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Objectives:: The aim of this study was to compare the expression levels of serum miRNAs in diabetic retinopathy and type 2 diabetes mellitus., Methods:: Serum miRNA expression profiles from diabetic retinopathy cases (type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with diabetic retinopathy) and type 2 diabetes mellitus controls (type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without diabetic retinopathy) were examined by miRNA-specific microarray analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the significantly differentially expressed serum miRNAs from the microarray analysis of 45 diabetic retinopathy cases and 45 age-, sex-, body mass index- and duration-of-diabetes-matched type 2 diabetes mellitus controls. The relative changes in serum miRNA expression levels were analyzed using the 2-ΔΔCt method., Results:: A total of 5 diabetic retinopathy cases and 5 type 2 diabetes mellitus controls were included in the miRNA-specific microarray analysis. The serum levels of miR-3939 and miR-1910-3p differed significantly between the two groups in the screening stage; however, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction did not reveal significant differences in miRNA expression for 45 diabetic retinopathy cases and their matched type 2 diabetes mellitus controls., Conclusion:: Our findings indicate that miR-3939 and miR-1910-3p may not play important roles in the development of diabetic retinopathy; however, studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm our findings.

Background: Patients with peritoneal dialysis are in the persistent inflammation state and have elevated arterial stiffness. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) is a new inflammatory marker in renal and cardiac disorders. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a non-invasive measurement, which is widely used as a surrogate marker of arterial stiffness. However, there is little evidence to show an association between NLR and baPWV in patients with peritoneal dialysis. The aim of this cross-section study was to investigate the relationship between NLR and arterial stiffness measured by baPWV in patients with peritoneal dialysis., Methods: In this cross-section study, 101 patients with peritoneal dialysis were enrolled from January 2014 to June 2015. According to average baPWV level (1847.54 cm/s), the patients were categorized into two groups, low group and high group. baPWV, which reflects arterial stiffness, was calculated using the single-point method. Clinical data were collected in details. NLR was calculated using complete blood count. Associations between NLR and baPWV were assessed using Pearson's correlation and linear regression analysis., Results: The NLR was significantly lower in the low baPWV group than in the high baPWV group (p = 0.03). There were positive correlations between baPWV and neutrophil count (r = 0.24, p = 0.01) and NRL(r = 0.43, P < 0.01), and there was a negative correlation between baPWV and lymphocyte count (r = -0.23, p = 0.01). In addition, albumin, phosphorous and intact parathyroid hormone showed negative correlations with baPWV (r = -0.32, p < 0.01; r = -0.28, p < 0.01; r = -0.25, p = 0.01, respectively). Age and hsCRP showed positive correlations with baPWV (r = 0.47, p < 0.01; r = 0.25, p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, NLR independently correlated with baPWV in patients with peritoneal dialysis (β = 0.33, p < 0.01), even after adjustment for various confounders., Conclusion: Our study suggests that NLR was an independently associated with arterial stiffness in patients with peritoneal dialysis. However, further prospective studies are needed to confirm cause-and-effect relationship between NLR and baPWV, and to investigate whether anti-inflammatory treatment could improve arterial stiffness in patients with peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) at acupoint ST 37 (Shangjuxu) has been used to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms and improve gastrointestinal motility. However, the mechanisms by which EA affects the enteric nervous system (ENS) have scarcely been investigated. In this study, we investigated whether EA could improve ENS function., Methods: A constipation model was established by gastric instillation of ice-cold saline daily for 14 days. The constipated mice were divided into two groups: the model group, which was not treated, and the EA group, which received EA at ST 37 at a frequency of 2-15 HZ and an amplitude of 1 mA for 15 min a day for 3 days. A further six mice were included as a non-constipated control group. After EA treatment, intestinal propulsion and defecation time were measured. Additionally, in jejunum, ileum and proximal colon myenteric plexus, the expressions of PGP9.5 and nNOS were measured by immunohistochemistry., Results: The EA group demonstrated significant improvements in carbon propulsion rates and defecation time compared to model group (P < 0.05). In addition, after EA, the PGP9.5 and nNOS expression in jejunum, ileum and proximal colonic myenteric plexus was back to normal levels., Conclusion: This study suggests that EA stimulation at ST 37 is capable of ameliorating intestinal motility dysfunction, and can partly restore enteric neuron function. The ENS can participate in changes in intestinal motility by affecting inhibitory neurons.

Objective: To explore the efficacy on obesity of spleen deficiency and damp blockage pattern and hyperlipemia treated with warm needling therapy and auricular acupuncture and the effect mechanism of the combined treatment., Methods: One hundred and ten patients of obesity of spleen deficiency and damp blockage pattern and hyperlipemia were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 55 cases in each one. Additionally, a healthy group (52 cases) was set up as the control. In the control group, the warm needling therapy was applied to Taibai (SP 3), Chongyang (ST 42), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Zusanli (ST 36), etc., once every two days. In the observation group, on the basic treatment as the control group, the auricular acupuncture was applied to Pi (CO₁₃), Wei (CO₄), Fei (CO₁₄), Shen (CO₁₀), etc., once every 2 to 3 days. The efficacy was evaluated after 3-month, treatment in the two groups. The observation was conducted on the obesity outcomes [body mass, obesity degree (A), body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (F%)], blood-lipoids indicators [such as serum total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)], fat-islet endocrine axis outcomes [such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) , fasting leptin (FLP), fasting insulin (FINS), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), insulin resistance index (Homa-IR) and insulin β cell function index (Homa-β)], as well as autonomic nerve function index (Y) before and after treatment in the patients of the two groups. The efficacy was assessed in the two groups., Results: The total effective rate was 96.4% (53/55) in the observation group, better than 87.3% (48/55, P < 0.01) in the control group. For the improvements of the obesity indices, the differences were not significant between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Before treatment, the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, FLP, FPG, FINS and Homa-IR in the two groups were all significantly higher than those in the healthy group (all P < 0.01), and the levels of HDL, ISI, Homa-β and Y were significantly lower than those in the healthy group (all P < 0.01). After treatment, except Homa-β, the other indices were all improved significantly (all P < 0.01). The results in the observation group were better than those in the control group (all P < 0.01)., Conclusion: The patients of obesity of spleen deficiency and damp blockage pattern and hyperlipemia have the disturbances of lipid metabolism, "fat-islet endocrinal axis" function and automatic nerve function. The combined treatment of warm needling therapy and auricular acupuncture or simple warm needling therapy present the effects of weight reducing and lipid reducing. The effect of the combined treatment is better than simple warm needling therapy. The efficacy mechanism is probably relevant to the positive regulation of blood glucose, lipid metabolism, fat-islet endocrinal axis and automatic nerve function.

In this study low temperature micro-photoluminescence technology was employed to investigate effects of the irradiation and nitrogen concentration on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) luminescence, with the photochromic and vibronic properties of the NV defects. Results showed that the NV luminescence was weakened due to recombination of self-interstitials created by electron irradiation in diamond and the vacancies within the structure of NV centers. For very pure diamond, the vacancies migrated the long distance to get trapped by N atoms only after sufficient high temperature annealing. As with the increase in nitrogen content, the migration distance of vacancies got smaller. The nitrogen also favored the formation of negatively charged NV centers with the donating electrons. Under the high-energy ultraviolet laser excitation, the photochromic property of the NV- center was also observed, though it was not stable. Besides, the NV centers showed very strong broad sidebands, and the vibrations involved one phonon with energy of ~42 meV and another with ~67 meV energy.

Background. Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of frequency-specific EAS. However, evaluation of intensity-response effects is challenging and has yet to be addressed. Aims. Using cisapride to promote gastric emptying, we measured the intensity-response relationship of EA at ST25 on gastric motility. Methods. We determined the effects of EA at ST25 using intensities (0.5, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 mA) on gastric motility in rats injected with cisapride (0.2, 0.02, and 0.002 mg/kg). Results. Utilizing three concentrations of cisapride yielded significantly differing levels of gastric motility. Furthermore, log IC50 values for EAS were different within each group. Given the same EA intensity, cisapride antagonism decreased progressively in each group as a function of drug concentration. The relative amount of cisapride antagonized by EAS did not change in a linear fashion. Finally, EAS at different intensities within the three groups induced a similar pattern of cisapride antagonism. Conclusions. The ability of EAS to elicit a decrease in cisapride-induced gastric motility pressure was demonstrated in this study. The study encompasses construct validity to mirror individualized treatment being based on patients' subjective feelings, not on a set fixed EA intensity. Clinically utilizing EAS at the smallest intensity can achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the use of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) for the formulation of paclitaxel loaded films and to characterize these films for potential application as perivascular "wraps" to prevent restenosis. Films were manufactured from PLGA blended with either methoxypolyethylene glycol (MePEG) or a diblock copolymer composed of poly(D,L-lactic acid)-block-methoxypolyethylene glycol, PDLLA-MePEG (diblock) by solvent evaporation on teflon discs. Elasticity was determined by gravimetric stress/strain analysis. Thermal analysis was determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Changes in film composition and degradation in aqueous media were determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Paclitaxel release from films was measured by incubation of the films in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) with drug analysis by HPLC methods. The addition of MePEG or diblock to PLGA caused a concentration dependent increase in the elasticity of films, due to plasticizing effects. DSC analysis showed that MePEG and diblock caused a concentration dependent decrease in the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PLGA indicating miscibility of the polymers. When placed in aqueous media, more than 75% of MePEG dissolved out of the PLGA films within 2 days, whereas diblock partitioned slowly and in a controlled manner out of the films. Paclitaxel release from PLGA/MePEG films was very slow with less than 5% of the encapsulated drug being released over 2 weeks. The addition of 30% diblock to paclitaxel loaded PLGA films caused a substantial increase (five- to eight-fold) in the release rate of paclitaxel. PLGA films containing 30% diblock and either 1% or 5% paclitaxel were partially or completely degraded following perivascular implantation in rats.