TRIOL attenuates intracerebral hemorrhage injury by bidirectionally modulating microglia- and neuron-mediated hematoma clearance.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) represents the most severe subtype of stroke, and the lack of effective clinical pharmacotherapies poses a substantial threat to human health. Hematoma plays a crucial role in determining the prognosis of ICH patients by causing primary mechanical extrusion, followed by secondary brain injuries, such as cerebral edema, iron-mediated oxidative stress, and inflammation resulting from its degradation products. 5α-androst-3β,5α,6β-triol (TRIOL) is a neuroprotective steroid currently undergoing phase II clinical trial for acute ischemic stroke with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties.

Brood success of sex-role-reversed pheasant-tailed jacanas: the effects of social polyandry, seasonality, and male mating order.

Multiple mating by avian females may increase hatching and overall brood success; however, reproductive effort and parental investment are costly, and females may be gradually depleted, with lowered outputs over time. Thus, males in social polyandry systems may differ greatly in their reproductive gains. In the present study, we investigated the reproductive outputs of social polyandrous and sex-role-reversed pheasant-tailed jacanas, Hydrophasianus chirurgus, to assess the effects of polyandry, seasonality, and male mating order on breeding success.

The effect of the re-segmentation method on improving the performance of rectal cancer image segmentation models.

Background: Rapid and accurate segmentation of tumor regions from rectal cancer images can better understand the patientâs lesions and surrounding tissues, providing more effective auxiliary diagnostic information. However, cutting rectal tumors with deep learning still cannot be compared with manual segmentation, and a major obstacle to cutting rectal tumors with deep learning is the lack of high-quality data sets.

Objective: We propose to use our Re-segmentation Method to manually correct the model segmentation area and put it into training and training ideas.

Directly targeting ASC by lonidamine alleviates inflammasome-driven diseases.

Background: Dysregulated activation of the inflammasome is involved in various human diseases including acute cerebral ischemia, multiple sclerosis and sepsis. Though many inflammasome inhibitors targeting NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) have been designed and developed, none of the inhibitors are clinically available. Growing evidence suggests that targeting apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), the oligomerization of which is the key event for the assembly of inflammasome, may be another promising therapeutic strategy.

TRIOL Inhibits Rapid Intracellular Acidification and Cerebral Ischemic Injury: The Role of Glutamate in Neuronal Metabolic Reprogramming.

As one of the key injury incidents, tissue acidosis in the brain occurs very quickly within several minutes upon the onset of ischemic stroke. Glutamate, an excitatory amino acid inducing neuronal excitotoxicity, has been reported to trigger the decrease in neuronal intracellular pH (pHi) via modulating proton-related membrane transporters. However, there remains a lack of clarity on the possible role of glutamate in neuronal acidosis via regulating metabolism.

Comparison of O-RADS, GI-RADS, and ADNEX for Diagnosis of Adnexal Masses: An External Validation Study Conducted by Junior Sonologists.

Objective: To externally validate the Ovarian-adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) and evaluate its performance in differentiating benign from malignant adnexal masses (AMs) compared with the Gynecologic Imaging Reporting and Data System (GI-RADS) and Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 734 cases from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. All patients underwent transvaginal or transabdominal ultrasound examination.

Author Correction: Neuroprotectants attenuate hypobaric hypoxia-induced brain injuries in cynomolgus monkeys.

Following the publication of our paper (Zhang et al., 2020), it has come to our attention that we erroneously listed two funding sources unrelated to this study in the "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" section. Hereby, we wish to update the "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" section as a correction.

eNOS-Nitric Oxide System Contributes to a Novel Antiatherogenic Effect of Leonurine via Inflammation Inhibition and Plaque Stabilization.

Leonurine (LEO) is a bioactive small molecular compound that has protective effects on the cardiovascular system and prevents the early progression of atherosclerosis; however, it is not clear whether LEO is effective for plaque stability. A novel mouse atherosclerosis model involving tandem stenosis (TS) of the right carotid artery combined with western diet (WD) feeding was used. Apolipoprotein E gene-deficient mice were fed with a WD and received LEO administration daily for 13 weeks.

Neuroprotectants attenuate hypobaric hypoxia-induced brain injuries in cynomolgus monkeys.

Hypobaric hypoxia (HH) exposure can cause serious brain injury as well as life-threatening cerebral edema in severe cases. Previous studies on the mechanisms of HH-induced brain injury have been conducted primarily using non-primate animal models that are genetically distant to humans, thus hindering the development of disease treatment. Here, we report that cynomolgus monkeys ( ) exposed to acute HH developed human-like HH syndrome involving severe brain injury and abnormal behavior.

Downregulation of mitochondrial cyclooxygenase-2 inhibits the stemness of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by decreasing the activity of dynamin-related protein 1.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of malignant cells, possessing stemness, with strong tumorigenic capability, conferring resistance to therapy and leading to the relapse of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our previous study suggested that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) would be a novel target for the CSCs-like side population (SP) cells in NPC. In the present study, we further found that COX-2 maintained the stemness of NPC by enhancing the activity of mitochondrial dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), a mitochondrial fission mediator, by studying both sorted SP cells from NPC cell lines and gene expression analyses in NPC tissues.

Evolutionary trajectories of snake genes and genomes revealed by comparative analyses of five-pacer viper.

Snakes have numerous features distinctive from other tetrapods and a rich history of genome evolution that is still obscure. Here, we report the high-quality genome of the five-pacer viper, Deinagkistrodon acutus, and comparative analyses with other representative snake and lizard genomes. We map the evolutionary trajectories of transposable elements (TEs), developmental genes and sex chromosomes onto the snake phylogeny.

Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration Versus Open Approach in Cirrhotic Patients with Choledocholithiasis: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and benefits of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) compared with open approach (OCBDE) in cirrhotic patients.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2009 and December 2012, a total of 113 cirrhotic patients with choledocholithiasis underwent common bile duct (CBD) explorations in our department. There were two groups of patients: A:LCBDE (n = 61) and B:OCBDE (n = 52).

Investigation of Various Types of Nanorods as Sensitive Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates.

Core-shell-isolated nanorods can be used to amplify the signals of target cancer antigen molecules. Recent research has suggested that these nanorods feature surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals superior to those of nanoparticles. In this study, nanorod geometrical models based on core-shell-isolated nanocapsule morphology were employed to analyze the scattered power density in three-dimensional spaces.

Characterization of a Synthetic Steroid 24-keto-cholest-5-en-3β, 19-diol as a Neuroprotectant.

Background: Neuroactive steroids represent promising candidates for the treatment of neurological disorders. Our previous studies identified an endogenous steroid cholestane-3β, 5α, 6β-triol (Triol) as a novel neuroprotectant.

Aim: We aimed to identify a potent candidate for stroke treatment through a screening of Triol analogs.

Parthenolide inhibits cancer stem-like side population of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via suppression of the NF-κB/COX-2 pathway.

Cancer stem cells play a central role in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and contribute to both disease initiation and relapse. In this study, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was found to regulate cancer stem-like side population cells of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and enhance cancer stem-like cells' characteristics such as higher colony formation efficiency and overexpression of stemness-associated genes. The regulatory effect of COX-2 on cancer stem-like characteristics may be mediated by ABCG2.

Endurance capacity is not correlated with endothelial function in male university students.

Background: Endurance capacity, assessed by 1000-meter (1000 m) run of male university students, is an indicator of cardiovascular fitness in Chinese students physical fitness surveillance. Although cardiovascular fitness is related to endothelial function closely in patients with cardiovascular diseases, it remains unclear whether endurance capacity correlates with endothelial function, especially with circulating endothelial microparticles (EMPs), a new sensitive marker of endothelial dysfunction in young students. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between endurance capacity and endothelial function in male university students.

Cancer stem cell-like side population cells in clear cell renal cell carcinoma cell line 769P.

Although cancers are widely considered to be maintained by stem cells, the existence of stem cells in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has seldom been reported, in part due to the lack of unique surface markers. We here identified cancer stem cell-like cells with side population (SP) phenotype in five human RCC cell lines. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that 769P, a human clear cell RCC cell line, contained the largest amount of SP cells as compared with other four cell lines.

The dynamic changes of circulating OCN+ cells versus insulinlike growth factor-I during primary healing of orthognathic surgeries.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the dynamic changes of circulating osteocalcin(+) (OCN(+)) cells and insulinlike growth factor-I (IGF-I) in peripheral blood during early primary repair of jaw bones in patients with orthognathic surgery.

Study Design: The expression of bone-related genes was detected by RT-PCR in circulating OCN(+) cells. The numbers of OCN(+) cells and serum level of IGF-I were determined by flow cytometry, immunocytochemical staining, and ELISA.

The role of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma among endemic population: a meta-analysis of the phase III randomized trials.

Background: The main objective of this meta-analysis was to determine the clinical benefit of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) compared with radiation alone (RT) in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients in endemic geographic areas.

Methods: Using a prospective meta-analysis protocol, two independent investigators reviewed the publications and extracted the data. Published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which patients with NPC in endemic areas were randomly assigned to receive CCRT or RT alone were included.

The chronic effects of oil pollution on marine phytoplankton in a subtropical bay, China.

To evaluate the effects of crude oil water accommodated fraction (WAF) on marine phytoplankton community, natural phytoplankton collected seasonally from the Yueqing bay were exposed to eight groups of crude oil WAF for 15 days under laboratory conditions. Chlorophyll a and cell density were measured, and species of phytoplankton were identified every 24 h to reflect the change of phytoplankton community. The results showed that (1) High concentrations (≥ 2.

Effects of the biological clock gene Bmal1 on tumour growth and anti-cancer drug activity.

The Bmal1 gene plays a key role in controlling circadian rhythms. To better understand how the Bmal1 gene affects tumour growth and the response to anti-cancer drugs, we examined the effect of knockdown of Bmal1 by RNAi both in vitro and in vivo. Down-regulation of Bmal1 gene expression accelerated cell proliferation in vitro and promoted tumour growth in mice.

Epstein-Barr virus-encoded LMP2A induces an epithelial-mesenchymal transition and increases the number of side population stem-like cancer cells in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

It has been recently reported that a side population of cells in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) displayed characteristics of stem-like cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the modulation of such stem-like cell populations in NPC remain unclear. Epstein-Barr virus was the first identified human tumor virus to be associated with various malignancies, most notably NPC.

Bleomycin induces upregulation of lysyl oxidase in cultured human fetal lung fibroblasts.

Aim: To investigate the mechanism of bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Methods: Cultured human fetal lung fibroblast (HLF) cells were exposed to bleomycin (BLM) at 0-30 microg/mL for 24 h. Western blot analysis was used to detect lysyl oxidase (LO) protein expression.

Synthesis and anti-glioma activity of 25(R)-spirostan-3beta,5alpha,6beta,19-tetrol.

Malignant gliomas are common and aggressive brain tumours in adults. The rapid proliferation and diffuse brain migration are the main obstacles to successful treatment. Here, we show 25(R)-spirostan-3beta,5alpha,6beta,19-tetrol, a polyhydroxy steroid, is capable of suppressing proliferation and migration of C6 malignant glioma cells in a concentration-dependent manner.