Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a Cu/Zn SOD gene (BcCSD1) from Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis.

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are a family of metalloproteins extensively exists in eukaryote, which plays an essential role in stress-tolerance of higher plants. A full-length cDNA encoding Cu/Zn SOD (BcCSD1) was isolated from young seedlings of non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis) by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE).

Hemosuccus pancreaticus following Parathyroidectomy for Primary parathyroid adenoma.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is defined as intermittent bleeding from the pancreatic duct into the GI tract, usually caused by the rupture of an pseudoaneurysm, which is usually associated with pancreatitis, abdominal surgery, and can result in life-threatening hemorrhage. Hyperparathyroidism is a rare cause of pancreatitis, it should be suspected in all patients with a history of primary hyperpara¬t hyroidism, When these diseases coexist, the course of pancreatitis can be rather severe and often complicated. This report detail a case of Hemosuccus pancreaticus due to hyperparathyroidism associated pancreatitis and its successful emergency conservative management by Embolization Techniques.

An efficient weighted tag SNP-set analytical method in genome-wide association studies.

Background: Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-set analysis in Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has emerged as a research hotspot for identifying genetic variants associated with disease susceptibility. But most existing methods of SNP-set analysis are affected by the quality of SNP-set, and poor quality of SNP-set can lead to low power in GWAS.

Results: In this research, we propose an efficient weighted tag-SNP-set analytical method to detect the disease associations.

Comparison between Open Epididymal Cystectomy and Minimal Resection of Epididymal Cysts Using a Scrotoscope: A Clinical Trial for the Evaluation of a New Surgical Technique.

Objective: To provide a new surgical technique for epididymal cyst (EC) treatment and to assess its safety and efficiency.

Methods: Forty-eight patients with symptomatic EC were randomized into 2 groups. One group (n = 23) received traditional open epididymal cystectomy (OEC) and the other group (n = 25) underwent minimal epididymal cystectomy with scrotoscope (MECS), which provided a clear vision of scrotal contents.

Self-regulation of brain activity in patients with postherpetic neuralgia: a double-blind randomized study using real-time FMRI neurofeedback.

Background: A pilot study has shown that real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) neurofeedback could be an alternative approach for chronic pain treatment. Considering the relative small sample of patients recruited and not strictly controlled condition, it is desirable to perform a replication as well as a double-blinded randomized study with a different control condition in chronic pain patients. Here we conducted a rtfMRI neurofeedback study in a subgroup of pain patients - patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and used a different sham neurofeedback control.

Micro-ribonucleic acid 29b inhibits cell proliferation and invasion and enhances cell apoptosis and chemotherapy effects of cisplatin via targeting of DNMT3b and AKT3 in prostate cancer.

Background: Micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are crucial regulators in malignant tumors. miRNA-29b (miR-29b) has been identified as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer (PCa). However, very few studies have investigated the effects of miR-29b in PCa, especially the mechanism and its association with chemotherapy.

The role of miR-29b in cancer: regulation, function, and signaling.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNAs with the capacity to regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. The miRNA-29 family consists of miR-29a, miR-29b, and miR-29c, among which miR-29b is the most highly expressed and is found at two genomic loci. Recently, numerous studies have demonstrated that aberrant expression of miR-29b is common in the majority of human cancers.

Blood pressure reverse-dipping is associated with early formation of carotid plaque in senior hypertensive patients.

Nocturnal variations in blood pressure (BP) were associated with carotid intima-media thickness. However, the precise relationship between circadian variations of BP and carotid plaques remains unknown. Therefore, the prognostic value of reverse-dipper pattern of BP for carotid plaque was investigated.

Proteomic Analysis of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived, Fetal, and Adult Ventricular Cardiomyocytes Reveals Pathways Crucial for Cardiac Metabolism and Maturation.

Background: Differentiation of pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to the cardiac lineage represents a potentially unlimited source of ventricular cardiomyocytes (VCMs), but hESC-VCMs are developmentally immature. Previous attempts to profile hESC-VCMs primarily relied on transcriptomic approaches, but the global proteome has not been examined. Furthermore, most hESC-CM studies focus on pathways important for cardiac differentiation, rather than regulatory mechanisms for CM maturation.

Repression of metadherin inhibits biological behavior of prostate cancer cells and enhances their sensitivity to cisplatin.

Metadherin (MTDH), also known as astrocyte-elevated gene-1, was first cloned in 2002 and has been confirmed as an oncogene in numerous types of cancer by previous studies. Overexpression of MTDH has been observed in multiple types of cancer, including breast, esophageal, prostate, cervical and non-small-cell lung cancer, as well as neuroblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, at present, few investigations into MTDH‑associated prostate cancer have been performed.

Improved accuracy of 3D-printed navigational template during complicated tibial plateau fracture surgery.

This study was aimed to improve the surgical accuracy of plating and screwing for complicated tibial plateau fracture assisted by 3D implants library and 3D-printed navigational template. Clinical cases were performed whereby complicated tibial plateau fractures were imaged using computed tomography and reconstructed into 3D fracture prototypes. The preoperative planning of anatomic matching plate with appropriate screw trajectories was performed with the help of the library of 3D models of implants.

Mechanical responses of the periodontal ligament based on an exponential hyperelastic model: a combined experimental and finite element method.

The V-W exponential hyperelastic model is adopted to describe the instantaneous elastic response of the periodontal ligament (PDL). The general theoretical framework of constitutive modeling is described based on nonlinear continuum mechanics, and the elasticity tensor used to develop UMAT subroutine is formulated. Nanoindentation experiment is performed to characterize mechanical properties of an adult pig PDL specimen.

Novel mussel-inspired injectable self-healing hydrogel with anti-biofouling property.

A novel mussel-inspired injectable hydrogel with self-healing and anti-biofouling capabilities is developed and it possesses great potential as a drug-delivery carrier. The hydrogel can heal autonomously from repeated structural damage and also effectively prevent non-specific cell attachment and biofilm formation.

Distributed CT image reconstruction algorithm based on the alternating direction method.

With the development of compressive sensing theory, image reconstruction from few-view projections has been paid considerable research attention in the field of computed tomography (CT). Total variation (TV)-based CT image reconstruction has been shown experimentally to be capable of producing accurate reconstructions from sparse-view data. Motivated by the need of solving few-view reconstruction problem with large scale data, a general block distribution reconstruction algorithm based on TV minimization and the alternating direction method (ADM) has been developed in this study.

System matrix analysis for sparse-view iterative image reconstruction in X-ray CT.

Iterative image reconstruction (IIR) with sparsity-exploiting methods, such as total variation (TV) minimization, used for investigations in compressive sensing (CS) claim potentially large reductions in sampling requirements. Quantifying this claim for computed tomography (CT) is non-trivial, as both the singularity of undersampled reconstruction and the sufficient view number for sparse-view reconstruction are ill-defined. In this paper, the singular value decomposition method is used to study the condition number and singularity of the system matrix and the regularized matrix.

MicroRNA and messenger RNA profiling reveals new biomarkers and mechanisms for RDX induced neurotoxicity.

Background: RDX is a well-known pollutant to induce neurotoxicity. MicroRNAs (miRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) profiles are useful tools for toxicogenomics studies. It is worthy to integrate MiRNA and mRNA expression data to understand RDX-induced neurotoxicity.

Analysis of different strategies adapted by two cassava cultivars in response to drought stress: ensuring survival or continuing growth.

Cassava is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, however, the underlying mechanism for its ability to survive and produce under drought remains obscure. In this study, two cassava cultivars, SC124 and Arg7, were treated by gradually reducing the soil water content. Their responses to the drought stress were examined through their morphological and physiological traits and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomic analysis.

MiR-223-3p targeting SEPT6 promotes the biological behavior of prostate cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) present frequently altered expression in urologic cancers including prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer. The altered expression of miR-223 has been reported in cancers and other diseases in recent researches. MiR-223 is up-regulated in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Phospholamban as a crucial determinant of the inotropic response of human pluripotent stem cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes and engineered 3-dimensional tissue constructs.

Background: Human (h) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) serve as a potential unlimited ex vivo source of cardiomyocytes (CMs). However, a well-accepted roadblock has been their immature phenotype. hESC/iPSC-derived ventricular (v) CMs and their engineered cardiac microtissues (hvCMTs) similarly displayed positive chronotropic but null inotropic responses to β-adrenergic stimulation.

Offshore training in navy personnel is associated with uninvestigated dyspepsia.

To investigate the known and new factors associated with uninvestigated dyspepsia (UD), we surveyed 8600 Chinese navy personnel with offshore training shorter than 1 month or longer than 9 months per year. All respondents were required to complete a questionnaire covering demographics, the Chinese version of the Rome III survey, eating habits, life styles, and medical and family history. The response rate was 94.

Common genetic variants (rs4779584 and rs10318) at 15q13.3 contributes to colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer susceptibility: evidence based on 22 studies.

Several genome-wide association studies on colorectal cancer (CRC) have reported similar findings of a new susceptibility locus, 15q13.3. After that, a number of studies have reported that the rs4779584 and rs10318 polymorphisms at chromosome 15q13.