The Use of Identified Hypoxia-related Genes to Generate Models for Predicting the Prognosis of Cerebral Ischemia‒reperfusion Injury and Developing Treatment Strategies.

Cerebral ischemia‒reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a type of secondary brain damage caused by reperfusion after ischemic stroke due to vascular obstruction. In this study, a CIRI diagnostic model was established by identifying hypoxia-related differentially expressed genes (HRDEGs) in patients with CIRI. The ischemia‒reperfusion injury (IRI)-related datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo ), and hypoxia-related genes in the Gene Cards database were identified. After the datasets were combined, hypoxia-related differentially expressed genes (HRDEGs) expressed in CIRI patients were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses of the HRDEGs were performed using online tools. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) were performed with the combined gene dataset. CIRI diagnostic models based on HRDEGs were constructed via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis and a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The efficacy of the 9 identified hub genes for CIRI diagnosis was evaluated via mRNA‒microRNA (miRNA) interaction, mRNA-RNA-binding protein (RBP) network interaction, immune cell infiltration, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. We then performed logistic regression analysis and constructed logistic regression models based on the expression of the 9 HRDEGs. We next established a nomogram and calibrated the prediction data. Finally, the clinical utility of the constructed logistic regression model was evaluated via decision curve analysis (DCA). This study revealed 9 critical genes with high diagnostic value, offering new insights into the diagnosis and selection of therapeutic targets for patients with CIRI. : Not applicable.

Novel analysis of functional relationship linking moyamoya disease to moyamoya syndrome.

Objective: The aim of this study was to elucidate the genetic pathways associated with Moyamoya disease (MMD) and Moyamoya syndrome (MMS), compare the functional activities, and validate relevant related genes in an independent dataset. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search for genetic studies on MMD and MMS across multiple databases and identified related genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichments analyses were performed for these genes. Commonly shared genes were selected for further validation in the independent dataset, GSE189993. The Sangerbox platform was used to perform statistical analysis and visualize the results. P＜0.05 indicated a statistically significant result. Results: We included 52 MMD and 51 MMS-related publications and identified 126 and 51 relevant genes, respectively. GO analysis for MMD showed significant enrichment in cytokine activity, cell membrane receptors, enzyme binding, and immune activity. A broader range of terms was enriched for MMS. KEGG pathway analysis for MMD highlighted immune and cellular activities and pathways related to MMS prominently featured inflammation and metabolic disorders. Notably, nine overlapping genes were identified and validated. The expressions of RNF213, PTPN11, and MTHFR demonstrated significant differences in GSE189993. A combined receiver operating characteristic curve showed high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.918). Conclusions: The findings indicate a close relationship of MMD with immune activity and MMS with inflammation, metabolic processes and other environmental factors in a given genetic background. Differentiating between MMD and MMS can enhance the understanding of their pathophysiology and inform the strategies for their diagnoses and treatment.

Multimodal evaluation of the bloodstream alteration before and after combined revascularization for Moyamoya disease.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the hemodynamic changes before and after anastomosis in patients with Moyamoya disease (MMD) using multiple models. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 42 MMD patients who underwent combined revascularization. Intraoperative FLOW800 was performed before and after anastomosis, and parameters was collected, including maximum intensity, delay time, rise time, slope, blood flow index, and microvascular transit time (MVTT). Additionally, preoperative and postoperative hemodynamic parameters were measured using color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS), including peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity, resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and flow volume. Subsequently, the correlation between FLOW800 and CDUS parameters was explored. Results: A total of 42 participants took part with an average age of 46.5 years, consisting of 19 men and 23 women. The analysis of FLOW800 indicated that both the delay time and rise time experienced a substantial decrease in both the recipient artery and vein. Additionally, the MVTT was found to be significantly reduced after the surgery (5.7 ± 2.2 s vs. 4.9 ± 1.6, p = 0.021). However, no statistically significant differences were observed among the other parameters. Similarly, all postoperative parameters in CDUS hemodynamics exhibited significant alterations in comparison to the preoperative values. The correlation analysis between FLOW800 and CDUS parameters indicated a significant association between MVTT and RI and PI, no significant relationships were found among the other parameters in the two groups. Conclusion: The hemodynamic outcomes of the donor and recipient arteries demonstrated significant changes following bypass surgery. The parameter of time appears to be more precise and sensitive in assessing hemodynamics using FLOW800. Multiple evaluations of hemodynamics could offer substantial evidence for perioperative management.

Bioinformatics analysis reveals the landscape of immune cell infiltration and novel immune-related biomarkers in moyamoya disease.

Objective: This study aimed to identify immune infiltration characteristics and new immunological diagnostic biomarkers in the cerebrovascular tissue of moyamoya disease (MMD) using bioinformatics analysis. Methods: GSE189993 and GSE141022 were downloaded from the GEO database. Differentially expressed gene and PPI analysis were performed. After performing WGCNA, the most significant module associated with MMD was obtained. Next, functional pathways according to GSEA, GO, and KEGG were enriched for the aforementioned core genes obtained from PPI and WGCNA. Additionally, immune infiltration, using the CIBERSORT deconvolution algorithm, immune-related biomarkers, and the relationship between these genes, was further explored. Finally, diagnostic accuracy was verified with ROC curves in the validation dataset GSE157628. Results: A total of 348 DEGs were screened, including 89 downregulated and 259 upregulated genes. The thistlel module was detected as the most significant module associated with MMD. Functional analysis of the core genes was chiefly involved in the immune response, immune system process, protein tyrosine kinase activity, secretory granule, and so on. Among 13 immune-related overlapping genes, 4 genes (BTK, FGR, PTPN11, and SYK) were identified as potential diagnostic biomarkers, where PTPN11 showed the highest specificity and sensitivity. Meanwhile, a higher proportion of eosinophils, not T cells or B cells, was demonstrated in the specific immune infiltration landscape of MMD. Conclusion: Immune activities and immune cells were actively involved in the progression of MMD. BTK, FGR, PTPN11, and SYK were identified as potential immune diagnostic biomarkers. These immune-related genes and cells may provide novel insights for immunotherapy in the future.

Hemodynamic changes of donor artery after combined revascularization in adult Moyamoya disease.

To explore the hemodynamic changes of the superficial temporal artery in adult Moyamoya Disease (MMD) who underwent combined revascularization surgery. A number of 40 patients with MMD were enrolled, and all of them underwent a direct superficial temporal artery (STA)-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass combined with an encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis (EDAS). Hemodynamic parameters were detected by Color Doppler Ultrasonography (CDUS) at the preoperative, perioperative and follow-up time, including peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistance index (RI). The control group were selected randomly during the same period. Researchers applied the SPSS 21 to conduct the two-sample analysis, Chi-Squared test and one-way repeated measures ANOVA between groups. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. In this study, 21 males and 19 females with an average age of 44.9 years (Range 28 y-56 y) were enrolled in the MMD group. Among them, 21 patients (52.5%) had perioperative complications, and all symptoms were transient neurological dysfunctions. Intermittent speech disorder was the most common complication during the period of operation. The preoperative hemodynamic of STA showed no significant difference between MMD and the control group. The perioperative hemodynamics had significant carnages compared with preoperative, and there was a trend of fluctuation. The perioperative PSV in the group with complications was significantly higher than the group without complications, except for EDV and RI. In the follow-up ( X ¯ = 5 months), PSV (60.21 ± 22.24 cm/s, P = 0.712) showed no difference compared with baseline data, while EDV (25.12 ± 9.94 cm/s, P = 0.000) and RI (0.575 ± 0.092, P = 0.000) showed significant difference between MMD and control group. The blood flow spectrogram showed high resistance in preoperative, but most patients showed a low resistance pattern during the follow-up time. It was the first time to demonstrate that the hemodynamic changes of STA fluctuated significantly within one week and eventually remained stable after combined revascularization. The PSV may play a more important role in postoperative complications. In the follow-up, PSV had no significant difference, EDV increased significantly, and RI decreased significantly. The blood flow spectrogram mainly shows a low resistance pattern when the hemodynamic is stable.

Highly Enhancing the Interfacial and Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber/Poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile ketone) Composite by Thermoplastic Sizing Agents with Different Structures.

The interfacial modification of basalt-fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) composites is an essential research field and many techniques have been developed to improve the adhesion between basalt fiber (BF) and the matrix. However, most studies were based on the matrixes of general plastics and epoxy resins. In this work, five different chain structures of thermoplastic sizing agents were used to improve the interfacial properties of unidirectional BF-reinforced soluble and high-temperature-resistant poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile ketone) (BF/PPENK) composites. DMA results showed that the poly(ether nitrile) (PEN)-sized BF/PPENK (BF-PEN/PPENK) composite exhibited the optimal interfacial performance, with a storage modulus (E') and glass transition temperature (Tg) up to 50 GPa and 288 °C, respectively. Moreover, the tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength, and interlaminar shear strength of the BF-PEN/PPENK composite reached 778 MPa, 600 MPa, 1115 MPa and 57 MPa, respectively, and increased by 42%, 49%, 20% and 30% compared with the desized BF/PPENK composite. This study provides some suggestions for the design of sizing agents to modify the interface of BF and high-performance thermoplastic resin.

Isolation and Characterization of a Biosurfactant Producing Strain Planococcus sp. XW-1 from the Cold Marine Environment.

One cold-adapted strain, named Planococcus sp. XW-1, was isolated from the Yellow Sea. The strain can produce biosurfactant with petroleum as sole source of carbon at low temperature (4 °C). The biosurfactant was identified as glycolipid-type biosurfactant species by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It reduced the surface tension of water to 26.8 mN/m with a critical micelle concentration measurement of 60 mg/L. The produced biosurfactant possesses high surface activity at wide ranges of temperature (-18-105 °C), pH values (2-12), and salt concentrations (1-18%). The biosurfactant exhibited higher surface activity and higher growth rate of cells with hexadecane and diesel as carbon source. The strain Planococcus sp. XW-1 was also effective in degrading crude oil, after 21 days of growth at 4 °C in medium with 1% crude oil and 1% (v/v) bacteria broth, 54% of crude oil was degraded. The results suggest that Planococcus sp. XW-1 is a promising candidate for use in the bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated seawater in the Yellow Sea during winter. This study reported for the first time that Planococcus isolated from the Yellow Sea can produce biosurfactant using petroleum as the sole carbon source at low temperature (4 °C), showing its ecological role in the remediation of marine petroleum pollution.