Study on the relationship between hyperthyroidism and vascular endothelial cell damage.

The aim of the research is to explore the relationship between hyperthyroidism, iodine, antithyroid drugs (propylthiouracil) and vascular endothelial injury. In total, 136 SD rats were randomly allocated into the control group, the hyperthyroidism group, the hyperthyroidism propylthiouracil group, the hyperthyroidism low iodine group, the high iodine group, and the endothelial injury group. Rats were raised for 60 days.

Exogenous obestatin decreases beta-cell apoptosis and alfa-cell proliferation in high fat diet and streptozotocin induced type 2 diabetic rats.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by progressive decrease of islet cell function. Delaying the process of islet failure remains a challenging goal in diabetes care. Previous studies have confirmed the role of obestatin, a gut peptide that belongs to ghrelin family, in the mediation of glucose metabolism.

Dual-Stimuli Responsive Bismuth Nanoraspberries for Multimodal Imaging and Combined Cancer Therapy.

Development of stimuli-responsive theranostics is of great importance for precise cancer diagnosis and treatment. Herein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) modified bismuth nanoraspberries (Bi-BSA NRs) are developed as cancer theranostic agents for multimodal imaging and chemo-photothermal combination therapy. The Bi-BSA NRs are synthesized in aqueous phase via a facile reduction method using BiO nanospheres as the sacrificial template.

Liquid Exfoliation of Colloidal Rhenium Disulfide Nanosheets as a Multifunctional Theranostic Agent for In Vivo Photoacoustic/CT Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.

Near-infrared light-mediated theranostic agents with superior tissue penetration and minimal invasion have captivated researchers in cancer research in the past decade. Herein, a probe sonication-assisted liquid exfoliation approach for scalable and continual synthesis of colloidal rhenium disulfide nanosheets, which is further explored as theranostic agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy, is reported. Due to high-Z element of Re (Z = 75) and significant photoacoustic effect, the obtained PVP-capped ReS nanosheets are evaluated as bimodality contrast agents for computed tomography and photoacoustic imaging.

Natural Humic-Acid-Based Phototheranostic Agent.

Humic acids, a major constituent of natural organic carbon resources, are naturally formed through the microbial biodegradation of animal and plant residues. Due to numerous physiologically active groups (phenol, carboxyl, and quinone), the biomedical applications of humic acid have been already investigated across different cultures for several centuries or even longer. In this work, sodium humate, the sodium salt of humic acid, is explored as phototheranostic agent for light-induced photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy based on intrinsic absorption in the near-infrared region.

Multimodal Imaging-Guided Antitumor Photothermal Therapy and Drug Delivery Using Bismuth Selenide Spherical Sponge.

Elaborately designed biocompatible nanoplatforms simultaneously having diverse therapeutic and imaging functions are highly desired for biomedical applications. Herein, a BiSe nanoagent with a special morphology as a nanoscale spherical sponge (NSS) has been fabricated and investigated in vitro and in vivo. The highly porous NSS exhibits strong, steady, and broad-band absorbance in the near-infrared range as well as high efficiency and stability of photothermal conversion, resulting in high antitumor efficacy for photothermal therapy (PTT).

Highly porous PEGylated Bi2S3 nano-urchins as a versatile platform for in vivo triple-modal imaging, photothermal therapy and drug delivery.

Biocompatible single-component nanoplatforms simultaneously integrating multiple therapeutic functions with multiple imaging modes are desirable for anticancer treatments. Herein, elaborately-designed highly porous PEGylated bismuth sulfide nano-urchins (Bi2S3-PEG NUs) have been successfully synthesized by using Bi2O3 nanospheres as the sacrificial template via the hydrothermal process. It is demonstrated that the Bi2S3-PEG NUs possess high compatibility, stability, X-ray attenuation ability, near-infrared (NIR) absorbance and photothermal conversion capability, without noticeable toxicity.

Analysis of Specific IgE Level in 1,215 Patients with Allergic Diseases in Harbin, China.

Background: As the incidence of allergic diseases increases, the detection of serum-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) becomes important for the diagnosis and management of allergic disease. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of sIgE level in north east Chinese patients with allergic disease and provide more information for rational use of the sIgE results

Methods: A total of 1,215 patients with positive allergens by an sIgE assay were enrolled from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, China. Serum levels of sIgE to fourteen allergens were detected by AllergyScreen.

Analysis of total immunoglobulin E and specific immunoglobulin E of 3,721 patients with allergic disease.

Due to the increase in the prevalence and incidence of allergic diseases, improving the sensitivity and specificity of screening indexes is critical. Total immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a traditional index for judging allergic diseases, while its specificity is relatively poor. Serum-specific IgE (sIgE) is an objective index with high specificity in the diagnosis of allergic diseases.

Intraportal infusion of ghrelin could inhibit glucose-stimulated GLP-1 secretion by enteric neural net in Wistar rat.

As a regulator of food intake and energy metabolism, the role of ghrelin in glucose metabolism is still not fully understood. In this study, we determined the in vivo effect of ghrelin on incretin effect. We demonstrated that ghrelin inhibited the glucose-stimulated release of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) when infused into the portal vein of Wistar rat.

Hashimoto encephalopathy associated with hyperthyroidism: A case report.

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is an acute encephalopathy associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The majority of reported cases have been associated with hypothyroidism, while cases with hyperthyroidism are rare. The current study reported on a 56-year old female patient with HE, who was found to have progressively aggregated dysarthria, gait disturbance, somniloquy and delirium.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic characteristics in a northeast province of China--men who have sex with men have made a tremendous contribution to the growth of the HIV epidemic.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics and trends of the HIV epidemic in Heilongjiang province of China between 1993 and 2012.

Methods: Data from the provincial surveillance system for HIV infections and AIDS were reviewed. Local health staff reviewed medical records, including dates of HIV/AIDS diagnoses and deaths, exposure category, treatment, laboratory testing, and demographics.

Subtype B was the dominant strain among HIV type 1 infections except for the population of men who have sex with men in Harbin City, China.

We sought to identify the prevalent subtypes and study the genetic variation of HIV-1 circulating in HIV infections in Harbin City, China. Forty-seven samples from the env V3-V4 region were successfully sequenced and analyzed, which involved thirty-one men who have sex with men (MSM), eight heterosexuals, seven former plasma donors (FPD)/blood transfusion recipients (BT), and one injection drug user (IDU). In all, 46.