Correlation between 25-hydroxy-vitamin D and Parkinson's disease.

Background: Previous cross-sectional studies have shown that Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations than controls. Other studies have not yet tested whether research findings from other regions are generalizable to Chinese populations. In this case-control study, we examined the correlation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and Parkinson's disease. Methods: We established an association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and PD in a case-control study of 100 PD patients and 100 control subjects free of neurological disease at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. Results: Total 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were deficient in 21 % of patients with PD compared with 4 % of controls. In univariate analyses, plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were associated with PD (p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL) was significantly associated with PD (p = 0.008, Odds Ratio =17.13, 95 % CI= 2.082-141.075). Individuals with 25(OH)D levels in the lowest quartile had the highest prevalence of PD (p = 0.026, OR=11.786, 95 % CI =1.342-103.51 compared to individuals with values in the highest quartile). Conclusions: Our study reveals an association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and PD. Patients with incident PD had significantly lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations than age-matched controls. High-risk PD patients with vitamin D deficiency who have not yet developed exercise impairment should undergo vitamin D measurement and any necessary treatment as soon as possible. Limitations of the study: the study needs further assessment of populations with low vitamin D levels in other regions of China; further assessment of the effect of different sources of vitamin D on PD; further study of longitudinal cohorts at different time points.

Molecular subtypes based on PANoptosis-related genes and tumor microenvironment infiltration characteristics in lower-grade glioma.

The growth of cancer, the effectiveness of treatment, and prognosis are all closely related to PANoptosis (include pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis). It remains unclear whether PANoptosis genes (PANGs) may contribute to lower-grade glioma (LGG) tumor microenvironment (TME). In this study, we collected 1203 LGG samples from three public databases and reported that PANoptosis involves TME interaction and prognosis. Firstly, we provided a comprehensive review of the pan-cancer landscape of PANGs in terms of expression characteristics, prognostic value, mutational profile, and pathway regulation. Then, we identified two distinct PANclusters, each with its own molecular, clinical, and immunological profile. We then developed a scoring system for LGG patients called PANscore. As well as investigating immune characteristics, tumor mutational characteristics, and drug sensitivity, we examined the differences between groups with high PANscores and those with low PANscores. Based on this PANscore and clinicopathological variables, an instant nomogram for predicting clinical survival in LGG patients was developed. Our thorough examination of PANGs in LGG revealed their probable function in TME, as well as their clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. These discoveries could deepen our comprehension of PANGs in LGG and provide doctors fresh perspectives on how to forecast prognosis and create more efficient, individualized treatment plans.

A circular RNA derived from GLIS3 accelerates the proliferation of glioblastoma cells through competitively binding with miR-449c-5p to upregulate CAPG and GLIS3.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive and malignant brain tumor with extremely poor prognosis. Despite advances in treatment, the pathogenesis of GBM remains elusive. Mounting studies have revealed the critical role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the development and progression of human cancers including GBM, but the comprehension of their functions is still insufficient. In this study, we investigated the expression profile of a circRNA derived from GLIS family zinc finger 3 (GLIS3) in GBM and normal astrocytes. CircGLIS3 expression was detected through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Functional experiments were performed to analyze the influence of circGLIS3 on GBM cell proliferation and apoptosis. In addition, mechanism assays were to uncover the potential regulatory mechanism of circGLIS3. RESULTS: CircGLIS3 was up-regulated in GBM cells and knockdown of circGLIS3 significantly hampered proliferation and promoted apoptosis of GBM cells. Furthermore, circGLIS3 positively regulated CAPG and GLIS3 by sponging miR-449c-5p to affect GBM cell proliferation and apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our study identified that circGLIS3 could promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of GBM cells via targeting miR-449c-5p/GLIS3/CAPG axis in vitro. This study could offer a novel molecular perspective for further investigation into mechanisms essential to GBM progression.

Knockdown of circ_0055412 promotes cisplatin sensitivity of glioma cells through modulation of CAPG and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Glioma is the most frequent primary cerebral tumor in adults. Recent evidence has suggested that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are associated with the pathological processes in glioma. In our study, we aimed to investigate the function and mechanism of circ_CAPG (circ_0055412) in glioma. METHODS: Firstly, circ_0055412 expression was examined through RT-qPCR analysis. Loss-of-function assays and animal experiments were implemented to evaluate the role of circ_0055412 on cisplatin resistance of glioma cells. Moreover, mechanism assays were done to probe into the regulatory mechanism of circ_0055412 in glioma cells. RESULTS: Circ_0055412 was found to be notably upregulated in glioma cells. Moreover, depletion of circ_0055412 enhanced cisplatin sensitivity of glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, circ_0055412 recruited eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A3 (EIF4A3) protein to stabilize capping actin protein, gelsolin like (CAPG) mRNA. Furthermore, circ_0055412 served as a sponge for microRNA-330-3p (miR-330-3p) and regulated nuclear factor of activated T cells 3 (NFATC3) expression to activate the transcription of catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1), thus participating in the activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Circ_0055412 contributed to cisplatin resistance of glioma cells via stabilizing CAPG mRNA and modulating Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. This finding might provide novel information for the treatment of glioma.

Hepatic metastasis from a meningeal hemangiopericytoma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: A meningeal hemangiopericytoma (MHPC) is an aggressive tumor characterized by a high rate of local recurrence and late distant metastasis. The objective of this study was to share our experience with the treatment of a MHPC and how to distinguish this tumor from a meningioma. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 62-year-old woman presented with symptoms of hypomnesia, hyperopia, and double vision for 1 month. Complete tumor excision was performed 6 years before. A biopsy sample was diagnosed as an atypical meningioma. DIAGNOSIS: MHPC with late delayed hepatic metastasis. INTERVENTION: Hepatic resection was performed initially, followed by secondary neurosurgery for complete excision of the bilateral frontal lesion 1 month later. OUTCOME: Based on the tumor pathology and consensus of oncologic surgeons, radiation therapy was initiated. Adjuvant therapy was well-tolerated and the patient remained recurrence-free at 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Here, we report a case of local brain tumor recurrence and multiple hepatic metastases from a MHPC. Craniotomy combined with radical metastasectomy may be useful in such cases. Detailed immunohistochemical staining is helpful to distinguish a MHPC from a meningioma. Long-term follow-up is recommended.

Identification of potential key pathways, genes and circulating markers in the development of intracranial aneurysm based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis.

Background: Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is a disease resulted from weak brain control, characterized by local expansion or dilation of brain artery. This study aimed to construct a gene co-expression network by Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) to explore the potential key pathways and genes for the development of IA.Method: Six IA-related gene expression data sets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for identifying differentially expressed genes (DEGs). WGCNA was used to identify modules associated with IA. Functional enrichment analysis was used to explore the potential biological functions. ROC analysis was used to find markers for predicting IA.Results: Purple, greenyellow and yellow modules were significantly associated with unruptured intracranial aneurysms, while blue and turquoise modules were significantly associated with ruptured intracranial aneurysms. Functional modules significantly related to IA were enriched in Ribosome, Glutathione metabolism, cAMP signalling pathway, Lysosome, Glycosaminoglycan degradation and other pathways. CD163, FCEREG, FPR1, ITGAM, NLRC4, PDG, and TYROBP were up-regulated ruptured intracranial aneurysms and serum, these genes were potential circulating markers for predicting IA rupture.Conclusions: Potential IA-related key pathways, genes and circulating markers were identified for predicting IA rupture by WGCNA analysis.

Serum albumin levels and serum albumin-globulin ratio are associated with poor prognosis in glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Serum albumin levels (ALB) and albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) are reliable and convenient markers of the nutritional status and inflammation of human body, and ALB has been identified as a prognostic factor in the patients of glioblastoma (GBM). However, no literature has reported the prediction value of AGR for GBM. METHODS: In this study we evaluate the serum ALB and AGR levels for GBM. A total of 126 patients with GBM who underwent surgical resection in our institution between 2013 and 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical information was obtained from electronic medical records. Multiple logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the prediction value of preoperative ALB and AGR for GBM. RESULTS: Preoperative ALB (HR 0.342, 95% CI, 0.123-0.954, P=0.040) and postoperative adjuvant therapy (HR 0.042, 95% CI, 0.005-0.330, P=0.003) were significantly related to progression-free survival (PFS). Cox regression analysis showed the significance of adjuvant therapy (HR 3.579, 95% CI, 2.236-5.729, P<0.001). Preoperative AGR (HR 0.280, 95% CI, 0.103-0.763, P=0.013) and adjuvant therapy (HR 0.156, 95% CI, 0.047-0.513, P=0.002) were showed significance, and Cox regression analysis showed preoperative AGR (HR 1.810, 95% CI, 1.095-2.992, P=0.021) and adjuvant therapy (HR 4.702, 95% CI, 2.841-7.782, P<0.001) were independent predictors of overall survival (OS). CONCLUSIONS: The ALB and AGR had significant predictive values for the prognosis of GBM; postoperative adjuvant treatment is also an independent predictor for the prognosis of GBM patients.

Analysis of clinical characteristics of macrophage capping protein (CAPG) gene expressed in glioma based on TCGA data and clinical experiments.

Macrophage capping protein (CAPG) genes were investigated based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and clinical experiments. Glioblastoma (GBM) genes expression profiling chip of 529 disease samples and 10 normal samples selected from TCGA database were used for analysis, 25 brain glioma tissue samples and 15 normal brain tissues were collected in the Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in China from 2016 to 2017 to analyze CAPG genes. TCGA results showed that the expression level of CAPG genes in GBM was higher than that in normal tissues, and the expression level of men, aged over 46 years and high grade gliomas in pathological stages was higher than that of women, aged ≤46 and low grade gliomas in pathological stages, and the survival time of high expression was shorter than that of low expression. The expression level of CAPG in glioma tissues was higher than that in normal tissues, and the expression level of CAPG in males was higher than that in females, as males had lymphatic transfer and low differentiation compared with females, but the expression level was not related to age. Survival analysis showed that higher expression level indicated shorter survival time, they were positively correlated. The expression of CAPG in glioma is high, and it is highly expressed with the severity of the disease, and it is also obviously related to the prognosis. Therefore, CAPG could be used as a biomarker for pathological grade and prognosis in glioma. However, the related studies are not consistent on the expression of different sex and ages, so further study is needed.

The influence of sertraline on depressive disorder after traumatic brain injury: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.

BACKGROUND: Sertraline showed some potential in alleviating depressive disorder after traumatic brain injury. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the efficacy of sertraline on the treatment of depressive disorder after traumatic brain injury. METHODS: The databases including PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched for collecting the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the efficacy of sertraline for traumatic brain injury. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included five RCTs. The initial use of sertraline was within 8 weeks after traumatic brain injury. Compared with control group for traumatic brain injury, sertraline treatment showed no significant improvement on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) (standard mean difference (Std. MD) = -0.08; 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.45 to 0.28; P = 0.65), anxiety score (Std. MD = 0.08; 95% CI = -0.32 to 0.48; P = 0.69), aggression score (Std. MD = -0.12; 95% CI = -0.56 to 0.32; P = 0.59), or quality of life (QOL) score (Std. MD = -0.06; 95% CI = -0.49 to 0.37; P = 0.78). There was no statistical difference of diarrhea (risk ratio (RR) = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.92 to 3.71; P = 0.08), dizziness (RR = 1.15; 95% CI = 0.57 to 2.31; P = 0.70), dry mouth (RR = 2.44; 95% CI = 0.43 to 13.89; P = 0.32), nausea or vomiting (RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 0.37 to 3.70; P = 0.79) between sertraline group and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Sertraline showed no obvious benefits for the relief of depressive disorder after traumatic brain injury.

Low LINC00599 expression is a poor prognostic factor in glioma.

LINC00599 has been suggested to be involved in physiological and pathological processes including carcinogenesis. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of LINC00599 in glioma patients and the effect of LINC00599 on glioma cell migration and invasion remain unknown. In our results, we first observe the expression of LINC00599 in 31 types of human cancers including tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues at The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and found that LINC00599 expression levels were only reduced in lower grade glioma (LGG) tissues and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tissues compared with normal brain tissues. Moreover, we confirmed levels of LINC00599 expression were decreased in glioma tissues and cell lines compared with matched adjacent normal tissues and normal human astrocytes (NHAs), respectively. Meanwhile, we found that glioma tissues with WHO III-IV grade exhibited lower levels of LINC00599 expression than glioma tissues with I-II grade. The survival analysis at TCGA data showed low LINC00599 expression was associated with poor disease-free survival and overall survival in glioma patients. In vitro study suggested up-regulation of LINC00599 depressed glioma cell migration and invasion through regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. In conclusion, LINC00599 acts as a tumor-suppressing long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in glioma.

A histopathologic diagnosis of brain lymphangiomyoma, clinically misdiagnosed as simple angiomyxoma: case report.

INTRODUCTION: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease which affects women of reproductive age almost exclusively as one of the most gender-specific diseases, and which can occur at any site in the body but most commonly in the lungs. Here we report a rare case of recurrent brain lymphangiomyoma which was misdiagnosed as angiomyxoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old male complained of finding a recurrent mass at the right temporal lobe of his brain for the last 4 months. He had undergone a resection of a brain mass two years prior. One year after the operation, the mass recurred again and was resected another time. Both of the operations were performed in another hospital and he was postoperatively diagnosed with angiomyxoma. This time the patient underwent a third operation in our hospital to remove the lesion, which was confirmed as lymphangiomyoma. Unfortunately, the patient again discovered a re-emerging mass at the primary operation site on the 50th day post-surgically. CONCLUSION: There is currently no effective cure for LAM and treatment options and relevant literature remain limited. Hence other potential therapeutic targets need to be identified.

Microsurgery with or without Neuroendoscopy in Petroclival Meningiomas.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the operative procedure for neuroendoscope-assisted microscopic resection of petroclival meningioma to improve prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve patients with petroclival meningioma who had undergone neuroendoscope-assisted microscopic resection at the Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were selected. In addition, 12 patients with petroclival meningioma who had undergone microscopic surgery were used as control. Clinical data from the 24 cases of petroclival meningioma were analyzed. RESULTS: For the neuroendoscope-assisted group, six, five, and one cases were respectively subjected to total resection, subtotal resection, and most resection. For the microscopic surgery group, two, three, and seven cases were respectively subjected to total resection, subtotal resection, and most resection. Both the total and subtotal resection rates of petroclival meningioma in the neuroendoscope-assisted group were significantly higher than those in the microscopic surgery group (p < 0.05). No difference was observed for short-term and long-term complications (p > 0.05) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Neuroendoscope-assisted microscopic resection for petroclival meningioma can improve the total and subtotal resection rates of the tumor. Moreover, this method does not increase postoperative short-term and long-term complications.