[Clinical evaluation methods for craniovertebral junction abnormalities].

Craniovertebral junction malformation is a congenital malformation located in the foramen magnum and upper cervical spine, including bone and nerve malformation, resulting in motor and sensory disorders, cerebellar and lower cranial nerves, etc. The evaluation methods of clinical symptoms and efficacy of craniovertebral junction malformation are important for the surgical indications and effects, mainly including the evaluation of clinical symptoms and the quality of life. At present, the commonly used methods in clinical work and literature are the Japanese orthopaedic association scores, visual analogue scales, 36-item short-form health survey, etc. Most of these clinical evaluations are not aimed at craniovertebral junction diseases but focus on the description of a certain type of clinical symptoms. Chicago Chiari outcome scale and syringomyelia outcome scale of Xuanwu hospital are dedicated to Craniovertebral junction malformation, but more clinical studies are needed to prove their effectiveness. Based on the literature reports, this article reviewed the previous clinical evaluation methods of craniovertebral junction malformation and discusses their applications and limitations.

[The measurement and application of imaging evaluation parameters for cranio-cervical junction osseous and neural abnormalities:a review].

Cranio-cervical junction (CVJ) anomalies encompass a spectrum of bone,soft tissue,and neural structural abnormalities,including basilar invagination,platybasia,atlantoaxial dislocation,tonsillar herniation,and occipito-cervical fusion.Given the frequent coexistence of these anomalies and the intricate anatomical variations involved,precise imaging techniques and evaluation parameters are crucial for accurate disease characterization and treatment assessment.Since the 1930s,various parameters,such as the McRae line,Chamberlain line,Wackenheim line,and clivo-axial angle,have been widely employed for evaluating basilar invagination and platybasia.The advent of MRI and CT has further expanded the repertoire of parameters,including sagittal tilt,coronal tilt,medullary spinal angle,and intricate multi-axis evaluation systems.In this review,we summarize the relevant imaging parameters and their corresponding measurement techniques from previous literature,emphasizing high-sensitivity,consistent,and evidence-based parameters.This study aims to provide valuable insights for the imaging evaluation of CVJ anomalies.

Transcriptome analysis of sheep follicular development during prerecruitment, dominant, and mature stages after FSH superstimulation.

Sheep is usually a monovular animal; superovulation technology is used to increase the number of offspring per individual and shorten generation intervals. To date, mature FSH superstimulatory treatments have been successfully used in sheep breeding, but much remains unknown about genes, pathways, and biological functions involved in follicular development. Therefore, in this study, we performed transcriptome profiling of small follicles (SFs; 2-2.5 mm), medium follicles (MFs; 3.5-4.5 mm), and large follicles (LFs; > 6 mm) in Mongolian ewes after FSH superstimulation. Furthermore, we identified differentially expressed genes and performed Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and Gene Ontology enrichment analyses in 3 separate pairwise comparisons. We found that ovarian steroidogenesis was significantly enriched in the SFs versus MFs analysis; the associated genes, cytochrome P450 family 19 (CYP19) and Hydroxy-delta-5-steroid dehydrogenase 3 beta- and steroid delta-isomerase 1 (HSD3B1), were significantly upregulated. Moreover, proline metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and PPAR signaling pathways were significantly enriched in the LFs versus SFs analysis; the associated genes, glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM) and cystathionine gamma-lyase (CTH), were significantly upregulated, whereas peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) was significantly downregulated. In summary, our study provides basic data and possible biological direction to further explore the molecular mechanism of sheep follicular development after FSH superstimulation.

A novel Notch ligand, Dll4, induces T-cell leukemia/lymphoma when overexpressed in mice by retroviral-mediated gene transfer.

Notch receptors mediate cell-fate decisions through interaction with specific ligands during development. The biological role of a novel Notch ligand, Dll4, in mice was explored by reconstituting lethally irradiated mice with bone marrow (BM) cells transduced with Dll4 retroviral vector. White blood cell and lymphocyte counts in Dll4-overexpressing mice were reduced at the early stage of reconstitution but increased significantly at approximately 10 weeks after BM transplantation. BM, spleen, lymph nodes, and peripheral blood of Dll4-overexpressing mice contained predominantly CD4(+)CD8(+) T cells and virtually lacked B cells. The Dll4-overexpressing mice eventually developed a lethal phenotype that was characterized by the progression of a T-cell lymphoproliferative disease (restricted to BM and lymphoid tissues) to transplantable monoclonal T-cell leukemia/lymphoma scattered to multiple organs. Results suggest that the interaction of Dll4 with Notch1 may provide key signals for T-cell development.