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Quasi-solid-state aqueous zinc ion batteries suffer from anodic zinc dendrite growth during plating/stripping processes, impeding their commercial application. The inhibition of zinc dendrites by high-modulus electrolytes has been proven to be effective. However, hydrogel electrolytes are difficult to achieve high modulus owing to their inherent high water contents. This work reports a hydrogel electrolyte with ultrahigh modulus that can overcome the growth stress of zinc dendrites through mechanical suppression effect. By combining wet-annealing, solvent-exchange, and salting-out processes and tuning the hydrophobic and crystalline domains, a hydrogel electrolyte is obtained with substantial water content (≈70%), high modulus (198.5 MPa), high toughness (274.3 MJ m -3 ), and high zinc-ion conductivity (28.9 mS cm -1 ), which significantly outperforms the previously reported poly(vinyl alcohol)-based hydrogels. As a result, the hydrogel electrolyte exhibits excellent dendrite-suppression effect and achieves stable performance in Zn||Zn symmetric batteries (1800 h of cycle life at 1 mA cm -2 ). Moreover, the Zn||V 2 O 5 pouch batteries display excellent cycling life and operate stably even under extreme conditions, such as large bending angle (180°) and automotive crushing. This work provides a promising approach for designing mechanically reliable hydrogel electrolytes for advanced aqueous zinc ion batteries., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Methanol dehydrogenation (MD) is highly valuable in hydrogen energy production, and the introduction of nonmetals has received much attention to improve the activity and stability of the MD catalysts, but the understanding of the role of non-metallic elements in catalyzing the MD reaction is rather limited. Density functional theory (DFT) is employed to investigate the mechanism of methanol dehydrogenation on Ru x P y surfaces. In this work, the P element is introduced into the Ru-based catalyst to obtain dispersed Ru sites and Ru x P y ( x / y = 2 : 1, 1 : 1, and 1 : 2) catalysts are designed. CH 3 OH adsorption, electronic structure of the catalyst, energy barriers for carbon accumulation reactions, and the mechanism of methanol decomposition are systematically calculated. The results of the effective reaction barrier ( E effa) reveal that the order of the activity of the MD reaction is RuP(112) > Ru(0001) > Ru 2 P(210) > RuP 2 (110). The most preferable pathway on RuP(112) is pathway 1 (CH 3 OH* → CH 3 O* → CH 2 O* → CHO* → CO*). After the introduction of P, the weakened CO adsorption enhanced the resistance of catalysts to CO poisoning, and the activation energy of the carbon accumulation reaction increased, indicating that the anti-coking ability of the catalysts is improved. This theoretical study contributes to the design and modulation of highly active and stable metal catalysts for MD reactions.

The Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, 1901 (Diptera: Culicidae) is major vector of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in China, and this study aimed to uncover the vector's spatiotemporal distribution and environmental correlation in Beijing. In study area, the Remote Sensing (RS), Global Position System (GPS), and Geographic Information System (GPS) were used to clarify the distribution characteristics of vector on spatial and temporal scales, and regressions analysis of cross-sectional study was performed to detect the environmental factors linked with the density and presence of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus . In study area, the scenic area was the major environmental area for breeding of the vector, August was the primary peak month, the new urban development area (NUDA) was major distribution subarea of Beijing, and the vector could be detected throughout the subarea of Beijing from June to September. In the scenic area, the total value of light index within buffer zones of 100 m (LT_100) and the total value of NDVI index within buffer zones of 800 m (NDVI_800) determined whether there was a positive or negative vector in the trapping sites, and the total value of NDVI index within buffer zones of 100 m (NDVI_100) and LT_100 was linked to the density of the vector. Our findings provide better insight into the spatio-temporal distribution pattern, associated environmental risk factors, and health risk of vector in Beijing. Based on the results here, we could predict the risk of JE and create and implement location-specific JE prevention and control measures to prevent future risks during the urbanization advancement of Beijing., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) carries a poor prognosis at advanced stages underscoring the need to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms driving its pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the roles of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit M ( EIF3M ) and its associated effector, serum amyloid A-like 1 ( SAAL1 ), in LUAD development and progression. Bioinformatic analyses such as TNMplot, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and other public databases were used to evaluate EIF3M and SAAL1 expression levels, methylation status, clinical associations, and potential transcriptional regulators across LUAD datasets. Patient samples were analyzed for EIF3M / SAAL1 expression by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA. EIF3M and SAAL1 were overexpressed in LUAD tumor tissues compared with normal lung tissues, correlated with advanced stage, nodal metastasis, and poor survival outcomes. High EIF3M / SAAL1 levels associated with increased cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metastasis, and regulatory T cell dysfunction based on gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Mechanistically, EIF3M / SAAL1 upregulation was linked to promoter hypomethylation, and transcriptionally regulated by JMJD1C, via hTFtarget prediction. The EIF3M / SAAL1 promote oncogenic cellular programs and immunosuppressive microenvironments that conferred unfavorable prognosis. These findings nominate EIF3M/SAAL1 as potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers in LUAD., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2024.)

Objective: TFG mutations have previously been implicated in autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), also known as SPG57. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and molecular features of TFG mutations in a Taiwanese HSP cohort., Methods: Genetic analysis of TFG was conducted in 242 unrelated Taiwanese HSP patients using a targeted resequencing panel covering the entire coding regions of TFG. Functional assays were performed using an in vitro cell model to assess the impact of TFG variants on protein function. Additionally, other representative TFG mutant proteins were examined to understand the broader implications of TFG mutations in HSP., Results: The study identified a novel homozygous TFG c.177A>C (p.(Lys59Asn)) variant in a family with adolescent-onset, pure form HSP. Functional analysis revealed that the Lys59Asn TFG variant, similar to other HSP-associated TFG mutants, exhibited a low affinity between TFG monomers and abnormal assembly of TFG homo-oligomers. These structural alterations led to aberrant intracellular distribution, compromising TFG's protein secretion function and resulting in decreased cellular viability., Interpretation: These findings confirm that the homozygous TFG c.177A>C (p.(Lys59Asn)) variant is a novel cause of SPG57. The study expands our understanding of the clinical and mutational spectrum of TFG-associated diseases, highlighting the functional defects associated with this specific TFG variant. Overall, this research contributes to the broader comprehension of the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying HSP., (© 2024 The Author(s). Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.)

Systemic administration of opioids has been associated with aspiration and swallow dysfunction in humans. We speculated that systemic administration of codeine would induce dysfunctional swallowing and that this effect would have a peripheral component. Experiments were conducted in spontaneously breathing, anesthetized cats. The animals were tracheotomized and electromyogram (EMG) electrodes were placed in upper airway and chest wall respiratory muscles for recording swallow related motor activity. The animals were allocated into three groups: vagal intact (VI), cervical vagotomy (CVx), and supra-nodose ganglion vagotomy (SNGx). A dose response to intravenous codeine was performed in each animal. Swallowing was elicited by injection of 3 mL of water into the oropharynx. The number of swallows after vehicle was significantly higher in the VI group than in SNGx. Codeine had no significant effect on the number of swallows induced by water in any of the groups. However, the magnitudes of water swallow-related EMGs of the thyropharyngeus muscle were significantly increased in the VI and CVx groups by 2-4 fold in a dose-related manner. In the CVx group, the geniohyoid muscle EMG during water swallows was significantly increased. There was a significant dose-related increase in spontaneous swallowing in each group from codeine. The spontaneous swallow number at the 10 mg/kg dose of codeine was significantly larger in the CVx group than that in the SNGx group. During water-evoked swallows, intravenous codeine increased upper airway motor drive in a dose-related manner, consistent with dysregulation. The data support the existence of both central and peripheral actions of codeine on spontaneous swallowing. At the highest dose of codeine, the reduced spontaneous swallow number in the SNGx group relative to CVx is consistent with a peripheral excitatory action of codeine either on pharyngeal/laryngeal receptors or in the nodose ganglion itself. The higher number of swallows in the CVx group than the VI group supports disinhibition of this behavior by elimination of inhibitory vagal sensory afferents., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Bolser, Shen, Musselwhite, Rose, Hayes and Pitts.)

The poor outcome of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) highlights the importance to identify novel effective prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have generally been considered to serve important roles in tumorigenesis and the development of various types of cancer, including LUAD. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of ENTPD3-AS1 (ENTPD3 Antisense RNA 1) in LUAD and to explore its potential mechanisms by performing comprehensive bioinformatic analyses. The regulatory effect of ENTPD3-AS1 on the expression of NR3C1 was validated by siRNA-based silencing. The effect of miR-421 on the modulation of NR3C1 was determined by miRNA mimics and inhibitors transfection. ENTPD3-AS1 was expressed at lower levels in tumor parts and negatively correlated with unfavorable prognosis in LUAD patients. It exerted functions as a tumor suppressor gene by competitively binding to oncomir, miR-421, thereby attenuating NR3C1 expression. Transfection of lung cancer A549 cells with miR-421 mimics decreased the expression of NR3C1 . Transfection of lung cancer A549 cells with miR-421 inhibitors increased the expression of NR3C1 with lower cellular functions as proliferation and migration via epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In addition, inhibition of ENTPD3-AS1 by siRNA transfection decreased the levels of NR3C1 , supporting the ENTPD3-AS1 /miR-421/NR3C1 cascade. Moreover, the bioinformatic analysis also showed that ENTPD3-AS1 could interact with the RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), CELF2 and QKI, consequently regulating RNA expression and processing. Taken together, we identified that ENTPD3-AS1 and its indirect target NR3C1 can act as novel biomarkers for determining the prognosis of patients with LUAD, and further study is required., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2024.)

Objectives: To observe the effects of zhongfeng cutong moxibustion (moxibustion therapy for unblocking and treating stroke) on the motor function and the structure of corticospinal tract (CST) in the patients with motor dysfunction during the recovery period of cerebral infarction, and to explore the central mechanism of this moxibustion therapy for improving the motor function., Methods: Fifty patients with motor dysfunction during the recovery period of cerebral infarction were randomly divided into an observation group (25 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (25 cases, 1 case dropped out). The patients in both groups underwent the conventional basic treatment. In the control group, acupuncture was applied to Baihui (GV 20) and Shuigou (GV 26), as well as Chize (LU 5), Neiguan (PC 6), Weizhong (BL 40) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) etc. on the affected side. Besides the intervention of the control group, in the observation group, zhongfeng cutong moxibustion therapy was combined at Baihui (GV 20), Shenque (CV 8) and bilateral Zusanli (ST 36). Both acupuncture and moxibustion therapies were delivered once daily, 5 times a week, for 2 weeks. The scores of Fugl-Meyer assessment scale (FMA) and National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. The diffusion tensor imaging technique was used to observe the fractional anisotropy (FA) of CST at the bilateral whole segment, the cerebral cortex, the posterior limb of the internal capsule and the cerebral peduncle before and after treatment in the two groups., Results: The scores of the upper and the lower limbs of FMA, as well as the total FMA score swere increased after treatment when compared with those before treatment in the two groups ( P< 0.05), the upper limb FMA score and the total FMA score in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( P <0.05), and NIHSS scores of the two groups were dropped compared with those before treatment ( P <0.01). FA of CST at the bilateral sides of the posterior limb of the internal capsule and the whole segment on the focal side was improved in comparison with that before treatment in the observation group ( P< 0.05), and FA of CST at the healthy side of the whole segment was higher than that before treatment in the control group ( P< 0.05)., Conclusions: Zhongfeng cutong moxibustion improves motor function and reduces neurological deficits in the patients with motor dysfunction during the recovery period of cerebral infarction, which may be related to enhancing the remodeling of white matter fiber bundles in the corticospinal tract on the focal side of the whole segment and the bilateral posterior limb of the internal capsule.

With the rise of precision medicine, the continuous expansionWith the rise of precision medicine, the continuous expansion the collective push from many other the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in prostate cancer diagnosis is increasingly becoming a focal point. AI technology can effectively utilize diverse detection methods such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and whole pathology slide imaging to efficiently identify and differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. The encouraging results from numerous studies herald the enormous potential of this field. This article aims to provide a comprehensive summary and analysis of the research progress made in AI for prostate cancer diagnosis, in order to better grasp the trends in this area of development.

The itch-scratching cycle is mediated by neural dynamics in the brain. However, our understanding of the neural dynamics during this cycle remains limited. In this study, we examine the neural dynamics of 126 mouse brain areas by measuring the calcium signal using fiber photometry. We present numerous response patterns in the mouse brain during the itch-scratching cycle. Interestingly, we find that a group of brain areas exhibit activation only at the end of histamine-induced scratching behavior. Additionally, several brain areas exhibit transient activation at the onset of scratching induced by chloroquine. Both histamine- and chloroquine-induced itch evoke diverse response patterns across the mouse brain. In summary, our study provides a comprehensive dataset for the diverse activity pattern of mouse brain during the itch-scratching cycle, paving the way for further exploration into the neural mechanisms underlying the itch-scratching cycle., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors have no competing financial interests to declare., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Lung cancer is associated with a high mortality rate and often complicated with malignant pleural effusion (MPE), which has a very poor clinical outcome with a short life expectancy. However, our understanding of cell-specific mechanisms underlying the pathobiology of pleural metastasis remains incomplete. Methods: We analyzed single-cell transcriptomes of cells in pleural effusion collected from patients with lung cancer and congestive heart failure (as a control), respectively. Soluble and complement factors were measured using a multiplex cytokine bead assay. The role of ferroptosis was evaluated by GPX4 small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection and overexpression. Results: We found that the mesothelial-mesenchymal transition (MesoMT) of the pleural mesothelial cells contributed to pleural metastasis, which was validated by lung cancer/mesothelial cell co-culture experiments. The ferroptosis resistance that protected cancer from death which was secondary to extracellular matrix detachment was critical for pleural metastasis. We found a universal presence of immune-suppressive lipid-associated tumor-associated macrophages (LA-TAMs) with complement cascade alteration in the MPE of the lung cancer patients. Specifically, upregulated complement factors were also found in the MPE, and C5 was associated with poor overall survival in the lung cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) exhibited a dysfunctional phenotype and pro-tumorigenic feature in the primary cancer. High expression of the gene set extracted from pDCs was associated with a poor prognosis in the lung cancer patients. Receptor-ligand interaction analysis revealed that the pleural metastatic niche was aggravated by cross-talk between mesothelial cells-cancer cells/immune cells via TNC and ICAM1 . Conclusions: Taken together, our results highlight cell-specific mechanisms involved in the pathobiological development of pleural metastasis in lung cancer. These results provide a large-scale and high-dimensional characterization of the pleural microenvironment and offer a useful resource for the future development of therapeutic drugs in lung cancer., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Sargassum are brown algae belonging to the class Phaeophyceae . Brown algae are rich in nutrients and widely used in food. Most previous experiments have focused on the functional evaluation of organic solvent extracts of Sargassum . Considering food safety, this study investigated the antioxidant and antiobesity activities of Sargassum hemiphyllum water extract (SE). The antioxidant activity of SE (500-4000 mg/mL) was determined in vitro. The results indicated that SE has good DPPH radical scavenging activity (14-74%), reducing power (20-78%), ABTS + radical scavenging activity (8-91%), and Fe 2+ chelating ability (5-25%). Furthermore, the antiobesity activity of SE (50-300 mg/mL) was analysed in a 3T3-L1 adipocyte model. SE effectively inhibited lipid accumulation (determined by methods including measuring the absorbance of Oil red O after staining and the triglyceride content, which were decreased by 10% and 20%, respectively) by reducing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) protein expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. This study suggested that SE has good antioxidant and antiobesity properties., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05707-1., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this manuscript., (© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Pt/CeO 2 catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic performance for the methanol dehydrogenation (MD) reaction. In this work, MD reactions on three systems of Pt 1 /CeO 2 (110)), Pt 7 /CeO 2 (110), and Pt 1 /Ce 1- x O 2 (110) are investigated via density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The CH 3 OH adsorption, electronic structure of the catalyst, and mechanism of methanol decomposition (MD) are systematically calculated. The results reveal that the d-band center of the Pt atom moves away from the Fermi level in the order of Pt 1 /CeO 2 (110) < Pt 7 /CeO 2 (110) < Pt 1 /Ce 1- x O 2 (110), and the order of the activity of the MD reaction is Pt 1 /CeO 2 (110) < Pt 7 /CeO 2 ( 1 10) < Pt 1 /Ce 1- x O 2 (110). The results of the microkinetic dynamics simulation verify that only Pt 1 /Ce 1- x O 2 (110) is conducive to the decomposition of methanol at low temperatures (373 K), and the products CO and H 2 are easily dissociated from the catalyst surface. This work uncovers that both the small size and the Ce vacancy substituted sites of Pt favor the performance of the Pt/CeO 2 catalyst, and provides theoretical guidance for the construction and design of efficient metal-support catalysts for the MD reaction.

Recent studies have shown that chlorogenic acid (CGA), which is present in coffee, has protective effects on the nervous system. However, its role in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury remains unclear. In this study, we established a newborn mouse model of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury using a modified Rice-Vannucci method and performed intraperitoneal injection of CGA. We found that CGA intervention effectively reduced the volume of cerebral infarct, alleviated cerebral edema, restored brain tissue structure after injury, and promoted axon growth in injured brain tissue. Moreover, CGA pretreatment alleviated oxygen-glucose deprivation damage of primary neurons and promoted neuron survival. In addition, changes in ferroptosis-related proteins caused by hypoxic-ischemic brain injury were partially reversed by CGA. Furthermore, CGA intervention upregulated the expression of the key ferroptosis factor glutathione peroxidase 4 and its upstream glutamate/cystine antiporter related factors SLC7A11 and SLC3A2. In summary, our findings reveal that CGA alleviates hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in neonatal mice by reducing ferroptosis, providing new ideas for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury., Competing Interests: None

Effective cough requires a significant increase in lung volume used to produce the shear forces on the airway to clear aspirated material. This increase in tidal volume during cough, along with an increase in tidal frequency during bouts of paroxysmal cough produces profound hyperventilation and thus reduces arterial CO 2 . While there are several reports in the literature regarding the effects of hypercapnia, hyperoxia, and hypoxia on cough, there is little research quantifying the effects of hypocapnia on the cough reflex. We hypothesized that decreased CO 2 would enhance coughing. In 12 spontaneously breathing adult male cats, we compared bouts of prolonged mechanically stimulated cough, in which cough induced hyperventilation (CHV) was allowed to occur, with isocapnic cough trials where we maintained eupneic end-tidal CO 2 by adding CO 2 to the inspired gas. Isocapnia slightly increased cough number and decreased esophageal pressures with no change in EMG magnitudes or phase durations. The cough-to-eupnea transition was also analyzed between CHV, isocapnia, and a third group of animals that were mechanically hyperventilated to apnea. The transition to eupnea was highly sensitive to added CO 2 , and CHV apneas were much shorter than those produced by mechanical hyperventilation. We suggest that the cough pattern generator is relatively insensitive to CHV. In the immediate post-cough period, the appearance of breathing while CO 2 is very low suggests a transient reduction in apneic threshold following a paroxysmal cough bout., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This paper summarizes Professor ZHANG Jian - bin 's experience in "moving cupping therapy on the back" in clinical practice. Professor ZHANG Jian - bin is good at applying the theory of governor vessel to the clinical diagnosis and treatment. He believes that the moving cupping therapy is the supplementation of "spinal therapy" in clinical diagnosis and treatment. He emphasizes that during the moving cupping therapy exerted, the physicians should observe carefully to in-time obtain the perceived feedback of treatment in patients. Afterward, the cupping marks left should be inspected to discover the location of disorder in the body, thus, a targeted treatment can be provided. Besides, the prognosis of the disease can be judged by the feedback after many treatments with the moving cupping therapy. The moving cupping therapy displays its important value in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as well as the evaluation of the prognosis.

The corticospinal tract (CST), descending from the frontoparietal cortex and traveling down to terminate at the anterior horn of the spinal cord to mediate voluntary movements, is frequently injured from the infarcted or hemorrhagic cerebrovascular insults due to stroke. Under the circumstances, motor dysfunction seriously affects the patient's quality of life. Acupuncture therapy has a sequelae, especially in improving motor deficits. In the present paper, we reviewed the current development of researches on acupuncture treatment of poststroke motor dysfunction and its biological mechanisms from 1) delaying patients' development of neuronal degeneration and white matter fibrosis (Wallerian degeneration), 2) improving patients' upper limb motor function and daily life ability by promoting the repair of white matter tracts and CST on the affected side, 3) promoting the compensation of CST on the healthy side, 4) reconstructing the motor conduction pathway to strengthen the bilateral brain connection in ex-perimental animals, and 5) strengthening the sprouting of the contralateral CST to dominate the affected side again across the midline. In addition, acupuncture stimulation induced improvement of axonal rewiring for corticospinal innervation is also possibly related to its functions in accelerating the synthesis and release of neurotrophic factors, down-regulating Nogo-A/RhoA signaling and activating vascular epithelial growth factor/Dll4/Notch signaling pathways.

Liver disease has emerged as a healthcare burden because of high hospitalization rates attributed both to steatohepatitis and to severe hepatic toxicity associated with changes of drug exposure. Early detection of hepatic insufficiency is critical to preventing long-term liver damage. The galactose single-point test is recommended by the US FDA as a sensitive means to quantify liver function, yet the conventional method used for quantitation of circulating galactose still relies on the standard colorimetric method, requiring time-consuming and labor-intensive processes, and is confined to the medical laboratory, thus limiting prevalence. To facilitate time- and cost-effective disease management particularly during a pandemic, a pocket-sized rapid quantitative device consisting of a biosensor and electrochemical detection has been developed. An in vitro validation study demonstrated that the coefficient of variation was less than 15% and deviations were between -4 and 14% in the range of 100-1500 μg/mL. The device presented good linear fit (correlation coefficient, r = 0.9750) over the range of 150-1150 µg/mL. Moreover, the device was found to be free from interference of common endogenous and exogenous substances, and deviated hematocrit, enabling a direct measurement of galactose in the whole blood without sample pre-treatment steps. The clinical validation comprising 118 subjects showed high concordance (r = 0.953) between the device and the conventional colorimetric assay. Thus, this novel miniaturized device is reliable and robust for routine assessment of quantitative liver function intended for follow-up of hepatectomy, drug dose adjustment, and screening for galactosemia, allowing timely and cost-effective clinical management of patients., (© 2022. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

By arranging Mr. LU Shan - zhong 's papers and works, his academic contributions to acupuncture and moxibustion were summarized. It mainly includes standardizing the clinical diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion, and finding the fusion point of the western and traditional medicine; building the acupuncture and moxibustion education system, innovating acupuncture and moxibustion talent training programs; exploring the academic connotation of acupuncture and moxibustion, and promoting acupuncture and moxibustion therapy.

HUANG Xue-long is a direct disciple of CHENG Dan-an . He is the second-generation representative heir of Chengjiang school. Through research on his practice and achievements of acupuncture and moxibustion scientization, we found that his main contributions were as follows. He has carried out beneficial explorations along with the scientific thinking of Chengjiang school, elucidated the theory of acupoints, clarified acupuncture and moxibustion manipulations, and explained the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion. His explorations promote the scientific process of acupuncture and moxibustion and enrich the academic system of acupuncture and moxibustion.

Recurrent laryngeal afferent fibers are primarily responsible for cough in response to mechanical or chemical stimulation of the upper trachea and larynx in the guinea pig. Lower airway slowly adapting receptors have been proposed to have a permissive effect on the cough reflex. We hypothesized that vagotomy below the recurrent laryngeal nerve branch would depress mechanically or chemically induced cough. In anesthetized, bilaterally thoracotomized, artificially ventilated cats, thoracic vagotomy nearly eliminated cough induced by mechanical stimulation of the intrathoracic airway, significantly depressed mechanically stimulated laryngeal cough, and eliminated capsaicin-induced cough. These results support an important role of lower airway sensory feedback in the production of tracheobronchial and laryngeal cough in the cat. Further, at least some of this feedback is due to excitation from pulmonary volume-sensitive sensory receptors., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Brainstem respiratory neuronal network significantly contributes to cough motor pattern generation. Neuronal populations in the pre-Bötzinger complex (PreBötC) represent a substantial component for respiratory rhythmogenesis. We studied the role of PreBötC neuronal excitation and inhibition on mechanically induced tracheobronchial cough in 15 spontaneously breathing, pentobarbital anesthetized adult cats (35 mg/kg, iv initially). Neuronal excitation by unilateral microinjection of glutamate analog d,l-homocysteic acid resulted in mild reduction of cough abdominal electromyogram (EMG) amplitudes and very limited temporal changes of cough compared with effects on breathing (very high respiratory rate, high amplitude inspiratory bursts with a short inspiratory phase, and tonic inspiratory motor component). Mean arterial blood pressure temporarily decreased. Blocking glutamate-related neuronal excitation by bilateral microinjections of nonspecific glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenic acid reduced cough inspiratory and expiratory EMG amplitude and shortened most cough temporal characteristics similarly to breathing temporal characteristics. Respiratory rate decreased and blood pressure temporarily increased. Limiting active neuronal inhibition by unilateral and bilateral microinjections of GABA A receptor antagonist gabazine resulted in lower cough number, reduced expiratory cough efforts, and prolongation of cough temporal features and breathing phases (with lower respiratory rate). The PreBötC is important for cough motor pattern generation. Excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission in the PreBötC is involved in control of cough intensity and patterning. GABA A receptor-related inhibition in the PreBötC strongly affects breathing and coughing phase durations in the same manner, as well as cough expiratory efforts. In conclusion, differences in effects on cough and breathing are consistent with separate control of these behaviors. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study is the first to explore the role of the inspiratory rhythm and pattern generator, the pre-Bötzinger complex (PreBötC), in cough motor pattern formation. In the PreBötC, excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission affects cough intensity and patterning but not rhythm, and GABA A receptor-related inhibition affects coughing and breathing phase durations similarly to each other. Our data show that the PreBötC is important for cough motor pattern generation, but cough rhythmogenesis appears to be controlled elsewhere.

Background and Objectives: To investigate the frequency, spectrum, and molecular functional effect of glycosyltransferase 8 domain-containing protein 1 (GLT8D1) variations in Taiwanese patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)., Methods: We performed genetic analyses of GLT8D1 in 410 unrelated patients with ALS by Sanger sequencing. The 410 patients were selected from a cohort of 477 unrelated patients with ALS after excluding variations in common ALS disease genes. Functional effects of the GLT8D1 variation were investigated by in vitro functional analysis., Results: We identified a novel heterozygous missense variation in GLT8D1 , p.I290M (c.870C>G), in 1 single patient with familial ALS. The patient with the p.I290M variation had a spinal-onset ALS with disease onset at age 60 years and a survival of 6 years. Functional studies demonstrated that the variant I290M GLT8D1 protein was mislocalized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), provoked ER stress and unfolded protein response, compromised the glycosyltransferase activity, and led to an increased cytotoxicity., Discussion: GLT8D1 variations account for 0.2% (1/477) of the patients with ALS in Taiwan. These findings expand the spectrum of GLT8D1 variation and support the pathogenic role of GLT8D1 variations in ALS., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.)

The role of the cerebellum in controlling the cough motor pattern is not well understood. We hypothesized that cerebellectomy would disinhibit motor drive to respiratory muscles during cough. Cough was induced by mechanical stimulation of the tracheobronchial airways in anesthetized, spontaneously breathing adult cats (8 male, 1 female), and electromyograms (EMGs) were recorded from upper airway, chest wall, and abdominal respiratory muscles. Cough trials were performed before and at two time points after total cerebellectomy (10 minutes and >1 hour). Unlike a prior report in paralyzed, decerebrated, and artificially ventilated animals, we observed that cerebellectomy had no effect on cough frequency. After cerebellectomy, thoracic inspiratory muscle EMG magnitudes increased during cough (diaphragm EMG increased by 14% at 10 minutes, p = 0.04; parasternal by 34% at 10 minutes and by 32% at >1 hour, p = 0.001 and 0.03 respectively). During cough at 10 minutes after cerebellectomy, inspiratory esophageal pressure was increased by 44% (p = 0.004), thyroarytenoid (laryngeal adductor) muscle EMG amplitude increased 13% (p = 0.04), and no change was observed in the posterior cricoarytenoid (laryngeal abductor) EMG. Cough phase durations did not change. Blood pressure and heart rate were reduced after cerebellectomy, and respiratory rate also decreased due to an increase in duration of the expiratory phase of breathing. Changes in cough-related EMG magnitudes of respiratory muscles suggest that the cerebellum exerts inhibitory control of cough motor drive, but not cough number or phase timing in response to mechanical stimuli in this model early after cerebellectomy. However, results varied widely at >1 hour after cerebellectomy, with some animals exhibiting enhancement or suppression of one or more components of the cough motor behavior. These results suggest that, while the cerebellum and behavior-related sensory feedback regulate cough, it may be difficult to predict the nature of the modulation based on total cerebellectomy., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Atherosclerosis is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a common imaging modality for diagnosing CVDs. However, an efficient analyzer for IVUS image segmentation is required for assisting cardiologists. In this study, an end-to-end deep-learning convolutional neural network was developed for automatically detecting media-adventitia borders, luminal regions, and calcified plaque in IVUS images. A total of 713 grayscale IVUS images from 18 patients were used as training data for the proposed deep-learning model. The model is constructed using the three modified U-Nets and combined with the concept of cascaded networks to prevent errors in the detection of calcification owing to the interference of pixels outside the plaque regions. Three loss functions (Dice, Tversky, and focal loss) with various characteristics were tested to determine the best setting for the proposed model. The efficacy of the deep-learning model was evaluated by analyzing precision-recall curve. The average precision (AP), Dice score coefficient, precision, sensitivity, and specificity of the predicted and ground truth results were then compared. All training processes were validated using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation. The experimental results showed that the proposed deep-learning model exhibits high performance in segmenting the media-adventitia layers and luminal regions for all loss functions, with all tested metrics being higher than 0.90. For locating calcified tissues, the best result was obtained when the focal loss function was applied to the proposed model, with an AP of 0.73; however, the prediction efficacy was affected by the proportion of calcified tissues within the plaque region when the focal loss function was employed. Compared with commercial software, the proposed method exhibited high accuracy in segmenting IVUS images in some special cases, such as when shadow artifacts or side vessels surrounded the target vessel.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs), owing to their characteristic luminescent properties, have become a new favorite in the field of luminescence. They have been widely used in light emitting diode, ion detection, cell-imaging, ect. Herein a facile synthesis method of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) has been developedviaa one-step hydrothermal of glucose and m-phenylenediamine. The chemical composition, surface functional groups, and crystal structure of so prepared N-CQDs were systematically characterized. The characterizations indicate that nitrogen has been chemically doped in the CQDs and the N-CQDs crystallize in a graphene structure. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that the N-CQDs emit strong blue emission under the irradiation of ultraviolet. The emission is excitation-dependent, is resistant to photo bleaching and high ionic strength, and slightly decreases with the increase of temperature. The quantum yield of them is about 17.5%. The PL intensity of N-CQDs quenches linearly with the increase of the concentrations of Fe 3+ (0.5-1.0 mM) and CrO 4 2- (0.3-0.6 mM), which are a kind of excellent fluorescent probe for the detection of Fe 3+ and CrO 4 2- . The quenching mechanism of Fe 3+ and CrO 4 2- is verified to be a static quenching mechanism based on inner filter effect. The N-CQDs are also found to be a good cell-imaging reagent of Hela cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study is to compare the ejection fraction (EF) calculation of CT and SPECT at high heart rate. A dynamic cardiac phantom with programmable end-systolic volume (ESV), end-diastolic volume (EDV), and heart rate was used to compare CT, which has high spatial resolution (< 1 mm) and modest temporal resolution of 175 msec, and SPECT, which has high temporal resolution of 16 bins per cardiac cycle but poor spatial resolution (> 1 cm) in EF, ESV, and EDV at the heart rates ≤ 100 bpm for EF = 30 (disease state) and EF = 60 (healthy state). EF calculations for SPECT were accurate in 2% for 40 to 100 bpm for both EF = 30 and EF = 60, and were not heart rate dependent although both ESV and EDV could be underestimated by 18-20%. EF calculations for CT were accurate in 2.2% for 40 and 60 bpm. Inaccuracy in EF calculations, ESV and EDV estimates increased when the heart rate or EF increased. SPECT was accurate for EF calculation for the heart rates ≤ 100 bpm and CT was accurate for the heart rates of ≤ 60 bpm. CT was less accurate for the high heart rates of 80 and 100 bpm, or high EF = 60.

Rationale: Cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), although rare, are associated with high in-hospital morbidity and mortality rates. Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon cause of CVAs compared with arterial disease but is associated with favorable outcomes in most cases. We present a rare case of CVT following a simple PCI procedure with stent implantation, which has not been previously reported in the literature., Patient Concerns: A 78-year-old woman with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease received simple PCI with stent implantation. After PCI, she developed a throbbing headache with nausea and vomiting, with her blood pressure increasing to 190/100 mmHg. Drowsiness, disorientation, and neck stiffness were noted. Neurological complication due to the PCI procedure was highly suspected., Diagnosis: Noncontrast brain computed tomography was performed along with emergency neurological consultation, and the patient was diagnosed as having acute CVT., Interventions: The patient was treated with anti-intracranial pressure therapy and anticoagulation therapy through low-molecular-weight heparin and was subsequently treated with warfarin., Outcomes: After treatment, the patient's symptoms and signs gradually subsided, and her clinical condition improved. She was discharged with full recovery thereafter., Lessons: A case of acute CVT, a rare, and atypical manifestation of venous thromboembolism and CVA, complicated simple PCI with stent implantation. During PCI, identifying patients with a high risk of a CVA is critical, and special care should be taken to prevent this devastating complication., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness and safety of trabeculectomy along with amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for glaucoma., Methods: This systematic review was performed using RevMan 5.3. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library and included studies published until September 2019. The treatment group included patients with AMT and trabeculectomy (group A), and the control group had only trabeculectomy (group B). We only included randomized controlled trials. The outcomes were intraocular pressure (IOP), complete success rate, number of antiglaucoma medications, and complications., Results: Five studies, including 174 eyes (87 eyes in the AMT group and 87 eyes in the control group), were eligible in this review. The parameters had no significant difference in heterogeneity between the AMT and control groups preoperatively. In the AMT group, the mean IOP was significantly lower at 3 and 12 months after operation ( P  < 0.0001 and P  = 0.02, respectively), while the number of complete successes in the AMT group was significantly higher at 6 and 12 months ( P  = 0.02 and P  = 0.003, respectively) compared with the control group. Complications, including a flat anterior chamber and hyphema, appeared to be decreased in the AMT group compared to the control group ( P  = 0.02 and P  = 0.02, respectively). No differences were observed in the number of antiglaucoma medications, hypotony, encapsulated bleb, or choroidal detachment., Conclusion: Compared with only trabeculectomy, it is more efficient and safer to add AMT to trabeculectomy during glaucoma filtering surgery., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Tian-yi Shen et al.)

Objective: Previous research suggested age at menopause may predict risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and diabetes mortality; however, findings were inconsistent across populations. We aimed to investigate this association in Taiwanese postmenopausal women., Study Design: We used data from the MJ Health Database in Taiwan and included 36,931 postmenopausal women who entered health check-up programs during 1999-2016. Information on age at menopause and covariates were collected from health surveys and medical examinations at baseline. Age at menopause was categorized into <40-44, 45-49, 50-54 (reference) and 55-60 years. We used Cox proportional hazards regression for analysis., Main Outcome Measures: Causes of death (obtained from the National Register of Death as of July 2018)., Results: Mean age (SD) at menopause was 50.2 (4.0) years and there were 5316 deaths over an average follow-up time of 14.6 years. After adjustment for birth cohort, education, smoking, BMI and comorbidities, results showed women aged <40-44 years at menopause compared with the reference category had higher diabetes mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.44; 95 % CI: 1.03, 2.02). Women aged 45-49 years at menopause had higher all-cause mortality (HR = 1.07, 1.01, 1.14), and these women were also associated with increased CVD mortality (HR = 1.22; 1.07, 1.40)., Conclusions: In Taiwanese women, early age (<40-44) at menopause is associated with higher diabetes mortality, and earlier age (45-49) at menopause is associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality. Age at menopause could be deemed an important cardio-metabolic disease marker for women at midlife that indicates future longevity., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Afferent feedback can appreciably alter the pharyngeal phase of swallow. In order to measure the stability of the swallow motor pattern during several types of alterations in afferent feedback, we assessed swallow during a conventional water challenge in four anesthetized cats, and compared that to swallows induced by fixed (20 Hz) and stochastic (1-20Hz) electrical stimulation applied to the superior laryngeal nerve. The swallow motor patterns were evaluated by electromyographic activity (EMG) of eight muscles, based on their functional significance: laryngeal elevators (mylohyoid, geniohyoid, and thyrohyoid); laryngeal adductor (thyroarytenoid); inferior pharyngeal constrictor (thyropharyngeus); upper esophageal sphincter (cricopharyngeus); and inspiratory activity (parasternal and costal diaphragm). Both the fixed and stochastic electrical stimulation paradigms increased activity of the laryngeal elevators, produced short-term facilitation evidenced by increasing swallow durations over the stimulus period, and conversely inhibited swallow-related diaphragm activity. Both the fixed and stochastic stimulus conditions also increased specific EMG amplitudes, which never occurred with the water challenges. Stochastic stimulation increased swallow excitability, as measured by an increase in the number of swallows produced. Consistent with our previous results, changes in the swallow motor pattern for pairs of muscles were only sometimes correlated with each other. We conclude that alterations in afferent feedback produced particular variations of the swallow motor pattern. We hypothesize that specific SLN feedback might modulate the swallow central pattern generator during aberrant feeding conditions (food/liquid entering the airway), which may protect the airway and serve as potentially important clinical diagnostic indicators., (Copyright © 2020 King, Shen, Musselwhite, Huff, Reed, Poliacek, Howland, Dixon, Morris, Bolser, Iceman and Pitts.)

It has been reported that kruppel‑like factor 17 (KLF17) acts as a tumour suppressor in several tissues and cancer cells, however, the molecular roles, the underlying mechanisms and clinical significance of KLF17 in colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been completely elucidated. In the present study, KLF17 protein expression was detected in 140 primary CRCs and paired adjacent non‑tumour tissues using immunohistochemistry with tissue microarrays. The KLF17 mRNA expression was determined in 4 CRC cell lines and 20 pairs of the aforementioned tissues using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The correlation between KLF17 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics was determined. Next, the functions of KLF17 in CRC were examined by cell proliferation, colony formation, adhesion, invasion and mouse xenograft assays. Methylation‑specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing PCR were also carried out to investigate the promoter methylation status of KLF17 in CRC cells and tissues and explore the effects of lentiviral‑mediated RNAi of UHRF1 on the methylation and expression of KLF17. The results revealed that KLF17 expression was abnormally decreased in CRC and associated with lymph node metastasis and unfavorable overall survival. Moreover, ectopic KLF17 expression suppressed CRC cell growth and invasion in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the downregulation of KLF17 was associated with the hypermethylation of the CpG nucleotides on the KLF17 promoter. The knockdown of the epigenetic regulator UHRF1 reduced the methylation level of the KLF17 promoter and inhibited CRC cell adhesion, invasion and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition by upregulating KLF17. The present findings indicated that KLF17 may act as a tumour suppressor gene in CRC and a potential independent prognostic biomarker in CRC patients. UHRF1 can suppress KLF17 expression through the hypermethylation of its promoter in CRC. These results offer insights into the KLF17 expression regulation in CRC and suggest an inhibitory effect of KLF17 on tumourigenesis.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the expression level of lncRNA ITGB1 both in bladder cancer (BCa) tissue and cell lines, as well as to evaluate its function and potential mechanism in the progression of BCa., Patients and Methods: The expressions of lncRNA ITGB1 in 36 BCa tissues samples (and corresponding adjacent normal ones) and cell lines were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). After transfection of sh-ITGB1 in BCa cell lines, the effect of ITGB1 on the proliferation of BCa cells was examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and colony formation assay. Subsequently, qRT-PCR was used to examine microRNA-10a expression in BCa tissues and cells after ITGB1 was silenced. At the same time, the correlation between ITGB1 and microRNA-10a expression was analyzed. Finally, cell recovery experiment was applied for the in-depth study of the interaction between ITGB1 and microRNA-10a and its underlying mechanism., Results: LncRNA ITGB1 was found upregulated in BCa tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of lncRNA ITGB1 remarkably inhibited cell proliferation. The expression levels of ITGB1 and microRNA-10a in BCa tissues were negatively correlated. ITGB1 downregulation was found to be able to enhance microRNA-10a expression, suggesting that microRNA-10a may be a potential target for ITGB1 in BCa. In addition, cell reverse experiment also verified that ITGB1 could regulate the expression of microRNA-10a, and their interaction affected the malignant progression of BCa., Conclusions: LncRNA ITGB1 level is upregulated in BCa tissues and associated with the pathological stage of BCa, which could be used as a new predictor of BCa patients' prognosis. In addition, ITGB1 might promote BCa cell proliferation via regulating microRNA-10a expression.

Objective: Age at natural menopause (ANM) is considered an indicator for chronic disease and mortality risk in later life. Research suggests that ANM appears to vary across geographic regions and ethnicities. The aim of this study was to explore the secular trends and factors associated with ANM in Taiwanese women., Methods: We used data from three cross-sectional phases of the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan. In all, 4,111 women aged 35 years and over were included. Information on ANM and sociodemographics, lifestyle, and health factors were collected using household questionnaires. A Cox proportional-hazards model was used to determine the association of ANM with relevant factors, and a life table method was used to estimate median ANM., Results: Life table method estimated the median ANM to be 50 years. ANM was getting later for women born in younger cohorts (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87 per 10-year difference, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.81-0.95). ANM was also later among women who achieved higher educational levels (HR 0.91 per one-category difference, 95% CI 0.86-0.96) and who had been married (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.96). ANM occurred later for parous than for nulliparous women. Multivariable analysis found no significant associations of ANM with age at menarche, smoking, or alcohol drinking., Conclusions: The results suggest that women in the younger cohorts, with higher educational levels, and who are parous and married may have later ANM. The trend effect of secular time and educational levels on ANM may reflect the influences of socioeconomic/nutritional status in their childhood or throughout their lifetime.

Background: Ischemia shown in non-invasive tests is considered to be a fundamental requirement for treating patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) with a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In a nationwide cohort, we investigated the utilization of stress tests, including myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), treadmill exercise test (TET) and stress echocardiography (SE) prior to elective PCI., Methods: This retrospective study used the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID2000) of the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. The LHID2000 is comprised of one million randomly sampled beneficiaries. We enrolled patients receiving elective PCI for stable CAD from 2000 to 2013. Stress tests performed within 90 days prior to PCI and patient characteristics correlated with the utilization of stress tests were investigated., Results: During the investigation period, 3,163 patients received elective PCI for stable CAD and 1,847 (58.4%) patients had at least one stress test within 90 days prior to PCI. Among them, 1,461 (79.1%) had MPI, 1,228 had TET (66.4%) and only 1 had SE (0.05%). Age < 80 years, regional hospital and hyperlipidemia were independently associated with an increased likelihood of receiving stress tests. On the other hand, Charlson-comorbidity index score ≥ 1, prior catheterization and heart failure were independently associated with a decreased likelihood of receiving stress tests., Conclusions: In the setting of stable CAD, almost 60% of our patients received stress tests within 90 days prior to elective PCI, and MPI was the most commonly used test.

GABA, muscimol, and baclofen were microinjected into the rostral (rNTS) and caudal solitary tract nucleus (cNTS) in 24 anesthetized cats. Electromyograms (EMGs) of diaphragm (DIA) and abdominal muscles (ABD), blood pressure and esophageal pressure (EP) were recorded and analysed. Bilateral microinjections of 1 mM GABA (total 66 ± 4 nl), 1 mM baclofen (64 ± 4 nl) and unilateral microinjections of 0.5 mM muscimol (33 ± 1 nl) in the rNTS significantly reduced cough number (CN), amplitudes of ABD EMGs, expiratory EP, and prolonged the duration of the cough inspiratory phase. GABA microinjections decreased the amplitudes of cough-related DIA EMGs and inspiratory EP; muscimol microinjections decreased the cough DIA EMG on the contralateral side. Only microinjections of GABA into the cNTS suppressed CN. In some cases, microinjections prolonged the inspiratory phase, lowered respiratory rate, changed the depth of breathing, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. Our results confirm that GABA-ergic inhibitory mechanisms in the rNTS can regulate coughing in the anesthetized cat., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128245.].

This study was performed to identify changes to microbial composition after treatment with synbiotics in patients with functional constipation and to define the key microbiota in the pathogenesis of functional constipation. Fecal samples from 53 patients diagnosed with chronic functional constipation according to the Rome III criteria were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. After treatment with synbiotics for 1 month, fecal samples were collected from 36 patients; after a total of 3 months, fecal samples were collected from 15 patients. The outcomes were compared with the intestinal microbiota profiles of 53 healthy community volunteers. The microbiota in the constipation group differed from that in the treatment group and healthy group. After synbiotic treatment for 1 and 3 months, the abundance of Escherichia/Shigella decreased, whereas that of Prevotella&#95;9 and Lactococcus increased. Comparison of the microbiota among the three groups showed that Prevotella&#95;9 was the characteristic bacteria that decreased in the constipation group and increased in the treatment group. Synbiotic treatment can improve the microbiota in patients with constipation. Identification of the key bacterial genus is important to reveal the mechanism and provide a reliable theoretical basis of synbiotic treatment. It will also promote relevant research of microbiota treatment and individualized treatments.

The aim of the present study was to explore the critical genes and molecular mechanisms in pancreatic cancer (PC) cells with glutamine. By analyzing microarray data GSE17632 from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, the DEGs between PC cells treated with glutamine and without glutamine were evaluated. Additionally, function enrichment analyses and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction of DEGs were performed. Network module and literature mining analyses were performed to analyze the critical DEGs in PC cells. In total, 495 genes were selected as DEGs between control and glutamine cells in PC. These DEGs were mainly enriched in several Gene Ontology (GO) terms in biological process, cellular components and molecular function. Additionally, they were also enriched in certain pathways, including metabolic pathways and the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway. MYC , heat shock 70kDa protein 5 ( HSPA5 ), interleukin 8 ( IL8 ), and chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 ( CXCR4 ) were hub genes in the PPI network. Furthermore, two sub-network modules of PPI network and two co-occurrence networks were obtained. The DEGs of MYC , HSPA5 , IL18 and CXCR4 may exert important roles in molecular mechanisms of PC cells with glutamine.

The aim of the present study was to identify the candidate target genes of genomic aberrations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were applied to analyze the copy number changes and expression level of candidate genes, respectively. Integrative analysis revealed that homozygous deletions of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKN) 2A and CDKN2B and gains of fascin actin-bundling protein 1 (FSCN1) and homer scaffolding protein 3 (HOMER3) occurred frequently in ESCC. The results demonstrated that the homozygous deletion of CDKN2A or CDKN2B was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis. Notably, the expression of CDKN2A and CDKN2B was lower in dysplasia than in normal esophageal epithelium. We also observed that the copy number increase of FSCN1 was significantly associated with pT, pN and pStage, and that the gain of HOMER3 was significantly linked with pN and pStage. We further revealed that FSCN1 and HOMER3 were overexpressed in ESCC, and that their overexpression was correlated with copy number increase. In conclusion, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, FSCN1 and HOMER3 are candidate cancer-associated genes and may play a tumorigenic role in ESCC.

Diseases affecting pulmonary mechanics often result in changes to the coordination of swallow and breathing. We hypothesize that during times of increased intrathoracic pressure, swallow suppresses ongoing expiratory drive to ensure bolus transport through the esophagus. To this end, we sought to determine the effects of swallow on abdominal electromyographic (EMG) activity during expiratory threshold loading in anesthetized cats and in awake-healthy adult humans. Expiratory threshold loads were applied to recruit abdominal motor activity during breathing, and swallow was triggered by infusion of water into the mouth. In both anesthetized cats and humans, expiratory cycles which contained swallows had a significant reduction in abdominal EMG activity, and a greater percentage of swallows were produced during inspiration and/or respiratory phase transitions. These results suggest that: a) spinal expiratory motor pathways play an important role in the execution of swallow, and b) a more complex mechanical relationship exists between breathing and swallow than has previously been envisioned.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of vascular intervention in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for the treatment of hepatic artery and hepatic vein stenosis after liver transplantation (LT), including thrombotic total occluded lesions., Methods: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty after orthotopic liver transplantation was performed to re-open hepatic vessel lesions. We daily used routine Doppler ultrasound during admission for early detection of graft hepatic vessel lesions, including hepatic artery and vein lesions. In outpatients, Doppler ultrasound was performed every month. Urokinase was delivered with a dose of 150,000-300,000 IU by catheter before PTA for thrombotic total occlusion of the graft for hepatic artery patients. Laboratory data were collected to evaluate the effects of the PTA procedure., Results: The study involved a total of seven patients, six of whom were successfully treated by a first PTA procedure. Thrombolysis use of urokinase in totally occluded donor hepatic arteries post-LT following stenting was successful in three patients. One complication occurred, an arterial dissection and perforation, finalizing the success rate at ~86% and the complication rate at ~14%. Therefore, our study has a primary patency rate of 100% at 1 and 3 months. Also, the graft survival rate was 100 % and 86 % in the first and third months, respectively., Conclusions: PTA with stenting is an effective treatment for hepatic vessel stenosis, including hepatic arteries and hepatic veins, after a liver transplantation without an increase in the complication rate. In addition, thrombolysis using urokinase intra-artery infusion in graft thrombotic total occluded patients is a good treatment strategy as well., Key Words: Angioplasty; Complication; Liver transplantation.

Background: Genomic aberration is a common feature of human cancers and also is one of the basic mechanisms that lead to overexpression of oncogenes and underexpression of tumor suppressor genes. Our study aims to identify frequent genomic changes in pancreatic cancer., Materials and Methods: We used array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) to identify recurrent genomic alterations and validated the protein expression of selected genes by immunohistochemistry., Results: Sixteen gains and thirty-two losses occurred in more than 30% and 60% of the tumors, respectively. High-level amplifications at 7q21.3-q22.1 and 19q13.2 and homozygous deletions at 1p33-p32.3, 1p22.1, 1q22, 3q27.2, 6p22.3, 6p21.31, 12q13.2, 17p13.2, 17q21.31 and 22q13.1 were identified. Especially, amplification of AKT2 was detected in two carcinomas and homozygous deletion of CDKN2C in other two cases. In 15 independent validation samples, we found that AKT2 (19q13.2) and MCM7 (7q22.1) were amplified in 6 and 9 cases, and CAMTA2 (17p13.2) and PFN1 (17p13.2) were homozygously deleted in 3 and 1 cases. AKT2 and MCM7 were overexpressed, and CAMTA2 and PFN1 were underexpressed in pancreatic cancer tissues than in morphologically normal operative margin tissues. Both GISTIC and Genomic Workbench software identified 22q13.1 containing APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B as the only homozygous deletion region. And the expression levels of APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B were significantly lower in tumor tissues than in morphologically normal operative margin tissues. Further validation showed that overexpression of PSCA was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, and overexpression of HMGA2 was significantly associated with invasive depth of pancreatic cancer., Conclusion: These recurrent genomic changes may be useful for revealing the mechanism of pancreatic carcinogenesis and providing candidate biomarkers.