Establishment of a prognosis predictive model for liver cancer based on expression of genes involved in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

BACKGROUND: The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) has been proven to play important roles in cancer. AIM: To investigate the prognostic significance of genes involved in the UPP and develop a predictive model for liver cancer based on the expression of these genes. METHODS: In this study, UPP-related E1, E2, E3, deubiquitylating enzyme, and proteasome gene sets were obtained from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, aiming to screen the prognostic genes using univariate and multivariate regression analysis and develop a prognosis predictive model based on the Cancer Genome Atlas liver cancer cases. RESULTS: Five genes (including autophagy related 10, proteasome 20S subunit alpha 8, proteasome 20S subunit beta 2, ubiquitin specific peptidase 17 like family member 2, and ubiquitin specific peptidase 8) were proven significantly correlated with prognosis and used to develop a prognosis predictive model for liver cancer. Among training, validation, and Gene Expression Omnibus sets, the overall survival differed significantly between the high-risk and low-risk groups. The expression of the five genes was significantly associated with immunocyte infiltration, tumor stage, and postoperative recurrence. A total of 111 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the high-risk and low-risk groups and they were enriched in 20 and 5 gene ontology and KEGG pathways. Cell division cycle 20, Kelch repeat and BTB domain containing 11, and DDB1 and CUL4 associated factor 4 like 2 were the DEGs in the E3 gene set that correlated with survival. CONCLUSION: We have constructed a prognosis predictive model in patients with liver cancer, which contains five genes that associate with immunocyte infiltration, tumor stage, and postoperative recurrence.

Clinical Assessment of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Diffuse Glioma: Insights Into Histological Grading and IDH Classification.

PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic utility of clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing between histological grading and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) classification in adult diffuse gliomas. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 247 patients diagnosed with adult diffuse glioma. Experienced radiologists evaluated DWI and MRS images. The Kruskal-Wallis test examined differences in DWI and MRS-related parameters across histological grades, while the Mann-Whitney U test assessed molecular classification. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated parameter effectiveness. Survival curves, stratified by histological grade and IDH classification, were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier test. RESULTS: The cohort comprised 141 males and 106 females, with ages ranging from 19 to 85 years. The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences in ADC mean, Cho/NAA, and Cho/Cr concerning glioma histological grade (P < .01). Subsequent application of Dunn's test showed significant differences in ADC mean among each histological grade (P < .01). Notably, Cho/NAA exhibited a marked distinction between grade 2 and grade 3/4 gliomas (P < .01). The Mann-Whitney U test indicated that only ADC mean showed statistical significance for IDH molecular classification (P < .01). ROC curves were constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the specified parameters. Survival curves were also delineated to portray survival outcomes categorized by histological grade and IDH classification. Conclusions: Clinical MRS demonstrates efficacy in glioma histological grading but faces challenges in IDH classification. Clinical DWI's ADC mean parameter shows significant distinctions in both histological grade and IDH classification.

Universal Sublimation Strategy to Stabilize Single-Metal Sites on Flexible Single-Wall Carbon-Nanotube Films with Strain-Enhanced Activities for Zinc-Air Batteries and Water Splitting.

Single-metal-site catalysts have recently aroused extensive research in electrochemical energy fields such as zinc-air batteries and water splitting, but their preparation is still a huge challenge, especially in flexible catalyst films. Herein, we propose a sublimation strategy in which metal phthalocyanine molecules with defined isolated metal-N4 sites are gasified by sublimation and then deposited on flexible single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films by means of π-π coupling interactions. Specifically, iron phthalocyanine anchored on the SWCNT film prepared was directly used to boost the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction of the zinc-air battery, showing a high peak power density of 247 mW cm-2. Nickel phthalocyanine and cobalt phthalocyanine were, respectively, stabilized on SWCNT films as the anodic and cathodic electrocatalysts for water splitting, showing a low potential of 1.655 V at 10 mA cm-2. In situ Raman spectra and theoretical studies demonstrate that highly efficient activities originate from strain-induced metal phthalocyanine on SWCNTs. This work provides a universal preparation method for single-metal-site catalysts and innovative insights for electrocatalytic mechanisms.

Hierarchical blind phase search for correcting imperfect phase rotation in QAM signals synthesized via optical coherent superposition.

Coherent superposition has been proposed to synthesize high-order quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) by coherently superposing low-order QAMs in the optical domain. These approaches could effectively relax the digital-to-analog converter resolution and reduce the complexity of the driving electronics. However, in the superposition process, imperfect phase rotations (IPRs) in low-order QAMs will be transferred to the resultant high-order QAM. Importantly, the induced IPR cannot be compensated for by conventional linear equalizers and carrier recovery methods. To combat the induced IPR, herein, we propose a hierarchical blind phase search (HBPS) algorithm to compensate for the IPRs in synthesized high-order QAMs. The proposed HBPS can match the generation mechanism of the IPRs in coherent superposition, by tracing back and estimating the IPR in the QPSK-like constellation of each hierarchy and finally correcting the induced IPRs. Simulation and experimental results verify that this algorithm could effectively compensate for the IPR in the resultant 16-QAMs synthesized using coherent superposition approaches. The proposed HBPS shows significant optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) gains compared to the conventional blind phase search (BPS) method for high-order QAMs coherently superposed using optical signal processing (OSP) and tandem modulators (TMs). Specifically, at the BER of 2.4e-2, the HBPS achieves a 1.5-dB OSNR sensitivity enhancement over the BPS in either OSP or TMs-based schemes, even with an imperfection rotation of up to 20∘.

Point-Based Learnable Query Generator for Human-Object Interaction Detection.

Transformer-based and interaction point-based methods have demonstrated promising performance and potential in human-object interaction detection. However, due to differences in structure and properties, direct integration of these two types of models is not feasible. Recent Transformer-based methods divide the decoder into two branches: an instance decoder for human-object pair detection and a classification decoder for interaction recognition. While the attention mechanism within the Transformer enhances the connection between localization and classification, this paper focuses on further improving HOI detection performance by increasing the intrinsic correlation between instance and action features. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel Transformer-based HOI Detection framework. In the proposed method, the decoder contains three parts: learnable query generator, instance decoder, and interaction classifier. The learnable query generator aims to build an effective query to guide the instance decoder and interaction classifier to learn more accurate instance and interaction features. These features are then applied to update the query generator for the next layer. Especially, inspired by the interaction point-based HOI and object detection methods, this paper introduces the prior bounding boxes, keypoints detection and spatial relation feature to build the novel learnable query generator. Finally, the proposed method is verified on HICO-DET and V-COCO datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed method has the better performance compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

Distinctive magnetic resonance imaging features in primary central nervous system lymphoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare malignant tumor originating from the lymphatic hematopoietic system. It exhibits unique imaging manifestations due to its biological characteristics. CASE SUMMARY: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed. The imaging findings showed multiple space-occupying lesions with low signal on T1-weighted imaging, uniform high signal on T2-weighted imaging, and obvious enhancement on contrast-enhanced scans. DWI revealed diffusion restriction, PWI demonstrated hypoperfusion, and spectroscopy showed elevated choline peak and decreased N-acetylaspartic acid. The patient's condition significantly improved after hormone shock therapy. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the distinctive imaging features of PCNSL and their importance in accurate diagnosis and management.

Prussian-Blue-Analogue-Derived Ultrathin Co2P-Fe2P Nanosheets for Universal-pH Overall Water Splitting.

The great interest in large-scale electrochemical water splitting toward clean hydrogen has spurred large numbers of studies on developing cost-efficient and high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts. Here, a Prussian-blue-analogue-derived method is proposed to prepare honeycomb-like ultrathin and heterogeneous Co2P-Fe2P nanosheets on nickel foam, showing low overpotentials of 0.080, 0.088, and 0.109 V for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at 10 mA cm-2 as well as 0.290, 0.370, and 0.730 V for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at 50 mA cm-2 in alkaline, acidic, and neutral electrolytes, respectively. When directly applied for universal-pH water electrolysis, excellent performances are achieved especially at ultralow voltages of 1.45 V at 10 mA cm-2, 1.66 V at 100 mA cm-2, and 1.79 V at 500 mA cm-2 under alkaline conditions. In situ Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrate that the excellent HER performance can be attributed to heterogeneous Co2P-Fe2P while the ultrahigh alkaline OER performance originates from reconstruction-induced oxyhydroxides.

Tail nerve electrical stimulation promoted the efficiency of transplanted spinal cord-like tissue as a neuronal relay to repair the motor function of rats with transected spinal cord injury.

Following transected spinal cord injury (SCI), there is a critical need to restore nerve conduction at the injury site and activate the silent neural circuits caudal to the injury to promote the recovery of voluntary movement. In this study, we generated a rat model of SCI, constructed neural stem cell (NSC)-derived spinal cord-like tissue (SCLT), and evaluated its ability to replace injured spinal cord and repair nerve conduction in the spinal cord as a neuronal relay. The lumbosacral spinal cord was further activated with tail nerve electrical stimulation (TNES) as a synergistic electrical stimulation to better receive the neural information transmitted by the SCLT. Next, we investigated the neuromodulatory mechanism underlying the action of TNES and its synergism with SCLT in SCI repair. TNES promoted the regeneration and remyelination of axons and increased the proportion of glutamatergic neurons in SCLT to transmit brain-derived neural information more efficiently to the caudal spinal cord. TNES also increased the innervation of motor neurons to hindlimb muscle and improved the microenvironment of muscle tissue, resulting in effective prevention of hindlimb muscle atrophy and enhanced muscle mitochondrial energy metabolism. Tracing of the neural circuits of the sciatic nerve and tail nerve identified the mechanisms responsible for the synergistic effects of SCLT transplantation and TNES in activating central pattern generator (CPG) neural circuits and promoting voluntary motor function recovery in rats. The combination of SCLT and TNES is expected to provide a new breakthrough for patients with SCI to restore voluntary movement and control their muscles.

[Clinical characteristics and risk factors for early-onset necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants with very/extremely low birth weight]. / 极/è¶ ä½Žå‡ºç”Ÿä½“é‡æ—©äº§å„¿æ—©å‘åž‹åæ­»æ€§å°è‚ ç»“è‚ ç‚Žä¸´åºŠç‰¹å¾å’Œå±é™©å› ç´ åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for early-onset necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants with very/extremely low birth weight (VLBW/ELBW). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 194 VLBW/ELBW preterm infants with NEC who were admitted to Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2014 to December 2021. These infants were divided into early-onset group (onset in the first two weeks of life; n=62) and late-onset group (onset two weeks after birth; n=132) based on their onset time. The two groups were compared in terms of perinatal conditions, clinical characteristics, laboratory examination results, and clinical outcomes. Sixty-two non-NEC infants with similar gestational age and birth weight who were hospitalized at the same period as these NEC preterm infants were selected as the control group. The risk factors for the development of early-onset NEC were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the late-onset group, the early-onset group had significantly higher proportions of infants with 1-minute Apgar score ≤3, stage III NEC, surgical intervention, grade ≥3 intraventricular hemorrhage, apnea, and fever or hypothermia (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that feeding intolerance, blood culture-positive early-onset sepsis, severe anemia, and hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus were independent risk factors for the development of early-onset NEC in VLBW/ELBW preterm infants (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: VLBW/ELBW preterm infants with early-onset NEC have more severe conditions compared with those with late-onset NEC. Neonates with feeding intolerance, blood culture-positive early-onset sepsis, severe anemia, or hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus have a higher risk of early-onset NEC.

Label-reconstruction-based pseudo-subscore learning for action quality assessment in sporting events.

Most existing action quality assessment (AQA) methods provide only an overall quality score for the input video and lack an evaluation of each substage of the movement process; thus, these methods cannot provide detailed feedback for users. Moreover, the existing datasets do not provide labels for substage quality assessment. To address these problems, in this work, a new label-reconstruction-based pseudo-subscore learning (PSL) method is proposed for AQA in sporting events. In the proposed method, the overall score of an action is not only regarded as a quality label but also used as a feature of the training set. A label-reconstruction-based learning algorithm is built to generate pseudo-subscore labels for the training set. Moreover, based on the pseudo-subscore labels and overall score labels, a multi-substage AQA model is fine-tuned from the PSL model to predict the action quality score of each substage and the overall score for an athlete. Several ablation experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness of each module. The experimental results show that our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance.

Neonatal Cri du chat syndrome with atypical facial appearance: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Cri du chat syndrome (CdCS), also known as 5p deletion syndrome (5p-) is a syndrome caused by partial deletion of the 5p chromosome in human beings. The incidence accounts for 1/50000 and the cause of CdCS is related to partial deletion of chromosome 5 short arm (p). CdCS is a sporadic event. Only one case of CdCS was detected by chromosome screening in 125 and 170 pregnant Iranian women[1]. The most prominent clinical manifestations of CdCS are typical high-pitched cat calls, severe mental retardation or mental retardation and is most harmful to both language and growth retardation[2]. CdCS is a chromosome mutation disease which occurs during embryonic development and the symptoms of some cases are extremely atypical. It is difficult to make an early diagnosis and screening in clinic. We can suspect the disease from its atypical manifestations in the weak crying of cats, and chromosome karyotype analysis can find some questionable gene deletion fragments to assist the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of CdCS. CASE SUMMARY: A 2-d-old male child who was admitted to our hospital with a poor postnatal reaction and poor milk intake. The baby's crying and sucking is weak, reaction and feeding time is poor and the baby has nausea and vomiting. Karyotype analysis showed that the chromosomes were 46, XY, deletion (5) p15. Whole genome microarray analysis (named ISCN2013) showed that the chromosomes of the child were male karyotypes and contained three chromosomal abnormalities. Among them, loss of 5p15.2pter (113576-13464559) was associated with cat call syndrome. After 3 mo of follow-up, the child still vomited repeatedly, had poor milk intake, did not return to normal growth, had developmental retardation and a poor directional response. CONCLUSION: Therefore, when cat crying and laryngeal sounds occur in the neonatal period, it should be considered that they are related to CdCS. Chromosome karyotype and genome analysis are helpful for the diagnosis of CdCS.

Modeling of the Small-Scale Outbreak of COVID-19.

With the improvement of treatment and prevention methods, many countries have the pandemic under control. Different from the globally large-scale outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, now the outbreak in these countries shows new characteristics, which calls for an effective epidemic model to describe the transmission dynamics. Meeting this need, first, we extensively investigate the small-scale outbreaks in different provinces of China and use classic compartmental models, which have been widely used in predictions, to forecast the outbreaks. Additionally, we further propose a new version of cellular automata with a time matrix, to simulate outbreaks. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed cellular automata could effectively simulate the small-scale outbreak of COVID-19, which provides insights into the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in China and help countries with small-scale outbreaks to determine and implement effective intervention measures. The countries with relatively small populations will also get useful information about the epidemic from our research.

Differentiation of Meningiomas and Gliomas by Amide Proton Transfer Imaging: A Preliminary Study of Brain Tumour Infiltration.

Background: Gliomas are more malignant and invasive than meningiomas. Objective: To distinguish meningiomas from low-grade/high-grade gliomas (LGGs/HGGs) using amide proton transfer imaging (APT) combined with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to explore the application of APT in evaluating brain tumour invasiveness. Materials and Methods: The imaging data of 50 brain tumors confirmed by pathology in patients who underwent APT scanning in our centre were retrospectively analysed. Of these tumors, 25 were meningiomas, 10 were LGGs, and 15 were HGGs. The extent of the tumour-induced range was measured on APT images, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), and MRI enhancement; additionally, and the degree of enhancement was graded. Ratios (RAPT/T2 and RAPT/E) were obtained by dividing the range of changes observed by APT by the range of changes observed via T2WI and MR enhancement, respectively, and APTmean values were measured. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the above measured values with the pathological results obtained for gliomas and meningiomas, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare LGGs, HGGs and meningiomas, and Dunn's test was used for pairwise comparisons. In addition, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn. Results: The Mann-Whitney U test showed that APTmean (p=0.005), RAPT/T2 (p<0.001), and RAPT/E (p<0.001) values were statistically significant in the identification of meningioma and glioma. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the parameters APTmean, RAPT/T2, RAPT/E and the degree of enhancement are statistically significant. Dunn's test revealed that RAPT/T2 (p=0.004) and RAPT/E (p=0.008) could be used for the identification of LGGs and meningiomas. APTmean (p<0.001), RAPT/T2 (p<0.001), and RAPT/E (p<0.001) could be used for the identification of HGGs and meningiomas. APTmean (p<0.001) was statistically significant in the comparison of LGGs and HGGs. ROC curves showed that RAPT/T2 (area under the curve (AUC)=0.947) and RAPT/E (AUC=0.919) could be used to distinguish gliomas from meningiomas. Conclusion: APT can be used for the differential diagnosis of meningioma and glioma, but APTmean values can only be used for the differential diagnosis of HGGs and meningiomas or HGGs and LGGs. Gliomas exhibit more obvious changes than meningiomas in APT images of brain tissue; this outcome may be caused by brain infiltration.

Novel High-Temperature-Resistant Phosphates: Thermal Ablation Behavior of La-Al System Phosphates at 2000 °C.

The saturation-free and directionless cross-linking and interpenetration processes between La3+ and [(H2PO4)2Al(HPO4)]-plasma in La-Al phosphate by mixing Al(OH)3, CrO3, and H2O2 dissolved in H3PO4 and La2O3 as a curing accelerator, as well as the thermal stability of the La-Al phosphate bulk materials and the evolutions of the phase composition and morphology at different temperatures were studied using thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry under different temperatures in a muffle furnace. The La-Al phosphates showed good thermal stability, and the thermal weight loss rate of the materials decreased from 18% before heat treatment to ∼2% after heat treatment. In addition, the La-Al phosphate bulk material showed excellent resistance to ablation when subjected to ablation by an oxyacetylene flame at 2000 °C for 30 s. It evolved into a dense LaPO4 and AlPO4 high-temperature phase layer on the sample surface, which prevented further ablation damage to the sample and significantly improved the temperature resistance of the La-Al phosphate bulk material.

Circ_0017639 facilitates proliferative, migratory, and invasive potential of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells via PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has increased morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. The current NSCLS therapies are associated with poor outcomes and need further improvement. CircRNAs were shown to regulate NSCLC progression. However, little is known re garding the functions and mechanisms of circ_0017639 in NSCLC, which requires further extensive studies. The circ_0017639 expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was evaluated via qRT-RCR. Moreover, using ectopic plasmid incorporation and shRNA assays, we analyzed the circ_0017639-mediated cellular proliferative, migratory and invasive processes in NSCLC cell lines, using CCK-8, EdU, and transwell assays. Furthermore, the core proteins (p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT, and AKT) levels of the PI3K/AKT signaling cascade were investigated via immunoblotting. Finally, we tested the functional role of circ_0017639 by examining its regulation of xenograft tumor growths in nude mice in vivo. Circ_0017639 expression was remarkably high in the NSCLC tissues and cell lines. The transfection experiments showed that circ_0017639 overexpression was able to promote proliferative, migratory, and invasive properties of NSCLC cells, while sh-circ_0017639 showed opposing effects. We further showed that circ_0017639 knockdown suppressed the cellular development via PI3K/AKT cascade inactivation. Additionally, in-vivo experiment in nude mice demonstrated that sh-circ_0017639 could reduce the tumor growth of NSCLC. Circ_0017639 may promote the development of NSCLC by accelerating NSCLC metastasis through stimulating the PI3K/AKT cascade.

Construction of a niche-specific spinal white matter-like tissue to promote directional axon regeneration and myelination for rat spinal cord injury repair.

Directional axon regeneration and remyelination are crucial for repair of spinal cord injury (SCI), but existing treatments do not effectively promote those processes. Here, we propose a strategy for construction of niche-specific spinal white matter-like tissue (WMLT) using decellularized optic nerve (DON) loaded with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3)-overexpressing oligodendrocyte precursor cells. A rat model with a white matter defect in the dorsal spinal cord of the T10 segment was used. The WMLT transplantation group showed significant improvement in coordinated motor functions compared with the control groups. WMLT transplants integrated well with host spinal cord white matter, effectively addressing several barriers to directional axonal regeneration and myelination during SCI repair. In WMLT, laminin was found to promote development of oligodendroglial lineage (OL) cells by binding to laminin receptors. Interestingly, laminin could also guide linear axon regeneration via interactions with specific integrins on the axon surface. The WMLT developed here utilizes the unique microstructure and bioactive matrix of DON to create a niche rich in laminin, NT-3 and OL cells to achieve significant structural repair of SCI. Our protocol can help to promote research on repair of nerve injury and construction of neural tissues and organoids that form specific cell niches.

Anti-osteosarcoma effect of antiserum against cross antigen TPD52 between osteosarcoma and Trichinella spiralis.

BACKGROUND: Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) is a parasite occurring worldwide that has been proven to have antitumour ability. However, studies on the antitumour effects of cross antigens between the tumour and T. spiralis or antibodies against cross antigens between tumours and T. spiralis are rare. METHODS: To study the role of cross antigens between osteosarcoma and T. spiralis, we first screened the cDNA expression library of T. spiralis muscle larvae to obtain the cross antigen gene tumour protein D52 (TPD52), and prepared fusion protein TPD52 and its antiserum. The anti-osteosarcoma effect of the anti-TPD52 antiserum was studied using cell proliferation and cytotoxicity assays as well as in vivo animal models; preliminary data on the mechanism were obtained using western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses. RESULTS: Our results indicated that TPD52 was mainly localized in the cytoplasm of MG-63 cells. Anti-TPD52 antiserum inhibited the proliferation of MG-63 cells and the growth of osteosarcoma in a dose-dependent manner. The tumour inhibition rate in the 100 µg treatment group was 61.95%. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that injection of anti-TPD52 antiserum increased the serum levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-12 in nude mice. Haematoxylin and eosin staining showed that anti-TPD52 antiserum did not cause significant pathological damage. Apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells was induced by anti-TPD52 antiserum in vivo and in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TPD52 antiserum exerts an anti-osteosarcoma effect by inducing apoptosis without causing histopathological damage.

An NT-3-releasing bioscaffold supports the formation of TrkC-modified neural stem cell-derived neural network tissue with efficacy in repairing spinal cord injury.

The mechanism underlying neurogenesis during embryonic spinal cord development involves a specific ligand/receptor interaction, which may be help guide neuroengineering to boost stem cell-based neural regeneration for the structural and functional repair of spinal cord injury. Herein, we hypothesized that supplying spinal cord defects with an exogenous neural network in the NT-3/fibroin-coated gelatin sponge (NF-GS) scaffold might improve tissue repair efficacy. To test this, we engineered tropomyosin receptor kinase C (TrkC)-modified neural stem cell (NSC)-derived neural network tissue with robust viability within an NF-GS scaffold. When NSCs were genetically modified to overexpress TrkC, the NT-3 receptor, a functional neuronal population dominated the neural network tissue. The pro-regenerative niche allowed the long-term survival and phenotypic maintenance of the donor neural network tissue for up to 8 weeks in the injured spinal cord. Additionally, host nerve fibers regenerated into the graft, making synaptic connections with the donor neurons. Accordingly, motor function recovery was significantly improved in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI) that received TrkC-modified NSC-derived neural network tissue transplantation. Together, the results suggested that transplantation of the neural network tissue formed in the 3D bioactive scaffold may represent a valuable approach to study and develop therapies for SCI.

Mechanical thrombectomy for acute occlusion of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has been demonstrated to be useful for the treatment of ischemic stroke in patients with large vessel occlusions. However, recanalization by MT is not recommended for distal vessels such as second-order branches of the middle cerebral artery and posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). Because of the small size and tortuosity of these arteries, the risks of using the available endovascular devices outweigh the benefits of treatment. However, MT appears to be effective in patients with primary distal vessel occlusion in eloquent areas, those with a high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and those ineligible for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy. Here, we report the use of MT for treating acute occlusion of the PICA using a direct-aspiration first-pass technique (ADAPT). CASE SUMMARY: In this case, the patient received acute occlusion of the PICA with ADAPT when right internal carotid artery stenting was performed. CONCLUSION: With the introduction of advanced endovascular devices, MT may now be a feasible treatment for acute occlusion of the PICA.

Cognitive dysfunction in a patient with migraine and APT1A2 mutation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Hemiplegic migraine (HM) is a rare type of migraine with aura. Some reports have described the clinical manifestations in HM patients with the ATP1A2 mutation. But the impact of the ATP1A2 mutation on cognitive profile in HM patients has not been evaluated in detail. Here we report a patient with cognitive dysfunction in specific area. CASE PRESENTATION: A 15-year-old boy with an aura that included disturbances in consciousness, associated with fever, vomiting, hemiplegia, and aphasia. He was diagnosed with HM with the ATP1A2 mutation before. He had trouble in mathematics and depicting three-dimensional things. CONCLUSIONS: The HM with ATP1A2 patient could develop permanent cognitive dysfunction. Therefore, the cognitive quotient should be carefully and comprehensively evaluated.