Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Peri- and Early Postmenopausal Women with Anxiety: A Double-Blinded, Randomized, and Controlled Pilot Study

We tested effects of auricular acupressure on peri- and early postmenopausal women with anxiety (PPWA). Fifty PPWA were randomly assigned to the auricular acupressure group (AG) or the sham group (SG). After 3 meals and before sleep every day for 4 weeks, the AG received auricular acupressure on the bilateral ear shenmen and subcortex points for 3 min per point on alternating ears. The SG received sham auricular acupressure. The Alprazolam was reduced from 0.5 mg/day at baseline to 0.3 mg/day 4 weeks after auricular acupressure (4 W) in the AG (P < .05) whereas maintained at 0.5 mg/day in the SG (P > .05). The Zolpidem was reduced from 3.0 mg/day at baseline to 1.5 mg/day at 4 W (P < .05) whereas was reduced from 2.4 mg/day to 1.9 mg/day at 4 W in the SG (P > .05), thus, significant tapering medication, suggesting auricular acupressure is helpful to PPWA

Sustained Robust Exciton Emission in Suspended Monolayer WSe_2 within the Low Carrier Density Regime for Quantum Emitter Applications

The development of semiconductor optoelectronic devices is moving toward low power consumption and miniaturization, especially for high-efficiency quantum emitters. However, most of these quantum sources work at low carrier density region, where the Shockley-Read-Hall recombination may dominant and seriously reduce the emission efficiency. In order to diminish the affection of carrier trapping and sustain a strong photoluminescence emission under low power pumping condition, we investigated on the influence of Suspending to monolayered tungsten diselenide, novel two-dimensional quantum material. Not only the PL intensity, but also the fundamental photoluminescence quantum yield has exhibited a huge, order-scale enhancement through suspending, even surprisingly, we found the PLQY improvement revealed far significantly under small pumping power and came out an exponential increase tendency toward even lower carrier density region. With its strong excitonic effect, suspended WSe_2 offers a solution to reduce carrier trapping and participate in non-radiative processes. Moreover, in the low-power range where SRH recombination dominates, suspended WSe_2 exhibited remarkably higher percentage of excitonic radiation compared to contacted WSe_2. Herein, we quantitatively demonstrate the significance of suspended WSe_2 monolayer at low carrier density region, highlighting its potential for developing compact, low-power quantum emitters in the future

Can probability of genetic mutation be an indicator of clinical relevance?

AbstractNPM1 gene mutation evaluated on a population basis is a valuable and realistic tool to reflect the pathophysiological relevance of cancer. In a comparison of the NPM1 cDNA of human bladder cancer with its consensus sequence, we have found that a higher NPM1 sequence identity in a population is consistent with poor tumor differentiation, advanced tumor stage, and likelihood of recurrence. These data imply that “probability” of NPM1 mutation is an indicator of status of malignancy

Decreased brain-expressed X-linked 4 (BEX4) expression promotes growth of oral squamous cell carcinoma

© 2016 Gao et al.Background: Brain-expressed X-linked (BEX) 4 is a member of BEX family. The functional role of BEX4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unknown. Methods: Expression level of BEX family members (BEX1-5) in OSCC tissues and the paired normal epithelial were examined. Functions of epigenetic changes (DNA methylation and histone modifications) on BEX4 suppression in OSCC were examined by zebularine and trichostatin A (TSA) treatment on OSCC cell lines. Lentivector containing full-length BEX4 was used to generate OSCC cell lines with stable BEX4 expression. Effects of BEX4 expression on OSCC proliferation were monitored with xCELLigence RTCA real-time cell analyzer. BEX4-overexpressing CAL27 was implanted into nude mice to evaluate the effects on tumor growth in vivo. The signaling pathways regulated by BEX4 in OSCC was explored using human whole-transcript expression microarray. Results: Among the 5 BEX family members, BEX1 and BEX4 showed significant down-regulation in OSCC (P < 0.001). BEX3, in comparison, was overexpressed in the primary tumor. BEX4 expression in OSCC cell lines was re-activated after zebularine and TSA treatment. High BEX4 expression could suppress proliferation of OSCC in vitro. Subcutaneous tumor volume of BEX4-overexpressing CAL27 was remarkably reduced in nude mice. Microarray experiment showed that S100A family members (S100A7, S100A7A, S100A8, S100A9 & S100A12) might be the downstream targets of BEX4 in OSCC. Conclusions: BEX4 functions as tumor suppressor by inhibiting proliferation and growth of oral cancer. Decreased BEX4 contributes to the increased proliferative propensity of OSCC.published_or_final_versio

Association between estradiol levels in early pregnancy and risk of preeclampsia after frozen embryo transfer

IntroductionThe failure of remodeling the spiral arteries is associated with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Estradiol (E2) plays a crucial role in placentation and may be involved in the development of preeclampsia. However, there is a lack of data in this area. This study aims to assess the association between serum estradiol levels in early pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients who conceived after frozen embryo transfer (FET) using data from a database at a university-affiliated in vitro fertilization center. The study period spanned from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2020. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the adjusted effect of E2 levels on the risk of preeclampsia. We compared the odds ratios of preeclampsia across quartiles of E2 levels and assessed their significance.ResultsSerum E2 levels at the fifth gestational week were significantly different between women with and without preeclampsia after FET programmed cycles (607.5 ± 245.4 vs. 545.6 ± 294.4 pg/ml, p=0.009). A multivariable logistic regression model demonstrated that E2 levels in early pregnancy were independent risk factors for preeclampsia. We observed an increased odds ratio of preeclampsia with increasing quartiles of estradiol levels after adjusting for potential confounders in FET programmed cycles. When comparing quartiles 3 and 4 (E2 &gt; 493 pg/ml at the fifth gestational week) to quartiles 1 and 2, the odds ratios of preeclampsia were significantly higher.ConclusionWe found that serum E2 levels in early pregnancy may impact the risk of preeclampsia, particularly following FET programmed cycles. The association between E2 levels in early pregnancy and preeclampsia deserves further investigation

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori

Objective. To evaluate the effect of eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) on the progression of dementia in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients with peptic ulcer. Methods. Participants with the diagnosis of AD and peptic ulcer were recruited between 2001 and 2008. We examined the association between eradication of H. pylori and the progression of AD using the multiple regression models. Medication shift from Donepezil, Rivastgmine, and Galantamine to Mematine is defined as progression of dementia according to the insurance of National Health Insurance (NHI) under expert review. Results. Among the 30142 AD patients with peptic ulcers, the ratio of medication shift in AD patients with peptic ulcers is 79.95%. There were significant lower incidence comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and hyperlipidemia) in patients with H. pylori eradication as compared with no H. pylori eradication. Eradication of H. pylori was associated with a decreased risk of AD progression (odds ratio [OR] 0.35 [0.23–0.52]) as compared with no H. pylori eradication, which was not modified by comorbidities. Conclusions. Eradication of H. pylori was associated with a decreased progression of dementia as compared to no eradication of H. pylori in AD patients with peptic ulcers

All-trans retinoic acid suppresses exocrine differentiation and branching morphogenesis in the embryonic pancreas

Recent evidence has shown that retinoic acid (RA) signalling is required for early pancreatic development in zebrafish and frog but its role in later development in mammals is less clear cut. In the present study, we determined the effects of RA on the differentiation of the mouse embryonic pancreas. Addition of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) to embryonic pancreatic cultures induced a number of changes. Branching morphogenesis and exocrine differentiation were suppressed and there was premature formation of endocrine cell clusters (although the total area of β cells was not different in control and atRA-treated buds). We investigated the mechanism of these changes and found that the premature formation of β cells was associated with the early expression of high-level Pdx1 in the endocrine cell clusters. In contrast, the suppressive effect of RA on exocrine differentiation may be due to a combination of two mechanisms (i) up-regulation of the extracellular matrix component laminin and (ii) enhancement of apoptosis. We also demonstrate that addition of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-10 is able to partially prevent apoptosis and rescue exocrine differentiation and branching morphogenesis in atRA-treated cultures but not in mice lacking the FGF receptor 2-IIIb, suggesting the effects of FGF-10 are mediated through this receptor

Differential expression of GABAA receptor subunits δ and α6 mediates tonic inhibition in parvalbumin and somatostatin interneurons in the mouse hippocampus

Inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic interneurons mediate inhibition in neuronal circuitry and support normal brain function. Consequently, dysregulation of inhibition is implicated in various brain disorders. Parvalbumin (PV) and somatostatin (SST) interneurons, the two major types of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons in the hippocampus, exhibit distinct morpho-physiological properties and coordinate information processing and memory formation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the specialized properties of PV and SST interneurons remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the transcriptomic differences between these two classes of interneurons in the hippocampus using the ribosome tagging approach. The results revealed distinct expressions of genes such as voltage-gated ion channels and GABAA receptor subunits between PV and SST interneurons. Gabrd and Gabra6 were identified as contributors to the contrasting tonic GABAergic inhibition observed in PV and SST interneurons. Moreover, some of the differentially expressed genes were associated with schizophrenia and epilepsy. In conclusion, our results provide molecular insights into the distinct roles of PV and SST interneurons in health and disease