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This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in assessing retinal microvascular structural changes in preterm-born children and compare them with those in term-born children. The Web of Science Library, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and Sino Med databases were searched systematically to extract studies published till April 25, 2023. Two independent reviewers searched all the literature and completed the data extraction and quality assessment. Mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the continuous estimates. STATA software (v15.1; StataCorp, College Station, TX) was used to analyze the data. Twelve published studies were eligible for inclusion in this study. The meta-analysis revealed that the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area of preterm-born children was remarkably smaller than that of term-born children, with the laser photocoagulation (LP)-ROP group showing the most pronounced reduction. The foveal superficial capillary plexus vessel density (SCP-VD) and deep capillary plexus vessel density (DCP-VD) were remarkably higher in the preterm-born group than in the control group, with variations in subgroups (LP-ROP, anti-VEGF-ROP, SR-ROP, and Pre-T-ROP). The parafoveal SCP-VD was remarkably lower in preterm-born children compared to that of the controls, while no significant difference was identified in the parafoveal DCP-VD. Preterm-born children had a smaller FAZ area, higher foveal SCP-VD and DCP-VD, and lower parafoveal SCP-VD compared to their term-born counterparts. The parafoveal DCP-VD did not differ substantially between preterm- and term-born children. OCTA is an effective modality for assessing alterations in the retinal microvasculature in preterm children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the preliminary clinical outcomes of microwave ablation (MWA)-assisted surgical treatment for large glioma. Materials and Methods: In total, six cases of large glioma (diameter >4 cm) were described. All cases were treated with MWA-assisted surgical resection, which was performed using ultrasound to guide the accurate placement of the antenna in the central region of the tumor. The MWA power was 40-45 W, and 6 min was applied. Changes in the ablation area were observed using intraoperative Doppler ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Ten patients treated with surgical resection alone were included in the control group. Data on surgical times (i.e., the time from the incision of the dura to the removal of the tumor), intraoperative blood loss, and complications were recorded. Results: The median patient age was 45 years (range: 36.5-60.3 years). The median lesion diameter was 4.9 cm (range: 4.3-5.8). The microwave power was 40-45 W, and the median ablation time was 240 s (range: 208-297 s). The intra-tumoral vascular flow was significantly reduced after MWA. The median surgical time was shorter (38.5 min [range: 34.3-42.8 min]) and the median intraoperative blood loss was less (400 mL, [range: 400-450 mL]) in the combination treatment group than in the surgery-alone group. During the ablation process, no obvious additional neurological deficits were detected; however, a tube-shaped carbonide was found after the operation. Conclusion: MWA may be a useful complement to conventional techniques for the surgical resection of large glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PIBO) is an uncommon and severe form of chronic obstructive lung disease in children. Adenovirus (ADV) is the main pathogen of PIBO in children. However, the risk factors of ADV-PIBO are not fully understood. This study aims to analyze the clinical characteristics of PIBO caused by ADV and compared with non-ADV-PIBO. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of children under the age of 14 years diagnosed PIBO was performed in 56 ADV-PIBO cases, 29 non-ADV-PIBO, and 39 healthy controls to determine clinical characteristics of PIBO. Results: There was no difference between ADV-PIBO and non-ADV-PIBO cases in gender, age, individual and family atopy or history of asthma, and previous history of wheezing and no difference in the clinical manifestations and signs between the two groups. However, the hospital stay, duration of ventilator use, and multifocal pneumonia incidence of ADV-PIBO group have a significant differences compared with non-ADV-PIBO. Notably, inflammatory markers lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin 8 (IL-8), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) were significantly increased in PIBO patients, and those expressed in ADV-PIBO patients were higher than those in non-ADV-PIBO patients. In addition, ADV-PIBO children required a longer duration of oral prednisone and azithromycin than non-ADV-PIBO cases. Conclusions: Compared with non-ADV-PIBO, ADV-PIBO has a longer hospital stay, longer duration of ventilator use, increased LDH, IL-8, and IFN-γ expressions, and longer duration of oral prednisone and azithromycin treatment. Further research is needed to determine why PIBO caused by ADVs are more severe than those caused by other pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Of Study: This study is to investigate the effects of a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α/γ dual agonist TZD18 on cell growth, apoptosis, caspase activity, mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, and apoptotic-related protein expression in MKN-45 cells.Materials and Methods: 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay against various human cancer cell lines was performed to investigate the whether TZD18 could in reduce the proliferation rates of cancer cells. The percentages of apoptotic cells and mitochondrial membrane potential level were determined by flow cytometry. The subcellular localization of cytochrome c was examined by immunofluorescence microscopy. Western blotting assay was performed to reveal the expression of apoptosis-related proteins.Results: The results showed that the administration of TZD18 could inhibit the growth of MKN-45 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, the apoptotic ratio increased sharply along with a significant increase of caspase activities, mitochondrial membrane potential, and cytochrome c release following TZD18 exposure. The expression of Bax and p27kip1 increased significantly, whereas the expression level of Bcl-2 protein was downregulated.Conclusion: These results indicated that the administration of PPAR α/γ agonist TZD18 may inhibit cell growth by inducing the apoptotic process in MKN-45 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Of Study: NM23, as a possible biomarker of prognosis in malignant tumors, has generated remarkable interest in this critical period of the high morbidity and mortality of malignancies. Thus, we launched this meta-analysis to investigate the predictive value of NM23 expression in patients with gastric cancer.Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for relevant articles. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to evaluate the prognostic value of NM23 expression in patients with gastric cancer and the association between NM23 expression and clinicopathological factors. We also performed subgroup analyses to find the source of heterogeneity.Results: Exactly, 2674 patients were pooled from 19 available studies in total. The incorporative OR combined by 11 studies with overall survival (OS) showed no significance (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.51-1.58, P = 0.71). Although we failed to find any significance in N status and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging (P = 0.23 and P = 0.74, respectively), elevated NM23 expression was related to well tumor differentiation (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41-0.95, P = 0.03). However, in the subgroup analyses, we could not find any potential source of heterogeneity.Conclusion: The results showed that statistically significant association was found between NM23 expression and the tumor differentiation of patients with gastric cancer, but no significance was found in OS, N status, and TNM staging. More and further researches should be conducted to reveal the prognostic value of NM23. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the expression and significance of fibronectin and metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: A total of 30 AS patients in our hospital and 30 healthy volunteers were selected in our study. Fibronectin and MMP-3 were measured and compared between these two groups. The AS group received sulfasalazine 2 g daily for 3 months. Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index, bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index, bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were compared before and after treatment. Pearson's linear-correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between parameters. Results: Totally 28 patients in the AS group completed the study. Fibronectin and MMP-3 in peripheral blood of AS patients were evidently higher than that in the normal control group (P<0.05). After treated by sulfasalazine, the level of expressing Fibronectin and MMP-3 significantly decreased compared with baseline values (P<0.05). Pearson's linear-correlation analysis showed that serum fibronectin and MMP-3 level had a positive correlation with bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index global assessment, spine pain, night pain, general pain, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein (P<0.05). Conclusions: The expression of fibronectin and MMP-3 in AS patients were significantly higher than that in the normal control group, and they all decreased significantly after treatment. It indicated that both fibronectin and MMP-3 were correlated closely with the onset of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of the current meta.analysis was to assess the arterial spin labeling. (ASL) perfusion imaging measurement of cerebral blood flow. (CBF) in patients with brain tumors, and assessing preoperative tumor grade in brain. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China BioMedicine (CBM), CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were chosen to evaluate the associations between ASL and brain cancer. Two reviewers separately evaluated the quality of the included trials. Standardized mean difference (SMD) at 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was also calculated. Results: Finally, 475 patients were enrolled into this meta-analysis from 12 eligible studies and were selected for statistical analysis. Results showed that relative tumor blood flow (rTBF) and relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in high-grade brain cancer patients were faster than those in low-grade brain cancer patients. Subgroup analysis stratified by country implied that ASL may be the main prediction of increased rTBF in high-grade brain cancer patients among USA, Korea and China; and rCBF was faster in high-grade brain cancer using ASL in USA and China. Further reference by tissue-stratified analysis revealed a positive association of rTBF with high-grade brain cancer by utilization of ASL in all the experimental subgroups, while rCBF was only correlated in white subgroups. Conclusion: These results showed that rTBF and rCBF were faster in high-grade brain cancer patients, suggesting that ASL may provide suitable measurement for the differential diagnosis of tumor grade in brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the activation of the human mirror neuron system during the observation of intransitive movements by shadows and line drawings of hands. It is inferred that electroencephalography was performed to obtain evidence of human mirror neuron system activation. According to the study, observation of impoverished hand actions activates cortical areas related to the putative human mirror neuron system.

The article focuses on a study which examined amyloid precursor protein (APP) intracellular domain binding sites in chromatin deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from hippocampal neurons of rats. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was employed in this study to identify genes associated with learning and memory functions. Results of the study showed that an APP intracellular domain-containing protein complex bounded to promoter region-containing fragments of the CAMKIIα and GluR-2 genes.

Diabetes can be associated with a reduction in functional β cell mass, which must be restored if the disease is to be cured or progress is to be arrested. To study the cell count, it is also necessary to determine the number of nuclei within the insulin stained area. It can take a single experimentalist several months to complete a single study of this kind, results of which may still be quite subjective. In this paper, we propose a framework based on a novel measure of local symmetry for detection of cells. The local isotropic phase symmetry measure (LIPSyM) is designed to give high values at or near the cell centers. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm for detection of two types of specific cells in histology images, cells in mouse pancreatic sections and lymphocytes in human breast tissue. Experimental results for these two problems show that our algorithm performs better than human experts for the former problem, and outperforms the best reported results for the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Proliferation Changes in Hippocampal Neurons Following Pilocarpine-Induced Intractable Epilepsy in Adult Rats," by Lancai Xiong et al. is presented.

The article reports on a study that obtained a natural animal model (NAM) of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for reviewing accepted curative strategies. To study impaired spatial learning and memory in middle-aged mice (MAM), the authors used outbred Kunning and Imprinting Control Region (ICR) mice, Morris water maze (MWM), and radial six-arm maze (RAWM), which showed that MAM suffered impaired spatial memory in the MWM and RAWM, and mild spatial learning deficiency in the RAWM study. It also showed that Kunning and ICR mice may be used as a NAM for MCI.