Search

Beclin 1, a positive regulator of autophagy, behaves as a double-edged sword in tumorigenesis. Beclin 1 contributes to tumor suppression by removing defective or damaged organelles and other cellular components; however, its activity can also stimulate cancer initiation and progression. In head and neck cancer, Beclin 1 overexpression promotes autophagy, which limits DNA damage and chromosomal instability and increases necrosis and inflammation by impacting apoptotic and autophagic pathways. This paper reviews the relationship between Beclin 1, carcinogenesis and head and neck cancer prognosis.

Stroke is always associated with a difficult functional recovery process. A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a technology which provides a direct connection between the human brain and external devices. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether training with a BCI-controlled robot can improve functions in patients with subacute stroke.Subacute stroke patients aged 32-68 years with a course of 2 weeks to 3 months were randomly assigned to the BCI group or to the sham group for a 4-week course. The primary outcome measures were Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOCTA) and Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Lower Extremity (FMA-LE). Secondary outcome measures included Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Balance (FMA-B), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and motor-evoked potential (MEP).A total of 28 patients completed the study. Both groups showed a significant increase in mean LOCTA (sham: P 0.001, Cohen's d = - 2.972; BCI: P 0.001, Cohen's d = - 4.266) and FMA-LE (sham: P 0.001, Cohen's d = - 3.178; BCI: P 0.001, Cohen's d = - 3.063) scores. The LOCTA scores in the BCI group were 14.89% higher than in the sham group (P = 0.049, Cohen's d = - 0.580). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of FMA-B (P = 0.363, Cohen's d = - 0.252), FAC (P = 0.363), or MBI (P = 0.493, Cohen's d = - 0.188) scores. The serum levels of BDNF were significantly higher within the BCI group (P 0.001, Cohen's d = - 1.167), and the MEP latency decreased by 3.75% and 4.71% in the sham and BCI groups, respectively.Training with a BCI-controlled robot combined with traditional physiotherapy promotes cognitive function recovery, and enhances motor functions of the lower extremity in patients with subacute stroke. These patients also showed increased secretion of BDNF.Chinese clinical trial registry: ChiCTR-INR-17012874.

Background Evidence concerning the effect of Tai Chi Yunshou motor imagery training (TCY-MIT) on upper extremity motor function (UE-MF) recovery in poststroke patients is lacking, and few studies have examined the neural mechanisms of MIT. The study was designed to assess the effectiveness of TCY-MIT and its possible neural mechanisms. Methods/design The study is an assessor-blinded, parallel, superiority, randomized clinical trial. A total of 78 eligible participants will be randomly assigned to 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the control group will receive (conventional rehabilitation therapies) CRTs for 40 min per day, 6 days per week, for 3 weeks. Participants in the intervention group will receive CRTs combined with TCY-MIT (30 min per day, 6 days per week, for 3 weeks). The primary outcome measure is the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity. Secondary outcome measures are the Box and Block Test, muscle strength test, modified Barthel index, and Pearson correlation coefficients. All outcomes will be assessed at baseline, after completion of the intervention (1, 2, and 3 weeks), and at the end of follow-up (2 months). The outcome assessor will be blinded to the group allocation of the participants. Discussion We expect this assessor-blinded, parallel, superiority, randomized clinical trial to explore the effectiveness of TCY-MIT combined with CRTs compared with CRTs alone for UE-MF in poststroke patients. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ID: ChiCTR2100048868. Registered on 19 July 2021

Objectives The present work evaluated preventive effect of curcumin on cisplatin-induced bladder cystopathy. Methods Fifteen female rats were divided into (i) Control group administered with physiological saline solution for 5 days; (ii) Cis-P group injected with cisplatin (6 mg/kg); and (iii) Cis-Cur group given cisplatin (6 mg/kg) with curcumin for 5 consecutive days. The function of bladder was measured by means of urodynamic analysis. Furthermore, hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining were performed for morphological analysis. The cell apoptosis was evaluated through terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and flow cytometry. The expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), NF-E2-related factor 2, and hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) levels were measured through Western blotting. Results Urodynamic assay and histopathological manifestations revealed that curcumin ameliorated the bladder dysfunction induced by cisplatin. The level of cisplatin-induced apoptosis in the bladder decreased following curcumin treatment. Also, the increased protein expression of NGF indicated that the curcumin could offer neuroprotection for bladder against cisplatin. Curcumin also activated NRF2, and elevated the expression of HO-1, but curcumin could not rescue cisplatin-induced apoptosis in the cell lines with knockdown of NRF2. Conclusions Taken together, the results of this paper showed that curcumin could ameliorate cisplatin-induced cystopathy and inhibit the apoptosis of bladder cell in cisplatin-treated rats. This may be attributed to curcumin's broad biological functions, particularly antioxidant effect, and to its ability to activate the NRF2 protein.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of action observation therapy (AOT) on apraxia of speech (AOS) in patients after stroke. Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients diagnosed with AOS after stroke were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 21). Both groups received 30 min of conventional language therapy twice daily, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The patients in the experimental group additionally received 20 min of AOT before 10 min language therapy each day. The speech function and aphasia severity of the 2 groups were assessed using the speech apraxia assessment method of the China Rehabilitation Research Center, Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), and the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination before and after treatment. Results: AOS and WAB scores increased significantly after treatment in both groups (p < 0.05). AOS and WAB scores exhibited significant differences between the experimental group and the control group after training (p < 0.05). The response rate in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: AOT based on mirror neuron theory may improve language function in patients with AOS after stroke.

When watching someone performs an action, mirror neurons are activated in a way that is very similar to the activation that occurs when actually performing that action. Previous single-sample case studies indicate that hand-action observation training may lead to activation and remodeling of mirror neuron systems, which include important language centers, and may improve language function in aphasia patients. In this randomized-block-design experiment, we recruited 24 aphasia patients from, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, China. The patients were divided into three groups where they underwent hand-action observation and repetition, dynamic-object observation and repetition, or conventional speech therapy. Training took place 5 days per week, 35 minutes per day, for 2 weeks. We assessed language function via picture naming tests for objects and actions and the Western Aphasia Battery. Among the participants, one patient, his wife and four healthy student volunteers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze changes in brain activation during hand-action observation and dynamic-object observation. Results demonstrated that, compared with dynamic-object observation, hand-action observation led to greater performance with respect to the aphasia quotient and affiliated naming sub-tests and a greater Western Aphasia Battery test score. The overall effect was similar to that of conventional aphasia training, yet hand-action observation had advantages compared with conventional training in terms of vocabulary extraction and spontaneous speech. Thus, hand-action observation appears to more strongly activate the mirror neuron system compared with dynamic-object observation. The activated areas included Broca's area, Wernicke's area, and the supramarginal gyrus. These results suggest that hand-action observation combined with repetition might better improve language function in aphasia patients compared with dynamic-object observation combined with repetition. The therapeutic mechanism of this intervention may be associated with activation of additional mirror neuron systems, and may have implications for the possible repair and remodeling of damaged nerve networks. The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of Nanjing Medical University, China (approval number: 2011-SRFA-086) on March 11, 2011. This trial has been registered in the ISRCTN Registry (ISRCTN84827527).

The aim of the present study was to assess the role of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in hypopharyngeal carcinoma. A total of 40 hypopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and 15 benign lesion tissues were retrospectively analyzed. DWI, and T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of conventional MRI were 97.5, 66.7, and 89.1%, respectively. The mean ADC value [diffusion sensitive factor (b)=1,000× sec/mm2) for hypopharyngeal carcinomas was (1.0285±0.0328)×10−3 mm2/sec, which was significantly lower than the mean ADC value for benign lesions [(1.5333±0.1061)×10−3 mm2/sec; P(1.0285±0.0328)×10−3 mm2/sec]. The 2-year survival rates of the two groups were 55.6 and 100.0%, respectively (P=0.024). ADC values may aid in distinguishing hypopharyngeal carcinomas from benign lesions and differentiating metastatic lymph nodes of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas from reactive cervical lymph nodes. In conclusion, mean ADC values may be useful prognostic factors in univariate analysis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

To evaluate the influence of different host plants including apple, wild jujube, jujube, pear and hawthorn on the cold-tolerance substances in overwintering larvae of the peach fruit moth Carposina sasakii Matsumura, we measured the larvae super-cooling capacity, the water content (W), total fat content (TFC), total protein content (TPC) and total glycogen content (TGC) in the body. Results showed that the mean super-cooling point (SCPs) and freezing point (FPs) of overwintering larvae from the 5 host plant fruits differed significantly, ranging from -15.53 to -8.50 degrees C and -11.31 to -4.04 degrees C, respectively. The overwintering larvae fed on hawthorn owned the highest SCP, FP, TGC and the lowest W, while those fed on apple had the lowest SCP, FP, TFC and TGC but the highest W and TPC. The fresh mass (FM) of the overwintering larvae fed on pear was the highest, while those fed on jujube was very low. Those fed on jujube accumulated the highest TFC but the lowest TPC.

The present study describes the first reported case of a sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) that presented as a cancer of unknown primary in the English-language literature. In July 2010, a 66-year old male presented with a 6-month history of a painless, progressive mass in the right submandibular region. Physical examination revealed a 3×4-cm smooth, non-tender mass and subsequently, excision of the right submandibular gland was performed. Post-operative pathological examination indicated poorly-differentiated SCC of the submandibular lymph node. Positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was unable to identify the primary tumour site in this case, and 14 months later the patient presented with nasal obstruction, leading to the diagnosis of right sinonasal IP with coexistent SCC. The patient received pre-operative radiotherapy, a right total maxillectomy and post-operative radiotherapy. However, the patient succumbed to a distant metastasis 37 months after the initial presentation. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on PET/CT may be not a reliable predictor of malignancy in sinonasal IPs. Therefore, we suggest emphasis of the use of multiple biopsies for suspected sinonasal IPs in order to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Forest litter is the physical makeup part of forest ecosystem. The rate of decomposition of forest litter is low in temperate and cool temperate zones. There is important significance to search and utilize the function of soil animals, in order to probe the material circulation and energy flow in forest ecosystem. We selected three kinds of mesh bag with different mesh size, in which, large pore mesh bag is large enough to permit the activities of all kinds of soil animals, medium mesh bag is designed to exclude the function of soil macrofauna, while small mesh bag is small enough to exclude the effects of any kind of soil animals as far as possible. The decomposition time is three years. The studying results show that: the decomposing speed of the bags with big meshes, under functions of all kinds of soil animals, faster than the bags with medium meshes, under functions of medium and small soil animals, as well as the bags with small meshes that excluding all possibility of functions of soil animals; in the process of decomposition of litter, relationship of the litter lost weight with number of soil animals is not obvious clearly; the degree of functions of soil animals to soft litter higher than hard litter; according to the analysis of diversity index, no regular changes will happen to the diversity of soil animals as the time of decomposing samples lengthen.

To understand the resistance risks of Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande against phoxim, this paper studied the resistance mechanisms of phoxim-resistant F. occidentalis population against phoxim and the cross-resistance of the population against other insecticides. The phoxim-resistant population had medium level cross-resistance to chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin, and methomyl, low level cross-resistance to chlorfenapyr, imidacloprid, emamectin-benzoate, and spinosad, but no cross-resistance to acetamiprid and abamectin. The synergists piperonyl butoxide (PBO), s, s, s-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DEF), and triphenyl phosphate (TPP) had significant synergism (P0.05) on the toxicity of phoxim to the resistant (XK), field (BJ), and susceptible (S) populations, while diethyl maleate (DEM) had no significant synergism to XK and S populations but had significant synergism to BJ population. As compared with S population, the XK and BJ populations had significantly increased activities of mixed-functional oxidases P450 (2.79-fold and 1.48-fold), b, (2.88-fold and 1.88-fold), O-demethylase (2.60-fold and 1.68-fold), and carboxylesterase (2.02-fold and 1.61-fold, respectively), and XK population had a significantly increased acetylcholine esterase activity (3.10-fold). Both XK and BJ population had an increased activity of glutathione S-transferases (1.11-fold and 1.20-fold, respectively), but the increment was not significant. The increased detoxification enzymes activities in F. occidentalis could play an important role in the resistance of the plant against phoxim.