Molecular mechanism analyses of post-traumatic epilepsy and hereditary epilepsy based on 10× single-cell transcriptome sequencing technology.

Background: Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis has been usually conducted on post-traumatic epilepsy (PET) and hereditary epilepsy (HE) patients; however, the transcriptome of patients with traumatic temporal lobe epilepsy has rarely been studied.

Materials And Methods: Hippocampus tissues isolated from one patient with PTE and one patient with HE were used in the present study. Single cell isolates were prepared and captured using a 10× Genomics Chromium Single-Cell 3' kit (V3) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Mental health changes in elderly patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has a heavy impact on the mental health of elderly surgical patients worldwide. In particular, the elderly patients faced considerable psychological stress due to various environmental and medical factors during the outbreak. This study aims to examine changes in mental health trends among non-cardiac surgical patients aged 65 and above in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

lncRNA UCA1 induces autophagic gene expression via epigenetic regulation mediated by ATG16L1 and miR-132-3p in SH-SY5Y cells treated with retinoic acid.

Objective: Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease with recurrent seizures. Autophagy plays a crucial role in the progression of epilepsy. This study aimed to explore the function and intrinsic mechanism of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) UCA1/miR-132-3p/ATG16L1 axis in epilepsy via regulation of autophagy.

Overexpression of MEF2D contributes to oncogenic malignancy and chemotherapeutic resistance in ovarian carcinoma.

The transcription factor MEF2 promotes survival in various cell types and a number of studies indicate that abnormal regulation of MEF2 is linked to oncogenicity in several carcinomas. We have found that MEF2D, a member of the MEF2 family, is upregulated in Ovarian Cancer (OC). Immunohistochemistry analysis of tumor sections of 402 OC patients revealed that MEF2D is significantly elevated at the protein level.

Cardamonin exerts anti-gastric cancer activity via inhibiting LncRNA-PVT1-STAT3 axis.

Gastric cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers each year, and it remains the third leading cause of cancer death in the world. The clinicopathologic characteristics differ among regions, so epigenetic changes play a key role in gastric carcinogenesis. In the present study, we first demonstrate that cardamonin, a natural production of chalcone, is an anti-gastric cancer agent in pre-clinical evaluation.

SC79 protects dopaminergic neurons from oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress could lead to dopaminergic neuronal cell death. SC79 is a novel, selective and highly-efficient Akt activator. The current study tested its effect in dopaminergic neurons with oxidative stress.

FOXD3 inhibits SCN2A gene transcription in intractable epilepsy cell models.

The expression of sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 2 (SCN2A) is closely related to the development of epilepsy. This study investigated regulatory element of the SCN2A gene involved in epilepsy. An intractable epilepsy cell model was constructed using hippocampal primary neurons and the SH-SY5Y cell line.

The association between MICA/MICB polymorphism and respiratory syncytial virus infection in children.

MICA/MICB gene polymorphisms are related to several cancers and infectious diseases, but there are no reports on the association between MICA/MICB gene polymorphisms and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. To clarify the association between MICA/MICB gene polymorphisms and infection of RSV in children, we collected fresh blood samples from paediatric patients with and without pneumonia after RSV infection. The MICA/MICB alleles were characterized by PCR sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) and PCR sequence-based genotyping (PCR-SBT), and then, the frequency of the MICA/MICB alleles and haplotypes was calculated.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia caused by anti-HPA antibodies in pregnant Chinese women: a study protocol for a multicentre, prospective cohort trial.

Background: Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT), caused by maternal antibodies raised against alloantigens carried on foetal platelets, is a very common haematological abnormality in newborns worldwide. However, baseline data on NAIT in China are lacking. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the incidence of alloantibody against the human platelet antigen (HPA) in pregnant women and its associations with NAIT in China.

Expression and functional regulation of stemness gene Lgr5 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are defined as a rare subpopulation of undifferentiated cells with biological characteristics that include the capacity for self-renewal, differentiation into various lineages, and tumor initiation. To explore the mechanism of CSCs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we focused on Leucine-rich repeat containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5), a target gene of the Wnt signaling pathway, which has been identified as a marker of intestinal stem cells and shown to be overexpressed in several human malignancies. Lgr5 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, increased depth of invasion, increased tumor size, advanced differentiation, higher AJCC stage and poorer survival.

Peripheral Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor Precursor Regulates Pain as an Inflammatory Mediator.

The precursor of brain derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF), the unprocessed BDNF gene product, binds to its receptors and exerts the opposing biologic functions of mature BDNF. proBDNF is expressed in the peripheral tissues but the functions of peripheral proBDNF remain elusive. Here we showed that proBDNF and its predominant receptor, p75 pan-neurotrophin receptor were upregulated in the nerve fibers and inflammatory cells in the local tissue in inflammatory pain.

Allele polymorphism and haplotype diversity of MICA/B in Tujia nationality of Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China.

Previous studies indicate the distribution of major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related genes A (MICA) and B (MICB) alleles and haplotypes varies widely between different ethnic populations and geographic areas. It is meaningful to investigate allelic frequencies and establish a genetic database. In this study, we firstly reported the polymorphic variation of MICA/B in 187 healthy, unrelated Tujia individuals in Zhangjiajie region, China.

MICA/B genotyping of Tujias from Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China.

One hundred eighty-seven Tujia individuals from Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China were genotyped at the MICA and MICB loci using polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific priming and sequencing-based typing methods. MICA and MCB genotypes are consistent with expected HW proportions. These genotype data are available in the Allele Frequencies Net Database.

Interaction of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene and life events in susceptibility to major depression in a Chinese Han population.

Background: Major depression (MD) results from a complex synergy between genetic and environmental factors. The aim of this study is to analyze the interaction of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene (TPH2) variation and negative life events in the pathogenesis of MD. Three TPH2 polymorphisms, -703G/T (rs4570625), -473T/A (rs11178997), and 1463G/A (rs120074175), were selected based on previous findings of associations with MD.

Dose-dependent effects of neuropeptide Y on the regulation of preadipocyte proliferation and adipocyte lipid synthesis via the PPARγ pathways.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. Preadipocytes were incubated with a range of concentrations of NPY (10(-15)M - 10(-7)M). After NPY-induced differentiation, the extent of preadipocyte adipogenesis was evaluated.

Minimally invasive transthoracic device closure of an acquired sinus of valsalva-right ventricle fistula in a pediatric patient.

Background: Sinus of Valsalva-right ventricle fistula is a recognized but very rare complication after surgical repair of subaortic ventricular septal defect. Surgical repair with cardiopulmonary bypass and percutaneous transcatheter closure guided by x-ray has been the traditional treatment for fistula of sinus of Valsalva.

Case Presentation: Recently, we have used a novel approach, that avoids the need for either secondary open surgical repair or radiation exposure; that is, minimally invasive transthoracic device closure guided by transesophageal echocardiography to occlude an acquired sinus of Valsalva-right ventricle fistula in a 4-year-old patient.

Dysfunction of collagen synthesis and secretion in chondrocytes induced by wisp3 mutation.

Wisp3 gene mutation was shown to cause spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy (SRDT-PA), but the underlying mechanism is not clear. To clarify this mechanism, we constructed the wild and mutated Wisp3 expression vectors and transfected into human chondrocytes lines C-20/A4; Wisp3 proteins subcellular localization, cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and Wisp3-mediated gene expression were determined, and dynamic secretion of collagen in transfected chondrocytes was analyzed by (14)C-proline incorporation experiment. Mutated Wisp3 protein increased proliferation activity, decreased apoptosis of C-20/A4 cells, and aggregated abnormally in cytoplasm.

Effect of ligustrazine on mice model of hepatic veno-occlusive disease induced by Gynura segetum.

Background And Aim: To investigate the therapeutic effect of ligustrazine on hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) induced by Gynura segetum and the possible mechanism of it.

Methods: Female Kunming mice (115) were randomly divided into four groups, gavaged with 30 g/kg per day Gynura segetum (group A), 30 g/kg per day Gynura segetum + 100 mg/kg per day ligustrazine (group B), 30 g/kg per day Gynura segetum + 200 mg/kg per day ligustrazine (group C) or 30 mL/kg per day phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (group D). Thirty days later, all of the mice were killed.

Hepatic veno-occlusive disease associated with toxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal preparations.

Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is frequently linked to stem cell transplantation (SCT), mainly related to the conditioning regime, and contributes to considerable morbidity and mortality. However, pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA)-induced VOD has long been overlooked. The pathogenesis of VOD remains poorly understood; studies suggest that endothelial cell injury, cytokines and haemostatic derangement are all involved in the pathogenesis of VOD.

Insulin receptor substrate 1 regulates the cellular differentiation and the matrix metallopeptidase expression of preosteoblastic cells.

Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) is an essential molecule for the intracellular signaling of IGF1 and insulin, which are potent anabolic regulators of bone metabolism. Osteoblastic IRS1 is essential for maintaining bone turnover; however, the mechanism underlying this regulation remains unclear. To clarify the role of IRS1 in bone metabolism, we employed RNA interference to inhibit IRS1 gene expression and observed the effects of silencing this gene on the proliferation and differentiation of and the expression of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 11b (TNFRSF11B) in MC3T3-E1 cells.

Sex-differential modulation of visceral pain by brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in rats.

In spite of the fact that brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been reported to be implicated in the development of visceral pain, it remains to be determined whether the role of BDNF in pain is gender dependent. The present study investigated the effect of BDNF on visceral pain in different gender rats. A model for visceral pain was established by intraperitoneal (i.

Involvement of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in platelet-derived growth factor-induced migration of human lens epithelial cells.

Purpose: Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) is caused partially by the migration of lens epithelial cells. To date, the mechanism of the migration is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-triggered signaling pathways and its downstream effectors in the migration of lens epithelial cells.

D-4F, an apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide, promotes cholesterol efflux from macrophages via ATP-binding cassette transporter A1.

Cholesterol efflux is the key step of reverse cholesterol transport and has become a therapeutic target against atherosclerosis. Human apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is the main protein in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and has 243 amino acids. ApoA-I mimetic peptides have no sequence homology to apoA-I but possess the class-A amphipathic helical motif that presents in apoA-I lipid binding domains.

Surgical incision induces anxiety-like behavior and amygdala sensitization: effects of morphine and gabapentin.

The role of affective dimension in the postoperative pain is still poorly understood. The present study investigated the development of anxiety-like behavior and amygdala sensitization in incisional pain. Using hind-paw incision model in rats, we showed that surgical incision induced the anxiety-like behavior as determined by elevated plus-maze and open-field tests.