Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture on treating depression-related insomnia: a study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Sleep disorders including insomnia occur frequently in depressive patients. Acupuncture is a widely recognised therapy to treat depression and sleep disorders in clinical practice. This multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) is aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of depression patients with insomnia.

RPS3A positively regulates the mitochondrial function of human periaortic adipose tissue and is associated with coronary artery diseases.

Pericardial adipose tissue, which comprises both epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and paracardial adipose tissue (PAT), has recently been recognized as a novel factor in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary artery disease (CAD). The goal of this study was to evaluate differences in the brown-like characteristic and proteome among human EAT, PAT, and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) to identify candidate molecules causing CAD. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) and other brown-related proteins were highly expressed in pericardial adipose tissue but was weakly expressed in SAT from the same non-CAD patient.

Safety and efficacy of zotarolimus-eluting stents in the treatment of diabetic coronary lesions in Chinese patients: The RESOLUTE-DIABETES CHINA Study.

Background: The RESOLUTE-DIABETES CHINA study was specifically designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES; Medtronic, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) in the treatment of diabetic coronary lesions in the Chinese population.

Methods: In all, 945 patients with de novo native coronary lesions and type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited at 32 cardiac centers across the Chinese mainland and were implanted with Resolute ZES. The primary endpoint was target vessel failure (TVF); secondary endpoints were clinical outcomes, namely all-cause death, stroke, bleeding, target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), non-TVR, and stent thrombosis (ST).

CHILD syndrome mimicking verrucous nevus in a Chinese patient responded well to the topical therapy of compound of simvastatin and cholesterol.

Background: Congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects (CHILD) syndrome is a rare X-linked dominant disorder characterized by peculiar cutaneous presentations and ipsilateral skeletal abnormalities. CHILD syndrome is caused by mutations in NSDHL gene, which involves in cholesterol synthesis.

Objectives: To verify the diagnosis of CHILD syndrome and seek effective pathogenesis-based therapy with little side-effects.

GM-CSF ameliorates microvascular barrier integrity via pericyte-derived Ang-1 in wound healing.

Skin wound healing involves complex coordinated interactions of cells, tissues, and mediators. Maintaining microvascular barrier integrity is one of the key events for endothelial homeostasis during wound healing. Vasodilation is observed after vasoconstriction, which causes blood vessels to become porous, facilitates leukocyte infiltration and aids angiogenesis at the wound-area, postinjury.

Either at left or right, both high and low frequency rTMS of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreases cue induced craving for methamphetamine.

Background And Objectives: The study is to investigate if left or right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is important in modulating the craving to drug related cues.

Methods: The present investigation examined different combinations between left/right and high/low frequency rTMS on cue induced craving to methamphetamine, with active sham rTMS on P3 region on a total of 50 subjects.

Results: The results showed that either at left or right side, both high and low frequency rTMS are effective in decreasing the cue induced craving to methamphetamine.

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of the Distribution of Neurons Contributing to Ophthalmic, Maxillary, and Mandibular Nerves in the Trigeminal Ganglion of Experimental Model.

The authors introduce a new method to build a three-dimensional (3D) model of the 3 branches of the trigeminal nerve in the trigeminal ganglion of rabbit with 3 different kinds of fluorescence. Ten adult New Zealand rabbits of both sexes weighing between 2.0 and 3.

Role of ultrasound in the assessment of percutaneous laser ablation of cervical metastatic lymph nodes from thyroid carcinoma.

Background Few studies have examined the feasibility and efficiency of performing ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) after percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) of cervical metastatic lymph nodes from thyroid cancer. Purpose To investigate and describe the use of conventional ultrasound and CEUS in evaluating PLA of metastatic lymph nodes. Material and Methods PLA was performed in a small, prospective, observational study of 21 metastatic lymph nodes in 17 thyroid cancer patients who underwent radical thyroid resection.

Four case reports of Chinese cystic fibrosis patients and literature review.

Aim: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an extremely rare disease in Asians. Here, we report four Chinese children with CF and review the literature about Chinese CF patients.

Methods: The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene testing was performed on four suspected patients for CF screening.

A comparative assessment of adipose-derived stem cells from subcutaneous and visceral fat as a potential cell source for knee osteoarthritis treatment.

The intra-articular injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) is a novel potential therapy for patients with osteoarthritis (OA). However, the efficacy of ASCs from different regions of the body remains unknown. This study investigated whether ASCs from subcutaneous or visceral adipose tissue provide the same improvement of OA.

Cell infiltrative hydrogel fibrous scaffolds for accelerated wound healing.

Unlabelled: Development of natural protein-based fibrous scaffolds with tunable physical properties and biocompatibility is highly desirable to construct three-dimensional (3D), fully cellularized scaffolds for wound healing. Herein, we demonstrated a simple and effective technique to construct electrospun 3D fibrous scaffolds for accelerated wound healing using a photocrosslinkable hydrogel based on gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA). We found that the physical properties of the photocrosslinkable hydrogel including water retention, stiffness, strength, elasticity and degradation can be tailored by changing the light exposure time.

Prognostic significance of overexpressed matrix metalloproteinase-2, mouse-double minute: 2 homolog and epidermal growth factor receptor in non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the rate of overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and evaluate their correlation with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study conducted from 2003 to 2008 among 184 NSCLC patients who underwent tumor resection. Each patient's clinical history and tumor characteristics were obtained from histopathology reports and medical records.

Tumors and pseudotumors at the temporomandibular joint region in pediatric patients.

Objective: To describe the clinical manifestations and types of, and our surgical experience with, neoplasms in the region of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in pediatric patients.

Materials And Methods: From September 1997 to December 2013, a total of 18 patients with neoplasms in the region of the TMJ were treated at our department. They all underwent open surgeries.

Decompression of the inferior alveolar nerve to treat the pain of the mandible caused by fibrous dysplasia-case report.

Fibrous dysplasia is a kind of benign bone lesion characterized by the manifestation of the replacement of the normal substance of bone by fibro-osseous connective tissue. A patient diagnosed fibrous dysplasia had unbearable pain in the left mandibular region only. To treat the patient, an navigation template was designed to guide the decompression of inferior alveolar nerve, and piezosurgery was performed to do the osteotomy.

[Reversal of liver fibrosis through AG490 inhibitor-mediated inhibition of the TGFbeta1-STAT3 pathway].

Objective: To investigate the role of TGF-beta1 and STAT3 signaling in liver fibrosis using a rat model system and to determine the therapeutic mechanism of AG490 in relation to this signaling pathway.

Methods: Rats were randomly divided into a control group and DENA-induced liver fibrosis model group, and then subdivided into AG490 treatment groups. During fibrosis development, liver tissue samples were collected at different time points (0, 4 and 8 weeks) and evaluated according to the Scheuer scoring system.

Molecular mechanisms in differentiated thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer is a common endocrine malignancy. The tumorigenesis of thyroid tumours has been identified in recent years, including numerous genetic alterations and several major signalling pathways. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in thyroid cancer metastasis remain controversial.

Correlation between smoking history and molecular pathways in sporadic colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: Epidemiological studies have shown that smoking increases the risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Evidence of the guiding significance of smoking history for molecular classification and molecular targeted anti-tumor therapy is not well established.

Aims: To provide indirectly evidence, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis of association between smoking history and different molecular classification.

Complete protection of mice against lethal murine cytomegalovirus challenge by immunization with DNA vaccines encoding envelope glycoprotein complex III antigens gH, gL and gO.

Human cytomegalovirus infects the majority of humanity which may lead to severe morbidity and mortality in newborns and immunocompromised adults. Humoral and cellular immunity are critical for controlling CMV infection. HCMV envelope glycoprotein complexes (gC I, II, III) represent major antigenic targets of antiviral immune responses.

Protection against multiple subtypes of influenza viruses by virus-like particle vaccines based on a hemagglutinin conserved epitope.

We selected the conserved sequence in the stalk region of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) trimmer, the long alpha helix (LAH), as the vaccine candidate sequence, and inserted it into the major immunodominant region (MIR) of hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc), and, by using the E. coli expression system, we prepared a recombinant protein vaccine LAH-HBc in the form of virus-like particles (VLP). Intranasal immunization of mice with this LAH-HBc VLP plus cholera toxin B subunit with 0.

MiR-146b-5p promotes metastasis and induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in thyroid cancer by targeting ZNRF3.

Background/aims: Micro-RNA (miR)-146b-5p is overexpressed in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and associated with extrathyroidal invasion and advanced tumor stage. In the present study, we showed that miR-146b-5p is upregulated in PTC with lymph node metastasis.

Methods: A computational search and luciferase assay identified zinc RING finger 3 (ZNRF3), a negative regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, as a direct target of miR-146b-5p in PTC.

[Application of human oocyte morphometric parameters in assessment of fertilization and embryo development].

Objective: To investigate the correlation of human oocyte morphometric parameters with fertilization and embryo development in the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.

Methods: The morphometric parameters of oocytes collected and submitted to evaluation using OCTAX Eye-ware software just before ICSI. Oocyte diameter (OD), perivitelline space width (PSW), zonapellucida thickness (ZPT) and the shape of first polar body (FPB) (intact or fragmented) were analyzed.

EGF signalling pathway regulates colon cancer stem cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Objectives: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) compose a subpopulation of cells within a tumour that can self-renew and proliferate. Growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) promote cancer stem cell proliferation in many solid tumours. This study assesses whether EGF, bFGF and IGF signalling pathways are essential for colon CSC proliferation and self-renewal.

[Expression of TGF-beta and hepatocyte growth factor in kidney tissues of children with primary focal segmental glomerular sclerosis].

Objective: To study the expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in kidney tissues of children with primary focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS) and the possible role of the two growth factors in the development of FSGS.

Methods: Kidney specimens were obtained from 33 children with primary FSGS and 7 children with isolated haematuria but without FSGS (control group). Of the 33 children with primary FSGS, 6 children had no renal tubule interstitial pathological damage (Experimental I group) and 27 children had renal tubule interstitial pathological damage (Experimental II group).