Analysis of risk factors affecting wound healing and wound infection after meningioma resection.

To analyse the risk factors affecting wound healing and infection after spinal meningioma resection surgery. The surgical incision healing of 137 patients who underwent spinal meningioma resection at our hospital from January 2021 to January 2024 was analysed. The data collected included physical examination findings, haematological and biochemical measurements, and various scales assessed upon admission and after surgery. These data were then analysed. The surgical wound healing, infection and postoperative complications were statistically analysed. Multiple logistic regression analysis method was used to conduct risk factor analysis on corresponding indicators; the odds ratio and p value of 95% confidence interval were calculated. Factors such as age and smoking history were significantly negatively correlated with wound healing after meningioma resection (odds ratio < 1.000, p < 0.05), while preoperative albumin and platelet count were significantly positively correlated with wound healing (odds ratio > 1.000, p < 0.05). Age, WHO Meningioma Grading, preoperative albumin and preoperative platelet were significantly negatively correlated with wound infection after meningioma resection (odds ratio < 1.000, p < 0.05). The history of virus infection and history of neurological disorders were significantly positively correlated with wound infection (odds ratio > 1.000, p < 0.05). The influence of each factor is different. Age, smoking history, WHO Meningioma Grading, preoperative albumin, preoperative platelets, history of virus infection and history of neurological disorders had the greatest influence on wound healing and infection after meningioma resection.

Analysis of the Therapeutic Efficacy of Percutaneous Balloon Double Compression for the Treatment of Recurrent Trigeminal Neuralgia.

BACKGROUND: A more secure and efficacious therapy than has been developed so far is imperative for patients suffering from recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Despite numerous reports on the use of enhanced percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) techniques, such as altering compression duration and balloon pressure, none have yielded satisfactory outcomes. With these issues in mind, we have employed the PBC double-compression technique for the first time. This technique involves initially inflating a balloon to expand the adhesive tissue in Meckel's lumen, followed by emptying of the contrast medium and subsequent slight catheter adjustment for further compression. The total duration of compression remains unchanged and may even be shortened. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the clinical effectiveness of the PBC double-compression technique in patients with recurrent TN and to analyze the technique's efficacy, subsequent duration of patients' facial numbness, and other complications. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: A single-center study. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 125 patients with postoperative recurrent TN who underwent double compression of the PBC and 65 patients who underwent single compression of the PBC between August 2017 and April 2022. The Barrow Neurological Institute Pain Intensity (BNI-P) score was utilized to quantify the severity of pain, while the Barrow Neurological Institute Facial Numbness (BNI-N) score was employed to separately evaluate the extent of postoperative pain relief and facial numbness. RESULTS: The BNI-P and BNI-N scores before and after PBC treatment are presented herein. At T0, there was no significant difference in the BNI-P scores between the single-compression group and the double-compression group; however, at T1-T4, the BNI-P scores of the double-compression group were lower than those of the single-compression group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in BNI-P scores between the 2 groups at T5. At T1-T4, the BNI-N score of the double-compression group was significantly lower than that of the single-compression group (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in BNI-N score between the double and single compression groups at T5. In the single-compression group, one patient (1.5%) experienced insignificant pain relief on postoperative day one, while 2 patients (3.1%) suffered from pain recurrence during the 1-4-year follow-up period. Similarly, in the double-compression group, one patient (0.8%) had inadequate pain relief on postoperative day one, and 3 patients (2.4%) experienced pain recurrence during the same follow-up period. The remaining patients did not require further surgical intervention but continued to rely on regular oral analgesia. In the single-compression group, masticatory muscle weakness was observed in 50 cases (76.9%), while in the double-compression group, it was observed in 92 cases (73.6%). Perioral herpes affected 4 patients (7.1%) and 6 patients (4.8%) in the single- and double-compression groups, respectively. Facial hematoma occurred in 7 cases (10.8%) and 13 cases (10.4%) of the single- and double-compression groups, respectively; each group included one patient suffered who from diplopia. Notably, none of the patients in this study reported any instances of corneal anesthesia, anesthesia pain, aseptic meningitis, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, carotid-cavernous fistula, or mortality. LIMITATIONS: This was a single-center retrospective study with a small sample size and relatively short follow-up time. Therefore, further evaluation of the long-term efficacy of PBC for postoperative recurrent TN is needed from multiple centers with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods. CONCLUSIONS: The double PBC method boasts a high cure rate, a low recurrence rate, and minimal complications, rendering the option appropriate for patients with recurrent TN and thus deserving of clinical promotion.

[Retracted] lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 promotes proliferation and invasion of glioma cells by targeting the miR­375/YAP pathway.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that certain of the EdU incorporation assay data shown in Fig. 2C were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in another article by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published elsewhere prior to its submission to International Journal of Molecular Medicine, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they agreed with the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [International Journal of Molecular Medicine 46: 1983­1992, 2020; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2020.4760].

Enhanced store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) exacerbates motor neurons apoptosis following spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury is pathologically characterized by the loss of motor function caused by neurons apoptosis. Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is widely known to dictate the apoptosis of various cell types. To examine SOCE in spinal cord injury and explore the role of SOCE in apoptosis, patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and SCI mouse models were included. Expression of SOCE components and apoptosis-related proteins were examined by Western blotting. Calcium imaging was used to assess SOCE activity. As a result, we confirmed the enhanced levels of ORAI1 and STIM1 in SCI patients and SCI mouse models. In vitro study, tunicamycin impaired the viability of VSC4.1 cells (motoneuron-neuroblastoma hybrid cell line) and increased SOCE activity, the effects of which could be abolished by 2-APB. Furthermore, tunicamycinreduced BCL-2/BAX ratio was also reversed by 2-APB. Additionally, EdU assay and DCFH-DA staining confirmed the regulatory role of 2-APB in proliferation and ROS production. Of note is the improved hindlimb motor function and alleviated depression by 2-APB administration. Therefore, we conclude that SOCE may contribute to the pathogenesis of SCI by exacerbating the apoptosis of motoneurons.

LncRNA HOXA-AS2 promotes glioblastoma carcinogenesis by targeting miR-885-5p/RBBP4 axis.

BACKGROUND: LncRNA HOXA-AS2 has been found in the literature to deteriorate glioblastoma. However, its regulatory mechanism is yet to be fully investigated. Our study focused chiefly on the interaction and role of the HOXA-AS2/miR-885-5p/RBBP4 axis in the development of glioblastoma. METHODS: qRT-PCR analysis was performed to detect the expression of lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA in glioblastoma tissues and cells. Dual-luciferase assay, RIP assay and RNA pull-down assay were later carried out to reveal the interactions among HOXA-AS2, miR-885-5p and RBBP4. After that, CCK-8 assay, BrdU assay, nude mice xenografting assay, western blot assay, and flow cytometry were carried out to analyze the effect of the HOXA-AS2/miR-885-5p/RBBP4 axis on glioblastoma samples. RESULTS: HOXA-AS2 and RBBP4 were found to be overexpressed in glioblastoma. Experimental results showed that HOXA-AS2 and RBBP4 contributed to the tumorigenesis of glioblastoma cells. However, miR-885-5p was observed to be downregulated in glioblastoma. Findings also indicated that HOXA-AS2 could negatively regulate miR-885-5p, thereby enhancing RBBP4 expression. CONCLUSION: Overall, HOXA-AS2 promoted the tumorigenesis of glioblastoma by targeting and regulating miR-885-5p to induce the expression of RBBP4.

lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 promotes proliferation and invasion of glioma cells by targeting the miR­375/YAP pathway.

The long non­coding RNA KCNQ1OT1 is generally recognized as an oncogenic molecule in several human malignant tumors. However, to the best of our knowledge, the role of KCNQ1OT1 in glioma has not been fully investigated. The current study aimed to probe the biological function of KCNQ1OT1 in human glioma cell lines and its mechanisms. The glioma cell lines U251 and U87­MG were used as cell models. Cell proliferation and apoptosis assays were used to measure the effects of different treatments on survival, and reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to investigate the expression profiles of key molecules. Migration and invasion assays were conducted to reveal the biological features of glioma cells. The results indicated that KCNQ1OT1 was upregulated in glioma tissues compared with adjacent tissues, which was associated with poor prognosis. Additionally, knockdown of KCNQ1OT1 in U251 and U87­MG cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but had no effect on apoptosis. The effects of KCNQ1OT1 on migration and invasion were partially attributed to enhanced Yes­associated protein (YAP) expression levels and epithelial­mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling. Furthermore, microRNA (miR)­375 functioned as a link between KCNQ1OT1 and YAP in regulating cell proliferation. Finally, the KCNQ1OT1/miR­375/YAP axis modulated cell proliferation and cell fate by affecting the modulated YAP­mediated EMT signaling. In conclusion, the KCNQ1OT1/miR­375/YAP axis modulated migration and invasion of glioma cells by affecting EMT signaling; thus, targeting KCNQ1OT1 may represent a promising strategy in glioma therapeutics.

Immune changes in peripheral blood and hematoma of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.

Immunologic changes in the hematoma of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and the contribution of these changes to prognosis are unknown. We collected the blood samples and hematoma fluid from 35 patients with acute ICH (<30 hours from symptom onset) and 55 age-matched healthy controls. Using flow cytometry and ELISA, we found that the percentages of granulocytes, regulatory T cells, helper T (Th) 17 cells, and dendritic cells were higher in the peripheral blood of patients with ICH than in healthy controls, whereas the percentages of lymphocytes, M1-like macrophages, and M2-like macrophages were lower. Levels of IL-6, IL-17, IL-23, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-ß were higher in the peripheral blood of patients with ICH. The absolute counts of white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes in the hematoma tended to be greater at 12-30 hours than they were within 12 hours after ICH, but the percentage of Th cells decreased in peripheral blood. Increased levels of IL-10 in the serum and hematoma, and a reduction in M1-like macrophages in hematoma were independently associated with favorable outcome on day 90. These results indicate that immunocytes present in the hematoma may participate in the acute-phase inflammatory response after ICH.

Clinical and prognostic significance of high-mobility group box-1 in human gliomas.

The objective of this study was to explore the expression and the clinical and prognostic significance of high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in human gliomas. The expression of HMGB1 in 15 samples of normal brain tissue and 65 samples of different-grade glioma tissue was assayed using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. The associations between the differences in expression and pathology grades were analyzed statistically. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the prognostic value of HMGB1 expression and its expression levels. The positive rates of HMGB1 expression in normal brain and glioma tissue were 20.0% (3/15) and 76.9% (50/65), respectively. The expression of HMGB1 in glioma tissue was higher than that in normal tissue (P<0.05). The positive rates of HMGB1 expression in low-grade gliomas (LGGs, grades I and II) and high-grade gliomas (HGGs, grades III and IV) were 63.0% (17/27) and 86.8% (33/38), respectively, and the positive rates in HGG were higher than those in LGG (P=0.024). Western blot analysis showed that HMGB1 was also expressed in normal brain tissue. The expression levels in HGG were significantly higher than those in LGG (P<0.001). HMGB1-positive patients had significantly shorter overall survival times compared with HMGB1-negative patients (P=0.026). Increasing levels of HMGB1 expression significantly correlated with reduced survival times when all patients with glioma were considered (P=0.045). In conclusion, HMGB1 positivity and protein expression levels are of significant clinical and prognostic value in human gliomas. Detecting HMGB1 in human gliomas may be useful for assessing the degree of malignancy, and HMGB1 would appear to be a promising target in the clinical management of patients with glioma.

Metabolic changes in acute cerebral infarction: Findings from proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical role of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction. Using databases available at the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (Zhengzhou, China), the medical records of 47 patients with acute cerebral infarction treated between April 2010 and March 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients underwent routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and multiple-voxel 1H-MRS examination within 12 h after the onset of stroke. The patients then received normal medical treatment for 2 weeks and underwent follow-up 1H-MRS examination at 1-2 months after stroke. The concentrations of the main metabolites [N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho) and lactate (Lac)] in the infarct center, the infarction border region and the contralateral brain areas (control) were analyzed. The 47 patients experienced changes in NAA, Cho and Lac levels at different stages after stroke. In the infarction center, the NAA/Cr and NAA/Cho ratios decreased, while the Lac/Cr ratio increased within 12 h compared with those in the contralateral side. Within 6-12 h after stroke, the Lac/Cr ratio increased and the NAA/Cho ratio decreased compared with those <6 h after stroke. During the 1-2 months post-stroke, significant reductions in the NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, Cho/Cr and Lac/Cr ratios were observed in the infarction center. In the infarction border region, the Lac/Cr ratio increased significantly at 12 h and decreased during the 1-2 months after stroke. The NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho and Cho/Cr ratios were significantly increased in the infarction border regions of patients who received thrombolytic therapy for 1-2 months compared with those in patients who did not undergo thrombolysis. Our results highlight the usefulness of 1H-MRS-based metabolomics as a feasible and efficient prognostic tool for assessing the treatment effect of acute cerebral infarction.

Nucleostemin and ASPP2 expression is correlated with pituitary adenoma proliferation.

Nucleostemin is a GTP-conjugated protein located in the nucleoli of stem cells and certain cancer cells, and maintains cellular self-renewal. The present study aimed to evaluate nucleostemin as a potential target for pituitary adenoma gene therapy by investigating nucleostemin and apoptosis-stimulating of p53 protein 2 (ASPP2) expression and their effect on pituitary adenoma cell proliferation. A total of 71 samples of pituitary adenomas were collected. Semi-quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression of nucleostemin and ASPP2 mRNA in the samples. Immunochemistry techniques were used to examine Ki-67 expression in the paraffin section of the samples. Coherent clinical data were also collected. Nucleostemin and ASPP2 were detectable in all the pituitary adenoma samples. Significant differences were observed in nucleostemin and ASPP2 expression between invasive pituitary adenoma and non-invasive pituitary adenomas (P<0.01) and the Ki-67 labeling index (LI; P>0.05). The difference in the Ki-67 LI between the recurrence and non-recurrence groups was significant (P<0.05). There was positive correlation between nucleostemin gene expression and the Ki-67 LI levels (P<0.05). The correlation between ASPP2 expression and the Ki-67 LI was negative (P<0.05). Negative correlation was demonstrated between nucleostemin and ASPP2 expression (P<0.01). The nucleostemin and ASPP2 genes were expressed in the human pituitary adenoma tissues. The differences in the expression of nucleostemin, ASPP2 and Ki-67 in the various pathological types of pituitary adenomas represented differences in molecular biological character and were associated with invasion. In the pituitary adenomas, the expression of nucleostemin and ASPP2 was correlated with tumor proliferation. Nucleostemin, ASPP2 and Ki-67 may serve as valid clinical detection markers for the invasion of pituitary adenomas.