Dihydroartemisinin-induced apoptosis in human acute monocytic leukemia cells.

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is a derivative of artemisinin. The present study aimed to investigate whether DHA induces apoptosis in the THP-1 human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (AMoL), and to identify the relative molecular mechanisms. The results of the present study demonstrated that the viability of THP-1 cells were inhibited by DHA in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which was accompanied by morphological characteristics associated with apoptosis.

γδ T Cells Contribute to Injury in the Developing Brain.

Brain injury in premature infants, especially periventricular leukomalacia, is an important cause of neurologic disabilities. Inflammation contributes to perinatal brain injury development, but the essential mediators that lead to early-life brain injury remain largely unknown. Neonates have reduced capacity for mounting conventional αβT-cell responses.

Analyses of gut microbiota and plasma bile acids enable stratification of patients for antidiabetic treatment.

Antidiabetic medication may modulate the gut microbiota and thereby alter plasma and faecal bile acid (BA) composition, which may improve metabolic health. Here we show that treatment with Acarbose, but not Glipizide, increases the ratio between primary BAs and secondary BAs and plasma levels of unconjugated BAs in treatment-naive type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients, which may beneficially affect metabolism. Acarbose increases the relative abundances of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in the gut microbiota and depletes Bacteroides, thereby changing the relative abundance of microbial genes involved in BA metabolism.

Cordycepin induces apoptosis of human acute monocytic leukemia cells via downregulation of the ERK/Akt signaling pathway.

The aim of the present study was to examine the apoptotic effect of cordycepin (COR) on human THP-1 acute monocytic leukemia cells. THP-1 cells were exposed to different concentrations of COR for 24, 48, 72 or 96 h. The cell viability and apoptotic rate were analyzed.

Transcriptome analysis of primary aldosteronism in adrenal glands and controls.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of endocrine hypertension. This study was to investigate the gene expression profile in PA adrenal glands and normal controls using RNA-Sequencing. By performing transcriptome analyses for 3 PA adrenal glands and 3 controls on Illumina platform, we identified 1,093 transcripts as significantly differently expressed genes (DEGs), which provided clues for further study of these transcript changes during PA pathogenesis.

Double Composite Tissue Z-plasty Technique for Anatomical Restoration of Severe Nasal Deformity in Secondary Unilateral Cleft Lip.

Background: Patients with secondary unilateral cleft lip are regularly affected by serious nasal deformities especially of the alar and nasal floor. A large number of techniques for correction have been published, but symmetrical restoration of severe nasal deformation is difficult to achieve. We propose an innovative approach for anatomical restoration for this entity of nasal deformities to achieve long-term symmetrical appearance and muscular function.

A simple technique for the correction of maxillonasal dysplasia using customized expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) implants.

Background: The treatment of maxillonasal dysplasia in Binder's syndrome using autologous costal bone and cartilage is well established, but postoperative results may be compromised by scarring, unpredictable absorption of transferred autologous tissue, and donor site morbidity. Here, we propose a simple surgical technique to improve maxillonasal dysplasia using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) implant.

Materials And Methods: From February 1999 to May 2014, fifty-eight patients affected by maxillonasal dysplasia with different degrees of flattened nose and midfacial depression underwent surgical correction by augmentation of the nasal dorsum using an "L"-shaped ePTFE and subperiosteal implantation of an inverted "m"-shaped ePTFE at the base of the piriform aperture.

Viability and Biomechanics of Diced Cartilage Blended With Platelet-Rich Plasma and Wrapped With Poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic) Acid Membrane.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the viability and biomechanics of diced cartilage blended with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and wrapped with poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) membrane in a rabbit model.

Methods: A total of 10 New Zealand rabbits were used for the study. Cartilage grafts were harvested from 1 side ear.

Neuroprotective Effects of Drug-Induced Therapeutic Hypothermia in Central Nervous System Diseases.

Objective: This review article focuses on the neuroprotective effect of drug-induced hypothermia in cerebrovascular diseases and discusses its related side effects.

Method: A systematic literature search was performed using Pubmed and Embase electronic databases for a retrospective analysis.

Results: Experimental studies have shown that drug-induced hypothermia alleviates brain damage and plays a neuroprotective role, thereby reducing mortality and ameliorating neurological deficits.

Clinical and biological features of neuroblastic tumors: A comparison of neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma (NB), ganglioneuroblastoma intermixed (GNBi) and ganglioneuroblastoma nodular (GNBn) are neuroblastic tumors that present with a wide range of symptoms and variable prognoses. We retrospectively reviewed the pretreatment clinical (age, sex and tumor stage) and biological (MYCN amplification; and levels of lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin and neuron-specific enolase) characteristics of 279 patients who were diagnosed with pathologically confirmed NB and GNB from January 2005 to December 2015. The median age at diagnosis increased with grade of differentiation (NB: 28.

Dual-modality optical biopsy of glioblastomas multiforme with diffuse reflectance and fluorescence: ex vivo retrieval of optical properties.

Glioma itself accounts for 80% of all malignant primary brain tumors, and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) accounts for 55% of such tumors. Diffuse reflectance and fluorescence spectroscopy have the potential to discriminate healthy tissues from abnormal tissues and therefore are promising noninvasive methods for improving the accuracy of brain tissue resection. Optical properties were retrieved using an experimentally evaluated inverse solution.

Combination of Five Body Positions Can Effectively Improve the Rate of Gastric Mucosa's Complete Visualization by Applying Magnetic-Guided Capsule Endoscopy.

. Achieving a comprehensive view of gastric mucosa has been a challenge for magnetic-guided capsule endoscopy (MGCE) for years. This study works on optimizing the performance of MGCE by changing the conventional positions to the five body positions.

Upregulated TLR3 Promotes Neuropathic Pain by Regulating Autophagy in Rat With L5 Spinal Nerve Ligation Model.

Microglia, rapidly activated following peripheral nerve injury (PNI), accumulate within the spinal cord and adopt inflammation that contributes to development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Microglia express functional Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which play pivotal roles in regulating inflammatory processes. However, little is known about the role of TLR3 in regulating neuropathic pain after PNI.

Domino Flaps for Repairing of Secondary Bilateral Cleft Lip With Severe Columella Deformity.

The patients with secondary bilateral cleft lip and nasal deformity always suffer from a serious part of the horizontal and vertical soft tissue deficiencies in the upper lip and nose, especially the columella. Normally, the Abbe flap is used to increase the soft tissue volume of upper lip. However, how to reconstruct the sever columella deficient, how to make full use of the Abbe flap and the remaining soft tissue of the upper lip, are always the problems that need to be solved by plastic surgeons.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is highly associated with giant idiopathic esophageal ulcers in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) exists in giant idiopathic esophageal ulcers in the patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Methods: 16 AIDS patients with a primary complaint of epigastric discomfort were examined by gastroscopy. Multiple and giant esophageal ulcers were biopsied and analyzed with pathology staining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine the potential pathogenic microorganisms, including HIV, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex viruses (HSV).

Hepatic expansion of virus-specific CD8BTLA T cells with regulatory properties in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Similar to programmed death-1 (PD-1), B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) is a co-inhibitory molecule of the CD28 family. PD-1 is involved in T cell exhaustion during chronic viral infection. However, the role of BTLA in virus-specific T cells is poorly defined.

Effect of glycerol on sustained insulin release from PVA hydrogels and its application in diabetes therapy.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of glycerol on the physical properties and release of an insulin-loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel film. The insulin-loaded hydrogel composite film was produced using the freeze-thawing method, after which the swelling ratio, transmittance and insulin release, and the pharmacodynamics, of hydrogels containing various volumes of glycerol were investigated. The results demonstrated that the addition of glycerol reduced the swelling ratio and increased the softness of the PVA hydrogel film.

Decreased Sperm Motility Retarded ICSI Fertilization Rate in Severe Oligozoospermia but Good-Quality Embryo Transfer Had Achieved the Prospective Clinical Outcomes.

Introduction: Spermatozoa motility is the critical parameter to affect the treatment outcomes during assisted reproductive technologies (ART), but its reproductive capability remains a little informed in condition of severe male factor infertility. This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the effects of reduced sperm motility on the embryological and clinical outcomes in intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment of severe oligozoospermia.

Patients And Methods: 966 cycles (812 couples) of severe oligozoospermia diagnosed by spermatozoa count ≤ 5 × 106/mL and motile spermatozoa ≤ 2 × 106/mL were divided into four groups in according to the number of motile spermatozoa in one ejaculate on the day of oocyte retrieval (Group B-E).

[Advance in research on causative genes of xeroderma pigmentosum and related diseases].

Ultraviolet light(UV)-sensitive disorders refer to a group of diseases due to damages to the nucleotide excision repair mechanism which cannot effectively repair DNA damage caused by ultraviolet radiation. The inheritance pattern of such diseases, mainly including xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome and trichothiodystrophy, is autosomal recessive and known to involve 13 genes. As proteins encoded by such genes are involved in DNA repair and transcription pathways.

Guided Self-Generation of Vascularized Neo-Bone for Autologous Reconstruction of Large Mandibular Defects.

Reconstruction of large mandibular defects is complex and challenging. The authors aimed to individually self-generate a large vascularized bone construct for autologous transplantation without the use of exogenous additives based on the concept of guided self-generation. Using computer-aided design and manufacturing a large size goat mandibular bone was reconstructed in 3 dimensions.

Surgical treatment of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome with intra-thoracic tumor.

Background: The study was to review the clinical manifestations and laboratory examinations of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) syndrome, and to analyze the efficacy of surgical treatment.

Methods: The clinical data, surgical therapy, and outcome of 23 cases of ectopic ACTH syndrome accompanied by intra-thoracic tumors were reviewed. The tumors were removed from all the patients according to the principles of radical resection.

Correction of Midface Depression Using an Inverted m-shaped Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Implant Improves Gingival Exposure.

Background: Current approaches for the treatment of gingival exposure are often time- and cost-consuming and/or rather invasive. We previously observed a strong correlation between the presence of gingival excess and midfacial depression and here propose an easy 1-step correction technique as a new strategy to improve gingival exposure.

Method: From February 2004 to December 2012, 42 patients with gingival exposure associated with different degrees of midfacial depression, defined by Frankfort horizontal plane-labrale superius-subspinale angle and sella-nasion-A point angle, were treated by implantation of an inverted m-shaped expanded polytetrafluoroethylene at the base of the piriform aperture in a subperiosteal location.

Application of three-dimensional computerised tomography reconstruction and image processing technology in individual operation design of developmental dysplasia of the hip patients.

Purpose: Acetabular coverage deficiency displays individual difference among patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Therefore, the correct direction and degree of the acetabular fragment is patient-specific during Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). This paper introduces a feasible method using 3D computed tomography (CT) and computer image processing technology for customised surgical planning.