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Accurate assessment of the level of consciousness of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness is the basis for making appropriate diagnosis and treatment strategies. It is difficult to make an accurate evaluation only based on the physical examination of nervous system on bedside, and the rate of misdiagnosis is extremely high. With the help of neuroimaging and neuroelectrophysiological monitoring technology, the detection rate of potential consciousness and accuracy of prognosis prediction can be significantly improved. The neuroelectrophysiology technology based on electroencephalography has many advantages such as high cost performance, high temporal resolution, long recording time and so on. This article summarizes the clinical application status and progress of neuroelectrophysiological monitoring technology to provide reference for clinical and scientific research in prolonged disorders of consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Self-assembly of presynthesized [Sb2(tart)2]2− metalloligand as molecular building block with metal salts affords three unique heterometallic coordination polymers, namely, {[Ln(H2O)6][Sb2(tart)2]}Cl·5H2O (Ln = La (1), Pr (2)) and {[Ba2(H2O)7][Sb2(tart)2]2}·4H2O (3), (tart = tartaric acid). Their structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and further characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, and TG analyses. Compounds 1 and 2 are isostructural and represent the first examples of lanthanide-organic open frameworks containing [Sb2(tart)2]2− metalloligands. The structures of 1 and 2 contain left-handed and right-handed layer, each built up from the same-handed helical chains. Compound 3 consists of two kinds of arm-shaped chiral layers, which alternately stack in a heterochiral fashion to yield a racemic 3D hydrogen-bonded network with 1D channels along the a axis. To the best of our knowledge, compounds 1–3 are the first 2D chiral layer frameworks constructed from [Sb2(tart)2]2− metalloligands and rare-earth or alkaline-earth metal ions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) mediate posttranscriptional regulation of target genes and participate in various physiological and pathological processes, including peripheral nerve injury. However, it is hard to select key miRNAs with essential biological functions among a large number of differentially expressed miRNAs. Previously, we collected injured sciatic nerve stumps at multiple time points after nerve crush injury, examined gene changes at different stages (acute, sub-acute, and post-acute), and obtained mRNA expression profiles. Here, we jointly analyzed mRNAs and miRNAs, and investigated upstream miRNAs of differentially expressed mRNAs using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis bioinformatic software. A total of 31, 42, 30, and 23 upstream miRNAs were identified at 1, 4, 7, and 14 days after rat sciatic nerve injury, respectively. Temporal expression patterns and biological involvement of commonly involved upstream miRNAs (miR-21, let-7, miR-223, miR-10b, miR-132, miR-15b, miR-127, miR-29a, miR-29b, and miR-9) were then determined at multiple time points. Expression levels of miR-21, miR-132, miR-29a, and miR-29b were robustly increased after sciatic nerve injury. Biological processes involving these miRNAs include multicellular organismal response to stress, positive regulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway, negative regulation of epithelial cell differentiation, and regulation of myocardial tissue growth. Moreover, we constructed mechanistic networks of let-7, miR-21, and miR-223, the most significantly involved upstream miRNAs. Our findings reveal that multiple upstream miRNAs (i.e., let-7, miR-21, and miR-223) were associated with gene expression changes in rat sciatic nerve stumps after nerve injury, and these miRNAs play an important role in peripheral nerve regeneration. This study was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province of China (approval No. 20190303-18) on March 3, 2019., Competing Interests: None

In a previous study, we used natural butterfly wings as a cell growth matrix for tissue engineering materials and found that the surface of different butterfly wings had different ultramicrostructures, which can affect the qualitative growth of cells and regulate cell growth, metabolism, and gene expression. However, the biocompatibility and biosafety of butterfly wings must be studied. In this study, we found that Sprague-Dawley rat dorsal root ganglion neurons could grow along the structural stripes of butterfly wings, and Schwann cells could normally attach to and proliferate on different species of butterfly wings. The biocompatibility and biosafety of butterfly wings were further examined through subcutaneous implantation in Sprague-Dawley rats, intraperitoneal injection in Institute of Cancer Research mice, intradermal injection in rabbits, and external application to guinea pigs. Our results showed that butterfly wings did not induce toxicity, and all examined animals exhibited normal behaviors and no symptoms, such as erythema or edema. These findings suggested that butterfly wings possess excellent biocompatibility and biosafety and can be used as a type of tissue engineering material. This study was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province of China (approval No. 20190303-18) on March 3, 2019., Competing Interests: None

The title compound, [Mn(C(17)H(18)FN(3)O(3))(2)(C(8)H(5)O(4))(2)]·2H(2)O or [Mn(cfH)(2)(1,2-Hbdc)(2)]·2H(2)O (cfH = ciprofloxacin = 1-cyclo-propyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1-piperazin-yl)-3-quinoline carb-oxy-lic acid, 1,2-bdc = benzene-1,2-dicarboxyl-ate), has been prepared under hydro-thermal conditions. The Mn(2+) atom, located on an inversion centre, exhibits a distorted octa-hedral geometry, coordinated by four O atoms from two symmetry-related zwitterionic ciprofloxacin ligands in the equatorial positions and two O atoms of two 1,2-Hbdc ligands in the axial positions. The complex mol-ecules are linked into a two-dimensional network through N-H⋯O and OW-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A strong intramolecular hydrogen bond between the carboxyl/carboxylate groups of the 1,2-Hbdc anion is also present. The layers are further extended through off-set aromatic π-π stacking inter-actions of cfH groups [centroid-centroid distance of 3.657 (2) Å] into the final three-dimensional supra-molecular arrays.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, 2C(14)H(18)N(5)O(3) (+)·C(10)H(5)O(8) (2-)·8H(2)O, contains one [H(2)ppa](+)cation, one half of an [H(2)btec](2-) anion (H(4)btec = 1,2,4,5-benzene-tetra-carb-oxy-lic acid and Hppa = 8-ethyl-5-oxo-2-piperazin-1-yl-5,8-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carb-oxy-lic acid) that is completed by inversion symmetry and four water mol-ecules. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are connected by inter-molecular hydrogen-bonding inter-actions and π-π stacking between the benzene rings of the [H(2)btec](2-) anion and the pyrimidine rings of the [H(2)ppa](+) cation [centroid-centroid distance = 3.597 (3) Å], generating a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure.

In the title compound, [Cu(C(14)H(17)N(5)O(3))(2)(H(2)O)(2)](C(14)H(9)O(5))(2), the Cu(2+) atom, located on an inversion centre, exhibits a distorted octa-hedral geometry, coordinated by four O atoms from two pipemidic acid ligands in equatorial positions and two water mol-ecules in axial positions. The pipemidic acid ligand acts a bidentate ligand and the single deprotonated 4,4'-oxydibenzoic acid acts as an anion. Classical N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds are present in the crystal structure.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common cause of hepatic fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), mainly as a result of chronic necroinflammatory liver disease. A characteristic feature of chronic hepatitis B infection, alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is hepatic steatosis. Hepatic steatosis leads to an increase in lipid peroxidation in hepatocytes, which, in turn, activates hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). HSCs are the primary target cells for inflammatory and oxidative stimuli, and these cells produce extracellular matrix components. Chronic hepatitis B appears to progress more rapidly in males than in females, and NAFLD, cirrhosis and HCC are predominately diseases that tend to occur in men and postmenopausal women. Premenopausal women have lower hepatic iron stores and a decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines. Hepatic steatosis has been observed in aromatase-deficient mice, and has been shown to decrease in animals after estradiol treatment. Estradiol is a potent endogenous antioxidant which suppresses hepatic fibrosis in animal models, and attenuates induction of redox sensitive transcription factors, hepatocyte apoptosis and HSC activation by inhibiting a generation of reactive oxygen species in primary cultures. Variant estrogen receptors are expressed to a greater extent in male patients with chronic liver disease than in females. These lines of evidence suggest that the greater progression of hepatic fibrosis and HCC in men and postmenopausal women may be due, at least in part, to lower production of estradiol and a reduced response to the action of estradiol. A better understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying the sex-associated differences in hepatic fibrogenesis and carciogenesis may open up new avenues for the prevention and treatment of chronic liver disease.