Current models of somatosensory perception emphasize transmission from primary sensory neurons to the spinal cord and on to the brain. Mental influence on perception is largely assumed to occur locally within the brain. Here we investigate whether sensory inflow through the spinal cord undergoes direct top-down control by the cortex. Although the corticospinal tract (CST) is traditionally viewed as a primary motor pathway, a subset of corticospinal neurons (CSNs) originating in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex directly innervate the spinal dorsal horn via CST axons. Either reduction in somatosensory CSN activity or transection of the CST in mice selectively impairs behavioural responses to light touch without altering responses to noxious stimuli. Moreover, such CSN manipulation greatly attenuates tactile allodynia in a model of peripheral neuropathic pain. Tactile stimulation activates somatosensory CSNs, and their corticospinal projections facilitate light-touch-evoked activity of cholecystokinin interneurons in the deep dorsal horn. This touch-driven feed-forward spinal-cortical-spinal sensitization loop is important for the recruitment of spinal nociceptive neurons under tactile allodynia. These results reveal direct cortical modulation of normal and pathological tactile sensory processing in the spinal cord and open up opportunities for new treatments for neuropathic pain.

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that differences in marital status contribute to different prognoses for certain cancers, but the relationship between marital status and the prognosis of chondrosarcoma has not been reported previously.Material/MethodsIn this study, we selected 4502 eligible cases through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1977 to 2014 to analyze the impact of marital status on chondrosarcoma cancer-specific survival (CSS) by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model.ResultsThe sex, age, histotype, pathological grade, tumor location, tumor size, SEER stage, socioeconomic status, marital status, and treatment were identified as independent prognostic factors for chondrosarcoma CSS. Widowed patients presented the worst CSS compared with their married, divorced, and single counterparts (P<0.001). Subgroup analyses showed widowed patients also had a significantly higher risk of cancer-specific mortality compared with married patients in localized stage (HR: 1.971, 95% CI: 1.298–2.994, P=0.001), regional stage (HR: 1.535, 95% CI: 1.094–2.154, P=0.013), low pathological grade (HR: 1.866, 95% CI: 1.332–2.613, P<0.001), and high pathological grade (HR: 1.662, 95% CI: 1.139–2.426, P=0.008).ConclusionsMarital status was first identified as an independent prognostic factor for chondrosarcoma CSS, and widowhood was always associated with a high risk of cancer-specific mortality. It is necessary to provide timely psychological treatment for widowed patients in clinical practice, which can improve the survival of chondrosarcoma patients.

Background:Infections caused by strains with multi-drug resistance are difficult to treat with standard antibiotics. Garlic is a powerful remedy to protect against infections of many bacteria, fungi and viruses. However, little is known about the potentials of fresh garlic extract (FGE) to improve the sensitivity of multi-drug resistant strains to antibiotics.Objectives:In this study, we used the disk diffusion method to investigate the antimicrobial activities of FGE and the combination of antibiotics with FGE, on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, to evaluate the interactions between antibiotics and FGE.Materials and Methods:Clinical isolates were isolated from clinical specimens obtained from the inpatients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center. The isolates consisted of MRSA, (n = 30), C. albicans (n = 30) and P. aeruginosa (n = 30). Quality control for CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) disk diffusion was performed using S. aureus ATCC®25923, C. albicans ATCC®90028 and P. aeruginosa ATCC®27853. The 93 microorganisms were divided into four groups in a factorial design: control (deionized water), FGE, antibiotics without FGE, and antibiotics with FGE. Next, antibacterial activity was evaluated by measuring the diameter of inhibition zones according to performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, formerly NCCLS).Results:Fresh garlic extract displayed evident inhibition properties against C. albicans and MRSA, yet weak inhibition properties against P. aeruginosa. Additionally, FGE showed the potential to improve the effect of antibiotics on antibiotic resistant pathogens. The synergism of fluconazole and itraconazole with FGE on C. albicans yielded larger sized inhibition zones compared with fluconazole and itraconazole without FGE (P < 0.01). The factorial analysis represents intense positive interaction effects (P < 0.01). The synergism of cefotaxime and ceftriaxone with FGE on P. aeruginosa yielded larger sized inhibition zones than cefotaxime and ceftriaxone without FGE (P < 0.01). The factorial analysis represents intense positive interaction effects (P < 0.01).Conclusions:The results suggest that FGE can improve the antibiotic sensitivity of these pathogens to some antibiotics.

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Osteosarcoma (OS) is the major type of primary bone tumor and is associated with a poor prognosis due to chemotherapy resistance. Accumulating evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) may influence the tumor progression of OS and cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. In the present study, a total of 7 patients with OS and 7 healthy volunteers were recruited. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA were performed to determine the expression of miRNAs and mRNAs in the serum of participants. Furthermore, the biological function of miR-22 and S100A11 was examined in MG-63 cells using Cell Counting Kit-8 assays, Transwell migration assays and western blot analysis to determine the effects on cell proliferation, migration and protein expression, respectively, while MG-63 cell sensitivity to cisplatin was assessed by measuring cell viability following cisplatin treatment and calculating the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). Additionally, the association between miR-22 and S100 calcium-binding protein A11 (S100A11) was validated using a luciferase reporter assay. The results demonstrated that miR-22 expression was significantly reduced in patients with OS and the MG-63 OS cell line, compared with healthy volunteers and the normal osteoblast hFOB 1.19 cell line, respectively, while the expression of S100A11 was negatively associated with miR-22 levels in the MG-63 cell line. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-22 inhibited the proliferation and migratory ability of MG-63 cells, and increased the sensitivity of MG-63 cells to cisplatin treatment; however, overexpression of S100A11 partially attenuated the alterations in proliferation, migratory ability and chemosensitivity that were induced by miR-22 overexpression. In addition, it was confirmed that S100A11 is a direct target gene of miR-22 in MG-63 cells. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate that miR-22 may be a promising therapeutic target and may have potential as part of a combination treatment alongside chemotherapeutic agents for OS.