Exploring machine learning applications in Meningioma Research (2004-2023).

Objective: This study aims to examine the trends in machine learning application to meningiomas between 2004 and 2023. Methods: Publication data were extracted from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) within the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). Using CiteSpace 6.2.R6, a comprehensive analysis of publications, authors, cited authors, countries, institutions, cited journals, references, and keywords was conducted on December 1, 2023. Results: The analysis included a total of 342 articles. Prior to 2007, no publications existed in this field, and the number remained modest until 2017. A significant increase occurred in publications from 2018 onwards. The majority of the top 10 authors hailed from Germany and China, with the USA also exerting substantial international influence, particularly in academic institutions. Journals from the IEEE series contributed significantly to the publications. "Deep learning," "brain tumor," and "classification" emerged as the primary keywords of focus among researchers. The developmental pattern in this field primarily involved a combination of interdisciplinary integration and the refinement of major disciplinary branches. Conclusion: Machine learning has demonstrated significant value in predicting early meningiomas and tailoring treatment plans. Key research focuses involve optimizing detection indicators and selecting superior machine learning algorithms. Future efforts should aim to develop high-performance algorithms to drive further innovation in this field.

Myeloidcells in the immunosuppressive microenvironment in glioblastoma: The characteristics and therapeutic strategies.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal malignant tumor of the central nervous system in adults. Conventional therapies, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have limited success in ameliorating patient survival. The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which is infiltrated by a variety of myeloid cells, has been considered a crucial obstacle to current treatment. Recently, immunotherapy, which has achieved great success in hematological malignancies and some solid cancers, has garnered extensive attention for the treatment of GBM. In this review, we will present evidence on the features and functions of different populations of myeloid cells, and on current clinical advances in immunotherapies for glioblastoma.

The clinical characteristics and prognostic value of IGFBP6 in glioma.

BACKGROUND: Glioma is the most common intrinsic tumor in central nervous system and is characterized by their diffuse infiltration of the brain tissue. Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-6 (IGFBP6) was associated with the insulin-like growth factor binding and insulin-like growth factor II binding processes in many cancers. Herein, we aimed to investigate the biological functions and clinical features of IGFBP6 in gliomas. METHODS: Totally, we collected 325 RNA sequencing data from CGGA dataset as training cohort, and 969 RNA sequencing data from TCGA dataset as validation cohort. The clinical and molecular characteristics analysis and gene ontology analysis of IGFBP6 were performed. All analyses and graphs were produced based on R language. RESULTS: We found that IGFBP6 expression was significantly upregulated in GBM patients and downregulated in IDH mutant patients. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that IGFBP6 could be used as a biomarker to predict TCGA mesenchymal subtype. GO analysis revealed that IGFBP6 was correlated with immunological functions and inflammation activities. Meanwhile, higher expression of IGFBP6 suggested significant relationship with worse prognosis in glioma patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings improved the understanding of IGFBP6 in glioma, and IGFBP6 might be a potential therapeutic target for glioma patients in future clinical trials.

The Innate and Adaptive Immune Cells in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). Increasing evidence supports the view that dysfunction of innate immune cells initiated by accumulated and misfolded proteins plays essential roles in the pathogenesis and progression of these diseases. The TLR family was found to be involved in the regulation of microglial function in the pathogenesis and progression of AD or PD, making it as double-edged sword in these diseases. Altered function of peripheral innate immune cells was found in AD and PD and thus contributed to the development and progression of AD and PD. Alteration of different subsets of T cells was found in the peripheral blood and CNS in AD and PD. The CNS-infiltrating T cells can exert both neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects in the pathogenesis and progression. Here, we review recent evidences for the roles of innate and adaptive immune cells in the pathogenesis and progression of AD and PD.

MiR-9-5p Inhibits the MMP+-Induced Neuron Apoptosis through Regulating SCRIB/ß-Catenin Signaling in Parkinson's Disease.

The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease remains unclear that there is no cure for Parkinson's disease yet. The abnormal expressions of certain miRNA are closely related to the occurrence and progression of Parkinson's disease. Here, we demonstrate that miR-9-5p inhibits the dopaminergic neuron apoptosis via the regulation of ß-catenin signaling which directly targets SCRIB, a tumor suppressor gene. Besides, miR-9-5p improved the motor function of mice with Parkinson's disease. The results of this study suggest that miR-9-5p might be a potential therapeutic target against Parkinson's disease.

Neonatal Cri du chat syndrome with atypical facial appearance: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Cri du chat syndrome (CdCS), also known as 5p deletion syndrome (5p-) is a syndrome caused by partial deletion of the 5p chromosome in human beings. The incidence accounts for 1/50000 and the cause of CdCS is related to partial deletion of chromosome 5 short arm (p). CdCS is a sporadic event. Only one case of CdCS was detected by chromosome screening in 125 and 170 pregnant Iranian women[1]. The most prominent clinical manifestations of CdCS are typical high-pitched cat calls, severe mental retardation or mental retardation and is most harmful to both language and growth retardation[2]. CdCS is a chromosome mutation disease which occurs during embryonic development and the symptoms of some cases are extremely atypical. It is difficult to make an early diagnosis and screening in clinic. We can suspect the disease from its atypical manifestations in the weak crying of cats, and chromosome karyotype analysis can find some questionable gene deletion fragments to assist the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of CdCS. CASE SUMMARY: A 2-d-old male child who was admitted to our hospital with a poor postnatal reaction and poor milk intake. The baby's crying and sucking is weak, reaction and feeding time is poor and the baby has nausea and vomiting. Karyotype analysis showed that the chromosomes were 46, XY, deletion (5) p15. Whole genome microarray analysis (named ISCN2013) showed that the chromosomes of the child were male karyotypes and contained three chromosomal abnormalities. Among them, loss of 5p15.2pter (113576-13464559) was associated with cat call syndrome. After 3 mo of follow-up, the child still vomited repeatedly, had poor milk intake, did not return to normal growth, had developmental retardation and a poor directional response. CONCLUSION: Therefore, when cat crying and laryngeal sounds occur in the neonatal period, it should be considered that they are related to CdCS. Chromosome karyotype and genome analysis are helpful for the diagnosis of CdCS.

A facile method for anti-cancer drug encapsulation into polymersomes with a core-satellite structure.

Polymersomes possess the self-assembly vesicular structure similar to liposomes. Although a variety of comparisons between polymersomes and liposomes in the aspects of physical properties, preparation and applications have been elaborated in many studies, few focus on their differences in drug encapsulation, delivery and release in vitro and in vivo. In the present work, we have provided a modified direct hydration method to encapsulate anti-cancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) into PEG-b-PCL constituted polymersomes (PTX@PS). In addition to advantages including narrow particle size distribution, high colloid stability and moderate drug-loading efficiency, we find that the loaded drug aggregate in small clusters and reside through the polymersome membrane, representing a unique core-satellite structure which might facilitate the sustained drug release. Compared with commercial liposomal PTX formulation (Lipusu®), PTX@PS exhibited superb tumor cell killing ability underlain by multiple pro-apoptotic mechanisms. Moreover, endocytic process of PTX@PS significantly inhibits drug transporter P-gp expression which could be largely activated by free drug diffusion. In glioma mice models, it has also confirmed that PTX@PS remarkably eradicate tumors, which renders polymersomes as a promising alternative to liposomes as drug carriers in clinic.

Predictive effects of admission white blood cell counts and hounsfield unit values on delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: Neuroinflammatory response is deemed the primary pathogenesis of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) caused by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Both white blood cell (WBC) count and Hounsfield Unit (HU) are gradually considered can reflect inflammation in DCI. This study aims to identify the relationship between WBC count and HU value and investigate the effects of both indicators in predicting DCI after aSAH. METHODS: We enrolled 109 patients with aSAH admitted within 24 h of onset in our study. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the admission WBC count, HU value, and combined WBC-HU associated with DCI. The receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to determine thresholds and detect the predictive ability of these predictors. These indicators were also compared with the established inflammation markers. RESULTS: Thirty-six (33%) patients developed DCI. Both WBC count and HU value were strongly associated with the admission glucose level (ρ = .303, p = .001; ρ = .273, p = .004), World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade (ρ = .452, p < .001; ρ = .578; p < .001), Hunt-Hess grade (ρ = .450, p < .001; ρ = .510, p < .001), and modified Fisher scale score (ρ = .357, p < .001; ρ = .330, p < .001). After controlling these public variables, WBC count (ρ = .300, p = .002) positively correlated with HU value. An early elevated WBC (odds ratio [OR] 1.449, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.183-1.774, p < .001) count and HU value (OR 1.304, 95%CI: 1.149-1.479, p < .001) could independently predict the occurrence of DCI. However, only these patients with both WBC count and HU value exceeding the cut-off points (OR 36.89, 95%CI: 5.606-242.78, p < .001) were strongly correlated with DCI. Compared with a single WBC count (AUC 0.811, 95%CI: 0.729-0.892, p < .001) or HU value (AUC 0.869, 95%CI: 0.803-0.936, p < .001), the combined WBC-HU (AUC 0.898, 95%CI: 0.839-0.957, p < .001) demonstrated a better ability to predict the occurrence of DCI. Inspiringly, the prediction performance of these indicators outperformed the established inflammatory markers. CONCLUSION: An early elevated WBC count and HU value could independently predict DCI occurrence between 4 and 30 days after aSAH. Furthermore, WBC count was positively correlated with HU value, and the combined WBC-HU demonstrated a superior prediction ability for DCI development compared with the individual indicator.

Current Immunotherapies for Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant tumor found in the central nervous system. Currently, standard treatments in the clinic include maximal safe surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy and are mostly limited by low therapeutic efficiency correlated with poor prognosis. Immunotherapy, which predominantly focuses on peptide vaccines, dendritic cell vaccines, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, checkpoint inhibitor therapy, and oncolytic virotherapy, have achieved some promising results in both preclinical and clinical trials. The future of immune therapy for GBM requires an integrated effort with rational combinations of vaccine therapy, cell therapy, and radio- and chemotherapy as well as molecule therapy targeting the tumor microenvironment.

An Immune-Related Signature for Predicting the Prognosis of Lower-Grade Gliomas.

Background: Lower-grade gliomas (LGGs) have more favorable outcomes than glioblastomas; however, LGGs often progress to process glioblastomas within a few years. Numerous studies have proven that the tumor microenvironment (TME) is correlated with the prognosis of glioma. Methods: LGG RNA-Sequencing (RNA-seq) data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) were extracted and then divided into training and testing cohorts, respectively. Immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened to establish a prognostic signature by a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. The immune-related risk score and clinical information, such as age, sex, World Health Organization (WHO) grade, and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation, were used to independently validate and develop a prognostic nomogram. GO and KEGG pathway analyses to DEGs between immune-related high-risk and low-risk groups were performed. Results: Sixteen immune-related genes were screened for establishing a prognostic signature. The risk score had a negative correlation with prognosis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.941. The risk score, age, grade, and IDH1 mutation were identified as independent prognostic factors in patients with LGGs. The hazard ratios (HRs) of the high-risk score were 5.247 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.060-8.996] in the multivariate analysis. A prognostic nomogram of 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival was established and validated internally and externally. Go and KEGG pathway analyses implied that immune-related biological function and pathways were involved in the TME. Conclusion: The immune-related prognostic signature and the prognostic nomogram could accurately predict survival.

PD-L1-Mediated Immunosuppression in Glioblastoma Is Associated With the Infiltration and M2-Polarization of Tumor-Associated Macrophages.

There has been no significant improvements for immune checkpoint inhibitors since its first use. Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are critical mediators in the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, contributing to the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. This study aims to investigate the potential role of PD-L1 in regulating TAMs in glioblastoma. Gene expression data and clinical information of glioma patients were collected from TCGA (n = 614) and CGGA (n = 325) databases. Differentially expressed genes between PD-L1high and PD-L1low groups were identified and subjected to bioinformatical analysis. We found that PD-L1 was frequently expressed in gliomas with a grade-dependent pattern. Higher PD-L1 expression predicted shorter overall survival. Moreover, PD-L1 was positively correlated with immunosuppressive cells (macrophage, neutrophil and immature DC) and negatively correlated with cytocidal immune cells (CD8+ T cell and Th1). Importantly, PD-L1 high expression was significantly correlated with M2-polarization of macrophages (M2-TAMs). We conclude that PD-L1 is an unfavourable prognostic marker for patients with glioblastoma; PD-L1-mediated immunosuppression may attribute to the infiltration and M2-polarization of TAMs.

Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for brain tumor detection: clinical roles and current progress.

Brain tumors include those that originate within the brain (primary tumors) as well as those that arise from other cancers (metastatic tumors). The fragile nature of the brain poses a major challenge to access focal malignancies, which certainly limits both diagnostics and therapeutic approaches. This limitation has been alleviated with the advent of liquid biopsy technologies. Liquid biopsy represents a highly convenient, fast and non-invasive method, which allows multiple sampling and dynamic pathological detection. Biomarkers derived from liquid biopsies can promptly reflect changes on the gene expression profiling of tumors. Biomarkers derived from tumor cells contain abundant genetic information, which may provide a strong basis for the diagnosis and the individualized treatment of brain tumor patients. A series of body fluids can be assessed for liquid biopsy, including peripheral blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), urine or saliva. Interestingly, the sensitivity and specificity of biomarkers from the CSF of patients with brain tumors is typically higher than those detected in the peripheral blood and other sources. Hence, here we describe and properly discuss the clinical roles of distinct classes of CSF biomarkers, isolated from patients with brain tumors, such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), microRNA (miRNA), proteins, and extracellular vesicles (EVs).