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Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and its receptor, lectin-like ox-LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Expression of LOX-1 was substantially raised in the basilar arterial wall of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) rabbits. We ascertained the relationship between serum soluble LOX-1 concentrations and functional outcome after human aneurysmal SAH.We enrolled 94 aneurysmal SAH patients and 94 healthy controls. Serum soluble TOX-1 concentrations were quantified using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. A poor outcome was defined as Glasgow outcome scale score of 1-3.Median values of serum soluble LOX-1 in stroke patients were significantly higher than those in controls (1.5 vs. 0.4 ng/ml, P 0.001). Thirty patients (31.9%) had a poor outcome at 6 months after stroke. Serum soluble LOX-1 was a strong predictor of poor outcome (OR 5.20, 95% CI 1.25-22.04). Serum soluble LOX-1 concentrations exhibited a significant discriminatory capability (area under curve 0.811, 95% confidence interval 0.717-0.884). The predictive powers of World Federation of Neurological Surgeons grade, Hunt-Hess grade, modified Fisher grade, and serum soluble LOX-1 concentrations were comparable (all P 0.05).Serum soluble LOX-1 appears to have the potential to become a promising prognostic predictor after human aneurysmal SAH.

Gliomas are among the most frequent types of primary malignancies in the central nervous system. The main treatment for glioma includes surgical resection followed by a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite the availability of several treatments, the average survival for patients with glioma at advanced stages still remains 16 months only. Therefore, there is an urgent need to look for novel and more efficient drug candidates for the treatment of glioma. In the current study the anticancer activity of Mahanine was evaluated against a panel of glioma cells. The results revealed that Mahanine exerted significant anticancer effects on the glioma HS 683 cells with an IC50 of 7.5 μM. However, the cytotoxic effects were less pronounced on the normal human astrocytes. Further the results showed that the anticancer effects were mainly due to induction of apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Western blotting showed that Mahanine caused upregulation of Bax, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase 3 and 9 and cleaved PARP. However, the expression of cell cycle related proteins pCdc25c, Cdc25c, pCdc2, Cdc2 and cyclin B1 was significantly downregulated. The effect of Mahanine on the migration and invasion of HS 683 cells was also determined and results indicated that Mahanine inhibited the cell migration and invasion at IC50. Additionally, Mahanine-inhibited cell growth was simultaneous with suppression of p-PI3K, p-AKT and p-mTOR. Taken together these results indicate that Mahanine may prove to be an important lead molecule for the treatment of glioma and warrants further investigation.

Background Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) pathophysiology involves inflammation. Macrophage migration inhibition factor (MIF), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is related to prognosis of ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum MIF levels are associated with severity and outcomes in patients with acute ICH. Methods We enrolled a total of 120 consecutive ICH patients and 120 healthy controls and sampled blood on admission and at study entry respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify serum MIF levels. Results Serum MIF levels were higher in patients compared with controls and correlated with hematoma volume, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and plasma C-reactive protein levels. After adjusting for other significant outcome predictors, MIF in serum was an independent predictor of 6-month overall survival and unfavorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score > 2). Areas under receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC) of serum MIF levels, hematoma volume and NIHSS scores were similar for 6-month unfavorable outcome. Moreover, serum MIF levels significantly improved areas under ROC of hematoma volume and NIHSS scores. Conclusions MIF in serum might be a potential biomarker for reflecting inflammation, severity and prognosis of ICH patients.

Special-shaped concrete-filled steel tube (SCFST) columns have been extensively used in residential buildings owing to their excellent mechanical properties and architectural benefits. In this study, five groups of eccentric compression tests were conducted to study the mechanical properties of SCFST columns with respect to the axial force and bending moment around the centroidal principal axis, using the eccentric distance and eccentric direction as the parameters. ABAQUS software was used to construct finite element models. The model results fit well with the experimental results. Based on the experimental study and finite element simulation with reference to the standards of different countries, a formula for calculating the in-plane stability of SCFST columns under the axial force and bending moment around the centroidal principal axis was derived. The findings of this study could provide guidance for future engineering design.

To study the uniaxial eccentric compression properties of slender L-shaped column composed of concrete-filled steel tubes (CFST) connected by steel linking plates, a compression test on four L-shaped CFST columns with different eccentricities was designed in this study. The ultimate bearing capacity, ductility, and deformation capacity of the L-shaped CFST columns were obtained by analyzing the failure phenomenon, load–axial displacement curves, load-lateral deflection curves and load–strain curves. Experimental results were verified by ABAQUS finite element analysis software, and the N–M correlation curves of the L-shaped CFST columns were calculated by using a full-section plasticity method. The calculation formulas of eccentric compression ultimate bearing capacity of L-shaped CFST columns was proposed, which provided a reference for engineering design.