Case report of epileptic seizure during awake craniotomy of functional area glioma and literature study.

Intraoperative seizure is the most prevalent and serious complication of awake craniotomy in functional areas, which may not only trigger complications of the surgical procedure or even the failure of awake craniotomy but also may result in adverse consequences to patients. The influencing factors of intraoperative seizures are unclear, and only the possible influencing factors can be acquired from the examination and summary of existing cases to offer guidance for the seizure prevention of intraoperative epilepsy.

Comprehensive study of altered proteomic landscape in proximal renal tubular epithelial cells in response to calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals.

BACKGROUND: Calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM), the major crystalline composition of most kidney stones, induces inflammatory infiltration and injures in renal tubular cells. However, the mechanism of COM-induced toxic effects in renal tubular cells remain ambiguous. The present study aimed to investigate the potential changes in proteomic landscape of proximal renal tubular cells in response to the stimulation of COM crystals. METHODS: Clinical kidney stone samples were collected and characterized by a stone component analyzer. Three COM-enriched samples were applied to treat human proximal tubular epithelial cells HK-2. The proteomic landscape of COM-crystal treated HK-2 cells was screened by TMT-labeled quantitative proteomics analysis. The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified by pair-wise analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of DEPs were performed. Protein interaction networks were identified by STRING database. RESULTS: The data of TMT-labeled quantitative proteomic analysis showed that a total of 1141 proteins were differentially expressed in HK-2 cells, of which 699 were up-regulated and 442 were down-regulated. Functional characterization by KEGG, along with GO enrichments, suggests that the DEPs are mainly involved in cellular components and cellular processes, including regulation of actin cytoskeleton, tight junction and focal adhesion. 3 high-degree hub nodes, CFL1, ACTN and MYH9 were identified by STRING analysis. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that calcium oxalate crystal has a significant effect on protein expression profile in human proximal renal tubular epithelial cells.

ATM-CHK2-Beclin 1 axis promotes autophagy to maintain ROS homeostasis under oxidative stress.

The homeostatic link between oxidative stress and autophagy plays an important role in cellular responses to a wide variety of physiological and pathological conditions. However, the regulatory pathway and outcomes remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that reactive oxygen species (ROS) function as signaling molecules that regulate autophagy through ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and cell cycle checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2), a DNA damage response (DDR) pathway activated during metabolic and hypoxic stress. We report that CHK2 binds to and phosphorylates Beclin 1 at Ser90/Ser93, thereby impairing Beclin 1-Bcl-2 autophagy-regulatory complex formation in a ROS-dependent fashion. We further demonstrate that CHK2-mediated autophagy has an unexpected role in reducing ROS levels via the removal of damaged mitochondria, which is required for cell survival under stress conditions. Finally, CHK2-/- mice display aggravated infarct phenotypes and reduced Beclin 1 p-Ser90/Ser93 in a cerebral stroke model, suggesting an in vivo role of CHK2-induced autophagy in cell survival. Taken together, these results indicate that the ROS-ATM-CHK2-Beclin 1-autophagy axis serves as a physiological adaptation pathway that protects cells exposed to pathological conditions from stress-induced tissue damage.

Analyses of long non-coding RNA and mRNA profiling using RNA sequencing in calcium oxalate monohydrate-stimulated renal tubular epithelial cells.

To study the expression profiles of lncRNA and mRNA in the calcium oxalate monohydrate-attached HK-2 cells, and investigate the association between critical lncRNA expression level and renal injury. The HK-2 cells were treated with crystal suspension of calcium oxalate. The effects of calcium oxalate crystals on the growth of HK-2 cells were determined by MTT assay. Total RNA was extracted and the lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles were analyzed by high-throughput transcriptase sequencing platform HiSeq 2500. The profile of identified lncRNAs and mRNAs were verified by real-time PCR and their potential function was analyzed by Gene Ontology database and KEGG signal pathway analysis. Calcium oxalate crystals adhered to the surface of HK-2 cells in few minutes and showed obvious cytotoxicity. RNA seq results showed that there were 25 differentially expressed lncRNAs in HK-2 cells treated with calcium oxalate crystals, of which 9 were up-regulated and 16 were down-regulated. The difference was verified by real-time PCR which showed statistically significant (P < 0.05). Calcium oxalate crystals have a significant effect on lncRNA and mRNA expression in human renal epithelial cells, which may play critical roles in kidney stone-mediated renal injury.

Genetic Analysis and QTL Mapping of Fruit Peduncle Length in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Mechanized harvesting of cucumbers offers significant advantages compared to manual labor as both shortages and costs of labor increase. However the efficient use of machines depends on breeding plants with longer peduncles, but the genetic and molecular basis of fruit peduncle development in cucumber is not well understood. In this study, F2 populations were developed from a cross between two inbred lines, 1101 with a long peduncle and 1694 with a short peduncle. These were grown at two field sites, Hainan, with a tropical marine climate, in December 2014, and Beijing, with a warm temperate climate, in May 2015. Electron microscope examination of the pith cells in the peduncles of the two parental lines showed that line 1101 had significantly greater numbers of smaller cells compared to line 1694. The inheritance of cucumber fruit peduncle length (FPL) was investigated by the mixed major gene and polygene inheritance model. Genetic analysis indicated that FPL in cucumber is quantitatively inherited and controlled by one additive major gene and additive-dominant polygenes (D-2 model). A total of 1460 pairs of SSR (simple sequence repeat) primers were analyzed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Two similar genetic maps with 78 SSR markers which covered 720.6 cM in seven linkage groups were constructed based on two F2 populations. QTL analysis from the data collected at the two field sites showed that there are two minor QTLs on chromosome 1, named qfpl1.1 and qfpl1.2, and one major QTL on chromosome 6, named qfpl6.1. The marker UW021226, which was the closest one to qfpl6.1, had an accuracy rate of 79.0% when tested against plants selected from populations of the two parents. The results from this study provide insights into the inheritance and molecular mechanism of the variation of FPL in cucumber, and further research will be carried out to fine map qfpl6.1 to develop more accurate markers for MAS breeding.

A New Glabrous Gene (csgl3) Identified in Trichome Development in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Spines or trichomes on the fruit of cucumbers enhance their commercial value in China. In addition, glabrous mutants exhibit resistance to aphids and therefore their use by growers can reduce pesticide residues. Previous studies have reported two glabrous mutant plants containing the genes, csgl1 and csgl2. In the present study, a new glabrous mutant, NCG157, was identified showing a gene interaction effect with csgl1 and csgl2. This mutant showed the glabrous character on stems, leaves, tendrils, receptacles and ovaries, and there were no spines or tumors on the fruit surface. Inheritance analysis showed that a single recessive gene, named csgl3, determined the glabrous trait. An F2 population derived from the cross of two inbred lines 9930 (a fresh market type from Northern China that exhibits trichomes) and NCG157 (an American processing type with glabrous surfaces) was used for genetic mapping of the csgl3 gene. By combining bulked segregant analysis (BAS) with molecular markers, 18 markers, including two simple sequence repeats (SSR), nine insertion deletions (InDel) and seven derived cleaved amplified polymorphism sequences (dCAPs), were identified to link to the csgl3 gene. All of the linked markers were used as anchor loci to locate the csgl3 gene on cucumber chromosome 6. The csgl3 gene was mapped between the dCAPs markers dCAPs-21 and dCAPs-19, at genetic distances of 0.05 cM and 0.15 cM, respectively. The physical distance of this region was 19.6 kb. Three markers, InDel-19, dCAPs-2 and dCAPs-11, co-segregated with csgl3. There were two candidate genes in the region, Csa6M514860 and Csa6M514870. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the expression of Csa6M514870 was higher in the tissues of 9930 than that of NCG157, and this was consistent with their phenotypic characters. Csa6M514870 is therefore postulated to be the candidate gene for the development of trichomes in cucumber. This study will facilitate marker-assisted selection (MAS) of the smooth plant trait in cucumber breeding and provide for future cloning of csgl3.

Fomentarols A-D, sterols from the polypore macrofungus Fomes fomentarius.

Four (1-4) hitherto unknown and seven (5-11) known ergostane-type sterols were isolated from the EtOH extract of the dried fruiting bodies of the polypore macrofungus Fomes fomentarius. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis, the structures of polyhydroxylated sterols 1-4 were elucidated to be (22E,24R)-3ß,5α,6ß,14α-tetrahydroxyergosta-7,9(11),22-triene (fomentarol A, 1), (22E,24R)-3ß,5ß,6α,7α-tetrahydroxy-8α,9α-dihydroergosta-14,22-diene (fomentarol B, 2), (22E,24R)-3ß,5α-dihydroxy-6ß-ethoxyergosta-7,22-diene (fomentarol C, 3), and (22E,24S)-3ß,25-dihydroxy-15α-O-ß-D-glucopyranosylergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (fomentarol D, 4), respectively. Rings A/B and B/C are in turn cis-fused in compound 2, which is uncommon in natural ergostane-type sterols. The potential biogenetic relationship of 2 and other ergostane-type sterols isolated from F. fomentarius was briefly discussed. Moderate cytotoxic effects of the isolated sterols against a small panel of human cancer cell lines were also established.

Immature CD4⁺ dendritic cells conditioned with donor kidney antigen prolong renal allograft survival in rats.

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic transplant rejection is currently a major problem encountered during organ transplantation. The dendritic cell (DC) is the most effective powerful known professional antigen-presenting cell, and recent studies have found that DCs can also induce immune tolerance, and avoid or reduce the degree of transplant rejection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of transfused immature CD4(+) DCs on renal allografts in the rat model. METHODS: In this study, we induced CD4(+) immature DCs from rat bone marrow cells by a cytokine cocktail. The immature CD4(+) DCs were identified by morphological analysis and then the suppressive activity of these cells conditioned with donor kidney antigen was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Immature CD4(+) DCs conditioned with donor kidney antigen possessed immunosuppressive activity in vitro and they were able to prolong renal transplant survival in an allograft rat model in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides new information on efficacious renal transplantation, which might be useful for understanding the function of immature CD4(+) DCs in modulating renal transplant rejection and improving clinical outcome in future studies.

Triterpenoids and steroids from the fruits of Melia toosendan and their cytotoxic effects on two human cancer cell lines.

Ten new triterpenoids, named meliasenins I-R (1-10), one new steroid (11), and 11 related known compounds (12-22) were isolated from fruits of Melia toosendan. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic methods, including 2D NMR techniques and mass spectrometry. The relative configuration of 1, (20R*,23E)-25-hydroperoxyeupha-7,23-diene-3ß,16ß-diol (meliasenin I), was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All isolated triterpenoids (1-10, 12-15) and two steroids (11, 20) were tested for their cytotoxicity against U20S human osteosarcoma and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells using the MTT assay, and some of them were significantly cytotoxic (IC(50) <10 µg/mL). The insecticidal properties of compounds 1-15 and 20 were also briefly evaluated.