LS-2-3j in drug-resistant cancer cells. The inhibition of cell proliferation in tested agents was evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.

Species and release characteristics of VOCs in furniture coating process.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are an important factor affecting ambient air quality, and furniture production is one of the important sources of VOC pollution. High VOC concentrations have adverse effects on the environment and worker welfare in furniture factories. In order to control VOC emissions in a furniture workshop, the VOC species and concentration distributions were examined.

High glucose-induced circHIPK3 downregulation mediates endothelial cell injury.

High glucose (HG) induces vascular endothelial cell injury. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Circular RNA HIPK3 (circHIPK3) is a highly conserved non-coding RNA.

Ambient fine particulate pollution and daily morbidity of stroke in Chengdu, China.

Introduction: Association has been reported between ambient fine particulate matter (PM) and adverse outcomes of cerebrovascular events. However, it remains unclear that whether short-term exposure to PM relates to stroke and the lag of health effects. This triggers us to examine the relationship between PM and population stroke morbidity in Chengdu.

Clonal expansion and compartmentalized maintenance of rhesus macaque NK cell subsets.

Natural killer (NK) cells recognize and eliminate infected and malignant cells. Their life histories are poorly understood, particularly in humans, due to lack of informative models and endogenous clonal markers. Here, we apply transplantation of barcoded rhesus macaque hematopoietic cells to interrogate the landscape of NK cell production, expansion, and life histories at a clonal level long term and after proliferative challenge.

Shengmai San Alleviates Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Through Improvement of Mitochondrial Lipid Metabolic Disorder.

Background/aims: Shengmai San (SMS), prepared from Panax ginseng, Ophiopogon japonicus, and Schisandra chinensisin, has been widely used to treat ischemic disease. In this study, we investigated whether SMS may exert a beneficial effect in diabetic cardiomyopathy through improvement of mitochondrial lipid metabolism.

Methods: A leptin receptor-deficient db/db mouse model was utilized, and lean age-matched C57BLKS mice served as non-diabetic controls.

Immune dysregulation in cancer patients developing immune-related adverse events.

Background: Up to 40% of cancer patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors develop clinically significant immune-related adverse events (irAEs). The role of host immune status and function in predisposing patients to the development of irAEs remains unknown.

Methods: Sera from 65 patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors and 13 healthy controls were evaluated for 40 cytokines at pre-treatment, after 2-3 weeks and after 6 weeks and analysed for correlation with the development of irAEs.

Anthropometric Analysis on the Ocular Region Morphology of Children and Young Adults in Chinese Han Population.

Purpose: The periocular features vary in different age groups and ethnic populations. In this study, the authors sought to determine whether age-related differences exist for certain periocular parameters between children and young adults of Chinese Han population.

Methods: OU of 310 children (aged 7-10 years) and 301 young adults (aged 20-30 years) were evaluated by 2-dimensional photogrammetry.

Therapeutic effects of tyroserleutide on lung metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma SK-HEP-1 and its mechanism affecting ICAM-1 and MMP-2 and -9.

Background: Tyroserleutide (YSL) inhibits the growth and metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This paper studied the effect of YSL on metastasis of human HCC and investigated its mechanisms.

Methods: In vivo, experimental lung metastasis models of human HCC SK-HEP-1 cells in nude mice were established, and In vitro, the proliferation, adhesion and invasion of SK-HEP-1 cells were detected.