To explore new noninvasive treatment options for depression, this study investigated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at the auricular concha region (ACR) of depression rat models. Depression in rats was induced by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) combined with isolation for 21 days. Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups: normal, UCMS alone, UCMS with EA-...

BACKGROUND Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) is associated with mortality in dialysis patients, and concentrations are elevated in moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD). The threshold of CKD or albuminuria at which FGF-23 begins to change is unknown. METHODS In 792 outpatients with stable cardiovascular disease (CVD) and normal kidney function to moderate CKD, we evaluate the associations ...

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins provide bacteria with RNA-based adaptive immunity against phage infection. To counteract this defense mechanism, phages evolved anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inactivate the CRISPR-Cas systems. AcrIIA1, encoded by Listeria monocytogenes prophages, is the most prevalent among the Acr protein...

Reading stacks of films, as well as battling alternators and tape recorders, is but a distant memory to most radiologists. Instead, we are all challenged by voice recognition, application interfaces, managing PACS infrastructure, and connecting all of these tools in an ever more complex universe of IT systems in our professional environments. Radiologists, referring clinicians, and patients hav...

BACKGROUND Genetic polymorphisms of the angiotensin-renin pathway have been thought to influence the development of diabetic nephropathy. However, there are conflicting results regarding this association in previous studies on populations with varying ethnicity. AIMS Primary aim was to compare the frequency of distribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene (insertion/deletion [I/D])...

BACKGROUND Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF), a medicinal plant that has been widely used in Chinese traditional medicine, is proven effective for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its clinical efficacy and safety remain largely undefined in comparison with conventional synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). METHODS PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, CBM...

Methods The study enrolled 54 pediatric patients with polyarticular JIA, 32 of them received etanercept and 22 received abatacept. The demographic parameters were well matched across treatment groups. The mean age of children was 10.8 ± 3.7, the age at the disease onset was 5.4 ± 3.4, most of the patients were female. Prior to biological DMARD administration, all the subjects received multiple ...

BACKGROUND In an effort to minimize rod fractures and nonunion in pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) constructs, surgeons have adopted multirod constructs and interbody cages. Anterior column realignment (ACR) with posterior column osteotomies is a minimally invasive alternative to PSO in sagittal balance correction, however, there is a paucity of evidence with respect to rod survival. METHO...

Obesity and the related metabolic abnormalities are associated with increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Malfunctioning of retinoid X receptor (RXR) a due to phosphorylation by Ras/ MAPK also plays a critical role in liver carcinogenesis. In the present study, we examined the effects of acyclic retinoid (ACR), which targets RXRa, on the development of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induc...