Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Objectives: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral vestibular end-organ disease. This article aims to summarize research findings and key discoveries of BPPV. The pathophysiology, diagnosis, nonsurgical, and surgical management are discussed.

Reductive α-borylation of α,β-unsaturated esters using NHC-BH activated by I as a metal-free route to α-boryl esters.

Useful α-boryl esters can be synthesized in one step from α,β-unsaturated esters using just a simple to access NHC-BH (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) and catalytic I. The scope of this reductive α-borylation methodology is excellent and includes a range of alkyl, aryl substituted and cyclic and acyclic α,β-unsaturated esters. Mechanistic studies involving reductive borylation of a cyclic α,β-unsaturated ester with NHC-BD/I indicated that concerted hydroboration of the alkene moiety in the α,β-unsaturated ester proceeds instead of a stepwise process involving initial 1,4-hydroboration; this is in contrast to the recently reported reductive α-silylation.

Colorimetric and Fluorescent Dual-Mode Immunoassay Based on Plasmon-Enhanced Fluorescence of Polymer Dots for Detection of PSA in Whole Blood.

Although enormous efforts have been devoted to the development of new types of fluorometric immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS) with improved sensitivity over the past years, it still remains a big challenge to design ICTS with colorimetric and fluorescent bimodal signal readout for rapid yet accurate detection of cancer markers in a clinic. Scientists have tried to prepare bimodal reporters by combining fluorescent dyes with metal nanomaterials, but their fluorescence was easily quenched by metal nanomaterials through surface energy transfer, making dual colorimetric and fluorometric ICTS very difficult to be achieved. As compared to conventional fluorescent probes, semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) exhibit extraordinary fluorescence brightness and facile surface functionalization, which are very suitable to be engineered as bimodal signal reporting reagents.

Homoharringtonine potentiates the antileukemic activity of arsenic trioxide against acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Relapse of minimal residual disease (MRD) is a major problem after conventional chemotherapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The bone marrow stroma can protect AML cells from insults of chemotherapy, partly contributing to AML relapse. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is the main component of arsenical traditional Chinese medicines and has been widely used for the treatment of hematologic malignancies particularly acute promyelocytic leukemia over the past three decades.

Factors Influencing Stent Restenosis After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: A Clinical Trial Based on 1-Year Follow-Up.

BACKGROUND This study observed the incidence of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and discusses the risk factors of ISR based on clinical data, coronary angiography, and stent features, to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of ISR. MATERIAL AND METHODS We selected 1132 cases who received stent implantation at the Shaanxi People's Hospital from June 2014 to June 2016 and were followed up by coronary angiography within 1 year. Based on coronary angiography, the cases were divided into ISR and non-ISR groups.

High serum levels of FGF21 are decreased in bipolar mania patients during psychotropic medication treatment and are associated with increased metabolism disturbance.

Bipolar disorder (BD), a psychiatric illness, results partly as a side effect of psychotropic medications and presents a high risk of metabolic disturbance. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is as an important regulator in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. In this study, we investigated the serum levels of FGF21 and analyzed its association with metabolic parameters in bipolar mania patients at pre- and post-treatment with psychotropic medications.

Arecoline attenuates memory impairment and demyelination in a cuprizone-induced mouse model of schizophrenia.

Cerebral demyelination is possibly one of the main pathological factors involved in the development of schizophrenia. Our previous studies have showed that Areca catechu nut extract could ameliorate cognitive decline by facilitating myelination processes in the frontal cortex in a cuprizone (CPZ)-induced mouse model of schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of arecoline, one of the alkaloids in A.

Extracts of Coleus forskohlii relieves cough and asthma symptoms via modulating inflammation and the extracellular matrix.

Asthma is characterized by airway inflammatory infiltration, which leads to airway remodeling and airway hyperreactivity. Coleus forskohlii (CFK) has been used to treat asthma, however, the mechanism involved is not clear. To explore the antiasthma mechanism of extracts of Coleus forskohlii (ECFK), guinea pigs were administered with a spray of phosphoric acid histamine, and rats were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA).

Antioxidant Grain Passivation for Air-Stable Tin-Based Perovskite Solar Cells.

Tin-based perovskites with excellent optoelectronic properties and suitable band gaps are promising candidates for the preparation of efficient lead-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, it is challenging to prepare highly stable and efficient tin-based PSCs because Sn in perovskites can be easily oxidized to Sn upon air exposure. Here we report the fabrication of air-stable FASnI solar cells by introducing hydroxybenzene sulfonic acid or its salt as an antioxidant additive into the perovskite precursor solution along with excess SnCl .

Double Fogarty balloon catheter technique for difficult to retrieve esophageal foreign bodies.

Background: Foreign body ingestion is common, especially in the pediatric population. Plans for retrieval should be tailored to the specific esophageal foreign bodies.

Case Presentation: We present a difficult to retrieve esophageal foreign body in a 3-year-old girl who ingested a 2 cm glass pebble.

[Pharmacokinetics of eight constituents in rat plasma after oral administration of Modified Xiaochaihu Granules for gastric ulcer based on UPLC-MS/MS].

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed in this study to simultaneously determine the contents of eight effective constituents in rat plasma, including baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, liquiritin, glycyrrhizic acid, berberine hydrochloride, saikosaponin a and saikosaponin d in plasma of gastric ulcer rats, and investigate the pharmacokinetics of Modified Xiaochaihu Granules. Chromatographic separation was conducted on Zorbax SB-C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.

ICBP90 mediates Notch signaling to facilitate human hepatocellular carcinoma growth.

The Notch signaling pathway plays a key role in cell proliferation and development that is closely related to an inverted CCAAT box binding protein (ICBP90), but little is known about whether there is a correlation between Notch signaling and ICBP90. The aim of the current study was to elucidate this. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to determine the proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of HepG2 or Hepa1-6 cells treated by N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT), a specific inhibitor of the Notch pathway.

The Status of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Intestinal Mucosa of Chinese Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Aims: This cross-sectional study is to investigate the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in colonic mucosa of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and its correlation with the clinical disease activities and therapeutic regimens.

Methods: Subjects undergoing colonoscopy for screening of polyps were recruited as control. EBV DNA load was analyzed by means of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and EBV-encoded RNAs were tested by in situ hybridization in intestinal mucosa of IBD patients.

Ultrasensitive broadband phototransistors based on perovskite/organic-semiconductor vertical heterojunctions.

Organolead halide perovskites have emerged as the most promising materials for various optoelectronic devices, especially solar cells, because of their excellent optoelectronic properties. Here, we present the first report of low-voltage high-gain phototransistors based on perovskite/organic-semiconductor vertical heterojunctions, which show ultrahigh responsivities of ~10A W and specific detectivities of ~10 Jones in a broadband region from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. The high sensitivity of the devices is attributed to a pronounced photogating effect that is mainly due to the long carrier lifetimes and strong light absorption in the perovskite material.

Parameter Estimation of Micro-Motion Targets for High-Resolution-Range Radar Using Online Measured Reference.

Micro-motion dynamics produce Micro-range (m-R) signatures which are important features for target classification and recognition, provided that the range resolution of radar signal is high enough. However, dechirping the echo with reference measured by narrow bandwidth radar would generate the residual translational motion, which exhibits as random shifts of envelopes of range profiles. The residual translational motion would destroy the periodicity of m-R signatures and make a challenge to estimate rotational parameter.

Yu Gan Long reduces rat liver fibrosis by blocking TGF-β1/Smad pathway and modulating the immunity.

Yu Gan Long (YGL) is a Chinese traditional herbal medicine that has been used in the treatment of liver fibrosis for many years in clinical practice. However, its anti-hepatofibrotic mechanism has not been studied yet. In this study, the effect and mechanism of YGL in reducing liver fibrosis was demonstrated in vivo.

New Pathway for Hot Electron Relaxation in Two-Dimensional Heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures composed of transition-metal dichalcogenide atomic layers are the new frontier for novel optoelectronic and photovoltaic device applications. Some key properties that make these materials appealing, yet are not well understood, are ultrafast hole/electron dynamics, interlayer energy transfer and the formation of interlayer hot excitons. Here, we study photoexcited electron/hole dynamics in a representative heterostructure, the MoS/WSe interface, which exhibits type II band alignment.

The prognostic value of TP53 and its correlation with EGFR mutation in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, an analysis based on cBioPortal data base.

Objectives: The prognostic value of TP53 in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. Whether different mutated exon has different prognostic value is unknown. We sought to reveal the prognostic value of TP53 in advanced NSCLC, as well as the correlation with EGFR mutation.

PDTC ameliorates decompression induced-lung injury caused by unsafe fast buoyancy ascent escape via inhibition of NF-κB pathway.

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is the critical transcriptional factor in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). NF-κB regulates the expression changes of inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). In a previous study we showed that decompression sickness (DCS) caused by simulated unsafe fast buoyancy ascent escape (FBAE) could result in ALI, which was characterized by expression changes of inflammatory factors in rat lung tissue.

ZIP8 induces monocyte adhesion to the aortas ex-vivo by regulating zinc influx.

Monocytes recruited and adhering to the inflamed arteries are crucial for atherosclerosis development. Here, we report the role of zinc (Zn) homeostasis in monocyte adhesion and recruitment. By comparing the expression levels of Zn transporters between non-adhering and adhering monocytes, we found that the Zn importer ZIP8 was specifically upregulated in monocytes adhering to the aortas ex-vivo.

Disparities in the Use of Programmed Death 1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Amid growing excitement for immune checkpoint inhibitors of programmed death protein 1 (anti-PD1 agents), little is known about whether race- or sex-based disparities exist in their use. In this observational study, we constructed a large and mostly community-based cohort of patients with advanced stage cancers, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and renal cell carcinoma, to compare the odds of receiving systemic treatment with or without anti-PD1 agents by race and by sex. In multivariable models that adjusted for age, stage, and number of prior anticancer therapies, we found no significant race-based disparities in anti-PD1 treatment.

[Blockage of mTOR signaling pathway by homoharringtonine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of HT29 human colorectal tumor cells].

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of homoharringtonine (HHT) on the proliferation and apoptosis in HT29 human colorectal tumor cells. Methods HT29 cells were treated by 0, 0.007812, 0.

Occurrence of gastric cancer in patients with atrophic gastritis during long-term follow-up.

Background: Additional data on the incidence of gastric neoplasia in the Chinese atrophic gastritis (AG) population during long-term follow-up are needed and the influence of the endoscopic surveillance interval on gastric neoplasia occurrence remains unknown.

Aims: Retrospectively investigated the occurrence of gastric cancer (GC) and precancerous lesions in AG patients during long-term follow-up and assessed risk factors, such as the endoscopic surveillance interval for the development of gastric neoplasia.

Methods: This study enrolled 332 AG patients who underwent initial gastroscopy from 2002 to 2005.

Aberrant FGFR Tyrosine Kinase Signaling Enhances the Warburg Effect by Reprogramming LDH Isoform Expression and Activity in Prostate Cancer.

The acquisition of ectopic fibroblast growthfactor receptor 1 (FGFR1) expression is well documented in prostate cancer progression. How it contributes to prostate cancer progression is not fully understood, although it is known to confer a growth advantage and promote cell survival. Here, we report that FGFR1 tyrosine kinase reprograms the energy metabolism of prostate cancer cells by regulating the expression of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozymes.

Galangin Induces Apoptosis in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells Through Mitochondrial Pathway and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Inhibition.

Aims: The study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis induction by galangin against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Methods: Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to assess cell viability and flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. The expression level of apoptosis-related proteins (cleaved-caspase-9, cleaved-caspase-8, cleaved-caspase-3, Bad, cleaved-Bid, Bcl-2, Bax, p-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase [PI3K], and p-Akt) and cell cycle-related proteins (cyclin D3, cyclin B1, cyclin-dependent kinases CDK1, CDK2, CDK4, p21, p27, p53) were evaluated by Western blotting.