Association between autonomic dysfunction with motor and non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease.

To investigate the association between autonomic dysfunction (AutD) and motor as well as non-motor symptoms (NMS) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Fifty-three PD patients were divided into two groups based on the number of domains affected by AutD: a multi-domain AutD group (AutD-M) and a single-domain AutD group (AutD-S), as evaluated using the Scale for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT), which assesses autonomic symptoms, one of the NMS. A comprehensive comparison was conducted between the two groups, including clinical measures such as clinical scales, quantitative evaluations of motor function and exercise capacity.

Resilience, coping style, and COVID-19 stress: effects on the quality of life in frontline health care workers.

The aims of the study were to assess the contribution of resilience, coping style, and COVID-19 stress on the quality of life (QOL) in frontline health care workers (HCWs). The study was a cross-sectional surveyperformed among 309 HCWs in a tertiaryhospital during the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Data were collected through an anonymous, self-rated questionnaire, including demographic data, a 10-item COVID-19 stress questionnaire, Generic QOL Inventory-74, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire.

ASK1 Enhances Angiotensin II-Induced Liver Fibrosis by Mediating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Dependent Exosomes.

Background: Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) has been reported to induce fibrotic signaling in the setting of oxidative stress. However, the role of ASK1 and its mechanism of action in angiotensin II- (Ang II-) induced liver fibrosis remain largely unknown.

Methods: Human hepatic LX-2 stellate cells were treated with Ang II alone or cotreated with Ang II plus an ASK1 inhibitor (GS-4997) or siRNA-targeting ASK1.

Hazardous alcohol consumption and aging synergistically increase the risk of death in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease with high case fatality rate (CFR). Alcohol consumption which impairs host immunity and contributes to tissue damage in a variety of organs may be a predisposing factor of fatal outcome in SFTS. We aimed to determine the role of alcohol consumption on the fatal outcome of SFTS.

Prodromal fever indicates a high risk of liver failure in acute hepatitis B.

Objectives: The role of prodromal fever in the clinical course of acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still largely unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the factors associated with prodromal fever and its role in the development of acute liver failure (ALF) in patients with acute hepatitis B (AHB).

Methods: Inpatients with AHB diagnosed between January 2006 and December 2010 were evaluated and followed.

Effects of subclinical hypothyroidism on maternal and perinatal outcomes during pregnancy: a single-center cohort study of a Chinese population.

Objective: Adverse maternal outcomes and perinatal complications are closely associated with overt maternal hypothyroidism, but whether these complications occur in women with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) during pregnancy remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of SCH on maternal and perinatal outcomes during pregnancy.

Methods: A prospective study of data from 8012 pregnant women (371 women with SCH, 7641 euthyroid women) was performed.

Associations between thyroid autoantibody status and abnormal pregnancy outcomes in euthyroid women.

We investigated whether thyroid autoantibody status influences pregnancy outcomes in euthyroid women, by comparing abnormal pregnancy outcome rates between those who tested positive for thyroid autoantibodies (Ab+) and those who tested autoantibody-negative (Ab-). Euthyroid pregnant women (n=7,641) underwent tests for serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb). The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to thyroid antibody status: TPOAb-/TgAb- (92.

MicroRNAs are involved in the self-renewal and differentiation of cancer stem cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules, whose primary function is to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional/translational levels. MiRNAs play crucial roles in normal biological processes and are commonly dys-regulated in human diseases. Stem cells are regarded as the "mother" cells of all types of differentiated cells that comprise tissues and organs of the body.

Expression of interleukin-17 associated with disease progression and liver fibrosis with hepatitis B virus infection: IL-17 in HBV infection.

Background/objectives: As a proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin-17 (IL-17) contributes to the inflammation of many autoimmune diseases. We examined IL-17 levels in serum and tissues from patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (HBV), and especially evaluated the role of IL-17 in the pathogenesis and progression of liver fibrosis.

Materials And Methods: Whole venous blood was obtained from four patient groups: chronic hepatitis B (CHB, n = 47), liver cirrhosis (LC, n = 49), primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC, n = 44), chronic liver failure (CLF, n = 33), and a normal control group (n = 20).

Elevated serum YKL-40 level predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma after surgery.

Background: YKL-40 is a member of the mammalian chitinase-like proteins. Elevated serum YKL-40 levels in patients with gastrointestinal cancer at time of diagnosis are associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of serum YKL-40 before surgery and during follow-up in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving curative resection.

[Expression of interleukin-17 in hepatitis B related liver fibrosis].

Aim: To explore the role of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in the pathogenesis and progress of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) related liver diseases, especially in hepatitis B related liver fibrosis.

Methods: Whole vein blood was obtained from the patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) (n=36), liver cirrhosis (LC) (n=42) including child-pugh A (n=15), child-pugh B (n=12), child-pugh C (n=15), primary hepatitis carcinoma (PHC) (n=34), chronic severe hepatitis (n=30) and normal control (n=20).The level of serum IL-17 and the expression of IL-17 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) were analysed by ELISA and RT-PCR respectively.