Ultracomfortable Hierarchical Nanonetwork for Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensor.

Skin sensors are of paramount importance for flexible wearable electronics, which are active in medical diagnosis and healthcare monitoring. Ultrahigh sensitivity, large measuring range, and high skin conformability are highly desirable for skin sensors. Here, an ultrathin flexible piezoresistive sensor with high sensitivity and wide detection range is reported based on hierarchical nanonetwork structured pressure-sensitive material and nanonetwork electrodes.

Imagined and Actual Acupuncture Effects on Chronic Low Back Pain: A Preliminary Study.

Background: Research suggests that imagined experiences can produce brain responses similar to those produced by actual experiences. Shared brain responses that support both imagination and perception may underlie the functional nature of mental imagery. In a previous study, we combined acupuncture and imagery to develop a new treatment method, video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT).

Characterizing the analgesic effects of real and imagined acupuncture using functional and structure MRI.

Acupuncture and imagery interventions for pain management have a long history. The present study comparatively investigated whether acupuncture and video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT, watching a video of acupuncture on the participant's own body while imagining it being applied) could modulate brain regional connectivity to produce analgesic effects. The study also examined whether pre-intervention brain functional and structural features could be used to predict the magnitude of analgesic effects.

Association of ZNF184, IL1R2, LRRK2, ITPKB, and PARK16 with sporadic Parkinson's disease in Eastern China.

Background: Genetic factors may play important roles in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, and more than 40 loci involved in Parkinson's disease have been identified. Due to differing allele frequencies across origins, the associations of these loci and sporadic Parkinson's disease in the Eastern Chinese population are still unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease in the Eastern Chinese population.

Thrombin-responsive engineered nanoexcavator with full-thickness infiltration capability for pharmaceutical-free deep venous thrombosis theranostics.

Although nanotechnology has shown great promise for treating multiple vascular diseases in recent years, simultaneous noninvasive detection and efficient dissolution of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) still remains challenging. In particular, long blockage areas and large thrombus thicknesses in DVT cause enormous difficulties for site-specific deep-seated thrombus theranostics. Therefore, based on the unique components of DVT, the novel concept of a thrombin-responsive full-thickness infiltration nonpharmaceutical nanoplatform for DVT theranostics is proposed here.

Inhibited Metastasis and Amplified Chemotherapeutic Effects by Epigene-Transfection Based on a Tumor-Targeting Nanoparticle.

Purpose: Tumor metastasis and drug resistance have always been vital aspects to cancer mortality and prognosis. To compromise metastasis and drug resistance, a nanoparticle IPPD-PHF2 (IR780/PLGA-PEI(Dox)-PHF2) has been engineered to accomplish efficient targeted epigenotherapy forced by PHF2-induced MET (mesenchymal to epithelial transition).

Materials And Methods: IPPD-PHF2 nanoparticle was synthesized and characterized by several analytical techniques.

TME-activatable theranostic nanoplatform with ATP burning capability for tumor sensitization and synergistic therapy.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), as a key substance for regulating tumor progression in the tumor microenvironemnt (TME), is an emerging target for tumor theranostics. Herein, we report a minimalist but versatile nanoplatform with simultaneously TME-responsive drug release, TME-enhanced imaging, ATP-depletion sensitized chemotherapy and photothermal therapy for intelligent tumor theranostics. The Fe and tannic acid (TA) coordination were self-deposited on doxorubicin (Dox) in a facile method to prepare Dox-encapsulated nanoparticles (DFTNPs).

Immature Stroma and Prognostic Profiling in Colorectal Carcinoma: Development and Validation of Novel Classification Systems.

Many pathological characteristics have utility for predicting prognosis in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Some of the most important include tumor stage (TS), lymph node status (LNS) and tumor budding (TB). Tumor budding is a phenomenon originally described in 1949 as sprouting.

Insight into norcantharidin, a small-molecule synthetic compound with potential multi-target anticancer activities.

Norcantharidin (NCTD) is a demethylated derivative of cantharidin, which is an anticancer active ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine, and is currently used clinically as a routine anti-cancer drug in China. Clarifying the anticancer effect and molecular mechanism of NCTD is critical for its clinical application. Here, we summarized the physiological, chemical, pharmacokinetic characteristics and clinical applications of NCTD.

Genetic analysis of arylsulfatase A (ARSA) in Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease.

Recently, the arylsulfatase A (ARSA) variant c.899 T > C (p.L300S) was identified to be segregated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in one family of Japanese descent.

Potential Locations for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Treating Autism Spectrum Disorders-A Functional Connectivity Study.

Objectives: Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is an emerging tool for treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Exploring new stimulation targets may improve the efficacy of NIBS for ASD.

Materials And Methods: We first conducted a meta-analysis on 170 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to identify ASD-associated brain regions.

Impaired mesocorticolimbic connectivity underlies increased pain sensitivity in chronic low back pain.

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a prevalent disorder. A growing body of evidence linking the pathology of the reward network to chronic pain suggests that pain sensitization may contribute to cLBP chronification via disruptions of mesocortical and mesolimbic circuits in the reward system. Resting-state (RS) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data was acquired from 90 patients with cLBP and 74 matched pain-free controls (HCs) at baseline and after a manipulation for back pain intensification.

Cinobufagin Triggers Defects in Spindle Formation and Cap-Dependent Translation in Liver Cancer Cells by Inhibiting the AURKA-mTOR-eIF4E Axis.

Cinobufagin is a Na/K-ATPase (NKA) inhibitor with excellent anticancer effects to prolong the survival of patients. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the underlying mechanism of the anticancer effects of cinobufagin using overexpression or inhibition of aurora kinase A (AURKA) signaling. First, high expression of Na/K-ATPase alpha 1 subunit (ATP1A1) and AURAK resulted in increased malignant transformation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients using the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) data and tissue samples.

Arthroscopic Ankle Arthrodesis for End-Stage Tuberculosis of the Ankle: A 2-Year Follow-Up.

Surgical treatment for end-stage ankle joint tuberculosis (TB) has rarely been reported. This study followed cases treated by arthroscopic arthrodesis for ankle joint TB to evaluate its efficacy and safety in the clinic. Patients who underwent arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis for ankle joint TB between April 11, 2010, and December 31, 2016, were followed.

Neurofibromin Is an Estrogen Receptor-α Transcriptional Co-repressor in Breast Cancer.

We report that neurofibromin, a tumor suppressor and Ras-GAP (GTPase-activating protein), is also an estrogen receptor-α (ER) transcriptional co-repressor through leucine/isoleucine-rich motifs that are functionally independent of GAP activity. GAP activity, in turn, does not affect ER binding. Consequently, neurofibromin depletion causes estradiol hypersensitivity and tamoxifen agonism, explaining the poor prognosis associated with neurofibromin loss in endocrine therapy-treated ER breast cancer.

Landscape of Immune Checkpoint Inhibition in Carcinosarcoma (MMMT): Analysis of IDO-1, PD-L1 and PD-1.

Carcinosarcoma (CS) or malignant mixed Müllerian tumor (MMMT), is a rare malignant biphasic tumor, which contains both a malignant epithelial and mesenchymal component. That being said, they have an aggressive clinical course. Given that immune checkpoint inhibitors have mustered significant excitement in the oncology world - immunotherapy could offer significant promise to this poor prognostic cancer subtype.

Simultaneous quantification of major capsid protein of human papillomavirus 16 and human papillomavirus 18 in multivalent human papillomavirus vaccines by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is the most effective mean to prevent HPV infection and cervical carcinoma. Licensed HPV prophylactic vaccines are formulated to contain a defined amount of different major capsid protein (L1), the critical antigen to elicit protection. No method is currently available to simultaneously quantify individual L1s in multivalent vaccines, presenting a daunting challenge for the quality control of HPV vaccines.

Reversible Thermochromic Nanoparticles Composed of a Eutectic Mixture for Temperature-Controlled Photothermal Therapy.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is an effective approach to cancer therapy. However, the high temperature during the therapy increases the damage to surrounding normal tissues. Thermochromic material, which exhibits temperature-activated color change and optical absorption, is a promising photothermal agent for precisely temperature-controlled PTT.

Sp1 promotes ovarian cancer cell migration through repressing miR-335 expression.

Decreased miR-335 has been reported in a variety of cancers. We previously showed that miR-335 played an important role in ovarian cancer metastasis and prognosis. However, miR-335 is down-regulated in ovarian cancer by mechanisms that remain unclear.

The SINEB1 element in the long non-coding RNA Malat1 is necessary for TDP-43 proteostasis.

Transposable elements (TEs) comprise a large proportion of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Here, we employed CRISPR to delete a short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) in Malat1, a cancer-associated lncRNA, to investigate its significance in cellular physiology. We show that Malat1 with a SINE deletion forms diffuse nuclear speckles and is frequently translocated to the cytoplasm.

Individualized treatment of pediatric inguinal hernia reduces adolescent recurrence rate: an analysis of 3006 cases.

Purpose: We implemented the individualized treatment (IT) regimen for children with inguinal hernia and the Lichtenstein hernioplasty using an acellular tissue matrix patch (LHAP) for those with high risks. This retrospective study compares the complications of conventional laparoscopic high hernia sac ligation (LHSL) with those of the IT regimen for the management of pediatric inguinal hernia and investigates whether the recurrence rate of inguinal hernias in children treated by IT is lower than that of those treated by LHSL.

Methods: The subjects of this retrospective study were 3006 children who underwent LHSL or IT for inguinal hernia between February, 2008 and February, 2016 at the Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital (Beijing, China).

Multiple Compounds Recognition from The Tandem Mass Spectral Data Using Convolutional Neural Network.

Mixtures analysis can provide more information than individual components. It is important to detect the different compounds in the real complex samples. However, mixtures are often disturbed by impurities and noise to influence the accuracy.

Robust edge photocurrent response on layered type II Weyl semimetal WTe.

Photosensing and energy harvesting based on exotic properties of quantum materials and new operation principles have great potential to break the fundamental performance limit of conventional photodetectors and solar cells. Weyl semimetals have demonstrated novel optoelectronic properties that promise potential applications in photodetection and energy harvesting arising from their gapless linear dispersion and Berry field enhanced nonlinear optical effect at the vicinity of Weyl nodes. In this work, we demonstrate robust photocurrent generation at the edge of T-WTe, a type-II Weyl semimetal, due to crystalline-symmetry breaking along certain crystal fracture directions and possibly enhanced by robust fermi-arc type surface states.