Exploring the Role of Inflammatory Genes and Immune Infiltration in Vestibular Schwannomas Pathogenesis.

Background: Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) exhibit a range of tumor behaviors, such as growth patterns and auditory dysfunction. Recent research has offered insights into the inflammatory microenvironment in modulating tumor dynamics. This study investigates the role of inflammatory genes and immune infiltration in VS pathogenesis.

Two-point fixation enhanced the outcome of laparoscopy-assisted ventriculoperitoneal shunt in adult patients with hydrocephalus: a retrospective study.

Objective: In patients with hydrocephalus, laparoscopy significantly improved ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) outcomes. However, abdominal complications still occur, which require revision surgeries. In this study, we aimed to examine whether laparoscopy-assisted VPS with two-point fixation (LAVPS-TPF) has better outcomes than those of VPS (open-VPS) and laparoscopy-assisted VPS with no fixation (LAVPS-NF).

Impact of vitamin D on the prognosis after spinal cord injury: A systematic review.

Vitamin D (VitD) insufficiency is a worldwide health problem and affects billions of people. Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients seem more susceptible to developing suboptimal levels of VitD. However, the literature regarding its impact on the prognosis of SCI is limited.

Neural Stem Cells Overexpressing Nerve Growth Factor Improve Functional Recovery in Rats Following Spinal Cord Injury via Modulating Microenvironment and Enhancing Endogenous Neurogenesis.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event characterized by severe motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. Currently, there is no effective treatment. Previous studies showed neural growth factor (NGF) administration was a potential treatment for SCI.

COL5A1 Serves as a Biomarker of Tumor Progression and Poor Prognosis and May Be a Potential Therapeutic Target in Gliomas.

Glioma is the most common malignancy of the central nervous system. Although advances in surgical resection, adjuvant radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have been achieved in the last decades, the prognosis of gliomas is still dismal. COL5A1 is one of the collagen members with minor content but prominent functions.

Current Understanding of Hearing Loss in Sporadic Vestibular Schwannomas: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Hearing loss is the most common initial symptom in patients with sporadic vestibular schwannomas (SVS). Hearing preservation is an important goal of both conservative and surgical therapy. However, the mechanism of SVS-associated hearing loss remains unclear.

Efficacy of unilateral hemilaminectomy for intraspinal tumor resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: To evaluate, via a meta-analysis, the clinical effect of unilateral hemilaminectomy for intraspinal tumor removal.

Methods: PubMed, Springer, Wanfang Data, CBM, CNKI, and other databases were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCT), in Chinese and other languages, that involved comparisons of unilateral hemilaminectomy with other techniques for intraspinal tumor removal.

Results: Thirteen RCTs were finally included, with a total of 1,424 patients.

Accuracy of ADC derived from DWI for differentiating high-grade from low-grade gliomas: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) could be applied to grade gliomas. This meta-analysis was conducted to assess the accuracy of ADC analysis in differentiating high-grade (HGGs) from low-grade gliomas (LGGs).

Methods: PubMed, Cochrane library, Science Direct, and Embase were searched to identify suitable studies up to September 1, 2018.

An Analysis of Clinical Efficacy of Microsurgical Resection of Intradural Neoplasm by Unilateral Approach with Caspar Retractors.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive microsurgical resection of intraspinal tumors with the aid of Caspar retractors.

Materials And Methods: A total of 125 intraspinal tumor patients with lesions smaller than 6 cm, who were treated at the Neurosurgery Department of our hospital from March 2010 to March 2016, were retrospectively analyzed. Among these, 73 patients underwent microsurgical resection of intraspinal tumors with the aid of Caspar retractors, while 52 patients underwent conventional laminectomy for resection of intraspinal tumors.

Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging texture analysis in differentiating low-grade from high-grade gliomas: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Texture analysis (TA) is a method used for quantifying the spatial distributions of intensities in images using scanning software. MRI TA could be applied to grade gliomas. This meta-analysis was performed for assessing the accuracy of MRI TA in differentiating low-grade gliomas from high-grade ones.

A hierarchical NbO@NiFe-MMO rod array, fabricated and used as a structured photocatalyst.

Recently, using sunlight as a driving force with transitional metal oxides as photocatalysts, due to their unique optical and catalytic properties for organic reactions, has been considered to be a promising strategy in synthetic chemistry. Here, a hierarchically structured photocatalyst, a NiFe mixed metal oxide coated NbO (denoted as NbO@NiFe-MMO) rod array has been successfully fabricated using Nb foil as a substrate. The NbO rod array was synthesized by the oxidative etching of Nb metal on the surface of the a substrate.

Inhibition of tumor growth and angiogenesis by 2-(4-aminophenyl) benzothiazole in orthotopicglioma C6 rat model.

In the present study antitumor effect of 2-(4-aminophenyl) benzothiazole (BTZ) was evaluated against human U251 and rat C6 glioma cell lines using MTT assay. It was observed that BTZ exhibited significant antitumor effect with IC of 3.5 and 4 µM against human U251 and rat C6 glioma cells respectively.

Galangin increases ERK1/2 phosphorylation to decrease ADAM9 expression and prevents invasion in A172 glioma cells.

Galangin (3,5,7‑trihydroxyflavone), is a natural flavonoid present in plants. Galangin is reported to exhibit anti‑cancer properties against various cancer types. The aim of the present study was to display the effects of galangin on glioma and its mechanism of action in A172 human glioma cancer cells.

The risk of postoperative hemorrhage and efficacy of heparin for preventing deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in adult patients undergoing neurosurgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to examine the risk of postoperative bleeding and efficacy of heparin for preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in adult patients undergoing neurosurgery. MEDLINE, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases were searched until October 31, 2016, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized comparative studies that assessed the rates of postoperative hemorrhage, DVT, PE, and mortality in adult patients undergoing neurosurgery. Nine eligible studies (five RCTs, four retrospective studies) including 874 patients treated with either unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and 1033 patients in control group (placebo with or without compression device) were analyzed.

MiR-338-5p suppresses proliferation, migration, invasion, and promote apoptosis of glioblastoma cells by directly targeting EFEMP1.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effect of miR-338-5p on proliferation, migration and invasion of glioblastoma (GBM) cells by regulating EFEMP1.

Methods: The expression of miR-338-5p and EFEMP1 was measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. Transfection was conducted to regulate the expression of miR-338-5p and EFEMP1 in U87 cell lines.

Conditioned media from human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells efficiently induced the apoptosis and differentiation in human glioma cell lines in vitro.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have an intrinsic property for homing towards tumor sites and can be used as tumor-tropic vectors for tumor therapy. But very limited studies investigated the antitumor properties of MSCs themselves. In this study we investigated the antiglioma properties of two easily accessible MSCs, namely, human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) and umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs).

Co-transplantation of GDNF-overexpressing neural stem cells and fetal dopaminergic neurons mitigates motor symptoms in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Striatal transplantation of dopaminergic (DA) neurons or neural stem cells (NSCs) has been reported to improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), but the low rate of cell survival, differentiation, and integration in the host brain limits the therapeutic efficacy. We investigated the therapeutic effects of intracranial co-transplantation of mesencephalic NSCs stably overexpressing human glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF-mNSCs) together with fetal DA neurons in the 6-OHDA rat model of PD. Striatal injection of mNSCs labeled by the contrast enhancer superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) resulted in a hypointense signal in the striatum on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images that lasted for at least 8 weeks post-injection, confirming the long-term survival of injected stem cells in vivo.

The maximum tolerated dose of gamma radiation to the optic nerve during γ knife radiosurgery in an animal study.

Background: The safety of gamma knife radiosurgery should be considered when treating pituitary adenomas.

Objectives: To determine the maximum tolerated dose of radiation delivered by gamma knife radiosurgery to optic nerves.

Methods: An animal model designed to establish prolonged balloon compression of the optic chiasm and parasellar region was developed to mimic the optic nerve compression caused by pituitary adenomas.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide labeling of spinal cord neural stem cells genetically modified by nerve growth factor-beta.

This study established superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-labeled nerve growth factor-beta (NGF-beta) gene-modified spinal cord-derived neural stem cells (NSCs). The E14 rat embryonic spinal cord-derived NSCs were isolated and cultured. The cells of the third passage were transfected with plasmid pcDNA3-hNGFbeta by using FuGENE HD transfection reagent.