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Abstract Glioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor in adults, with high incidence, recurrence, and mortality rates. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) are essential components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in glioma and play a crucial role in glioma cell proliferation, invasion and proneural-mesenchymal transition. Besides the interactions between TANs and tumor cells, the multi-dimensional crosstalk between TANs and other components within TME have been reported to participate in glioma progression. More importantly, several therapies targeting TANs have been developed and relevant preclinical and clinical studies have been conducted in cancer therapy. In this review, we introduce the origin of TANs and the functions of TANs in malignant behaviors of glioma, highlighting the microenvironmental regulation of TANs. Moreover, we focus on summarizing the TANs-targeted methods in cancer therapy, aiming to provide insights into the mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities of TANs in the malignant glioma microenvironment.

Abstract Individuals’ continuous success in competitive interactions with conspecifics strongly affects their social hierarchy. Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is the key brain region mediating both social competition and hierarchy. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying the neural ensemble in the mPFC remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that in excitatory neurons of prelimbic cortex (PL), lncRNA Sera remodels the utilization of Pkm Exon9 and Exon10, resulting in a decrease in the Pkm1/2 ratio in highly competitive mice. By employing a tet-on/off system, we disrupt or rebuild the normal Pkm1/2 ratio by controlling the expression of Pkm2 in PL excitatory neurons. We find that long-term Pkm2 modulation induces timely competition alteration and hysteretic rank change, through phosphorylating the Ser845 site of GluA1. Together, this study uncovers a crucial role of lncRNA Sera/Pkm2 pathway in the transition of social competition to rank by remodeling neural ensemble in mPFC.

Abstract Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is an important pest in Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is widely used for control of pest mites and insects worldwide. We evaluated its effect on M. usitatus when predators (N. barkeri) or insecticides (Spinetoram) were applied in the fields. Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes consumed 80% of M. usitatus prey offered within 6 h, and predation showed Type III functional response with prey density. The maximum consumption of N. barkeri was 27.29 ± 1.02 individuals per d per arena (1.5 cm diameter), while the optimal prey density for the predatory mite was 10.35 ± 0.68 individuals per d per arena (1.5 cm diameter). The developmental duration of N. barkeri fed with M. usitatus was significantly shorter than those fed with the dried fruit mite, Carpoglyphus lactis (L.) (Acari: Astigmata). In field trials, the efficiency of N. barkeri against M. usitatus was not significantly different from that of applications of the insecticide spinetoram. Biodiversity of other insects in treated fields was assessed, and there were 21 insect species in garden plots treated with N. barkeri releases. The total abundance (N), Shannon’s diversity index (H), Pielou’s evenness index (J) and Simpson’s diversity index (D) of the garden plots treated with predatory mites were all significantly higher than that in the garden plots treated with spinetoram, where we found no species of predators or parasitoids and 7 herbivores. Our results show that N. barkeri is a potential means to control M. usitatus while preserving arthropod diversity at the level of treated gardens.

Abstract Hearing preservation (HP) during vestibular schwannomas (VSs) surgery poses a significant challenge. Although brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) on the affected side are commonly employed to monitor cochlear nerve function, their low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) renders them susceptible to interferences, compromising their reliability. We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who underwent tumor resection, while binaural brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were simultaneously recorded during surgery. To standardize BAEPs on the affected side, we incorporated the synchronous healthy side as a reference (interval between affected and healthy side ≤ 3 min). A total of 127 patients were enrolled. Comparison of the raw BAEPs data pre- and post-tumor resection revealed that neither V-wave amplitude (Am-V) nor latency (La-V) could serve as reliable predictors of HP simultaneously. However, following standardization, V-wave latency (STIAS-La-V) and amplitude (STIAS-Am-V) emerged as stable predictors of HP. Furthermore, the intraoperative difference in V-wave amplitude (D-Am-V) predicted postoperative HP in patients with preoperative HP and remained predictive after standardization. The utilization of intraoperative synchronous healthy side BAEPs as a reference to eliminate interferences proves to be an effective approach in enhancing the reliability of BAEPs for predicting HP in VSs patients.

Abstract Background Postoperative central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is commonly observed in craniopharyngioma (CP) patients, and the inflammatory response plays an important role in CPs. We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of preoperative peripheral inflammatory markers and their combinations regarding CDI occurrence in CPs. Methods The clinical data including preoperative peripheral inflammatory markers of 208 CP patients who underwent surgical treatment were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The preoperative peripheral white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, platelet (PLT), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived-NLR (dNLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and PLT-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were assessed in total 208 CP patients and different age and surgical approach CP patient subgroups. Their predictive values were evaluated by the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. Results Preoperative peripheral WBC, neutrophils, NLR, dNLR, MLR, and PLR were positively correlated and lymphocyte was negatively associated with postoperative CDI occurrence in CP patients, especially when WBC ≥ 6.66 × 109/L or lymphocyte ≤ 1.86 × 109/L. Meanwhile, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that WBC > 6.39 × 109/L in the > 18 yrs age patients, WBC > 6.88 × 109/L or lymphocytes ≤ 1.85 × 109/L in the transcranial approach patients were closely associated with the elevated incidence of postoperative CDI. Furthermore, the area under the curve obtained from the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed that the best predictors of inflammatory markers were the NLR in total CP patients, the MLR in the ≤ 18 yrs age group and the transsphenoidal group, the NLR in the > 18 yrs age group and the dNLR in the transcranial group. Notably, the combination index NLR + dNLR demonstrated the most valuable predictor in all groups. Conclusions Preoperative peripheral inflammatory markers, especially WBC, lymphocytes and NLR + dNLR, are promising predictors of postoperative CDI in CPs.

As a crucial component of the cerebral cholinergic system and the Papez circuit in the basal forebrain, dysfunction of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) is associated with various neurodegenerative disorders. However, no drugs, including existing cholinesterase inhibitors, have been shown to reverse this dysfunction. Due to advancements in neuromodulation technology, researchers are exploring the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy targeting the NBM (NBM-DBS) to treat mental and neurological disorders as well as the related mechanisms. Herein, we provided an update on the research progress on cognition-related neural network oscillations and complex anatomical and projective relationships between the NBM and other cognitive structures and circuits. Furthermore, we reviewed previous animal studies of NBM lesions, NBM-DBS models, and clinical case studies to summarize the important functions of the NBM in neuromodulation. In addition to elucidating the mechanism of the NBM neural network, future research should focus on to other types of neurons in the NBM, despite the fact that cholinergic neurons are still the key target for cell type-specific activation by DBS.

Repetitive traumatic brain injury impacts adult neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, leading to long-term cognitive impairment. However, the mechanism underlying this neurogenesis impairment remains unknown. In this study, we established a male mouse model of repetitive traumatic brain injury and performed long-term evaluation of neurogenesis of the hippocampal dentate gyrus after repetitive traumatic brain injury. Our results showed that repetitive traumatic brain injury inhibited neural stem cell proliferation and development, delayed neuronal maturation, and reduced the complexity of neuronal dendrites and spines. Mice with repetitive traumatic brain injuryalso showed deficits in spatial memory retrieval. Moreover, following repetitive traumatic brain injury, neuroinflammation was enhanced in the neurogenesis microenvironment where C1q levels were increased, C1q binding protein levels were decreased, and canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling was downregulated. An inhibitor of C1 reversed the long-term impairment of neurogenesis induced by repetitive traumatic brain injury and improved neurological function. These findings suggest that repetitive traumatic brain injury–induced C1-related inflammation impairs long-term neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and contributes to spatial memory retrieval dysfunction.

Abstract Background To explore whether local transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in temporal muscle can promote collateral angiogenesis and to analyze its main mechanisms of promoting angiogenesis. Methods Bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) treated mice were administrated with encephalo-myo-synangiosis (EMS), and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were transplanted into the temporal muscle near the cerebral cortex. On the 30th day after EMS, the Morris water maze, immunofluorescence, laser speckle imaging, and light sheet microscopy were performed to evaluate angiogenesis; In addition, rats with bilateral common carotid artery occlusion were also followed by EMS surgery, and BMSCs from GFP reporter rats were transplanted into the temporal muscle to observe the survival time of BMSCs. Then, the concentrated BMSC-derived conditioned medium (BMSC-CM) was used to stimulate HUVECs and BMECs for ki-67 immunocytochemistry, CCK-8, transwell and chick chorioallantoic membrane assays. Finally, the cortical tissue near the temporal muscle was extracted after EMS, and proteome profiler (angiogenesis array) as well as RT-qPCR of mRNA or miRNA was performed. Results The results of the Morris water maze 30 days after BMSC transplantation in BCAS mice during the EMS operation, showed that the cognitive impairment in the BCAS + EMS + BMSC group was alleviated (P

Abstract Background Weeds are not only economically important but also fascinating models for studying the adaptation of species in human-mediated environments. Aegilops tauschii is the D-genome donor species of common wheat but is also a weed that influences wheat production. How shading stress caused by adjacent wheat plants affects Ae. tauschii growth is a fundamental scientific question but is also important in agriculture, such as for weed control and wheat breeding. Result The present study indicated that shade avoidance is a strategy of Ae. tauschii in response to shading stress. Ae. tauschii plants exhibited growth increases in specific organs, such as stem and leaf elongation, to avoid shading. However, these changes were accompanied by sacrificing the growth of other parts of the plants, such as a reduction in tiller number. The two reverse phenotype responses seem to be formed by systemically regulating the expression of different genes. Fifty-six genes involved in the regulation of cell division and cell expansion were found to be downregulated, and one key upstream negative regulator (RPK2) of cell division was upregulated under shading stress. On the other hand, the upregulated genes under shading stress were mainly enriched in protein serine/threonine kinase activity and carbon metabolism, which are associated with cell enlargement, signal transduction and energy supply. The transcription factor WRKY72 may be important in regulating genes in response to shading stress, which can be used as a prior candidate gene for further study on the genetic regulation of shade avoidance. Conclusions This study sheds new light on the gene expression changes and molecular processes involved in the response and avoidance of Ae. tauschii to shading stress, which may aid more effective development of shading stress avoidance or cultivars in wheat and other crops in the future.

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal cancer characterized by hypervascularity and necrosis associated with hypoxia. Here, it is found that hypoxia preferentially induces the actin‐binding protein, Transgelin (TAGLN), in GBM stem cells (GSCs). Mechanistically, TAGLN regulates HIF1α transcription and stabilizes HDAC2 to deacetylate p53 and maintain GSC self‐renewal. To translate these findings into preclinical therapeutic paradigm, it is found that sodium valproate (VPA) is a specific inhibitor of TAGLN/HDAC2 function, with augmented efficacy when combined with natural borneol (NB) in vivo. Thus, TAGLN promotes cancer stem cell survival in hypoxia and informs a novel therapeutic paradigm.

Background and objectiveStent-assisted coil (SAC) embolization is a commonly used endovascular treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) but can be associated with symptomatic delayed intracerebral hemorrhage (DICH). Our study aimed to investigate the hemodynamic risk factors contributing to DICH following SAC embolization and to establish a classification for DICH predicated on hemodynamic profiles.MethodsThis retrospective study included patients with UIAs located in the internal carotid artery (ICA) treated with SAC embolization at our institution from January 2021 to January 2022. We focused on eight patients who developed postoperative DICH and matched them with sixteen control patients without DICH. Using computational fluid dynamics, we evaluated the hemodynamic changes in distal arteries [terminal ICA, the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), and middle cerebral artery (MCA)] pre-and post-embolization. We distinguished DICH-related arteries from unrelated ones (ACA or MCA) and compared their hemodynamic alterations. An imbalance index, quantifying the differential in flow velocity changes between ACA and MCA post-embolization, was employed to gauge the flow distribution in distal arteries was used to assess distal arterial flow distribution.ResultsWe identified two types of DICH based on postoperative flow alterations. In type 1, there was a significant lower in the mean velocity increase rate of the DICH-related artery compared to the unrelated artery (−47.25 ± 3.88% vs. 42.85 ± 3.03%; p

BackgroundCerebral extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) revascularization technique (superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass grafting) has become the preferred surgical method for the treatment of Moyamoya disease (MMD). We attempted to completely free the two branches of the superficial temporal artery without disconnection. Extracranial and intracranial blood flow reconstruction were then modified by selectively performing a direct bypass technique on one branch and a patch fusion technique on the other of the STA based on the blood flow and the vascular diameter of the intracranial surface blood vessels.MethodsA series of modified STA-MCA bypass surgeries performed consecutively between March 2022 and March 2023 were reviewed and compared to conventional combined bypass surgeries performed during the same period. The following information was collected from all enrolled patients: demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, and preoperative and postoperative imaging, including Suzuki stage and Matsushima grade. The modified Rankin scale (mRS) was used to assess the changes in neurological status before and after surgery.ResultsA total of 41 patients with Moyamoya disease (MMD) who underwent cerebral revascularization were included in this study, of which 30 were conventional revascularization and 11 were modified revascularization. The mean age was 49.91 years, and 18 (43.9%) of the patients were women. The modified group had a lower incidence of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (18.2%) than the conventional group (23.3%). After at least 3 months of follow-up, the bypass patency rate remained 100% in the modified group and 93.3% in the conventional group. All patients in the modified group achieved a better Matsushima grade (A + B), with six (54.5%) having an A and five (45.5%) having a B. In contrast, four patients (13.3%) in the conventional group had a Matsushima grade of C. In all, 72.8% of the modified group had postoperative mRS scores of 0 and 1, which was higher than that of the traditional group (63.3%).ConclusionThe improved STA-MCA bypass could provide blood flow to multiple cerebral ischemic areas, reduce excessive blood perfusion, and ensure blood supply to the scalp, with lower complications and better clinical benefits than the traditional combined bypass.

Gliomas account for the majority of brain malignant tumors. As the most malignant subtype of glioma, glioblastoma (GBM) is barely effectively treated by traditional therapies (surgery combined with radiochemotherapy), resulting in poor prognosis. Meanwhile, due to its “cold tumor” phenotype, GBM fails to respond to multiple immunotherapies. As its capacity to prime T cell response, dendritic cells (DCs) are essential to anti-tumor immunity. In recent years, as a therapeutic method, dendritic cell vaccine (DCV) has been immensely developed. However, there have long been obstacles that limit the use of DCV yet to be tackled. As is shown in the following review, the role of DCs in anti-tumor immunity and the inhibitory effects of tumor microenvironment (TME) on DCs are described, the previous clinical trials of DCV in the treatment of GBM are summarized, and the challenges and possible development directions of DCV are analyzed.

Parkinson's disease (PD) presents clinical heterogeneity in late-stage patients who show a varied responsivity to subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on motor symptoms. To explore the heterogeneity of STN-DBS effect on motor symptoms in late-stage PD patients and to categorize the patients, basic characteristics, preoperative motor symptoms, and motor symptoms one month and one year after the operation of 28 late-stage PD patients were collected and analyzed with agglomerative hierarchical clustering. Preoperative motor complications, non-motor symptoms, and late-stage related manifestations were also collected and compared among the clusters. The analysis revealed three patient clusters with different motor features: 1) high response; 2) low response, and 3) moderate response with fast progression. Clinical characteristics showed significant differences in disease duration, postoperative UPDRS-III, decrease in UPDRS-III, and index of progression. Patterns of the six major motor symptoms can clearly differentiate the three clusters. Preoperative dyskinesia, memory decline, and visual hallucination were also found to differ in the three clusters. The current study identified three clusters of late-stage PD patients showing distinct responses to STN-DBS on motor symptoms. These clustering patterns may relate with diverse dopaminergic/non-dopaminergic impairments and hopefully help to categorize late-stage PD patients and to select adequate STN-DBS candidates.

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer characterized by the abundance of myeloid lineage cells in the tumor microenvironment. Tumor-associated macrophages and microglia (TAM) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), play a pivotal role in promoting immune suppression and tumor progression. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are self-amplifying cytotoxic agents that can stimulate local anti-tumor immune responses and have the potential to suppress immunosuppressive myeloid cells and recruit tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs) to the tumor site, leading to an adaptive immune response against tumors. However, the impact of OV therapy on the tumor-resident myeloid population and the subsequent immune responses are not yet fully understood. This review provides an overview of how TAM and MDSC respond to different types of OVs, and combination therapeutics that target the myeloid population to promote anti-tumor immune responses in the glioma microenvironment.

BackgroundThe shaping of an accurate and stable microcatheter plays a vital role in the successful embolization of intracranial aneurysms. Our study aimed to investigate the application and the role of AneuShape™ software in microcatheter shaping for intracranial aneurysm embolization.MethodsFrom January 2021 to June 2022, 105 patients with single unruptured intracranial aneurysms were retrospectively analyzed with or without AneuShape™ software to assist in microcatheter shaping. The rates of microcatheter accessibility, accurate positioning, and stability for shaping were analyzed. During the operation, fluoroscopy duration, radiation dose, immediate postoperative angiography, and procedure-related complications were evaluated.ResultsCompared to the manual group, aneurysm-coiling procedures involving the AneuShape™ software exhibited superior results. The use of the software resulted in a lower rate of reshaping microcatheters (21.82 vs. 44.00%, p = 0.015) and higher rates of accessibility (81.82 vs. 58.00%, p = 0.008), better positioning (85.45 vs. 64.00%, p = 0.011), and higher stability (83.64 vs. 62.00%, p = 0.012). The software group also required more coils for both small (

Ruptured dissecting aneurysms in posterior intracranial circulation present significant clinical challenges and often cause poor prognoses. Our cohort used overlapping stents as the primary treatment. We analyzed the medical records of 27 patients (18 men/nine women) with ruptured posterior circulation dissecting aneurysms (PCDAs). Their average age was 52 years. We selected 11 patients who used Enterprise (EP) and LVIS stents overlappingly and matched them 1:1 with counterparts who received either EP or LVIS stents individually. Overlapping stents was a feasible treatment in all 27 cases. We successfully followed up 26 patients for ≥6 months. Regrettably, one patient died from intracranial hypertension on Day 7 post-procedure. Immediate post-procedure angiographies indicated Raymond grade I, II, and III occlusions of PCDAs in 16 (59.3%), 7 (25.9%), and 4 (14.8%) cases, respectively. At an average follow-up duration of 16.2 months, 25 patients (96.2%) had modified Rankin Scale scores of 0–2, signifying positive outcomes. One patient (3.8%) had a score of 3–4. Recurrence rates for the EP and LVIS stent groups were higher than those of the overlapping stent group (45.45% vs. 9.09%, p = 0.15 and 27.27% vs. 9.09%, p = 0.59, respectively). No significant difference in recurrence rates existed between the overlapping and single-stent groups. Similarly, follow-up outcomes were consistent between the two groups. Overlapping stents could be an efficient method for treating ruptured PCDAs.

Modern machine learning (ML) models are becoming increasingly popular and are widely used in decision-making systems. However, studies have shown critical issues of ML discrimination and unfairness, which hinder their adoption on high-stake applications. Recent research on fair classifiers has drawn significant attention to developing effective algorithms to achieve fairness and good classification performance. Despite the great success of these fairness-aware machine learning models, most of the existing models require sensitive attributes to pre-process the data, regularize the model learning or post-process the prediction to have fair predictions. However, sensitive attributes are often incomplete or even unavailable due to privacy, legal or regulation restrictions. Though we lack the sensitive attribute for training a fair model in the target domain, there might exist a similar domain that has sensitive attributes. Thus, it is important to exploit auxiliary information from a similar domain to help improve fair classification in the target domain. Therefore, in this paper, we study a novel problem of exploring domain adaptation for fair classification. We propose a new framework that can learn to adapt the sensitive attributes from a source domain for fair classification in the target domain. Extensive experiments on real-world datasets illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model for fair classification, even when no sensitive attributes are available in the target domain.

Over 40% of arable land in the world is acidic. Al stress has become a global agricultural problem affecting plant growth and limiting crop production in acidic soils. Plants have evolved different regulatory mechanisms of adaptation to exogenous environmental challenges, such as Al stress, by altering their growth patterns. In the past decades, several key genes involved in plant response to Al stress and the mechanism of Al detoxification have been revealed. However, the signaling pathways of plant response to Al stress and the regulatory mechanism of plant Al tolerance remain poorly understood. In this review, we summarized the findings of recent studies on the plant Al tolerance mechanism and the molecular regulation mechanism of phytohormones in response to Al stress. This review improves our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of plants in response to Al stress and provides a reference for the breeding of Al-tolerant crops.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant type of glioma with the worst prognosis. Traditional therapies (surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy) have limited therapeutic effects. As a novel therapy emerging in recent years, immunotherapy is increasingly used in glioblastoma (GBM), so we expect to discover more effective immune targets. FGL2, a member of the thrombospondin family, plays an essential role in regulating the activity of immune cells and tumor cells in GBM. Elucidating the role of FGL2 in GBM can help improve immunotherapy efficacy and design treatment protocols. This review discusses the immunosuppressive role of FGL2 in the GBM tumor microenvironment and its ability to promote malignant tumor progression while considering FGL2-targeted therapeutic strategies. Also, we summarize the molecular mechanisms of FGL2 expression on various immune cell types and discuss the possibility of FGL2 and its related mechanisms as new GBM immunotherapy.

Encephalic schistosomiasis is a rare and severe parasitic disease which manifests as granuloma formation around ectopic eggs that migrate to the brain. We present a rare case of a pseudotumoral form of Schistosoma japonicum in the brainstem that was initially misidentified as a malignant tumor. The patient presented with intermittent headaches, diplopia, and left limb weakness. Neurological examination revealed hypoesthesia of the left lower limb, limitation of right eye abduction, and decreased muscle strength of the left upper limb. The cerebrospinal fluid tested positive for antibodies against S. japonicum. After standard treatment for schistosomiasis, the patient achieved complete remission. This case highlights that encephalic schistosomiasis can occur in the brainstem and resemble a neoplasm on magnetic resonance imaging. Once diagnosed, however, complete remission is achievable by non-invasive medical treatment.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess the functional outcomes after microsurgical resection of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and to compare the results between patients eligible for A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations in this surgical series to the results reported and the ARUBA study. Methods: We reviewed the records of 169 patients who underwent microsurgical treatment of arteriovenous malformation (AVMs) in our institution between January 2016 and December 2021. These patients’ functional status was assessed using modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at the last follow-up and before treatment. The mRS scores at the latest follow-up were classified into good outcomes (mRS < 3) and poor outcomes (mRS ≥ 3). Clinical presentation, patients’ demographics, AVM characteristics, follow-up time, and obliteration rate were analyzed. Subgroup analyses were performed on the whole cohort, comparing Spetzler–Martin Grade I and Grade II, and ARUBA-eligible AVMs. Results: The initial hemorrhagic presentation occurred in 71 (42%) out of 169 patients. The majority of the patients presented with headaches (73%). The AVMs were completely obliterated in 166 (98.2%) patients. The series included 65 Spetzler–Martin Grade I (38.5%), 46 Grade II (27.2%), 32 Grade III (18.9%), 22 Grade IV (13%), and 4 Grade V (2.4%) AVMs. There were 98 unruptured and 79 ARUBA-eligible cases. Also, optimal functional outcome was achieved in 145 (85.8%) patients. The overall mortality rate was 5.3% (9/169). The multivariate analysis illustrated that a poor outcome was significantly associated with presurgical mRS ≥3 (p < 0.013; OR, 0.206; 95% CI 0.059–0.713), increasing age (p < 0.045; odds ratio [OR], 1.022; 95% CI 1.000–0.045), and female gender (p < 0.009; OR, 2.991; 95% CI 1.309–6.832). Conclusions: Our study suggests that better outcomes can be obtained using microsurgical resection in the majority of patients with AVMs. Independent predictors of poor outcomes after surgical resection of AVMs include increasing age at the time of surgery, poor presurgical functional status, and female gender. Supposing that patients are more suitable for microsurgery after presurgical examination, outcomes are normally better in that case than those achieved by multimodal interventions (such as conservative treatment or ARUBA treatment arm). Therefore, we recommend early surgical removal on all surgically accessible AVMs to prevent successive hemorrhages and the consequences of poor neurological outcomes.

Seizures are a common symptom of craniocerebral diseases, and epilepsy is one of the comorbidities of craniocerebral diseases. However, how to rationally use anti-seizure medications (ASMs) in the perioperative period of craniocerebral surgery to control or avoid seizures and reduce their associated harm is a problem. The China Association Against Epilepsy (CAAE) united with the Trauma Group of the Chinese Neurosurgery Society, Glioma Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, Neuro-Oncology Branch of the Chinese Neuroscience Society, and Neurotraumatic Group of Chinese Trauma Society, and selected experts for consultancy regarding outcomes from evidence-based medicine in domestic and foreign literature. These experts referred to the existing research evidence, drug characteristics, Chinese FDA-approved indications, and expert experience, and finished the current guideline on the application of ASMs during the perioperative period of craniocerebral surgery, aiming to guide relevant clinical practice. This guideline consists of six sections: application scope of guideline, concepts of craniocerebral surgery-related seizures and epilepsy, postoperative application of ASMs in patients without seizures before surgery, application of ASMs in patients with seizures associated with lesions before surgery, emergency treatment of postoperative seizures, and 16 recommendations.

Malignant glioma is the most common solid tumor of the adult brain, with high lethality and poor prognosis. Hence, identifying novel and reliable biomarkers can be advantageous for diagnosing and treating glioma. Several galectins encoded by LGALS genes have recently been reported to participate in the development and progression of various tumors; however, their detailed role in glioma progression remains unclear. Herein, we analyzed the expression and survival curves of all LGALS across 2,217 patients with glioma using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), and Rembrandt databases. By performing multivariate Cox analysis, we built a survival model containing LGALS1, LGALS3, LGALS3BP, LGALS8, and LGALS9 using TCGA database. The prognostic power of this panel was assessed using CGGA and Rembrandt datasets. ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms confirmed that patients in high-risk groups exhibited significant stromal and immune cell infiltration, immunosuppression, mesenchymal subtype, and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) wild type. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), CancerSEA, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) showed that pathways related to hypoxia, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), stemness, and inflammation were enriched in the high-risk group. To further elucidate the function of LGALS in glioma, we performed immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays (TMAs), Western blotting, and cell viability, sphere formation, and limiting dilution assays following lentiviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated LGALS knockdown. We observed that LGALS expression was upregulated in gliomas at both protein and mRNA levels. LGALS could promote the stemness maintenance of glioma stem cells (GSCs) and positively correlate with M2-tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) infiltration. In conclusion, we established a reliable survival model for patients with glioma based on LGALS expression and revealed the essential roles of LGALS genes in tumor growth, immunosuppression, stemness maintenance, pro-neural to mesenchymal transition, and hypoxia in glioma.

ObjectivePrimary ventricular lymphoma (PVL) is an extremely rare and commonly misdiagnosed disease. Previous studies were predominantly case reports, and literature regarding the diagnosis and treatment of PVL is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of patients with PVL.MethodsThe data of patients with pathologically confirmed PVL were assessed. Epidemiological data, imaging findings, surgery, pathological results, and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. A systematic review of relevant literature was also conducted.ResultsA total of eight patients with PVL were identified. The main symptom was increased intracranial pressure. Radiographically, five patients had single lesion and three had multiple lesions; typical findings on magnetic resonance imaging included hypointensity on T1- and T2-weighted imaging, adjacent brain edema, and homogeneous enhancement on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Preoperatively, six cases were misdiagnosed and two cases did not get a definite diagnosis. Craniotomy was performed on all patients, and four achieved gross total resection. Hydrocephalus was relieved after surgical resection in four patients. Pathology revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in all patients. Only one patient had a severe complication. A total of three patients received concomitant adjuvant treatment, whereas five patients refused any adjuvant therapy. At the time of follow-up, the median survival time of patients was 15 months.ConclusionPrimary ventricular lymphoma mainly presented with symptoms of increased intracranial pressure and had several imaging characteristics for the diagnosis, but the condition still tends to be misdiagnosed. Surgical resection is a feasible treatment for patients with isolated nodules, especially those with acute obstructive hydrocephalus.

Deeper and longer roots allow crops to survive and flourish, but our understanding of the plant growth regulators promoting root system establishment is limited. Here, we report that, a novel auxin receptor agonist, named K-10, had a remarkable promotive effect on root growth in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa through the enhancement of root-related signaling responses. Using computer-aided drug discovery approaches, we developed potent lead compound by screening artificial chemicals on the basis of the auxin receptor TIR1 (Transport Inhibitor Response 1), and a series of N-(benzo[d] [1,3] dioxol-5-yl)-2-(one-benzylthio) acetamides, K-1 to K-22, were designed and synthesized. The results of bioassay showed that K-10 exhibited an excellent root growth-promoting activity far exceeding that of NAA (1-naphthylacetic acid). A further morphological investigation of the auxin related mutants (yucQ, tir1) revealed that K-10 had auxin-like physiological functions and was recognized by TIR1, and K-10 significantly enhanced auxin response reporter’s (DR5:GUS) transcriptional activity. Consistently, transcriptome analysis showed that K-10 induced a common transcriptional response with auxin and down-regulated the expression of root growth-inhibiting genes. Further molecular docking analysis revealed that K-10 had a stronger binding ability with TIR1 than NAA. These results indicated that this class of derivatives could be a promising scaffold for the discovery and development of novel auxin receptor agonists, and the employment of K-10 may be effective for enhancing root growth and crop production.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of surgical resection and stereotactic biopsy on the complication rate, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 70 patients diagnosed at a single institution with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and to explore the predictors of selection for resection and the prognostic factors of PCNSL. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of 70 patients with PCNSL that was diagnosed by surgical resection or stereotactic brain biopsy in our department from January 2013 to May 2019. We divided the patients into two groups: a resection group (n = 28) and a stereotactic biopsy group (n = 42). Data on clinical characteristics, imaging findings, complication rates, PFS and OS were retrospectively reviewed and compared between these two groups. We also analysed the predictors of selection for resection and prognostic factors of PCNSL by multivariate analysis. Results The median age was 53.3 ± 14.3 years, and there was a male predominance with a sex ratio of 1.33:1. The most common clinical manifestation was a headache. The complication rate in the resection group was 10.7% versus 7.1% in the stereotactic biopsy group, and there was no statistically significant difference. The rate of improvement in symptoms of the resection group was significantly higher than that of the stereotactic biopsy group. Multivariable analysis identified a single tumour and not involving deep structures as predictors of selection for resection. With a median follow-up of 30 months (range 1–110), the mean OS and PFS of all patients were 16.1 months and 6.2 months, respectively. Patients who underwent surgical resection had a mean OS of 23.4 months and PFS of 8.6 months versus 11.2 months and 4.6 months for those who had a brain biopsy performed. In addition, multivariable analysis showed that not involving deep structures and resection were favourable prognostic factors for PCNSL. Conclusions The outcomes of patients with PCNSL treated in our cohort are still poor. In our series, surgical resection might play a role in significantly improving OS and PFS compared with stereotactic biopsy in a subset of patients. The type of surgery and tumour location are prognostic factors for PCNSL.

BackgroundBecause of the low incidence and the constantly changing diagnostic and classification criteria, the clinical features, management, and prognostic factors of intracranial solitary fibrous tumor (ISFT) remain unclear and were thus analyzed in this study.MethodA total of 38 patients with ISFTs who were diagnosed in our institution were enrolled in this study. Patient data including age, gender, clinical presentation, histopathological features, immunohistochemistry staining, tumor location, tumor size, treatment methods, and prognosis were extracted and retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThe median age at diagnosis was 45.5 years (range 28–66 years) and the male-to-female ratio was 1:1.53 in our series. The 3-, 5-, and 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 82.2%, 62.8%, and 21.4%, respectively; and the 3-, 5-, and 10-year overall survival rate was 97.1%, 86.9%, and 64.2%, respectively. Patients with high WHO grade (grade 3) ISFTs experienced impaired PFS (p < 0.05) and OS (p < 0.01). Subtotal resection (STR) was associated with worse PFS and OS (p < 0.001, respectively). Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) improved PFS, especially local control rate, in patients with WHO grade 3 ISFTs (P = 0.025) or STR (p = 0.027). Moreover, CD34-negative immunostaining and a high Ki-67 index (>10%) were associated with impaired PFS in ISFTs.ConclusionOur study provides evidence that high tumor grade, subtotal tumor resection, CD34 negative immunostaining, and high Ki-67 index (>10%) were independent predictors for the poor prognosis of ISFTs. PORT can improve local control rate, and should be recommended for patients with high-grade ISFTs or STR.

It is commonly recognized, that glioblastoma is a large complex composed of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells. Tumor-associated macrophages account for the majority of tumor bulk and play pivotal roles in tumor proliferation, migration, invasion, and survival. There are sophisticated interactions between malignant cells and tumor associated-macrophages. Tumor cells release a variety of chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors that subsequently lead to the recruitment of TAMs, which in return released a plethora of factors to construct an immunosuppressive and tumor-supportive microenvironment. In this article, we have reviewed the biological characteristics of glioblastoma-associated macrophages and microglia, highlighting the emerging molecular targets and related signal pathways involved in the interaction between TAMs and glioblastoma cells, as well as the potential TAMs-associated therapeutic targets for glioblastoma.

BackgroundWe aimed to assess clinical factors associated with tumor recurrence and build a nomogram based on identified risk factors to predict postoperative recurrence in patients with pituitary adenomas (PAs) who underwent gross-total resection (GTR).MethodsA total of 829 patients with PAs who achieved GTR at Tongji Hospital between January 2013 and December 2018 were included in this retrospective study. The median follow-up time was 66.7 months (range: 15.6–106.3 months). Patients were randomly divided into training (n = 553) or validation (n = 276) cohorts. A range of clinical characteristics, radiological findings, and laboratory data were collected. Uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to determine the potential risk factors for PA recurrence. A nomogram model was built from the identified factors to predict recurrence. Concordance index (C-index), calibration curve, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were used to determine the predictive accuracy of the nomogram. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the nomogram.ResultsPseudocapsule-based extracapsular resection (ER), cavernous sinus invasion (CSI), and tumor size were included in the nomogram. C-indices of the nomogram were 0.776 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.747–0.806) and 0.714 (95% CI: 0.681–0.747) for the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram was 0.770, 0.774, and 0.818 for 4-, 6-, 8-year progression-free survival (PFS) probabilities in the training cohort, respectively, and 0.739, 0.715 and 0.740 for 4-, 6-, 8-year PFS probabilities in the validation cohort, respectively. Calibration curves were well-fitted in both training and validation cohorts. DCA revealed that the nomogram model improved the prediction of PFS in both cohorts.ConclusionsPseudocapsule-based ER, CSI, and tumor size were identified as independent predictors of PA recurrence. In the present study, we developed a novel and valid nomogram with potential utility as a tool for predicting postoperative PA recurrence. The use of the nonogram model can facilitate the tailoring of counseling to meet the individual needs of patients.

The use of social media has accelerated information sharing and instantaneous communications. The low barrier to enter social media enables more users to participate and makes them stay engaged longer, while incentivizing individuals with a hidden agenda to use disinformation to manipulate information and influence opinions. Disinformation, such as fake news, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories, has increasingly been weaponized to divide people and create detrimental societal effects. Therefore, it is imperative to understand disinformation and systematically investigate how we can improve resistance against it, taking into account the tension between the need for information and the need for security and protection against disinformation. In this survey, we look into the concepts, methods, and recent advancements of detecting disinformation from a computational perspective. We will also discuss open issues and future research directions for combating disinformation on social media.

BackgroundCraniopharyngioma (CP) with tumoral hemorrhage is a very rare syndrome presenting with various manifestation and unfavorable outcomes. The current retrospective study was performed to summarize the clinical features of CP with tumoral hemorrhage.MethodsIn this study, 185 patients with pathological diagnosis of CP (18 patients with hemorrhage) were enrolled. Clinical characteristics, radiological and surgical treatments, and post-operative complications were analyzed. In addition, the correlations between sexual hormones and tumor volume were explored.ResultsDrowsiness, acute syndrome, and pituitary deficiency were more frequent in patients with hemorrhage patients. Prothrombin time (PT) were higher in patients with hemorrhage. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) were lower in male patients with hemorrhage. Post-operative electrolyte disturbances, hypothalamic syndrome, and death appeared more frequently in the hemorrhage group. Moreover, prolactin (PRL) and cortisol 8AM were found to be correlated with the volume of the tumor and the hematoma, respectively.ConclusionThe current study presented the clinical features of CP apoplexy from the aspects of clinical characteristics, radiography, surgical treatment, and post-operative complications. Patients with CP apoplexy could benefit from the proper processing of peritumoral hemorrhage and post-operative monitoring of the electrolyte.

Abstract Background Shading includes low light intensity and varying quality. However, a low red/far-red (R/Fr) ratio of light is a signal that affects plant growth in intercropping and close- planting systems. Thus, the low R/Fr ratio uncoupling from shading conditions was assessed to identify the effect of light quality on photosynthesis and CO2 assimilation. Soybean plants were grown in a growth chamber with natural solar radiation under four treatments, that is, normal (N, sunlight), N + Fr, Low (L) + Fr, and L light. Results Low R/Fr ratio significantly increased the total biomass, leaf area, starch and sucrose contents, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, and quantum efficiency of the photosystem II compared with normal R/Fr ratio under the same light level (P 1.3-fold change in abundance, of which 1 was related to porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, 2 were involved in photosystem I (PS I), 4 were associated with PS II, 3 proteins participated in photosynthetic electron transport, and 2 were involved in starch and sucrose metabolism. The dynamic change in these proteins indicates that photosynthesis and CO2 assimilation were maintained in the L treatment by up-regulating the component protein levels compared with those in N treatment. Although low R/Fr ratio increased the photosynthetic CO2 assimilation parameters, the differences in most protein expression levels in N + Fr and L + Fr treatments compared with those in N treatment were insignificant. Similar trends were found in gene expression through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction excluding the gene expression of sucrose synthase possible because light environment is one of the factors affecting carbon assimilation. Conclusions Low R/Fr ratio (high Fr light) can increase the photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in the same light intensity by improving the photosynthetic efficiency of the photosystems.

Optimized nitrogen (N) management can increase N-use efficiency in intercropping systems. Legume-nonlegume intercropping systems can reduce N input by exploiting biological N fixation by legumes. Measurement of N utilization can help in dissecting the mechanisms underlying N uptake and utilization in legume-nonlegume intercropping systems. An experiment was performed with three planting patterns: monoculture maize (MM), monoculture soybean (SS), and maize-soybean relay intercropping (IMS), and three N application levels: zero N (NN), reduced N (RN), and conventional N (CN) to investigate crop N uptake and utilization characteristics. N recovery efficiency and 15N recovery rate of crops were higher under RN than under CN, and those under RN were higher under intercropping than under the corresponding monocultures. Compared with MM, IMS showed a lower soil N-dependent rate (SNDR) in 2012. However, the SNDR of MM rapidly declined from 86.8% in 2012 to 49.4% in 2014, whereas that of IMS declined slowly from 75.4% in 2012 to 69.4% in 2014. The interspecific N competition rate (NCRms) was higher under RN than under CN, and increased yearly. Soybean nodule dry weight and nitrogenase activities were respectively 34.2% and 12.5% higher under intercropping than in monoculture at the beginning seed stage. The amount (Ndfa) and ratio (%Ndfa) of soybean N2 fixation were significantly greater under IS than under SS. In conclusion, N fertilizer was more efficiently used under RN than under CN; in particular, the relay intercropping system promoted N fertilizer utilization in comparison with the corresponding monocultures. An intercropping system helps to maintain soil fertility because interspecific N competition promotes biological N fixation by soybean by reducing N input. Thus, a maize-soybean relay intercropping system with reduced N application is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Keywords: Maize-soybean relay intercropping, Reduced nitrogen, Biological nitrogen fixation, Nitrogen recovery efficiency, Soil nitrogen dependent rate

The accurate and timely estimation of river discharge plays an important role in hydrological modeling, especially for avoiding the consequences of flood events. The majority of existing work on hydrologic prediction focuses on modeling the inherent physical process for specific river basins, while the geographic-connections between rivers are largely ignored. Geographically connected rivers provide rich spatial information that can be used to predict discharge amounts. In this paper, we study a novel problem of exploiting both temporal patterns and spatial connections for hydrological prediction. We construct three relationship graphs for hydrological gauges in the study area: the hydraulic distance graph, the Euclidean distance graph and the correlation graph. We fuse these graphs into one hydrological network graph, and propose a novel framework ST-Hydro which exploits Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN) for learning the spatial feature representations, and Recurrent Neural Networks with carefully designed activation functions for capturing temporal features simultaneously for hydrological prediction. Experimental results on real world data set demonstrate that the proposed framework can predict the river discharge effectively and at an early stage.

Background: Brainstem tumors are rare and extremely heterogeneous and present significant challenges in surgical treatment. Thus, biopsies often set the foundation for the diagnosis of brainstem tumors. Multimodal, image-guided, robot-assisted frameless stereotactic biopsies are increasingly popular in neurosurgery centers. This study aimed to compare the safety, efficacy, and duration of the Remebot robot-assisted (Remebot) frameless brainstem tumor biopsy versus those of frame-based stereotactic biopsy. Method: A retrospective analysis of 33 patients with brainstem tumors who underwent stereotactic brainstem biopsies in the department of neurosurgery from January 2016 to January 2021 was conducted. The patients were divided into two groups: the Remebot group (n = 22) and the frame-based group (n = 11). The clinical characteristics, trajectory strategy, duration of procedure, diagnostic yielding, histopathological diagnosis, and postoperative complications were retrospectively analyzed and compared between the groups. Results: More pediatric patients performed Remebot frameless brainstem tumor biopsy than frame-based biopsy, with a mean age of 17.3 ± 18.7 vs. 32.8 ± 17.1 (p = 0.027). The diagnostic yield had no significant difference in the two groups, with the diagnostic yield of frame-based biopsy and Remebot frameless brain biopsy being 90.9% and 95.5%, respectively. The time of the total process was 124.5 min for the frame-based biopsy and 84.7 min for the Remebot frameless brain biopsy (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences with respect to the occurrence of complication or the duration of the operation between the two groups. Conclusion: Remebot frameless stereotactic brainstem biopsy is as safe and efficacious as frame-based stereotactic biopsy. However, Remebot frameless biopsy can reduce the total duration of the procedure and has better application in young pediatric patients. Remebot frameless stereotactic biopsies can be a better option towards the safe and efficient treatment of brainstem tumors.

Abstract Background Egg-induced immune response and granuloma formation are thought to be the basis of central nervous system (CNS)-related clinical symptoms of Schistosoma japonicum. Microglia/macrophages are the major immune cells involved in detection and subsequent elimination of pathogens and injured tissue in the brain. However, little is known about their role in the pathogenesis of neuroschistosomiasis. The main purpose of the study is to clarify the pathological involvement of microglia/macrophages in the pathogenesis of neuroschistosomiasis (NS). Methods Staining techniques were applied to the granuloma tissues excised from 4 patients, as well as mice model which was established by microinjecting viable S. japonicum eggs into the brain. Clinical features of the patients and neurological symptoms in mice were also collected and analyzed in terms of their correlation with microglia/macrophages. Results Microglia/macrophages constituted the major portions of the granulomas surrounding the eggs in both all human cases and S. japonicum egg-injected mice. Granuloma persisted in all patients accompanied by unremitted neurological symptoms, while in mice granuloma formation initiated on day 3, peaked on day 7 and subsided on day 30 post injection with S. japonicum eggs. No neurological abnormalities were observed in egg-injected mice except for significant weight decrease on day 3 compared with saline-injected control. M1 polarization of microglia/macrophages was confirmed in egg-injected mice 3 days post injection and in all human cases. M2 polarization was absent in human patients despite the duration of complaints but dominated in the whole progression of egg-induced pathology in mice until the elimination of eggs and subsidence of neuroinflammation on day 30 post injection. Conclusions Microglia/macrophages participated actively in the granuloma microenvironment of encephalic schistosomiasis japonicum in both human and mice. The polarization pattern of microglia/macrophages coincided with the symptomatic features in human cases and S. japonicum egg-injected mice, indicating M2 instead of M1 activation as a probably more important mediator in the battle against egg-induced pathology and concomitant manifestations. These new findings will shed light on the pathogenesis of NS from a brand-new perspective, and may contribute to the immunotherapy development for such disease, favoring perhaps M2 polarization of microglia/macrophages as a feasible strategy.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of robot-assisted neuroendoscopic hematoma evacuation combined intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring for the treatment of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH).Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 53 patients with HICH undergoing neuroendoscopic hematoma evacuation in our department from January 2016 to December 2020 was performed. We divided the patients into two groups: the neuroendoscopic group (n = 32) and the robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP monitoring group (n = 21). Data on clinical characteristics, treatment effects, and outcomes were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed between these two groups.Results: The operation time of the procedure of the neuroendoscopic group was significantly longer than that of the robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP-monitoring group (mean time 153.8 ± 16.8 vs. 132.8 ± 15.7 min, P < 0.001). The intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP-monitoring group than in the neuroendoscopic group (215.4 ± 28.3 vs. 190.1 ± 25.6 ml, P = 0.001). However, the patients undergoing neuroendoscopic had a comparable hematoma clearance rate with those undergoing robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP monitoring (85.2 ± 4.8 vs. 89.2 ± 5.4%, P = 0.997). The complications rate was greater in the endoscopic group (25%) than in the robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP-monitoring group (9.5%) but without significant difference (P = 0.159). We also found that the dose of used mannitol was significantly less in the ICP monitoring group (615.2 ± 63.8 vs. 547.8 ± 65.3 ml, P < 0.001) and there was a significant difference in modified Rankin scale (mRS) score at discharge, patients with less mRS score in the robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP monitoring group than in the neuroendoscopic group (3.0 ± 1.0 vs. 3.8 ± 0.8, p = 0.011). Patients undergoing robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP monitoring had better 6-month functional outcomes, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.004). Besides, multivariable analysis shows younger age, no complication, and robot-assisted neuroendoscopic combined ICP monitoring were predictors of 6-month favorable outcomes for the patients with HICH.Conclusion: Robot-assisted neuroendoscopic hematoma evacuation combined with ICP monitoring appears to be safer and more effective as compared to the neuroendoscopic hematoma evacuation in the treatment of HICH. Robot-assisted neuroendoscopic hematoma evacuation combined with ICP monitoring might improve the clinical effect and treatment outcomes of the patients with HICH.

BackgroundAn infodemic is an overflow of information of varying quality that surges across digital and physical environments during an acute public health event. It leads to confusion, risk-taking, and behaviors that can harm health and lead to erosion of trust in health authorities and public health responses. Owing to the global scale and high stakes of the health emergency, responding to the infodemic related to the pandemic is particularly urgent. Building on diverse research disciplines and expanding the discipline of infodemiology, more evidence-based interventions are needed to design infodemic management interventions and tools and implement them by health emergency responders. ObjectiveThe World Health Organization organized the first global infodemiology conference, entirely online, during June and July 2020, with a follow-up process from August to October 2020, to review current multidisciplinary evidence, interventions, and practices that can be applied to the COVID-19 infodemic response. This resulted in the creation of a public health research agenda for managing infodemics. MethodsAs part of the conference, a structured expert judgment synthesis method was used to formulate a public health research agenda. A total of 110 participants represented diverse scientific disciplines from over 35 countries and global public health implementing partners. The conference used a laddered discussion sprint methodology by rotating participant teams, and a managed follow-up process was used to assemble a research agenda based on the discussion and structured expert feedback. This resulted in a five-workstream frame of the research agenda for infodemic management and 166 suggested research questions. The participants then ranked the questions for feasibility and expected public health impact. The expert consensus was summarized in a public health research agenda that included a list of priority research questions. ResultsThe public health research agenda for infodemic management has five workstreams: (1) measuring and continuously monitoring the impact of infodemics during health emergencies; (2) detecting signals and understanding the spread and risk of infodemics; (3) responding and deploying interventions that mitigate and protect against infodemics and their harmful effects; (4) evaluating infodemic interventions and strengthening the resilience of individuals and communities to infodemics; and (5) promoting the development, adaptation, and application of interventions and toolkits for infodemic management. Each workstream identifies research questions and highlights 49 high priority research questions. ConclusionsPublic health authorities need to develop, validate, implement, and adapt tools and interventions for managing infodemics in acute public health events in ways that are appropriate for their countries and contexts. Infodemiology provides a scientific foundation to make this possible. This research agenda proposes a structured framework for targeted investment for the scientific community, policy makers, implementing organizations, and other stakeholders to consider.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is an occlusive, chronic cerebrovascular disease affected by genetic mutation and the immune response. Furthermore, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) participate in the neointima of MMD, but the etiology and pathophysiological changes in MMD vessels remain largely unknown. Therefore, we established the circZXDC (ZXD family zinc finger C)–miR-125a-3p–ABCC6 (ATP-binding cassette subfamily C member 6) axis from public datasets and online tools based on “sponge-like” interaction mechanisms to investigate its possible role in VSMCs. The results from a series of in vitro experiments, such as dual luciferase reporter assays, cell transfection, CCK-8 assays, Transwell assays, and Western blotting, indicate a higher level of circZXDC in the MMD plasma, especially in those MMD patients with the RNF213 mutation. Moreover, circZXDC overexpression results in a VSMC phenotype switching toward a synthetic status, with increased proliferation and migration activity. CircZXDC sponges miR-125a-3p to increase ABCC6 expression, which induces ERS (endoplasmic reticulum stress), and subsequently regulates VSMC transdifferentiation from the contractive phenotype to the synthetic phenotype, contributing to the intima thickness of MMD vessels. Our findings provide insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of MMD and indicate that the circZXDC–miR-125a-3p–ABCC6 axis plays a pivotal role in the progression of MMD. Furthermore, circZXDC might be a diagnostic biomarker and an ABCC6-specific inhibitor and has the potential to become a promising therapeutic option for MMD.

Understanding the mechanisms of diversity–productivity relationships is a central question in community ecology. Grazing is the main driving force affecting biodiversity, function, and stability of grassland ecosystems, and thus should play an important role in mediating diversity-productivity relationships. In this study, we examined the effect of grazing intensity on both aboveground biomass and biodiversity and explored the relationship between them in alpine meadow ecosystems in Sanjiangyuan, which is the source of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers. The results showed that the aboveground biomass and species richness decreased significantly due to multi-state succession in alpine meadows caused by long-term grazing, while the Shannon–Wiener index and Pielou evenness index decreased and then increased with increasing grazing intensity. The relationship between the aboveground biomass and biodiversity was U-shaped. Our results highlighted the opposite pattern of the diversity–productivity relationship under low and medium grazing intensity versus an extremely high grazing intensity; evenness contributed largely to this pattern. This study provided a new perspective on grassland management and the relationship between productivity and biodiversity. Attention should be paid to rational grazing to restore biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services in alpine meadows.

The pseudocapacitor material is easily decomposed when immersed in alkaline solution for a long time. Hence, it is necessary to find a strategy to improve the alkali stability of pseudocapacitor materials. In addition, the relationship between alkali stability and electrochemical performance is still unclear. In this work, a series of Al-based LDH (Layered double hydroxide) and derived Ni/Co-based sulfides are prepared, and corresponding alkali stability and electrochemical performance are analyzed. The alkali stability of CoAl LDH is so poor and can be improved effectively by doping of Ni. Ni1Co2S4 and Ni2Co1Al LDH exhibit an outstanding alkali stability, and Ni2Co1S4 exhibits an extremely poor alkali stability. The variable valence state of Co element and the solubility of Al in alkali solution are the fundamental reasons for the poor alkali stability of CoAl LDH and Ni2Co1S4. Ni2Co1S4 showed an outstanding electrochemical performance in a three-electrode system, which is better than that of Ni1Co2S4, indicating that there is no direct correlation between alkali stability and electrochemical properties. Sulfidation improved the electrical conductivity and electrochemical activity of electrode materials, whereas alkali etching suppressed the occurrence of the electrochemical reaction. Overall, this work provides a clear perspective to understand the relationship between alkali stability and electrochemical properties.

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of transient neurological deficits (TND) and perioperative stroke in patients with MMD after extracranial–intracranial revascularization. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 183 patients with MMD undergoing 203 EC–IC bypass operation procedures from January 2018 to August 2020. According to whether TND and stroke occurred within 14 days after operation, univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used. Results: TND occurred in 26 cases (12.8%) of revascularization. The results of the univariate analysis showed that history of diabetes, multiple episodes of preoperative symptoms, lesions involving the posterior circulation, and high postoperative blood pressure are the risk factors of TND. Further multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that multiple episodes of preoperative symptoms (p = 0.016) and lesions involving the posterior circulation (p = 0.014) are the independent risk factors for TND. Perioperative stroke occurred in 12 cases (5.9%). The results of the univariate analysis showed that older age, history of hypertension, preoperative cerebral infarction as the main symptom, lesions involving the posterior circulation, and high perioperative blood pressure are the risk factors of perioperative stroke. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative cerebral infarction as the main symptom (p = 0.015) is an independent risk factor for perioperative stroke. The occurrence of perioperative complications was not related to the improvement of follow-up mRS (Modified Rankin Scale) score and long-term cerebral rehemorrhage. Conclusions: Clinically, patients with MMD have multiple episodes of preoperative symptoms, lesions involving the posterior circulation, and preoperative cerebral infarction and should be attached when undergoing revascularization.

Abstract Grazing is an important modulator of both plant productivity and biodiversity in grassland community, yet how to determine a suitable grazing intensity in alpine grassland is still controversy. Here, we explore the effects of different grazing intensities on plant biomass and species composition, both at community level and functional group level, and examines the productivity–species richness relationship under four grazing patterns: no grazing (CK), light grazing (LG), moderate grazing, (MG) and heavy grazing (HG), attempt to determine a suitable grazing intensity in alpine grassland. The results were as follows. The total aboveground biomass (AGB) reduced with increasing grazing intensity, and the response of plant functional groups was different. AGB of both sedges and legumes increased from MG to HG, while the AGB of forbs reduced sharply and the grass AGB remained steady. There was a significant positive relationship between productivity and species richness both at community level and functional group level. In contrast, the belowground biomass (BGB) showed a unimodal relationship from CK to HG, peaking in MG (8,297.72 ± 621.29 g/m2). Interestingly, the grassland community tends to allocate more root biomass to the upper soil layer under increasing grazing intensities. Our results suggesting that moderate levels of disturbance may be the optimal grassland management strategy for alpine meadow in terms of root production.

Abstract Net primary production (NPP) is a fundamental property of natural ecosystems. Understanding the temporal variations of NPP could provide new insights into the responses of communities to environmental factors. However, few studies based on long‐term field biomass measurements have directly addressed this subject in the unique environment of the Qinghai‐Tibet plateau (QTP). We examined the interannual variations of NPP during 2008–2015 by monitoring both aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and belowground net primary productivity (BNPP), and identified their relationships with environmental factors with the general linear model (GLM) and structural equation model (SEM). In addition, the interannual variation of root turnover and its controls were also investigated. The results show that the ANPP and BNPP increased by rates of 15.01 and 143.09 g/m2 per year during 2008–2015, respectively. BNPP was mainly affected by growing season air temperature (GST) and growing season precipitation (GSP) rather than mean annual air temperature (MAT) or mean annual precipitation (MAP), while ANPP was only controlled by GST. In addition, available nitrogen (AN) was significantly positively associated with BNPP and ANPP. Root turnover rate averaged 30%/year, increased with soil depth, and was largely controlled by GST. Our results suggest that alpine Kobresia meadow was an N‐limited ecosystem, and the NPP on the QTP might increase further in the future in the context of global warming and nitrogen deposition.

Abstract Background The Growth-regulating factor (GRF) family encodes plant-specific transcription factors which contain two conserved domains, QLQ and WRC. Members of this family play vital roles in plant development and stress response processes. Although GRFs have been identified in various plant species, we still know little about the GRF family in soybean (Glycine max). Results In the present study, 22 Gm GRFs distributed on 14 chromosomes and one scaffold were identified by searching soybean genome database and were clustered into five subgroups according to their phylogenetic relationships. GmGRFs belonging to the same subgroup shared a similar motif composition and gene structure. Synteny analysis revealed that large-scale duplications played key roles in the expansion of the GmGRF family. Tissue-specific expression data showed that GmGRFs were strongly expressed in growing tissues, including the shoot apical meristems, developing seeds and flowers, indicating that GmGRFs play critical roles in plant growth and development. On the basis of expression analysis of GmGRFs under shade conditions, we found that all GmGRFs responded to shade stress. Most GmGRFs were down-regulated in soybean leaves after shade treatment. Conclusions Taken together, this research systematically analyzed the characterization of the GmGRF family and its primary roles in soybean development and shade stress response. Further studies of the function of the GmGRFs in the growth, development and stress tolerance of soybean, especially under shade stress, will be valuable.