Int J Med Sci
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The anatomical positions of pelvic floor organs are maintained mainly by ligaments and muscles. Long-term excessive mechanical tension stimulation of pelvic floor tissue beyond the endurance of ligaments or muscles will lead to the occurrence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). In addition, cytoskeletal reconstitution is a key process by which cells respond to mechanical stimulation. ⋯ In addition, Nr4a1 and Bax expression was increased while Bcl-2 and caspase-3 expression was clearly decreased after treatment with MS and Lat-A. However, the apoptosis induced by MS was reduced when the expression of Nr4a1 was downregulated by siRNA. These outcomes reveal a novel mechanism that links the actin cytoskeleton and apoptosis in PLFs by Nr4a1; this mechanism will provide insight into the clinical diagnosis and treatment of POP.
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Background: Biliary atresia is a progressive, inflammatory, and destructive pathology of the bile ducts. Patients who undergo surgery for correction of biliary atresia (Kasai operation) are at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) because of their young age at the time of surgery, long operation time, and liver fibrosis or failure as complication of biliary atresia. Conversely, AKI is associated with poor outcomes after surgery. ⋯ More patients with AKI were also found to receive additional surgery except liver transplantation within 1 year compared to those without AKI (10.8 % vs. 2.3 %, p = 0.045). Conclusions: Increased age is strongly associated with the development of AKI after Kasai operation. These findings indicate a rational basis for early corrective surgery for biliary atresia, early screening for AKI, and intervention to improve the results of Kasai operation.
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Diabetes mellitus (DM) causes impaired wound healing by affecting one or more of the biological mechanisms of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling and a large number of cell types, extracellular components, growth factors, and cytokines. Interventions targeted toward these mechanisms might accelerate the wound healing process. To evaluate the wound healing efficacy of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)-decellularized porcine acellular dermal matrix (ADM) combined with autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM rats. ⋯ ADM-ASC-treated rats showed significantly increased epidermal growth factor, Ki67, and prolyl 4-hydroxylase and significantly decreased CD45 compared with the group with the DM wound without treatment. The intervention comprising ADM decellularized from porcine skin by using scCO2 and ASCs was proven to improve diabetic wound healing. ADM-ASCs had a positive effect on epidermal regeneration, anti-inflammation, collagen production and processing, and cell proliferation; thus, it accelerated wound healing.
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Background: The association between metformin and amiodarone-induced adverse events was examined using spontaneous adverse event database. Additionally, the association between other antidiabetic drugs and amiodarone-induced adverse events were also examined. Methods: A total of 6,153,696 reports from the first quarter of 2004 through the fourth quarter of 2015 were downloaded from the US Food and Drug Administration adverse event reporting system. ⋯ Additionally, metformin (ROR 0.43, 95%CI 0.33-0.57; IC -1.09, 95%CI -1.49 to -0.69), sulfonylureas (ROR 0.64, 95%CI 0.48-0.86; IC -0.59, 95%CI -1.00 to -0.17), and DPP-4 inhibitors (ROR 0.47, 95%CI 0.27-0.81; IC -0.99, 95%CI -1.76 to -0.22) were inversely associated with interstitial lung disease. In the logistic regression analyses, DPP-4 inhibitors (adjusted ROR 0.32, 95% CI 0.10-1.00) and metformin (adjusted ROR 0.46, 95% CI 0.34-0.62) were inversely associated with amiodarone-associated hyperthyroidism and interstitial lung disease, respectively. Conclusion: Metformin is a candidate drug to reduce the risk of amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism and interstitial lung disease.
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A polysaccharide isolated from the radix of Astragalus membranaceus, called PG2, used in traditional Chinese medicine, with potential hematopoiesis inducing and immunomodulation activities. PG2 extracted from A. membranaceus has been demonstrated as a novel alternative medicine for cancer patients. Recently, we demonstrated that PG2 enhanced chemotherapy through bystander effect and reduced the expression of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase 1 in tumor cells. ⋯ In addition, the cell signaling pathway in tumor cells was evaluated by Western blotting analysis after PG2 treatment. PG2 can downregulate the expression of PD-L1 on the cell surface via the protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/ribosomal protein S6 kinase beta-1 (p70S6K) pathway. In conclusion, our results indicate that PG2 inhibits PD-L1 expression and plays a crucial role in immunotherapy, which might be a promising strategy combined with other treatments.