FGF2 is overexpressed in asthma and promotes airway inflammation through the FGFR/MAPK/NF-κB pathway in airway epithelial cells.

Background: Airway inflammation is the core pathological process of asthma, with the key inflammatory regulators incompletely defined. Recently, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) has been reported to be an inflammatory regulator; however, its role in asthma remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory role of FGF2 in asthma.

A colorimetric and fluorescence turn-on probe for the detection of palladium in aqueous solution and its application in vitro and in vivo.

Palladium has attracted a growing number of attention due to its widely application and environmental toxicity. Consequently, a novel colorimetric and fluorescent turn-on probe (NT-Pd) was designed for sensing of palladium. This probe was capable of detecting palladium in aqueous solution (DMSO was less than 1%, v/v).

The origin, transmission and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak - an update on the status.

An acute respiratory disease, caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, previously known as 2019-nCoV), the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread throughout China and received worldwide attention. On 30 January 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 epidemic as a public health emergency of international concern. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012, marked the third introduction of a highly pathogenic and large-scale epidemic coronavirus into the human population in the twenty-first century.

Regulation of Androgen Receptor Expression Alters AMPK Phosphorylation in the Endometrium: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

The failure of reproductive success in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients could be in part due to endometrial dysfunction. However, no studies have investigated any causality between androgen, androgen receptor (AR) expression, and adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation in the endometrium under physiological and pathological conditions. In the present study, we show that 1) endometrial AR expression levels fluctuate in non-PCOS and PCOS patients during the menstrual cycle; 2) the menstrual phase-dependent alteration of p-AMPKα expression occurs in non-PCOS patients but not in PCOS patients; 3) AR expression is higher in PCOS patients than non-PCOS patients during hyperplasia while AMPKα activation (indicated by the ratio of p-AMPKα to AMPKα); and 4) co-localization of AR and Ki-67 in epithelial cell nuclei is observed in endometrial hyperplasia.

Reversing the reduced level of endometrial GLUT4 expression in polycystic ovary syndrome: a mechanistic study of metformin action.

Conflicting results have been reported regarding whether or not insulin-regulated glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) is expressed in human and rodent endometria. There is an inverse relationship between androgen levels and insulin-dependent glucose metabolism in women. Hyperandrogenemia, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance are believed to contribute to endometrial abnormalities in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

[Epidemiological survey and risk factor analysis of asthma in children in urban districts of Zhengzhou, China].

Objective: To study the epidemiological features, treatment status, and risk factors for asthma in children in Zhengzhou, China.

Methods: Questionnaires for primary screening were issued using the method of multi-stage stratified sampling. Suspected asthmatic children were given a second questionnaire, physical examination, medical history review, and auxiliary examination to confirm the diagnosis.

Analyzing and modeling rheological behavior of liver fibrosis in rats using shear viscoelastic moduli.

The process of liver fibrosis changes the rheological properties of liver tissue. This study characterizes and compares liver fibrosis stages from F0 to F4 in rats in terms of shear viscoelastic moduli. Here two viscoelastic models, the Zener model and Voigt model, were applied to experimental data of rheometer tests and then values of elasticity and viscosity were estimated for each fibrosis stage.

Combination of Diane-35 and Metformin to Treat Early Endometrial Carcinoma in PCOS Women with Insulin Resistance.

Background: Young women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a high risk of developing endometrial carcinoma. There is a need for the development of new medical therapies that can reduce the need for surgical intervention so as to preserve the fertility of these patients. The aim of the study was to describe and discuss cases of PCOS and insulin resistance (IR) women with early endometrial carcinoma while being co-treated with Diane-35 and metformin.

In-vitro quantification of rat liver viscoelasticity with shear wave dispersion ultrasound vibrometry.

As a new imaging method for tissue mechanical properties, ultrasound elastography has always been the research focus in the field of medical ultrasound imaging ever since it has been proposed. This paper developed an ultrasound viscoelasticity measurement system based on shear wave dispersion ultrasound vibrometry (SDUV). This system applied acoustic radiation force to excite harmonic vibration in soft tissue.

Preliminary study on the effect of stiffness on lamb wave propagation in bovine corneas.

The viscoelastic properties of human cornea could provide valuable information for various clinical applications. Particularly, it will be helpful to achieve a patient-specific biomechanical optimization in LASIK refractive surgery, early detection of corneal ecstatic disease or improved accuracy of intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement. However, there are few techniques that are capable of accurately assessing the corneal elasticity in situ in a nondestructive fashion.

Reconstruction and visualization of human gastrointestinal tract.

Background: Converting the two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional photographs into an intuitive three-dimensional (3D) model is a basic task for medical imaging data for auxiliary disease-linked diagnosis purpose.

Methods: Reconstruction and visualization process of gastrointestinal cross-sectional photographs includes image preparation, image registration, image segmentation, 3D surface-rendering reconstruction, and implementation of 3D digital visualization.

Results: Using the visualization toolkit (VTK), we implemented 3D digital reconstruction and visualization of gastrointestinal tract, whose visualized model can be zoomed, paned, and rotated, including the stomach, the small intestine, and the large intestine.

[Analysis of pathological type and clinical features of lymphoma cell leukemia].

Objective: To analyze the pathological type and clinical features of patients with lymphoma cell leukemia (LML).

Methods: According to the 2008 WHO classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue, the pathological type and clinical features of 127 LML cases were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: There were 15 kinds of NHL developed LML.

Feature extraction for EEG-based brain-computer interfaces by wavelet packet best basis decomposition.

A method based on wavelet packet best basis decomposition (WPBBD) is investigated for the purpose of extracting features of electroencephalogram signals produced during motor imagery tasks in brain-computer interfaces. The method includes the following three steps. (1) Original signals are decomposed by wavelet packet transform (WPT) and a wavelet packet library can be formed.

Adaptive subject-based feature extraction in brain-computer interfaces using wavelet packet best basis decomposition.

In this paper we discuss a subject-based feature extraction method using wavelet packet best basis decomposition (WPBBD) in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The idea is to employ the wavelet packet best basis algorithm to adapt to each subject separately. Firstly, original electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are decomposed to a given level by wavelet packet transform.

[A review of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)].

This paper introduces the general constitutions and principle of BCI systems. In addition, some characteristics and limitations of different research methods are discussed and compared. Finally, this paper points out the existing problems and future trends of BCIs.