Unilateral biportal endoscopy via two different approaches for upper lumbar disc herniation: a technical note.

Background: The traditional surgical procedures for upper lumbar disc herniation (ULDH) usually lead to frequent complications. We aim to investigate the clinical efficacy of the unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) technique in treating upper lumbar disc herniation (ULDH).

Methods: From January 2020 to December 2021, the clinical data of 28 patients with ULDH treated with the UBE technique were collected and analyzed for surgery time under UBE, postsurgical drainage, postsurgical hospital stay, and complications.

MicroRNA-646 inhibits the proliferation of ovarian granulosa cells via insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy in women. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proven to play a crucial role in balancing the proliferation and apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) in PCOS.

Material And Methods: The miRNA of PCOS was screened by bioinformatics analysis, and microRNA 646 (miR-646) was found to be involved in insulin-related pathways by enrichment analysis.

Learning Curve and Complications of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy: Cumulative Sum and Risk-Adjusted Cumulative Sum Analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning curve and complications of unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of 197 consecutive patients who received UBE unilateral laminotomy bilateral decompression (UBE-ULBD) or lumbar discectomy (UBE-LD) surgery, including 107 males and 90 females with an average age of 64.83 ± 14.

Effect of a Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula (CoTOL) on Serum Uric Acid and Intestinal Flora in Obese Hyperuricemic Mice Inoculated with Intestinal Bacteria.

CoTOL is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula in clinics for treating gout and hyperuricemia, especially in obese patients with recurrent attacks. However, fewer studies have investigated how CoTOL impacts the intestinal flora in reducing uric acid. In the present, we analyze the bacteria targeted by ingredients of CoTOL and evaluate the effects of CoTOL on uric acid and intestinal flora in a mice model of obese hyperuricemia inoculated with xanthine dehydrogenase- (XOD-) producing bacteria, .

Dynamic changes of Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway in gastric mucosa of rats with MNNG-induced gastric precancerous lesions.

Objective: To explore the changes of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway in the stomach mucosa during the formation of gastric precancerous lesions.

Methods: A total of 72 suckling rats in half genders were randomly and equally divided into the normal group and model group. The rats in the model group were administered with 0.

[Effect of early use of different doses of enteral nutrition on prognosis of patients with acute respiratory failure].

Objective: To observe the impact of initial low-dose (trophic type) enteral nutrition (EN) support on mechanical ventilation (MV) time, the incidence of complications and survival rate in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF).

Methods: A prospective study was conducted. Forty-four patients with ARF undergoing MV admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of Hangzhou Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital from September 2015 to February 2017 were enrolled, and they were divided into a trophic feeding group (n = 23, study group) and a standard-dose feeding group (n = 21, control group).

Role of high mobility group A1 and body mass index in the prognosis of patients with breast cancer.

The high mobility group A1 (HMGA1) protein is associated with poor prognosis in patients with a wide range of cancers. However, the affect of HMGA1 on the risk of mortality from breast cancer (BC) has not been fully characterized. In the present retrospective multiple center study, the HMGA1 expression level was determined by performing immunohistochemistry on surgical tissue samples of 273 BC specimens from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (Zhejiang, China) and 310 BCs from the National Engineering Center for Biochip (Shanghai, China).

Correlation between microRNA-143 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and disease severity in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

This study aims to explore the correlation between microRNA-143 (miR-143) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and disease severity in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. From March 2014 to November 2015, 194 patients with psoriasis vulgaris (102 patients in progressive stage and 92 patients in stable stage) were selected as the case group and 175 healthy people as a control group were enrolled in this study. ELISA was used to detect the levels of IL-17 and VEGF in serum.

To Unveil the Molecular Mechanisms of Qi and Blood through Systems Biology-Based Investigation into Si-Jun-Zi-Tang and Si-Wu-Tang formulae.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is increasingly getting clinical application worldwide. But its theory like QI-Blood is still abstract. Actually, Qi deficiency and blood deficiency, which were treated by Si-Jun-Zi-Tang (SJZT) and Si-Wu-Tang (SWT) respectively, have characteristic clinical manifestations.

Expression of the cereblon binding protein argonaute 2 plays an important role for multiple myeloma cell growth and survival.

Background: Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), such as lenalidomide, are therapeutically active compounds that bind and modulate the E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate recruiter cereblon, thereby affect steady-state levels of cereblon and cereblon binding partners, such as ikaros and aiolos, and induce many cellular responses, including cytotoxicity to multiple myeloma (MM) cells. Nevertheless, it takes many days for MM cells to die after IMiD induced depletion of ikaros and aiolos and thus we searched for other cereblon binding partners that participate in IMiD cytotoxicity.

Methods: Cereblon binding partners were identified from a MM cell line expressing histidine-tagged cereblon by pulling down cereblon and its binding partners and verified by co-immunoprecipitation.

Elevated HMGA2 expression is associated with cancer aggressiveness and predicts poor outcome in breast cancer.

High mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is involved in a wide spectrum of biological processes and is upregulated in several tumors. Here, we collected 273 breast cancer (BC) specimens as a training set and 310 specimens as a validation set to examine the expression of HMGA2 by immunohistochemical staining. It was found that HMGA2 expression was significantly positively correlated with advanced tumor grade and poor survival.

Stimulation of EphB2 attenuates tau phosphorylation through PI3K/Akt-mediated inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β.

Abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation is an early pathological marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, the upstream factors that regulate tau phosphorylation are not illustrated and there is no efficient strategy to arrest tau hyperphosphorylation. Here, we find that activation of endogenous EphB2 receptor by ligand stimulation (ephrinB1/Fc) or by ectopic expression of EphB2 plus the ligand stimulation induces a remarkable tau dephosphorylation at multiple AD-associated sites in SK-N-SH cells and human embryonic kidney cells that stably express human tau (HEK293-tau). In cultured hippocampal neurons and the hippocampus of human tau transgenic mice, dephosphorylation of tau proteins was also detected by stimulation of EphB2 receptor.

The effects of non-calcium-based phosphate binders versus calcium-based phosphate binders on cardiovascular calcification and bone remodeling among dialysis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Vascular calcification significantly increases the rates of cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Abnormalities in mineral metabolism may play a role in the pathogenesis of arterial calcification. Whether patients treated with non-calcium-based phosphate binders had reduced aortic vascular calcification compared to those treated with calcium-based phosphate binders is still unclear.

The prognostic value of ribonucleotide reductase small subunit M2 in predicting recurrence for prostate cancers.

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic significance of ribonucleotide reductase small subunit M2 (RRM2) in low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PCa).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective outcome study was conducted on 164 eligible PCa samples from the City of Hope (n = 90) and the Taipei Medical University (n = 74). The RRM2 protein levels were detected by immunohistochemistry.

Mycoplasma penetrans infection is a potential cause of immunoglobulin A nephropathy: a new animal model.

Aim: A new animal model of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) was made by infecting mice with Mycoplasma penetrans (Mpe). To examine the pathogenesis of IgAN induced by Mpe infection, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) protein levels were compared among study groups.

Methods: To make an experimental IgAN animal model, mice were infected with Mpe, SP-4 medium or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) via the urinary tract.