Effects of Wenyang Zhenshuai Granules on the Expression of Key Mitochondrial Autophagy Proteins in the Doxorubicin-Induced Model of H9c2 Cardiomyocyte Injury

Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine - This study aimed to explore the effects of Wenyang Zhenshuai granules (WZG) on the morphology of cardiomyocytes, cell viability, and the expression...     

Measuring healthy female nulliparous pubovisceral muscle from diffusion kurtosis imaging

This study explores the feasibility of using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in the pelvic floor region and assesses the water diffusivity of the pubovisceral muscle. Twenty-seven healthy young nulliparous females underwent DKI at 3.0 T that included 15 gradient directions and three b values (0, 750, and 1500 s/mm²). The diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis metrics values of the pubovisceral muscle were measured after image processing. Two independent sample t-tests, a paired-samples t-test, and a nonparametric hypothesis test were performed as appropriate to compare the differences among different metrics. Twenty-six subjects (mean ± standard deviation age, 25 ± 2 years) were successfully analyzed by measuring the diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis metrics of the bilateral pubovisceral muscles. The metrics included mean kurtosis, axial kurtosis, radial kurtosis, fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. We found no statistically significant differences for these measurement values between the left and right pubovisceral muscles (p = 0.271–0.931). However, radial kurtosis was greater than axial kurtosis in both pubovisceral muscles (p < 0.001) and axial diffusivity was lower than radial diffusivity in both pubovisceral muscles (p < 0.001). We deem the application of DKI technology to the pelvic floor region to be feasible.     

Automating Scoliosis Measurements in Radiographic Studies with Machine Learning: Comparing Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Reports

Journal of Digital Imaging - Scoliosis is a condition of abnormal lateral spinal curvature affecting an estimated 2 to 3% of the US population, or seven million people. The Cobb angle is the...     

Cyanidin-3-glucoside protects against high glucose-induced injury in human nucleus pulposus cells by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling

Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) is a well-known natural anthocyanin with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we explored the role and action mechanism of C3G in high glucose (HG)-induced damage of human nucleus pulposus cells (HNPCs). Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay. TUNEL assay was performed for detecting apoptotic rate. Western blot was performed to determine the expression levels of cl-caspase-3, caspase-3, Bax, Bim, collagen II, aggrecan, MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was analyzed using DCFH-DA staining. The Nrf2 was knocked down or overexpressed in HNPCs through transfection with si-Nrf2 or pcDNA3.0-Nrf2. C3G treatment (12.5, 25, and 50 μM) improved cell viability of HNPCs under HG condition. HG-induced cell apoptosis of HNPCs was attenuated by C3G with decreased apoptotic rate and relative levels of cl-caspase-3/caspase-3, Bax, and Bim. C3G treatment caused significant increase in expression levels of collagen II and aggrecan and decrease in the relative levels of MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5. After treatment with C3G, ROS generation in HNPCs was markedly reduced. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reversed HG-induced cell apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. C3G treatment induced the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in HG-induced HNPCs. Moreover, knockdown of Nrf2 reversed the inhibitory effect of C3G on ROS production. Summarily, C3G exerted a protective effect on ROS-mediated cellular damage in HNPCs under HG condition, which was attributed to the induction of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.     

左、右半结肠癌肝转移患者射频消融治疗疗效及生存的对比分析

目的:探讨原发部位分别位于左、右半结肠的结肠癌肝转移患者行超声引导下肝转移瘤射频消融术后的生存差异及预后影响因素分析。方法:回顾性分析2010年1月至2015年12月于我科行射频消融治疗的结肠癌肝转移患者100例，其中左半结肠癌62例，右半结肠癌38例，分析原发部位不同的结肠癌肝转移患者在进行超声引导下射频消融治疗后的生存情况。结果:左半结肠癌肝转移患者射频消融术后1、3、5年总体生存率及中位生存期均高于右半结肠癌肝转移患者（88.71% vs 73.68%、62.90% vs 30.02%、49.72% vs 26.33%、55个月 vs 23个月），且二者生存曲线差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。经Log-rank检验及COX多因素分析，左、右半结肠癌肝转移患者射频消融治疗术后的生存情况存在差异。此外，原发灶淋巴结转移情况、患者术前CA199水平及原发灶分化程度是患者射频消融治疗术后生存情况的影响因素。结论:左半结肠癌肝转移患者射频消融术后整体生存率明显高于右半结肠癌肝转移患者，左半结肠癌与右半结肠癌肝转移患者在射频消融治疗术后生存状况存在明显差异。     

长链非编码RNA AFAP1-AS1在实体肿瘤中的作用与分子机制

长链非编码RNA（LncRNA）是一种长度超过200个核苷酸的内源RNA。大量研究表明，LncRNA可参与多种生物过程，如转录激活和干扰、细胞分化、增殖、迁移、侵袭和凋亡。近年来许多研究表明LncRNA在人类癌症中作为致癌基因或肿瘤抑制基因发挥着重要作用。大量新研究表明LncRNA肌动蛋白丝相关蛋白1反义RNA1（AFAP1-AS1）参与了多种恶性肿瘤的发生发展。已证实AFAP1-AS1的失调表达与肿瘤发生和肿瘤进展相关；AFAP1-AS1可能成为肿瘤诊断和肿瘤治疗靶点的新型潜在分子生物标志物。在本篇综述中，我们总结了现阶段关于AFAP1-AS1在人类肿瘤发生和发展过程中的生物学功能和分子机制的研究问题。     

Lives and Economic Loss in Brazil due to Lack of Radiotherapy Access in Cervical Cancer: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

AimsAmong all malignancies, the use of radiotherapy incurs the highest survival benefit within cervical cancers. Radiotherapy, however, remains underutilised for cervical cancers within the Brazilian public health system (BPHS). The objective of this study was to estimate the potential health and monetary benefits for universal access to radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for untreated cervical cancer patients in the BPHS.Materials and methodsUsing 2016 data on Brazilian cervical cancer incidence and availability of radiotherapy/CRT in the BPHS, the number of cancer deaths due to radiotherapy/CRT underutilisation was estimated. The incremental effectiveness was calculated by life-year gain. The indirect costs from mortality-related productivity loss (MRPL) were estimated based on life expectancy, wage and labour force participation rate. MRPL was compared with direct medical costs after being adjusted to 2016 US dollars. This study was conducted from the payer's perspective; both costs and effectiveness were discounted at a rate of 3%. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated to determine the cost-effectiveness of radiotherapy for cervical cancer in Brazil. One-way sensitivity analyses were carried out to assess the robustness of the model.ResultsThe total number of life-years lost due to lack of universal access to radiotherapy and CRT per year were 27 199 and 31 627, respectively. The annual cost to match the radiotherapy gap was $10.5 million, with an additional cost of $3 million to close the CRT gap. The mean years of potential life lost per death was 20.5. The cost per life saved was $7942 for radiotherapy alone (ICER $388/life-year) and $8774 for CRT (ICER $429/life-year). MRPL due to shortage of radiotherapy and CRT were $59 million and $69 million, respectively.ConclusionProviding universal access to radiotherapy/CRT for cervical cancer patients in the BPHS is highly cost-effective and should be prioritised as an impactful public health initiative.     

One Week of Hospitalization Following Elective Hip Surgery Induces Substantial Muscle Atrophy in Older Patients

Objectives

Short successive periods of skeletal muscle disuse have been suggested to substantially contribute to the observed loss of skeletal muscle mass over the life span. Hospitalization of older individuals due to acute illness, injury, or major surgery generally results in a mean hospital stay of 5 to 7 days, during which the level of physical activity is strongly reduced. We hypothesized that hospitalization following elective total hip arthroplasty is accompanied by substantial leg muscle atrophy in older men and women.

Research progress on magnetic resonance imaging-guided proton therapy for tumors

With the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided photon therapy, the concept of combining real-time MRI guidance with proton therapy, namely, MRI-guided proton therapy (MRPT), has attracted widespread attention. It is expected that MRPT canmitigate the uncertaintiesduring the treatment of proton therapy to make full use of the physical advantages of protons. However, multiple electromagnetic interactions between proton therapy and MRI-guided systems may lead to mutual interference between the two systems. This article review the research progress on the MRPT system, aiming to provide certain reference for the design of MRPT system.