Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2017.4322.].

The intestinal microbiota is a complex ecosystem that not only affects various physiological functions, such as metabolism, inflammation and the immune response, but also has an important effect on the development of tumors and response to treatment. The detection of intestinal flora enables the timely identification of disease-related flora abnormalities, which has significant implications for both disease prevention and treatment. In the field of basic and clinical research targeting gut microbiome, there is a need to recognize and understand the laboratory assays for gut microbiomics...

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequent entrapment neuropathy. Patients commonly experience neuropathic pain, leading them to seek medical advice. However, other symptoms experienced in patients with CTS, such as paresthesia, dysesthesia and allodynia, classed as positive sensory symptoms (PSS), are often under-reported. In the present study, patients with surgically-managed CTS were observed pre- and post-surgery to evaluate PSS, using the symptoms scale component of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) and the Sensory Frequency of Symptoms Scale...

Peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase, NIMA-interacting 1 (PIN1) has been suggested to be a critical regulator in skin-related diseases. However, the role and molecular mechanism of PIN1 in psoriasis remain unclear. HaCaT cells were stimulated with five cytokines (M5) to induce psoriatic inflammation-like conditions. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting were performed to examine PIN1 expression in M5-induced HaCaT cells. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine staining were employed to examine cell proliferation...

Relationships between bone metabolic biomarkers and fracture displacement have been reported in the elderly. However, factors related to bone metabolism that predict fracture displacement remain unclear in children. The present study investigated bone metabolic biomarkers associated with the displacement of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures. A total of 19 patients (7 male and 12 female patients; mean age, 6.3 years) with pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures who underwent surgical treatment at Juntendo University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan) between December 2020 and September 2022 were included...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2018.6843.].

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a common vascular disease, and pulmonary vascular remodeling is a pivotal pathophysiological mechanism of PAH. Major pathological changes of pulmonary arterial remodeling, including proliferation, hypertrophy and enhanced secretory activity, can occur in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Multiple active factors and cytokines play important roles in PAH. However, the regulatory mechanisms of the active factors and cytokines in PAH remain unclear. The present study aimed to reveal the crucial role of PASMC pyroptosis in PAH and to elucidate the intrinsic mechanisms...

Anxiety after surgery can be a major factor leading to postoperative cognitive dysfunction, particularly in elderly patients. The role of inhibitory neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in anxiety-like behaviors in aged mice following isoflurane anesthesia remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the role of inhibitory neurons in isoflurane-treated mice. A total of 30 C57BL/6 mice (age, 13 months) were allocated into the control and isoflurane anesthesia groups (15 mice/group) and were then subjected to several neurological assessments...

The occurrence of crystals in semen is rare, with spermine phosphate crystals being the only type commonly described. Uric acid crystal formation is significantly influenced by pH levels. The present study reported a rare case of uric acid crystals in the semen of a patient with azoospermia associated with Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS). A 28-year-old male with a four-year history of primary infertility underwent clinical assessment, including a normal physical examination with small testes. Seminal fluid analysis revealed abnormal uric acid crystals...

Endothelial dysfunction is a crucial pathogenetic mechanism for sepsis. GRB2-associated binder 1 (GAB1) alleviates sepsis-induced multi-organ damage; however, to the best of our knowledge, its function in endothelial dysfunction in sepsis remains unclear. HUVECs were induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to simulate endothelial cell injury under sepsis. Cell transfection was conducted to achieve GAB1 overexpression or suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) knockdown. The expression levels of GAB1 and SOCS3 were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting...

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2019.7841.].

Owing to advances in cancer treatment and the diversification of treatment methods, cancer-associated thrombosis is increasing. Cancer can cause blood clots by activating the blood clotting system, increasing clotting factors through inflammation, reducing blood flow due to immobilization and damaging blood vessels through treatments such as chemotherapy. In clinical practice, superior mesenteric vein (SMV) thrombosis is occasionally observed in patients with cancer; however, certain cases of asymptomatic thrombosis can be serious...

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in patients with Roux-en-Y gastrectomy and an intact major duodenal papilla is challenging and difficult, with unsatisfactory outcomes using various endoscopes. Limited data are available regarding the outcomes of ERCP using a pediatric colonoscope in such patients. To evaluate the efficacy of a pediatric colonoscope in patients with Roux-en-Y gastrectomy and an major duodenal intact papilla, 93 consecutive patients with Roux-en-Y gastrectomy and an intact major duodenal papilla who underwent ERCP using a pediatric colonoscope at the Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, (Nanjing, China) between January 2018 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed...

Squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharyngeal region is a rare, aggressive disease with a poor prognosis and a high mortality rate, and represents up to 95% of all hypopharyngeal tumors. Patients with upper aerodigestive tract tumors can develop airway compromise before or during chemoradiotherapy. The present study aims to investigate the complication differences between elective tracheostomy and emergency-setting tracheostomy for patients with advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell. The study group included 36 patients and analyzed the number and type of complications, functional outcomes and comparation of the laboratory testing in all the patients at 3 specific points (before tracheotomy, during the radiation therapy and at least 3 months after completion of radiation therapy)...

The present study aimed to explore the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), as well as to discover the potential regulatory mechanism of PPARγ. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with modified glycated human serum albumin (M-HSA) to mimic DVT. PPARγ expression and activity were detected using western blot analysis and the corresponding activity detection kit, respectively. Cell Counting Kit-8 and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assays were employed to detect cell viability and apoptosis, respectively...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive disease with a high mortality rate and a worldwide prevalence of 13.4%, triggered by various diseases with high incidence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effect of pioglitazone on kidney in an adenine-induced Wistar rats and the mechanisms possibly involved. CKD was induced in 40 rats. Rats were divided into two groups, which were split into the following sub-groups: i) Therapeutic (pioglitazone administered after renal damage) divided into intact (healthy), adenine (CKD) and adenine/pioglitazone (treatment) and ii) prophylactic (adenine and pioglitazone administered at the same time) split into intact (healthy), adenine (CKD), endogenous reversion (recovery without treatment), adenine/pioglitazone (treatment) and pioglitazone sub-groups...

Lung cancer is the most critical type of malignant tumor that threatens human health. Traditional preclinical models have certain defects; for example, they cannot accurately reflect the characteristics of lung cancer and their development is costly and time-consuming. Through self-organization, cancer stem cells (CSCs) generate cancer organoids that have a structure similar to that of lung cancer tissues, overcoming to some extent the aforementioned challenges, thus enabling them to have broader application prospects...

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.8760.].

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection plays an important role in cervical cancer. HPV is classified within the Papillomaviridae family and is a non-enveloped, small DNA virus. HPV infection can be classified into two distinct scenarios: i) With or without integration into the host chromosomes. Detection of its infection can be useful in the study of cervical lesions. In the present review, the structural and functional features of HPV, HPV typing, infection and transmission mode, the risk factors for cervical susceptibility to infection and HPV detection methods are described in detail...

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most commonly occurring type of entrapment neuropathy in the world. Several conditions may contribute to the development of CTS, such as obesity, repetitive wrist movements, pregnancy, genetic predisposition and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) inflammation. CTS is characterized by a wide range of pathophysiological factors, including increased pressure, mechanical trauma and ischemic damage to the median nerve that runs through the wrist tunnel. In the present narrative literature review, the way rheumatic diseases (RDs) contribute to CTS occurrence is investigated...