Retinopathy in Parkinson's disease: A potential biomarker for early diagnosis and clinical assessment.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder caused by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, originating from the substantia nigra pars compacta, and characterized by motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, resting tremor, and postural instability, as well as non-motor symptoms such as anxiety, depression, reduced sense of smell, cognitive impairment, and visual dysfunction. Emerging evidence highlights the retina as a promising site for non-invasive exploration of PD pathology, due to its shared embryonic origin with the central nervous system. In recent years, with the development of ophthalmic technology, the acquisition of retinal-related function and structure has gradually become mature.

Efficacy and safety of YOXINTINE for depression: A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 clinical trial.

Background: YOXINTINE contains >98 % of 20(S)-protopanaxadial (PPD), a metabolic product of ginsenosides with pre-clinical neuroprotective activity. Animal experiments and previous studies have shown that PPD has good antidepressant effect and safety.

Purpose: To evaluate YOXINTINE in treating depression compared with a placebo in Chinese patients.

The Bony Density of the Pedicle Plays a More Significant Role in the Screw Anchorage Ability Than Other Regions of the Screw Trajectory.

Objective: Osteoporosis is a crucial risk factor for screw loosening. Our studies indicate that the bone mineral density (BMD) in the screw trajectory is a better predictor of screw loosening than the BMD of the lumbar spine or the screw insertion position. Research has shown that anchorage on the screw tip is the most significant factor for screw anchorage ability, while others argue that decreased bony quality in the pedicle poses a significant risk for screw loosening.

Coverage of large soft tissue defects of the lower limb and foot with superficial inferior epigastric artery flap.

Background: Large soft tissue defects of the lower limb and foot are common occurrence in clinical practice and a considerable number of flaps have been used to treat them. However, there have been few reports using the superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) flap. This review aims to present the experience of using the SIEA flaps for the repair of large soft tissue defects of the lower limb and foot.

Causal relationships between epilepsy and the microstructure of the white matter: A Mendelian randomization study.

To examine the causal bidirectional relationships between epilepsy and microstructural changes in the white matter (WM). A genome-wide association study meta-analysis of the International League Against Epilepsy Consortium on Epilepsy and 360 WM imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs) from the UK Biobank was used for the analysis. Genetic correlation analyses were conducted based on summary statistics of various "IDP-epilepsy" pairs for 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal relationships.

New perspectives of exosomes in urologic malignancies - Mainly focus on biomarkers and tumor microenvironment.

Bladder cancer (BCa) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are prevalent urologic malignancies (UM) characterized by high morbidity and frequent recurrence. Current diagnostic approaches, often invasive, often indicate an advanced disease stage. And the complex tumor microenvironment often promotes tumor progression and induces resistance to chemotherapy.

Ubiquitination in osteosarcoma: unveiling the impact on cell biology and therapeutic strategies.

Ubiquitination, a multifaceted post-translational modification, regulates protein function, degradation, and gene expression. The pivotal role of ubiquitination in the pathogenesis and progression of cancer, including colorectal, breast, and liver cancer, is well-established. Osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone tumor predominantly affecting adolescents, also exhibits dysregulation of the ubiquitination system, encompassing both ubiquitination and deubiquitination processes.

Application prospects of urine-derived stem cells in neurological and musculoskeletal diseases.

Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are derived from urine and harbor the potential of proliferation and multidirectional differentiation. Moreover, USCs could be reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells [namely urine-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (UiPSCs)] through transcription factors, such as octamer binding transcription factor 4, sex determining region Y-box 2, kruppel-like factor 4, myelocytomatosis oncogene, and Nanog homeobox and protein lin-28, in which the first four are known as Yamanaka factors. Mounting evidence supports that USCs and UiPSCs possess high potential of neurogenic, myogenic, and osteogenic differentiation, indicating that they may play a crucial role in the treatment of neurological and musculoskeletal diseases.

Development and internal validation of prediction model for rebleeding within one year after endoscopic treatment of cirrhotic varices: consideration from organ-based CT radiomics signature.

Background: Rebleeding after endoscopic treatment for esophagogastric varices (EGVs) in cirrhotic patients remains a significant clinical challenge, with high mortality rates and limited predictive tools. Current methods, relying on clinical indicators, often lack precision and fail to provide personalized risk assessments. This study aims to develop and validate a novel, non-invasive prediction model based on CT radiomics to predict rebleeding risk within one year of treatment, integrating radiomic features from key organs and clinical data.

Betulin gel alleviates esophageal stricture following endoscopic submucosal dissection: an animal study.

Background: Esophageal stenosis is a troublesome complication after circumferential ESD. This study examined the efficacy of betulin gel in preventing esophageal stenosis after ESD in a porcine model.

Methods: Twelve pigs were randomized to betulin group and control group evenly.

The proteasome activator subunit PSME1 promotes HBV replication by inhibiting the degradation of HBV core protein.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, representing a global health problem for which a functional cure is difficult to achieve. The HBV core protein (HBc) is essential for multiple steps in the viral life cycle. It is the building block of the nucleocapsid in which viral DNA reverse transcription occurs, and its mediation role in viral-host cell interactions is critical to HBV infection persistence.

Antifungal activities of Equol against and .

is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause systemic infections in immunocompromised individuals. Morphological transition and biofilm formation are major virulence factors of . Moreover, biofilm enhances resistance to antifungal agents.

Thonningianin A from Penthorum chinense Pursh as a targeted inhibitor of Alzheimer's disease-related β-amyloid and Tau proteins.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by complex pathogenesis mechanisms. Among these, β-amyloid plaques and hyperphosphorylated Tau protein tangles have been identified as significant contributors to neuronal damage. This study investigates thonningianin A (TA) from Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) as a potential inhibitor targeting these pivotal proteins in AD progression.

The role of mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1 in knee osteoarthritis inflammation.

Mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1 is known to mediate a variety of inflammatory pathways and is also involved in the occurrence and development of many orthopedic diseases. Although its role in the inflammatory mechanism of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) has been reported, a systematic explanation is yet to be seen. This article aims to summarize the role of inflammatory responses in the pathogenesis of KOA and elucidate the mechanism by which the Piezo1-mediated inflammatory response contributes to the pathogenesis of KOA, providing a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Blueberry extract for the treatment of ischaemic stroke through regulating the gut microbiota and kynurenine metabolism.

Although the gut microbiota and kynurenine (KYN) metabolism have significant protective effects against ischaemic stroke (IS), the exact mechanism has yet to be fully elucidated. Combined serum metabolomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to reveal the differences between the gut microbiota and metabolites in rats treated with or without blueberry extract. Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was employed to validate the protective role of the gut microbiota in IS.