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Objective To explore the simulation degree of the 3D printed removable transnasal pituitary adenoma resection model, and to discuss the possibility of teaching operation with the model. Methods Using patient CT modeling, fine optimization and 3D printed technology, a removable pituitary adenoma resection model was constructed. Nineteen evaluators from Peking Union Medical College Hospital were selected, who were divided into “lower seniority group”(seniority ＜10 years) and “higher seniority group” (seniority ≥10 years). Each physician operated on the 3D printed pituitary adenoma resection model. They filled out questionnaires and evaluation scales before and after the operation. Results The higher seniority group have more operation experience than the lower seniority group. The scores of the simulation degree items are all around 4, and there is no significant difference found in different scoring items. The simulation degree score of “pituitary adenoma removal” is relatively low. The scores from the higher seniority group are generally lower than those of the lower seniority group. Before the operation, the scores in the lower seniority group were significantly lower than those of the higher seniority group, while the confidence scores of the two groups after the operation tended to be the same. The difference between scores before and after operation were significantly higher in lower seniority group (P＜0.05). Conclusions The model has high simulation degree and can be used in teaching experiments.

Abnormalities in CD4+ T cell (Th cell) differentiation play an important role in the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis (VMC). Our previous studies demonstrated that activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) alleviated the inflammatory response. In addition, we observed that right cervical vagotomy aggravates VMC by inhibiting CAP. However, the vagus nerve’s effect on differentiation of CD4+ T cells has not been studied in VMC mice to date. In this study, we investigated the effects of cervical vagotomy and the α7nAChR agonist pnu282987 on CD4+ T cell differentiation in a murine myocarditis model (BALB/c) infected with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). Splenic CD4+ T cells from CVB3-induced mice obtained and cultured to investigate the potential mechanism of CD4+ T cell differentiation. Each Th cell subset was analyzed by flow cytometry. Our results showed that right cervical vagotomy increased proportions of Th1 and Th17 cells and decreased proportions of Th2 and Treg cells in the spleen. Vagotomy-induced upregulation of T-bet, Ror-γ, IFN-γ, and IL-17 expression while downregulating the expression of Gata3, Foxp3, and IL-4 in the heart. In addition, we observed upregulated levels of proinflammatory cytokines, aggravated myocardial lesions and cellular infiltration, and worsened cardiac function in VMC mice. Pnu282987 administration reversed these outcomes. Furthermore, vagotomy inhibited JAK2-STAT3 activation and enhanced NF-κB activation in splenic CD4+ T cells. The CD4+ T cell differentiation was related to JAK2-STAT3 and NF-κB signal pathways. In conclusion, vagus nerve modulates the inflammatory response by regulating CD4+ T cell differentiation in response to VMC.

To evaluate the safety of the 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV15 (by LvZhu & Co. Ltd)) in healthy infants aged 2 months (minimum to 6 weeks) and 3 months old. This phase I clinical trial enrolled 80 subjects in Laishui County, Hebei Province, China. The total population was divided into 4 age groups on average: 20 adults (≥18 years) and 20 children (1–5 years) all received one vaccine dose; 20 infants (3 months) received the vaccine according to a 3-dose schedule at 0, 1, and 2 months. Twenty infants (2 months, minimum of 6 weeks old) received the vaccine according to a 3-dose schedule of 0, 2, and 4 months. The adverse events (AEs) until 30 days after each dose and serious adverse events (SAEs) until 6 months after the whole dose were reported. The solicited and unsolicited AE frequencies and laboratory indices were similar among the treatment groups. No vaccine-related SAEs were reported. Most vaccine-related adverse events consisting of systemic and local reactions were fever and pain. One hypersensitivity manifested as systemic urticaria that occurred on the third day after the second dose in the 2-month group. The 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was generally well tolerated in infants.

Objective: To assess the immune effect of different types of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) booster doses 2–32 years after primary immunization, explore the influencing factors, and offer guidance regarding the necessity and timing of boosters. Methods: In total, 1163 participants who were born from 1986 to 2015, received the HepB full-course primary vaccination, were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) negative, and had hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs)

Abstract Background To assess the immune persistence conferred by a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-derived hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) 17 to 20 years after primary immunization during early life. Methods Participants born between 1997 and 1999 who received a full course of primary vaccination with HepB (CHO) and who had no experience with booster vaccination were enrolled. Blood samples were required from each participant for measurement of hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), surface antigen and core antibody levels. For those who possessed an anti-HBs antibody

Aberrant expression of CDK9/cyclin T1 has been found in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and suggests that CDK9 is a potential therapeutic target for DLBCL. Here, we firstly demonstrated that CDKI-73, a novel cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) inhibitor, potently blocks CDK9, triggered apoptosis and dramatically repressed DLBCL cell growth owing to CDK9 inhibition. CDK9 inhibitors specifically elevated the trimethylation of H3K27, which we speculate was due to reduced expression of JMJD3/UTX. Considering the important role of the trimethylation of H3K27 in tumor progression, the synergistic effect of the combination therapy of CDK9 inhibitors with EZH2 inhibitors was investigated. EZH2 inhibitors reversed the upregulation of trimethylation of H3K27, and synergistically inhibited DLBCL and other solid tumors growth in vitro and in vivo. These findings provide a rational basis for the application of CDK9 inhibitors in combination with EZH2 inhibitors in clinical trials.

Skeletal muscle dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is common. Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) is a powerful exercise training that may relieve muscle dysfunction in COPD. This study investigated whether electrical stimulation may have atypical adaptations via activation of miRNA related pathways in counteracting COPD muscle dysfunction. Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups. With the exception of the rats in the control group, the experimental rats were exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia-hypercapnia (CIHH) (9∼11%O2,5.5∼6.5%CO2) for 2 or 4 weeks. Electrical stimulation was performed immediately after each CIHH session. Following assessment of the running capacity, biopsy samples were obtained from the gastrocnemius of the rats. The miR-1, miR-133a and miR-133b levels were measured, as well as their related proteins: phosphorylation of Akt (p-AKT), PGC-1alpha (PGC-1α), histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) and serum response factor (SRF). Myosin heavy chainIIa (MHCIIa) and myosin heavy chainIIb (MHCIIb) were also measured to assess fiber type changes. After 2 weeks, compared with the controls, only miR-1 and miR-133a were significantly increased (p

BackgroundChronic intermittent hypoxia-hypercapnia (CIHH) exposure leads to learnning and memory deficits in rats. Overactivation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors(NMDARs) can lead to the death of neurons through a process termed excitotoxicity, which is involved in CIHH-induced cognitive deficits. Excessively activated NR2B (GluN2B)-containing NMDARs was reported as the main cause of excitotoxicity. The ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2) signaling cascade acts as a key component in NMDARs-dependent neuronal plasticity and survival. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), synapse-associated protein 102 (SAP102) and Ras GTPase-activating protein (SynGAP) have been shown to be involved in the regulation of NMDAR-ERK signalling cascade. Recent studies revealed statins (the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) have effect on the expression of NMDARs. The present study intends to explore the potential effect of lovastatin on CIHH-induced cognitive deficits and the NR2B-ERK signaling pathway.Methods and findingsEighty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. Except for those in the control group, the rats were exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia-hypercapnia (CIHH) (9 ∼ 11%O2, 5.5 ∼ 6.5%CO2) for 4 weeks. After lovastatin administration, the rats performed better in the Morris water maze test. Electron microscopy showed alleviated hippocampal neuronal synaptic damage. Further observation suggested that either lovastatin or ifenprodil (a selective NR2B antagonist) administration similarly downregulated NR2B subunit expression leading to a suppression of CaMKII/SAP102/SynGAP signaling cascade, which in turn enhanced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. The phosphorylated ERK1/2 induced signaling cascade involving cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) activation, which is responsible for neuroprotection.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the ameliorative cognitive deficits caused by lovastatin are due to the downregulation of excessive NR2B expression accompanied by increased expression of ERK signaling cascade. The effect of NR2B in upregulating pERK1/2 maybe due, at least in part, to inactivation of CaMKII/SAP102/SynGAP signaling cascade.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of emodin, a natural compound with antioxidant properties, on oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in HK-2 human renal tubular cells. In HK-2 cells subjected to H/R, it was observed that pre-treatment with emodin lead to an increase in cellular viability and a reduction in the rate of apoptosis and the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein/Bcl-2 ratio. H/R alone caused a significant increase in the levels of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde (P<0.05) and a significant decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase (P<0.05), relative to normoxic cells. In turn, parameters of oxidative stress were improved by emodin pre-treatment. In addition, emodin pre-treatment significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) induced by H/R (P<0.05). These data suggest that emodin may prevent H/R-induced apoptosis in human renal tubular cells through the regulation of cellular oxidative stress, MAPK activation and restoration of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis on codon usage bias of GPAT gene of Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze may provide a basis for understanding the evolution relationship of C. sinensis and for selecting appropriate host expression systems to improve the expression of target genes. In the present study, the coding sequence of CsGPAT was analyzed with CodonW, CHIPS and CUSP programs, and compared with the genome of C. sinensis and GPAT genes of other 9 plant species. Our results showed that the cluster tree based on CDs could reveal the evolutional relations among the 10 plant species, whereas the cluster tree based on relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) could not. There were 31 codons showing distinct usage differences between CsGPAT and genome of Escherichia coli, 21 between CsGPAT and yeast, but 13 between CsGPAT and Arabidopsis thaliana. But there were slightly fewer differences in codon usage between CsGPAT and A. thaliana. Therefore, the A. thaliana expression system may be more suitable for the expression of CsGPAT. These results may improve our understanding of the codon usage bias and functional studies of CsGPAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]