The expression profiles of circular RNAs and competing endogenous RNA networks in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a heterogeneous entity with diverse etiologies, morphologies, and clinical outcomes, but our knowledge of its epidemiology and carcinogenesis is very limited. The expression patterns of circRNAs were explored in iCCA tissues and corresponding adjacent normal ones, denoted by (iCCA) and (iCCAP), respectively, using high-throughput sequencing. A total of 117 differential expressed (DE) circRNAs were identified.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome with a special focus on seizures.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a neurological disorder characterized by headache, seizures, confusion and visual disturbances, as well as potentially reversible neuroimaging findings in most patients after proper treatment. Seizures is one of the most common clinical presentations of PRES. This review summarizes the potential pathophysiology and clinical features of PRES, as well as a multimodal approach to imaging and also briefly discusses the phenomenon of seizures in paediatric population.

Bisphenol A-induced DNA damages promote to lymphoma progression in human lymphoblastoid cells through aberrant CTNNB1 signaling pathway.

Lymphoma is a group of blood cancers that develop from the immune system, and one of the main risk factors is associated with exposure to environmental chemicals. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common chemical used in the manufacture of materials in polycarbonate and epoxy plastic products and can interfere with the immune system. BPA is considered to possibly induce lymphoma development by affecting the immune system, but its potential mechanisms have not been well established.

Synthesis, binding, and functional properties of tetrahydroisoquinolino-2-alkyl phenones as selective σR/TMEM97 ligands.

Sigma-2 receptor (σR/TMEM97) has been implicated to play important roles in multiple cellular dysfunctions, such as cell neoplastic proliferation, neuro-inflammation, neurodegeneration, etc. Selective σ ligands are believed to be promising pharmacological tools to regulate or diagnose various disorders. As an ongoing effort of discovery of new and selective σ ligands, we have synthesized a series of tetrahydroisoquinolino-2-alkyl phenone analogs and identified that 10 of them have moderate to potent affinity and selectivity for σR/TMEM97.

Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein (TXNIP) Regulates Parkin/PINK1-mediated Mitophagy in Dopaminergic Neurons Under High-glucose Conditions: Implications for Molecular Links Between Parkinson's Disease and Diabetes.

Patients with diabetes mellitus have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the molecular links between PD and diabetes remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the roles of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) in Parkin/PINK1-mediated mitophagy in dopaminergic (DA) cells under high-glucose (HG) conditions.

X-ray induces mechanical and heat allodynia in mouse via TRPA1 and TRPV1 activation.

Radiotherapy-related pain is a common adverse reaction with a high incidence among cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and remarkably reduces the quality of life. However, the mechanisms of ionizing radiation-induced pain are largely unknown. In this study, mice were treated with 20 Gy X-ray to establish ionizing radiation-induced pain model.

Case of Childhood Absence Epilepsy with Focal Spikes.

Background: Childhood absence epilepsy is a common generalized epilepsy syndrome characterized by childhood onset of frequent sporadic absence seizures. During onset, the electroencephalogram exhibits bilateral, symmetric, and synchronous discharges of approximately 3 Hz of generalized spike-and-wave complexes. Focal spikes are often found in children with focal epilepsy but are not common in absence epilepsy.

Mixed cerebrovascular disease in an elderly patient with mixed vascular risk factors: a case report.

Background: Mixed cerebrovascular disease is a diagnostic entity that presents with hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke clinically and/or subclinically. Here, we report a patient with mixed vascular risk factors, who presented with multiple intracerebral hemorrhages and a simultaneously occurring cerebral infarction with hemorrhagic transformation.

Case Presentation: A 63-year-old male with no history of trauma or prior neurological disease presented with a sudden onset of weakness in his right limbs, followed by an episode of focal seizure without impaired awareness.

Analysis of heart rate variability-related indexes in the interictal period in patients with focal epilepsy.

Aims: Changes in cardiac autonomic nervous function have been evaluated by studying the related indexes of heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with focal epilepsy (FE) in the interictal period.

Main Methods: A total of 30 FE patients who were treated in our department from July 2015 to May 2017, were included into this study. These patients were divided into three pairs of groups: less frequent seizure group and more frequent seizure group; medication group and non-medication group; <10 years disease group and ≥10 years disease group.

Thioredoxin-interacting protein induced α-synuclein accumulation via inhibition of autophagic flux: Implications for Parkinson's disease.

Aims: Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is associated with activation of oxidative stress through inhibition of thioredoxin (Trx). However, some evidences point out that TXNIP acts as a scaffolding protein in signaling complex independent of cellular redox regulation. The autophagy-lysosomal pathway plays important roles in the clearance of misfolded proteins and dysfunctional organelles.

Individualized rituximab treatment for relapsing neuromyelitis optica: a pediatric case report.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system. Current therapeutic approaches are based on small uncontrolled trials, case series, or case reports. There are only a few case reports describing rituximab for pediatric neuromyelitis optica.

[Study on chemical constituents of triterpenoids from Potentilla discolor].

Objective: To study the triterpenoids constituents in Potentilla discolor.

Methods: The compounds were isolated by silica gel chromatography, macroporous resins and polyamide column chromatography from the 70% ethanol extract, and their structures were identified by spectral analysis.

Results: Six compounds were obtained and their structures were identified as 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 --> 2) -beta-D-xylopyranosyl-19a-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-acid (1), 2alpha, 3/beta, 19alpha-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-acid (2), 3beta, 19alpha-trihydroxyurs-12-en-24, 28-acid (3), 2alpha, 3beta-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-acid (4), 2alpha, 3alpha, 19alpha-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-acid (5), beta-sitosterol (6).

[Detecting human adenoviruses in respiratory samples collected from children with acute respiratory infections by loop-mediated isothermal amplification].

Objective: To establish a rapid and reliable loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for detecting adenoviruses (ADV)in respiratory samples collected from children with acute respiratory infections.

Method: According to the sequences of hexon genes of common adenovirus serotypes (Ad3, Ad7, and Ad14) downloaded from GenBank, primers were designed and LAMP method for detecting adenovirus DNA was developed. Sensitivity of the LAMP method was evaluated by using constructed recombinant plasmid DNA with gene fragment from hexon of ADV3, and specificity was tested through cross-reaction with other viruses.

Increased glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion may be involved in antidiabetic effects of ginsenosides.

Panax ginseng is one of the most popular herbal remedies. Ginsenosides, major bioactive constituents in P. ginseng, have shown good antidiabetic action, but the precise mechanism was not fully understood.

Insulin deficiency induces abnormal increase in intestinal disaccharidase activities and expression under diabetic states, evidences from in vivo and in vitro study.

Structural and functional alterations in the gastrointestinal tract of diabetic patients are often accompanied by increase in absorption of intestinal glucose and activities of brush-border disaccharidases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of insulin in regulating intestinal disaccharidases using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and normal rats received protamine zinc insulin (10 IU/kg) subcutaneously twice daily for 5 weeks.

[Sequence and antigenicity analysis for VP4s of EV71 strains isolated from Children in Beijing].

In order to learn about the correlation between the sequences of VP4 of EV71 and clinical symptoms of patients and analyze the antigenicity of VP4 of EV71, as well as the cross-reactivity with VP4 of CA16, the sequences of VP4 gene from 10 EV71 strains isolated from infants and children with hand, foot and mouth diseases (HFMD) during 2007 to 2009 were determined through standard molecular cloning protocols, and the results were analyzed by EditSeq and MegAlign of DNAStar. Full-length genes of VP4s of EV71 and CA16 were amplified from virus isolates and expressed in E. coli.

Insulin suppresses the expression and function of breast cancer resistance protein in primary cultures of rat brain microvessel endothelial cells.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of insulin in the regulation of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) function and expression using primary cultured rat brain microvessel endothelial cells (rBMECs) as an in vitro model of the blood brain barrier (BBB). The prazosin uptake assay and western blot analysis were used to assess the function and expression of BCRP, respectively. It was noted that the uptake of prazosin by rBMECs was time-, concentration- and temperature-dependent.

Verapamil exerts biphasic modulation on phenobarbital transport across the blood-brain barrier: evidence from an in vivo and in vitro study.

The aim of the study was to report a concentration-dependently biphasic effect of verapamil (VER) on the transport of phenobarbital (PB) across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vitro and in vivo. The uptake of PB by rat brain microvessel endothelial cells (rBMECs) and transport of PB across the rBMEC monolayer from apical to basolateral and basolateral to apical were evaluated in the presence of VER. The effect of VER on PB pharmacological activity on the central nervous system (CNS) and brain distribution of PB in mice were further investigated.

The iNOS/Src/FAK axis is critical in Toll-like receptor-mediated cell motility in macrophages.

The Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a pivotal role in innate immunity for the detection of highly conserved, pathogen-expressed molecules. Previously, we demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS, TLR4 ligand)-increased macrophage motility required the participation of Src and FAK, which was inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-dependent. To investigate whether this iNOS/Src/FAK pathway is a general mechanism for macrophages to mobilize in response to engagement of TLRs other than TLR4, peptidoglycan (PGN, TLR2 ligand), polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (polyI:C, TLR3 ligand) and CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG, TLR9 ligand) were used to treat macrophages in this study.

Berberine suppresses intestinal disaccharidases with beneficial metabolic effects in diabetic states, evidences from in vivo and in vitro study.

Clinical reports have demonstrated that berberine is a potential antidiabetic agent, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate if berberine exerts its hypoglycemic action via inhibiting intestinal disaccharidases using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats received berberine (100 or 200 mg/kg) orally once daily or acarbose (40 mg/kg) orally twice daily for 5 weeks.

Huang-lian-jie-du-decoction modulates glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion in diabetic rats.

Aim Of The Study: Huang-lian-jie-du-decoction (HLJDD), a well-known Chinese herbal formula, has been used for diabetic treatment. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether HLJDD affected glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 (7-36) amide level in diabetic rats.

Materials And Methods: Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were treated with HLJDD at low dose (2 g/kg/day) or high dose (4 g/kg/day).

Berberine promotes glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide secretion in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Berberine (BBR), a hypoglycemic agent, has shown beneficial metabolic effects for anti-diabetes, but its precise mechanism was unclear. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is considered to be an important incretin that can decrease hyperglycemia in the gastrointestinal tract after meals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether BBR exerts its anti-diabetic effects via modulating GCG secretion.