T2-weighted,apparent diffusion coefficient and 18F-FDG PET histogram analysis of rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiotherapy

Techniques in Coloproctology - The aim of our study was to investigate the correlation among T2-weighted (T2w) images, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)...     

Predictors of conduction recovery after permanent pacemaker implantation following transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology - Conduction disturbances after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) requiring pacemaker (PPM) implantation are a known complication and...     

Effects of telemedicine interventions in improving continuous positive airway pressure adherence in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Sleep and Breathing - This meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effects of telemedicine interventions on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) adherence in patients with obstructive sleep...     

Cholesterol-sensing role of phenylalanine in the interaction of human islet amyloid polypeptide with lipid bilayers

The interactions between hIAPP and the pancreatic β-cells are associated with β-cell death in type II diabetes. Cholesterol modulates hIAPP-membrane interaction and hIAPP aggregation. The molecular mechanism underlying this is not well understood. Here we explore the cholesterol-sensing role of F15 in the interactions of hIAPP and hIAPP_1–19 with various compositions of lipids, including DOPC, DPPC and DOPC/DPPC using NMR, CD, ThT fluorescence and dye leakage assays. We show that both hIAPP and hIAPP_1–19 are more potent in the disruption to the membranes with cholesterol than they are in the disruption to the membranes without cholesterol. A substitution of F15 by leucine affects the binding and disruption of the peptides to the membranes slightly in the absence of cholesterol, but decreases the activities largely in the presence of cholesterol. F15 also plays a role in accelerating fibrillar assembly of hIAPP, but the function is independent of cholesterol in nature. The promotion of cholesterol to the disruptive potency of hIAPP is more effective in the membrane with raft-like domains than in the membrane with a dispersed distribution of cholesterol. Our results suggest that F15 plays a key role in the cholesterol-sensing binding and disruption of hIAPP to the PC membranes and the distribution of cholesterol in the membranes has an influence on the disruptive activity of hIAPP.

The interaction of hIAPP with cholesterol in the membrane is mediated by Phe15.     

Single- Versus Double-Unit Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation for Hematologic Diseases: A Systematic Review

Controversial results exist regarding the clinical benefits of single- vs double-unit umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in patients with hematologic diseases. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate this issue. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to May 2018. A total of 25 studies including 6571 recipients were identified. Although double-unit UCB contained higher doses of total nucleated cells and CD34⁺ cells, it offered no advantages over single-unit UCB in terms of hematologic recovery, including the rate and speed of neutrophil and platelet engraftment. Double-unit UCBT was associated with higher incidences of grades II-IV acute and extensive chronic graft-vs-host disease, accompanied by a lower relapse incidence, which may be attributed to a graft-vs-graft effect induced by double-unit UCB. However, transplant-related mortality, disease-free survival, and overall survival were comparable between single- and double-unit UCBT. Although double-unit UCBT confers no clinical advantages over single-unit UCBT, certain patients, such as those at high risk of relapse, might benefit from double-unit UCBT, a possibility that needs to be clarified in future randomized trials.