A comprehensive application: Molecular docking and network pharmacology for the prediction of bioactive constituents and elucidation of mechanisms of action in component-based Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for more than 2000 years in China. TCM has received wide attention recently due to its unique charm. At the same time, its main obstacles have attracted wide attention, including vagueness of drug composition and treatment mechanism.

Brain Structure Alterations in Hemifacial Spasm: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

This study examined white matter integrity in patients with left-sided hemifacial spasm (HFS) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Thirty-six patients with left-sided HFS (mean age 53.24 ± 8.

Collagen/heparan sulfate porous scaffolds loaded with neural stem cells improve neurological function in a rat model of traumatic brain injury.

One reason for the poor therapeutic effects of stem cell transplantation in traumatic brain injury is that exogenous neural stem cells cannot effectively migrate to the local injury site, resulting in poor adhesion and proliferation of neural stem cells at the injured area. To enhance the targeted delivery of exogenous stem cells to the injury site, cell therapy combined with neural tissue engineering technology is expected to become a new strategy for treating traumatic brain injury. Collagen/heparan sulfate porous scaffolds, prepared using a freeze-drying method, have stable physical and chemical properties.

Redox stimulus disulfide conjugated polyethyleneimine as a shuttle for gene transfer.

Redox-responsive cationic polymers have gained considerable attention in gene delivery due to low cytotoxicity and spatio-temporal release of DNA into the cells. Here, we reported the synthesis of reducible disulfide conjugated polyethyleneimine (1.8 kDa) (denoted as SS-PEI) and its application to transfer pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid (pZNF580) into EA.

Unexpected Amplification of Synergistic Gene Expression to Boom Vascular Flow in Advantageous Dual-Gene Co-expression Plasmid Delivery Systems over Physically Mixed Strategy.

Gene therapy exerts powerful potential in the treatment of various diseases, such as overexpressing pro-angiogenic gene to accelerate angiogenesis and restore vascular flow of ischemic tissue. Tremendous efforts have been invested in developing gene carriers for high transfection efficiency, while little research has been devoted to synergistically expressing functional proteins via optimizing therapeutic genes. Actually, the amplified gene expression is the ultimate goal of gene delivery.

Purification and identification of buckwheat hull flavonoids and its comparative evaluation on antioxidant and cytoprotective activity in vitro.

Buckwheat hulls, by-products of buckwheat processing, contain various flavonoids, but the antioxidant capacity and synergy of different flavonoids are unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of flavonoid monomers and high-flavonoid component (HBHF) in buckwheat hulls using chemical-based assays and cellular-based assays. Four kinds of flavonoids were identified as rutin, isoorientin, vitexin, and hyperoside from buckwheat hulls.

A drug-eluting Balloon for the trEatment of coronarY bifurcatiON lesions in the side branch: a prospective multicenter ranDomized (BEYOND) clinical trial in China.

Background: Treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions remains challenging; a simple strategy has been preferred as of late, but the disadvantage is ostium stenosis or even occlusion of the side branch (SB). Only a few single-center studies investigating the combination of a drug-eluting stent in the main branch followed by a drug-eluting balloon in the SB have been reported. This prospective, multicenter, randomized study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of a paclitaxel-eluting balloon (PEB) compared with regular balloon angioplasty (BA) in the treatment of non-left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions.

Collagen scaffold combined with human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells transplantation for acute complete spinal cord injury.

Currently, there is no effective strategy to promote functional recovery after a spinal cord injury. Collagen scaffolds can not only provide support and guidance for axonal regeneration, but can also serve as a bridge for nerve regeneration at the injury site. They can additionally be used as carriers to retain mesenchymal stem cells at the injury site to enhance their effectiveness.

From single to a dual-gene delivery nanosystem: coordinated expression matters for boosting the neovascularization in vivo.

In the past decade, the development of gene carriers has been key in enhancing gene therapy. Gene therapy is associated with not only the delivery process but also gene expression as a prominent role. Herein, for the purpose of achieving a novel breakthrough in gene therapy, we creatively proposed a "strengthened gene expression" idea beyond the range of improving the gene carrier.

Agmatine-grafted bioreducible poly(l-lysine) for gene delivery with low cytotoxicity and high efficiency.

Bioreducible cationic polymers have gained considerable attention in gene delivery due to their low cytotoxicity and high efficiency. In the present work, we reported a cationic polymer, poly(disulfide-l-lysine)-g-agmatine (denoted as SSL-AG), and evaluated its ability to transfer pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid (pZNF580) into human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This SSL-AG polymeric carrier efficiently condensed pZNF580 into positively charged particles (<200 nm) through electrostatic interaction.

Baseline Characteristics and Treatment Patterns of the Patients Recruited to the China Registry of Hepatitis B.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health problem globally. Here, we describe the baseline characteristics and treatment profiles of HBV-infected patients recruited to the China Registry of Hepatitis B. Inclusion criteria were patients with different stages of chronic HBV infection and complete key data.

JMJD3 promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and migration of glioma cells via the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis.

Histone H3K27 demethylase Jumonji domain-containing protein 3 (JMJD3) is involved in somatic cell differentiation and tumor progression; however, the underlying mechanisms of JMJD3 in cancer progression are yet to be fully explored. To improve understanding regarding the function of JMJD3 in brain tumor cells, the present study investigated the effects of JMJD3 on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration in glioma cells, and the underlying mechanisms involving the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12)/C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis. Immunohistochemical staining of a tissue microarray of glioma samples confirmed that JMJD3 overexpression could stratify highly metastatic glioma.

A new molecular probe: An NRP-1 targeting probe for the grading diagnosis of glioma in nude mice.

Magnetic resonance molecular imaging, as a safe imaging technology, provides a new idea for the early qualitative and hierarchical diagnosis of gliomas. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate the value of neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) targeting molecular probes in the hierarchical diagnosis of gliomas. First, we created an NRP-1 targeted magnetic resonance molecular probe (USPIO-PEG-tLyP-1) by combining the polypeptide tLyP-1 with ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIONs), detecting the physical properties by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS).

Multifunctional REDV-G-TAT-G-NLS-Cys peptide sequence conjugated gene carriers to enhance gene transfection efficiency in endothelial cells.

Rapid endothelialization on small diameter artificial blood vessels is an effective strategy to facilitate long-term patency and inhibit thrombosis. The gene delivery can enhance the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells (ECs), which is beneficial for rapid endothelialization. REDV-G-TAT-G-NLS-Cys (abbreviated as TP-G) peptide could weakly condense pEGFP-ZNF580 (pZNF580) and transfect ECs, but its transfection efficiency was still very low because of its low positive charge, low stability and weak endosome escape ability.

Co-immobilization of ACH antithrombotic peptide and CAG cell-adhesive peptide onto vascular grafts for improved hemocompatibility and endothelialization.

Surface modification by conjugating biomolecules has been widely proved to enhance biocompatibility of small-caliber artificial vascular grafts. In this study, we aimed at developing a multifunctional vascular graft that provides not only good hemocompatibility but also in situ rapid endothelialization. Herein, a vascular graft (inner diameter ∼2 mm) was fabricated by electrospinning with poly(lactic acid-co-caprolactone) and gelatin, and then biofunctionalized with antithrombotic peptide with sequence LTFPRIVFVLG (ACH) and cell adhesion peptide with sequence CAG through adhesive poly(dopamine) coating.

A "self-accelerating endosomal escape" siRNA delivery nanosystem for significantly suppressing hyperplasia via blocking the ERK2 pathway.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-based therapy is an emerging treatment to address serious cardiovascular disease. It is essential to construct highly efficient vehicles for therapeutic siRNA intracellular delivery. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase-2 (ERK2) siRNA (abbreviated as ERK2-siRNA) is known as a type of siRNA to selectively silence the expression of ERK2.

Construction of Hemocompatible and Histocompatible Surface by Grafting Antithrombotic Peptide ACH and Hydrophilic PEG.

Blood-contacting materials with antiplatelet aggregation and anticoagulant properties are in great demand in biomedical field. Herein, hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and antithrombotic peptide ACH were coimmobilized onto Au to develop a multifunctional surface with remarkable hemocompatibility, antiprotein adsorption, antiplatelet aggregation, anticoagulant properties, and good histocompatibility. PEG can not only help the surface resist nonspecific protein adsorption and improve its hemocompatibility but also be a benefit for the immobilized ACH to maintain its bioactivity in plasma.

A spectrum matching method for accurate frequency estimation of real sinusoids.

It is well-known that incoherent sampling is detrimental for frequency estimation of a real sinusoid, and the estimation errors get worse when the signal lengths are very short. In this paper, a spectrum matching based frequency estimator is proposed as well as evaluated against other four two-step methods developed to suppress the effect of incoherent sampling. The spectral interference introduced by incoherent sampling is eliminated via a spectrum matching process including modulation and spectral analysis.

Multifunctional Gene Carriers Labeled by Perylene Diimide Derivative as Fluorescent Probe for Tracking Gene Delivery.

Multifunctional carriers with both gene transfection property and fluorescent tracking function have attracted significant attention in recent years. Herein, a kind of perylene diimide derivative (PDI-C10C8) is conjugated onto the polyethylenimine-g-poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-g-polyethylenimine (PLGA-PEI) polymer to obtain fluorescent multifunctional polymer and micelles (abbreviated as MP). Then, the REDV-G-TAT-G-NLS (TP-G) peptide sequence is grafted onto this MP to obtain multifunctional micelles labeled by perylene diimide derivative (MP-TP-G).

Synthesis and Performances of Phase Change Microcapsules with a Polymer/Diatomite Hybrid Shell for Thermal Energy Storage.

The mechanical behavior of phase-change microcapsules (microPCMs) is of vital significance for practical applications in thermal energy storage. Hence, a new type of microPCMs based on an n-octadecane (C18) core and a melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF)/diatomite hybrid shell was developed through in situ polymerization. Based on SEM micrographs, most microPCMs exhibited a nearly spherical and smooth microstructure, with broadened particle size distributions.

On-treatment changes of serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein are associated with the regression of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients on interferon α add-on therapy.

Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (M2BP) has been identified as a predictor for the response of interferon α (IFN-α) in patients with viral hepatitis. However, whether serum glycosylation isomer of M2BP (M2BPGi) was associated with the regression of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) during IFN-α add-on therapy is still unknown. CHB patients were treated with entecavir for 26 weeks followed by entecavir plus pegylated IFN-α for 52 weeks.

How to estimate renal function in patients with liver disease: choosing the most suitable equation.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a public health challenge, especially in China. In clinical practice, HBV infection is associated with nephropathy. Impaired renal function is frequently observed in compensated Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) and cirrhosis (LC).

Early steep decline of liver stiffness predicts histological reversal of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients treated with entecavir.

It is unknown whether dynamic changes of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) can predict the reversibility of fibrosis. Therefore, we evaluated the utility of LSM changes in predicting histological changes of fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on antiviral therapy. In a prospective cohort of CHB patients treated with entecavir, virological measurement and biochemical measurement along with LSM were measured at baseline and every 6 months.