Andrographolide Suppresses Expressions of Coagulation and Fibrinolytic Inhibition-Related Factors in LPS-Induced Alveolar Epithelial Cell Type II via NF-κB Signal Pathway In Vitro.

Background: Andrographolide (Andro) has been confirmed to ameliorate alveolar hypercoagulation and fibrinolysis inhibition via NF-κB pathway in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the specific target of Andro is unknown.

Purpose: Our aim is to explore the specific target of Andro through which the drug exerted its effects on alveolar hypercoagulation and fibrinolytic inhibition in LPS-induced ARDS.

Methods: AECII was treated with different doses of Andro for 1 h, and then stimulated with LPS for 24 h.

Expression of miR-181a in Circulating Tumor Cells of Ovarian Cancer and Its Clinical Application.

To determine the possibility of early diagnosis and prognosis of ovarian cancer (OC) via detecting miR-181a in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of OC and to solve clinical difficulties in OC tissue sample collection. EpCAM liposome magnetic beads (Ep-LMBs) were prepared by the reverse-phase evaporation method, and the performance of EpCAM was characterized. The cytotoxicity assay was detected by the MTT assay, and CTC capture efficiency was determined using OC cell lines.

Autophagy: A Novel Horizon for Hair Cell Protection.

As a general sensory disorder, hearing loss was a major concern worldwide. Autophagy is a common cellular reaction to stress that degrades cytoplasmic waste through the lysosome pathway. Autophagy not only plays major roles in maintaining intracellular homeostasis but is also involved in the development and pathogenesis of many diseases.

Early Post-Stroke Electroacupuncture Promotes Motor Function Recovery in Post-Ischemic Rats by Increasing the Blood and Brain Irisin.

Objective: Recent studies have shown that irisin, a novel peptide hormone derived from muscles, could be used as a potential therapeutic drug against ischemic stroke. Moreover, electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used in the treatment of ischemic stroke. Yet, whether irisin is involved in the EA neuroprotection remains unclear.

The Plasma Concentration of D-Dimer is Associated with Neoadjuvant-Chemotherapy Efficacy and the Prognosis in Osteosarcoma.

Purpose: This retrospective study explored the clinical value of the plasma D-dimer level in osteosarcoma.

Materials And Methods: We measured the plasma D-dimer level before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (D0) and the plasma D-dimer level after four courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (D1) in 103 patients with stage-IIB high-grade osteosarcoma of the limb. The change in the D-dimer level (ΔD) was defined as D1 minus D0.

[Inner hair cells loss by carboplatin and the changes of cochlear compound action potential in chinchillas].

To measure the cochlear compound action potential (CAP) and the densities of hair cells (HCs) along the whole length of the basilar membrane (BM) in adult chinchillas. And to investigate the relationship between the severity of inner hair cells (IHCs) loss and the changes of CAP by using carboplatin-cochlear lesion model. Totally 18 chinchillas were recruited after ontological evaluation.

An epidemiological survey of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease at the otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery clinics in China.

Purpose: Using the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), this nationwide study aimed to investigate the incidence, diagnostic status, risk factors, and common symptoms of adult laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) at otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) clinics in China.

Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional survey began at the different institutions ranged from July to October 2017, and the duration was 12 months. A total of 90,440 eligible patients were finally enrolled from 72 medical institutions in China.

[The expression and function of acid-sensing ion channels in auditory system and vestibular system].

Acid-sensing ion channels are a class of extracellular H(+) activated cation channels, belonging to the amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na(+) channel/degenerin (ENaC/DEG) superfamily. During extracellular acidification, the channels are activated and produce corresponding action potential. Acid-sensing ion channels are extensively expressed in the peripheral and central nervous system.

Cisplatin-induced vestibular hair cell lesion-less damage at high doses.

Cisplatin, a widely used anticancer drug, damages hair cells in cochlear organotypic cultures at low doses, but paradoxically causes little damage at high doses resulting in a U-shaped dose-response function. To determine if the cisplatin dose-response function for vestibular hair cells follows a similar pattern, we treated vestibular organotypic cultures with doses of cisplatin ranging from 10 to 1000 μM. Vestibular hair cell lesions progressively increased as the dose of cisplatin increased with maximum damage occurring around 50-100 μM, but the lesions progressively decreased at higher doses resulting in little hair cell loss at 1000 μM.

Bilirubin-induced neurotoxic and ototoxic effects in rat cochlear and vestibular organotypic cultures.

Exposure to high levels of bilirubin in hyperbilirubinemia patients and animal models can result in sensorineural deafness. However, the mechanisms underlying bilirubin-induced damage to the inner ear, including the cochlear and vestibular organs, remain unknown. The present analyses of cochlear and vestibular organotypic cultures obtained from postnatal day 3 rats exposed to bilirubin at varying concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, or 250 μM) for 24 h revealed that auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) and vestibular nerve endings were destroyed even at low doses (10 and 50 μM).

CPNE1 silencing inhibits the proliferation, invasion and migration of human osteosarcoma cells.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignancy of the bone affecting children and adolescents. Copine 1 (CPNE1) is a highly conserved calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding protein and may function in regulating signal transduction and membrane trafficking. In the present study, we investigated CPNE1 expression in osteosarcoma tissues and cells, and studied the effects of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-targeting CPNE1 on proliferation, metastasis and chemosensitivity of the osteosarcoma cells.

The effect of bilirubin on the excitability of mitral cells in the olfactory bulb of the rat.

Olfactory dysfunction is a common clinical phenomenon observed in various liver diseases. Previous studies have shown a correlation between smell disorders and bilirubin levels in patients with hepatic diseases. Bilirubin is a well-known neurotoxin; however, its effect on neurons in the main olfactory bulb (MOB), the first relay in the olfactory system, has not been examined.

[Prevention and treatment of sinusitis complicated by surgical treatment of pituitary adenoma].

The aim of this study is to study the reason,prevention and cure measures of sinusitis complicated by frontal craniotomy or endoscopic transnasal approach in surgical treatment of pituitary adenoma.A total of 10 patients with sinusitis complicated by surgical treatment of pituitary adenoma were admitted.Five sphenoid sinusitis patients and 2 frontal sinusitis patients weretreated with nasal endoscopic surgery,while 3 cases frontal sinusitis patients were received nasal endoscopic surgery combined with surgery outside nose.

Diagnosis and treatment of acute urogenital and genitalia tract traumas: 10-year clinical experience.

Objective: To report our 10-year diagnosis and treatment experience of acute urogenital and genitalia tract traumas and outline the management of the traumatic injury.

Methods: We reviewed the diagnoses and treatments of 208 cases of acute kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra, or male genitalia injuries in our department between March 2002 and March 2012. The patient data including general information, injury position and mechanism, diagnosis and treatment, the follow-up information was analyzed and summarized.

Distally Based Saphenous Neurocutaneous Perforator Flap: A Versatile Donor Site for Reconstruction of Soft Tissue Defects of the Medial Malleolar Region.

Repair of both simple and complex defects in the medial malleolar region continues to be a challenging task for surgeons because of the local paucity of soft tissue available for transfer. The popular neurocutaneous flap has provided a reliable and less technically demanding method for resurfacing defects of the lower extremities. We present our experience with the versatile design of the distally based saphenous neurocutaneous perforator flap to provide coverage of complex post-traumatic medial malleolar defects by harvesting multiple tissue components in various combinations.

Molecular and cellular mechanisms of tight junction dysfunction in the irritable bowel syndrome.

The pathophysiological mechanisms of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders, are complex and have not been fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of tight junction (TJ) dysfunction in IBS. Intestinal tissues of IBS and non‑IBS patients were examined to observe cellular changes by cell chemical tracer electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and intestinal claudin‑1 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis and fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Taurine protects against bilirubin-induced hyperexcitation in rat anteroventral cochlear nucleus neurons.

No effective medication for hyperbilirubinemia yet exists. Taurine is believed to exert a neuroprotective action. The aim of the present study was to determine whether taurine protected neurons of the rat anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) against bilirubin-induced neuronal hyperexcitation.

Mechanisms underlying taurine protection against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity.

Taurine appears to exert potent protections against glutamate (Glu)-induced injury to neurons, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. The possibly protected targets consist of the plasma membrane and the mitochondrial as well as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes. Protection may be provided through a variety of effects, including the prevention of membrane depolarization, neuronal excitotoxicity and mitochondrial energy failure, increases in intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i), activation of calpain, and reduction of Bcl-2 levels.

Taurine attenuates bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity in the auditory system in neonatal guinea pigs.

Objectives: Previous work showed that taurine protects neurons against unconjugated bilirubin (UCB)-induced neurotoxicity by maintaining intracellular calcium homeostasis, membrane integrity, and mitochondrial function, thereby preventing apoptosis from occurring, in primary neuron cultures. In this study, we investigated whether taurine could protect the auditory system against the neurotoxicity associated with hyperbilirubinemia in an in vivo model.

Methods: Hyperbilirubinemia was established in neonatal guinea pigs by intraperitoneal injection of UCB.

Primary maxillomandibular advancement with concomitant revised uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with uvula preservation for severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of primary maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) with concomitant adjunctive revised uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with uvula preservation (H-UPPP) in selected patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSASH).

Methods: Eleven consecutive male patients with velo-orohypopharyngeal and hypopharyngeal narrowing underwent MMA with concomitant H-UPPP for severe OSAHS. All patients underwent a physical examination, Epworth Sleepiness Scale evaluation, cephalometry, nocturnal polysomnogram, and velopharyngeal insufficiency questionnaire survey before and at 6 to 12 months after surgery.

Effects of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist on collagen and matrix metalloproteinases in stress-shielded achilles tendons of rats.

Based on previous studies showing that interleukin-1 (IL-1) significantly increased after stress shielding, this article reports further research into the possible therapeutic applications of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra). Forty rats whose left Achilles tendons were denervated and completely stress shielded were divided into 5 groups: 2-week phosphate-buffered saline (PBS); 4-week PBS; 2-week IL-1Ra; 4-week IL-1Ra; and normal control. The Achilles tendons were tested morphologically, and the changes in collagen I and III, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-1 and -3, and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 were determined.

Bilirubin induces auditory neuropathy in neonatal guinea pigs via auditory nerve fiber damage.

Bilirubin can cause temporary or permanent sensorineural deafness in newborn babies with hyperbilirubinemia. However, the underlying targets and physiological effects of bilirubin-induced damage in the peripheral auditory system are unclear. Using cochlear functional assays and electron microscopy imaging of the inner ear in neonatal guinea pigs, we show here that bilirubin exposure resulted in threshold elevation in both compound action potential (CAP) and auditory brainstem response (ABR), which was apparent at 1 hr and peaked 8 hr after drug administration.

Interaction between taurine and GABA(A)/glycine receptors in neurons of the rat anteroventral cochlear nucleus.

Taurine, one of the most abundant endogenous amino acids in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), is involved in neural development and many physiological functions. In this study, the interaction between taurine and GABA(A)/glycine receptors was investigated in young rat (P13-P15) anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) neurons using the whole-cell patch-clamp method. We found that taurine at low (0.

Comparison of central macular thickness between two spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in elderly non-mydriatic eyes.

Aim: To compare central macular thickness (CMT) measurements obtained by two spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) exams, and to evaluate measurement reproducibility and agreement between these two exams, and to investigate the relationship between CMT and possible influencing factors such as age, sex, eye (OD/OS), and operators in elderly non-mydriatic eyes.

Methods: Seventy-two normal subjects were included. Every subject underwent CMT measurement twice using one of two SD-OCT (OSE-2000, Moptim, Shenzhen, China & 3-D OCT-1000, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan) instruments respectively where we randomly chose one eye in each patient for the test; these exams were performed by two operators over an hour period with a brief rest between sessions.