TBHQ improved neurological recovery after traumatic brain injury by inhibiting the overactivation of astrocytes.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major leading cause of death and long-term disability. Although astrocytes play a key role in neuroprotection after TBI in the early stage, the overactivation of astrocytes can lead to long-term functional deficits, and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. In addition, it is unknown whether the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor2/haem oxygenase-1 (Nrf-2/HO-1) pathway could elicit a neuroprotective effect by decreasing astrocyte overactivation after TBI.

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.

Changes in pregnancy-related serum biomarkers early in gestation are associated with later development of preeclampsia.

Background: Placental protein expression plays a crucial role during pregnancy. We hypothesized that: (1) circulating levels of pregnancy-associated, placenta-related proteins throughout gestation reflect the temporal progression of the uncomplicated, full-term pregnancy, and can effectively estimate gestational ages (GAs); and (2) preeclampsia (PE) is associated with disruptions in these protein levels early in gestation; and can identify impending PE. We also compared gestational profiles of proteins in the human and mouse, using pregnant heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) heterozygote (Het) mice, a mouse model reflecting PE-like symptoms.

Strategy of blood pressure intervention in the elderly hypertensive patients (STEP): Rational, design, and baseline characteristics for the main trial.

The optimal systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment target in elderly people is full of challenge, and non-adherence is one major cause of uncontrolled BP. The Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients (STEP) trial is a multi-center, randomized controlled trial that aims to examine whether an intensive treatment (110 ≤ SBP < 130 mmHg) will provide more benefits in lowering cardiovascular events than a mild treatment (130 ≤ SBP < 150 mmHg) among people aged 60-80 years. From January 10, 2017 to December 31, 2017, 8511 patients with primary hypertension were recruited at 42 clinical centers throughout China and randomly assigned to the intensive or standard treatment in 1:1 ratio, in which clinical sites are considered as a stratification factor in randomization.

CHIMGEN: a Chinese imaging genetics cohort to enhance cross-ethnic and cross-geographic brain research.

The Chinese Imaging Genetics (CHIMGEN) study establishes the largest Chinese neuroimaging genetics cohort and aims to identify genetic and environmental factors and their interactions that are associated with neuroimaging and behavioral phenotypes. This study prospectively collected genomic, neuroimaging, environmental, and behavioral data from more than 7000 healthy Chinese Han participants aged 18-30 years. As a pioneer of large-sample neuroimaging genetics cohorts of non-Caucasian populations, this cohort can provide new insights into ethnic differences in genetic-neuroimaging associations by being compared with Caucasian cohorts.

Correction to: Segment-specific progression of carotid artery atherosclerosis: a magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging study.

The above article was published online with incorrect presentation of author name. Mingming is the given name and Lu is the family name. The presentation of the author name has been corrected above.

Segment-specific progression of carotid artery atherosclerosis: a magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the segment-specific progression of atherosclerotic carotid plaques using serial multi-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

Methods: Symptomatic patients with carotid 30-70% stenosis were recruited and underwent carotid MR vessel wall imaging at baseline and follow-up time point (≥ 6 months after baseline). The location of plaques was determined according to the maximum wall thickness located above or below carotid bifurcation.

Diffusion tensor imaging predicting neurological repair of spinal cord injury with transplanting collagen/chitosan scaffold binding bFGF.

Prognosis and treatment evaluation of spinal cord injury (SCI) are still in the long-term research stage. Prognostic factors for SCI treatment need effective biomarker to assess therapeutic effect. Quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may become a potential indicators for assessing SCI repair.

C-Methionine Integrated PET/MRI-Based Texture Analysis Features May Have a Potential Ability to Distinguish Oligodendroglioma (IDH-Mutant and 1p/19q-Codeleted) From Varied Gliomas.

Rationale And Objectives: Different histology and gene status of gliomas results in different natural history, treatment, and prognosis in different subgroups. Low-grade gliomas (LGGs) with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutant and 1p/19q-codeleted are kind of gliomas with the most favorable outcome, reflecting operational strategy. Less invasive method for prediction of pathological type-even gene status-is desired.

Overexpression of PTEN may increase the effect of pemetrexed on A549 cells via inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and carbohydrate metabolism.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of tumor‑associated mortality, and >75% of patients with lung cancer have non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pemetrexed, a folate antagonist, is a first‑line chemotherapy drug for NSCLC that is administered alone or in combination with cisplatin. The present study established in vitro cell models of PTEN inhibition and overexpression, and the effects of the treatment with pemetrexed were investigated in these cell models.

Injury-preconditioning secretome of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells amplified the neurogenesis and cognitive recovery after severe traumatic brain injury in rats.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a dominant cause of death and permanent disability worldwide. Although TBI could significantly increase the proliferation of adult neural stem cells in the hippocampus, the survival and maturation of newborn cells is markedly low. Increasing evidence suggests that the secretome derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) would be an ideal alternative to MSC transplantation.

Retracted Article: Berberine alleviates amyloid beta-induced injury in Alzheimer's disease by miR-107/ZNF217.

Berberine plays a neuroprotective role in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanism by which berberine inhibits AD progression remains largely unclear. The AD model was established using PC12 cells after treatment of amyloid beta (Aβ).

Early-Onset Preeclampsia Is Associated With Gut Microbial Alterations in Antepartum and Postpartum Women.

Imbalances in gut microbiota composition are linked to hypertension, host metabolic abnormalities, systemic inflammation, and other conditions. In the present study, we examined the changes of gut microbiota in women with early-onset preeclampsia (PE) and in normotensive, uncomplicated pregnant women during late pregnancy and at 1 and 6 weeks postpartum. Gut microbiota profiles of women with PE and healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and at 1 and 6 weeks postpartum were assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.

Synergistic antitumor effect of BRMS1 and sorafenib via inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/ERK signaling pathway.

Liver cancer is the fifth most commonly occurring cancer in men and the ninth most commonly occurring cancer in women, worldwide, and is associated with a high mortality rate. Sorafenib is a new inhibitor of multiple kinases, that is regarded as standard treatment for liver cancer. Human breast carcinoma metastasis‑suppressor 1 (BRMS1) is a tumor‑suppressor gene, that reduces the metastatic ability of tumor cells without affecting their tumorigenicity.

MRI Assessment of Associations between Brown Adipose Tissue and Cachexia in Murine Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Objective: As the major thermogenic tissue in body, the brown adipose tissue (BAT) was recently identified as an important factor to induce the rapid weight loss and malnutrition in malignancy. Current methods for detecting and quantifying brown adipose tissue (BAT) are in limited use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of BAT tissue and its function in the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The Dynamics of Circulating Monocyte Subsets and Intra-Plaque Proliferating Macrophages during the Development of Atherosclerosis in ApoE Mice.

To detect the development of monocytes and proliferative macrophages in atherosclerosis of ApoE mice, we randomly assigned 84 ApoE mice fed western diet or chow diet. On weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 after fed high-fat diet or normal chow diet, animals were euthanized (n = 7 for each group at each time point). Flow cytometry methods were used to analyze the proportions of circulation monocyte subsets.

Correlation between angiopoietin-like proteins in inflammatory mediators in peripheral blood and severity of coronary arterial lesion in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The effects of angiopoietin-like protein 2 (Angptl 2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in inflammatory mediators on the severity of coronary arterial lesion in patients with acute myocardial infarction were investigated. One hundred and twenty-six patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to Tianjin Union Medical Center (the myocardial infarction group) and 133 healthy individuals (the control group) were selected for retrospective analysis from January 2013 to December 2015. The levels of Angptl 2 and IL-6 in serum of patients were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the correlation analysis between the levels and the degree of coronary stenosis in patients with myocardial infarction was conducted.

The anticancer effects of cinobufagin on hepatocellular carcinoma Huh‑7 cells are associated with activation of the p73 signaling pathway.

The Na+/K+‑ATPase inhibitor cinobufagin exhibits numerous anticancer effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells expressing wild‑type p53 via inhibition of aurora kinase A (AURKA) and activation of p53 signaling. However, the effects of cinobufagin on HCC cells expressing mutant p53 remain unclear. In the present study, the anticancer effects of cinobufagin were investigated on HCC Huh‑7 cells with mutant p53, and the effects of AURKA overexpression or inhibition on the anticancer effects of cinobufagin were analyzed.

Quantitative proteomics suggest a potential link between early embryonic death and trisomy 16.

Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling, alteration of the uterine microenvironment and a reduction in human chorionic gonadotrophin production have been linked with fetal trisomy 16-induced early embryonic death (EED). However, the detailed biological mechanism of EED remains unclear. Using quantitative proteomics we successfully screened differentially expressed proteins in the villous tissues from patients with EED and fetal trisomy 16 (EEDT16), patients with EED but normal fetal chromosomes (EEDNC) and patients undergoing elective abortion with normal fetal chromosomes (EANC) as the reference group.

3D printing collagen/chitosan scaffold ameliorated axon regeneration and neurological recovery after spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disaster that can cause severe motor, sensory, and functional disorders. Implanting biomaterials have been regarded as hopeful strategies to restore neurological function. However, no optimized scaffold has been available.

Effects of allisartan isoproxil on blood pressure and target organ injury in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.

Evidence has shown that angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists have lower blood pressure and have target organ protective effects, but this is not the case for the drug allisartan isoproxil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of allisartan isoproxil on blood pressure and target organ injury in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.In total, 80 essential hypertensive participants were randomly divided into an allisartan group and a nifedipine group (n = 40 per group), and their blood pressure was measured once per month for 6 months.

Association between CYP2C19*2/*3 Polymorphisms and Coronary Heart Disease.

This study sought to explore the relationship between cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) *2/*3 polymorphisms and the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), and to evaluate the influence of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the occurrence of adverse clinical events in CHD patients. A total of 231 consecutive patients candidate for percutaneous coronary intervention genotyped for CYP2C19*2 (681G>A) and *3 (636G>A) polymorphisms were enrolled. The adverse clinical events were recorded during a follow-up period of 14 months.

Determination of hemolysis index thresholds for biochemical tests on Siemens Advia 2400 chemistry analyzer.

Background: In vitro hemolysis is still the most common source of pre-analytical nonconformities. This study aimed to investigate the hemolytic effects on commonly used biochemical tests as well as to determine the hemolysis index (HI) thresholds on Siemens Advia 2400 chemistry analyzer.

Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from forty healthy volunteers.