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There are more choices of overseas internship program with the increasing international communication. As an international language, English plays an important role in overseas internship program. The influence of short-term overseas internship is worthy of deep study. This study was designed to explore the possible influence of short-term Disney College Internship on interns' self-efficacy and intercultural communication apprehension. Questionnaires and follow-up interview were used to collect data. The results show that the internship experience has enhanced interns' intercultural self-efficacy and lowered their intercultural communication apprehension.

Extensive reading has been continuously studied as a promising instructional method for improving students' language proficiency, including reading proficiency, vocabulary acquisition, and grammar awareness. The present study is a meta-analysis, which synthesized the data of 21 empirical studies (N = 1268). It was designed to explore whether extensive reading instruction was effective in improving students' vocabulary acquisition, and if so, how the effectiveness varied in terms of the instruction length and teaching methods. Stata 14.0 was utilized to calculate the collected data. The results revealed that: (1) extensive reading has a significant effect on English vocabulary learning; (2) one semester (less than three months) is the most appropriate length of extensive reading instruction for vocabulary learning; (3) Graded Readers, comprehension questions and vocabulary exercise play significant roles as reading materials and education methods in promoting the vocabulary learning of EFL learners.

The International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) lupus nephritis (LN) classification is under reconsideration, given challenges with inter-rater reliability and resultant inconsistent relationship with treatment response. Integration of molecular classifiers into histologic evaluation can improve diagnostic precision and identify therapeutic targets. This study described the relationship between histological and molecular phenotypes and clinical responses in LN. Renal compartmental mRNA abundance was measured in 54 biopsy specimens from LN patients and correlated to ISN/RPS classification and individual histologic lesions. A subset of transcripts was also evaluated in sequential biopsies of a separate longitudinal cohort of 36 patients with paired samples obtained at the time of flare and at follow up. Unsupervised clustering based on mRNA abundance did not demonstrate a relationship with the (ISN/RPS) classification, nor did univariate statistical analysis. Exploratory analyses suggested a correlation with individual histologic lesions. Glomerular FN1 (fibronectin), SPP1 (secreted phosphoprotein 1), and LGALS3 (galectin 3) abundance correlated with disease activity and changed following treatment. Exploratory analyses suggested relationships between specific transcripts and individual histologic lesions, with the important representation of interferon-regulated genes. Our findings suggested that the current LN classification could be refined by the inclusion of molecular descriptors. Combining molecular and pathologic kidney biopsy phenotypes may hold promise to better classify disease and identify actionable treatment targets and merits further exploration in larger cohorts.

Scar tissue formation following skin wound healing is a challenging public health problem. Skin regeneration and preventing the formation of scar tissue by currently available commercial products are largely ineffective. This study aimed to test the efficacy of a novel topical metformin lotion (ML) in inhibiting scar tissue formation during skin wound healing in rats and to determine the mechanisms of action involved. A 6% ML was prepared in our laboratory. A skin wound healing model in rats was used. The wounded rats were divided into two groups and treated daily for 10 days as follows: Group 1 received a daily application of 50 mg of control lotion, or 0% ML (totaling 100 mg of lotion per rat), and Group 2 received a daily application of 50 mg of 6% ML (totaling 100 mg of 6% ML per rat). Blood samples from the heart of each rat were analyzed for inflammatory markers, HMGB1 and IL-1β, using ELISA, and immunological and histological analyses were performed on skin tissue sections. ML decreased levels of inflammatory markers HMGB1 and IL-1β in the serum of rats and inhibited the release of HMGB1 from cell nuclei into the skin tissue matrix. Additionally, ML demonstrated anti-fibrotic properties by enhancing AMPK activity, decreasing the expression of TGF-β1, reducing the number of myofibroblasts, decreasing the production of collagen III, and increasing the expression of collagen I. ML promotes the regeneration of high-quality skin during wound healing by reducing scar tissue formation. This effect is mediated through the activation of AMPK, inhibition of TGF-β1, and a decrease in the number of myofibroblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most lethal malignant cancers with high incidence and mortality. Current reliable effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are very limited in clinic. Emerging evidence indicates that dysregulated expression of the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) was examined in various types of cancer including ESCC. ESCC associated lncRNA _1 (ESCCAL_1) was first time identified to be increased expression in ESCC, and therefore named by our research team. However, its potential function in the progression of ESCC remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of ESCCAL_1 knockdown on ESCC tumorigenicity using a xenograft mouse model and explored the underlying molecular mechanism. Here we showed that ESCCAL_1 knockdown significantly inhibited EC9706 cell growth in nude mice. Interestingly, we also found that reduced expression of ESCCAL_1 resulted in distinct alterations of relative phosphorylation level of kinases (p-p38α, p-JNK, p-FAK and p-Src), and significant changes of the expression level of apoptosis-related proteins (p53, BAX, Bcl-2 and Caspase-3). In summary, our results suggest that lncRNA ESCCAL_1 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic target of ESCC.

Introduction The aim of the study was to explore the clinical efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis and bridging artery thrombectomy for hyperacute ischemic stroke with unknown onset time. Material and methods One hundred and twenty-eight patients with hyperacute cerebral infarction and without a clear time of onset were randomly divided into intravenous thrombolysis (n = 66) and bridging artery thrombectomy groups (n = 62). Results In the intravenous thrombolysis group, 37 patients’ vessels had recanalization, 32 patients’ 24-hour National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score improved, and 42 patients’ 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score was good. In the bridging artery thrombectomy group, 62 patients’ vessels had recanalization, 28 patients’ 24-hour NIHSS score improved, and 38 patients’ 90-day mRS score was good. Conclusions The benefits and adverse events between intravenous thrombolysis and bridging artery thrombectomy for ischemic stroke with unknown time of onset are similar.

In view of problems of video super-resolution reconstruction method based on non-local mean (NLM) that reconstructed image was too smooth, convergence speed was slow and calculation amount was large, an improved super-resolution reconstruction algorithm of non-local mean video was proposed. The method uses fuzzy edge complement algorithm to divide preprocessed video image into flat region and texture region; for flat region, image enhancement processing is performed by histogram equalization to reduce the amount of algorithm calculation; for texture region, it is processed by the improved NLM reconstruction algorithm, and similarity weights is corrected by designing a multi-directional adaptive search window and introducing neighborhood coherence coefficients, so as to enhance texture details of the reconstructed image and speed up the convergence of the algorithm; Superimposed normalization of the reconstructed texture region and the enhanced flat region is performed to complete super-resolution reconstruction of the entire video image. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce overall complexity of the algorithm and shorten reconstruction time while improving the texture details and peak signal-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed image.

Tendon injuries, while prevalent, present significant challenges regarding their structural and functional restoration. Utilizing alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-Ai9-scleraxis (Scx)-green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice, which exhibit both Scx (a tendon cell marker) and α-SMA (a myofibroblast marker), we explored the effects of metformin (Met) on tendon healing, repair, and its mechanisms of action. Our findings revealed that intraperitoneal (IP) injections of Met, administered before or after injury, as well as both, effectively prevented the release of HMGB1 into the tendon matrix and reduced circulating levels of HMGB1. Additionally, Met treatment increased and activated AMPK and suppressed TGF-β1 levels within the healing tendon. Tendon healing was also improved by blocking the migration of α-SMA+ myofibroblasts, reducing the prevalence of disorganized collagen fibers and collagen type III. It also enhanced the presence of collagen type I. These outcomes highlight Met's anti-fibrotic properties in acutely injured tendons and suggest its potential for repurposing as a therapeutic agent to minimize scar tissue formation in tendon injuries, which could have profound implications in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]