Analysis of differentially expressed circular RNAs in endothelial cells under impinging flow.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a special type of non-coding RNA. To elucidate the relationship between hemodynamics and the function of circRNAs in endothelial cells (ECs), a modified T chamber system was designed and produced for the present experiment. This T chamber system can be used to simulate the hemodynamic environment at the bifurcation of the arteries. METHODS: Normal ECs cultured on glass slides were placed in the T chamber, the cell layer was impacted at a flow rate of 500 mL/min, and high-throughput microarrays were used to analyze the expression profiles of circRNAs in ECs. The differential expressions of circRNAs in the ECs treated with impinging flow were compared to those in ECs in conventional culture conditions. The characteristics of the differentially expressed circRNAs were analyzed with bioinformatics and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses were conducted to verify results. RESULTS: Compared to normal samples, there were changes in the expressions of many circRNAs. A total of 974 circRNAs were differentially expressed, and of these, 378 were upregulated and 596 were downregulated (fold change [FC] ≥ 2 and P < 0.05), which suggests that these circRNAs were altered under hemodynamic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: We present the differential expression profiles of circRNAs in ECs after the application of impinging flow; our results indicate that these differentially expressed circRNAs may be involved in inflammatory responses and damage in ECs. The present findings provide valuable information on cRNA profiles as well as clues for future studies that will investigate the roles that circRNAs play in ECs after inflammatory injury.

Relationship between the intravascular enhancement sign on three-dimensional T1-weighted turbo spin echo and intraluminal thrombus in middle cerebral artery atherosclerosis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between the intravascular enhancement sign (IVES) and intraluminal thrombus (ILT) detected by high-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI) in patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) atherosclerosis. METHOD: The data of patients who underwent HR-VWI between May 2021 and May 2023, including clinical information, the number of IVES vessels, stenosis degree, ILT, plaque features on 3D T1-weighted turbo spin echo sequences, and signal intensity ratio (SIR) on 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, were retrospectively analyzed. Correlation and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 194 MCA plaques were identified in 132 patients (103 [53 %] on the left). Atherosclerosis with, relative to without, ILT was associated with a higher incidence of ischemic events, higher plaque enhancement and stenosis degrees, more vessels with IVES, and lower remodeling ratio, lumen area, wall area, total vessel area, and SIR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed significant and independent associations of the number of IVES vessels (OR = 1.089; 95 % CI [1.013-1.170]; P = 0.020) and SIR (OR = 0.007; 95 % CI [0.0004-0.124]; P < 0.001) with ILT. The number of vessels with the IVES (AUC = 0.81, 95 % CI [0.75-0.87]; P < 0.001) and SIR (AUC = 0.88, 95 % CI [0.82-0.94]; P < 0.001) sufficiently diagnosed ILT, and the AUC of the combination of the IVES and SIR was 0.89 (95 % CI [0.84-0.94]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The number of IVES vessels and SIR are independent risk factors for ILT. They may provide new monitoring targets for stroke prevention in patients with atherosclerotic stenosis.

Association of intravascular enhancement sign on 3D-T1W TSE with collateral status in middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke.

OBJECTIVE: The significance of the intravascular enhancement sign (IVES) on high-resolution magnetic resonance vascular wall imaging (HR-VWI) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the IVES and collateral assessment derived from digital subtraction angiography (DSA). METHOD: A total of 75 patients with occlusion of the first segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) who underwent HR-VWI and DSA examinations at our research institution between November 2016 and February 2023 were included. The number of vessels with IVES, IVES-Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS), American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology/Society of Interventional Radiology (ASITN/SIR) collateral grade, and DSA collateral blood flow grade were retrospectively evaluated. Correlations between these indicators were assessed using Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: Interrater agreement was good for the assessment of HR-VWI and DSA indicators. After adjustments for age, degree of wall enhancement, and hypertension, a multivariable ordinal logistic regression model identified both the number of IVES vessels (OR = 1.37; 95%CI [1.06-1.78]; P = 0.017) and IVES-ASPECTS (OR = 2.00; 95%CI [1.03-3.87]; P = 0.041) as independent predictors of ischemic stroke. In the patient group with acute ischemic stroke, we found weak correlations between the number of IVES vessels and the ASITN/SIR collateral grade (rho = -0.35; P = 0.002) and between the IVES-ASPECTS and ASITN/SIR collateral grade (rho = -0.27; P = 0.02). Moreover, there were strong correlations between the number of IVES vessels and the DSA collateral blood flow grade (rho = -0.74; P < 0.001) and between the IVES-ASPECTS and the DSA collateral blood flow grade (rho = -0.65; P < 0.001). The number of IVES vessels correlated strongly with the IVES-ASPECTS (rho = 0.92, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We find that the IVES is closely associated with sluggish collateral blood flow, which further confirms the hemodynamic mechanism underlying the IVES in MCA occlusion.

Increased ASF1B Expression Correlates With Poor Prognosis in Patients With Gliomas.

Background: Several studies have suggested that anti-silencing function 1 B (ASF1B) can serve as a good potential marker for predicting tumor prognosis. But the values of ASF1B in gliomas have not been elucidated and further confirmation is needed. Methods: Transcriptomic and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA), genotypic tissue expression (GTEx), and the Chinese Gliomas Genome Atlas database (CGGA). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to investigate the link between clinical variables and ASF1B. Survival analysis was used to assess the association between ASF1B expression and overall survival (OS). The relationship between ASF1B expression and OS was studied using survival analysis. To investigate the probable function and immunological infiltration, researchers used gene ontology (GO) analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA). Results: In glioma tissues, ASF1B expression was considerably higher than in normal tissues. The survival analysis found that increased ASF1B expression was linked with a poor prognosis in glioma patients. ASF1B demonstrated a high diagnostic value in glioma patients, according to a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. ASF1B was found to be an independent predictive factor for OS in a Cox regression study (HR = 1.573, 95% CI: 1.053-2.350, p = 0.027). GO, KEGG, and GSEA functional enrichment analysis revealed that ASF1B was associated with nuclear division, cell cycle, m-phase, and cell cycle checkpoints. Immuno-infiltration analysis revealed that ASF1B was positively related to Th2 cells, macrophages, and aDC and was negatively related to pDC, TFH, and NK CD56 bright cells. Conclusion: A high level of ASF1B mRNA expression was correlated with a poor prognosis in glioma patients in this study, implying that it could be a reliable prognostic biomarker for glioma patients.

[The expression and role of Cathepsin B in intracranial aneurysm wall].

OBJECTIVES: To detect the expression of Cathepsin B (CatB) in the intracranial aneurysm wall and its effect to the apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells, aimed at clarifying the pathological formation mechanism of intracranial aneurysm. METHODS: From November 2006 to February 2009, 20 intracranial aneurysm samples were collected as the experimental group, and 6 cases of normal pallium artery samples were collected as the control group. Immunohistochemical technique was used to evaluate the expressions of CatB, alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and Caspase-3. The expression of CatB mRNA was evaluated by real-time PCR. The ultrastructure of intracranial aneurysms were observed by using the transmission electronic microscope. RESULTS: Compared with the normal pallium artery specimens, the expression of CatB and Caspase-3 both significantly increased in the intracranial aneurysm walls where alpha-SMA decreased (P < 0.05). The mean expression of CatB mRNA in intracranial aneurysm samples was about 3.8-folds than that in control group (P < 0.01). There were excessive apoptotic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the tunica median, and typical apoptotic body were observed in some aneurysm walls. CONCLUSION: Cathepsin B may be involved in the formation and the progression of intracranial aneurysm.

Rare intraspinal clear cell meningioma in children: a case report and literature review.

Meningioma of the spinal canal is very rare. Clear cell meningioma (CCM) with special histological features occurs more commonly in the spinal cord. A review of the published English-language literature identified 40 reported cases of children with intraspinal CCM and this current report presents an additional case of a 3-year-old child with confirmed lumbar CCM. The current case underwent gross total resection of the CCM. At 9 months after the operation, lumbar magnetic resonance imaging was undertaken and confirmed the absence of tumour recurrence. The child was able to walk normally again. During this period, the child did not receive adjuvant treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. An evaluation of the 41 cases demonstrated the following: (i) there was no significant difference between the recurrence rate of females and males; (ii) there was a significant difference in the recurrence rate based on the extent of resection (gross total resection versus partial resection); (iii) the recurrence rate in patients where the number of involved segments ≥3 levels was significantly higher than that in patients where the number of involved segments was 1-2 levels. For children with CCM, complete surgical resection might be an important characteristic for predicting the risk of the recurrence of CCM.

Association Between Meteorological Factors and the Rupture of Intracranial Aneurysms.

Background Both meteorological factors and morphological factors are important factors to predict intracranial aneurysm rupture. This study investigated the relationship between meteorological factors and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Additionally, the morphological differences between ruptured and unruptured aneurysms under these high-risk meteorological conditions were assessed. Methods and Results The records of 1751 patients with aSAH with 2124 intracranial aneurysms were retrospectively analyzed. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to assess the risks of incident aSAH on the basis of daily meteorological data. Morphological parameters were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA tests, and significant parameters (P<0.05) were further examined using a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Daily aSAH incidence had significant negative correlations with daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperature (P<0.001) and a significant positive correlation with daily mean atmospheric pressure (P<0.001). Additionally, 58 patients with multiple aneurysms were assessed to determine morphological differences. There were significant differences in the mean values for aneurysm size, neck width, length, height, width, parent artery diameter, shape of the aneurysm, aspect ratio, size ratio, and bottleneck factor (P<0.05). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that aspect ratio (ß=1.277, odds ratio=3.585, 95% CI, 1.588-8.090; P=0.002) was an independent risk factor for aneurysm rupture. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the ruptured aneurysm threshold of size was 3.45 mm and aspect ratio was 1.05. Conclusions Lower daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures and a higher daily mean atmospheric pressure were associated with an increased rate of aSAH. Additionally, under these meteorological conditions, the aneurysm size and aspect ratio thresholds for predicting rupture of an aneurysm may be lower.

A Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for the Formation of de novo Intracranial Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the risk factors for the formation of de novo intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is important for patients who have ever suffered a cerebral aneurysm. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the risk factors for the development of a de novo IA to identify which patients need more aggressive surveillance after aneurysm treatment. METHODS: We followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines and searched the PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and LILACS databases using the key words cerebral aneurysms, de novo, IAs, risk factors combined using and/or. The search was performed in July 2017.We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using RevMan 5.3 (Cochrane, London, United Kingdom) to evaluate risk factors. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: The analysis included 14 studies involving 6389 patients, of whom 197 patients had de novo IAs. The main risk factors for formation included sex (OR = 1.82, 95% CI [1.30,2.56], P = .0005, female vs male), age <40 yr (OR = 2.96, 95% CI [1.76,4.96], P < .0001), family history (OR = 2.05, 95% CI [1.07,3.93], P = .03), smoking history (OR = 2.73, 95% CI [1.81,4.12], P < .0001), and multiple saccular intracranial aneurysms (sIAs) at first diagnosis (OR = 2.10, 95% CI [1.12,3.91], P = .02), internal carotid artery (ICA) as the initial site (OR = 2.58, 95% CI [1.43,4.68], P = .002). Heterogeneous analysis showed that these I2 were less than 50% and the results were reliable. CONCLUSION: Observational evidence identified multiple clinical and anatomic risk factors for the formation of de novo IAs, including female sex, age <40 yr, family history, smoking history, multiple sIAs at first diagnosis, and IC as the initial site. More aggressive long-term angiographic follow-up with digital subtraction angiography, computed tomography angiography, or magnetic resonance angiography is recommended for these patients.

Knockdown of P120 catenin aggravates endothelial injury under an impinging flow by inducing breakdown of adherens junctions.

At present, the mechanisms underlying intracranial aneurysm (IA) development remain unclear; however, hemodynamics is considered a crucial factor in the induction of IA. To elucidate the association between hemodynamics and endothelial cell (EC) functions, a modified T chamber system was designed to simulate the adjustable hemodynamic conditions of an artery bifurcation. Normal human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) and HUVECs with P120 catenin (P120ctn) knockdown were cultured on coverslips and placed in the chamber. A flow rate of 250 or 500 ml/min impinged on the cell layer. Subsequently, the expression levels of P120ctn and other proteins, and EC morphological alterations, were examined. In normal HUVECs, after 3 h under a flow rate of 500 ml/min, the expression levels of P120ctn, vascular endothelial (VE)­Cadherin, Kaiso and α­catenin were decreased, whereas matrix metalloproteinase­2 (MMP­2) was increased. In HUVECs with P120ctn knockdown, the period during which ECs adhered to the coverslip was reduced to 1 h under a flow rate of 500 ml/min. In addition, the expression levels of VE­Cadherin, Kaiso and α­catenin in ECs were decreased, whereas those of MMP­2 were increased after 1 h; more prominent alterations were detected under a 500 ml/min flow rate compared with a 250 ml/min flow rate. Adherens junctions (AJs) are critical to the maintenance of normal morphology and EC functioning in the vascular wall, and P120ctn is an important regulator of AJs. Loss of P120ctn may be induced by hemodynamic alterations. In response to changes in hemodynamic conditions, a loss of P120ctn may aggravate AJs between ECs, thus inducing inflammation in the vascular wall. Clinically, hemodynamic alterations may result in a loss of P120ctn and endothelial injury; therefore, P120ctn may have a critical role in inducing intracranial aneurysms.

Benificial Effect of Stachydrine on the Traumatic Brain Injury Induced Neurodegeneration by Attenuating the Expressions of Akt/mTOR/PI3K and TLR4/NFκ-B Pathway.

Present investigation aims to explore the protective effect of stachydrine against traumatic brain injury (TBI) and also investigate the molecular mechanism of its action. TBI was induced by the fall a hammer (450 g) from the height of 1.5 m. and later stachydrine was administered for 2 weeks starting 2 hr after the induction of TBI. Effect of stachydrine was determined by estimating modified neurological severity score (mNSS), percentage of water content in the brain and cognitive dysfunction in TBI rats. Moreover western blot assay, histopathology and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests were used to determine the effect of stachydrine on TBI injured rats. Result of the report suggests that stachydrine reduces the mNSS and percentage of water content in the brain and also attenuates the cognitive dysfunction in TBI injured rats. However data of western blot assay reports that stachydrine reduces the expression of PI3K/m-TOR/Akt pathway in the brain tissues of TBI rats. Concentration of interleukin (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon gamma (INF-γ) was reduces in stachydrine treated group than TBI group. Moreover expression of Nuclear factor-κB/Toll-like receptor 4 (NF-κB/TLR-4) protein was also decreased in stachydrine treated group than TBI group. Histopathology study on brain tissue reveals that the percentage of apoptotic cells was also reduced in stachydrine treated group than TBI group. Data of this investigation concludes that stachydrine protects the neuronal injury by attenuating the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases/mammalian target of rapamycin/Protein kinase B (PI3K/m-TOR/Akt) and NF-κB/TLR-4 pathway in TBI injured rats.