Altered functional connectivity in persistent developmental stuttering

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Atypical lateralization of phonological working memory in developmental dyslexia

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Thickness dependence of positron induced secondary electron emission in forward geometry from thin carbon foils

Secondary electron (SE) emission from thin carbon foils induced by 1-20 keV positrons has been investigated over a range of nominal foil thicknesses from 1.0to5.0μg/cm 2. The measurement of SEs was carried out in forward geometry using a microchannel plate as a detector. The SE yield γ has been measured as a function of beam energy and compared with our Monte Carlo simulation results. We also present in this paper the material parameter Λ=γ/(dE/dx) and the emitted SE energy spectra. For incident positron energy of 5 keV or higher, the distribution is found to be characterized by the Sickafus form, AE- m and m is close to 1. For low energy incident positrons, however, another form, Bexp(-E/t), is proposed for describing the SE distribution. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.postprin

Pharmacological Effects of Active Compounds on Neurodegenerative Disease with Gastrodia and Uncaria Decoction, a Commonly Used Poststroke Decoction

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Pulmonary vasoconstrictor action of KCNQ potassium channel blockers

KCNQ channels have been widely studied in the nervous system, heart and inner ear, where they have important physiological functions. Recent reports indicate that KCNQ channels may also be expressed in portal vein where they are suggested to influence spontaneous contractile activity. The biophysical properties of K+ currents mediated by KCNQ channels resemble a current underlying the resting K+ conductance and resting potential of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. We therefore investigated a possible role of KCNQ channels in regulating the function of pulmonary arteries by determining the ability of the selective KCNQ channel blockers, linopirdine and XE991, to promote pulmonary vasoconstriction. Linopirdine and XE991 both contracted rat and mouse pulmonary arteries but had little effect on mesenteric arteries. In each case the maximum contraction was almost as large as the response to 50 mM K+. Linopirdine had an EC50 of around 1 μM and XE991 was almost 10-fold more potent. Neither removal of the endothelium nor exposure to phentolamine or α,β-methylene ATP, to block α1-adrenoceptors or P2X receptors, respectively, affected the contraction. Contraction was abolished in Ca2+-free solution and in the presence of 1 μM nifedipine or 10 μM levcromakalim

Effect of the Chinese herb Mesima Reishi UE-1 on invasion of human ovarian cancer cells in vitro

To study the effects of Mesima Reishi UE-1 on the metastatic phenotype of the human ovarian cancer cell line HO8910. HO8910 cells were pretreated with different concentration of Mesima Reishi UE-1 in vitro. Using cell proliferation assay, spreading and adhesion assay, cell migration and invasion assay, zymography, immunocytochemical staining and RT-PCR, we examined the effects of Mesima Reishi UE- 1 on cell proliferation, motility, adhesion and expression of MMP-2, 9 in vitro. Mesima Reishi UE-1 directly inhibited HO8910 cell proliferation in vitro. And pretreated with different concentrations of Mesima Reishi UE-1, HO8910 cells motility, adhesion and invasion were inhibited significantly. The activity of MMP-9 was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. The protein and mRNA expression of MMP-2, 9 were also inhibited. Mesima Reishi UE-1 suppresses invasion of human ovarian cancer cells in vitro.Key words: Mesima Reishi UE-1, polysaccharides, human ovarian cancer, tumor invasion, matrix metalloproteinase

Waveform Distortion of Gaussian Beam in Atmospheric Turbulence Simulated by Phase Screen Method

The atmospheric turbulence phase screen is generated based on the power spectrum inversion method, and the multiple transmission processes are statistically averaged. The waveform distortion of the Gaussian beam in the atmospheric turbulence is analyzed; the simulation results show that the property of Gaussian beam has been destroyed after its passing through the atmospheric turbulence. When the beam waist radius is close to a certain radius, the degree of change becomes larger. When it approaches the critical value, the wave surface no longer changes sharply, and as the turbulence intensity increases, the phase fluctuation becomes more and more severe, the coherence of the beam is destroyed, and the spot may be split into several pieces. Finally, the relationship of intensity fluctuation, amplitude fluctuation, and bit error rate with distance is analyzed.Peer Reviewe

The selective histone deacetylase inhibitor mi192 enhances the osteogenic differentiation efficacy of human dental pulp stromal cells

The use of human dental pulp stromal cells (hDPSCs) has gained increasing attention as an alternative stem cell source for bone tissue engineering. The modification of the cells’ epigenetics has been found to play an important role in regulating differentiation, with the inhibition of histone deacetylases 3 (HDAC3) being linked to increased osteogenic differentiation. This study aimed to induce epigenetic reprogramming using the HDAC2 and 3 selective inhibitor, MI192 to promote hDPSCs osteogenic capacity for bone regeneration. MI192 treatment caused a time–dose-dependent change in hDPSC morphology and reduction in viability. Additionally, MI192 successfully aug-mented hDPSC epigenetic functionality, which resulted in increased histone acetylation and cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. MI192 pre-treatment exhibited a dose-dependent effect on hDPSCs alkaline phosphatase activity. Quantitative PCR and In-Cell Western further demonstrated that MI192 pre-treatment significantly upregulated hDPSCs osteoblast-related gene and protein expression (alkaline phosphatase, bone morphogenic protein 2, type I collagen and osteocalcin) during osteogenic differentiation. Importantly, MI192 pre-treatment significantly increased hDPSCs extracellular matrix collagen production and mineralisation. As such, for the first time, our findings show that epigenetic reprogramming with the HDAC2 and 3 selective inhibitor MI192 accelerates the os-teogenic differentiation of hDPSCs, demonstrating the considerable utility of this MSCs engineering approach for bone augmentation strategies

Use of moxibustion to treat primary dysmenorrhea at two interventional times: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

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Bioactivity-guided identification and cell signaling technology to delineate the immunomodulatory effects of Panax ginseng on human promonocytic U937 cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ginseng is believed to have beneficial effects against human diseases, and its active components, ginsenosides, may play critical roles in its diverse physiological actions. However, the mechanisms underlying ginseng's effects remain to be investigated. We hypothesize some biological effects of ginseng are due to its anti-inflammatory effects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human promonocytic U937 cells were used to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of ginseng following TNF-α treatment. A global gene expression profile was obtained by using genechip analysis, and specific cytokine expression was measured by quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA. HPLC was used to define the composition of ginsenosides in 70% ethanol-water extracts of ginseng. Activation of signalling kinases was examined by Western blot analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy percent ethanol-water extracts of ginseng significantly inhibited the transcription and secretion of CXCL-10 following TNF-α stimulation. Nine ginsenosides including Rb₁, Rb₂, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg₁, Rg₃and Rh₁were identified in our extract by HPLC. Seven out of nine ginsenosides could significantly inhibit TNF-α-induced CXCL-10 expression in U937 cells and give comparable inhibition of CXCL-10 transcription to those with the extract. However, the CXCL-10 suppressive effect of individual ginsenosides was less than that of the crude extract or the mixture of ginsenosides. The CXCL-10 suppression can be correlated with the inactivation of ERK1/2 pathways by ginseng.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We showed ginseng suppressed part of the TNF-α-inducible cytokines and signalling proteins in promonocytic cells, suggesting that it exerts its anti-inflammatory property targeting at different levels of TNF-α activity. The anti-inflammatory role of ginseng may be due to the combined effects of ginsenosides, contributing in part to the diverse actions of ginseng in humans.</p