Neurosurgical Oncology in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: In conjunction with Vietnam's unparalleled economic growth over the past 20 years, our scope of neurosurgical interventions has considerably diversified throughout this time period. METHODS: Although still appreciably limited, healthcare resources and infrastructure have expanded and shifted the focus within neurosurgery at Ho Chi Minh City's Cho Ray Hospital from head trauma (which remains highly prevalent) to an equal proportion of elective cases for vascular lesions, tumors, and degenerative spine disease. Arguably the most significant progress throughout the new millennium has been achieved in the realm of neurosurgical oncology. RESULTS: About 1000 craniotomies are performed annually for brain tumors at our institution, most of which are for lower-grade lesions that result in excellent surgical outcomes. We continue to strive to improve the standard of care for patients with malignant brain tumors, as the first multidisciplinary neuro-oncology care team was founded recently in 2016. CONCLUSIONS: This article is the first in the English neurosurgical literature to report on the current state and outcomes of neuro-oncology in Vietnam, as we highlight our experiences in caring for patients with brain tumors at Cho Ray Hospital.

Effect of blue light on proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To investigate the influence and mechanism of blue light on the proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells.METHODS: Cells were divided into two groups,including blue light group and control group.The 35W white light lamp with blue filter was used to establish damaged RPE cell model in vitro.Blue ray wavelength ranged between 470nm and 520nm.And the light intensity was about 2000Lx.After exposure to blue light,we tested the proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells by CCK-8 kit.And then expression of miR-103 was measured by the real-time PCR.RESULTS: Exposure to blue light inhibited the proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells and increased the expression of miR-103.Moreover,up-regulation of miR-103 inhibited the proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells,and down-regulates miR-103 promoted the proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells.CONCLUSION: Blue light inhibits the proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells by the up-regulation of miR-103.

Evaluation of flight attendants' ocular surface after different refractive corrections / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM:To evaluate flight attendants' ocular surface after different refractive corrections. ·METHODS:Forty-two flight attendants (84 eyes) were enrolled in the study. Those flight attendants, who were followed up from September 2014 to September 2016, all followed the doctor's orders. According to different refractive corrections, those flight attendants were divided into 4 groups: corneal refractive surgery group, soft contact lens group, rigid gas permeable contact lens ( RGP) group and control group without any refractive corrections. OSDI scores, tear meniscus heights, BUTs, fluorescein staining scores and Schirmer's tests were taken and analyzed. ·RESULTS: Compared with the control group, OSDI scores were worse, tear meniscus heights ( TMH ) were reduced, BUTs were shortened, fluorescein staining(FS) scores were worse, Schirmer's Tests ( SⅠt) were shorter in soft contact lens group and corneal refractive surgery group (P0. 05 ) . There was no significant difference in lid margin abnormalities among the four groups (F=3. 82, P=0. 45). ·CONCLUSION: RGP can improve flight attendants'ocular surface micro-environment.

The BTB/POZ domain of the Arabidopsis disease resistance protein NPR1 interacts with the repression domain of TGA2 to negate its function.

TGA2 and NONEXPRESSER OF PR GENES1 (NPR1) are activators of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and of the SAR marker gene pathogenesis-related-1 (PR-1) in Arabidopsis thaliana. TGA2 is a transcriptional repressor required for basal repression of PR-1, but during SAR, TGA2 recruits NPR1 as part of an enhanceosome. Transactivation by the enhanceosome requires the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain. However, the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain does not contain an autonomous transactivation domain; thus, its molecular role within the enhanceosome remains elusive. We now show by gel filtration analyses that TGA2 binds DNA as a dimer, tetramer, or oligomer. Using in vivo plant transcription assays, we localize the repression domain of TGA2 to the N terminus and demonstrate that this domain is responsible for modulating the DNA binding activity of the oligomer both in vitro and in vivo. We confirm that the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain interacts with and negates the molecular function of the TGA2 repression domain by excluding TGA2 oligomers from cognate DNA. These data distinguish the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain from other known BTB/POZ domains and establish its molecular role in the context of the Arabidopsis PR-1 gene enhanceosome.

Effects of endothelial cells on renewal and differentiation of neural stem cells / 生物医学工程学杂志

It is well established that neural stem cells (NSCs) are not randomly distributed throughout the brain, but rather are concentrated around blood vessels. Although NSCs lie in a vascular niche, there is no direct evidence for a functional relationship between the NSCs and blood vessel component cells. It is reported that endothelial cells release soluble factors that stimulate the self-renewal of NSCs, inhibit their differentiation, and enhance their neuron production. Endothelial coculture can activate Notch to promote self-renewal. Furthermore, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a significant role in neural cells; it stimulates the growth and differentiation of astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, beyond their traditional role as structural components of blood vessels, endothelial cells are not only critical component of the neural stem cell niche, but they also are able to enhance neurogenesis, possibly through the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.