Urinary Levels of Trimethylamine-N-Oxide and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: A Prospective Investigation Among Urban Chinese Adults.

Background Trimethylamine-N-oxide ( TMAO ), a diet-derived, gut microbial-host cometabolite, has been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patient populations; however, evidence is lacking from prospective studies conducted in general populations and non-Western populations. Methods and Results We evaluated urinary levels of TMAO and its precursor metabolites (ie, choline, betaine, and carnitine) in relation to risk of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) among Chinese adults in a nested case-control study, including 275 participants with incident CHD and 275 individually matched controls. We found that urinary TMAO , but not its precursors, was associated with risk of CHD .

Inhibitor of binding/differentiation 2 (Id2) is regulated by CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBPα) and promotes the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Inhibitor of DNA binding/differentiation (Id2) is an important regulator involved in the initiation and progression of cancer. However, the function and mechanism of the regulation of Id2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was unclear. In the present study, we found that the overexpression of Id2 increased HCC cell proliferation and .

Carbohydrate-conjugated 4-(1,3,2-dithiarsolan-2-yl)aniline as a cytotoxic agent against colorectal cancer.

Arsenic trioxide (AsO) has been approved for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL); however, its use in the treatment of solid tumors is limited due to its pharmacokinetic properties. Organic arsenic compounds provide better options for pharmaceutical optimization. -Aminophenyl arsenoxide (-APAO), an organic arsenic compound, was found to interact with the promyelocytic leukemia-retinoic acid receptor alpha (PML-RARα) fusion protein in a similar manner to arsenic trioxide.

Is Retinal Microvascular Abnormalities an Independent Risk Factor of Vertebral Fractures? A Prospective Study From a Chinese Population.

Low bone mineral density (BMD) and microvascular diseases (MVD) share various common risk factors; however, whether MVD is an independent risk factor of vertebral fractures is incompletely understood. The aim of this study is to clarify whether MVD is an independent risk factor of vertebral fractures. In this prospective study, calcaneal BMD and retinal microvascular abnormalities were assessed at baseline from June 2011 to January 2012.

Cytochrome P450 family proteins as potential biomarkers for ovarian granulosa cell damage in mice with premature ovarian failure.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is the pathological aging of ovarian tissue. We have previously established a cyclophosphamide-induced mouse POF model and found that cyclophosphamide caused significant damage and apoptosis of mouse ovarian granulosa cells (mOGCs). To systematically explore the molecular biologic evidence of cyclophosphamide-induced mOGC damage at the gene transcription level, RNA-Seqwas used to analyse the differences in mOGC transcriptomes between POF and control (PBS) mice.

induces intervertebral discs degeneration by increasing MMP-1 and inhibiting TIMP-1 expression via the NF-κB pathway.

Emerging evidence suggests that () may be a new pathogen implicated in intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD), although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Since the most significant biochemical change of IVDD is inability of the extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis by nucleus pulposus cells, we first analyzed the expression of aggrecan and collagen II in nucleus pulposus tissues of IVDD patients with or without infection. Compared with the -negative controls, the expression levels of aggrecan and collagen II were significantly dampened in nucleus pulposus tissues with infection.

Comparison between acute kidney injury (AKI) and non-AKI patients secondary to severe hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism was a rare cause of rhabdomyolysis, which finally progressed to acute kidney injury (AKI). We compared nine patients with AKI secondary to hypothyroidism and six patients with severe hypothyroidism. Besides creatine kinase, globulin could be an alternative biomarker of rhabdomyolysis related to hypothyroidism.

A smart multi-functional coating based on anti-pathogen micelles tethered with copper nanoparticles a biosynthesis method using l-vitamin C.

A multi-functional anti-pathogen coating with "release-killing", "contact-killing" and "anti-adhesion" properties was prepared from biocompatible polymer encapsulated chlorine dioxide (ClO) which protected the active ingredient from the outside environment. A slow sustained-release of ClO from micelles over fifteen days was detected for long-term release-killing. Micelles only release ClO on demand in minimum inhibitory concentrations.

Low expression of trafficking protein particle complex 4 predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Tumor recurrence and metastasis are major factors that contribute to the poor outcome of patients with HCC. However, it is difficult to predict the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Se@SiO nanocomposites suppress microglia-mediated reactive oxygen species during spinal cord injury in rats.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element with strong antioxidant activity, showing a great prospect in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the narrow gap between the beneficial and toxic effects has limited its further clinical application. In this experiment, we used porous Se@SiO nanocomposites (Se@SiO) modified by nanotechnology as a new means of release control to investigate the anti-oxidative effect in SCI.

Micro RNA-155 inhibitor as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI): a nanomedicine perspective.

In this study, we have prepared miR-155 inhibitor-loaded liposome vesicles for the effective treatment of acute kidney injury. The efficacy of liposomal miR-155 inhibitor in the expression of miR-155, mortality in animals, the expression of TNF-α-IL6, and the expression of SOCS1-STAT1 were evaluated. The loading of miR-155 inhibitor into liposomes conferred the much needed colloidal stability and efficient delivery to the renal tissues.

Metabolomics analysis of salvage chemotherapy on refractory acute myeloid leukemia patients.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a group of hematological malignancies causing high mortality around the world. However, the treatment of AML is still one of the most formidable challenges. In this study, we employed a well-established global metabolic profiling platform, which combined ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to investigate the metabolic alterations associated with salvage chemotherapy on 10 refractory acute myeloid leukemia (RAML) patients.

A Multispecific Investigation of the Metal Effect in Mammalian Odorant Receptors for Sulfur-Containing Compounds.

Metal-coordinating compounds are generally known to have strong smells, a phenomenon that can be attributed to the fact that odorant receptors for intense-smelling compounds, such as those containing sulfur, may be metalloproteins. We previously identified a mouse odorant receptor (OR), Olfr1509, that requires copper ions for sensitive detection of a series of metal-coordinating odorants, including (methylthio)methanethiol (MTMT), a strong-smelling component of male mouse urine that attracts female mice. By combining mutagenesis and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) modeling, we identified candidate binding sites in Olfr1509 that may bind to the copper-MTMT complex.

The characteristics of cognitive impairment in subjective chronic tinnitus.

Introduction: Subjective chronic tinnitus is a common medical syndrome with a high frequency of cognitive impairment; however, the characteristics of cognitive impairment in chronic tinnitus are poorly understood. Investigating the scope of cognitive impairment across the severity spectrum of tinnitus patients may shed light on the issue.

Methods: A consecutive series of 207 subjective chronic tinnitus patients were classified into mild tinnitus group ( = 95) and severe tinnitus group ( = 112) by THI score (the cutoff THI scores were 37/38).

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha knockout accelerates intervertebral disc degeneration in mice.

Introduction: The abnormality of nucleus pulposus (NP) plays a critical role in intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, in which NP cells show apoptosis and fibrosis, leading to the ability of the disc to transfer and distribute loads between the vertebrae is decreased. Considering that hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is abundantly expressed in NP and that it mediates cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis in various cell types, we hypothesized that NP-HIF-1α plays an important role in NP and evaluate whether NP-HIF-1α is involved in IVD degeneration.

Material And Methods: Sonic Hedgehog-Cre mice were crossed with HIF-1α mice to generate NP specific HIF-1α-deficient (HIF-1α) mice.

Preferential CD8 rather than CD4 T-cell response to wear particles of polyether-ether-ketone and highly cross-linked polyethylene.

The efficacy of polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) as a bearing material in knee components, a potential alternative to the currently used highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE), has attracted a lot of attention recently. This study aimed to systematically assess the effect of particulate wear debris on CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses. HXLPE and PEEK particles (96% less than 5 μm) were generated by custom cryo-milling and pulverization in liquid nitrogen, and then incubated with blood collected from 25 donors.

Lovastatin induces apoptosis of HepG-2 cells by activating ROS-dependent mitochondrial and ER stress pathways.

Background: Statins can reduce the malignancies through stimulating apoptosis. We aimed to elucidate the role of lovastatin in HepG-2 cells.

Methods: HepG-2 and non-tumor L-O2 cells were used as the cell models.

[Prevention and treatment of perioperative non-surgery-related complications in elderly patients with gastric cancer].

The incidence of elderly gastric cancer patients is increasing, since the average life span is longer than ever before and the medical management is improved. Elderly patients usually have more comorbidities due to gradual loss of immunonutritional and functional status, leading to a higher rate of non-surgery-related postoperative morbidity and mortality. Along with the development of surgical and nursing technique, more and more surgeons would perform surgical procedures on elderly gastric cancer patients without hesitation.

Intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma in the testis: a novel case report and review of the literature.

Intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma (IVNKTL) is an extremely rare type of lymphoma that frequently affects the skin. To date, only 14 cases of IVNKTL have been described. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of IVNKTL in the testis.

Consciousness loss during epileptogenesis: implication for VLPO-PnO circuits.

There is a growing concern about consciousness loss during epileptic seizures. Understanding neural mechanisms could lead to a better comprehension of cerebral circuit function in the control of consciousness loss in intractable epilepsy. We propose that ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO)- PnO (nucleus pontis oralis) circuits may serve a major role in the loss of consciousness in drug-refractory epilepsy.

Geranylgeranylacetone attenuates myocardium ischemic/reperfusion injury through HSP70 and Akt/GSK-3β/eNOS pathway.

Early reperfusion of myocardial infarction area is the most effective and important therapy to acute myocardial infarction, but could induce reperfusion injury. Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), an acyclic polyisoprenoid used as an oral anti-ulcer medication, has been reported to have protective effects on reperfusion injury. In the present study, we explored the protective effect of GGA against MIRI and the underlying mechanism.

Coexistence of and Truncated on Different Plasmids in a Isolate in China.

To describe the genetic environment, transferability, and antibiotic susceptibility of one clinical isolate harboring both and on different plasmids from a Chinese hospital. The isolate was subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and multilocus sequence typing using Etest and PCR. The plasmids harboring and were analyzed through conjugation experiments, S1-nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and hybridization with specific probes.

IL17-Producing γδ T Cells May Enhance Humoral Immunity during Pulmonary Infection in Mice.

The host acquired immune response, especially the humoral immunity, plays key roles in preventing bacterial pneumonia in the lung. Our previous research demonstrated that interleukin 17-producing γδ T cells (IL17-γδ T cells) have a protective effect on the early innate immune response during acute pulmonary infection. However, whether IL17-γδ T cells also play a role in humoral immunity is unknown.