The influence of social pain experience on empathic neural responses: the moderating role of gender.

Empathy for pain, the ability to share and understand the pain of others, plays an important role in the survival and development of individuals. Previous studies have found that social pain experience affects empathy for pain, but potential gender differences have not been considered. The stage of information processing during which gender is most likely to play a moderating role has yet to be clarified. In the current study, we set up two groups (social pain experience priming: social exclusion group; positive social interaction experience priming: social inclusion group) with a Cyberball game paradigm. We recorded the electrophysiological responses when participants were completing an empathy task. An early frontal P2 and N2 differentiation between painful stimuli and neutral stimuli was observed and females showed larger P2 amplitudes than males. At the P3 stage, in the social exclusion group, males showed similar parietal P3 amplitudes for painful and neutral stimuli, while females showed smaller P3 amplitudes for painful stimuli. At the central-parietal late positive potential (LPP) stage, females in the social inclusion group showed larger LPP amplitudes for painful stimuli than males. Our results suggest that gender plays a significant moderating role in how social pain experience affects empathy for pain during the late cognitive processing stage. Experiment 2 was designed to investigate the cognitive mechanism behind the results for the P3 component in females and the results partially confirmed our speculation. This study provides a neurophysiological basis for the dynamic gender differences in the effects of social pain experience on empathy for pain.

ARHGAP10 inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of non-small cell lung cancer by inactivating PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Rho GTPase activating protein 10 (ARHGAP10) has been implicated as an essential element in multiple cellular process, including cell migration, adhesion and actin cytoskeleton dynamic reorganization. However, the correlation of ARHGAP10 expression with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung cancer cells is unclear and remains to be elucidated. Herein, we investigated the relationship between the trait of ARHGAP10 and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) pathological process. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was conducted to evaluate the expression of ARHGAP10 in NSCLC tissues. CCK-8 assays, Transwell assays, scratch assays were applied to assess cell proliferation, invasion and migration. The expression levels of EMT biomarkers and active molecules involved in PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß signaling pathway were examined through immunofluorescence and Western blot. RESULTS: ARHGAP10 was detected to be lower expression in NSCLC tissues compared with normal tissues from individuals. Moreover, overexpression of ARHGAP10 inhibited migratory and invasive potentials of A549 and NCI-H1299 cells. In addition, ARHGAP10 directly mediated the process of EMT via PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß pathway. Meanwhile, activation of the signaling pathway of insulin-like growth factors-1 (IGF-1) reversed ARHGAP10 overexpression regulated EMT in NSCLC cells. CONCLUSION: ARHGAP10 inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in NSCLC via PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß signaling pathway, suggesting agonist of ARHGAP10 may be an optional remedy for NSCLC patients than traditional opioids.

Sterol O-acyltransferase 1 deficiency improves defective insulin signaling in the brains of mice fed a high-fat diet.

Insulin resistance induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) is related to metabolic diseases, and sterol O-acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1) is a key enzyme for the biosynthesis of cholesteryl ester. In the present study, wild-type (WT) mice and SOAT1-knockout (KO) mice with a C57BL6 background fed a HFD were used to explore the role of SOAT1 in the hypothalamus. The results show that the WT mice exhibited a significant increase in body weight as well as hepatic histologic changes; they also had a lower glucose and insulin tolerance than the WT mice fed a normal diet. However, the metabolic syndrome was attenuated in the SOAT1-KO HFD-fed mice. With regard to brain function, the SOAT1-KO HFD-fed mice showed improved cognitive function; they also manifested reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and IL-6, which would otherwise be raised by a HFD. In addition, the HFD led to the overexpression of GFAP and phosphorylated NF-κB in the hypothalamus, changes that were reversed in the SOAT1-KO HFD-fed mice. Moreover, SOAT1-KO mice improved HFD-caused defective hypothalamic insulin resistance, as evidenced by the upregulation of p-insulin receptor (INSR), p-AKT and p-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3ß, while the downregulation of p-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-α and p-acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC)-α. In addition, similar results were observed in high fructose (HFR)-stimulated astrocytes (ASTs) isolated from WT or KO mice. These results suggest that SOAT1 plays an important role in hypothalamic insulin sensitivity, linked to cognitive impairment, in HFD-fed mice.

Exosomes derived from gastric cancer cells promote phenotypic transformation of hepatic stellate cells and affect the malignant behavior of gastric cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of exosomes derived from gastric cancer cells on the phenotypic transformation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and the effect of HSC activation on the malignant behavior of gastric cancer cells, including its molecular mechanism. METHODS: Exosomes derived from the human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line AGS were extracted and purified by polymer precipitation and ultrafiltration, respectively. The exosomes' morphologic characteristics were observed using transmission electron microscopy, particle size was determined through nanoparticle-tracking analysis, and marker proteins were detected using western blotting. Exosome uptake by LX-2 HSCs was observed through fluorescence-based tracing. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP). Using functional assays, the effects of LX-2 HSC activation on the biological behavior of malignant gastric cancer cells were evaluated. The effects of LX-2 HSC activation on the protein expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes and ß-catenin were evaluated via western blotting. RESULTS: The extracted particles conformed to the definitions of exosomes and were thus considered gastric cancer cell-derived exosomes. Fluorescence-based tracing successfully demonstrated that exosomes were enriched in LX-2 HSCs. RT-qPCR revealed that the mRNA expression of the cancer-associated fibroblast markers α-SMA and FAP was significantly increased. LX-2 HSC activation considerably enhanced gastric cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Western blotting showed that the expression of the EMT-related epithelial marker E-cadherin was significantly downregulated, whereas the expression of interstitial markers (N-cadherin and vimentin) and ß-catenin was remarkably upregulated in gastric cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Exosomes derived from gastric cancer cells promoted phenotypic transformation of HSCs and activated HSCs to become tumor-associated fibroblasts. Gastric cancer cell-derived cells significantly enhanced gastric cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration after HSC activation, which may promote EMT of gastric cancer cells through the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

The Impact of Continuous and Partial Reinforcement on the Acquisition and Generalization of Human-Conditioned Fear.

Fear over-generalization as a core symptom of anxiety disorders is manifested by fear responses even to safe stimuli that are very dissimilar to the original dangerous stimulus. The present study investigated the effects of two separate conditioned stimuli-unconditioned stimuli (CS-US) pairing procedures on fear acquisition and generalization using a perceptual discrimination fear-conditioning paradigm, with US expectancy ratings and skin conductance response (SCR) as indicators. One group accepted continuous followed by partial CS-US pairings (C-P group); the other group accepted partial followed by continuous CS-US pairings (P-C group). It was found that compared to the P-C group, the C-P group showed stronger perceptual discrimination of CS+ and CS- in the fear acquisition and showed weaker SCRs and stronger extinction of US expectancy in the generalization. These findings emphasize that CS-US pairings significantly influence fear acquisition and generalization and suggest that continuous-following partial CS-US pairings promote individual discrimination of threat and safety signals and inhibit the generalization of conditioned fear. The results of this study have implications for clinical interventions for patients experiencing negative events.

Contingency Reversal in Conditioned Fear Learning: The Moderated Mediation Model of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Instruction.

Objective: The study aimed to examine the roles of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) in conditioned fear learning under an uncertain context induced by the contingency reversal of the association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus (CS-US). Methods: The study sample comprised 53 participants, randomly divided into two groups: a non-instruction group and an instruction group. The experimental procedure encompassed five stages: pre-acquisition, acquisition, generalization, reversal acquisition, and reversal generalization. Our study primarily focused on analyzing a moderated mediation model. Results: In the instructed group, we observed that the reversed fear generalization response was directly influenced by the pre-reversal fear generalization response, while also being indirectly mediated by the IU factor. However, in the non-instructed group, we did not find a significant mediating effect of IU. Moreover, we noted that the mediation of IU was contingent on the instructional information. It is noteworthy that anxiety did not exhibit a discernible role in conditioned fear within the uncertainty condition in our study. Conclusion: The findings provide novel insights into fear-related phenomena, emphasizing the intricate interplay between individual traits and fear generalization under conditions of uncertainty. They contribute to understanding the mechanisms of emotional and cognitive interactions in uncertain conditions.

Spatial and molecular variations in forest topsoil dissolved organic matter as revealed by FT-ICR mass spectrometry.

Forest soils cover about 30 % of the Earth's land surface and play a fundamental role in the global cycle of organic matter. Dissolved organic matter (DOM), the largest active pool of terrestrial carbon, is essential for soil development, microbial metabolism and nutrient cycling. However, forest soil DOM is a highly complex mixture of tens of thousands of individual compounds, which is largely composed of organic matter from primary producers, residues from microbial process and the corresponding chemical reactions. Therefore, we need a detailed picture of molecular composition in forest soil, especially the pattern of large-scale spatial distribution, which can help us understand the role of DOM in the carbon cycle. To explore the spatial and molecular variations of DOM in forest soil, we choose six major forest reserves located in different latitudes ranging in China, which were investigated by Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Results show that aromatic-like molecules are preferentially enriched in DOM at high latitude forest soils, while aliphatic/peptide-like, carbohydrate-like, and unsaturated hydrocarbon molecules are preferentially enriched in DOM at low latitude forest soils, besides, lignin-like compounds account for the highest proportion in all forest soil DOM. High latitude forest soils have higher aromatic equivalents and aromatic indices than low latitude forest soils, which suggest that organic matter at higher latitude forest soils preferentially contain plant-derived ingredients and are refractory to degradation while microbially derived carbon is dominant in organic matter at low latitudes. Besides, we found that CHO and CHON compounds make up the majority in all forest soil samples. Finally, we visualized the complexity and diversity of soil organic matter molecules through network analysis. Our study provides a molecular-level understanding of forest soil organic matter at large scales, which may contribute to the conservation and utilization of forest resources.

Molecular transformation of organic nitrogen in Antarctic penguin guano-affected soil.

Organic nitrogen (ON) is an important participant in the Earth's N cycle. Previous studies have shown that penguin feces add an abundance of nutrients including N to the soil, significantly changing the eco-environment in ice-free areas in Antarctica. To explore the molecular transformation of ON in penguin guano-affected soil, we collected guano-free weathered soil, modern guano-affected soil from penguin colonies, ancient guano-affected soil from abandoned penguin colonies, and penguin feces from the Ross Sea region, Antarctica, and Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was used to investigate the chemical composition of water-extractable ON. By comparing the molecular compositions of ON among different samples, we found that the number of ON compounds (>4,000) in weathered soil is minimal, while carboxylic-rich alicyclic-like molecules (CRAM-like) are dominant. Penguin feces adds ON into the soil with > 10,000 CHON, CHONS and CHN compounds, including CRAM-like, lipid-like, aliphatic/ peptide-like molecules and amines in the guano-affected soil. After the input of penguin feces, macromolecules continue to degrade, and other ON compounds tend to be oxidized into relatively stable CRAM-like molecules, this is an important transformation process of ON in guano-affected soils. We conclude the roles of various forms of ON in the N cycle are complex and diverse. Combined with previous studies, ON eventually turns into inorganic N and is lost from the soil. The lost N ultimately returns to the ocean and the food web, thus completing the N cycle. Our study preliminarily reveals the molecular transformation of ON in penguin guano-affected soil and is important for understanding the N cycle in Antarctica.

Neuroticism and fear of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic: Testing the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty and sense of control among Chinese high school students.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2019, neuroticism has been proven a predictor of fear of COVID-19 infection. However, only few studies have been conducted on the factors affecting the relationship between neuroticism and this kind of fear. The present study is aimed at analyzing the role intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and sense of control (SOC) play in relation to neuroticism and the fear of COVID-19. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, China, and we collected complete datasets from 792 high school students. The main results can be described as follows: (a) individuals with high neuroticism tended to have higher intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and a lower sense of control (SOC); (b) IU and SOC played a mediating role between neuroticism and fear of COVID-19, and a serial mediation effect was found between these factors; (c) after controlling for both IU and SOC, the effect of neuroticism on fear was no longer significant. The results suggested a critical role of IU and sense of control in the causal relationship between neuroticism and fear.

Stimulus diversity increases category-based fear generalization and the effect of intolerance of uncertainty.

Fear generalization refers to conditioned fear responses extending to related stimuli and fear overgeneralization is a key feature of pathological anxiety. Along with perception similarity, conceptual relations affect fear generalization. We investigated whether stimulus diversity-an important principle of category-based induction-influences fear generalization. Induction studies have shown that generalization from a premise involving diverse instances is stronger than that from non-diverse instances. We adopted this framework for fear learning and established two groups. The diverse group developed fear in response to diverse instances from one category, while the non-diverse group acquired fear of non-diverse instances from the same category. An effect of stimulus diversity was observed in shock-expectancy ratings, with the diverse group displaying higher fear generalization than the non-diverse group. We also tested whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU) might affect the difference in fear generalization between the two conditions. Individuals with higher IU showed reduced difference in fear generalization between two conditions, mainly driven by heightened fear generalization to novel stimulus with ambiguous threat levels in the non-diverse condition. This study helps illustrate the mechanisms behind differential category-based fear generalization and provides a potential explanation for why higher IU individuals may develop anxiety disorders following trauma.

Latitudinal difference in the molecular distributions of lipid compounds in the forest atmosphere in China.

Lipids are important biogenic markers to indicate the sources and chemical process of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. To better understand the influences of biogenic and anthropogenic sources on forest aerosols, total suspended particles (TSP) were collected at Mt. Changbai, Shennongjia, and Xishuangbanna that are located at different climatic zones in northeastern, central and southwestern China. n-Alkanes, fatty acids and n-alcohols were detected in the forest aerosols based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of aliphatic compounds ranged from 15.3 ng m-3 to 566 ng m-3, and fatty acids were the most abundant (44-95%) followed by n-alkanes and n-alcohols. Low molecular weight- (LFAs) and unsaturated fatty acids (UnFAs) showed diurnal variation with higher concentrations during the nighttime in summer, indicating the potential impact from microbial activities on forest aerosols. The differences of oleic acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2) concentrations between daytime and nighttime increased at lower latitude, indicating more intense photochemical degradation occurred at lower latitude regions. High levels of n-alkanes during daytime in summer with higher values of carbon preference indexes, combining the strong odd carbon number predominance with a maximum at C27 or C29, implied the high contributions of biogenic sources, e.g., higher plant waxes. In contrast, higher concentrations of low molecular weight n-alkanes were detected in winter forest aerosols. Levoglucosan showed a positive correlation (R2 > 0.57) with high- and low molecular weight aliphatic compounds in Mt. Changbai, but such a correlation was not observed in Shennongjia and Xishuangbanna. These results suggest the significant influence of biomass burning in Mt. Changbai, and fossil fuel combustion might be another important anthropogenic source of forest aerosols. This study adds useful information to the current understanding of forest organic aerosols at different geographical locations in China.

Prognostic factors for acute posterior circulation cerebral infarction patients after endovascular mechanical thrombectomy: A retrospective study.

ABSTRACT: This article was to analyze the factors influencing the prognosis of posterior circulation cerebral infarction (PCCI) patients, retrospectively.One hundred forty five patients diagnosed with PCCI in Nanyang Central Hospital between June 25, 2016 and October 14, 2019 were included and underwent cerebral vascular mechanical thrombectomy. The clinical data of those patients were collected. The patients were followed up for 3 months to observe the prognostic efficacy and explore the influencing factors for poor prognosis. The potential prognostic factors for PCCI patients after emergency endovascular mechanical thrombectomy were analyzed by univariate and multivariable logistic regression. The thermodynamic diagram was drawn to explore the associations between the prognostic factors.The risk of poor prognosis in PCCI patients receiving emergency endovascular mechanical thrombectomy was reduced by 0.552 time with every 1-point increase of the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT in posterior circulation score (odds ratio [OR] = 0.448, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.276-0.727). The risk of poor prognosis was increased by 0.827 time for each additional grade in the digital subtraction angiography-American Society of Intervention and Therapeutic Neuroradiology grading (OR = 1.827, 95% CI: 1.221-2.733, P = .003) and increased by 0.288 time for every 1-point increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke scale at 24 hours (OR = 1.288, 95% CI: 1.161-1.429). All P < .05.Alberta Stroke Program Early CT in posterior circulation score, digital subtraction angiography-American Society of Intervention and Therapeutic Neuroradiology grading, National Institutes of Health Stroke scale score at 24 hours were factors affecting the prognosis of PCCI patients undergoing emergency endovascular mechanical thrombectomy, which might provide evidence for endovascular treatment of PCCI.

Dwindling aromatic compounds in fine aerosols from chunk coal to honeycomb briquette combustion.

With the implementation of clean coal policy in China, the chunk coal has been gradually replaced by honeycomb briquette in domestic energies. In this study, the molecular composition of fine particles (PM2.5) from chunk coal and honeycomb briquette combustion is characterized using the Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). More than 6000 molecular formulae were detected in each PM2.5 sample. A remarkable decrease in unsaturation and aromatic compounds was found from chunk coal to honeycomb briquette derived aerosols. Around 73.6% of the unique CHON compounds in chunk coal are considered to have aromatic structures, while it decreased to 7.3% in honeycomb briquette. Most of these nitroaromatics detected only in chunk coal are highly carcinogenic and mutagenic with 4-6 rings. Moreover, the aromatic compounds in sulfur-containing compounds also showed a significant decrease. Meanwhile, because of the perforated shape and the additives added during the production of honeycomb briquettes, there are more heteroatoms-containing molecules released from honeycomb briquette combustion, which are highly functional compounds with high molecular weight, high degree of oxidation, and low volatility. Our results provide molecular level evidence that the transformation from chunk coal to honeycomb briquette can effectively reduce the emission of aromatic compounds, which is beneficial to assessing and reducing the impacts to climate change as well as human health.

Effects and Mechanisms of Anlotinib and Dihydroartemisinin Combination Therapy in Ameliorating Malignant Biological Behavior of Gastric Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND: Gastric Cancer (GC) is currently one of the major malignancies that threaten human lives and health. Anlotinib is a novel small-molecule that inhibits angiogenesis to exert antitumor effects. However, its function in gastric cancer is incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-tumor effects and molecular mechanisms of anlotinib combined with Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in SGC7901 gastric cancer cells. METHODS: Different concentrations of anlotinib and DHA were used to treat SGC7901 gastric cancer cells, after which cell proliferation was measured. Drug interactions of anlotinib and DHA were analyzed by the Chou-Talalay method with CompuSyn software. Proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis were measured using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay, flow cytometry, Transwell invasion assays, scratch assays, and chicken Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) assays. Proliferation- associated protein (Ki67), apoptosis-related protein (Bcl-2), and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) were quantified by Western blotting. RESULTS: The combination of 2.5 µmol/L of anlotinib and 5 of µmol/L DHA was highly synergistic in inhibiting cell growth, significantly increased the apoptosis rate and suppressed obviously the invasion and migration capability and angiogenesis of gastric cancer cells. In addition, the expression levels of Ki67, Bcl-2, and VEGF-A, as well as angiogenesis, were significantly decreased in the Combination of drugs compared with control and either drug alone. CONCLUSION: The combination of anlotinib and DHA showed synergistic antitumor activity, suggesting their potential in treating patients with gastric cancer.

Expression of ASAP1 and FAK in gastric cancer and its clinicopathological significance.

The present study aimed to analyze the expression levels of adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor guanylate kinase 1 (ASAP1) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in gastric cancer (GC) tissues in order to explore their association with clinicopathological features and prognosis. A total of 32 patients with GC were enrolled in the present study. All patients had complete clinical follow-up data and paraffin-embedded normal gastric mucosal tissues. The expression levels of ASAP1 and FAK in these tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry. The associations of ASAP1 and FAK expression with clinicopathological factors and the survival of patients with GC were subsequently analyzed. The expression levels of ASAP1 (59.4%) and FAK (68.8%) in GC tissues were significantly higher than those in normal gastric mucosal tissues (28.1 and 40.6%, P<0.05). The expression levels of ASAP1 and FAK were associated with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and pathological stage (P<0.05). ASAP1 expression was positively associated with FAK expression (P<0.001). In addition, ASAP1 and FAK expression levels were negatively associated with disease-free survival time and overall survival time (P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rate was significantly higher in patients with negative ASAP1 or FAK expression compared with that in patients with positive ASAP1 or FAK expression (P<0.05). In conclusion, ASAP1 and FAK were highly expressed in human GC tissues and may serve a synergistic role in promoting tumorigenesis, progression, invasion and metastasis in patients with GC. ASAP1 and FAK expression in GC were associated with patient's survival. Therefore, ASAP1 and FAK may represent novel molecular markers for the pathophysiology and prognosis of GC.

Fenestration deformity of the basilar artery trunk with an aneurysm: A case report.

RATIONALE: Fenestration of the basilar artery is most common in the proximal portion near the vertebrobasilar artery junction. Conversely, fenestration of the middle and distal portions of the basilar artery is not common, and fenestration of the basilar artery with an aneurysm is even less common. PATIENT CONCERNS: This study reports the case of a 37-year-old woman with basilar artery fenestration malformation and an aneurysm at the mid-distal junction; her symptoms included sudden headaches with nausea and vomiting. DIAGNOSES: Head digital subtraction angiography showed fenestration at the junction of the middle and upper portions of the basilar artery associated with an aneurysm, and spontaneous pseudoaneurysm formation could not be excluded. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent stent-assisted fenestration and channel occlusion. OUTCOMES: Five months later, no abnormalities were found by head magnetic resonance imaging. The stents were well positioned, and no occluded branches or aneurysms were present. LESSONS: For mid-distal basilar artery fenestration malformation with an aneurysm, occlusion of the lesion channel is relatively safe when there are no perforating vessels in the fenestration channel and the lesion channel is a nondominant channel. Overall, more attention should be paid to the possibility of pseudoaneurysm formation in the diagnosis and treatment of this type of aneurysm.

Re-Recurrence of Intracranial Aneurysm with Proximal Vascular Stenosis After Primary Clipping and Secondary Endovascular Embolization: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: It was known that a small number of patients could have intracranial aneurysm recurrences after either surgical clipping or endovascular embolization treatment. However, early recurrence within 1 month after the treatment and re-recurrence has rarely been reported before. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a 46-year-old man with a medical history of smoking and hypertension who was noncompliant with the treatments. He presented to the hospital with right extremity paralysis and aphasia and was found to have a ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysm. Aneurysm was successfully treated by surgical clipping. Within 1 month after the treatment, the patient had a recurrent aneurysm at the same location and intracranial hemorrhage. The recurrent aneurysm was treated by endovascular embolization. However, during the follow-up visit 8 months after the treatment, angiography showed aneurysm recurrence with proximal vascular stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Re-recurrence of intracranial aneurysm could happen after initial successful treatment with surgical clipping and endovascular embolization. In addition to the patient's medical history and characteristics of the aneurysm, local vascular stenosis might also contribute to its recurrence. Close postoperative follow-up is required for these patients.

Eco-friendly and facile one-step synthesis of a three dimensional net-like magnetic mesoporous carbon derived from wastepaper as a renewable adsorbent.

Millions of tons of paper and its derivatives are annually wasted without being recycled and reused. To promote the comprehensive utilization of resources and eco-friendly preparation, waste filter paper, printer paper, and napkins were chosen as carbon sources to one-step synthesize three types of three dimensional (3D) net-like magnetic mesoporous carbon (MMC) by an eco-friendly and low-cost method. These mesoporous (3.90-7.68 nm) composites have a high specific surface area (287-423 m2 g-1), well-developed porosity (0.24-0.74 cm3 g-1) and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups. Compared to the other two composites, the adsorbent derived from filter paper showed the highest adsorption capacity towards methylene blue (MB) (q max = 332.03 mg g-1) and rhodamine B (RhB) (q max = 389.59 mg g-1) with a high adsorption rate (<5 min). According to the effect of pH value on adsorption capacity, and combining the analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the main adsorption mechanisms can be summarized as hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and π-π interaction. Besides, the occurrence of redox reactions between Fe2+/Fe0 and dye cannot be ignored. Finally, experiments on reusability were performed. They showed that the 3D net-like MMC could be easily regenerated and still maintained a removal efficiency of above 80% for RhB and 90% for MB after five cycles.

Stent-Jailing Technique Reduces Aneurysm Recurrence More Than Stent-Jack Technique by Causing Less Mechanical Forces and Angiogenesis and Inhibiting TGF-ß/Smad2,3,4 Signaling Pathway in Intracranial Aneurysm Patients.

Background: Stent-jailing and stent-jack are used for stent-assisted coil embolism (SCE) in intracranial aneurysm (IA) therapy, and cause different incidences of IA recurrence. Angiogenesis strongly correlates with aneurysm accumulation. Stent-jack causes higher mechanical forces in cerebral vessels than stent-jailing. Mechanical forces, as well as TGF-ß/Smad2,3,4 signaling pathway, may play an important factor in IA recurrence by affecting angiogenesis. Methods: We explored the effects of stent-jailing or stent-jack technique on IA recurrence by investigating mechanical forces, TGF-ß/Smad2,3,4 signaling pathway and the incidence of angiogenesis in IA patients. One-hundred-eighty-one IA patients were assigned into stent-jailing (n = 93) and stent-jacket groups (n = 88). The clinical outcome was evaluated using Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) and aneurysm occlusion grades. The percentage of CD34+EPCs (releasing pro-angiogenic cytokines) in peripheral blood was measured by flow cytometer. Endothelial cells were separated from cerebral aneurysm and malformed arteries via immunomagnetic cell sorting. Angiogenesis was measured by microvessel density (MVD) using anti-CD34 monoclonal antibody staining before using the stent, immediately after surgery and 2 years later. Meanwhile, the mechanical forces in cerebral vessels were determined by measuring endothelial shear stress (ESS) via a computational method. TGF-ß and Smad2,3,4 were measured by real-time qPCR and Western Blot. Tube formation analysis was performed to test the relationship between angiogenesis and TGF-ß, and the effects of different techniques on angiogenesis. Results: After a 2-year follow-up, 85 and 81 patients from stent-jailing and stent-jack groups, respectively, completed the experiment. Stent-jailing technique improved GOS and reduced aneurysm occlusion grades higher than the stent-jack technique (P < 0.05). The counts of CD34+EPCs and MVD values in the stent-jailing group were lower than the stent-jack group (P < 0.05). ESS values in sent-jailing group were lower than the stent-jack group (P < 0.05), and positively correlated with MVD values (P < 0.05). TGF-ß and Smad2,3,4 levels in sent-jailing group were also lower than the stent-jack group (P < 0.05). TGF-ß was associated with angiogenesis incidence and stent-jack caused angiogenesis incidence more than stent-jailing. Conclusion: Stent-jailing technique reduces IA recurrence more than stent-jack by causing less mechanical forces, angiogenesis and inhibiting TGF-ß/Smad2,3,4 signaling in IA patients.

Blueberry Phenolics Reduce Gastrointestinal Infection of Patients with Cerebral Venous Thrombosis by Improving Depressant-Induced Autoimmune Disorder via miR-155-Mediated Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor.

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) often causes human depression, whereas depression-induced low immunity makes the patients susceptible to gastrointestinal infection. Blueberry possesses antidepressant properties which may improve autoimmunity and reduce gastrointestinal infection. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) performs antidepressant function and can be regulated by miR-155, which may be affected by blueberry. To explore the possible molecular mechanism, blueberry compounds were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Activity of compounds was tested by using HT22 cells. The present study tested 124 patients with CVT-induced mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale [CES-D] ≥16) and gastrointestinal infection. Patients were randomly assigned to blueberry extract group (BG, received 10 mg blueberry extract daily) and placebo group (PG, received 10 mg placebo daily). After 3 months, depression, gastrointestinal infection and lipid profiles were investigated. Serum miR-155 and BDNF were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and or Western Blot. Blueberry treatment improved depressive symptoms and lipid profiles, and also reduced gastrointestinal infection in the BG group (P < 0.05) but those of the PG group (P = 1). These changes were paralleled by increase in serum levels of BDNF and miR-155 (P < 0.05). HPLC analysis showed that blueberry extracts were the main phenolic acids with 0.18, 0.85, 0.26, 0.72, 0.66, 0.4,1, and 1.92 mg/g of gentisic acid, chlorogenic acid, [2]-epicatechin, p-coumaric acid, benzoic acid, p-anisic acid, and quercetin in blueberry extracts, respectively. Phenolics in blueberry are possible causal agents in improving antidepressant activity and reducing gastrointestinal infection. Administration of blueberry increased BDNF expression and miR-155. Blueberry cannot affect BDNF level when miR-155 is overexpressed or inhibited. Phenolics from blueberry reduced gastrointestinal infection of patients with CVT by improving antidepressant activity via upregulation of miR-155-mediated BDNF.