ABSTRACT
Introduction: In this study we explored the efficacy of nerve hydrodissection for mild‐to‐moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Methods: Thirty‐four participants were randomly assigned to ...an intervention group or a control group. One 5‐ml dose of normal saline was injected into the intracarpal and subcutaneous regions in subjects of both groups, respectively. The primary outcome measure was the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ) score. Secondary outcomes were cross‐sectional area of the median nerve and electrophysiological studies. Assessments were performed before the injection and at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months postintervention. Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement at the second and third posttreatment months according to BCTQ severity score and at all time‐points for cross‐sectional area of the median nerve (P < 0.01). Discussion: Our study demonstrates the therapeutic effects of nerve hydrodissection for mild‐to‐moderate CTS. Muscle Nerve 59:174–180, 2019
Translational control plays a vital role in regulating gene expression. To decipher the molecular basis of translational regulation in photomorphogenic Arabidopsis thaliana, we adopted a ribosome ...profiling method to map the genome-wild positions of translating ribosomes in Arabidopsis etiolated seedlings in the dark and after light exposure. We found that, in Arabidopsis, a translating ribosome protects an ∼30-nucleotide region and moves in three-nucleotide periodicity, characteristics also observed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammals. Light enhanced the translation of genes involved in the organization and function of chloroplasts. Upstream open reading frames initiated by ATG but not CTG mediated translational repression of the downstream main open reading frame. Also, we observed widespread translational repression of microRNA target genes in both light- and dark-grown Arabidopsis seedlings. This genome-wide characterization of transcripts undergoing translation at the nucleotide-resolution level reveals that a combination of multiple translational mechanisms orchestrates and fine-tunes the translation of diverse transcripts in plants with environmental responsiveness.
The use of dietary bioactive compounds in chemoprevention can potentially reverse, suppress, or even prevent cancer progression. However, the effects of licochalcone A (LicA) on apoptosis and ...autophagy in cervical cancer cells have not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, LicA treatment was found to significantly induce the apoptotic and autophagic capacities of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. MTT assay results showed dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity in four cervical cancer cell lines treated with LicA. We found that LicA induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in SiHa cells, with decreasing Bcl-2 expression. LicA also induced autophagy effects were examined by identifying accumulation of Atg5, Atg7, Atg12 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II. Treatment with autophagy-specific inhibitors (3-methyladenine and bafilomycin A1) enhanced LicA-induced apoptosis. In addition, we suggested the inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of mTOR pathway by LicA. Furthermore, the inhibition of PI3K/Akt by LY294002/si-Akt or of mTOR by rapamycin augmented LicA-induced apoptosis and autophagy. Finally, the in vivo mice bearing a SiHa xenograft, LicA dosed at 10 or 20 mg/kg significantly inhibited tumor growth. Our findings demonstrate the chemotherapeutic potential of LicA for treatment of human cervical cancer.
This investigation studies the feasibility of synthesizing high-density transparent p-type ZnO nanoparticles and n-type ZnO nanowires on a glass substrate at 650°C using the self-catalyzed ...vapor–liquid–solid method. The doping impurity is Sb, which reduces the concentration of electrons in n-type nanowires and increases the concentration of holes in p-type nanoparticles. XRD spectra clearly include a strong peak that is associated with the wurtzite structure and very weak peaks that are associated with Sb2O3. All XRD peaks of the ZnO sample shift by a small angle upon doping by Sb. The Hall effect indicates that ZnO nanowires and ZnO:Sb nanoparticles are n-type and p-type, respectively. The Sb atoms produce the Moiré pattern and cause stacked faults to form nanoparticles as determined by HRTEM. The reaction between ethanol and ionic oxygen species yield electrons, which increase the conductivity of the n-type nanowires and reduce the conductivity of the p-type nanoparticles. The responses of p-type ZnO nanoparticles/n-type ZnO nanowires to gas are dominated by those of p-type sensors at 25°C and n-type sensors above 200°C.
Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a common complication of ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and can lead to adverse cardiovascular events. Whether CMD after STEMI is ...associated with functional left ventricular remodeling (FLVR) and diastolic dysfunction, has not been investigated.
This is a nonrandomized, observational, prospective study of patients with STEMI with multivessel disease. Coronary flow reserve and index of microcirculatory resistance of the culprit vessel were measured at 3 months post-STEMI. CMD was defined as index of microcirculatory resistance ≥25 or coronary flow reserve <2.0 with a normal fractional flow reserve. We examined the association between CMD, LV diastolic dysfunction, FLVR, and major adverse cardiac events at 12-month follow-up. A total of 210 patients were enrolled; 59.5% were men, with a median age of 65 (interquartile range, 58-76) years. At 3-month follow-up, 57 patients (27.14%) exhibited CMD. After 12 months, when compared with patients without CMD, patients with CMD had poorer LV systolic function recovery (-10.00% versus 8.00%;
<0.001), higher prevalence of grade 2 LV diastolic dysfunction (73.08% versus 1.32%;
<0.001), higher prevalence of group 3 or 4 FLVR (11.32% versus 7.28% and 22.64% versus 1.99%, respectively;
<0.001), and higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events (50.9% versus 9.8%;
<0.001). Index of microcirculatory resistance was independently associated with LV diastolic dysfunction and adverse FLVR.
CMD is present in ≈1 of 4 patients with STEMI during follow-up. Patients with CMD have a higher prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction, adverse FLVR, and major adverse cardiac events at 12 months compared with those without CMD.
URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique Identifier: NCT05406297.
Do we still need to perform FFR and PCI? Tsai, Tsung-Ying; Onuma, Yoshinobu; Serruys, Patrick W.
International journal of cardiology,
04/2023, Volume:
376
Journal Article
Chemoresistance in cancer therapy is an unfavorable prognostic factor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Elevation of intracellular calcium level in multidrug resistant (MDR) sublines leads to ...sensitization of MDR sublines to cell death. We demonstrated that a fungal protein from Ganoderma microsporum, GMI, elevates the intracellular calcium level and reduces the growth of MDR subline via autophagy and apoptosis, regardless of p-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpression, in mice xenograft tumors. In addition, we examined the roles of autophagy in the death of MDR A549 lung cancer sublines by GMI, thapsigargin (TG) and tunicamycin (TM) in vitro. Cytotoxicity of TG was inhibited by overexpressed P-gp. However, TM-induced death of MDR sublines was independent of P-gp level. Combinations of TG and TM with either docetaxel or vincristine showed no additional cytotoxic effects on MDR sublines. TG- and TM-mediated apoptosis of MDR sublines was demonstrated on Annexin-V assay and Western blot and repressed by pan-caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-FMK). Treatment of MDR sublines with TG and TM also augmented autophagy with accumulation of LC3-II proteins, breakdown of p62 and formation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs). Inhibition of ATG5 by shRNA silencing significantly reduced autophagy and cell death but not apoptosis following TG or TM treatment. GMI treatment inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt/S473 and p70S6K/T389. Interestingly, the phosphorylation of ERK was not associated with GMI-induced autophagy. We conclude that autophagy plays a pro-death role in acquired MDR and upregulation of autophagy by GMI via Akt/mTOR inhibition provides a potential strategy for overcoming MDR in the treatment of lung cancers.
Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a common complication of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and can lead to adverse cardiovascular events. This is a non-randomized, ...observational, prospective study of STEMI patients with multivessel disease who underwent primary PCI, grouped based on whether they underwent balloon pre-dilatation stenting or direct stenting of the culprit lesion. Coronary physiology measurements were performed 3 months post-PCI including coronary flow reserve (CFR) and index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) measurements at the culprit vessel. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of CMD at 3 months, defined as IMR ≥ 25 or CFR < 2.0 with a normal fractional flow reserve. Secondary endpoints included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at 12 months. Two hundred ten patients were enrolled; most were men, 125 (59.5%), with a median age of 65 years. One hundred twelve (53.2%) underwent balloon pre-dilatation before stenting, and 98 (46.7%) underwent direct stenting. The prevalence of CMD at 3 months was lower in the direct stenting group than in the balloon pre-dilatation stenting group (12.24% vs. 40.18%; p < 0.001). Aspiration thrombectomy and administration of intracoronary glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were associated with lower odds of CMD (OR = 0.175, p = 0.001 and OR = 0.113, p = 0.001, respectively). Notably, MACE in patients who underwent direct stenting was lower than in those who underwent balloon pre-dilatation before stenting (14.29% vs. 26.79%; p = 0.040). In STEMI patients with multivessel disease, direct stenting of the culprit lesion, aspiration thrombectomy and administration of intracoronary glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were associated with a lower prevalence of CMD at 3 months and lower incidence of MACE at 12 months compared with balloon pre-dilatation stenting.This trial is registered at https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT05406297 .
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