Air-containing necrosis as the imaging predictor for imminent carotid blowout in patients with head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is a devastating complication of head and neck cancer (HNC). In this study, we describe radiological features that can predict imminent (<6 months) carotid blowout in patients with HNC. METHODS: Cross-sectional CT or MRI were interpreted from 25 treated HNC patients with acute CBS and 50 treated HNC patients without CBS (controls). The tumor size and the distance from the tumor to the carotid trunk was measured. The following imaging findings of the tumor were also recorded: carotid trunk involvement, enhancement pattern, and the presence of air-containing necrosis. The odds ratios of imminent CBS for each imaging finding were estimated using a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: Compared to the controls, the CBS group had larger tumors (49 ± 18 mm vs. 38 ± 18 mm, p = 0.017), tumors closer to the carotid trunk (0.5 ± 1.7 mm vs. 8.2 ± 14.2 mm, p < 0.001), a higher prevalence of 360° involvement (60% vs. 18%, p < 0.001), more heterogeneous enhancement patterns (84% vs. 50% p < 0.001), and more air-containing necrosis (40% vs. 2% p < 0.001). After multivariable adjustment, the presence of air-containing necrosis remained a significant risk factor for imminent CBS (OR: 20.1, 95% CI: 1.98-204.00; p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The presence of air-containing necrosis is associated with a higher risk of imminent CBS. This characteristic imaging finding should be evaluated in the follow-up CT or MRI of HNC patients for early warning.

Fumagillin Attenuates Spinal Angiogenesis, Neuroinflammation, and Pain in Neuropathic Rats after Chronic Constriction Injury.

INTRODUCTION: Angiogenesis in the central nervous system is visible in animal models of neuroinflammation and bone cancer pain. However, whether spinal angiogenesis exists and contributes to central sensitization in neuropathic pain remains unclear. This study analyzes the impact of angiogenesis on spinal neuroinflammation in neuropathic pain. METHODS: Rats with chronic constriction injury (CCI) to the sciatic nerve underwent the implantation of an intrathecal catheter. Fumagillin or vascular endothelial growth factor-A antibody (anti-VEGF-A) was administered intrathecally. Nociceptive behaviors, cytokine immunoassay, Western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis assessed the effect of angiogenesis inhibition on CCI-induced neuropathic pain. RESULTS: VEGF, cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31), and von Willebrand factor (vWF) expressions increased after CCI in the ipsilateral lumbar spinal cord compared to that in the contralateral side of CCI and control rats from post-operative day (POD) 7 to 28, with a peak at POD 14. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and IL-6 concentrations, but not IL-10 levels, also increased in the ipsilateral spinal cord after CCI. Fumagillin and anti-VEGF-A reduced CCI-induced thermal hyperalgesia from POD 5 to 14 and mechanical allodynia from POD 3 to 14. Fumagillin reduced CCI-upregulated expressions of angiogenic factors and astrocytes. Furthermore, fumagillin decreased TNF-α and IL-6 amounts and increased IL-10 levels at POD 7 and 14, but not IL-1ß concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Fumagillin significantly ameliorates CCI-induced nociceptive sensitization, spinal angiogenesis, and astrocyte activation. Our results suggest that angiogenesis inhibitor treatment suppresses peripheral neuropathy-induced central angiogenesis, neuroinflammation, astrocyte activation, and neuropathic pain.

Comparison of Metal-Based PZT and PMN-PT Energy Harvesters Fabricated by Aerosol Deposition Method.

In this study, polycrystalline lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) was explored as an alternative piezoelectric material, with a higher power density for energy harvesting (EH), and comprehensively compared to the widely used polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT). First, the size distribution and piezoelectric properties of PZT and PMN-PT raw powders and ceramics were compared. Thereafter, both materials were deposited on stainless-steel substrates as 10 µm thick films using the aerosol deposition method. The films were processed as {3-1}-mode cantilever-type EH devices using microelectromechanical systems. The films with different annealing temperatures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and dielectric behavior measurements. Furthermore, the mechanical and electrical properties of PMN-PT- and PZT-based devices were measured and compared. The PMN-PT-based devices showed a higher Young's modulus and lower damping ratio. Owing to their higher figure of merit and lower piezoelectric voltage constant, they showed a higher power and lower voltage than the PZT-based devices. Finally, when poly-PMN-PT material was the active layer, the output power was enhanced by 26% at the 0.5 g acceleration level. Thus, these devices exhibited promising properties, meeting the high current and low voltage requirements in integrated circuit designs.

The antimicrobial peptide tilapia piscidin 3 induces mitochondria-modulated intrinsic apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common solid tumor of the bone that most often affects adolescents. The introduction of chemotherapy for the treatment of OS has largely improved the survival rates of patients with localized tumors. However, the 5-year survival rate of OS patients with relapsed or metastatic disease is only 10 to 20%. In this study, the antimicrobial peptide tilapia piscidin 3 (TP3), isolated from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), was treated to OS MG63 cells. Our findings showed that TP3 concentration as low as 1 µM induced significant inhibition of cell viability and increased DNA fragmentation, as determined by the MTT and TUNEL assays, respectively. The protein expression levels of cleaved caspases 3/9 were increased. An in situ live-cell time-lapse video and cell tomographic microscopy images showed cellular blebbing, shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, and chromatin condensation, with the formation of beaded apoptopodia. Moreover, there were significant increase in the production of TP3-induced mitochondrial and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as down-regulated mitochondrial oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates. Additionally, TP3 enhanced mitochondrial fission, whereas fusion was attenuated. Furthermore, after administration of the mitochondria targeted antioxidant mitoTempo, TP3-induced ROS oxidant levels and alterations in cleaved caspases 3/9 expression were rescued. TP3 promoted mitochondria-modulated intrinsic apoptosis through the induction of ROS production, activation of caspases 3/9, and the down-regulation of mitochondrial oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates, suggesting that TP3 has potential as an innovative alternative for OS treatment.

Association between ambulatory systolic blood pressure during the day and asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis.

It is unclear at what time-window of the day blood pressure (BP) is most closely associated with cerebrovascular damage. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the strength of association between intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) and systolic BP (SBP) across different time-windows using 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring in 757 consecutively recruited patients with hypertension. ICAS was diagnosed with computerized tomographic angiography in 127 (16.8%) patients, of whom 64 (50.4%) had stenosis ≥50% and 82 (64.6%) had ICAS in ≥2 vessels. Patients with ICAS (142 mm Hg), especially of multiple vessels (145 mm Hg), compared with patients without ICAS (126 mm Hg), had significantly (P<0.001) higher early morning (05:00-07:59 am) SBP. The differences remained significant (P≤0.015) after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and SBPs at other time-windows of the day. Multivariate regression analysis showed that consecutive 3-hourly mean SBPs during the day were significantly associated with ICAS (odds ratio for each 10-mm Hg increase, 1.28-1.38; P≤0.001). However, only mean SBP obtained between 05:00 am and 07:59 am remained significant for ICAS (odds ratio, 1.30; P=0.019) when all consecutive 3-hourly mean SBPs were forced into a single multivariate model. In conclusion, the present study showed a significant association between early morning SBP and asymptomatic ICAS in patients with hypertension after accounting for conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Our findings highlight the importance of morning SBP as a cardiovascular risk factor and should be validated in prospective studies.