MiR-16-5p Promotes the Progression of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Regulating AMPK/mTOR Signaling Pathway.

Objective: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is commonly diagnosed with high mortality worldwide. Cell proliferation and cell apoptosis are essential biological processes for the development of cancers. MiR-16-5p, a critical member of miRNAs family, is involved in cell apoptosis and tumor progression.

Immune Cells Promote BDNF Expression by Infiltrated Macrophages via Interleukin 4 in the Cerebral Ischemia of Male Rats.

We reported that infiltrated Ly6C macrophages express brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) only at the cerebral cortex infarct in a rat dMCAO model. However, the changein neuron-expressed BDNF, the niche components that induce the Ly6C cells to express BDNF, and the cellular sources of these components, remain unclear. In this study, immunofluorescence double staining was performed to label BDNF and Ly6C on brain sections at 3, 24, and 48 h following distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) of male rats, and to stain BDNF with Ly6C, IL-4R, and IL-10R.

N1F(Improved-Nephropathy 1 Formula) Ameliorates Renal Interstitial Fibrosis via Inhibiting Extracellular Matrix Deposition and Regulating the FGF23/P38MAPK/Wnt Pathway.

Background: Renal fibrosis is the primary pathway in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) towards end-stage renal failure. The currently used drugs currently are ineffective, and their mechanisms of action remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the nephroprotective effect of Improved-Nephropathy 1 Formula (N1F) in a rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and explore the potential mechanisms of N1F-containing serum in treating TGF-ß1-induced human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2).

Prognostic value of geriatric nutritional risk index in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Background: The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a prognostic indicator for several diseases, meanwhile, nutrition and inflammation play important roles in the disease progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the association between the GNRI and ALS remains unknown.

Methods: 443 patients diagnosed with ALS were divided into two groups based on the GNRI levels.

Quantitative association between lead exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a Bayesian network-based predictive study.

Background: Environmental lead (Pb) exposure have been suggested as a causative factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the role of Pb content of human body in ALS outcomes has not been quantified clearly. The purpose of this study was to apply Bayesian networks to forecast the risk of Pb exposure on the disease occurrence.

Gender-specific association of uric acid and survival in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between serum uric acid (UA) and survival in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) patients.

Method: A total of 801 sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) patients fulfilled the revised El Escorial criteria were enrolled and followed up in the study. Baseline clinical data and laboratory variables including gender, age, age of onset, site of onset, disease duration, body mass index (BMI), uric acid (UA), creatinine (Cr), and creatine kinase (CK) were collected during enrollment.

Evaluating the causal association between microRNAs and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Background: Currently, miRNAs are involved in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and identifying circulating miRNAs that are causally associated with ALS risk as biomarkers is imperative.

Methods: We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization study to evaluate the causal relationship between miRNAs and ALS. Our analysis was conducted using summary statistics from miRNA expression quantitative loci (eQTL) data of the Framingham Heart Study and ALS genome-wide association studies data.

Assessing the association between white matter lesions and Parkinson's disease.

Background: The association between white matter (WM) lesions and Parkinson's disease (PD) was not fully established. We therefore applied Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to identify the causal effect between white matter lesions and PD.

Methods: We performed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to investigate the association between three WM phenotypes-white matter hyperintensities (WMH, N = 18,381), fractional anisotropy (FA, N = 17,673), and mean diffusivity (MD, N = 17,467)-with PD (N = 482,730) using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

Astrocytes constitute the major TNF-α-producing cell population in the infarct cortex in dMCAO rats receiving intravenous MSC infusion.

Recent studies report that inhibiting TNF-α might be a novel therapeutic strategy for managing brain ischemia. Our previous study reported that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation could suppress TNF-α level in both serum and brain. However, the cell type(s) that contribute to the production of TNF-α during ischemia following MSC transplantation has not been well studied.

Fluorogenic Biosensors Constructed via Aggregation-induced Emission Based on Enzyme-catalyzed Coupling Reactions for Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide (HO) is a main reactive oxygen by-product produced in the metabolism of organisms and a common biomarker of oxidative stress. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) probes for HO have been proposed. Such AIEgens mostly use benzeneboronic acid as a recognition group.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation downregulates plasma level and the microglia expression of transforming growth factor β1 in the acute phase of cerebral cortex ischemia.

Background: Both bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) have a strong anti-inflammatory capacity in stroke. But their relationship has not been well addressed. In this study, we investigated how intravenous BM-MSC transplantation in rats effected the expression of TGF-β1 48 h post cerebral ischemia, and we analyzed the main cells that produce TGF-β1.

Peripheral Circulation and Astrocytes Contribute to the MSC-Mediated Increase in IGF-1 Levels in the Infarct Cortex in a dMCAO Rat Model.

Materials And Methods: Ischemic brain injury was induced by dMCAO in Sprague-Dawley rats. The transplantation group received MSC infusion 1 h after dMCAO. Expression of IGF-1 in GFAP+ astrocytes, Iba-1+ microglia/macrophages, CD3+ lymphocytes, Ly6C+ monocytes/macrophages, and neutrophil elastase (NE)+ neutrophils was examined to determine the contribution of these cells to the increase of IGF-1.

AZGP1 suppresses the process of colorectal cancer after upregulating FASN expression via mTOR signal pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common malignant gastrointestinal tumor. Obesity has been confirmed to be closely related to the occurrence of CRC, but the specific mechanism is not clear. This study mainly explored the roles of obesity-related genes, fatty acid synthase (FASN) and zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (AZGP1), in CRC.

Intravenous Transplantation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Reduces the Number of Infiltrated Ly6C Cells but Enhances the Proportions Positive for BDNF, TNF-1, and IL-1 in the Infarct Cortices of dMCAO Rats.

The resident microglial and infiltrating cells from peripheral circulation are involved in the pathological processes of ischemia stroke and may be regulated by mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) transplantation. The present study is aimed at differentiating the neurotrophic and inflammatory roles played by microglial vs. infiltrating circulation-derived cells in the acute phase in rat ischemic brains and explore the influences of intravenously infused allogeneic MSCs.

Hepatic Abscess Secondary to Stomach Perforation by a Fish Bone: a Rare Cause of Hepatic Abscess.

Gastrointestinal foreign bodies are commonly encountered in clinical practice. However, although perforation of the gastrointestinal tract by a foreign body is not unusual, the formation of a hepatic abscess as a result of the migration of a foreign body is extremely rare. Patients usually present with atypical symptoms, and the treatment of such pyogenic liver abscesses presents a challenge.

Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in various types of raw oilseeds from different regions of China.

Ninety-five samples of 18 types of oilseeds used for edible oil production were collected from different origins of China. The occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in these oilseeds was presented after the analysis by using a simplified gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. The results indicated that some of these oilseeds were not found of indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and benzo[ghi]perylene.