Functional mapping of the auditory tract in rodent tinnitus model using manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Animal models of salicylate-induced tinnitus have demonstrated that salicylate modulates neuronal activity in several brain structures leading to neuronal hyperactivity in auditory and non-auditory brain areas. In addition, these animal tinnitus models indicate that tinnitus can be a perceptual consequence of altered spontaneous neural activity along the auditory pathway. Peripheral and/or central effects of salicylate can account for neuronal activity changes in salicylate-induced tinnitus.

ShRNA targeting Bmi-1 sensitizes CD44⁺ nasopharyngeal cancer stem-like cells to radiotherapy.

Accumulating evidence indicates that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in resistance to radiation therapy (RT). Bmi-1, a member of the Polycomb family of transcriptional repressors, is essential for maintaining the self-renewal abilities of stem cells and overexpression of Bmi-1 correlates with cancer therapy failure. Our previous study identified that the CD44+ nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) cells may be assumed as one of markers of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cancer stem cell-like cells (CSC-LCs) and Bmi-1 is overexpressed in CD44+ NPC.

Cardioprotective effects of the Ιf current inhibition by ivabradine during cardiac dysfunction.

Heart rate is a fundamental determinant of cardiac function. Normally, the increase in heart rate is accompanied by increased cardiac function. But under pathological conditions such as myocardial infarction and heart failure, accelerated heart rate may become detrimental as it decreases the diastolic time for left ventricular filling and myocardial perfusion but increases left ventricular myocardial oxygen demand.

Suppression of inhibitor formation against FVIII in a murine model of hemophilia A by oral delivery of antigens bioencapsulated in plant cells.

Hemophilia A is the X-linked bleeding disorder caused by deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). To address serious complications of inhibitory antibody formation in current replacement therapy, we created tobacco transplastomic lines expressing FVIII antigens, heavy chain (HC) and C2, fused with the transmucosal carrier, cholera toxin B subunit. Cholera toxin B-HC and cholera toxin B-C2 fusion proteins expressed up to 80 or 370 µg/g in fresh leaves, assembled into pentameric forms, and bound to GM1 receptors.

Clinical features and outcomes of 210 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lethal chronic interstitial lung disease (ILD) of unknown cause and having a variable and unpredictable course. This study aimed to summarize the clinical features and follow-up outcomes and to identify potential factors useful for the assessment of prognosis in IPF.

Methods: Two hundred and ten patients hospitalized and diagnosed as IPF in our unit from January 1999 to June 2007 were enrolled into this study.

Discoidin domain receptor 2 facilitates prostate cancer bone metastasis via regulating parathyroid hormone-related protein.

Prostate cancer frequently metastasizes to the skeleton but the underlying mechanism remains largely undefined. Discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) is a member of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family and is activated by collagen binding. This study aimed to investigate the function and detailed mechanism of DDR2 in prostate cancer bone dissemination.

Investigating the role of oriented nucleus in polymer shish-kebab crystal growth via phase-field method.

The phase-field method has been developed to simulate the shish-kebab crystal growth in polymer crystallization by introducing the oriented nucleus. With the help of this developed phase-field model, the role of oriented nucleus in polymer shish-kebab crystal growth has been investigated. It appears that the growth mechanisms of shish-kebab crystal on a preformed oriented nucleus may be attributed to epitaxial growth and lattice match.

Ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b acts as a negative regulator in discoidin domain receptor 2 signaling via modulation of its stability.

Discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2), a collagen receptor tyrosine kinase, initiates signal transduction upon collagen binding, but little is known as to how DDR2 signaling is negatively regulated. Herein we demonstrate that Cbl family member Cbl-b predominantly promotes the ubiquitination of DDR2 upon collagen II stimulation. Cbl-b-mediated ubiquitination accelerates the degradation of activated DDR2.

Overexpression of DDR2 contributes to cell invasion and migration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background Discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) is a unique receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that is activated by fibrillar collagens. Although DDR2 contributes to the metastasis of some tumors, its role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression level, clinical and pathological significance, and biologic function of DDR2 in HNSCC.

Lattice Boltzmann method coupled with the Oldroyd-B constitutive model for a viscoelastic fluid.

We developed a lattice Boltzmann method coupled with the Oldroyd-B constitutive equation to simulate a viscoelastic fluid. In this work, the flow field of the solvent is solved using an incompressible lattice Boltzmann Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) model, while the advection operator of the polymer stress tensor is directly calculated with the help of the particle distribution functions. Specifically, we present a numerical scheme for the advection of the polymer stress tensor through the truncation of second-order Taylor expansion, which does not need to introduce the extra distribution functions and has better numerical accuracy.

A host deficiency of discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) inhibits both tumour angiogenesis and metastasis.

Discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) is a unique receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that signals in response to collagen binding and is implicated in tumour malignant phenotypes such as invasion and metastasis. Although it has been reported that DDR2 expression is up-regulated in activated endothelial cells (ECs), functional studies are lacking. Herein, we found that enforced expression of DDR2 promoted proliferation, migration and tube formation of primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

A Case of Mycobacterium kansasii Pulmonary Disease Presenting as Endobronchial Lesions in HIV-Infected Patient.

Incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) pulmonary disease is increasing with the wider recognition and development of diagnostic technology. Mycobacterium kansasii is the second most common pathogen of NTM pulmonary disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. However in Korea, the incidence of M.

Structural and electrical properties of ZnO films deposited with low-temperature facing targets magnetron sputtering (FTS) system with changes in H2 and O2 flow rate.

ZnO has been studied as a strong candidate for high-quality TCO in accordance with increasing demand to replace ITO. The origin of n-doping in ZnO is not clearly understood, but recently, the H2 effect has received attention due to the role it plays in O-rich and O-poor conditions. In spite of recent rapid developments, controlling the electrical conductivity of ZnO has remained a major challenge.

Functional clay supported bimetallic nZVI/Pd nanoparticles used for removal of methyl orange from aqueous solution.

Bentonite supported Fe/Pd nanoparticles (B/nZVI/Pd) were synthesized as composites that exhibit functionalities assisting in the removal of methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution. The results showed that 91.87% of MO was removed using B/nZVI/Pd, while only 85% and 1.

Combined information from resting-state functional connectivity and passive movements with functional magnetic resonance imaging differentiates fast late-onset motor recovery from progressive recovery in hemiplegic stroke patients: a pilot study.

Objective: To investigate the value of combining information from resting-state functional connectivity and passive movements, measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in acute stroke patients with severe motor impairment.

Subjects: Eight patients with severe left upper limb motor impairment underwent a passive movement task with fMRI and resting-state fMRI, 3 weeks following stroke onset. According to the patterns of motor recovery, patients were divided into groups with, respectively, good or poor motor recovery.

Decreased brain volumes in manganese-exposed welders.

Background: A great deal of research has been devoted to identifying subclinical functional brain abnormalities in manganese (Mn)-exposed welders. However, no previous study has investigated morphological brain abnormalities, such as changes in brain volume, in welders. This study evaluates morphological changes in brain volume among welders, and investigates the relationship between structural brain abnormalities and subclinical dysfunction in this population.

Intratympanic manganese administration revealed sound intensity and frequency dependent functional activity in rat auditory pathway.

The cochlear plays a vital role in the sense and sensitivity of hearing; however, there is currently a lack of knowledge regarding the relationships between mechanical transduction of sound at different intensities and frequencies in the cochlear and the neurochemical processes that lead to neuronal responses in the central auditory system. In the current study, we introduced manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI), a convenient in vivo imaging method, for investigation of how sound, at different intensities and frequencies, is propagated from the cochlear to the central auditory system. Using MEMRI with intratympanic administration, we demonstrated differential manganese signal enhancements according to sound intensity and frequencies in the ascending auditory pathway of the rat after administration of intratympanic MnCl2.

AT1 blockade abolishes left ventricular hypertrophy in heterozygous cMyBP-C null mice: role of FHL1.

This research investigated the impact of angiotensin AT1 receptor (Agtr1) blockade on left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in a mouse model of human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which carries one functional allele of Mybpc3 gene coding cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C). Five-month-old heterozygous cMyBP-C knockout (Het-KO) and wild-type mice were treated with irbesartan (50 mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 8 weeks. Arterial blood pressure was measured by tail cuff plethysmography.

Different cross-talk sites between the renin-angiotensin and the kallikrein-kinin systems.

Targeting the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) constitutes a major advance in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Evidence indicates that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin AT1 receptor blockers act on both the RAS and the kallikrein-kinin system (KKS). In addition to the interaction between the RAS and KKS at the level of angiotensin-converting enzyme catalyzing both angiotensin II generation and bradykinin degradation, the RAS and KKS also interact at other levels: 1) prolylcarboxypeptidase, an angiotensin II inactivating enzyme and a prekallikrein activator; 2) kallikrein, a kinin-generating and prorenin-activating enzyme; 3) angiotensin-(1-7) exerts kininlike effects and potentiates the effects of bradykinin; and 4) the angiotensin AT1 receptor forms heterodimers with the bradykinin B2 receptor.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis mimicking primary lung cancer with multiple lung metastases.

Cryptococcosis is an invasive fungal infection, which is more common in immunocompromised patients. However, pulmonary cryptococcosis can occur in immunocompetent patients and should be considered on a differential diagnosis for nodular or mass-like lesions in chest radiograph. Recently, we experienced a patient with pulmonary cryptococcosis, successfully treated with oral fluconazole therapy.

Limited T cell receptor repertoire diversity in tuberculosis patients correlates with clinical severity.

Background: The importance of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in protection against tuberculosis (TB) is well known, however, the association between changes to the T cell repertoire and disease presentation has never been analyzed. Characterization of T-cells in TB patients in previous study only analyzed the TCR β chain and omitted analysis of the Vα family even though α chain also contribute to antigen recognition. Furthermore, limited information is available regarding the heterogeneity compartment and overall function of the T cells in TB patients as well as the common TCR structural features of Mtb antigen specific T cells among the vast numbers of TB patients.

[Bronchiectasis combined with primary hyperfibrinolysis: report of two cases].

T Hemoptysis is a common complication of bronchiectasis, but concurrent primary hyperfibrinolysis is very rare and easily gives rise to missed diagnosis. Patients with bronchiectasis complicated by primary hyperfibrinolysis do not respond to regular treatment for hemoptysis, which may potential cause fatal consequences. We report two cases of bronchiectasis combined with primary hyperfibrinolysis.

Immunoglobulin-specific responses to Chlamydia elementary bodies in individuals with and at risk for genital chlamydial infection.

Renewed interest in chlamydia vaccination has revealed the need for a greater understanding of the seroprevalence of chlamydial infection in US populations. We used a Chlamydia trachomatis elementary body (EB)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to define the characteristics of the humoral immune response and to determine seroprevalence. Two groups were analyzed: one consisting of patients with current, laboratory confirmed, genital chlamydial infection (n = 98) and one group of individuals whose chlamydia infection history was unknown (n = 367).

Gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles as a T2 contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging.

Gold-coated iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were synthesized for use as a T2 contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The coated nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average diameter of 20 nm. The gold shell was about 2 nm thick.

Impaired left ventricular function in the presence of preserved ejection in chronic hypertensive conscious pigs.

Systolic function is often evaluated by measuring ejection fraction and its preservation is often assimilated with the lack of impairment of systolic left ventricular (LV) function. Considering the left ventricle as a muscular pump, we explored LV function during chronic hypertension independently of increased afterload conditions. Fourteen conscious and chronically instrumented pigs received continuous infusion of either angiotensin II (n = 8) or saline (n = 6) during 28 days.