Clinical characteristics analysis of pediatric spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality in China: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: This study aims to analyze the clinical characteristics of Chinese children with spinal cord injury (SCI) without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) and explore their contributing factors and mechanisms of occurrence. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of pediatric patients diagnosed with SCIWORA from January 2005 to May 2020. Epidemiological, etiological, mechanistic, therapeutic, and outcome aspects were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients with SCIWORA were included in this study, comprising 16 males and 31 females. The age range was 4 to 12 years, with an average age of 7.49 ± 2.04 years, and 70% of the patients were below eight. Sports-related injuries constituted 66%, with 70% attributed to dance backbend practice. Thoracic segment injuries accounted for 77%. In the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification, the combined proportion of A and B grades accounted for 88%. Conservative treatment was chosen by 98% of the patients, with muscle atrophy, spinal scoliosis, hip joint abnormalities, and urinary system infections being the most common complications. CONCLUSION: SCIWORA in Chinese children is more prevalent in those under eight years old, with a higher incidence in females than males. Thoracic spinal cord injuries are predominant, dance backbend as a primary contributing factor, and the social environment of "neijuan" is a critical potential inducing factor. Furthermore, the initial severity of the injury plays a decisive role in determining the prognosis of SCIWORA.

CEMIP Promotes Osteosarcoma Progression and Metastasis Through Activating Notch Signaling Pathway.

Cell migration inducing protein (CEMIP) has been linked to carcinogenesis in several types of cancers. However, the role and mechanism of CEMIP in osteosarcoma remain unclear. This study investigated the role of CEMIP in the progression and metastasis of osteosarcoma, CEMIP was found to be overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues when compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues, and its expression was positively associated with a poor prognosis in osteosarcoma patients. Silencing CEMIP decreased osteosarcoma cells proliferation, migration, and invasion, but enhanced apoptosis in vitro, and suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, CEMIP promoted osteosarcoma cells growth and metastasis through activating Notch signaling pathway, silencing CEMIP would reduce the protein expression and activation of Notch/Jagged1/Hes1 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, activation of Notch signaling pathway could partially reversed cell proliferation and migration in shCEMIP osteosarcoma cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that CEMIP plays a substantial role in the progression of osteosarcoma via Notch signaling pathway, providing a promising therapeutic target in osteosarcoma.

Promotion of bone morphogenetic protein signaling by tetraspanins and glycosphingolipids.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) belong to the transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) superfamily of secreted molecules. BMPs play essential roles in multiple developmental and homeostatic processes in metazoans. Malfunction of the BMP pathway can cause a variety of diseases in humans, including cancer, skeletal disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Identification of factors that ensure proper spatiotemporal control of BMP signaling is critical for understanding how this pathway is regulated. We have used a unique and sensitive genetic screen to identify the plasma membrane-localized tetraspanin TSP-21 as a key new factor in the C. elegans BMP-like "Sma/Mab" signaling pathway that controls body size and postembryonic M lineage development. We showed that TSP-21 acts in the signal-receiving cells and genetically functions at the ligand-receptor level. We further showed that TSP-21 can associate with itself and with two additional tetraspanins, TSP-12 and TSP-14, which also promote Sma/Mab signaling. TSP-12 and TSP-14 can also associate with SMA-6, the type I receptor of the Sma/Mab pathway. Finally, we found that glycosphingolipids, major components of the tetraspanin-enriched microdomains, are required for Sma/Mab signaling. Our findings suggest that the tetraspanin-enriched membrane microdomains are important for proper BMP signaling. As tetraspanins have emerged as diagnostic and prognostic markers for tumor progression, and TSP-21, TSP-12 and TSP-14 are all conserved in humans, we speculate that abnormal BMP signaling due to altered expression or function of certain tetraspanins may be a contributing factor to cancer development.