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Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2019 Feb;99(7):491-495

Department of Ultrasound, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.

To establish automatic liver fibrosis classification models by using traditional machine learning and deep learning methods and preliminaryly evaluate the efficiency. Gray scale ultrasound images and corresponding elastic images of 354 patients, 247 males and 107 females, mean age (54±12) years undergoing partial hepatectomy in Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University from November 2014 to January 2016 were enrolled in this study. By using traditional machine learning and deep learning methods, an automatic classification model of liver fibrosis stages (S0 to S4) were established through feature extraction and classification of ultrasound image data sets and the accuracy in different classification categories of each model were calculated, by using liver biopsy as the reference standard. Read More

Physiol Meas 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND.

Objective: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is capable of imaging fast compound electrical activity (Compound Action Potentials, or CAPs) inside peripheral nerves. The ability of EIT to detect impedance changes (dZ) which arise from the opening of ion channels during the CAP is limited by the dispersion with distance from the site of onset, as fibres have differing conduction velocities. The effect is largest for autonomic nerves mainly formed of slower conducting unmyelinated fibres where signals cannot be recorded more than a few cm away from the stimulation. Read More

Physiol Meas 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, National University of Ireland - Galway, Galway, Galway, IRELAND.

Objective: A novel method for the imaging of static scenes using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is reported with implementation and validation using numerical and phantom models. The technique is applicable to regions featuring symmetry in the normal case, asymmetry in the presence of a perturbation, and where there is a known, frequency-dependent change in the electrical conductivity of the materials in the region.

Methods: The stroke diagnostic problem is used as a motivating sample application. Read More

Microsc Res Tech 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, United Kingdom.

X-ray computed tomography is a strong tool that finds many applications both in medical applications and in the investigation of biological and nonbiological samples. In the clinics, X-ray tomography is widely used for diagnostic purposes whose three-dimensional imaging in high resolution helps physicians to obtain detailed image of investigated regions. Researchers in biological sciences and engineering use X-ray tomography because it is a nondestructive method to assess the structure of their samples. Read More

Stem Cells 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Aberrant wound healing presents as inappropriate or insufficient tissue formation. Using a model of musculoskeletal injury, we demonstrate that loss of TGF-β activated kinase 1 (TAK1) signaling reduces inappropriate tissue formation (heterotopic ossification) through reduced cellular differentiation. Upon identifying increased proliferation with loss of TAK1 signaling, we considered a regenerative approach to address insufficient tissue production through coordinated inactivation of TAK1 to promote cellular proliferation, followed by re-activation to elicit differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production. Read More

Skin Res Technol 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.

Background: Estimating the extent of affected skin is an important unmet clinical need both for research and practical management in many diseases. In particular, cutaneous burden of chronic graft-vs-host disease (cGVHD) is a primary outcome in many trials. Despite advances in artificial intelligence and 3D photography, progress toward reliable automated techniques is hindered by limited expert time to delineate cGVHD patient images. Read More

Magn Reson Med 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Exerc Immunol Rev 2019 ;25:50-62

Universidade Brasil, Post-graduation Program in Bioengineering and in Biomedical Engineering, Campus Itaquera, Rua Carolina Fonseca 235, São Paulo - SP, Brazil, 08230-030. Brazilian Institute of Teaching and Research in Pulmonary and Exercise Immunology (IBEPIPE). Rua Pedro Ernesto 240, São José dos Campos - SP, Brazil, 12245-520. Post-Graduation Program in Sciences of Human Movement and Rehabilitation, Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Campus Baixada Santista, Av. Ana Costa, 95 - Vila Mathias - Santos/SP - CEP: 11060-001.

Background: Aerobic training (AT) decreases airway inflammation in asthma, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Thus, this study evaluated the participation of SOCS-JAK-STAT signaling in the effects of AT on airway inflammation, remodeling and hyperresponsiveness in a model of allergic airway inflammation.

Methods: C57Bl/6 mice were divided into Control (Co), Exercise (Ex), HDM (HDM), and HDM+Exercise (HDM+ Ex). Read More

Telemed J E Health 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

1 College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Development of a point-of-care (POC) consultation system based on telepresence robots is needed to enable effective decision-making by medical staff at care sites.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify essential features and functional requirements of teleconsultation robot systems and predict potential administrative and clinical issues.

Materials And Methods: Surveys were conducted with 90 health care professionals and additional focus group interviews with 4 physicians and 5 nurses. Read More

Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Clinical Physiology, Lund, Sweden.

Limited visualisation of the fetal heart and vessels by fetal ultrasound due to suboptimal fetal position, patient habitus and skeletal calcification may lead to missed diagnosis, overdiagnosis and parental uncertainty. Counseling and delivery planning may in those cases also be tentative. The recent fetal cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) reconstruction method utilising tiny golden angle iGRASP (iterative Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel MRI) allows for cine imaging of the fetal heart for use in clinical practice. Read More

Adv Mater 2019 Feb 20:e1808343. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore, 17543, Singapore.

Molybdenum carbide (Mo C), a class of unterminated MXene, is endowed with rich polymorph chemistry, but the growth conditions of the various polymorphs are not understood. Other than the most commonly observed T-phase Mo C, little is known about other phases. Here, Mo C crystals are successfully grown consisting of mixed polymorphs and polytypes via a diffusion-mediated mechanism, using liquid copper as the diffusion barrier between the elemental precursors of Mo and C. Read More

Lab Chip 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

School of Engineering and Sciences, Nanosensor and Devices, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, 64849, Monterrey, NL, Mexico.

Reversible valves on centrifugal microfluidic platforms facilitate the automation of bioanalytical assays, especially of those requiring a series of steps (such as incubation) in a single reaction chamber. In this study, we present fixed elastic reversible (FER) valves and tunable elastic reversible (TER) valves that are easy to fabricate, implement and control. In the FER valve the compression of an elastic barrier/patch against a microchamber's outlet prevents the release of liquid. Read More

Diabetes Technol Ther 2019 Feb;21(S1):S42-S56

2 Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, Santa Barbara, CA.

Adv Healthc Mater 2019 Feb 20:e1801294. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Robarts Research Institute, Department of Medicine (Cardiology), Department of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London Health Sciences Centre, 339 Windermere Rd, London, Ontario, N6A 5A5, Canada.

Delivery of angiogenic growth factors lessens ischemia in preclinical models but has demonstrated little benefit in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Augmenting the wrapping of nascent microvessels by mural cells constitutes an alternative strategy to regenerating a functional microvasculature, particularly if integrated with a sustained delivery platform. Herein, electrospun poly(ester amide) (PEA) nanofiber mats are fabricated for delivering a mural cell-targeting factor, fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9). Read More

Adv Mater 2019 Feb 20:e1806403. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.

Precious noble metals (such as Pt, Ir) and nonprecious transition metals (e.g., Fe, Co), including their compounds (e. Read More

Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Polymer Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Chitosan has a biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic nature. The effectiveness of nano-chitosan films in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis has been confirmed previously in susceptible laboratory animals.

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a chitosan-based biocompatible dressing in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis who were either nonresponsive to or had medical contraindications for conventional treatments. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019 Feb 13;214:252-260. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

College of Science, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China.

Cordyceps cicadae is an entomogenous fungus that has been used as a valuable traditional Chinese herbal tonic, however, it can be difficult to discern the false from the genuine. In this study, the macroscopic IR fingerprint methods containing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and second derivative infrared spectroscopy (SD-IR) were used to elucidate wild C. cicadae. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019 Feb 16;177:370-376. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Water Environment and Agriculture Product Safety, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China. Electronic address:

Although antibiotics have been widely used, the problem of bacterial infection in the medical field still faces many challenges. In this study, we designed a new lignin based antimicrobial hydrogel for antimicrobial application. First, we grafted the amino group onto sodium lignin sulfonate through Mannich reaction to obtain lignin amine (LA), which can cross-link with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to form hydrogel. Read More

iScience 2019 Feb 6;13:9-19. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Biology, University of Washington, Life Science Building, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Electronic address:

Metazoan cells can generate unequal-sized sibling cells during cell division. This form of asymmetric cell division depends on spindle geometry and Myosin distribution, but the underlying mechanics are unclear. Here, we use atomic force microscopy and live cell imaging to elucidate the biophysical forces involved in the establishment of physical asymmetry in Drosophila neural stem cells. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Feb 19;112:108669. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China. Electronic address:

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and ultimately fatal lung disease with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The incidence of IPF increases with age, and the mechanisms related to aging such as cellular senescence have been strongly implicated in disease pathology. Therefore, a better understanding of fibroblasts senescence might provide a new therapeutic strategy to prevent and treat pulmonary fibrosis. Read More

J Pharm Biomed Anal 2019 Feb 6;168:44-54. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

School of Medicine, Tongji University, No. 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, No. 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, No. 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, PR China; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai 200025, PR China. Electronic address:

Tuberculosis is one of the top concerns in the world and acutely threatens human health. A new potent candidate regimen containing pyrazinamide (PZA), ethambutol (EMB), protionamide (PTO) and clofazimine (CFZ) was proposed by Parabolic Response Surface/Feedback System Control (FSC/PRS) system and showed excellent outcomes in vitro and vivo studies. Here, a convenient liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneously determination of four compounds in beagle dog plasma. Read More

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2019 Feb 15;235:57-61. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.

The public health importance of myiasis [infestation with dipterous (fly) larvae] remains unknown. This disease is spread worldwide in animals and humans, but baseline data on its prevalence are limited. In particular, knowledge on human urogenital myiasis (UGM) is scattered. Read More

Neurobiol Aging 2019 Jan 31;77:104-111. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA; Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address:

Transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology is common in old age and is strongly associated with cognitive decline and dementia above and beyond contributions from other neuropathologies. TDP-43 pathology in aging typically originates in the amygdala, a brain region also affected by other age-related neuropathologies such as Alzheimer's pathology. The purpose of this study was two-fold: to determine the independent effects of TDP-43 pathology on the volume, as well as shape, of the amygdala in a community cohort of older adults, and to determine the contribution of amygdala volume to the variance of the rate of cognitive decline after accounting for the contributions of neuropathologies and demographics. Read More

Biomaterials 2019 Feb 14;201:42-52. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, PR China. Electronic address:

Accurate treatment of photothermal therapy (PTT) is crucial to avoid the unnecessary injury of normal cells and tissues. Therefore the real-time temperature monitoring in the PTT process has drawn more and more attention in recent years. Herein, we designed and prepared one kind of lanthanide (Ln)-doped up-conversion nanocomposites with multi-functions, which can not only provide temperature feedback in PTT process, but also play the photodynamic therapy (PDT) function for the synergistic effect of tumor therapy. Read More

Biomaterials 2019 Feb 6;201:16-32. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, MD9-04-11, 2 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117593, Singapore; Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, #04-01, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, Singapore, 138669, Singapore; NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Centre for Life Sciences, #05-01, 28 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117576, Singapore; Mechanobiology Institute, T-Labs, #05-01, 5A Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117411, Singapore; Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, #10-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore; Gastroenterology Department, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China. Electronic address:

Interconnected macroporous hydrogel is hydrophilic; it exhibits soft tissue-like mechanical property and aqueous-stable macroporosity for 3D spheroid culture. There is an unmet need to develop cleavable macroporous hydrogel, for the ease of retrieving functional spheroids for further in vitro and in vivo applications. We have developed and comprehensively characterized a hydroxypropyl-cellulose-disulfide sponge by systematically identifying strategies and synthesis schemes to confer cleavability to the sponge under cell-friendly conditions. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 Feb 11;223:523-535. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, China, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China. Electronic address:

Triclosan (TCS), one of the important bactericides, is widely used in personal care products, and its chronic exposure leads to severe toxic effects on the growth and development of blood vessels in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Herein, we screened out three differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-181a-5p, miR-132-3p and miR-128-3p) by sequencing and qRT-PCR analyses of 4-96-hpf TCS-exposed zebrafish, among which miR-181a-5p was found to regulate many signaling pathways involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and phosphatidylimositol signaling systems. By O-dianisidine staining, TCS-exposure resulted in decreased distribution of red blood cells and induced blood hypercoagulable state and thrombotic effects. Read More

Cell Rep 2019 Feb;26(8):2227-2240.e5

Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. Electronic address:

Metagenomic sequencing is a promising approach for identifying and characterizing organisms and their functional characteristics in complex, polymicrobial infections, such as airway infections in people with cystic fibrosis. These analyses are often hampered, however, by overwhelming quantities of human DNA, yielding only a small proportion of microbial reads for analysis. In addition, many abundant microbes in respiratory samples can produce large quantities of extracellular bacterial DNA originating either from biofilms or dead cells. Read More

Lancet Neurol 2019 Mar 12;18(3):238-247. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Waseda University Faculty of Science and Engineering, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: The effect of prasugrel in terms of the prevention of recurrence of ischaemic stroke is unknown. We investigated the non-inferiority of prasugrel to clopidogrel for prevention of ischaemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and death from other vascular causes in Japanese patients with non-cardioembolic stroke.

Methods: In this phase 3 randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial, patients aged 20-74 years who had had a non-cardioembolic stroke in the previous 1-26 weeks were recruited from 224 hospitals in Japan. Read More

Lancet Neurol 2019 Mar 12;18(3):231-233. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Penn Center for Brain Injury and Repair, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Clin Podiatr Med Surg 2019 Apr 24;36(2):279-293. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Wound Repair and Regenerative Medicine, Affiliated Baoan Hospital of Shenzhen, Southern Medical University, The 8th People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518101, China; Guangdong Provincial Academician Workstation of Wound Repair and Regenerative Medicine, Affiliated Baoan Hospital of Shenzhen, Southern Medical University, The 8th People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518101, China; Department of Trauma and Orthopedics, Affiliated Baoan Hospital of Shenzhen, Southern Medical University, The 8th People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518101, China.

The list of late complications after calcaneal fracture that can be treated through arthroscopic and/or endoscopic approach continues to expand. The late complications of calcaneal fractures can be classified into 3 groups: (1) those causing focal hindfoot or ankle pain, (2) those causing functional deficit, and (3) those present with diffuse and poorly localized pain. Many group 1 and some group 2 complications can be managed arthroscopically and/or endoscopically. Read More

J Therm Biol 2019 Feb 8;80:45-55. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Department of Orthodontics and Dental Research Centre, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

The most desired target of orthodontic treatment is tooth movement as a result of application of efficient force system. In this study, effect of tooth loading is studied on temperature profile around the tooth at early stages of treatment. The basis of temperature variation is increase of cell number and activities in periodontium as a result of compression and tension of this layer. Read More

Int J Med Inform 2019 Apr 11;124:97-103. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China; The Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, China. Electronic address:

Objective: Quantitative measurement of clinical drug-drug similarity has many potential applications in assessing medication therapy similarity and patient similarity. Currently, most of the methods to measure drug-drug similarity were not directly obtained from clinical data and cannot cover clinical drugs. We sought to propose a computational approach to measure clinical drug-drug similarity based on the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. Read More

Int J Med Inform 2019 Apr 15;124:68-77. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Informatics, Center for Human Factors Engineering of Health Information Technology (HIT-Lab), the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Department of Medical Informatics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Background: With populations aging, digital health tools and mobile health applications (mHealth) are becoming more common to assist older people in independent living and self-management of (chronic) illnesses. These mHealth services can be beneficial to older patients, provided that they are adjusted to their needs and characteristics, as the current mHealth landscape lacks user-friendly services for this target group. Understanding of intrinsic aging barriers, which cause and impact usability problems older patients encounter, is needed to achieve this. Read More

Methods Enzymol 2019 8;617:385-411. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Heterogeneous Biocatalysis Laboratory, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH-CSIC), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain; ARAID, Aragon I+D Foundation, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address:

Complex synthetic schemes catalyzed by multienzyme systems immobilized on solid materials are gaining momentum in chemical biomanufacturing. These systems harness the high chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity of the enzymes and the recyclability of the heterogeneous catalysts. Moreover, when the enzymes become part of a solid material, they can be easily integrated into packed-bed reactor for continuous biotransformations. Read More

Drug Metab Rev 2019 Feb 20:1-35. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

a Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran.

At this article, graphene oxide Nano ribbons (GONRs) and its high potential for using in medical fields have been reviewed. Recently, Graphene Nano ribbons (GNRs) has been a field of interest in biological methods and disease treatment such as drug delivery, DNA applications, and photothermal cancer therapies. GNRs demonstrate more efficient properties rather than other graphene-based Nanomaterials due to their larger surface area. Read More

Chem Biodivers 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, School of Life Sciences and School of Chinese Medicine Sciences, No. 11, Bei San Huan Dong Lu, Chaoyang District, 100029, Beijing, CHINA.

Three new withanolides (1-3), named as daturanolide A-C, along with six known withanolides (4-9) were isolated from the flowers of Datura metel L.. Their structures with absolute configurations were elucidated by a series of spectroscopic methods, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses, and X-ray crystallography. Read More

J Pept Sci 2019 Feb 19:e3158. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.

Redox-active ruthenium complexes have been widely used in various fields; however, the harsh conditions required for their synthesis are not always conducive to their subsequent use in biological applications. In this study, we demonstrate the spontaneous formation of a derivative of tris(bipyridine)ruthenium at 37°C through the coordination of three bipyridyl ligands incorporated into a peptide to a ruthenium ion. Specifically, we synthesized six bipyridyl-functionalized peptides with randomly chosen sequences. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan.

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is involved in a variety of diseases including the tumor growth. In response to various angiogenic stimulations, a number of proteins on the surface of vascular endothelial cells are activated to coordinate cell proliferation, migration, and spreading processes to form new blood vessels. Plasma membrane localization of these angiogenic proteins, which include vascular endothelial growth factor receptors and integrins, are warranted by intracellular membrane trafficking. Read More

Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of BioMechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime & Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628, CD, Delft, the Netherlands.

Various types of complex biomechanical models have been published in the literature to better understand processes related to inflicted head injury by shaking trauma (IHI-ST) in infants. In this systematic review, a comprehensive overview of these models is provided. A systematic review was performed in MEDLINE and Scopus for articles using physical (e. Read More

J Nucl Cardiol 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 167 Beilishi Road, Beijing, 100037, China.

Purpose: Recently, the feasibility of myocardial blood flow (MBF) quantitation using rapid-rotating gantry (RRG) and cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) SPECT cameras has been demonstrated. We compared MBF quantitation using these two camera systems.

Methods: Twenty patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and 20 patients without CHF (non-CHF) were included. Read More

Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department and Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.

Purpose: The expression level of platelet microRNAs (miRNAs) correlates with heart disease and may be altered by antiplatelet therapy. This study aims to assess whether certain miRNAs are associated with treatment response by platelets in patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention and antiplatelet therapy. The dynamic expression of certain miRNAs in patients receiving different antiplatelet regimens was also investigated. Read More

Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2019 Feb 16. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Laboratory of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4, Daigakunishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan.

We recently characterized the cytotoxic action of a novel phenformin derivative, 2-(2-chlorophenyl)ethylbiguanide (2-Cl-Phen), on HT-29 cells under a serum- and glucose-deprived condition and found that 2-Cl-Phen attenuated ATF4 and GRP78, typical downstream targets of the unfolded protein response (UPR), together with c-Myc protein expression in a transcriptional and posttranscriptional manner. In the current study, we focused on the expression of ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD) components after treatment with 2-Cl-Phen under a serum- and glucose-deprived condition. Among nine ER-localizing factors regulating protein quality control within the ER, the amounts of Herp, GRP78, GRP94, and OS9 proteins were significantly downregulated by treatment with 2-Cl-Phen. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

In recent years, concerns over the issue of air pollution have increased as one of the significant environmental and health problems. Air pollutants can be toxic or harmful to the life of plants, animals, and humans. Contrast to primary pollutants, ozone is a secondary pollutant that is produced by the reaction between primary precursors in the atmosphere. Read More

Sleep Breath 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering and Research Institute, Beihang University, Shenzhen, China.

Objectives: To determine inter-lab reliability in sleep stage scoring using the 2014 American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) manual. To understand in-depth reasons for disagreement and provide suggestions for improvement.

Methods: This study consisted of 40 all-night polysomnographys (PSGs) from different samples. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Molecular Biology-Genetics and Biotechnology, Dr. Orhan Öcalgiray Molecular Biology-Biotechnology and Genetics Research Centre, Graduate School of Science, Engineering and Technology, İstanbul Technical University, Ayazağa Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey.

Systemic autoinflammatory diseases (sAIDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders, having monogenic inherited forms with overlapping clinical manifestations. More than half of patients do not carry any pathogenic variant in formerly associated disease genes. Here, we report a cross-sectional study on targeted Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) screening in patients with suspected sAIDs to determine the diagnostic utility of genetic screening. Read More

Eur Radiol 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 306 North Wright Street, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.

Objectives: To assess inter-platform reproducibility of ultrasonic attenuation coefficient (AC) and backscatter coefficient (BSC) estimates in adults with known/suspected nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: This HIPAA-compliant prospective study was approved by an institutional review board; informed consent was obtained. Participants with known/suspected NAFLD were recruited and underwent same-day liver examinations with clinical ultrasound scanner platforms from two manufacturers. Read More

Int J Legal Med 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Research Center of Biomedical Engineering, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.

The Lisu is an ethnic minority living in highlands or mountain valleys in the northern region of the Indo-China Peninsula. The paper presents the frequency distribution of allele and statistical genetic parameters of forensic relevance for 15 autosomal STR loci found in the AmpFℓSTR® Identifiler® PCR Amplification Kit among a population sample constituted by 1854 non-related Lisu minority individuals residing in the southwestern region of China. The genetic relationships between Lisu population and 14 related populations were assessed. Read More

Curr Genet 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Infection and Immunity Program and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.

Mitochondrial fission shows potential as a therapeutic target in non-infectious human diseases. The compound mdivi-1 was identified as a mitochondrial fission inhibitor that acts against the evolutionarily conserved mitochondrial fission GTPase Dnm1/Drp1, and shows promising data in pre-clinical models of human pathologies. Two recent studies, however, found no evidence that mdivi-1 acts as a mitochondrial fission inhibitor and proposed other mechanisms. Read More

Exp Brain Res 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

With aging, hand mobility and manual dexterity decline, even under healthy circumstances. To assess how aging affects finger movement control, we compared elderly and young subjects with respect to (1) finger movement independence, (2) neural control of extrinsic finger muscles and (3) finger tendon displacements during single finger flexion. In twelve healthy older (age 68-84) and nine young (age 22-29) subjects, finger kinematics were measured to assess finger movement enslaving and the range of independent finger movement. Read More

Nucleic Acids Res 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Life Science, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.

The XIST RNA is a non-coding RNA that induces X chromosome inactivation (XCI). Unlike the mouse Xist RNA, how the human XIST RNA controls XCI in female cells is less well characterized, and its functional motifs remain unclear. To systematically decipher the XCI-involving elements of XIST RNA, 11 smaller XIST segments, including repeats A, D and E; human-specific repeat elements; the promoter; and non-repetitive exons, as well as the entire XIST gene, were homozygously deleted in K562 cells using the Cas9 nuclease and paired guide RNAs at high efficiencies, followed by high-throughput RNA sequencing and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments. Read More