Community-based rehabilitation services implemented by multidisciplinary teams among adults with stroke: a scoping review with a focus on Chinese experience.

BACKGROUND: Despite the growing interest in hospital rehabilitation services for communities, studies on existing community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services remain scarce owing to limitations in the development of community health services and regional cultural diversity. As a guaranteed measure for ensuring the quality of rehabilitation services and achieving the desired service outcomes, clear roles and responsibilities in multidisciplinary teams and effective service delivery are particularly important. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to determine the scope of community stroke rehabilitation programs involving existing multidisciplinary teams and to analyze the implementation content and implementers' functional roles to provide guidance for future CBR programs. METHODS: The scoping review design followed the methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute and was based on the normative scoping review framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. The comprehensive CBR framework was proposed by World Health Organization-guided data charting and analysis. RESULTS: Of the 22,849 identified citations, 74 studies were included, consisting of 6,809 patients with stroke and 49 primary caregivers, most of whom were from China. The most common working mode in CBR programs was a dual approach involving both healthcare professionals in medical institutions and community healthcare professionals. The number of programs in each discipline was in the following descending order: nursing, medical care, rehabilitation, psychology, nutrition, and public health. Among these, multidisciplinary teams comprising medical, nursing, and rehabilitation disciplines were the most common, with a total of 29 programs. Disciplinary members were mainly responsible for implementing their respective disciplinary content, with physicians providing guidance for the programs. More than 82.4% of the studies reported 2-4 intervention strategies. The intervention forms of rehabilitation content were the most diverse, whereas preventive interventions were more homogeneous than others. Physical function and socio-psychological measurements were the most commonly reported outcomes. CONCLUSION: CBR services implemented by multidisciplinary teams can effectively achieve functional and emotional improvement in patients with stroke, and nurses are the most involved in implementation, especially in community settings. The results further emphasize the importance of strengthening the exploration of nurses' maximum potential to implement CBR plans in future practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The registration information for this scoping review can be found at osf.io/pv7tg.

Contribution of non-socioeconomic factors to healthy quality of life in socioeconomically deprived patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer: Measuring attributable fraction.

BACKGROUND: The quality of life of patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer is seriously impaired, and socioeconomic deprivation often has a serious impact on their quality of life. However, little is known about the relative contribution of non-socioeconomic factors to the quality of life of patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer with socioeconomic deprivation. AIM: This study aims to investigate the situation and predictors of quality of life of patients with socioeconomic deprivation and evaluate the independent effects of some non-socioeconomic factors. DESIGN: A retrospective study based on cross-sectional design. METHODS: Data were obtained from 1075 patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer who received family palliative treatment in the hospice ward of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from March 2010 to October 2020, including demographic and clinical questionnaires, Karnofsky Performance Status scale and Cancer Pain and Quality of Life Questionnaire of Chinese Cancer Patients. RESULTS: The quality of life of patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer with socioeconomic deprivation is impaired and is affected by gait, self-care ability, abdominal distension, nutritional status, weight loss, constipation and posture. Improvement in six of these factors-gait, self-care ability, abdominal distension, nutritional status, weight loss and posture-has an independent positive impact on the development of a healthy quality of life for patients. CONCLUSIONS: Gait, self-care ability, abdominal distension, nutritional status, weight loss and posture are important determinants of healthy quality of life in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer with socioeconomic deprivation, and early identification and strength management of these non-socioeconomic factors may neutralize the negative impact of socioeconomic factors on the quality of life. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study provides new ideas and intervention entry points for global nurses in practice innovations to improve the quality of life of socioeconomically deprived patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer. It enables them to focus on the effectiveness of non-socioeconomic factors in the development and implementation of targeted care plans for patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer experiencing socioeconomic deprivation globally. REPORTING METHOD: This study was reported in strict compliance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Lnc-LRRTM4 promotes proliferation, metastasis and EMT of colorectal cancer through activating LRRTM4 transcription.

Numerous mechanisms have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) promote the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the role of lnc-LRRTM4 in the progression of CRC remains unclear. In this article, we found that lnc-LRRTM4 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines and that lnc-LRRTM4 could promote the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells. These consequences were achieved by lnc-LRRTM4 directly binding to the promoter of LRRTM4 to induce its transcription. Moreover, lnc-LRRTM4 enhanced the growth of CRC cells in vivo by promoting cell cycle progression and reducing apoptosis. Taken together, our results revealed that lnc-LRRTM4 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells, suggesting that it may be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for CRC.

AIM2 participates in house dust mite (HDM)-induced epithelial dysfunctions and ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma in infant mice.

Objective: Allergen sensitization and high rates of concomitant allergic diseases are characteristic of severe pediatric asthma. The present study was aimed to explore the mechanism of allergic asthma via bioinformatics and experiment investigation.Methods: The GSE27011 dataset contained the expression profiles of normal and pediatric asthma white blood cells was downloaded for analyzing the different expression genes and function enrichment. The allergic asthma model in infant mice was established by ovalbumin (OVA) stimulation. The cellular model was established by house dust mite (HDM)-stimulation in human bronchial epithelial cells. The absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) knockdown was achieved by intranasal lentivirus injection or cell infection. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for cell counting and ELISA assessment of cytokines. Lung tissues were collected for HE staining and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. Real-time PCR and immunoblotting were used for the determination of key gene expressions in mouse and cell models.Results: upregulation of AIM2 gene expression was observed in pediatric asthma patients based on GSE27011 and OVA-induced infant mouse allergic asthma model. AIM2 knockdown ameliorated OVA caused elevation in airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), elevation in cell quantities (eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes), and levels of cytokines (IL-4, IL-13, TNF-α, and OVA-specific IgE) in BALF. Moreover, AIM2 knockdown relieved OVA-caused histopathological alterations in mouse lungs, up-regulation of AIM2 levels, and NOD1 and receptor-interacting protein 2 (RIP2) protein levels, as well as p65 phosphorylation. In the cell model, AIM2 knockdown partially ameliorated HDM-induced epithelial dysfunctions by promoting cell viability, down-regulating inflammatory cytokines levels, and decreasing the protein levels of AIM2, NOD1, RIP2, and phosphorylated p65.Conclusion: AIM2 participates in HDM-induced epithelial dysfunctions and OVA-induced allergic asthma progression. AIM2 could be a promising target for pediatric allergic asthma treatment regimens, which warrants further in vivo investigations.

Living experiences of people with advance cancer with low socioeconomic status: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.

BACKGROUND: The number of patients with advanced cancer is rapidly increasing, and the subgroup of this population with low socioeconomic status has suffered more disease burden than others. However, there is no recent qualitative synthesis of primary research studies into advanced cancer patients with low socioeconomic status. OBJECTIVE: To synthesise qualitative research findings into advanced cancer patients' experiences with low socioeconomic status, and then to help provide targeted and effective strategies to improve their quality of life. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence (PROSPERO: CRD42021250423). DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection (ISI Web of Science), Cochrane Library, Embase, OVID LWW, CINAHL Complete (EBSCO), PsycINFO (EBSCO) and MEDLINE (ISI Web of Science), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WangFang, and Vip databases were systematically searched from their original dates to July 2022. Qualitative data were appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) qualitative assessment. FINDINGS: The findings were synthesised into the following three analytical themes: (1) multi-dimensional disease distresses; (2) barriers in coping with disease distresses; and (3) strategies for dealing with disease distresses. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with advanced cancer with low socioeconomic status experienced complicated and interactional distresses, unique life barriers, and a wide range of adaptation strategies. These findings will provide a comprehensive perspective to promote individual-centred health care systems and services to help these vulnerable people deal with the challenges of disease and improve their quality of life.

The Role of CCN1 in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: What We Have Learned From the Lab.

Background: Esophageal cancer is one of the most common and deadliest cancers in the world, particularly esophageal adenocarcinoma. There has never been a special drug to treat it.Purpose: This article summarizes the work that we have done in our laboratory about the role of CCN1 in esophageal cancer and gives a new perspective of CCN1 biology.Research Design: This is a review article. Study Sample: The work was done using validated cell lines and fixed human tissue slides.Data Collection and Analysis: This is a review article, therefore, no data collection or analysis was involved.Results: CCN1 is a matricellular protein supporting adhesion, migration, and survival in normal cells, but in the esophageal cancer cells, it induces TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. CCN1 promotes TRAIL and its death receptor expression but downregulates the decoy receptors and survivin in a p53-dependant manner. It was thought that CCN1 relies on TNF to induce apoptosis, but our study found that these two molecules antagonize each other. CCN1 promotes TNFR1 cleavage and uses the soluble product to block TNF signaling, while TNF upregulates PGLYRP1 to overcome this obstacle because PGLYRP1 is a secreted protein that competes with TNF for TNFR1 binding. As a result, when CCN1 and TNF are present together in the vicinity of esophageal tumors, they cancel each other out.Conclusions: Based on our laboratory study, CCN1 has much potential to be a candidate for the treatment of esophageal cancer.

A comparison of Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of nurses on nursing Post-stroke dysphagia patients between iii-A and ii-A hospitals in China: a propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: Whether knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses on nursing post-stroke dysphagia patients varies between different ranking hospitals is still unknown. This study aimed to compare the knowledge, attitude and practice level of nurses on nursing post-stroke dysphagia patients between iii-A and ii-A hospitals in China. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was used. METHODS: Data were collected from eighteen hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei in May-July 2020, and a total of 824 nurses were recruited by convenient sampling. After propensity score matching, 205 participants in iii-A hospitals were matched with 205 participants in ii-A hospitals. RESULTS: There were no statistically differences in the socio-demographic characteristics between two groups after propensity score matching. Before matching, the regression coefficients between hospital ranking and knowledge, attitude, practice were -0.415, -0.718 and -1.855, respectively. After matching, the coefficients changed to -0.394, -0.824 and -1.278. Nurses from iii-A hospitals had higher knowledge and attitude scores than nurses from ii-A hospitals, but no significant practice scores difference was observed between various rankings of hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The KAP of nurses on nursing post-stroke dysphagia patients were different in iii-A and ii-A hospitals. Administrators should strengthen management, provide more learning resources and trainings to meet nurses' needs about methods to deal with and recognize dysphagia, so as to further improve the quality of post-stroke dysphagia management.

From Apoptosis to Necroptosis: The Death Wishes to Cancer.

DNA mutation is a common event in the human body, but in most situations, it is fixed right away by the DNA damage response program. In case the damage is too severe to repair, the programmed cell death system will be activated to get rid of the cell. However, if the damage affects some critical components of this system, the genetic scars are kept and multiply through mitosis, possibly leading to cancer someday. There are many forms of programmed cell death, but apoptosis and necroptosis represent the default and backup strategy, respectively, in the maintenance of optimal cell population as well as in cancer prevention. For the same reason, the ideal approach for cancer treatment is to induce apoptosis in the cancer cells because it proceeds 20 times faster than tumor cell proliferation and leaves no mess behind. Induction of necroptosis can be the second choice in case apoptosis becomes hard to achieve, however, necroptosis finishes the job at a cost-inflammation.

Long non-coding RNA HNF1A-AS1 upregulates OTX1 to enhance angiogenesis in colon cancer via the binding of transcription factor PBX3.

Colon cancer shows characteristics of metastasis, which is associated with angiogenesis. Increasing evidence highlights long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as important participants in angiogenesis of cancers, including colon cancer. Hence, this study investigated the role of HNF1A-AS1 in angiogenesis of colon cancer. RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were applied to detect HNF1A-AS1 and OTX1 expression in colon cancer tissues and cell lines. Then the interactions among HNF1A-AS1, PBX3, OTX1 and ERK/MAPK pathway were evaluated with RNA pull-down, RIP, ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. Next, HCT116 and SW620 cells were treated with si-HNF1A-AS1 and/or oe-OTX1 plasmids to assess the effects of HNF1A-AS1 and OTX1 on angiogenesis, which was further evaluated in nude mice injected with SW620 cells transfected with sh-HNF1A-AS1 or sh-OTX1 lentivirus. HNF1A-AS1 and OTX1 were highly expressed in colon cancer. Silencing of HNF1A-AS1 inhibited angiogenesis of colon cancer in vivo and in vitro. HNF1A-AS1 increased the OTX1 expression by binding to transcription factor PBX3 to promote angiogenesis in colon cancer. Further, HNF1A-AS1 upregulated OTX1 to activate the ERK/MAPK pathway. Altogether, our findings identified HNF1A-AS1 as a tumor-promoting RNA in colon cancer, which could serve as a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer treatment.

Long non-coding RNA LINC00858 inhibits colon cancer cell apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence by activating WNK2 promoter methylation.

Accumulating evidence shows the involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis of many types of human cancers. However, the role of LINC00858 in colon cancer has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of LINC00858 in the progression of colon cancer and identified its downstream targets. After examining the expression of LINC00858 in colon cancer tissues and cell lines, we then identified the possible interaction between LINC00858 and WNK lysine deficient protein kinase 2 (WNK2) by fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and RNA pull-down assays. Next, the role of the LINC00858/WNK2 axis was explored by evaluating the apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence of colon cancer cells in vitro after ectopic expression and depletion experiments in HCT116 cells. Moreover, a mouse xenograft model of HCT116 cells was established to verify the function of the LINC00858/WNK2 axis in vivo. There was high expression of LINC00858 and low expression of WNK2 in colon cancer tissues and cell lines. Silencing of LINC00858 promoted apoptosis, senescence, and autophagy in colon cancer cells. Additionally, the enrichment of WNK2 was promoted when LINC00858 bound to DNA methyltransferases. Furthermore, in vivo assays demonstrated that silencing of LINC00858 resulted in inhibited tumor growth by upregulating WNK2. In summary, LINC00858 acts as a tumor-promoting lncRNA in colon cancer by downregulating WNK2. Our results may provide novel targets for the treatment for colon cancer.

Nursing practice in stroke rehabilitation: Perspectives from multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals.

In this qualitative, descriptive study, we explored the status of and factors related to nursing practice for stroke rehabilitation in China, considering the perspectives of multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals. Fifteen participants were interviewed in depth, followed by field observations at three healthcare institutions. Data were analyzed using ethnographic data analysis methods. Current nursing practice for patients with stroke emerged as a cultural domain that included nine patterns: coordination of nursing, basic nursing following nursing procedures, limited rehabilitation nursing care with varied functions, therapeutic function in rehabilitation care, the importance of nurses' involvement in rehabilitation, environments making rehabilitation nursing possible, inadequate staffing for the numerous clinical nursing practices, lack of effective communication with other healthcare professionals, and lack of policies regarding rehabilitation nursing practice. Nurses' role in stroke rehabilitation must be addressed by updating nursing practice. Further, stroke team leaders must recognize the constraints faced by nurses in fulfilling their stroke-rehabilitation roles.

L-Arginine and N-carbamoylglutamic acid supplementation enhance young rabbit growth and immunity by regulating intestinal microbial community.

OBJECTIVE: An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of L-arginine (L-Arg) and N-carbamoylglutamic acid (NCG) on the growth, metabolism, immunity and community of cecal bacterial flora of weanling and young rabbits. METHODS: Eighteen normal-grade male weanling Japanese White Rabbits (JWR) were selected and randomly divided into 6 groups with or without L-Arg and NCG supplementation. The whole feeding process was divided into weanling stage (Day 37 to 65) and young stage (Day 66 to 85). The effects of L-Arg and NCG on the growth, metabolism, immunity and development of the ileum and jejunum were compared via nutrient metabolism experiments and histological assessment. The different communities of cecal bacterial flora affected by L-Arg and NCG were assessed using high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS: The addition of L-Arg and NCG were able to enhance the growth of weanling and young rabbit by increasing the nitrogen metabolism, protein efficiency ratio, and biological value, as well as feed intake, daily weight gain. Both L-Arg and NCG were able to increase the concentration of IgA, IgM, and IgG. NCG was superior to L-Arg in promoting intestinal villus development by increasing villus height and V/C index, reducing the crypt depth. The effects of L-Arg and NCG on the cecal bacterial flora were mainly concentrated in different genera, including Parabacteroides, Roseburia, dgA-11_gut_group, Alistipes, Bacteroides, and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005. These bacteria function mainly in amino acid transport and metabolism, energy production and conversion, lipid transport and metabolism, recombination and repair, cell cycle control, cell division, and cell motility. CONCLUSION: L-Arg and NCG have promotional ability on the growth and immunity of weanling and young Japanese White Rabbits, as well as their effects on the jejunum and ileum villi. L-Arg and NCG have different effects in the promotion of nutrient utilization, relieving inflammation and enhancing adaptability through regulating microbial community.

Inhibition of alpha-hemolysin expression by resveratrol attenuates Staphylococcus aureus virulence.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes a variety of life-threatening diseases. The increasing emergence of drug resistance further complicates the treatment of S. aureus infections. The critical role of alpha-hemolysin (Hla) in virulence renders this toxin an ideal target for the development of anti-infective agents for S. aureus. Here, We found that resveratrol, a natural compound widely found in fruits without antibacterial activity, could effectively inhibit Hla expression via down-regulating the transcription of hla, the gene that encodes Hla, and RNAIII, the effector molecule of the agr system. The addition of resveratrol to a co-culture system of S. aureus and A549 cells significantly alleviated bacteria-mediated cellular injury. Furthermore, treatment with resveratrol effectively protected mice from S. aureus pneumonia. Our results established resveratrol as an effective Hla inhibitor that reduces Hla expression without antimicrobial activity and can be further developed into novel therapeutics against S. aureus infections.

Potential of C1QTNF1-AS1 regulation in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

The aim of our study is to explore the regulation of C1QTNF1-AS1 on its target miR-221-3p/SOCS3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To explore the underlying molecular regulation of non-coding RNA for HCC, differentially expressed patterns of lncRNAs and genes were examined by RNA-seq. GO and KEGG pathway analysis were done based on the function of mRNAs that mediated by differentially expressed lncRNAs. RT-qPCR and western blot were conducted to detect the mRNA and protein level expression of C1QTNF1-AS1, miR-221-3p, SOCS3 and key proteins in JAK/STAT signaling pathway in HCC tissues and cells. The target miRNA of differentially expressed C1QTNF1-AS1 and SOCS3 was miR-221-3p predicted by bioinformatics analysis. C1QTNF1-AS1 and SOCS3 was downregulated and miR-221-3p was upregulated in HCC tissues and cells. In HepG2 and Huh-7 cells, the overexpression of C1QTNF1-AS1 or SOCS3, and silencing of miR-221-3p inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and JAK/STAT signaling pathway, while promoted cell apoptosis. The results of dual-luciferase assay indicated that C1QTNF1-AS1 regulated miR-221-3p and miR-221-3p targeted SOCS3 by directly binding. And the growth of HCC in vivo was impeded when C1QTNF1-AS1 was upregulated. Overexpression of C1QTNF1-AS1 could downregulate miR-221-3p thereby inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells.

Fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of phenanthrene and its homolog.

A competitive fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA) was developed using rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RBITC) as the model fluorescent dye conjugate monoclonal antibody (McAb) for detection of Phe and its homolog (acenaphthene, fluorene, fluoranthene, pyrene and indeno [1,2,3-cd] pyrene) in water samples. The detection range of the assay for Phe was from 2.10 to 91.95 ng/mL. The limit of detection was 1.05 ng/mL, which was approximately 2-fold lower than that of traditional ic-ELISA. Compared with traditional ic-ELISA, more than 70 min was saved because of only one immunoreaction step was needed to accomplish the assay. The average recoveries of Phe and its homolog from domestic water, contaminated water and natural water were 100.7%, 100.8% and 101.2% respectively. The accuracy and precision of the developed FLISA were validated with GC-MS/MS. There were good correlation between the two methods from tap water, contaminated water and river water samples were 0.9994, 0.9935 and 0.9967, respectively. The results suggested that the proposed FLISA could be a potential alternative format for rapid, sensitive, and quantitative detection of Phe and its homolog in environmental water.

Perceived Participation and Its Correlates Among First-Stroke Survivors at Six Months After Discharge From a Tertiary Hospital in China.

OBJECTIVES: To describe perceived participation of first-stroke survivors in mainland China, and to determine variables that may correlate with perceived participation 6 months after discharge. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Neurology department of a tertiary hospital, with subsequent follow-up of patients in their homes. PARTICIPANTS: First-stroke survivors (N=236) who had been treated in the neurology department and discharged 6 months before their participation in our study. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participation was assessed using the Chinese version of the self-report Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire. Performance on activities of daily living was measured using the Barthel Index, and physical function was measured with the Chinese Stroke Scale. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Social Support Rating Scale were also used. RESULTS: The mean score of perceived participation was 40.39±15.29, and 52.1%, 38.1%, 33.1%, and 5.5% of the participants reported insufficient participation in the domains of autonomy outdoors, family role, social relations, and autonomy indoors, respectively. Physical function served as the strongest correlate for the domains of family role and autonomy outdoors (standardized coefficients =.426 and .336, respectively), while depression was the strongest correlate for the domain of social relations (standardized coefficient =.315). CONCLUSIONS: Physical function and activities of daily living were significantly associated with perceived participation in almost all domains. Depression was an important correlater of participation in the social relations domain. Perceived participation may be influenced by multiple factors, and tailored strategies should be implemented early in the rehabilitation phase poststroke to promote participation in all domains of daily living.

Factors associated with perceived participation three months after being discharged from a tertiary hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To describe how first-stroke survivors perceive their participation and the problems with such participation in life and to determine the factors associated with perceived participation at three months after hospital discharge. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Patients were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China and they were followed up in their homes. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and fifty-seven first-stroke survivors discharged for three months participated in this study. MEASURES: The Chinese version of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire, Barthel Index, Chinese Stroke Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Social Support Rating Scale. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-four (52.1%) and 147 (57.2%) participants perceived their participation as poor to very poor in the domains of family role and autonomy outdoors, respectively. Conversely, 208 (80.9%) and 228 (88.7%) participants perceived their participation to be fair to good in the domains of social relations and autonomy indoors, respectively. The ability to perform activities of daily life was the strongest correlate of participation in the domains of autonomy indoors, family role, and autonomy outdoors, whereas anxiety was the strongest correlate of participation in the domain of social relations. CONCLUSIONS: Activities of daily living were significantly associated with perceived participation in almost all domains. In contrast, anxiety was an important factor in predicting participation in the domain of social relations. These findings suggest the need to explore different strategies of promoting participation for each domain.

Targeted 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxylase adoptive gene therapy ameliorates dss-induced colitis without causing hypercalcemia in mice.

Systemic 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment ameliorating murine inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) could not be applied to patients because of hypercalcemia. We tested the hypothesis that increasing 1,25(OH)2D3 synthesis locally by targeting delivery of the 1α-hydroxylase gene (CYP27B1) to the inflamed bowel would ameliorate IBD without causing hypercalcemia. Our targeting strategy is the use of CD11b(+)/Gr1(+) monocytes as the cell vehicle and a macrophage-specific promoter (Mac1) to control CYP27B1 expression. The CD11b(+)/Gr1(+) monocytes migrated initially to inflamed colon and some healthy tissues in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis mice; however, only the migration of monocytes to the inflamed colon was sustained. Adoptive transfer of Gr1(+) monocytes did not cause hepatic injury. Infusion of Mac1-CYP27B1-modified monocytes increased body weight gain, survival, and colon length, and expedited mucosal regeneration. Expression of pathogenic Th17 and Th1 cytokines (interleukin (IL)-17a and interferon (IFN)-α) was decreased, while expression of protective Th2 cytokines (IL-5 and IL-13) was increased, by the treatment. This therapy also enhanced tight junction gene expression in the colon. No hypercalcemia occurred following this therapy. In conclusion, we have for the first time obtained proof-of-principle evidence for a novel monocyte-based adoptive CYP27B1 gene therapy using a mouse IBD model. This strategy could be developed into a novel therapy for IBD and other autoimmune diseases.

Mouse auditory cortex sub-fields receive neuronal projections from MGB subdivisions independently.

Mouse auditory cortex is composed of six sub-fields: primary auditory field (AI), secondary auditory field (AII), anterior auditory field (AAF), insular auditory field (IAF), ultrasonic field (UF) and dorsoposterior field (DP). Previous studies have examined thalamo-cortical connections in the mice auditory system and learned that AI, AAF, and IAF receive inputs from the ventral division of the medial geniculate body (MGB). However, the functional and thalamo-cortical connections between nonprimary auditory cortex (AII, UF, and DP) is unclear. In this study, we examined the locations of neurons projecting to these three cortical sub-fields in the MGB, and addressed the question whether these cortical sub-fields receive inputs from different subsets of MGB neurons or common. To examine the distributions of projecting neurons in the MGB, retrograde tracers were injected into the AII, UF, DP, after identifying these areas by the method of Optical Imaging. Our results indicated that neuron cells which in ventral part of dorsal MGB (MGd) and that of ventral MGB (MGv) projecting to UF and AII with less overlap. And DP only received neuron projecting from MGd. Interestingly, these three cortical areas received input from distinct part of MGd and MGv in an independent manner. Based on our foundings these three auditory cortical sub-fields in mice may independently process auditory information.