Evaluation of simple antioxidant blood parameters in patients with migraine

BackgroundThe study aims to investigate the role of serum albumin (ALB) and creatinine (CRE), bilirubin (BIL), and uric acid (UA) as major intravascular antioxidants in migraine.MethodsWe enrolled 148 patients with migraine and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The serum levels of ALB, TBIL, CRE, and UA were measured in patients with migraine of different subtypes. The risk of migraine was assessed by multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe serum levels of ALB, total BIL (TBIL), CRE, and UA were significantly lower in the migraine group than in the HC group (p < 0.05). The ALB and UA levels were lower during migraine attack periods (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences observed in serum ALB, TBIL, CRE, and UA levels between aura/without aura and episodic/chronic migraine subtypes (p > 0.05). The multiple stepwise logistic regression revealed that ALB [odds ratio (OR) 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–0.89, p < 0.001], TBIL (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.5–0.75, p < 0.001), and UA (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96–0.99, p = 0.014) were independently associated with migraine. In addition, the serum levels of ALB, TBIL, and UA were significantly lower in the migraine group when compared by sex.ConclusionThe serum levels of UA, TBIL, ALB, and CRE were lower in the patients with migraine, indicating a lower antioxidant status. In addition, ALB, TBIL, and UA were independently related to migraine. These results could provide insights into the possible role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of migraine

Case report of retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas with adrenal adenoma

BackgroundEctopic pancreas is a congenital anomaly in which pancreatic tissue is anatomically separated from the main gland and without vascular or ductal continuity. A case of retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas with adrenal adenoma has never yet been reported.Case PresentationA 54-year-old man presented three masses in the left retroperitoneum, and two of them were resected. The pathologic findings were a retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas with adrenal adenoma.ConclusionWe report an extremely rare case of a retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas and its characterization with dynamic gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Amiloride Enhances Antigen Specific CTL by Faciliting HBV DNA Vaccine Entry into Cells

The induction of relatively weak immunity by DNA vaccines in humans can be largely attributed to the low efficiency of transduction of somatic cells. Although formulation with liposomes has been shown to enhance DNA transduction of cultured cells, little, if any, effect is observed on the transduction of somatic tissues and cells. To improve the rate of transduction, DNA vaccine delivery by gene gun and the recently developed electroporation techniques have been employed. We report here that to circumvent requirement for such equipment, amiloride, a drug that is prescribed for hypertension treatment, can accelerate plasmid entry into antigen presenting cells (APCs) both in vitro and in vivo. The combination induced APCs more dramatically in both maturation and cytokine secretion. Amiloride enhanced development of full CD8 cytolytic function including induction of high levels of antigen specific CTL and expression of IFN-γ+perforin+granzymeB+ in CD8+ T cells. Thus, amiloride is a facilitator for DNA transduction into host cells which in turn enhances the efficiency of the immune responses

The Enhancement in Optical Characteristics of Nano-Antenna Arrays through Addition of Inverse Active Core–Shell Nanoparticles in the Array Element

We demonstrate analytically the technique and arrangement of nanoparticle antenna arrays with the enhancement of optical characteristics at an optical frequency regime. The optical characteristics of the array are enhanced by introducing an inverse active spherical coated nanoparticle (I-CNP). This inverse active spherical coated nanoparticle is designed and combined with already demonstrated active CNPs. Consequently, three types of active CNPs and their inverse-based plasmonic nano-antenna array configurations have been designed and studied: two CNP configurations, two inverse CNP (I-CNP) configurations and a CNP with an I-CNP configuration in the presence of passive elements. Detailed near-field analysis contains an E-field, radiated power, scattering and absorption examination, whereas far-field analysis includes gain and pattern investigation. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation results in CST depict the benefits of a CNP with an I-CNP array configuration in the presence of passive elements over the other two in terms of both near-field and far-field characteristics, at closer inter-element distances because of coupling avoidance with possession of a dipolar pattern

The Enhancement in Optical Characteristics of Nano-Antenna Arrays through Addition of Inverse Active Core–Shell Nanoparticles in the Array Element

We demonstrate analytically the technique and arrangement of nanoparticle antenna arrays with the enhancement of optical characteristics at an optical frequency regime. The optical characteristics of the array are enhanced by introducing an inverse active spherical coated nanoparticle (I-CNP). This inverse active spherical coated nanoparticle is designed and combined with already demonstrated active CNPs. Consequently, three types of active CNPs and their inverse-based plasmonic nano-antenna array configurations have been designed and studied: two CNP configurations, two inverse CNP (I-CNP) configurations and a CNP with an I-CNP configuration in the presence of passive elements. Detailed near-field analysis contains an E-field, radiated power, scattering and absorption examination, whereas far-field analysis includes gain and pattern investigation. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation results in CST depict the benefits of a CNP with an I-CNP array configuration in the presence of passive elements over the other two in terms of both near-field and far-field characteristics, at closer inter-element distances because of coupling avoidance with possession of a dipolar pattern

Development and validation of a machine learning-based predictive model for assessing the 90-day prognostic outcome of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract Background Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Predicting the prognosis of patients with sICH remains an important issue, which significantly affects treatment decisions. Utilizing readily available clinical parameters to anticipate the unfavorable prognosis of sICH patients holds notable clinical significance. This study employs five machine learning algorithms to establish a practical platform for the prediction of short-term prognostic outcomes in individuals afflicted with sICH. Methods Within the framework of this retrospective analysis, the model underwent training utilizing data gleaned from 413 cases from the training center, with subsequent validation employing data from external validation center. Comprehensive clinical information, laboratory analysis results, and imaging features pertaining to sICH patients were harnessed as training features for machine learning. We developed and validated the model efficacy using all the selected features of the patients using five models: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), XGboost and LightGBM, respectively. The process of Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) was executed for optimal feature screening. An internal five-fold cross-validation was employed to pinpoint the most suitable hyperparameters for the model, while an external five-fold cross-validation was implemented to discern the machine learning model demonstrating the superior average performance. Finally, the machine learning model with the best average performance is selected as our final model while using it for external validation. Evaluation of the machine learning model’s performance was comprehensively conducted through the utilization of the ROC curve, accuracy, and other relevant indicators. The SHAP diagram was utilized to elucidate the variable importance within the model, culminating in the amalgamation of the above metrics to discern the most succinct features and establish a practical prognostic prediction platform. Results A total of 413 patients with sICH patients were collected in the training center, of which 180 were patients with poor prognosis. A total of 74 patients with sICH were collected in the external validation center, of which 26 were patients with poor prognosis. Within the training set, the test set AUC values for SVM, LR, RF, XGBoost, and LightGBM models were recorded as 0.87, 0.896, 0.916, 0.885, and 0.912, respectively. The best average performance of the machine learning models in the training set was the RF model (average AUC: 0.906 ± 0.029, P < 0.01). The model still maintains a good performance in the external validation center, with an AUC of 0.817 (95% CI 0.705–0.928). Pertaining to feature importance for short-term prognostic attributes of sICH patients, the NIHSS score reigned supreme, succeeded by AST, Age, white blood cell, and hematoma volume, among others. In culmination, guided by the RF model’s variable importance weight and the model's ROC curve insights, the NIHSS score, AST, Age, white blood cell, and hematoma volume were integrated to forge a short-term prognostic prediction platform tailored for sICH patients. Conclusion We constructed a prediction model based on the results of the RF model incorporating five clinically accessible predictors with reliable predictive efficacy for the short-term prognosis of sICH patients. Meanwhile, the performance of the external validation set was also more stable, which can be used for accurate prediction of short-term prognosis of sICH patients

Amiloride facilitates plasmid entry <i>in vitro</i>.

<p>Cy5-pEGFP entry into cell lines with or without 1 mM amiloride was analyzed after 2 h and is shown as the percentage of cells that were Cy5⁺. Expression of GFP was analyzed at day 3 and is shown as percentage of EGFP⁺Cy5⁺, on RAW264.7 (A, B, C), JAWSII (D, E), and DC2.4 (F, G). Data represent one of three independent experiments.</p

Amiloride increases the frequency of triple positive CD8 T cells.

<p>Splenocytes from mice immunized with pcD-S2 with or without amiloride (n = 3) were re-stimulated in vitro with 10 µg/ml S208–215 for 12 h (A-C), or 10 µg/ml HBsAg for 24 h (D), then cytokine secretion was blocked by monensin for 6 h. PMA or Ionomycin stimulating splenocyte of pcD-S2 immunized mice was added as positive controls. Cells stained with anti-CD3 and anti-CD8 were gated and then used for intracellular staining with single or multiple fluorescent-labeled antibodies. A shows the proportion of responsive cells in the total CD8⁺ T cells with or without amiloride treatment. These responsive cells were designated as either IFN-γ⁺, perforin⁺, or granzymeB⁺ cells. B shows the cytokine expression pattern in the responsive CD8 T cells with or without amiloride treatment. C shows the dose dependent effects of amiloride on the frequency of (IFN-γ⁺perforin⁺granzymeB⁺) triple positive cells. D shows the change in frequency of triple positive cells in response to HBsAg re-stimulation. The change in frequency of triple positive cells after co-culture with peritoneal macrophages followed by re-stimulation with S208–215 (E), or with spleno-DC (F) are also shown. Data represent three independent experiments with similar results.</p

Amiloride enhances adaptive immunity against HBV S2.

<p>Naïve C57 mice were immunized s.c. with pcD-S2 at various concentrations with or without amiloride in the hind footpad four times using the immunization scheme as shown (A). Seven days after the last immunization, animals (n = 3) were used to test anti-S2 IgG antibody titer (B) and delayed hypersensitivity (DTH) response after re-stimulation with 1 µg sAg <i>s.c.</i> in a hind footpad for 24 h (C). PBS was added as negative control. *, statistical significance among all groups. Another 3 animals were used to test HBV S208–215 specific lysis <i>in vitro</i> (D) and <i>in vivo</i> (E). Hepatocytes from HBV Alb1 trangenic mice were used as targets mixed with effectors from the immunized mice, or transferred into the immunized mice before the analysis of specific lysis <i>in vitro</i> (F) and <i>in vivo</i> (G). *, statistical significance between +/− amiloride.</p