The Role of Psychological Suggestion Combined With Sports in Music Teaching / El papel de la sugestión psicológica combinada con el deporte en la enseñanza de la música

To alleviate the psychological burden on students and facilitate the efficient delivery of high-quality teaching information, psychological suggestions can be employed. Psychological suggestion involves subtly influencing the subconscious mind through discussions, expressions, gestures, attire, environmental factors, and a non-confrontational, non-critical, and non-resistant approach. This approach aims to stimulate students' internal psychological needs and potential indirectly, resulting in meaningful changes in their psychological states. In the context of music teaching, utilizing suggestion techniques is valuable for altering students' intrinsic motivations and psychological potential. By reducing the psychological stress students may experience in the classroom, it becomes possible to achieve high-speed, high-quality transmission of educational content. This approach represents a significant strategy for attaining educational objectives. Music classroom instruction, aside from imparting subject knowledge and honing essential skills, places greater emphasis on fostering students' enthusiasm for learning and their ability for self-directed learning. In this experimental study, a total of 100 students participated, including 72 male and 28 female students. The participants were drawn from various academic backgrounds, including four classes of music education majors in the Music Department, 18 students (13 males and 5 females) from the 22nd-grade Music Information Technology Department, 27 students (15 males and 12 females) from the 22nd-grade Music Leisure Major in the Music Economic Management College, and 19 students (9 males and 10 females) from the 22nd-grade Human System Applied Psychology Major. This research utilized teaching experiments, questionnaire surveys, and logical analysis, focusing on students from a music conservatory. The study conducted a comparative experimental investigation involving a Psychological Suggestion Experimental Group and a Normal Teaching Control Group. The TOPS questionnaire was administered during the teaching sessions of the experimental group. Students were asked to complete the questionnaire honestly and anonymously. In the experimental group, which consisted of four classes, there were 28 students in Group 3 (all of whom were male), and 28 students in Group 13 (comprising 6 males and 22 females). Additionally, there were 27 students (15 males and 12 females) majoring in Music Leisure in the School of Music Economics and Management at Grade 22, as well as 19 students (9 males and 10 females) majoring in Applied Psychology in Grade 07. The TOPS scale was distributed to both the experimental and control groups. The average and standard deviation of the eight factors of the TOPS training strategy for male and female amateur students were calculated. Among male students, the highest average score was observed in the "Emotional Control" factor, with a mean score of 3.54. For female students, the "Automation" factor had the highest average score, at 3.34. Conclusion: Integrating psychological suggestion into music education can effectively enhance student engagement and enthusiasm in the classroom. This approach enables students to better connect with their instructors and actively participate in their learning. When compared to traditional music teaching methods, the judicious use of psychological cues aids students in the experimental group in successfully accomplishing their learning objectives. Moreover, this approach assists novice students in developing a habit of actively engaging with music, which contributes to the cultivation of a lifelong appreciation for music.(AU)

Knockdown of YY1 Inhibits XIST Expression and Enhances Cloned Pig Embryo Development.

The technique of cloning has wide applications in animal husbandry and human biomedicine. However, the very low developmental efficiency of cloned embryos limits the application of cloning. Ectopic XIST-expression-induced abnormal X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a primary cause of the low developmental competence of cloned mouse and pig embryos. Knockout or knockdown of XIST improves cloning efficiency in both pigs and mice. The transcription factor Yin yang 1(YY1) plays a critical role in XCI by triggering the transcription of X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) and facilitating the localization of XIST RNA on the X chromosome. This study aimed to investigate whether RNA interference to suppress the expression of YY1 can inhibit erroneous XIST expression, rescue abnormal XCI, and improve the developmental ability of cloned pig embryos. The results showed that YY1 binds to the 5' regulatory region of the porcine XIST gene in pig cells. The microinjection of YY1 siRNA into cloned pig embryos reduced the transcript abundance of XIST and upregulated the mRNA level of X-linked genes at the 4-cell and blastocyst stages. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of YY1 altered the transcriptome and enhanced the in vitro and in vivo developmental efficiency of cloned porcine embryos. These results suggested that YY1 participates in regulating XIST expression and XCI in cloned pig embryos and that the suppression of YY1 expression can increase the developmental rate of cloned pig embryos. The present study established a new method for improving the efficiency of pig cloning.

Identification of Important Factors Causing Developmental Arrest in Cloned Pig Embryos by Embryo Biopsy Combined with Microproteomics.

The technique of pig cloning holds great promise for the livestock industry, life science, and biomedicine. However, the prenatal death rate of cloned pig embryos is extremely high, resulting in a very low cloning efficiency. This limits the development and application of pig cloning. In this study, we utilized embryo biopsy combined with microproteomics to identify potential factors causing the developmental arrest in cloned pig embryos. We verified the roles of two potential regulators, PDCD6 and PLK1, in cloned pig embryo development. We found that siRNA-mediated knockdown of PDCD6 reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of the pro-apoptotic gene, CASP3, in cloned pig embryos. PDCD6 knockdown also increased the cleavage rate and blastocyst rate of cloned porcine embryos. Overexpression of PLK1 via mRNA microinjection also improved the cleavage rate of cloned pig embryos. This study provided a new strategy to identify key factors responsible for the developmental defects in cloned pig embryos. It also helped establish new methods to improve pig cloning efficiency, specifically by correcting the expression pattern of PDCD6 and PLK1 in cloned pig embryos.

Upregulated YB-1 protein promotes glioblastoma growth through a YB-1/CCT4/mLST8/mTOR pathway.

Y-box-binding protein 1 (YB-1) is a multifunctional RNA binding protein involved in virtually every step of RNA metabolism. However, the functions and mechanisms of YB-1 in one of the most aggressive cancers, glioblastoma, are not well understood. In this study, we found that YB-1 protein was markedly overexpressed in glioblastoma and acted as a critical activator of both mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling. Mechanistically, YB-1 bound the 5'UTR of CCT4 mRNA to promote the translation of CCT4, a component of the CCT chaperone complex, that in turn activated the mTOR signaling pathway by promoting mLST8 folding. In addition, YB-1 autoregulated its own translation by binding to its 5'UTR, leading to sustained activation of mTOR signaling. In patients with glioblastoma, high protein expression of YB-1 correlated with increased expression of CCT4 and mLST8 and activated mTOR signaling. Importantly, the administration of RNA decoys specifically targeting YB-1 in a mouse xenograft model resulted in slower tumor growth and better survival. Taken together, these findings uncover a disrupted proteostasis pathway involving a YB-1/CCT4/mLST8/mTOR axis in promoting glioblastoma growth, suggesting that YB-1 is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of glioblastoma.

The total resection rate of glioma can be improved by the application of US-MRI fusion combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound and to explore its role in improving the total tumor resection rate. METHODS: Between January 2018 and December 2018, 16 patients in the observation group and 23 patients in the control group were enrolled in this study. The tumor depth and brain shift distance were analyzed, as well as the peak intensity and microvessel density of different grades of gliomas in the observation group. Finally, we compared the difference in total resection rate between the observation and control groups. RESULTS: Using ultrasound during operations, we found a significant negative correlation between brain shift distance and tumor depth, with correlation coefficient r=-0.868(P<0.05). In glioma, the peak intensity and microvessel density increased synchronously with glioma grade(r=0.806, P<0.05). The total resection rate of lesions was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The application of ultrasound-MRI fusion combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound can improve the total resection rate of lesions, thus playing an important role in clinical practice.

Knockdown of RLIM inhibits XIST expression and improves developmental competence of cloned male pig embryos.

Ectopic expression of Xist on the putative active X chromosome is a primary cause of the low developmental efficiency of cloned mouse and pig embryos. Suppression of abnormal Xist expression via gene knockout or RNA interference (RNAi) can significantly enhance the developmental competence of cloned mouse and pig embryos. RLIM is a Xist expression activator, whereas REX1 is an Xist transcription inhibitor, as RLIM triggers Xist expression by mediating the proteasomal degradation of REX1 to induce imprinted and random X chromosome inactivation in mice. This study aimed to test whether the knockdown of RLIM and overexpression of REX1 can repress aberrant Xist expression and improve the developmental ability of cloned male pig embryos. Results showed that injection of anti-RLIM small interfering RNA significantly decreased Xist messenger RNA abundance, increased REX1 protein level, and enhanced the preimplantation development of cloned male porcine embryos. These positive effects were not observed in cloned male pig embryos injected with REX1 expression plasmid, which might be due to the low expression efficiency of injected REX1 plasmid and/or the short half-life of expressed REX1 protein. The findings from this study indicated that RLIM participated in the ectopic activation of Xist expression in cloned pig embryos by targeting REX1 degradation. Furthermore, this study provided a new method to improve cloned pig embryo development by the inhibition of Xist expression via RNAi of RLIM.

Source and Follicular Fluid Treatment During the In Vitro Maturation of Recipient Oocytes Affects the Development of Cloned Pig Embryo.

Pig cloning technique is valuable in agriculture, biomedicine, and life sciences. However, the full-term developmental efficiency of cloned pig embryos is only about 1%, which limits pig cloning application. The quality of recipient oocytes greatly affects the developmental competence of cloned pig embryos. Thus, this study investigated the effects of a recipient oocyte source (in vivo matured [IVVM] oocytes vs. slaughter house-derived in vitro matured [IVTM] oocytes), and follicular liquid treatment (slaughter house-derived immature follicle-derived fluid [IFF] vs. in vivo-matured follicle-derived fluid [MFF]) during the in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes on the development of the cloned pig embryos. Our results showed that using IVVM oocytes to replace IVTM oocytes as recipient oocytes, and using 10% MFF IVM medium to replace 10% IFF IVM medium could enhance the development of the cloned pig embryos. IFF and MFF contained different levels of oocyte quality-related proteins, resulting in different oocyte quality-related gene expression levels and reactive oxygen species levels between the 10% MFF medium-cultured oocytes and 10% IFF medium-cultured oocytes. This study provided useful information for enhancing the pig cloning efficiency by improving the quality of recipient oocytes.

Intracranial Angiomatous Meningioma: A Clinicopathological Study of 23 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial angiomatous meningioma (AM) is a rare subtype of meningioma. Here, we investigated the clinical and pathological features of AMs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 23 intracranial AMs verified by postoperative pathology at Huashan Hospital North between 2013 and 2018. Clinical data, radiological and pathological findings, and information on treatment and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Additionally, the literature on intracranial AMs was reviewed. RESULTS: The sample comprised 13 men and 10 women with AMs. The mean age was 54.2 years, and the mean duration of symptoms was 14.9 months. Headache and epilepsy were the most common symptoms. The most common AMs locations were the cerebral convexity and parasagittal/falx region. The rates of vascular signs, homogeneous enhancement, and peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) on magnetic resonance images were high. Histologically, besides typical meningioma cells, AMs had an abundant vascular component and low Ki-67 index. The extent of PTBE was related to microvessel density (MVD) of tumors, but not to the expression of MMP9 or VEGF. Simpson grade I resection was achieved in 15 cases, and grade II resection was achieved in 7 cases. Twenty-one cases were followed up, and they all had favorable outcomes without recurrence. CONCLUSION: AM is a type of meningioma with a rich blood supply and distinct clinical and pathological features. It showed a slight male predominance and was common at the cerebral convexity or parasagittal/falx region. Histologically, it showed benign biological characteristics despite frequent and severe PTBE, and the extent of PTBE was related to MVD of tumors. Simpson I resection is the best treatment, and the prognosis is usually good after total tumor removal, while gamma knife is recommended for small residual tumor.

Microtubule-associated protein 2 knockdown sensitizes glioma cells to vincristine treatment.

Gliomas are the most common and lethal tumor of the central nervous system (CNS). At present, standard treatment involves chemotherapy and radiotherapy after surgery, but the prognosis for most gliomas remains poor due to tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), a microtubule-stabilizing protein, plays a critical role in many cellular processes and may correlate with the proliferation, apoptosis, and drug sensitivity of tumor cells, especially their sensitivity to microtubule-targeting drugs (MTDs). In this study, we investigated the role of MAP2 in gliomas and its relationship to the chemosensitivity of vincristine (VCR), an MTD commonly used in glioma chemotherapy. We downregulated MAP2 expression in glioma cells using RNA interference, observed the resultant changes in the biological characteristics of the cells, and tested their drug sensitivity to VCR by MTT assay. The results show downregulation of MAP2 in glioma cells significantly inhibited cell viability and migration, induced apoptosis, and increased sensitivity to VCR in vitro. Our findings suggest that MAP2 may be a useful molecular marker in MTD chemotherapy and a potential therapeutic target in gliomas.

Schwannoma of the Fourth Ventricle: Report of Two Cases and Review of Literature.

BACKGROUND: Schwannomas have been reported in several unusual intracranial locations. Here we report 2 cases of extremely rare schwannomas originating in the fourth ventricle, without attachment to the surrounding structures. The clinical course, radiologic and pathological features, treatment, and follow-up are described. CASE DESCRIPTION: Case 1 was a 49-year-old man who presented with symptoms of paroxysmal dizziness and vomiting. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a mixed solid-cystic mass occupying the inferior half of the fourth ventricle. Complete excision of the tumor was performed via midline suboccipital craniectomy. The histological diagnosis was intraventricular schwannoma. Case 2 was an 18-year-old man with chronic vertigo and progressive gait unsteadiness. MRI revealed a heterogeneously enhancing lesion completely filling the fourth ventricle. An Ommaya tube was placed in the ventricle to relieve symptoms of hydrocephalus, followed by tumor resection performed via a suboccipital craniotomy. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. CONCLUSIONS: Fourth ventricular schwannomas are rare but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of contrast-enhancing intraventricular tumors in both children and adults. Although their etiopathological origin may differ from that of extra-axial schwannomas, their imaging, histology, and clinical course appear to be identical, and these tumors should be managed similarly.

Laminarin counteracts diet-induced obesity associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion.

Laminarin, a type of ß-glucan isolated from brown seaweeds, exhibits verity of physiological activities, which include immunology modulation and antitumor function. To investigate the effect of laminarin on energy homeostasis, mice were orally administrated with laminarin to test food intake, fat deposition, and glucose homeostasis. Chronically, laminarin treatment significantly decreases high-fat-diet-induced body weight gain and fat deposition and reduces blood glucose level and glucose tolerance. Acutely, laminarin enhances serum glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) content and the mRNA expression level of proglucagon and prohormone convertase 1 in ileum. Subsequently, laminarin suppresses the food intake of mice, the hypothalamic AgRP neuron activity, and AgRP expression but activates pancreatic function. Furthermore, laminarin-induced appetite reduction was totally blocked by Exendin (9-39), a specific competitive inhibitor of GLP-1 receptor. Then, STC-1 cells were adopted to address the underlying mechanism, by which laminarin promoted GLP-1 secretion in vitro. Results showed that laminarin dose-dependently promoted GLP-1 secretion and c-Fos protein expression in STC-1 cells, which were independent of Dectin-1 and CD18. Interestingly, BAPTA-AM, a calcium-chelating agent, potently attenuated laminarin-induced [Ca2+]i elevation, c-Fos expression, and GLP-1 secretion. In summary, our data support that laminarin counteracts diet-induced obesity and stimulates GLP-1 secretion via [Ca2+]i; this finding provides an experimental basis for laminarin application to treat obesity and maintain glucose homeostasis.

Heparin Increases Food Intake through AgRP Neurons.

Although the widely used anticoagulant drug heparin has been shown to have many other biological functions independent of its anticoagulant role, its effects on energy homeostasis are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that heparin level is negatively associated with nutritional states and that heparin treatment increases food intake and body weight gain. By using electrophysiological, pharmacological, molecular biological, and chemogenetic approaches, we provide evidence that heparin increases food intake by stimulating AgRP neurons and increasing AgRP release. Our results support a model whereby heparin competes with insulin for insulin receptor binding on AgRP neurons, and by doing so it inhibits FoxO1 activity to promote AgRP release and feeding. Heparin may be a potential drug target for food intake regulation and body weight control.

N-Oleoylglycine-Induced Hyperphagia Is Associated with the Activation of Agouti-Related Protein (AgRP) Neuron by Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 (CB1R).

N-Acyl amino acids (NAAAs) are conjugate products of fatty acids and amino acids, which are available in animal-derived food. We compared the effects of N-arachidonoylglycine (NAGly), N-arachidonoylserine (NASer), and N-oleoylglycine (OLGly) on in vivo food intake and in vitro [Ca2+]i of Agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons to identify the role of these compounds in energy homeostasis. Hypothalamic neuropeptide expression and anxiety behavior in response to OLGly were also tested. To further identify the underlying mechanism of OLGly on food intake, we first detected the expression level of potential OLGly receptors. The cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) antagonist was cotreated with OLGly to analyze the activation of AgRP neuron, including [Ca2+]i, expression levels of PKA, CREB, and c-Fos, and neuropeptide secretion. Results demonstrated that only OLGly (intrapertioneal injection of 6 mg/kg) can induce hyperphagia without changing the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptides and anxiety-like behavior. Moreover, 20 µM OLGly robustly enhances [Ca2+]i, c-Fos protein expression in AgRP neuron, and AgRP content in the culture medium. OLGly-induced activation of AgRP neuron was completely abolished by the CB1R-specific antagonist, AM251. In summary, this study is the first to demonstrate the association of OLGly-induced hyperphagia with activation of the AgRP neuron by CB1R. These findings open avenues for investigation and application of OLGly to modulate energy homeostasis.

Linoleic acid and stearic acid elicit opposite effects on AgRP expression and secretion via TLR4-dependent signaling pathways in immortalized hypothalamic N38 cells.

The regulation of food intake is a promising way to combat obesity. It has been implicated that various fatty acids exert different effects on food intake and body weight. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of linoleic acid (LA) and stearic acid (SA) on agouti-related protein (AgRP) expression and secretion in immortalized mouse hypothalamic N38 cells and to explore the likely underlying mechanisms. Our results demonstrated that LA inhibited, while SA stimulated AgRP expression and secretion of N38 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, LA suppressed the protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), phosphorylation levels of JNK and IKKα/ß, suggesting the inhibition of TLR4-dependent inflammation pathway. However, the above mentioned inhibitory effects of LA were eliminated by TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In contrast, SA promoted TLR4 protein expression and activated TLR4-dependent inflammation pathway, with elevated ratio of p-JNK/JNK. While TLR4 siRNA reversed the stimulatory effects of SA on AgRP expression and TLR4-dependent inflammation. Moreover, we found that TLR4 was also involved in LA-enhanced and SA-impaired leptin/insulin signal pathways in N38 cells. In conclusion, our findings indicated that LA elicited inhibitory while SA exerted stimulatory effects on AgRP expression and secretion via TLR4-dependent inflammation and leptin/insulin pathways in N38 cells. These data provided a better understanding of the mechanism underlying fatty acids-regulated food intake and suggested the potential role of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids such as LA in reducing food intake and treating obesity.

Surgical treatment of recurrent torcular meningiomas: case report and review of the literature.

Torcular meningiomas intimately involving major dural sinuses such as superior sagittal sinuses, transverse sinuses, and straight sinuses and the confluence are a great challenge for neurosurgeons. Simpson grade I total resection, which can bring complete cure, is the ultimate goal, but under many circumstances, it is difficult to achieve. The patency of the sinuses around these tumors is the key factor for successful tumor resection, and decides the surgical strategy. We report the experience of complete resection of a huge recurrent torcular meningioma. Related literature is reviewed.

Serum GFAP autoantibody as an ELISA-detectable glioma marker.

Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor, yet the high cost of diagnostic imaging has made early detection of asymptomatic glioma a formidable challenge. Thus, the development of a convenient, sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic strategy, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on glioma-specific and World Health Organization (WHO) grade-specific autoantibody serum markers, is necessary. To this end, a comparative proteomic analysis based on two-dimensional western blotting was carried out with the sera of glioma patients and normal controls. Of the 11 novel glioma-expressed autoantibodies, the autoantibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) showed the highest differential expression. To investigate the potential clinical utility of the GFAP autoantibody as an early diagnostic marker for glioma, an ELISA-based assay was developed and validated with sera from glioma patients with WHO grades II (n = 19), III (n = 17), and IV (n = 24). The GFAP autoantibody level directly correlated with WHO grade and tumor volume. Sera from patients of non-glioma brain tumors, as well as non-brain tumors, showed much lower levels of GFAP autoantibody than those of the glioma patients, indicating that elevated GFAP autoantibody is specific to glioma patients. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristics curve suggested that the new ELISA has good distinguishing power and sensitivity for diagnosing glioma patients. This is the first ELISA assay developed for an autoantibody of a glioma antigen and may prove valuable for the clinical detection of glioma.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis for identification of oligodendroglioma biomarkers related with loss of heterozygosity on chromosomal arm 1p.

The oligodendroglioma (OG) type of glial cell tumors accounts for 2-5% of primary brain neoplasms and 4-15% of gliomas diagnosed worldwide. Allelic losses on 1p, or on 1p and 19q, correlate with chemotherapy response and good prognosis in OG patients; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet clearly defined. Therefore, we utilized a quantitative proteomics strategy that combined 8-plex isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling and two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (2D-LC/MS/MS) to identify molecular signatures, reveal mechanisms, and develop predictive markers of OG patients with 1p loss of heterozygosity (LOH). An initial screening of four OG patients with 1p LOH and four without were identified, and 449 differentially expressed proteins were quantified, 13 of which were significantly different between the two groups. Analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway suggested that 1p LOH may affect the actin network in OG. The differential expression of four of the 13 candidates (UBA1, ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 1; ATP6V1E1, ATPase, H+ transporting, lysosomal 31 kDa, V1 subunit E1; MAP2, microtubule-associated protein 2; and HMGB1, high-mobility group protein B1) was validated in 39 additional OG samples using immunohistochemistry. Decision tree modeling indicated that MAP2 expression is a powerful predictor of 1p LOH. Our results not only demonstrate the utility of iTRAQ-based high-throughput quantitative proteomic analysis in glioma research, but also provide novel markers that may help to reveal the mechanisms of 1p LOH-associated chemosensitivity, and to design diagnostic and prognostic assays and therapeutics for OG.

Factors affecting prognosis of patients with intracranial anaplastic oligodendrogliomas: a single institutional review of 70 patients.

Anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO) is an uncommon intracranial tumor and prognosis is poor. In this study, we assessed the factors affecting the prognosis of AO patients. Seventy AO patients were recruited from 2001 to 2006 in Shanghai Huashan Hospital of Fudan University; all were treated surgically. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis were used to analyze the prognostic effects of 14 different factors, which were selected from clinical, radiological, pathological, and treatment variables. The results showed that chemotherapy, age, primary or secondary tumors, preoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores, the presence of epilepsy at initial presentation, radiological contrast infusion, and neurological parameters all correlated with the prognosis of the patients. Furthermore, Cox multivariate analysis also showed that the age (P < 0.048), primary or secondary tumors (P < 0.010), and chemotherapy (P < 0.010) were significantly correlated with the prognosis of the patients. Age and chemotherapy correlated with the prognosis of AO. The patients younger than 50 years old and who received regular chemotherapy were likely to achieve a good outcome. Moreover, individualized treatment after molecular biological typing of AO may improve the prognosis of AO.

[Correlation between the prognosis of medulloblastoma and relevant clinical factors: analysis of 73 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between the prognosis of medulloblastoma (MB) and relevant clinical factors. METHODS: Seventy-three MB patients, 48 males and 25 females, aged 13.6 (2 approximately 40), underwent surgical treatment and part of them underwent radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Follow-up was conducted among 55 cases for 40.0 months (2 months approximately 8 years and 5 months). The correlation between the prognosis and the clinical factors, such and sex, age, tumor location, extent of tumor resection, brainstem invasion, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, ventriculoperitoneal shunt and glial differentiation was analyzed. RESULTS: Six patients died postoperatively, and average survival time of the other 49 patients was 61 months. Twenty patients had a survival time of 3 years after operation, and the 3-year survival rate was 63.98%; and 8 patients survived for 5 years after operation with a 5-year survival rate of 43%. The prognosis Analysis showed that only radiotherapy was the only influencing factor of survival time. Those undergoing whole brain/posterior fossa plus spinal axis radiotherapy showed a better prognosis than those undergoing whole brain/posterior fossa radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of MB is not good; yet, surgical resection with regular radiotherapy and chemotherapy is helpful for the prognosis of MB.

TBestDB: a taxonomically broad database of expressed sequence tags (ESTs).

The TBestDB database contains approximately 370,000 clustered expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences from 49 organisms, covering a taxonomically broad range of poorly studied, mainly unicellular eukaryotes, and includes experimental information, consensus sequences, gene annotations and metabolic pathway predictions. Most of these ESTs have been generated by the Protist EST Program, a collaboration among six Canadian research groups. EST sequences are read from trace files up to a minimum quality cut-off, vector and linker sequence is masked, and the ESTs are clustered using phrap. The resulting consensus sequences are automatically annotated by using the AutoFACT program. The datasets are automatically checked for clustering errors due to chimerism and potential cross-contamination between organisms, and suspect data are flagged in or removed from the database. Access to data deposited in TBestDB by individual users can be restricted to those users for a limited period. With this first report on TBestDB, we open the database to the research community for free processing, annotation, interspecies comparisons and GenBank submission of EST data generated in individual laboratories. For instructions on submission to TBestDB, contact tbestdb@bch.umontreal.ca. The database can be queried at http://tbestdb.bcm.umontreal.ca/.