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Background: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of inpatient pneumatic retinopexy (PR) using pure air intravitreal injection and laser photocoagulation for uncomplicated rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).Methods: Thirty-nine consecutive patients with uncomplicated RRD (39 eyes) were included in this prospective case series study. All patient underwent two-step PR surgery containing pure air intravitreal injection and laser photocoagulation retinopexy during hospitalization. The main outcomes were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and primary anatomic success rates after PR treatment.Results: The mean follow-up was 18.3 ± 9.7 months, ranging from 6 to 37 months. The primary anatomic success rate was 89.7% (35/39) after PR treatment. The final reattachment of the retina was achieved in 100% of cases. Macular epiretinal membrane was developed in two patients (5.7%) among PR successful cases during the follow-up. The mean logMAR BCVA values was significantly improved from 0.94 ± 0.69 before surgery to 0.39 ± 0.41 after surgery. The average central retinal thickness significantly thinner in the RRD eyes of macular-off patients (206.8 ± 56.13 μm) when compared with the fellow eyes (234.6 ± 48.4 μm) at the last follow-up (P = 0.005).Conclusion: Inpatient PR procedure with pure air injection and laser photocoagulation is a safe and effective approach to treat patients with uncomplicated RRD, who may achieve a high single-operation success rate and good visual acuity recovery.

The safe and robust temperature control strategy is important for Mars spacesuit's thermal control subsystem. This paper presents a fuzzy incremental control strategy using a fuzzy logic for the spacesuit water membrane evaporator (SWME) cooling loop composed of the liquid cooling and ventilation garment (LCVG), the cold plate and the SWME. A thermodynamic model of the SWME cooling loop is developed, in which the SWME model considers the heat and mass transfer of water transmembrane transport. A detailed analysis of the open-loop response under the variation of water flow, Mars' atmospheric pressure and the opening of the backpressure valve in the SWME provides a basis for developing the fuzzy incremental control strategy. This paper also compares the control effect of a fuzzy incremental controller and the optimized proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. Numerical simulation results suggest that the proposed control strategy has the advantages of the small overshoot, short response time, and less oscillation period, which will benefit the adaptability of complex systems and expand the application field of fuzzy incremental control.

To determine whether di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) promotes the occurrence of bladder cancer (BCa) and explore the action of DBP acts on BCa cells at the cellular and molecular levels.MTT and Transwell assays were used to investigate the tumorigenic actions of DBP on BCa cells. Second-generation sequencing was used to identify differences in gene expression before and after DBP treatment. Differential gene expression was verified by q-PCR and analyzed using bioinformatics. Cells were transfected to overexpress genes of interest and proliferation and migration were measured using MTT and Transwell assays, respectively.DBP treatment stimulated both proliferation and invasion in BCa cells. Second-generation sequencing identified differences in the expression of FOSB, JUND, ATP6V1C2, and RHOQ before and after DBP treatment. FOSB expression was confirmed by q-PCR and bioinformatic analyses. FOSB overexpression increased both proliferation and invasion in BCa cells.DBP promoted BCa tumorigenesis by inducing changes in gene expression.

The article discusses the evolution of the concept of “musical auditory perception” and discloses modern views of scientists related to this phenomenon. It is noted that the views of the teaching musicians regarding the importance of the concept formation underwent changes and were determined by the structure and mechanics of the musical instrument, in particular the piano. The methodological systems of teaching how to play the piano changed accordingly: the instrumental technique took the inferior position contrary to the process of intonation and sound formation in terms of the formation of musical auditory perception. The analysis of modern methodological publications related to the musical education shows that the formation of musical auditory perception becomes pivotal for the successful musical activity, helps reveal the personality of students and has a significant effect on their musical development and aesthetic preferences. During the process of performing, the auditory processing activity serves as a basis for the formation of musical auditory perceptions. This activity maintains auditory-motor coordination, assesses the performance according to the artistic and technical parameters whereby encourages adjustments to the process of performance and its outcomes, forms a certain stock of musical and intonational perceptions. The ability to apply these and mastering elementary performing skills allow students to actively involve in the creative process of performing musical works. In this regard, there are two conditions that need to be addressed in the teaching process: the student has to be set an accurate and interesting task; the student has to be trained to hear what he or she actually performs. Based on the accumulated teaching experience, we come to a conclusion that the more complex the situation with the music pedagogy becomes, the more attention should be paid to the development of musical auditory perceptions. Such a process becomes the most favorable in teaching music at specialized musical institutions, and the formation of musical auditory perception should be the main task of a pianist educator.

A spray cooling system integrated with porous material was previously studied with an emphasis on the space-oriented application. As an extension, this paper presents a comparative study of cooling performances of three target surface processing methods (S1, S2 and S3). Among them S1 is a normal naked flat surface which functions as a reference. The latter two adopt phase-change microfluidic cooling tactics using porous foamed copper (PFC) which can realize liquid loop control and vapour-liquid separation in various gravitational field due to favourable characteristics possessed by porous meteal materials such as the capillary force and superhydrophilicity. Different from our previous study which centres on S3, the present one also includes thermal tests on S1 and S2. Results of the experiment and related comparative studies of the three surface processing methods are presented as well where effects of mass flow rate and spray distance upon heat transfer characteristics on the cooling performance are disclosed. Conclusions can be drawn that the S2 has the best cooling performance since the maximum heat flux can reach 470.9 W/cm2 under the given operation condition. An enhancement of 125.3% in terms of the maximum heat flux is attained compared with that for the S3 and 24.58% for the S1. The comparative study illustrates that the S2 is a relatively efficient form in cooling performance which retains properties that a space-oriented system should possess while eliminates the shortcomings such as reduced droplet impingement and huge thermal resistance when a layer of PFC is applied as well. In addition, empirical correlations based on experimental results for S2 and S3 are developed under the dimensionless study for the performance prediction with the relative errors of only ±1.84% and ±1.50% respectively.

Purpose To determine the ability of nonperfusion, vessel density, and morphologic measurements using projection-resolved optical coherence tomography angiography to detect early retinal microvasculature impairments in diabetes mellitus. Methods A retrospective review was performed on Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with no diabetic retinopathy (DR) or mild nonproliferative DR and age-matched controls imaged with optical coherence tomography angiography. Foveal avascular zone-related metrics and extrafoveal avascular area were measured in optical coherence tomography angiography images. Vessel density and fractal dimension were calculated with and without a skeletonization process. The vessel diameter index and vessel tortuosity were computed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) estimated diagnostic performances. Results Dilated capillary diameter was observed in the deep capillary plexus in the diabetic groups. Vessel density and fractal dimension of skeletonized deep capillary plexus significantly and progressively decreased in the no DR and mild nonproliferative DR groups compared with controls. Superficial extrafoveal avascular area, vessel density, and fractal dimension of the skeletonized deep capillary plexus had the highest diagnostic performance to differentiate mild nonproliferative DR from control eyes, with AUCs of 0.885, 0.876, and 0.876, respectively. Conclusion Vessel density and fractal dimension from the skeletonized deep capillary network may be the most sensitive for detecting early retinal capillary loss in diabetes mellitus.

A safe and reliable thermal control strategy is of great significance for the cooling of aerospace electronics in deep space exploration. How to run efficiently and reliably when a thermal control system is faced with increasingly complex thermal conditions and limited cooling capacity makes the optimization of control strategy more and more important. This paper presents a new fuzzy coordination control (FCC) strategy for the water membrane evaporator (WME) cooling system composed of the liquid cooling and ventilation garment (LCVG), the cold plate, and the WME. A 3-node thermodynamic model of the WME cooling system was established, in which the WME thermal model considered heat and mass transfer across the membrane. The FCC is proposed to coordinate two separate controllers to balance the two inputs, one regulating the flow of the pump and the other regulating the opening of the three-way valve. Numerical results suggest that the FCC can avoid the reliability reduction caused by only using valve control, due to the limited valve opening range. When the step of the cold plate thermal load increases by 40%, the FCC's setting time is 75.4% of the control pump alone, but the FCC only needs 92.2% of the pump flow; The FCC's overshoot is 50% of the control valve alone, but the FCC only needs 76% of the valve opening. Thus, the FCC has the advantages of less overshoot, less oscillation period, and save energy.

Radiator-sublimator cooperative dual heat sink system (DHSS) has become the vanguard of the solutions of providing heat dissipation for on-board equipments exhausted heat augments in current and future aerospace missions. However, experimental investigation of a DHSS requires expensive cryovacuum environmental instruments with slow dynamic response in traditional methods, which is not suitable for fast real-time verifications. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposed a hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) based simulation approach for a DHSS integrated with single fluid mechanically pumped fluid loop (SFMPFL) for aerospace applications. A verification system was established in which the DHSS is equivalently simulated by a valve-controlled cooling loop while the SFMPFL is physically represented. Additionally, via designed control strategies, heat dissipating and mode switch behaviors of the DHSS could be simulated. Aiming at inspecting steady and transient thermal control performance of the DHSS experimentally, various volumetric flow rates and heat inputs (up to 1600 W) were imposed on the SFMPFL. Results show that the system provided DHSS heat dissipation and temperature control simulations with high accuracy (within maximum error 5%) and acceptable time responses, proving that the proposed approach is capable of offering credible alternatives for ground-based DHSS evaluations in a more efficient and economical way.

This study was to compare the alterations of androgen cascades in di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP)-exposed male offspring without hypospadias (undeformed) versus those with hypospadias. To induce hypospadias in male offspring, pregnant rats received DBP via oral gavage at a dose of 750mg/kg BW/day during gestational days 14-18. The mRNA expression levels of genes downstream of the androgen signaling pathway, such as androgen receptor (AR) and Srd5a2, in testes of undeformed rat pups were similar to those in controls; in hypospadiac rat pups these levels were significantly lower than those of control pups. In contrast, both undeformed and hypospadiac rats had decreased serum testosterone levels, reduced mRNA expression of key enzymes in the androgen synthetic pathway in the testes, and ablated genes of developmental pathways, such as Shh, Bmp4, Fgf8, Fgf10 and Fgfr2, in the genital tubercle (GT) as compared to those in DBP-unexposed controls, albeit hypospadiac rats had a more severe decrement than those of undeformed rats. Although other possibilities cannot be excluded, our findings suggest that the relatively normal levels of testosterone-AR-Srd5a2 may contribute to the resistance to DBP toxicity in undeformed rats. In conclusion, our results showed a potential correlation between decreased testosterone levels, reduced mRNA expression of AR and Srd5a2 and the occurrence of hypospadias in male rat offspring prenatally exposed to DBP.

Thermal management system (TMS) is becoming a major factor to restrict the development of electronic devices, thus an advanced cooling approach is urgently needed for satisfying the increasing requirement on heat dissipation capacity. In the current study, a carbon dioxide (CO2) dry ice spray cooling system is presented to explore the heat dissipation capacity using the sublimation as the two-phase-change cooling process integrated with the designed multi-orifice spray nozzle (MOSN). The dry ice particles can be converted from liquid CO2 through a sudden adiabatic expansion process by the Joule-Thomson effect. Heat transfer experiments were organized to investigate the effects of nozzle orifice diameters (NOD) and spray mass flow rate (SMFR) since there is a lack of study on the dry ice spray cooling performance. The relatively optimal NOD of 1.2 mm was obtained under a certain SMFR of 6.2 g/s and a fixed spray height of 7 mm according to the cooling performance. The highest heat flux performed was 221.1 W/cm2 with a best surface temperature of only 64.1 °C which justifies its future application of TMS.

To induce hypospadias in male rat offspring by maternal exposure to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) during late pregnancy and further investigate its mechanisms.We randomly divided 20 pregnant rats into a DBP exposure and a control group, the former treated intragastrically with DBP while the latter with soybean oil at 750 mg per kilogram of the body weight per day from gestation days (GD) 14 to 18. On postnatal day (PND) 1, we recorded the incidence rate of hypospadias and observed the histopathological changes in the genital tubercle of the hypospadiac rats. We also measured the level of serum testosterone (T) by radioimmunoassay and determined the mRNA and protein expressions of the androgen receptor (AR), sonic hedgehog (Shh), bone morphogenetic protein 4 (Bmp4) and fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8) in the genital tubercle by real-time PCR and Western blot.No hypospadiac male rats were found in the control group. The incidence rate of hypospadias in male offspring was 43.6% in the DBP-treatment group. Histological analysis confirmed hypospadiac malformation. The serum testosterone concentration was decreased in the hypospadiac male rats as compared with the controls (［0.49 ± 0.05］ vs ［1.12 ± 0.05］ ng/ml, P0.05). The mRNA expressions of AR, Shh, Bmp4 and Fgf8 in the genital tubercle were significantly lower in the hypospadiac male rats than in the controls (AR: 0.50 ± 0.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.12, P0.05; Shh: 0.65 ± 0.07 vs 1.00 ± 0.15, P0.05; Bmp4: 0.42 ± 0.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.13, P0.05; Fgf8: 0.46 ± 0.04 vs 1.00 ± 0.12, P0.05), and so were their protein expressions (AR: 0.34 ± 0.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.09, P0.05; Shh: 0.51 ± 0.07 vs 1.00 ± 0.12, P0.05; Bmp4: 0.43 ± 0.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.11, P0.05; Fgf8: 0.57 ± 0.04 vs 1.00 ± 0.13, P0.05).Maternal exposure to DBP during late pregnancy can induce hypospadias in the male rat offspring. DBP affects the development of the genital tubercle by reducing the serum T concentration and expressions of AR, Shh, Bmp4 and Fgf8 in the genital tubercle, which might underlie the mechanism of DBP inducing hypospadias.目的： 邻苯二甲酸二丁酯（DBP）孕晚期染毒诱导雄性SD大鼠子鼠发生尿道下裂畸形，并进一步探讨DBP致雄性子鼠发生尿道下裂的分子作用机制。方法： 孕鼠20只，怀孕14~18 d，随机分为对照组和DBP染毒组，每天分别予大豆油及DBP 750 mg/kg灌胃。出生后（PND）1 d，统计雄性子鼠中尿道下裂的发生率，观察尿道下裂雄性子鼠生殖结节的病理学改变。放射免疫法检测血清雄激素水平，实时荧光定量PCR和Western印迹检测生殖结节中雄激素受体（AR）、音猬因子（Shh）、骨形态发生蛋白4（Bmp4）和成纤维细胞成长因子8（Fgf8）的mRNA和蛋白表达水平。结果: 对照组中无尿道下裂发生，DBP染毒组中雄性子鼠尿道下裂发生率为43.6%,病理学检查发现生殖结节典型的尿道下裂畸形。尿道下裂雄性子鼠的血清雄激素水平［（0.49±0.05) ng/ml］较对照组［（1.12±0.05) ng/ml］明显降低（P0.05），生殖结节中AR、Shh、Bmp4和Fgf8基因的mRNA水平（0.50±0.05、0.65±0.07、0.42±0.05、0.46±0.04）较对照组（1.00±0.12、1.00±0.15、1.00±0.13、1.00±0.12）明显降低（P0.05），蛋白水平（0.34±0.05、0.51±0.07、0.43±0.05、0.57±0.04）较对照组（1.00±0.09、1.00±0.12、1.00±0.11、1.00±0.13）明显降低（P0.05）。结论： 孕晚期DBP染毒可以导致雄性子鼠发生尿道下裂畸形。DBP通过降低雄性子鼠血清雄激素水平和生殖结节中AR、Shh、Bmp4、Fgf8基因的表达，影响生殖结节的正常发育，是DBP导致尿道下裂畸形发生的可能机制。.

Fragile X syndrome is one of the most common forms of inherited intellectual disability. It is caused by mutations of the Fragile X mental retardation 1(FMR1) gene, resulting in either the loss or abnormal expression of the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Recent research showed that FMRP participates in non-coding RNA pathways and plays various important roles in physiology, thereby extending our knowledge of the pathogenesis of the Fragile X syndrome. Initial studies showed that the Drosophila FMRP participates in siRNA and miRNA pathways by interacting with Dicer, Ago1 and Ago2, involved in neural activity and the fate determination of the germline stem cells. Subsequent studies showed that the Drosophila FMRP participates in piRNA pathway by interacting with Aub, Ago1 and Piwi in the maintenance of normal chromatin structures and genomic stability. More recent studies showed that FMRP is associated with lncRNA pathway, suggesting a potential role for the involvement in the clinical manifestations. In this review, we summarize the novel findings and explore the relationship between FMRP and non-coding RNA pathways, particularly the piRNA pathway, thereby providing critical insights on the molecular pathogenesis of Fragile X syndrome, and potential translational applications in clinical management of the disease.

Previous study have demonstrated that not only the anorectal development but also the general conditions of anorectal malformations (ARMs) male rats are severely affected by di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) maternal exposure. However, the mechanisms underlying DBP-induced congenital defects remain elusive. Reportedly, Fgf10/Fgfr2 and androgen receptor (AR) are pivotal for the development of multiple organs. In this study, we therefore investigated the expression of Fgf10/Fgfr2 together with AR in the terminal rectum and multiple organs of ARM male rats induced by in utero exposure to DBP. DBP was administered to pregnant rats to establish the model and the incidence of ARMs in male offspring was 39.5%. On postnatal day(PND)1, the gross photograph and histopathological staining confirmed the abnormal manifestations in these organs of newborn ARMs. Decreased anogenital distance, body weight and serum testosterone level were observed in ARM male offspring. The reduced expression of Fgf10/Fgfr2 mRNA and protein was seen in terminal rectum and kidney, spleen, liver, heart in ARM male rats, whereas the reduced expression of AR was only observed in the kidney and terminal rectum. Our findings suggest the potential involvement of altered Fgf10/Fgfr2 signaling and AR in pathogenesis of local and systemic development defects in ARMs male rats induce by DBP.

Sonic hedgehog (Shh)/bone morphogenetic protein 4 (Bmp4) is an androgen-regulated signaling pathway that has been shown to be crucial for embryonic development. This study was designed to investigate the expression of the Shh/Bmp4 signaling pathway during the development of anorectal malformations (ARMs) in male rats when prenatally exposed to di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP). We found decreased serum testosterone concentration and reduced expression of the androgen receptor in the terminal rectum induced by DBP. In addition, significant decreases in mRNA and protein expression levels of Shh, GLI family zinc finger 2 (Gli2), GLI family zinc finger 3 (Gli3) and Bmp4 in the terminal rectum of male offspring induced by DBP were observed. Collectively, this study shows that the antiandrogenic effects of DBP disturb the androgen-related Shh/Bmp4 signaling pathway, which plays an important role in the occurrence of ARMs induced by DBP.

The present study explored the effect of miR-200b on the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR) by targeting vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) gene. The study populations consisted of 255 DR patients (case group) and 253 healthy people (control group), while the expressions of miR-200b and VEGFA mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics software and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to confirm VEGFA as a target gene of miR-200b. Also, a total of 70 Wistar male rats were selected and randomly assigned into blank, normal control (NC), miR-200b mimics, miR-200b inhibitors, miR-200b inhibitors + silencing vascular endothelial growth factor A (siVEGFA), and siVEGFA groups (n=10/group) respectively. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced rat models of DR were successfully established. VEGFA, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) were detected using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. In comparison with the control group, the case group showed lower expression of miR-200b but higher expression of VEGFA mRNA. VEGFA was confirmed as a target gene of miR-200b. Rats in the miR-200b mimics and siVEGFA groups exhibited higher expression of PEDF mRNA and protein but lower expressions of VEGFA, TGF-β1, HGF protein, and mRNA than the NC group. There was no remarkable difference in expressions of PEDF, VEGFA, TGF-β1, HGF protein, and mRNA between the miR-200b inhibitors + siVEGFA and NC groups. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that miR-200b might alleviate DR development by down-regulating its target gene VEGFA.

This study was the first to investigate the genetic abnormalities and structural dysplasia of anorectal malformations (ARMs) in male rats induced by di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP). DBP was administered to timed-pregnant rats to establish the ARM rat model. The incidence of ARMs in male offspring was 39.5%. In neonatal period, decreased body weight and anogenital distance were observed. The general image and histological analysis of male offspring confirmed the presence of ARMs. Anatomical examination of the ARM male rats revealed the dysplasia in solid organs (heart-lung, liver, spleen, and kidney). The decreases of serum testosterone concentration and androgen receptor expression in terminal rectum were indicative of the antiandrogenic effects of DBP. Moreover, significant decreased mRNA expressions of these androgen-related genes such as sonic hedgehog, Gli2, Gli3, bone morphogenetic protein 4, Wnt5a, Hoxa13, Hoxd13, fibroblast growth factor 10, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 were found in terminal rectum of the ARM male pubs. These results demonstrated that development of ARM rats was impaired by maternal exposure to DBP. The antiandrogenic effects of DBP disturbing the androgen-related signaling networks might play an important role in the occurrence of ARMs.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that can post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and play critical roles in many important biological processes. The role of miRNAs in prostate cancer (PCa) development and pathogenesis remains largely unknown. In the present study, we showed that miR-200b was downregulated in clinical prostatic tumors when compared to normal prostate tissue and in advanced PCa cell lines when compared to normal epithelial prostatic cells. Enforced miR-200b expression suppressed PCa cell proliferation and migration and enhanced chemosensitivity to docetaxel by targeting B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus insertion site 1 (Bmi-1). Bmi-1 was detected at higher levels in PCa, and knockdown of Bmi-1 showed similar effects as miR-200b overexpression in PCa cells. Moreover, we confirmed that these effects were correlated with increased levels of E-cadherin and P16 and a reduction in vimentin expression and expression of stem cell markers (CD44 and OCT4). These findings suggest that miR-200b plays vital roles as a tumor-suppressor by targeting Bmi-1 and may be a promising therapeutic target for PCa treatment.

Aging is a major risk factor for prostate cancer (PCa), and prostatic stromal cells may also promote PCa progression. Accordingly, stromal cells do not equally promote PCa in older males and younger males. Therefore, it is also possible that the expression of androgen receptors (ARs) by prostatic stromal cells in older versus younger males plays different roles in PCa progression. Using a gene knockdown technique and coculture system, we found that the knockdown of the AR in prostatic stromal cells obtained from younger males could promote the invasiveness and metastasis of cocultured PC3/LNCaP cells in vitro. By contrast, the invasiveness and metastasis of LNCaP cells was inhibited when cocultured with prostatic stromal cells from older males that when AR expression was knocked down. Moreover, after targeting AR expression with small hairpin RNA (shRNA), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression in stromal cells was observed to increase in the younger group, but decreased or remained unchanged in the older group. One exception, however, was observed with MMP9. In vivo, after knocking down AR expression in prostatic stromal cells, the incidence of metastatic lymph nodes was observed to increase in the younger age group, but decreased in the older age group. Together, these data suggest that the AR in prostatic stromal cells played opposite roles in PCa metastasis for older versus younger males. Therefore, collectively, the function of the AR in prostatic stromal cells appears to change with age, and this may account for the increased incidence of PCa in older males.

The present study explored the effect of miR-200b on the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR) by targeting vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) gene. The study populations consisted of 255 DR patients (case group) and 253 healthy people (control group), while the expressions of miR-200b and VEGFA mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics software and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to confirm VEGFA as a target gene of miR-200b. Also, a total of 70 Wistar male rats were selected and randomly assigned into blank, normal control (NC), miR-200b mimics, miR-200b inhibitors, miR-200b inhibitors + silencing vascular endothelial growth factor A (siVEGFA), and siVEGFA groups (n=10/group) respectively. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced rat models of DR were successfully established. VEGFA, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) were detected using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. In comparison with the control group, the case group showed lower expression of miR-200b but higher expression of VEGFA mRNA. VEGFA was confirmed as a target gene of miR-200b. Rats in the miR-200b mimics and siVEGFA groups exhibited higher expression of PEDF mRNA and protein but lower expressions of VEGFA, TGF-β1, HGF protein, and mRNA than the NC group. There was no remarkable difference in expressions of PEDF, VEGFA, TGF-β1, HGF protein, and mRNA between the miR-200b inhibitors + siVEGFA and NC groups. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that miR-200b might alleviate DR development by down-regulating its target gene VEGFA.

Anorectal malformations in combination with hypospadias (ARMs & hypospadias) are a type of complex congenital malformations. The underlying mechanisms of this deformity are largely unknown. In this study, we comprehensively characterized the dysplasia, histological malformations, and genetic changes of ARMs & hypospadias in male rats after maternal exposure to di- n -butyl phthalate (DBP) by gastric intubation at doses of 850 mg/kg bw/day during GD11-15. On postnatal day 1, anatomical and histopathological analysis confirmed combined malformations of the genital tubercle (GT), terminal rectum (TR) and testes. DBP-induced dysplasia was also seen in the kidney, lung, spleen, heart and liver of ARMs & hypospadias male rats. Moreover, decreased levels of serum testosterone, as well as reduced expression of genes related to the androgen signaling pathway ( Cyp11a1 , Hsd3b , Scarb1 , Star , AR , Srd5a2 ) were found in the testes of ARMs & hypospadias male rats after DBP exposure as compared to untreated controls. Further, decreased mRNA levels of Shh , Fgf10 , Gli2 , Gli3 , Bmp4 , Wnt5a , Hoxa13 , Hoxd13 , Fgfr2 and AR were observed in TR and GT in the ARMs & hypospadias group. These results provide evidence that prenatal exposure to DBP can lead to combined anorectal and urogenital malformations as well as dysplasia of the testes.

To compare the long and short term effectiveness of different preoperative approaches for lumber spinal fractures and finds a better surgical method for the disease. Follow up records of 144 patients received hyperbaric oxygen therapy or methylprednisolone infusion within 8 hours after the lubmer spinal injury were analyzed. Postoperative outcome immediately and 3, 6, 12, 36 months after the surgery were compared to evaluate the effectiveness two different approaches. The results indicated that there are no significant differences regarding age, sexual proportion, body mass index (BMI), visual analogue scale of pain (VAS) score as well as Frankel scores before the surgery, and significant differences VAS score as well as Frankel scores immediately after the surgery. In conclusion, hyperbaric oxygen therapy within 8 hours after the injury can be more effective than methylprednisolone infusion in patients with lumber spinal injury.

This study was the first to investigate the genetic abnormalities and structural dysplasia of anorectal malformations (ARMs) in male rats induced by di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP). DBP was administered to timed-pregnant rats to establish the ARM rat model. The incidence of ARMs in male offspring was 39.5%. In neonatal period, decreased body weight and anogenital distance were observed. The general image and histological analysis of male offspring confirmed the presence of ARMs. Anatomical examination of the ARM male rats revealed the dysplasia in solid organs (heart-lung, liver, spleen, and kidney). The decreases of serum testosterone concentration and androgen receptor expression in terminal rectum were indicative of the antiandrogenic effects of DBP. Moreover, significant decreased mRNA expressions of these androgen-related genes such as sonic hedgehog, Gli2, Gli3, bone morphogenetic protein 4, Wnt5a, Hoxa13, Hoxd13, fibroblast growth factor 10, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 were found in terminal rectum of the ARM male pubs. These results demonstrated that development of ARM rats was impaired by maternal exposure to DBP. The antiandrogenic effects of DBP disturbing the androgen-related signaling networks might play an important role in the occurrence of ARMs.

Mounting evidence has indicated the crucial role of Wnt5a in the embryonic development including guts. However, the Wnt5a involvement in the process of anorectal malformations (ARMs) remains unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of Wnt5a during ARMs development in the offspring of di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP)-treated pregnant rats. During the neonatal period, Wnt5a expression was evaluated in the terminal rectum of ARM offspring, non-ARM littermates and controls. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR), western-blot analysis and immunohistochemistry approaches, we found a significant decrease of Wnt5a expression in DBP-induced ARMs rats. Collectively, our results demonstrate the aberrant expression of Wnt5a during anorectal development, which suggests that Wnt5a might be involved in DBP-induced ARMs.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the Sp1 and VEGF mRNA expression in the retina micrangium endothelial cells of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. At the end of our study, we determined that SP1 positive expression rate and the Sp1, VEGF mRNA and protein expression in the retina micrangium endothelial cells in isolated rat eyes of diabetic rats were significantly increased compared to normal animals. The ERK, Sp1 and VEGF protein expression in the retina micrangium endothelial cells of diabetic rats was significantly decreased in high-surcose (Sp1 specific inhibitor Mithramycin A or ERK specific inhibitor PD98059) culture group in comparison to normal (vechile PBS) culture group. These findings suggest that ERK, Sp1 and VEGF protein expression is an important factor to affect the occurrence and development of vision diseases in diabetic patients. Key words: Sp1, VEGF, PCR, Retina, Immunohistochemistry

To investigate the role of fatty acid synthase (FASN) in bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC).FASN expression was investigated in non-muscle-invasive BTCC tissue specimens by immunohistochemistry and BTCC cell lines by Western blot. After treatment with FASN-siRNA or FASN inhibitor cerulenin (Cer), the proliferation and apoptosis of BTCC cell lines 5637 and 253 J were determined by cell counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay and flow cytometry respectively. The expression of p-AKT, cyclin D1 (CCND1), and apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western blot.High levels of FASN expression were observed in 59% (32/54) of non-muscle-invasive BTCC tissue specimens, and FASN expression was associated with histologic grade (P.05) and recurrence (P.05). FASN expression was high in 6 BTCC cell lines. FASN inhibitor Cer and FASN-siRNA produced the increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation of bladder cancer cells, and caused inactivity of AKT and downregulation of CCND1. Furthermore, treatment of BTCC cell lines with Cer resulted in apoptosis via the caspase-dependent pathway involving inactivation of antiapoptotic bcl-2 protein.Our data suggest that FASN plays an important role in BTCC development. Targeting FASN may be a new therapeutic strategy for BTCC.