Increasing brain glucose uptake by Gypenoside LXXV ameliorates cognitive deficits in a mouse model of diabetic Alzheimer's disease.

We have previously reported that Gypenoside LXXV (GP-75), a novel natural PPARγ agonist isolated from Gynostemma pentaphyllum, ameliorated cognitive deficits in db/db mice. In this study, we further investigated the beneficial effects on cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice and a mouse model of diabetic AD (APP/PS1xdb/db mice). Interestingly, intragastric administration of GP-75 (40 mg/kg/day) for 3 months significantly attenuated cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 and APP/PS1xdb/db mice. GP-75 treatment markedly reduced the levels of glucose, HbA1c and insulin in serum and improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in APP/PS1xdb/db mice. Notably, GP-75 treatment decreased the ß-amyloid (Aß) burden, as measured by 11 C-PIB PET imaging. Importantly, GP-75 treatment increased brain glucose uptake as measured by 18 F-FDG PET imaging. Moreover, GP-75 treatment upregulated PPARγ and increased phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) and GLUT4 expression levels but decreased phosphorylation of IRS-1 (Ser616) in the hippocampi of both APP/PS1 and APP/PS1xdb/db mice. Furthermore, GP-75-induced increases in GLUT4 membrane translocation in primary hippocampal neurons from APP/PS1xdb/db mice was abolished by cotreatment with the selective PPARγ antagonist GW9662 or the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. In summary, GP-75 ameliorated cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 and APP/PS1xdb/db mice by enhancing glucose uptake via activation of the PPARγ/Akt/GLUT4 signaling pathways.

Value of MRI-based semi-quantitative structural neuroimaging in predicting the prognosis of patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus after shunt surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the value of structural neuroimaging in predicting the prognosis of shunt surgery for idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) using two different standard semi-quantitative imaging scales. METHODS: A total of 47 patients with iNPH who underwent shunt surgery at our hospital between 2018 and 2020 were included in this study. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and iNPH grading scale (iNPHGS) were used to evaluate and quantify the clinical symptoms before and after shunt surgery. The disproportionately enlarged subarachnoid space hydrocephalus (DESH) and iNPH Radscale scores were used to evaluate the preoperative MR images. The primary endpoint was improvement in the mRS score a year after surgery, and the secondary endpoint was the iNPHGS after 1 year. The preoperative imaging features of the improved and non-improved groups were compared. RESULTS: The rates of the primary and secondary outcomes were 59.6% and 61.7%, respectively, 1 year after surgery. There were no significant differences in preoperative DESH score, iNPH Radscale, Evans' index (EI), or callosal angle (CA) between the improved and non-improved groups. Significant correlations were observed between the severity of gait disorder and EI and the CA. CONCLUSIONS: The value of structural neuroimaging in predicting the prognosis of shunt surgery is limited, and screening for shunt surgery candidates should not rely only on preoperative imaging findings. KEY POINTS: • Early shunt surgery can significantly improve the clinical symptoms and prognosis of patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). • Structural imaging findings have limited predictiveness for the prognosis of patients with iNPH after shunt surgery. • Patients should not be selected for shunt surgery based on only structural imaging findings.

Association between preoperative platelet and 30-day postoperative mortality of adult patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors: data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the relationship between preoperative platelet and 30-day postoperative mortality of intracranial tumor patients undergoing craniotomy is still limited. Therefore, the present research was conducted to explore the link of the platelet and 30-day postoperative mortality. METHODS: Electronic medical records of 18,642 adult patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors from 2012 to 2015 in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, were subject to secondary retrospective analysis. A binary logistic regression model evaluated the independent association between preoperative platelet and 30-day postoperative mortality. A generalized additive model and smooth curve fitting was conducted to explore the exact shape of the curve between them. Additionally, We also conducted sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of the results, and performed subgroup analyses. RESULTS: Eighteen thousand sixty-three patients were included in this study analysis. Of these, 47.49% were male. The mean preoperative platelet value was (244.12 ± 76.77) × 109/L. The 30-day postoperative mortality of included participants was 2.5% (452/18,063). After adjusting covariates, the results showed that preoperative platelet was positively associated with 30-day postoperative mortality (OR = 0.999, 95%CI: 0.997, 1.000). There was also a nonlinear relationship between preoperative platelet and 30-day postoperative mortality, and the inflection point of the platelet was 236. The effect sizes (OR) on the right and left sides of the inflection point were 1.002 (1.000, 1.004) and 0.993 (0.990, 0.995), respectively. And sensitive analysis demonstrated the robustness of the results. Subgroup analysis showed a stronger association between preoperative platelet and 30-day postoperative mortality in non-emergency surgery patients when preoperative platelet value is less than 235 × 109/L. CONCLUSIONS: This research demonstrates a positive and non-linear relationship between preoperative platelet and 30-day postoperative mortality in U.S. adult brain tumor patients undergoing craniotomy. Preoperative platelet is strongly related to 30-day postoperative mortality when the platelet is less than 235 × 109/L. Proper preoperative management of platelet and maintenance of platelet near inflection point (235) could reduce risk of 30-day postoperative mortality in these cases.

A pacemaker-assisted microvascular decompression for a patient with left primary facial spasm and arrhythmia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary facial spasm accompanied by arrhythmia is a rare clinical phenomenon and has not been reported before. We describe this phenomenon and discuss its mechanism and treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: We herein present a rare case of a patient with left primary facial spasm and a third-degree atrioventricular block (III degree AVB), who was implanted with a temporary cardiac pacemaker to receive microvascular decompression (MVD) because of refusal of a permanent cardiac pacemaker. The symptoms of facial spasm disappeared after MVD. The temporary cardiac pacemaker was removed on the second day after surgery. Her ECG still showed the third-degree atrioventricular block after a follow-up period of 5 months. CONCLUSIONS: We are the first to report a patient with facial spasm and arrhythmia who was implanted with a temporary cardiac pacemaker to receive MVD. This case report demonstrated that the concomitant presence of a III degree AVB maybe not a contraindication for MVD, and the etiology of this facial spasm was the actual vascular compression of the facial nerve entry zone that was not related to the atrioventricular block.

Mechanisms Underlying H2O2-Evoked Carbonyl Modification of Cytoskeletal Protein and Axon Injury in PC-12 Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the mechanism that enables oxidative stress and cytoskeleton protein carbonylation to contribute to axonal dysfunction in traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: We created an in vitro model of neuronal oxidative damage by exposing a neuron-like cell line (PC-12) to different concentrations (100 µM, 200 µM, and 300 µM) of H2O2 for 24 h or 48 h. Carbonyl modification of cytoskeletal proteins (ß-actin and ß-tubulin) and its impact on ß-actin/ß-tubulin filament dynamics were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunostaining, and western blotting. Depolymerization of ß-actin/ß-tubulin filaments was evaluated using the monomer/polymer ratio of each protein via western blotting. Phosphorylation of the neurofilament heavy chain (P-NFH) was used as an axonal injury marker and detected by immunostaining. RESULTS: Our results showed that H2O2 treatment led to increased oxidative stress in PC-12 cells, as indicated by the increased generation of malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and decreased intracellular glutathione levels. H2O2 treatment also increased carbonyl modification of total proteins and cytoskeleton proteins ß-actin/ß-tubulin, which occurred concurrently with the suppression of proteasome activity. Moreover, H2O2 treatment increased the generation of the axonal injury marker P-NFH, and depolymerization of the ß-actin/ß-tubulin filaments was indicated by increased monomer/polymer ratios of each protein. Lastly, overexpression of the proteasome ß5 subunit in PC-12 cells significantly reduced the H2O2-induced accumulation of carbonylated ß-actin/ ß-tubulin, P-NFH, and ß-actin/ß-tubulin depolymerization. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that carbonylation of cytoskeleton proteins could lead to depolymerization of their filaments and axonal injury, and proteasome suppression contributes to the accumulation of carbonylated proteins under oxidative conditions.

Radicol, a Novel Trinorguaiane-Type Sesquiterpene, Induces Temozolomide-Resistant Glioma Cell Apoptosis via ER Stress and Akt/mTOR Pathway Blockade.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent, lethal and aggressive tumour of the central nervous system (CNS) in adults. Multidrug resistance (MDR) results in undesirable prognosis during GBM chemotherapy. In this study, we determined that Radicol (RAD), a novel trinorguaiane-type sesquiterpene originally isolated from the root of Dictamnus radicis Cortex, exhibited potently cytotoxic effect on temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant GBM cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Radicol-induced apoptosis was confirmed with Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL) staining. Studies investigating the mechanism revealed that RAD triggered an attenuation of protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) and induced the unmitigated unfolded protein response (UPR) and lethal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Simultaneously, we further demonstrated that RAD suppressed the activation of Akt/mTOR/p70S6K phosphorylation by up-regulating the induction of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß). These results established a link between RAD-induced ER stress and inhibition of the Akt/mTOR/p70S6K pathway, and the attenuation of PDI and activation of GSK-3ß might be the synergistic target of antineoplastic effects during RAD-induced apoptosis. These findings suggested that RAD, possessing multiple cytotoxicity targets, low molecular weight and high lipid solubility, could be a promising agent for the treatment of malignant gliomas. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hemangiopericytoma Arose From the Site of Meningioma Resection.

Intracranial hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare tumor and accounts for 0.4% of all primary central nervous system tumors. However, it has aggressive behavior in growth and infiltration. The importance of diagnosis and treatment between HPC and meningioma cannot be overemphasized. It is rare that HPC arises from the site of benign meningioma resection. And it would be benefitted to take HPC into account when coming across a patient with meningioma "recurrence."

Upregulation of miR-107 Inhibits Glioma Angiogenesis and VEGF Expression.

MicroRNAs can function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in glioma. Previously, we showed that miR-107 inhibits glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Since tumor growth and invasion are closely related to angiogenesis, we further examined the role of miR-107 in glioma angiogenesis. In a co-culture of glioma cells and human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVEC), overexpression of miR-107 in glioma cells led to the inhibition of HBMVEC proliferation, migration, and tube formation ability. ELISA, RT-PCR, and western blot assays revealed that upregulation of miR-107 in glioma cells inhibits VEGF expression. Our findings collectively support the critical involvement of miR-107 in glioma cell angiogenesis and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for glioma.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor RGFP109 Overcomes Temozolomide Resistance by Blocking NF-κB-Dependent Transcription in Glioblastoma Cell Lines.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent and aggressive tumour in the central nervous system. Many studies have demonstrated that upregulation of the NF-κB onco-pathway is accompanied by the acquisition of Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance in GBM cells. Here, we show that RGFP109, a selective histone deacetylase (HDAC1 and HDAC3) inhibitor, overcomes TMZ resistance and downregulates the expression of NF-κB-regulated pro-survival genes in a TMZ-resistant (TR) GBM cell line. RGFP109 did not alter the phosphorylation levels of NF-κB/p65 or inhibitory κBα (IκBα). Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that RGFP109 does not block the nuclear translocation of NF-κB/p65. However, co-immunoprecipitation assays revealed that RGFP109 induces the hyperacetylation of NF-κB/p65 and histones, and blocks interactions between NF-κB/p65 and its coactivators, p300 and p300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF). These results indicate that RGFP109-mediated post-translational nuclear acetylation may be involved in the regulation of NF-κB. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that RGFP109 reduces NF-κB/p65 binding to κB-DNA and decreased the transcriptional level of κB-mediated genes, suggesting that RGFP109-induced hyperacetylation leads to attenuated transcription of the κB gene. In addition, RGFP109 elevates the expression of inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4), which is typically downregulated in GBM cells. Importantly, we found that RGFP109 enhances ING4 recognition and binding to NF-κB/p65, which may be positively correlated with reduced interactions between NF-κB/p65 and p300/PCAF, thereby effecting transcription of the κB gene. Finally, we show that knockdown of ING4 with plasmids containing pcDNA3.1-ING4 shRNA abolished the effect of RGFP109. Therefore, ING4 may act as a corepressor and facilitate RGFP109-triggered suppression of the NF-κB pathway. Taken together, our data show that RGFP109, an HDAC inhibitor, in combination with TMZ may be a therapeutic candidate for patients with temozolomide-resistant GBM.

Suspected Acoustic Neuroma Demyelinating Lesions.

Demyelinating lesions were recognized as a kind of rare central nervous system demyelinating lesion. The diagnosis and differential diagnosis of demyelinating lesions is difficult. Once the diagnosis was delayed or incorrect, it will make a great impact on patients.Demyelinating lesions often involved in young and middle-aged, but this patient was the aged, which is rare.

Neuroendoscopic endonasal management of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea.

Neuroendoscopic endonasal approach has gained popularity in managing traumatic, spontaneous, and especially iatrogenic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea. The authors examined 8 patients presenting with CSF rhinorrhea between December 2012 and June 2014: 5 patients had iatrogenic leak, 2 patients had traumatic leak, and 1 patient had a spontaneous onset of CSF rhinorrhea. Sites of the CSF leaks were detected through computed tomographic cisternography and magnetic resonance imaging in the patients with traumatic and spontaneous leaks. All patients received neuroendoscopic endonasal surgery for the CSF leak. The largest defect was 22 mm in maximum diameter. Endoscopic supraciliary "keyhole" approach was performed in 1 patient after confirmation of a frontal sinus leak using the endoscopic endonasal approach. The success rate was 100% in the first attempt. Follow-up period ranged from 3 to 24 months, and no recurrence was reported. Identifying the leak site and choosing the appropriate surgical technique remain the most important factor in surgical success.

Sellar cysticercosis and septum pellucidum cyst: a case report and review of the literature.

Sellar cysticercosis is a rare form of neurocysticercosis. A septum pellucidum cysts is a rare, often asymptomatic cystic structure between the lateral ventricles. We report here a male patient with sellar cysticercosis and septum pellucidum cysts who was successfully treated by neuroendoscopic resection. The patient was a 28-year-old male who presented with intermittent headaches for 5 years. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a well-circumscribed 13 mm cystic space-occupying lesion in the sellar region and the cavum septum pellucidum. The cyst in the saddle area was completely resected via endoscopic endonasal-transsphenoidal approach. Postoperative histological examination verified cysticerci in the cyst wall. To our knowledge, this is the first case of sellar cysticercosis and a septum pellucidum cyst successfully treated through neuroendoscopic resection.

Development and external validation of a novel score for predicting postoperative 30­day mortality in tumor craniotomy patients: A cross­sectional diagnostic study.

The identification of patients with craniotomy at high risk for postoperative 30-day mortality may contribute to achieving targeted delivery of interventions. The present study aimed to develop a personalized nomogram and scoring system for predicting the risk of postoperative 30-day mortality in such patients. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 18,642 patients with craniotomy were stratified into a training cohort (n=7,800; year of surgery, 2012-2013) and an external validation cohort (n=10,842; year of surgery, 2014-2015). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) model was used to select the most important variables among the candidate variables. Furthermore, a stepwise logistic regression model was established to screen out the risk factors based on the predictors chosen by the LASSO model. The model and a nomogram were constructed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) and calibration plot analysis were used to assess the model's discrimination ability and accuracy. The associated risk factors were categorized according to clinical cutoff points to create a scoring model for postoperative 30-day mortality. The total score was divided into four risk categories: Extremely high, high, intermediate and low risk. The postoperative 30-day mortality rates were 2.43 and 2.58% in the training and validation cohort, respectively. A simple nomogram and scoring system were developed for predicting the risk of postoperative 30-day mortality according to the white blood cell count; hematocrit and blood urea nitrogen levels; age range; functional health status; and incidence of disseminated cancer cells. The ROC AUC of the nomogram was 0.795 (95% CI: 0.764 to 0.826) in the training cohort and it was 0.738 (95% CI: 0.7091 to 0.7674) in the validation cohort. The calibration demonstrated a perfect fit between the predicted 30-day mortality risk and the observed 30-day mortality risk. Low, intermediate, high and extremely high risk statuses for 30-day mortality were associated with total scores of (-1.5 to -1), (-0.5 to 0.5), (1 to 2) and (2.5 to 9), respectively. A personalized nomogram and scoring system for predicting postoperative 30-day mortality in adult patients who underwent craniotomy were developed and validated, and individuals at high risk of 30-day mortality were able to be identified.

Association between preoperative hematocrit and postoperative 30-day mortality in adult patients with tumor craniotomy.

Background: The purpose of this research was to synthesize the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to investigate the link between preoperative hematocrit and postoperative 30-day mortality in patients with tumor craniotomy. Methods: A secondary retrospective analysis of electronic medical records of 18,642 patients with tumor craniotomy between 2012 and 2015 was performed. The principal exposure was preoperative hematocrit. The outcome measure was postoperative 30-day mortality. We used the binary logistic regression model to explore the link between them and conducted a generalized additive model and smooth curve fitting to investigate the link and its explicit curve shape. We conducted sensitivity analyses by converting a continuous HCT into a categorical variable and calculated an E-value. Results: A total of 18,202 patients (47.37% male participants) were included in our analysis. The postoperative 30-day mortality was 2.5% (455/18,202). After adjusting for covariates, we found that preoperative hematocrit was positively associated with postoperative 30-day mortality (OR = 0.945, 95% CI: 0.928, 0.963). A non-linear relationship was also discovered between them, with an inflection point at a hematocrit of 41.6. The effect sizes (OR) on the left and right sides of the inflection point were 0.918 (0.897, 0.939) and 1.045 (0.993, 1.099), respectively. The sensitivity analysis proved that our findings were robust. The subgroup analysis demonstrated that a weaker association between preoperative hematocrit and postoperative 30-day mortality was found for patients who did not use steroids for chronic conditions (OR = 0.963, 95% CI: 0.941-0.986), and a stronger association was discovered in participants who used steroids (OR = 0.914, 95% CI: 0.883-0.946). In addition, there were 3,841 (21.1%) cases in the anemic group (anemia is defined as a hematocrit (HCT) <36% in female participants and <39% in male participants). In the fully adjusted model, compared with the non-anemic group, patients in the anemic group had a 57.6% increased risk of postoperative 30-day mortality (OR = 1.576; 95% CI: 1.266, 1.961). Conclusion: This study confirms that a positive and nonlinear association exists between preoperative hematocrit and postoperative 30-day mortality in adult patients undergoing tumor craniotomy. Preoperative hematocrit was significantly associated with postoperative 30-day mortality when the preoperative hematocrit was <41.6.

[Retracted] microRNA­205 acts as a tumor suppressor and directly targets YAP1 in glioma.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that certain of the data shown for the cell migration and invasion assays in Fig. 2C were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published elsewhere, or were already under consideration for publication, prior to its submission to Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 16: 1431­1438, 2017; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.6748].

Microvascular decompression and aneurysm clipping for a patient with hemifacial spasm and ipsilateral labyrinthine artery aneurysm: A rare case report and literature review.

Preoperative MRI results showed a vascular anomaly at the REZ of the left facial nerve (Figure A) and an anomaly at the internal auditory canal (Figure B). The left AICA was identified as the offending vessel compressing the left facial nerve at the REZ (Figure C). After the artery was dissociated and Teflon felt was placed between the involved vessel and the facial nerve (Figure D), electrophysiological monitoring indicated that the AMR had disappeared (Figure E).

Alterations of the Gut Microbiome in Patients With Pituitary Adenoma.

Pituitary adenoma (PA) includes invasive pituitary adenoma (IPA) and noninvasive pituitary adenoma (NIPA), which are associated with the endocrine system. The gut microbiome plays an important role in human metabolism, but the association between the gut microbiome and pituitary adenoma remains unclear. A total of 44 subjects were enrolled in this study. Of these, 29 PA patients were further divided into IPA patients (n = 13) and NIPA patients (n = 16), while 15 healthy age-matched subjects were defined as control subjects. We collected faecal samples and characterized the gut microbial profiles by metagenomic sequencing using the Illumina X-ten platform. PLS-DA showed different microbial clusters among the three groups, and slightly different microbial ecological networks were observed. LEfSe analysis revealed significant alterations in the microbial community among PA patients. In particular, the enrichment of Clostridium innocuum, along with the reduced abundance of Oscillibacter sp. 57_20 and Fusobacterium mortiferum, were observed both in the IPA and NIPA groups compared to the control group. Moreover, PA patients could be effectively classified based on these bacteria using a support vector machine algorithm. In summary, this study demonstrated significant differences in the gut microbiome between PA patients and healthy controls. Future mechanistic experiments are needed to determine whether such alterations are a cause or consequence of pituitary adenoma.

Are preoperative phase-contrast CSF flow parameters ideal for predicting the outcome of shunt surgery in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus?

Purpose: Phase-contrast magnetic resonance (PC-MR) is widely used in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), but its role in predicting prognosis remains controversial. To evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative PC-MR CSF flow measurement in predicting the clinical response to shunt surgery in patients with iNPH. Methods: Forty-six patients with definite iNPH were included between January 2018 and January 2022. PC-MR was used to evaluate CSF peak velocity (PV), average velocity, aqueductal stroke volume (ASV), net ASV, and net flow. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS), iNPH grading scale (iNPHGS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Timed 3-m Up and Go Test (TUG) were used for clinical assessment. The primary endpoint was the improvement in the mRS score 1 year after surgery, and the secondary endpoints were the iNPHGS, MMSE, and TUG scores at 1 year. Differences between shunt improvement and non-improvement groups, based on the clinical outcomes, were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test, logistic regression models, and receiver operating characteristic curves. Correlations between CSF flow parameters and the baseline clinical outcomes were assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: No CSF parameters significantly differed between shunt improvement and non-improvement groups based on mRS and secondary outcomes. And all CSF parameters showed significant overlap in both shunt improvement and non-improvement groups based on mRS and secondary outcomes. Significant correlations between the mRS and iNPHGS scores, and PV, ASV, and net ASV were observed. Conclusion: While some preoperative PC-MR CSF flow parameters reflected the symptom severity of iNPH to a certain extent, they alone might not be ideal markers of shunt responsiveness.

Immunoexpression of MMP-8 and MMP-9 in chronic subdural hematoma.

To determine the possible role of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-8 and MMP-9 in the development of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), we investigated their expression in CSDH. In our previous study, we analyzed hematoma fluid and peripheral blood of 83 patients with CSDH, including 17 postoperative patients. Based on these results, we included 50 people in the normal group and analyzed 20 markers in the peripheral blood of each person. In order to identify representative markers, it was assessed by using overall differential gene expression. The concentration of MMP-8 was significantly higher in the normal group than that in the preoperative and postoperative groups. The concentration of MMP-9 was significantly lower in the normal group than in both preoperative and postoperative groups. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the expression of MMP-8 and MMP-9 in CSDH membranes. In conclusion, our results provide evidence of the expression of MMP-8 and MMP-9 in CSDH. In addition, the expression of MMP-8 and MMP-9 suggests angiogenesis in CSDH formation.

[Correlation of DNJ between taxilli herba and its host-plants].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) between Taxilli Herba parasitized in mulberry and its host-plants. METHOD: The contents of DNJ of Taxilli Herba parasitized in mulberry and non-mulberry were determined by RP-HPLC. DNJ was extracted with 0.05 mol x L(-1) HCl, and then detected by fluorescence detector after derivatized with FMOC-Cl at pH 8.0 with borate buffer. The separation was performed on an Agilent C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.1% aqueous acetic acid (51: 49) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL x min(-1). The wavelength of fluorescence detector was operated at lambda(EX) = 254 nm and lambda(EM) = 322 nm. RESULT: The linear range of DNJ was 3.72-37.2 mg x L(-1) (r = 0.999 9). The average recovery was 96.42%. The contents of DNJ in mulberry and Taxilli Herba parasitized in mulberry were 1.39-10.16 mg x g(-1) and 0.46-2.72 mg x g(-1), respectively. However, the contents of DNJ could not be detected in Taxilli Herba parasitized in non mulberry and its host-plants. CONCLUSION: As the characteristic constituent of mulberry, DNJ was accumulated in Taxilli Herba This method can be applied to the quality control of Taxilli Herba from mulberry.