The mechanisms underlying the hypoxic cancer cell-mediated differentiation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have not been elucidated yet. The present study showed that the hypoxic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells promoted CAF-like differentiation through secreting TGF-β and small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) that…[Read more]

Operational and financial sustainability have, over time, remained as issues in the microfinance industry. The microfinance industry is struggling to gain self-sufficiency in Pakistan due to non-performing loans and operating costs. Simultaneously, deliberation on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is also considered in academic literature and…[Read more]

PRACTICAL APPLICATION Dietary ratio of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is essential for the improvement of chronic diseases. Our current study showed that 11 or 51 ratio of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids had better efficiency for type 2 diabetes mellitus via activating brown adipose tissue when compared with 150. This finding provided…[Read more]

han do households that purchase only one of the commodities.

Dual purchasers of alcohol and tobacco in the United Kingdom appear to be concentrated evenly among income groups. However, dual purchasers may experience particularly large effects from pricing policies, as they spend a substantially higher proportion of their overall household…[Read more]

In vivo mapping of cerebrovascular oscillations in the 0.05-0.15 Hz remains difficult. Oscillations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represent a possible avenue for noninvasively tracking these oscillations using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), and have been used to correct for vascular oscillations in rs-fMRI functional connectivity. H…[Read more]

The clinical therapeutic effect was evaluated in the two groups.

After treatment, FMA scores were increased and VAS scores were decreased in the patients of the two groups (

<0.05). The increase range of FMA score and the decrease range of VAS score in the observation group were larger than those in the control group (

<0.05). The…[Read more]

To examine the role of total mercury (T-Hg) in placenta as a biomarker of prenatal mercury (Hg) exposure and determine the association between prenatal Hg exposure and risk for neural tube defects (NTDs) in offspring.

Total Hg concentrations in placental tissue were detected in 408 NTD cases and 593 healthy controls enrolled in Shanxi…[Read more]

Patellar lower-pole fractures occur in relatively young patients after eccentric contraction of the quadriceps or direct trauma. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment lead to excellent outcomes and prevent tendon retraction and scarring. The aim of surgical treatment is to restore articular congruence and reestablish the extensor mechanism of the…[Read more]

To examine whether social determinants of health (SDH) factors are associated with time to diagnosis, treatment selection, and time to recurrent surgical intervention in idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) patients.

Adult patients with diagnosed iSGS were recruited prospectively (2015-2017) via clinical providers as part of the North…[Read more]