Blockage of glioma cell survival by truncated TEAD-binding domain of YAP.

Background: Gliomas are highly aggressive and lack of efficient targeted therapy. YAP, as a Hippo pathway downstream effector, plays a key role in promoting tumor development through the interaction with transcription factor TEAD on the NH3-terminal proline-rich domain. Therefore, targeting TEAD-interacting domain of YAP may provide a novel approach for the treatment of gliomas.

Inhibition of eIF4F complex loading inhibits the survival of malignant glioma.

The eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)4E‑binding proteins (4E‑BPs) regulate cap‑dependent protein translation and control the assembly of the eIF4F complex. In the present study, a phosphorylation‑deficient truncated 4E‑BP2 (eIF4FD) was constructed into the eukaryotic expression vector pSecTag2, and the in vitro and in vivo effects on malignant glioma survival were determined through inhibiting eIF4F complex assembly. Cell cycle distribution analysis and TUNEL staining show that overexpression of eIF4FD suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in U251 cells.

Malignant Intracranial High Grade Glioma and Current Treatment Strategy.

Malignant high-grade glioma (HGG) is the most common and extremely fatal type of primary intracranial tumor. These tumors recurred within 2 to 3 cm of the primary region of tumor resection in the majority of cases. Furthermore, the blood-brain barrier significantly limited the access of many systemically administered chemotherapeutics to the tumor, pointing towards a stringent need for new therapeutic patterns.

Does Early Postsurgical Temozolomide Plus Concomitant Radiochemotherapy Regimen Have Any Benefit in Newly-diagnosed Glioblastoma Patients? A Multi-center, Randomized, Parallel, Open-label, Phase II Clinical Trial.

Background: The radiochemotherapy regimen concomitantly employing temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) 4 weeks after surgery, followed by 6 cycles of TMZ is a common treatment for glioblastoma (GBM). However, its median overall survival (OS) is only 14.6 months.

The cap-translation inhibitor 4EGI-1 induces mitochondrial dysfunction via regulation of mitochondrial dynamic proteins in human glioma U251 cells.

Translation initiation factors (eIFs) are over-activated in many human cancers and may contribute to their progression. The small molecule 4EGI-1, a potent inhibitor of translation initiation through disrupting eIF4E/eIF4G interaction, has been shown to exert anti-cancer effects in human cancer cells. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the anti-cancer effects of 4EGI-1 in human glioma U251 cells.

The expression of hepatoma-derived growth factor in primary central nervous system lymphoma and its correlation with angiogenesis, proliferation and clinical outcome.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), a potential predictive and prognostic marker in several human cancers, is the firstly reported member of the HDGF family of proteins containing a well-conserved N-terminal amino acid sequence. HDGF is implicated in tumorigenesis by direct angiogenic activity, and its expression is correlated with aggressive biological ability of cancer cells including proliferation and angiogenesis. So, we propose that HDGF may be a valuable factor in progression and prognosis for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) through its angiogenic and proliferative activity.

Chordoid glioma: a case report and literature review.

Background: chordoid glioma is a rare tumor (World Health Organization grade II) with both glial and chordoid features, often located in the suprasellar region and anterior third ventricle. It was first described by Brat in 1998. Because there is no detailed information available from the clinical perspective, we reviewed the literature.

Hemorrhagic pituitary macroadenoma: characteristics, endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery, and outcomes.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the effect of endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETSS) of hemorrhagic pituitary macroadenoma (HPMA).

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 52 cases with HPMA collected from the Xijing Hospital from April 1995 to April 2009. There were 39 males and 13 females, ranging in age from 18 to 79 years (average 51.

Up-regulation of EphA2 and down-regulation of EphrinA1 are associated with the aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis of malignant glioma.

Malignant gliomas display over-expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase EphA2. However, expression levels of the EphA2 ligand, EphrinA1, have not been fully elucidated. Seventy-eight patients with primary gliomas were included in this study who underwent surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy.

Neuritin expression and its relation with proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis in human astrocytoma.

Neuritin, a new member of the neurotrophic factor family, plays an important role in promoting neuronal survival, differentiation, function, and repair. However, whether neuritin is expressed in human astrocytoma and involved in their proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis remains unclear. The expression of neuritin messenger RNA, protein and the relationship with proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis were examined in human astrocytoma samples and three glioma cell lines by immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and quantitative real-time RT-PCR and so on.

Prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma: SUV-based assessment.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in immunocompetent patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). We also investigated whether FDG uptake was related to angiogenesis in the tumors. Seventeen patients with newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed PCNSL were investigated with FDG-PET before the treatment.

Correlation of L-methyl-11C-methionine (MET) uptake with L-type amino acid transporter 1 in human gliomas.

L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is a neutral amino acid transport system and is a major route for the transport of large neutral amino acids, including methionine, through the plasma membrane. LAT1 requires the heavy chain of 4F2 cell surface antigen (4F2hc) for its functional expression. Positron emission tomography (PET) with L-[methyl-(11)C] methionine (MET) provides information about amino acid metabolism in brain tumors.

Brain Tumor Stem-Like Cells Identified by Neural Stem Cell Marker CD15.

In recent years, a small number of cells that have stem cell properties were identified in human gliomas called brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs), which were thought to mainly contribute to the initiation and development of gliomas and could be identified by the surface marker CD133. However, recent studies indicated that the expression of CD133 might be regulated by environmental conditions such as hypoxia and that there might be CD133(-) BTSCs. Genetic mouse models demonstrated that some gliomas originated from transformed neural stem cells (NSCs).

Gross-total hematoma removal of hypertensive basal ganglia hemorrhages: a long-term follow-up.

Background And Purpose: Hypertensive basal ganglia hemorrhage (HBGH) accounts for 35%-44% of cases of hypertensive intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), which is one of the most devastating forms of cerebrovascular disease. In this study, intracerebral hematoma was evacuated with a burr hole craniectomy. The relationships of residue hematoma volume to brain edema, inflammation factors and the long-term prognosis of HBGH patients were studied.

Ardipusilloside I induces apoptosis in human glioblastoma cells through a caspase-8-independent FasL/Fas-signaling pathway.

Ardipusilloside I, a triterpenoid saponin isolated from Ardisia pusilla A. DC, suppresses the growth of a variety of cancer cells, and has certain immunomodulative properties. Herein, we investigated its effect on glioblastoma cell line U87MG cells and primary cultured human glioblastoma cells, and examined the underlying mechanism of action.

Progress on potential strategies to target brain tumor stem cells.

The identification of brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) leads to promising progress on brain tumor treatment. For some brain tumors, BTSCs are the driving force of tumor growth and the culprits that make tumor revive and resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, it is specifically significant to eliminate BTSCs for treatment of brain tumors.

Resveratrol attenuates ischemic brain damage in the delayed phase after stroke and induces messenger RNA and protein express for angiogenic factors.

Background: It has been reported recently that resveratrol preconditioning can protect the brain from ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, it was unclear whether resveratrol administration after stroke was beneficial to the delayed phases after focal cerebral ischemia injury. This study investigated the effects and possible protective mechanism of resveratrol on the delayed phase after focal cerebral ischemia injury in mice.

Apoptosis induced by ardipusilloside III through BAD dephosphorylation and cleavage in human glioblastoma U251MG cells.

Ardipusilloside III is a saponin newly isolated from Ardisia pusilla A.DC. Since saponins have exhibited broad anti-cancer and pro-apoptotic activity, we investigated the ability of ardipusilloside III to induce apoptosis in human glioblastoma U251MG cells, as well as the involvement of apoptotic signaling pathways.

New enlightenment of French Paradox: resveratrol's potential for cancer chemoprevention and anti-cancer therapy.

Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced by many plants, and the skin of red grapes is particularly rich in resveratrol which accounts for the "French Paradox". Besides its protection of the cardiovascular system, it can affect the processes underlying all three stages of carcinogenesis, involving tumor initiation, promotion and progression. It has also been shown to suppress angiogenesis and metastasis.

Short hairpin RNA targeting survivin inhibits growth and angiogenesis of glioma U251 cells.

Survivin is a novel tumor-associated gene, its overexpression mostly associates with carcinogenesis and development. Nevertheless, the precise role of survivin in initiation and progression of gliomas is still not completely clear. We constructed here three short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting survivin plasmid vectors and introduced them into glioma U251 cells.

Emergency transsphenoidal surgery for hemorrhagic pituitary adenomas.

Hemorrhagic pituitary adenoma (HPA) is an acute clinical event in neurosurgery. Emergency surgical decompression is the most effective treatment. We retrospectively reviewed 65 cases collected from the Xijing Institute of Clinical Neuroscience from 1995 to 2005 with HPA.

Enhancing skin flap survival by a cell-permeable wild-type survivin.

Skin grafts, including skin flaps, are widely used in plastic and reconstructive surgery to cover wounds and tissue defects resulting from mechanic or burn injury. Ischemic necrosis is the main complication in skin graft surgery due to inefficient revascularization. Though the surgical delay procedure has been proved to be the only effective technique to prevent skin flap ischemic necrosis by mechanism of inducing adaption to hypoxia, but it is time consuming, costly, and having high risk of infection due to repeated surgery.