Aberrantly high DEPDC1B expression leads to poor prognosis in patients with lower-grade gliomas.

OBJECTIVE: DEPDC1B, which encodes DEP domain-containing protein 1B, exerts pathogenic effects in diverse cancers, but no such effect has been reported in the case of lower-grade glioma (LGG). Therefore, we sought to investigate the relationship between DEPDC1B expression and the prognosis of patients with LGG and reveal the underlying molecular mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, RT-qPCR and immunohistochemical staining were used to examine DEPDC1B mRNA and protein expression in LGG. Second, transcriptomic data were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas databases to investigate the impact of DEPDC1B expression on LGG patients by using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, receiver operating characteristic analysis and Cox models. Third, the effects of DEPDC1B on LGG cell proliferation and migration were revealed using wound-healing and Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and Ki67 immunofluorescence staining. Fourth, the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource database was used to examine how DEPDC1B affects the LGG immune microenvironment, and gene set enrichment analysis was used to uncover the signaling pathways in which DEPDC1B is involved in LGG. RESULTS: DEPDC1B was significantly upregulated in both LGG cells and tissues, and high expression of DEPDC1B contributed to poor prognosis of LGG patients and represented an independent risk factor for LGG. Moreover, DEPDC1B knockdown reduced the proliferation and migration abilities of LGG cells. Lastly, DEPDC1B was found to be positively associated with multiple immune infiltrates and immune-checkpoint markers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate for the first time that DEPDC1B is a pathogenic gene in LGG. More importantly, we provide a new biomarker and immunotherapeutic target for improving the diagnosis and treatment of LGG patients.

[Prevention strategies for surgical complications of sphenoid wing meningiomas].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevention strategies for surgical complications of sphenoid wing meningiomas. METHODS: A total of 76 cases of sphenoid wing meningiomas were included from The People's Hospital of Henan Province from 2011 to 2014. Based on the preoperative imaging data, the patients were divided into 28 cases of lateral type, 16 cases of middle type and 32 cases of medial type. According to the different characteristics of different types of sphenoid wing meningiomas, appropriate preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative measures to prevent complications were carried out. RESULTS: A total of 2 cases of facial nerve injury occurred in 28 cases with lateral type; 1 case of intraoperative subarachnoid hemorrhage and brain swelling occurred in 16 cases with middle type; 3 cases of oculomotor nerve damage, 1 case of optic nerve injury and 4 cases of vascular injury occurred in 32 cases with the medial type. The total incidence of complications was 14.5% (11/76). CONCLUSION: Detailed preoperative planning according to the characteristics of different types of sphenoid wing meningiomas, intraoperative use of microsurgery and Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA), following the principle of in situ removal, controlling the extent of resection of tumor adhering to cavernous sinus and the great vessels, the severe surgery complications of sphenoid wing meningiomas can be reduced.

IL-1 receptor antagonist gene polymorphism in idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion in a Chinese Han population.

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) has been supposed to play important roles in pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the polymorphisms of IL-1Ra gene (IL1RN) variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 2 with idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Ninety-two RSA patients and hundred normal women with at least one live birth and no history of miscarriage were included in the study. Frequencies of the IL1RN alleles and genotypes were determined. Data revealed that the prevalence of IL1RN allele and genotype was not significant between the RSA and control group (all P > 0.05). Our finding indicated that the polymorphism VNTR of IL1RN gene in intron 2 may not be a risk factor for RSA in the Chinese Han population.

Optimal edge detection in two-dimensional images.

This paper presents a new edge detection scheme that detects two-dimensional (2-D) edges by a curve-segment-based detection functional guided by the zero-crossing contours of the Laplacian-of-Gaussian (LOG) to approach the true edge locations. The detection functional is shown to be optimal in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and edge localization accuracy; it also preserves the nice scaling property held uniquely by the LOG in scale space.