71 research outputs found

    Therapeutic targets and limits of minocycline neuroprotection in experimental ischemic stroke

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Minocycline, a second-generation tetracycline with anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties, has been shown to promote therapeutic benefits in experimental stroke. However, equally compelling evidence demonstrates that the drug exerts variable and even detrimental effects in many neurological disease models. Assessment of the mechanism underlying minocycline neuroprotection should clarify the drug's clinical value in acute stroke setting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we demonstrate that minocycline attenuates both <it>in vitro </it>(oxygen glucose deprivation) and <it>in vivo </it>(middle cerebral artery occlusion) experimentally induced ischemic deficits by direct inhibition of apoptotic-like neuronal cell death involving the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2/cytochrome c pathway. Such anti-apoptotic effect of minocycline is seen in neurons, but not apparent in astrocytes. Our data further indicate that the neuroprotection is dose-dependent, in that only low dose minocycline inhibits neuronal cell death cascades at the acute stroke phase, whereas the high dose exacerbates the ischemic injury.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study advises our community to proceed with caution to use the minimally invasive intravenous delivery of low dose minocycline in order to afford neuroprotection that is safe for stroke.</p

    Circulating Long Noncoding RNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

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    Background/Aims: The anatomical complexity of the head and neck region and the lack of sufficiently specific and sensitive biomarkers often lead to the diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) at advanced stages. To identify novel biomarkers for early diagnosis of primary HNSCC through a minimally invasive method, we investigated circulating long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) levels in plasma of HNSCC patients. Methods: The global lncRNA expression profiles of HNSCC patients were measured using microarray and next-generation RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from both circulating and tissue samples. The diagnosis prediction model based on the lncRNA signatures and clinical features was evaluated by multi-stage validation and risk score analysis. Results: The data showed that 432 lncRNA transcripts were differentially expressed by fold changes of &#x3e; 4 in circulating samples and 333 in tissues samples, respectively. Only 12 lncRNAs consistently emerged in these two kinds of samples. After the risk score analysis including a multistage validation, we identified three lncRNAs, namely, HOXA11-AS, LINC00964 and MALAT1, which were up-regulated in the plasma of HNSCC patients compared with those in healthy controls with merged areas under the curve (AUCs) in training and validation sets of 0.925 and 0.839, respectively. Conclusion: HOXA11-AS, LINC00964 and MALAT1 might be potential circulating biomarkers for the early detection of HNSCC in the future

    Genomic data for 78 chickens from 14 populations

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    Background: Since the domestication of the red jungle fowls (Gallus gallus; dating back to~10 000 B.P.) in Asia, domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) have been subjected to the combined effects of natural selection and human-driven artificial selection; this has resulted in marked phenotypic diversity in a number of traits, including behavior, body composition, egg production, and skin color. Population genomic variations through diversifying selection have not been fully investigated. Findings: The whole genomes of 78 domestic chickens were sequenced to an average of 18-fold coverage for each bird. By combining this data with publicly available genomes of five wild red jungle fowls and eight Xishuangbanna game fowls, we conducted a comprehensive comparative genomics analysis of 91 chickens from 17 populations. After aligning ~21.30 gigabases (Gb) of high-quality data from each individual to the reference chicken genome, we identified ~6.44 million (M) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for each population. These SNPs included 1.10 M novel SNPs in 17 populations that were absent in the current chicken dbSNP (Build 145) entries. Conclusions: The current data is important for population genetics and further studies in chickens and will serve as a valuable resource for investigating diversifying selection and candidate genes for selective breeding in chickens.Peer reviewedAnimal Scienc

    Tracheal suspension with autogenous rib cartilage in a patient with severe tracheomalacia

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    Abstract Background Tracheomalacia (TM), caused by anterior mediastinal tumorectomy, most likely to deteriorate condition of patient life. Case presentation A 63-year-old patient felt serious dyspnea diagnosis as TM caused by the recurrent cervical schwannoma. The narrowest diameter of the TM was only 0.446 cm and the length of malacic segment was 7.47 cm. Here we designed a novel tracheal suspension technique by using autogenous rib cartilage graft to treat severe TM. The obvious effect was observed that the inner diameter increased from 0.446 cm to 1.390 cm,and the airway symptom was alleviated. Conclusion The autogenous rib cartilage graft used for suspending the malacic trachea was safe and effective

    Improvement in EMI Shielding Properties of Silicone Rubber/POE Blends Containing ILs Modified with Carbon Black and MWCNTs

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    Silicone rubber (SR)/polyolefin elastomer (POE) blends containing ionic liquids modified with carbon blacks (CB-IL) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT-IL) were prepared by melt-blending and hot pressing. SR/POE/CB-IL and SR/POE/CB-CNT-IL composites showed co-continuous structural morphologies. The cation&#8722;&#960; interactions between ILs and CNTs were stronger than those between ILs and CBs due to the large length and high surface area of CNTs, which promoted better dispersion of carbon fillers. SR/POE/CB-CNT-IL composites showed higher EMI SE than SR/POE/CB-IL composites containing identical filler contents because the CNTs with larger aspect ratios helped form more electrically-conductive networks
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