[Retracted] IQGAP1­siRNA inhibits proliferation and metastasis of U251 and U373 glioma cell lines.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that the GAPDH control western blotting data shown in Fig. 1C, and other western blotting data included in Figs. 2D and 7C and D, were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles written by different authors at different research institutes. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article were already under consideration for publication, or had already been published elsewhere, prior to its submission to Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 15: 2074­2082, 2017; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.6257].

The role of galectin-3 in the tumorigenesis and progression of pituitary tumors.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3), a ß-galactoside-binding protein, has been implicated in cell proliferation, cell adhesion, and the progression and metastasis of various types of cancer. The present study investigated the involvement of Gal-3 in the tumorigenesis and progression of pituitary tumors using three rat pituitary tumor cell lines. Following transfection with Gal-3 expression and interference vectors, the impact of Gal-3 on proliferation, apoptosis and migration of pituitary tumor cells was been investigated. Meanwhile, BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator (Bax), caspase-3 and matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) protein expression levels were analyzed by western blotting. The results of the present study revealed that Gal-3 expression in GH3 and GH4C1 cells was higher than in RC-4B/C cells. Furthermore, Gal-3 was demonstrated to promote the proliferation and migration of GH3 and GH4C1 cells, and inhibit cell apoptosis. Caspase-3 and MMP7 protein expression was also increased by Gal-3, while Bax expression was decreased. These results suggested that Gal-3 serves an important function in the tumorigenesis and development of pituitary tumors, and it may be a useful target for the treatment of pituitary tumors in the future.

Expression and functional analysis of TCF4 isoforms in human glioma cells.

Transcription factor 4 (TCF4) is a member of the T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) transcription factor family in the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway. The alternative splicing of TCF4 has been reported to exhibit potential carcinogenic properties in various cancer types. In the present study, TCF4 isoforms were cloned and identified in three human glioma cell lines, with the majority of splicing regions being exons 4, 5, 14, 15, and 16. Using MTT assays, it was demonstrated that the overexpression of TCF4 isoforms inhibits the proliferation of U251 cells. Flow cytometry and wound healing analyses revealed that the overexpression of TCF4 isoforms induced cell apoptosis and migration. Taken together, the ß­catenin binding domain of the TCF4 isoforms inhibited cell proliferation, and induced cell apoptosis and migration in glioma. Furthermore, all the isoforms identified contained the N­terminal part of TCF4 including the ß­catenin binding domain. This implied that a high expression of TCF4 isoforms may lead to Wnt/ß­catenin signal activation and potentially promote malignant glioma development.

Treatment strategies for traumatic cervico-cranial pseudoaneurysms: A single institution experience.

AIM: Limited clinical and angiographic data exists for patients with traumatic cervico-cerebral pseudoaneurysms. In this paper, we present our limited experience with various management strategies for traumatic cervico-cranial pseudoaneurysms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 37 consecutive cases of traumatic pseudoaneurysms involving the cervico-cranial or the cerebral arteries diagnosed at our center from September 2009 to December 2014. The demographic data, etiology, clinical presentation, lesion location, treatment modality, and follow-up outcomes of these patients were reviewed. Among these 37 patients, 5 patients were treated by surgery, while 29 patients were treated by the endovascular approach and 3 received conservative treatment. RESULTS: During the study period, 42 pseudoaneurysms were identified in 37 patients with a history of head or neck injury. Five patients underwent surgical exploration of the lesion with an uneventful postoperative course. Twenty-nine patients were treated by endovascular interventions with various embolization materials including coils, stents, detachable balloons, liquid embolic agents, and a combination of these agents. The angiographic follow-up imaging demonstrated complete exclusion of the aneurysm from the circulation with the patient being free from any additional neurological deficits. CONCLUSION: Proper selection of an appropriate approach is essential to address the management of traumatic cervico-cerebral pseudoaneurysms. The treatment of traumatic cervico-cerebral pseudoaneurysms should be selected according to the location and the clinical features of the pseudoaneurysms. The endovascular treatment is a safe and effective modality and should be the first-line choice for treatment of traumatic pseudoaneurysms.

IQGAP1­siRNA inhibits proliferation and metastasis of U251 and U373 glioma cell lines.

IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 1 (IQGAP1) is a scaffold protein, which is aberrantly expressed in several tumor types and is closely associated with the development, metastasis and prognosis of cancer. Several studies have demonstrated that IQGAP1 has broad prospects in the basic and clinical research of tumors. The present study aimed to explore the effects of IQGAP1­small interfering (si) NA on the proliferation and metastasis of U251 and U373 glioma cell lines, which markedly expressed IQGAP1. The human glioma cell lines (U251 and U373) were transfected with siRNA and transfection efficacy was confirmed by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT­qPCR) and western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was detected using the Cell Counting kit­8, and cell metastasis capabilities were detected using cell adhesion, migration and invasion assays. In addition, the expression levels of several tumor­associated genes were determined by RT­qPCR and western blotting. The results indicated that IQGAP1 was expressed at higher levels in glioma tissues compared with in normal brain tissues. IQGAP1­siRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation, and cell adhesion, migration and invasion. Furthermore, the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, Snail, MMP9, fibronectin 1 and Twist were suppressed, and E­cadherin was upregulated in response to siRNA­IQGAP1. The present study identified the function of IQGAP1 in glioma cell biology, and indicated that it may be considered a novel target for glioma treatment.

High Serum MiR-130a Levels Are Associated with Severe Perihematomal Edema and Predict Adverse Outcome in Acute ICH.

The development and/or progression of perihematomal edema (PHE) in patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) vary substantially with different individuals. Although hematoma volume is a useful indicator for predicting PHE, its predictive power was not good at the early stage of ICH. Better predictors are urgently needed. In this study, we found that miR-130a was elevated in the serum of ICH patients and was an independent indicator positively associated with PHE volume within the first 3 days after onset. The R (2) was further evaluated when it is used in combination with hematoma mass. Serum miR-130a levels were associated with clinical outcome (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores at day 14 and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at day 90) only in patients with deep hematoma. Moreover, miR-130a was significantly increased in rat serum and perihematomal tissues and was in line with the change in brain edema. MiR-130a inhibitors reduced brain edema, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, and increased neurological deficit scores, and miR-130a mimics increased monolayer permeability. Thrombin-stimulated brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) were a main source of miR-130a under ICH. In the experimental model, the elevated miR-130a level was accompanied by the decreased caveolin-1 and increased matrix metalloproleinase (MMP)-2/9. Meanwhile, caveolin-1 (cav-1) was reduced by miR-130a mimics, accompanied by an increase in MMP-2/9 expression. The upregulated MMP-2/9 was then downregulated by cavtratin, a cav-1 scaffolding domain peptide. This regulation mechanism was authenticated in a thrombin-induced cellular ICH model. Our results suggest that serum miR-130a may serve as a useful early biomarker for monitoring post-ICH PHE and predicting prognosis and may be helpful in the decision-making of individualized therapy.

Correlation between VEGFR2 rs2071559 polymorphism and glioma risk among Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2) polymorphism and glioma risk among Chinese population. METHOD: Case-control study design was adopted, and blood samples and clinical data of 250 glioma cases and 260 control subjects were collected. Epidemiological questionnaire survey was performed, and DNA extraction, concentration normalization and packaging were carried out using Qiagen Blood Kit. TaqMan method was performed for VEGFR2 rs2071559 genotyping. RESULTS: C allele of VEGFR2 rs2071559 genotype was the susceptibility allele contributing to the risk of glioma (OR=1.813, 95% CI: 1.393-2.359, P=0.014). CC genotypes of VEGFR2 rs2071559 were associated with increased risk of glioma (OR=2.068, 95% CI: 1.164-3.674, P=0.014; Adjusted OR=1.883, 95% CI: 1.430~3.013, P=0.018). CONCLUSION: CC genotypes of VEGFR2 rs2071559 were associated with glioma risk among Chinese population. However, the role of VEGFR2 rs2071559 polymorphism in glioma susceptibility remains to be further clarified.

Docosahexaenoic acid inhibits mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in diabetic rats by decreasing the excitability of DRG neurons.

Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease in human beings with characteristic symptoms of hyperglycemia, chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. One of the most common complications of early-onset diabetes mellitus is peripheral diabetic neuropathy, which is manifested either by loss of nociception or by allodynia and hyperalgesia. Dietary fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids, have been shown the potential of anti-inflammation and modulating neuron excitability. The present study investigated the effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the excitability of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes rats. The effects of DHA on the allodynia and hyperalgesia of diabetic rats were also evaluated. Dietary DHA supplementation effectively attenuated both allodynia and hyperalgesia induced by STZ injection. DHA supplementation decreased the excitability of DRG neurons by decreasing the sodium currents and increasing potassium currents, which may contribute to the effect of alleviating allodynia and hyperalgesia in diabetic rats. The results suggested that DHA might be useful as an adjuvant therapy for the prevention and treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy.

Blocking TRPV1 in nucleus accumbens inhibits persistent morphine conditioned place preference expression in rats.

The function of TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily, member 1) in the central nervous system is gradually elucidated. It has been recently proved to be expressed in nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region playing an essential role in mediating opioid craving and taking behaviors. Based on the general role of TRPV1 antagonist in blocking neural over-excitability by both pre- and post-synaptic mechanisms, TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine (CPZ) was tested for its ability to prohibit persistent opioid craving in rats. In the present study, we assessed the expression of TRPV1 in nucleus accumbens and investigated the effect of CPZ in bilateral nucleus accumbens on persistent morphine conditioned place preference (mCPP) in rats. We also evaluated the side-effect of CPZ on activity by comparing cross-beam times between groups. We found that morphine conditioned place preference increased the TRPV1 expression and CPZ attenuated morphine conditioned place preference in a dose-dependent and target-specific manner after both short- and long-term spontaneous withdrawal, reflected by the reduction of the increased time in morphine-paired side. CPZ (10 nM) could induce prolonged and stable inhibition of morphine conditioned place preference expression. More importantly, CPZ did not cause dysfunction of activity in the subjects tested, which indicates the inhibitory effect was not obtained at the sacrifice of regular movement. Collectively, these results indicated that injection of TRPV1 antagonist in nucleus accumbens is capable of attenuating persistent morphine conditioned place preference without affecting normal activity. Thus, TRPV1 antagonist is one of the promising therapeutic drugs for the treatment of opioid addiction.

Spontaneous arteriovenous fistula of the superficial temporal artery: Diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the increasing reports of traumatic and iatrogenic arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) of the superficial temporal artery (STA), the spontaneous origination of fistulas is extremely rare, and very little is known about their natural development. Spontaneous AVFs of the STA have the characteristic findings of an expanding, painless pulsatile mass and a palpable thrill with or without a vascular murmur. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This article describes five patients with AVFs of the STA with no history of a head injury. Four of them were treated successfully either by surgical resection or by endovascular embolization. These five illustrative cases with their medium-term follow-up results are reported. RESULTS: In two patients, we successfully used a single-balloon alone to occlude the fistula without any complications; the patients experienced no recurrences during the clinical follow-up. In the other two patients, we carefully identified and ligated all of the involved feeding arteries and draining veins, which was followed by an excision of the lesion. At the 6-month follow-up, the patients were doing very well, with no evidence of AVF recurrences or new neurological complaints. CONCLUSIONS: AVFs of the STA can be detected via a computed tomography angiogram (CTA) or by intra-arterial angiography alone. Intra-arterial angiography, however, remains the definitive type of investigation. AVF may be treated either by surgical ligation and excision under a local or general anesthetic or by endovascular embolization. The former modality has been the most common method of treating the lesion in the vast majority of reports. However, endovascular embolization also appears to be suitable for treating this condition.

Beneficial impact of early cranioplasty in patients with decompressive craniectomy: evidence from transcranial Doppler ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: A cranioplasty (CP) is often performed after decompressive craniectomy (DC) for cosmetic and protective reasons; however, the timing of CP needs to be better evaluated to maximize beneficial outcomes and neurological recovery. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects and mechanisms of early CP compared to late CP on neurological recovery, from the perspective of cerebral blood flow (CBF). METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed 43 patients undergoing early (<12 weeks) or late (≥ 12 weeks) cranioplasty after DC. The CBF velocity was measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography and was analyzed prior to and after CP in every patient. Complications were recorded. RESULTS: The CBF velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) ipsilateral to the CP was increased in both groups and was statistically different between groups (p < 0.05). On the contralateral side, however, the CBF in the MCA was increased in the early CP group, but not the late CP group. Change (expressed as delta, Δ) was defined as the difference in CBF velocity between pre- and postoperative status in the early and late CP groups. A statistically significant difference was detected in the Δ of MCA on the ipsilateral side between the early and late groups. There were no differences in the incidence of complications between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show better post-DC improvements in the CBF of patients receiving CP < 12 weeks after DC, compared to those receiving CP ≥ 12 weeks after DC. Therefore, early CP has potential benefits for cerebral perfusion.

Analysis of regulatory networks constructed based on gene coexpression in pituitary adenoma.

Gene coexpression patterns can reveal gene collections with functional consistency. This study systematically constructs regulatory networks for pituitary tumours by integrating gene coexpression, transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation. Through network analysis, we elaborate the incidence mechanism of pituitary adenoma. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was utilized to calculate the level of gene coexpression. By comparing pituitary adenoma samples with normal samples, pituitary adenoma-specific gene coexpression patterns were identified. For pituitary adenoma-specific coexpressed genes, we integrated transcription factor (TF) and microRNA (miRNA) regulation to construct a complex regulatory network from the transcriptional and posttranscriptional perspectives. Network module analysis identified the synergistic regulation of genes by miRNAs and TFs in pituitary adenoma. We identified 142 pituitary adenoma-specific active genes, including 43 TFs and 99 target genes of TFs. Functional enrichment of these 142 genes revealed that the occurrence of pituitary adenoma induced abnormalities in intracellular metabolism and angiogenesis process. These 142 genes were also significantly enriched in adenoma pathway. Module analysis of the systematic regulatory network found that three modules contained elements that were closely related to pituitary adenoma, such as FGF2 and SP1, as well as transcription factors and miRNAs involved in the tumourigenesis. These results show that in the occurrence of pituitary adenoma, miRNA, TF and genes interact with each other. Based on gene expression, the proposed method integrates interaction information from different levels and systematically explains the occurrence of pituitary tumours. It facilitates the tracing of the origin of the disease and can provide basis for early diagnosis of complex diseases or cancer without obvious symptoms.

Network asymmetry of motor areas revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

There are ample functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on functional brain asymmetries, and the asymmetry of cerebral network in the resting state may be crucial to brain function organization. In this paper, a unified schema of voxel-wise functional connectivity and asymmetry analysis was presented and the network asymmetry of motor areas was studied. Twelve healthy male subjects with mean age 29.8 ± 6.4 were studied. Functional network in the resting state was described by using functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) analysis. Motor areas were selected as regions of interest (ROIs). Network asymmetry, including intra- and inter-network asymmetries, was formulated and analyzed. The intra-network asymmetry was defined as the difference between the left and right part of a particular functional network. The inter-network asymmetry was defined as the difference between the networks for a specific ROI in the left hemisphere and its homotopic ROI in the right hemisphere. Primary motor area (M1), primary sensory area (S1) and premotor area (PMA) exhibited higher functional correlation with the right parietal-temporal-occipital circuit and the middle frontal gyrus than they did with the left hemisphere. Right S1 and right PMA exhibited higher functional correlation with the ipsilateral precentral and supramarginal areas. There exist the large-scale hierarchical network asymmetries of the motor areas in the resting state. These asymmetries imply the right hemisphere dominance for predictive motor coding based on spatial attention and higher sensory processing load for the motor performance of non-dominant hemisphere.

Enhancement of axonal regeneration of retinal ganglion cells in adult rats by etomidate: involvement of protein kinase C.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of etomidate (ET) on axonal regeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in adult rats. METHODS: The optic nerve was transected intraorbitally at 1 mm from the optic disc, and an autologous peripheral nerve was transplanted onto the ocular ON stump in adult rats. Then the animals were treated with ET, Gö6976, ET combined with Gö6976, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), or ET combined with PMA. Four weeks after grafting, the number of regenerating RGCs labeled retrogradely with neuronal retrograde tracer was counted in all animals, and the activity of membrane protein kinase C (mPKC) and cytoplasmic PKC (cPKC) was measured in ET-treated animals. RESULTS: The number of regenerating RGCs significantly increased when the dose of ET was increased from 2 mg/kg to 6 mg/kg, whereas the ratio of mPKC activity to cPKC activity significantly decreased in ET-treated animals. Gö6976, a potent conventional PKC inhibitor, also significantly increased the number of regenerating RGCs. However, the number of regenerating RGCs in animals treated with Gö6976 alone was significantly lower than in those treated with ET at 6 mg/kg. Combined treatment with ET at 6 mg/kg and Gö6976 did not increase the number of regenerating RGCs. In contrast, PMA, a potent PKC activator, partially abolished the positive effect of ET on the axonal regeneration of axotomized RGCs. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ET promotes axonal regeneration of RGCs in adult rats, in part by inhibiting conventional PKC.

[Effect of renal artery embolization using 2-poly-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate as a liquid embolic agent: a study in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a liquid embolic agent 2-poly-hydroxyethyl -methacrylate (2-P-HEMA) for renal artery embolization in rabbits. METHODS: The precipitation time of different concentrations (2%, 3.5%, 5%, 6.5%, 8% and 9.5%) of 2-P-HEMA dissolved in different solutions (ethanol, ethanol/iobitridol, and ethanol/Bi2O3) were determined in flowing water. The mixtures of 2-P-HEMA (2%, 5%, and 8%) with ethanol/ Bi2O3 were injected into the renal arteries of the rabbits, and the artery-embolizing effects were assessed using angiography at 2 and 12 weeks after the injection, with also macroscopic and microscopic examination of the embolized kidneys. RESULTS: The mixtures of 2-P-HEMA and ethanol formed flocculent precipitation a few seconds after injection into flowing water, and the precipitation time showed no significant variations with the concentration of 2-P-HEMA in the mixture. Low and moderate concentrations of 2-P-HEMA could pass through the microcatheter smoothly with little injection resistance, and resulted in complete occlusion of the renal arteries without adhesion to the microcatheter. Angiography at 2 and 12 weeks detected no recanalization of the occluded renal arteries. Macroscopically, the lumen of the renal arteries was found to be occluded by the embolic agents, and deep penetration of the embolic agents into the glomerular arteries was observed microscopically. The mixture containing high-concentration 2-P-HEMA was difficult to deliver through the microcatheter due to high injection resistance. CONCLUSION: 2-P-HEMA can be rapidly precipitated after injection into flowing water, and allows complete embolization of the renal arteries of rabbits at proper concentrations, suggesting its great potential as an endovascular liquid embolic agent.

[Effect of hypoxic radiosensitizer sodium glycididazole on long-term result of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term effect of sodium glycididazole (CMNa) as a hypoxic radiosensitizer on the radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: Between May 1999 and May 2002, 211 patients with pathologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma were randomized into group-A treated by radiotherapy plus CMNa or group-B by radiotherapy alone. The staging was determined according to 92' Fuzhou staging systerm. The type, procession and dosage of radiotherapy were identical in both groups. The early adverse effect grade was assessed based on the CTC2.0 criteria and the late adverse effects were evaluated according to the RTOG/EORTC criteria. The median follow-up time was 52 months. All the data was analyzed by the SPSS 13.0 software. Characteristics and adverse events of these patients were compared between the two groups using t-test and the Wilcoxin rank sum test. Time-to-event curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The prognostic parameters were analyzed using univariate analysis and the Cox multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: The clinical data of the two groups were comparable. The 3-year survival was 88.4% in group-A, while 75.2% in group-B, with a statistically significant difference between two groups (P = 0.010). Univariate analysis showed that the 3-year survival was statistically correlated with N-staging ((N0-1, 86.9%, N2-3 73.8%, P < 0.001), T-staging (T1-2 85.6%, T3-4 79.3%, P = 0.014), TNM staging (P = 0.039), and whether using CMNa or not during rediotherapy (Group-A 88.4%, Group-B 75.2%, P = 0.010). The 5-year recurrence-free survival, 5-year metastasis-free survival and 5-year overall survival were 75.8%, 74.9% and 77.7% in Group-A, while 63.0%, 63.0% and 62.4% in Group-B with a statistically significant difference between two groups (0.013, 0.022 and 0.010, respectively). If stratified in the subgroups, the overall survival of stage III - IV patients was statistically different between group A and B (P = 0.009), however, not of stage I - II patients (P = 0.502). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that the independent prognostic parameters for survival were N-stage (RR = 3.288) , T-stage (RR = 2.147) and use of CMNa during rediotherapy (RR = 0.407). However, there was no statistically significant difference between two groups in acute or late adverse effects on nervous system or heart, which suggested that use of CMNa during radiotherapy would not aggravate the toxicity caused by radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Sodium glycididazole is well tolerable effective as a hypoxic radiosensitizer, which can improve the efficacy of radiotherapy and the long-term result of nasopharyngeal carcinom a patients, especially for the stage III - IV patients.

[Anatomy of the sphenoidal sinus in transsphenoidal approach through a single nostril].

OBJECTIVE: To study the anatomy of the sphenoid sinus for safe pituitary adenoma resection via transsphenoidal approach through a single nostril. METHODS: Eight fresh adult cadavers and the magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the sphenoidal sinus of 5 adults were observed. In anteroposterior axes, the root of the nasal columella was defined as the point O, the inferior border of the sphenoidal sinus anterior wall as point B, the superior border of the spheniodal sinus anterior wall as point C, and the midpoint of the sellar floor as point D. Line OA ran through the point O in parallel with the maxillary alveolar process. Angle AOB', angle AOC' and angle AOD' were the supplementary angles of angle AOB, angle AOC and angle AOD respectively, and angle AOB', angle AOC', angle AOD', OB, and BC were measured. RESULTS: In the 8 fresh adult cadavers, angle AOB', angle AOC', angle AOD', OB, and BC were (43.2+/-4.3) degrees, (22.9+/-3.0) degrees, (35.4+/-4.1) degrees, 66.3+/-3.6 mm, and 20.9+/-1.5 mm, respectively, with 2 cases having ethmoid cell superior to the sphenoid bone; in the MRI of 50 adults, the measurements were (44.1+/-5.5) degrees, (25.7+/-6.4) degrees, (34.2+/-5.9) degrees, 68.7+/-4.9 mm, and 23.3+/-3.1 mm, respectively, with 15 cases having ethmoid cell superior to the sphenoid bone. Two independent-sample t test and Chi-square test revealed no significant differences in the measurements between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Preoperative MRI facilitates safe opening of the anterior wall of the spheniodal sinus and the sellar floor, and the best angle between the axis of the speculum and line OA was 39 degree.

[Neuronavigation-assisted microanatomical study of the facial nerve canal through the transpetrosal approach].

OBJECTIVE: To study the value of neuronavigation in the transpetroal approach, and to provide anatomic data for the protection of the nerves in the facial nerve canal (FNC) during surgeries. METHODS: Simulated surgery through the transpetroal approach was performed on 16 sides of 8 adult cadaver heads with the assistance by neuronavigation. The anatomy of the facial nerve and the relationship of related structures were observed and the distances from the utmost external edge of the mastoid to different segments of the FNC were measured. RESULTS: Neuronavigation was successful with all the FNC, with the mean error of less than 0.9 mm. The FNC could be divided into 3 segments, the labyrinthine, the tympanic and the mastoid segments, stretching 3.6+/-1.2 mm, 11.2+/-2.5 mm and 16.1+/-3.6 mm respectively and with diameters of 1.2+/-0.3 mm, 1.4+/-0.1 mm and 1.7+/-0.2 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: Neuronavigation may help protect the FNC during surgical procedures, and a thorough knowledge of the anatomic features of the FNC can be significant for preservation of the facial nerves.