Aim:Some obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients may have mandibular retrognathia (ANB > 4.7° and SNB < 76.2°). Currently, there are no studies that have compared the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) versus mandibular advancement device (MAD) in severe OSA patients with mandibular retrognathia. We explored the efficacy of CPAP versus MAD for the treatment of severe OSA patients with mandibular retrognathia.Methods:A total of 105 patients were enrolled. Outcomes were assessed by using polysomnography,...

Abstract Background Oxidative stress is a highly active metabolic process in the liver, that poses great threats to disseminated tumor cells during their colonization. Here, we aimed to investigate how colorectal cancer (CRC) cells overcome lipid peroxidation to sustain their metastatic colonization in the liver. Methods Orthotopic colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) and CRC liver colonization mouse models were constructed to determine the roles of lipid peroxidation and AADAC in CRC liver colonization. The levels of...

Abstract Background Anti-thymoglobulin (ATG)-based immunosuppressive treatment (IST) is the standard first-line management for patients with severe AA/very severe AA (SAA/VSAA) and is not suitable for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The response predictor was not fully investigated. Objective The present study attempted to explore other characteristics, such as serum lipid changes, during ATG-based IST and analyzed their significance in predicting IST response and survival. Methods A total of 61 newly diagnosed SAA/VSAA patients who received ATG-based...

Abstract Study design A combined retrospective and prospective analysis on the therapeutic effect of physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) in mild juvenile idiopathic scoliosis (JIS) patients. Background At present, patients with mild JIS are generally treated by observation without any interventional treatment. This study analyzed the effects of PSSE on mild JIS, which provided a new approach for the treatment of JIS. Method A total of 52 patients with mild JIS (Cobb angle 10–19°), aged 4–9...

Abstract Background To review our long-term clinical experience, analyze the failure patterns, and give suggestions for target volume delineation of carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation (CASTLE) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods From April 2008 to May 2019, 30 patients with CASTLE treated by postoperative or radical IMRT in our center were retrospectively reviewed. A total dose of 56-60 Gy in 28–30 fractions was prescribed to patients without residual disease and 66 Gy in 33 fractions...

Abstract Background Cell-based therapy using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) is a promising treatment strategy for neurogenic bladder (NB) associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, therapeutic efficacy is low because of inefficient cell delivery. Cell sheets improve the efficacy of cell transplantation. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of transplanting ADSC sheets into an SCI rat model and focused on the function and pathological changes of the bladder. Methods ADSC...

Geometric constraint algorithms can solve phase ambiguity for fringe projection profilometry. However, they either require multiple cameras or suffer from a small measurement depth range. To overcome these limitations, this letter proposes an algorithm combining orthogonal fringe projection and geometric constraints. A novel scheme is developed to assess the reliabilities of the potential homologous points, which works with depth segmentation to determine the final homologous points. With full consideration of lens distortions, the algorithm reconstructs...

Abstract Background Brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is an important cause of hemorrhagic stroke in young adults, which can lead to severe neurological impairment. The registry of Multimodality treatment for brain ArTeriovenous malformation in mainland CHina (MATCH) is a national prospective registry to identify the natural history of AVMs in Asian population; to investigate traditional and emerging hemorrhagic predictors; and to explore the superiority of the multidisciplinary assessment in improving the long-term outcomes. Methods Consecutive AVM...

Doping Cd element into perovskite materials is an effective strategy to improve the photoelectric property. However, the further discussion for carrier dynamic behavior in perovskites affected by Cd element remains not sufficient. In this research letter, based on steady and transient spectroscopy, it is found that adding Cd element into CsPbBr3 nanocrystals can enhance the activity of photo-generated carriers and accompany with the optimization of crystal structure. The former improves the carrier heating effect, which...

Doping Cd element into perovskite materials is an effective strategy to improve the photoelectric property. However, the further discussion for carrier dynamic behavior in perovskites affected by Cd element remains not sufficient. In this research letter, based on steady and transient spectroscopy, it is found that adding Cd element into CsPbBr3 nanocrystals can enhance the activity of photo-generated carriers and accompany with the optimization of crystal structure. The former improves the carrier heating effect, which...

Gustatory systems in phytophagous insects are used to perceive feeding stimulants and deterrents and are involved in insect decisions to feed on particular plants. During the process, gustatory receptors (Gr) can recognize diverse phytochemicals and provide a molecular basis for taste perception. The silkworm, as a representative Lepidoptera species, has developed a strong feeding preference for mulberry leaves. The mulberry-derived flavonoid glycoside, isoquercetin, is required to induce feeding behaviours. However, the corresponding Gr for isoquercetin...

Gustatory systems in phytophagous insects are used to perceive feeding stimulants and deterrents and are involved in insect decisions to feed on particular plants. During the process, gustatory receptors (Gr) can recognize diverse phytochemicals and provide a molecular basis for taste perception. The silkworm, as a representative Lepidoptera species, has developed a strong feeding preference for mulberry leaves. The mulberry-derived flavonoid glycoside, isoquercetin, is required to induce feeding behaviours. However, the corresponding Gr for isoquercetin...

Abstract Peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) and epithelial membrane proteins (EMP-1, -2, and -3) belong to a small hydrophobic membrane protein subfamily, with four transmembrane structures. PMP22 and EMPs are widely expressed in various tissues and play important roles in cell growth, differentiation, programmed cell death, and metastasis. PMP22 presents its highest expression in the peripheral nerve and participates in normal physiological and pathological processes of the peripheral nervous system. The progress of molecular genetics...

Word embedding, a high-dimensional (HD) numerical representation of words generated by machine learning models, has been used for different natural language processing tasks, for example, translation between two languages. Recently, there has been an increasing trend of transforming the HD embeddings into a latent space (e.g. via autoencoders) for further tasks, exploiting various merits the latent representations could bring. To preserve the embeddings’ quality, these works often map the embeddings into an even higher-dimensional latent...

Abstract The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is a heterogeneous midbrain structure involved in various brain functions, such as motor control, learning, reward, and sleep. Previous studies using conventional tracers have shown that the PPN receives extensive afferent inputs from various cortical areas. To examine how these cortical axons make collateral projections to other subcortical areas, we used a dual-viral injection strategy to sparsely label PPN-targeting cortical pyramidal neurons in CaMKIIα-Cre transgenic mice. Using a high-speed volumetric...

Abstract Background Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is common and is associated with unfavorable cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Coronary angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (caIMR) is a recently developed wire- and hyperemic agent-free method to assess CMD. We aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of CMD assessed by caIMR on clinical outcomes in patients with DM and chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). Methods CCS patients who underwent coronary angiography between June 2015 to...

Abstract Background Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a life-threatening cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have shown that DNA methylation may be associated with the pathological mechanism of AAD, but the panorama of DNA methylation needs to be explored. Methods DNA methylation patterns were screened using Infinium Human Methylation 450 K BeadChip in the aortic tissues from 4 patients with Stanford-A AAD and 4 controls. Gene enrichment was analyzed by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)...

Abstract Background Constipation seriously affects people’s life quality, and dietary adjustment has been one of the effective methods. Overall dietary quality has been reported to be associated with some diseases, while its association with constipation has not been reported. This study aims to explore the association between overall dietary quality and constipation. Methods A cross-sectional study was designed and data were extracted from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Overall dietary quality was assessed...

Abstract Background Molecule interacting with CasL-like protein 2 (MICALL2) is believed to regulate cytoskeleton dynamics, tight junction formation, and neurite outgrowth. However, its biological role and the underlying mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely elusive. Methods qRT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry assays were used to detect the expression levels of different genes. Next, mass spectrometry, co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect the interactions of proteins. Furthermore, MTT assay, colony formation assay, wound-healing...

Abstract Background Exposure to particulate matter air pollution is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. Enhanced platelet and pro-thrombotic activity in COPD patients may explain their increased cardiovascular risk. We aim to explore whether short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with pro-thrombotic changes in adults with and without COPD, and investigate the underlying biological mechanisms...

Abstract Background Neutrophil infiltration accelerates the inflammatory response and is highly correlated to the development of acute lung injury (ALI). Budesonide (BUD) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) both inhibit the inflammatory response to alleviate ALI, so we further investigated whether their combination is better for ALI. Methods In this study, we investigated the effect and mechanism of Combined BUD and NAC therapy on LPS-induced ALI. Rat ALI model and neutrophil abnormal activation model were established by lipopolysaccharide...

Abstract Background Exposure to particulate matter air pollution is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. Enhanced platelet and pro-thrombotic activity in COPD patients may explain their increased cardiovascular risk. We aim to explore whether short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with pro-thrombotic changes in adults with and without COPD, and investigate the underlying biological mechanisms...

Abstract Background Infection is one of the most common causes of death in patients with hematological malignancies during chemotherapy. Due to its special location, local warmth and humidity, repeated pollution with stool and urine, and characteristically wrinkled anatomical structure within which bacteria can hide, the perianal becomes a site with a high incidence of infection. Such infection also has a high recurrence rate and high mortality, increasing the economic burden of patients, delaying the time...

Abstract Background Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is the ninth member of the proprotein convertase family that regulates lipoprotein homeostasis and altered PCSK9 expression was reportedly associated with tumor development and progression. This study assessed PCSK9 expression and functions in human colon cancer and then explored the underlying molecular events. Methods Colon cancer tissues were utilized for analysis of PCSK9 expression for association with clinicopathological factors from patients by immunohistochemistry assay. Manipulation of PCSK9...

Abstract Background Few studies have demonstrated that the relationship between m6A-related genes and the prognosis, tumor microenvironment and drug resistance of LC. Methods The main results were analyzed with bioinformatics methods. Results Hence, we found 10 m6A-related genes expressed less in tumor samples in comparison with normal ones. Using consensus clustering, all LC patients were grouped into 2 subgroups according to the overall expression of 10 differential expressed m6A-related genes. In two clusters, the OS...