Serum homocysteine levels as a predictor of neurosyphilis among HIV-negative syphilis patients: A single-center retrospective study.

This study investigates the differences in peripheral blood parameters between patients with non-neurosyphilis and neurosyphilis, aiming to identify potential serum biomarkers to predict the occurrence of neurosyphilis and avoid unnecessary lumbar punctures. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 110 HIV-negative syphilis patients in this study. We found that the serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels in the non-neurosyphilis group, asymptomatic neurosyphilis group, and symptomatic neurosyphilis group were 12.

Electroacupuncture modulates abnormal brain connectivity after ischemia reperfusion injury in rats: A graph theory-based approach.

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to facilitate brain plasticity-related functional recovery following ischemic stroke. The functional magnetic resonance imaging technique can be used to determine the range and mode of brain activation. After stroke, EA has been shown to alter brain connectivity, whereas EA's effect on brain network topology properties remains unclear.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel benzimidazole derivatives as anti-cervical cancer agents through PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and tubulin inhibition.

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is one of the most attractive therapeutic targets for cervical cancer treatment. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of benzimidazole derivatives and evaluated their anti-cervical cancer activity. Compound 4r exhibited strong antiproliferative activity in different cervical cancer cell lines HeLa, SiHa and Ca Ski, and relative lower cytotoxicity to normal hepatic and renal cell lines LO2 and HEK-293t (IC values were at 21.

Mechanism of the toxic effects of tetracycline on blood meal digestion in Haemaphysalis longicornis.

The extensive utilization of antibiotics in the field of animal husbandry gives rise to various concerns pertaining to the environment and human health. Here, we demonstrate that the administration of tetracycline impedes blood meal digestion in the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis. Tissue sectioning, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and transcriptome sequencing of the midgut were employed to elucidate the mechanism underlying tetracycline toxicity.

[Role of Flow Cytometry in the Diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia].

Objective: To analyze the immunological phenotype of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and explore its characteristics and significance.

Methods: The immunophenotypes of 40 CML children and 40 controls were analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry. CD45/SSC, as the basic gate, was used to delineate neutrophils.

Focal ischemic stroke modifies microglia-derived exosomal miRNAs: potential role of mir-212-5p in neuronal protection and functional recovery.

Background: Ischemic stroke is a severe type of stroke with high disability and mortality rates. In recent years, microglial exosome-derived miRNAs have been shown to be promising candidates for the treatment of ischemic brain injury and exert neuroprotective effects. Mechanisms underlying miRNA dysregulation in ischemic stroke are still being explored.

Tetracycline inhibits tick host reproduction by modulating bacterial microbiota, gene expression and metabolism levels.

Background: Ticks are disease vectors that are a matter of worldwide concern. Antibiotic treatments have been used to explore the interactions between ticks and their symbiotic microorganisms. In addition to altering the host microbial community, antibiotics can have toxic effects on the host.

Clinical characteristics of severe influenza virus-associated pneumonia complicated with bacterial infection in children: a retrospective analysis.

Background: We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of severe influenza virus-associated pneumonia complicated with bacterial infection in children.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed data concerning 64 paediatric patients with severe influenza virus-associated pneumonia who had been treated at our hospital. The patients were divided into observation (44 patients) and control (20 patients) groups, based on the presence or absence of concomitant bacterial infection, and clinical data were compared between the groups.

Use of 3D-printing cerebral aneurysm model assisting microcatheter shaping in neurovascular intervention technique training.

Background: Microcatheter shaping plays a vital role in coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms, while the complicated method and insufficient training opportunities make it difficult for junior neurovascular clinicians to master this technique. In this program, we constructed a novel training method and assessment system for microcatheter shaping in coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms with 3D technique, and evaluated its efficacy for microcatheter shaping training in junior neurovascular clinicians.

Methods: Patient-specific models for cerebral aneurysms in different locations and with different morphologies were selected by experienced senior neurovascular clinicians.

Microstructural changes of white matter assessed with diffusional kurtosis imaging in extremely preterm infants with severe intraventricular hemorrhage.

Objective: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a serious neurological complication in premature infants. This study aimed to investigate the white matter impairments and neurodevelopmental outcomes of severe IVH in extremely preterm infants with gestation age less than 28 weeks.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the extremely preterm infants between 2017 and 2020.

Cerebral F-fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism alteration of reward- and motivation-related regions in groups of different BMI classifications.

Objective: This study explored the relationship between BMI and regional cerebral glucose metabolism and explicitly detected regions with significant differences in cerebral metabolism using positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging in the resting state.

Methods: Corresponding PET images acquired from 220 participants were sorted into four groups according to Asian BMI standards: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was performed to assess the association between BMI and standard uptake value.

Alteration of brain functional networks induced by electroacupuncture stimulation in rats with ischemia-reperfusion: An independent component analysis.

Motor dysfunction is the major sequela of ischemic stroke. Motor recovery after stroke has been shown to be associated with remodeling of large-scale brain networks, both functionally and structurally. Electroacupuncture (EA) is a traditional Chinese medicine application that has frequently been recommended as an alternative therapy for ischemic stroke and is reportedly effective for alleviating motor symptoms in patients.

Growth dynamics and tissue localization of a Coxiella-like endosymbiont in the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis.

A Coxiella-like endosymbiont (Coxiella-LE hereinafter) stably infects and influences Haemaphysalis longicornis development, indicating a mutualistic relationship of Coxiella-LE and ticks. To further elucidate the patterns of growth dynamics and tissue localization of Coxiella-LE in H. longicornis, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used in this study.

Brain Function and Upper Limb Deficit in Stroke With Motor Execution and Imagery: A Cross-Sectional Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Background: Motor imagery training might be helpful in stroke rehabilitation. This study explored if a specific modulation of movement-related regions is related to motor imagery (MI) ability.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with subcortical stroke and 21 age-matched controls were recruited.

Bacterial microbiota analysis demonstrates that ticks can acquire bacteria from habitat and host blood meal.

Ticks have a diversity of habitats and host blood meals. Whether and how factors such as tick developmental stages, habitats and host blood meals affect tick bacterial microbiota is poorly elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the bacterial microbiotas of the hard tick Haemaphysalis longicornis, their blood meals and habitats using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing.

Nuclear Aurora kinase A switches mA reader YTHDC1 to enhance an oncogenic RNA splicing of tumor suppressor RBM4.

Aberrant RNA splicing produces alternative isoforms of genes to facilitate tumor progression, yet how this process is regulated by oncogenic signal remains largely unknown. Here, we unveil that non-canonical activation of nuclear AURKA promotes an oncogenic RNA splicing of tumor suppressor RBM4 directed by mA reader YTHDC1 in lung cancer. Nuclear translocation of AURKA is a prerequisite for RNA aberrant splicing, specifically triggering RBM4 splicing from the full isoform (RBM4-FL) to the short isoform (RBM4-S) in a kinase-independent manner.

Cerebral Metabolic Analysis of Patients With Colorectal Cancer and Chronic Enteritis: Inquiry Into Gut-Brain Crosstalk.

Gut-brain crosstalk has been demonstrated previously. However, brain metabolic patterns of colorectal cancer and chronic enteritis remain unclear. A better understanding of gut-brain crosstalk from a radiological perspective is necessary.

Autophagy-based unconventional secretion of HMGB1 in glioblastoma promotes chemosensitivity to temozolomide through macrophage M1-like polarization.

Background: Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common and highly malignant brain tumor characterized by aggressive growth and resistance to alkylating chemotherapy. Autophagy induction is one of the hallmark effects of anti-GB therapies with temozolomide (TMZ). However, the non-classical form of autophagy, autophagy-based unconventional secretion, also called secretory autophagy and its role in regulating the sensitivity of GB to TMZ remains unclear.

Alteration of the Individual Metabolic Network of the Brain Based on Jensen-Shannon Divergence Similarity Estimation in Elderly Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The aim of this study was to investigate the interactive effect between aging and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on brain glucose metabolism, individual metabolic connectivity, and network properties. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, 83 patients with T2DM (40 elderly and 43 middle-aged) and 69 sex-matched healthy control subjects (HCs) (34 elderly and 35 middle-aged) underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance scanning. Jensen-Shannon divergence was applied to construct individual metabolic connectivity and networks.

Electroacupuncture treatment improves motor function and neurological outcomes after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been widely used for functional restoration after stroke. However, its role in post-stroke rehabilitation and the associated regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we applied EA to the Zusanli (ST36) and Quchi (LI11) acupoints in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion.

Brain Structural Changes in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Patients: From the Perspectives of Structural Connectivity and Structural Covariance Network.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common peripheral entrapment neuropathy. However, CTS-related changes of brain structural covariance and structural covariance networks (SCNs) patterns have not been clearly studied.

Objective: To explore CTS-related brain changes from perspectives of structural connectivity and SCNs.

Effective connectivity decreases in specific brain networks with postparalysis facial synkinesis: a dynamic causal modeling study.

Currently, the treatments for postparalysis facial synkinesis are still inadequate. However, neuroimaging mechanistic studies are very limited and blurred. Instead of mapping activation regions, we were devoted to characterizing the organizational features of brain regions to develop new targets for therapeutic intervention.

Protective Effect of Penetratin Analogue-Tagged SOD1 on Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity through Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and JNK/p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway.

Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) can clear cisplatin- (CP-) induced excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), but exogenous SOD1 cannot enter cells because of its low biomembrane permeability. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can rapidly cross plasma membranes. This study is aimed at identifying an efficient and stable CPP-SOD1 and investigating its effects on CP-induced nephrotoxicity.

Clinical features and prognostic impact of TCF3-PBX1 in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A single-center retrospective study of 837 patients from China.

Objectives: Conflicting data have been published regarding the prognostic impact of the t(1;19)/TCF3-PBX1 translocation in childhood ALL. The objective of this study was to explore the correlation between the TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene and clinical outcome in Chinese children with newly diagnosed ALL.

Methods: In order to address this issue in our setting, we summarized and analyzed the data of 837 Chinese children with ALL diagnosed between 2010 and 2017.