Dysregulated RUNX1 Predicts Poor Prognosis by Mediating Epithelialmesenchymal Transition in Cervical Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) has been proven to be over-expressed and vital in many malignancies. However, its role in cervical cancer is still unclear. METHODS: Some online databases (Oncomine, GEPIA, UALCAN, LinkedOmics, and others) were used to explore the expression level, prognostic significance, and gene mutation characteristics of RUNX1 in cervical cancer. The protein levels of RUNX1 in cervical cancer were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The functional changes of cervical cancer cells were measured in vitro after decreasing RUNX1. RESULTS: Bioinformatic results revealed that RUNX1 was upregulated in cervical cancer compared to normal tissues. Moreover, over-expression of RUNX1 was significantly correlated with cervical cancer patients' clinical parameters (e.g., individual cancer stages, patients' age, nodal metastasis status, and others). Meanwhile, functional enrichment analysis of RUNX1-related genes indicated that RUNX1 was mainly involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in cervical cancer. Furthermore, RUNX1 may be upregulated by hsamiR-616-5p and hsa-miR-766 identified by miRDB, TargetScan, and miRWalk. Finally, RUNX1 was upregulated in cervical cancer compared to normal tissues by IHC in collected cervical cancer samples. The invasion and migration abilities of cervical cancer cells were significantly reduced by repressing EMT after knocking down RUNX1 in vitro. CONCLUSION: RUNX1 was highly expressed in cervical cancer, and upregulated RUNX1 could significantly promote the invasive abilities of cervical cancer cells by inducing EMT. Therefore, RUNX1 may be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis and targeted therapy of cervical cancer.

Evaluation of 99mTC-ECD SPECT/CT brain Imaging with NeuroGam analysis in Moyamoya disease after surgical revascularization.

To evaluate the clinical value of NeuroGam software in assessing the brain foci perfusion changes by TC-ECD single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) brain imaging in patients with Moyamoya Disease (MMD).Seventy-two patients with MMD who underwent superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass combined with encephalo-duro-myo-synangiosis (EDMS) surgical revascularization were included. Baseline and follow-up TC-ECD SPECT/CT brain scans were performed on all patients at least twice before and after operation. Pre- and post-SPECT dicom images were reoriented into Talairach space using NeuroGam Software package. Additional visual analysis was performed. Differences mean pixel value between pre- and post- operation brain perfusion were assessed with paired t test and McNemar test.Significant differences in the number of hypoperfusion foci were found between visual assessment and NeuroGam aided assessment. More hypoperfusion foci were found by NeuroGam software aided assessment in the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital lobe, thalamus, basal ganglia and cerebellum before and after surgery (P < .0001). According to NeuroGam software assessment, the perfusion of frontal, parietal, temporal lobe, anterior and middle cerebral regions on the operative side significantly improved before and after surgery (t = -3.734, t = -3.935, t = -5.099, t = -4.006, t = -5.170, all P < .001). However, no significant differences were found in the occipital lobe (t = -1.962, P = .054), thalamus (t = 1.362, P = .177), basal ganglia (t = -2.394, P = .019), and cerebellum (t = 1.383, P = .171) before and after surgery.The NeuroGam software provides a quantitative approach for monitoring surgical effect of MMD in a variable time (3-12 months after surgery). It could discover the perfusion changes that are neglected in conventional visual assessment.

Comparison of striatal dopamine transporter levels in chronic heroin-dependent and methamphetamine-dependent subjects.

To compare the effects of heroin and methamphetamine (METH) addiction on dopamine transporters (DATs) in the same dose and duration, we assessed DAT levels in the striatum by 99m Tc-TRODAT-1 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain images in people with heroin and METH dependence. We recruited 21 healthy human controls, 23 heroin-dependent subjects and 25 METH abusers. The heroin- and METH-dependent subjects exhibited negative urine toxicology after undergoing physiological detoxification. All subjects underwent SPECT brain imaging, and specific tracer uptake ratios (SURs) were assessed bilaterally in the regions of interest. A significant SUR reduction in heroin-dependent subjects and METH-dependent subjects compared with healthy controls was found in the left striatum, right striatum, left caudate nucleus, right caudate nucleus, left putamen and right putamen. There were no significant differences in the heroin group and METH group for the left striatum, right striatum, left caudate nucleus, right caudate nucleus, left putamen and right putamen. The scores of craving, HAMA (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale), in heroin abusers were lower than in the METH abusers. Our results show that people with heroin and METH dependence who are currently abstinent had lower DAT levels in the striatum than healthy controls. There were no differences in striatal DAT in heroin and METH users. These results suggest that chronic heroin and METH abuse appears to produce similar effects in striatal DAT in humans. METH users may have more serious craving and anxiety symptoms than heroin users with prolonged abstinence.

Postoperative executive function in adult moyamoya disease: a preliminary study of its functional anatomy and behavioral correlates.

OBJECTIVE Chronic frontal hemodynamic disturbances are associated with executive dysfunction in adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). However, the impact of surgical revascularization on executive dysfunction and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the postoperative radiological correlates of cognitive improvement and thereby explore its underlying mechanism. METHODS Fourteen patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified at Huashan Hospital, were operated on, and were successfully followed up for 6 months. Postoperative changes in cortical perfusion and regional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) were examined by SPECT and resting-state functional MRI, respectively. Executive function was evaluated by 2 tests (Trail Making Test Part B and the summation of executive subtests of Memory and Executive Screening [MES-EX]). Follow-up neuropsychological outcomes were then correlated with radiological changes to identify nodes functioning as leading contributors to postoperative executive outcomes. RESULTS All patients underwent successful unilateral bypass procedures, with some operations performed on the left side and some on the right side. At the 6-month follow-up, the baseline and follow-up test scores for the different sides did not differ significantly. The group with good collaterals (Matsushima Grade A, 9 patients) exhibited significantly increased postoperative perfusion (change in [△] hemodynamics) in bilateral frontal (left, p = 0.009; right, p = 0.003) and left parietal lobe (p = 0.014). The Spearman's correlation test suggested that only the right frontal lobe exhibited significant positive postoperative radiological correlates with cognitive performance (△MES-EX vs △hemodynamics, r = 0.620, p = 0.018; △MES-EX vs △ALFF, r = 0.676, p = 0.008; △hemodynamics vs △ALFF, r = 0.547, p = 0.043). Subsequent regional ALFF analysis revealed that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was the only node in the responsible hemisphere to exhibit significant postoperative changes. CONCLUSIONS The results not only advance our understanding of pathological interactions of postoperative executive performance in adult MMD, but also indicate that the right DLPFC amplitude might be a quantitative predictor of postoperative executive control improvement.

CA19-9 and CA242 as tumor markers for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis.

Pancreatic cancer has the worst prognosis of any gastrointestinal cancer, with the mortality approaching the incidence. Early detection is crucial for improving patient prognosis. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to evaluate and compare the sensitivity and specificity of CA19-9 and CA242 in pancreatic cancer. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for studies that evaluated the diagnostic validity of CA19-9 and CA242 between January 1966 and March 2011. Meta-analysis methods were used to pool sensitivity and specificity and to construct a summary receiver-operating characteristic (SROC) curve. A total of 11 studies that included 2,316 patients who fulfilled all of the inclusion criteria were considered for analysis. The pooled sensitivities for CA242 and CA19-9 were 0.719 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.690-0.746) and 0.803 (95 % CI 0.777-0.826), respectively. The pooled specificities of CA242 and CA19-9 were 0.868 (95 % CI 0.849-0.885) and 0.802 (95 % CI 0.780-0.823), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) estimate was significantly higher for CA242 (16.261) than for CA19-9 (15.637). Our meta-analysis showed that CA242 and CA19-9 could play different roles in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Although the sensitivity of CA242 is lower than that of CA19-9, its specificity is greater.

[Therapeutic study of autologous Schwann cells' bridge graft into the brain of hemiparkinsonian monkey].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of autologous transplantation of Schwann cells as "bridge" between the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) and caudate nucleus, into the brain of hemiparkinsonian monkey. METHODS: Six monkeys were used following 6-OHDA-induced hemiparkinsonism. Three of them were autologous transplanted using Schwann cells as "bridges" between MFB and caudate nucleus. The Schwann cells were pre-treated using Hoechst33342. The other three monkeys received sham operation as controls. All the monkeys received behavioral assessment. The metabolism of dopamine was measured by SPECT using (99)Tcm-TRODAT-1 and PET using 18F-FP-beta-CIT. After a 4-month follow-up, the monkeys' brain were removed from the skull, fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and cut into serial sections. A fluorescence microscope examination and a tyroxine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry study were made on the sections. Cell types were determined by double staining. The level of TH protein around the needle track was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: All three monkeys, which had undergone Schwann cells autologous bridge graft showed a decrease in the disability score and two of them had an increase in motor activity. The apomorphine evoked rotation was also decreased. The symptoms of the monkeys, which received sham operation, had not amelioration. In SPECT examination, the radioactivity count was greatly increased in the grafted monkeys. The dopamine levels were significantly increased in the caudate nucleus from 61% (before graft) to 79% (after graft) while there's no change in control group. In histological examination, autologous Schwann cells could survive and migrate in the brain. Around the Schwann cells "bridge", there were numerous TH positive short fibers in the MFB area. Around the whole length of the "bridge", there were a lot of TH positive reactive astrocytes, especially in thalamus. TH protein around the needle track of the graft group was 243% compared with that of control group. CONCLUSION: Autologous Schwann cells bridge graft is a feasible technique with therapeutic effects on parkinson disease monkeys. The Schwann cells play an important role in dopaminergic axonal elongation and in inducing the TH positive phenotype of reactive astroglia cell around it.

[Studies of retinal dopamine transporter in experimental myopia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of dopamine transporter (DAT) in the chicken eye and to explore the role of DAT in the occurrence of experimental myopia. METHODS: Thirty 2-day-old chickens were divided into four groups. Chicken eyes were fitted with lenses of -10 D (Group 1), -20 D (Group 2) and translucent goggles (Group 3) unilaterally. Chickens without any treatments were used as the control (Group 4). The refraction and the axial eye length of all chickens were measured after 3 weeks, then, all chickens were given an intramuscular injection of (125)I-beta-CIT [2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl) tropane] and sacrificed two hours after injection. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina were dissected from the eye as a whole layer in Groups 1 and 4; and dissected separately in Groups 2 and 3. Radioactive DAT from each specimen was assayed by gamma-counter. RESULTS: In Groups 2 and 3, the radioactive DAT value in the RPE from the experimental eyes was significantly greater than that in the neural retina and also greater than those in the RPE from the control eyes (P < 0.01). In Groups 1, 2, and 3, the radioactive DAT value in the whole retina or RPE from the experimental eyes was significantly greater than those from the control eyes (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal DAT is located mainly in the RPE and may be involved in the occurrence of both lens-induced myopia and form-deprivation myopia. These methods may provide a new approach for further studying the role of dopamine system in the occurrence of experimental myopia.