Medicine
-
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an critical role in the pathological processes associated with IDD. However, the potential roles of circRNAs in IDD remain largely unclear. Here, we identify the circRNAs expression profiles and elucidate the potential role of candidate circRNAs in the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) through microarray data and bioinformatics analyses. ⋯ A total of 104 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified between the IDD and control groups. Hsa_circ_0040039 may serve as a sponge of hsa-miR-424-5p and hsa-miR-15b-5p, to regulate the expression of downstream genes (such as BRTC, SIAH1, and UBE2V1); thus, it may be involved in IDD-associated pathological processes via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Further studies are required to confirm the potential roles of hsa_circ_0040039 in IDD.
-
This study aimed to investigate whether changes in the bone turnover markers (BTMs) during teriparatide therapy for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures could reflect therapeutic effects by analyzing the relationship between clinical and radiological features and BTMs. A total of 33 patients with 51 osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture segments were included. Plain radiographs and BTM levels were evaluated at the pretreatment and at 3 months after teriparatide treatment. ⋯ The vitamin D (25OH-D) levels were significantly lower (P = .038) in the progression group; however, the relative changes in the 25OH-D levels between the 2 groups, before and after the treatment, were not significantly different (P = .077). The parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were reduced by the teriparatide treatment in both groups, while the decrease in PTH concentration after the treatment was significantly more pronounced in the progression group (P = .006). Significant increase in the osteocalcin and serum C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen levels and a simultaneous decrease in the PTH levels during the teriparatide treatment suggest that clinicians should assume the progression of fracture.
-
The neonatal period is a critical initial stage of postnatal lung development and maturation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the nutritional status on pulmonary function in late preterm and full-term neonates. ⋯ Changes in neonatal weight mainly affect lung volume (VT, VT/kg, MV, and MV/kg), suggesting that an improvement in the neonatal nutritional status is important for the development of lung volume.
-
This study was a systematic review comparing the clinical outcomes of using the nonirradiated and irradiated allograft for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. ⋯ Irradiated allograft should be limited to be used in ACL surgery and further research into new alternative sterilization techniques are needed to avoiding the disease transmission without interference with the biomechanical properties of the grafts.
-
Montessori based activity are supposed to be an effective nonpharmacological intervention in the treatment of agitation in western countries. However, most studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Montessori based activities on agitation in Asian patients were small sample size, as well as inconsistent outcomes, which may limit the reliability of the conclusions. The present pooled analysis, hence, was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the activity on agitation related with dementia in Asian patients with dementia. ⋯ Montessori based activities may reduce the frequency of agitation, especially in physical aggressive behaviors comparing to standard activities in Asian patients with dementia. However, the effectiveness of Montessori based activities on reduction of subcategorized agitated behaviors including physical nonaggressive behaviors, and verbal aggressive behaviors may not be reliable as physical aggressive behaviors.