Association of rs5764455 and rs6006473 polymorphisms in PARVB with liver damage of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Han Chinese population.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases, and its prevalence is rapidly increasing in Han Chinese individuals. Several studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms of the PARVB gene may play crucial roles in the development of NAFLD. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the association of rs5764455 and rs6006473 polymorphisms in PARVB with the Han Chinese population's susceptibility to NAFLD.

Period 1 and estrogen receptor-beta are downregulated in Chinese colon cancers.

To investigate whether Period 1 (PER1) and Estrogen receptor-beta (ER2) are associated with occurrence and development of Chinese colorectal cancers. By using RT-quantitative PCR, tissue microarray (TMA) and immunohistochemistry, we detected mRNA levels and protein levels of PER1 and ER2 in the cancerous tissues and paired normal adjacent tissues in patients with colorectal cancer. Survival analyses were performed by the Kaplan-Meier method utilizing log-rank test and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional modeling to measure 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Absolutely Exponential Stability and Temperature Control for Gas Chromatograph System Under Dwell Time Switching Techniques.

This paper provides a design strategy for temperature control of the gas chromatograph. Usually gas chromatograph is modeled by a simple first order system with a time-delay, and a proportion integration (PI) controller is widely used to regulate the output of the gas chromatograph to the desired temperature. As the characteristics of the gas chromatograph varies at the different temperature range, the single-model based PI controller cannot work well when output temperature varies from one range to another.

Preconditioning Human Cardiac Stem Cells with an HO-1 Inducer Exerts Beneficial Effects After Cell Transplantation in the Infarcted Murine Heart.

The regenerative potential of c-kit(+) cardiac stem cells (CSCs) is severely limited by the poor survival of cells after transplantation in the infarcted heart. We have previously demonstrated that preconditioning human CSCs (hCSCs) with the heme oxygenase-1 inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), has significant cytoprotective effects in vitro. Here, we examined whether preconditioning hCSCs with CoPP enhances CSC survival and improves cardiac function after transplantation in a model of myocardial infarction induced by a 45-minute coronary occlusion and 35-day reperfusion in immunodeficient mice.

[Role of Nrf2 in neurodegenerative diseases and recent progress of its activators].

The nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key protein of endogenous antioxidant defense systems in the body. In response to oxidative stress, Nrf2 translocates to nucleus and binds to antioxidant response elements (ARE), regulating the expression of a large amounts of antioxidant genes and maintaining a proper redox balance. The pathological processes of neurodegenerative diseases are associated with generation of reactive oxygen species, which cause oxidative stress.

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach is a special and easily misdiagnosed or missed diagnosed subtype of gastric cancer with poor prognosis but curative for patients of pN0/1: the experience of a single center.

Aim: To document the clinicopathological characteristics and analyze the possible reasons for misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach (HAS), using data from a single center.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 19 patients initially diagnosed as HAS and 7 patients initially diagnosed as common gastric cancer with high levels of serum α-fetoprotein (AFP). All had undergone surgical treatment, except 3 patients only had biopsies at our hospital.

L-3-n-butylphthalide Promotes Neurogenesis and Neuroplasticity in Cerebral Ischemic Rats.

Aims: This study investigated whether anticerebral ischemia new drug, l-3-n-butylphthalide (l-NBP), improved behavioral recovery and enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis after cerebral ischemia in rats.

Methods And Results: The middle cerebral artery of rats was blocked for 2 h. The daily oral administrations of 30 mg/kg l-NBP or vehicle were begun from the second day until the rats were sacrificed.

miR-15a/16 are upreuglated in the serum of neonatal sepsis patients and inhibit the LPS-induced inflammatory pathway.

Infection in neonates, particular the neonatal sepsis continues to be a global problem with significant morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of neonatal sepsis is complicated by nonspecific clinical symptomatology, a high-false negative rate, and a delay in obtaining blood culture results. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been used as finger prints for sepsis, and have been validated to be potential sepsis biomarker recently.

The Relationship Between Serum Interleukin-6 and the Recurrence of Hepatitis B Virus Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Curative Resection.

The aim of this study is to assess whether preoperative serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) can predict recurrence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The association between preoperative IL-6 levels and HCC recurrence following curative hepatectomy in 146 patients with chronic HBV infection was determined. Patients were divided into groups based on the presence or absence of HCC recurrence.

Association of β2-microglobulin with the prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a meta analysis.

Objective: The influence of β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) on the prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) remains controversial. This study performed meta-analyses to evaluate the prognostic value of β2-MG on the overall survival (OS) of NHL.

Methods: Through a search of relevant literature in PubMed, EMbase, Science Direct, OVID and Wanfang databases from 1980-2013, the hazard ratios (HRs) of OS between the normal β2-MG group and the increased β2-MG group were retrieved, and the results were combined using a fixed effect model and a random effect model.

Mass reconstruction methods for PM: a review.

Major components of suspended particulate matter (PM) are inorganic ions, organic matter (OM), elemental carbon (EC), geological minerals, salt, non-mineral elements, and water. Since oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H) are not directly measured in chemical speciation networks, more than ten weighting equations have been applied to account for their presence, thereby approximating gravimetric mass. Assumptions for these weights are not the same under all circumstances.

Up-regulation of iNOS by hypoxic postconditioning inhibits H9c2 cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by hypoxia/re-oxygenation.

Apoptosis is a crucial mode of cell death induced by ischemia and reperfusion, and ischemic postconditioning (PostC) has been reported to inhibit cell apoptosis. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been confirmed to play an important role in triggering and mediating the late cardio-protection against ischemia/hypoxia. In this study, we found that hypoxic PostC remarkably up-regulated the expression of iNOS and decreased cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Encapsulation of 10-hydroxy camptothecin in supramolecular hydrogel as an injectable drug delivery system.

10-Hydroxy camptothecin (HCPT) has been proven to be a cell cycle-specific chemotherapeutic agent, which is a necessary choice to inhibit tumor residue growth and prevent tumor metastasis after surgery. But it suffers from light decomposition, poor solubility, relatively low bioavailability, and some side effects, which are the major obstacles toward its clinical use. Integration of hydrophobic HCPT with hydrophilic hydrogel is a facile approach to change the disadvantageous situation of HCPT.

Application of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging in large invasive pituitary adenoma surgery.

Objective: To investigate the clinical application value of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) in large invasive pituitary adenoma surgery.

Methods: A total of 30 patients with large pituitary adenoma underwent microscopic tumor resection under the assistance of an iMRI system; 26 cases received surgery through the nasal-transsphenoidal approach, and the remaining four cases received surgery through the pterion approach. iMRI was performed one or two times depending on the need of the surgeon.

Rapid detection of active human cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy using loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Understanding the association between congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and active maternal HCMV infection during pregnancy is important for maternal and neonatal healthcare. In the present study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was established for the detection of CMV DNA from whole blood or amniotic fluid samples, using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results of the present study demonstrated that the CMV LAMP assay detection was specific for CMV DNA, whereas it did not detect viral DNA from herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1), HSV-2, varicella zoster virus, HSV-6 or HSV-7.

Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Fe0.74Sn5@Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Anodes for Both Li-Ion and Na-Ion Batteries.

The recently found intermetallic FeSn5 phase with defect structure Fe0.74Sn5 has shown promise as a high capacity anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The theoretical capacity is as high as 929 mAh g(-1) thanks to the high Sn/Fe ratio.

Prognostic role of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) were shown to be associated with poorer prognosis in several cancers, but the prognostic role of CA 19-9 levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was unclear. A retrospective cohort of 97 patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma was performed to assess the prognostic role of CA 19-9 levels on overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma. Both Kaplan-Meier product-limit method and multivariate analysis were performed to determine the prognostic role of CA 19-9 levels.

Potassium 2-(1-hydroxypentyl)-benzoate inhibits ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation through P2Y1-PLC signaling pathways.

Potassium 2-(1-hydroxypenty1)-benzoate (dl-PHPB) is a new drug candidate for treatment of ischemic stroke with antiplatelet effect. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of dl-PHPB in inhibiting platelet aggregation. The ADP-activated P2Y1-Gq-PLC and P2Y12-Gi-AC pathways were observed, respectively.

The epidemic of HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea and the correlates of sexual transmitted infections among men who have sex with men in Jiangsu, China, 2009.

Background: In China, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is expanding among men who have sex with men (MSM). As independent risk factors of HIV infection, the epidemics of Chlamydia (CT) and Gonorrhea (NG) in MSM were not well studied, particular for the risk factors of these infectious. The objectives of current reported study were to understand the dynamics of HIV and other sexual transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM in Jiangsu, China, and to measure factors that correlated with STIs.

Effect of tyrphostin AG879 on Kv 4.2 and Kv 4.3 potassium channels.

Background And Purpose: A-type potassium channels (IA) are important proteins for modulating neuronal membrane excitability. The expression and activity of Kv 4.2 channels are critical for neurological functions and pharmacological inhibitors of Kv 4.

Bacterial diversity in native habitats of the medicinal fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis on Tibetan Plateau as determined using Illumina sequencing data.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is one of the most well-known traditional Chinese medicinal fungi. In this study, bacterial diversity in the soils of native habitats of O. sinensis was investigated using Illumina sequencing data.

Achieving high performance electric field induced strain: a rational design of hyperbranched aromatic polyamide functionalized graphene-polyurethane dielectric elastomer composites.

Dielectric elastomers have great potentials as flexible actuators in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) due to their large deformation, light weight, mechanical compliancy, and low cost. The low dielectric constant of these elastomers requires a rather high voltage electric field, which has greatly limited their applications. In this work, a diaphragm-type flexible microactuator comprising a hyperbranched aromatic polyamide functionalized graphene (HAPFG) filler embedded into the polyurethane (PU) dielectric elastomer matrix is described.

G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2-mediated desensitization of adiponectin receptor 1 in failing heart.

Background: Phosphorylative desensitization of G-protein-coupled receptors contributes significantly to post-myocardial infarction (MI) remodeling and heart failure (HF). Here, we determined whether adiponectin receptors (AdipoRs) 1 and 2 (the 7-transmembrane domain-containing receptors mediating adiponectin functions) are phosphorylatively modified and functionally impaired after MI.

Methods And Results: Post-MI HF was induced by coronary artery occlusion.

Squamosamide derivative FLZ protected tyrosine hydroxylase function in a chronic MPTP/probenecid mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairments and loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. FLZ (formulated as: N-2-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)-ethyl]-2-(2, 5-dimethoxy-phenyl)-3-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenyl)-acrylamide) is a novel synthetic derivative of squamosamide from a Chinese herb and has been proven to protect dopaminergic neurons in subacute PD models. However, whether FLZ has a neuroprotective effect on chronic PD model is still unknown.