Search

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) and its associated disorders (AD-HSCR) often result in severe hypoperistalsis caused by enteric neuropathy, mesenchymopathy, and myopathy. Notably, HSCR involving the small intestine, isolated hypoganglionosis, chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome carry a poor prognosis. Ultimately, small-bowel transplantation (SBTx) is necessary for refractory cases, but it is highly invasive and outcomes are less than optimal, despite advances in surgical techniques and management. Thus, regenerative therapy has come to light as a potential form of treatment involving regeneration of the enteric nervous system, mesenchyme, and smooth muscle in affected areas. We review the cutting-edge regenerative therapeutic approaches for managing HSCR and AD-HSCR, including the use of enteric nervous system progenitor cells, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells as cell sources, the recipient intestine's microenvironment, and transplantation methods. Perspectives on the future of these treatments are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was to establish a method for the simultaneous determination of six growth promoting antibacterial agents in premixes by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. An acetonitrile-0.25% formic acid aqueous solution (50: 50) was used as the solvent, and the samples were pretreated by ultrasonic extraction. A 0.05 mol/L ammonium formate aqueous solution (pH value adjusted to 3.8 with formic acid)-acetonitrile was used as the mobile phase, and the samples were separated by gradient elution and C18 column. The results showed that the detection limit of six antibacterial agents was 1~10 mg/g. In the range of 2~100 mg/g of the added concentration, the peak areas of the main components of the six growth promoting antibacterial agents detected by the method had a good linear relationship, and the correlation coefficient R2 was 0.999 4~1.000 0. The average recoveries of six antibacterial agents were 92.2%~104.6%. The study indicates that the proposed method is efficient, reliable and sensitive, which can be used for the detection of growth promoting antibacterial agents in premixes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Baricitinib, a JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor, is approved for treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China. This single-arm, prospective, multi-center, post-marketing safety study (PMSS) evaluated the safety and effectiveness of baricitinib in Chinese patients. Methods: This study included adult patients with moderate-to-severe active RA who received baricitinib over periods of approximately 12 and 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was safety, defined as week 12 adverse event (AE)/serious AE incidence. Secondary endpoints were week 24 safety and effectiveness (disease activity score with 28 joints/C-reactive protein [DAS28-CRP] and simplified/Clinical Disease Activity Index [SDAI/CDAI]). Results: Safety analyses included 667 patients (female, 82.3%; mean age, 53.3 years; mean RA duration, 86.9 months); 106/667 (15.9%) were 65–74 years old and 19/667 (2.8%) were ≥ 75 years old; 87.0% received baricitinib 2 mg QD. Total exposure was 262.1 patient-years (PY). At week 12, AEs had occurred in 214 (32.1%; exposure-adjusted incidence rate [EAIR], 172.5 per 100 PY) patients (serious AEs: 22 [3.3%; EAIR, 15.0]). At week 24, AEs had occurred in 250 (37.5%; EAIR, 125.9) patients (serious AEs: 28 [4.2%; EAIR, 10.9]). Two patients (0.3%) died (of pneumonia and unknown cause); EAIR for death, 0.77. Serious infection occurred in 1.2% of patients (EAIR, 3.1). Hepatotoxicity occurred in 3.4% of patients (EAIR, 9.0). No patients met potential Hy's law laboratory criteria (alanine/aspartate aminotransferases ≥ 3 × upper limit of normal (ULN) and total bilirubin ≥ 2 × ULN). Malignancy occurred in one patient. No patients experienced venous thromboembolism (VTE) or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). At week 24, 52.4%, 27.5%, and 27.6% of patients achieved remission per DAS28-CRP, SDAI, and CDAI, respectively. Conclusions: This PMSS investigated the safety and effectiveness of baricitinib in clinical practice in China. No VTE/MACE or new safety signals were reported and there was promising effectiveness, supporting the use of baricitinib in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe active RA. Trial Registration: EU PAS Register: EUPAS34213. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to synthesize the barriers and facilitators of oral nutritional supplement adherence in people with cancer and assess levels of adherence. Databases including Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database, were used to search articles before January 4, 2021. Eighteen studies with 1,267 participants met the inclusion criteria. All studies reported rates of adherence, ranging from 6.0% to 96.9%. Gastrointestinal intolerances and disliked tastes were considered common barriers to cancer patients' adherence, whereas the ONS management strategy was considered the most crucial facilitator of adherence. Health professionals can improve adherence through regular monitoring and guidance and incentive strategies, and paying attention to the management and prevention of adverse reactions when prescribing nutritional products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes: The purposes of this discrete choice experiment are as follows: (1) to investigate the preferences of gastric cancer survivors for follow-up care, and (2) to quantify the importance of follow-up care–related characteristics that may affect the gastric cancer survivors' choices of their follow-up, so as to provide references for the development of the follow-up strategy of gastric cancer survivors. Methods: Discrete choice experimental design principle was applied to develop the survey instrument. All questionnaires were filled out by the respondents and collected on site. A mixed logit model was used to estimate gastric cancer survivors' preferences. Willingness to pay estimates and simulations of follow-up uptake rates were calculated. Results: All six attributes are significantly important for the follow-up care of gastric cancer survivors (p < 0.05). Achieving very thorough follow-up contents was the most valued attribute level (coefficient = 1.995). Specialist doctors are the most preferred providers followed by specialist nurses, and gastric cancer survivors were willing to pay more for these attribute levels. Changes in attribute levels affected uptake rate of follow-up. When the multiple attribute levels were changed at the same time, a very thorough follow-up content was provided by the same specialist doctor (specialist nurse), and the probability of receiving follow-up increases by 95.82% (94.90%). Conclusions: The characteristics of follow-up care in our study reflect the health management services' expectations of gastric cancer survivors. A dedicated specialist nurse involved in follow-up care should be developed to contribute to solve the complex and multifaceted personal needs of gastric cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is very necessary to implement gastric cancer screening in China to reduce the mortality of gastric cancer, but there are no national screening guidelines and programs. Understanding of individual preferences is conducive to formulating more acceptable screening strategies, and discrete choice experiments can quantify individual preferences. In addition, the first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients are at high risk for gastric cancer. Compared with those without a family history of gastric cancer, the risk of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients is increased by 60%. Therefore, a discrete choice experiment was carried out to quantitatively analyse the preferences of first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients for gastric cancer screening to serve as a reference for the development of gastric cancer screening strategies.Methods: A questionnaire was designed based on a discrete choice experiment, and 342 first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients were investigated. In STATA 15.0 software, the data were statistically analysed using a mixed logit model.Results: The five attributes included in our study had a significant influence on the preferences of first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients for gastric cancer screening (P < 0.05). Participants most preferred the sensitivity of the screening program to be 95% (coefficient = 1.424, P < 0.01) with a willingness to pay 2501.902 Yuan (95% CI, 738.074-4265.729). In addition, the participants' sex and screening experiences affected their preferences. An increase in sensitivity 35 to 95% had the greatest impact on the participants' willingness to choose a gastric cancer screening program.Conclusion: The formulation of gastric cancer screening strategies should be rooted in people's preferences. The influence of sex differences and screening experiences on the preferences of people undergoing screening should be considered, and screening strategies should be formulated according to local conditions to help them play a greater role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To evaluate the compliance of patients after gastrectomy in taking oral nutritional supplementation and to explore the promoting and hindering factors. Design: A mixed‐methods design with an explanatory sequential approach was employed. Methods: We conducted a 12‐week longitudinal study to evaluate the oral nutritional supplementation compliance of 122 patients after gastric cancer surgery and the factors that affected their compliance. After the quantitative phase, we selected the interview subjects and developed the interview outline based on the analysis of the quantitative results. In‐depth interviews (n = 15) were conducted to explain and supplement the quantitative phase results. Data were collected from October 2019 to May 2020. Results: The average overall compliance rate of oral nutritional supplementation in patients with gastric cancer over 12 weeks was 30.59%. Adverse reactions to oral nutritional supplementation, the identity of the main caregivers and the patient's financial ability were independent factors that affected patient compliance. In subsequent interviews, we extracted four themes: social support plays an important role in patients taking oral nutritional supplementation, adverse reactions discourage patients from continuing to take oral nutritional supplementation, patients' attitudes affect their motivation to take oral nutritional supplementation, and the different needs of patients for oral nutritional supplementation affect patient compliance. Conclusion: Patients' compliance with oral nutritional supplementation after gastric cancer surgery is very low. Health education should pay more attention to the management of adverse reactions and the role of patients' peers and family members. Oral nutritional supplementation products should be diversified to provide patients with more choices. Impact: This study clarifies the factors that hinder and promote oral nutritional supplementation compliance and provides an important reference for the establishment and revision of health education strategies for patients after gastric cancer surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research group has established a technology for producing a three-dimensional cell constructed using only the cell itself. This technology uses a property in which the spheroids fuse with each other. We developed a system that automates the spheroid production process to obtain reproducible spheroids and suppress variation factors that occur from human operation. However, it has become clear that the dispersion occurs in the diameter depending on the number of cells of the spheroid even if the cells are handled in the same manner. The purpose of this research is to examine an appropriate pipetting motion in accordance with the number of cells of the spheroid to be produced. Rabbit mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) are used as the objects. The number of cells was set to 2×104, 3×104, and 4×104 cells/well, and the passage number as 7. The appearance of spheroids cultured using the motion programmed in accordance with each number of cells was observed every 24 hours for 5 days after seeding. The results of the analysis indicate that the optimum motion in each number of cells has been successfully specified, and reproducible spheroids have been successfully produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has become the standard treatment for many diseases, but it is an intense and distinctive experience for patients. HSCT-related mortality is present throughout the whole process of transplantation, from pretransplantation to recovery. Long-term rehabilitation and the uncertain risk of death evoke feelings of vulnerability, helplessness, and intense fear. Zimmermann et al. proposed that spiritual well-being is an important dimension of quality of life and that patients at the end stage of life require spiritual support in addition to physical care, psychological care, and social support. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the role of spirituality in the process of HSCT. Method: A systematic mixed studies review (SMSR) was based on Pluye and Hong's framework to understand the role of spirituality in patients' experiences while undergoing HSCT. We use the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement to report the results of integration. Results: Fifteen original qualitative studies, 19 quantitative studies, and one mixed method study were included in the systematic mixed studies review. The evidence from the review revealed the following three themes: the spiritual experiences of HSCT patients, the spiritual coping styles of HSCT patients, and the spiritual need changes brought about by HSCT. Discussion: Few medical institutions currently offer spiritual healing, although HSCT patients with different cultural backgrounds may have different spiritual experiences and spiritual coping styles. Psychotherapists or nurses should be considered to provide spiritual care for patients undergoing HSCT, to help patients cope with disease pressures, promote HSCT patients' comfort, and improve their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative malnutrition is a major issue among gastrointestinal cancer patients. Because n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have immunological benefits, n-3 PUFAs are widely used in oral nutritional supplements (ONS). However, n-3 PUFAs in ONS reduced patients' compliance with ONS and affected the role of ONS in maintaining the postoperative nutritional status of patients. The aim of this study was to systematically explore the benefits of enteral nutrition rich in n-3 PUFAs in maintaining the nutritional status of patients after gastrointestinal surgery. Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP databases were searched through March 16, 2019. The references of related reviews and studies were assessed up to March 16, 2019. The effect sizes from individual studies were calculated as the standardized mean difference (SMD), mean difference (MD), and risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). A total of 11 studies (n = 977) were included. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we observed that enteral supplementation of n-3 PUFAs had no significant effect on weight (MD, 1.09; 95% CI, -0.90, 3.08), body mass index (MD, 0.55; 95% CI, -1.45, 2.54), albumin (SMD, 0.39; 95% CI, -0.10, 0.87), wound infections (RR, 0.87, 95% CI, 0.57, 1.33), or pneumonia (RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.60, 1.59) in gastrointestinal cancer patients. Thus, compared with enteral nutritional without n-3 PUFAs, enteral nutritional rich in n-3 PUFAs has no significant effects on nutritional status, incidence of pneumonia, or wound infections among gastrointestinal cancer patients during postoperative convalescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs), being a type of mesenchymal stem cell, are an ideal cell source for regenerative medicine. They have minimal risk of oncogenesis, high proliferative capacity, high multipotency, and immunosuppressive ability. Stem cell transplantation using SHED has been found to have an anti-fibrotic effect on liver fibrosis in mice. SHED transplantation and the bio 3D printer, which can create scaffold-free 3-D images of the liver and diaphragm, provide a new innovative treatment modality for intractable pediatric surgical diseases such as biliary atresia and diaphragmatic hernia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of the first all-metal aromatic sandwich by Pan et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137, 10954) was an important breakthrough in chemistry and is indicative of the possible existence of other similar complexes. In this study, an all-metal aromatic sandwich species with D3h symmetry, [Bi3Au3Bi3]3−, was designed and investigated via density functional theory. Analysis of the bonding nature indicated that the Bi–Bi bond is a nonpolar σ covalent bond, which is mainly attributed to the p orbitals of Bi atoms; the Bi–Au bond is a polar σ covalent bond, which mainly consists of 6s AOs of Au and 6pz AOs of Bi; and the Au–Au bond has a typical aurophilic interaction dominated by 5sAu→6pAu character. Furthermore, charge decomposition analysis indicated an intermolecular electron transfer between cyclo-Bi3 and cyclo-Au3 that explained the weak Jahn–Teller effect in cyclo-Bi3. In addition, the large Egap and small ΔEavgR indicated the stability and potential application of the species as a semiconductor material. Nucleus-independent chemical shift values and molecular orbital analysis indicated that cyclo-Bi3 constitutes uncommon multiple aromaticity (both σ and π aromaticities), and cyclo-Au3 has conflicting aromaticity (σ and δ aromaticity and weak π antiaromaticity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: It has been widely acknowledged that early treadmill training plays an important role in rewiring neurons in a functionally meaningful manner in spinal cord injury (SCI) treatment. However, it is still unclear how early to start treadmill training to obtain the most efficacious results after SCI. The purpose of this study was to find the earliest time point when treadmill training was most effective in rewiring neurons. Methods: The rats were randomly divided into five groups: a sham group, control group, and three treadmill groups based on training start time post-injury: a 24 h group, 48 h group, and 72 h group. Results: The results revealed that in the 72 h group, Basso, Beattie, and Bresnaham scores increased and apoptotic cells decreased significantly compared to the other groups. There were no statistically differences in neuron counting and 5-bromo-2V-deoxyuridine assays between the groups. Conclusion: These results indicated that the best start time for treadmill training is 72 h after SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial evidence has demonstrated that platelet-derived growth factor-D (PDGF-D) is tightly associated with the development and progression of tumors. However, its biological functions in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain to be delineated. In this study, we found that expressions of PDGF-D mRNA and protein in ESCC tissues and cells were significantly higher than that in normal esophageal epithelial tissues ( P < 0.05), further investigation showed that PDGF-D protein level in EC1 cells was obviously higher than those in EC9706 and Eca109 cells ( P < 0.05). Elevated PDGF-D level was closely associated with TNM staging, tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis ( P < 0.05), but not related to the patients' age and gender ( P > 0.05). In addition, down-regulation of PDGF-D expression markedly inhibited proliferation, reduced invasion and induced apoptosis in EC1 cells. More importantly, reduced PDGF-D level evoked the down-regulation of p65 and p-IκBα proteins and elevation of IκBα protein of NF-κB pathway, accompanied with the decreases of bcl-2 and MMP-9 protein expressions and increases of bax protein level and caspase-3 activities. Correctively, our data suggest that PDGF-D plays pivotal roles in the development and progression of ESCC, and combinations with PDGF-D and NF-κB pathway may be effective and feasible molecular targets for therapy of ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bridging strategies are essential for spinal cord repair in order to provide a physical substrate allowing axons to grow across the site of spinal cord lesions. In this study, we have evaluated the therapeutic effects of adding amniotic epithelial cells to a unidirectionally oriented acellular muscle scaffold and have compared this with the effect of a scaffold alone. Chemically extracted acellular muscles, with or without amniotic epithelial cells, were implanted into the lateral hemisected adult rat thoracic spinal cord. Control rats were similarly injured. After 4 weeks, the acellular muscle scaffolds were found to be well integrated with the host tissue. The chemically extracted acellular muscle scaffold seeded with amniotic epithelial cells promoted axonal growth in a distinctly organized and linear fashion, induced sprouting of calcitonin gene-related peptide positive axons, and was not associated with an astrocyte response. Compared with acellular muscle scaffolds alone, the addition of amniotic epithelial cells further promoted the remyelination of nerve fibers, sprouting of 5-hydroxytryptamine nerve fibers, relays of cortical motor-evoked potential and cortical somatosensory-evoked potential, and functional recovery. All these data together suggest that co-implantation of chemically extracted acellular muscle with amniotic epithelial cells may constitute a valuable approach to study and/or develop therapies for spinal cord injury. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 101A:145-156, 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few Chinese high yielding white-grained wheat cultivars possess sufficient dormancy to avoid pre-harvest sprouting (PHS). Because the field evaluation of PHS is difficult, the identification of informative molecular markers is a priority for improving the level of dormancy. In this report, the effectiveness of phenotypic and genotypic selection was compared. Four microsatellite loci Xbarc57, Xbarc294, Xbarc310 and Xbarc321, mapped on the short arm of chromosome 3A, were used for selection in white-grained wheat F lines which were also selected on the basis of their grain filling rate (GFR). One of these (later designated cv. Zhongmai911) was further selected on the basis of its allelic constitution at the four SSR loci. This cultivar combines a high level of PHS resistance with high grain yield. The results suggested that rapid GFR and PHS resistance can be bred simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular matrix is the gold standard for tissue regeneration. In this study, we directly made the extracellular matrix of the tissue or organ into scaffold for spinal cord injuries, a strategy that is seldomly tried in spinal cord engineering. The aim of this study was to determine if the chemically extracted acellular muscle could be a potential scaffold for spinal cord injury. The chemically extracted acellular muscle was implanted in the lateral hemisected adult rat thoracic spinal cord. Control rats were similarly injured. After 1 and 4 weeks, scaffold integration and biocompatibility, axon sprouting, and myelination were evaluated. The chemically extracted acellular muscle scaffolds were found to be well integrated with the host tissue. Sprouting axons grew into the full length of the scaffold in a strikingly parallel and linear fashion. A few remyelinated axons were also detected in the scaffolds. The tracing results in another six rats showed that labeled fibers entered the chemically treated muscle grafts. Furthermore, there were no apparent quantitative differences in the ED-1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells between groups. Neuron counting showed more surviving neurons in the acellular muscle treated group than those of the injured only group. Vascularization of the grafts was also confirmed. These findings clearly demonstrated that chemically extracted acellular muscle grafts provided useful biomatrices to enhance axon sprouting in the injured spinal cord. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium dioxide complexes of sulfanilamide, sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfadimidine have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar electrical conductivities, infrared and electronic spectra, 1 H NMR, and thermogravimetric analyses. Two types of complexes, 1&ratio;1 and 1&ratio;2 (mental&ratio;ligand) were shown to have formed. Sulfadrugs behave as monodentate ligands, binding the metal ion through the anilino nitrogen. In vitro susceptibility tests of these complexes against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were performed. The results showed that the antibacterial activity of the complexes of sulfanilamide, sulfadiazine, and sulfathrazole were stronger than that of the corresponding sulfadrugs, while the complexes of sulfamethoxazole and sulfadimidine were less active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, remote sensing imagery, especially with its high spatial resolution, has become an indispensable tool to provide timely up-gradation of urban land use and land cover information, which is a prerequisite for proper urban planning and management. The possible method described in the present paper to obtain urban land use types is based on the principle that land use can be derived from the land cover existing in a neighborhood. Here, moving window is used to represent the spatial pattern of land cover within a neighborhood and seven window sizes (61m×61m, 68m×68m, 75m×75m, 87m×87m, 99m×99m, 110m×110m and 121m×121m) are applied to determining the most proper window size. Then, the unsupervised method of ISODATA is employed to classify the layered land cover density maps obtained by the moving window. The results of accuracy evaluation show that the window size of 99m×99m is proper to infer urban land use categories and the proposed method has produced a land use map with a total accuracy of 85%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are induced in response to various kinds of environmental and physiological stresses. However, it is unclear whether Hsps play roles in protecting cells in the digestive organs against xenobiotic chemicals. Here, we found that feeding induces expression of a set of Hsps specifically in the mouse liver and intestine by activating heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1). In the liver, HSF1 is required to suppress toxic effects of electrophiles, which are xenobiotic chemicals causing oxidative stress. We found that overexpression of Hsp27, which elevates cellular glutathione level, promotes survival of culture cells exposed to electrophiles. These results suggest a novel mechanism of cell protection against xenobiotic chemicals in the food. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study evaluates the prevalence, diversity, and genetic profiles of Candida albicans isolates recovered from the oral cavities of haemodialysis patients. Oral swab samples were obtained from haemodialysis patients (n = 126) and healthy control subjects (n = 233) and Candida species were characterised. There was no significant difference between the haemodialysis and control groups in the prevalence of yeast carriers (23.6% vs. 31.0%, respectively) or C. albicans carriers (19.8% vs. 21.0%, respectively). C. albicans was the most populous species in both cohorts, followed by C. parapsilosis. C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata were more prevalent in the haemodialysis group than in the control group (C. parapsilosis 5.6% vs. 0.9% and C. glabrata 3.2% vs. 0.4%, respectively; P < 0.05). C. albicans isolates were analysed by multilocus sequence typing and the results were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. Most haemodialysis isolates were placed into Clade 4 (20.0%) and Clade 19 (16.0%) and most control isolates into Clade 8 (17%) and Clade 4 (14.9%). Differences in the strain abundance in each clade were not statistically significant between the two groups. Moreover, there was no significant association between the health status or diagnosis and either the sequence types or clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]