Diabetic Retinopathy and Brain Structure, Cognition Function, and Dementia: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that hyperglycemia is a possible risk factor for mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been identified as a risk factor for dementia in patients with diabetes.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the causal relationships between DR and brain structure, cognitive function, and dementia.

Cancer Stem Cells in Tumours of the Central Nervous System in Children: A Comprehensive Review.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subgroup of cells found in various kinds of tumours with stem cell characteristics, such as self-renewal, induced differentiation, and tumourigenicity. The existence of CSCs is regarded as a major source of tumour recurrence, metastasis, and resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Tumours of the central nervous system (CNS) are the most common solid tumours in children, which have many different types including highly malignant embryonal tumours and midline gliomas, and low-grade gliomas with favourable prognoses.

＜Editors' Choice＞ Advantages of gasless single-port transumbilical extracorporeal laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy in the treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis in children in China: a multi-institutional retrospective study.

Gasless transumbilical extracorporeal laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy is an approach used increasingly to treat uncomplicated acute appendicitis (UAA). However, there is limited information on its clinical effects and value in the Chinese pediatric population. This study retrospectively reviewed patients with UAA treated in two pediatric institutions from January 2018 through October 2021.

Association of kidney function and brain health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the bidirectional association between the kidney dysfunction and the brain health, including structural and functional abnormalities.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis with network meta-analysis for outcomes with different estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ranges.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase database, Cochrane library and Web of Science (up to Dec.

Relationship between obesity and structural brain abnormality: Accumulated evidence from observational studies.

We aimed to evaluate the relationship between obesity and structural brain abnormalities assessed by magnetic resonance imaging using data from 45 observational epidemiological studies, where five articles reported prospective longitudinal results. In cross-sectional studies' analyses, the pooled weighted mean difference for total brain volume (TBV) and gray matter volume (GMV) in obese/overweight participants was -11.59 (95 % CI: -23.

Prediabetes and structural brain abnormalities: Evidence from observational studies.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been linked to structural brain abnormalities, but evidence of the association among prediabetes and structural brain abnormalities has not been systematically evaluated. Comprehensive searching strategies and relevant studies were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Medline and web of science. Twelve articles were included overall.

Clinical Significance of Baseline Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients With Ischemic Stroke or Hemorrhagic Stroke: An Updated Meta-Analysis.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and acquired disability in adults today. Inflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of stroke. The peripheral neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an important global inflammatory indicator becoming more mainstream in stroke care.

Integrative analysis of gene expression and DNA methylation through one-class logistic regression machine learning identifies stemness features in medulloblastoma.

Most human cancers develop from stem and progenitor cell populations through the sequential accumulation of various genetic and epigenetic alterations. Cancer stem cells have been identified from medulloblastoma (MB), but a comprehensive understanding of MB stemness, including the interactions between the tumor immune microenvironment and MB stemness, is lacking. Here, we employed a trained stemness index model based on an existent one-class logistic regression (OCLR) machine-learning method to score MB samples; we then obtained two stemness indices, a gene expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) and a DNA methylation-based stemness index (mDNAsi), to perform an integrated analysis of MB stemness in a cohort of primary cancer samples (n = 763).

Incidence of metastatic disease and survival among patients with newly diagnosed primary CNS tumors in the United States from 2004-2013.

: Population-based estimates of the incidence and prognosis of metastatic disease at the initial diagnosis of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors are currently lacking. : A total of 43,455 patients diagnosed with a primary CNS tumor were enrolled to evaluate metastatic rates utilizing the data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. We used multivariate logistic regression to analyze the risk factors associated with the presence of metastasis at the first visit of patients with metastatic medulloblastoma (MB), atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), or pilocytic astrocytoma (PA).

Urine NGAL as an early biomarker for diabetic kidney disease: accumulated evidence from observational studies.

Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) was found to increase in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the clinical value of urine NGAL as diagnostic indicators in DKD remains to be clarified. Relevant studies were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library.

Negative regulation of amino acid signaling by MAPK-regulated 4F2hc/Girdin complex.

Amino acid signaling mediated by the activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is fundamental to cell growth and metabolism. However, how cells negatively regulate amino acid signaling remains largely unknown. Here, we show that interaction between 4F2 heavy chain (4F2hc), a subunit of multiple amino acid transporters, and the multifunctional hub protein girders of actin filaments (Girdin) down-regulates mTORC1 activity.

Significance of perivascular tumour cells defined by CD109 expression in progression of glioma.

In the progression of glioma, tumour cells often exploit the perivascular microenvironment to promote their survival and resistance to conventional therapies. Some of these cells are considered to be brain tumour stem cells (BTSCs); however, the molecular nature of perivascular tumour cells has not been specifically clarified because of the complexity of glioma. Here, we identified CD109, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein and regulator of multiple signalling pathways, as a critical regulator of the progression of lower-grade glioma (World Health Organization grade II/III) by clinicopathological and whole-genome sequencing analysis of tissues from human glioma.

Therapeutic ultrasound protects HUVECs from ischemia/hypoxia-induced apoptosis via the PI3K-Akt pathway.

Previous studies have demonstrated that therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) ameliorates angiogenesis on ischemic hind limb animals and also promotes human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) tube formation. Apoptosis plays a key role in post-ischemic angiogenesis pathogenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying the anti-apoptotic effects of TUS are not clear.

Significance of low mTORC1 activity in defining the characteristics of brain tumor stem cells.

Background: The significance of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activity in the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) remains controversial. Previous findings showed that mTORC1 activation depleted the population of leukemia stem cells in leukemia, while maintaining the stemness in pancreatic CSCs. The purpose of this study was to examine the currently unknown role and significance of mTORC1 activity in brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs).

Angiogenesis effect of therapeutic ultrasound on HUVECs through activation of the PI3K-Akt-eNOS signal pathway.

Therapeutic angiogenic effects of low-intensity ultrasound have been reported in endothelial cells and animal models of hind limb ischemia. It has been shown that the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells play critical roles in angiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to determine the underlying mechanism of low-intensity continuous therapeutic ultrasound on angiogenesis in endothelial cells.

Pulsed electromagnetic field improves postnatal neovascularization in response to hindlimb ischemia.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) have been shown to promote proliferation and regeneration in the damaged tissue. Here, we examined whether PEMF therapy improved postnatal neovascularization using murine model of hindlimb ischemia, and the underlying cellular/molecular mechanisms were further investigated. Hindlimb ischemia was induced by unilateral femoral artery resection using 6-8 week-old male C57BL6 mice.

Peritoneal metastasis of third ventricular atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor after VP shunt implantation for unexplained hydrocephalus.

Background: Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) of the central nervous system (CNS) is a highly malignant neoplasm seen frequently in infancy and early childhood. This report presents a 9-year-old girl of primary third ventricular AT/RT with peritoneal metastasis after ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt catheter implantation for hydrocephalus before the identification of the CNS tumor.

Methods: The data of clinical course, laboratory and imaging studies were obtained and carefully reviewed.

[Research on the relationship between levels of soluble cluster of differentiation 40 ligand, matrix metalloproteinase 9 and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A in serum and stability of carotid plaques].

Objectives: To study the relationship between serum levels of some inflammatory markers and stability of carotid plaques in the patients with carotid plaques and evaluate the ability of each serum marker in identifying vulnerable carotid plaques.

Methods: The study included 65 consecutive patients with carotid plaques confirmed by imaging examinations from March 2008 to March 2010. All the patients were classified as stable plaques group (n = 21) and unstable plaques group (n = 44) according to the characteristic findings of the plaques in MRI such as the thickness of fibrous cap, the existence of large lipid core and the intra-plaque hemorrhage.

[Zoledronic acid blocks cell cycle and induces apoptosis in lung cancer cell line 95D cells and their mechanisms of action].

Objective: To study the effect of zoledronic acid on cell cycle blocking and induction of apoptosis in lung cancer cell line 95D cells, and their mechanisms of action.

Methods: The effect of zoledronic acid (ZOL) on proliferation of lung cancer cell line 95D cells was observed by MTT assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis of the lung cancer cells was examined by flow cytometry.