Comparison of conventional ultrasonography and elastography ultrasound in detecting malignant cervical lymph nodes.

Background And Objective: In the contemporary landscape, conventional ultrasonography (US) stands as the primary modality for diagnosing cervical lymphadenopathy. While ultrasound elastography introduces an avenue for discerning the tissue hardness of lymph nodes (LNs) and contributes additional evidence for a conclusive diagnosis, skepticism persists among clinicians regarding its routine diagnostic utility, primarily attributed to the restricted case inclusion prevalent in most published reports. This study aimed to compare the performance of strain elastography (SE) and Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging Quantification (VTIQ) with that of conventional US for the measurement of cervical LNs.

Urine Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio as an Indicator of Brain Activity Changes in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Resting-State fMRI Study.

Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for alterations in brain function. However, detecting early-stage symptoms and structural changes remains challenging, potentially leading to delayed treatment. In our study, we aimed to investigate spontaneous brain activity changes in CKD patients using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Mapping individual cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits integrating structural and functional connectome: implications for upper limb motor impairment poststroke.

This study investigated alterations in functional connectivity (FC) within cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (CBTC) circuits and identified critical connections influencing poststroke motor recovery, offering insights into optimizing brain modulation strategies to address the limitations of traditional single-target stimulation. We delineated individual-specific parallel loops of CBTC through probabilistic tracking and voxel connectivity profiles-based segmentation and calculated FC values in poststroke patients and healthy controls, comparing with conventional atlas-based FC calculation. Support vector machine (SVM) analysis distinguished poststroke patients from controls.

Altered Resting-State Electroencephalogram Microstate Characteristics in Stroke Patients.

Background: Stroke remains a leading cause of disability globally and movement impairment is the most common complication in stroke patients. Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) microstate analysis is a non-invasive approach of whole-brain imaging based on the spatiotemporal pattern of the entire cerebral cortex. The present study aims to investigate microstate alterations in stroke patients.

Peripheral nerve transfers for dysfunctions in central nervous system injuries: a systematic review.

Background: The review highlights recent advancements and innovative uses of nerve transfer surgery in treating dysfunctions caused by central nervous system (CNS) injuries, with a particular focus on spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted regarding nerve transfer for restoring sensorimotor functions and bladder control following injuries of spinal cord and brain, across PubMed and Web of Science from January 1920 to May 2023. Two independent reviewers undertook article selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment with several appraisal tools, including the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist, and SYRCLE's ROB tool.

Sports promote brain evolution: a resting-state fMRI study of volleyball athlete.

Background: Long-term skill learning can lead to structure and function changes in the brain. Different sports can trigger neuroplasticity in distinct brain regions. Volleyball, as one of the most popular team sports, heavily relies on individual abilities such as perception and prediction for high-level athletes to excel.

Research on the multidimensional brain remodeling mechanisms at the level of brain regions, circuits, and networks in patients with chronic lower back pain caused by lumbar disk herniation.

Introduction: Chronic lower back pain (cLBP), frequently attributed to lumbar disk herniation (LDH), imposes substantial limitations on daily activities. Despite its prevalence, the neural mechanisms underlying lower back pain remain incompletely elucidated. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) emerges as a non-invasive modality extensively employed for investigating neuroplastic changes in neuroscience.

Circuit-based neuromodulation enhances delayed recall in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of circuits-based paired associative stimulation (PAS) in adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Methods: We conducted a parallel-group, randomised, controlled clinical trial. Initially, a cohort of healthy subjects was recruited to establish the cortical-hippocampal circuits by tracking white matter fibre connections using diffusion tensor imaging.

Identifying TYMP as an Immune Prognostic Marker in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background: In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), only some patients can benefit from immunotherapy therapy, and it is urgent to find immune-related molecular markers and targets.

Methods: Thymidine phosphorylase (TYMP) expression level and predictive value in pan-cancers were analyzed using TIMER, GEPIA2, and The Human Protein Atlas. We obtained ccRCC tissues to verify the differential expression of TYMP and confirmed the biological function in vitro.

Highly efficient sulfur-doped NiFe electrocatalysts for overall water splitting: Rapid synthesis, mechanism and driven by sustainable energy.

Designing efficient electrocatalysts and insight into their electrocatalytic mechanisms are significantly important for storing and converting the intermittent sustainable energy sources into clean hydrogen. In this study, we synthesize the bifunctional sulfur-doped NiFe (NiFeS) electrocatalysts by a simple electrodeposition method only taking 30 s. After optimizing the components, it was found that the synthesized NiFeS electrocatalysts exhibit the excellent hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction performances in 1.

Focal ischemic stroke modifies microglia-derived exosomal miRNAs: potential role of mir-212-5p in neuronal protection and functional recovery.

Background: Ischemic stroke is a severe type of stroke with high disability and mortality rates. In recent years, microglial exosome-derived miRNAs have been shown to be promising candidates for the treatment of ischemic brain injury and exert neuroprotective effects. Mechanisms underlying miRNA dysregulation in ischemic stroke are still being explored.

Tuina therapy promotes behavioral improvement and brain plasticity in rats with peripheral nerve injury and repair.

Introduction: Tuina is currently one of the popular complementary and alternative methods of rehabilitation therapy. Tuina can improve patients' pain and mobility function. However, the underlying physiological mechanism remains largely unknown, which might limit its further popularization in clinical practice.

Modulation of Brain Network Topological Properties in Knee Osteoarthritis by Electroacupuncture in Rats.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis is a chronic, ongoing disease that affects patients, and pain is considered a key factor affecting patients, but the brain changes during the development of osteoarthritis pain are currently unclear. In this study, we used electroacupuncture (EA) to intervene the rat model of knee osteoarthritis and analyzed the changes in topological properties of brain networks using graph theory.

Methods: Sixteen SD rat models of right-knee osteoarthritis with anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) were randomly divided into electroacupuncture intervention group and control group.

Effects of cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation based on multisensory integration to brain network connectivity in stroke patients: study protocol for a randomized doubled blind clinical trial.

Introduction: Brain has a spontaneous recovery after stroke, reflecting the plasticity of the brain. Currently, TMS is used for studies of single-target brain region modulation, which lacks consideration of brain networks and functional connectivity. Cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) promotes recovery of motor function.

Cross-modality comparison between structural and metabolic networks in individual brain based on the Jensen-Shannon divergence method: a healthy Chinese population study.

The study aimed to investigate the consistency and diversity between metabolic and structural brain networks at individual level constructed with divergence-based method in healthy Chinese population. The F-FDG PET and T1-weighted images of brain were collected from 209 healthy participants. The Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD) was used to calculate metabolic or structural connectivities between any pair of brain regions and then individual brain networks were constructed.

[Effects of brackish water irrigation on grain quality characteristics and yield of winter wheat].

Brackish water resource is widely distributed in the North China Plain, which has not been effectively utilized. Using brackish water for irrigation can alleviate water resource conflict in the well-irrigated area and solve the problem of groundwater over-exploitation of the North China Plain. A long-term experiment (since 2006) was conducted to investigate the effects of brackish water irrigation on the quality and yield of winter wheat in the North China Plain.

[Effects of saline-water furrow irrigation on the stability of soil water-stable aggregates in cotton field].

It is of great importance to explore the effects of saline-water furrow irrigation on soil water-stable aggregates for safe and efficient utilization of saline water resources. We conducted a long-term cotton experiment with six levels of saline-water furrow irrigation (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 g·L) since 2006 and analyzed the variations of soil salinity and water-stable aggregates in the 10th and 15th years under saline irrigation. The results showed that soil salinity in the 0-30 cm layer at the ditch increased with increasing salinity level of irrigation water.

Identification of thrombin as a key regulator of chondrocyte catabolic activity through RNA-Seq and experimental verification.

The present study was designed to explore the relationship between thrombin and catabolic activity in chondrocytes. Primary rat chondrocytes were cultured for 24 h with rat serum (RS), rat plasma (RP), or rat plasma supplemented with thrombin (RPT). RNA-sequencing was then performed.

A comparative analysis of the osteogenic capacity of osteoblasts from newborn and two-week-old rats.

Aim: To compare the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts between newborn rats (1d group) and two-week-old rats (14d group) and to clarify the mechanism underlying these effects.

Method: The endogenous expression of osteogenic marker genes was detected by qPCR, including ALP, OCN, Col1a1, and Runx2. The osteoblasts proliferation was evaluated by EdU assay and Western Blotting [PCNA and Cyclin D1].

Similarities and differences between rat and mouse chondrocyte gene expression induced by IL-1β.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent degenerative joint disease. In vitro experiments are an intuitive method used to investigate its early pathogenesis. Chondrocyte inflammation models in rats and mice are often used as in vitro models of OA.

MEK1/2 Inhibitor (GDC0623) Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of Primary Osteoblasts Inhibited by IL-1 through the MEK-Erk1/2 and Jak/Stat3 Pathways.

Objective: We evaluated the effects and mechanisms of GDC0623 on osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts induced by IL-1. . Osteoblasts were treated with 20 ng/ml IL-1 and 0.

[Examining effects of salt stress on leaf photosynthesis of cotton based on the FvCB model].

To understand the responsive mechanism of leaf photosynthesis of cotton to salinity stress, we investigated the effects of salt stress on leaf photosynthetic characteristics of cotton seedlings with the FvCB model under five levels of salt concentration, i.e., 0 (CK), 50, 100, 150 and 200 mmol·L.

Role of Nrf2 signaling pathway in the radiation tolerance of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: an in vivo and in vitro study.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway and the radiation tolerance of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). From January 2015 to January 2016, 117 patients with HNSCC were enrolled in our study and assigned into the sensitive and tolerance groups based on curative effect. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to measure protein expressions of Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO1), NADPH quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and glutathione -transferase (GST).