Effectiveness of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients With Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) on improvement of clinical symptoms in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). METHODS: Sixteen SCA3 participants diagnosed by genetic testing were enrolled in this sham-controlled and double-blind trial. They received either a 2-week 10-Hz rTMS intervention or sham stimulation targeting the vermis and cerebellum. The Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale were completed at baseline and poststimulation. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, the HF-rTMS group demonstrated a significant improvement in the total Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia ( P < 0.0001) and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale scores ( P = 0.002). After 2-week treatment, the real group exhibited decreasing pattern in 3 subgroups, especially for limb kinetic function ( P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term HF-rTMS treatment is a potentially promising and feasible tool for rehabilitation in patients with SCA3. Studies with long-term follow-up need to be carried out in the future and further need to assess gait, limb kinetic function, speech and oculomotor disorders.

Realization of Broadband Near-Infrared Emission with High Thermal Stability in YGa3(BO3)4: Cr3+ Borate Phosphor.

As a key material for phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) applications, broadband near-infrared (NIR) phosphors currently face poor thermal stability issues. In this work, we synthesized a broadband near-infrared phosphor YGa3(BO3)4: Cr3+ (YGBO: Cr3+) with a high thermal stability. The YGBO: Cr3+ sample exhibits a broadband near-infrared emission centered at 770 nm with a full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 2130 cm-1 under blue light excitation. Benefiting from the borate host crystal's strong structural rigidity, wide optical band gap, and weak electron-phonon coupling strength, YGBO: Cr3+ demonstrates strong luminescence thermal stability, and the corresponding luminescence intensity can maintain 80% at 150 °C compared to room temperature. Furthermore, we fabricated a pc-LED device using a blue light chip and YGBO: Cr3+ phosphor, and confirmed its application potential as a near-infrared light source in the spectral analysis of fruit freshness.

Expression of pituitary tumor-transforming 2 in human glioblastoma cell lines and its role in glioblastoma tumorigenesis.

The present study aimed to investigate the association between the expression of pituitary tumor-transforming 2 (PTTG2), and cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis in glioblastoma. The U251 human glioblastoma cell line was transfected with the pcDNA-PTTG2 and small interfering (si)RNA-PTTG2 plasmids using Lipofectamine 2000. The expression of PTTG2 in U251 glioblastoma cells was determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. The association between PTTG2 expression, and cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis in vitro were investigated using an MTT assay, Matrigel Transwell assay and flow cytometry combined with Annexin V/propidium iodide staining, respectively. RT-qPCR and western blot analysis demonstrated that PTTG2 mRNA and protein expression were significantly overexpressed and significantly suppressed following transfection with pcDNA-PTTG2 and short interfering RNA (siRNA)-PTTG2 plasmids, respectively (P<0.05). In addition, the cell proliferation rate and invasive cell number in cells with overexpressed PTTG2 were significantly higher compared with cells in the untreated group, and the invasive cell number in the siRNA-PTTG2 group was significantly lower than the untreated group (P<0.05). Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that, compared with the untreated group, the quantity of apoptotic cells in PTTG2 overexpression group was significantly reduced, and the quantity of apoptotic cells in the siRNA-PTTG2 group was increased. Similar results were obtained with regards to the expression level of caspase-3. The results of the present study indicate that PTTG2 overexpression promotes cell proliferation and invasion during glioblastoma progression. In addition, the results suggest that PTTG2 overexpression inhibits cell apoptosis in glioblastoma by affecting caspase-3-dependent signaling pathways. It can therefore be suggested that PTTG2 may serve as a novel therapeutic target for treating glioblastoma.

Effect of overexpression of HOX genes on its invasive tendency in cerebral glioma.

Transcription factors encoded by HOX genes are vital in the determination of cell fate and identity during embryonic development. In certain malignancies, HOX genes also behave as oncogenes. The present study demonstrated suppression of the invasive tendency of glioblastoma multiforme U-118 and U-138 cells by the introduction of the antisense fragments of HOXA6 and B13 genes using electroporation. The invasion index indicated 79 and 72% reductions in the invasive ability of antisense HOXA6 and B13, respectively. No significant differences in the invasive index of the parental and mock cells of each HOX gene were observed (invasive index, 0.75-0.91; P=0.05). A reduction in invasion tendency was also observed following betulinic acid (BA) treatment: The results from the matrigel assay analysis clearly demonstrated a significant inhibition in the invasive behaviour of U-118 and U-138 cell lines from day 15 following BA treatment, with a maximum effect on day 30. The invasion index demonstrated 62 and 65% reductions in invasion ability in the U-118 and U-138 cell lines, respectively. The suppression of HOXC6 and B13 expression by the introduction of the corresponding antisense fragments in addition to BA reduced invasion tendency in U-118 and U-138 cell lines. The mechanism underlying the association between the HOX gene and invasive behavior in glioma cells is yet to be understood. However, the anti-invasive behavior of BA may aid understanding of the mechanism in future studies.

Ethyl acetate extracts of Fructus Ligustri Lucide induce cell apoptosis in human neuroglioma cell.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that Fructus Ligustri Lucide (FLL) can be used to improve the tumor cells sensitivity to chemotherapeutics and promote cell death. However, the mechanism by which FLL mediate this effect is unclear. In the present study, ethyl acetate extracts of FLL induced cell apoptosis in human neuroglioma cell was investigated. METHODS: The cell viability was detected by the CCK8 assay. The cell apoptosis was assessed by annexin V-PI double-labeling staining and hoechst 33342 staining. The protein expression of cell cycle regulators and tumor suppressors were analyzed by western blotting. RESULTS: Treatment of human neuroglioma cell with FLL induced cell death in a dose-and time-dependent manner by using CCK8 assay. Consistent with the CCK8 assay, the flow cytometry results showed that the proportion of the early and terminal phase of apoptosis cells had gained after FLL treatment as compared to untreatment group. Moreover, human neuroglioma cells were exposed to the ethyl acetate extracts of FLL for 48 h, which resulted in an accumulation of cells in G2/Mphase. Apoptotic bodies were clearly observed in human neuroglioma cells that had been treated with FLL for 48 h and then stained with Hochest 33342. The expression of Cyclin B1, CDC2 and cdc25C were downregulated upon FLL treatment in human neuroglioma cells. The expression level of Cyclin B1, CDC2 and cdc25C was negatively correlated with the time of treatment by FLL. In contrast, p53, p21 and p16 were obviously upregulated by FLL treatment in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirmed that FLL could induce apoptosis in human neuroglioma cells, the underlying molecular mechanisms, at least partially, through activation p21/p53 and suppression CDC2/cdc25C signaling in vitro.