RGS6 Drives Spinal Cord Injury by Inhibiting AMPK Pathway in Mice.

Objective: Oxidative stress and inflammation play critical roles in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury (SCI). Regulator of G protein signaling 6 (RGS6) is involved in controlling ROS generation and inflammatory response under different contexts. This study is aimed at investigating its role and underlying mechanism in SCI. Methods: Contusive SCI mouse models were generated, and lentiviral vectors were injected to silence or overexpress RGS6 in the spinal cord. To inhibit AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity, SCI mice were intraperitoneally injected with compound C (20 mg/kg) every two days. Oxidative and inflammatory markers were detected. Results: Spinal RGS6 expression was elevated upon SCI stimulation. RGS6 knockdown suppressed, while RGS6 overexpression aggravated oxidative stress, inflammation, and SCI in mice. Mechanistically, RGS6 elevation during SCI deactivated AMPK pathway, thereby exacerbating oxidative stress and inflammation in SCI mice. Conclusion: RGS6 is required for the initiation and progression of SCI, and knocking down RGS6 may provide promising therapeutic strategies for SCI patients.

Psychological impact on COVID-19 patients during the outbreak in China: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused widespread panic due to its highly infectious and pandemic transmission. We aimed to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on infected subjects in China. METHODS: This case-control, survey-based study assessed the psychological status of COVID-19 patients and non-infected controls from February 10 to March 18, 2020, in China. Sex, age, education years, marital status, jobs, annual household income, living status, and geographic origin were matched between the two groups. The main outcome measures included anxiety, depression, insomnia, help-seeking behaviors, and treatment for mental problems. RESULTS: A total of 326 patients and 1304 (1:4 ratio) matched non-infected controls were enrolled. Compared with controls, patients had higher scores on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) (all p<0.01). Patients had higher rate of any mental problems (62.6% vs 42.5%, p<0.01), anxiety (27.3% vs 12.2%, p<0.01), depression (26.7% vs 14.6%, p<0.01), suicidal ideation (16.0% vs 10.7%, p<0.01), and insomnia (57.7% vs 36.7%, p<0.01). Among the subjects with mental problems, the proportion of seeking help (15.2% vs 6.9%, p<0.01) and receiving treatment (11.3% vs 4.3%, p<0.01) was higher in patients than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a higher prevalence of mental problems in COVID-19 patients compared to controls, suggesting a great psychological impact of COVID-19 infection. Our findings highlighted the urgent need for psychological assistance for COVID-19 patients.

MicroRNA-328-3p facilitates the progression of gastric cancer via KEAP1/NRF2 axis.

Gastric cancer is a common lethal malignancy and causes great cancer-related mortality worldwide. MicroRNA (miR)-328-3p is implicated in the progression of various human cancers; however, its role and mechanism in the progression of gastric cancer remain unclear.Human gastric cancer cells were incubated with miR-328-3p mimic, inhibitor or the matched negative control. Cell viability, colony formation, migrative and invasive capacity, cell apoptosis and oxidative stress were measured. To clarify the involvement of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), small interfering RNA was used. miR-328-3p was upregulated in human gastric cancer cells and tissues, and its level positively correlated with the progression of gastric cancer. miR-328-3p promoted cell viability, colony formation, migration and invasion, thereby facilitating the progression of gastric cancer. miR-328-3p mimic reduced, while miR-328-3p inhibitor increased apoptosis and oxidative stress of human gastric cancer cells. Mechanistically, miR-328-3p upregulated NRF2 via targeting KEAP1to attenuate excessive free radical production and cell apoptosis. miR-328-3p functions as an oncogenic gene and inhibiting miR-328-3p may help to develop novel therapeutic strategies of human gastric cancer.

Clinical characteristics and endovascular treatment in patients with intracranial giant serpentine aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Giant serpentine aneurysms (GSAs) are a rare subtype of intracranial aneurysm. Recently, GSAs have been successfully treated with endovascular parent artery occlusion with or without distal bypass. The present study retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of endovascular parent artery occlusion for intracranial GSAs. METHODS: Medical records and cerebral angiograms from our endovascular center were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-two patients with serpentine aneurysms were treated with endovascular occlusion of the parent artery at the site of the aneurysm. These patients had selective treatment. Clinical and angiographic outcomes of the patients were assessed between the 3-month to 3-year stage. RESULTS: The clinical manifestations of GSA included headache, hemiparesis, SAH, epilepsy, memory loss, right oculomotor palsy, and intracerebral hemorrhage. No cerebral infarction occurred. The average Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score was 5. There were no clinical complications and none of the patients had recurrence after selective embolization. All of the patients recovered well, and no recurrence or rebleeding was noted at the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular parent artery occlusion may be a safe and effective way to treat intracranial GSAs.