Yishentongluo decoction in treatment of idiopathic asthenozoospermia infertility: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The reproductive dilemma faced by men has always been the focus of the whole society. Idiopathic asthenozoospermia (AZS), as one of the common causes of male infertility, lack of specific treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine has shown potential benefits in the management of male infertility.

Quantitative Morphology of Cerebral Thrombi Related to Intravital Contraction and Clinical Features of Ischemic Stroke.

Background And Purpose: The purpose was to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the composition and structure of cerebral thrombi and correlate them with the signs of intravital clot contraction (retraction), as well as with etiology, severity, duration, and outcomes of acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: We quantified high-resolution scanning electron micrographs of 41 cerebral thrombi for their detailed cellular and noncellular composition and analyzed histological images for the overall structure with the emphasis on red blood cell compression, fibrin age, and the signs of inflammation.

Results: Cerebral thrombi were quite compact and had extremely low porosity.

Regional, not global, functional connectivity contributes to isolated focal dystonia.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that there is shared regional or global functional connectivity dysfunction in a large cohort of patients with isolated focal dystonia affecting different body regions compared to control participants. In this case-control study, we obtained resting-state MRI scans (three or four 7.3-minute runs) with eyes closed in participants with focal dystonia (cranial [17], cervical [13], laryngeal [18], or limb [10]) and age- and sex-matched controls.

Valproic acid treatment rescues injured tissues after traumatic brain injury.

Background: No agents that are specifically neuroprotective are currently approved to emergently treat patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The histone deacetylase inhibitor, high-dose valproic acid (VPA) has been shown to have cytoprotective potential in models of combined TBI and hemorrhagic shock, but it has not been tested in an isolated TBI model. We hypothesized that VPA, administered after isolated TBI, will penetrate the injured brain, attenuate the lesion size, and activate prosurvival pathways.

Synaptic Plasticity Induced by Differential Manipulation of Tonic and Phasic Motoneurons in .

Structural and functional plasticity induced by neuronal competition is a common feature of developing nervous systems. However, the rules governing how postsynaptic cells differentiate between presynaptic inputs are unclear. In this study, we characterized synaptic interactions following manipulations of tonic Ib or phasic Is glutamatergic motoneurons that coinnervate postsynaptic muscles of male or female larvae.

Association of gene rs1799983 G/T polymorphism with idiopathic asthenozoospermia in Iranian Azeri males: a case-control study.

Objectives: Recently, oxidative stress (OS) has been described extensively as an important cause of men infertility. The nitric oxide synthase 3 () gene expression involved in normal spermatogenesis regulation in testis. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on gene are reported in association with sperm function and spermatogenesis impairment in infertile men.

Development of the short version of the spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory.

The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) has been widely used to measure the state and trait components of anxiety. We sought to develop a short, yet reliable and valid form of these scales for use in circumstances where the full-form is not feasible. We abbreviated the scales using item response theory analyses to retain the items that could discriminate the best among participants.

Super-resolution imaging reveals the nanoscale organization of metabotropic glutamate receptors at presynaptic active zones.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play a fundamental role in the modulation of synaptic transmission. A pivotal example is provided by the metabotropic glutamate receptor type 4 (mGluR4), which inhibits glutamate release at presynaptic active zones (AZs). However, how GPCRs are organized within AZs to regulate neurotransmission remains largely unknown.

Acoustofluidic sonoporation for gene delivery to human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Advances in gene editing are leading to new medical interventions where patients' own cells are used for stem cell therapies and immunotherapies. One of the key limitations to translating these treatments to the clinic is the need for scalable technologies for engineering cells efficiently and safely. Toward this goal, microfluidic strategies to induce membrane pores and permeability have emerged as promising techniques to deliver biomolecular cargo into cells.

Construction of Alizarin Conjugated Graphene Oxide Composites for Inhibition of Biofilms.

Biofilm inhibition using nanoparticle-based drug carriers has emerged as a noninvasive strategy to eradicate microbial contaminants such as fungus . In this study, one-step adsorption strategy was utilized to conjugate alizarin (AZ) on graphene oxide (GO) and characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), dynamic light-scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Crystal violet assay was performed to evaluate the antibiofilm efficacy of GO-AZs against .

Early single-dose exosome treatment improves neurologic outcomes in a 7-day swine model of traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock.

Background: Early single-dose treatment with human mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes promotes neuroprotection and promotes blood-brain barrier integrity in models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and hemorrhagic shock (HS) in swine. The impact of an early single dose of exosomes on late survival (7 days), however, remains unknown. We sought to evaluate the impact of early single-dose exosome treatment on neurologic outcomes, brain lesion size, inflammatory cytokines, apoptotic markers, and mediators of neural plasticity in a 7-day survival model.

Histone deacetylase 6 inhibition improves survival in a swine model of lethal hemorrhage, polytrauma, and bacteremia.

Background: Trauma is the leading cause of death for young Americans. Nonspecific histone deacetylase inhibitors, such as valproic acid, have been shown to improve survival in preclinical models of lethal trauma, hemorrhage, and sepsis. The doses needed to achieve a survival benefit are higher than Food and Drug Administration-approved doses, and the nonspecificity raises concerns about unintended adverse effects.

Diagnostic performance of conventional ultrasound and quantitative and qualitative real-time shear wave elastography in musculoskeletal soft tissue tumors.

Background: To explore the feasibility to identify malignant musculoskeletal soft tissue tumors using real-time shear wave elastography (rtSWE).

Methods: One hundred fifteen musculoskeletal soft tissue tumors in 92 consecutive patients were examined using both conventional ultrasonography (US) and rtSWE. For each patient, the rtSWE parameters including maximum elasticity (E), mean elasticity (E), minimum elasticity (E), standard deviation of the elasticity (E), and rtSWE image pattern were obtained.

Structural Remodeling of Active Zones Is Associated with Synaptic Homeostasis.

Perturbations to postsynaptic glutamate receptors (GluRs) trigger retrograde signaling to precisely increase presynaptic neurotransmitter release, maintaining stable levels of synaptic strength, a process referred to as homeostatic regulation. However, the structural change of homeostatic regulation remains poorly defined. At wild-type neuromuscular junction synapse, there is one Bruchpilot (Brp) ring detected by superresolution microscopy at active zones (AZs).

MiR-4485-3p expression reduced in spermatozoa of men with idiopathic asthenozoospermia.

Asthenozoospermia (AZS), which characterised by reduced forward sperm motility, is a common cause of male infertility. Recently, mitochondrial dysfunction reported in AZS men came to attention for finding the molecular aetiology of AZS. Mitochondria-related microRNAs (miRNAs) are the most important regulators of mitochondrial function through post-transcriptionally modulation of gene expression.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of multi-vesicular release is determined by heterogeneity of release sites within central synapses.

A synaptic active zone (AZ) can release multiple vesicles in response to an action potential. This multi-vesicular release (MVR) occurs at most synapses, but its spatiotemporal properties are unknown. Nanoscale-resolution detection of individual release events in hippocampal synapses revealed unprecedented heterogeneity among vesicle release sites within a single AZ, with a gradient of release probability decreasing from AZ center to periphery.

Comparisons of ACR TI-RADS, ATA guidelines, Kwak TI-RADS, and KTA/KSThR guidelines in malignancy risk stratification of thyroid nodules.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance and the unnecessary biopsy rates for recommending fine needle aspiration (FNA) of Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems proposed by American College of Radiology (ACR TI-RADS), American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines, TI-RADS proposed by Kwak (Kwak TI-RADS), and Korean Thyroid Association/Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KTA/KSThR) guidelines for malignancy risk stratification of thyroid nodules (TNs).

Methods: The study included 1271 TNs whose cytologic results or surgical pathologic findings were available. Ultrasound images of these TNs were retrospectively reviewed and categorized according to the four guidelines.

Proteinopathy and longitudinal changes in functional connectivity networks in Parkinson disease.

Objective: To evaluate resting-state functional connectivity as a potential prognostic biomarker of Parkinson disease (PD) progression. The study examined longitudinal changes in cortical resting-state functional connectivity networks in participants with PD compared to controls as well as in relation to baseline protein measures and longitudinal clinical progression.

Methods: Individuals with PD without dementia (n = 64) and control participants (n = 27) completed longitudinal resting-state MRI scans and clinical assessments including full neuropsychological testing after overnight withdrawal of PD medications ("off").

Cognitive correlates of cerebellar resting-state functional connectivity in Parkinson disease.

Objective: To investigate in a cross-sectional study the contributions of altered cerebellar resting-state functional connectivity (FC) to cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: We conducted morphometric and resting-state FC-MRI analyses contrasting 81 participants with PD and 43 age-matched healthy controls using rigorous quality assurance measures. To investigate the relationship of cerebellar FC to cognitive status, we compared participants with PD without cognitive impairment (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] scale score 0, n = 47) to participants with PD with impaired cognition (CDR score ≥0.

Early single-dose treatment with exosomes provides neuroprotection and improves blood-brain barrier integrity in swine model of traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock.

Background: Administration of human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes can enhance neurorestoration in models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and hemorrhagic shock (HS). The impact of early treatment with MSC-derived exosomes on brain injury in a large animal model remains unknown. We sought to evaluate the impact of early single-dose exosome treatment on brain swelling and lesion size, blood-based cerebral biomarkers, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity.

Correction of respiratory artifacts in MRI head motion estimates.

Head motion represents one of the greatest technical obstacles in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human brain. Accurate detection of artifacts induced by head motion requires precise estimation of movement. However, head motion estimates may be corrupted by artifacts due to magnetic main field fluctuations generated by body motion.