Association Between and Gene Polymorphisms and Stroke Susceptibility in the Chinese Han Population.

Background: Stroke has a high disability rate, and 30% of stroke cases have an unknown cause. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of stroke requires consideration of several rare heritable and non-heritable factors.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of three genetic polymorphisms (rs369149111 in , rs1803628 in and rs9808753 in ) on stroke susceptibility among the Chinese Han population.

Association of CASZ1 genetic variants with stroke risk in the Chinese population.

Background: Stroke is a heterogeneous disease with multiple etiologies, placing a heavy burden on the world. Our purpose was to clarify the association between CASZ1 genetic variants and stroke risk in the Chinese population.

Methods: The Agena MassARRAY platform effectively genotyped three single nucleotide polymorphisms of CASZ1 in recruited 591 stroke patients and 553 healthy controls.

CYP1B1 Genetic Variants (rs10916 and rs2855658) Are Associated with Increased Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Chinese Han Population.

Introduction: Ischemic stroke (IS) is an extremely complex disease caused by the combined action of multiple environmental and genetic factors. CYP1B1 is a member of the cytochrome P450 protein family, and it is an important human drug-metabolizing enzymes. We aimed to explore the association between CYP1B1 genetic variants and IS risk in Chinese Han population.

Sirt1 activator SRT2104 protects against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced injury via regulating microglia polarization by modulating Sirt1/NF-κB pathway.

Cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury is the most common neurological disorder and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Modulating microglia polarization from pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to anti-inflammatory M2 state has been suggested as a potential therapeutic approach in the treatment of this injury. SRT2104, a novel activator of histone deacetylase Sirtuin-1 (Sirt1), has recently been shown to have anti-inflammation properties.

Potential Neuroprotective Effect of miR-451 Against Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Stroke Patients and a Mouse Model.

Objective: Recently, microRNAs (miRs) have been reported to be novel regulators in ischemic stroke. In this study, we investigated the pattern of miR-451 expression along with its clinical application in human ischemic stroke and in an in vivo mouse model.

Methods: The level of miR-451 was evaluated in patients and mice after ischemic stroke.

Bufalin Inhibits Cellular Proliferation and Cancer Stem Cell-Like Phenotypes via Upregulation of MiR-203 in Glioma.

Background/aims: Prior studies have shown that bufalin inhibits cellular proliferation and induces apoptosis in various human cancers. MicroRNA-203 (miR-203) has been shown to function as an important regulator of tumor progression at various stages. In this study, we investigated the effect of miR-203 expression and bufalin treatment on glioma cell proliferation and stem cell-like phenotypes.

Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence of the Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line 751-NA.

We report here for the first time the 16,566-bp mitochondrial genome sequence of the human neuroblastoma cell line 751-NA. The 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, and 22 tRNAs are organized in a virtually identical fashion to a previously reported human mitochondrial genome, except that the 1,136-bp d-loop region is slightly variable between them.

Upregulation of miR-181a suppresses the formation of glioblastoma stem cells by targeting the Notch2 oncogene and correlates with good prognosis in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

Glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) are responsible for the initiation and progression of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in this disease. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of miRNAs in the stemness of GSCs have not been completely elucidated. We previously showed that miR-181a is downregulated in GBM and may predict prognosis in patients with this disease.

Baicalein Attenuates Neurological Deficits and Preserves Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity in a Rat Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Previous studies have demonstrated that baicalein has protective effects against several diseases, which including ischemic stroke. The effect of baicalein on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and its related mechanisms are not well understood. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which baicalein may influence the BBB in a rat model of ICH.

The correlation of microRNA-181a and target genes with poor prognosis of glioblastoma patients.

To investigate the expression and clinical significance of miR-181a and its target genes in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the expression levels of miR-181a and three target genes in human normal brain tissues and GBM were analyzed in silico using gene microarray, gene ontology, KEGG pathway and hierarchical clustering analysis followed by validation with quantitative RT-PCR. Our results show that miR-181a is down-regulated in GBM patients. The three target genes, ANGPT2, ARHGAP18 and LAMC1, are negatively correlated with the expression of miR-181a.

Nefiracetam Attenuates Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and GABA Transporter in Specific Brain Regions of Rats with Post-Ischemic Seizures.

Background/aims: Prior studies demonstrated that pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs) including IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α contribute to regulation of epilepsy-associated pathophysiological processes in the specific brain regions, namely the parietal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. Moreover, GABA transporter type 1 and 3 (GAT-1 and GAT-3) modulating extracellular GABA levels are engaged in the role played by PICs in epileptogenesis. Note that brain ischemic injury also elevates cerebral PICs.