The hepatitis B virus X protein downregulates NF-κB signaling pathways through decreasing the Notch signaling pathway in HBx-transformed L02 cells.

Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma, which has been found to be associated with Notch and NF-κB signaling. This study aimed to investigate the crosstalk between Notch and NF-κB pathways in HBx-related hepatocellular carcinoma. An HBx-transformed non-tumor hepatic cell line L02 (L02/HBx) was previously established.

Pseudolaric acid B-induced autophagy contributes to senescence via enhancement of ROS generation and mitochondrial dysfunction in murine fibrosarcoma L929 cells.

Pseudolaric acid B (PAB) is the primary biologically active compound isolated from the root bark of P. kaempferi Gordon. Our previous study demonstrated that PAB induced mitotic catastrophe in L929 cells and indicated that only a small percentage (12%) of the cells undergoing mitotic catastrophe displayed an apoptotic phenotype after PAB treatment for 72 h.

TGF-β1 alters microRNA profile in human gastric cancer cells.

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators that play a key role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is involved in invasion and metastasis in many tumors. In this study, we investigated the microRNAs (miRNA) profiles altered by TGF-β1 in gastric cancer (GC) cells.

A novel morpholino oligomer targeting ISS-N1 improves rescue of severe spinal muscular atrophy transgenic mice.

In the search for the most efficacious antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) aimed at inducing SMN2 exon 7 inclusion, we systematically assessed three AOs, PMO25 (-10, -34), PMO18 (-10, -27), and PMO20 (-10, -29), complementary to the SMN2 intron 7 splicing silencer (ISS-N1). PMO25 was the most efficacious in augmenting exon 7 inclusion in vitro in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patient fibroblasts and in vitro splicing assays. PMO25 and PMO18 were compared further in a mouse model of severe SMA.

Curcumin ameliorates the neurodegenerative pathology in A53T α-synuclein cell model of Parkinson's disease through the downregulation of mTOR/p70S6K signaling and the recovery of macroautophagy.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is pathologically characterized by the presence of α-synuclein positive intracytoplasmic inclusions. The missense mutation, A53T α-synuclein is closely related to hereditary, early-onset PD. Accumulating evidences suggest that pathological accumulation of A53T α-synuclein protein will perturb itself to be efficiently and normally degraded through its usual degradation pathway, macroautophagy-lysosome pathway, therefore toxic effects on the neuron will be exacerbated.

[Degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenol in aqueous solution by ZVI/EDDS/air system].

A new oxidation system of Fenton-like system (ZVI/EDDS/Air) has been developed to degrade 2,4-chlorophenols (2,4-DCP) in aqueous solution. The influences of initial conditions, i. e.

Neural bases for basic processes in heuristic problem solving: Take solving Sudoku puzzles as an example.

Newell and Simon postulated that the basic steps in human problem-solving involve iteratively applying operators to transform the state of the problem to eventually achieve a goal. To check the neural basis of this framework, the present study focused on the basic processes in human heuristic problem-solving that the participants identified the current problem state and then recalled and applied the corresponding heuristic rules to change the problem state. A new paradigm, solving simplified Sudoku puzzles, was developed for an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in problem solving.

[Effects of heat and cool-producing needling manipulations on rectal temperature and serum endotoxin content in endotoxin-induced heat syndrome rabbits].

Objective: To observe the effect of traditional manipulations of "Shaoshanhuo" (heat-producing needling) and "Toutianliang"(cool-producing needling) on body temperature and serum endotoxin level in heat syndrome rabbits.

Methods: Twenty-four Japanese rabbits were randomly divided into control, model, Shaoshanhuo and Toutianliang groups. Heat-syndrome model was established by subcutaneous injection of bacterium coli endotoxin solution (40 microg/mL, 2 mL/kg).

Glucocorticoids decrease body weight and food intake and inhibit appetite regulatory peptide expression in the hypothalamus of rats.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of glucocorticoids (GCs) on appetite and gene expression of the hypothalamic appetite regulatory peptides, neuropeptide Y (NPY), agouti-related protein (AGRP) and cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), in non-obese and obese rats. Both non-obese and obese rats were randomly assigned to three groups: normal saline, low- and high-dose GC groups (NSG, LDG and HDG, respectively), which received an intraperitoneal injection with normal saline (0.2 ml/100 g) or hydrocortisone sodium succinate at 5 and 15 mg/kg, respectively, for 20 days.

Immunophenotype and increased presence of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), cancer of the white blood cells, is a heterogeneous disease that mainly occurs due to the malignant cloning of original and naive lymphocytes. The aim of this study was to explore the immunophenotype, the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the expression of cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10 and TGF-β in patients with ALL. The immunophenotype and levels of CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs were detected using flow cytometry in the peripheral blood of 35 ALL patients, with 18 healthy individuals being selected as controls.

The efficacy of cinacalcet combined with conventional therapy on bone and mineral metabolism in dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism: a meta-analysis.

Cinacalcet, the first calcimimetic to be approved for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in the chronic kidney disease patients, offers a novel therapeutic approach to SHPT. The aim of this meta-analysis is to access the efficacy and safety of cinacalcet on bone and mineral metabolism disorders in the dialysis patients with SHPT. Randomized controlled trials on cinacalcet combined with vitamin D and/or phosphate binders in the dialysis patients with SHPT were identified in Pubmed, Sciencedirect, and the Cochrane library.

Two new alkaloid galactosides from the kernel of Prinsepia uniflora.

Two new alkaloid galactosides have been isolated from the kernel of Prinsepia uniflora. Their structures were elucidated as 5-[(α-D-galactopyranosyloxy) methyl]-1H-pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde (1) and 6-[(α-D-galactopyranosyloxy) methyl]-3-pyridinol (2) by various spectroscopic means including HR-ESI-MS, IR, 1D and 2D NMR. The determined structures were characterized with a unit of galactose which is rarely seen in the previously isolated pyrrole and pyridinol compounds.

A hypothesis: Edaravone exert cardioprotection partly via modulation of adiponectin.

Edaravone has been recognized as a potential protective agent for cardiovascular diseases. It is well known that edaravone can attenuate oxidative stress and inhibit the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α. However, the mechanisms behind the cardioprotection of edaravone are still incompletely understood yet.

Changes in the brain intrinsic organization in both on-task state and post-task resting state.

The dynamic and robust characteristics of intrinsic functional connectivity of coherent spontaneous activity are critical for the brain functional stability and flexibility. Studies have demonstrated modulation of intrinsic connectivity within local spatial patterns during or after task performance, such as the default mode network (DMN) and task-specific networks. Moreover, recent studies have compared the global spatial pattern in different tasks or over time.

fMRI study in posterior cingulate and adjacent precuneus cortex in healthy elderly adults using problem solving task.

Purpose: To explore the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the adjacent precuneus regions in healthy elderly adults during problem solving tasks.

Materials And Methods: Eighteen participants (7 women, mean age of 63.6±6.

Clinical and genetic findings in a large cohort of patients with ryanodine receptor 1 gene-associated myopathies.

Ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) mutations are a common cause of congenital myopathies associated with both dominant and recessive inheritance. Histopathological findings frequently feature central cores or multi-minicores, more rarely, type 1 predominance/uniformity, fiber-type disproportion, increased internal nucleation, and fatty and connective tissue. We describe 71 families, 35 associated with dominant RYR1 mutations and 36 with recessive inheritance.

Effectiveness of combining plasma exchange with continuous hemodiafiltration on acute Fatty liver of pregnancy complicated by multiple organ dysfunction.

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is a rare disease of progressive hepatic insufficiency and secondary systemic complications that induce significant maternal risk. The application of combining plasma exchange (PE) and continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) is a novel concept for patients with AFLP. Since 2002, we have utilized the combination of PE with CHDF as adjunctive medical therapy for 11 AFLP patients with multiple organ dysfunction.

The application of dexmedetomidine in children undergoing vitreoretinal surgery.

Purpose: Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective alpha-2 adrenergic agonist that has a sedative effect and has been shown to reduce anesthetic requirements. It also has a sympatholytic effect, which may prove useful when used to blunt the sympathetic surge during intubation and extubation. However, its effects on intraocular pressure, hemodynamic stability, attenuation of extubation response, and emergence agitation remain unclear for pediatric patients undergoing vitreoretinal surgery.

The effect of sevoflurane postconditioning on cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbits.

Sevoflurane postconditioning is a potential clinical measure to protect myocardial. This experiment was designed to investigate the efficacy of sevoflurane postconditioning against ischemia-reperfusion injury. A total of 132 Japanese White Rabbits were enrolled into this study.

Hepatitis B virus X protein promotes the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma by modulation of the Notch signaling pathway.

Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) plays a crucial role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, little is known about the mechanism. Here, we investigated the relationship between HBx and Notch signaling in HepG2 cells after they were transfected with the HBx gene. It was found that HBx upregulated the expression of Notch-1, Jagged-1 and Hes-1 at the transcriptional level by binding to the Notch-1 intracellular domain, which is congruent with the observations of enhanced malignant biological activities of HBx-transfected HepG2 cells compared with normal HepG2 cells.

Effects of calcined aluminum salts on the advanced dewatering and solidification/stabilization of sewage sludge.

The high moisture content (80%) in the sewage dewatered sludge is the main obstacle to disposal and recycling. A chemical dewatering and stabilization/solidification (S/S) alternative for the sludge was developed, using calcined aluminum salts (AS) as solidifier, and CaCl2, Na2SO4 and CaSO4 as accelerators, to enhance the mechanical compressibility making the landfill operation possible. The properties of the resultant matrixes were determined in terms of moisture contents, unconfined compressive strength, products of hydration, and toxicity characteristics.

Design principles for bifunctional targeted oligonucleotide enhancers of splicing.

Controlling the patterns of splicing of specific genes is an important goal in the development of new therapies. We have shown that the splicing of a refractory exon, SMN2 exon 7, could be increased in fibroblasts derived from patients with spinal muscular atrophy by using bifunctional targeted oligonucleotide enhancers of splicing (TOES) oligonucleotides that anneal to the exon and contain a 'tail' of enhancer sequences that recruit activating proteins. We show here that there are striking agreements between the effects of oligonucleotides on splicing in vitro and on both splicing and SMN2 protein expression in patient-derived fibroblasts, indicating that the effects on splicing are the major determinant of success.

King-Denborough syndrome with and without mutations in the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RYR1) gene.

King-Denborough syndrome (KDS), first described in 1973, is a rare condition characterised by the triad of dysmorphic features, myopathy, and malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS). Autosomal dominant inheritance with variable expressivity has been reported in several cases. Mutations in the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RYR1) gene have been implicated in a wide range of myopathies such as central core disease (CCD), the malignant hyperthermia (MH) susceptibility trait and one isolated patient with KDS.

Impaired CD200-CD200R-mediated microglia silencing enhances midbrain dopaminergic neurodegeneration: roles of aging, superoxide, NADPH oxidase, and p38 MAPK.

CD200-CD200R signaling holds microglia in a quiescent state. Parkinson disease (PD) neurodegeneration may be associated with impairment of CD200-CD200R-mediated microglia silencing in the substantia nigra (SN). In this study, an anti-CD200R blocking antibody (ACDR) selectively and significantly enhanced the susceptibility of dopaminergic neurons to neurotoxicity induced by rotenone (Rot) and iron (Ir) in mesencephalic neuron/glia cultures.

Slow-release of methanogenic inhibitors derived from encapsulated calcium carbide using paraffin wax and/or rosin: matrix optimization and diffusion characteristics.

Acetylene has been found to significantly inhibit biological activity of methanogens and thus might be applicable for reducing the generation and emission of methane from municipal solid waste landfills. However, acetylene is gaseous and so it is considered physically infeasible to directly apply this gas to waste in landfill conditions. In the present study, a novel acetylene release mechanism was tested, using a matrix of acetylene entrapped in high hydrophobic paraffin wax and/or rosin and calcium carbide capsules with a ratio of 1.