TET2 regulation of alcoholic fatty liver via Srebp1 mRNA in paraspeckles.

Epigenetic modifications have emerged as key regulators of metabolism-related complex diseases including the alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) prevalent chronic liver disorder with significant economic implications. Building upon previous research that emphasizes ten-eleven translocation (TET) proteins' involvement in adipocyte insulin sensitization and fatty acid oxidation, we explored the role of TET2 protein in AFLD pathogenesis which catalyzes 5-methylcytosine into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in DNA/RNA. Our findings revealed that TET2 deficiency exacerbates AFLD progression. And TET2 influenced the expression and activity of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1), a key regulator of hepatic lipid synthesis, by modulating Srebp1 mRNA retention. Employing RIP-qPCR and bisulfite sequencing techniques, we provided evidence of TET2-mediated epigenetic modifications on Srebp1 mRNA, thereby affecting lipid metabolism. Through elucidating the role of methylation in RNA nuclear retention via paraspeckles, our study enhances understanding of AFLD pathogenesis from an epigenetic perspective, paving the way for identifying potential therapeutic targets.

Clinical significance and correlation of compliance to thirst in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: The main treatment method for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). With the continuous improvement of dialysis technology, the survival period of MHD patients has been effectively prolonged, but dialysis technology still cannot completely replace renal function. OBJECTIVE: To study the dietary compliance and its correlation with thirst in MHD patients and to provide guidance for clinical development of corresponding intervention countermeasures. METHODS: A total of 90 patients who received MHD treatment from March 2021 to March 2022 were selected as objects. The Renal Adherence Attitudes Questionnaire (RAAQ) and the Renal Adherence Behaviour Questionnaire (RABQ) were used to analyze the dietary compliance and thirst status of patients. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between diet compliance and thirst. RESULTS: Positive correlations were found between VAS and DTI, SXI and TDS (P< 0.05). Social restrictive attitude was positively correlated with VAS, DTI, SXI, TDS, acceptance attitude and compliance in facing difficulties (P< 0.05), and negatively correlated with self-care compliance (r=-0.35, P< 0.05). Health attitude was positively correlated with VAS, DTI and SXI (P< 0.05). Acceptance attitude was positively correlated with DTI, SXI and TDS (P< 0.05). High RAAQ was associated with high VAS (b= 0.11, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.18), DTI (b= 0.28, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.38), SXI (b= 0.24, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.34) and TDS (b= 0.26, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.4). CONCLUSION: The overall performance of dietary compliance in patients with MHD is at a moderate level, and dietary compliance is negatively correlated with disease perception.

The application of MDT model for calciphylaxis management in patients with end-stage renal disease.

This study focuses on the application of nurse-led multidisciplinary collaborative therapy (MDT) management model for calciphylaxis prevention of patients with terminal renal disease. Through the establishment of a multidisciplinary management team spanning nephrology department, blood purification center, dermatology department, burn and plastic surgery department, infection department, stem cell platform, nutrition department, pain department, cardiology department, hydrotherapy group, dermatology group, and outpatient treatment room, the distribution of duties among team members were clarified to bring out the best advantages of a multidisciplinary teamwork during treatment and nursing. For patients with calciphylaxis symptoms in terminal renal disease, a case-by-case management model was carried out with the focus on personalised problem. We emphasised on personalised wound care, precise medication care, active pain management, psychological intervention and palliative care, the amelioration of calcium and phosphorus metabolism disorder, nutritional supplementation, and the therapeutic intervention based on human amniotic mesenchymal stem cell regeneration. The MDT model effectively compensates for traditional nursing mode and could serve as a novel clinical management modality for calciphylaxis prevention in patients with terminal renal disease.

AhR agonist tapinarof ameliorates lupus autoimmunity by suppressing Tfh cell differentiation via regulation of the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a critical regulator of the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of the AhR agonist tapinarof during the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: MRL/lpr mice were intraperitoneally injected with 1 or 5 mg/kg tapinarof for 6 weeks. Kidney histopathology was evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Periodic-Acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. Immunofluorescence microscopy was performed to detect immune complex renal depositions. Flow cytometry (FCM) analysis was carried out to determine the proportions of T and B cell subsets. Realtime qPCR was used to quantify the expression of Tfh cell-associated genes. We conducted an in vitro polarization experiment to observe the effect of tapinarof on Tfh differentiation. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of target proteins. RESULTS: We found that tapinarof treatment ameliorated lupus phenotypes, including splenomegaly, lymph node enlargement, kidney damages, immune complex deposition, and excessive secretion of antibodies. Additionally, we showed that Treg subpopulation frequencies significantly increased in MRL/lpr mice treated with tapinarof, while the proportion of Th1/Th2 cells was reduced after tapinarof administration. Moreover, tapinarof suppressed Tfh cell differentiation and germinal center (GC) reaction in vivo. The inhibitory effect of tapinarof on Tfh cells was further verified in the in vitro Tfh cell polarization experiment. Realtime qPCR revealed that tapinarof repressed the expression of Tfh signature genes. Mechanistically, tapinarof significantly inhibited the phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3. The capacity for Tfh differentiation was partially rescued by the STAT3 activator Colivelin TFA. Furthermore, our in vitro Tfh polarization experiments indicated that tapinarof suppressed Tfh cell development in SLE. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that tapinarof modulated the JAK2-STAT3 pathway to suppress Tfh cell differentiation for the treatment of lupus symptoms in MRL/lpr mice.

Hot-topics cross-propagation and opinion-transfer dynamics in the Chinese Sina-microblog social media: A modeling study.

On social media platforms, hot topics often contain several pieces of related information that can influence internet users, generating either positive or negative opinion orientation. Some of them will choose to retain or change their original opinions after exposure to multiple related messages. To describe the opinion-transfer transient and collective behaviors in this scenario, this paper proposes an opinion-transfer susceptible-forwarding-immunized (OT-SFI) information cross-propagation model. Real multiple information in messages with opinions obtained from the Chinese Sina microblog is used for data fitting to illustrate how model parameters can be estimated and used to predict the accumulative numbers of users with a particular view. The study attempts to relate changes in group views in the network to initial opinion distribution and individuals' opinion choices at the macro level. Furthermore, the model parameters at the micro level are used to measure the probability of "retention" and "reversal" of views in events, as well as the extent to which the masses are influenced by new information views. The result illustrates that the viewpoint distribution of the initial message and the opinion selection of the new message opinion leaders play crucial roles in promoting attention to the topic and driving for a desired collective opinion.

Association between glomerular C4d deposition, proteinuria, and disease severity in children with IgA nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: C4d may be used as a marker to evaluate the condition and prognosis of adults with IgA nephropathy, but there have been few studies of children with IgA nephropathy. METHODS: C4d immunohistochemical staining was performed on samples from children with IgA nephropathy with C1q-negative immunofluorescence. The clinical and pathological treatment and prognostic characteristics of children in the C4d-positive and -negative groups were compared. RESULTS: A total of sixty-five children with IgA nephropathy were included in the study and were followed up for an average of 37 months. C4d was mainly deposited along the capillary loops. The urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) in the C4d-positive group was significantly higher than that in the C4d-negative group (3.97 vs. 0.81, P < 0.001), and the average integrated optical density value of each child was positively correlated with the UPCR (r = 0.441, P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the proportions of children with mesangial hypercellularity (M1) (68.97% vs. 44.44%, P = 0.048) and segmental glomerulosclerosis (S1) (65.52% vs. 33.33%, P = 0.010) between the C4d-positive group and the C4d-negative group. The proportion of children who received immunosuppressants in the C4d-positive group was higher than that in the C4d-negative group (86.21% vs. 36.11%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of children developing kidney failure between the two groups. CONCLUSION: C4d was found to be associated with proteinuria, segmental lesions, and immunosuppressant treatment. Activation of the lectin pathway may reflect the severity of clinical and pathological manifestations of IgA nephropathy in children. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Use of Composite Acellular Dermal Matrix-Ultrathin Split-Thickness Skin in Hand Hot-Crush Injuries: A One-Step Grafting Procedure.

Background: Hot-crush injuries to the hands can be devastating, and early debridement and coverage with skin autograft remains the golden standard of wound treatment. However, this type of treatment is not feasible or unlikely to succeed due to limited donor sites and wound characteristics of hot-crush injuries on hands. Thus, the composite grafting of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) and split-thickness skin graft (STSG) as a novel alternative method has been attempted. In this series, the results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the use of one-stage procedure for early reconstruction in hand hot-crush injuries. Methods: All consecutive patients with hand hot-crush injuries, who underwent one-stage procedure of ADM and ultrathin STSG for soft tissue coverage at our institution from December 2018 to November 2019, were retrospectively analyzed. Wound dressings were opened on 7 days after operation to examine graft survival and complications. Patients were followed up for at least 9 months to evaluate their hand profiles. Results: Samples of 14 patients with a total of 23 wounds were involved in the study. Thirteen of the 23 third-fourth-degree wounds had varying degrees of tendon exposure. On 7 days postoperation, the composite grafts survived in 12 patients with minimal focal graft losses and liquefaction and necrosis in 2 patients, which achieved successful healing following new coverage of ultrathin STSG. All the wounds healed with hospital stays ranging from 9 days to 32 days (median: 24.5 days). At the final follow-up (from 9 months to 20 months), all patients achieved excellent or good total active motion grade and good scar quality (Vancouver scar scale scored 1-3) with no revision surgery. Conclusions: One-stage composite grafting of ADM and ultrathin STSG is a reliable alternative for early reconstruction in hand hot-crush injuries, which delivers good functional outcomes and a good cosmetic appearance.

The Trend of Burn Injury Patients in Ningbo between 2012 and 2021: A Clinical Study.

Objective: This study was designed to understand the local changes of burn injuries in recent 10 years, so as to provide reliable reference data and viewpoints for prevention and vigilance of local burn injuries. Methods: In this study, 184 patients with a burn injury admitted to our hospital from 2012 to 2021 were enrolled and analyzed retrospectively. According to their information in the electronic database, the number of patients with burn injuries and the location of each disaster each year were analyzed, and the age, sex, hospital stay and hospitalization expense of each patient were collected. With 5 years as the boundary, the patients were divided into a 2012-2016 group and a 2017-2021 group and the differences of the two groups in the abovementioned aspects were compared. Results: During 2012-2021, the incidence rate of burn injuries in men was higher than that in women and workplaces had a higher burn injury rate than residents' homes. Compared with the period of 2012-2016, the number of fires or explosions and the number of patients with a burn injury during 2017-2028 both increased, but there was no significant change in disaster location, male-female ratio, age, average hospital stay, and average hospitalization expense. Conclusion: In the face of the increasing prevalence of burn injuries, we should strengthen fire-fighting knowledge-related education and fire prevention management and actively explore post-burn injury treatment strategies and potential treatment targets to promote the development of burn injury management and treatment strategies.

Ultrasound microbubble-mediated delivery of ANLN silencing-repressed EZH2 expression alleviates cervical cancer progression.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) is a new gene therapy method that uses ultrasound and microbubbles carrying target genes to achieve gene transfection. However, whether UTMD-mediated ANLN silencing transfection helps to restrain the growth of cervical cancer (CC) is obscure. ANLN level in tumor tissues, adjacent tissues, and cells was tested using the database, qRT-PCR, and western blot. The optimal concentration of SF6 was determined by MTT assay. Mechanical index (MI) was selected by flow cytometry. After transfection with liposome or UTMD-mediated liposome, cell function experiments, qRT-PCR, and western blot were employed to assess CC cell biological behaviors and EZH2 level. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related marker and apoptosis-related marker expressions were examined utilizing qRT-PCR and western blot. 10% SF6 and MI of 0.28 were selected for subsequent tests. ANLN was highly expressed in CC and cells. The transfection efficiency of the UTMD-siANLN group was higher than that of the L-siANLN group. Moreover, the repression of UTMD-siANLN on CC cell malignant phenotypes was stronger than L-siANLN. UTMD-siANLN attenuated EZH2 expression in CC cells. The modulatory role of UTMD-siANLN on EMT- and apoptosis-related markers was reversed by EZH2 overexpression. UTMD can improve the efficiency of siANLN transfection into CC cells to induce suppression of CC cell malignant phenotypes, which may become a new target of gene therapy for CC.

Effect of functional sports on children s spatial awareness aged 6-8 years / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To examine the effect of functional sports training on the development of spatial awareness in children aged 6-8 years old,to provide a reference to improve children s ability of spatial sense.@*Methods@#A class of 125 children aged 6-8 years from first, second, and third grades of an elementary school in Zhengzhou City were conveniently selected by stratified random sampling, who were divided into the experimental group ( n =62) and the control group ( n =63) by random number tables. The experimental group received functional sports intervention for 8 weeks,3 times a week,20 min each time, and the control group received traditional sports game program.@*Results@#After the intervention,the error values of depth perception, orientation perception, and space perception in the experimertal group of 6 and 7 year old children reduced by 1.98 cm, 2.88°, and 22.00 cm (6 year old children) and 1.61 cm, 2.34°, and 17.99 cm (7 year old children) compared with the control group, respectively. Compared with those in the control group of 8 year old after the intervention, and the differences were of statistical signifiance( t =-3.07, -2.94, -3.07 ; -3.25, -3.29, -3.15, P <0.01). There was no significant difference in the error values of depth perception, orientation perception and space perception between the experimental group and the control group after intervention ( P >0.05). In the experimental group, the error values of depth perception, orientation perception and space perception reduced by 2.30 cm, 3.88°, 28.05 cm (6 year old children), 2.16 cm, 2.15°, 17.45 cm (7 year old children) and 1.16 cm, 1.81°, 9.10 cm (8 year old children) in children aged 6-8 years after intervention, significant improvement were observed compared with before intervention ( t = 8.50 , 9.04, 7.35; 7.39, 10.30, 11.05; 4.67, 4.46, 14.14, P <0.01). Compared with before the intervention, children aged 6-8 in the control group only had significant differences in space perception( t =4.13, 6.71, 8.93, P <0.01).@*Conclusion@#Functional sports games can improve depth perception, orientation perception and spatial perception for children aged 6-8 years. It can be integrated into children s daily activities to play a positive role in promoting the healthy growth of children.

Identification and Diagnosis of Cerebral Stroke through Deep Convolutional Neural Network-Based Multimodal MRI Images.

This study aimed to explore the application value of multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images based on the deep convolutional neural network (Conv.Net) in the diagnosis of strokes. Specifically, four automatic segmentation algorithms were proposed to segment multimodal MRI images of stroke patients. The segmentation effects were evaluated factoring into DICE, accuracy, sensitivity, and segmentation distance coefficient. It was found that although two-dimensional (2D) full convolutional neural network-based segmentation algorithm can locate and segment the lesion, its accuracy was low; the three-dimensional one exhibited higher accuracy, with various objective indicators improved, and the segmentation accuracy of the training set and the test set was 0.93 and 0.79, respectively, meeting the needs of automatic diagnosis. The asymmetric 3D residual U-Net network had good convergence and high segmentation accuracy, and the 3D deep residual network proposed on its basis had good segmentation coefficients, which can not only ensure segmentation accuracy but also avoid network degradation problems. In conclusion, the Conv.Net model can accurately segment the foci of patients with ischemic stroke and is suggested in clinic.

Influence of Guest/Host Morphology on Room Temperature Phosphorescence Properties of Pure Organic Doped Systems.

Guest/host phosphorescence materials have attracted much attention; traditionally, researchers have focused on the influence of the electronic properties and energy levels of the molecules on the phosphorescence activities. However, the effects of the morphology on the phosphorescence properties are ignored. Herein, three isoquinoline guests with different aliphatic rings and three hosts are selected to construct guest/host materials. Experimental results confirm that the guests are dispersed in the host in the form of clusters. More importantly, the morphologies of the guest/host directly affect the phosphorescence properties. In these systems, the guests have strong intermolecular interactions, which are beneficial to stabilize the triplet excitons; meanwhile, the hosts should have weak intermolecular interactions with easily changed morphology to accept the guest clusters, which synergistically ensure that the doped materials have excellent RTP properties. This is the first work focusing on the effect of molecular morphology on the phosphorescence characteristics of guest/host systems.

Topographic distribution features of the choroidal and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in Chinese school-aged children.

AIM: To explore the topographic distribution features of choroidal thickness (CT) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), and determine the relationship between CT and ocular parameters in school-aged children. METHODS: The healthy school-aged children with low ametropia or emmetropia in Wenzhou were recruited for this cross-sectional study. With high-density optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) combined with MATLAB software, the CT and RNFLT values in the macular area were measured at different locations and compared. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation between CT and ophthalmic parameters, such as spherical equivalent (SE) and the axial length (AL). RESULTS: A total of 279 school-aged children with 8.00±1.35 years of mean age (range, 6-10y) were included. The mean AL was 23.66±0.86 mm. The mean CT in CT-C (264.31±48.93 µm) was thicker than that in CT-N1 (249.54±50.52 µm), and the average CT in the parafoveal region was also thicker than that in CT-N2 (235.65±50.63 µm). The subfoveal CT also varied substantially across refractive errors (P<0.001), and those with myopia (250.59±47.01 µm) exhibited a thinner choroid compared with those with emmetropia (278.74±48.06 µm). CT negatively correlated with AL (y=-21.72x+779.17; R 2=0.1458), and positively correlated with SE (y=15.76x+271.9; R 2=0.0727, OD; y=18.31x+269.8; R 2=0.1007, OS). The average RNFLT was thickest in the peripapillary region (236.35±19.03 µm), the mean RNFLT-S (131.10±15.16 µm) was thicker than the RNFLT-I (128.20±16.59 µm), and the mean RNFLT-T (76.54±11.99 µm) was thicker than the RNFLT-N (64.28±8.55 µm). The variations in the RNFLT between quadrants did differ between those with myopia and emmetropia (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: We establish demographic information for the choroid and RNFLT. These findings provide information that should be considered in future analyses of the CT and RNFLT in OCT studies in school-aged children.

Topographic distribution features of the choroidal and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in Wenzhou school-aged children.

AIM: To explore the topographic distribution features of choroidal thickness (CT) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), and determine the relationship between CT and ocular parameters in school-aged children. METHODS: The healthy school-aged children with low myopia or emmetropia in Wenzhou were recruited for this cross-sectional study. With high-density optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) combined with MATLAB software, the CT and RNFLT values in the macular area were measured at different locations and compared. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation between CT and ophthalmic parameters, such as spherical equivalent (SE) and the axial length (AL). RESULTS: A total of 279 school-aged children with 8.00±1.35 years of mean age (range, 6-10y) were included. The mean AL was 23.66±0.86 mm. The mean CT in CT-C (264.31±48.93 µm) was thicker than that in CT-N1 (249.54±50.52 µm), and the average CT in the parafoveal region was also thicker than that in CT-N2 (235.65±50.63 µm). The subfoveal CT also varied substantially across refractive errors (P<0.001), and those with myopia (250.59±47.01 µm) exhibited a thinner choroid compared with those with emmetropia (278.74±48.06 µm). CT positively correlated with AL (y=11.12x-4.15; R 2=0.18), and positively correlated with SE (y=90.07x+17.916; R 2=14.2). The average RNFLT was thickest in the peripapillary region (236.35±19.03 µm), the mean RNFLT-S (131.10±15.16 µm) was thicker than the RNFLT-I (128.20±16.59 µm), and the mean RNFLT-T (76.54±11.99 µm) was thicker than the RNFLT-N (64.28±8.55 µm). The variations in the RNFLT between quadrants did differ between those with myopia and emmetropia (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: We establish demographic information for the choroid and RNFLT. These findings provide information that should be considered in future analyses of the CT and RNFLT in OCT studies in school-aged children.

Suppression of ovarian cancer by low-intensity ultrasound through depletion of IL-6/STAT3 inflammatory pathway-maintained cancer stemness.

Ovarian carcinoma is the key cause of cancer death from gynecological malignancy of women. Chemotherapy-resistance, metastasis and relapse contribute to the high mortality in ovarian cancer patients. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) stand for the root of kinds of cancer types such as ovarian cancer, are the key driver of tumor initiation, cancer metastasis, and resistance to conventional chemotherapy as well as genomic targeted therapy. Thus, the approach to eliminate CSCs and uncovering the mechanism will have substantial impact on cancer therapy. However, targeting CSC remains unfeasible in clinical practice in ovarian cancer therapy. In this study, we first found that Low-intensity ultrasound (LIUS) was capable of reducing the CSC populations in the xenograft model with ovarian cancer, with blocking survival, anti-apoptosis, self-renewal, and downregulating the cancer stemness genes in ovarian CSCs. Moreover, LIUS ameliorated IL-6/STAT3 inflammatory pathway via inhibiting IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation, DNA binding activity and, the expressions of its downstream effectors in ovarian CSCs while no explicit effect was found in the corresponding bulk cancer cells. Additional approaches in molecular studies showed that LIUS disrupts CSC features via inhibiting IL-6/STAT3 inflammatory pathway. Collectively, our data for the first time elucidate IL-6/STAT3 inflammatory loop as the key CSC or cancer stemness pathway in ovarian cancer by LIUS treatment, providing a novel and potential therapy and a promising target in ovarian cancer.

PD-1 blockade promotes immune memory following Plasmodium berghei ANKA reinfection.

The establishment of malaria immune memory is slow, incomplete, and short-lived. The mechanisms underpinning the generation and maintenance of anti-malarial immune memory remain unclear. This study evaluated the possible role of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) in the establishment of malaria immune memory. Following infection by Plasmodium berghei ANKA (Pb ANKA) we compared natural immunity, acquired immunity, and immune memory between WT and mice lacking PD-1 via monoclonal antibody treatment. We found that parasitemia levels were significantly lower in the PD-1 knockdown group. After PD-1 elimination, dendritic cells, Th1, and T-follicular helper cells increased significantly. In addition, memory T, long-lived plasma cells, and serum antibody production also increased significantly. Therefore, PD-1 elimination induced stronger natural and acquired immune responses and enhanced immune memory against the parasite.

Diagnostic Value of Two-Dimensional plus Four-Dimensional Ultrasonography in Fetal Craniocerebral Anomalies.

BACKGROUND: To assess the clinical value of two-dimensional (2D) plus four-dimensional (4D) ultrasonography in diagnosis of fetal craniocerebral anomalies. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on the sonographic features of 83 maternity patients admitted to Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xian China from January 2013 to December 2017 diagnosed with suspected fetal anomalies of the brain and skull through 2D and 4D ultrasonography. RESULTS: Fifty six patients were diagnosed with the anomalies by 2D ultrasonography only, 65 patients by 4D ultrasonography only, and 74 patients by 2D plus 4D ultrasonography.76 patients were confirmed to have fetal craniocerebral anomalies after birth or induced labor. Diagnostic accuracies of 2D ultrasound only, 4D ultra-sound only, and 2D plus 4D ultrasound were 68.67%, 81.93% and 95.18%, respectively (P<0.05). The accuracy of 2D plus 4D ultrasound was greater than those of 2D ultrasound only and 4D ultrasound only, and the accuracy of 4D ultrasound only was higher than that of 2D ultrasound only (P<0.05). The sensitivity of 2D plus 4D ultrasound was greater than those of 2D ultrasound only and 4D ultrasound only (P<0.05). The specificity of 2D plus 4D ultrasound was greater than those of 2D ultrasound only and 4D ultrasound only (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Combined ultrasonography can better differentiate fetal craniocerebral anomalies, providing early and more accurate information for clinicians as well as maternity patients to make a decision. This clinical practice would be valuable for improving the quality of the newborn population.

Twenty-four-hour urine NE level as a predictor of the therapeutic response to metoprolol in children with recurrent vasovagal syncope.

BACKGROUND: Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is a heterogeneous disorder that creates challenges for treatment. Metoprolol is an important therapeutic option for children with VVS. AIMS: The study examined the predictive value of 24-h urine norepinephrine (NE) levels in the assessment of the therapeutic efficacy of metoprolol for recurrent VVS in children. METHODS: Thirty-eight children with recurrent VVS and 20 healthy children were enrolled in our study. Twenty-four-hour urine NE levels were measured by LC-MS-MS. VVS children were diagnosed by BHUTT and/or SNHUTT, and received metoprolol treatment for 3 months. Symptom scoring was utilized to evaluate the therapeutic effect. A ROC curve was used to investigate the predictive value of 24-h urine norepinephrine levels. RESULTS: There exists significant correlation between 24-h urine NE levels and supine systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The 24-h urine NE levels of responders (40.75 ± 12.86 µg/24 h) were higher than those of nonresponders (21.48 ± 6.49 µg/24 h), and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). A ROC curve of the predictive value of 24 h urine NE levels revealed that the area under the curve was 0.926. A cutoff value for 24-h urine NE level of 34.84 µg/24 h produced both high sensitivity (70%) and specificity (100%) in predicting the efficacy of metoprolol therapy for VVS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high 24-h urine NE levels have higher supine systolic and diastolic pressures and more effective responses to metoprolol. A 24-h urine norepinephrine level of > 34.84 µg/24 h was an indicator of the effectiveness of metoprolol therapy for VVS in children.

mTOR and Beclin1: Two key autophagy-related molecules and their roles in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Autophagy is the general term of lysosomal degradation of substances in cells, which is considered the key to maintaining the normal structure and function of the heart. It also has a correlation with several heart diseases, in particular, myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. At the stage of myocardial ischemia, autophagy degrades nonfunctional cytoplasmic proteins providing the critical nutrients for the critical life activities, thereby suppressing cell apoptosis and necrosis. However, autophagy is likely to affect the heart negatively in the reperfusion stage. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Beclin1 are two vital autophagy-related molecules in myocardial I/R injury playing significant roles in different stages. In the ischemia stage, mTOR plays its roles through AMPK/mTOR and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt/mTOR pathway, whereas Beclin1 plays its roles through its upregulation in the reperfusion stage. A possible interaction between mTOR and Beclin1 has been reported recently, and further studies need to be done to find the underlying interaction between the two molecules in myocardial I/R injury.

Curcumin inhibits MCF-7 cells by modulating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

The present study investigated the inhibitory effect of curcumin on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and investigated the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. MCF-7 cells were cultured with curcumin at different concentrations and time points. The effects of curcumin treatment on breast cancer cell proliferation were studied using a MTT assay. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were used to assess the mRNA and protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), nuclear factor-κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and inhibitor of NF-κB-α (IκBα). The proliferation of MCF-7 cells in the group treated with curcumin was markedly decreased compared with the control, with the greatest inhibitory effect at a concentration of 20 µM. The expression of Bax mRNA was increased and Bcl-2 mRNA expression was decreased compared with the control. Additionally, protein expression of NF-κB and IκB was increased. The data indicate that curcumin is able to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation, possibly by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway.