Int J Med Sci
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Objective: NIR-II imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) has been clinically used in liver tumor resection. However, few data are available concerning the application of ICG-NIR-II in lymphatic and vascular systems in clinic. To expand the application and promote the clinical translation of this approach, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of ICG-NIR-II imaging for monitoring both lymphatic and vascular systems in physiological and pathological conditions using a swine model and compared it to ICG-NIR-I imaging. ⋯ Moreover, ICG-NIR-II imaging has lower background fluorescence and higher resolution than ICG-NIR-I imaging. Conclusions: We demonstrated the first application of a portable NIR-II imaging system for dynamically monitoring both lymphatic and vascular systems in physiological and pathological conditions using a swine model. Our study indicates that ICG-NIR-II imaging be a promising approach for the diagnosis of malfunctions in lymphatic and vascular systems and the surgical navigation of microsurgery and reconstructive surgery.
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Background: Few studies have investigated the association between muscle mass and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). We aimed to investigate the association between muscle mass or strength and BMD in patients undergoing PD. Methods: The data of all prevalent PD cases at a tertiary medical center between September 2017 and November 2020 were collected. ⋯ The association between BMD and HGS was more definitive in female patients than in male patients (r = 0.357 and P = 0.001). Univariate and mutivariate linear regression and AUROC analyses showed similar trends those obtained in correlation analyses. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that BMD is associated with the ALM index in male patients and with HGS in female patients undergoing PD.
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Background: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). Previous epidemiological research on obesity and AF often focused on adult populations and now broadened to earlier in life. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationships between obesity at different periods of life and the risk of AF. ⋯ Conclusion: Our study reveals the association of genetic susceptibility to obesity with a higher risk of AF. Moreover, an earlier age at obesity was associated with an increased risk of AF. Therefore, public awareness of the dangers of obesity and active early weight control may prevent the development of AF.
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Background and Aims: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in hepatocyte differentiation from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) and the therapeutic application in vivo. However, the mechanisms of miRNA regulation are still unknown. This study aimed to profile the miRNA basis for improving the function of hBMSC-differentiated hepatocyte-like cells (hBMSC-Heps). ⋯ Functional experiments with these miRNAs showed that activators of hsa-miR-26b-5p and hsa-miR-148a-3p and an inhibitor of hsa-miR-423-3p were sufficient to improve the differentiation of hBMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells. Conclusions: Transcriptome profiles of miRNA revealed the basis of the differentiation and development of hBMSC-Heps. Manipulation of three miRNAs (hsa-miR-26b-5p, hsa-miR-148a-3p and hsa-miR-423-3p) significantly improved hepatocyte generation and liver regeneration, indicating the potential of these miRNAs for future clinical applications.
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Cultured human skeletal-muscle satellite cells have properties of mesenchymal stem cells (skeletal muscle satellite cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells, SkMSCs) and play anti-inflammatory roles by secreting prostaglandin E2 and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). To evaluate the utility of SkMSCs in treating liver diseases, we determined whether SkMSCs could ameliorate acute liver and gut inflammation induced by binge ethanol administration. Binge drinking of ethanol led to weight loss in the body and spleen, liver inflammation and steatosis, and increased serum ALT and AST levels (markers of liver injury), along with increased IL-1β, TNF-α, and iNOS expression levels in mice. ⋯ SkMSCs also reduced the leakage of blood albumin, an indicator of leaky gut, in the stool of ethanol-exposed mice. Alcohol-induced damage to human colonic Caco-2/tc7 cells was also alleviated by HGF. Therefore, a single treatment with SkMSCs can attenuate alcoholic liver damage by reducing inflammatory responses in the liver and gut, suggesting that SkMSCs could be used in cell therapy to treat alcoholic liver diseases.