Down-regulation of the long noncoding RNA-HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA inhibits the occurrence and progression of glioma.

This study aims to explore the role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) in the occurrence and progression of glioma. Fresh glioma and normal brain tissues were classified into a glioma group (n = 67) and a normal group (n = 64) respectively. U87 cells were assigned into the blank, sh-NC, and sh-HOTAIR groups. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to determine HOTAIR expression. Cell proliferation, cell cycle and cell apoptosis rates were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry (FCM). Scratch test and transwell assay were conducted for cell migration and invasion. Orthotopic glioma tumor model in nude mice was established by inoculating tumor cell suspension. Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the growth and invasion of orthotopic glioma tumors. The expression of HOTAIR and cell viability was found to be lowest in the sh-HOTAIR group among the three groups. The sh-HOTAIR group exhibited a higher apoptotic rate and lower number of cell migration compared with the blank and sh-NC groups. Additionally, the speed of wound healing was slower, the migration distance decreased and the survival time of nude mice was extended in the sh-HOTAIR compared to the other groups. Moreover, the sh-HOTAIR group demonstrated reduced lesion sizes and inflammation, no convulsions or hemiplegia and lesser number of satellite metastases. Our findings support that down-regulation of HOTAIR could inhibit cell proliferation, promote cell apoptosis as well as suppress cell invasion and migration in the progression of glioma.

Serum S-100ß and NSE levels after off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate serum levels of S-100 beta (S-100ß) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: The PubMed (~2013) and the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) (1982 ~ 2013) were searched without language restrictions. After extraction of relevant data from selected studies, meta-analyses were conducted using STATA software (Version 12.0, Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas USA). Possible sources of heterogeneity were examined through univariate and multivariate meta-regression analyses and verified by Monte Carlo Simulation. RESULTS: Eleven studies with a total of 411 CHD patients met the inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis showed no significant difference in serum S-100ß and NSE levels between the on-pump group and the off-pump group before surgery. In the on-pump group, there was a significant difference in serum S-100ß levels of CHD patients between before and after surgery, especially within the first 24 h after surgery. Furthermore, in the on-pump group, there was a significant difference in serum NSE levels of CHD patients between before and after surgery, particularly at 0 h after surgery. In the off-pump group, there was an obvious difference in serum S-100ß levels between before and after surgery, especially within 24 h after surgery. Our results also demonstrated that serum S-100ß and NSE levels of CHD patients in the on-pump group were significantly higher than those of patients in the off-pump group, especially within 24 h after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide empirical evidence that off-pump and on-pump CABG surgeries may increase serum S-100ß and NSE levels in CHD patients, which was most prominent within 24 h after on-pump CABG surgery.

Displacement of the full body of a dental implant into the sinus space without membrane perforation and subsequent osseointegration: a case report.

An increasing number of studies have investigated the use of osteotome sinus floor elevation (OSFE) with simultaneous implant placement for maxillary sinus floor residual bone height (RBH) <4 mm. Many studies have reported good clinical results, but very few have reported complications related to this procedure. Here, the case of a 50-year-old female patient with an RBH in the left upper posterior region of 1-4 mm, who underwent OSFE with simultaneous placement of three Bicon short® implants, is described. One of the implants was found to be displaced during the second-stage surgery. The displaced implant was removed using piezosurgery, OSFE with simultaneous implant placement was repeated, and the missing tooth was reconstructed 6 months later. This case suggests that OSFE with simultaneous implant placement is feasible for severely atrophic maxillary sinus floor, but carries a risk of implant displacement.

Progress in the basic and clinical research on the Schlemm's canal.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. Intraocular pressure (IOP) plays a key role in glaucoma development and progression. Schlemm's canal (SC), an important structure of the anterior chamber angle, regulates the flow of aqueous humor and maintains IOP. Because of its special function of aqueous outflow, the SC has been intensive investigated recently. Several characteristics of SC in anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology have been revealed. Compare to normal, glaucomatous SC cells are more sensitive to substrate stiffness, have higher stiffness and and lower porosity leading to higher outflow resistance. And SC collapse caused by acute IOP increase is partially or totally reversal. With advanced inspection techniques, high-quality images of the SC can be obtained in vivo, which facilitates SC quantitative measurements clinically and allows us to investigate a new therapy paradigm for glaucoma. In this review, we summarize the basic and clinical research that focused on mechanisms of aqueous outflow resistance and SC changes in physiological, pathological, and post-treatment states.

Combination of endogenous neural stem cell mobilization and lithium chloride treatment for hydrocephalus following intraventricular hemorrhage.

As there are multiple factors causing hydrocephalus subsequent to intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), it is difficult to achieve the best treatment effect using a single drug alone. In the present study, the protective effect of combination treatment with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and lithium chloride against hydrocephalus after IVH was investigated. A total of 130 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups, including the IVH control, G-CSF treatment, lithium chloride treatment, combination treatment and sham surgery groups. An IVH rat model was established in order to examine the effect of combination treatment on hydrocephalus incidence. A TUNEL assay was performed to detect neuronal apoptosis in the five groups. In addition, the protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were detected by western blot analysis. The differentiation of nerve cells in the brain tissue obtained from the five rat groups was also determined with double immunofluorescence staining. The results demonstrated that administration of G-CSF or lithium chloride alone was able to only partly relieve the incidence of hydrocephalus after IVH. By contrast, combination treatment with G-CSF and lithium chloride significantly attenuated the development of hydrocephalus following IVH. TUNEL assay showed that neuronal apoptosis was significantly reduced by the combination treatment with G-CSF and lithium chloride. Furthermore, the expression of Bcl-2 was upregulated, whereas Bax expression was downregulated in the combination treatment group. The results also detected the highest expression of BrdU/GFAP, BrdU/NeuN and BrdU/PSA-NCAM in the combination treatment group. In conclusion, the combination of endogenous neural stem cell mobilization (using G-CSF) and lithium chloride treatment resulted in highly reduced incidence of hydrocephalus after IVH by inhibiting neuronal apoptosis.

[Noradrenaline is involved in cardiovascular responses induced by intracerebroventricular injection substance P in rabbits].

AIM: To investigate the role of intracerebroventricular (icv) injection substance P(SP) in cardiovascular regulation and the relationship with noradrenergic system. METHODS: Rabbits anesthetized with urethane were intracerebroventricularly given SP in presence or absence of phentolamine, prazosin, yohimbine. Cardiovascular responses including heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP), the maximum velocity of ascending or descending in intraventricular pressure (+/- dp/dt(max)) and the maximum shortening velocity(Vpm) of myocardial contractile element were recorded, and changes of NA content in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were determined in rabbits with icy injection of SP. RESULTS: (1) icv SP elicited significant increased of HR, MAP, LVSP, LVEDP, + dp/dt(max), -dp/dt(max), Vpm and the levels of NA in intracisternal CSF 30 min after injection. (2) Pretreatment with phentolamine, prazosin, but not yohimbine, attenuated icv SP-induced cardiovascular responses compared with controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: (1) icv SP can produce positive inotropic and chronic response in myocardium and pressor response in intact rabbits. (2) alpha1 adrenoceptors may be involved in the cardiovascular responses to icy SP. (3) Central administration of SP can increase the release of NA or inhibit reuptake of NA, which may be responsible for an important mechanism of SP-potentiated cardiovascular responses in brain.