Hemodynamic Changes in Patients with Chronic Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion After Recanalization.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of endovascular recanalization in patients with chronic internal carotid artery occlusion (CICAO) and explore the application value of computed tomography perfusion (CTP) in endovascular recanalization. Methods: This non-randomized controlled study included 41 patients with CICAO. All patients received active medical treatment. In this study, patients with successful endovascular recanalization and those who refused endovascular recanalization were included in the recanalization and medication groups, respectively. Before and 90 days after treatment, cognitive function was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Function Assessment, and neurological function was evaluated using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and modified Rankin scale. For patients with successful endovascular recanalization, brain CTP imaging was performed to evaluate hemodynamic changes in patients with CICAO before and three days after treatment. Results: Overall, 41 symptomatic patients with CICAO were included, and 20 patients received endovascular recanalization therapy, with a success rate of 60% (12/20). The perioperative complication rate was 15% (3/20); there were no events such as hyperperfusion, distal embolism, vascular rupture, or cerebral hemorrhage, and no stroke-related or death-related events. Patients were divided into a medication group (n=21) and recanalization group (n=12). After 90 days of follow-up, patients in the recanalization group showed greater improvement in overall cognitive and neurological function. In addition, successful endovascular recanalization significantly improved cerebral blood perfusion on the occluded side of patients with CICAO. Conclusion: Successful recanalization can effectively improve the overall cognitive and neurological functions of patients in the short term. CTP can be used to quantitatively evaluate not only the cerebral hemodynamic changes after internal carotid artery occlusion but also the improvement of cerebral blood perfusion after successful endovascular recanalization, which provides a reliable method for postoperative follow-up.

Current Regulation and Property Study of Porous Anodic Alumina Films with a Periodic Pore Structure.

Porous anodic alumina (PAA) films with periodically modulated pore diameters are prepared by cyclic anodization of Al in a 0.6 M H3PO4 solution at room temperature. Studies have demonstrated that the oscillating current signals have an important effect on the structures of PAA films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the PAA film show that when the positive triangle wave current signal is applied, with the increase in the maximum current value, PAA gradually exhibits a symmetrically modulated pore diameter structure, and part of the pores generates slub-like branches. When the maximum current value is 60 mA, the effect of modulation on the pore diameter is the most obvious and the UV reflectance spectrum shows the lowest reflectivity. A sawtooth wave current signal will cause the generation of a V-shaped structure at the junction of adjacent oxide layers. This work provides important guidance for regulating the structure of PAA by changing the current signal.

Label-Free Detection of C-T Mutations by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Using Thiosulfate-Modified Nanoparticles.

Recent developments in molecular spectroscopy have widened the scope of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for detection of nucleic acids. In order to solve the interference of impurity signals in SERS analysis that hamper the reliable detection of DNA, Ag nanoparticles modified with thiosulfate ions were used to obtain SERS signals of DNA molecules in aqueous solutions, which showed good reproducibility. By using thiosulfate ions and calcium ions as aggregating agents, this method not only eliminated the influence of citrate on DNA signals completely but also obtained the signals for all bases indiscriminately, including the T base that was considered to have low Raman activity. Subsequently, the base stacking rule was used to identify mutations arising from C/T transition. It further identified the mutation sites of single-base C/T transition using this platform for the first time. This method has wide application prospects in DNA analysis, DNA sequencing, and genetic testing.

A new method towards the detection of DNA mutation by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

It is generally believed that the self-folding of single-stranded DNA depends on the hydrophobic effect of its internal bases, but the folding of a single-stranded DNA in a solution was not disordered and would be affected by the stacking effect of adjacent bases. In this work, we developed a new method to explore the stacking between adjacent bases using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) for the first time. Acidic titanium ions were introduced into silver nanoparticles as an aggregating agent (Ag@ITNPs), and obtained a symmetrical spectrum by normalizing the peak to deoxyribose at 955 cm-1. Based on the influence of adjacent base stacking on the spectrum, we first identified the point mutation sites accurately by SERS. Also, the base content and the DNA frameshift mutations in ssDNA were precisely analyzed. This new method has a simple experimental process and can accurately capture the changes in the base ring breathing peak intensity caused by different adjacent bases, and thus will provide potential application value in the field of gene diagnosis.

Src-signaling interference impairs the dissemination of blood-borne tumor cells.

Although solid tumors continuously shed cells, only a small fraction of the neoplastic cells that enter the blood stream are capable of establishing metastases. In order to be successful, these cells must attach, extravasate, proliferate and induce angiogenesis. Preclinical studies have shown that small-molecule ATP-competitive Src kinase inhibitors can effectively impair metastasis-associated tumor cell functions in vitro. However, the impact of these agents on the metastatic cascade in vivo is less well understood. In the present studies, we have examined the ability of saracatinib, a dual-specific, orally available inhibitor of Src and Abl protein tyrosine kinases, to interfere with the establishment of lung metastases in mice by tumor cells introduced into the blood stream. The results demonstrate that Src inhibition most effectively interferes with the establishment of secondary tumor deposits when treatments are administered while tumor cells are in the initial phases of dissemination.

Impact of the Src inhibitor saracatinib on the metastatic phenotype of a fibrosarcoma (KHT) tumor model.

BACKGROUND: Src, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase frequently overexpressed and highly activated in malignancies, has been associated with a poor patient prognosis. The aim of the present studies was to examine the impact of an Src inhibitor (saracatinib) on a highly metastatic murine sarcoma cell line (KHT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phosphorylation of Src and downstream effectors was determined using Western immunoblotting. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry using propidium iodide DNA staining, migration and invasion in modified Boyden chambers, activated MMP-9 by gel zymography, and visualization of pSrc and pFAK by confocal immunofluorescence. The number of KHT lung nodules in saracatinib-treated mice was compared to controls. RESULTS: Saracatinib inhibited major pathways in the metastatic cascade in vitro, including Src and FAK activation. Functions required for metastasis, such as migration and invasion, were reduced when cells were exposed to 0.5 µM and 1.0 µM saracatinib, respectively (p<0.0001). Pretreatment of KHT cells with either 1 µM or 5 µM saracatinib prior to tail vein injection decreased lung colonies in mice from 13.0 to 5.0 (p<0.05) and less than 1.0 (p<0.01), respectively. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that Src inhibition by saracatinib may reduce the metastatic activity of tumor cells.

Role of nucleostemin in growth regulation of gastric cancer, liver cancer and other malignancies.

AIM: To examine the role of nucleostemin in the growth regulation of gastric cancer, liver cancer and other cancers. METHODS: RT-PCR was used to clone the fragment of nucleostemin cDNA from HEK 293 cells. Eighteen kinds of malignant tumor tissues including gastric adenocarcinoma and liver cancer tissues, 3 kinds of benign tumor tissues, 3 kinds of benign hyperplastic tissues and normal tissues were employed to examine nucleostemin gene expression by RT-PCR, Slot blot, Northern blot and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: We successfully cloned a 570 bp fragment of nucleostemin-cDNA from HEK-293 cells. All detected malignant tumor tissues, benign tumor tissues, and benign hyperplastic tissues had high levels of nucleostemin expression. Nucleostemin was also expressed in human placenta tissue at a high level. In terminally differentiated normal human adult kidney and mammary gland tissues, no nucleostemin expression could be detected. CONCLUSION: Nucleostemin can help regulate the proliferation of both cancer cells and stem cells. It might play an important role in the growth regulation of gastric cancer, liver cancer and other cancers.