Hydrocephalus Due to Idiopathic Fourth Ventricle Outflow Obstruction.

The fourth ventricle outlet obstruction (FVOO) is a rare but well-established cause of obstructive tetra-ventricular hydrocephalus, characterizing with dilatation or large cerebrospinal fluid collection of the foramina of Magendie and Luschka. In children, it is usually the consequence of posterior cerebral fossa malformations; while in adult, the occlusion is rather acquired than congenital, mostly linked to an inflammatory process, intraventricular hemorrhage, head trauma, brain tumors or Arnold-Chiari malformation. However, idiopathic FVOO is extremely rare, and only 6 such cases have been reported in the English literature.

Change in serum albumin level predicts short-term complications in patients with normal preoperative serum albumin after gastrectomy of gastric cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between serum albumin level change (ΔALB) and post-operative complications in patients with normal preoperative serum albumin after gastrectomy of gastric cancer.

Methods: A total of 193 patients undergoing curative (R0) gastrectomy from September 2015 to May 2017 were enrolled in this study. The risk factors for predicting post-operative complications were identified by univariate and multivariate analysis.

The Molecular Evolution and Functional Divergence of Lamprey Programmed Cell Death Genes.

The programmed cell death (PDCD) family plays a significant role in the regulation of cell survival and apoptotic cell death. However, the evolution, distribution and role of the PDCD family in lampreys have not been revealed. Thus, we identified the PDCD gene family in the lamprey genome and classified the genes into five subfamilies based on orthologs of the genes, conserved synteny, functional domains, phylogenetic tree, and conserved motifs.

PPR-SMR1 is required for the splicing of multiple mitochondrial introns, interacts with Zm-mCSF1, and is essential for seed development in maize.

Group II introns are ribozymes that can excise themselves from precursor-RNA transcripts, but plant organellar group II introns have structural deviations that inhibit ribozyme activity. Therefore, splicing of these introns requires the assistance of nuclear- and/or organellar-encoded splicing factors; however, how these splicing factors function remains unclear. In this study, we report the functions and interactions of two splicing factors, PPR-SMR1 and Zm-mCSF1, in intron splicing in maize mitochondria.

Spectrally filtered passive Si photodiode array for on-chip fluorescence imaging of intracellular calcium dynamics.

On-chip fluorescence imaging devices are recognized for their miniaturized and implantable nature that can benefit the study of intracellular dynamics at a variety of settings. However, it is challenging to integrate a spectral filter onto such devices (to block the excitation light) that has similar performance to the state-of-the-art emission filters used in fluorescence microscopes. In this work, we report a 100%-yield, spectrally filtered passive Si photodiode array designed for on-chip fluorescence imaging of intracellular Ca dynamics.

Improved Stability and Enhanced Anti-Tumor Activity of Hyaluronic Acid Modified ES2-AF Nanoparticle-Like Conjugate.

The growth, migration and spread of malignant tumors requires a large number of new blood vessels to supply nutrients. In our previous study, it was found that the hyaluronic acid (HA) modified novel antiangiogenic peptide ES2-AF has better solubility, longer half-life, stronger targeting than non-modified ES2-AF, and it significantly inhibited the formation of new blood vessels. In the current work, we studied the stability of ES2-AF after HA modification, including heat stability, longterm stability, and pH stability.

Efficacy and Safety of Anti-cancer Biosimilars Compared to Reference Biologics in Oncology: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Many biosimilars of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are becoming increasingly available as anticancer therapies, such as the rituximab, bevacizumab, and trastuzumab biosimilars. However, no comprehensive summary of their efficacy and safety is available.

Objective: This study synthesized current evidence on the efficacy and safety of mAb biosimilars relative to their reference biologics among cancer patients.

Efficacy and Safety of Supportive Care Biosimilars Among Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Biologics are widely used to manage the side effects of cancer treatment (e.g., epoetin alfa is used to treat chemotherapy-induced anemia [CIA] and granulocyte colony-stimulating factors [G-CSFs] are used to treat chemotherapy-induced neutropenia [CIN]).

Heat injured stromal cells-derived exosomal EGFR enhances prostatic wound healing after thulium laser resection through EMT and NF-κB signaling.

Background: This study investigated shallow heat injury to prostate stromal fibroblasts and epithelial cells and their interaction to regulate the wound healing and the underlying molecular events.

Methods: Prostate stromal fibroblasts and epithelial cells were cultured individually or cocultured and subjected to shallow heat injury for assessments of cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and gene expression. The supernatant of heat-injured WPMY-1 cells was collected for exosome extraction and assessments.

Identification and characterization of the lamprey cathepsin genes.

Cathepsins are key mammalian proteases that play an important role in the immune response. Several studies have revealed the versatile and critical functions of cathepsins. Here, we obtained ten kinds of cathepsin homologs and identified seven homologs with complete coding sequences.

[Community Structure and Predictive Functional Analysis of Surface Water Bacterioplankton in the Danjiangkou Reservoir].

Bacterioplankton are important components of aquatic ecosystems, and play a crucial role in the global biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. In this study, surface-water samples were collected from Kuxin (the center of Danjiangkou Reservoir) and Qushou (the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project's canal head) in the Danjiangkou Reservoir in May 2016. Total DNA was isolated, and high-throughput sequencing was performed to analyze the community structure and diversity of bacteria.

Assessment of Molecular Subtypes in Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis and Graves Disease Among Chinese Han Adults: A Population-Based Genome-Wide Association Study.

Importance: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a potentially lethal complication of hyperthyroidism. However, only 1 specific susceptibility locus for TPP has been identified. Additional genetic determinants should be detected so that a prediction model can be constructed.

Characterization and bioactivity of self-assembled anti-angiogenic chondroitin sulfate-ES2-AF nanoparticle conjugate.

Background: In the past few years, significant progress has been made in inhibiting neovascularization at the tumor site, cutting off the nutrient supply of the tumor, and inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis. However, many proteins/peptides have the disadvantage of poor stability, short half-life, and uncertain targeting ability. Chemical modification can be used to overcome these disadvantages; many polyethylene glycol-modified proteins/peptides have been approved by US FDA.

Cycloserine for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a retrospective cohort study in China.

Purpose: Cycloserine has been used in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment since the 1950s. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of cycloserine and sought to clarify the role of cycloserine for treatment of simple MDR-TB, pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (pre-XDR-TB), and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed in Zhejiang Province, China.

Assessment of cerebrovascular reserve impairment using the breath-holding index in patients with leukoaraiosis.

Many studies have demonstrated that leukoaraiosis is associated with impaired cerebrovascular reserve function. However, the definitive hemodynamic changes that occur in leukoaraiosis are not clear, and there are many controversies. This study aimed to investigate hemodynamic changes in symptomatic leukoaraiosis using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography and the breath-holding test in a Chinese Han population, from northern China.

RS 504393 inhibits M-MDSCs recruiting in immune microenvironment of bladder cancer after gemcitabine treatment.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a malignant tumor of urinary epithelium. Gemcitabine is an introduced treatment for BC and also has immunomodulatory function, but the immunoregulation mechanism is not clear. In this study, we found that gemcitabine-treated BC cell recruited more monocyte-myeloid-derived suppressed cells (M-MDSCs), which played a significant role in immune suppression and contributed to cancer progression.

Development of highly potent glucocorticoids for steroid-resistant severe asthma.

Clinical application of inhaled glucocorticoids (GCs) has been hampered in the case of steroid-resistant severe asthma. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a series of highly potent GCs, including VSGC12, VSG158, and VSG159 based on the structural insight into the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Particularly, VSG158 exhibits a maximal repression of lung inflammation and is 10 times more potent than the currently most potent clinical GC, Fluticasone Furoate (FF), in a murine model of asthma.

The emerging role of STING-dependent signaling on cell death.

STING is a newly identified adaptor protein for sensing cytosolic nucleic acid. It is well established that STING plays a crucial role in innate immune response via inducing production of type I IFN. Emerging evidence suggests that the activation of STING-dependent signaling is also implicated in the process of cell death, such as apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy.

Prevalence of Anti-HCV Antibody Among the General Population in Mainland China Between 1991 and 2015: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Our study aims to estimate the burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among the general population in Mainland China. We searched 4 databases for studies of the prevalence of anti-HCV antibody among the general population. Studies that met the selection criteria were included in the meta-analysis.

Emerging Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-derived Exosomes in Regenerative Medicine.

Background: Recent studies have shown the great value of cell therapy over the past few decades. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to treat various degenerative diseases not through their differentiation potential but through their paracrine factors of the extracellular vesicle (EV) including exosomes. Exosomes are nanosized (70~150 nm) membrane-bound extracellular vesicles, not only involved in cell-to-cell communication but also in the development of tissue injury repair.

Higher Anti-angiogenesis Activity, Better Cellular Uptake and Longer Half-life of a Novel Glyco-modified Endostatin by Polysulfated Heparin.

Background: Endostatin (ES) is a promising anti-angiogenesis protein and has been approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, but short half-life, poor stability and nonspecific delivery caused great pain to patients and produced unsatisfactory treatment effectiveness.

Objective: In this work, in order to overcome these disadvantages, ES was covalently modified by polysulfated heparin (PSH) with the expectancy of longer half-life, higher anti-angiogenesis activity and better cellular uptake.

Methods: To characterize the cellular uptake, flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to study the intracellular localization of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled ES and PSH-ES in EAhy926 endothelial cells.

A vehicle path planning method based on a dynamic traffic network that considers fuel consumption and emissions.

The rapidly increasing and widespread use of vehicles has intensified fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Big data on urban dynamic traffic flow can be used to improve the economics and environmental impact of vehicle travel by effectively reducing fuel usage and pollution. In this study, a fuel consumption and emissions measurement model of vehicles coupled with a dynamic traffic network were established based on a large dataset of real-world vehicle experiments.

Mucilaginibacter endophyticus sp. nov., an endophytic polysaccharide-producing bacterium isolated from a stem of Miscanthus sinensis.

In this study, a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, endophytic bacterial strain (RS1) capable of producing large amounts of exopolysaccharides was isolated from a stem of Miscanthus sinensis. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain RS1 is closely related to Mucilaginibacter kameinonensis NBRC 102645 (98.72%), followed by Mucilaginibacter gossypiicola Gh-48 (97.

M1 macrophage mediated increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) influence wound healing via the MAPK signaling in vitro and in vivo.

Thulium laser resection of the prostate (TmLRP), a major treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), has several postoperative complications that affect the patients' quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the M1 macrophage-secreted reactive oxygen species (ROS) on prostatic wound healing, and the role of MAPK signaling in this process. A co-culture model in vitro was established using macrophages and prostate epithelial or stromal cells.

Effects of the anti-angiogenic carbohydrate-peptide conjugate, chitooligosaccharide-ES2 on endothelial cells and tumor-bearing mice.

Most solid tumors require neovascularization during their growth. In our previous study, ES2 (IVRRADRAAVP) was covalently conjugated to soluble chitooligosaccharide chloride (HTCOSC) to form one novel HTCOSC-ES2 conjugate, which displayed better anti-angiogenic activity. In this work, the intracellular distribution and endocytosis of the conjugate in endothelial cells, as well effects on endothelial cell cycle and apoptosis were investigated.