ABSTRACT
Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） has emerged as a significant public health concern， posing a serious threat to the lives and health of residents in China. Furthermore， the incidence and mortality rates of HCC are notably higher in males than in females. Androgen receptors （AR） can contribute to the occurrence of male-specific cancers such as prostate cancer， suggesting a potential link to the increased susceptibility of males to HCC. Elucidating the cancer-promoting mechanism of AR and developing specific targeted interventions are effective ways to advance tertiary prevention of HCC and improve patient prognosis. This paper reviews the relevant evidence of AR’s role in promoting the occurrence and development of HCC， summarizes relevant mechanisms discovered to date， including promoting the stemness of HCC cells， altering the immune microenvironment， regulating key signaling pathways， inducing glycolysis in hepatocellular carcinoma， and synergizing with hepatitis B virus to promote HCC. Additionally， research directions for targeted interventions in HCC through AR-related signaling pathways are discussed.
ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the effect of intensive hip adductor isometric strength training on the balance ability of functional ankle joint instability. Methods From November, 2019 to January, 2020, 18 college students with functional ankle instability were recruited from a university in Shenzhen and randomly divided into control group (n = 9) and experimental group (n = 9). Both groups received ankle stability training, and the experimental group received isometric muscle strength training of hip adductor in addition, one hour a time, three times a week, for four weeks. The Cumberland Ankle Instability Assessment Questionnaire (CAIT), Y Balance Test (YBT), Balance-check balance equipment and Back-check hip adductor maximum isometric strength test were performed before and after training. Results After training, the scores of CAIT, YBT and balance-check increased in both groups (t > 2.540, P < 0.05); the strength of adductor hip muscle significantly increased in the experimental group (t = 8.485, P < 0.001). The d-value of CAIT score, YBT distance, the score of Balance-check, and the strength of adductor hip muscle were more in the experimental group than in the control group (t > 2.168, P < 0.05); the d-value of the average rotation speed, the maximum rotation speed and the balance level were less in the experimental group than in the control group (t > 2.804, P < 0.05). Conclusion Hip adductor isometric muscle strength training may promote the recovery of the balance after functional ankle instability.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 120 million people and resulted in over 2.8 million deaths worldwide. Several COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for emergency use in humans and are being used in many countries. However, all of the approved vaccines are administered by intramuscular injection and this may not prevent upper airway infection or viral transmission. Here, we describe intranasal immunization of a COVID-19 vaccine delivered by a novel platform, the helper-dependent adenoviral (HD-Ad) vector. Since HD-Ad vectors are devoid of adenoviral coding sequences, they have a superior safety profile and a large cloning capacity for transgenes. The vaccine (HD-Ad_RBD) codes for the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and intranasal immunization induced robust mucosal and systemic immunity. Moreover, intranasal immunization of K18-hACE2 mice with HD-Ad_RBD using a prime-boost regimen, resulted in complete protection of the upper respiratory tract against SARS-CoV-2 infection. As such, intranasal immunization based on the HD-Ad vector promises to provide a powerful platform for constructing highly effective vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants.
