MRI features and differential diagnoses of congenital vaginal atresia.

To investigate the MRI manifestations of congenital vaginal atresia, analyze its imaging features, and improve the understanding of the disease. MRI findings and clinical data of 12 patients with congenital vaginal atresia confirmed by hysteroscopy and laparoscopic surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Vaginal atresia was classified according to vaginal dysplasia in AFS female genital malformation classification system.

[Periprosthetic joint infection after artificial joint replacement and preoperative anemia].

Periprosthetic joint infection is the most serious complication after artificial joint arthroplasty. Epidemiological investigation has indicated that perioperative anemia is an independent risk factor for periprosthetic joint infection, which could play an important role by suppressing cellular mechanisms and autoimmune functions. Many domestic and overseas scholars have studied the relationship between periprosthetic joint infection and postoperative anemia, but the relationship between preoperative anemia and periprosthetic joint infection is relatively rare.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha upregulated PHLPP1 through activating nuclear factor-kappa B during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion.

Aims: The pleckstrin homology domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) specifically regulates phospho-Ser473 of protein kinase B (PKB, Akt) opposing cell survival during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Previous studies demonstrated PHLPP1 expression level was controlled by several mechanisms. However, the regulation mechanism of cardiac PHLPP1 expression following myocardial I/R remains unknown.

Optimizing Antimicrobial Peptide Dendrimers in Chemical Space.

We used nearest-neighbor searches in chemical space to improve the activity of the antimicrobial peptide dendrimer (AMPD) G3KL and identified dendrimer T7, which has an expanded activity range against Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria including Klebsiellae pneumoniae, increased serum stability, and promising activity in an in vivo infection model against a multidrug-resistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii. Imaging, spectroscopic studies, and a structural model from molecular dynamics simulations suggest that T7 acts through membrane disruption. These experiments provide the first example of using virtual screening in the field of dendrimers and show that dendrimer size does not limit the activity of AMPDs.

Lipidated Peptide Dendrimers Killing Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria.

New antibiotics are urgently needed to address multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Herein we report that second-generation (G2) peptide dendrimers bearing a fatty acid chain at the dendrimer core efficiently kill Gram-negative bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, two of the most problematic MDR bacteria worldwide. Our most active dendrimer TNS18 is also active against Gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Radiofrequency ablation for hepatic hemangiomas: A consensus from a Chinese panel of experts.

Recent studies have shown that radiofrequency (RF) ablation therapy is a safe, feasible, and effective procedure for hepatic hemangiomas, even huge hepatic hemangiomas. RF ablation has the following advantages in the treatment of hepatic hemangiomas: minimal invasiveness, definite efficacy, high safety, fast recovery, relatively simple operation, and wide applicability. It is necessary to formulate a widely accepted consensus among the experts in China who have extensive expertise and experience in the treatment of hepatic hemangiomas using RF ablation, which is important to standardize the application of RF ablation for the management of hepatic hemangiomas, regarding the selection of patients with suitable indications to receive RF ablation treatment, the technical details of the techniques, therapeutic effect evaluations, management of complications, .

Clinical epidemiological survey of gallbladder carcinoma in northwestern China, 2009-2013: 2379 cases in 17 centers.

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics of patients with gallbladder carcinoma recruited from 17 hospitals in five northwestern provinces of China (Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) from 2009 to 2013, and to summarize the clinical diagnosis and treatment data of gallbladder carcinoma.

Methods: Clinical information of 2379 patients with gallbladder carcinoma from 17 hospitals in five northwestern provinces of China was retrospectively collected and analyzed using the "Questionnaire for Gallbladder Carcinoma Patients in Northwestern Area of China." All information was verified with EpiData software and analyzed with SPSS 13.

[The effects of ERK1/2 pathway on the expression of calcium activated chloride channel in hypoxia in PASMCs rat model].

Objective: To investigate the expression of mRNA and protein of Calcium activated chloride channel (CLCA2) in hypoxic pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMCs) of rat and it's relationship with ERK1/2 signal pathway.

Methods: PASMCs were randomly divided into 5 groups including normal group(N group), hypoxia group(H group), DMSO group(D group), U0126 group (U group) and Staurosporine aglycone group(SA group). The protein expression of CLCA2 in PASMCs was detected by Western blot.

Enhancement of Gastric Ulcer Healing and Angiogenesis by Hepatocyte Growth Factor Gene Mediated by Attenuated Salmonella in Rats.

The present study developed an oral hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene therapy strategy for gastric ulcers treatment. An attenuated Salmonella typhimurium that stably expressed high HGF (named as TPH) was constructed, and the antiulcerogenic effect of TPH was evaluated in a rat model of gastric ulcers that created by acetic acid subserosal injection. From day 5 after injection, TPH (1 × 10⁹ cfu), vehicle (TP, 1 × 10⁹ cfu), or sodium bicarbonate (model control) was administered orally every alternate day for three times.

Landscape of RNAs in human lumbar disc degeneration.

Accumulating evidence indicates noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) fine-tune gene expression with mysterious machinery. We conducted a combination of mRNA, miRNA, circRNA, LncRNA microarray analyses on 10 adults' lumbar discs. Moreover, we performed additional global exploration on RNA interacting machinery in terms of in silico computational pipeline.

Syringotropic mycosis fungoides responding well to VELP chemotherapy: A case report.

Mycosis fungoides (MF), a low-malignant lymphoproliferative disorder, is the most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The current study reported a case of syringotropic MF, a rare variant of MF, which presented with reactive B cell proliferation, lymphoid follicle formation, hair loss and lymphadenopathy. The clinical manifestations of the patient were MF-like lumps.

PEBP4 silencing inhibits hypoxia-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in prostate cancer cells.

Hypoxia induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to facilitate the tumor biology. Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 4 (PEBP4) is a member of the PEBP family and has been reported to be upregulated in various cancer types. The definite function of PEBP4 in regulating the EMT of prostate cancer, however, is still unclear.

SEMAC-VAT MR Imaging Unravels Peri-instrumentation Lesions in Patients With Attendant Symptoms After Spinal Surgery.

The study aimed for evaluating the diagnostic value of a 2D Turbo Spin Echo (TSE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence implanted slice-encoding metal artifact correction (SEMAC) and view-angle tilting (VAT) in patients with spinal instrumentation.Sixty-seven consecutive patients with an average age of 59.7 ± 17.

Differential dopaminergic regulation of inwardly rectifying potassium channel mediated subthreshold dynamics in striatal medium spiny neurons.

The dorsal striatum plays a key role in motor control and cognitive processes. Proper functioning of the striatum relies on the fine dynamic balance between the direct pathway projection medium spiny neurons (MSNs) that express D1 dopamine receptor (D1 MSNs) and indirect pathway projection MSNs that express D2 dopamine receptor (D2 MSNs). The inwardly rectifying K(+) channels (Kir), which express on both D1 and D2 MSNs, participate in the subthreshold dynamics including the membrane resonance and dendritic integration.

Wnt/β-catenin signaling mediates the seizure-facilitating effect of postischemic reactive astrocytes after pentylenetetrazole-kindling.

Ischemia not only leads to tissue damage, but also induces seizures, which in turn worsens the outcome of ischemia. Recent studies have revealed the impaired homeostatic functions of reactive astrocytes, which were thought to facilitate the development of seizures. However, how this phenotype of reactive astrocytes is regulated remains unclear.

RASSF7 expression and its regulatory roles on apoptosis in human intervertebral disc degeneration.

Apoptosis plays an important role in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Overwhelming evidence indicates that RASSF7 is essential for cell growth and apoptosis. Recently, it has been noted that the JNK signaling can be negatively regulated by suppressing phosphorylated-MKK7 activation during pro-apoptosis.

D2 dopamine receptors modulate neuronal resonance in subthalamic nucleus and cortical high-voltage spindles through HCN channels.

The high-voltage spindles (HVSs), one of the characteristic oscillations that include theta frequencies in the basal ganglia (BG)-cortical system, are involved in immobile behavior and show increasing power in Parkinson's disease (PD). Our previous results suggested that the D2 dopamine receptor might be involved in HVSs modulations in a rat model of PD. Membrane resonance is one of the cellular mechanisms of network oscillation; therefore, we investigated how dopamine modulates the theta frequency membrane resonance of neurons in the subthalamic nucleus (STN), a central pacemaker of BG, and whether such changes in STN neurons subsequently alter HVSs in the BG-cortical system.

Nut consumption and the risk of coronary artery disease: a dose-response meta-analysis of 13 prospective studies.

Introduction: Epidemiological studies evaluating the association of nut with risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) have produced inconsistent results. We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the evidence from prospective cohort studies regarding the association between nut consumption and risk of CAD.

Materials And Methods: Pertinent studies were identified by searching Web of Knowledge, Pubmed and Wan Fang Med Online up to January 2014.

[LncRNA in prostate cancer: an update].

Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of the non-protein coding part of human genome in carcinogenesis and metastasis of prostate cancer. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key regulatory role in prostate cancer biology. LncRNAs are dysregulated in prostate cancer and the expression levels of certain lncRNAs are associated with the recurrence, metastasis and prognosis of cancer.

[Expressions of SIgA and alpha 1-AR in benign prostatic hyperplasia combined with chronic prostatitis and their implications].

Objective: To explore the expressions of SIgA and alpha l-AR in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) complicated by chronic prostatitis (CP) and their implications.

Methods: According to the preoperative findings of expressed prostatic secretion (EPS), transrectal prostate ultrasonography, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), clinical symptoms, chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) and postoperative histopathology, 62 cases of BPH pathologically confirmed after transurethral plasma kinetic resection of the prostate (PKRP) were divided into a BPH group (n = 32) and a BPH + CP group (n = 30). The expressions of SIgA and alpha 1-AR in the prostate tissue were determined by immunohistochemistry and PT-PCR.

Adenosine triphosphate promotes locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury by activating mammalian target of rapamycin pathway in rats.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway plays an important role in neuronal growth, proliferation and differentiation. To better understand the role of mTOR pathway involved in the induction of spinal cord injury, rat models of spinal cord injury were established by modified Allen's stall method and interfered for 7 days by intraperitoneal administration of mTOR activator adenosine triphosphate and mTOR kinase inhibitor rapamycin. At 1-4 weeks after spinal cord injury induction, the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor rating scale was used to evaluate rat locomotor function, and immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of nestin (neural stem cell marker), neuronal nuclei (neuronal marker), neuron specific enolase, neurofilament protein 200 (axonal marker), glial fibrillary acidic protein (astrocyte marker), Akt, mTOR and signal transduction and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3).

Inhibitory effects of the attenuated Salmonella typhimurium containing the IL-2 gene on hepatic tumors in mice.

To observe the inhibitory effects of an attenuated S. typhimurium strain carrying IL-2 gene (TPI) on hepatoma cell line (HepG2) and transplanted tumors in mice. TPI, TPG (an attenuated S.