The Application of the Posterior Atlantooccipital Membrane Tension Release Technique for Surgical Exposure of the Horizontal Part of the Vertebral Artery's Third Segment: An Anatomical and Clinical Investigation.

Objective: This study aims to elucidate the anatomical principles governing the surrounding venous structures (VS) of the horizontal part of the third segment of the vertebral artery (V3h) and develop a safe and bloodless surgical technique for exposing V3h.

Methods: This study used ten formalin-infused cadaveric head specimens. The dissections were performed stepwise to simulate the far lateral approach process, exposing the V3h with a novel technique.

Enhancement of hypothalamic STAT3 acetylation by nuclear receptor Nur77 dictates leptin sensitivity.

Leptin, an anorexigenic hormone in the hypothalamus, suppresses food intake and increases energy expenditure. Failure to respond to leptin will lead to obesity. Here, we discovered that nuclear receptor Nur77 expression is lower in the hypothalamus of obese mice compared with normal mice.

Tat peptide-decorated gelatin-siloxane nanoparticles for delivery of CGRP transgene in treatment of cerebral vasospasm.

Background: Gene transfer using a nanoparticle vector is a promising new approach for the safe delivery of therapeutic genes in human disease. The Tat peptide-decorated gelatin-siloxane (Tat-GS) nanoparticle has been demonstrated to be biocompatible as a vector, and to have enhanced gene transfection efficiency compared with the commercial reagent. This study investigated whether intracisternal administration of Tat-GS nanoparticles carrying the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) gene can attenuate cerebral vasospasm and improve neurological outcomes in a rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Synthesis and characterization of NIR-responsive Aurod@pNIPAAm-PEGMA nanogels as vehicles for delivery of photodynamic therapy agents.

A near-infrared (NIR)-responsive Aurod@pNIPAAm-PEGMA nanogel was synthesized in two steps, growing a PEGMA monolayer on the surface of gold nanorods (AuNRs), followed by in situ polymerization and cross-linking of N-iso-propylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and poly-(ethylene glycol)-methacrylate (PEGMA). The AuNRs and Aurod@pNIPAAm-PEGMA nanogel were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The lower critical solution temperature of the Aurod@pNIPAAm-PEGMA nanogel could be tuned by changing the molar ratio of NIPAAm/PEGMA.

In vitro and in vivo studies on gelatin-siloxane nanoparticles conjugated with SynB peptide to increase drug delivery to the brain.

Background: Nanobiotechnology can provide more efficient tools for diagnosis, targeted and personalized therapy, and increase the chances of brain tumor treatment being successful. Use of nanoparticles is a promising strategy for overcoming the blood-brain barrier and delivering drugs to the brain. Gelatin-siloxane (GS) nanoparticles modified with Tat peptide can enhance plasmid DNA transfection efficiency compared with a commercial reagent.

[Repairing front skull base and saddle bottom of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea under endoscopy].

Objective: To explore the methods and techniques of repairing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea and reconstructing the defects of skull base under endoscopy.

Methods: The clinical data of 26 patients undergoing endoscopic repair of CSF rhinorrhea were analyzed retrospectively. There were 19 males and 7 females with an average age of 31.

Shape dependence of gold nanoparticles on in vivo acute toxicological effects and biodistribution.

The toxicity and biodistribution in vivo of various morphologies of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) were studied by using KM mice. The quantitative analysis of Au in each tissue of mice was done by using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Sphere-shaped AuNPs displayed the best biocompatibility, compared with rod- and cube-shaped of AuNPs, and rod-shaped AuNPs was more toxic than cube-shaped AuNPs.

Enhanced brain targeting of temozolomide in polysorbate-80 coated polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles.

Background: Polybutylcyanoacrylate (PBCA) nanoparticles coated with polysorbate-80 have been extensively proposed for delivering drugs into the animal brain and have shown great potential for therapeutic applications. In this study, we made an attempt to deliver the chemotherapeutic drug, temozolomide, into the brain by using PBCA nanoparticles. The physicochemical characteristics, in vitro release, and brain targeting ability of the drug-loaded nanoparticles were investigated.