Early postnatal moderate catch‑up growth in rats with nutritional intrauterine growth restriction preserves pulmonary vascular and cognitive function in adulthood.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) with rapid postnatal catch-up growth is strongly associated with pulmonary vascular dysfunction in adulthood, whereas IUGR with delayed growth in early postnatal life results in long-term brain deficits. In the present study, it was hypothesized that IUGR with early moderate catch-up growth may alleviate pulmonary vascular remodeling in adulthood without affecting memory function. An IUGR model was established by restricting maternal nutrition during pregnancy.

Ddx5 Targeted Epigenetic Modification of Pericytes in Pulmonary Hypertension After Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

Newborns with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) have a higher likelihood of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in adulthood. Although there is increasing evidence suggesting that pericytes play a role in regulating myofibroblast transdifferentiation and angiogenesis in malignant and cardiovascular diseases, their involvement in the pathogenesis of IUGR-related pulmonary hypertension and the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. To address this issue, a study was conducted using a Sprague-Dawley rat model of IUGR-related pulmonary hypertension.

3D spheroid-microvasculature-on-a-chip for tumor-endothelium mechanobiology interplay.

During the final stage of cancer metastasis, tumor cells embed themselves in distant capillary beds, from where they extravasate and establish secondary tumors. Recent findings underscore the pivotal roles of blood/lymphatic flow and shear stress in this intricate tumor extravasation process. Despite the increasing evidence, there is a dearth of systematic and biomechanical methodologies that accurately mimic intricate 3D microtissue interactions within a controlled hydrodynamic microenvironment.

Repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor regulates glutamate receptors and immediate early genes to affect synaptic plasticity.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the regulatory effects of repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) on the glutamate receptors and immediate early genes (IEGs) in the SH-SY5Y cells.

Methods: The genes regulated by REST were screened by bioinformatics between AD patients and the control group. Then, SH-SY5Y cells were treated with 10 μM Aβ or REST siRNA/cDNA, and the expressions of synaptic genes and IEGs were detected.

Prognostic value of myocardial perfusion imaging with D-SPECT camera in patients with ischemia and no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA).

Background: Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with a novel D-SPECT camera maintains excellent prognostic value compared to conventional SPECT. However, information about the relationship between D-SPECT MPI and the prognosis in patients with ischemia and no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of MPI with D-SPECT in INOCA and obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

Micro-algal astaxanthin could improve the antioxidant capability, immunity and ammonia resistance of juvenile Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis.

Green alga Haematococcus pluvialis is an important source of natural astaxanthin (Ast), which have been shown to be beneficial for the color formulation, survival, antioxidation, immunity and stress resistance of many crustacean. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of H. pluvialis meal on growth, antioxidant status, ammonia resistance, color parameters, and carotenoids composition of juvenile Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis.

Effects of Drying Methods on the Content, Structural Isomers, and Composition of Astaxanthin in Antarctic Krill.

Antarctic krill () is one of the important bioresources in Antarctic waters, containing many bioactives (e.g., astaxanthin), which have a highly potential value for commercial exploitation.

Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction with Community Health Service under the Gatekeeper System: A Cross-sectional Study in Nanjing, China.

The gatekeeper policy has been implemented for approximately ten years on a pilot population in China. It is necessary to assess the satisfaction of patients utilizing community health service (CHS) under the gatekeeper system. Our study showed that the cognition of gatekeeper policy was associated with four dimensions including doctor-patient relationships, information and support, organization of care, and accessibility (P < 0.

Role of the new rural cooperative medical system in alleviating catastrophic medical payments for hypertension, stroke and coronary heart disease in poor rural areas of China.

Background: Hypertension, stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) are common diseases that impose a heavy burden on patients and their families, particularly on those living in poor areas. This study examined catastrophic medical payments faced by patients with these diseases and the effectiveness of the new rural cooperative medical system (NRCMS) at alleviating the impact of the said diseases in fourth-class rural areas (i.e.

Job satisfaction and its modeling among township health center employees: a quantitative study in poor rural China.

Background: Job satisfaction is important to staff management of township health centers (THCs), as it is associated with organizational performance, quality of care and employee retention. The purpose of this study was to measure job satisfaction level of THC employees in poor rural China and to identify relevant features in order to provide policy advice on human resource development of health service institutions in poor regions.

Methods: A self-completion questionnaire was used to assess the job satisfaction and relevant features (response rate: 90.

[Tumor necrosis factor-alpha upregulates the protein levels of adipose differentiation-related protein in rat differentiated adipocytes].

Objective: To investigate the effect and basis of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) on the lipid droplet associating protein adipose differentiation-related protein(ADRP) in rat differentiated adipocytes.

Methods: Differentiated rat adipocytes derived from epididymal fat pads of Sprague-Dawley rats were incubated in the presence or absence of TNF-alpha (25 microg/L). Glycerol level released in the culture medium was determined by a colorimetric assay and served as an index of lipolysis.

[The mechanisms of stimulated lipolysis by high concentration of glucose in primary rat adipocytes].

Objective: To investigate the cellular mechanisms of adipocyte lipolytic response to a high concentration of glucose, which liberates free fatty acids (FFA) efflux from adipose cells to plasma.

Methods: Adipocytes were isolated from epididymal fat pads of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and were incubated in the presence or absence of excess glucose (25 mmol/L). Glycerol released in the culture medium was determined by use of a colorimetric assay and served as an index of lipolysis.

An optimized assay for transcription factor NF-kappaB with dsDNA-coupled microplate.

To develop an EMSA-free assay approach for analyzing the sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins (DBPs), an easy cost-effective dsDNA-coupled plate (dcPlate) was developed in our lab for this purpose. In this paper, the assay conditions of such dcPlate were fully optimized for detecting an important transcription factor, NF-kappaB. The optimized parameters of dcPlate for assay of NF-kappaB were as follows: immobilized DNA probe at the concentration of 25 pmol/100 microL-well, incubation time of 90 min for NF-kappaB binding to dcPlate, primary and secondary antibody concentration of 0.

An improved gel-based DNA microarray method for detecting single nucleotide mismatch.

3-D polyacrylamide gel-based DNA microarray platforms provide a high capacity for nucleic acids immobilization and a solution-mimicking environment for hybridization. However, several technological bottlenecks still remain in these platforms, such as difficult microarray preparation and high fluorescent background, which limit their application. In this study, two new approaches have been developed to improve the convenience in microarray preparation and to reduce the background after hybridization.

A method for fabricating uni-dsDNA microarray chip for analyzing DNA-binding proteins.

This paper describes an approach for preparing unimolecular double-stranded DNA (uni-dsDNA) microarray chip. In this method, the various target oligonucleotides containing a reverse complementary sequence at 5' end were firstly annealed to a same universal oligonucleotide with amino group at 5' end and immobilized on aldehyde-derivatized glass slide. An on-chip DNA polymerization reaction was then performed to elongate the universal oligonucleotides.

Cell detection based on protein array using modified glass slides.

A protein array for cell detection was fabricated by spotting different antibodies on modified glass slides. Glass slides were modified to allow antibodies to be immobilized on it and to selectively bind antigens. Antibodies were specially selected with the cells to be detected as targets, which permitted target cells in samples to bind specifically to the array with little nonspecific binding.

Hyper-Rayleigh scattering of protein-modified gold nanoparticles.

The nonlinear optical properties of protein-modified gold nanoparticles has been studied by the hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) technique. HRS signals from the nanoparticles coated with goat-anti-human IgG have been obtained when pumped with a laser pulse with a wavelength of 1064 nm. The HRS signals of gold nanoparticles with IgG were larger than those of bare gold nanoparticles.

Evaluating the binding affinities of NF-kappaB p50 homodimer to the wild-type and single-nucleotide mutant Ig-kappaB sites by the unimolecular dsDNA microarray.

This study investigated the binding affinities of NF-kappaB p50 homodimer to the wild-type and single-nucleotide mutant Ig-kappaB sites by the unimolecular dsDNA microarray which was fabricated with a novel scheme. The importance of each nucleotide of Ig-kappaB site for the sequence-specific p50p50/Ig-kappaB interaction was thus evaluated. The results demonstrate that the nucleotides at different positions contribute differently to the p50p50/Ig-kappaB binding interaction.