Int J Med Sci
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The natural history of acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) is complex and highly variable. However, the global clinical characteristics of this entity remain ill-defined. We aimed to investigate the dynamic patterns of the natural progression as well as their impact on the outcomes of ACHBLF. ⋯ The natural progression of ACHBLF could be divided approximately into four stages including ascent, plateau, descent, and convalescence stages according to different trends of liver failure progression, respectively. Thus, the special patterns of the natural progression of ACHBLF may be regarded as a significant predictor of the 3-month mortality of ACHBLF.
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A study was performed on the articular disk and periarticular tissues of the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) with immunohistochemical techniques to give evidence to the presence of neuroreceptors (NRec) in these sites. ⋯ The results of this study confirm that different Nrec are detectable in TMJ periarticular tissues but they are absent within the articular disk. In the latter site, only condrocytic processes are evident, especially in diseased TMJ, and they might have been confused with nervous endings in previous morphological studies. Nevertheless the absence of immunoreactivity for NF, NSE and SYN proves that they are not of neural origin.
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Wnt5a, which is a noncanonical Wnt molecule, has been shown to be involved in a variety of developmental processes and cellular functions. In this study, we used "melan-a" cells as a cell model to investigate the effects of Wnt5a on melanocyte proliferation and melanogenesis, and to elucidate the possible mechanisms involved. We infected melan-a cells with recombinant Wnt5a adenoviruses to express Wnt5a protein and to simulate the Wnt5a processing environment. ⋯ Melanin content and tyrosinase activity assays showed that Wnt5a was an inhibitor of melanin synthesis. Furthermore, RT-PCR and Western blot showed that this suppressive effect depended on noncanonical Wnt/Ror2 pathway activation and accessed the inhibition of the canonical Wnt pathway. The above results provided a novel insight into the role of Wnt5a and its related signaling in melanocyte homeostasis.
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Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is used as a diagnostic marker of cardiovascular diseases. BNP is secreted mainly from the myocardium and has been detected by immunoreactivity in brain and cerebral arteries. The aim of our study was to investigate plasma BNP in patients with acute cerebral infarction according to infarction subtype and infarction volume. ⋯ Plasma BNP may be helpful for prediction of etiologic classification of acute cerebral infarction and infarction volume.
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Laryngeal carcinomas always resist to radiotherapy. Hypoxia is an important factor in radioresistance of laryngeal carcinoma. Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) is considered to be a possible intrinsic marker of hypoxia in malignant tumors. We speculated that the inhibition of GLUT-1 expression might improve the radiosensitivity of laryngeal carcinoma. ⋯ Radioresistance of laryngeal carcinoma may be associated with increased expression of GLUT-1 mRNA and protein. GLUT-1 AS-ODNs may enhance the radiosensitivity of laryngeal carcinoma mainly by inhibiting the expression of GLUT-1.