Comparing the efficacy and safety of insulin detemir versus neutral protamine hagedorn insulin in treatment of diabetes during pregnancy: a randomized, controlled study.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of insulin detemir (IDet) versus neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin used in pregnant women with diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: A randomized study was conducted in diabetic pregnant women (n=240) (including 132 with pregestational diabetes and 108 with gestational diabetes). All patients were randomly divided into two groups: IDet group (n=120) treated with IDet plus short acting insulin Novolin-R before three meals (RRR-IDet plan), and NPH group treated with NPH plus Novolin-R before three meals (RRR-NPH plan).

Sensory nerves regulate mesenchymal stromal cell lineage commitment by tuning sympathetic tones.

The sensory nerve was recently identified as being involved in regulation of bone mass accrual. We previously discovered that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) secreted by osteoblasts could activate sensory nerve EP4 receptor to promote bone formation by inhibiting sympathetic activity. However, the fundamental units of bone formation are active osteoblasts, which originate from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs).

The effectiveness of a focused rapid response team on reducing the incidence of cardiac arrest in the general ward.

Rapid response teams have been adopted to prevent unexpected in-ward cardiac arrest. However, there is no convincing evidence of optimal operation with rapid response team. Our aim was to address the impact of focused rapid response team on the safety of patients in wards.

Pluripotency factor NANOG promotes germ cell maintenance in vitro without triggering dedifferentiation of spermatogonial stem cells.

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are defined as the tissue-specific stem cells in the testes that produce sperm and support life-long spermatogenesis. A culture microenvironment could convert mouse SSCs from unipotent to pluripotent states; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. NANOG has been considered the decisive transcriptional factor for pluripotency transition of stem cells, but NANOG is not expressed in SSCs.

Effect of Intraoperative Sedation with Dexmedetomidine Versus Propofol on Acute Postoperative Pain Following Major Foot Surgery under Popliteal Sciatic Nerve Block: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Intravenous (IV) dexmedetomidine is reported to prolong analgesia following peripheral nerve blocks. Popliteal sciatic nerve block provides effective postoperative analgesia, but some patients still experience severe pain during the early postoperative period. We aimed to evaluate the postoperative analgesic effects of IV dexmedetomidine versus propofol in patients undergoing foot surgeries under popliteal sciatic nerve block.

A Novel 10-Point Score System to Predict Early Hematoma Growth in Patients With Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

A rapid and reliable method to predict significant early hematoma growth in the acute setting is of great important to better inform clinicians and researchers in their efforts to improve outcomes for patients. We established a 10-point score system to predict hematoma growth including four parameters: baseline intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) volume > 30 mL, time to initial CT scan ≤ 3 h, island sign and black hole sign. Then, we reviewed our ICH database and assessed the predict value of the score system.

The role of kynurenine pathway and kynurenic aminotransferase alleles in postpartum depression following cesarean section in Chinese women.

Objectives: A growing body of data indicates that the kynurenine pathway may play a role in the pathogenesis of postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS). Kynurenic aminotransferase (KAT) is an important kynurenine pathway enzyme, catalyzing kynurenine (KYN) into kynurenic acid (KYNA). This study investigated as to whether genetic variations in KAT are associated with PDS.

Ophiopogonin D promotes bone regeneration by stimulating CD31 EMCN vessel formation.

Objectives: CD31 EMCN vessels (CD31, also known as PECAM1 [platelet and endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1]; EMCN, endomucin), which are strongly positive for CD31 and endomucin, couple angiogenesis and osteogenesis. However, the role of CD31 EMCN vessels in bone regeneration remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the role of CD31 EMCN vessels in the process of bone regeneration.

Reducing Hypothalamic Stem Cell Senescence Protects against Aging-Associated Physiological Decline.

Age-dependent loss of hypothalamic neural stem cells (htNSCs) is important for the pathological consequences of aging; however, it is unclear what drives the senescence of htNSCs. Here, we report that a long non-coding RNA, Hnscr, is abundantly expressed in the htNSCs of young mice but decreases markedly in middle-aged mice. We show that depletion of Hnscr is sufficient to drive the senescence of htNSCs and aging-like phenotypes in mice.

Integrative analysis and validation of dysregulated long non-coding RNAs in colon cancer.

It is an increasing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in tumour initiation and progression. Here, we analysed RNA-sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Totally, 1176lncRNAs, 245miRNAs and 2081mRNAs were identified to be differentially expressed (DE) in colon cancer tissues compared with normal tissues.

PTK7 promotes the malignant properties of cancer stem-like cells in esophageal squamous cell lines.

This study was performed to investigate the role of PTK7 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) stem-like cells (CSCs). PTK7 expression in ESCCs identified by RT-qPCR, and CSC-like cells were isolated from populations of NEC and TE-1 cells. The CSC-like cells were verified by flow cytometric analyses performed using CD34 and CD133 antibodies, and RT-qPCR and western blot assays were used to examine the self-renewal capability of CSC-like cells.

Long-term safety and efficacy of closed-loop spinal cord stimulation to treat chronic back and leg pain (Evoke): a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Spinal cord stimulation has been an established treatment for chronic back and leg pain for more than 50 years; however, outcomes are variable and unpredictable, and objective evidence of the mechanism of action is needed. A novel spinal cord stimulation system provides the first in vivo, real-time, continuous objective measure of spinal cord activation in response to therapy via recorded evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) in patients during daily use. These ECAPs are also used to optimise programming and deliver closed-loop spinal cord stimulation by adjusting the stimulation current to maintain activation within patients' therapeutic window.

Microbial Communities Associated with Sustained Anaerobic Reductive Dechlorination of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Hexachlorocyclohexane Isomers to Monochlorobenzene and Benzene.

Intensive historical and worldwide use of pesticide formulations containing hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) has led to widespread contamination. We derived four anaerobic enrichment cultures from HCH-contaminated soil capable of sustainably dechlorinating each of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-HCH isomers stoichiometrically to benzene and monochlorobenzene (MCB). For each isomer, the dechlorination rates, inferred from production rates of the dechlorinated products, MCB and benzene, increased progressively from <3 to ∼12 μM/day over 2 years.

A dominant autoinflammatory disease caused by non-cleavable variants of RIPK1.

Activation of RIPK1 controls TNF-mediated apoptosis, necroptosis and inflammatory pathways. Cleavage of human and mouse RIPK1 after residues D324 and D325, respectively, by caspase-8 separates the RIPK1 kinase domain from the intermediate and death domains. The D325A mutation in mouse RIPK1 leads to embryonic lethality during mouse development.

P50 inhibition deficit in patients with chronic schizophrenia: Relationship with cognitive impairment of MATRICS consensus cognitive battery.

Objective: Cognitive impairment is a core symptom of schizophrenia (SCZ); however, its pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. The sensory gating (SG) deficits reflected by P50 inhibition are recurring in SCZ, and this inhibition may be related to the cognitive deficits seen in these individuals. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between P50 inhibition and cognitive dysfunction in SCZ, which has not been fully investigated up to this point.

Distinct striatum pathways connected to salience network predict symptoms improvement and resilient functioning in schizophrenia following risperidone monotherapy.

Abnormal interactions between the striatum and salience network (SN) are considered as etiological and treatment-sensitive marker in schizophrenia. However, whether alterations in the intrinsic dynamics as reflected by resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the striatum and salience network may predict treatment response to the widely used antipsychotic treatment strategies (risperidone, monotherapy) has not been examined systematically. To this end, treatment-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients (n = 41) underwent task-free resting-state fMRI assessment before (baseline) and after 8 weeks of risperidone monotherapy (n = 38).

Population-based Incidence of Pediatric and Adult Optic Neuritis and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis.

Purpose: To determine the age- and sex-specific prevalence and incidence of demyelinating optic neuritis and the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in pediatric and adult populations in South Korea.

Design: A nationwide, population-based, retrospective study using data from the Korean National Health Claims database from 2010 to 2016.

Participants: The entire South Korean population aged 65 years of age or younger (n = 44 700 564).

Cerebrolysin for vascular dementia.

Background: Although vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia globally, evidence-based treatments are still lacking. Cerebrolysin is a porcine brain-derived preparation that is said to have neurotrophic and neuroprotective activity. In many parts of the world Cerebrolysin, given as a series of daily intravenous infusions, is used as a potential intervention for vascular dementia.

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 activity in subchondral bone modifies a subtype of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) causes the destruction of joints. Its pathogenesis is still under investigation, and there is no effective disease-modifying therapy. Here, we report that elevated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in the osteocytes of subchondral bone causes both spontaneous OA and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Correction: Glucose disturbances, cognitive deficits and white matter abnormalities in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia.

A correction to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

A Study Of Efficacy And Safety With Apatinib Or Apatinib Combined With Chemotherapy In Recurrent/advanced Ovarian Cancer Patients.

Objectives: Despite recent advances in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, drug selection after second-line chemotherapy has not been well studied. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the effect and safety of apatinib as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer after second-line treatment.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients from April 2016 to October 2018 with advanced ovarian cancer who received apatinib after failed second-line chemotherapy.

Comprehensive analysis of the long noncoding RNA expression profile and construction of the lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network in colorectal cancer.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in various tumors including colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we obtained data from RNA-sequencing analysis using 3 paired of CRC tissues and corresponding normal tissues. Through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses, the biological functions of these dysregulated genes were identified.

LINC00365 promotes colorectal cancer cell progression through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

In the past decade, substantial evidence established that long noncoding RNAs are serious about mediating the evolution of malignancies. In previous studies, LINC00365, which has not been reported in colorectal cancer (CRC), was selected using the bioinformatics analysis in GSE109454 and GSE41655 data sets. However, the function and mechanism of LINC00365 are still obscure.

Prognosis and modulation mechanisms of COMMD6 in human tumours based on expression profiling and comprehensive bioinformatics analysis.

Background: The Copper Metabolism MURR1 (COMM) domain family has been reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis. As a prototype for the COMMD family, the expression pattern and biological function of COMMD6 in human tumours remain unknown.

Methods: COMMD6 expression in BALB/c mice and human tissues was examined using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry.