Silencing the ADAM9 Gene through CRISPR/Cas9 Protects Mice from Alcohol-Induced Acute Liver Injury.

Alcoholic liver injury is a major global public health concern at present. The ADAM9 gene plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of various liver diseases, but its role in acute alcoholic liver injury remains ambiguous. In this study, a chimeric single-guide RNA targeting the genomic regions of mouse ADAM9 was designed using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technology. Next, the role of ADAM9 in acute alcoholic liver injury in vitro in cultured mouse cells and in vivo in a hydrodynamic injection-based alcoholic liver injury mouse model was documented. The findings of this study suggest that ADAM9 induces by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and stress metabolism in mice. Thus, inhibiting the expression of ADAM9 gene using CRISPR/Cas9 can attenuate alcohol-induced acute liver injury in mice.

Frequency Shift Raman-Based Sensing of Serum MicroRNAs for Early Diagnosis and Discrimination of Primary Liver Cancers.

Frequency shift surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) achieves multiplex microRNA sensing for early serological diagnosis of, and discrimination between, primary liver cancers in a patient cohort for whom only biopsy is effective clinically. Raman reporters microprinted on plasmonic substrates shift their vibrational frequencies upon biomarker binding with a dynamic range allowing direct, multiplex assay of serum microRNAs and the current best protein biomarker, α-fetoprotein. Benchmarking against current gold-standard polymerase chain reaction and chemiluminescence methods validates the assay. The work further establishes the frequency shift approach, sensing shifts in an intense SERS band, as a viable alternative to conventional SERS sensing which involves the more difficult task of resolving a peak above noise at ultralow analyte concentrations.

[Iterated Tikhonov Regularization for Spectral Recovery from Tristimulus].

Reflective spectra in a multispectral image can objectively and originally represent color information due to their high dimensionality, illuminant independent and device independent. Aiming to the problem of loss of spectral information when the spectral data reconstructed from three-dimensional colorimetric data in the trichromatic camera-based spectral image acquisition system and its subsequent problem of loss of color information, this work proposes an iterated Tikhonov regularization to reconstruct the reflectance spectra. First of all, according to relationship between the colorimetric value and the reflective spectra in the colorimetric theory, this work constructs a spectral reconstruction equation which can reconstruct high dimensional spectral data from three dimensional colorimetric data acquired by the trichromatic camera. Then, the iterated Tikhonov regularization, inspired by the idea of the pseudo inverse Moore-Penrose, is used to cope with the linear ill-posed inverse problem during solving the equation of reconstructing reflectance spectra. Meanwhile, the work also uses the L-curve method to obtain an optimal regularized parameter of the iterated Tikhonov regularization by training a set of samples. Through these methods, the ill condition of the spectral reconstruction equation can be effectively controlled and improved, and subsequently loss of spectral information of the reconstructed spectral data can be reduced. The verification experiment is performed under another set of training samples. The experimental results show that the proposed method reconstructs the reflective spectra with less spectral information loss in the trichromatic camera-based spectral image acquisition system, which reflects in obvious decreases of spectral errors and colorimetric errors compared with the previous method.

Applied anatomical study of the modified anconeus flap approach.

PURPOSE: Conventional surgical therapy for an intercondylar humerus fracture might result in multiple potential complications. Our study was conducted to evaluate the modified anconeus flap approach by adequately exposing the distal humeral articular surface, avoiding osteotomy of the olecranon and transection of the main part of the triceps brachial tendon from the olecranon. METHODS: Preparations of 20 upper limb specimens from adult cadavers were used in this study. We investigated the anatomical features of the distal tendon of the triceps brachii. Then, we designed a modified anconeus flap approach in cadaver specimens combined with the medial paratricipital approach, and we compared the extent of exposure of the distal humeral articular surface between the triceps-reflecting anconeus pedicle approach and this modified approach. RESULTS: The downward neurovascular bundles supplying the anconeus were located far from the intramuscular tendon of the triceps brachii. In addition, the medial head of the triceps was continuous with the anconeus near the lateral epicondyle of the humerus. These anatomical properties could assist in reducing adverse events in surgery. The percentage of the exposed humerus distal articular surface was 42.7% by applying the modified anconeus flap approach combined with the medial paratricipital approach. The modified anconeus flap approach can overcome the shortcomings of osteotomy or triceps transverse and fulfill reduction and internal fixation of most distal humerus intercondylar fractures. CONCLUSIONS: The present study has demonstrated a new approach for adequately exposing the distal humeral articular surface during surgery for an intercondylar humerus fracture. With this modified approach, osteotomy of the olecranon and the separation or transection of the main part of the triceps brachial tendon from the olecranon are not necessarily required. Therefore, we suggest that this novel approach could be applied as the primary surgical approach in intercondylar humerus fracture surgeries if the surgeons are familiar with the regional features of distal tendon of the triceps brachii and anconeus.

[Algorithm of double levels of frequency and weight to determine the weight value for syndrome factor differentiation].

Differentiating syndrome factor and forming syndrome type according to symptoms and signs are the rules and processes of syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM syndrome differentiation is a nonlinear complex giant system. In order to solve the key problem of determination of diagnosing weight value for syndrome factor differentiation, a new algorithm of double levels of frequency and weight based on the analysis of frequency statistics was applied, and the accurate syndrome differentiation parameters were acquired. Therefore, based on the nonlinear and multivariate analysis, a new algorithm of calculating diagnostics for syndrome factor differentiation was established.

[Application of Bayesian network in syndrome differentiation system of traditional Chinese medicine].

The concept of syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a nonlinear, open and complicated huge system. Syndrome differentiation in TCM belongs to cognitive and noetic science. To establish a new syndrome differentiation system based on the key elements of the syndrome is necessary for TCM practitioners to promote differentiation ability and reach consensus on differentiation method. With combination of experience and computation models, the Bayesian network was used in the study of the relationship between the key elements of syndrome and the symptoms, and the relationship among different key elements, in which the computing diagnosis result was identical to the result from an experienced TCM doctor. The study showed that Bayesian network is a good method to deal with the information of symptoms and signs for syndrome differentiation, but it is also not to reflect comprehensively the thinking ability of TCM doctors in doing syndrome differentiation.

[The application of three dimensional analysis system in measuring rotation angles of thumb carpometacarpal joints].

OBJECTIVE: To measure the axial rotation angles of the carpometacarpal joints during the digital opposition of thumb-index finger, thumb-medial finger, thumb-ring finger, thumb-little finger and the thumb's maximal opposition, then the application of these parameters were studied. METHODS: Twenty neutrality-occupation volunteers (female 10, male 10) with no history of hand injuries or related diseases were involved in the study. First, all the markers' 3-D coordinates were obstained using the 3D motion analysis system (EVaRT4.1) during the digital opposition movements of thumb. Then, the axial rotation angles were calculated. RESULTS: The average rotation angles of carpometacarpal joints during all kinds of digital oppositions were 29.1 degrees +/- 9.4 degrees (male), 24.8 degrees +/- 10.2 degrees (female), while the maximal rotation angles are: 35.3 degrees (male), 28.8 degrees (female). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of video-based 3-D analysis system and mathematics make it possible to measure the axial rotation angles of thumb in vivo, as a result, the rotation angles of thumb carpometacarpal joints are measured precisely for the first time. These results can provide a few parameters for treatment and rehabilitation of carpometacarpal arthrositis.

[Recombinant human epithelial growth factor accelerates healing of cervical erosion].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of recombinant human epithelial growth factor (rhEGF) in promoting the healing of cervical erosion. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with cervical erosion were treated with rhEGF and 30 with 500 kHz high-frequency electromagnetic wave, and the effects of the therapies were compared in terms of healing of the cervical wound, healing time, volume of vaginal discharge and bleeding and the lasting time. RESULTS: In comparison with radiofrequency therapy, the healing of the lesion took significantly shorter time with rhEGF therapy, which also resulted in less vaginal discharge that lasted for shorter time without causing vaginal bleeding. CONCLUSION: rhEGF can obviously accelerate the healing of cervical erosion.

[Study on the effect of qinggan jiangtang tablet in improving the insulin resistance in patients with multiple metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Qinggan Jiangtang tablet (QJT) in improving the insulin resistance (IR) in patients with multiple metabolic syndrome (MMS). METHODS: Adopting randomized controlled double-blinded method, 60 patients with MMS were divided equally into two groups. The treated group was treated by oral taking of QJT 3 tabs, twice a day and the control group treated by oral taking of Glucophage 3 tabs, twice a day, the therapeutic course for both groups was 1 month, and the observation lasted for 2 successive courses. RESULTS: After treatment, levels of blood glucose, fasting and postprandial blood glucose, C-peptide and IR were significantly reduced with markedly improvement of beta-cell function in both groups, the difference between the two groups showed no significance. Change of plasma level of free fatty acids before and after treatment in both groups was insignificant. CONCLUSION: QJT has the effects on reducing blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure and IR and improving function of beta cells.