Syndecan-4 is required for early-stage repair responses during zebrafish heart regeneration.

Background: The healing process after a myocardial infarction (MI) in humans involves complex events that replace damaged tissue with a fibrotic scar. The affected cardiac tissue may lose its function permanently. In contrast, zebrafish display a remarkable capacity for scar-free heart regeneration.

Unraveling the impact of cancer-associated fibroblasts on hypovascular pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) with low microvessel density and fibrosis often exhibit clinical aggressiveness. Given the contribution of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to the hypovascular fibrotic stroma in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, investigating whether CAFs play a similar role in PNETs becomes imperative. In this study, we investigated the involvement of CAFs in PNETs and their effects on clinical outcomes.

The Way to Malignant Transformation: Can Epigenetic Alterations Be Used to Diagnose Early-Stage Head and Neck Cancer?

Identifying and treating tumors early is the key to secondary prevention in cancer control. At present, prevention of oral cancer is still challenging because the molecular drivers responsible for malignant transformation of the 11 clinically defined oral potentially malignant disorders are still unknown. In this review, we focused on studies that elucidate the epigenetic alterations demarcating malignant and nonmalignant epigenomes and prioritized findings from clinical samples.

The Src-ZNRF1 axis controls TLR3 trafficking and interferon responses to limit lung barrier damage.

Type I interferons are important antiviral cytokines, but prolonged interferon production is detrimental to the host. The TLR3-driven immune response is crucial for mammalian antiviral immunity, and its intracellular localization determines induction of type I interferons; however, the mechanism terminating TLR3 signaling remains obscure. Here, we show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase ZNRF1 controls TLR3 sorting into multivesicular bodies/lysosomes to terminate signaling and type I interferon production.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound with Optimized Aperture Patterns and Bubble Segmentation Based on Echo Phase.

Amplitude modulation (AM) suppresses tissue signals and detects microbubble signals in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and is often implemented with checkerboard apertures. However, possible crosstalk between transmitting and non-transmitting array elements may compromise tissue suppression in AM. Using AM aperture patterns other than the conventional checkerboard approach (one on, one off) may reduce the degree of crosstalk and increase the contrast-to-tissue-ratio (CTR) compared with conventional AM.

Different methods of detaching adherent cells and their effects on the cell surface expression of Fas receptor and Fas ligand.

In cell culture environment, some cells adhere firmly to the culture plates and may be vulnerable to cell detachment during passage. Therefore, it is important to harvest cells with a proper detaching method to maintain the viability of cells after detachment. Trypsinization is frequently used for cellular dissociation and detachment.

Investigation of the Phase of Nonlinear Echoes From Microbubbles During Amplitude Modulation.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging relies on distinguishing between microbubble and tissue echoes. Amplitude modulation (AM), a nonlinear pulsing scheme, has been developed to take advantage of the amplitude-dependent nonlinearity of microbubble echoes. However, with AM, tissue nonlinear propagation can also degrade the image contrast.

The role of S100A9 in the interaction between pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells and stromal cells.

Background: A major feature of the microenvironment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the significant amount of extracellular matrix produced by pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), which have been reported to enhance the invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells and negatively impact the prognosis.

Methods: We analyzed the data from two publicly available microarray datasets deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus and found candidate genes that were differentially expressed in PDAC cells with metastatic potential and PDAC cells cocultured with PSCs. We studied the interaction between PDAC cells and PSCs in vitro and verified our finding with the survival data of patients with PDAC from the website of The Human Protein Atlas.

Dendritic Forest-Like Ag Nanostructures Prepared Using Fluoride-Assisted Galvanic Replacement Reaction for SERS Applications.

Dendritic forest-like Ag nanostructures were deposited on a silicon wafer through fluoride-assisted galvanic replacement reaction (FAGRR) in aqueous AgNO and buffered oxide etchant. The prepared nanostructures were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, a surface profiler (alpha step), and X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the dendritic forest-like Ag nanostructures were characterized using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) when a 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) monolayer was adsorbed on the Ag surface.

ZNRF1 Mediates Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Ubiquitination to Control Receptor Lysosomal Trafficking and Degradation.

Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is crucial for development, tissue homeostasis, and immunity. Dysregulation of EGFR signaling is associated with numerous diseases. EGFR ubiquitination and endosomal trafficking are key events that regulate the termination of EGFR signaling, but their underlying mechanisms remain obscure.

Linear Signal Cancellation of Nonlinear Pulsing Schemes in a Verasonics Research Scanner.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a real-time imaging technique that allows the visualization of organ and tumor microcirculation by utilizing the nonlinear response of microbubbles. Nonlinear pulsing schemes are used exclusively in CEUS imaging modes in modern scanners. One important aspect of nonlinear pulsing schemes is the near-complete elimination of the linear signals that originate from tissue.

Index of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Is Superior to the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Score in Prognosis Prediction.

In many solid tumors, tissue of the mesenchymal subtype is frequently associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), strong stromal infiltration, and poor prognosis. Emerging evidence from tumor ecosystem studies has revealed that the two main components of tumor stroma, namely, infiltrated immune cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), also express certain typical EMT genes and are not distinguishable from intrinsic tumor EMT, where bulk tissue is concerned. Transcriptomic analysis of xenograft tissues provides a unique advantage in dissecting genes of tumor (human) or stroma (murine) origins.

Discoidin Domain Receptor-1 (DDR1) is Involved in Angiolymphatic Invasion in Oral Cancer.

The discoidin domain receptor-1 (DDR1) is a non-integrin collagen receptor recently implicated in the collective cell migration of other cancer types. Previously, we identified an elevated expression of DDR1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. Through the data mining of a microarray dataset composed of matched tumor-normal tissues from forty OSCC patients, we distilled overexpressed genes statistically associated with angiolymphatic invasion, including DDR1, COL4A5, COL4A6 and PDPN.

Correction to: effect of acupressure on constipation in patients with advanced cancer.

The institutional review board number is incorrect, it should be No. 104-3133B.

Modeling of the Acoustic Field Produced by Diagnostic Ultrasound Arrays in Plane and Diverging Wave Modes.

Recent advances in ultrafast contrast imaging have facilitated innovations, such as superresolution imaging and ultrafast contrast-enhanced Doppler imaging. Combining plane and diverging wave imaging (PWI/DWI) with tissue harmonic imaging (THI) may offer improvements in image quality in applications such as 3-D THI and harmonic color flow. However, no studies have reported simulations of the nonlinear acoustic fields produced by diagnostic arrays in either plane or diverging wave mode.

Effect of acupressure on constipation in patients with advanced cancer.

Purpose: Constipation is a common and distressing symptom for patients with advanced cancer. Few reports have focused on the symptoms of constipation in patients with advanced cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a short-term acupressure intervention on patients with advanced cancer.

The ubiquitin ligase ZNRF1 promotes caveolin-1 ubiquitination and degradation to modulate inflammation.

Caveolin-1 (CAV1), the major constituent of caveolae, plays a pivotal role in various cellular biological functions, including cancer and inflammation. The ubiquitin/proteasomal pathway is known to contribute to the regulation of CAV1 expression, but the ubiquitin ligase responsible for CAV1 protein stability remains unidentified. Here we reveal that E3 ubiquitin ligase ZNRF1 modulates CAV1 protein stability to regulate Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4-triggered immune responses.

A Novel Adhesion Index for Verifying the Extent of Adhesion for the Extensor Digitorum Communis in Patients with Metacarpal Fractures.

This study aims to determine if the relative displacement between the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) tendon and its surrounding tissues can be used as an adhesion index (AI) for assessing adhesion in metacarpal fractures by comparing two clinical measures, namely single-digit-force and extensor lag (i.e., the difference between passive extension and full active extension).

Evaluating the intensity of the acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging: Preliminary in vitro results.

The ability to measure the elastic properties of plaques and vessels is significant in clinical diagnosis, particularly for detecting a vulnerable plaque. A novel concept of combining intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging and acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging has recently been proposed. This method has potential in elastography for distinguishing between the stiffness of plaques and arterial vessel walls.

The influence of a caveolin-1 mutant on the function of P-glycoprotein.

The genetic heterogeneity in cancer cells has an increased chance in the acquisition of new mutant such as drug-resistant phenotype in cancer cells. The phenotype of drug resistance in cancer cells could be evaluated by the number or function of drug transporters on cell membranes, which would lead to decreased intracellular anti-cancer drugs concentration. Caveolae are flask-shaped invaginations on cell membrane that function in membrane trafficking, endocytosis, and as a compartment where receptors and signaling proteins are concentrated.

Application of a novel Kalman filter based block matching method to ultrasound images for hand tendon displacement estimation.

Purpose: Information about tendon displacement is important for allowing clinicians to not only quantify preoperative tendon injuries but also to identify any adhesive scaring between tendon and adjacent tissue. The Fisher-Tippett (FT) similarity measure has recently been shown to be more accurate than the Laplacian sum of absolute differences (SAD) and Gaussian sum of squared differences (SSD) similarity measures for tracking tendon displacement in ultrasound B-mode images. However, all of these similarity measures can easily be influenced by the quality of the ultrasound image, particularly its signal-to-noise ratio.

Transcription of Tnfaip3 is regulated by NF-κB and p38 via C/EBPβ in activated macrophages.

Macrophages play a pivotal role in the immune system through recognition and elimination of microbial pathogens. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) on macrophages interact with microbial substances and initiate signal transduction through intracellular adapters. TLR4, which recognizes the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, triggers downstream signaling mediators and eventually activates IκB kinase (IKK) complex and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as p38.

[A nursing case experience using Levine's conservation model to provide sepsis care].

Sepsis is a systemic inflammation caused by severe infection. It is a condition that is life-threatening, progresses rapidly, and affects multiple system functions. An evidence-based medical sepsis bundles model has been used for sepsis care in clinic practice.