Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that infects nearly all warm-blooded animals, including humans (Montoya and Liesenfeld, 2004). It occurs worldwide and can persist for a lifetime in mammals. Humans get infected by eating undercooked meat of animals containing the tissue cysts of this parasite. In immune-competent individuals, T. gondii infection usually does not cause significant clinical symptoms, whereas in pregnant or immunocompromised individuals, T. gondii infection (toxoplasmosis) can cause more serious problems like abortion and even death (Dunn et al., 1999; Wang et al., 2017). A combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine is usually used to treat toxoplasmosis, although it is generally inefficient and causes side effects (Alday and Doggett, 2017). Worse still, there is a lack of vaccines to prevent T. gondii infection in humans or animals.
Toxoplasma/enzymology* ; Animals ; Humans ; Toxoplasmosis ; Mitochondria/enzymology* ; Protozoan Proteins/metabolism*

Objective To improve the efficiency and quality of end-to-end anastomosis,a novel degradable vascular anastomotic device was designed,and the relationship between pressure distances and biomechanical properties of the anastomotic stoma was explored.Methods The three-dimensional(3D)structure of the vascular anastomotic device was designed and the prototype was fabricated with extruded high-purity magnesium.The finite element model of the end-to-end vascular anastomosis was established to study the stress distributions of the anastomotic end face under different pressure distances(0.4,0.5,0.6,0.7,and 0.8 mm)and their change rules.In vitro experiments were conducted to verify the rationality of the finite element results as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of the vascular anastomotic device.Results When the pressure distance was 0.6 mm,the anastomotic tensile force,and burst pressure could reach(11.79±0.64)N and(39.32±2.99)kPa,respectively,meeting the clinical requirement for the strength of vascular anastomosis,and with the minimal mechanical damages to tissues.Conclusions The device designed in this study can be used for vascular anastomosis by adjusting the pressure distance,and it can improve operation efficiency,reduce mechanical damage to tissues,and further improve the quality of anastomosis.These results provide an essential reference for the design of degradable vascular anastomotic devices.

Metastasis is an important factor for the high recurrence and mortality rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important mechanism of HCC metastasis. EMT is regulated by the transcription factors such as Snail, Twist, and ZEB which are mediated by a variety of signaling pathways including TGF-β, Wnt/β-catenin, and Notch. Inhibition of EMT-related molecules and signal pathways in HCC is considered as an important approach to inhibit the invasion and metastasis of HCC. Recent studies have shown that a variety of compound traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula or their effective constituents can inhibit the invasion and metastasis of HCC by arresting or reversing EMT in HCC. This article reviews the role and mechanism of EMT and recent studies on TCM drugs and their derived natural compounds in inhibiting the invasion and metastasis of HCC by regulating cell EMT, so as to provide a scientific basis for the TCM prevention and treatment of HCC metastasis and new ideas for HCC treatment.

Objective:To observe any effect of magnetic stimulation of the primary motor cortex and sacral nerve roots on urinary retention after spinal cord injury.Methods:Forty patients experiencing urine retention after a spinal cord injury were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, each of 20. Both groups received conventional treatment and repeated magnetic stimulation of the roots of the sacral nerve. The experimental group also received repeated magnetic stimulation of the bilateral primary motor cortices (M1 region). Bladder capacity and pressure indices, residual urine volume and life quality were evaluated in both groups before and after 8 weeks of treatment.Results:After the treatment, the average maximum bladder pressure, first sensation capacity, residual urine volume and life quality score of both groups had improved significantly, but the improvements in average first sensation capacity, residual urine volume and life quality score of the experimental group were significantly greater than those of the control group. There was, however, no significant difference in the groups′ average maximum bladder pressure after the treatment.Conclusion:Magnetic stimulation of the primary motor cortex and sacral nerve roots can significantly improve the sensory function of the bladder, reduce residual urine volume and improve the life quality of persons experiencing urinary retention after a spinal cord injury.

Objective:To screen the differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs derived from liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) and its effect on the malignant biological characteristics of liver cancer cells.Methods:miRNA expression profile chip was used to analyze the differentially expressed exosomal miRNA derived from LCSCs. The effects of miRNA on malignant phenotypes of LCSCs were identified. The cells were further treated with doxorubicin at different concentrations (0, 150, 300 μmol/L), and the expression level of miR-196a was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The apoptosis of liver cancer cells cultured by exosomes derived from LCSCs (Exo-NC group) and exosomes derived from miR-196a inhibited LCSCs (Exo-Inhibitor group) and the activity of caspase3/7 under the action of exosomes from LCSCs were detected. Nude mice were randomly divided into Do-PBS group, Do-Exo-Inhibitor group and Do-Exo-NC group using random number table method, with 5 mice in each group, and the effect of miR-196a on nude mice xenograft tumor model with liver cancer cells was analyzed.Results:In this study, exosomes were isolated and purified from CD133 + Huh7 stem cell culture supernatant. miR-7162-3p, miR-1910-5, miR-3613-3p, miR-196a and miR-155-5p were up-regulated, while miR-1246 and miR-3613-5p were down-regulated. miR-7162-3p, miR-196a and miR-155-5p in exosomes had important effects on the self-renewal ability of LCSCs. miR-1910-5p, miR-196a and miR-155-5p had important effects on the invasion ability of liver cancer stem cells, among which miR-196a had the most significant inhibitory effect. Treatment for 24 h, the miR-196a expression level of the 0, 150 and 300 μmol/L doxorubicin was 0.96±0.05, 1.23±0.05 and 2.33±0.03 respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=996.90, P<0.001). Treatment for 48 h, the miR-196a expression level of the 0, 150 and 300 μmol/L doxorubicin were 1.02±0.07, 2.35±0.05 and 2.89±0.55 respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=303.00, P<0.001). When the concentration of doxorubicin was 0 and 300 μmol/L, the apoptosis rates of the Exo-NC group were 9.37%±0.19% and 11.64%±0.27%, and those of the Exo-Inhibitor group were were 18.80%±1.91% and 22.79%±1.57%, with statistically significant differences ( t=4.41, P=0.048; t=4.96, P=0.038). When doxorubicin was not used, the ratios of caspase3/7 in the Exo-NC group at 24 h and 48 h were 0.94±0.08 and 0.97±0.09, and those in the Exo-Inhibitor group were 1.56±0.01 and 1.58±0.01, with statistically significant differences ( t=11.41, P=0.008; t=6.07, P=0.026). Under 300 μmol/L doxorubicin, the ratios of caspase3/7 in the Exo-NC group at 24 h and 48 h were 0.95±0.07 and 1.36±0.08, and those in the Exo-Inhibitor group were 2.84±0.08 and 3.20±0.14, with statistically significant differences ( t=24.20, P=0.002; t=15.78, P=0.004). The results of xenograft tumor in nude mice showed that the tumor volumes of Do-PBS, Do-Exo-Inhibitor and Do-Exo-NC groups increased successively, which were (1 051.86±89.90) mm 3, (1 310.91±86.66) mm 3 and (2 185.14± 352.34) mm 3 respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=30.28, P<0.001). The weights of the transplanted tumors in the 3 groups increased successively, which were (0.36±0.10) g, (0.39±0.12) g and (0.76±0.16) g respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=11.81, P=0.002). The expression of miR-196a in tumors was significantly decreased after miR-196a inhibitor transfection. The expression levels of the 3 groups were 1.05±0.16, 0.38±0.08 and 2.17±0.26, with a statistically significant difference ( F=48.93, P<0.001). Conclusion:The exosomal secreted by LCSCs can enhance the resistance of liver cancer cells to doxorubicin by miR-196a.