Electrical stimulation over bilateral occipito-temporal regions reduces N170 in the right hemisphere and the composite face effect.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that can modulate cortical excitability. Although the clinical value of tDCS has been advocated, the potential of tDCS in cognitive rehabilitation of face processing deficits is less understood. Face processing has been associated with the occipito-temporal cortex (OT).

[Research on the reflection spectrum of linear chirped fiber bragg grating under the impact of dynamic stress].

Dynastic stress field detection based on the linear chirped fiber Bragg grating (LCFBG) was proposed. Firstly, the reflectance spectra strain sensing model of LCFBG adopting the transfer matrix method was constructed, and attenuation sine function was used to simulate the dynamic stress field along LCFBG. In the simulation experiment, the responding character of LCFBG reflection spectrum to different amplitude, different attenuation coefficient and different propagation speed of dynamic stress was studied in detail.

Reduced expression of PTPRD correlates with poor prognosis in gastric adenocarcinoma.

Background: PTPRD, encoding protein tyrosine phosphatases receptor type D, is located at chromosome 9p23-24.1, a loci frequently lost in many types of tumors. Recently, PTPRD has been proposed to function as a tumor suppressor gene.

Effect of retinoic acid on the function of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated bone marrow stromal cells grown on titanium surfaces.

Objective And Design: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) on suppressing the inflammatory response and promoting the osteoblastic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) on titanium in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microenvironment.

Methods: BMSCs were divided into four groups and treated with LPS (1 μg/mL), atRA (1 nmol/L), LPS + atRA, or left untreated. Cells were then cultured on titanium surfaces and cell function compared.

Composition and variation analysis of TCR β-chain CDR3 repertoire in the thymus and spleen of MRL/lpr mouse at different ages.

T cells play an important role in the onset and progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and the biases in T cell receptor beta variable (TRBV) region families and complementarity determining region three (CDR3) composition in SLE patients and mouse models have been widely reported. However, the relationship between the composition and variation in the TCR β-chain CDR3 repertoire and SLE has not been established. Here, we compared and analyzed the thymic and splenic TCR β-chain CDR3 mRNA sequences by Roche 454 high-throughput sequencing from MRL/lpr mice at different ages.

MCL1 and BCL-xL levels in solid tumors are predictive of dinaciclib-induced apoptosis.

Dinaciclib is a potent CDK1, 2, 5 and 9 inhibitor being developed for the treatment of cancer. Additional understanding of antitumor mechanisms and identification of predictive biomarkers are important for its clinical development. Here we demonstrate that while dinaciclib can effectively block cell cycle progression, in vitro and in vivo studies, coupled with mouse and human pharmacokinetics, support a model whereby induction of apoptosis is a main mechanism of dinaciclib's antitumor effect and relevant to the clinical duration of exposure.

Endocannabinoids and inflammatory response in periodontal ligament cells.

Endocannabinoids are associated with multiple regulatory functions in several tissues. The main endocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), have been detected in the gingival crevicular fluid of periodontitis patients, but the association between periodontal disease or human periodontal ligament cells (hPdLCs) and endocannabinoids still remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of AEA and 2-AG on the proliferation/viability and cytokine/chemokine production of hPdLCs in the presence/absence of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (P.

Influence of implant surface topography on bone-regenerative potential and mechanical retention in the human maxilla and mandible.

Purpose: To evaluate the short- and mid-term effects of commercial pure (cp) titanium implant surface topography on osseointegration, bone-regenerative potential and mechanical retention in the human maxilla and mandible.

Methods: 32 micro-implants with the same geometry but with four different surface treatments were implanted in the maxilla and mandible of eight patients. Each patient received four micro-implants, one of each type.

FOXA2 suppresses the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma partially through matrix metalloproteinase-9 inhibition.

The forkhead box transcription factor A2 (FOXA2) is a member of the hepatocyte nuclear factor family and plays an important role in liver development and metabolic homeostasis, but its role in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been evaluated. In this study, we found that the expression of FOXA2 was decreased in 68.1% (49/72) of human HCC tissues compared with their paired non-cancerous adjacent tissues.

Applications of induced pluripotent stem cells in the modeling of human inflammatory bowel diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic and involve the gastrointestinal tract; the two primary IBDs are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Existing treatments for IBD include control of active inflammation and regulation of immune disorders, and commonly used drugs include salicylates, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants. At the same time, an in-depth study of IBD pathogenesis promoted the acceptance of bioimmunotherapy by increasing numbers of people.

The transcription factor FOXA2 suppresses gastric tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo.

Background And Aims: The transcription factor forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) plays a central role in the development of endoderm-derived organs. It has been reported that FOXA2 acts as a suppressor in many kinds of tumor. However, little is known about the role of FOXA2 in gastric cancer.

Anabolic bone formation via a site-specific bone-targeting delivery system by interfering with semaphorin 4D expression.

Semaphorins have been recently targeted as new molecules directly implicated in the cell-cell communication that occurs between osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Overexpression of certain semaphorins, such as semaphorin4D (sema4D), is found in an osteoporotic phenotype and plays a key role in osteoclast activity by suppressing osteoblast maturation, thus significantly altering the bone modeling cycle. In the present study, we fabricate a site-specific bone-targeting drug-delivery system from polymeric nanoparticles with the incorporation of siRNA interference molecule for sema4D and demonstrate their cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking within osteoclasts, thus preventing the suppression of osteoblast activity.

[Fibro-bronchoscopic cryosurgery for unresectable endobronchial tumors].

Background: Patients with tracheobronchial tumor are too frail for curative surgical treatment, and the original sites are unsuitable for radical resection. They always suffered from dyspnea, hymoptosis, obstructive pneumonia, and fever. Airway obstruction has a strong bad impact on the quality of life, and is the main cause of respiratory failure and death.

Comparative analysis of human and mouse immunoglobulin variable heavy regions from IMGT/LIGM-DB with IMGT/HighV-QUEST.

Background: Immunoglobulin (IG) complementarity determining region (CDR) includes VH CDR1, VH CDR2, VH CDR3, VL CDR1, VL CDR2 and VL CDR3. Of these, VH CDR3 plays a dominant role in recognizing and binding antigens. Three major mechanisms are involved in the formation of the VH repertoire: germline gene rearrangement, junctional diversity and somatic hypermutation.

The angiogenic behaviors of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in co-culture with osteoblast-like cells (MG-63) on different titanium surfaces.

Objectives: Interaction between osteogenesis and angiogenesis plays an important role in implant osseointegration. In the present study we investigated the influence of titanium surface properties on the angiogenic behaviors of endothelial cells grown in direct contact co-culture with osteoblasts.

Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and osteoblast-like cells (MG-63 cells) were grown in direct co-culture on the following titanium surfaces: acid-etched (A), hydrophilic A (modA), coarse-gritblasted and acid-etched (SLA) and hydrophilic SLA (SLActive).

The effect of XPD polymorphisms on digestive tract cancers risk: a meta-analysis.

Background: The Xeroderma pigmento-sum group D gene (XPD) plays a key role in nucleotide excision repair. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) located in its functional region may alter DNA repair capacity phenotype and cancer risk. Many studies have demonstrated that XPD polymorphisms are significantly associated with digestive tract cancers risk, but the results are inconsistent.

Comparison of implant success rates with different loading protocols: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: To systematically evaluate implant success rates with different loading protocols.

Materials And Methods: A search was conducted of electronic databases, including The Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, PubMed, SciSearch, Medline, and EMBASE, for all randomized controlled trials published between 1997 and 2011 to compare implant success rates among different loading methods. The quality of randomized controlled trials was critically appraised, and the data were extracted by two independent reviewers.

Effects of Er-Zhi-Wan on microarchitecture and regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in alveolar bone of ovariectomized rats.

Recent studies have shown that Er-Zhi-Wan (EZW), a traditional Chinese medicine consisting of Herba Ecliptae (HE) and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL), had a definite antiosteoporotic effect on osteoporotic femur, but its effect on osteoporosis of alveolar bone remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Er-Zhi-Wan (EZW) on the microarchitecture and the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the alveolar bone of ovariectomized rats. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham operation group (sham, n=10), ovariectomy (OVX) group (n=10), and OVX with EZW treatment group (EZW group, n=10).

Laparoscopic vaginoplasty using a sigmoid graft through the umbilical single-incision hybrid transperineal approach: our initial experience.

Background: For better cosmetic appearance, attempts to reduce the number of laparoscopic wounds have been sought. Investigators have thus begun to carry out procedures through a single incision or natural orifice endoscopic surgery instead of using conventional laparoscopic surgery. The authors here describe transumbilical single-incision hybrid transperineal laparoscopic surgery as a novel approach for vaginoplasty using a sigmoid graft.

Surgical techniques and results of the pulmonary artery reconstruction for patients with central non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: It is difficult to achieve a margin-negative resection (R0) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with infiltration of the pulmonary artery. We report our experience of the pulmonary artery reconstruction with regard to long-term survival.

Methods: Clinical records of 118 patients with NSCLC who underwent partial or circumferential pulmonary artery resection during a 21-year period were reviewed retrospectively.

The osteogenic potential of mesoporous bioglasses/silk and non-mesoporous bioglasses/silk scaffolds in ovariectomized rats: in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

Silk-based scaffolds have been introduced to bone tissue regeneration for years, however, their local therapeutic efficiency in bone metabolic disease condition has been seldom reported. According to our previous report, mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG)/silk scaffolds exhibits superior in vitro bioactivity and in vivo osteogenic properties compared to non-mesoporous bioactive glass (BG)/silk scaffolds, but no information could be found about their efficiency in osteoporotic (OVX) environment. This study investigated a biomaterial-based approach for improving MSCs behavior in vitro, and accelerating OVX defect healing by using 3D BG/silk and MBG/silk scaffolds, and pure silk scaffolds as control.

Novel and convenient method to evaluate the character of solitary pulmonary nodule-comparison of three mathematical prediction models and further stratification of risk factors.

Objective: To study risk factors that affect the evaluation of malignancy in patients with solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN) and verify different predictive models for malignant probability of SPN.

Methods: Retrospectively analyzed 107 cases of SPN with definite post-operative histological diagnosis whom underwent surgical procedures in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from November of 2010 to February of 2013. Age, gender, smoking history, malignancy history of patients, imaging features of the nodule including maximum diameter, position, spiculation, lobulation, calcification and serum level of CEA and Cyfra21-1 were assessed as potential risk factors.

Strontium-incorporated mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds stimulating in vitro proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells and in vivo regeneration of osteoporotic bone defects.

Osteoporosis is one of the most widely occurring bone disorders characterized by low bone mineral density and poor bone strength. Strontium ranelate, as a treatment option, has received significant attention in recent years due to its ability to halt the progress of osteoporosis by simultaneously improving bone formation and reducing bone resorption. Although much emphasis has been given to the treatment of osteoporosis and fracture prevention using pharmacological agents, much less attention has been placed on the repair of critical-sized bone fractures caused by osteoporosis.

[Significance of erythrocytes phosphatidylserine exposure on occurrence of anemia in sepsis].

Objective: To investigate the role of phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure of erythrocytes in the development of anemia in sepsis patients.

Methods: A self-control study was conducted. Thirty sepsis patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) were enrolled.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α polymorphisms and risk of cancer metastasis: a meta-analysis.

Background: HIF-1α is a major regulator in tumor progression and metastasis which responds to hypoxia. Many studies have demonstrated that hypoxia-inducible factor1-α (HIF-1α) polymorphisms are significantly associated with cancer metastasis, but the results are inconsistent. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to estimate the associations between HIF-1α C1772 T polymorphism and cancer metastasis.