Roles of circ-CSPP1 on the proliferation and metastasis of glioma cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the association between circ-CSPP1 and the proliferation, invasion, and migration of glioma cancer (GC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detected circ-CSPP1 expression in GC tissues and cells. Subsequently, siRNA was transfected to suppress circ-CSPP1 expression in vitro. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining assay were performed to examine the proliferation of GC cells. Meanwhile, transwell assay was conducted to determine the invasion and migration of GC cells. Furthermore, Western blot assay was conducted to analyze the protein expressions of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Vimentin. RESULTS: Circ-CSPP1 expression was significantly up-regulated both in GC tissues and cells. GC cells with low expression of circ-CSPP1 showed significantly reduced proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities. In addition, up-regulated E-cadherin protein expression, along with down-regulated N-cadherin and Vimentin protein expressions were observed in GC cells with circ-CSPP1 siRNA treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Circ-CSPP1 promoted the proliferation, invasion, and migration of GC cells.

Efficacy of botulinum toxin A for treatment of unilateral spasms of the eyelid and its prognosis.

BACKGROUND: To this date, only a small number of studies have described the long-term use of BTX in Hemifacial spasm. AIM: To assess the prognosis and long-term effectiveness of Botulinum toxin A (BTXA) in the treatment of unilateral spasms of the eyelid. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From September 1998 to January 2006, 245 consecutive cases of unilateral spasms of the eyelid were included in this retrospective study. Among them, 143 patients (BTXA group) underwent BTXA injection treatment, and 102 patients did not receive any intervention (control group). BTXA injections were made subcutaneously around the eye with the dose of 2.5U other than the temporal canthus of 5U. Follow-up was performed for 1-7 years after the last injection. RESULTS: In BTXA treatment group, the complete remission rate was 78.3% (112/143), recurrence rate was 21.7% (31/143) and the incidence of hemifacial spasm (HFS) was 18.9% (27/143); complete remission rate for patients with disease duration less than 3 months was 96.6% (86/89); for patients with a 3-6 months disease history, complete remission rate was 75.8% (25/33), and patients having the disease course exceeding 6 months had a complete remission rate of 4.8% (1/21). In the control group, the complete remission rate was 12.7% (13/102), and the prevalence of HFS was 71.6% (73/102); 16.7% (9/56) of patients with the disease duration less than 3 months were remitted, but the complete remission rate was 12.9% (4/31) for patients with a 3-6 months disease history. None was in remission when the disease history exceeded 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: BTXA treatment can improve the complete remission rate and prevent further progression of unilateral spasms of the eyelid into HFS, especially in early stage.

Efficacy of laser occlusion of posterior semicircular canal for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: case report.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the long-term effect of laser occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. METHOD: Case report and review of the relevant world literature. RESULTS: We treated a patient with refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo using laser occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal, and achieved satisfactory results. Three months after the operation, the patient was able to lead a normal life. There was no recurrence over five years of follow up. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report in the world literature of a patient with refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo being treated with laser occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal. This method had long-term effectiveness, and may be one of the most effective methods of treating patients with refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Cooling catheter for spinal cord preservation in thoracic aortic surgery.

AIM: Despite advances in spinal cord protection, paraplegia continues to be a serious complication of descending and thoracoabdominal aortic operations. We devised and tested a novel, self-contained catheter designed to cool the spinal cord topically after being threaded into the spinal column. METHODS: A cooling catheter for this purpose was specifically designed and produced. The catheter has two lumina, one for ingress and one for egress of fluid. The system is self-contained, so that the fluid does not communicate in any way with the spinal fluid. A console device circulates cold fluid through the catheter. The catheter was tested in 5 adult sheep, with direct monitoring of core body temperature and spinal cord temperature in both active cooling and passive re-warming cycles. RESULTS: In testing in 4 sheep (five attempted implants, with one failure), the catheter worked without problem, producing effective cooling of the spinal cord, from a mean temperature of 36.8 degrees C (core temperature) to 30.5 degrees C (spinal temperature) (P<0.0001). In no case did post-mortem examination or histology reveal any evidence of damage to the spinal cord from hypothermia. Temperature rose toward body temperature after cessation of active cooling. CONCLUSIONS: Effective topical cooling of the spinal cord can be achieved via a specially designed, self-contained cooling catheter placed into the intra-thecal space. This catheter holds promise for spinal cord protection in aortic surgery. Also, this catheter may be useful as well in mitigating injury to the spinal cord in cases of traumatic spinal column injury.