The diagnostic and prognostic value of glial fibrillary acidic protein in traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Over the years, blood biomarkers have been extensively applied for diagnostic and prognostic assessment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Herein, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for TBI patients. METHODS: The online databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and WFSD, were systematically retrieved from inception until May 2021. The RevMan 5.3 software and Stata 15 were used to conduct data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 22 eligible studies comprising 3709 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that serum GFAP had a diagnostic value in detecting traumatic intracranial lesions (AUC 0.81; 95% CI 0.77-0.84; p < 0.00001). The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.93 (95% CI 0.81-0.98), and 0.66 (95% 0.53-0.77; p < 0.00001), respectively. For assessment of unfavorable outcome, the pooled sensitivity, specificity and AUC value were 0.66 (95% CI 0.54-0.76; p < 0.00001), 0.82(95% CI 0.72-0.90; p < 0.00001), and 0.82 (95% CI 0.76-0.88; p < 0.00001), respectively. Besides, GFAP exhibited a significant value in predicting mortality (AUC 0.81; 95% CI 0.77-0.84; p < 0.00001), with high sensitivity and specificity (0.86, 95% CI 0.79-0.92, p < 0.00001, and 0.66, 95% CI 0.52-0.77, p < 0.00001). The subgroup analysis indicated that the type of TBI and cut-off value were potential sources of heterogeneity, which influenced the pooled AUC values for mortality prediction. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicated that GFAP had diagnostic and prognostic value for TBI patients, especially during the early TBI.

Circular RNA circRNA_0067934 promotes glioma development by modulating the microRNA miR-7/ Wnt/ß-catenin axis.

Glioma, one of the most prevalent malignant tumors, is well-known for its poor prognosis and low survival rate among patients. As a type of non-coding RNA, circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a significant role in tumor progression. However, the function and role of circRNAs in glioma development remain unclarified. In our experiments, the relative expression level of circRNA_0067934 and miR-7 in glioma tissue was detected by qRT-PCR, and specific gene knockdown was mediated by siRNA and miRNA-inhibitor. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was carried out to determine whether miR-7 successfully targeted circRNA_0067934. Also, CCK-8 and Transwell were performed to evaluate the malignant behaviors of glioma tissues. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate relative protein expression levels. The results of qRT-PCR indicated that circRNA_0067934 was over-expressed in glioma tissues, and down regulation of circRNA_0067934 reduced the tumor progression by inhibiting cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. The relative expression level of miR-7 was significantly reduced in glioma tissues, which showed a negative association with the expression of circRNA_0067934. CircRNA_0067934 could tagete the miR-7 to regulate progression of glioma cell. In addition, the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway might involve in down stream regulation of circRNA_0067934 and miR-7. In conclusion, our results revealed that circRNA_0067934 regulates glioma cells progression by targeting miR-7/ Wnt/ß-catenin axis.

Injectable platelet rich fibrin facilitates hair follicle regeneration by promoting human dermal papilla cell proliferation, migration, and trichogenic inductivity.

Hair follicle regeneration has been successful in mice but failed in human being for years. Dermal papilla cells, a specialized mesenchymal stem cell derived from dermal papilla within hair follicles, is considered the key cells for hair follicle regeneration function as both regeneration initiator and regulator. Injectable platelet rich fibrin (i-PRF), a novel biomaterial rich in a variety of growth factors and three-dimensional scaffolds, has shown promising effects on tissue regeneration. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the application of i-PRF in human hair follicle regeneration by examining the biological effects of i-PRF on human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs). Biomaterial compatibility, cell viability, proliferation, migration, alkaline phosphatase activity and trichogenic inductivity were assessed after exposing hDPCs to different concentrations of i-PRF extracts. In addition, we investigated the ultrastructure of i-PRF with all cell components filtered. The results revealed that i-PRF possessing excellent biocompatibility and could significantly promote hDPCs proliferation, migration, and trichogenic inductivity. Furthermore, the concentration of i-PRF is able to remarkably influence hDPCs behavior in a dose-dependent pattern. Different concentrations exhibited differential effects on hDPCs behavior. In general, lower concentration promotes cell proliferation better than higher concentration, while higher concentration promotes cell function better reversely. Best concentration for hDPCs in vitro expending is 1% concentration. 20% concentration is optimal for hair follicle regeneration. In summary, our findings concluded that i-PRF facilitates hair follicle regeneration by promoting human dermal papilla cell proliferation, migration, and trichogenic inductivity.

Recent Advances in the Development of Vaccines for Diabetes, Hypertension, and Atherosclerosis.

Vaccines are commonly used in the prevention of infectious diseases. The basic principle of vaccination is to use specific antigens, endogenous or exogenous to stimulate immunity against the specific antigens or cells producing them. Autoantigen or oligo vaccination has been used for disease animal models. More recently humanized monoclonal antibodies have been successfully used for the treatment of neoplastic disorders or familial hypercholesterolemia. Humanized monoclonal antibody therapy needs repeated injection, and the therapy is expensive. Therapeutic vaccination can lead to persistent immunized or immune tolerant against the therapeutic molecule(s) or site. However, immunization against those endogenous substances may also elicit persistent autoimmune reaction or destruction that do harm to health. Therefore, rigorous studies are needed before any clinical application. In this review, we briefly reviewed vaccines used in protection against common metabolic diseases including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus.