Medicine
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To explore the potential active compounds and molecular mechanism of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction (XFZYD) in the treatment of atherosclerosis (AS) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. The effective components and action targets of XFZYD were screened by using TCMSP database. And then, the action targets of AS were collected by GeneCards database. ⋯ The molecular docking results showed that VEGFA and AKT1 had great docking ability with the targeted active compounds, and β-carotene is the best. The active components of XFZYD, including β -carotene, quercetin, kamanol, and luteolin, can act on VEGFA and AKT1. These active ingredients play a role in alleviating and treating AS by regulating fluid shear stress and participating in signaling pathways such AS AGE-RAGE of atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus complicated with AS. β-carotene is a potential inhibitor of VEGFA and AKT1 and treats AS through antioxidant action.
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Ankyloglossia is a congenital anomaly characterized by a short lingual frenulum and severe form needs release surgery. Our goal in this study was to confirm the long-term safety and efficacy of Z-plasty with genioglossus myotomy compared with traditional Z-plasty alone and to develop a proper measurement tool to validate the postoperative results of release operations for ankyloglossia. Patients were divided in 2 groups, release with Z-plasty only group (group 1) and Z-plasty combined with genioglossus myotomy group (group 2) In group 2, the release of central longitudinal fiber of genioglossus muscle was added in the conventional Z-plasty operative procedure. ⋯ Although there was no significant difference in terms of postoperative measurements between groups in Kotlow class II, group 2 patients in Class III and IV showed greater postoperative functional tongue length. Also, there was no significant complication requiring secondary surgery. Our study demonstrated that adding genioglossus myotomy to a simple Z-plasty is a safe and effective method for improving the tongue mobility required to make lingual sounds, especially in moderate to severe form of ankyloglossia, along with suggestion of a new measurement tool, which can objectively assess tongue mobility with possibility for universal utilization in ankyloglossia release operation.
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A new noninvasive medical device based on ultrasound elastography such as the Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) was designed in order to measure the liver hardness. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the correlation of the results of the liver elasticity measurements obtained by Fibroscan® (FS) and SWE for patients with chronic liver diseases. ⋯ The SWE technique proved to be as efficient as the FS one for the evaluation of the liver fibrosis in real life situation.
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Observational Study
Expression and distribution pattern of aggrecanases and miR-140s in the thickened synovia of shoulder joints in rotator cuff tears: A retrospective observational study.
The rotator cuff (RC) is frequently torn at the enthesis composed of fibrocartilage. We aimed to histopathologically evaluate lining layers and assess the distribution of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)4, ADAMTS5, and microRNA (miR)-140s in the synovia of patients with RC tears. We recruited 51 patients who underwent arthroscopic surgical treatment for full-thickness rotator cuff tears, including 26 patients with < 3 cm tear size (group N) and 25 patients with ≥ 3 cm tear size (group W). ⋯ In addition, expression of ADAMTS5 was inversely correlated with that of miR-140-3p. This study showed that synovia from group W had a significantly higher rate of severely thickened areas with strong expression of both aggrecanases. Furthermore, the area with weak expression of miR-140-3p showed strong ADAMTS5 expression.
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Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is used for predicting the severity of vascular damage and prognosis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in people with hypertension and diabetes mellitus. This correlation study aimed to compare the baPWV with other risk indicators for identification of subclinical vascular disease for primary prevention and to determine the clinical utility of baPWV-guided therapy in improving prognosis in high-risk subjects. We included 4881 subjects who underwent voluntary health examination at Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan between 2014 and 2019. ⋯ The vascular age predicted using baPWV greatly exceeded the chronological age. Plaque formation was significant even in the low-risk group, and its frequency increased with the predicted ASCVD risk. Risk indicators and baPWV are useful predictors of ASCVD, which in conjunction with conventional pharmacotherapy could be useful for primary prevention of plaque formation in subjects with cardiovascular comorbidities.