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For the postoperative treatment of oocyte carcinoma, CT and CT ultrasonography combined with microscopic intraperitoneal should be combined with peritoneal heat perfusion chemotherapy. The authors selected 50 patients who received treatment for ovarian cancer from 2017 to 2018 and divided them into two groups (observation group, 30 cases, control group, 20 cases). Cisplatin, associated with peritoneal hyperthermia, led the control group, and we monitored all patients for 1 year and provided clinical trials, lifestyle, and results for both disease group. The experimental results showed that the target reduction rate of the control group was 70%, while that of the control group was only 40%, lower than that of the control group P < 0.05. The life expectancy of the control group was higher than that of the control group, P < 0.05. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bone marrow compression, and constipation in the study group were slightly higher than those in the control group (35%), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). Chemotherapy combined with intraperitoneal infusion of loplatin has no side effects, helps improve survival, and can be used in a variety of clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Queue length is a crucial measurement of traffic signal control at urban intersections. Conventional queue length estimation methods mostly still rely on fixed detectors. The development of connected vehicles (CV) provides massive amounts of vehicle trajectory data, and the queue length estimation based on CV data has received considerable attention in recent years. However, most existing CV-based methods require the prior knowledge of the penetration rate of CV and vehicle arrivals, but the estimation of these prior distributions has not been well studied. To address this issue, this paper proposes a cycle-based queue length estimation method under partially connected vehicle (CV) environment, with the prior vehicle arrivals being unknown. The empirical Bayes method is adopted to estimate the arrival rate by leveraging the observed queued CV information such as the number and positions. The hyperparameter estimation problem of the prior distribution is solved by the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method. To validate the proposed queue length estimation method, a simulation environment with partially connected vehicles is established using VISSIM and Python for data generating. The results in terms of normalized mean absolute errors (NMAE) and normalized root mean square errors (NRMSE) show that the proposed method could produce accurate and reliable estimated queue length under various CV penetration rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) causes pathophysiological changes in exercise capacity, N-terminal part of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and adiponectin that impact the course of coronary artery disease and clinical outcomes after cardiac rehabilitation (CR). However, the serial changes and the relationship between the changes in these parameters for a prolonged term remain uninvestigated. Methods. Eighty-one patients with ACS underwent a three- or four-week CR program after acute care and were followed up for 12 months. Exercise capacity on a cycle ergometer and blood levels of NT-proBNP and adiponectin were determined before and after CR as well as at the 12-month follow-up. Results. Exercise capacity increased from 100 watts (in median) before CR to 138 watts after CR and 150 watts at 12 months. The NT-proBNP level (526 pg/ml before CR) remained almost unchanged after CR (557 pg/ml) and then decreased at 12 months (173 pg/ml). The adiponectin level (14.5 µg/ml before CR) increased after CR (16.0 µg/ml) and at 12 months (17.2 µg/ml). There was no significant correlation among the changes in these parameters at each observation time point. Conclusion. During the observation period from before CR to the 12-month follow-up, exercise capacity, NT-proBNP, and adiponectin underwent significant changes; however, these changes were independent from each other and not correlated linearly, and they provide complementary information in clinical practice. Thus, all these parameters should be included and determined at different time points for a prolonged period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory disease that can involve the skin, joints, or both. The abnormalities of innate immunity play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocytes in the circulation. Emerging evidences have demonstrated that neutrophils may play a role in autoimmune diseases. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the activity of neutrophils, and the number of NETotic cells were significantly higher in psoriasis patients compared to healthy controls. The number of low-density granulocytes (LDGs) in the blood of psoriasis patients was significantly higher than those in the control blood. Furthermore, neutrophils may play important roles in the cardiovascular risk in psoriasis. However, the exact role of neutrophils in psoriasis remains unclear. In this review, we highlight the role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is diagnostic standard for thyroid nodules. However, the influence of adequate sample rate of US-guided FNAB for subcentimeter thyroid nodules is not known well. Objectives. To assess the factors affecting adequate sample rate of US-guided FNAB for subcentimeter thyroid nodules. Methods. Three hundred and forty-nine consecutive US-guided FNAB procedures were performed in 344 patients with subcentimeter thyroid nodules. The adequate sample rate was analyzed for all nodules on the basis of nodule-related and technical factors. The factors affecting adequate sample rate of US-guided FNAB for subcentimeter thyroid nodules were determined by multivariate logistic regression. Results. The adequate sample rate increased with larger nodules (72.7% for 3–6 mm nodules and 84.9% for 7–10 mm nodules (P = 0.007)). The adequate sample rate was 63.9%, 81.3%, and 90.6% in nodules with macrocalcifcation, microcalcification, and no calcification, respectively (P < 0.001). The adequate sample rate was 71.8% for biopsies performed with a perpendicular needle path and 85.0% with a parallel needle path (P = 0.004). The significant factors affecting adequate sample rate of US-guided FNAB for subcentimeter thyroid nodules were nodule size (P < 0.001 ; odds ratio (OR) for 7–10 mm nodules was approximately 3.0 times higher than that for 3–6 mm nodules), calcification (P < 0.001 ; OR for nodules without calcification was approximately 5.3 times higher than that for the nodules with macrocalcification), and needle path (P = 0.044 ; OR for the use of the parallel needle path was about 1.8 times higher than that for the perpendicular needle path). Conclusion. Nodule size, calcification, and needle path were the determinants of sample adequacy. The adequate sample rate was higher in larger nodules, in nodules without calcification, and upon using a parallel needle path for biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) patients are influenced by anxiety, depression, and low sleep quality, which reduce the quality of their life. However, epidemiological data on the quality of sleep in FGID patients were lacking. This study aims to explore the sleep quality and influencing factors of the sleep quality in FGID patients. Methods. 1200 subjects, diagnosed as FGID in one of the six class-three hospitals in Tianjin, China, from January to December 2014, were recruited. The information about demographic information, the severity of clinical symptoms, psychological status (Zung self-rating depression scale), and sleep quality (evaluated with Pittsburgh sleep quality index) was gathered. Results. The questionnaires from 1117 participants were collected including 920 of functional dyspepsia (FD) patients, 77 of irritable bowel disease (IBS) patients, 26 of functional constipation (FC) patients, and 94 other FGID patients. The results showed that morbidity rate for FD patients who had sleep disorders was higher than those who suffered from IBS or FC (P<0.001). The proportion of elderly patients suffering from low sleep quality was higher than that of middle-aged and young patients (P<0.001). The binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, education, and the severity of FGID symptom were influencing factors for poor sleep quality in FGID patients. Conclusion. The issue of poor sleep quality in FGID patients in Tianjin area is prominent, and elderly patients suffer lower sleep quality than other FGID patients. Age, education, and the severity of FGID symptoms are critical influencing factors which result in a drop-in sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore whether pictograms could help people understand reflux symptoms. Methods. Gastroenterologists (n=28), non-GI physicians (n=30), healthy people without medical education (n=34), patients with gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) (n=45), and general people (n=100) were included. Pictograms denoting classic reflux symptoms (sour regurgitation, heartburn, retrosternal pain, and regurgitation) were created by the joint efforts of an artist and a gastroenterologist. The subjects were asked to tell the meaning of each card within 30 s. Results. Compared with the physicians, healthy people without medical education tended to make mistakes in the understanding of the terms of reflux symptoms. Among GERD patients, all the terms of reflux symptoms could be understood accurately. Compared with that of non-GI physicians, GI physician had a higher accuracy in the understanding of the term regurgitation (P<0.05). Pictograms denoting reflux symptoms could be understood accurately in all four groups. A sample from the general population showed that the recognition of the pictogram was more accurate than the recognition of the terms. Conclusions. Pictograms could help ordinary people who do not have medical education to understand reflux symptoms more accurately in China. Compared with abstract terms, pictograms could be useful for epidemiological studies and diagnosis of GERD in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is known to mediate the cellular reaction involved in processing environmental contaminants and, ultimately, preventing accumulation of unfavorable extra lipids and proteins. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mediates the expression of genes associated with anti-inflammatory properties. Because AHR and GR are closely related in lipid metabolic dysregulation and inflammation, we speculate that AHR and GR may play a crucial role in AMD pathogenesis and focus on their crosstalk in human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19). However, how AHR and GR regulate each other’s signaling pathways is still poorly understood. In this research, we demonstrate that GR attenuates AHR-mediated gene expression by inhibition of nuclear translocation of AHR mediated by TCDD. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that GR repress AHR recruitment and chromatin accessibility response to TCDD + Dex treatment leading to repression of AHR target genes. In contrast, AHR facilitates GR-mediated expression in ARPE-19. AHR increases GR recruitment on GRE of GR target genes. Coimmunoprecipitation assay revealed that AHR is associated with GR in ARPE-19 cells and the interaction is enhanced by the addition of TCDD and Dex. Taken together, these studies provide a molecular mechanism of crosstalk between AHR and GR in target gene expression in ARPE-19 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land surface temperature (LST) is an important parameter in the analysis of climate and human-environment interactions. Landsat Earth observation satellite data including a thermal band have been used for environmental research and applications; however, the spatial resolution of this thermal band is relatively low. This study investigates an efficient method of fusing Landsat panchromatic and thermal infrared images using a sparse representation (SR) technique. The application of SR is used for the estimation of missing details of the available thermal infrared (TIR) image to enhance its spatial features. First, we propose a method of building a proper dictionary considering the spatial resolution of the original thermal image. Second, a sparse representation relation between low- and high-resolution images is constructed in terms of the Landsat spectral response. We then compare the fused images created with different sampling factors and patch sizes. The results of both qualitative and quantitative evaluation show that the proposed method improves spatial resolution and preserves the thermal properties of basic LST data for use with environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply Hub is defined as the horizontal coordination among the suppliers while lateral transshipment is a horizontal coordination policy among the retailers. By considering the Supply Hub and lateral transshipment simultaneously, ones can reduce the total cost of the supply chain system and improve the response to customer requirement and the customers’ satisfaction. We investigate the distribution policies for the supply chain which consists of multisuppliers, single Supply Hub, and multidistributors. In the system, both Supply Hub and distributors adopt the (t, S) policy, Supply Hub will not be out of stock, and backlogging is forbidden. Customer requirements at distributors are assumed to be independent random variables complying with uniform distribution; transshipment is assumed to be bidirectional, instantaneous, and emergent. We establish the distribution models, respectively, for the cases of transshipment or no transshipment. For the case with transshipment, we design a GA-based solution method involving a two-stage selection technology, that is, firstly, selecting individuals from parent population to generate offspring chromosomes and, secondly, selecting individuals from the interim population comprising all of the parent and offspring genomes, to form the next-generation population. We show that lateral transshipment can increase the overall profit of the supply chain by the comparison examinations between the models with and without transshipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is one member of the so-called Polo-like kinase family which plays an important role in tumorigenesis. By analyzing the potential complementary microRNA (miRNA) targeting sequence of PLK1, we identified that miRNA-3686 (hereby and thereafter mir3696) could be the potential regulator for PLK1. Real-time PCR demonstrated that the mir3686 has a relatively higher expression in the immortalized pancreas cell HPDE6C7 than pancreas carcinoma derived cell line PANC1. The upregulation of mir3686 in HPDE6C7 cell corresponded with the low expression of PLK1 as well. Both luciferase based reporter assay and evaluation of endogenous PLK1 expression demonstrated that mir3686 regulated PLK1, which confirms our speculation. Moreover, we found that transfection of mir3686 in PANC1 cell could lead to proliferation inhibition and promote apoptosis. Further analysis demonstrated that mir3686 transfection in PANC1 cell also inhibited cell invasion, and clone formation in cell invasion assay and clonogenic cell survival assay, respectively. In contrast, inhibition of mir3686 expression in HPDE6C7 cell enhanced the capability of proliferation, cell invasion and clone formation. Taken together, our results indicated that mir3686 could target PLK1 to inhibit the cell proliferation in pancreas cancer derived cell line and mir3686 could be a new therapeutic target for pancreas cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of clinicopathological and treatment characteristics of 80 patients with acquired perforating dermatosis. Perforating dermatoses are a group of rare skin disorders characterized by transepidermal penetration of dermal connective tissue and inflammatory cells.[1] Reactive perforating collagenosis (RPC) is the most common type.[2] Clinically, RPC manifests as umbilicated hyperkeratotic papules and/or nodules with adherent crusts. The specificity of this case is that our patient responded extremely fast to the dupilumab treatment after the failure of conventional therapies. [Extracted from the article]

For quasitoric manifolds and moment-angle complexes which are central objects recently much studied in toric topology, there are several important notions of rigidity formulated in terms of cohomology rings. The aim of this paper is to show that, among other things, Buchstaber-rigidity (or B-rigidity) is equivalent to cohomological-rigidity (or C-rigidity) for simple convex polytopes supporting quasitoric manifolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptanalytic time memory tradeoff algorithms are tools for inverting one-way functions, and they are used in practice to recover passwords that restrict access to digital documents. This work provides an accurate complexity analysis of the perfect table fuzzy rainbow tradeoff algorithm. Based on the analysis results, we show that the lesser known fuzzy rainbow tradeoff performs better than the original rainbow tradeoff, which is widely believed to be the best tradeoff algorithm. The fuzzy rainbow tradeoff can attain higher online efficiency than the rainbow tradeoff and do so at a lower precomputation cost [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain types of fish migrate between the sea and fresh water to spawn. In order for them to swim without any breathing problem, river should contain enough oxygen. If fish is passing along the river in municipal area, it needs sufficient dissolved oxygen level which is influenced by dumped amount of wastewater into the river. If existing treatment methods such as settling and biological oxidation are not enough, we have to consider additional treatment methods such as microscreening filtration and nitrification. This study constructed a wastewater treatment optimization model for migratory fish, which considers three costs (filtration cost, nitrification cost, and irrigation cost) and two environmental constraints (minimal dissolved oxygen level and maximal nitratenitrogen concentration). Results show that the metaheuristic technique such as harmony search could find good solutions robustly while calculus-based technique such as generalized reduced gradient method was trapped in local optima or even divergent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid rise of type II diabetes mellitus and its accompanying vascular complications call for novel approaches in unravelling its pathophysiological mechanisms and designing new treatment modalities. Noncoding RNAs represent a class of previously unknown molecular modulators of this disease. The most important features of diabetes-induced vascular disease, which include metabolic deregulation, increased oxidative stress, release of inflammatory mediators like adipokines, and pathologic changes in vascular cells, all are depicted and governed by a certain set of noncoding RNAs. While these mechanisms are being unravelled, new diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities to treat diabetes-induced vascular disease emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lee J-H, Shin J-H, Park K-P, Kim I-J, Kim C-M, Lim J-G, Choi Y-C, Kim D-S. Phenotypic variability in Kennedy's disease: implication of the early diagnostic features.Acta Neurol Scand 2005: 112: 57–63.© Blackwell Munksgaard 2005.The clinical diagnosis of Kennedy's disease (KD) is not easy when the typical manifestations are lacking, especially in early stage of the disease. In our study, we tried to identify the relative frequency of common clinical features and early symptoms in KD.Eighteen Korean patients with KD were included. Clinical findings were subdivided into two parts: the age at onset of each clinical symptoms and characteristic signs on investigations. With detailed clinical examinations, the serum creatine kinase (CK) level, electrophysiologic study and DNA analysis were performed and analyzed in detail.In KD, the most consistent clinical findings at evaluations included perioral fasciculation with variable bulbar paresis, limb weakness with wasting, hyporeflexia, hand tremor, and elevated CK level. Some distinguishing features, such as X-linked family history, gynecomastia, and sensory abnormalities were absent in a half of cases. Frequent initial clinical findings include tremor (50%) and symptoms other than weakness, such as cramps and fatigability (33.3%).We conclude that KD shows variable clinical and electrophysiological features. Our description on the onset and subsequent progression of each clinical finding might help to identify KD in early stage and avoid misdiagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-density granulocytes (LDGs), a distinct subset of neutrophils that colocalize with peripheral blood mononuclear cells after density gradient centrifugation, have been observed in many immune-mediated diseases. LDGs are considered highly proinflammatory because of enhanced spontaneous formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, endothelial toxicity, and cytokine production. Concomitantly, increased numbers of LDGs are associated with the severity of many immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Recent studies, with the help of advanced transcriptomic technologies, demonstrated that LDGs were a mixed cell population composed of immature subset and mature subset, and these two subsets showed different pathogenic features. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the composition, origin, and pathogenic properties of LDGs in several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and discuss potential medical interventions targeting LDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most important modification of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in higher eukaryotes. Modulation of m6A modifications relies on methyltransferases and demethylases. The discovery of binding proteins confirms that the m6A modification has a wide range of biological effects and significance at the molecular, cellular, and physiological levels. In recent years, techniques for investigating m6A modifications of RNA have developed rapidly. This article reviews the biological significance of RNA m6A modifications in the innate immune response, adaptive immune response, and viral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We aimed to summarize and critically evaluate the available evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods. We searched 13 databases for studies published up to December 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture for children with ASD were included. Outcome measures were the overall scores on scales evaluating the core symptoms of ASD and the scores for each symptom, such as social communication ability and skills, stereotypies, language ability, and cognitive function. Effect sizes were presented as mean differences (MD). Results. Twenty-seven RCTs with 1736 participants were included. Acupuncture complementary to behavioral and educational intervention significantly decreased the overall scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) (MD −8.10, 95% CI −12.80 to −3.40) and the Autism Behavior Checklist (MD −8.92, 95% CI −11.29 to −6.54); however, it was unclear which of the ASD symptoms improved. Acupuncture as a monotherapy also reduced the overall CARS score. The reported adverse events were acceptable. Conclusions. This review suggests that acupuncture may be effective and safe for pediatric ASD. However, it is not conclusive due to the heterogeneity of the acupuncture treatment methods used in the studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the high incidence and mortality rates of cancer, early and accurate diagnosis is an important priority for assigning optimal treatment for each individual with suspected illness. Biomarkers are crucial in the screening of patients with a high risk of developing cancer, diagnosing patients with suspicious tumours at the earliest possible stage, establishing an accurate prognosis, and predicting and monitoring the response to specific therapies. Epigenetic alterations are innovative biomarkers for cancer, due to their stability, frequency, and noninvasive accessibility in bodily fluids. Epigenetic modifications are also reversible and potentially useful as therapeutic targets. Despite this, there is still a lack of accurate biomarkers for the conclusive diagnosis of most cancer types; thus, there is a strong need for continued investigation to expand this area of research. In this review, we summarise current knowledge on methylated DNA and its implications in cancer to explore its potential as an epigenetic biomarker to be translated for clinical application. We propose that the identification of biomarkers with higher accuracy and more effective detection methods will enable improved clinical management of patients and the intervention at early-stage disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), long known to be involved in Th2 response, is also implicated in multiple inflammatory dermatoses and cancers. The purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of the expression of TSLP in the skin of those dermatoses. Lesional specimens of representative immune-related dermatoses, including lichen planus (LP), discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), eczema, bullous pemphigoid (BP), psoriasis vulgaris (PsV), sarcoidosis, and mycosis fungoides (MF), were retrospectively collected and analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Morphologically, TSLP was extensively expressed in the epidermis of each dermatosis, but the expression was weak in specimens of DLE. In a semiquantitative analysis, TSLP was significantly expressed in the epidermis in LP, BP, eczema, PsV, sarcoidosis, and MF. TSLP expression was higher in the stratum spinosum in LP, eczema, BP, PsV, and MF and higher in the stratum basale in sarcoidosis and PsV. Moreover, we found positive TSLP staining in the dermal infiltrating inflammatory cells of BP, PsV, and sarcoidosis. Our observation of TSLP in different inflammatory dermatoses might provide a novel understanding of TSLP in the mechanism of diseases with distinctly different immune response patterns and suggest a potential novel therapeutic target of those diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the function of each type of peripheral nerve fiber and investigate the possible role of levodopa (LD) in peripheral neuropathy (PN) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods: We enrolled 60 patients with idiopathic PD. All PD patients were divided into three groups: levodopa exposure >3 years (LELD), levodopa exposure ≤3 years (SELD) and de novo patients with PD (NOLD). The current perception threshold (CPT), which was measured by Neurometer at 2000, 250 and 5 Hz, the level of homocysteine, Vitamin B12 and folic acid in plasma, were compared with those of sex‐ and age‐matched healthy controls (HCs). Results: Current perception threshold was higher at 250 Hz (p <.05) and 5 Hz (p <.05) in the LELD group than the NOLD, SELD, and control group. CPT was lower at 5 Hz in the NOLD than in the HCs group (p <.05). The CPT of the more affected side of PD patients was positively correlated with H‐Y stage at 5 Hz current stimulation (r =.42, p =.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated homocysteine levels were the risk factor of sensory nerve injury in PD patients (p <.01). Serum homocysteine levels were positively correlated with levodopa (LD) daily dose, LD equivalent daily dose, and LD cumulative lifetime dose (p <.05). Conclusions: Peripheral neuropathy in PD patients can occur in the early stage of PD exhibiting as hyperesthesia and is fiber selectivity, especially for Aδ and C nerve fibers. PN in PD patients is related to PD itself and long‐term LD exposure. Elevated plasma homocysteine is a risk factor for PN in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Energy storage devices (ESD) are getting significant attention regarding their ability to reduce fossil fuel usage. Batteries and electrochemical supercapacitors are two well‐known ESDs with supercapacitors preferred for their high energy discharge potential. The metal oxides (MOs) with robust redox characteristics are ideal candidates for supercapacitors, although their capacitance still lacks behind the theoretical values. Here, partial reduced or oxygen‐deficient MOs have been identified have proven promising to reach the desired capacitance. The introduction of oxygen vacancies into MOs can effectively enhance their electrochemical properties without altering the inherent characteristics of MOs. This review discusses the recent progress on new oxygen‐deficient MOs and their performance as a supercapacitor. The importance of oxygen vacancy is described, followed by the traditional synthesis route to producing MOs. The present pathways for generating oxygen vacancies and their analytical assessment are covered in‐depth, followed by a section on the most advanced analytical techniques for detecting and interpreting the creation of such vacancies. The influence of oxygen vacancies on the supercapacitive performance of the most researched MOs is provided with the challenges and prospects of oxygen‐deficient MOs in supercapacitor application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukotrichia is one of the difficulties of vitiligo treatment. Hair follicle transplantation is an efficient method to treat vitiligo‐associated leukotrichia. A trichiasis electrolyzer, commonly used for treating trichiasis, can be used to damage and remove the depigmented hair follicles. To evaluate the efficacy of the electrolysis of depigmented hair using a trichiasis electrolyzer combined with single hair follicle transplantation for the treatment of vitiligo‐associated leukotrichia. A total of 15 patients with stable vitiligo‐associated eyebrow and eyelash leukotrichia were enrolled from Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Third People's Hospital between January 2020 and January 2021. All patients were treated using a trichiasis electrolyzer combined with single hair follicle transplantation. The patients were followed up at the first week, the first month, the third month, and the sixth month after surgery. The texture and growth state of the transplanted hair were observed, and the number of surviving transplanted follicles and regenerating depigmented follicles were recorded. The transplanted hair grew as expected with natural shape. No local infection or obvious scar was observed. Most of the depigmented hair in the lesion area re‐pigmented and only a few depigmented hairs regenerated. The average survival rate of the transplanted hair follicles was 71.6%, and the average regeneration rate of the depigmented hair was 11.6%. The electrolysis of depigmented hair using a trichiasis electrolyzer combined with single hair follicle transplantation was an effective and safe method to treat vitiligo‐associated leukotrichia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the preventive therapeutic effects of Hataedock (HTD) treatment on inflammatory regulation and skin protection in AD-induced NC/Nga mice under high-fat diet conditions. Before inducing AD, the extract of Coptidis Rhizoma and Glycyrrhiza uralensis was administered orally to the 3-week-old mice. After that, AD-like skin lesions were induced by applying DNFB. All groups except the control group were fed a high-fat diet freely. We identified the effects of HTD on morphological changes, cytokine release and the induction of apoptosis through histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and TUNEL assay. HTD downregulated the levels of IL-4 and PKC but increased the levels of LXR. HTD also suppressed the mast cell degranulation and release of MMP-9, Substance P. The levels of TNF-α, p-IκB, iNOS, and COX-2 were also decreased. The upregulation of inflammatory cell’s apoptosis is confirmed by our results as increase of apoptotic body and cleaved caspase-3 and decrease of Bcl-2. HTD also reduced edema, angiogenesis, and skin lesion inflammation. Our results indicate HTD suppresses various inflammatory response on AD-induced mice with obesity through the regulation of Th2 differentiation and the protection of lipid barrier. Therefore, HTD could be used as an alternative and preventive therapeutic approach in the management of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women of reproductive age. As a widely used complementary and alternative therapy, acupuncture is increasingly used to treat PCOS. However, the effect of acupuncture in treating PCOS is uncertain, and the mechanisms are unclear. This systematic review aims to determine the efficacy of acupuncture on PCOS in animal preclinical models. Methods. Experimental animal studies of acupuncture in PCOS animal models were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database from inception to December 2020. The risk of bias was assessed using the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk of bias tool. Results. A total of 358 studies were screened based on the title and abstract, and 31 studies were included. A total of 722 animals were involved, and all studies used either Wistar rats or SD rats. Twenty-six studies used electroacupuncture, 9 studies used manual acupuncture, and 5 of them employed both electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture. A total of 22 acupoints were involved; 7 studies followed the modern acupuncture pattern, and the rest followed classic acupuncture theory. Conclusions. The present review summarizes the current evidence of the effects of acupuncture on PCOS in animal models. Unfortunately, we could not draw a definite conclusion due to the methodological weakness of the included studies and the high heterogeneity. Well-designed studies are needed in the future to fill this gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interdisciplinary combinations of medicine and engineering are part of the strategic plan of many universities aiming to be world-class institutions. One area in which these interactions have been prominent is rehabilitation of stroke hemiplegia. This article reviews advances in the last five years of stroke hemiplegia rehabilitation via interdisciplinary combination of medicine and engineering. Examples of these technologies include VR, RT, mHealth, BCI, tDCS, rTMS, and TCM rehabilitation. In this article, we will summarize the latest research in these areas and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each to examine the frontiers of interdisciplinary medicine and engineering advances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Both thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and dendritic cells (DCs) are involved in many autoimmune diseases, but the potential roles of TSLP and DCs in bullous pemphigoid (BP) have not been clarified. We sought to explore the contributions of TSLP and DCs in patients with BP.Methods: TSLP levels in sera and blister fluids were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The TSLP expression in the BP lesional skin was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Infiltration of DCs, marked by DC-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN), and its relationship with TSLP and TSLP receptors was evaluated by immunofluorescence staining.Results: We found that TSLP levels in sera and in blister fluids of patients with BP were higher compared to the control groups. In patients with BP, TSLP levels in sera correlated with TSLP levels in blisters. The expression of TSLP in the BP lesional skin was higher compared to the healthy controls' skin. Greater numbers of TSLP-positive cells were observed in the epidermis of patients with BP compared to the healthy controls. Greater numbers of DC-SIGN-positive cells were present in the BP lesional skin compared to the skin of controls. The expression of TSLP was highly upregulated in DC-SIGN-positive cells, and most DC-SIGN-positive cells expressed TSLP receptors.Conclusions: We conclude that TSLP may activate DC-SIGN-positive DCs directly, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) is a traditional Chinese herb used in many medicinal applications, but the treatment of bullous pemphigoid (BP) with TwHF has never been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TwHF in BP patients. A retrospective study was performed from January 2015 to September 2019 in the Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. A total of 10 patients with mild to moderate BP and treated with TwHF were enrolled in the study with 10 mild or moderate BP patients treated with systemic glucocorticoid randomly selected as controls. In the TwHF group, a major response was seen in seven patients, a minor response in one and no response was seen in two patients. In the glucocorticoid group, a major response was seen in nine patients and a minor response in one patient. Two patients experienced treatment failure. The time to disease control in the TwHF group (34 ± 11 days) was longer as compared to the glucocorticoid group (18 ± 8 days, P <.05). Ten patients relapsed during the follow‐up period. The adverse events in the TwHF group were lower than those in the glucocorticoid group (13 vs 19). Low‐dose TwHF may be effective and safe for treating mild and moderate BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Lithium‐sulfur batteries (LSBs) are among the most promising next generation electrochemical energy storage systems due to their ultrahigh energy density, which has attracted enormous attentions. Nevertheless, the development and application of LSBs are still subject to some major technical obstacles such as the insulating nature of sulfur, the shuttle effect of intermediate polysulfides, and the drastic volume expansion. To overcome these challenges, various strategies have been employed to promote the performance of LSBs. This review focuses on summarizing the major development of novel nanostructured carbon hosts for advanced LSBs. The carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbon spheres are introduced to improve our understanding of the morphology effects on LSBs. The heterogeneous atom‐doping, unique hollow structures are summarized to investigate the chemical bonding effects during the charge/discharge process. The organic framework derived carbon structures are discussed to inspire us to find novel routes to enhance the performance of LSBs. Finally, the conclusions and prospects of nanostructured carbon in LSBs are proposed, while the challenges in the further development of LSBs are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial and antiasthmatic effects of Nandina domestica leaf extract, to find out its active components, and to assess its safety issue. Methods. (1) Solid-phase agar dilution method was used for antibacterial activity test of nandina leaf extract and the change of bacterial morphology after treatment was observed under the transmission microscope; (2) guinea pig model of asthma was used to test the asthma prevention effect of nandina leaf extract; (3) alkaloids and flavones were separated from nandina leaf extract and were further analyzed with HPLC-MS; (4) mice model was used to assessment of the safety issue of nandina leaf extract. Results. (1) Nandina leaf extract inhibited the growth of bacteria and destroyed bacterial membrane; (2) nandina leaf extract alleviated animal allergy and asthma; (3) the components reextracted by ethyl acetate were active, in which alkaloids inhibited Gram-positive bacteria and prevented asthma and flavones inhibited Gram-negative bacteria; (4) nandina leaf extract had no toxic effect on mice. Conclusion. Nandina leaves inhibit bacterial growth and prevent asthma through alkaloids and flavones, which had integrated function against chronic bronchitis. This study provided theoretical basement for producing new Chinese medicine against chronic bronchitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ursolic acid (UA) is the major active component of the loquat leaf extract (LLE) and several previous studies have indicated that UA may have the ability to prevent skeletal muscle atrophy. Therefore, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study to investigate the effects of the LLE on muscle strength, muscle mass, muscle function, and metabolic markers in healthy adults; the safety of the compound was also evaluated. We examined the peak torque/body weight at 60°/s knee extension, handgrip strength, skeletal muscle mass, physical performance, and metabolic parameters at baseline, as well as after 4 and 12 weeks of intervention. Either 500 mg of LLE (50.94 mg of UA) or a placebo was administered to fifty-four healthy adults each day for 12 weeks; no differences in muscle strength, muscle mass, and physical performance were observed between the two groups. However, the right-handgrip strength of female subjects in the LLE group was found to be significantly better than that of subjects in the control group (P=0.047). Further studies are required to determine the optimal dose and duration of LLE supplementation to confirm the first-stage study results for clinical application. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is NCT02401113. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of the endoscopic hands-off technique and the conventional technique when repositioning an endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) tube from the mouth to the nose. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies (ERCPs) performed between July 2013 and May 2015 at a single tertiary referral center. A total of 1187 ERCPs were performed during the study period. Among them, 114 patients who underwent ENBD were enrolled in this study. In those patients, we used the endoscopic hands-off technique between July 2013 and May 2014 (endoscopy group) and the conventional technique between June 2014 and May 2015 (conventional group). Results. Technical success was achieved in 100% (58/58) of the endoscopy group and 94.6% (53/56) of the conventional group (P=0.115). In the 3 cases of failed conventional technique, the endoscopic hands-off technique was then performed, and conversion of the ENBD tube was successful in all of these patients. The procedure time was significantly shorter in the endoscopy group than in the conventional group (124 s versus 149 s, P=0.001). Conclusion. The endoscopic hands-off technique was feasible and effective for oral-nasal conversion of an ENBD tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To identify the optimum treatment protocol for insomnia among auricular, body, and abdominal needling methods. Methods. A three-factor (3 needling protocols) and three-level experimental scheme was designed based on orthogonal method. 54 patients of insomnia differentiated as internal harassment of phlegm-heat syndrome were given two courses of acupuncture treatment (each with 20 times of acupuncture). The therapeutic effects were evaluated by comparing the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores, and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores of patients before treatment, after one course of treatment, and after two courses of treatment as well as one month after treatment. Results. Body, auricular, and abdominal acupuncture treatments all alleviated symptoms of insomnia, depression, and anxiety, but body and auricular acupuncture had stronger therapeutic effects. Conclusions. Body acupuncture at basic points shall be given priority in protocol selection for insomnia. The second-best choice is auricular acupuncture with basic points combined with points based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theories. Abdominal needling with very quick effect can be an alternative protocol with basic points combined with syndrome differentiation points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study establishes a methodology for the application of downscaled GCM data in a mountainous area having large spatial variations of rainfall and attempts to estimate the change of rainfall characteristics in the future under climate change. The Namhan river basin, which is in the mountainous area of the Korean peninsula, has been chosen as the study area. neural network-simple kriging with varying local means (ANN-SKlm) has been built by combining the artificial neural network, which is one of the general downscaling techniques, with the SKlm regionalization technique, which can reflect the geomorphologic characteristics. The ANN-SKlm technique was compared with the Thiessen technique and the ordinary kriging (OK) technique in the study area and the SKlm technique showed the best results. Future rainfall levels have been predicted by downscaling the data from CNRM-CM3 climate model, which was simulated under the A1B scenario. According to the results of future annual average rainfall by each regionalization technique, the Thiessen and OK techniques underestimated the future rainfall when compared to the ANN-SKlm technique. Therefore this methodology will be very useful for the prediction of future rainfall levels under climate change, most notably in a mountainous area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is an intracellular pathogen that grows within a modified endomembrane compartment, the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV). Maturation of nascent SCVs involves the recruitment of early endosome markers and the remodelling of phosphoinositides at the membrane of the vacuole, in particular the production of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate [PI(3)P]. Sorting nexins (SNXs) are a family of proteins characterized by the presence of a phox homology (PX) domain that binds to phosphoinositides and are involved in intracellular trafficking in eukaryotic cells. We therefore studied whether sorting nexins, particularly sorting nexin 3 (SNX3), play a role in Salmonella infection. We found that SNX3 transiently localized to SCVs at early times post invasion (10 min) and presented a striking tubulation phenotype in the vicinity of SCVs at later times (30–60 min). The bacterial effector SopB, which is known to promote PI(3)P production on SCVs, was required for the formation of SNX3 tubules. In addition, RAB5 was also required for the formation of SNX3 tubules. Depletion of SNX3 by siRNA impaired RAB7 and LAMP1 recruitment to the SCV. Moreover, the formation of Salmonella-induced filaments (Sifs) was altered by SNX3 knock-down. Therefore, SNX3 plays a significant role in regulating the maturation of SCVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]