Application of radiomics in ischemic stroke.

In recent years, radiomics has emerged as a novel research methodology that plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke. By integrating multimodal medical imaging techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, radiomics offers in-depth insights into aspects such as the extent of brain tissue damage and hemodynamics. These data help physicians to accurately assess patient condition, select optimal treatment strategies, and predict recovery trajectories and long-term prognoses, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing the risk of complications. With the anticipated further advancements in radiomic technology, this methodology has great potential for expanded applications in the early detection, treatment, and prognosis of ischemic stroke. The present narrative review explores the burgeoning field of radiomics and its transformative impact on ischemic stroke.

Temporal patterns of organ dysfunction in COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit: A group-based multitrajectory modeling analysis.

BACKGROUND: The course of organ dysfunction (OD) in Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is unknown. Herein, we analyze the temporal patterns of OD in intensive care unit-admitted COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Sequential organ failure assessment scores were evaluated daily within 2 weeks of admission to determine the temporal trajectory of OD using group-based multitrajectory modeling (GBMTM). RESULTS: A total of 392 patients were enrolled with a 28-day mortality rate of 53.6%. GBMTM identified four distinct trajectories. Group 1 (mild OD, n = 64), with a median APACHE II score of 13 (IQR 9-21), had an early resolution of OD and a low mortality rate. Group 2 (moderate OD, n = 140), with a median APACHE II score of 18 (IQR 13-22), had a 28-day mortality rate of 30.0%. Group 3 (severe OD, n = 117), with a median APACHR II score of 20 (IQR 13-27), had a deterioration trend of respiratory dysfunction and a 28-day mortality rate of 69.2%. Group 4 (extremely severe OD, n = 71), with a median APACHE II score of 20 (IQR 17-27), had a significant and sustained OD affecting all organ systems and a 28-day mortality rate of 97.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Four distinct trajectories of OD were identified, and respiratory dysfunction trajectory could predict nonpulmonary OD trajectories and patient prognosis.

Clinical Outcomes of Combined Transcranial and Endoscopic Transnasal Approaches in the Management of Cranionasal Communicating Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Cranionasal communicating tumors often originate from the extra-axial intracranial tissue, nasal cavity, and sinuses, and mostly invade the anterior skull base, leading to communication between the cranial and nasal cavities. Cranionasal communicating tumors are clinically rare and thus have been rarely reported in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical outcomes of combined transcranial and endoscopic transnasal approaches in the surgical management of cranionasal communicating tumors. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with cranionasal communicating tumors treated at the Department of Neurosurgery, Jinhua Hospital, affiliated with Zhejiang University, from July 2017 to March 2020. All patients were surgically treated using combined transcranial and endoscopic transnasal approaches or the cranionasal dual approach, and skull base reconstruction was performed simultaneously. The postoperative gross tumor resection rate, perioperative complications, and postoperative efficacy were evaluated. RESULTS: Eleven patients with 14-37 months of follow-up were included. Eight patients underwent total resection, two patients underwent subtotal resection, and one patient was treated with partial resection. Postoperative pathological diagnoses revealed four olfactory neuroblastomas, three atypical meningiomas, two recurrent papilloma malignancies, one recurrent invasive pituitary tumor, and one recurrent invasive pituitary adenocarcinoma. Among the 11 patients, severe cerebral edema was observed postoperatively in one patient, and decompression craniectomy was performed. Intracranial infection was observed in two patients, including one with transient cerebrospinal fluid leakage, which was cured after symptomatic treatment. Moreover, postoperative ocular dysmotility and worse olfactory sensation were observed in one and two patients, respectively. The mean follow-up time of the 11 patients was (24.4 ± 5.7) months. The one-year survival rate of the patients was 100%; 10 patients (90.9%) had a favorable outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 4-5), and only one patient (9.1%) had a Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 3. Furthermore, during the last follow-up, tumor recurrence occurred in two patients (18.2%). CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment of cranionasal communicating tumors using the cranionasal dual approach and simultaneous skull base reconstruction improves the gross tumor resection rate with fewer postoperative complications and good short-term efficacy.

PLU1 Promotes the Proliferation and Migration of Glioma Cells and Regulates Metabolism.

OBJECTIVES: PLU1 is upregulated in many cancers, including breast, mammary, colorectal, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, little is known about the potential metabolic mechanisms of PLU1 in glioma progression. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between PLU1 and glioma development. METHODS: We analyzed the relationship between PLU1 expression and World Health Organization (WHO) grade using clinical databases and verified the role of PLU1 in glioma development using transcriptome sequencing, Western blotting, Cell Counting Kit 8, colony formation, and wound healing assays. The relationship between PLU1 and glioma glucose metabolism was also initially explored by changing the concentration of glucose in the culture medium and was validated by metabolomics and energy metabolism. RESULT: PLU1 expression was closely related to WHO grade and was significantly elevated in tumor tissues compared to nontumor tissues. Knockdown or inhibition of PLU1 inhibits proliferation and migration of glioma cells. In addition, we found that PLU1 expression was closely associated with glioma metabolism by transcriptomic, metabolomic, and energy-related molecular analyses and correlated with glucose metabolism. We also found that glucose concentration affects PLU1 expression, and that PLU1 expression affects intracellular glucose levels. CONCLUSION: PLU1 is a novel regulator of metabolic reprograming and a novel strategy for the treatment of glioma.

Carvedilol Reduces the Neuronal Apoptosis after Ischemic Stroke by Modulating Activator of Transcription 3 Expression in vitro.

Cerebral ischemia is divided into local cerebral ischemia and diffuse cerebral ischemia. The etiology of localized cerebral ischemia includes middle cerebral artery embolism; stenosis, occlusion, or thrombosis of extracranial internal carotid artery or vertebral artery; and cerebral artery spasm. The causes of diffuse cerebral ischemia include cardiac arrest, hypotension, anemia, and hypoglycemia. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that activator of transcription 3 (ATF3) is a hubgene in IS by bioinformatics analysis. The expression of ATF3 was increased in PC12 cells with oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) treatment. ATF3 deficiency inhibited cell viability and induced cell apoptosis, whereas ATF3 overexpression showed the opposite role in cell viability and cell apoptosis. Moreover, Carvedilol as a compound targeting ATF3 also facilitated cell viability and reduced cell apoptosis. ATF3 deficiency retarded the increase in cell viability and inhibition of cell apoptosis in OGD/R-PC12 cells with Carvedilol treatment. Additionally, the decreased Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were released in OGD/R-PC12 cells with Carvedilol and siATF3 treatment, while Bcl-2 expression was inhibited in OGD/R-PC12 cells with Carvedilol and siATF3 treatment. In conclusion, Carvedilol may be a key compound targeting ATF3 in OGD/R-PC12 cells. Graphical Abstract: Carvedilol positively regulated cell viability and negatively regulated cell apoptosis in OGD/R-PC12 cells by inhibition of ATF3.

Melatonin affects hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and ameliorates delayed brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage via H19/miR-675/HIF1A/TLR4.

This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of how melatonin (MT) interferes with hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1A) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression, which is implicated in the management of delayed brain injury (DBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Luciferase assay, real-time PCR, Western-blot analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were utilized to explore the interaction among H19, miR-675, HIF1A and TLR4, and to evaluate the effect of MT on the expression of above transcripts in different groups. MT enhanced H19 expression by promoting the transcription efficiency of H19 promoter, and HIF1A was identified as a target of miR-675. HIF1A enhanced TLR4 expression via promoting the transcription efficiency of TLR4 promoter. Furthermore, administration of MT up-regulated miR-675 but suppressed the expressions of HIF1A and TLR4. Treatment with MT alleviated neurobehavioral deficits and apoptosis induced by SAH. According to the result of IHC, HIF1A and TLR4 protein levels in the SAH group were much higher than those in the SAH+MT group. Therefore, the administration of MT increased the levels of H19 and miR-675 which have been inhibited by SAH. In a similar way, treatment with MT decreased the levels of HIF1A and TLR4 which have been enhanced by SAH. MT could down-regulate the expression of HIF1A and TLR4 via the H19/miR-675/HIF1A/TLR4 signaling pathway, while TLR4 is crucial to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, the treatment with MT could ameliorate post-SAH DBI.Running title: Melatonin ameliorates post-SAH DBI via H19/miR-675/HIF1A/TLR4 signaling pathways.

Purely Spinal Epidural Capillary Hemangiomas.

Capillary hemangiomas (CAs) are benign endothelial cell neoplasms that are often encountered superficially in the soft tissues of the head and neck region. Most of the reported purely spinal epidural hemangiomas have been of cavernous type, and the occurrence of purely spinal epidural CA is exceedingly rare, and there are only 12 reported cases of spinal epidural CAs in the English literature. Herein, the authors report the 13th case of purely spinal epidural CAs, and the clinical characteristics, histopathological features, and treatment were also investigated.