Genomic DNA levels of mutant alpha-synuclein correlate with non-motor symptoms in an A53T Parkinson's disease mouse model.

Alpha-synuclein plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). A robust transgenic mouse model has been generated that overexpresses the mutant human A53T alpha-synuclein under the mouse prion protein gene promoter; these mice develop age-dependent motor deficits. Recently, compared to wild-type (WT) littermates, A53T alpha-synuclein mice were reported to display non-motor symptom deficits, e.

Tadalafil 5 mg Once Daily Improves Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess tadalafil 5 mg once-daily for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Methods: A literature review was performed to identify all published randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of tadalafil 5 mg once-daily for the treatment of LUTS and ED. The search included the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register.

Effect of MTHFR A1298C and MTRR A66G Genetic Mutations on Homocysteine Levels in the Chinese Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background And Objectives: The Chinese population typically has inadequate folate intake and no mandatory folic acid fortification. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) are the two key regulatory enzymes in the folate/homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism. Hcy has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

Astroglial and microglial contributions to iron metabolism disturbance in Parkinson's disease.

Understandings of the disturbed iron metabolism in Parkinson's disease (PD) are largely from the perspectives of neurons. Neurodegenerative processes in PD trigger universal and conserved astroglial dysfunction and microglial activation. In this review, we start with astroglia and microglia in PD with an emphasis on their roles in spreading α-synuclein pathology, and then focus on their contributions in iron metabolism under normal conditions and the diseased state of PD.

Recombinant human endostatin combined with radiotherapy inhibits colorectal cancer growth.

Background: To examine the effects of recombinant human endostatin combined with radiotherapy on colorectal cancer HCT-116 cell xenografts in nude mice.

Methods: Forty male BALB/c nude mice were injected with human colorectal cancer HCT-116 cells to form xenografts and then randomized into the following 4 groups (each group comprised ten mice): a control group, an endostatin group (20 mg/kg endostatin once a day for 10 days), a radiotherapy group (a 6-Gy dose was administered via a 6-MV X-ray on day 5 post-inoculation), and a combination therapy group (radiotherapy with endostatin treatment). The tumor growth inhibition rate were detected.

The association of triglycerides and total cholesterol concentrations with newly diagnosed diabetes in adults in China.

Background: It has already been suggested that high abnormal blood lipid concentration is associated with hyperglycaemia. However, no data is available about the roles of triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels in diabetes. Here, for the first time we investigated the roles of TG and TC levels, gender and abdominal fat in the development of newly diagnosed diabetes in China.

Blocking constitutive activity of GHSR1a in the lateral amygdala facilitates acquisition of conditioned taste aversion.

Ghrelin is a circulating peptide hormone promoting feeding and regulating energy metabolism in human and rodents. Ghrelin functions by binding to its receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR1a), which are widely distributed throughout the brain including the amygdala, a brain region important for regulating valenced behavior, such as aversion. Interestingly, GHSR1a was once characterized by highly constitutive, ligand-independent activity.

LncRNA LOC730101 promotes osteosarcoma cell survival under energy stress.

Long non-coding RNAs have been proved in tumorigenesis of various cancers, including osteosarcoma. However, the role of LOC730101 in cancer is rare to be reported, not mention to osteosarcoma. In current study, quantitative real-time PCR, was applied to evaluate the expression of LOC730101 under energy stress.

[Impact of Myocardial Infarction and Abnormalities of Cardiac Conduction System on Sudden Cardiac Death].

Sudden cardiac death （SCD）, most commonly seen in coronary heart disease, is a kind of sudden death caused by series of cardiac parameters, which usually combines with myocardial infarction. However, some SCDs （including early myocardial infarction） happen suddenly and cause death in a very short time. In these circumstances, typical morphological changes are lack in macroscopic or microscopic fields, which make such SCDs become the emphasis and difficulty in the present research.

Circular RNAs: A novel type of non-coding RNA and their potential implications in antiviral immunity.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel type of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), are ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotic cells during post-transcriptional processes. Unlike linear RNAs, circRNAs form covalent-closed continuous loops without 5' to 3' polarities and poly (A) tails. With advances in high-throughput sequencing technology, numerous circRNAs have been identified in plants, animals and humans.

Reduced inflammatory factor expression facilitates recovery after sciatic nerve injury in TLR4 mutant mice.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are extremely significant pattern recognition receptors. When nerve injury occurs, a variety of inflammatory factors are generated, leading to an exceedingly complex micro-environment. TLRs recognize damage-associated molecular patterns.

Protective effect of astaxanthin on acute cerebral infarction in rats.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of astaxanthin and its possible mechanisms on acute cerebral infarction (ACI) in rat model. Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group, model group, and astaxanthin-treated groups (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg). Neurological examination, the ratio of cerebral edema, and histopathology changes were assessed.

Association of serum ferritin with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a meta-analysis.

Background: A growing number of studies reported the connection between the level of serum ferritin (SFL) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, such connection was still disputable. The aim of our meta-analysis was to estimate SFL between the groups as below: patients with NAFLD against control group; non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients against control group; non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) patients against a control group and NASH patients vs NAFL patients.

Safety and efficacy of the addition of pertuzumab to T-DM1 ± taxane in patients with HER2-positive, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer: a pooled analysis.

Background: The aim of this review was to systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of the addition of pertuzumab to trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) ± taxane in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive, locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) or metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Materials And Methods: Several databases were searched for relevant clinical trials. The study characteristics, details of adverse events (AEs) and details of treatment efficacy were extracted for analysis.

Bidirectional Electron-Transfer in Polypeptides with Various Secondary Structures.

The protein-mediated bidirectional electron transfer (ET) is the foundation of protein molecular wire, and plays an important role in the rapid detection of oxo-guanine-adenine DNA mismatches by MutY glycosylase. However, the influences of structural transitions on bidirectional ET are still not clear. In this work, the modified through-bond coupling (MTBC) model was further refined to correlate the structural transition and ET rate more quantitatively.

The Kv7/KCNQ channel blocker XE991 protects nigral dopaminergic neurons in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease.

The excitability of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) that supply the striatum with dopamine (DA) determines the function of the nigrostriatal system for motor coordination. We previously showed that 4-pyridinylmethyl-9(10H)-anthracenone (XE991), a specific blocker of Kv7/KCNQ channels, enhanced the excitability of nigral DA neurons and resulted in attenuation of haloperidol-induced catalepsy in a Parkinson's disease (PD) rat model. However, whether XE991 exhibits neuroprotective effects towards DA neuron degeneration remains unknown.

Rapamycin enhances lytic replication of Epstein-Barr virus in gastric carcinoma cells by increasing the transcriptional activities of immediate-early lytic promoters.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a human herpesvirus, is linked to both epithelial and lymphoid malignancies. Induction of EBV reactivation is a potential therapeutic strategy for EBV-associated tumors. In this study, we assessed the effects of rapamycin on EBV reactivation in gastric carcinoma cells.

Polymorphism of ERCC1 rs3212986 in Chinese Han women with preeclampsia.

Objective: To investigate the association between polymorphism of rs3212986 in ERCC1 and susceptibility to preeclampsia in the Chinese Han population.

Study Design: Samples of 642 preeclampsia patients and 877 controls were genotyped for rs3212986 using TaqMan allele discrimination assays. The genetic and allelic distributions between the groups were compared by Pearson's χ test.

Biometal Dyshomeostasis and Toxic Metal Accumulations in the Development of Alzheimer's Disease.

Biometal dyshomeostasis and toxic metal accumulation are common features in many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. The neurotoxic effects of metal imbalance are generally associated with reduced enzymatic activities, elevated protein aggregation and oxidative stress in the central nervous system, in which a cascade of events lead to cell death and neurodegeneration. Although the links between biometal imbalance and neurodegenerative disorders remain elusive, a major class of endogenous proteins involved in metal transport has been receiving increasing attention over recent decades.

Mechanism of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury through DJ-1/Nrf2 pathway in diabetic rats.

The objective of the present study was to investigate acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MIR) in diabetic rats and elucidate its underlying mechanism. A rat model of MIR was established by left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion for 30 min, followed by reperfusion for 2 h. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: i) Sham group, ii) sham + MIR group, iii) diabetic group and iv) diabetes + MIR group.

Identification of a de novo ANK1 mutation in a Chinese family with hereditary spherocytosis.

Objectives: Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a genetic heterogeneous disorder characterized by sphere-shaped erythrocytes on peripheral blood smear with a few clinical manifestations. As an important red cell membrane protein, ankyrin 1 can interact with transmembrane proteins and the membrane skeleton and mutations in the ankyrin 1 (ANK1) genes affect about half of all patients with HS. The purpose of this study was to investigate a Chinese Han family with HS to find out the causative gene mutation and explore the genotype-phenotype correlation which can provide the basis for the pathogenesis and prenatal diagnosis for this disease.

Relationship between Toll-like receptor 4 and type-2 diabetes mellitus complicated by tuberculosis.

Objective: To investigate the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene (TLR4) and the relationship between SNPs and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated by tuberculosis (TB) (T2DMTB) susceptibility.

Methods: The relationship between SNPs and T2DMTB was assessed using SNPstats ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Regulation of iron metabolism by hypoxia-inducible factors.

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are central mediators of cellular adaption to hypoxia. The heterodimeric HIF transcription factors consist of HIF-α and HIF-β, that form functional HIFs. Mammals contain HIF-1α, HIF-2α, and HIF-3α.

Overexpression of dominant-negative Ikaros 6 isoform is associated with resistance to TKIs in patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The clinical significance of the dominant-negative Ikaros 6 (DN-IK6) in the treatment of patients with Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-ALL) with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remains elusive. In the present study, it was demonstrated that DN-IK6 was overexpressed in B-cell (B)-ALL cases compared with T cell-ALL cases at the mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, nucleotide sequencing revealed that DN-IK6 was due to the deletion of IKAROS family zinc finger 1 exons 4-7.