Effect of inhibiting mitochondrial fission on energy metabolism in rat hippocampal neurons during ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 (mdivi-1) protects rat brain from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, but the precise mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to elucidate the effect of mdivi-1 on energy metabolism and neuronal apoptosis induced by I/R in vitro.

Methods: Cultured hippocampal neurons from Wistar rats were randomly divided into four treatment groups: control (C), vehicle (V), I/R (I), and I/R plus mdivi-1 (M).

dl-3-n-Butylphthalide attenuation of methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

Aims: Methamphetamine (Meth) abuse causes neural injury in the brain. There are no efficacious therapies available to treat Meth-induce neural injury. The present study intended to test the therapeutic potential of dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP), a chemical compound extracted originally from the seeds of Chinese Celery, in the amelioration and prevention of Meth-induced neural injury.

Voice Therapy Effect on Mutational Falsetto Patients: A Vocal Aerodynamic Study.

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of voice therapy (VT) and analyze the vocal aerodynamic characteristics in mutational falsetto (MF) patients.

Methods: From October 2010 through May 2014, 26 patients with MF at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital were studied retrospectively. Vocal assessment, including the 10-item Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10), fundamental frequency (F0), and vocal aerodynamic parameters (subglottic pressure [SGP]), aerodynamic power [AP], mean expiratory airflow, and maximum phonation time [MPT]), was proceeded before and after VT.

Comparison of the efficacy of icotinib in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer according to the type of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation.

Icotinib hydrochloride is a novel epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with preclinical and clinical activity in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Exon 19 deletion and L858R point mutation are the most commonly encountered EGFR mutations in NSCLC, and they predict improved clinical outcomes following treatment with icotinib. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differential clinical efficacy of icotinib in patients with exon 19 deletion or L858R point mutation of the EGFR gene.

A Randomized Trial on the Efficacy of Prophylactic Active Drainage in Prevention of Complications after Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background And Aims: This randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine whether prophylactic active drainage decreases morbidity associated with pancreati-coduodenectomy.

Material And Methods: A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted between April 2010 and May 2015 when 160 consecutive patients following elective pancreaticoduodenectomy were randomized intraoperatively to either prophylactic active drainage group or conventional passive drainage group. The main objectives were the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula and the associated clinical outcomes.

Mutations in the TMCO3 Gene are Associated with Cornea Guttata and Anterior Polar Cataract.

The molecular basis for cornea guttata and anterior polar cataract remains idiopathic in most cases. In this study, our aim was to identify the disease-associated gene in Chinese patients with these conditions. Patients with the conditions from two Chinese families, and ten sporadic patients, were investigated.

Overexpression of DJ-1 reduces oxidative stress and attenuates hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in NRK-52E cells exposed to high glucose.

Patients with diabetes are more vulnerable to renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which is implicated in hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress. We previously reported that the hyperglycemia-induced inhibition of DJ-1, a novel oncogene that exhibits potent antioxidant activity, is implicated in the severity of myocardial I/R injury. In the present study, we aimed to explore the role of DJ-1 in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury in renal cells exposed to high glucose (HG).

O-GlcNAcylation enhances anaplastic thyroid carcinoma malignancy.

O-linked -acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation (O-GlcNAcylation), a dynamic post-translational modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, may have a critical role in the regulation of biological cell processes and human cancer. O-GlcNAcylation is dynamically regulated by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAc hydrolase (OGA). Accumulating evidence suggests that O-GlcNAcylation is involved in a variety of types of human cancer.

Primary seminoma arising in the middle mediastinum: A case report.

Primary mediastinal seminoma often occurs in the anterior mediastinum of young males. It is unusual for the tumor to originate in the middle or posterior mediastinum, and such cases have rarely been reported in the English literature. The present study reports the case of a 52-year-old man with a 3.

Local anesthetic lidocaine delivery system: chitosan and hyaluronic acid-modified layer-by-layer lipid nanoparticles.

Context: Transdermal local anesthesia is one of the most applied strategies to avoid systemic adverse effects; there is an appealing need for a prolonged local anesthetic that would provide better bioavailability and longer pain relief with a single administration.

Objective: Layer-by-layer (LBL) technique was used in this study to explore a nanosized drug delivery system for local anesthetic therapy.

Materials And Methods: LBL-coated lidocaine-loaded nanostructured lipid nanoparticles (LBL-LA/NLCs) were prepared and characterized in terms of particle size (PS), zeta potential, drug encapsulation efficiency (EE), in vitro skin permeation and in vivo local anesthetic studies.

Evaluation of the otolith function using c/oVEMPs in patients with Ménière's disease.

Background: Cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (c/oVEMPs) reflect otolith function. Up-to-date, there are no published reports on the systemic evaluation of otolith function in Ménière's Disease (MD) nor are there any reports on the differences in VEMPs between patients with early and late stage MD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in c/oVEMPs between patients with MD and normal controls, as well as between patients with early and late stage MD.

Long noncoding RNA ZFAS1 promotes gastric cancer cells proliferation by epigenetically repressing KLF2 and NKD2 expression.

Recently, long noncoding RNAs have been emerged as critical regulators of human disease and prognostic markers in several cancers, including gastric cancer. In this study, we globally assessed the transcriptomic differences of lncRNAs in gastric cancer using publicly available microarray data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and identified an oncogenetic lncRNA ZFAS1, which may promote gastric tumorigenesis. ZFAS1 has been found to be upregulated and function as oncogene in colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its expression pattern, biological function and underlying mechanism in gastric cancer is still undetermined.

Defining the normal core microbiome of conjunctival microbial communities.

Bacterial ocular infections are common. Traditional culture and molecular biological methods have obvious limitations to identify the conjunctival microbiota, while metagenomic studies can avoid the defects of these methods. We used the Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology (MiSeq Illumina Sequencing Platform) to sequence the 16S rDNA V3-V4 hypervariable region of all bacteria in conjunctival swab samples.

[Effect of chitooligosaccharide on hepatic triglyceride metabolism and related mechanisms].

Objective: To investigate the effect of chitooligosaccharide (COS) on hepatic triglyceride (TG) metabolism and related mechanisms.

Methods: The LO2 cells treated by 1 mmol/L fatty acid were used as model group, the cells treated by 1 mmol/L fatty acid and 0.5 mg/ml COS were used as COS group, and the untreated cells were used as control group.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles inhibit expression of manganese superoxide dismutase via amplification of oxidative stress, in murine photoreceptor cells.

Objectives: As a parenchymal cell, the photoreceptor is more susceptible to alterations in outer micro-environmental conditions than other cells. In the present study, we aimed to investigate inhibitory effects of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in murine photoreceptor-derived cells.

Materials And Methods: We investigated effects of ZnO nanoparticles on murine photoreceptor cell viability and on expression and activity of MnSOD using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, immunofluorescence analysis, flow cytometry, quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

[Role and mechanism of action of fibroblast growth factor-21 in reducing triglyceride in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease].

Objective: To investigate the role and mechanism of action of fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) in reducing triglyceride (TG) in the in vitro and in vivo models of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: (1) A mixture of free fatty acids was used to establish a model of steatosis in L02 cells, and the cells were treated with various concentrations of FGF-21 or fenofibrate. Twenty-four hours later, oil red O staining was performed to observe the degree of steatosis, and intracellular TG content was determined.

An alternative choice of lidocaine-loaded liposomes: lidocaine-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for local anesthetic therapy.

Purpose: The skin permeation enhancement of local anesthetics by newer innovative nanotechnologies has been an appealing field recently. However, which nanocarrier is better for drug loading and has better stability? Therefore, the aim of our study was to compare two kinds of nanocarriers: liposomes and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) for lidocaine (LA) delivery.

Methods: LA-loaded liposomes (LA-LPs) and LPNs (LA-LPNs) were prepared.

Evaluation of the utricular and saccular function using oVEMPs and cVEMPs in BPPV patients.

Background: It is well-known that ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) predominantly reflect utricular function whilst cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs) reflect saccular function. To date, there are no published reports on the systemic evaluation of utricular and saccular function in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), nor are there any reports on the differences in VEMPs between patients with recurrent and non-recurrent BPPV. The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in cervical and ocular (c/o)VEMPs between patients with BPPV and normal controls, as well as between patients with recurrent and non-recurrent BPPV.

Effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation combined with minimally invasive hematoma aspiration on intracerebral hemorrhage in rats.

This study is to investigate the effects of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) transplantation combined with minimally invasive hematoma aspiration on neural functional recovery and p53 gene expression in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Collagenase type-IV was injected to the caudate nucleus of the rats to make ICH models. One hundred and twenty Sprague-Dawley rats with successful modeling were randomly divided into 4 groups, including the ICH group, hematoma aspiration group, HUC-MSCs transplantation group and HUC-MSCs transplantation combined with hematoma aspiration group (combination group).

Ferret hepatitis E virus infection induces acute hepatitis and persistent infection in ferrets.

Ferret hepatitis E virus (HEV), a novel hepatitis E virus, has been identified in ferrets. However, the pathogenicity of ferret HEV remains unclear. In the present study, we compared the HEV RNA-positivity rates and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels of 63 ferrets between before and after import from the US to Japan.

Production of infectious ferret hepatitis E virus in a human hepatocarcinoma cell line PLC/PRF/5.

A strain of ferret hepatitis E virus (HEV), sF4370, isolated from an imported ferret was used to inoculate a human hepatocarcinoma cell line, PLC/PRF/5. The virus genome and capsid protein were detected in the cell culture supernatant. Immunofluorescence microscopy indicated that the capsid protein was located in the cytoplasm.

MAPKs and Hsc70 are critical to the protective effect of molecular hydrogen during the early phase of acute pancreatitis.

Molecular hydrogen (H2 ) has been proven to be an effective agent that can cure multiple organ diseases by reducing oxidative stress. Although the protective effect of hydrogen on acute pancreatitis (AP) has been confirmed, its molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this article, we aimed to investigate the changes in pancreatic cell protein expression associated with the protective effect of H2 against AP and attempted to uncover the molecular mechanism underlying this process.

Thyroid-like Follicular Carcinoma of the Kidney and Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma with Thyroid-like Feature: Comparison of Two Cases and Literature Review.

Thyroid-like follicular carcinoma of the kidney (TLFCK) is a provisional new entity of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We herein reported and compared one TLFCK case and one PRCC case with thyroid-like feature. The former entirely consisted of thyroid-like follicular architecture and the tumor cells were diffusely positive for PAX-8, but negative for CK7, AMACR, and CD10.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methyltransferase contributes to p16 promoter CpG island methylation in lung adenocarcinoma with smoking.

In this study, the relationship between CpG island methylation and smoking and DNA methyltransferase in the occurrence and development of lung adenocarcinoma was explored by detecting p16 promoter methylation status. Protein and mRNA levels of p16 were detected by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization assays. p16 gene promoter and exon 1 CpG island locus Hap II sites methylation status was analyzed with the methylation-specific PCR.