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Objective The proportion of the super-aged population (at the age of 80 or above) in patients with chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) and the incidence of CSDH of the population have been increasing. Since it is widely accepted that YL-1 needle is effective in CSDH treatment, this paper aimed to probe into the efficacy of YL-1 needle in minimally invasive surgery for super-aged (at the age of 80-90) CSDH patients. Methods A retrospective analysis on the clinical information of 17 super-aged CSDH patients having received the YL-1 needle puncture treatment provided by the hospital from May 2012 to December 2016 was performed. At the same time, another 19 CSDH patients (ages 60-79) who were hospitalized during the same period were randomly selected to form a control group. The same surgical treatment was provided for both groups to observe and compare the treatment efficacy. Results The patients of both groups were cured and discharged. Among the super-aged patients, there was 1 patient with postoperative hematoma recurrence, 1 patient with pneumocephalus, and 1 patient with wound infection; among the aged patients, 1 reported postoperative recurrence and 2 had pneumocephalus; The average length of stay of the super-aged group was 9.235 ± 2.948 days while that of the aged group was 7.316 ± 3.660 days, which showed no statistical difference. Conclusion The YL-1 needle puncture treatment is safe and efficacious for both the super-aged and the aged CSDH patients.

Objective The aim of the present study was to explore the clinical effects, including the prevention of complications, of the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma with double needle aspiration. Methods The clinical data of 31 patients with chronic subdural hematoma treated by double YL-1 needle double skull drilling and 31 controls treated by traditional drilling and drainage were analyzed retrospectively. Results In the YL-1 needle group, only 1 patient was with hematoma recurrence, 1 patient was with intracranial pneumocephalus, and the remaining patients who were followed up for 3 months achieved a clinical cure. In the traditional drilling and drainage group, 13 patients were with hematoma recurrence within 3 months after the operation and 7 patients were with postoperative intracranial pneumocephalus. Conclusions The method of double YL-1 needle is better than the traditional drilling and drainage method for the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma because it reduces the postoperative recurrence rate and complications.

Deubiquitinase (DUB)-mediated cleavage of ubiquitin chain balances ubiquitination and deubiquitination for determining protein fate. USP7 is one of the best characterized DUBs and functionally important. Numerous proteins have been identified as potential substrates and binding partners of USP7; those play crucial roles in diverse array of cellular and biological processes including tumour suppression, cell cycle, DNA repair, chromatin remodelling, and epigenetic regulation. This review aims at summarizing the current knowledge of this wide association of USP7 with many cellular processes that enlightens the possibility of abnormal USP7 activity in promoting oncogenesis and the importance of identification of specific inhibitors.

An area-efficient CTDSM for sensor applications is presented. The proposed capacitively-coupled CTDSM combines the functions of precision amplifier and DSM to achieve hardware efficiency. The 1-bit quantizer with FIR-DAC improves the linearity without using DEM in multi-bit architectures or large-size analog filters. The proposed currentsplitting OTA saves the capacitor area in the first integrator stage. Fabricated in a 0.18-μm CMOS, this chip draws 70 μA (?) from a 1.8-V supply, and achieves 12-bit resolution under 2-kHz bandwidth at ±40-mV input range. The circuit area is only 0.2 mm2.

MicroRNA (miR)-125b has been shown to play a potential role in the development of glioma stem cells. However, the relationship between miRNA and glioma stem cells is still elusive. This study was designed to elucidate this potential relationship. We established a highly invasive glioma stem cell and progenitor (GSCP) cell line SU3. SU3 cell suspensions were injected into nude mice brains in situ, and the invasiveness of graft tumors was analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin staining as well as immunohistochemistry. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to measure the expression levels of miR-125b in SU3 and other cells. In vitro, SU3 cells expressed CD133 and nestin as well as differentiation markers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and β-tubulin III, which were consistent with the characteristics of glioma stem cells. Scratch assays indicated that the migration ability of SU3 cells was stronger than that of U251 stem cells (U251s). In vivo, SU3 cells invaded into each part of the mouse brain from the caudate nucleus in a diffuse pattern and highly expressed invasive and proliferative cell markers matrix metalloprotease 2 (MMP2), MMP9, and Ki-67. Real-time PCR results revealed that the levels of miR-125b and MMP9 were significantly higher in SU3 and SU2, also a highly invasive GSCP cell line we established before, than in U251s. High expression of miR-125b both in newly established GSCPs, SU3, and long-term cultured GSCPs, SU2 suggests that miR-125b exhibits oncogene-like behavior. This behavior should be considered in further studies of miR-125b in cancer stem cells. Furthermore, MMP9, which plays a role in cancer stem cell invasion, may be a target gene of miR-125b.

OBJECTIVES The objectives of this work are to report the outcomes of our finding during microvascular decompression (MVD) for patients with recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and to introduce the sling retraction technique. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective review of redo MVD for consecutive cases with recurrent TN after previous operation. Sling retraction techniques were used during the reoperation. RESULTS Fifteen patients underwent redo MVD. During the second operation, arachnoid adhesion of the Teflon felt was confirmed at the trigeminal nerve in 10 cases, and neurovascular conflict was found in 4 cases. Symptoms were completely relieved in 14 patients (93.3%) and partially relieved in 1 patient (6.7%). The mean follow-up period was 38 months (range, 21-60 months), and no patient experienced recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Arachnoid adhesion of the Teflon felt and vascular compression to the nerve were main causes of recurrence. The sling retraction technique is still an effective and useful treatment for recurrent TN after MVD.

Objective The aim of this study was to review the efficacy and safety of microvascular decompression (MVD) for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) in elderly patients older than 65 years. Methods From June 2006 to June 2011, a total of 59 elderly patients with ITN underwent MVD. We performed a retrospective study of the medical records and compared the outcome data with those from 164 patients younger than 64 years during the same period. Results The mean age of the elderly and younger patient groups was 72 and 55 years. The pain was completely relieved in 93.2% and partially relieved in another 5.1% of the elderly patient group after surgery. The mean follow-up period was 42 months (range, 16–75 mo). A total of 8.9% of the patients in the elderly patient group experienced recurrence. Headaches, nausea, and vomiting were more frequent complications. There were no mortalities and severe morbidities after surgery. Between the elderly and younger patient groups, no statistically significant differences existed in the outcomes. Conclusions Microvascular decompression is a safe and effective procedure for elderly patients with ITN. It is recommended that any patients with ITN should have the opportunity to choose MVD, unless their condition cannot tolerate general anesthesia.

Two multirate techniques, so-called the multiple-code (MC) and multicode-keying (MK) schemes, were recently proposed to support multimedia services with different bit rates in asynchronous optical code-division multiple-access (O-CDMA) systems. In the MC scheme, a user maps multiple data bit 1s to multiple code matrices and transmits them at the same time. In the MK scheme, a user only transmits one of its assigned codewords at a time, and each codeword represents a symbol of multiple data bits. In terms of error probability, the performances of these multirate schemes were also analyzed. Spectral efficiency (SE) is another figure-of-merit useful for comparing O-CDMA schemes. In this paper, the performances and SEs of the multirate MC and MK schemes are formulated and the conditions of which scheme offers a better SE are investigated with formal proofs. Numerical examples are given to validate the analyses.

Objective: To investigate the effects of interferon-a (IFN-a) and IFN-a combined with interleukin-6 (IL-6) on growth and expression of bcr-abl, bcl-2 and e-mye genes in the mononuclear cells (MNCs) from bone marrow (BM) of patients with chronic myelogenons leukemia (CML). Methods: MNCs were collected from BM of the patients with CML in chronic phase by centrifugation in lymphocyte separation medium and cultured in liquid with IFN-a (200U/ml) or IFN-a (200U/ml) plus IL-6 (100 ng/ml). The growing cells were counted every day. The expression levels of lS-actin, bcr-abl, bcl-2 and c-myc genes in the MNCs incubated for 24 h were detected by reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and relatively quantitative analysis of the amplified fragments by optical density scanning for the bands on gel. Results: The cell growth was markedly suppressed by IFN-a but the degree of cell-growth inhibition was slightly decreased by IL-6 on the basis of IFN-a effect. The expression of bcr-abl chimeric gene was intensely inhibited by IFN-a or IFN-a plus IL-6. The expression of bci-2 gene was suppressed by either IFN-a or IFN-a plus IL-6, whereas that of c-myc gene was also inhibited by IFN-a but strongly elevated by IL-6 on the basis of IFN-a action. Conclusions: Both IFN-a and IFN-a plus IL-6 can inhibit the expression of anti-apoptosis gene such as bcr-abl and bcl-2 and regulate the expression of the gene related to cell proliferation and differentiation such as c-myc. Either IFN-a or IFN-a combined with IL-6 will serve as a trustful strategy of clinical treatment for CML.

The effects of Duranta repens fruits were investigated on H2O2 induced oxidative cell death to evaluate its antioxidative potential in vitro. HEK293T cells were treated with different concentrations [0–1000 µg/ ml] of ethanol extract (E-Ex) and methanol extract (M-Ex) of D. repens for 24h, and then treated with 100 µM H2O2 for 24h. Cell viability, antioxidant parameters of cells, and antioxidant constituents of the extracts were determined. Treatment with limited dose of E-Ex or M-Ex increased the survival rate of H2O2-treated HEK293T cells, however the extra-high dose showed growth inhibitory effect. Treatment with E-Ex or M-Ex protected cellular lipid per-oxidation. In vitro analyses showed the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and H2O2 scavenging activities as well as reducing potential of the extracts. We report here that the limited dose of E-Ex and M-Ex possess antioxidative potential, which can protect H2O2-induced oxidative cell damage.

Previous studies have demonstrated that recipient-derived immature dendritic cells transfected by recombinant adenovirus-mediated IKK2dn (Adv‑IKK2dn) and loaded with donor splenocyte lysate generate CD4+CD25- T cells (Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cells). These cells may inhibit T cell responses in vitro. In the present study, Lewis (LW) rats were administered with an intravenous injection of naive CD4+ T cells, empty adenovirus (Adv-0)-dendritic cell-generated CD4+CD25- T cells (Adv-0-CD4+CD25- T cells), Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cells or an equal volume of normal saline, seven days prior to transplantation. The potency and the mechanism of action of Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cells was analyzed, as well as an investigation of their tolerogenic properties in vivo. Administration of Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cells in vivo to LW rats was observed to markedly prolong the survival of a kidney allograft from Brown Norway rats. Furthermore, the Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cell-treated group exhibited significantly reduced levels of interleukin (Il)-2 and interferon-γ production and increased Il-10 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) secretion. The serum creatinine levels remained at low levels in the Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cell-treated group. Their ability to induce allogeneic T cell proliferation was markedly reduced compared with the other groups. These observations indicated that Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cells induce prolongation of kidney allograft survival in vivo, which is hypothesized to be due to the high expression levels of Il-10 and TGF-β.

Based on the distribution of genetic polymorphisms regarding phase I metabolic enzyme cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and phase II metabolic enzymes glutathione S-transferase GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes in acute leukemia patients and health controls among general population of Hunan in China, this study was to explore the relationship between these gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility to acute leukemia.Using case-control methodology, we studied 204 healthy controls and 232 patients with acute leukemia, of which 112 patients were suffering acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 120 with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL). The frequencies of the genotypes were detected by PCR and PCR-RFLP techniques.The variation frequencies of CYP1A1 gene (Msp I polymorphisms, site 3801T-C variation) in ALL and ANLL groups were 74.1% and 70.8% respectively which were higher than 63.3% appeared in the healthy controls. However, the differences between patients (ALL or ANLL) and healthy controls were not statistically significant (P0.05 for both). The null genotype of GSTM1 (GSTM1 -/-) in ALL group was 60.7%, which was not significantly different from the controls (55.4%). However, GSTM1 -/- genotype in ANLL group was 68.3%, significantly different from the controls (P0.05). The null genotypes among GSTT1 (GSTT1 -/-) in ALL, ANLL and control group were 50.9%, 55.0% and 49.0% but their differences were not statistically significant (P0.05). The incidences of GSTM1 -/- and GSTT1 -/- combined genotype in ALL, ANLL and control group were 33.0%, 40.0% and 27.5%, of which the difference between ANLL group and control group was statistically significant (P0.05) and CYP1A1 gene heterozygous mutation type or homozygous mutation type combined with GSTM1 -/- and GSTT1 -/- increased the risk of ANLL (OR value 1.890, 95% CI: 1.084-3.295).These results indicated that both the variation of CYP1A1 gene or GSTT1 -/- genotype alone might not be associated with the susceptibility of acute leukemia while GSTM1 -/- genotype alone or combined with GSTT1 -/- or the 3801 T-C variation of CYP1A1 gene were correlated with ANLL. These findings suggest that GSTM1 - / - genotype alone or in combination with other defective genotypes might serve as risk factors to the etiology of ANLL.

The clinical observation has shown that interferon-alpha(IFN-alpha) is one of the most effective therapeutic agents for the malignancies of hemopoietic system and lymphoma. However, IFN-alpha can only induce about 70-80% of the patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) to get hematological remission. The mechanism by which various CML cases respond differently to IFN-alpha is still unclear.(1)The effects of IFN-alpha in different concentrations (100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 U/ml) on growth of the two CML cell lines were detected by MTT assay,semisolid colony formation and trypan-blue staining for the cells in liquid culture. (2)The cell apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry(FCM),fluorescence microscopy and gel electrophoresis analysis for DNA fragmentation in 48 hours after IFN-alpha (1,000 U/ml) induction of both KT-1/A3 and K562 cells. (3)The expression levels of bcr/abl chimeric genes were analyzed by relative quantitative RT-PCR at 48 hours after cultivation of both KT-1/A3 and K562 cells with IFN-alpha in 1,000 U/ml.(1)The growth inhibition of KT-1/A3 cells was dose-dependent in IFN-alpha from the concentration of 100 U/ml to 10,000 U/ml. (2)Having been induced with IFN-alpha in 1000 U/ml for 48 hours, the apoptosis rate of KT-1/A3 cells raised from 3.29% to 11.8% and the expression level of bcr/abl chimeric gene in this cell line declined to 66.7% as compared with those of the control. (3)The growth and apoptosis rate as well as bcr/abl gene expression level of K562 cells were not significantly affected by IFN-alpha.Different populations of CML cells shows different sensitivity to IFN-alpha.

To identify hemin-induced gene expression in K562 cells.Poly A(+) RNAs were isolated from hemin-induced (tester) and non-induced K562 cells (driver) respectively, and double-strand cDNAs were synthesized by reverse transcription. The forward subtracted cDNA library was constructed by using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) techniques. The recombinant plasmids were extracted and the positive clones were identified by EcoR I digestion after the amplification and screening of the library. The inserts were amplified by PCR. The upregulated cDNA transcripts were identified by reverse dot blot hybridization, DNA sequencing and homology analysis with GenBank database "blast" respectively.Fifteen upregulated clones were identified and most of them were homologous to the mRNA sequences of protein with known function, including globin epsilon1, glutathione S-transferase like glutathione transferase Omega (GSTTLp28), selenoprotein X1 (SEPX1), triosephosphate isomerase (TPI1), ribosomal protein L7 (RPL7), ribosomal protein S13 (RPS13), ferritin light polypeptide, globin A gamma, RAD 51 homolog C(RAD51C), ferritin heavy polypeptide, X-box binding protein (XBP1). A part of the hemin-induced cDNA clones exhibited sequence similarities to that of the GenBank registered mRNA with unknown function of their expressed proteins, including the cDNA clones of DKFZp434I116, hypothetical protein HSPC014 and NOL1R2 proteins.Hemin mainly induces the genes expression related to erythroid differentiation, protein synthesis and metabolism in K562 cell. There results provide comprehensive information useful for the differential gene expression in hemin-induced erythroid differentiation and for further function study of genes involved in hematopoiesis.

The effects of Duranta repens fruits were investigated on H2O2 induced oxidative cell death to evaluate its antioxidative potential in vitro. HEK293T cells were treated with different concentrations [0-1000 ìg/ ml] of ethanol extract (E-Ex) and methanol extract (M-Ex) of D. repens for 24h, and then treated with 100 ìM H2O2 for 24h. Cell viability, antioxidant parameters of cells, and antioxidant constituents of the extracts were determined. Treatment with limited dose of E-Ex or M-Ex increased the survival rate of H2O2–treated HEK293T cells, however the extra-high dose showed growthinhibitory effect. Treatment with E-Ex or M-Ex protected cellular lipid per-oxidation. In vitro analyses showed the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and H2O2 scavenging activities as well as reducing potential of the extracts. We report here that the limited dose of E-Ex and M-Ex possess antioxidative potential, which can protect H2O2-induced oxidative celldamage.Key words: Duranta repens (Linn.), Oxidative cell death, Lipid per-oxidation, Antioxidant, Phytochemicals

Background XinJiErKang (XJEK), a Chinese herbal formula, is identified as an effective preparation to treat coronary heart disease and myocarditis. The aim of the study is to investigate the anti-hypertensive effects of XJEK by oral administration and also to find out whether the drug has any role in oxidative stress and vascular endothelial function. Methods Clipping of the renal artery resulted in gradual elevation of the systolic blood pressure (SBP) which reached a plateau after 4 weeks of surgery. Treatment of hypertensive rats (20 mmHg higher than basic systolic blood pressure) with XJEK (6, 12, 24 g/kg/day) and fosinopril (15 mg/kg/day) respectively by intragastric administration started 4 weeks after surgery and continued for 4 weeks. The sham-operated (Sh-Op) controls received drinking water. BP was monitored weekly using tail-cuff apparatus. At the end of 8 wk, left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), rate of rise of left ventricular pressure (±dp/dtmax) were examined (PowerLab 8/30, AD Instruments, Australia). The myocardial hypertrophy index was expressed as heart weight/body weight (HW/BW), the histological changes were investigated by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Van Gieson (VG) stain. Endothelium-dependent relaxations due to acetylcholine were observed in isolated rat thoracic aortic ring preparation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) content in serum, contents of hydroxyproline (Hyp) in the ventricular tissue were assayed by xanthin oxidase method, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method, Griess method and alkaline hydrolysis method, respectively. Angiotensin II (Ang II) content in serum was detected by radioimmunoasssay method. Results XJEK therapy potently improved cardiac function, inhibited myocardial hypertrophy, improved cardiac pathology change, decreased the myocardial cross-section area (CSA), collagen volume fraction (CVF) and perivascular circumferential collagen area (PVCA), reduced the content of Hyp in the left ventricular tissue, inhibited the decrease of SOD activity and increase of MDA, Ang II content in serum. Moreover, treatment with XJEK improved endothelial dysfunction (ED) manifested by promoting endothelial-dependent vasodilation of thoracic aortic rings and enhancing the NO activity in serum. Conclusions These findings suggest that administration of XJEK possess protective effects against 2K1C induced hypertension and cardiac remodeling in rats, preserve NO activity and endothelial function.