The Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on the Length of Stay in the Neuro-ICU:A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study in Eight Neuro-ICU, China Between February and April 2023.

Purpose: The SARS-CoV-2 infection cases are increasing rapidly in neuro-intensive care units (neuro-ICUs) at the beginning of 2023 in China. We aimed to characterize the prevalence, risk factors, and prognosis of critically ill patients treated in neuro-ICUs. Materials and Methods: In the prospective, multicenter, observational registry study, critically ill patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to eight Chinese neuro-ICUs between Feb 16, 2023, to Apr 30, 2023 were enrolled for the study. Mortality and ICU stay day were used as the primary outcomes. Results: 131 patients were finally included and analyzed (mean age 60.36 years [SD 13.81], 64.12% male, 39.69% SARS-CoV-2 infected). The mortality is higher in the SARS-CoV-2 infection group without statistical signification (7.69% vs 5.06%, p>0.05). The length of stay (LOS) in neuro-ICUs was significantly longer among the SARS-CoV-2 infection patients (7(1-12) vs 4(1-8), p<0.01), with increased viral pneumonia occurrence (58.54% vs 7.32%, p<0.01). SARS-CoV-2 infection, surgery, and low GCS scores were independent risk factors for prolonged LOS, and respiratory/renal failure were independent risk factors for death. Conclusion: Based on the present neuro-ICU cohort, SARS-CoV-2 infection was a significant risk for the prolonged LOS of neuro-critically ill patients. Trial Registration: Registered with Chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2300068355) at 16 February 2023, Prospective registration. https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=188252.

A novel simple laser guidance puncture system for intracerebral hematoma.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate localization and real-time guidance technologies for cerebral hematomas are essential for minimally invasive procedures, including minimally invasive hematoma puncture and drainage, as well as neuroendoscopic-assisted hematoma removal. This study aims to evaluate the precision and safety of a self-developed laser-guided device in localizing and guiding hematoma punctures in minimally invasive surgery for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: We present the components of the device and its operational procedures. Subsequently, surgeons with different titles conduct hematoma puncture experiments using the device on skull models, comparing it to freehand puncture methods and recording the offset distance from the puncture needle tip to the hematoma center. Additionally, we report the application of this device in 10 patients with ICH, assessing its accuracy and safety in comparison with a neuro-navigation system. RESULTS: In simulated puncture experiments, the accuracy of the laser-guided group surpasses that of the freehand puncture group, with a significant statistical difference observed between the two groups (P < 0.05). In the laser-guided group, there is no statistically significant difference in puncture accuracy among the surgeons (P > 0.05). In clinical experiments, no relevant surgical complications were observed. The offset distance for the laser-guided group was 0.61 ± 0.18 cm, while the neuro-navigation group was 0.48 ± 0.13 cm. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of offset distance (P > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference in surgical duration (P < 0.05), with the former being 35.0 ± 10.5 minutes and the latter being 63.8 ± 10.5 minutes. CONCLUSION: The current study describes satisfactory results from both simulated experiments and clinical applications, achieved through the use of a novel laser-guided hematoma puncture device. Furthermore, owing to its portability, affordability, and simplicity, it holds significant importance in advancing surgical interventions for ICH, especially in underdeveloped regions.

Multimodal image fusion-assisted endoscopic evacuation of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: Although traditional craniotomy (TC) surgery has failed to show benefits for the functional outcome of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, a minimally invasive hematoma removal plan to avoid white matter fiber damage may be a safer and more feasible surgical approach, which may improve the prognosis of ICH. We conducted a historical cohort study on the use of multimodal image fusion-assisted neuroendoscopic surgery (MINS) for the treatment of ICH, and compared its safety and effectiveness with traditional methods. METHODS: This is a historical cohort study involving 241 patients with cerebral hemorrhage. Divided into MINS group and TC group based on surgical methods. Multimodal images (CT skull, CT angiography, and white matter fiber of MRI diffusion-tensor imaging) were fused into 3 dimensional images for preoperative planning and intraoperative guidance of endoscopic hematoma removal in the MINS group. Clinical features, operative efficiency, perioperative complications, and prognoses between 2 groups were compared. Normally distributed data were analyzed using t-test of 2 independent samples, Non-normally distributed data were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Meanwhile categorical data were analyzed via the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. All statistical tests were two-sided, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients with ICH were enrolled, who underwent TC surgery or MINS. Patients who underwent MINS had shorter operative time (p < 0.001), less blood loss (p < 0.001), better hematoma evacuation (p = 0.003), and a shorter stay in the intensive care unit (p = 0.002) than patients who underwent TC. Based on clinical characteristics and analysis of perioperative complications, there is no significant difference between the 2 surgical methods. Modified Rankin scale scores at 180 days were better in the MINS than in the TC group (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with TC for the treatment of ICH, MINS is safer and more efficient in cleaning ICH, which improved the prognosis of the patients. In the future, a larger sample size clinical trial will be needed to evaluate its efficacy.

Application Research of Visible Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Technology for Detecting Intracerebral Hematoma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the visible near-infrared spectroscopic (VNIRS) characteristics of intracerebral hematoma, and provide experimental basis for hematoma localization and residual detection in hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH) surgery. METHODS: Using VNIRS, spectral data of cerebral hematoma and cortex were collected during HICH craniotomy, and characteristic spectra were matched with paired-sample T-test. A partial least squares (PLS) quantitative model for cerebral hematoma spectra was established. RESULTS: The reflectance of cerebral hematoma spectra in the 500-800 nm band was lower than that of the cortex, and there were statistically significant differences in the 510, 565, and 630 nm bands (P < 0.05). The calibration correlation coefficient of the PLS quantitative model for cerebral hematoma spectra was R2 = 0.988, the cross-validation correlation coefficient was R2cv = 0.982, the root mean square error of calibration was RMSEC = 0.101, the root mean square error of cross-validation was RMSEV = 0.122, the external validation correlation coefficient was CORRELATION = 0.902, and the root mean square error of prediction was RMSEP = 0.426, indicating that the model had high fitting degree and good predictive ability. CONCLUSIONS: VNIRS as a noninvasive, real-time and portable analysis technology, can be used for real-time detection of hematoma during HICH surgery, and provide reliable basis for hematoma localization and residual detection.

Amelioration of White Matter Injury Through Mitigating Ferroptosis Following Hepcidin Treatment After Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) usually introduces permanent or long-lasting neurological impairments. Maintaining the integrity of the limited number of white matter bundles (5-10%) preserves wholly or partially locomotor following SCI. Considering that the basic structure of white matter bundles is axon wrapped by oligodendrocytes, promoting oligodendrocytes survival might be a feasible strategy for reducing white matter injury (WMI) after SCI. Oligodendrocytes are rich in unsaturated fatty acid and susceptible to ferroptosis-induced damage. Hence, exploring method to reduce ferroptosis is supposed to expedite oligodendrocytes survival, thereafter mitigating WMI to facilitate functional recovery post-SCI. Here, the results indicated the administration of hepcidin reduced iron accumulation to promote oligodendrocytes survival and to decrease spinal cord atrophy, therefore facilitating functional recovery. Then, the WMI was evidently decreased owing to attenuating ferroptosis. Subsequently, the results revealed that the expression of divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and transferrin receptor (TfR) was expressed in CC1+ cells. The expression level of DMT1 and TfR was significantly increased, while this phenomenon was obviously neutralized with the administration of hepcidin in the epicenter of spinal cord after SCI. Afterward, the application of hepcidin downregulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) overload, which was evidently increased with the treatment of 20 µM FeCl3, therefore increasing cell viability and reducing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity through downregulating the expression of DMT1 and TfR to inhibit ferroptosis in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). The present study provides evidence that the application of hepcidin facilitates oligodendrocytes survival to alleviate WMI via reducing the expression of DMT1 and TfR.

Diffuse optical detection of global cerebral ischemia in an adult porcine model.

Rapid screening for ischemic strokes in prehospital settings may improve patient outcomes by allowing early deployment of vascular recanalization therapies. However, there are no low-cost and convenient methods that can assess ischemic strokes in such a setting. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is a promising method for continuous, noninvasive transcranial monitoring of cerebral blood flow. In this study, we used a DCS system to detect cerebral hemodynamics before and after acute ischemic stroke in pigs. Seven adult porcines were chosen to establish ischemic stroke models via bilateral common carotid artery ligation (n = 5) or air emboli (n = 2). The results showed a significant difference in blood flow index (BFI) between the normal and ischemic groups. Relative blood flow index (rBFI) exhibited excellent results. Therefore, the diffuse optical method can assess the hemodynamic changes in acute cerebral ischemic stroke onset in pigs, and rBFI may be a promising biomarker for identifying cerebral ischemic stroke.

Rapid, label-free detection of cerebral ischemia in rats using hyperspectral imaging.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the third most common cause of disability and the second most common cause of death worldwide. Ischemia, one of the two broad categories of stroke, is characterized by a lack of sufficient amounts of blood in order to supply an adequate amount of oxygen and nutrients. It is important to assess the part of the brain that becomes ischemic and necrotic during neurosurgery or experiments in real time. However, there is currently no effective means to achieve this goal. NEW METHOD: We proposed a method based on hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for the real-time detection of a varied range of ischemic brain tissues in vivo or ex vivo and assessed the practical utility of a model of ischemic stroke in rats. RESULTS: The results showed that hyperspectral images processed with a ratio of spectral reflectance at 545 and 560 nm (R545/R560) could identify early brain ischemia and accurately show regions of ischemia. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: We verified the area imaged by HSI using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining methods. This technique could precisely image the ischemic part of the brain in vivo and ex vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the practical utility of HSI for the real-time detection of cerebral ischemia in rats. By providing rapid assessment of brain tissue perfusion, HSI may help doctors recognize ischemic regions quickly and precisely during surgery as well as have great utility in the experimental process.

Endoscopic surgery for thalamic hemorrhage breaking into ventricles: Comparison of endoscopic surgery, minimally invasive hematoma puncture, and external ventricular drainage.

PURPOSE: Thalamic hemorrhage breaking into ventricles (THBIV) is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality rates. Endoscopic surgery (ES) may improve outcomes, although there is no consensus on its superiority. We investigated the efficacy and safety of ES and compared the outcomes of different management strategies by ES, hematoma puncture and drainage (HPD), and external ventricular drainage (EVD) in patients with THBIV. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with THBIV treated by ES, HPD, or EVD at our hospital from June 2015 to June 2018. Patients were categorized into anteromedial and posterolateral groups based on THBIV location, and then the two groups were further divided into ES, HPD, and EVD subgroups. Individualized surgical approach was adopted according to the location of the hematoma in the ES subgroups. Patient characteristics and surgical outcomes were investigated. RESULTS: We analyzed 211 consecutive patients. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics or incidence of perioperative procedure-related complications (postoperative rebleeding and intracranial infection) in either anteromedial or posterolateral groups. Compared with other therapeutic methods, the ES subgroups had the highest hematoma evacuation rate, shortest drainage time, and lowest incidence of chronic ventricular dilatation (all p < 0.05). Among the three anteromedial subgroups, ES subgroup had the best clinical outcomes which was assessed by the modified Rankin Scale, followed by HPD and EVD subgroups (p < 0.01); while in the posterolateral subgroups, clinical outcomes in the ES and HPD subgroups were similar and better than that in the EVD subgroup (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: Individualized surgical ES approach for removal of thalamic and ventricular hematomas is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective strategy for the treatment of THBIV with a thalamic hematoma volume of 10-30 mL.

A Novel Simple Puncture Positioning and Guidance System for Intracerebral Hematoma.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgical techniques may have beneficial effects on spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Accurate localization of the hematoma and real-time guided puncture are more important in minimally invasive surgical procedures than in traditional craniotomy. Here, we introduce a novel simple puncture positioning and guidance system for intracerebral hematoma and demonstrate its utility for hematoma puncture surgery in a simulation experiment and series of patients. METHODS: We describe the device and use of the technique for hematoma puncture surgery in basal ganglia hematomas and report on the precision of the simulation experiments compared to that of freehand puncture, as well as its clinical application in 16 cases. RESULTS: The accuracy of this technique was superior to that of freehand puncture. All 16 patients underwent successful puncturing of the hematoma cavity or ventricles only once without any related complications. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate a novel simple puncture positioning and guidance system that has the advantages of simplicity, low-cost, device availability, and individual real-time guidance. We believe this system may be useful in resource-limited centers where navigation is not available.

Surgical Management of Moderate Basal Ganglia Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Comparison of Safety and Efficacy of Endoscopic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Puncture and Drainage, and Craniotomy.

OBJECTIVE: To date, no standard surgical procedure has been proven effective for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), particularly deep hematomas. This retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic surgery, minimally invasive puncture and drainage, and craniotomy for treating moderate basal ganglia ICH. METHODS: Patients with basal ganglia ICH (N = 177) were divided into 3 groups based on therapeutic intervention as follows: endoscopic surgery group (n = 61), minimally invasive puncture and drainage group (n = 60), and craniotomy group (n = 56). Patient characteristics at admission were recorded. Operative time; blood loss during operation; evacuation rate; postoperative complications secondary to perihematomal edema, including rebleeding, infectious meningitis, pulmonary infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, and epilepsy; mortality; and Glasgow Outcome Scale scores were compared among the 3 groups. RESULTS: Minimally invasive puncture and drainage was the least traumatic procedure and had the shortest operative time, but it could not remove the hematoma quickly; moreover, it had the highest rebleeding rate. Craniotomy was effective in removing the hematoma but resulted in marked trauma and had the highest incidence of pulmonary infection. Endoscopic surgery was safer and more effective than the other 2 surgical methods, with greater improvement in neurologic outcomes and no change in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive neuroendoscopic management has the advantages of direct vision, efficient hematoma evacuation, and relatively good results. Endoscopic surgery may be a more promising approach for the treatment of moderate basal ganglia ICH.

Repression of the expression of PPP3CC by ZEB1 confers activation of NF-κB and contributes to invasion and growth in glioma cells.

BACKGROUND: Gliomas are highly malignant brain tumors. Aberrant activation of NF-κB plays a crucial role in tumor progression. METHOD: ELISA assay was used to detect NF-κB activity in glimoas cells with different treatments. PPP3CC expression was evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blot assay. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated the overall survival rates according to the protein level of PPP3CC. Transwell and MTS assay were performed to determine cell invasion and growth. Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with luciferase reporter assays illustrated the transcriptional regulation of PPP3CC. RESULTS: We showed that PPP3CC decrease was responsible for constitutive activation of NF-κB in gliomas. Restored PPP3CC expression inhibited activation of NF-κB. PPP3CC was frequently decreased in gliomas and that repression of the expression of PPP3CC correlated glioma progression. The ectopic expression of PPP3CC inhibited the invasive potential of glioma cells, and inhibited glioma cells proliferation in vitro and growth in vivo. Additionally, the expression of Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1(ZEB1) was increased in gliomas and was negatively correlated with clinical outcomes of glioma patients. ZEB1 inversely correlated with the expression of PPP3CC. ZEB1 was also confirmed to physically bind to the PPP3CC promoter. ZEB1 knockdown resulted in an increase in the expression of PPP3CC and elevation of PPP3CC promoter activity in glioma cells. CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that the down-regulation of PPP3CC by ZEB1 resulted in activation of NF-κB is a critical oncogenic event in gliomas.

Risk Factors for Poor Outcome in Hypertensive Intraventricular Hemorrhage Treated by External Ventricular Drainage with Intraventricular Fibrinolysis.

OBJECTIVE: External ventricular drainage (EVD) combined with intraventricular fibrinolysis (IVF) is a commonly accepted surgical approach for some cases of hypertensive intraventricular hemorrhage (HIVH). We aimed to investigate the association between preoperative factors and outcome in patients with HIVH treated by EVD plus IVF. METHODS: Records from March 2010 to March 2016 were searched for HIVH treated by EVD plus IVF. We divided this population into the favorable outcome group and the unfavorable outcome group according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Preoperative demographic data, radiologic findings, and clinical factors were compared in each group. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess the relationship between factors and outcome in HIVH. RESULTS: Of 267 patients included in this study, 136 had a favorable outcome and 131 had a poor outcome. Multivariate analyses showed that age (odds ratio [OR], 18.229; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.503-221.16), Glasgow Coma Scale score (OR, 12.686; 95% CI, 1.5-107.312), blood neuron specific enolase (OR, 9.463; 95% CI, 1.178-76.012), third ventricle hematoma (OR, 15.311; 95% CI, 1.287-497.914), and fourth ventricle hematoma (OR, 25.258; 95% CI, 1.851-125.767) were associated with poor outcome of EVD in patients with HIVH. CONCLUSIONS: Fourth ventricle hematoma, third ventricle hematoma, high blood neuron specific enolase value, low Glasgow Coma Scale score, and old age were risk factors for poor outcome in HIVH treated with EVD plus IVF. EVD was not suitable, particularly in patients with brainstem compression caused by fourth ventricle hemorrhage, regardless of use of IVF.

Prolonged hydrocephalus induced by intraventricular hemorrhage in rats is reduced by curcumin therapy.

Prolonged hydrocephalus is a major cause of severe disability and death of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) patients. However, the therapeutic options to minimize the detrimental effects of post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus are limited. Curcumin has been reported to confer neuroprotective effects in numerous neurological diseases and injuries, but its role in IVH-induced hydrocephalus has not been determined. The aim of present study was to determine whether curcumin treatment ameliorates blood brain barrier (BBB) damage and reduces the incidence of post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus in IVH rat model. Autologous blood intraventricular injection was used to establish the IVH model. Our results revealed that repeated intraperitoneal injection of curcumin ameliorated IVH-induced learning and memory deficits as determined by Morris water maze and reduced the incidence of post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus in a dose-dependent manner at 28 d post-IVH induction. Further, the increased BBB permeability and brain edema induced by IVH were significantly reduced by curcumin administration. In summary, these findings highlighted the important role of curcumin in improving neurological function deficits and protecting against BBB disruption via promoting the neurovascular unit restoration, and thus it reduced the severity of post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus in the long term. It is believed that curcumin might prove to be an effective therapeutic component in prevent the post-IVH hydrocephalus in the near future.

Amantadine preserves dopamine level and attenuates depression-like behavior induced by traumatic brain injury in rats.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in multiple neuropsychiatric sequelae, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems. Among them, depression is a common psychiatric symptom, and links to poorer recovery. Amantadine, as an antiparkinsonian, increases dopamine release, and blocks dopamine reuptake, but has recently received attention for its effectiveness as an antidepressant. In the present study, we first induced a post-TBI depression rat model to probe the efficacy of amantadine therapy in reducing post-TBI depression. The DA concentration in the striatum of the injured rats, as well as the degeneration and apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), were checked along with the depression-like behavior. The results showed that amantadine therapy could significantly ameliorate the depression-like behavior, improving the DA level in the striatum and decreasing the degeneration and apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in the SN. The results indicated that the anti-depression effect may result from the increase of extracellular DA concentration in the striatum and/or the indirect neuroprotection on the dopaminergic neurons in the SN. We conclude that DA plays a critical role in post-TBI depression, and that amantadine shows its potential value in anti-depression treatment for TBI.

Salinomycin inhibits the tumor growth of glioma stem cells by selectively suppressing glioma-initiating cells.

Glioma­initiating cells are a small population of cells that have the ability to undergo self­renewal and initiate tumorigenesis. In the present study, the potential role of salinomycin, a polyether antibiotic, on the suppression of glioma cell growth was investigated. GL261 glioma cells were maintained in a stem­cell­like status [GL261 neurospheres (GL261­NS)] or induced for differentiation [GL261 adherent cells (GL261­AC)]. It was demonstrated that salinomycin significantly reduced the cell viability of GL261­NS and GL261­AC cells in a dose­dependent manner, with a more substantial inhibition of GL261­NS proliferation (P<0.05). The inhibitory effect of salinomycin on cell growth was more effective than that of 1­(4­amino­2­methyl­5­pyrimid l)­methyl­3­(2­chloroethyl)­3­nitrosourea hydrochloride and vincristine (P<0.05). Salinomycin depleted GL261­NS from tumorspheres and induced cell apoptosis. In addition, salinomycin prolonged the median survival time of glioma­bearing mice (P<0.05). Therefore, the present study indicated that salinomycin may preferentially inhibit glioma­initiated cell growth by inducing apoptosis, suggesting that salinomycin may provide a valuable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of malignant glioma.

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics and morphology in Chiari I malformation with cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: To determine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and morphology in Chiari I malformation (CMI) and assess the response to surgery of the posterior cranial fossa, we examined midsagittal imaging along with anterior cervical 2-3 (AC2-3), posterior cervical 2-3 (PC2-3), and aqueduct CSF flow hydrodynamics in axial imaging by using cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PCMR). METHOD: We examined 52 patients with CMI, both with and without syringomyelia (SM), pre-/post-surgery, and compared them to 17 healthy volunteers. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, binary logistic regression, and crosstab with MedCalc software. RESULTS: Patients with CMI had significantly shorter clivus length and larger tentorial angle than the healthy controls (P = 0.004, P = 0.019, respectively). The AC2-3 cranial/caudal peak velocity (PV), PC2-3 cranial/caudal PV and aqueduct cranial peak PV of patients with CMI were significantly lower than healthy volunteers pre-surgery (P = 0.034 AC2-3 cranial PV, P = 0.000002 AC2-3 caudal PV; P = 0.046 PC2-3 cranial PV, P = 0.015 PC2-3 caudal PV; P = 0.022 aqueduct cranial PV) and increased after surgery (P = 0.024 AC2-3 cranial PV, P = 0.002 AC2-3 caudal PV; P = 0.001 PC2-3 cranial PV, P = 0.032 PC2-3 caudal PV; P = 0.003 aqueduct cranial PV). The aqueduct caudal PV of patients with CMI was higher than that of healthy controls (P = 0.004) and decreased post-surgery (P = 0.012). Patients with pre-surgery PC2-3 cranial PV >2.63 cm/s and aqueduct cranial PV >2.13 cm/s, respectively, experienced primary symptom improvement after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The innate bony dysontogenesis in patients with CMI contributes to tonsilar ectopia and exacerbates CSF flow obstruction. A pressure gradient that existed between SM and SAS supports the perivascular space theory that is used to explain SM formation. Our findings demonstrate that PCMR maybe a useful tool for predicting patient prognosis.

Improvement of arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid production by increasing the copy number of the genes encoding fatty acid desaturase and elongase into Pichia pastoris.

Genes encoding Delta6 desaturase, Delta6 fatty acid elongase, and Delta5 desaturase from the alga, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, were co-expressed in Pichia pastoris to produce arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4 Delta(5, 8, 11, 14)) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 Delta(5, 8, 11, 14, 17)). A panel of Pichia clones carrying progressively increasing copies of the heterologous gene expression cassette was created using an in vitro multimerization approach. ARA and EPA accumulated up to 0.3 and 0.1% of total fatty acids, respectively, in the recombinant P. pastoris carrying with double copies of these three heterologous genes, as compared to 0.1 and 0.05%, respectively, in the recombinant P. pastoris with single copy.

[Comparison of ALS gene mRNA between sessile and planktonic Candida albicans of oral cavities].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the different mRNA levels of Candida albicans ALS gene family between planktonic and biofilm-grown cells. METHODS: ATCC 90038 and a wild strain of Candida albicans, biofilm models in vitro were formed on glass slides. After 48 hours' incubation, the biofilm-grown cells were harvested. Half-quantification of ALS1 and ALS4 mRNA was based on the amplification by one-step RT-PCR. RESULTS: The amounts of ALS1 and ALS4 mRNA of the wild strain in biofilm increased comparing with planktonic cells, while ATCC 90038 didn't. CONCLUSION: The members of ALS gene family may play important roles in the course of Candida albicans biofilm formation.