Clinical significance of imaging findings for atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation in children.

Background/aim: This study evaluated the usefulness of measuring the atlantodental interval (ADI) and lateral atlantodental spaces (LADSs) by retrospectively analyzing the imaging data of children of various ages with and without atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AARS). Materials and methods: The data of 495 children who underwent cranial computed tomography were collected. Among these children, 255 children were clinically diagnosed with AARS while 240 children were not.

Characteristics of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers Released from Thermal Treatment and Open Burning of E-Waste.

Primitive processing of e-waste potentially releases abundant organic contaminants to the environment, but the magnitudes and mechanisms remain to be adequately addressed. We conducted thermal treatment and open burning of typical e-wastes, that is, plastics and printed circuit boards. Emission factors of the sum of 39 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (∑PBDE) were 817-1.

Vitamin A bio-modulates apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

Our previous studies demonstrated that vitamin A deficiency (VAD) can impair the postnatal cognitive function of rats by damaging the hippocampus. The present study examined the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on apoptosis induced by hypoxic-ischemic damage in vivo and in vitro, and investigated the possible signaling pathway involved in the neuroprotective anti-apoptotic effects of RA. Flow cytometry, immunofluorescence staining and behavioral tests were used to evaluate the neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic effects of RA.

Ketamine Modulates Zic5 Expression via the Notch Signaling Pathway in Neural Crest Induction.

Ketamine is a potent dissociative anesthetic and the most commonly used illicit drug. Many addicts are women at childbearing age. Although ketamine has been extensively studied as a clinical anesthetic, its effects on embryonic development are poorly understood.

Food allergy induces alteration in brain inflammatory status and cognitive impairments.

Accumulating evidence supports an increase in emotional and behavioral problems in patients with food allergy, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we found that in addition to inducing an increase of allergic factors in serum, food allergy also increased levels of antigen-specific immunoglobulins and mast cell marker in the brain. In particular, food allergy increased the number of total microglia and the percentage of active microglia in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal CA1 areas, and induced the increase of TNF-α in the cerebral cortex.

Vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies exacerbate symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders.

This study was designed to investigate the vitamin A (VA) and vitamin D (VD) levels in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to determine whether co-deficiency of VA and VD exacerbates clinical symptoms in autistic children. The Autism Behavior Checklist, Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) were used to assess the symptoms of 332 children diagnosed as ASD. And the Gesell Developmental Scale (GDS) was used to evaluate neurodevelopment in children with ASD.

Inhibition of mircoRNA-34a Enhances Survival of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells Under Oxidative Stress.

BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are broadly used for many diseases, but the efficacy of MSC engraftment is very low due to low viability and high cell death rate under a stressful microenvironment. The present study aimed to investigate whether microRNA-34a (miR-34a), which is a downstream target of P53, is involved in H2O2-induced MSC cell death. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human bone marrow MSCs (hMSCs) were purchased from Lonza and were cultured as previously described.

Peiminine serves as an adriamycin chemosensitizer in gastric cancer by modulating the EGFR/FAK pathway.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies of the digestive tract. Adriamycin (ADR) has been widely utilized in various chemotherapy regimens for treating GC, yet its long-term application may increase drug resistance resulting in treatment failure. Increasing evidence shows that bioactive natural products can be used as chemotherapeutic sensitizers that can significantly improve chemotherapy sensitivity.

Vitamin A Deficiency Induces Autistic-Like Behaviors in Rats by Regulating the RARβ-CD38-Oxytocin Axis in the Hypothalamus.

Scope: Vitamin A (VA) is an essential nutrient for the development of the brain. We previously found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a significant rate of VA deficiency (VAD). In the current study, we aim to determine whether VAD is a risk factor for the generation of autistic-like behaviors via the transcription factor retinoic acid receptor beta (RARβ)-regulated cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38)-oxytocin (OXT) axis.

Vitamin A improves the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders and decreases 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT): A pilot study.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complicated neurodevelopmental disorders. Many studies have demonstrated that children with autism have multiple nutritional deficiencies and increased serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels. In our previous study, 77.

Children's Inequity Aversion in Procedural Justice Context: A Comparison of Advantageous and Disadvantageous Inequity.

There are two forms of unfairness widely studied in resource allocation settings: disadvantageous inequity (DI) in which one receives less than the partner and advantageous inequity (AI) in which one receives more than the other. We investigated children's aversion to AI and DI in a procedural justice context. Children of 4-, 6-, and 8- years old were asked to spin a wheel (procedure) to decide how to allocate two different rewards with others.

miR-143 and miR-145 inhibit gastric cancer cell migration and metastasis by suppressing MYO6.

Metastasis is a major clinical obstacle responsible for the high mortality and poor prognosis of gastric cancer (GC). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical mediators of metastasis that act by modulating their target genes. In this study, we found that miR-143 and miR-145 act via a common target gene, MYO6, to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inhibit metastasis.

Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers are not a panacea for resolving the nitrogen problem.

Improving nitrogen (N) management for greater agricultural output while minimizing unintended environmental consequences is critical in the endeavor of feeding the growing population sustainably amid climate change. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) have been developed to better synchronize fertilizer N release with crop uptake, offering the potential for enhanced N use efficiency (NUE) and reduced losses. Can EEFs play a significant role in helping address the N management challenge? Here we present a comprehensive analysis of worldwide studies published in 1980-2016 evaluating four major types of EEFs (polymer-coated fertilizers PCF, nitrification inhibitors NI, urease inhibitors UI, and double inhibitors DI, i.

Effect of vitamin A supplementation on gut microbiota in children with autism spectrum disorders - a pilot study.

Background: Dysbiosis of gut microbiota are commonly reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and may contribute to behavioral impairment. Vitamin A (VA) plays a role in regulation of gut microbiota. This study was performed to investigate the role of VA in the changes of gut microbiota and changes of autism functions in children with ASD.

Comprehensive school-based intervention to control overweight and obesity in China: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background And Objectives: With prevalence of childhood obesity increasing rapidly, developing of effective and sustainable intervention strategies is becoming more and more important for the prevention of childhood obesity in China. A trial was developed to evaluate the effect of comprehensive school-based intervention on childhood obesity.

Methods And Study Design: A multi-center cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among urban children (n=9,867) aged 6-13 years in 38 primary schools from six large cities.

A novel chalcone derivative S17 induces apoptosis through ROS dependent DR5 up-regulation in gastric cancer cells.

A new series of etherification chalcone derivatives were designed and synthesized through Willimison etherification and Claisen-Schmidt condensation. Among them, compound 2-c which was given chemical name of S17, has been successfully screened out as the most potent one on gastric cancer cell line(MGC803) through the investigation for their effects against the growth of five cancer cell lines (EC109, HepG2, MCF7, MGC803, SKNSH). S17 exhibited strong anti-proliferative activity on other two gastric cancer cells (HGC27 and SGC7901), but less cytotoxicity to non-malignant gastric epithelial cells GES1.

Ethanol Alters APP Processing and Aggravates Alzheimer-Associated Phenotypes.

The majority of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are sporadic with unknown causes. Many dietary factors including excessive alcohol intake have been reported to increase the risk to develop AD. The effect of alcohol on cognitive functions and AD pathogenesis remains elusive.

Retinoic Acid Facilitates Toll-Like Receptor 4 Expression to Improve Intestinal Barrier Function through Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta.

Background/aims: Vitamin A (VA) protects the intestinal epithelial barrier by improving cell migration and proliferation. Our previous studies demonstrated that VA deficiency (VAD) during pregnancy suppresses the systemic and mucosal immune responses in the intestines of offspring and that VA supplementation (VAS) during early life can increase immune cell counts. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which VA regulates intestinal epithelial barrier function.

Interleukin-10 release from astrocytes suppresses neuronal apoptosis via the TLR2/NFκB pathway in a neonatal rat model of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

The biological function of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and the relationship between IL-10 secretion and the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) expression levels in the central nervous system following hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) are poorly understood. Here, we intend to elucidate the biological function and mechanism of IL-10 secretion following HIBD. In this study, we used a neonatal rat model of HIBD and found that rats injected with adeno-associated virus-IL-10-shRNA (short hairpin RNA) exhibited partially impaired learning and memory function compared to rats administered adeno-associated virus-control-shRNA.

The paracrine effect of cobalt chloride on BMSCs during cognitive function rescue in the HIBD rat.

Hypoxia-ischemia (HI)-induced perinatal encephalopathy frequently causes chronic neurological morbidities and acute mortality. Bone mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation could potentially promote functional and anatomical recovery of ischemic tissue. In vitro hypoxic preconditioning is an effective strategy to improve the survival of BMSCs in ischemic tissue.

The change in retinoic acid receptor signaling induced by prenatal marginal vitamin A deficiency and its effects on learning and memory.

This study investigated the prenatal marginal vitamin A deficiency (mVAD)-related impairment in learning and memory and the interactions between RARα, Src and NR1. Learning and memory were assessed in adult rats that were exposed to prenatal mVAD with Morris water maze. The average escape time was longer in mVAD rats, and they passed the hidden platform fewer times during the memory retention test than normal vitamin A intake (VAN) rats.

MiR-2392 suppresses metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by targeting and in gastric cancer.

MicroRNAs have emerged as essential regulators of various cellular processes. We identified the role and underlying mechanisms of miR-2392 in gastric cancer (GC) metastasis. MiR-2392 was down-regulated in GC cell lines and tissues, and overexpression of miR-2392 significantly inhibited GC invasion and metastasis and We identified and as novel targets of miR-2392, and knockdown of MAML3 and WHSC1 had the same antimetastatic effect as that of miR-2392 in GC cells.

Properties of electronically excited states of four squaraine dyes and their complexes with fullerene C: A theoretical investigation.

Solar cells sensitized by polypyridyl Ru(II) complexes exhibit relatively high efficiency, however those photo-sensitizers did not absorb the photons in the far-red and near-infrared region. At present, squaraine dyes have received considerable attention as their attractively intrinsic red light absorption and unusual high molar extinction coefficient. Here we applied density functional theory and time dependent density functional theory to investigate the properties of electronically excited states of four squaraine dyes and their complexes with fullerene C.

Nutritional Deficiency in Early Life Facilitates Aging-Associated Cognitive Decline.

Background: Nutrition is important for the fetal developmental programming. Nutritional deficiency in early life could increase the susceptibility to many aging-related disorders including cognitive decline.

Objective: Our study aims to investigate the effect of early famine exposure on aging-associated cognitive function.