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Purpose: Low-velocity penetrating brain injury (LVPBI) caused by foreign bodies can pose life-threatening emergencies. Their complexity and lack of validated classification data have prevented standardization of clinical management. We aimed to compare the trans-base and trans-vault phenotypes of LVPBI to help provide guidance for clinical decision-making of such injury type. Methods: A retrospective study on LVPBI patients managed at our institution from November 2013 to March 2020 was conducted. We included LVPBI patients admitted for the first time for surgery, and excluded those with multiple injuries, gunshot wounds, pregnancy, severe blunt head trauma, etc. Patients were categorized into trans-base and trans-vault LVPBI groups based on the penetration pathway. Discharged patients were followed up by outpatient visit or telephone. The data were entered into the Electronic Medical Record system by clinicians, and subsequently derived by researchers. The demography and injury characteristics, treatment protocols, complications, and outcomes were analyzed and compared between the two groups. A t-test was used for analysis of normally distributed data, and a Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametric data. A generalized linear model was further established to determine whether the factors length of stay and performance scale score were influenced by each factor. Results: A total of 27 LVPBI patients were included in this analysis, comprised of 13 (48.1%) trans-base cases and 14 (51.9%) trans-vault cases. Statistical analyses suggested that trans-base LVPBI was correlated with deeper wounds; while the trans-vault phenotype was correlated with injury by metal foreign bodies. There was no difference in Glasgow Coma Scale score and the risk of intracranial hemorrhage between the two groups. Surgical approaches in the trans-base LVPBI group included subfrontal (n = 5, 38.5%), subtemporal (n = 5, 38.5%), lateral fissure (n = 2, 15.4%), and distal lateral (n = 1, 7.7%). All patients in the trans-vault group underwent a brain convex approach using the foreign body as reference (n = 14, 100%). Moreover, the two groups differed in application prerequisites for intracranial pressure monitoring and vessel-related treatment. Trans-base LVPBI was associated with higher rates of cranial nerve and major vessel injuries; in contrast, trans-vault LVPBI was associated with lower functional outcome scores. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that trans-base and trans-vault LVPBIs differ in terms of characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. Further understanding of these differences may help guide clinical decisions and contribute to a better management of LVPBIs.

Objective To compare the predictive efficiency of different scoring systems including TraumaInfant Neurologic Score(TINS), Marshall CT score, Rotterdam CT score and Helsinki CT scorefor thelong⁃term prognosis of infant (≤3yearsold) traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods Clinical records and imaging data of 37 cases with infant TBI (admitted to Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from January 2012 to December 2017) were analyzed retrospectively. Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was used to evaluate the prognosis 6 months after TBI. TINS score, Marshall CT score, Rotterdam CT score and Helsinki CT score were used to predict the prognosis. The Receiver Operating Characteristics Curve (ROC) comparing among TINS, Marshall CT, Rotterdam CT and Helsinki CT scores was performed to predict the prognosis of infant TBI. Results Among 37 cases, 19 cases (51.35%) had good prognosis (GOSgrade5), 11 cases (29.73%) had slight disability (GOSgrade4), 6 cases (16.22%) had severe disability (GOSgrade3), and one case (2.70%) died (GOSgrade1). The areas under the curve (AUC) of the TINS, Marshall CT, Rotterdam CT and Helsinki CT scores at 6⁃month after injury in GOS grade 1-3 group were 0.774 (95%CI: 0.539-1.000, P =0.026), 0.807 (95%CI: 0.668-0.946, P = 0.012), 0.748 (95%CI: 0.535-0.960, P=0.044) and 0.740 (95%CI: 0.533-0.948, P=0.050), respectively. Conclusions TINS, Marshall CT, Rotterdam CT and Helsinki CT scores have good evaluation efficiency on the prognosis of infant TBI in long⁃term. In comparison, Marshall CT score is more advantageous in evaluating the prognosis of infant TBI 6 months after discharge. DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.07.010

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), as non-viral gene delivery vectors, are considered with lower immunogenic response, and safer and higher gene capacity than viral systems. In our previous study, a CPP peptide called RALA (arginine rich) presented desirable transfection efficacy and owns a potential clinic use. It is believed that histidine could enhance the endosome escaping ability of CPPs, yet RALA peptide contains only one histidine in each chain. In order to develop novel superior CPPs, by using RALA as a model, we designed a series of peptides named HALA (increased histidine ratio). Both plasmid DNA (pDNA) and siRNA transfection results on three cell lines revealed that the transfection efficacy is better when histidine replacements were on the C-terminal instead of on the N-terminal, and two histidine replacements are superior to three. By investigating the mechanism of endocytosis of the pDNA nanocomplexes, we discovered that there were multiple pathways that led to the process and caveolae played the main role. During the screening, we discovered a novel peptide-HALA2 of high cellular transfection efficacy, which may act as an exciting gene delivery vector for gene therapy. Our findings also bring new insights on the development of novel robust CPPs.

To explore genetic mechanism of genetic generalized epilepsies (GGEs) is challenging because of their complex heritance pattern and genetic heterogeneity. KCNJ10 gene encodes Kir4.1 channels and plays a major role in modulating resting membrane potentials in excitable cells. It may cause GGEs if mutated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible association between KCNJ10 common variants and the susceptibility and drug resistance of GGEs in Chinese population. The allele-specific MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry method was used to assess 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of KCNJ10 in 284 healthy controls and 483 Chinese GGEs patients including 279 anti-epileptic drug responsive patients and 204 drug resistant patients. We found the rs6690889 TC+TT genotypes were lower frequency in the GGEs group than that in the healthy controls (6.7% vs 9.5%, p = 0.01, OR = 0.50[0.29-0.86]). The frequency of rs1053074 G allele was lower in the childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) group than that in the healthy controls (28.4% vs 36.2%, p = 0.01, OR = 0.70[0.53-0.93]). The frequency of rs12729701 G allele and AG+GG genotypes was lower in the CAE group than that in the healthy controls (21.2% vs 28.4%, p = 0.01, OR = 0.74[0.59-0.94] and 36.3% vs 48.1%, p = 0.01, OR = 0.83[0.72-0.96], respectively). The frequency of rs12402969 C allele and the CC+CT genotypes were higher in the GGEs drug responsive patients than that in the drug resistant patients (9.3% vs 5.6%, OR = 1.73[1.06-2.85], p = 0.026 and 36.3% vs 48.1%, p = 0.01, OR = 0.83[0.72-0.96], respectively). This study identifies potential SNPs of KCNJ10 gene that may contribute to seizure susceptibility and anti-epileptic drug resistance.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most malign brain tumors in adults. Temozolomide (TMZ) is an oral chemotherapy drug constituting the backbone of chemotherapy regimens utilized as first-line treatment of GBM. However, resistance to TMZ often leads to treatment failure. In the present study, we explored the expression and related mechanisms of nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) in glioma stem cells (GSCs). Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that NEAT1 was up-regulated in serum samples of GBM patients and GSCs isolated from U87, U251 cell lines. Functional experiments showed that NEAT1 knockdown restrained malignant behaviors of GSC, including proliferation, migration and invasion. Dual-luciferase assays identified let-7g-5p was a downstream target and negatively adjusted by NEAT1. Restoration of let-7g-5p impeded tumor progression by inhibiting proliferation, migration and invasion. Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MAP3K1), as a direct target of let-7g-5p, was positively regulated by NEAT1 and involved to affect the regulation of NEAT1 on GSCs' behaviors. In conclusion, our results suggested that NEAT1 promoted GSCs progression via NEAT1/let-7g-5p/MAP3K1 axis, which provided a depth insight into TMZ resistance mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To highlight the relationship between miR-503 and wound healing of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). Methods: Microarray analysis was used to detect the dysregulated miRNAs between the DFU tissues and normal tissues. The expression of miR-503 in tissues and serum of patients with DFU was detected by qRT-PCR technique. Then, CCK-8 assay was applied to determine the cell proliferation. TUNEL assay was used for assessing the apoptosis of cells after treatment with miR-503. Possible correlation between miR-503 and fbillin1 (FBN1) was predicted according to data accessed on RNA22 website online, and was detected for confirmation by luciferase reporter assay. Results: Microarray analysis showed that miR- 503 was significantly decreased in the DFU tissues compared with normal tissues. While marked increase in the expression of miR-503 in tissues and serum of patients with DFU was confirmed by qRT-PCR technique. Then, CCK-8 assay indicated that transfection of miR- 503 mimic obviously accelerated the cell proliferation. However, TUNEL assays suggested that miR-503 mimic inhibited the apoptosis of cells to improve the survival of fibroblasts. Besides, miR-503 AMO played a role in fibroblasts of DFU tissues exactly countering to miR-503 mimic treatment. It was predicted that MiR-503 is a complementary to the FBN1 by RNA22. Besides, SiRNA-FBN1 promoted the proliferation, but brought down the apoptosis of fibroblasts. Conclusions: MiR-503 regulates the function of fibroblasts and wound healing of patients with DFU by targeting FBN1 directly which provids a novel and critical target for diagnosis and treatment of DFU.