Correlation analysis of adverse outcomes for the selective reduction of twin pregnancies.

Background: Due to the extensive development of assisted reproductive technology, the number of twin pregnancies has increased significantly over recent decades. Twin pregnancy is the most representative type of multiple pregnancies and is associated with high infant morbidity and mortality. Perinatal complications of twin pregnancy are also markedly increased compared with those of single pregnancy.

Implication of IGF1R signaling in the protective effect of Astragaloside IV on ischemia and reperfusion-induced cardiac microvascular endothelial hyperpermeability.

Background: Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) causes damage to coronary capillary endothelial barrier and microvascular leakage (MVL), aggravating tissue injury and heart dysfunction. However, the effective strategy for protecting endothelium barrier of cardiac vasculature remains limited.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effect of Astragaloside IV (ASIV) on coronary MVL after cardiac I/R and the underlying mechanism.

QiShenYiQi Pills Attenuates Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Cardiac Microvascular Hyperpermeability Implicating Src/Caveolin-1 and RhoA/ROCK/MLC Signaling.

Coronary microvascular hyperpermeability is an important contributor to ischemia or reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the effective strategy for this insult remains limited. This study aimed to explore the protective effect of the compound Chinese medicine QiShenYiQi Pills (QSYQ) against coronary microvascular hyperpermeability after cardiac I/R with focusing on the underlying mechanism.

Application of chromosomal microarray in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency.

To evaluate submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency (NT) and normal karyotype. A total of 319 fetuses with increased NT (≥3.0 mm) were tested using conventional karyotyping.

Caffeic acid attenuates rat liver injury after transplantation involving PDIA3-dependent regulation of NADPH oxidase.

The transplanted liver inevitably suffers from ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury, which represents a key issue in clinical transplantation determining early outcome and long-term graft survival. A solution is needed to deal with this insult. This study was undertaken to explore the effect of Caffeic acid (CA), a naturally occurring antioxidant, on I/R injury of grafted liver and the mechanisms involved.

YangXue QingNao Wan and Silibinin Capsules, the Two Chinese Medicines, Attenuate Cognitive Impairment in Aged LDLR (+/-) Golden Syrian Hamsters Involving Protection of Blood Brain Barrier.

The purpose of the study was to explore the effect and the underlying mechanism of YangXue QingNao Wan (YXQNW) and Silibinin Capsules (SC), the two Chinese medicines, on cognitive impairment in older people with familial hyperlipidaemia. Fourteen month-old female LDLR (+/-) golden Syrian hamsters were used with their wild type as control. YXQNW (0.

p70S6K activation promotes the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts in pterygium tissue growth on the cornea.

Objective: To investigate the role of p70S6K in the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts in pterygium tissue growth on the cornea.

Results: Quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry showed that p70S6K expression was higher in pterygium tissues than in normal conjunctival tissues. Higher p70S6K RNA expression levels were correlated with higher pterygium grades.

3D- Printed Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffold Integrated with Cell-laden Chitosan Hydrogels for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Synthetic polymeric scaffolds are commonly used in bone tissue engineering (BTE) due to their biocompatibility and adequate mechanical properties. However, their hydrophobicity and the lack of specific cell recognition sites confined their practical application. In this study, to improve the cell seeding efficiency and osteoinductivity, an injectable thermo-sensitive chitosan hydrogel (CSG) was incorporated into a 3D-printed poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold to form a hybrid scaffold.

Expression of mTOR in Primary Pterygium and its Correlation with α-Smooth Muscle Actin.

Purpose: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that has been shown to affect many cellular functions, such as cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism. However, there has been minimal focus on the expression of mTOR in pterygium. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of mTOR and the correlation between the levels of mTOR and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA, a marker of transdifferentiation) in pterygium.

Caffeic acid attenuates rat liver reperfusion injury through sirtuin 3-dependent regulation of mitochondrial respiratory chain.

Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) plays critical roles in regulating mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. However, whether Sirt3 is involved in liver ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury remains elusive. Caffeic acid (CA) is a natural antioxidant derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Cerebralcare Granule® attenuates blood-brain barrier disruption after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

Disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and subsequent edema are major contributors to the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke, for which the current clinical therapy remains unsatisfied. Cerebralcare Granule® (CG) is a compound Chinese medicine widely used in China for treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. CG has been demonstrated efficacy in attenuating the cerebral microcirculatory disturbance and hippocampal neuron injury following global cerebral ischemia.

The antioxidant Cerebralcare Granule attenuates cerebral microcirculatory disturbance during ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Cerebralcare Granule (CG) is a compound Chinese medicine used for treatment of headache and dizziness associated with cerebrovascular diseases. To clarify the mechanism underlying the clinical outcome of CG, this study investigated the effects of CG on the structure and function of cerebral microvasculature during I/R injury. A total of 138 Mongolian gerbils were included and divided into four groups, each composed of 36 or 30 animals, for evaluating various parameters of concern.

Gene conjugation of molecular adjuvant C3d3 to hCGbeta increased the anti-hCGbeta Th2 and humoral immune response in DNA immunization.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has been used as an anti-fertility vaccine and as a target for cancer immunotherapy. We have explored the use of three copies of C3d in DNA vaccine as molecular adjuvant to improve the immunogenicity of this hormone in previous work and found that the immune response induced by pcDNA3-hCGbeta-C3d3 has been enhanced 243-fold compared with pcDNA3-hCGbeta following DNA immunization in BALB/c mice. In the present study, a new functionally active DNA vaccine of hCGbeta-C3d3 chimera based on pCMV4 vector has been described.

[C3d molecular adjuvant increases the immunity of human chorionic gonadotropin beta DNA contraceptive vaccination and changes its immune response from Th1 to Th2].

Objective: To testify the effect of C3d molecular adjuvant on the immunogenicity of human chorionic gonadotropin beta (hCG beta) DNA vaccination as well as the mode of immune response.

Methods: BALB/c mice aged 6 weeks were immunized intramuscularly two times at an interval of 3 weeks with by the plasmid pcDNA3 (A1-3 groups), pcDNA3-hCG beta (B-3 groups), pcDNA3-hCG beta-C3d3 (C1-3 groups), or pCMV4-hCG beta-C3d3 (D1-3 groups), at dosage of 5 pmol, 10 pmol, and 20 pmol, respectively. Three weeks after the second vaccination the animals were killed, specimens of their peripheral blood were extracted to determine the anti-hCG beta antibody titer by indirect ELISA.

Gene fusion of molecular adjuvant C3d to hCGbeta enhances the anti-hCGbeta antibody response in DNA immunization.

Objective: To express the hCGbeta-C3d3 fusion protein in a CHO cell continual expression system to investigate further the adjuvant effects of C3d on contraceptive vaccination.

Method: We constructed a plasmid pcDNA3-hCGbeta-C3d3 which contains three copies of murine C3d cDNA and the hCGbeta gene by cloning the chimerical hCGbeta-C3d3 cDNA into the eukaryotic vector pcDNA3 downstream of the CMV promoter. The plasmid was transfected into a COS-7 cell transient expression system and a CHO cell continual expression system.