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Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common solid tumor of the neural crest cell origin in children and has a poor prognosis in high-risk patients. The oncogene MYCN was found to be amplified at extremely high levels in approximately 20% of neuroblastoma cases. In recent years, research on the targeted hydrolysis of BRD4 to indirectly inhibit the transcription of the MYCN created by proteolysis targeting chimaera (PROTAC) technology has become very popular. dBET57 (S0137, Selleck, TX, USA) is a novel and potent heterobifunctional small molecule degrader based on PROTAC technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of dBET57 in NB and its potential mechanism. In this study, we found that dBET57 can target BRD4 ubiquitination and disrupt the proliferation ability of NB cells. At the same time, dBET57 can also induce apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and decrease migration. Furthermore, dBET57 also has a strong antiproliferation function in xenograft tumor models in vivo. In terms of mechanism, dBET57 targets the BET protein family and the MYCN protein family by associating with CRBN and destroys the SE landscape of NB cells. Combined with RNA-seq and ChIP-seq public database analysis, we identified the superenhancer-related genes TBX3 and ZMYND8 in NB as potential downstream targets of dBET57 and experimentally verified that they play an important role in the occurrence and development of NB. In conclusion, these results suggest that dBET57 may be an effective new therapeutic drug for the treatment of NB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the root soil interface bonding is not considered in the root system of mechanical soil-fixing model. The typical restoration plant Amorpha fruticosa, utilizing the widely used Wu model (WWM), the tensile and tensile properties of single root, and the shear strength properties of root soil composite tailing, is analyzed by the tensile tests of plant roots, pullout tests, and shear tests based on the effect of interfacial bond strength; based on the failure mode of root system in root soil, the modified WWM model is used to calculate the increment of shear strength of composite tailing soil. The results showed that ① the relationship between root diameter of A. fruticosa and tensile strength was power function. ② The bond between root and soil becomes more tight, and the pullout strength of the root system increases significantly. ③ When root soil area ratio (RAR) is the same, shear deformation capacity of root soil composite tailing soil increases with the increase of interface bonding strength. Under the condition of the same interface bonding strength, the cohesion of root soil composite tailing soil is greater than that of tailing soil and increases with the increase of RAR, but the change of internal friction angle is not significant. When the pullout strength is added to the plant root prediction model, the soil consolidation effect of the plant root system can be better reflected. The range of the revised coefficient of the WWM model for the root soil composite tailing soil is 0.15~0.37. The research results will provide a theoretical basis and data support for quantifying the ecological restoration and reinforcement capacity of tailing pond shrubs and plants, slope stability, soil and water management, and other ecological soil consolidation capacity of mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Infection with syphilis is still a major public health problem. The precise data for syphilis seroprevalence in the populations will help to develop a strategy for prevention and treatment of it. However, the data for syphilis prevalence in continuous years among volunteer blood donors in China is rare. Methods. A retrospective study for Treponema pallidum (TP) antibody in blood donors was conducted from January 2010 to December 2019 at the Blood Center of Zhejiang Province, China. TP antibody was detected with two different reagents using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the only sample which was reactive in the two reagents was defined as seropositive. Results. A total of 992,646 volunteer blood donors were analyzed and the positive rate of TP antibody in the blood donors was 0.43%. From 2010 to 2019, the positive rates of TP antibody were 0.53%, 0.51%, 0.51%, 0.43%, 0.36%, 0.18%, 0.11%, 0.12%, 0.11%, and 0.10%, respectively. The positive rates of TP antibody were significantly different among blood donor age group (p < 0.001), with the highest positive rate in 45–54-years-old group (0.93%). The positive rates of TP antibody in male and female blood donors were 0.44% and 0.41%, respectively. The positive rate was 0.57% among the first-time blood donors, which was significantly higher than that of the repeat blood donors (0.17%). The positive rate of TP antibody in blood donors decreased gradually with the increase of educational level. Conclusion. The syphilis seroprevalence is low in the blood donors of the Hangzhou area, and the positive rate of blood donors is associated with age, educational level, and times of blood donation. Increasing the number of repeat blood donations is helpful to improve blood safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H6 avian influenza virus (AIV) is one of the most prevalent AIV subtypes in the world. Our previous studies have demonstrated that H6 AIVs isolated from live poultry markets pose a potential threat to human health. In recent years, increasing number of H6 AIVs has been constantly isolated from poultry farms. In order to understand the biological characteristics of H6 AIVs in the context of farms, here, we analyzed the phylogenetic relationships, antigenicity, replication in mice and receptor binding properties of H6 AIVs isolated from farms in China between 2014 and 2018. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 19 different genotypes were formed among 20 representative H6 viruses. Notably, the internal genes of these H6 viruses exhibited complicated relationships with different subtypes of AIVs worldwide, indicating that these viruses are the products of complex and frequent reassortment events. Antigenic analysis revealed that 13 viruses tested were divided into three antigenic groups. 10 viruses examined could all replicate in the respiratory organs of infected mice without prior adaptation. Receptor binding analysis demonstrated that some of the H6 AIVs bound to both α‐2, 3‐linked glycans (avian‐type receptor) and α‐2, 6‐linked glycans (human‐type receptor), thereby posing a potential threat to human health. Together, these findings revealed the prevalence, complicated genetic evolution, diverse antigenicity, and dual receptor binding specificity of H6 AIVs in the settings of poultry farms, which emphasize the importance to continuously monitor the evolution and biological properties of H6 AIVs in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomegranate peel (PP) is a by‐product in the processing of pomegranate products, which is usually discarded as a waste. However, a large number of researches have shown that pomegranate peel extract (PPE) is rich in a variety of phenolic substances, among which ellagic acid (EA), as one of the main active components, has significant biological activities, such as anti‐oxidation, anti‐tumor, anti‐inflammatory, neuroprotection, anti‐viral, and anti‐bacterial. We analyzed the mechanism of EA's biological activity, and discussed its application in the food industry, for instance, food preservation, food additives, and functional foods. Combined with the research status of PPE, we discussed the limitations and development potential of PPE, in order to provide theoretical reference and scientific basis for the development and utilization of pomegranate by‐products. Practical applications: Pomegranate peel (PP), the inedible part of the fruit, is usually treated as waste. In recent years, researchers have been committed to exploring various bioactive ingredients in PP and exploring its potential benefits to human health, which has far‐reaching significance. In this paper, the chemical constituents of polyphenols in PP were reviewed, mainly focusing on the biological activity and mechanism of ellagic acid (EA). We reviewed the applications and invention patents of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) in food field, including food preservation, food additive, and functional foods, providing reference for the recycling and reuse of PP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postcontrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) is directly caused by the use of contrast, indicating a clear causal relationship between the contrast and the injury. Salvianolic acid B (Sal B), a water-soluble compound of Salvia miltiorrhiza, has a potent anti-inflammatory effect. We conducted a study to explore whether the protective effect of Sal B on iopromide-induced injury in human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) is related to inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway. The results showed that 100 μmol/L Sal B counteracted the decrease in cell viability, the increase of ROS and the number of apoptotic cells, and the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) induced by iopromide. Molecular docking analysis showed that Sal B binds TLR4 and NLRP3 proteins. Moreover, 100 μmol/L Sal B also decreased the expression of TLR4, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, IL-18, IL-1β, TNF-α, p-NF-κB, cleaved caspase-3, and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 induced by iopromide. TAK-242, a TLR4 antagonist, was added to further explore the mechanism of Sal B. However, the cotreatment group with TAK-242 and Sal B had no significant difference in cell viability and apoptosis rate compared to the treatment group with TAK-242 or Sal B alone. These results indicated that Sal B can inhibit the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway, resulting in the alleviation of iopromide-induced HK-2 cell injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the unclear reorganization of a water cone shape, its sweep range, and water saturation distribution of horizontal well in heavy oil reservoirs with bottom water, a mathematical method was proposed in this paper to establish a microtube model and physical model with the starting pressure gradient (SPG) to study the water cone behavior. The results showed that the different water-cut stage, mobility, depth from oil-water interface (DOWI), and liquid production strength have an obvious impact on water cone behavior. Moreover, we found an interesting phenomenon on an extreme point in water saturation derivation among water cone, which could be a reason for further adjustment. Finally, we confirmed the calculation results with physical simulation, which is highly consistent. The new method proposed in this paper was significant in the water cone behavior study and has a broad application in heavy oil reservoir development in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune disease and affects multiple joints. Previous studies have shown that total saponins of Radix clematidis (TSC) have a clear therapeutic effect on RA, but the specific mechanism has not yet been clarified. Literature screening and previous research suggest that the lncRNA OIP5-AS1/miR-410-3p/Wnt7b signaling pathway exerts a regulatory effect on the pathogenesis of RA. In this study, we examined whether the TSC treatment of RA affects the lncRNA OIP5-AS1/miR-410-3p/Wnt7b pathway. Materials and Methods. Freund's complete adjuvant was used to create an adjuvant arthritis (AA) rat model with rat synovial cells being harvested and cultured. The experiment comprises a normal group, model group, TSC optimal-dose group, TSC optimal-dose group + lncRNA OIP5-AS1siRNA group, lncRNA OIP5-AS1 siRNA group, and lncRNA OIP5-AS1 siRNA + NC group. MMT was used to screen the optimal concentration of TSC. The level of lncRNA OIP5-AS1, miR-410-3p, Wnt7b, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, GSK-3β, and SFRP4 mRNA were detected by real-time-qPCR, the expression of Wnt7b, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, GSK-3β, and p-GSK-3β (Ser9) protein were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot. Results. We found that TSC inhibits the proliferation of RA FLS, TSC significantly reduced lncRNA OIP5-AS1, Wnt7b, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β mRNA/protein expression, whereas the miR-410-3p and SFRP4 mRNA/protein expression levels were significantly upregulated. Our data suggest that TSC can inhibit the excessive proliferation of FLS to treat RA, the mechanism of which may be closely related to regulation of the lncRNA OIP5-AS1/miR-410-3p /Wnt7b signaling axis and the Wnt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compared the expected accuracy of the gray GM (1, 1) model and the combined GMBP model using a data set for major road traffic accidents. A combined GMBP prediction model composed of the very first parameter gray model GM (1, 1) is able to make exact predictions for forecasting dreary type of processes, and BP (back-propagation) neural network for a major traffic accident is proposed to overcome the limitations of a single prediction model for a major traffic accident. The method first obtains predicted data using the gray GM (1, 1) model, then trains the BP neural network using the GM (1, 1) model's predicted data and the original data as input and output data, respectively, and finally the trained BP neural network can be considered a combined GMBP prediction model. The predicted data of the digit of major traffic accidents, the digit of fatalities, and the digit of damages from 2008 to 2020 were obtained using the combined GMBP prediction model, and it is compared with the expected data of the single gray GM (1, 1) model. The grades showed that the exactitude of the combined GMBP prediction model was significantly higher than that of the single gray GM (1, 1) model. Finally, from 2021 to 2033, the combined GMBP prediction model is used to forecast the number of significant road traffic incidents, mortalities, and damages. The prediction results show that the number of accidents, faculties, and injuries is on the decline in the future years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing loss is a common disease affecting public health all around the world. In clinic, auditory brainstem response (ABR) has been widely used for the detection of hearing loss based on its convenience and accuracy. The different reference methods directly influence the quality of the ABR waveform which in turn affects the ABR-based diagnosis. Therefore, in this study, a reference electrode standardization technique (REST) was adopted to systematically investigate and evaluate the effect of different reference methods on the quality of ABR waveform in comparison with the conventional average reference (AR) and mean mastoid (MM) methods. In this study, ABR signals induced by click stimulus were acquired via an EEG electrode cap arrays, and those located on the six channels along the midline were compared systemically. The results showed that, when considering the different channels, the ABR in the Cz channel showed the best morphology. Then, the ABR waveforms acquired via the REST method possessed better morphologies with large amplitude (0.06 ± 0.02 μV for wave I, 0.07 ± 0.02 μV for wave III, and 0.21 ± 0.04 μV for wave V) when compared with the traditional method. Summarily, we found that the REST and MM methods improved the quality of ABR on both amplitude and morphology under different stimulation rates and levels without changing the latencies of ABR when compared with the conventional AR method, suggesting that the REST and MM methods have the potential to help physicians with high accurate ABR-based clinical diagnosis. Moreover, this study might also provide a theoretic basis of reference methods on the acquisition of electroencephalogram over public health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cerebral infarction (CI) is a common brain disease in clinical practice, which is mainly due to the pathological environment of ischemia and hypoxia caused by difficult cerebral circulation perfusion function, resulting in ischemic necrosis of local brain tissue and neurological impairment. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, CI is mainly due to blood stasis in the brain. Therefore, blood-activating and stasis-dissipating drugs are often used to treat CI in clinical practice. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SMB) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine with good efficacy in promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and treatment of CI with it is a feasible strategy. Based on the above analysis, we chose network pharmacology to investigate the feasibility of SMB in the treatment of CI and to study the possible molecular mechanisms by providing some reference for the treatment of CI with TCM. Methods. The active ingredients and related targets of SMB were obtained through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database, and CI-related targets were obtained from the GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. The target of SMB for the treatment of CI was obtained using Cytoscape software and visualized. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed based on "clusterProfiler" within R, and the prediction results were validated by molecular docking technique. Results. By constructing a compound-target (C-T) network, it was found that the active components in SMB mainly treated CI by regulating key proteins such as AKT1, IL-6, and EGFR. These key proteins mainly involve in pathways such as immune regulation, cancer and lipid metabolism, such as lipid and atherosclerosis, chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation pathways, and IL-17 signaling pathway. In the GO term, it mainly regulates the response to steroid hormones, membrane rafts, and G protein-amine receptor coupled activity. Eventually, we verified that the luteolin and tanshinone IIA components in SMB have a good possibility of action with AKT1 and IL-6 by in silico techniques, indicating that SMB has some scientificity in the treatment of CI. Conclusion. SMB mainly treats CI by regulating 94 proteins involved in lipid and atherosclerosis, chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, and IL-17 signaling pathway. Our research strategy provided a template for the drug development of TCM for the treatment of CI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This study was aimed at exploring the prognostic and clinicopathological roles of aspartate aminotransferase-to-lymphocyte ratio index (ALRI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma via a meta-analysis. Methods. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP databases were comprehensively searched from inception to November 20, 2021. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the relationship between ALRI and overall survival (OS) as well as progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% CI were also used to investigate correlations between clinical factors and ALRI in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Results. A total of 3914 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma from eleven retrospective cohorts were included in this meta-analysis. The combined results revealed that patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with elevated ALRI tended to have unfavorable OS (HR 1.53 [95% CI 1.25–1.82]; P < 0.001). Pooled HRs revealed that high ALRI was an independent risk factor for inferior PFS in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HR 1.36 [95% CI 1.10–1.63]; P < 0.001). In addition, high ALRI was strongly associated with male sex (OR 1.32 [95% CI 1.02–1.70]; P = 0.035), presence of cirrhosis (OR 1.68 [95% CI 1.01–2.81]; P = 0.046), larger tumor size (OR 2.25 [95% CI 1.31–3.88]; P < 0.001), presence of portal vein tumor thrombus (OR 2.50 [95% CI 1.52–4.11]; P < 0.001), and distant metastasis (OR 1.72 [95% CI 1.05-2.82]; P = 0.031). Conclusion. Elevated ALRI in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma predicted inferior survival outcomes and was strongly associated with some important features of hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) has a poor prognosis and a high death rate globally. Cancer prognosis is strongly linked to immune-related genes (IRGs), according to numerous research. We utilized KIRC RNA-seq data from the TCGA database to build a prognostic model incorporating seven immune-related (IR) lncRNAs, and we constructed the model using LASSO regression. Additionally, we calculated a risk score for each patient using a prognostic model that divided patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. The ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT methodologies were then used to analyze the differences in the tumor microenvironment of the two groups of patients. Finally, we predicted three small molecule drugs that may have potential therapeutic effects for high-risk patients. We combined the acute kidney injury dataset to obtain differential genes that may serve standard biological functions with two risk groups. Our study shows that the model we constructed for IR-lncRNAs has reliable predictive efficacy for patients with KIRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a hybrid resistive metasurface (RM) based on the different field distributions of radiation and scattering is designed and realized for dual‐polarization radar cross section (RCS) reduction of patch array antenna without enlarging its original dimensions. The hybrid RM is composed of two RMs located on the same plane, which is both transmissive for electromagnetic waves from antenna below at resonant frequency of 12.3 GHz. The combination of the RMs and the metal ground of antenna form absorbers, which absorb in‐band co‐polarized (RM1) and cross‐polarized (RM2), waves respectively. The hybrid RM is arranged by RM2 placed directly above the radiation patches while RM1 placed elsewhere. Therefore, the radiation performance of antenna is basically unaffected meanwhile realizing the in‐band dual‐polarization RCS reduction. Simulation results demonstrate that the hybrid RM exhibits RCS reduction of co‐polarization and cross‐polarization reaches 10.7 and 3.3 dB respectively by the window‐like layout, and main lobe gain achieves to 18.0 dB, which is 2.2 dB lower than that of reference antenna. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation results in the main. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screening and preliminary identification of high DNMT1 expression-related lncRNA, which is involved in various interrelated signaling pathways, has led to the development of a theoretical basis for various types of disease mechanisms. Differential expression profiles of lncRNA and mRNA were identified in a microarray. Ten lncRNAs with high levels of variation were identified by qRT-PCR. KEGG and GO analyses were used to identify differentially expressed mRNAs. Six signaling pathways were selected based on the KEGG results of the lncRNA-mRNA expression network analysis. From the microarrays in the experimental and control groups, we found a total of 6987 differentially expressed lncRNAs, and 7421 differentially expressed mRNAs were obtained (P < 0.05 ; fold change > 2.0 x). GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed high expression of DNMT1 in esophageal epithelial cells. Nine pathways were involved in mRNA upregulation, including natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity and many other prominent biochemical pathways. Forty-six pathways were associated with downregulated mRNAs and ribosomes involving multiple biological pathways. Coexpression network analysis showed that 8 mRNAs and 16 lncRNAs were linked to the p53 signaling pathway. In Helicobacter pylori infections, interactions occurred between 22 lncRNAs and 11 mRNAs in the ErbB signaling pathway and between 19 lncRNAs and 8 mRNAs in epithelial cell signal transduction. Interactions were present between 19 lncRNAs and 5 mRNAs in the sphingolipid signaling pathway, along with interactions between 21 lncRNAs and 12 mRNAs in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Cytotoxicity interactions occurred between 22 lncRNAs and 9 mRNAs in natural killer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, a switchable frequency selective surface (FSS) based on the rotatable magnet is first proposed for polarization selector. The unit cell of the switchable FSS is composed of a rotatable cuboid‐magnet and a F4B substrate. The cuboid‐magnet is inserted into the substrate which controlled by the orthogonal dual‐U‐shaped electromagnetic control system. The FSS has a characteristic of polarization selectivity at 8.66 GHz by rotating the cuboid‐magnet. To confirm the simulation results, a prototype of the proposed FSS is fabricated and measured. The measured result shows that the switchable FSS can selective the passband in transverse‐electric polarization or transverse‐magnetic polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kunxian capsules (KCs), a Chinese patent medicine, have been clinically proven to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the chemical profile of KC remains to be characterized, and the mechanism underlying the protective effect against RA is yet to be elucidated. Here, a network pharmacology-based approach was adopted, integrated with the chemical profiling of KC by UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS. As a result, a total of 67 compounds have been identified from KC extract, among which 43 were authenticated by comparison to the mass spectrum of standard chemicals. ADME behaviors of the chemical constituents of KC were predicted, resulting in 35 putative active ingredients. Through target prediction of both active ingredients of KC and RA and PPI analysis, core targets were screened out, followed by biological process and related pathway enrichment. Then, a TCM-herb-ingredient-target-pathway network was constructed and a multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway synergistic mechanism was proposed, providing an information basis for further investigation. The active pharmaceutical ingredients included mainly terpenoids (such as triptolide and celastrol), sesquiterpene pyridines (such as wilforgine and wilforine), and flavonoids (such as icariin, epimedin A, B, and C, and 2″-O-rhamnosylicariside II). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to detect possible biomarkers associated with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) incidence in an effort to develop novel treatments for this condition. The GSE7014 and GSE29221 gene expression datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, after which differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between DFU and healthy samples. These DEGs were then arranged into a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment analyses were performed to explore the functional roles of these genes. In total, 1192 DEGs were identified in the GSE7014 dataset (900 upregulated, 292 downregulated), while 1177 were identified in the GSE29221 dataset (257 upregulated, 919 downregulated). GO analyses revealed these DEGs to be significantly enriched in biological processes including sarcomere organization, muscle filament sliding, and the regulation of cardiac conduction, molecular functions including structural constituent of muscle, protein binding, and calcium ion binding, and cellular components including Z disc, myosin filament, and M band. These DEGs were also enriched in the adrenergic signaling in cardiomyoctes, dilated cardiomyopathy, and tight junction KEGG pathways. Together, the findings of these bioinformatics analyses thus identified key hub genes associated with DFU development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The cell regeneration and blood supply of bone defect lesions are restricted under osteoporotic pathological conditions, which make the healing of bone defect of osteoporosis still a great challenge. The current therapeutic strategies that mainly inhibit bone resorption are not always satisfactory for osteoporotic bone defects, which make the development of new therapies an urgent need. Methods. Previously, we prepared chitosan/nanohydroxyapatite (CS/nHA) biomimetic nanocomposite scaffolds for controlled delivery of bone morphogenetic protein 2-derived peptide (P24). In this study, we determined the effect of coculturing adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with the CS-P24/nHA nanocomposite scaffolds on osteoporotic bone defect healing. In vitro mixed coculture models were employed to assess the direct effects of coculture. Results. ADSCs cocultured with HUVECs showed significantly greater osteogenic differentiation and mineralization compared with ADSCs or HUVECs alone. The CS-P24/nHA scaffold cocultured with ADSCs and HUVECs was more effective in inducing osteoporotic bone repair, as demonstrated by micro-computed tomography and histology of critical-sized calvariae defects in ovariectomized rats. Calvariae defects treated with the CS-P24/nHA nanocomposite scaffold plus ADSC/HUVEC coculture had a greater area of repair and better reconstitution of osseous structures compared with defects treated with the scaffold plus ADSCs or the scaffold plus HUVECs after 4 and 8 weeks. Conclusion. Taken together, coculture of ADSCs and HUVECs with the CS-P24/nHA nanocomposite scaffold is an effective combination to repair osteoporotic bone defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhein, belonging to anthraquinone compounds, is one of the main active components of rhubarb and Polygonum multiflorum. Rhein has a variety of pharmacological effects, such as cardiocerebral protective effect, hepatoprotective effect, nephroprotective effect, anti-inflammation effect, antitumor effect, antidiabetic effect, and others. The mechanism is interrelated and complex, referring to NF-κB, PI3K/Akt/MAPK, p53, mitochondrial-mediated signaling pathway, oxidative stress signaling pathway, and so on. However, to some extent, its clinical application is limited by its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Even more, rhein has potential liver and kidney toxicity. Therefore, in this paper, the pharmacological effects of rhein and its mechanism, pharmacokinetics, and safety studies were reviewed, in order to provide reference for the development and application of rhein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study aimed to describe the clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, treatment, and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods. We employed a literature search of databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Johns Hopkins University for articles on COVID-19-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children published between April 1, 2020, and January 15, 2021. High-quality articles were selected for analysis on the basis of their quality standard scores. Using R3.6.3 software, meta-analyses of random- or fixed-effects models were used to determine the prevalence of comorbidities. Subgroup analysis was also performed to determine heterogeneity. Results. A total of 57 articles (2,290 pediatric patients) were included in the study. Clinical Manifestations. :ncidences of fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, respiratory symptoms, and musculoskeletal symptoms (myalgias or arthralgias) were 99.91% (95% CI: 99.67–100%), 82.72% (95% CI: 78.19–86.81%), 53.02% (45.28–60.68%), and 14.16% (95% CI: 8.4–21.12%), respectively. The incidences of rash, conjunctival injection, lymphadenopathy, dry cracked lips, neurologic symptoms (headache, altered mental status, or confusion), swollen hands and feet, typical Kawasaki disease, and atypical Kawasaki disease were 59.34% (95% CI: 54.73–63.87%), 55.23% (95% CI: 50.22–60.19%), 27.07% (95% CI: 19.87–34.93%), 46.37% (95% CI: 39.97–52.83%), 28.87% (95% CI: 22.76–35.40%), 28.75% (95% CI: 21.46–36.64%), 17.32% (95% CI: 15.44–19.29%), and 36.19% (95% CI: 21.90–51.86%), respectively. The incidences of coronary artery dilation, aneurysm, pericardial effusion, myocarditis, myocardial dysfunction, high troponin, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide were 17.83%, 6.85%, 20.97%, 35.97%, 56.32%, 76.34%, and 86.65%, respectively. The incidences of reduced lymphocytes, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, elevated C-reactive protein, ferritin, LDH, interleukin-6, PCT, and FIB were 61.51%, 26.42%, 77.92%, 98.5%, 86.79%, 80.59%, 89.30%, 85.10%, and 87.01%, respectively. PICU Hospitalization Rate and Mortality. The incidences of PICU hospitalization or with shock were 72.79% and 55.68%, respectively. The mortality rate was 1.00%. Conclusion and Relevance. PICU hospitalization and shock rates of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19 were high, and its cumulative multiorgans and inflammatory indicators are increased, but if treated in time, the mortality rate was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work was aimed to study the risk factors and prognostic treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with early neurological deterioration (END) after intravenous thrombolytic therapy via compressed sensing algorithm-based magnetic resonance imaging (CS-MRI). 231 patients who were diagnosed with AIS were selected, and the final involved number of patients was 182. Patients with AIS were treated with intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase within 4.5 hours of onset. After treatment, patients with early neurological deterioration were defined as the deteriorating group and those without early neurological impairment were defined as the nondeteriorating group. In univariate analysis, hypertension, white blood cell count, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score were correlated with the occurrence of END. Under the CS-MRI theory, the two groups of patients were evaluated for middle cerebral artery basal ganglia infarction and internal watershed infarction. After univariate analysis, the P < 0.1 variables were taken as the independent variable, and the binary logistic regression model was adopted for multivariate regression analysis. It was disclosed that NIHSS score was not correlated with the occurrence of early neurological function deterioration, while homocysteine was. Hypertension, white blood cell count, homocysteine, and NIHSS score were risk factors for END. The image analysis revealed that the incidence of deteriorating basal ganglia infarction group was lower relative to the nondeteriorating group, and the incidence of watershed infarction was higher in the deteriorating group versus the nondeteriorating group. The image analysis suggested that predicting the occurrence of END through risk factors can actively provide endovascular treatment for patients with AIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]