A comparative study of spectral and luminescent properties of Eu3+-doped cation-deficient perovskite phosphors.

Eu3+ is not only a major red-emitting activator, but also an excellent spectral probe ion. This work reports the Eu3+-sites and luminescence in the cation-deficient perovskite tungstates, A-site deficient SrLa2(Mg2W2)O12 [Sr1/2□1/2La(MgW)O6] and B-site deficient Sr2La2(MgW2)O12 [SrLa(Mg1/2□1/2W)O6]. The 7F0→5D0 excitation spectra of Eu3+ activators in two lattices were measured via pulsed dye laser. In SrLa2(Mg2W2)O12:Eu3+, there is only one 7F0→5D0 transition, which could be related to the Eu3+ center on La3+ sites; while, two 7F0→5D0 transitions in Sr2La2(MgW2)O12 indicate Eu3+ ions occupy Sr2+ in addition to La3+, resulting in the luminescent centers related to heterovalent substitution defects. The different Eu3+ sites make two phosphors exhibit different red luminescence properties. SrLa2(Mg2W2)O12:Eu3+ shows higher luminescent efficiency and thermal quenching due to its regular distribution of the activators resulting in lower dispersion losses of the energy transfer. The experimental results show that rare earth ions occupy different crystallographic positions in A-site and B-site deficient perovskite oxides, and this microstructure can be important for the corresponding luminescent properties.

Acceptance Factors and Psychological Investigation of Clinical Trials in Cancer Patients.

Aim: To understand the degree of oncology patients' awareness of drug clinical trials and oncology patients' willingness to participate in drug clinical trials and the factors influencing them. Methods: The differences in the relevant variables of patients' willingness to accept clinical trials were analyzed, and a descriptive analysis was done for the measurement data (mean and standard deviation). Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis was used to examine the correlation between willingness and the demographic variables. Stepwise regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of patients' willingness to accept clinical trials. Results: There were no statistical differences in age, gender, education level, marital status, place of residence, monthly income, medical payment method, and treatment time (P > 0.05). Patients' willingness to accept drug clinical trials differed in their cognitive degree of clinical drug trials (P = 0.002). Patients' willingness to accept drug clinical trials differed in their experience in clinical trials (P < 0.001). The correlation difference was statistically significant. The willingness to accept drug clinical trials was negatively correlated with treatment time (R = -0.16, P < 0.05) and positively correlated with awareness of clinical trials and whether they had been subjects (R = 0.16 and 0.43, P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that patients' willingness was directly influenced by age, treatment time, and whether they had been subjects (F = 21.315, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Age, treatment time, and whether they had been subjects were the direct influencing factors of patients' willingness. This study pointed out that hospitals should do a good job in the publicity of clinical trials of new drugs, expand publicity channels, increase publicity efforts, improve the awareness of clinical trials of the masses, and promote the enthusiasm of the masses to participate in clinical trials of drugs.

The role of CD4+ T cells in tumor and chronic viral immune responses.

Immunotherapies are mainly aimed to promote a CD8+ T cell response rather than a CD4+ T cell response as cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can directly kill target cells. Recently, CD4+ T cells have received more attention due to their diverse roles in tumors and chronic viral infections. In antitumor and antichronic viral responses, CD4+ T cells relay help signals through dendritic cells to indirectly regulate CD8+ T cell response, interact with B cells or macrophages to indirectly modulate humoral immunity or macrophage polarization, and inhibit tumor blood vessel formation. Additionally, CD4+ T cells can also exhibit direct cytotoxicity toward target cells. However, regulatory T cells exhibit immunosuppression and CD4+ T cells become exhausted, which promote tumor progression and chronic viral persistence. Finally, we also outline immunotherapies based on CD4+ T cells, including adoptive cell transfer, vaccines, and immune checkpoint blockade. Overall, this review summarizes diverse roles of CD4+ T cells in the antitumor or protumor and chronic viral responses, and also highlights the immunotherapies based on CD4+ T cells, giving a better understanding of their roles in tumors and chronic viral infections.

Promoter engineering for efficient production of sucrose phosphorylase in Bacillus subtilis and its application in enzymatic synthesis of 2-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid.

2-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2G), a stable glucoside derivative of L-ascorbic acid (L-AA), can be one-step synthesized by sucrose phosphorylase (SPase). In this study, we attempted to produce extracellular SPase in Bacillus subtilis WB800 for the food-grade production of AA-2G. The results showed that the secretion of SPases did not require signal peptide. Promoter and its compatibility to target SPase gene were proved to be the key factors for high-level secretion. The strong promoter P43 and synthetic SPase gene derived from Bifidobacterium longum (BloSPase) were selected due to generate a relatively high extracellular activity (0.94 U/mL) for L-AA glycosylation. A highly active dual-promoter system PsigH-100-P43 was further constructed, which produced the highest extracellular and intracellular activity were 5.53 U/mL and 6.85 U/mL in fed-batch fermentation, respectively. Up to 113.58 g/L of AA-2G could be achieved by the supernatant of fermentation broth and a higher yield of 146.42 g/L was obtained by whole-cells biotransformation. Therefore, the optimal dual-promoter system in B. subtilis is suitable for the food-grade scale-up production of AA-2G.

Efficient production of α-monoglucosyl hesperidin by cyclodextrin glucanotransferase from Bacillus subtilis.

α-Monoglucosyl hesperidin is a promising food additive with various activities. However, there are a few reports about the production of α-monoglucosyl hesperidin. Here, to develop a practical and safe process for α-monoglucosyl hesperidin synthesis, we used nonpathogenic Bacillus subtilis as a host to express cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) from Bacillus sp. A2-5a. The promoters and signal peptides were screened to optimize the transcription and secretion of CGTase in B. subtilis. The results of optimization showed that the best signal peptide and promoter were YdjM and PaprE, respectively. Finally, the enzyme activity increased to 46.5 U mL-1, 8.7 times that of the enzyme expressed from the strain containing pPHpaII-LipA, and the highest yield of α-monoglucosyl hesperidin was 2.70 g L-1 by enzymatic synthesis using the supernatant of the recombinant B. subtilis WB800 harboring the plasmid pPaprE-YdjM. This is the highest α-monoglucosyl hesperidin production level using recombinant CGTase to date. This work provides a generally applicable method for the scaled-up production of α-monoglucosyl hesperidin. KEY POINTS: • A three-step procedure was created for high throughput signal peptide screening. • YdjM and PaprE were screened from 173 signal peptides and 13 promoters. • α-Monoglucosyl hesperidin was synthesized by CGTase with a yield of 2.70 g L-1.

Design of public cultural sign based on Faster-R-CNN and its application in urban visual communication.

People are increasingly enthusiastic about pursuing spiritual life as economic and social development continues. Consequently, public cultural content has emerged as a pivotal instrument for promoting international soft power across diverse nations and regions. In today's era of advanced artificial intelligence, cultural sign design optimization has become achievable through its deployment. This article establishes an automatic layout optimization framework, specifically tailored to meet the visual communication requirements of public cultural signage. Our framework employs Faster-R-CNN for detecting and extracting key elements of the poster, yielding an impressive average detection accuracy of 94.6%. Subsequently, we use the three-division method in design to optimize the layout, ensuring that cultural logo design conforms to visual communication principles. Our framework produced an average cultural logo satisfaction rating exceeding 70% in actual tests, providing novel insights for cultural sign design within the artificial intelligence context and significantly enhancing the efficacy of visual communication conveyed through such signage.

Application of visual communication in digital animation advertising design using convolutional neural networks and big data.

In the age of big data, visual communication has emerged as a critical means of engaging with customers. Among multiple modes of visual communication, digital animation advertising is an exceptionally potent tool. Advertisers can create lively and compelling ads by harnessing the power of digital animation technology. This article proposes a multimodal visual communication system (MVCS) model based on multimodal video emotion analysis. This model automatically adjusts video content and playback mode according to users' emotions and interests, achieving more personalized video communication. The MVCS model analyses videos from multiple dimensions, such as vision, sound, and text, by training on a large-scale video dataset. We employ convolutional neural networks to extract the visual features of videos, while the audio and text features are extracted and analyzed for emotions using recurrent neural networks. By integrating feature information, the MVCS model can dynamically adjust the video's playback mode based on users' emotions and interaction behaviours, which increases its playback volume. We conducted a satisfaction survey on 106 digitally corrected ads created using the MVCS method to evaluate our approach's effectiveness. Results showed that 92.6% of users expressed satisfaction with the adjusted ads, indicating the MVCS model's efficacy in enhancing digital ad design effectiveness.

EZH2 restricts Tcf7 DNA methylation and promotes TFH differentiation during acute viral infection.

Follicular helper T (TFH) cells provide specialized help for B cells to ensure optimal humoral immunity. The histone methyltransferase EZH2, as a chromatin repressor, secures the TFH differentiation by promoting TFH lineage associated gene expression during acute viral infection, including Tcf7 and Bcl6. By using conditional deletion murine system, we observed that EZH2 ablation in CD4+ T cells was accompanied by aberrant accumulation of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) DNMT1 and DNMT3B in TFH cells. And the loss of EZH2 promoted aggravation of DNA methylation status at Tcf7 locus. Therefore, our findings suggested that EZH2 plays an important role in maintenance of hypomethylation at Tcf7 locus thus affecting TFH differentiation during acute viral infection.

New is not always better: Toxicity of novel copper based algaecides to Daphnia magna.

In this study, the effects of traditional copper (CuSO4.5H2O) and novel copper algaecides (Captain XTR, SeClear and Lake Guard Blue) were tested on Daphnia magna under acute (48 h) and chronic (21 d) exposure scenarios. The EC50 values calculated in the acute tests were between 0.5 and 0.6 mg Cu L-1 for all four compounds. Lake Guard Blue and CuSO4.5 H2O were more toxic than SeClear and Captain XTR. During the chronic test, the effects of SeClear (EC50: 0.274 mg Cu L-1) on reproduction and body length were larger than the effects of the other three copper-based algaecides (EC50: 0.436 mg Cu L-1 for CuSO4.5 H2O, 0.498 mg Cu L-1 for Captain XTR, and 0.295 mg Cu L-1 for Lake Guard Blue). Captain XTR had the strongest negative effect on body weight, whereas body weight was affected the least by CuSO4.5 H2O. The four copper compounds affected the age at first brood significantly, which was delayed by 1.8, 2.0, 2.3 and 3.2 days for Captain XTR, CuSO4.5H2O, Lake Guard Blue and SeClear, respectively. Intrinsic rate of population increase was lowest (0.145 d-1) at the highest dosage in the SeClear treatments. Chemical equilibrium modelling revealed that most copper was chelated with EDTA present in the artificial medium used. These combined results indicate that the toxicity of the novel copper algaecide SeClear to D. magna is greater than that of traditional copper algaecide. Prior to each Cu application, tests on the effects of Cu compounds on the organisms being targeted should be done, taking into consideration the water chemistry.

Expression characteristics of the yes-associated protein in breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The yes-associated protein (YAP) gene plays an important role in many malignant tumors, but its clinical significance in breast cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the significance of YAP expression in breast cancer using meta-analysis. METHODS: Seven databases will be searched to collect the case-control studies published on the association between YAP expression and clinical pathogenic features in breast cancer until December 2021: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Wan Fang Database, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. To perform meta-analysis, STATA 14.0 and RevMan5 software were used with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as the effect index, and publication bias and sensitivity analysis were subsequently tested. RESULTS: Form a total of 10 articles used in this study, 8 studies consisted of nontriple negative breast cancer (non-TNBC) and the other 2 of TNBC. Meta-analysis indicated a positive expression rate of YAP in non-TNBC tissues that was lower than in normal breast tissue (OR = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.10-0.21, P < .001). In contrast, the positive rate of YAP expression in TNBC was significantly higher than that in normal breast tissue (OR = 18.23, 95% CI = 8.20-40.52, P < .001). Furthermore, the positive expression rate was higher in the patients with lymph node metastasis, higher tumor node metastasis stage and histologic grade, and larger diameter in TNBC. However, there was no statistical difference in the positive expression rate of YAP between non-TNBC patients and lymph node metastasis, tumor node metastasis stage, histologic grade, and tumor size. CONCLUSIONS: YAP may participate in the occurrence and development of non-TNBC as a tumor suppressor gene; however, it may also be a carcinogenic factor in TNBC and may be a potential therapeutic target for TNBC.

CD4+ T-cell epitope-based heterologous prime-boost vaccination potentiates anti-tumor immunity and PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Antitumor therapeutic vaccines are generally based on antigenic epitopes presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I) molecules to induce tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. Paradoxically, continuous T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation from tumor-derived CD8+ T-cell epitopes can drive the functional exhaustion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. Tumor-specific type-I helper CD4+ T (TH1) cells play an important role in the population maintenance and cytotoxic function of exhausted tumor-specific CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Nonetheless, whether the vaccination strategy targeting MHC-II-restricted CD4+ T-cell epitopes to induce tumor-specific TH1 responses can confer effective antitumor immunity to restrain tumor growth is not well studied. Here, we developed a heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy to effectively induce tumor-specific TH1 cells and evaluated its antitumor efficacy and its capacity to potentiate PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy. METHODS: Listeria monocytogenes vector and influenza A virus (PR8 strain) vector stably expressing lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) glycoprotein-specific I-Ab-restricted CD4+ T cell epitope (GP61-80) or ovalbumin-specific CD4+ T cell epitope (OVA323-339) were constructed and evaluated their efficacy against mouse models of melanoma and colorectal adenocarcinoma expressing lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus glycoprotein and ovalbumin. The impact of CD4+ T cell epitope-based heterologous prime-boost vaccination was detected by flow-cytometer, single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell TCR sequencing. RESULTS: CD4+ T cell epitope-based heterologous prime-boost vaccination efficiently suppressed both mouse melanoma and colorectal adenocarcinoma. This vaccination primarily induced tumor-specific TH1 response, which in turn enhanced the expansion, effector function and clonal breadth of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, this vaccination strategy synergized PD-L1 blockade mediated tumor suppression. Notably, prime-boost vaccination extended the duration of PD-L1 blockade induced antitumor effects by preventing the re-exhaustion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. CONCLUSION: CD4+ T cell epitope-based heterologous prime-boost vaccination elicited potent both tumor-specific TH1 and CTL response, leading to the efficient tumor control. This strategy can also potentiate PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) against cancer.

[Advances in Polymer Hydrophilic Lubricating Coatings for Medical Catheters].

Polymer hydrophilic lubricating coatings for medical catheters refer to highly hydrophilic coating films fixed on the surface of catheters with binding force, which can reduce the surface friction with human tissues during the use of interventional catheters, improve the patient comfort of and effectively reduce the incidence of infection. Based on the development process of medical catheter coating, this review summarizes recent advances in the field of polymer hydrophilic lubricating coatings for medical catheters from types of hydrophilic coating polymer, development of coating technology and establishment of coating performance evaluation method. Main problems in this field are analyzed and development trends in the future are prospected.

Ginseng-Sanqi-Chuanxiong (GSC) Extracts Ameliorate Diabetes-Induced Endothelial Cell Senescence through Regulating Mitophagy via the AMPK Pathway.

Vascular endothelial senescence induced by high glucose and palmitate (HG/PA) contributes to endothelial dysfunction, which leads to diabetic cardiovascular complications. Reduction of endothelial senescence may attenuate these pathogenic processes. This study is aimed at determining whether Ginseng-Sanqi-Chuanxiong (GSC) extracts, traditional Chinese medicine, can ameliorate human aortic endothelial cell (HAEC) senescence under HG/PA-stressed conditions and further explore the underlying mechanism. We found that GSC extracts significantly increased antisenescent activity by reducing the HG/PA-induced mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) levels in senescent HAECs. GSC extracts also induced cellular mitophagy formation, which mediated the effect of GSC extracts on mtROS reduction. Apart from this, the data showed that GSC extracts stimulated mitophagy via the AMPK pathway, and upon inhibition of AMPK by pharmacological and genetic inhibitors, GSC extract-mediated mitophagy was abolished which further led to reverse the antisenescence effect. Taken together, these data suggest that GSC extracts prevent HG/PA-induced endothelial senescence and mtROS production by mitophagy regulation via the AMPK pathway. Thus, the induction of mitophagy by GSC extracts may provide a novel therapeutic candidate for cardiovascular protection in metabolic syndrome.

[Effect of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Chuanxiong Rhizoma extracts on intestinal flora of vascular aging mice induced by high glucose and high lipid].

The aim of this paper was to observe the changes of intestinal flora in vascular aging mice, in order to explore the relationship between vascular aging and intestinal flora and the effects of extracts of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Chuanxiong Rhizoma on intestinal flora of vascular aging mice. A model of vascular aging in mice was induced through intrape-ritoneal injection with streptozotocin(STZ) combined with high-fat diet. Biochemical detection was performed on serum cholesterol(CHO), triglyceride(TG), high-density liptein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density liptein cholesterol(LDL-C) and blood glucose(GLU). HE staining was used to detect mice thoracic aorta morphology, and the expressions of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2 A(p16) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 A(p21) protein in mice thoracic aorta were detected by Western blot. The 16 S rDNA gene of mice intestinal flora was detected by Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology to explore the changes of intestinal flora in each group. The results demonstrated that the GLU level in low-dose and high-dose TCM groups decreased, but with unobvious changes in blood lipid indexes. Metformin could significantly decrease the levels of GLU(P<0.01), CHO and LDL-C in mice(P<0.05). Intravascular injury was not obvious in each drug group, and the expressions of p16 and p21 protein were significantly decreased(P<0.05). The intestinal flora of each group was mainly composed of Firmicutes(F) and Bacteroidetes(B) at the level of the phylum, but the B/F ratio was different from that of the youth group and the blank control group. The B/F ratio of the model group was significantly lower(P<0.01), and compared with the model group, the B/F ratio of the high-dose group and the metformin group was signi-ficantly higher(P<0.05). There were dominant and differential floras in the intestine of each group of mice. The results showed that extracts of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Chuanxiong Rhizoma could improve the intestinal flora structure and create a good intestinal environment by increasing the B/F ratio, which provides a new possible pathway for lowering blood glucose and blood lipids and delaying vascular aging.

Chordoid glioma: an entity occurring not exclusively in the third ventricle.

Chordoid gliomas are extremely rare entities, which are generally considered occurring exclusively in the third ventricle. Despite the low-grade histological grade, aggressive behaviors have been reported in literatures. Due to the low morbidity, the origins, clinical, and radiological features, management and prognosis are still yet to be well elucidated. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical profiles from a series of 6 patients with chordoid gliomas. All patients underwent surgical treatment, and the diagnoses were based on histopathological examinations. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed perioperatively. Follow-up outcomes were presented. This case series consisted of three male and three female patients (age range 27-67 years; mean age 43.3 years). MRI results showed tumors in the third ventricle (4/6), temporal-parietal-occipital lobe involving the lateral ventricle (1/6), and cerebellar hemisphere (1/6). Three tumors were solid, and the others were cystic-solid. Hydrocephalus was present in one patient. The T1-weighted imaging showed hypo- to isointensity, and T2-weighted imaging showed iso- to hyperintensity; enhancement was homogeneous (4/6) or heterogeneous (2/6). Diffusion-weighted imaging showed no evidence of restricted diffusion. Magnetic resonance spectrum showed an elevated choline value and reduced N-acetylaspartate value. Gross total resection was achieved in all patients, and during an average follow-up period of 35.8 months, no recurrence was noted. Chordoid gliomas can occur outside the third ventricle with a great diagnostic challenge. The MRI characteristics suggest a low-grade tumor, and the accurate diagnosis depends on pathological criteria. Complete surgical resection is associated with a favorable outcome.

Clinical features and surgical outcomes of spinal clear cell meningioma: An institutional experience.

Clear cell meningiomas are uncommon tumors in the spinal canal. The clinical and radiological features, clinicopathological characteristics, treatment results, and long-term outcomes of this rare entity are still uncertain. The authors review their experience in a surgical series of 10 patients with histologically proven spinal clear cell meningioma treated at a single institution and discuss clinical features, radiological findings, and surgical outcomes. There were 3 male and 7 female patients with a mean age of 25.5 ±â€¯17.7 years. The mean follow-up period was 68.4 ±â€¯32.7 months. One tumor was in the cervical spine, 2 were in the thoracic spine, 2 were in the thoracolumbar spine, and 5 were in the lumbar or lumbosacral spine. Gross total resection of the tumor with a well-demarcated dissection plane was achieved in 9 patients, while subtotal resection was achieved in 1 patient, and no patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy. Symptoms present before surgery had improved in 9 patients at the last follow-up. Postoperative follow-up magnetic resonance imaging showed no recurrence/regrowth in the 9 patients with total removal and 1 patient with subtotal removal during the mean follow-up periods of 68.4 months and 56.0 months, respectively. Clear cell meningiomas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of young female patients with spinal tumors involving the lower thoracic, lumbar or sacral region. Although the nature of this disease is aggressive, spinal clear cell meningiomas are amenable to surgery. The risk of long-term lesion recurrence is low if complete removal can be achieved, and follow-up imaging is still needed.

Optimization of whole-cell biotransformation for scale-up production of α-arbutin from hydroquinone by the use of recombinant Escherichia coli.

α-Arbutin is an effective skin-whitening cosmetic ingredient and hyperpigmentation therapy agent. It can be synthesized by one-step enzymatic glycosylation of hydroquinone (HQ), but limited by the low yield. Amylosucrase (Amy-1) from Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris 8004 was recently identified with high HQ glycosylation activity. In this study, whole-cell transformation by Amy-1 was optimized and process scale-up was evaluated in 5000-L reactor. In comparison with purified Amy-1, whole-cell catalyst of recombinant E. coli displays better tolerance against inhibitors (oxidized products of HQ) and requires lower molar ratio of sucrose and HQ to reach high conversion rate (> 99%). Excess accumulation of glucose (0.6-1.0 M) derived from sucrose hydrolysis inhibits HQ glycosylation rate by 46-60%, which suggests the importance of balancing HQ glycosylation rate and sucrose hydrolysis rate by adjusting the activity of whole-cell catalyst and HQ-fed rate. Using optimal conditions, 540 mM of final concentration and 95% of molar conversion rate were obtained within 13-18 h in laboratory scale. For industrial scale-up production, 398 mM and 375 mM of final concentration with high conversion rates (~ 95%) were obtained in 3500-L and 4000-L of reaction volume, respectively. These yields and productivities (4.5-4.9 kg kL-1 h-1) were the highest by comparing to the best we known. Hence, high-yield production of α-arbutin by batch-feeding whole-cell biotransformation was successfully achieved in the 5000-L reaction scale.

Evaluation of EZH2 expression, BRAF V600E mutation, and CDKN2A/B deletions in epithelioid glioblastoma and anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma.

INTRODUCTION: Epithelioid glioblastoma (EGBM) and anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (APXA) are two rare entities with different prognoses. However, they share certain morphological and molecular features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To better recognize EGBM and APXA and identify the prognostic factors associated with these tumors, EZH2 status, BRAF V600E mutations, and CDKN2A/B deletions were assessed in 15 APXA and 13 EGBM cases. RESULTS: The expression level of EZH2 was found to increase with tumor grade. Overexpression of EZH2 occurred in 69.2% (9/13) of EGBM cases and 20% (3/15) of APXA cases. In addition, 72.7% (8/11) of EGBM and 12.5% (1/8) of APXA cases harbored a CDKN2A homozygous deletion based on fluorescence in situ hybridization. BRAF V600E mutations were detected in 80% (8/10) of EGBM cases and 42.9% (3/7) of APXA cases. Furthermore, EGBM, which exhibited co-existing low-grade glioma-like lesions, was found to have strong EZH2 expression and high Ki-67 indexes only in epithelioid cells and not in low grade lesions. Univariate analysis demonstrated that abundant epithelioid cells, extensive necrosis, EZH2 overexpression and BRAF V600E mutations were significantly associated with decreased overall survival in EGBM and APXA patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that testing for EZH2 expression and BRAF V600E mutations might be helpful to evaluate the prognoses of EGBM and APXA patients. The presence of heterogeneous EZH2 expression in biphasic EGBMs could also contribute to malignant progression.

Efficacy of Renshen Sanqi Chuanxiong formula for preventing vascular aging.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Renshen Sanqi Chuanxiong formula (RSCF) for preventing vascular aging, and to investigate the possible molecular mechanism underlying the actions of RSCF. METHODS: Potentially active components and their relatively direct targets were identified by combining drug-likeness (DL) screening using a target identification process. Vascular aging-associated targets for RSCF were obtained by selecting common genes not only from potential targets but also from human vascular aging-associated genes. Cytoscape 3.2.1 software was employed to visualize the complex compound-target and target-function networks. Biological process and molecular function were assessed, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and pathway enrichment analyses were performed using ClueGO. Pathways directly associated with vascular aging were integrated into a ""vascular aging-related"" pathway. RESULTS: Altogether, 122 potentially active components of RSCF were identified through DL screening, and their corresponding 692 direct targets were retrieved via target prediction and identification. We identified 49 vascular aging-associated targets for RSCF by overlapping the 692 potential targets with 146 human vascular aging-associated genes. The results from the compound-target network indicated that most components acted on common targets and displayed synergistic action, which showed that the magnifying effects of RSCF were based on these common targets. The target-function network revealed that each target was involved in multiple function modules, suggesting that RSCF was multi-functional during treatment of vascular aging. The results of the ClueGO analysis indicated that most of the targets were associated with the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway. The results from the pathway analysis also indicated that an integrative vascular aging-related pathway mainly included an angiogenesis regulation module, cell-survival module, and oxidative stress-resistance module. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that many components act synergistically on common targets to delay vascular aging, and each target is involved in multiple functional modules. The ClueGO analysis indicated that most of the targets were connected to the HIF-1 signaling pathway, FOXO signaling pathway, and thyroid hormone signaling pathway.

Clinicoradiological characteristics, management and prognosis of primary myeloid sarcoma of the central nervous system: A report of four cases.

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a localized tumor composed of premature precursors of granulocytic cells, which may occur in any organ and most commonly involves the soft tissue and musculoskeletal system. This malignancy may occur in the presence or absence of hematological disorders. Primary MS involving the central nervous system (CNS-MS) is rare, and has only been described in a small number of isolated case reports. The diagnosis of CNS-MS is challenging and strategies for its management are undefined. The present study describes 4 cases of CNS-MS. The hematological indices at admission were normal and all patients presented with location-associated nonspecific symptoms. In magnetic resonance imaging scans, the tumors appeared isointense on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images, with marked enhancement following contrast agent administration. Only 1 patient progressed to acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), with this occurring 3 weeks following histological diagnosis. During the follow-up period, the patient with AML succumbed to the disease, local recurrence was noted in another patient for which a second surgery was requested and no progression was observed in the remaining 2 patients. CNS-MS has unique radiological characteristics and, due to its diffuse tissue infiltration, gross total resection is challenging. It is important for clinicians to be aware of potential hematological disorders in patients with CNS-MS. A combined surgical and chemotherapeutic strategy may be able to provide long-term control of this malignancy.