Carotid-cavernous fistula following mechanical thrombectomy of the tortuous internal carotid artery: A case report.

BACKGROUND: A carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) is an abnormal connection between the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the cavernous sinus. Although direct CCFs typically result from trauma or as an iatrogenic complication of neuroendovascular procedures, they can occur as surgery-related complications after mechanical thrombectomy (MT). With the widespread use of MT in patients with acute ischemic stroke complicated with large vessel occlusion, it is important to document CCF following MT and how to avoid them. In this study, we present a case of a patient who developed a CCF following MT and describe in detail the characteristics of ICA tortuosity in this case. CASE SUMMARY: A 60-year-old woman experienced weakness in the left upper and lower limbs as well as difficulty speaking for 4 h. The neurological examination revealed left central facial paralysis and left hemiplegia, with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 9. Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed an acute cerebral infarction in the right basal ganglia and radial crown. Magnetic resonance angiography demonstrated an occlusion of the right ICA and middle cerebral artery. Digital subtraction angiography demonstrated distal occlusion of the cervical segment of the right ICA. We performed suction combined with stent thrombectomy. Then, postoperative angiography was performed, which showed a right CCF. One month later, CCF embolization was performed, and the patient's clinical symptoms have significantly improved 5 mo after the operation. CONCLUSION: Although a CCF is a rare complication after MT, it should be considered. Understanding the tortuosity of the internal carotid-cavernous sinus may help predict the complexity of MT and avoid this complication.

N-Myc Downstream-Regulated Gene 2 (Ndrg2) Is Involved in Ischemia-Hypoxia-Induced Astrocyte Apoptosis: a Novel Target for Stroke Therapy.

Nearly all clinical trials that have attempted to develop effective strategies against ischemic stroke have failed, excluding those for thrombolysis, and most of these trials focused only on preventing neuronal loss. However, astrocytes have gradually become a target for neuroprotection in stroke. In previous studies, we showed that the newly identified molecular N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (Ndrg2) is specifically expressed in astrocytes in the brain and involved in some neurodegenerative diseases. However, the role of NDRG2 in ischemic stroke remained unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of NDRG2 in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced focal cerebral ischemia and in oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced cellular apoptosis in the M1800 astrocyte cell line. NDRG2 mRNA and protein expression began to increase at 6 and 2 h after reperfusion and peaked at 24 h in the ischemic penumbra and in M1800 cells, as detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that the number of apoptotic cells increased as the NDRG2-positive signal increased and that the NDRG2 signal was sometimes co-localized with TUNEL-positive cells and translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in both the ischemic penumbra and the M1800 cells. Using a lentivirus, we successfully constructed two stable astrocytic cell lines in which NDRG2 expression was significantly up- or down-regulated. NDRG2 silencing had a proliferative effect and reduced the percentage of apoptotic cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression following OGD, whereas NDRG2 over-expression had the opposite effects. In conclusion, NDRG2 is involved in astrocyte apoptosis following ischemic-hypoxic injury, and inhibiting NDRG2 expression significantly reduces ROS production and astrocyte apoptosis. These findings provide insight into the role of NDRG2 in ischemic-hypoxic injury and provide potential targets for future clinical therapies for stroke.

Proteomic analysis of Magnolia sieboldii K. Koch seed germination.

Magnolia sieboldii is a deciduous tree native to China. This species has a deep dormancy characteristic. To better understand seed germination, we used protein analysis of changes in seed protein at 0, 65, 110 and 150 d of stratification. Comparative 2DE analysis of M. sieboldii seed protein profiles at 0, 65, 110 and 150 d of stratification revealed 80 differentially abundance protein species. Comparative analysis showed that ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase small subunit was degraded during germination. In particular, it was degraded almost completely at 110 d of germination. Starch granules in the microstructure decreased after 65 d of stratification. Starch granules provided a sufficient amount of substrates and ATPs for subsequent germination. Four storage protein species were identified, of which all were down accumulated. Spots 44 and 46 had different MW and pI values, spots 36 and 46 had nearly the same MW with pI shift in the 2-DE gels, suggesting that they might be present as different isoforms of the same protein family and the post translational modification. Our results suggested that degradation of starch granules and storage protein species prepared the seed embryo for growth, as well as regulated seed germination. The present proteomics analysis provides novel insights into the mobilisation of nutrient reserves during the germination of M. sieboldii seeds. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: To better understand seed germination, a complex developmental process, we developed a proteome analysis of M. sieboldii seed. We performed the first comprehensive proteomic and microstructure analysis during different seed stratification stages of M. sieboldii. Among the 80 protein species, 26 were identified, 7 and 14 protein species were up or down accumulated significantly. Many of the identified key proteins were involved in embryo development, starch biosynthesis and energy metabolism, Microstructure of stratification seed analysis revealed degradation of starch was used for preparing the seed embryo for growth. These data may help us to develop a comprehensive understanding of the physiological status and mobilisation mechanisms in M. sieboldii seed germination.

Prognostic significance and therapeutic implications of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ overexpression in human pancreatic carcinoma.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor Î³ (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated nuclear receptor which has been implicated in carcinogenesis and angiogenesis in a wide range of cancers, including pancreatic carcinoma (PC). We aimed to characterize the prognosis and potential therapeutic implications of PPARγ in PC. Real-time RT-PCR and western blotting were used to quantify PPARγ expression in immortalized pancreatic epithelial cells, PC cell lines and freshly isolated matched tumor and non-tumor tissues. PPARγ protein expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in archived tumor tissues from 101 PC patients. Furthermore, the effect of PPARγ on the cytotoxic action of gemcitabine (Gem) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in PC cell lines was investigated in vitro using RNA interference techniques. Both PPARγ protein and mRNA were expressed at markedly higher levels in all of the PC cell lines and freshly isolated PC tissues, compared to normal immortalized pancreatic epithelial cells and the matched adjacent non-tumor tissues. High levels of PPARγ expression correlated significantly with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging (P<0.001) and poor overall survival (P<0.001), especially in patients with advanced disease who received postoperative chemotherapy. While silencing of PPARγ significantly inhibit the cytotoxic effects of both gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil in PC cells in vitro. This study suggests that high levels of PPARγ expression are associated with poor overall survival in PC. Additionally, PPARγ promotes chemoresistance in PC cells, indicating that PPARγ may represent a novel therapeutic target for PC.

4-Nitro-N2

In the title compound, C12H10N4O2, the dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 43.18 (16)°. The nitro group is rotated from its attached ring by 7.8 (2)° and a short intra-molecular N-H⋯N contact occurs. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯N and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generating a three-dimensional network.

4-Meth-oxy-3-(meth-oxy-meth-yl)benzalde-hyde.

In the title compound, C10H12O3, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the meth-oxy-methyl side chain is 9.7 (2)°. The O atom of the aldehyde group and the C atom of the meth-oxy group deviate from the plane of the ring by 0.039 (3) and 0.338 (4) Å, respectively. The only inter-molecular inter-actions are very weak C-H⋯π inter-actions.

Overexpression of centromere protein H is significantly associated with breast cancer progression and overall patient survival.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the expression of centromere protein H (CENP-H) in breast cancer and to correlate it with clinicopathologic data, including patient survival. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting to detect the expression of CENP-H in normal mammary epithelial cells, immortalized mammary epithelial cell lines, and breast cancer cell lines, we observed that the mRNA and protein levels of CENP-H were higher in breast cancer cell lines and in immortalized mammary epithelial cells than in normal mammary epithelial cells. We next examined CENP-H expression in 307 paraffin-embedded archived samples of clinicopathologically characterized breast cancer using immunohistochemistry, and detected high CENP-H expression in 134 (43.6%) samples. Statistical analysis showed that CENP-H expression was related with clinical stage (P = 0.001), T classification (P = 0.032), N classification (P = 0.018), and Ki-67 (P < 0.001). Patients with high CENP-H expression had short overall survival. Multivariate analysis showed that CENP-H expression was an independent prognostic indicator for patient survival. Our results suggest that CENP-H protein is a valuable marker of breast cancer progression and prognosis.