Clinical application of reserved gastric tube in neuroendoscopic endonasal surgery for pituitary tumor.

BACKGROUND: The neuroendoscopic approach has the advantages of a clear operative field, convenient tumor removal, and less damage, and is the development direction of modern neurosurgery. At present, transnasal surgery for sphenoidal pituitary tumor is widely used. But it has been found in clinical practice that some patients with this type of surgery may experience post-operative nausea and vomiting and other discomforts. AIM: To explore the effect of reserved gastric tube application in the neuroendoscopic endonasal resection of pituitary tumors. METHODS: A total of 60 patients who underwent pituitary adenoma resection via the endoscopic endonasal approach were selected and randomly divided into the experimental and control groups, with 30 in each group. Experimental group: After anesthesia, a gastric tube was placed through the mouth under direct vision using a visual laryngoscope, and the fluid accumulated in the oropharynx was suctioned intermittently with low negative pressure throughout the whole process after nasal disinfection, during the operation, and when the patient recovered from anesthesia. Control group: Given the routine intraoperative care, no gastric tube was left. The number of cases of nausea/vomiting/aspiration within 24 h post-operation was counted and compared between the two groups; the scores of pharyngalgia after waking up, 6 h post-operation, and 24 h post-operation. The frequency of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and intracranial infection were compared. The hospitalization days of the two groups were statistically compared. RESULTS: The times of postoperative nausea and vomiting in the experimental group were lower than that in the control group, and the difference in the incidence of nausea was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After the patient woke up, the scores of sore throat 6 h after the operation and 24 h after operation were lower than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The number of cases of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and intracranial infection was higher than that of the control group, but there was no statistically significant difference from the control group (P > 0.05). The hospitalization days of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Reserving a gastric tube in the endoscopic endonasal resection of pituitary tumors, combined with intraoperative and postoperative gastrointestinal decompression, can effectively reduce the incidence of nausea, reduce the number of vomiting and aspiration in patients, and reduce the complications of sore throat The incidence rate shortened the hospitalization days of the patients.

Apical papilla stem cell-derived exosomes regulate lipid metabolism and alleviate inflammation in the MCD-induced mouse NASH model.

Stem cells from the apical papilla(SCAPs) exhibit remarkable tissue repair capabilities, demonstrate anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic effects, positioning them as promising assets in the realm of regenerative medicine. Recently, the focus has shifted towards exosomes derived from stem cells, perceived as safer alternatives while retaining comparable physiological functions. This study delves into the therapeutic implications of exosomes derived from SCAPs in the methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced mice non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) model. We extracted exosomes from SCAPs. During the last two weeks of the MCD diet, mice were intravenously administered SCAPs-derived exosomes at two distinct concentrations (50 µg/mouse and 100 µg/mouse) biweekly. Thorough examinations of physiological and biochemical indicators were performed to meticulously evaluate the impact of exosomes derived from SCAPs on the advancement of NASH in mice induced by MCD diet. This findings revealed significant reductions in body weight loss and liver damage induced by the MCD diet following exosomes treatment. Moreover, hepatic fat accumulation was notably alleviated. Mechanistically, the treatment with exosomes led to an upregulation of phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) levels in the liver, enhancing hepatic fatty acid oxidation and transporter gene expression while inhibiting genes associated with fatty acid synthesis. Additionally, exosomes treatment increased the transcription levels of key liver mitochondrial marker proteins and the essential mitochondrial biogenesis factor. Furthermore, the levels of serum inflammatory factors and hepatic tissue inflammatory factor mRNA expression were significantly reduced, likely due to the anti-inflammatory phenotype induced by exosomes in macrophages. The above conclusion suggests that SCAPs-exosomes can improve NASH.

GLP-1RAs inhibit the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway to regulate mouse renal podocyte pyroptosis.

OBJECTIVE: Podocytes are closely related to renal function as an important part of the glomerulus. The reduction and damage of podocytes lead to further decline of renal function and aggravate the progression of DKD. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAS) have recently attracted great attention in improving podocyte dysfunction, but the specific mechanism remains uncertain. METHODS: We used mouse kidney podocyte MPC5 to construct a high-glucose injury model. Cell viability was detected by the MTT method; RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to detect the expressions of NF-κB p65, NLRP3, GSDMD, N-GSDMD, caspase-1 and cleaved-caspase-1, and we used ELISA to detect the expressions of inflammatory factors IL-1ß and IL-18. RESULTS: Our results showed that high glucose decreased podocyte survival, while liraglutide and semaglutide increased podocyte survival under high glucose. Liraglutide and semaglutide can inhibit the expression of pyroptosis-related genes and proteins and also inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors IL-1ß, IL-18 increase. CONCLUSION: The protective effect of liraglutide and semaglutide on podocytes may be achieved by regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and inhibiting pyroptosis, and there were no significant differences between the two GLP-1RAs (liraglutide and semaglutide) in inhibiting podocyte pyroptosis.

"In situ bone flap" combined with vascular pedicled mucous flap to reconstruction of skull base defect.

BACKGROUND: At present, neuroendoscopy technology has made rapid development, and great progress has been made in the operation of lesions in the saddle area of the skull base. However, the complications of cerebrospinal fluid and intracranial infection after the operation are still important and life-threatening complications, which may lead to poor prognosis. AIM: To investigate the method of in situ bone flap combined with nasal septum mucosal flap for reconstruction of enlarged skull base defect by endonasal sphenoidal approach and to discuss its application effect. METHODS: Clinical data of 24 patients undergoing transnasal sphenoidal endoscopic approach in the Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated 2 Hospital of Nantong University from January 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent multi-layer reconstruction of skull base using in situ bone flap combined with nasal septum mucosa flap. The incidence of intraoperative and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and intracranial infection were analyzed, and the application effect and technical key points of in situ bone flap combined with nasal septum mucosa flap for skull base bone reconstruction were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 5 cases of high flow cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and 7 cases of low flow CSF leakage. Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 2 patients (8.3%) and intracranial infection in 2 patients (8.3%), which were cured after strict bed rest, continuous drainage of lumbar cistern combined with antibiotic treatment, and no secondary surgical repair was required. The patients were followed up for 8 to 36 months after the operation, and no delayed cerebrospinal fluid leakage or intracranial infection occurred during the follow-up. Computed tomography reconstruction of skull base showed satisfactory reconstruction after surgery. CONCLUSION: The use of in situ bone flap combined with vascular pedicled mucous flap to reconstruction of skull base defect after endonasal sphenoidal approach under neuroendoscopy has a lower incidence of cerebrospinal fluid leakage and lower complications, which has certain advantages and is worthy of clinical promotion.

Treatment of functional dyspepsia in Chinese adult patients with domperidone: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of domperidone for the treatment of Chinese patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) who were diagnosed according to the Rome IV criteria and to identify the FD subtypes that potentially responded better to domperidone. METHODS: This multicenter prospective study was conducted in China from August 2018 to July 2020, consisting of a 1-week screening phase and a 2-week double-blind treatment phase. Participants were randomized to receive domperidone 10 mg or matching placebo tablets thrice daily for 14 days. The primary end-point was the overall treatment effect (OTE) response rate after 2-week therapy. RESULTS: Altogether 160 patients were included, with 80 patients in each group. The OTE response rate after 2-week therapy was significantly higher for domperidone compared with placebo (60.7% vs 46.0%; relative risk [RR] 1.318, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.972-1.787). Moreover, the OTE response rate after 2-week domperidone or placebo treatment was 60.3% versus 54.9% for postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) (RR 1.098, 95% CI 0.750-1.607) and 60.6% versus 35.2% for overlapping PDS-epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) (RR 1.722, 95% CI 0.995-2.980). Adverse events were reported by seven patients in the domperidone group and 12 patients in the placebo group. None of the adverse events in the domperidone group were serious. CONCLUSION: Domperidone showed a positive pattern regarding OTE response rates after 2-week therapy compared to placebo in patients with FD, as well as in subtypes of PDS and overlapping PDS-EPS. No new safety issue was observed.

Electrochemical selenium-catalyzed para-amination of N-aryloxyamides: access to polysubstituted aminophenols.

Aminophenols are a class of important compounds with various pharmacological activities such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, and antibacterial activities. Herein, we introduce a mild and efficient electrochemical selenium-catalyzed strategy to synthesize polysubstituted aminophenols. High atom efficiency and transition metal-free and oxidant-free conditions are the striking features of this protocol. By merging electrochemical and organoselenium-catalyzed processes, the intramolecular rearrangement of N-aryloxyamides produces para-amination products at room temperature in a simple undivided cell.

Case Report: Endoscopic trans-cerebellar medullary fissure approach for the management of brainstem hemorrhage.

Objective: Brainstem hematoma (BSH) is a high-risk condition that can lead to deadly and disabling consequences if not properly managed. However, recent advances in endoscopic techniques, employed for removing supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage have shown significant improvements in operative morbidity and mortality rates compared to other approaches. In this study, we demonstrate the utility and feasibility of the endoscopic trans-cerebellar medullary fissure approach for the management of brain stem hemorrhage in carefully selected patients. Patients and methods: A 55-year-old man presented to the emergency department in a comatose state with respiratory distress. A CT scan revealed the presence of a brainstem hemorrhage. Given the location of the hemorrhage and the need to quickly manage the associated developmental obstructive hydrocephalus and respiratory distress, an endoscopic trans-cerebellar medullary fissure approach was chosen as the most appropriate method of treatment. Results: Total resection was achieved, and the patient gradually improved postoperatively with no new neurological deficits. He is currently under routine follow-up and is conscious but has partial hemiplegia. Conclusion: This approach provided direct visualization of the lesion and was minimally invasive. The endoscopic trans-cerebellar medullary fissure approach may be considered an alternative to open approaches for brainstem hemorrhage in carefully selected patients.

Positioning and design by computed tomography imaging in neuroendoscopic surgery of patients with chronic subdural hematoma.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendoscopy is a very useful technique to Chronic Subdural Hematoma (CSH). But how to achieve the goal of treatment more minimally invasive? AIM: To develop a simple, fast and accurate preoperative planning method in our way for endoscopic surgery of patients with CSH. METHODS: From June 2018 to May 2020, forty-two patients with CSH, admitted to our hospital, were performed endoscopic minimally invasive surgery; computed tomography (CT) imaging was employed to locate the intracerebral hematoma and select the appropriate endoscopic approach before the endoscopic surgery. The clinical data and treatment efficacy were analyzed. RESULTS: According to the learning of CT scanning images, the surgeon can accurately design the best minimally invasive neuroendoscopic surgical approach and realize the precise positioning and design of the drilling site of the skull and the size of the bone window, so as to provide the most effective operation space with the smallest bone window. In this group, the average operation time was only about 1 h, and the clearance rate of hematoma was about 95%. CONCLUSION: Patients with CSH can achieve good therapeutic effect by using our way to positioning and design to assist the operation of CSH according to CT scan and image, and our way is very useful and necessary.

Efficacy evaluation of neuroendoscopy vs burr hole drainage in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common disease in neurosurgery. The traditional treatment methods include burr hole drainage, bone flap craniectomy and other surgical methods, and there are certain complications such as recurrence, pneumocephalus, infection and so on. With the promotion of neuroendoscopic technology, its treatment effect and advantages need to be further evaluated. AIM: To study the clinical effect of endoscopic small-bone approach in CSDH. METHODS: A total of 122 patients with CSDH admitted to our hospital from August 2018 to August 2021 were randomly divided into two groups using the digital table method: the neuroendoscopy group (n = 61 cases) and the burr hole drainage group (n = 61 cases). The clinical treatment effect of the two groups of patients with CSDH was compared. RESULTS: At the early postoperative stage (1 d and 3 d), the proportion of 1/2 re-expansion of brain tissue in the hematoma cavity and the proportion of complete re-expansion was higher in the neuroendoscopy group than in the burr hole drainage group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The recurrence rate of hematoma in the neuroendoscopy group was lower than that in the burr hole drainage group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). No intracranial hematoma, low cranial pressure, tension pneumocephalus or other complications occurred in the neuroendoscopy group. CONCLUSION: The neuroendoscopic approach for the treatment of CSDH can clear the hematoma under direct vision and separate the mucosal lace-up. The surgical effect is apparent with few complications and definite curative effect, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

[Short-term results of minimally invasive Chevron osteotomy with lateral soft tissue release in treating mild to moderate hallux valgus].

OBJECTIVE: To explore short-term results of minimally invasive Chevron osteotomy with lateral soft tissue release in treating mild to moderate hallux valgus. METHODS: Sixty patients (80 feet) with mild to moderate hallux valgus treated with minimally invasive Chevron osteotomy with lateral soft tissue release from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 5 males (6 feet) and 62 females (74 feet), aged from 20 to 60 years old with an average of (47.2±9.7) years old;54 patients (64 feet) with mild hallux valgus, and 13 patients(16 feet) with moderate hallux valgus. Hallux valugs angle(HVA), Ⅰ-Ⅱ intermetatarsal anlge(Ⅰ-Ⅱ IMA), distal metatarsal articular angle(DMAA)and sesamoid Hardy score were compared before and after operation, and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society's Hallux Metatarsophalangeal- Interphalangeal (AOFAS Hallux MTP-IP) scale was used to evaluate clinical effects. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients (80 feet) were followed-up from 6 to 23 months with an average of (13.7±6.5) months. Preopertive HVA, Ⅰ-Ⅱ IMA, DMAA, sesamoid Hardy score and AOFAS Hallux MTP-IP were (27.5±7.0)°, (17.4±4.1)°, (11.4±3.8)°, (4.9±2.6) and (58.2±9.1), respectively;while at the final follow up were(8.3±4.8)°, (6.9±3.0)°, (3.9±2.4)°, (2.7±1.1) and(91.3±2.2);and there were statistical differences between pre-operation and the latest follow-up(P<0.05). There were differences in preopertaive imaging indexes and AOFAS Hallux MTP-IP between 64 mild and 16 moderate hallux valgus feet(P<0.05);while no difference in above indexes at the final follow-up(P>0.05);from the view of degree of improvement, HVA, Ⅰ-Ⅱ IMA, sesamoid Hardy score and AOFAS Hallux MTP-IP in moderate hallux valgus were better than that of in mild hallux valgus(P<0.05). Four patients occurred redness and swelling around incision on the osteotomy site, and cured by local dressing change and oral antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive Chevron osteotomy combined with lateral soft tissue release has advantages of correction and functional improvement for mild to moderate hallux valgus.

The complete chloroplast genome of Carex laevissima Nakai (Cyperaceae).

Carex laevissima Nakai 1914 (Cyperaceae) is vital for ecological conservation and land virescence, and has high ornamental value. Here the chloroplast genome of Carex laevissima was assembled and systematically analyzed for further genetic research of Carex plants. The chloroplast sequence of Carex laevissima was 188,029 bp in length, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 36,699 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 106,171 bp and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 8460 bp. The overall GC content is 34.0%. It contains 133 genes, including 89 protein-coding, 36 tRNA, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Carex laevissima is most closely related to Carex neurocarpa.

Anorectal dysfunction in patients with mid-low rectal cancer after surgery: A pilot study with three-dimensional high-resolution manometry.

BACKGROUND: The quality of life in patients who develop low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) after surgery for mid-low rectal cancer is seriously impaired. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism of LARS has not been fully investigated. AIM: To assess anorectal function of mid-low rectal cancer patients developing LARS perioperatively. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with mid-low rectal cancer were included. The LARS score was used to evaluate defecation symptoms 3 and 6 mo after anterior resection or a stoma reversal procedure. Anorectal functions were assessed by three-dimensional high resolution anorectal manometry preoperatively and 3-6 mo after surgery. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 24 patients. The total LARS score was decreased at 6 mo compared with 3 mo after surgery (P < 0.05), but 58.3% (14/24) lasted as major LARS at 6 mo after surgery. The length of the high-pressure zone of the anal sphincter was significantly shorter, the mean resting pressure and maximal squeeze pressure of the anus were significantly lower than those before surgery in all patients (P < 0.05), especially in the neoadjuvant therapy group after surgery (n = 18). The focal pressure defects of the anal canal were detected in 70.8% of patients, and those patients had higher LARS scores at 3 mo postoperatively than those without focal pressure defects (P < 0.05). Spastic peristaltic contractions from the new rectum to anus were detected in 45.8% of patients, which were associated with a higher LARS score at 3 mo postoperatively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The LARS score decreases over time after surgery in the majority of patients with mid-low rectal cancer. Anorectal dysfunctions, especially focal pressure defects of the anal canal and spastic peristaltic contractions from the new rectum to anus postoperatively, might be the major pathophysiological mechanisms of LARS.

Alternative Splicing Regulation of Glycine-Rich Proteins via Target of Rapamycin-Reactive Oxygen Species Pathway in Arabidopsis Seedlings Upon Glucose Stress.

Glucose can serve as both the source of energy and regulatory signaling molecule in plant. Due to the environmental and metabolic change, sugar levels could affect various developmental processes. High glucose environment is hardly conductive to the plant growth but cause development arrest. Increasing evidence indicate that alternative splicing (AS) plays a pivotal role in sugar signaling. However, the regulatory mechanism upon glucose stress remains unclear. The full-length transcriptomes were obtained from the samples of Arabidopsis seedlings with 3% glucose and mock treatment, using Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies. Further analysis indicated that many genes involved in photosynthesis were significantly repressed and many genes involved in glycolysis, mitochondrial function, and the response to oxidative stress were activated. In total, 1,220 significantly differential alternative splicing (DAS) events related to 619 genes were identified, among which 75.74% belong to intron retention (IR). Notably, more than 20% of DAS events come from a large set of glycine-rich protein (GRP) family genes, such as GRP7, whose AS types mostly belong to IR. Besides the known productive GRP transcript isoforms, we identified a lot of splicing variants with diverse introns spliced in messenger RNA (mRNA) region coding the glycine-rich (GR) domain. The AS pattern of GRPs changed and particularly, the productive GRPs increased upon glucose stress. These ASs of GRP pre-mRNAs triggered by glucose stress could be abolished by AZD-8055, which is an ATP competitive inhibitor for the target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase but could be mimicked by H2O2. Additionally, AS pattern change of arginine/serine-rich splicing factor 31(RS31) via TOR pathway, which was previously described in response to light and sucrose signaling, was also induced in a similar manner by both glucose stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we conclude that (i) glucose stress suppresses photosynthesis and activates the glycolysis-mitochondria energy relay and ROS scavenging system; (ii) glucose stress triggers transcriptome-wide AS pattern changes including a large set of splicing factors, such as GRPs and RS31; (iii) high sugars regulate AS pattern change of both GRPs and RS31 via TOR-ROS pathway. The results from this study will deepen our understanding of the AS regulation mechanism in sugar signaling.

Highly specific and selective fluorescent chemosensor for sensing of Hg(II) by NH-pyrazolate-functionalized AIEgens.

Luminescent organic molecules are of important realistic significance to the human health and ecological environment due to their fascinating applications. Here we report the design and synthesis of luminescent organic-molecules by introducing two or four NH-pyrazolate groups as mercury-binding moieties to aromatic cores. Interestingly, the new aromatic tetraphenylene-bridged multi-NH-pyrazoles exhibit strong fluorescence in both aggregate and solid state and constitutes highly selective proof-of-concept luminescent sensor for Hg(II) ion among various competitive transition-metal ions in both organic and mixed solutions via metal-nitrogen binding. Especially, the present sensor including two NH-pyrazolyl groups showed an extremely high sensitivity with low limit of detection of 7.26 and 3.67 nM. The proposed design strategy provides a wide scope for the construction of unique turn-on sensors with substantial potential in the sense of heavy metal pollution in enviromental water samples.

Suppression of lncRNA HOTAIR alleviates RCC angiogenesis through regulating miR-126/EGFL7 axis.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has the highest mortality rate among urological cancers and tumor angiogenesis that plays a critical role in RCC progress. Epidermal growth factor-like domain multiple 7 (EGFL7) has been recently identified as a regulator in RCC tumor angiogenesis and progression. Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) HOTAIR has been considered as a pro-oncogene in multiple cancers, but its precise mechanism of tumor angiogenesis has rarely been reported. MicroRNA-126 (miR-126) functions as a tumor suppressor in RCC. However, the underlying tumor angiogenesis mechanism of HOTAIR/miR-126 axis in RCC has not been studied. The proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and expression of EGFL7 and related proteins in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signal pathway were determined to examine the effect and mechanism of HOTAIR and miR-126 on RCC progress. The regulatory relationship of HOTAIR and miR-126, as well as miR-126 and EGFL7 were tested using dual-luciferase reporter assay. Aenograft RCC mice model was used to examine the effect of HOTAIR on RCC tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. HOTAIR knockdown and miR-126 overexpression suppressed the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of RCC cells. HOTAIR regulated EGFL7 expression by competitively binding to miR-126. Knockdown of HOTAIR significantly suppressed the RCC tumor progression and lung metastasis in vivo. These findings suggest that lncRNA HOTAIR regulate RCC angiogenesis through miR-126/EGFL7 axis and provide a new perspective on the molecular pathways of angiogenesis in RCC development, which might be potential therapeutic targets for RCC treatment.

[MicroRNA-29a-3p regulates osteoblast differentiation and peri-implant osseointegration in a rat model of hyperlipidemia by modulating Frizzled 4 expression].

OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to study and identify the influence and target gene of microRNA-29a-3p (miR-29a-3p) in the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in a high-fat environment in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: 1) In vitro: BMSCs were randomly allocated into two groups and were then induced to undergo osteogenic differentiation in a normal or high-fat environment. Next, a miR-29a-3p mimic/inhibitor was transfected into the two groups of cells. The mRNA expression levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Runt related gene 2 (Runx2), and miR-29a-3p and the protein expression levels of ALP and Runx2 were detected before and after transfection through reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analyses. Moreover, Frizzled (Fzd) 4 was predicted as the target gene of miR-29a-3p by using an online database (Target Scan, MiRNA.org). The interactive relationship between miR-29a-3p and Fzd4 was confirmed through dual-luciferase assays. 2) In vivo: Rats were randomly divided into two groups and fed with a standard or high-fat diet. Titanium implants were grown in rats. Then, the expression levels of miR-29a-3p, ALP, and Runx2 were detected in bone tissues surrounding implants. Moreover, hard tissue sections were subjected to methylene blue-acid magenta staining and observed under microscopy to study bone formation around implants. In addition, miR-29a-3p-overexpressing lentiviral vectors were transfected into rats, and the expression levels of ALP, Runx2, and miR-29a-3p in bone tissues surrounding implants were detected at 3 and 10 days after transfection. RESULTS: The expression levels of ALP, Runx2, and miR-29a-3p and the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs were suppressed in high-fat groups in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-29a-3p plays a positive role in the regulation of BMSCs in a high-fat environment. It can increase ALP and Runx2 expression levels in bone tissues surrounding implants in hyperlipidemia models. This result implies that miR-29a-3p can promote implant osseointergration in a rat model of hyperlipidemia.

Effect of high-fat, standard, and functional food meals on esophageal and gastric pH in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of different test meals on esophageal and intragastric pH in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and healthy subjects and to demonstrate the relationship between esophageal acid exposure (EAE) and gastric pH. METHODS: We enrolled patients with reflux esophagitis (RE; n = 15), nonerosive reflux disease (NERD; n = 12) and healthy subjects (n = 10). Four pH electrodes were used to monitor the pH of the distal esophagus, upper border of the lower esophageal sphincter, gastric fundus, and gastric body for 26 hours. Isocaloric and isovolumetric high-fat, standard, and functional meals were supplied randomly to the participants. The EAE and gastric acidity of each meal in fasting and postprandial states were compared. RESULTS: High-fat meals significantly increased postprandial EAE in patients with RE and NERD. EAE was higher after a high-fat meal than after a standard or functional food meals at the fourth hour postprandially in patients with RE (P < 0.05). Patients with NERD reported fewer symptoms after a functional food meal than after high-fat and standard meals (0 [interquartile range {IQR} 0-1] vs 1 [IQR 0-2] vs 3 [IQR 1-4], P = 0.014). Compared with high-fat and standard meals, functional food meal significantly decreased gastric acidity in patients with RE. EAE was significantly related to gastric acidity in patients with RE. CONCLUSIONS: High-fat meals increased EAE in patients with RE and NERD. Functional food could serve as adjuvant therapy in GERD patients. EAE was related to gastric acidity in RE patients.

Androgen receptor suppresses prostate cancer cell invasion via altering the miR-4496/ß-catenin signals.

Previous study found that AR in prostate may act as both a proliferator and a suppressor to promote or suppress the metastasis of prostate cancer (PCa). In current work, we demonstrated that AR could suppress PCa cell invasion through altering the miR-4496/ß-catenin signals. And mechanisms dissection found that AR could negatively regulate the expression of ß-catenin through enhancing the miR-4496 expression via directly binding to the AR-response-elements (AREs) of miR-4496 promoter, subsequently, the miRNA could directly target the 3' UTR of the ß-catenin-mRNA to reduce its expression. To conclude, our work suggests that AR might play an important role to suppress PCa cell invasion, targeting the newly identified AR/miR-4496/ß-catenin signaling with small molecules may help us to build up new therapeutic approaches to better suppress the metastasis of PCa.

Serum long noncoding RNA LRB1 as a potential biomarker for predicting the diagnosis and prognosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of malignant tumor with a high mortality rate. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serve important roles in cellular processes and gene regulation. Identifying novel prognostic biomarkers is important for the monitoring and treatment of HCC. However, only a limited number of biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity have been determined and are used in clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to investigate the use of serum lncRNA uc007biz.1 (LRB1) expression levels as a novel non-invasive biomarker for the monitoring and diagnosis of HCC. The expression levels of LRB1 were detected in 326 patients with HCC and 73 healthy volunteers by using lncRNA expression microarrays and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, and the associations between LRB1 expression and clinical parameters were analyzed. The results indicated that the serum LRB1 levels in patients with HCC were significantly increased compared with healthy volunteers. The serum LRB1 levels were positively associated with α-fetoprotein (AFP) expression, large tumor sizes, tumor stage (tumor-node metastasis or Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage) and venous invasion, and were negatively associated with overall survival. Additionally, the use of a combination of LRB1, AFP and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) markers for the diagnosis of HCC, the diagnostic accuracy was increased compared with using LRB1 alone. LRB1 may act as an important regulator in the progression of HCC, and LRB1 may be considered as a novel biomarker for diagnosis and prediction of prognosis of HCC, additionally complementing the accuracy of AFP and DCP.