Decellularized human liver scaffold-based three-dimensional culture system facilitate hepatitis B virus infection.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) study is hampered by lacking of idea cell model which support effective HBV infection and meanwhile recapitulate hepatocyte biology function in vivo. In this study, we developed decellularized human liver scaffolds for cell culture and further applied for HBV infection. As a result, primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) engrafted into liver scaffolds and maintained differentiation with stable albumin secretion and liver-specific gene expression.

Utility of transesophageal echocardiography for intra-operatively assessing pulmonary artery pressure across an isolated ventricular septal defect in children.

Background: The magnitude of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is extremely important with respect to the intra-operative management of children and infants with an isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD). This study aimed to assess the feasibility and accuracy of transesophageal echocardiography for estimating pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) across isolated VSD.

Methods: We compared the results of transesophageal echocardiography vs invasive PASP measured simultaneously.

An EGLN1 mutation may regulate hypoxic response in cyanotic congenital heart disease through the PHD2/HIF-1A pathway.

Cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD), a term describing the most severe congenital heart diseases are characterized by the anatomic malformation of a right to left shunt. Although the incidence of CCHD are far less than the that of congenital heart diseases (CHD), patients with CCHD always present severe clinical features such as hypoxia, dyspnea, and heart failure. Chronic hypoxia induces hypoxemia that significantly contributes to poor prognosis in CCHD.

Epigenetic regulation of phosphodiesterase 4d in restrictive cardiomyopathy mice with cTnI mutations.

Epigenetic regulations play an important role in disease development. In this study, we have investigated epigenetic regulations in restrictive cardiomyopathy mice with cTnI 193His mutation. Our results demonstrated that phosphodiesterase (PDEs) 4d was down-regulated in the heart of these mice.

Meconium-stained amniotic fluid as a risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis in very low-birth weight preterm infants: a retrospective cohort study.

To evaluate whether meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) is a risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. The retrospective study was conducted at the Neonatal Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2010 to October 2016. The maternal and neonatal characteristics in cases of very low-birth weight infants born prior to 34 weeks of gestation were collected and compared between the MSAF and non-MSAF groups.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials: Efficacy of selenium treatment for sepsis.

Background: To understand the clinical outcomes of selenium therapy in patients with sepsis syndrome, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT).

Methods: A total of 13 RCTs comparing selenium and placebo for patients with sepsis were reviewed systematically.

Results: However, we could not detect the association of selenium treatment with a decreased mortality at different time course (relative risk [RR] [95% confidence interval, CI]: 0.

The diagnostic value of APT for food allergy in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The role of atopy patch test (APT) in the diagnosis of food allergy (FA) remains largely controversial. In our meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the accuracy of APT for diagnosing FA in children.

Methods: Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched for studies regarding the diagnostic value of APT for FA in children compared to oral food challenge (double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge and/or open food challenge).

Application of ASiR in combination with noise index in the chest CT examination of preschool-age children.

Purpose: To evaluate the application of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) for chest CT scans of preschool-age children.

Method: Sixty children, ages 0 to < 1, 1 to < 3, and 3 to < 6 years, who underwent CT non-contrast-enhanced and enhanced scans were included. The non-contrast-enhanced scan sequences were performed with noise indexes (NIs) of 11, 14, and 16 for the 0 to < 1, 1 to < 3, and 3 to < 6 year age groups, respectively.

Lnc-SOX6-1 upregulation correlates with poor risk stratification and worse treatment outcomes, and promotes cell proliferation while inhibits apoptosis in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

Introduction: To investigate the correlation of long noncoding RNA-SOX6-1 (lnc-SOX6-1) with clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, and further explore its function in AML cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Methods: A total of 146 de novo pediatric AML patients and 73 nonhematologic malignancy patients/donors were recruited. Bone marrow samples were obtained, followed by measurement of lnc-SOX6-1 expression by qPCR.

Sodium valproate suppresses abnormal neurogenesis induced by convulsive status epilepticus.

Status epilepticus has been shown to activate the proliferation of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the brain, while also causing a large amount of neuronal death, especially in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and the subventricular zone. Simultaneously, proliferating stem cells tend to migrate to areas with obvious damage. Our previous studies have clearly confirmed the effect of sodium valproate on cognitive function in rats with convulsive status epilepticus.

[Clinical features of children with Kawasaki disease aged over 5 years].

Objective: To study the clinical and laboratory features of children with Kawasaki disease (KD) aged >5 years.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 250 elderly children (aged >5 years) who were diagnosed with KD or incomplete KD (divided into 5-9 years and >9 years groups) and 266 KD children aged 1-5 years. Clinical and laboratory features were compared between groups.

High-mobility group box-1 protein from CC10 club cells promotes type 2 response in the later stage of respiratory syncytial virus infection.

The type 2 immune response, induced by infection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), has been linked to asthma development, but it remains unclear how the response is initiated. Here, we reported that the high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein promotes the type 2 response in the later stage of RSV infection. In mice, we found that type 2 cytokines were elevated in the later stages, which were strongly diminished after administration of anti-HMGB1 antibodies.

The effect of melatonin on cardio fibrosis in juvenile rats with pressure overload and deregulation of HDACs.

The effect of melatonin on juveniles with cardio fibrosis is poorly understood. We investigated whether HDACs participate in the anti-fibrotic processes regulated by melatonin during hypertrophic remodeling. Abdominal aortic constriction (AAC) was employed in juvenile rats resulting in pressure overload-induced ventricular hypertrophy and melatonin was subsequently decreased via continuous light exposure for 5 weeks after surgery.

Epigallocatechin-3 gallate prevents pressure overload-induced heart failure by up-regulating SERCA2a via histone acetylation modification in mice.

Heart failure is a common, costly, and potentially fatal condition. The cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA2a) plays a critical role in the regulation of cardiac function. Previously, low SERCA2a expression was revealed in mice with heart failure.

Identification of volume parameters monitored with a noninvasive ultrasonic cardiac output monitor for predicting fluid responsiveness in children after congenital heart disease surgery.

No previous study has used an ultrasonic cardiac output monitor (USCOM) to assess volume parameters, such as stroke volume variation (SVV), in order to predict the volume status and fluid responsivenes in children after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery. The present prospective trial aimed to investigate the ability of SVV and corrected flow time (FTc), which were assessed with a USCOM, for predicting fluid responsiveness in children after CHD surgery.The study included 60 children who underwent elective CHD surgery.

In utero exposure to PM2.5 during gestation caused adult cardiac hypertrophy through histone acetylation modification.

Ambient particles with a diameter of <2.5 μm (PM2.5) is a global health concern, and exposure to PM2.

CD36 Promotes Podocyte Apoptosis by Activating the Pyrin Domain-Containing-3 (NLRP3) Inflammasome in Primary Nephrotic Syndrome.

BACKGROUND CD36 plays a critical role in many sterile inflammatory diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, and primary nephrotic syndrome. This study investigated whether CD36 activates the nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and promotes podocytes apoptosis in primary nephrotic syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS The mouse podocyte cell line MPC5 was used as a model.

Skewed balance of regulatory T cell and inflammatory T cell in IL-17 defect with human metapneumovirus infection.

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a common cause of respiratory infections in children. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the development of hMPV-induced pulmonary pathology remain unknown. Studies show that IL-17 plays an important role in some inflammatory diseases of the airways, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Effects of gap junctions blockers on fast ripples and connexin in rat hippocampi after status epilepticus.

Objective: To assess the dynamic changes in the average and peak spectral power of fast ripples (FRs) in the hippocampi after interventions with valproate sodium (VPA), carbenoxolone (CBX) and quinine (QUIN).

Method: Adult rats were used to establish a lithium-pilocarpine (pilo) epileptic model, and were assigned to a lithium-pilocarpine (PILO), VPA + PILO, QUIN + PILO or CBX + PILO group. Intracranial electroencephalography was performed before and after status epilepticus (SE).

Neural Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Carrying the FTH1 Reporter Gene and Detection with MRI.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on the ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) reporter gene has been used to trace stem cells. However, whether FTH1 expression is affected by stem cell differentiation or whether cell differentiation is affected by reporter gene expression remains unclear. Here, we explore the relationship between FTH1 expression and neural differentiation in the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) carrying FTH1 into neuron-like cells and investigate the feasibility of using FTH1 as an MRI reporter gene to detect neurally differentiated cells.

A novel strategy for in vivo angiogenesis and osteogenesis: magnetic micro-movement in a bone scaffold.

Angiogenesis and osteogenesis in tissue-engineered bone are the key factors in the clinical application of tissue-engineering technology to repair large bone defects. In vivo cells that are farther than 200 μm from capillaries cannot survive due to lack of nutrients and oxygen, and thus, the tissue-engineered bone is not suitable for repairing large bone defects. In this study, we constructed a novel artificial bone scaffold loaded with superparamagnetic plasmid gene microspheres.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase potentiates ALK signaling and serves as a potential therapeutic target of neuroblastoma.

Aberrant activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) can cause sporadic and familial neuroblastoma. Using a proteomics approach, we identified Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) as a novel ALK interaction partner, and the physical interaction was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. BTK is expressed in neuroblastoma cell lines and tumor tissues.