[Diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy Using Western Blot with Micro-sample of Muscle].

Objective: To diagnose muscular dystrophy using Western blot (WB) by improving the method of the protein extraction.

Method: Firstly,we compared the effect of different sample buffer solutions and processing Methods on the extraction of muscle protein in rats,then selected the appropriate extracting method and the process of the muscular protein.

Results: We put the selected sample buffer into the micro-sample,then mixed.

Comment.

This comment deals with issues related to the article by Chen, Zeng, and Kosorok. We present several potential modifications of the outcome weighted learning approach. Those modifications are based on truncated loss.

[Correlation between CT image presentations and biochemical indexes in adrenal adenomas and pheochromocytomas].

Objective: To investigate the correlation between CT image presentations and biochemical indexes in adrenal adenomas and pheochromocytomas.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the CT features, cortisol rhythm, supine and orthostatic hypertension and 24-h urine methoxy in 209 patients with benign adrenal tumors. The relationship between CT findings and the biochemical indexes were analyzed in patients with different benign adrenal tumors.

[Clinical features of microscopic polyangiitis associated with peripheral neuropathy].

Objective: To analyze clinical features of patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) associated with peripheral neuropathy (PN).

Methods: The clinical data of 37 (44.6%) hospitalized MPA patients associated with PN in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2008 to January 2014 was retrospectively analyzed, using the rest 46 hospitalized MPA patients without PN as control.

Receptor-Mediated Drug Delivery Systems Targeting to Glioma.

Glioma has been considered to be the most frequent primary tumor within the central nervous system (CNS). The complexity of glioma, especially the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), makes the survival and prognosis of glioma remain poor even after a standard treatment based on surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. This provides a rationale for the development of some novel therapeutic strategies.

Sonoclot coagulation analysis: a useful tool to predict mortality in overt disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) contributes to high mortality. The study was performed to investigate Sonoclot as a potential predictor of 30-day survival in overt DIC. This cohort included 237 consecutive critically ill patients with overt DIC, admitted to a 15-bed multidisciplinary ICU between July 2010 and July 2013.

TKD peptide as a ligand targeting drug delivery systems to memHsp70-positive breast cancer.

Breast cancer has been considered as a serious threat to females' life. Active targeting drug delivery is a potential strategy in cancer therapy, which however is hindered by the targeting efficiency. Herein, a 14-mer peptide (TKD) derived from the oligomerization domain of membrane heat-shock protein 70 (memHsp70), for the first time, was exploited as a tumor-targeting ligand to modify polymeric micelles.

Determination of oligosaccharides and monosaccharides in Hakka rice wine by precolumn derivation high-performance liquid chromatography.

This article presents a precolumn derivatization procedure with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) reagent to detect oligosaccharides and monosaccharides in Hakka rice wine. The subsequent separation of the derivatized glucose-PMP also was performed using a mobile phase consisting of the molar ratio of acetonitrile to ammonium acetate buffer (0.1M) of 22:78 at a flow rate of 1.

Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres Featured Fluorescent Aptasensor for Multiple Diagnosis of Cancer in Vitro and in Vivo.

Multiple diagnosis of cancer by a facile fluorescent sensor is extremely attractive. Herein, a Cy3-labeled ssDNA probe (P0-Cy3) was π-π stacked on the surface of oxidized mesoporous carbon nanospheres (OMCN) to construct the fluorescent "turn-on" aptasensor. Attributing to the intrinsic properties of OMCN, the OMCN-based aptasensor not only can be used to detect mucin1 protein in liquid with a wide range of 0.

Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in patients admitted for acute heart failure: results from the RELAX-AHF study.

Background: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) was found to be upregulated in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and associated with disease severity, however, data on patients with acute heart failure (AHF) is lacking.

Methods And Results: Levels of GDF-15 were measured at pre-specified time-points (baseline and at days 2, 5, 14, and 60) in patients enrolled in the placebo-controlled RELAXin in Acute Heart Failure (RELAX-AHF) study, which examined the effect of serelaxin in 1161 patients with AHF, systolic blood pressure >125 mmHg, and mild to moderate renal impairment. Neither baseline nor changes in GDF-15 were associated with the degree of dyspnoea or dyspnoea relief.

[The natural history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia I and the clinical significance of p16(INK4a) protein as a marker of progression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia I].

Objective: To describe the natural history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I and the biologic factors associated with the progression of CIN I and to analyze the predictive values of p16(INK4a) protein for the progression of CIN I.

Methods: From August 2010 to July 2013, 104 patients referred for abnormal cytology [≤ low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL); including negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), LSIL] and high-risk (HR) HPV positive, and were diagnosed CIN I by colposcopy-assisted biopsy and followed at 1-year intervals in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. In order to analyze the relationship between the progression of CIN I with clinical biologic factors, including patient age, cervical cytology before colposcopy, loads of HR HPV, HPV L1 capsid protein, p16(INK4a) protein, χ(2) tests was used to compare the different frequencies of factors in groups of progressed and persisted/regressed CIN I, then five factors with progressed CIN I were processed into binary logistic regression analysis.

Dual-energy CT angiography for the diagnosis of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical utility of dual-source dual-energy CT angiography (DSDECTA) for diagnosing intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF).

Methods: Nine intracranial DAVF patients were examined using Siemens DSDECTA and cerebral digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Imaging data were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the concordance between the imaging modalities.

Bleeding Risk and Antithrombotic Strategy in Patients With Sinus Rhythm and Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Treated With Warfarin or Aspirin.

We sought to assess the performance of existing bleeding risk scores, such as the Hypertension, Abnormal Renal/Liver Function, Stroke, Bleeding History or Predisposition, Labile INR, Elderly, Drugs/Alcohol Concomitantly (HAS-BLED) score or the Outpatient Bleeding Risk Index (OBRI), in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in sinus rhythm (SR) treated with warfarin or aspirin. We calculated HAS-BLED and OBRI risk scores for 2,305 patients with HFrEF in SR enrolled in the Warfarin versus Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction trial. Proportional hazards models were used to test whether each score predicted major bleeding, and comparison of different risk scores was performed using Harell C-statistic and net reclassification improvement index.

Gpr97 Is Dispensable for Inflammation in OVA-Induced Asthmatic Mice.

Background: Asthma is a complex inflammatory disorder involving the activation and invasion of various immune cells. GPR97 is highly expressed in some immunocytes, including mast cells and eosinophils, which play critical roles in asthma development. However, the role of Gpr97 in regulating airway inflammation in asthma has rarely been reported.

Dramatic Enhancement of Power Conversion Efficiency in Polymer Solar Cells by Conjugating Very Low Ratio of Triplet Iridium Complexes to PTB7.

Various low ratios of triplet iridium complexes (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2.

Atomic-Oxygen-Durable and Electrically-Conductive CNT-POSS-Polyimide Flexible Films for Space Applications.

In low Earth orbit (LEO), hazards such as atomic oxygen (AO) or electrostatic discharge (ESD) degrade polymeric materials, specifically, the extensively used polyimide (PI) Kapton. We prepared PI-based nanocomposite films that show both AO durability and ESD protection by incorporating polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and carbon nanotube (CNT) additives. The unique methods that are reported prevent CNT agglomeration and degradation of the CNT properties that are common in dispersion-based processes.

Quality of anticoagulation control in preventing adverse events in patients with heart failure in sinus rhythm: Warfarin versus Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction trial substudy.

Background: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between time in the therapeutic range (TTR) and clinical outcomes in heart failure patients in sinus rhythm treated with warfarin.

Methods And Results: We used data from the Warfarin versus Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction (WARCEF) trial to assess the relationship of TTR with the WARCEF primary outcome (ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or death), with death alone, ischemic stroke alone, major hemorrhage alone, and net clinical benefit (primary outcome and major hemorrhage combined). Multivariable Cox models were used to examine how the event risk changed with TTR and to compare the high TTR, low TTR, and aspirin-treated patients, with TTR being treated as a time-dependent covariate.

Isoflurane induced cognitive impairment in aged rats through hippocampal calcineurin/NFAT signaling.

Calcineurin (CaN) over-activation constrains synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Upon CaN activation, NFAT imports into the nucleus and guides its downstream genes, which also affect neuronal and synaptic function. Aberrant CaN/NFAT signaling involves in neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, but its role in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) remains uninvestigated.

Immunotoxin targeting glypican-3 regresses liver cancer via dual inhibition of Wnt signalling and protein synthesis.

Glypican-3 is a cell surface glycoprotein that associates with Wnt in liver cancer. We develop two antibodies targeting glypican-3, HN3 and YP7. The first antibody recognizes a functional epitope and inhibits Wnt signalling, whereas the second antibody recognizes a C-terminal epitope but does not inhibit Wnt signalling.

Molecular characterization of RIG-I, STAT-1 and IFN-beta in the horseshoe bat.

Wild Chinese horseshoe bats have been proven to be natural reservoirs of SARS-like coronaviruses. However, the molecular characterization of key proteins in bats still needs to be explored further. In this study, we used cloning and bioinformatics to analyze the sequence of RIG-I, STAT-1 and IFN-β in the immortalized cell lines from Rhinolophus affinis and Rhinolophus sinicus.

An adaptive resampling test for detecting the presence of significant predictors.

This paper investigates marginal screening for detecting the presence of significant predictors in high-dimensional regression. Screening large numbers of predictors is a challenging problem due to the non-standard limiting behavior of post-model-selected estimators. There is a common misconception that the oracle property for such estimators is a panacea, but the oracle property only holds away from the null hypothesis of interest in marginal screening.

Cognitive function in ambulatory patients with systolic heart failure: insights from the warfarin versus aspirin in reduced cardiac ejection fraction (WARCEF) trial.

We sought to determine whether cognitive function in stable outpatients with heart failure (HF) is affected by HF severity. A retrospective, cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from 2, 043 outpatients with systolic HF and without prior stroke enrolled in the Warfarin versus Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction (WARCEF) Trial. Multivariable regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between cognitive function measured using the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) and markers of HF severity (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class, and 6-minute walk distance).

Dynamic treatment regimes: technical challenges and applications.

Dynamic treatment regimes are of growing interest across the clinical sciences because these regimes provide one way to operationalize and thus inform sequential personalized clinical decision making. Formally, a dynamic treatment regime is a sequence of decision rules, one per stage of clinical intervention. Each decision rule maps up-to-date patient information to a recommended treatment.

Recurrent stroke in the warfarin versus aspirin in reduced cardiac ejection fraction (WARCEF) trial.

Background And Purpose: WARCEF randomized 2,305 patients in sinus rhythm with ejection fraction (EF) ≤ 35% to warfarin (INR 2.0-3.5) or aspirin 325 mg.