This study was aimed to investigate the effect of NF-κB activity on the seizure susceptibility, brain damage, and P-gp expression in kainic acid- (KA-) induced seizure rats. Male SD rats were divided into saline control group (NS group), KA induced epilepsy group (EP group), and epilepsy group intervened with NF-κB inhibitor-pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate salt (PDTC group) or with dexamethasone (DEX group). No seizures were observed in the rats of NS group. Compared with NS group, increased P-gp expression and NF-κB activation in the rat brain of the EP group were observed after KA micro-injection. Both PDTC and DEX pre-treatment significantly increased the latency to grade III or V seizure onset compared to EP group but failed to show neuron-protective effect as the number of survival neurons didn't significantly differ from that in EP group. Furthermore, PDTC pre-treatment significantly decreased P-gp expression along with NF-κB activation in the hippocampus CA3 area and amygdala complex of rats compared with the EP group, implying that NF-κB activation involved in the seizure susceptibility and seizure induced brain P-gp over-expression. Additionally, DEX pre-treatment only decreased P-gp expression level without inhibition of NF-κB activation, suggesting NF-κB independent pathway may also participate in regulating seizure induced P-gp over-expression.
OBJECT Increased levels of H19 long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) have been observed in many cancers, suggesting that overexpression of H19 may be important in the development of carcinogenesis. However, the role of H19 in human glioblastoma is still unclear. The object of this study was to examine the level of H19 in glioblastoma samples and investigate the role of H19 in glioblastoma carcinogenesis. METHODS Glioblastoma and nontumor brain tissue specimens were obtained from tissue obtained during tumor resection in 30 patients with glioblastoma. The level of H19 lncRNA was detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The role of H19 in invasion, angiogenesis, and stemness of glioblastoma cells was then investigated using commercially produced cell lines (U87 and U373). The effects of H19 overexpression on glioblastoma cell invasion and angiogenesis were detected by in vitro Matrigel invasion and endothelial tube formation assay. The effects of H19 on glioblastoma cell stemness and tumorigenicity were investigated by neurosphere formation and an in vivo murine xenograft model. RESULTS The authors found that H19 is significantly overexpressed in glioblastoma tissues, and the level of expression was associated with patient survival. In the subsequent investigations, the authors found that overexpression of H19 promotes glioblastoma cell invasion and angiogenesis in vitro. Interestingly, H19 was also significantly overexpressed in CD133 + glioblastoma cells, and overexpression of H19 was associated with increased neurosphere formation of glioblastoma cells. Finally, stable overexpression of H19 was associated with increased tumor growth in the murine xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that increased expression of H19 lncRNA promotes invasion, angiogenesis, stemness, and tumorigenicity of glioblastoma cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that H19 plays an important role in tumorigenicity and stemness of glioblastoma and thus could be a therapeutic target for treatment of glioblastoma in the future.
To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 176 patients of recurrent cerebral infarction at our hospital. Based upon the treatment of acute stroke trial (TOAST) classification, the types of recurrent ischemic stroke with initial brainstem infarction were classified. And univariate and multivariate logistic analyses of risk factors were performed. The major types in a decreasing order were atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (AT, n=24, 70.6%), small arterial occlusive stroke (SA, n=8, 23.5%) and cardiogenic cerebral embolism (CE, n=2, 5.9%). Brainstem infarction was more likely to be affected by poor life habits and a history of diabetes mellitus (DM). And atrial fibrillation was a major independent risk factor for non-brainstem infarction. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that poor living habits (P=0.03), a history of DM (P=0.004), vulnerable plaque (P=0.01) and poor compliance of secondary prevention medication (P=0.02) were independent risk factors for recurrent ischemic stroke with initial brainstem infarction. Health education should be strengthened for preventing recurrent ischemic stroke with brainstem infarction.
Key words:
Brain infaction, relapsing; Risk factors
OBJECTIVE Increased levels of H19 long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) have been observed in many cancers, suggesting that overexpression of H19 may be important in the development of carcinogenesis. However, the role of H19 in human glioblastoma is still unclear. The object of this study was to examine the level of H19 in glioblastoma samples and investigate the role of H19 in glioblastoma carcinogenesis. METHODS Glioblastoma and nontumor brain tissue specimens were obtained from tissue obtained during tumor resection in 30 patients with glioblastoma. The level of H19 lncRNA was detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The role of H19 in invasion, angiogenesis, and stemness of glioblastoma cells was then investigated using commercially produced cell lines (U87 and U373). The effects of H19 overexpression on glioblastoma cell invasion and angiogenesis were detected by in vitro Matrigel invasion and endothelial tube formation assay. The effects of H19 on glioblastoma cell stemness and tumorigenicity were investigated by neurosphere formation and an in vivo murine xenograft model. RESULTS The authors found that H19 is significantly overexpressed in glioblastoma tissues, and the level of expression was associated with patient survival. In the subsequent investigations, the authors found that overexpression of H19 promotes glioblastoma cell invasion and angiogenesis in vitro. Interestingly, H19 was also significantly overexpressed in CD133+ glioblastoma cells, and overexpression of H19 was associated with increased neurosphere formation of glioblastoma cells. Finally, stable overexpression of H19 was associated with increased tumor growth in the murine xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that increased expression of H19 lncRNA promotes invasion, angiogenesis, stemness, and tumorigenicity of glioblastoma cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that H19 plays an important role in tumorigenicity and stemness of glioblastoma and thus could be a therapeutic target for treatment of glioblastoma in the future.
Objective To explore the influence of different treatment time on the relapse and prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Methods To prospectively studied the clinical characteristics of 155 patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Patients were separated into immediate ( n =84, seizures ≤3 times) or deferred (n =71, seizures > 3 times) treatment groups according to number of seizures before treatment with appropriate antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). The patients were followed up for at least one year (median, 29 months). Kaplan-Meier survival statistics was used to analyze time to first seizure or time to treatment failure (inadequate seizure control and (or) intolerable side-effects ). The proportions of patients with treatment failure and seizure free during follow up were also compared. Results There was no significant difference in time to first seizure or time to treatment failure between immediate ( 1484 days and 2992 days) and deferred treatment ( 1104 days and 1964 days; Log-Rank test x2 =0. 571 and 0. 018 respectively, P = 0. 450 and 0. 893 ). Subgroup analyses according to etiology ( primary and cryptogenic/symptomatic epilepsy) and age (children ≤ 16 years; adult > 16 years) did not reveal any difference between immediate and deferred treatment. During follow up, there were 20 treatment failure patients ( 23. 8% ) in immediate treatment group and 16 ( 22.5% ) in deferred treatment group ( no statistical difference, x2 =0. 035 ,P =0. 852). There were 40 seizure free patients (47. 6% ) in immediate treatment group and 30 (42. 3% ) in deferred treatment group ( no statistical difference, x2 = 0. 447, P =0. 504 ). Conclusions For newly diagnosed epilepsy patients with a few seizures ( seizures ≤ 3 ), immediate AEDs treatment does not affect the relapse and prognosis.
Key words:
Epilepsy; Drug therapy; Recurrence; Prognosis
Malignant gliomas are the most common and deadly primary brain tumors in adults. Increasing evidence has indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) have an influence on the regulation of apoptotic cell signaling. Downregulation of miRNA 218 (miR-218) has been indicated in human glioma specimens. Here, we investigate the function of miR-218 in apoptosis and tumor growth of glioma cells. The expression of miR-218 was detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. The effects of miR-218 on glioma cell proliferation and tumorigenicity were investigated by in vitro clonogenicity and in vivo xenograft assay. Apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis and assay by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling. The downstream targets of miR-218 were identified by bioinformatics analysis and further validated by Western blot and luciferase reporter assay. Overexpression of miR-218 induces glioma cell apoptosis and inhibits glioma cell viability, proliferation, and tumorigenicity. Epidermal growth factor receptor–coamplified and overexpressed protein (ECOP) was identified as a functional downstream target of miR-218, which can regulate transcriptional activity of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and associated with apoptotic response. Ectopic expression of ECOP rescued the glioma cells from miR-218–induced apoptosis and increased NF-κB activity. These results suggest that miR-218 sensitizes glioma cells to apoptosis by regulating ECOP-mediated suppression of NF-κB activity, which may provide novel opportunities for glioma therapy.
The function of microRNA-542-3p (miR-542-3p) in rat epilepsy is still unclear.The levels of miR-542-3p and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) were determined through quantitative real-time PCR. The protein levels were examined via the western blot analysis. The relationship between miR-542-3p and TLR4 was confirmed through luciferase assay. Pathological changes were analyzed via Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Nissl staining.The rats and hippocampal cells were treated with kainic acid (KA) in vivo and in vitro. miR-542-3p was low in KA-treated rats, hippocampal cells and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with epilepsy. Further functional analysis showed that miR-542-3p overexpression inhibited KAinduced average seizure frequency, damage of hippocampal neuron and cell apoptosis, leading to the alleviation of the brain injury in epilepsy rats. miR-542-3p was determined to downregulate TLR4 expression. The relationship between miR-542-3p and TLR4 was confirmed. TLR4 knockdown reduced KA-induced nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65), multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1), P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and apoptosis-associated protein levels. Further, for NF-κB p65, MDR1, P-gp and apoptosis-associated protein levels detection, miR-542-3p mimic showed a suppressive effect on these KA-induced protein levels, whereas TLR4 overexpression ameliorated the miR-542-3p-induced these protein levels in KA-treated epilepsy rats.We identified that miR-542-3p attenuated seizure-induced brain injury and the expression of P-gp in epilepsy rats through inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, which might contribute to improved epilepsy therapy.