Asiaticoside Combined With Carbon Ion Implantation to Improve the Biocompatibility of Silicone Rubber and to Reduce the Risk of Capsule Contracture.

Capsular contracture caused by silicone rubber is a critical issue in plastic surgery that urgently needs to be solved. Studies have shown that carbon ion implant in silicone rubber (carbon silicone rubber, C-SR) can significantly improve the capsular structure, but the effect of this improvement only appear 2months or later. In this study, asiaticoside combined with carbon silicone rubber was used to explore the changes in the capsule to provide a reference for the treatment of capsule contracture.

Novel method to decrease the exposure time of the extraction string of the ureteral stent and its efficiency and safety verification in the clinic.

Ureteral stent removal by an extraction string is advantageous. However, the increased risk of complications attributed to the continuous exposure of the string outside the urethra must be managed. This paper introduces a method to decrease the exposure time, and conducts a retrospective study to verify its efficiency and safety.

Dispersion of microcapsules for the improved thermochromic performance of smart coatings.

Microcapsules are widely applied in coatings; however, there are very few reports on the dispersion of microcapsules in the coating material or the effects of dispersion on their performance. Herein, the efficiency of three types of dispersants bearing distinctive functional groups for the dispersion of concentrated thermochromic microcapsules in a solvent and coating resin is studied. The dispersion properties of 35 wt% thermochromic microcapsules in toluene and in coating resin are investigated by measuring their sedimentation and rheological behavior.

Correlation of diet, microbiota and metabolite networks in inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives: Microbiota dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been widely reported. The gut microbiota connect diet to the metabolism by producing small molecules via diverse metabolic pathways. In this study we aimed to investigate the dietary preferences of IBD patients, and to explore the interactions among gut microbiota composition, dietary components, and metabolites in relation to IBD.

Inhibition of microRNA-132 attenuates inflammatory response and detrusor fibrosis in rats with interstitial cystitis via the JAK-STAT signaling pathway.

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a heterogeneous syndrome with unknown etiology, and microRNAs (miRs) were found to be involved in IC. In our study, we aim to explore the role of miR-132 in the inflammatory response and detrusor fibrosis in IC through the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway in rat models. A rat model of IC was established and treated with the miR-132 mimic, miR-132 inhibitor, and/or JAK-STAT signaling pathway inhibitor AG490.

Development of a chimeric Zika vaccine using a licensed live-attenuated flavivirus vaccine as backbone.

The global spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) and its unexpected association with congenital defects necessitates the rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine. Here we report the development and characterization of a recombinant chimeric ZIKV vaccine candidate (termed ChinZIKV) that expresses the prM-E proteins of ZIKV using the licensed Japanese encephalitis live-attenuated vaccine SA14-14-2 as the genetic backbone. ChinZIKV retains its replication activity and genetic stability in vitro, while exhibiting an attenuation phenotype in multiple animal models.

An Interaction between the Inner Rod Protein YscI and the Needle Protein YscF Is Required to Assemble the Needle Structure of the Type Three Secretion System.

The type III secretion system is a highly conserved virulence mechanism that is widely distributed in Gram-negative bacteria. It has a syringe-like structure composed of a multi-ring basal body that spans the bacterial envelope and a projecting needle that delivers virulence effectors into host cells. Here, we showed that the inner rod protein YscI directly interacts with the needle protein YscF inside the bacterial cells and that this interaction depends on amino acid residues 83-102 in the carboxyl terminus of YscI.

Improving doctor-patient communication: content validity examination of a novel urinary system-simulating physical model.

Effective doctor-patient communication is essential for establishing a successful doctor-patient relationship and implementing high-quality health care. In this study, a novel urinary system-simulating physical model was designed and fabricated, and its content validity for improving doctor-patient communication was examined by conducting a randomized controlled trial in which this system was compared with photographs. A total of 240 inpatients were randomly selected and assigned to six doctors for treatment.

Ureteroscopy and cystoscopy training: comparison between transparent and non-transparent simulators.

Background: Simulators have been widely used to train operational skills in urology, how to improve its effectiveness deserves further investigation. In this paper, we evaluated training using a novel transparent anatomic simulator, an opaque model or no simulator training, with regard to post-training ureteroscopy and cystoscopy proficiency.

Methods: Anatomically correct transparent and non-transparent endourological simulators were fabricated.

Preclinical evaluation of a newly designed ureteral stent and magnetic retrieval catheter for minimally invasive stent removal.

Objective: To develop a simple minimally invasive method for ureteral stent removal that does not require cystoscopy or fluoroscopic guidance.

Materials And Methods: We developed a novel ureteral stent comprising the main body of a stent and an iron oxide-coated net that was woven of processed polyester sutures. The ureteral stent was retrieved by a magnetic retrieval catheter with small hooks on the neck surface.

Prothrombotic state in senile patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease combined with respiratory failure.

The aim of this study was to study the clinical value of prethrombotic state and treatment with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in senile patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) combined with respiratory failure. Hemorheological markers (hematocrit, blood viscosity and plasma viscosity), fibrinogen (FIB), D-dimer and gas analysis were evaluated in 30 senile patients with AECOPD combined with respiratory failure and compared with those in 30 cases without respiratory failure. A total of 30 cases with AECOPD combined with respiratory failure were randomly divided into treatment and control groups.

[Research on the procedure for recovery and species identification of Legionella from surface environmental water].

Objective: To establish a set of procedure for recovery and species identification of Legionella from the surface environmental water.

Methods: Forty-four water samples were collected in eight parks of Guangzhou city from August to November in 2006. The bacteriologic examination was performed by cultivation on BCYEalpha plate, and 108 presumptive Legionella colonies were picked and their homogeneous relationship was analyzed by using an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method.

[Relationship between core promoter mutation, clinical features and virus replication in HBV carriers].

Objective: To elucidate the relationship between HBV core promoter mutation and clinical features as well as its effects on serum e system and viral replication.

Methods: Semi-nested mutation specific PCR (msPCR) was employed for detecting core promoter mutation at nt 1 762-1 764 in 97 patients with HBV infection.

Results: The msPCR method was demonstrated to be specific and reliable for the mutation detection by sequencing the PCR products.

[In vitro selection and affinity function of the aptamers to Bacillus anthracis spores by SELEX].

To obtain oligonucleotide aptamers, specifically binding to Bacillus anthracis spores, and to find the relationship between the structures and the affinities, and to determine whether the aptamers can be used as a novel molecule for spore detection, a synthetic 35 mer random DNA library was subjected to 18 rounds of selection by using SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) protocol against spores of Bacillus anthracis vaccine strain A. 16R. The selected aptamers were cloned and sequenced.